Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Primal Eggnog


I love eggnog this time of year. It is one of the times of the season, you know it is Thanksgiving and Christmas when the eggnog comes out. However, I am not a fan of what is in the commercial eggnog. Lucky for me, Mark from marksdailyapple.com, posted this recipe last year for eggnog. It is easy to make, but you do need a little patience and time. Enjoy.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
Peace, joy and happiness,
Jenn 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Wednesday Doggie Day: Taking Medicine


I do not know about you, but I really hat to give my two boys medicine, for multiple reasons. One being the side effects and another, trying to get them to take it. I have tried several methods unsuccessfully. I found the perfect method the other day, resulting in this post.

I was giving Otto some medicine for a hurt leg. He hurt it running up and down a steep mountain this fall and it flared up again. I took out the peanut butter, an all natural peanut butter of course. Both of mine love peanut butter. I scooped some out, put it on my finger and gave it to Otto. As he was licking, I quickly shoved the medicine into his mouth and down the hatch it went. No fuss, no spitting it out, finding it hidden in food, just easy licking and medicine taken.

The next time you have to give your dog some medicine give it a try. I hope it works as well for you as it does me!

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God' peace and joy,
Jenn

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Unstuffed Enchilada


I was short on time, had not gone grocery shopping for the week and needed something for dinner. Sometimes that is when delicious recipes are borne, like this one. Take several things you have in your fridge and make something.

What you need:
Chicken breasts, once for each person
Onion, 1 medium size
Bell Peppers, I used the small the ones, but 1 big one would be fine
Garlic, 4 cloves
Butter or some other oil for cooking
Cumin 1tsp
Coriander 1tsp
Paprika 1/2 tsp
Lime juice 1-2 limes
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese, optional

Method:
Slice the chicken breasts in half length wise so they are all about the same thickness. Use a malt and pound the chicken, this will help make it moist. Rub the seasonings, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper all over the chicken, set aside. Slice the onion into medium sizes strips, dice the garlic and cut the bell pepper into bite size peaces. Put the onion and garlic into a skillet with butter/oil of choice and some salt and pepper, stir occasionally so they do not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook until the onion begins to carmalize. This does take about 30 minutes. Once the onions begin to turn clear in color, add the bell peppers so they can cook while the onions are finishing carmalizing, stir occasionally. Heat another pan and add butter. Once melted, add the chicken. Cook for several minutes, 3-5 minutes depending on the size, then turn over. If needed add more butter. The chicken is cooked once it is firm to the touch, the juice run clear or cut into it and check for doneness. This should take about 10 minutes. By this time, the onions should be carmalized and the peppers tender. Add the lime juice and zest, if you would like, to the onion, pepper mixture, toss to coat. Place chicken onto a plate and scope the onion pepper mixture over the top. If you would like, sprinkle a little cheese over the top, I used pepper jack. Serve and enjoy!

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
Peace, love and joy this blessed time of year.
Jenn











Monday, December 10, 2012

Christmas Joy


I love the Christmas season, the peace, joy, happiness, love, the nip in the air, the smells, time with family and friends and most importantly, the Gift of Christ's Birth.

However, for many, Christmas is not any of this. It is stressful, frustrating, irritating, overwhelming and they cannot wait for Christmas to be over. This makes me very sad. If you are in this category, lets see if we change your attitude and you can also love this amazing season.

First and foremost, let us remember the reason for the season: it is the Birth of Christ. Along with most everything else in the world today, we have tried to take God out of everything. This is destroying us. Instead of Christmas being about Christ, it is a holiday season, gift giving and the more gifts the better, parties, anything but Christ. If you remember the real reason for the season, you will find peace and joy.

Second, there are financial stresses. Thinking you have to give your children more and bigger gifts, family and friends gifts, all these gifts must be bigger and better. Everything is more expensive these days, we all feel the financial strain. Why do we put this strain on our selves? Falling into the traps of the world. How about teaching our children and family about the real gift of the season, Christ's Birth and what we receive from His Birth. There is always the gift of time, being together and making memories together. Remembering those who are less fortunate than ourselves and helping them out. Teaching your children this gift of giving, maybe an organization such as Toys for Tots with the Marines. This season is not all about others giving us gifts, it is also about the gifts we give others.

Third, all the parties to attend. Do you have many parties to attend and not enough time? Instead of going to them all, pick the two or three, what is best for you and your stress levels, go to these and graciously decline the rest. Remember, there is no reason you have to go to them all. For a thought, the Christmas season is that, a season. It is not over the day after Christmas, in fact, it is just beginning! Maybe instead of having all your parties before Christmas, think about having some of them after.

Last, what are your stressers for this time of year? Take some time to think about them and how you will overcome them. Do not allow them to continue and ruin this most Blessed Time of Year for you.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.

Peace, love and joy to you this Blessed season.
Jenn












Thursday, November 29, 2012

Do Not Think You Can Afford a Health Coach?

As a personal trainer and holistic health coach, one of the things I consistently hear is: I cannot afford your services. It is just too expensive.

I obviously do not know anyone's financial situation. With that being said, I do have to laugh just a little to myself. We spend money on things that are a priority to us. Your health might not be a priority to you so you will think having a coach and trainer is expensive. For others who want to lose weight and have help from someone like me and they still think it is too expensive, here is a little example I like to use. Puts things nicely into perceptive and a good visual.

For this example I will use those RockStar Energy drinks, but you can use whatever you would like, it works the same.

You have no energy, cannot get out of bed or find the energy to face your day. So you drink down a RockStar in the morning. Then come the afternoon and you crash, so you drink another. You do this five days a week, four weeks out of the month.

RockStar: $2.50 a piece, I really have no clue, but I think that is about correct.
Two a day: $5.00 a day
For the week: $25.00. Five dollars times five days equals 25
For a month: $100.00, for a four week month.

You can choose to spend $100.00 a month on energy drinks, that is basically throwing your money away, destroying your health due to the excessive amount of caffeine, all the sugar and other artificial ingredients in them. Or, you could spend that same amount of money each month on a health coach instead. Invest your money in your health, find natural energy, help your body come back into balance so it has the energy to thrive, clear up your skin because you are not eating excess sugar, begin eating real food that will bring your body back to true health, gain confidence, save money, lose weight and the list goes on and on. The real question becomes, how important is your health and where do you want to spend money. Throw it away or invest it with a high interest rate and great returns?

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's peace and blessings,
Jenn  

Friday, November 16, 2012

Women's Health Issues

I am a fan of Sean Croxton, the creator or undergroundwellness.com. About once a week or so, he has a radio pod cast, with a wide range of guest speakers. The last two he did were on women's issues, Female Athlete Triad Syndrome and PCOS, pollycystic ovarian syndrome. With the recent push of women being leaner and stronger, we are seeing a host of issues to our bodies and cycles. Bone lose, infertility, undernourishment, and the list goes on and on. With woman on both ends of the spectrum of working out to much and not enough, under eating and over eating the wrong foods, are causing women to not have the nourishment they need to have a healthy body. With low fat diets, we cannot make our hormones, we have to have enough fat to make our hormones and a low fat diet does not give us enough fat. Stress, environmental and food toxins are wrecking havoc on our bodies. These and many more issues are discussed with Sean's guest regarding women's health.

Female Triad Syndrome

PCOS 

You can also find these pod casts and all of Sean's others by going here.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn   

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Quest of a Flat Stomach

The envy of all is having the flat stomach, for both men and women alike.


