Are you tired of sacrificing your health and waistline for quick and easy meals? Well, we’ve got a game-changer for you: Glucomannan! This natural, low-carb ingredient is the secret to guilt-free indulgence in your favorite dishes. Whether you’re following a keto diet or just looking for healthier options, we’ve got you covered with delicious Glucomannan recipes that will satisfy your cravings without derailing your goals. Get ready to enjoy all your favorite comfort foods without the guilt – let’s dive into the world of low-carb cooking with Glucomannan!read more
What you need to have for your home birth kit in 20 items! Prepare for your home birth by collection this home birth kit.
How to Build a Home Birth Kit in 20 Items
I have been blessed to be able to have 2 home births now. You can read my two birth stories by clicking here: Annaleigh’s Birth and Aidalyn’s Birth.
Both experiences were amazing and there is very little I would change about either. I was fortunate to have 2 amazing midwives attend my births and felt very prepared for when the time came.
My first home birth was in 2010 (Aidalyn’s). I was able to have her in my master bathroom’s garden corner tub. It was easy clean up and a really a great experience. For Annaleigh’s birth we were in a rent house, so my midwife brought a large tub for me to use to birth in. It was even better because the water was able to be deeper. I wasn’t in the tub for more than 10 minutes though because she came so fast.read more
Summer is finally on its way! We are having a neighborhood cookout today to celebrate the warmer weather and longer days. I wanted to bring something somewhat healthy, because it is so easy to bring something unhealthy to parties and celebrations.
This is one of my favorite salads. Broccoli Salad filled with vegetables and satisfying cheese and dressing – yum!
This may be a crossover because of the carbs from the raisins, but it is still lower in carbs than most salads (and you could drop the raisins of course!). My mom used to buy this salad at the grocery store, then we learned how to make it ourselves.read more
We are all about getting organized right now. Getting organized in 2014 was one of my goals for this year. This idea was one that we actually did 3 years ago in our house in Louisiana. We loved how this photo gallery wall turned out so well, we re-created it for our new house here in Virginia.
Supplies:
3 (or more) narrow ledge shelves. They will only need to be deep enough to hold a picture frame (ours are 3 inches).
10 or more picture frames (they can be the same color or use a general color scheme)
When you are mounting your shelves, measure your largest frame you will use and then add some additional inches between your shelves. Our largest frame was 12 inches square, so we left 14 inches between shelves.
When placing your pictures on the shelves, I like to use the biggest in the middle and use smaller pictures on the outsides. I also like the look of varying sizes from top to bottom, placing my largest pictures at the top. You can be creative and place the pictures where you like them the best.
What I love about my DIY Photo Gallery Wall
1) Easy to change
I can easily change pictures in the frames and place them back on the shelve with little hassle. For Christmas, I was able to change the pictures to include older family Christmas pictures. Once the holiday season was over, I just changed the pictures back to the originals.
I also keep my pictures in the frames that I rotate. So my 8×10 frames have about 3 pictures in each of them. If I’m ready for a new look, I’ll just rotate the pictures around, showing a new picture .
2) Less damage to walls
When you are usually dealing with pictures, you are mounting individual frames on the wall and adding lots of holes in your walls. I like that once the shelves are placed, no more holes will be added.
3) Less clutter on tables
I love having pictures around. I enjoy seeing pictures of my family and the girls. But… I also love less clutter overall. By putting the pictures on the wall, I have less clutter on my tables (easier to dust too).
Here is a picture of my DIY Photo Gallery Wall at the top of my stairs:
What is your organization solution for your pictures?
If you buy your eggs at the grocery store, next time look for cage free eggs. These are from chickens that have been able to be free to get up and walk outside. The chickens usually are able to eat a more natural diet for them and are healthier.
2. Organic Mixed Salad Greens
Getting in your greens is easy when you buy a big box of mixed organic salad greens. We love to eat a taco salad using this salad mix. These are full of antioxidants and phytochemicals. Plus a great source of magnesium.
