Archive for Health

Tylenol SMILING IT FORWARD™

Posted by Professor on December 11, 2013
in Community Issues, Family Stuff, Health, Health and Wellness, Uncategorized

I have received information and products from McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks

Tylenol SMILING IT FORWARD™

Share a smile and help a child feel better!

I’m Smiling it forward because… I want to share the joy of my little one’s smile with everyone! Smiling is contagious… one smile goes along way! If everyone took some time to smile the world would be a happier place!

I am glad Tylenol has created this campaign… I feel so blessed when my little ones smile after they have been sick. It warms my heart to know that the worst is over and that they are now feeling better. It also means that I have done my best to get them better.

With the help of Tylenol…all moms can help their little ones feel better when feeling under the weather.

How can you help in SMILING IT FORWARD™?

Join TYLENOL, a brand relied on by moms for over 50 years, by SMILING IT FORWARD™. Together with Children’s Health Fund, we can help ensure a doctor’s visit is always within reach for children in need.

Just upload a photo here or use this link: https://www.smilingitforward.com/share/upload to help kids in need. It’s as easy as that.

How can your smile help?

We all love a child’s smile. There’s baby’s first smile, the wake-up smile and the first step “I did it!” smile. But, there’s something special about the smile that comes after a fever breaks and a child starts feeling better.

Creating those “feel better” smiles is what Tylenol is all about.

For decades, moms and pediatricians have relied on Tylenol to provide relief from fever and pain. The smile of good health is one every child deserves and every mom should see.

You can help make more smiles possible for families in need.

That’s where Children’s Health Fund comes in. Their mobile medical clinics provide children in need with access to the doctors, nurses and medicine they deserve.

Join us by SMILING IT FORWARD™.

By simply sharing a photo that makes you smile, Tylenol will make a $1 donation to Children’s Health Fund (up to $100,000).

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Wool Dryer Balls – Dryer Sheet Alternative

Posted by html404 on December 5, 2013
in All Natural Products, Animals, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Gift Ideas, Handmade Items, Health, Parenting, Safety, Saving Money, Uncategorized

About a month ago my 14 year old daughter “B” and I went to a Green Expo to promote our farm. We collected a few business cards, one of which was a local sheep farmer. I finally got around to visiting their website and discovered they sold wool dryer balls. These wool dryer balls are handmade by M.

When my older girls were little I had to stop using dryer sheets because a couple of them broke out with rashes. I never liked the expense of liquid fabric softener so we’ve basically gone without. I have used a rag with vinegar on it to get rid of static cling.

That’s why I was excited to try the wool dryer balls come in as an alternative. We have been using them since the weekend and they are working. We do not seem to have to turn the dryer on for a second cycle on our larger loads so it is doing what I hoped they’d do in reducing dryer time by soaking up extra wetness. No one has said anything about static cling yet so I am hoping that will be rectified as well.

I think I’ll get my mom a set of dryer balls the next time she comes to visit.

Do you have any dryer sheet remedies?

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Liquid Amino Diet Part 2 and Giveaway

Posted by html404 on November 29, 2013
in Giveaways, Health, Health and Nutrition, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

By now you all know how much I struggle with any sort of diet to help me lose weight. Most of you know I have been trying the Liquid Amino Diet for the past few weeks. See my post on Liquid Amino Diet Part 1 here.

As a recap….

What is the Liquid Amino Diet?

Dr. Finsand developed the Amino Diet about 4 years ago after years of research and trials with his patients. The Liquid Amino diet is not about a quick fix, it is about a total and complete lifestyle change. The lifestyle change is accomplished through clean eating and ALL NATURAL homeopathic drops. Because of the healthy change in diet, you can expect to lose between .5-1 lb per day. Unlike other diets, the Amino Diet does not inject hormones for a total body shock, but instead focuses on teaching people how to eat clean without the shock of the system. This is one HUGE factor in keeping the weight off for extended periods of time.

Be sure to check out this video from a real Amino dieter who lost 85 pounds on the program.

Liquid Amino Diet Review and Giveaway

Taking the Liquid Amino Diet was a breeze. It has an odd flavor, yet it’s not unpleasant by any means. Letting it sit under my tongue was a breeze and I normally allowed it to go over 20 seconds. What I struggled with was remembering to take it 15 minutes before my meals. I also struggled with consistency.

