Other Ways To Promote Health

Exercise more. Eat less processed foods. Get enough sleep. Drinking more water. Stay away from sugar. More vegetables and greens (which I have a secret to easily get more of!). Do this...don't do that...

The list goes on. And on...

So, aside from the obvious things what else can you do to promote health and overall wellness? Today, I'm going to share with you two things I do every day for me and my family.

1. Essential Oils

A few years ago I started using a few oils - lemon and lavender. I made a homemade lemon coconut oil body cream recipe. Then about two years ago I bought a diffuser (finally) with the intention of buying more oils but never did. It was just only recently (about two months ago) I decided to finally get more and dive into using them on a daily basis. After lots of research, I ordered quite a bit from Plant Therapy, one blend from DoTerra and some from a local health food store in town.

Here's my Plant Therapy order:

They have a line of kid safe oils and blends that I love so far. 

I now have two diffusers - one is a Zaq brand I got from an online store and the other is the one pictured above. I use the diffuser every day - especially now that it's getting colder and germs are everywhere! I diffuse energizing blends and calming blends based on my day and the germ destroyer kids blend is usually going in the afternoons. I am really enjoying them and seeing some definite benefits from using them so far. 

2. Juice Plus+

I only recently heard of Juice Plus. But from the moment it was mentioned to me I was hooked. It's SO simple and I'm actually shocked I hadn't heard of it before! I'm always reading and learning about health, wellness and nutrition and have never come across it. I actually learned about it initially from someone at my dentist's office because Juice Plus was studied and published in a medical journal (it's actually one of the only studied and researched of its kind!) that links the importance of nutrition to dental health - among other things.  I'm very inspired by this company and their mission for health for many decades now. 

Juice Plus Products - Complete, capsules, chews and bars

That's my little secret.  For a few weeks now, I have been taking their "trio" Vineyard blend, Garden and Fruit Blend and I just ordered their Complete shake mix.  It's gluten and dairy free and it is delicious!  I use it to promote health personally and my kids are taking the gummy version which I actually get for basically free through their Children's Health Study. 

They are a great company and I'm actually joining them on my own personal health mission to spread the goodness. If you want to learn more you can click on the Juice Plus links and it will take you to my web site to learn about the products as well as order. 

Ok...So what exactly is Juice Plus? It's FOOD.  Not a supplement!

Juice Plus+ is whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 30 different fruits, vegetables and grains. Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day. Not a multivitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease, Juice Plus+ is made from quality ingredients carefully monitored from farm to capsule to provide natural nutrients your body needs to be at its best.

It actually has a nutrition label!  No additives, non-GMO and just good nutrition to help keep us healthy every day in a truly simple way.

I'll be sharing with you more about Juice Plus in the coming weeks...so stay tuned!

Those are just two things I do to promote health other than the obvious advice we all hear over and over.

What are some things you do to promote health?

Feel free to email or comment with any questions...anytime!
~Carly
 

Recipe: Hearty Chili - E

Good morning! It's a rainy Wednesday here. I'm sipping my coffee and decided I needed to share a recipe I've been making for some time now. Since it is getting cooler here, For the past few I've been naturally craving heavier comfort foods like stews, soups and chili. 

Enter my concoction of chili - full of whole foods rich with texture and flavor.

This is considered an E meal for those following the Trim Healthy Mama Plan.

Hearty Chili 

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of minced garlic 

1 medium yellow onion roughly diced

1 package of ground turkey, chicken or (browned and rinsed) lean ground beef

1 can of black beans drained and rinsed

2-3 medium sweet potatoes pre-cooked and cut into cubes

1 box Pomi chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup quinoa (cooked separately)

1 can of diced chiles

2 tablespoons of chili seasoning

2 tablespoons of cumin

1 cup (or more for more or less liquid) of chicken or vegetable stock 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a larger stock pot add the olive oil to heat. Add garlic and simmer for a minute. Grab a second soup pot and begin to cook quinoa per the directions on the package. Then, in chili pot and onion and cook until softened.

2. Add ground meat of choice. Once browned add cumin and chili and stir well.

3. Add the tomatoes, diced chiles, broth and beans and stir to combine. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. Add cooked cubed sweet potatoes and quinoa. At this time you can also add more broth to increase liquid.

5. Simmer on low for as long as you'd like - I do another 15 minutes or so.

It's really delicious and hearty without being heavy. You can top it with a sprinkle of shredded cheese as added fat if you're following THM. If you aren't, feel free to add sliced avocado, sour cream or a side of tortilla chips - the choice is yours!

I shared this recipe with a few friends now and it's gotten great reviews! 

Enjoy and as always comment if you decide to make it!

~Carly

Motivate Me Monday - 11/9/2015

Happy Monday! October just flew by and now November is almost at the halfway point! 

Came across this yesterday and while we all know these things it's truly true that smaller changes add up to big differences. 

I'm a sucker for a good visual - so I leave you with this one :)

Will be posting again soon with some other things I've been up to and that have been on my mind. 

I'm also approaching my 2 year anniversary on Trim Healthy Mama! Woohoo!

~Carly