They say that one of the strongest emotions is gratitude.  It fills the individual with a sense of appreciation for what they have, and gets the mind thinking about how to pass that goodwill onto others.  To continuously be grateful, one of the best things to do is keep a journal and everyday write down at least three things that you are thankful for that day.  Maybe you made a new friend, achieved a new goal, or simply had the discipline to pass on dessert at dinner.

If keeping a hardbound journal is too old fashioned, visit ThankfulFor.com where you can keep an online log of the things that made you smile.  On days where everything is going wrong it’s nice to go back and read through your list and be reminded of the blessings in your life.

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” -Brian Tracy

What are you thankful for today?

The last two generations has seen the epidemic of Fast Food and convenience cooking.  We have started seeing the fall out of taking this path in our health and obesity problem here in the United States.  We cannot blame the Fast Food industry, but we can take some personal responsibility with the next generation and starting re-teaching them about proper nutrition and healthy eating.

Here are some tips:

1.  Encourage Healthy Snacks.
2.  Keep fruit and veggies cut up and ready.
3.  Introduce them to Greek Yogurt and healthy smoothies instead of ice cream.
4.  Start as young as you can as it will be easier to get them on board with eating healthy.
5.  Cook with them, something that they will enjoy and teach them to make good food using healthy ingredients.

It is up to us to change.  Little Choices Matter every day!

A Tasty Blend of Spices for Vegetables, Meats, Seafood and Salads!

This all-around seasoning brings the flavor of your cooking to life!  Use as a dry rub or simply add to meals during cooking.  It’s great on vegetables, meats, fish and salads!

Ingredients: Garlic, Kosher Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Celery, Onion, Spices (There are no sugars/sweeteners in this product.)

1 TSP of Signature Blend Dressing
1/2 cup of water
2 T of MCT oil

Mix ingredients together and make a baste/marinade.  I usually use sirloin or tenderloin beef.  I cover the steak completely with the marinade and let set for at least 2-3 hours.  You could also marinade overnight.  Grill to your liking.  Mix with a side salad or cut up cucumbers and tomatoes.

Click here to purchase the Signature Blend Spice.  Your backyard BBQ will never be the same!

I believe in eating a healthy fat at every meal and avocados is one of my favorites! Avocados often are looked at as an unhealthy choice in the fruit and vegetable world but I’m here to tell you it’s a healthy choice. I hear ‘smack talk’ about avocados all the time!  “I love avocados, too bad they are not good for us!” or “I don’t eat Avocados because they contain way too much fat” and this is my favorite, “Carol, I can’t believe you eat things like guacamole and stay so slim!”

Did you know that you must eat fat, to lose fat? Of course, it must be the right type of fat! Fats like avocados, butter, coconuts, meats, fish, nuts, seeds and olives are not only delicious, they provide essential benefits to help your body function properly, improver your vital immune system, aid in heart disease, reduces inflammation, and helps balance your hormones. Without adequate amounts of dietary fat, you can become deficient in many important vitamins and minerals as they are not absorbed into our system. And we need the fat in order to utilize the protein. Without fats, the important nutrients in your other foods will not be absorbed and will be lost. It’s why I am not a fan of low fat diets.

I clearly went off on my little fat sermon – one I preach often – now where was I? Oh yes, avocados! These fruits are full of heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat and one of my favorite healthy fats for weight loss. Avocados contain over 20 vitamins including vitamin E which is something we need in order to keep burning fat all day long. When you combine other fat burning foods with avocado, you can improve your nutrient absorption up to 400%! Two tablespoons of avocado has just 50 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of which are unsaturated.

So go ahead! Eat it right from the skin or mix it up! The possibilities are endless!

• Spread some on your bagel then top with a fried egg
• Slice some and toss on your salad
• Make a Creamy Avocado salad dressing
• Make Holy Heathy Guacamole and have it with these healthy chips
• Avocado makes for a great substitute for mayonnaise
• Slice it up and add to a turkey sandwich
• Mixed in with tuna for a salad or sandwich
• Mix in Black Bean Soup
• Make a salsa – chopped avocado, black beans, corn and chopped onion

If you don’t eat the whole fruit, you can store it for later. To keep fresh longer, slice it and leave the seed in half of it. Use what you need then place the pieces back together and wrap tightly in saran wrap. The browning of the avocado due to oxygen so try and keep the air out. I do this method and it’s easy and the extra fruit lasts for days. You can also sprinkle with lemon, if needed.