In our busy household we do not like to make several meals for each of the three main meal times so I am very use to eating whatever the rest of the family eats. In terms of “dieting” I struggle with eating differently and what I’ll say to my children. If I say I am trying to eat healthier, that will leave them questioning if our family meals are truly healthy. 95-99% of our meals are made from scratch, made with mostly organic ingredients etc. With a houseful of growing children, we do eat a lot of carbs. Because of this I really did not experience the weight loss I could or perhaps should have. I do know that when I happened to take the Liquid Amino Diet supplement consistently at least once or twice a day it did seem to curb my appetite. That’s always a good thing, right?

I like the fact there is coaching available with the Liquid Amino Diet, but I only reached out to my “coach” a couple of times and when I did she did have encouraging things to say. I probably should have reached out a lot more, even on a daily basis to take full advantage of a “cheerleading” section. Who doesn’t want to do well when someone is quietly cheering you on in the sidelines?

I think anything is worth a try and for that reason I would say give the Liquid Amino Diet a try but be consistent and keep your calories within that 1500 range and see what happens to the extra weight you so desperately desire to lose. Add a little exercise and I bet you lose a few more pounds than you expected.

Me? I always have high hopes and high aspirations in anything but always seem to fail when it comes to weight loss.

Enter the giveaway below to win your own Liquid Amino Diet:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Yogurt and Blueberries – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on November 20, 2013
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Recipes, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

Yogurt is a yummy, healthy snack. Creating yogurt recipes is pretty easy when you keep it simple and I like simple. One of my favorite snacks is yogurt and blueberries. To spice it up I like to top it with almonds and pecans. I love eating just plain frozen blueberries too.

I was playing around with taking photos of food and took one of my yogurt and blueberries. I thought it turned out decent enough to make into a blog post.

For my yogurt and blueberries snack, all I did is poured vanilla or French vanilla yogurt into a bowl, added frozen or fresh blueberries, topped it with sliced almonds and/or pecans. We do this a lot with any of our favorite fruit. You could do this with plain yogurt too.

We also like to make smoothies….at least until our blender broke. Sniff. Sniff. Still have to figure out which part I need to buy since the last time I purchased the wrong part.

Something we have not made since getting Miss Moo is homemade yogurt. Amazing, eh? Whenever I buy yogurt to have the starter it always gets eaten before we get to it.

Do you eat yogurt? Do you do anything “fancy” with it? Have any yogurt recipes to recommend or do you make homemade yogurt?

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Replacement Sweeteners

Posted by html404 on November 19, 2013
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Holidays, Recipes, Reviews, Uncategorized

Did you know many replacement sweeteners are not healthy or even safe for long term use? Did you know that many websites including the Mayo Clinic say that artificial sweeteners are generally safe, even for pregnant women? Personally, we have stayed away from artificial sweeteners. Aspartame always left a weird, icky taste in my mouth and so even before I knew of the dangers of it I never liked it. We also try hard to stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as well. We use organic cane sugar, raw honey, molasses and maple syrup for the most part.

I participated in a Twitter party last week for #Switch2Swerve – Swerve Sweetener (granular) – and these are some facts I learned about refined sugar and artificial sweeteners:

1. Artificial sweetener Aspartame is genetically modified, toxic to brain cells and makes you to put it bluntly…fat. (I hate that word!)
2. Americans ingest 200 calories of high fructose corn syrup daily and 130 lbs per year.
3. Some high fructose corn syrup is laced with mercury which is a metal linked to heart disease and autism.
4. Sorbitol & erythritol can have a laxative effective if you consume too much. Family members with diabetes consuming products with artificial sweeteners have have found this to be true, but I don’t know which artificial sweeteners.
5. Someone went to a maple syrup farm, and was told 90% of store maple syrup really has none in it at all!
6. Sucralose (Spenda) is passing through our bodies found in waste water treatment plants. It has potential to harm food supply.
7. 21.4 teaspoons of sugar equals about 16-25% of total caloric intake. Currently only 5% of sugar is recommended.
8. Safe sweeteners include: Swerve, Stevia, xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, raw honey, blackstrap molasses, & maple syrup
9. It is important to note that naturally occurring sugar in fruits, veggies etc. are all acceptable and should not be avoided.