When you look at the statue of Venus de Milo, one of things you will notice is, she has a flat stomach. She is not 15% body fat either. She would be a healthy body percent in the mid 20's. In fact her waist to hip ratio of 0.7, which is what most men prefer and women would like to have, Marilyn Monroe and Jessica Alba also have this ratio. When we look at her, we think health and beauty, at least I do. But, if she is not 15% body fat, how can she have a flat stomach and be a healthy weight?

This is simple. I didn't say easy, but simple. It would be attributed to her nutrition. Today, we all think to have a flat stomach we need to have low body fat, and exercise for hours a day. This simply is not true. A woman can be healthy, between 20-30% body fat and have a flat stomach, Venus proves this. Why else would she be sculpted this way if it is not true?

There are many differences in our diets from Venus' time to today. In the last 100 years or so, our diets have changed in leaps and bounds. One of the biggest differences is, the significant increase in omega-6 fats. In the past, we ate about a 1:1 but no more than 1:4 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. Which correlates to eating far more omega-3s and much much less omega-6s, which is the opposite of what we do today. It is estimated we eat a 1:20 on the low side to 1:60 plus ratio of omega-3 to 6! This is WAY to much omega-6s. Eating this amount of omega-6 is associated with larger stomachs. This is dangerous fat as well, fat that will cause heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome. One of the best things you can do for a flat stomach is drop the omega-6s. These come from eating soy, canola oil, corn oil, excess grains with these oils, processed foods, anything with hydrogenated oils, for some examples. Eat more omega-3s and other healthy fats, like cholesterol and saturated fat. These will help you lose the belly, gain the weight in your hips, thighs and butts lady's and have lasting health.

Foods high in Omega-3s
Pasture feed and finished beef and other grazing animals
Pastured eggs
Salmon
Cod liver oil
Cold water fish
Some nuts and seeds, chia and flax seeds, but do not rely on these.

And of course, you cannot forget about the BUTTER!!!
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn 




Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Wednesday Doggie Day: Cold Weather

The Boys had a great time playing in the fresh powder the other day!

Here in Utah, we are having some cold weather and snow, most of it has melted for now. To help Mungo and Otto with the cold weather that will soon be upon us, I have been giving them a little more food. Naturally in the wild, animals will eat more to store up fat for the long, cold winter. So, I have been giving them more to help grow their winter coats to stay warm. I am not feeding so much more that they will put on several pounds, they are inside dogs, but enough for a thick coat. For the amount we spend out side during the cold season, that is enough. If you have an outside dog, you will want them to put on a few pounds of fat to shield them from the cold. Be care that it is not a lot of weight, they need to be able to effortlessly take off the weight during the spring. 

Get out there and have some fun with your dogs in the snow. They can enjoy the snow as much as you do, just help them with a little warmth.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: My take on Old World Gravy, Spaghetti

If you are to look through a traditional Italian cookbook, eat at restaurant, or go to Italy, one of the things you will find different from us, is they call spaghetti sauce, gravy. The biggest thing to remember with Italian cooking is: fresh ingredients, time and a whole lot of love.



What you need:
Enough fresh tomatoes to fill your crock pot
1 shallot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
About half a bulb of garlic, diced
2 Cups of bone broth
1 cup of a good red wine
2 Small cans of tomato paste, if you like your gravy thicker
Half a bunch of parsley
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary
Marjourne
Sea salt and pepper
Beef and liver

Method:
Dice all of the tomatoes and put into the crock pot. Put in some sea salt, this will help to bring the juices out of the tomatoes, 1-2 tsp. Bring this mixture to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 12 hours. Then, put in all the other ingredients expect for the beef/liver. If you like a thicker gravy, add 1 or 2 cans of tomato paste.  Let simmer for a good 12 hours, I said time, remember. Keep an eye on this for the duration of cooking, stirring every so often and watching the fluid levels. If it gets to dry, add more tomatoes, broth or wine. An hour or two before serving, check the flavor and adjust as needed. Just before serving, dice up a few more cloves of garlic and stir them in.
Cook the meat how ever you would like, as ground beef or meat balls. When I cooked my meat, I did season it with all of the seasonings I put into the gravy. You can either put the meat into the gravy or serve it separately.
I served our gravy over spaghetti squash.
For garnish, add some type of cheese if you would like, cheddar, Asiago, Parmesan, our favorites.

This gravy can also be used for lasagna, risotto, pizza/meatzza, whatever suits your fancy or you need a tomato sauce.

Most importantly, enjoy your labor of love with family and friends.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Wednesday Doggie Day: Cute Animals like to be Tickled

Ok, so these are not dogs, but to cute not to share and we all need a good laugh.

Maybe you have seen them, but who can resist not watching them again and again and again!

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Bullet Coffee

I would have to say I am a fan of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte this time of year, but I am not a fan of the sugar or the price. I love my Bullet proof coffee. So, why not put them together!

What I do:
I use my regular bullet proof recipe, butter, coconut oil, honey and coffee.
The pumpkin latte portion:
Real pumpkin, I cook my own pumpkins down and use them, about 1/4 cup for 2 cups of coffee.
Real heavy whipping cream about 1/2 cup.
In my coffee grounds is where I put my spices. I use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice. Not terribly sure on the amounts, still playing with those. I have found though, I need more of the spices beings that I am not eating them, but putting them into the grounds.
For approximates:
cinnamon 2 tsp
nutmeg 1 tsp
ginger 1 tsp
cloves 1/2 tsp
allspice 1/2 tsp

The health benefits by adding the extra spices and pumpkin are kicked up a few notches. This is an easy way to add extra health benefits to something already so tasty. Enjoy!

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
May God abundantly bless this harvest season.
Jenn

Monday, October 15, 2012

Breast Cancer Awareness

I know October is breast cancer awareness month. There are many activities and fund raising events going to to raise awareness and money for research. All of these things are good in and of the themselves, however, I do have a few bones to pick.

Bone 1:
We have many, many natural cures for cancer. These are not further pursued, given as options to cancer patients and in fact are looked down upon. The reason for this is, money. Cancer is a huge money maker for companies. A natural treatment cannot be patented and therefor cannot make them money like a  prescription drug can.

Bone 2: Nutrition plays a role in prevention or increasing your risk for cancer, any type.
For increasing your risk: If you eat a lot of sugar, from processed foods, grains and junk food, this increases inflammation in the body. Inflammation in the body is directly related to an increased risk for cancer. In these foods as well, there is not enough nutrition, more like a lack of nutrients. Our bodies cannot maintain  health with out the proper nutrients. Eating the amounts of omega-6s we are encouraged to eat. Vegetable oils are not healthy for us. Avoiding soy. These are full of hydrogenated oils and trans-fatty acids, both increase inflammation. The push for a low fat diet and not eating animals fats, translates into us not consuming enough vitamins and minerals and other important nutrients, like cholesterol and saturated fats. Avoiding hormones in your foods.
Decreasing your risk of cancer: Eating enough animals fats! Consuming enough anti-oxidants to help rid the body of damaged DNA and cells. By eating a diet like I promote on my blog will help to dramatically reduce your risk of cancer.

Bone 3: Lack of oxygen. Cancer is an anaerobic cluster of cells. This means cancer lives in an environment without oxygen. If you give cancer cells oxygen, they will die. Engaging in activities that boost your oxygen uptake levels will not only help prevent cancer, but help your over all health as well. Things like exercising, HIIT, sprinting,walking, hiking, deep breathing exercises or visiting somewhere that is lower than sea level.


