Tag Archives: designed for health

Blogging for good health!

It’s Great to Be Alive – So Thrive!!

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If you don’t live in a larger metropolitan area, then access to the cool and healthy stuff is left to navigating Amazon. Even if you are lucky enough to live near a Costco or a Whole Foods store, you are stuck with Costco’s unpredictable selections and Whole Food’s elite Shopping Cartpricing.

What to do?

Well, this spring another website did what I am about to do, and that is share good news!

Don’t we love to do it?

Like a great recipe for Watermelon Salad I will soon be passing on to you. The checkout lady at Hyundai of New Bern had a watermelon on her desk which caused a comment from me, which caused her to share a recipe with great enthusiasm, which caused me to fix it for my family, which caused rave reviews by all, which caused me to want to share the recipe with you—soon.watermelon

Next post.

But FIRST, let’s solve the healthy food and healthy body products shopping problem! There is an answer to our pain! I have been trying out this resource since the spring and have nothing but raves about Thrive Market. Costco-meets-Whole Foods-AND Amazon – but BETTER! How about saving money better!? Selection better!? Free shipping better!?

Surprised-WomanThere is so much to like about Thrive Market! When you use the link on THIS PAGE, you will really help sponsor the foodtalk4you.com website! Nothing in the world is free, and maintaining this site does have its expenses – which I have gladly been funding myself—but, working as an affiliate for Thrive Market, we can help cover our website costs.

What immediately grabbed me about Thrive Market was their commitment to giving more people access to healthier choices at reduced costs. It is a membership organization, and they match every new membership with a free membership to a lower income family found through organizations such as Boys aThrive_Sharing_0004_5nd Girls Clubs of America.

Another thing I have found is that shopping and finding what I am looking for is so easy. I just love that drop down selection of gluten free, dairy free, Paleo, vegan, etc.!

Have I said “awesome” yet?

Everything they have shipped me has arrived in pristine shape; and perfectly packaged in recyclable materials. I recycled my paper “net” wrappings during Vacation Bible School when they became tree bark for palm trees! Fabulous!

Thrive_Sharing_0000_1Just today, I have another favorite thing about Thrive Market! They just sent me a refund for a certain item that was out-of-stock, along with profuse apologies, AND a 25% off code to use on my next purchase! Stupendous customer service! That was a first for me!

I think you will enjoy finally having a place to shop for the better choices! Thrive Market has a great and growing selection to choose from and everything is easy to find. Give it a try by clicking on the link provided below so you, too, can Thrive!

Just about every food item I have shown you on this blog is available through Thrive Market!

In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Color My World …

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Looking for an open-eyed tool to turn down the inner stress levels? I mean, mindful breathing requires closed eyes. Meditation, again, is a closed eye thing. All great tools, mind you; but sometimes I want to have my eyes wide open with my mind tuned into something totally different that is, at once, fully engaging my senses but not contributing to added stress. Even relaxing on the back porch is great, but sometimes I see weeds to pull or flowers that need watering, you know?

Help! What to do?

I have an answer that may help you. It has been a life-saver for me this week! It is akin to comfort food, but without the calories, sugar, fat, guilt, or health consequences. Deep down comfort that hails from our childhood.color-1

Remember sitting down with a brand new box of crayons and a cool coloring book? I will never forget moving up to that 64 color pack of Crayola wonderfulness!

Through the years I have often thought that certain days would have been perfect for reliving those moments, but with adult pictures and maybe quality colored pencils!

Well, why not?

Last week, Parade magazine featured an article on a growing trend for adult coloring books! Vaguely aware of this smart return to adult coloring needs, I read with relish about resources now available to answer that inner desire to focus not on learning the latest technology or social media app, but to just apply color to the page!

IMG_1333They even have a free resource at Parade magazine where you can download and print a few sample pictures and designs to get you started! After a trip to Michael’s with a coupon for 25% off entire purchase, I returned home with my new set of 24-count colored pencils! I started to give life to a pretty picture of paper lanterns, streamers, and dangling beads!