Dr. Mercola has issues with store bought honey, not raw honey, and agave. He has a great article on sugar substitutes. Discovery Health even has an article on artificial sweeteners. So I won’t go into any more risks of using artificial sweeteners because you can do your own research and find out a ton of information instead of taking my word for it.

Enter Swerve, a product I just learned about and tried recently.

Swerve

I like the fact that Swerve contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives or flavors! It is non-GMO and has no calories. Swerve is non-glycemic and is actually good for your gut by helping you grow beneficial bacteria. You can learn more facts when you visit Swerve Sweetener (granular)

I have only tried Swerve in my tea so far but it tasted good. Not too sweet at all. We received an 8 oz. canister of Swerve Sweetner and I want to try it in one of our holiday recipes to see how it makes dessert taste. Swerve has lots of recipe ideas that look delicious. I am especially looking forward to trying their blueberry muffin, fudge and pumpkin pie recipes.

3 Swerve Sample Packets are available for just $1.00, plus you get a $2.00 coupon for your next order, if you are interested in trying it. Right now they also have a sale going on for aCanister 4pk for $20 + Free Shipping.

For more information on Swerve Sweetener visit them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest (more recipe ideas).

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Sick Chickens – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on November 13, 2013
in Animals, Business, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Health, Pet Food, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

This summer our egg business really took off. We could not keep up with the demand for our eggs, even at $5 and $6 a dozen. We allow our poultry to free range as well as feed them certified organic feed making our eggs a “premium” product. To accommodate the growth in our egg business we bought a couple of batches of 6 month old pullets from two other farms. Bad choice. We knew the risks but wanted our egg business to keep growing and not drop off. Our intentions were good but the result was fatal to our egg business, as well as our entire flock of poultry.

Our laying flock was healthy. There was nothing wrong with them. Then we started to notice sick chickens. The ones that were sick stopped laying. They showed signs of being lethargic, sleeping a lot, coughing, wheezing and like they had a cold in the eye. The pullets we bought obviously brought an illness to our healthy flock because this illness showed up within two weeks of bringing home the second flock of pullets. We were very concerned for the safety of our customers, our broilers and our turkeys. No vets in the area deal with chickens so we had to go to a university veterinary lab. The closest one to us is the University of Wisconsin. Two hours away – one way. We took the vets two live birds to help them make a diagnosis. Live birds allowed for fresh tissue analysis and a more accurate diagnosis. My husband made the trip on a Friday in September.

Within a few days we had our answer. Upper respiratory infection. Sometimes fatal, especially to broilers who have a smaller trachea (or esophagus) than laying hens. Good news? This infection is not harmful to humans. The eggs and meat could still be sold. Bad news? Even when the birds recover from the infection, they remain carriers of the infection and can spread it to any new birds we brought onto our farm. Results? We have to cull (kill) our whole flock of laying hens and turkeys. Even our breeding turkeys. Our turkeys never exhibited any signs of the infection but since they were exposed, they are carriers too.

We had sick chickens for about a month. The infection went through our flock quickly and usually lasted a few days. It was basically a “chicken cold”. Who would have thought, right? There was nothing we could do for them….other than separate the ones who were getting picked on. The vet told about an antibiotic but didn’t actually recommend it since the birds were now carriers.

This “chicken cold” has been devastating. Our egg business was to the point of buying all the feed for our animals, except our horse, dog and cats. We are hoping all our customers come back in the spring.

Our plan? We plan to start fresh with baby chicks in December and have eggs available in the spring.

We will buy more turkeys in the spring and choose some to keep for breeding purposes.

We will never, ever buy chickens from unknown farms again. And may this be a lesson for anyone considering purchasing chickens from another farm to add to your current flock…DON’T.

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Fall Inspired Recipes with Squash

Posted by html404 on November 11, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Holidays, Home, Organic, Recipes, Shopping, Uncategorized

Thanksgiving is only a little over a couple of weeks away and I have been looking for fall inspired recipes for squash. I found a couple new ones I want to try. To facilitate this post I shopped at Mariano’s for the ingredients for our traditional recipe.