Bone 4: Reducing stress levels.

Bone 5: Birth control pills. I might take a lot of flak for this one, but it needs to be talked about. In 2005 the World Health Organization declared the birth control pill a category one carcinogen. This is the worst classification anything can receive. Cigarette smoking along with other dangerous chemicals are also in this classification. Funny how we always hear about how bad smoking is for us, but nothing with the "pill".  A double standard to me. Taking the pill or putting your young daughter on the pill is one of the worst things you can do for your health or the health of your daughter. It is not harmless. If your daughter has acne, stop all of the sugar and processed foods and begin giving her healthy animal fats and coconut oil. This will clear up acne, I know personally. If you are married, practice NFP of some type. I know people think this is horrible, it is not. Taking the pill will destroy you as a person and your marriage. NFP brings marriages closer together, those practicing NFP have a divorce rate  less than 2% This is a way to free yourself emotionally and physically.
Along with not using artificial hormones, having an abortion(s) will also increase your risk and chances of having breast cancer.

Bone 6: Not having children. We live a culture that seems to believe children are a burden, should be limited for various reasons, or not having any at all. Having children is the way the world continues to go on. If we stop, the human race ends. I think not having children is one of the best Darwin awards as a culture, unless you are unable. That is a different story. Having babies is a blessing from God. He designed our bodies to bear children for specific reasons. For many blessings, health and for the world to continue have children, as long as you are able. If you are unable to have children, be sure you are following the other "Bones" to help protect yourself.

Bone 7: Not breast feeding or not long enough. Women should always be encouraged to breast feed first. This is very important for both mom and baby. Both receive health benefits and protection. For woman this helps to prevent breast cancer, lose weight and creates a bond with the baby. For the baby, breast milk is the perfect food. If for some reason a mom cannot breast feed, make your own baby formula. Also, breast feed as long as you can, two years is optimum.

Being aware of breast cancer and any type of cancer is important. However, for some of this I think it is more hype than really helping women avoid breast cancer. Take your health into your own hands so you can reduce your risk of any illness. Research and do what you believe to be correct, even if your doctor does not think so. They do not have all the answers, only those they have been told in medical school and by the drug reps.

These are just a few of my thoughts and nothing extensive. Go read up.
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God bless,
Jenn



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Wednesday Doggie Day: First Aid

Here in Utah, it is Fall time, my favorite time of year! Cooler weather, beautiful colors, all this means, it is hiking time. We love to hike as a family and enjoy the the beauty God has given us. The Boys love to hike!!! My little Mungo is the happiest when he is hiking. When we go for a walk, he might balk, not want to go, but we get to the mountains, he will run up and down the mountain and not want to leave. All his puppy energy comes back, it makes his Mommy happy! Otto just loves to be active, run and hunt! The last time we went, he caught the sent of something, deer or birds, he was in heaven running and hunting. It was such fun to watch him be so happy and do what he loves.

Needless to say, hiking is great family fun and something we all look forward too. With that, I try to keep us all safe. Some of the things I watch for while we are hiking:
Rattle snakes, even though the weather is cooler, they are still out sunning themselves to keep warm. They are not as fast, but still dangerous.
Mountain lions, beers, not that we see them, but we do have them in our mountains and be ware.
Whatever the Boys try to eat, berries, rocks, sticks. You never know what they are going to try.
Watching out for poison ivy. Not so much so for the Boys, but for us. It tends to not effect them, but we can get it from them.
Just being aware of where we are.

Here is a list of of First Aid items to keep on hand while you are hiking with your furry ones.

Such happy Boys!

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
Go out and enjoy the beauty God has given us!
Jenn

Friday, October 5, 2012

If you LOVE bacon...

For all you bacon lovers out there, this is for you. For all you who think is bacon is very bad and you should never eat it, you might want to read this article. Bacon could actually be healthy for you!

I know, I just made your day for many of you!





Now, go eat some bacon, along with your butter.
Saving the world one stick of butter, and piece of bacon, at a time.
God bless,
Jenn

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Sinus Infection Obliteration

I actually received this recipe from one of my professors while in college, getting me some edumacation. It works wonders, so I thought I would share it with all of you. It will obliterate your sinus infection. It will burn like no other. You will want to call me every name in the book. But, you will not have a sinus infection and no more antibiotics for something so simple.

What you need:
1 oz of olive oil
15 drops of eucalyptus oil
15 drops of tea tree oil

Method:
Put the three ingredients into a jar, preferably glass, shake to combine. When you have an infection, use an eye dropper and put at least five drops of the mixture into each nostril or as much as will go in. It is easiest if you lay down on your back so it will go up into your sinus instead of dripping out. Try putting it in three times a day until the infection is gone, which should not take long.

I gave some of this to my uncle who usually needs two rounds of strong antibiotics and a week or two to overcome a sinus infection. He used this and it was gone in a few days, no antibiotics. Yes, it works. He has been putting some on a Q-tip and then swirling it around each nostril  and said it has been helping with his allergies. Which makes sense because eucalyptus is amazing for allergies. Because it is SO dry here in Utah, the oil is helping to keep things moist.

Hopefully you will not need this, sinus infections suck. If you do, give this a try.  

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's bountiful harvest to you all,
Jenn



Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Stuffed Apples

Several weeks back I came across a recipe for stuffed apples, but I waited to try it because we have an apple tree! I wanted to be able to use our apples in this recipe, boy am I supper happy I waited, so is Hublet. The apples from our tree were perfectly ripe. There is something extra yuumy about a perfectly ripe apple, well any fruit for that matter. The base of the recipe came from this web page I really like and follow: wellnessmama.com. She has some awesome stuff, so be sure to check her out.

Here is the base of the recipe. Of course, I made a few changes. 
1 shallot
3 cloves of garlic
A spicy Italian sausage 
I did not put in the honey or maple syrup, but was more than sweet enough for us.
For seasonings I used: pepper, sage, marjoram, tarragon, cayenne, red pepper flakes, Hymeneal sea salt rosemary, thyme and all spice, in amounts of descending order.
When Hublet and I carved out the apples, we carved out a good amount, so you still had a vessel but could stuff a decent amount of the mixture in the the apple. The apple we carved out, excluding of the seeds and core, I put into the meat mixture.
I also served mine with sweet potato squash instead of salad. 

This was very yummy. Hublet asked for it again before the apples are no more this year...
I hope you enjoy.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessing upon you this harvest season,
Jenn

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Wednesday Doggy Day: 10 Things to Avoid

I thought this was some good info to help our pets stay clear of some pesky animals. The list gives general information where these critters are most likely to be encountered and some care tips. Hope it helps.


10 Creatures and Critters to Avoid

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God bless,
Jenn

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Hot Toddy with a Twist

How lucky are we, the cold and flue season is here in some places and getting started in others. But in our house, we all ready have our remedies. First, is taking care of our health. When you are healthy, it is less likely you will get sick. Second, I have cleaned our house very well. My Hublet bought us a Kirby vacuum about a week ago and I have been having fun cleaning. I know, I know crazy, but hey our house is clean and the carpet has not looked this good since we bought it! Third. It has cooled off here in Utah at night, so I am able to open the windows and air the house out. It is important to open windows and allow your house to air out. The air inside our homes can be worse than the air quality in the worst cities. Open your windows for at least 10 minutes every day. This will also help get ride of the sickness bugs that enter your home with your family in and out.
There is one last thing, a Hot Toddy if we do start to fall under the weather or are there. A hot toddy will work for about anything, colds, flue, UTIs, sinus infections, pneumonia, bacteria, viruses,  you name it and this will take care of it.