100% Pure Himalayan Sea Salt

Massively low in calories–one large zucchini is only 16 calories! Zucchini contains a fair amount of vitamin C as well as Vitamin A, potassium and folate. It helps to prevent strokes and other diseases and is great  for lowering cholesterol. Zucchini’s high water content is perfect for people trying to loose some extra weigh.

Stir-Fry Zucchini

2 large zucchini
1 Tbsp. MCT or Coconut oil
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. LCM Signature Blend
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Cut the ends off the zucchini, and slice thin. In a large skillet, saute the zucchini and garlic in oil until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with seasonings. Serve immediately.

If you are struggling with fear and anxiety consider making a box. Call your box whatever works for you. For dieting, I will call it the “Freedom” box; Freedom from worry and fear. We have been discussing keeping a daily journal in the book club this month while reading Full Filled and one of the things that most of us do is we start something but are not consistent and do not follow through and therefore the method only works for a small percentage of the peeps that actually do the homework. The “Freedom” box is a simple way to deal with your emotions if you are not consistent with a journal.

Everyday write your thoughts and how you would like to feel and place it in the Freedom box and let go of it. Below is the original article where I first learned of the God Box. I have since used this to keep worry and anxiety out of my life. It is also fun to use with the kids. We can make a vacation box, favorite things to do box or more like a wish box. You can customize your box to meet your needs and even your belief system. The therapy is in the letting go of the worry, fear, want, anxiety and placing it in the box. It is easy to do with a post it note and you do not have to spend lots of time on it. Keep your box out in a common area this will help prompt you to use it frequently. It would also be a nice gift for Mother’s Day or for a friend. Click this link and print the information out on the Box and buy a nice box and enjoy!

The *GOD BOX*

Rarely has an article in a non secular publication made such an impact on my life as one did this past week in the magazine *Real Simple* If you have the chance please pick up a copy and read the story on page 233 called the *GOD BOX* written by Mary Lou Quinlan.

I personally keep prayer journals but the authors mother Mary Finlayson kept what she called a *GOD BOX*. Mary Lou knew of these boxes as she was growing up, she called them her mothers “one stop problem solver” when it came to coping with the stresses of life. What Mary Lou found when her mother died was a series of trinket boxes which she calls nothing fancy but were filled with requests her mother had made on her behalf, her brother and father. They were scraps of paper – the back of a receipt, a torn paper towel, or anything else handy that she could scribble a prayer request to GOD on and put in the BOX and leave it in Gods hands. The part I especially love is how she would sign the requests “Love, Mary” or just “Thank you”. All of her requests ran the “gamut” from big to small, things she just needed GOD to hear her plea’s for and be done with them, from what I read Mary did as we are called to do, *Let Go and Let GOD*.

GOD has a way of talking to us personally in so many ways and then prompts us to share HIS message and I BELIEVE with all my heart is what he did with this article. It is no secret I BELIEVE in the power of prayer and I like so many know struggle with actually being able to give things over to GOD and letting HIM actually work! I have spent many a Sunday morning at Church at the altar, hours in my prayer chair or long drives to work praying for the needs of my husband, our children and others that’s GOD lays on my heart. I go to HIM asking HIS Will be done, not mine and as soon as I say Amen……I seem pick each of those requests back up and worry about the out come because in my “human nature” I just seem to forget I gave it to GOD.

Tonight I am sure there of hundreds of prayers being scribbled on little pieces of paper everywhere and tucked away signed with thank you’s as they have been given to GOD for good this time. I pray with all my heart that one day after I have gone home to be with Jesus my children and or grandchildren will find comfort in knowing they were being prayed for and the *GOD BOXES* as proof of Christ’s love for them and how HE worked in there lives even before they knew it. And Yes, I have sent a personal Thank you to GOD and to Mary Lou Quinlan as well. I pray she is Blessed by sharing her Mothers story! *GOD BOX* .

1. Eggs are great for the eyes.

2. In another study, researchers found that people who eat eggs every day lower their risk of developing cataracts, also because of the lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs.

3. One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids.

4. According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, there is no significant link between egg consumption and heart disease. In fact, according to one study, regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks.

5. They are a good source of choline. One egg yolk has about 300 micrograms of choline. Choline is an important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.

6. They contain the right kind of fat. One egg contains just 5 grams of fat and only 1.5 grams of that is saturated fat.

7. New research shows that, contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol. In fact, recent studies have shown that regular consumption of two eggs per day does not affect a person’s lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it. Research suggests that it is saturated fat that raises cholesterol rather than dietary cholesterol.

8. Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D.

9. Eggs may prevent breast cancer. In one study, women who consumed at least 6 eggs per week lowered their risk of breast cancer by 44%.

10. Eggs promote healthy hair and nails because of their high sulphur content and wide array of vitamins and minerals. Many people find their hair growing faster after adding eggs to their diet, especially if they were previously deficient in foods containing sulphur or B12.  This information is from Health Diaries.  More Information is available at this link Health Diaries

Nutritionists Weigh In

“I am very happy with eggs,” Ruth Kava, PhD, RD, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health, tells WebMD. “Eggs have a high nutritional value, an excellent quality of protein, are only 70 to 80 calories each, and are not high in fat.”

Patricia Kendall, PhD, RD, professor and food and nutrition specialist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, tells WebMD she agrees that the cholesterol in eggs should not put them on the roster of the forbidden.

On Monday I gave you the “skinny” on the wonders of chia seeds. Hopefully, if you didn’t already consume these wonderful seeds, you added them to your daily diet. There is so much great information on chia seeds and you can do so much with them! As promised, here are a few more ways to consume these healthy little seeds by baking and cooking with them.

Raw is always best, but research has shown that the seeds are very hardy and few nutrients are lost in cooking, even baking. When I cook, I like to add chia seeds at the end.

Here are just a few ideas that I like to do:

• Add whole or ground seeds to your favorite pancake, cookie, bread or muffin recipe
• They make a great egg replacer in your recipes.
• Add ground seeds and blend with ground turkey, chicken or beef to make meatloaf and meatballs. You can soak in an egg to help bind the meat.
• Add to stews and soups to add flavor and thicken
• Stir fry in sesame oil along with sesame seeds for a delicious stir fry meal
• Add to your favorite pasta sauce
• Add to your favorite meat rub or LCM Lemon Pepper Seasoning for a great fish fry

According to Dr. Wayne Coates (AKA Mr Chia), probably the foremost expert on chia seeds, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that there is any nutritional difference between milled whole chia seeds and whole seeds. Chia seeds are a very gentle but effective way to cleanse the bowel and promote regularity. If you have digestive issues, colitis, IBS, etc. eating the whole chia can irritate the intestines – everyone is different so do what your body likes best. Start with a small amount, like a teaspoon, then wait a day or two to see how your system copes with them.

Make chia gel! 1/3 cup of chia seeds would absorb 3 cups of water, but for a thinner gel that absorbs faster you could also do 1/3 cup of chia seeds to 2 cups of water or other liquid. You simply mix together the chia seeds and water. Let the mixture stand for 15-30 minutes, stirring with a whisk to prevent clumping. For thicker or thinner gel, you can adjust the ratio accordingly. The gel can be stored in the fridge for two weeks.

Allergy season has arrived.  I have been suffering and have been researching natural remedies to help with season allergies.

Sneezing, wheezing, runny nose, and itchy, watery, red eyes; these are just some of the symptoms that more than 35 million Americans face each year as the pollen from trees, grass, flowers, and plants makes it way into the air.

Natural Tips to Help with Allergies:

1.  Honey- Local honey can help you fight your seasonal allergies.  The key is it must be from local honey bees.  Click here to read the article on this theory

2.  Red and Green Tea -Red (rooibos) tea and green tea are great for treating seasonal allergies. Both are high in antioxidants, which are thought to be allergen fighters.

3.  Nasal spray -Buy a bottle of nasal saline and a bottle of peppermint oil. Remove the spray cap off of the top of the saline bottle. Put 10 drops, per 3 oz. of saline, of peppermint oil into the saline bottle.

4. MSM- Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) – Homemademedicine.com cites the sulfur in MSM for relief of allergy symptoms.  They recommend 500 milligrams three or four times daily, with meals.

5.  Turmeric – Naturally anti-inflammatory, turmeric may sooth fatigue and aches associated with allergies.  Homemade medicine recommends 500 milligrams three times daily.  You can also use it in cooking – bring on the Indian food!

6.  OTC Antihistamines or natural antihistamines like Common Nettle – Nettle is a natural antihistamine.  A number of sources recommend regular use of nettle tea or nettle capsules leading up to and continuing through allergy season.

Here are some recipes containing Turmeric:

Cream of Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

20 reasons to add Turmeric to your diet

All Recipes Turmeric Collection