Right now, my coloring station is easily accessible on an open space of the kitchen counter. It has become a favorite spot to start my day – after doing planks – and my new way to finish my evening winding down process before bed. It’s amazing what just five minutes of coloring can do for one’s mind and spirit.color 23

There is no multi-tasking with applying color to paper. There is no halfhearted or distracted effort here, coloring gently requires our full attention. The only thing I am thinking about is applying the chosen color to the paper in a way pleases me. It is completely engaging, yet unstressful in nature. It’s like meditating with your eyes wide open!

There are repetitive patterns available such as paisley prints or mandalas, and there are pictures for adults as well such as “The Secret Garden.” The Parade link will give you a variety to choose from so youIMG_1341 can experiment with the coloring experience before actually buying a full book.

Crayons, markers, pastels, or colored pencils- it does not have to be complicated. Certain markers may bleed; crayons quickly get rounded points- that’s why I went with colored pencils.

Another calming effect with this coloring activity is that it enables you to organize and put order to the page. I have seen and heard of people who rely on jig saw puzzles to help them to have a sense of putting their lives back in order during or after stressful or traumatizing events. With coloring, I think the therapeutic power is magnified because there is also a creative process going on. Rather than piecing together a picture someone else created, you are giving color, life, order, and beauty to something to which you actively contributed.

If you can give life, color, and beauty to a printed design, then maybe

IMG_1361
Finished!!

you can do the same in a certain area of your life? In any case, you will leave from the coloring experience much more relaxed and with a stronger inner calm to either face the day or to ease into a restful sleep.

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Book update! I am aiming for a fall release this year, paired with offerings for seminars on wellness! There is a lot to coordinate, but it is an exciting process and a real growth curve! Every week I meet people who come to me seeking advice and direction about their issues for mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. My goal is to help. I do not claim to have all of the answers, but I hope to encourage people as they head in a better direction with pointers for success along the way!

In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Peaches Gone Wild!!

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Tired of swooning over the covers of Southern Living and other karen-tran-soolip-wedding-pink-crystal-brooch-centerpiecemagazines just wishing you could join the rest of the world in cool summertime deliciousness?  Except, you have wisely chosen to no longer eat gluten; and since giving up sugar, you really do not want to get that addiction started again.  So, you stand in the line at the checkout counter at the grocery store and you salivate at the magazine covers looking pitiful and deprived.  It could be embarrassing:

“Clean up at register 5; customer weeping buckets and drooling on the floor!”

I regularly prepare what I like to call “Fruit with Benefits” which is a concoction of already healthful berries, sometimes an apple or a pear, and varying amounts of Great Lakes gelatin and ground flax seed.  This gives me all the goodies of the berries PLUS protein, PLUS more fiber, PLUS Omega-3 fatty acids!  A small scoop of this satisfying dessert and you are a happy camper.

Fruit-SaladSince developing my “Fruit with Benefits” skills, I am always looking for ways to squeeze in some more nutrition.  Therefore, when presented with this mouth-watering spread in the magazine about icebox pies, I began to wonder…and as the imaginative and creative juices flowed, an idea formed… Well, I think I’ve done it!

There is a bit of sugar, just over ½ cup total, for the entire pie but that’s compared to way over 1 cup of sugar in the original recipe that uses store bought peach preserves which have who knows how much sugar?!

The original recipe called for folding gobs of whipped cream in the filling, but I chose to not even convert that by using more whipped coconut cream.  Enough is enough.

I have tried lots of gluten free pie crust recipes, but this one is the best.  One of the things I especially liked were the occasional whole flax seeds that had escaped the food processor blade; it not only tasted great, but it looked great, too!

So, do not despair my lovelies, this will be a great treat, not sweet enough to initiate binge carb fests, but smooth and creamy and peachy enough to make you smile!

This recipe has plenty of bone and joint health benefits of gelatin and boosts in protein from not only the gelatin and eggs but from the flax seed that also gives omega-3 fatty acids! Win! Win! Win!

Prepare the crust first so it can completely cool before adding the contents.Pie-dough

Put the following ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well-combined:

1/2 cup whole flax seeds

1 cup almond flour

1/4 cup sugarpastured-cow

1 tsp. Kosher salt

6 Tbsp. butter from pastured cows, melted- (I use the Kerrygold brand)

Pat dough into a smooth ball and press into a 9-inch, lightly- greased pie plate. Evenly distribute the dough, pressing it up the sides.