The basic recipe:
1oz or more of brandy, whiskey or rum
1 Tbsp of raw honey
Half a fresh lemon
Rest of the mug with hot water
My twist, a Tbsp of coconut oil

Drink this while it is nice and hot. Through a few extra blankets on and sweat it out. Works like a charm every time.

A few notes:
The reason I use raw honey and coconut oil is because they have natural anti-bacterial, viral and fungel properties to them. Just two more things to help your body fight off whatever it is fighting.
Be sure you are drinking enough water to help your body sweat out everything.

Hopefully you do not have to use this, but if you do, hope it helps.
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn

Monday, September 17, 2012

How Skinny is too Skinny?

Over the weekend my Hublet, myself and a friend went for a hike. It was great, being in the outdoors, the beginning of the changes of the leaves into their brilliant fall colors and just enjoying time together.
Anywho, we were going along and this woman ran by us, twice in fact. She was very lean. Probably a marathon runner or the like. The comment was made among us that she was very lean. Our friend, a guy, said, in fact she is too lean. My Hublet agreed with him. She did not look good to them because of how lean she was. She was wearing short running shorts and a crop top, so it was easy to tell she had very little to no visible body fat on her. Six pack on full display.
About a week ago, a female trainer I receive emails from, sent a picture of herself saying she needed to lose  three to five pounds to lean out even more than what she already is. She has recently done some photos for her product as well as other fitness photos. She is already very lean, but wants to go even lower.
Over the past several months in the paleo/primal world, there has been some back lash from readers of blogs about woman who follow this life style not being lean enough. Meaning, low body percent fat so you can visibly see their six packs and all muscle definition. The writers of these blogs have ripped them apart for this. It has been the best when it is a male blogger saying woman should not be this lean, they do not look good or healthy. It is about health and being this lean is NOT healthy for woman. Following this lifestyle is about finding lasting true health, not being very low body percent fat with a visible six pack.

All this has gotten me thinking. Thinking about how skinny is too skinny? We are continually bombarded as woman that we need to be leaner and skinnier, but do we? From the comments I have heard from guys, we do not. We need to have some fat on us, to be healthy and look good. I do not want my husband, or any of his friends, saying I am too lean and do not look good. Why do I put that kind of pressure on myself, to be leaner and leaner?

I am a certified personal trainer and a certified holistic nutrition/health coach, part of why I push to be very lean. Most would not look at me and say you are a personal trainer, because I am not sporting a very defined physic. Others like to tell me I am too skinny. My Hublet thinks I am perfect, not rock hard, but not a dough girl either.

My questions to myself is:
Do I as a personal trainer drop those last 5-10 pounds of fat so I "look" like what most people would think of a personal trainer. Or do I say, forget that. It is about being healthy, a role model for other woman that you can be healthy, good muscle, but do not have to be 10% body fat and have a six pack to look good? I think this is the one I am going with, it is about my long term health.

Picture from the hike.



Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessing upon you this harvest season.
Jenn

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Peaches!

Here in Northern Utah, it is peach season! I love peaches. A fresh, ripe, juicy peach is one of my favorite foods. Lucky for me, my Hublet got a peach tree for us! We have an early type of peach, meaning they are already gone, can you hear me crying? But, it is still peach season and I can buy peaches from local farmers. Obviously not as nice as going into the back yard and plucking a peach off my tree and eating it. I will take what I can get though.

With my delicious peaches, here are a few things I made with them, the ones I did not eat right away.

Peach Compote:
Peaches
Butter
Honey, to taste
Cinnamon, cloves, all spice, nutmeg, a combination or any on their own.

Method:
Slice peaches into bite size pieces and put into a small sauce pan. Add the honey, spices and butter. Allow to simmer on the stove for a few minutes or until peaches are cooked to your licking. Most of the time, I allowed my peaches to simmer until they were soft and falling apart. I served this over my protein pancakes. Yum!

Primal Peach Cobbler:
Peaches
Nuts, I used almonds, but whatever you like
Butter
Honey
Spices, like the compote
Chia seeds

Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Slice peaches and put into a baking pan. Allow to bake for 10 minutes. This will make the juices come out. You can either dump the juice are add some ground chia seeds, these will absorb the liquid. Start with a small amount because they are absorbent. Grind the nuts. I like to have some small pieces in my nuts, but grind them to the consistency you like. By hand, mix in the butter and spices. Drizzle some honey over the peaches and put the nut mixture on top. Put back into the oven and allow to back about another 15 minutes. Cool slightly and then serve. This is really good with fresh whip cream.

Peaches are amazing grilled! I quarter mine, if they are large, stick them on the grill for a few minutes on each side, until there is a nice grill mark and the outside of the peaches are crisp. Serve with hamburgers, as a desert with fresh whip cream, a salad or with pork of some type.

Or just be lazy, pick a peach off the tree and enjoy!
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
Many blessings from God,
Jenn

Monday, September 3, 2012

Body Weight Training

There seems to be a lot of talk recently that to get into shape, the only way it can be done is with lifting heavy weights., especially for women. I have a very different opinion on this. When people want to say body weight training does not work, I tell them they have no clue how to do it. I am partial, I grew up as a competitive gymnast.

Speaking of gymnastic, did you watch the Summer Olympics, mainly the gymnastics? Most of their training, conditioning as we called it, is body weight. As a gymnast, you do not want a lot of big bulky muscle. You need strong, lean muscle. You have to have the flexibly to still do the graceful, elegant part of gymnastics as well. Having a large bulk muscle does not work well, it not very graceful either. You have to be strong, but light and graceful as a gymnast. To accomplish this, you do body weight exercises, pulling, pushing, squatting, jumping, holding, twisting, balancing, in every combination you can think of and them some.

If you want to look like a natural body builder, a fitness model, someone who has bulk muscle, then yes, you need to be in a gym lifting heavy weights and a lot of them. You have to train for what it is you want to accomplish and look like.

If you do not think body weight training is hard enough, what are some of the hardest exercises, the coveted ones? Push up, pull ups, single leg squats, Bulgarian split lunges, jumping onto a block that is at least hip height, these are all body weight and take significant amounts of muscle. These are exercises everyone should be able to do, remember from my training to survive post? If the only way you are working out is lifting big heavy weights, or really light weights, are you going to have the muscle to pull yourself out of somethings, jump up to get away, run half a mile to safety like your life depends on it? Body weight training will get you a physic that is envious by all, wanting to know what it is you do to have that amazing body, but will also help you in any circumstance. Your body can provide all of the resistance you need.

Another great thing about body weight training, you do not have to go to a gym and pay for an expensive gym membership, fight the crowd, wait for machines or just not go at all and waste money. Body weight training is free, you need no equipment but your body and it can be done anywhere anytime. No need to wait, just work. You can break it down into smaller workout sessions. Take five minutes of your break at work and do some squats, lunges, push, walk up and down some stairs, during a commercial work out, it does not all have to be done at once. Doing 5-10 minutes here and there, will add up fast. 5-10 blocks can be more manageable for some people as well. Make it work for you, one of the beauties of body weight training.