I really enjoy shopping at Mariano’s. I love that they carry a good selection of organic food. The employees make it a pleasant experience. Each time I have gone, one has helped direct me to a faster checkout. It’s very helpful. Mariano’s also has a reward card shoppers can use to earn 1% cash back on every $50 purchased from November 7 thru February 8, 2014. How’s that for a bit of holiday shopping incentive?

For my very simple recipe I purchased four organic squash, but only used two. Organic parsley, organic butter and ground cinnamon.

Those of you who have never cooked a squash, you wash the squash and cut it into halves lengthwise. Then put it face down inside a 9×12 dish.

Once cut, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the ball of the squash.

The squash seeds may be saved, dried and used to plant in your garden next spring (especially if they are organic, non-hybrid seeds!). Or the seeds may be roasted and eaten as a super nutritious snack.

All four halves would not fit in my pan so I wrapped the last half in foil and baked it along side the pan.

After the squash is baked, it is scooped out of it’s skin and put into a bowl.

Then I mash it to make sure all the clumps are pretty much out before adding the butter, cinnamon and parsley. And that’s all there is to it. Very simple, inexpensive and yummy!

Fall Inspired Recipes with Squash

Simple Squash Recipe

Print recipe

Serves	8-10
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	1 hour, 10 minutes
Dietary	Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Side Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving
Region	Canadian

This simple squash recipe is a tasty side dish for the holiday season.

Ingredients

2 Organic Butternut Squash
1 sprig Organic Parsely ((I used curly parsley, there is also flat leaf))
1/2-1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Organic Butter

Directions

Step 1
Wash squash of in warm water.
Step 2
Cut squash in half lengthwise.
Step 3
Place face down in a 9x12 baking dish. I had an extra so I wrapped it in foil because it would not fit in my pan.
Step 4
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 -60 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.
Step 5
Spoon out squash into a bowl.
Step 6
Mash out lumps.
Step 7
Add butter and cinnamon. Cinnamon can be to taste with more or less.
Step 8
Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top and add a few leaves of parsley for garnish.
Step 9
Enjoy!

Shopping at Mariano’s

You can learn more about Mariano’s and get new ideas on a weekly basis on Mariano’s website. Consider liking #MyMariano’s on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

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Yummy Swap Snack Bars

Posted by html404 on November 7, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

As much as our family tries and struggles to eat healthy, we all have a sweet tooth. We like our baked goods and chocolate that’s for sure. Enter…Yummy Swap Snack Bars. Yummy Snacks consist of Peanut Butter Blast and Chocolate Blast Yummy Bars. Seriously, they were yummy. These would make great stocking stuffers for Christmas, snacks for school and home, or even family get togethers.

Everyone loved the Peanut Butter Blast Yummy Bar. It was a chocolate bar with a chewy peanut butter center.

Jr. enjoying his Peanut Butter Blast Yummy Bar.

Everyone but my husband loved the Chocolate Blast Yummy Bar. My husband doesn’t like coconut and the Chocolate Blast has a chocolatey coconut center. I find coconut flavored chocolate very addictive, what about you?

As far as ingredients go, Yummy Snack Bars were created to be used to “swap” out junk food for something healthier. Yummy Swap’s motto is “Dump the Junk” to make the transition from junk food to healthier snacks easier on kids.

Chocolate Blast Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Blast Ingredients may be found here.

Yummy Snack Bars are high in fiber, contain 100mg of Omega 3s, real coconut, cocoa, flax seed and almond butter. They are gluten-free, contain no high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial flavors, preservatives or food dyes, which all pass our reading label test.

The only problem we found is the price is more than a chocolate bar, but you get so much more for your health so it’s money well spent in the end.

People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.
― Wendell Berry

So…..Yummy Snacks are here to stay at our house!!

Yummy Snacks may be purchased online as single items or as a subscription – get them shipped to your house on a schedule of your choosing! When you buy a subscription you automatically save 10%. You can find Yummy Swap on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products.

