I apologize for my lengthy absence from updating this site.  I am going to work on changing the format of my blogs to give quick tips for improving health, saving money and simplifying.  Quick tip of the day - use mason jars to store bulk food items.  I use post it note tape to label the jars (it comes off easily) with a date if it is a perishable item.  They are an inexpensive, glass storage (better than plastic to avoid chemicals) option that I think looks really cool, too!

Also - an update - we are in the process of selling our home.  We found a house on the Sauk Rapids side of the river, only about five minutes from here.  I have a room I will set up as my office.  I am hoping with this move, I will be able to do more with my business and expand some of my options.  We are super excited about this change, and are patiently awaiting the sale of our house. 

Happy Father's Day!

This is a typical lunch for me - chicken soup, salad and a protein...Yep - I eat that much at one sitting.   When you choose real food - it doesn't matter how much you eat...

On my last blog post, I had a comment about how to choose veggies for a salad, and how to add more veggies to menus for those resistant to eating them.  I try to keep salad making as easy as possible, but still loaded enough with good stuff to make a full meal.  My typical salad would start with an organic spring salad or kale mix.  This way I get different flavors without having to buy separate varieties.  I rinse the lettuce and put it in a large ceramic serving bowl.  I usually add onions, carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes, and any other fresh vegetables that I have on hand.  I cover it lightly with tin foil, and it stays in the refrigerator for many days.  I usually take a salad for lunch -so in the morning I put it a pyrex bowl and add olives, red pepper flakes, and many times a protein like chicken, turkey or a hard boiled egg.  I may put a small amount of dressing or salsa on it in the morning.  At lunch time, I would add avocado, sunflower seeds, and warm rice and beans.  Salads are so versatile - you can add warm or cold toppings to them - even put the salad over a baked potato.  I also recommend using a lot of spice if you are not a big fan of vegetables.  I like garlic pepper, celtic sea salt, red hot sauce, and more. If you need to start by using extra dressing to get used to the taste of the vegetables - that works - just try to cut back over time.  If you can make your own dressing out of flax oil or olive oil with lemon and a splash of apple cider vinegar, that is ideal.  For a creamy dressing, avocados work great. There are more and more good dressings out there now - look for ones that do not have soy or corn oils in them.  When trying to get used to the taste of any veggies, it is sometimes necessary to begin by adding butter, cheese, or other sauces to begin with.  As you ease into the flavors of the vegetables, you can cut back on the fats. Use lots of spice -  Check out my salad page for even more ideas.  I will try to add more tips and pics as time goes on.  Have a great day!

I know it hasn't been a week since I blogged, but I am home on a "freeze" day, so I decided to blog.  Hopefully you have been documenting what you have been eating and drinking.  Are you seeing any patterns of foods that you may not tolerate well?  It can be difficult to figure out without doing a total elimination diet.  Electrodermal screening takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process.  Sometimes it is not the foods that we are eating, but rather the preservatives in the food that cause us problems.  With food sensitivities, the signs may show up a day or two after eating a food that doesn't agree with you.  Rotating foods is a great way to give your body a break and be able to tolerate foods better.  As an example, if you have gluten today, wait three or four days to have gluten again.  Alternate the grains that you eat, and hopefully you will feel better.  There are so many options available now that taste good, this is an easy option.  Try brown rice, quinoa and corn, or other types of pastas.  There are numerous breads made of alternate grains.  Quinoa is a great and versatile grain that can be eaten for any meal.  A goal for this week would be to try to stick to whole foods.  If you see ingredients on the label that you don't recognize, don't eat it this week.  Even better, buy whole ingredients, and create your own meals... if you are able to buy organic, you will be able to avoid pesticides, herbicides, additives, hormones, chemicals and more!  Clean, simple eating will give your body a break, and hopefully improve your energy level and mood.  Have a great week!