Next time you hear body weight training does not work, think of a competitive gymnast and their physic.
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessing,
Jenn




Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Wednesday Doggie Day: Consistency

There are many lessons I have learned from being a Mommy to two dogs. Two dogs who are, very hyper, active, stubborn, dominate, do not like to listen, sound like any kids you have, but love their Mom more than anything.

I know my Mom has always told me one of the keys to raising well behaved children, is consistency. Until having Mungo and Otto, I did not realize just how important this is with dogs as well. In many ways dogs are similar to children and consistency is one them.

Dogs now when you are not being consistent. When you do not mean what you are telling them to do, they have some innate abilities that make us crazy. I think sometimes, they know more about us than we know about ourselves. Consistency is very key.

This can be very hard some days, when I have told them no for the 20th time, which they know I do not mean it so they will not stop, when I am frazzled, upset or not in a good frame of mind. They now this and will play on it. I have to remind myself, I have to stay on top of their behaviors, especially with the breeds an their personalities. If I do not, they are not going to be good dogs. I also have to look inside myself and ask what I am doing wrong for why they are not listening. Then I have to be consistent in my training.

If I tell them no and discipline this time, but not the next, the dog will also be confused as to what he is to do or not do. Right up front you have to decided what you are going to allow them to do and not do. Can they be on the furniture, do they sleep in bed or in a kennel, can they be around the table at dinner time or do they need to be in a down stay. When they do something, you have to decide right then and there, is this behavior acceptable? If it is not, then it needs to be nipped in the bud right then and there and every time they do this behavior. Most of the time, if you correct the first time and another one or two times, they will stop.

If you have an older dog that you adopted or even your own dog who is older, and has behaviors you do not like, getting into the trash can, putting paws on the counter, whatever it is, you will have to work more consistently with them, for longer periods of time and depending on what it is, not leaving them alone unsupervised. If you are gone, they are in a kennel or where ever it is so they can not do this behavior with out you there. Strive to take the temptation away from them. Do not leave things on the counter until they are well trained. You can get there even with an older dog, they can be taught new tricks.

If you are consistent, they will learn and stop. If you are not consistent, they will run your house. Dogs like order and discipline, it makes them feel safe, they know what they can and not do, they are less destructive. In the wild, if a dog is out of line, he could potentially put the whole pack in danger. Therefore, consistent disciple is always given for the order and safety of the pack. Your pack is no different. You are giving the dog what he is seeking any way, knowing his place in the pack and how he is to behave. If you give your dog consistency, you will be loving them and they will be a much better companion dog who you love to have around.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many graces be showered upon you,
Jenn














Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Hiding Highly Nutritious Food

Obviously not a real recipe! But, have you ever thought, I want to get more real, nutritious food into my family, but I do not know how to mask it so they do not know it is there? I know I have asked myself this question. Even though we do not have kids and the dogs will eat about anything, I have to ask it for my Hublet. Do not tell him my secrets, I could end up in trouble!

Once your taste buds have changed as you begin eating more real, whole foods, this can become less of a problem, but there are still some things that you and your family might not like, but know you should be eating. Here are some of the ways I have been incorporating them into our way of eating.

One of the healthiest foods on the planet, is organ meat.  I know what you are already thinking, NO THEY ARE NOT!!!!!! They have told us organs are very bad, full of cholesterol and saturated fat. If you follow my blog or do any back reading, you will remember that I do not believe this lie, cholesterol and saturated fat are both very healthy for us. If you do any research into how we used to eat, great places to begin are: Weston Price Foundation and Mark's Daily Apple,  you will begin to understand that organs and fat were the most highly prized foods. They would through the lean meat to the dogs and eat the fat and organs themselves, very different from today. These people did not have the diseases we have today, so they must have known something about real health. Because most of us have not grown up eating organ meats, we do not like the taste, texture, smell or thought of eating organs. However, masking them, is very easily done!
This is what I do.
Grind liver in my meat grinder and mix it right into ground beef. Anytime I make something with ground beef, I put liver right into it and you would never know it is there. Hublet has eaten hamburgers many times in the last few weeks with liver, not knowingly, and said they were very tasty. Once the meat is seasoned and mixed with other ingredients, it taste like hamburger. This can be done with any organ meat. Try a verity of different organs, they all have something different and healthy to offer.
From watching Iron Chief America and Chopped I have picked up a few ideas to try as well. One of them is when making bone broth, stick organs right into the broth and let it simmer along side the bones. Then you can eat the organ, or give it your dogs. Mouses, patatas, sausages, brawts and many other dishes traditionally have organ in them. I truly believe some of them were created so people would eat these highly nutritious pieces of meat. Try some that have been prepared with the organs and I am sure you would not even know you were eating organ.

For veggies
I think this is one of the easier ones personally, but still might be difficult for some. Here a few things I do.
When making my protein pancakes, I put in pumpkin or the like in them. This makes them very moist. I have Swiss chard that has grown out of control in my garden, so I will cut it, blanch it and then put it into the blender when mixing my pancake batter. About the only way you know there is Swiss chard, is the green dots you find. All the nutrition, without the taste. In a batter, you can out any fruit or vegetable in it. Fro sweet things, apples and pears, bananas, berries can all work well. Most vegetables are good in either sweet or savory dishes, try different ones and varying amounts to figure out what works for you.
Use veggies or fruit as the boat for a meal. Meaning, something stuffed like, zucchini, apples, potatoes, peppers, anything will work. This way, it is playful and fun, which could entice some to try these veggies or fruit.
When cooking a sauce, put in extra veggies, like zucchini, carrots, kale, spinach, collards, chard, any veggies. Once the sauce has cooked, blend all of these vegetables and put back into the sauce. Instead of seeing big chunks of vegetables, they are purred and look more like spices. Their flavor will also be more mild due to being purred as well. Be creative and try different ways of using vegetables, just like the organs.

Some odds and ends.
When I made a healthy dessert the other day, to thicken it, I used freshly ground chia seeds. The seeds are amazing and work wonders as a thickening agent while adding tremendous nutritional benefits. Instead of using other thickening agents, try chia seeds. You do not need a lot, they are supper absorbent. These seeds as well as flax seeds can also be ground and put into homemade desserts and breads. Vegetables can also be put into desserts, especially when there is chocolate, the dark color will hide the color of the veggies. If you drink coffee, put cinnamon in your coffee grounds. I have also heard rosemary is good as well and pumpkin spices are supper tasty. Many of these spices, cinnamon especially, will help take out some of the bitterness of the coffee as well as adding health benefits. Be sure to cook with many spices and seasonings. They add flavor and nutrition beyond imagination.

I hope you can see, it is really not all that difficult to add different foods to meals to take them over the top for nutritional value, you just have to be a little creative.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings upon you,
Jenn




















Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Wednesday Doggy Day: Stimulating Dog Brain

A good friend of mine asked me to do this post, so here you go!

Dogs are EXTREMELY intelligent, maybe we should have them as our security. Need an example, Otto was at the park playing with his doggy friend several days ago. I was tossing a ball for him, which he loves, he is a ball dog. About anything else can be going on around him and he will ignore it because he is hunting his ball, he is crazy about it. So, after I threw the ball and he went and retrieved it, his friend came over to take it from him. Otto put it down, ran to another spot like he was "looking" for the ball. Once his friend was convinced he was still "looking" for it, he ran back over to his ball, picked it up and brought it to me. I laughed so hard! His friend was still looking for it while Otto fetched several times. We finally had to call his friend so she would stop looking for the ball that was not there. That is my Otto!

