Archive for Health

2012 Savory Summer Giveaway #SavorySummer

Savory Summer

It is that time of year again with warm weather and sunshine and I bet many of you are thinking picnics, barbecues and pool parties! Well….Welcome to the 2012 Savory Summer blog-hopping giveaway event! I have teamed up with Measuring Flower, Graphoniac, and about 60 other bloggers to bring you yummy food or food-related giveaways (each worth at least $25) Woohoo! Let the party begin!

Grand Prize Sponsors

The grand prize sponsors for this Savory Summer event are Nostalgia Electrics and Ella’s Kitchen, who are each offering prizes worth over $100! If you want to win either prize enter HERE.

Grand Prizes

Nostalgia Electrics Stainless Steel Margarator
$109 ARV

3 Month Supply of Ella’s Kitchen Baby Food Pouches
$170 ARV

My Giveaway Sponsor

Cornucopia Health Scents is providing my giveaway item, which just happens to be one of my businesses. We have been Young Living distributors for nearly two years, but have been using the products for nearly four years. We love Young Living Essential Oils and have made them a part of our every day life.

My Giveaway Item

For this giveaway event,  I have a 1 liter bottle of Ningxia (ning-sha) Red to giveaway. It is a nutritional supplement high in antioxidants, great for your health and wonderful served cold to your barbecue, picnic or party guests!

1 Liter of Ningxia Red
$55 ARV
About Ningxia Red 

Ningxia Red is made of wolfberry puree, blueberry juice, pomegrantate juice, apricot juice, raspberry juice, grape pomace and a proprietary essential blend of blue agave nectar, lemon rind and orange rind. The Ningxia wolfberry has long been considered a national treasure in China. The wolfberry is native to the Ningxia Hui Autonomane Region of Northern China. This potent little red berry offers medicinal and healing benefits.

One ounce of Ningxia Red only has 34 calories!

My Review (and it’s my 5th post in my Losing Weight Series too)

We have used Ningxia Red over the past few years pretty infrequently. However, this past January we started using it on a daily basis. Most of our children like it. It has a different taste, not bad, but different and it definitely tastes better cold!

Over the months I have noticed that I do not have to wear my glasses all the time, especially while reading or doing things on my iPhone. This is strange because ever since I got glasses I have worn them all the time because I am near sighted and hate to see things blurry, so I even wore them while reading. Improving our eyesight is actually what we hoped would happen for as there are seven of us who wear glasses. However, so far I am the only one seeing any difference in my eyesight. Time will tell. The wolfberry is suppose to be very good for the eyes for some reason that I can’t remember.

My second oldest daughter likes to take Ningxia Red to ward off migraines.

We have also drank an ounce or two for a boost of energy too. I have taken as much as 4-5 ounces when I have worked long hours at trade shows so I could stay alert to talk to people and be able to remain awake when I drive home. (This happened back in December!)

Ningxia Red Sorbet

  • ½ c. water
  • ¼ c. agave
  • 2 c. NingXia Red®
  • 2 12-oz. bags frozen raspberries, blueberries or strawberries
  • 1 orange
  • In a small sauce pan, simmer Blue Agave and water for 1–2 minutes or until agave mixes easily with the water. Set aside to cool slightly. In a blender, puree NingXia Red and one bag of raspberries. Transfer mixture into a metal bowl and stir in the zest of half the orange. Next, squeeze half the orange into the mixture. Place agave and water mixture into blender along with the remaining bag of raspberries and puree. If mixture becomes too thick, simply add a cup of the mixture in the bowl. Pour into bowl and fold in until well mixed. Place in freezer and freeze for two hours. Serves 12–15.

    Refreshing and yummy summer treat compliments of Young Living! :)

    How to Enter

    Just enter the Rafflecopter form as you would for any of my other giveaways.

    Giveaway Rules

  • Must be 18 years or older and live in the US.
  • No prize substitutions allowed.
  • Winners are allowed to win once over a six-month period.
  • Only email addresses used for the giveaway will be eligible to claim the prize. (I don’t want to hunt you down on Facebook!)
  • Winner will be notified within a week or two from closing date and item will be shipped directly to winner.
  • The Deadline
    Giveaway Ends
    Wednesday, May 31, 2012 at 12:01AM CST
    Open to U.S. Residents Only

    Enter to Win Ningxia Red

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Linky to the Giveaways on Other Blogs



    Have fun entering the 2012 Savory Summer Giveaway!