Create an edge.  I just pressed a fork into mine.Food-Talk-4-u-finished-pie-crust

Bake 6-10 minutes at 325 degrees until golden. Remove from oven and cool.

Food-Talk-4-U-Jam-PrepPrepare fresh “jam” by putting the following ingredients into a sauté pan and cook on medium until it comes to a boil, check for sweetness, and take off heat:

1 Tbs. coconut oil

2 peeled and finely-diced peachesCooking-Jam

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. gelatin that is wisked together with 1/4 cup boiling water: NO lumps!

Prepare the filling as follows:

Pie-filling-before-preservesFill a 3 1/2 quart sauce pan with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium to keep at a simmer.

Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the following together in a 2 1/2 quart glass bowl:

3 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

Place bowl over simmering water and cook while whisPie-filling-after-preservesking constantly five to six minutes or until mixture becomes slightly thick and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and the simmering water.

Place 4 tsp. gelatin in a small bowl and pour 1/4 cup boiling water over it, whisking constantly until gelatin is completely dissolved.

Using the handheld electric mixer, whisk the egg mixture on high speed for 8-10 minutes until ribbons form on surface of mixture when beater is lifted.

Food-Talk-4-u-assembled-pieAdd gelatin mixture and continue whisking one more minute.

Fold in the peach “jam” and a pinch of kosher salt.

Spoon filling into cooled pie crust and arrange thin sliFood-Talk-4-u-Pie-bite-with-forkces of 2 medium peeled peaches over the filling. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 2 hours.

Serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped coconut cream sweetened with a pinch of sugar and a splash of vanilla!

Going, going, gone!

Just peachy!!

Deidre

 

 

Blogging for good health!

Just One (Good) Thing After Another!

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My absolute favorite morning routine sets me up for greeting the food-talk-4-u-2new day with renewed and centered energies. Whenever possible, this is what sets me on a great path. I call this a “Series of Good Things.” We started talking about this in the fall series of Designed for Health classes, and with my deeper understanding of habits and habit formation, it is all coming together for me with positive results.
Let me share:

Rise and shine at the same time each day! In doing so, I am waking naturally a few minutes before my gentle phone alarm announces itself. With more consistent bedtimes, waking up is not so problematic. Sleeping in has robbed me of too many retirement mornings, and I regret it when I do. No. Getting up at a consistent time is my first good thing.

food-talk-4-u-3Drinking that first full cup of cold water right after swishing out the “cob webs” from my mouth is good thing number two. Start the day with the best “hydrater” of all: water.

If my husband is up, I will make the bed on my way to the closet to dress. Good thing number three. The bedroom is neat and I am already on a roll!

Moving into the kitchen, I pass the refrigerator first, so I grab my food-talk-4-u-4cold Bragg’s apple cider vinegar from the door, pour a tablespoon-full into a glass, add about 6 ounces of water, and chug. This is a personal experiment; many in my spring Designed for Health class are doing it for cholesterol benefits. My research has netted a zero on scientifically proven health benefits except for well-documented benefit of improved blood sugars. I am doing it to add acid to my stomach in hopes to improve some reflux issues. While we refer to acid reflux, often it can be a result of not enough acid in the stomach. We will see. No harm for sure, and – hey- that’s more water! Good thing number four.

Then, I have to start my day feeding my menagerie of birds and squirrels! Watching their antics off the back porch is our major amusement and delight. That’s number five.

food-talk-4-u-5Taking a few deep, mindful, meditative breaths while pausing to sit on the porch swing helps me calmly set myself up for a new day. “Thank you, God, for this new day; thank you, Lord, in every way for your blessings great and small; make me a blessing to others this day. Amen.” Six.

Then, while the coffee or tea is brewing, number seven is my favorite to check off because, not only do I enjoy doing this, but getting to it can be hard for me. Plank time! Starting with a child’s pose to stretch my lower back, I move forward to do my two minutes of planks: full body plank followed by a “restful” half-plank from the knees.

The rest of coffee brewing time is dedicated to slow motion squats, Plank_modified_opkitchen-counter slow motion push-ups, palms up arm circles, ballet-bar style toe points to the front, side, and back: very good for balance. That is number eight!