Because dogs are so smart, we need to stimulate their minds, not just give them exercise to stay healthy. Having them use their minds will also help them be more calm, it takes a lot of energy to think. Here are a few things I do use for Mungo and Otto.

*Long walks with them having to listen and watch Mom, it is so hard sometimes when another dog is barking or someone else is there. Good training and mind usage. Mom has had to become a better Mom because of this.
*Having Otto hunt his ball at the park. This can be tricky. I have to through the ball without him paying attention so he does not know where it it. I do manage this sometimes. This is one of the best mind stimulating games as well as using up some of his energy. The days when he hunts the most and runs the longest, he is the most calm. If your dog has a good ball and retrieve drive,  I cannot recommend this enough. Mungo likes to hunt as well, he found a mouse in our garage and trapped for us.
*Playing tug aware. You do need to be careful with this one. Dogs play this game for dominance. Be sure you initiate the play, you win and you say when the play session is over. Both of mine love this game. I have a hard time playing with Otto, when I need a good workout this is what I do. We also have a plastic sled for snow that Hublet brought into the house. We will sit on it and allow Otto to pull us across the flour. It is so much fun! A great workout for Otto and he really has to think and use his noggin. Mungo plays along as well. It is great family fun time.
*Chewing. Dogs love to chew! I am sure most dog owners can give many examples of their beloved dog chewing something of value. If they do not have a chew toy, they will find their own, just like their own entertainment. If you do not have something for them, they will find it, this is what we do not like. Have plenty of chew toys and bones for them. Have one for different times. When you leave, they have a special toy with treats that they have to figure out how to get out and then can chew the toy. Once you come home, the toy is put away. This will also help create routine and something special when you are gone. Raw meaty bones are awesome. They can chew, entertain themselves and get really good nutritional benefits from the bone and marrow. Chewing is also a great stress reliever for dogs.
*Teaching them a new trick.
*Hiding toys or food for them to find. This can be done in many ways and for several things. When you are gone, having toys and treats hidden for them to find, is entertainment. It keeps them stimulated, using their minds and less of your house is destroyed. This can be used for fooding time. If you feed kibble, hide food piles throughout the house or yard. They have to think and this slows down their eating. You can hide raw food outside. Food can be hidden in toys. Mungo loves when I put his food in a kong type toy and freeze it. He is entertained for some time getting all the food out and then playing with the toy. One of the best things I have done for Mungo, Otto is not sure about this.
*Training. Training your dog to be obedient and follow your commands. This takes a lot of brain power. Making them lie down in a down stay where you tell them to and for as long as you tell them, for example.  Works wonders for cleaning your house! Whatever it is you want your dog to do, train him.

There are always new toys and tips I do receive from the online trainer I receive info from. His web page is: www.dogproblems.com I cannot highly recommend Adam enough. If you are having dog problems, he is the man to go to. He did have a toy the other day for his new puppy that I want to try and find. It is a large ball you put sand or water into and then they can role it around and play.

Be creative with your dog. You do not have to go out and spend lots of money on toys and such. Make things up, use your mind as well. What are your dogs interests and build from there for toys and entertainment. This will make you both happier and more creative.

A side note, if you are going to be gone for the day, try and exercise your dog before you leave. I know this is not possible for everyone, but try if you can. Great time to get in your exercise in as well. Take your dog(s) for a walk, work on on some training, a combination for maximum benefits. Then feed. In the wild this is what they do, run, hunt, catch prey, eat prey and other food and then rest and sleep. If you can reenact this for them, they will be more calm throughout the day and less likely to be destructive. When you come home, make sure they get some exercise and stimulation. I do this for Mungo and Otto and they are so much happier and better behaved when I am gone, but also when I am home.

Above all, have fun with your dog. Get out and exercise and play together. Be creative in their toys, create a routine for them, stimulate their minds and they will love you unconditionally.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God bless,
Jenn











Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Wednesday Doggie Days: Ear Care

I have a Weimaraner!!! Which I am sure you already know, if not, consider yourself informed. For those of you who do not know me,  know you might understand just how crazy I am. Great dogs! I also have a Scottish Terrier, explains everything.

One of the things you have to watch out for in a floppy eared dog, is ear problems. You can also have some ear problems in dogs without the floppy ears, like Scotties, mine growing up did. Usually this is due to a yeast overgrowth. Or after bathing them, not drying out their ears. But for floppy ears, this is another story. Due to their ear being down over the opening of the ear, moisture can be trapped in the ear itself. Of course, a warm, dark place with  moisture is the perfect breading ground of bacteria as well as yeast.

How to prevent problems.
One of the best things is always prevention. Prevention is the key is pretty much everything. Prevention is the best policy. I have said it enough.

Steps to take to help prevent problems for you floppy eared doggies. Nutrition is one of the biggest key factors, just like for humans. If you have a healthy immune system, you are going to be able to ward off illness and be able to better fight it off infections and viruses. This is very important for dogs in all areas of their lives as well. Good nutrition will go a long to help your dog, or any animal, have a long happy life. Good nutrition will also help the body keep yeast in check. A yeast over growth is horrible for dogs and no fun. By keeping their diets clean and healthy for them, eating what they should, and giving them good bacteria is a perfect remedy for long healthy lives.

Keeping their ears dry. I know this can be a challenge for many. If your dog loves the water, this could be a daily task of drying. If you live in a humid climate, you will need to dry them daily as well.  When moisture is present, and the warmth from the dogs ear, everything will grow very quickly. Today your dog's ear(s) will be fine, tomorrow an infection and then they do not want you to touch their ears and can become very sick. The best way to dry their ears is to stick cotton balls into the ears. Do not stick it down as far as you can, you can hurt their ear drum. I normally try and stick it in to where the ear begins to narrow for going into the ear canal. Allow the cotton ball to sit for a few seconds, if the dog allows you, and then pull it out. If there is any discoloration on the cotton ball, then there is something going on, more on this in a minute. Repeat this process as often as you need too, it could be daily, it could be weekly, I would suggest at least weekly.

If there is discoloration, an odor, discharge coming from the ear, there is probably an infection or a yest over growth happening. The first thing I would do is, call your veterinary and ask them what you should do. I am not a vet or a vet tech, nothing. Do NOT listen to me, talk with your vet.

Begin feeding a raw diet and giving good bacteria to help the animals body heal.
Next, a more aggressive cleaning of the ear is going to need to happen. I mix a solution together that I received from a holistic health vet.

Ear cleaning solution:
Mix equal parts of:
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Water
Mix these both together well and store in a container.

Once this is mixed, I place a cotton ball that has been broken in half into the solution. Squeeze the cotton balls so they are not saturated, but still have some of the mixture in them. If you have it, put a drop or two of oregano oil on the ball as well. Oregano oil is the gran-daddy of them all for killing bacteria, viruses and yeast. Do not put the oil directly into the ear, make sure it is diluted, like putting it with this mixture. Place the ball into the ear and squeeze into the ear. Take the cotton ball out and rub the ears all the way down the neck keeping the ear held down so the the mixture stays inside. You have to be quick because the dog is not going to be happy having liquid in his ears. Allow it to be in there for as long as you can, usually a several seconds and them let him shake. You might want to do this either in a bath tube or outside so it does not go all over your house. After the dog has stopped shacking his head like a made dog, put another cotton ball in to wick up the rest of the moisture. Do this every day until the cotton ball comes out clean and no more smell. If there is some nastyness on the folds of the ear, you can take this out with a cotton ball or Q-tip. However, do not go down the ear canal. If it does not begin to heal in a few days, again call your vet.