    Disclosure: Facebook is in no way affiliated with the Savory Summer event, its hosts, its sponsors, or its participating bloggers. The hosts (Measuring Flower and Graphoniac) are not responsible for event sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.


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    Tick Removal

    Ugg…  Ticks! I dislike ticks greatly!  I dislike the stuff I have to put on my dog to prevent ticks!  I dislike removing ticks!  Ewe…. Yuck… They are gross insects!  I recently received an email from a friend.  I haven’t tried it yet, hopefully I won’t have to!  But, it’s better than using tweezers.

    “A School Nurse has written the information below – Good Enough to share – and it really works.”

    “I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great because it works in those places where it’s sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.”

    Tick Removal

    “Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball.  Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20); the tick will come out on it own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.”

    Let me know if it work, unless I need to do it before that!

     


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    Organic Valley Farm Friends

    This was the first time I visited Organic Valley’s Website!  Shame on me, right!?

    We are all trying to keep our families happy and healthy, well Organic Valley will help.  They have a fantastic website and even two apps for Apple devices (Organic Valley and Organic Moo Can), they are FREE and you can download them from Organic Valley’s Site!  **Sorry, they don’t have it for Android at this time**

    On this site you can Find your Farmer, Organic Valley Products, Recipes, Reason to Choose Organic Products, and more.  Organic Valley’s website is full of wonderful information.

    Head to the Tab “Community” – on the right you can a subscribe section.  Enter your email and zip code.  It will then take you to where you can sign up for newsletters and the “Farm Friends Welcome kit” – “The Kit contains Rootstock Magazine, a Kid’s Activity Booklet, a Go Organic! bumper sticker, and a booklet of useful Organic Valley coupons.”  Sound good to me!

    Head to Organic Valley and start your next organic journey!


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    I’m a Coppertone Water MOM!

    Summer is coming, don’t forget your sunscreen!

    Growing up I remember using the bottle with a little girl loosing her bottoms to the puppy.  Well, here I am years later still using Coppertone for myself and family.

    I received a brochure called “Sunderstanding”.  It has great information, I’d like to share.

    I’ll be updating you periodically on how we are doing with our Coppertone Sunscreen.  We’ve really only had one day so far here in NJ where temps were above 70, and I didn’t have my Coppertone Sunscreen then.  It’s been rainy and soggy here, so I’ll keep you posted!  But, for now you can head to Coppertone’s webpage and print out a coupon or download their MyUV Alert app through Itunes.

    I’m very excited about being selected to be Coppertone Water MOM!

    Thank you Coppertone and MomSelect!

    “As a member of the Coppertone Water MOMS group, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit.  No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience”


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    Copy-Kids Fruits & Vegetables DVD

    Teaching our children good eating habits is important to my husband and I. Easter weekend my husband even had to convince his mother that our children did not need any Easter candy. Shocking! I know, but that’s who we are. Not that we don’t eat sweets we do but we are selective and try to eat homemade goodies over pre-packaged ones. My husband finally talked his mom into just buying our children a couple bags of apples and told her they’d be happy. She reluctantly relented. But do you know what our children did as soon as they saw their Daddy bring them in? They asked for an apple and after dinner what did they ask for, yep, another apple! If children have access to healthy food, they will eat it. There is far too much “junk” and chemicals in what is offered on store shelves. Over the years my motto has become, “Read the labels!”

    Copy-Kids Fruits & Vegetables DVD

    The idea that kids will follow other kids and copy what they eat is not new, it’s a given. Monkey see, monkey do…remember that saying? Yep, it goes for kids seeing what their parents and siblings are eating too.

    Copy-Kids has created a DVD just for kids to help parents teach their children to eat their fruit and vegetables.

    DVD Review

    Our little ones really enjoyed this DVD. They liked watching the kids eat their fruit and vegetables. Our older children commented that the kids on the video were playing with their food.

    Overall it is a cute video that young children will enjoy watching with their parents.

    To learn more visit Copy-Kids.

    Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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    Win KIWI Magazine’s Cookbook on Facebook!

    Remember when I told you about KIWI Magazine’s New Allergy – Friendly Cookbook?

    Why not try and win it first?  When I read the rules they are only giving away 3, but hey you never know!  Hurry because the contest ends on April 13th, which is tomorrow! Log onto Facebook – here’s the direct link!

    https://www.facebook.com/KIWIMagazine/app_208195102528120


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    A Juicy Update

    Mysterious (or should I say juicy? ;)) blog title, eh? Here are a couple excerpt from an upcoming book review and giveaway….