3. Almond Flour
This flour is fairly easy to find at your local grocery store. You can start baking gluten and grain free by switching out your wheat products and using almond flour instead.read more
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
What is Pulsatilla anyways?
Pulsatilla, also known as pasqueflower or windflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the Ranunculaceae family. These plants are native to meadows and prairies in North America, Europe, and Asia. Pulsatilla species are perennial herbs with finely divided leaves and bell-shaped flowers that range in color from purple to white, depending on the species.
Pulsatilla has a long history of medicinal use, particularly in traditional herbal medicine. It has been used to treat various ailments, including respiratory conditions like coughs and bronchitis, menstrual disorders, and skin conditions. Additionally, pulsatilla has been used to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and digestive issues.read more
The painful and inflamed breast. The chills. The fever.
I have had full blow mastitis 3 times now! I had it both after the first few days after childbirth and now today…
What causes mastitis?
Mastitis is usually caused by a clogged milk duct that isn’t draining properly. Mastitis can come when you are not resting enough or drinking enough water – Hello, Holidays!
This time it developed from a milk bleb – a clog right on the nipple. I noticed a slightly painful white dot on my nipple about 2 weeks ago, but I thought it honestly went away… Until last night.
Last night when I went to bed, I noticed my breast was tender. I tried to compress my breast to get any milk flowing, didn’t make much progress so I just went to sleep. I had trouble getting comfortable because it was tender.
I had a lot of trouble sleeping and finally got up at 3 am. I was feeling light-headed walking to the bathroom and almost passed out when I was trying to put in my contacts. I had to wake my husband so he could help me get some meds and vitamins, plus see what my temperature was.
We have a forehead scanning thermometer and it read 102.0 and 105.0… who knows.
I had a fever!
I couldn’t sit up in bed without getting light-headed. It was already serious.
I immediately took 2 Tylenol gel caps (which I NEVER do!), but I kept thinking… If I can’t take care of myself, who is going to take care of my babies?
I also took garlic tablets, vitamin C, and lecithin (a fat emulsifier to help break up any fat in the clog). The vitamins are immune boosters and should help fight off any infection.
Then I nursed, expressed milk, and nursed some more.
I stayed in bed until 9:30, then felt like I was at least well enough to come downstairs.
I fixed myself a large glass of echinacea tea, also full of antioxidants and immune boosting properties. I also took probiotics and cod liver oil.
I continued taking the vitamins and nursed more often to help keep the milk moving and clear any infection.
The Keys to Treating Mastitis:
1) Catch it early!
Mastitis is an infection that can get out of control quickly. As soon as you notice a clog, be proactive about trying to get it cleared before it escalates into Mastitis.
2) Take your vitamins!
Focus on vitamins to strengthen your immune system. I took garlic, echinacea, and vitamin C. These will help you fight off the infection – or prevent one from happening if you catch it early.
3) Use hot compresses.
Hot compresses open up the ducts and pores on your breast and help you clear the clog and drain the breast more effectively. You can even take a hot shower and use the warm water to help while massaging the clog.
4) Nurse, Nurse, Nurse
Keep that milk flowing! Babies are the most effective at draining the breast. You can also use a pump to help get any extra milk out between feedings. Also, when you nurse, remember to change the baby’s position each time (or even during the feeding). I always found that nursing while hovering over the baby laying on a bed was the fastest way to clear a clog (looks funny though!).
5) Rest
Mastitis usually happens because you aren’t resting enough. You need to take a break and stay at home while you heal. Also drink plenty of water and recuperate.
I hope you never have to deal with mastitis. It is not fun to have to deal with. Thankfully with these tips, you should be able to clear it up quickly and be back to normal.
If you don’t find relief in a few hours, you may need to call your doctor. read more
There are plenty of amoral things that become idols in our lives. Amoral = neutral (Not Bad or Good). Amoral things that can turn into idols could be your kids, your hobbies, your spouse, your status, your job, or even how you use your spare time and money.