Bing, bing, bing! Coffee’s ready! That’s number nine!

So – exercise minimums are met, bed is made, water is drunk, nature is fed; well… it’s a series of good things!

food-talk-4-u-sugar-8To keep that good vibe, I make sure half of my breakfast plate is veggies! Leftovers work great as a side to my two eggs or they can be scrambled together as a frittata. If all else fails, after frying the bacon and before cooking the eggs, I will grab a giant handful of greens to sauté with a bit of good oil (coconut, avocado, or olive). That’s number ten!

I hope that you, too, have a “series of good things” you are doing for yourself each day. Please share them with me!

To summarize some good things we have covered here and in class about improving our over-all wellness:

1. Mindful breathingBeautiful girl breathing and smiling on the beach with the sea and blue sky in the background

2. Gratitude each day

3. Drink some extra water

4. Taper-off and eliminate added sugars

5. Eat real food. Eat food without labels!

6. Half of your plate each meal should be (mostly green) veggies

7. Use good fats- butter and ghee from pastured cows, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil

8. Supplements should include Vitamin-D, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and magnesium with your calcium

9. Toss the grains- they cause inflammation seen and unseen, and work against vitamin and mineral absorption

10. You may also want to toss the legumes: dried beans and peanuts- because they can have an adverse effect on digestion, can block absorption of vitamins and minerals, and can be inflammatory

11. Keep a regular bedtime and get enough sleep

12. Move and stretch your body every day. I have just started weekly Yin Yoga classes and am just loving it! More restful sleep; greater inner awareness and calm; and a more balanced feeling.

13. Set tiny, repeatable “tweaks” to move yourself toward better wellness.

14. Simplify, simplify, simplify!

15. Rather than getting more “stuff,” gather experiences in your life!

16. Smile!food-talk-4-u-7

As I concentrate on finalizing my book, preparing single day seminars, and simplifying my own possessions by cleaning and tossing out, I will be taking a bit of a blogging sabbatical. There may be the occasional summer recipe or thought, but I am going to practice what I preach by simplifying and daily application of things that make our ultimate goals come true!

Have a great summer!

In health and wellness-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Have We Got News For You!

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Designed for Health classes have re-commenced at First Baptist Church, New Bern, food-talk-4-u-announcement-2NC, and it is not too late to start joining us for an hour of wellness techniques! With so many folks enjoying Easter Break out of town last week, I want to make sure to remind everyone that we are starting a new series!

Come join us each Wednesday evening from 6-7 pm for the next five weeks. Class is held in the main sanctuary building, just off of the breezeway entrance. There are plenty of signs and people to guide you!

This week’s main topics are about sugar, sugar substitutes, and starchy vs. non-starchy vegetables. We will also re-visit last week’s topics of how to establish new habits.

The class is free to all who attend, and we always have a great time!

Hope to see you Wednesday!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

In The Beginning – There Was Paleo!

and it was good…..

William J. Bennett’s  now very familiar quote stares at me from underneath my computer screen:

Blueberries“Much good that might have been achieved in the world is lost through hesitation, faltering, wavering, vascillating, or just not sticking with it” – from his Book of Virtues,

I have finally given “birth” to my web site!  Baby steps are taken!

I will talk of more things than food, but the name “Designed forPaleo Muffin Health” was taken, so I have reverted to one of my original names from two years ago!  I let settling on a name become a major stumbling block.  No more hesitation, faltering, etc. for me!

My goal is to post some thoughts twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday.  Of course, this is Saturday, but you never know when a baby will decide to be born!

Remember, as Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.  Therefore, endeavor to eat nutrient rich foods devoid of added sugars and chemicals whenever possible.  We will talk about what that means in the future. In the mean time,  fish, veggies, and a salad with avocado are looking really good to me!

Deidre

Disclaimer:

The information being discussed in these blogs is NOT intended to replace a relationship with a qualified health care professional. Foodtalk4you blogs endeavor to empower people through the exploration of publicly available resources of information about human anatomy and physiology, and how different foods affect the human body.  Readers should seek the advice of their qualified health care providers with any questions about their medical conditions or health status before attempting any dietary, exercise, or lifestyle changes.