    A Juicy Update

    The answer to whether or not young children should be allowed to drink juice on a regular basis has been a bit of a sticky one for years. After all, the fight against childhood obesity has most definitely included a focus on limiting sugary liquids. And juice—whether it is delivered in a box or carton, sippy cup or straw—most definitely contains sugar. In fact, when we set out to write the first edition of Food Fights, the latest research at the time had us all but convinced that fruit juice was almost as much to blame for childhood obesity (not to mention tooth decay) as soda pop. Sugar was sugar, after all, and it was hard to look past the fact that a 12-ounce serving of 100% grape juice had been shown to have 11/2 times the calories as grape soda. Additionally, a few small initial studies suggested a worrisome connection between obesity in young children and their fruit juice consumption. But unlike soda pop and its utter lack of redeeming nutritional qualities, 100% fruit juice has since proven itself significantly more worthy of further nutritional consideration. Several subsequent large national studies have revealed some interesting findings about kids, juice, nutrition, and obesity, not the least of which has been the lack of an association between drinking 100% fruit juice and an increased likelihood of children being or becoming overweight. These new findings have led us to reassess our take on juice, and to reformulate our own juice-related advice for parents accordingly.

    A Convenient Juice Box

    If and when you plan on incorporating juice into your child’s diet responsibly,we suggest the following approach:

    • Make sure it’s pure fruit juice. Fruit drinks that aren’t 100% juice typically
    contain added sugars and/or sweeteners that can up both the cavity and
    calorie counts.
    • Hold off on introducing your child to juice for at least his first year and
    refrain from serving it in a bottle.
    • Avoid letting your child sip on juice (or any other sugar-containing liquid,
    for that matter) for prolonged periods. Whether by bottle, sippy cup, or
    cup, bathing one’s teeth in sugary liquids can cause serious tooth decay.
    • Consider diluting it with water.
    • Encourage your child to eat fresh, whole fruits whenever available.
    • Whenever possible, serve juice that contains pulp for added fiber.
    • Make sure juice doesn’t entirely drown out your child’s interest in drinking
    milk and water.
    • Buy only pasteurized products (shelf-stable juices, frozen concentrates,
    or specially marked refrigerated juices) to avoid potential diarrhea-causing
    infections.
    • While the American Academy of Pediatrics does suggest 100% fruit juice
    as an acceptable part of a healthy diet, be aware that it’s wise to offer it in
    age-appropriate moderation (none under 6 months of age and no more
    than 4 to 6 ounces a day for older infants and children).
    • Keep an eye out for warning signs of excessive juice intake, such as tooth
    decay and “toddler’s diarrhea.” Not only do young kids tend to suck on
    sugary liquids for prolonged periods when allowed, thus putting their newly
    acquired teeth at considerable risk., but kids
    between the ages of 2 and 3 tend to have the highest juice consumption—
    in some instances enough to cause persistent diarrhea.

    Come back Friday to learn more about the book and giveaway!


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    A Note to My Politicians by Rachael Brown Lee

    Love this poem by Rachael Brown Lee. One little paragraph about beer was edited out due to my personal preferences since I do not drink alcohol, nor do I promote it.

    A Note to My Politicians

    Hear me now:

    Your pursuit for safety is as false as your concern for our health.

    While you shake hands and lie in bed with chemical producers

    and drug distributors

    you cry out in the name of food safety,

    to pasteurize, bleach, boil, package and inject

    everything which passes our lips.

    You can’t serve it raw

    because it is too dirty and dead.

    You have never worked in real soil.

    You have never washed earth off your food before preparing it.

    You have never shaken sleepy bees from dewy blooms early in the day.

    You are afraid of people who eat from their garden,

    because their minds

    are still their own.

    Subsidize.

    Pasteurize.

    Sanitize.

    Kill the small farmer.

    Then sell us drugs

    and flu shots.

    Give us antidepressants.

    Tell us to wear sunscreen and never go out into the sun.

    Eat from a bag

    or box

    that’s sealed and clean.

    No I won’t vote for this.

    I have cast a different ballot,

    and it is waiting at the end of my fork,

    seared rare,

    and dripping with unpasteurized cream sauce.

    My hens will continue to lay warm eggs right into my fry pan

    without your permission first.

    I will give what little is left of the diminishing American dollar to my neighbor

    in exchange for pastured pork

    and raw milk.

    I will spend time collecting seeds.

    I will use butter liberally.

    I will go out in the morning to harvest.

