notjusthealthnuts

If you struggle with health issues or trying to reach a health goal then sleep is EVERYTHING!  Click the link to our facebook page for a quick read.  Potent health in minutes. Our Basic to Healthy Living Namaste and Good Night

   As a foodie with food allergies I feel that any packaged product is potential death waiting to happen.  That might be a bit dramatic.  Seriously, my step son with bakers dozen food allergies and I of a few call certain products boxes of death.  Largely, because it is. Shockingly it gets worse, food allergies are NOT just in the food aisle. They lurk every where.   As a matter of frightening fact, companies can pretty much put any claim or statement on their product with little to no accountability.  There is one major Federal law to "protect" us foodies with food allergies.  Thank you  foodallergy.org  for informing us that only eight allergies have warning labels on a certain number of food products.  If you clean with it,  take a prescription, take an OTC, put it on your skin, has a kosher label, or smoke it (ew) then a company is not obligated to tell you when an allergen may be in their product. Lesson one is read labels on household products but they are not require

This morning was a gigantic reward for us.   Ghost child's visit last fall with her ENT was disastrous.  From a dismissive and massively insensitive doctor to a nurse who told my daughter she needed to behave so she will not "end up with hearing aids and people look at her funny." You heard that right.  Oh, this ate at me for months.   This isn't the first time either, I have heard from the hallway "give her what she wants."  We never went back there either. That's toxic and that toxicity leaks out.  The infection had to be removed and the wound healed.  We sought a second opinion and it rewarded us today.  The part that rewarded us the most is the understanding that part of the problem in the fight was us in communication.  Effective communication is crucial.  It benefits your physical being directly, possibly directly your mental health.  Been there.  Being able to communicate with your doctor affects your emotinal and soul health too.  When things do

I miss Italian food.  Watching all these food shoes makes it worse, unless it's the one where the "f" word guy goes back into the kitchen.  It's kinda like finding out what's in spam or hot dogs, wish you had never known.  Being in the GF life has severely limited our gluten free Italian options.  Finding a non crunch lasagna noodle takes a trek across town.  I am a label reading fool.  I have found some GF penne and rotini made with ancient grains- brown rice and quinoa.  Jumping up and down giggling my friends.  If it has corn in the ingredients, it's crunchy pasta. Gross. Lasagna was my go to comfort meal.  Other than the gluten issue, lasagna tends to be high in fat and calories. Not good for your waist line or brain power.  What's  health foodie to do for comfort food? Make a redo.  The difference in my creation from other recipes are the switch outs.  Still easy with the Italian comfort; yet, no meat/more veggies and a better ricotta-like stand in

Healthy food and meals can loose their excitement.  Especially when you take away the fats, sugar, and salt.  Wait, I am to entice you to eat healthy. Hang with me.  Decades ago salt was left by the way side as a  primary means to flavor food for me.   We are in deep with spices and herbs.  By this I mean I get way too excited when they go on sale and enjoy picking them out.  I am in deep.  I love the choices, options, and various ways to can make different flavor profiles.  I love that my food doesn't taste bland and doesn't cause me to bloat (salt does! bastard).  Even better, this is a friends with benefits relationship.  Most spices reduce inflammation which benefits your digestive system, joints, muscles, heart, and brain.  Brain and body love.  Certain herbs aid in memory and concentration, are rich in vitamins (some even have iron!), boost immune systems, and fight free radicals with antioxidants.  If you are not familiar with free radicals, those are the bullies who pic

Warning: make sure you have access to a bathroom for the next couple of hours.  Do not drink then get in the car for a grocery pick up for more than thirty minutes. It. Is. Torture. 

 Recently we decided to join a community group specific to our ghost daughter.  As time approached for the meeting she began to breathe heavier and her personal space boundary became wider.  She is excited but the nerves were too much.  Everything turned out fine; we had a game plan. This is going to be a great thing for her.  We just have some hurdles.   For the ghosts and ghost children, advocating  is twenty-four hour immersion of tactical decisions and communication.  It's exhausting.  Being a part of a community can help with this and extremely important for mental health and soul health.  We need to this.  There are ways to make connecting smoother and intentionally beneficial on both ends. Pick Fellow Advocates and Be Bold  Family and community can be potentially strong support system.   In specifically advocating for your ghost child with family,  I would start with unloading concerns and explanations to choice family members.  Be choosy. They may be able to support y

AND it's not a salad.  I happen to like salads, but when the temps don't get above freezing for two weeks I want warmth.  I want it fast.  Mid day can be a hurdle to get through which leads to bad food relationship choices.  Suddenly you are abusing your body and brain in desperation of sustenance.  With some effort, like opening packages and dumping them, we have three meal options to beat this.  The last recipe takes a bit more commitment but the reward is bountiful.  Allot thirty minutes (at most) in prep to set a weeks worth of "throw in the microwave" food love. Vegetarian Chili Throw this in a 8 quart stock pot or  8 quart crock pot: 46 fl oz can of tomato juice 28 oz can of diced tomatoes 15.5 oz can of  light kidney beans 15.5 oz of darn kidney beans or black beans 12 oz frozen corn or mixed vegetables 2 packets of choice chili seasoning Throw it in a pot and cook on medium for 30 minutes. If it starts to boil reduce heat OR Throw it in a crock

It's about as Mexican as in you're driving down the road hungry craving "Mexican" and you stop at some taco place. As much as I love cooking, there are times when I want something quick that stops just short of drive through. This is less sketchy and healthier- A "not a drive through, satisfies my spiciness, throw it in a pan" creation. What you need Pre cooked chicken diced * cook it your self (1 lbs) , rotisseries, or packaged. No judgement zone Brown Rice 1 dry cup cooked * get the "it takes 5 minutes kind" Diced Tomatoes   1 14.5 oz can * no salt added, machinery may be involved Corn 1 14.5 oz can, no salt added Onions  1/2 cup diced Cilantro 1 Tbsp Garlic  2 Tbsp or 2 cloves diced Cumin 2 Tbsp Cayenne 2  Tbsp Shredded Cheddar Cheese 4 oz, reduced fat * separate into half - 2 oz and 2 oz Reduced Fat Cream Cheese 8 oz Turn oven on to 350 to preheat Making it Step one- get it prepped and together.  If your chick