For a dog that does not have floppy ears, it is a good idea to make sure they do not get an infection in them. Stick a dry cotton ball into the ear as before and check for any discoloration or smell. If there is some, follow above, calling your vet first and then the rest.
When you are bathing a dog with ears that stick up, you can place a cotton ball into each ear to help ensure water does not go into the ear. Also, wash from the collar back, not forward.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, CALL YOUR VET!

I hope this helps you to keep your dog's ear clean, dry and healthy.
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn






Monday, August 6, 2012

What to do When You are Sick

Being sick sucks. I am very lucky that I do not get sick very often. In the rare occasion I do, I remember why I eat the way I do to help my body stay very healthy and ward off illness. Also remember, being sick once every three years is really not all that bad. Occasionally being ill can be very good for our bodies, as much as being sick is no fun. Having our bodies fight off a bug will help our bodies to remember what to fight and how to fight. Think about our soldiers, if they did not have their war games and practices, how would they be able to go into a battle and win? They need to be practicing every day to be on top of their game. Our bodies are very similar. Yes, we do fight off many different bugs on a daily basis just from living in the toxic, sick world we live in. This will help our bodies then once they do get sick on remembering how to fight and what to fight.The other great thing about getting the occasional cold, is lowering our risk for an autoimmune disease. A big part in autoimmune diseases, is our bodies forget what to fight. So, they begin attacking themselves. This is a great way for our bodies to get ride of cells that might not be functioning well and are "sick" themselves. There are many benefits to the occasional "under the weather" bug. Even if it is once a year thing you fight a cold, it is really not that big of a deal, especially if you are healthy the rest of the time. Give your body some good rest and TLC and you are going to be healthier in the end

A few tips and tricks to help you over come your sickness quickly, should it come:
*Avoid sugar
*Sip on bone broths
*Stay hydrated with water, keferi kombucha and warm herbal teas
*Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep.
*Take some extra Vit. D
*Eat less. I know this sounds strange, but have you watched a dog? When they are sick, they stay near water and do not eat until they are feeling better and they sleep. This is true for colds and such, I am not talking about some major illness, use your noggin and common sense.
*Soak in the tub with Epsom salt. This is also a great way to get some magnesium into your body.
*DO NOT WORK OUT!!!!!! You might think I am crazy with this one, but I am not. Allow your body this time to recover and focus on healing. When you are working out, your body is going to take away from the immune system and healing the body needs to do and will instead be focused on rebuilding the muscles. By training while you are sick and the few days after for recovery, you can pro-long the illness and possibly relapse, which is worse. It is not going to be the end of the world if you do not work out. I know how hard this is to combat, I have struggled too many times with it from myself and coaches to get back to quickly. Even if it is a week or longer, you will be fine. After you begin to feel better, do not start hard works out the next day, be 100% better, give yourself a day or two and then slowly work your way back into your regular training. Again, too quickly and you can relapse, over train and do extensive damage to your body. Remember, we train for survival, not weight lose or maintenance.

I hope this helps a bit.
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessing,
Jenn











Friday, August 3, 2012

Vacation and Eating

I returned the other day from a nice relaxing vacation with my Mom to see my younger brother and his wife in Southern California. It was amazing, great to see my baby bro and his wife and be on the beach. At heart, I am a beach bum.

You might think I am going to talk about how to eat healthy while on vacation, but not this time. Maybe some other time. What I am wanting to talk about is the impact of relaxing and being calm while we are eating, being on vacation just helped my thoughts for this post.

While gone, I was not as strict with my diet. I did eat very well and watched my grain intake, due to my intolerance, but I did eat some. I still ate fat and protein, making up the most of my diet as usual, but what is more important was slowing down even more than normally while eating. For dinner, Hublet and I take our time and eat. We spend time together, talk about our day and mostly, enjoy each other's company. For breakfast and lunch, if I eat lunch, I am usually alone. I try to not eat too quickly because I do not feel well when I do, but we will usually eat faster alone or in front of the TV, computer, whatever it is, than when we are with others. The other big thing is not being so stressed. This is what I want to talk about.

When we are stressed out when we eat, our bodies release different hormones than when we are relaxed and eating. This also goes for anytime of the day. When stressed, our bodies release many hormones that make us gain weight. When we are eating and stressed, instead of digesting the food and using the nutrients the way our bodies need to, we store our food. Our bodies have better things to do at this point than good digestion, like saving us from the lion that is chasing us.

Another problem is, we will eat more because our bodies are not going to send the full hormone signal, remember, we are too busy making other hormones to flee, not tell us we are full. You also need more food for your body to have the energy it needs to flee to safety. When stressed, you will eat more. If our bodies are constantly thinking they need to flee from that lion and we are eating more and more, but never actually fleeing, we will gain more and more weight.

I could go on and on about the negative impacts of eating while stressed, but I hope you understand the jest. Stressed out eating is very bad for you. It leads to weight gain, eating too much and horrible health.

Things to do to help:
*Have more fun in your life!
*Get control of your stress. This can mean different things for different people, but figure out what will work for you and over come your stress levels as much as possible.
*Try not to eat when you are stressed out. I know for many people this will be difficult, when they are stressed out they eat. When you are stressed, try to do something else like taking several deep breaths, going for a walk, some other type of exercise, journaling, something to help calm you down. Once calm, reevaluate and ask yourself, am I really hungry, if yes, than eating something healthy, if not than do not eat. Simple I know, but it is the simple things in life that work the best.
*Eat more animal fats.
*Have more fun in your life!
*Have more fun in your life!
*Slow down. Here in America we think we always need to be going, always need to be doing, needing to work 50-80 hours instead of 40 and then coming home and enjoying our family and friends. Take the time to enjoy your life. When you are on your death bed, you are not going to be wishing you had worked more, you will be wishing you had slowen down, enjoyed your family and friends and done some of the other things you wanted to do in life.
*When eating, take your time. Between each bite, put your utensil down. Enjoy the food, savor the food, taste the food. Know that you have eaten.
*Do not eat while you are distracted, TV, computer, driving, any electronic device, whatever your distraction is, put it down and enjoy your meal. Enjoy the company of family and friends.
*Eat at least one meal a day with your family. Family time is very important and we do not take enough time to eat as a family. We need to get back to the family dinner. Enjoy this dinner.
*Enjoy the food you are eating. If you do not like what you are eating, then change it up. Try something new at least once a week. You never know, maybe you will find a creative side you never knew you had through cooking.
*Have more fun!!!

We live in an over stressed society today and we need to slow down and enjoy. Not only so we can enjoy the beauty around us, but for our health.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessings,
Jenn














Monday, July 23, 2012

Why Do You Train/Exercise?

Have you ever asked yourself this question or thought about it: Why do I train/exercise?
Is it for weight lose, building muscles mass or lean muscle, to looked good in your bikini or swim suite, to build strong bones, and joints. What is your reason?  Do you train with purpose or just go do whatever someone else is going?

The reason I train, is to survive. It is also my drug, I have to admit. I really enjoy working out, in my blood from having been a competitive gymnast. Back to why I train, for survival. I know this sounds crazy, it is not the reason we are told to exercise or have really thought of probably. We are told to exercise to lose weight, but this is really not the best way to lose weight. I eat for fat lose, weight maintenance, to have a nutrient rich, dense diet for optimum gene expression, to maintain my health. Having the stores my body needs in case of long periods of fasting, sickness or getting pregnant. I want to give my children the best possible start and nutrition is the best way to do this. I want to make sure my stores are high so the baby would pull from my stores of vitamins and minerals, have all they need and not take them from my bones, brain and other organs. This is why I eat the way I do. I train though, to survive.