    I will not drink your corn syrup.

    I do not want your sterilized meat.

    I don’t want your drive-thrus and chains.

    In the name of all that is patriotic,

    I will drink milk straight from the happy cow.

    Keep your red #40,

    your food safety modernization act,

    your myths.

    Smoke your cigars and drink your scotch.

    Sign your papers.

    Legislate.

    Your “safe” food

    is a life lived behind bars.

    If this is safety

    keep it.

    What you need

    is some real food

    my dear,

    fear ridden

    politician.

    What you need

    you will find

    in raw milk cheddar

    melted over homemade sourdough.

    You will find peace

    in slow roasted root vegetables,

    dipping your crisp

    thick-cut

    pastured bacon

    into your poached fresh egg.

    Slurp a raw oyster

    fresh from the sea.

    Pass the butter.

    Smell the herbs.

    Drizzle the honey.

    Break the bread.

    I welcome you

    to my renegade table,

    my hungry politician.

    But be prepared

    to become

    blinded

    by the light.

    Rachael Brown Lee


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    Krill Oil from Viva Labs Review

    You all must know by now that I am pretty much into healthy living, taking my supplements etc. So when the opportunity came up to review Krill oil, I took it. Our family has taken lemon flavored cod liver oil and another type of supplement that contains fish oil because it provides essential Omega 3 and 6 that are sorely lacking in our modern day diet; especially ours since we are not fish eaters.

    Krill Oil from Viva Labs

    Krill oil is made from 100% pure cold pressed Antarctic Krill oil, nothing like stating the obvious. ;-) But what is Krill? It is a shrimp like crustacean that lives deep in the ocean. Krill Oil contains more antioxidant power than Vitamin A, Lutein, Vitamin E, Lycopene and has the all important Omega 3 fatty acid. Those omegas are very important to ward off any kind of blues.

    Also Krill are at the bottom of the food chain so they are unlikely to contain dangerous levels of mercury or PCBs like other fish sources.

    My Krill Oil Review

    I like that it the Krill oil is in capsules so I can just swallow it without much taste. To say there is no after taste would be a lie, at least in my case. I found it smelled like fish and not being the Nova Scotia fish lover that my parents are it nearly made me gag. I had to make sure to not breath in as I put the capsules in my mouth or I would smell that fishy scent. I could taste fish after swallowing and I even had “fish” burps. Ewwww….yeah. It wasn’t every time, but most of the time and I have been taking Krill Oil for well over a month now.

    The capsules are a little messy if held in your had too long. The picture below is of my hand after rolling the capsules in my hand several times so I could show you what I meant:

    Krill oil would not be good for anyone with a shellfish allergy.

    I would have to say the taste kills it for me. I’d rather take a fish oil with essential oils or lemon flavored cod liver oil because at least there’s something there to hide the strong fish taste. Maybe it depends on what you take it with, but my preferred drink in the morning is a cold glass of Florida Natural Orange Juice (they are the only orange juice company still making OJ with oranges entirely from the USA!) So it could be the acidic-ness of the OJ causing the reflux, but I had it with other fish oils too, that did not require me to swallow a capsule.

    I highly recommend adding a fish oil to your diet. It just takes trial and error to find the one that works best for your and your family.

    For more information about Krill Oil, please visit their website www.KrillOil.com

    Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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    PottyCover Review

    “Mommy, I have to go potty!”  The one phrase that makes my skin curl when we are out.  All I can think of is all the germs and gross encounters in a public bathroom.

    Problem Solved!  Here’s the PottyCover.  It covers the sides and front of the toilet not just those little doughnut things that slide all over.  “Double layered with soft non-woven fabric on top, coated with a layer of plastic on the bottom to keep away from germs and wetness.”  So, now you and/or your child can actually sit on the toilet when you are out.  Each PottyCover is individually wrapped, so you can toss some in your diaper bag or purse.  These cannot be flushed, you’ll need to toss them in the garbage when you are done.  Don’t forget to wash your hands!

    The PottyCover is available online at Amazon.com, Ebay.com, Bed,Bath & Beyond, and Buy Buy Baby (also available in the store).

    PottyCover Review

    I want to buy these by the dozens!  What a great idea!  We went out to breakfast with extended family and my daughter (3 years old) needed to use the potty.  It was a stress-free ordeal!  I just put the PottyCover on and she was able to sit and hold on without me trying to hold her.  No more wrestling with toilet paper trying to cover the seat.  Anyone can use these not just your kids.  I need to stock up!

    Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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