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Keeping Your Cat Healthy – SHEBA

Posted by html404 on November 5, 2013
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Health, Home, Pet Food, Uncategorized

Do you have a cat? We have six. We started with two and now have six! Needless to say we go through a lot of cat food! A huge part in keeping your cat healthy is the diet you feed them. We feed our cats a mostly raw diet of fresh Guernsey milk from Miss Moo, chicken, chicken livers and giblets. They will be getting treated with turkey trimmings on Thanksgiving! With winter weather around the corner we want them to have enough to eat so they can maintain proper body temperature to stay warm; that’s why we usually supplement their diet with cat food.

I don’t think we’ve ever fed our cats canned cat food before, until now. We usually buy dry cat food. This time we bought them SHEBA cat food. They LOVED it and gobbled up their SHEBA entrees. You can see from the photos how much they enjoyed their SHEBA meal!

Selene wouldn’t eat until we served her own portion by herself! Look at her ears…protective of her food…though she did allow her mama to join her. See the video here on Instagram.

Freckles is saying yummy SHEBA!

Princess says yummy with her tongue and Badger thought the meal was so good she had to sit on the plate with her SHEBA entree!

Severus cleaned his plate and is patiently waiting for more.

Pumpkin barely breathes as she devours her portion of SHEBA cat food!

Walmart has a roll-back price on SHEBA right now – just $0.50! Plus SHEBA has a Buy 6, Get 1 FREE coupon on their website: http://www.sheba.com/home

Our cats are barn cats, but not in the traditional sense because they are very people-fied and are our pets, though they do serve a purpose in keeping the rodent population down on the 16 acres of land where we live. Our landlords do not want us keeping any pets in the home we are renting.

After their bellies were full, the kittens were in a very playful mood!

When our female cat, Princess, had kittens over six weeks ago we moved her and her babies to the garage for safety mainly but we also knew they would be extra warm in the garage because our dryer vent releases into the garage. We wanted Princess to feel safe and not be threatened by anything in the barn or by the other cats. This was how we kept Princess and her kittens healthy for the past six weeks. We just started letting her take the kittens outside. She gave a hint by having them all sit at the garage door with begging little faces!

Another part of keeping our cat healthy is worming them. We worm them on a regular basis to keep them free of parasites.

Regular vet visits and vaccinations all play a part in keeping your cat healthy too. Check with your vet on their recommendations. Each vet will be different.

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Gluten Cutter

Posted by 278Wife on November 4, 2013
in Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized

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.

Eating healthy is always a challenge for me. Honestly, I love food, especially bread, pasta, and cake! The problem, though, is that my body doesn’t always agree with what I am ingesting. When I go out for a really nice dinner, I always overindulge, and then I always pay for it back home. I get headaches, my stomach bloats, and I just feel uncomfortable. The root of it all comes from the gluten in the food. It is estimated that 70 million Americans have trouble digesting gluten. As a result they experience many discomforts including bloating, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. If only there were a way around this…there is!

Gluten Cutter is a solution for anyone who is trying to reduce or elimate gluten from their diets, but cannot always resist. Gluten Cutter is a proprietary digestive supplement that uses natural enzymes along with peppermint, licorice, and ginger to help digest gluten and other wheat proteins and dairy. The best part is that this dietary supplement is available over-the-counter without a presecription. Gluten Cutter is formulated with GCX50, which is an advanced proprietary blend of natural enzymes and stomach-soothing ingredients that target and break down gluten. It aids in the digestion and enables you to continue enjoying your favorite foods without that “uncomfortable” feeling.

Taking Gluten Cutter is simple. When I know I’m going to indulge in pasta, pizza, or dessert, I simply take 1-2 capsules right before I eat. That’s it! Gluten Cutter does the rest. It is absolutely amazing that I no longer get headaches or feel bloated after a heavy gluten filled meal. It calms my stomach, so I don’t feel uncomfortable. I keep some in my purse so that when I eat out, they are always on hand.

Gluten Cutter is available at Walgreen’s, CVS, and Wal-Mart. It retails for $12.99 for 30 capsules. In my opinion, this is a great price to no longer feel uncomfortable after I’ve indulged a little too much! For more information and a money saving coupon visit their website at:

www.glutencutter.com