What does training to survive look like and why would I do this?
The reason is simple, God forbid the worst should happen, I want to make it out alive and help the person next to me survive as well. Say my house catching on fire and my Hublet and two dogs are unconscious, I want to have the ability to drag Hublet out of the house and be able to run back in and get Mungo and Otto out as well, weighing 20 and 65 lbs. I could need to do this in an oxygen depleted enviorment as well. Once they are out, I want to be able to resuscitate any of them and have the oxygen and energy I need to do this. Maybe things like, jumping out of the way of something, sprinting across the street to make sure a child does not get hit, pull myself out of situation, whatever it is, I want to make it, as well as the person next to me.
How do I train? Most of my training is body weight, functional training. Reason why, another time. Things like pull ups on my Total Gym, loads of squats and lunges, all forms of them. Regular squats, deep squats, summo, squat jumps, jumps onto varying heights of blocks. For lunges, walking, side, single leg, Bulgarian split lunges, jumping, I think you get the point, all forms of leg work. I sprint, short and long distances. The newest addiction to my work out regime, running up and down my stairs with a 35 lb bag of dog food on my shoulder. Killer, great workout. I also do long distance walking, you never know when you might need to walk 10 miles to get help. I train not to build a lot of "show muscle", I train to build a lot of "go muscle".

The great thing about training for survival as well is, you build a pretty strong, sexy lean physic. If you saw me, you might not think I am packing the kind of muscle around I am, that is because I do not have loads of big muscle. It is muscle which is strong, dense and lean, it gets the job done! Even with one hand, I can pick things up and move them that you might not suspect. For survival, I do not need a lot of big showy muscle, I need functional muscle that I can be quick on my feet with.

What do you train for?

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many and gracious blessings be upon you,
Jenn












Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tuesday Recipe: Tacos and Kebabs

For today's recipe, I am going to link to two recipes from Mark's Daily Apple. Over the last week or so, I made both of these recipes and they were VERY yummy. They are both on our recipe list and will be made again soon, maybe next week.

The first one is a taco bowel. We did not have the crispy kale chips along with it. I am going to make them this week because I bought kale.
The other ingredient I added was cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix. We like things pretty spices, it needed this kick for our tastes.



This is very tasty, quick and easy to make. I can not wait for our peppers to be ready to make with this dish. Fresh peppers picked and put right into the pan will make this dish even better. The same goes for the next dish.


The next one is lime and basil kebabs.



These were so delicious! I did not make any changes to this one, gasp, I know.
My only suggestion would be in the prep, well, what I am going to do the next time I make them.
Instead of putting the coconut oil in while the meat is marinating, I would mix it in just before putting the meat on the grill, or just coat the grill with the oil. When you put all the cold ingredients together, the oil hardens and clumps. Something to mess around with.
The other thing I did was put all the veggies in a grill basket instead of on the skewers. We always find that having the mix of meat and veggies on the same skewer does not work well for grilling, the veggies seem well done and the meat is just right or vice verse. So, I put the meat on the skewers and the veggies in my basket, which I love by the way. I highly recommend a basket because grilled veggies are SOOOOO yummy.
That is it. Very good and again easy to make.
Hope you enjoy both of them.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God bless,
Jenn









Monday, July 9, 2012

The Liver

Ohhh, the liver.... If you talk about detoxing or have heard anything about detoxing, then I am sure you have heard about the importance of the liver. The liver plays a very vital and key role in our bodies ability to detoxify. Detoxing the liver becomes extremely complicated very quickly. This blog is about Thriving on the Basics, not the details of how things work, all of the confusing stuff. If you want to learn more about the liver's detoxing system, Google it!

A doctor explained the importance of the liver in detoxing this way: Your liver is like the oil filter in your car. When the oil filter gets all clogged up and full of crap, your car will not run very well. The longer you allow it to go the worse your car runs. It begins to effect the other systems in your car and your efficiency goes way down, along with your gas mileage.
The same thing happens in our bodies when our liver becomes toxic. The liver does not function properly, ride the body of toxins, begins storing the toxins, then you become toxic. As this is happening, your other systems begin to be compromised and not work well. As long as this is happening, everything gets worse and worse. It is a snow ball effect.
Symptoms of a toxic liver:
Cellulite
Constipation
Weight gain
High cholesterol, your LDL become high and your HDL drops
Sugar cravings
Gas and bloating
Hormonal problems, cycle problems woman
Fatty liver disease, Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Poor memory, brain fog
Eye sight diminishing
Sleep issues
Skin problems
The list goes on and on, this is by no means exhaustive. Chances are in today's world, you have some degree of liver toxicity. That sucks!



The question then is what do you do about the problem, which is detrimental to your health and life?
First and foremost, take out all processed food from your diet.
Eliminate hydrogenated oils, vegetable oils like canola and soy. Read every label and if it says hydrogenated oils, place it back on the shelf and walk away. Do not cook olive oil to high temps and do not ever cook with flax seed oil. Cook with butter, lard, coconut oil, your stable oils.
On the note of oils and fats, eat fat, butter, coconut oil, the fat on your meat, this will help to clean your liver.
Vitamin A, retonal. High quality code liver oil is a great way to get this, along with eating liver.
Bone broths

Kombucha
Lemon, squeezing some fresh lemon in your water and also drinking warm water with a half a lemon first thing in the morning.
Deep breathing
Working on stress levelsEating real, whole foods
Watch what chemicals you are cleaning your house with. Some of those cleaners and air fresheners are toxic, switch to making your own and airing out your house.
Along with cleaning supplies, your beauty products can be dangerous. Shampoos, conditioner, lotions, make up, face cleaners. For great recipes for cleaning products and self care, check out: Wellness Mama's web page, she has some great stuff on there.

There are many other issue which could be contributing to your toxic liver and ways to cleanse and clean your all important liver. This list is a great place to begin, but if you need more help, let me know.

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God's many blessing,
Jenn



Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July

I just wanted to wish everyone in the Great U.S. of A. a Happy fourth of July!!!!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating the birth of this great nation.
Thank you to all of our military for your sacrifices to give us this freedom.

God bless,
Jenn

Monday, July 2, 2012

Real Food Summit

This is going to be awesome!!!! I am supper excited about what Sean Croxton is doing from Under Ground Wellness He decided to put together and host the Real Food Summit, because eating healthy food should not be complicated. I could not agree with him more. It seems there are SOOOOO many ways of eating out there. They can become very complicated and cumbersome very quickly. Eat this at this time, but not that time, combine this food with that, but not that, or this was bad for you, but it is good for you now and on and on. I am sure most of you have ran into this problem. I know too many people who through their hands in the air and say it is too complicated, I do not understand it and I am going to eat what I  want because it does not matter. Food, supplement, health companies, magazines,  so called experts, they all need things convoluted so you will keep coming back. Remember, the health industry is a multi-billion dollar business a year. If they were straight forward and told you to just eat real food, as God made it, all of your fat, especially animal fat, and move more frequently, they would lose their money. This is Sean's goal with the summit, talking about eating real food and taking the complicated out of eating healthy. Check out the web site and sign up today for this monumental event! realfoodsummit.com

Saving the world one stick of butter at a time!
God bless,
Jenn