Showing all posts tagged life:

Ugh. The flu.

Well, darn it. We have the flu in my house. (Or at least, flu-like symptoms.) Apparently it is on the march through my community, and across the country - it is Flu Season! I am fervently praying that I do not succumb, while also preparing in case I do. Here is what I am doing. These same strategies work for colds, as well. For the still healthy: RestChicken soup/bone brothHerbal teaHomemade ginger-lemon tea with honeyAvoid caffeine, alcohol, extra sugar, dairyEat plenty of veggies and fruit...

A full embrace of integrated pest management

Here I am, a year later, battling another round of pantry moths. 😔 I tried not to let it overwhelm me. Yes, it is a big job, but just break it down into chunks, and try to be mindful and present for each one. It could be like a meditation! Sure, ok. But what a lot of work! I did manage to get through the emptying, vacuuming, washing and vinegar-rinsing of the food-containing cabinets, as well as the inspection, cleaning and sometimes disposal of all of the food, and the re-stocking and org...

Corn, corn, everywhere!!!

When I first started eliminating corn from my kids’ diets, to help solve their persistent health issues, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. I figured I had already done most of the work by focusing on whole, fresh, home-cooked foods and cutting out most of the “processed stuff". I thought, “This isn’t so bad. I would rather they did not eat that processed junk anyway." And then, I really dug deep, and found out I was in trouble. Corn is practically free! So of course it gets used EVER...

Letting go - by category

If you have read (or read about) “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo, you will be familiar with one of her most important rules for eventually having less stuff, and being happy about it. That is: you must consider all of your belongings by category, all together at once. That means you gather ALL of your belongings in a given category from everywhere inside (and sometimes outside) your home, and put them in one spot (such as the bedroom or living room floor). Then you hand...

Getting ready to clear out the clutter

Preparing myself for a life-changing house-wide purge, armed with the bestselling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up", I found that my biggest hurdle before actually parting with things was figuring out where they were all going to go. I can’t bear to just throw things away that could be useful (hence all the clutter in my house), so I needed to map this out first of all. Following is the 'cleaning out plan’ that I came up with (with a great deal of help from friend and professiona...

Why I am choosing to have less stuff

Some people are wired to be savers. I know I am. So naturally, I have struggled with too-much-stuff ever since I started having to clean my own room. Of course, I did not know what the problem was. I just knew that the prospect of cleaning my room was overwhelming and best to be absolutely avoided, because there was no good place to put it all. I have romanticized my tendency to pack-rat-ism, tried to accept it, sunk in despair, etc., but I know that is all avoidance. In reality, all that stu...

Under the Weather?

Apple Tea is an excellent health tonic made with raw honey (preferably local) and unfiltered apple cider vinegar. It is good for helping to fight off viruses, as well as for allergies. I am not sure why it works, but possibly something to do with changing your pH balance (the vinegar) and the local pollens and other natural soothing and health-promoting properties of honey. You can look it up. Ingredients 1 T Bragg’s organic unfiltered cider vinegar 1 T raw honey 1/2 cup cold water 1/2 cup ...

Beginning

What it comes down to is that I want to live a long, healthy life, and I would like to take my family (and friends) with me. And I believe that you are what you eat (or otherwise ingest). I decided to start this blog in order to share my discoveries, and any wisdom I have gained and can convey, from my food journey. I expect it may grow beyond that, but for now, I will start with my search for sustainable, excellent health through food and cooking.