Mark Driscoll states that “Idolatry is often a good thing that becomes a god thing and one of the surest ways to find your idol is to follow your money. Jesus, a master of word play, irony, and satire, uses humor to speak truth to the rich ruler by showing him two ways to find idols: follow the money and figure out what’s not funny to you.”
If you get really upset about the idea that someone views health or diet differently than you… It may be an idol.
If you can’t laugh about your exercise program or diet plan… It may be an idol.
Idols Don’t Start out as Bad Things
Deciding to make changes in your life for the goal of better health is a good decision. However, when that goal consumes your attention, your peace of mind, your fiances, or your available time – it becomes an idol.
Focus isn’t a bad thing either, it is how great things are achieved. To lose weight, you will require more focus and shifting of priorities for a season to reach your weight loss goals. However, when your life becomes consumed by your goals… you may need to re-evaluate your decisions.
If you are scared to eat something because you think you will get sick or develop cancer immediately from it… If you stay awake at night because you feel guilty about not being as healthy as you would like to be… If you argue with people who eat or live differently than you…. If you feel superior to someone else based on your healthy life style vs theirs… These are not good signs.
Peach Crisp
The Bad Part about Putting Health before God
The definition of a healthy lifestyle or diet changes as fast as the wind. If you put all your ideals and life into striving for a healthy lifestyle, a new study will come out tomorrow and debunk all the facts you were holding onto as true.
In the 80’s, butter was bad… now we know that Butter is great for you! Especially butter from pastured cows. All those people that were clinging to a low fat diet for health… their foundation was ripped from underneath them.
If you build your foundation on anything other than God, you are going to crumble. If you build a foundation on beauty or wealth…. those things will pass.
After working in a nursing home for several years, I also know that as we age our health will pass as well. Many of my patients kept telling me just to not get old. Our bodies are broken from the fall of man and continue to break down as we age – it is unavoidable. Everyone dies some day no matter how much they exercised or how many green smoothies they drank. We obviously want the journey to be filled with more healthy days and I believe a whole foods diet will benefit everyone… just don’t think eating a certain way will prevent you from hurting or death (Hebrews 9:27).
I believe that what you put in your body does affect your health.
But…. this should not stop you from putting God first.
If God asked you to change your healthy lifestyle for some reason, are you prepared to follow that command? You may be asked over to dinner and they are serving pizza. You can always eat before. In our culture community is built around sharing a meal, you may need to eat with them and enjoy it. If health is your idol, it could prevent you from making allowances when dealing with other people.
You have a friend who made a special dinner for you and you know she cooked it with canned cream of chicken soup (Gasp!). Know that God is bigger than MSG and he can protect your body. You can eat it and detox on your own time. Know that I’m not advocating eating MSG… I’m just saying don’t lose sleep over it.
There may be periods in your life where something needs to take priority over your ideal eating and health pursuits. My sister has had to stay with her kids in the hospital several weeks at a time, and unable to be at home to cook. She was able to do the best she can, but understood when priorities need to be altered. Maybe financially, God may call you to give more, and to save money you may need to buy less organic produce than you prefer.
I think about Paul, when asked the question about eating meat that was offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8), answered don’t do anything that will cause a brother to stumble. He basically said that sometimes, you need to put other’s first and your own beliefs aside for the benefit of others. (Paul knew that eating the meat wasn’t immoral, but weaker Christians saw this as a problem. Paul decided it was best to avoid the meat offered to idols as to not offend the weaker believers.) You also need to offer grace to others and accept them where they are in their journey. You can turn off many friends quickly by trying to convert people who are not ready to hear about your health decisions.
I used to have a much harder time with striving for health being my god. When I first starting eating whole foods, I used to think that eating things that were not “natural” would tarnish my body… like make me dirty some how. I had elevated “natural” foods to a “holy” statue. This was a god.
I now realize that healthy foods are a good thing and just that. My body works better when I eat healthy foods that nourish it. They can help me fight off infections, keep my body stronger and get sick less, but they are not going to save me from sickness or even cancer.
My point is that God should be first. His commands should be followed without our hesitation.
