Vitamin D - Super Important in the Midwest during the Winter Months!

Vitamin D - Super Important in the Midwest during the Winter Months!

The reason Vitamin D is so important is because it aids our bodies in absorbing calcium and phosphorus.  Our bodies need both minerals in order to have strong healthy bones.  It is also an important device our bodies use to assist in cell to cell interchange in the entire body and plays a role in supporting the immune system.  

Vitamin D is a unique vitamin because our bodies can produce it when it is exposed to sunlight.  Anyone who has lived in the midwest knows how little sunlight we get during the cold months.  And, even if we get a sunny day, since the sun is so far away it is not as potent as it is during warmer months.  For many of us, even during the warmer months we find ourselves low in Vitamin D because of the use of sunscreen to protect against skin cancer and premature aging.  Being deficient in Vitamin D has many negatives.  Why do we need Vitamin D besides the previous reasons?  As long as our bodies have an adequate amount there are numerous health benefits.  Here is a list of just seven:

1. Helps keep the brain functioning properly (especially during later years in life).
2. Is a key role player in maintaining a healthy body weight.
3. Reduces the occurrence and severity of asthma symptoms.
4. Lowers the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
5. Significantly lowers the risk of getting cancer.
6. Reduces the likelihood of having a heart attack.
7. It is the bodies main protector against radiation.  With all the cell phones and devices out there that cause little bits of radiation, I’d like as much protection from it as possible.

So, what do we do if we live in an area of the country that doesn’t have loads of sunlight year round or if we bathe ourselves in sunblock?  Take high quality Vitamin D everyday.  How much is needed?  According to the Vitamin Council adults need 5,000 IU (children and infants 1,000 IU).  On the other hand, the Endocrine Society suggests only 1,500-2,000 IU a day for adults (400-1,000 IU for children and infants).  While the Food and Nutrition Board states only 600 IU for adults, but the elderly need 800 IU (infants 400 IU and children 600 IU).  With the varying amounts suggested it is not easy to decipher how much to take.  But rest assured that they all agree that 10,000 IU daily is the limit, and strongly suggest not going over that amount.  As you can see the answer is not clear as to how much to take.  I’m not a Dr, I just like doing a lot of research on health and nutrition.  I’d suggest if you feel you may be deficient in Vitamin D, it would be a good idea to get a blood test from your Dr to see how much you should be taking.  If you are one of those people that would rather run 10 miles then go to the Dr. I’d have to say again that it’s not good being deficient in Vitamin D either.  So, take steps to maintain a healthy amount of Vitamin D for your health and well being this winter.

As always make sure if you are going to use a supplement, please make sure it is truly what you are paying for.  I only trust Shaklee because I know what is in the bottle, no fillers or sugary additives.  Plus, the dosage is accurate, unlike most other brands.  I’d hate for you to waste your money on a toxic pill that is not going to benefit you because the dosage is not accurate.  If you don’t know which brand to trust, do your research.  If you don’t have time to research, you can always check out Shaklee here: http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/

Almond Joy Smoothie

Almond Joy Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 scoops Shaklee 180 Vanilla Smoothee Mix* or Shaklee Vitalizing Protein Vanilla Smoothie Mix**

1 tbsp Cocoa powder

2 tbsp sliced almonds

2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tsp coconut extract

4-5 ice cubes

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1 serving.

***Nutrition Facts: Cals. 300   Fat 10.5g   Carbs. 33g   Protein 26g   Fiber 10g

*You can get Shaklee 180 Smoothee Mix here:http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthyweight/shaklee180meals/product-_p_shaklee-180_supsup-energizing-smootheesp

**Get the Shaklee Vitalizing Protein here: http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthyfoundations/protein/product-_p_vitalizing-proteinp

***Nutrition facts may vary if you use a different ingredients.

Homemade Bird Brick

Homemade Bird Brick

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (crunchy is best)

1 ½  cups oatmeal (raw uncooked oats)

2 cups bird seed

½ cup water

Directions: In a large bowl combine peanut butter, oatmeal and water.  Microwave for 3-5 minutes.  The mixture will be very thick.  Add in the bird seed and stir to fully combine.  Pour ½  into a pie pan, or a medium square or round glass dish & press it down.  Add the remaining ½ and press it down to form a solid mold.  Put in the refrigerator to cool.  Once it has hardened it is ready to be remove from the pan or dish.  Wrap and tie a string around it and then tie it from a branch.  You can place it on something outside like a deck railing, but then you run the chance of other creatures getting it.  This recipe makes a very large brick, so if you want a medium or small brick just cut the recipe in half.  This also is much cheaper than buying a bird brick from the store, just get super cheap peanut butter, the cheapest oats you can find and the 2.5 lb bird seed bag I found was only about $4 at walmart.

Fizzy Epsom Salt Bath Bombs or Foot Soaks

Fizzy Epsom Salt Bath Bombs or Foot Soaks

You will need:

1/8 cup water

2 cups epsom salts

5-7 drops of essential oil (I used eucalyptus and lavender with tea tree)

Silicone ice cube tray or candy mold tray

Bowl, spoon & as small a spoon as you have or the handle of a utensil.

Directions: Stir ingredients in a bowl using the larger spoon until fully combined.  Scoop up a spoonful of the mixture the spoon used to stir and drop into the silicone mold.  Pack tightly with either your your fingers or the small spoon pushing down, then add another scoop and pack it down.  Continue adding a spoonful and packing it down until you've filled each mold in the tray to the top.  rinse the small spoon or your fingers to wet them and press the top to really pack it down tight.  Let it sit overnight to a few days.  Turn the mold upside down and gently push on the silicone in to remove each cube from the tray.  Keep in a jar or container.  

Toss a few in some warm water and enjoy!!!

Healthier Baked Apple-Cream Cheese Empanadas

Healthier Baked Apple-Cream Cheese Empanadas

Ingredients:

2 packages crescent rolls

2 medium apples, cored, peeled, and cubed

1 tbsp butter, softened (or coconut oil, softened)

4 oz cream cheese (I used light)

¼ cup sugar (or stevia in the raw if you want to lower the calories, sugar & carbs)

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

½ cup light brown sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:  Put the apples in a pot with enough water to cover them.  Bring water to a boil and cook until the apples are tender, but not too soft, about 3-5 minutes.  Once they are tender strain them from the water and return to the pot.  Add butter, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves.  Stir to blend, then set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the cream cheese with the sugar and fluff with a fork until fully combined.  Take a crescent roll triangle and lay it flat spreading it out a little.  Put a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture in the center, then top that with a spoon full of apples.  Then take another crescent roll triangle spreading it out first, and then lay it over the other triangle with the mixtures.  Press the edges together to seal it.  Continue that process until all the crescent rolls have been used.  Next, combine the ½ cup brown sugar with the 2 tbsp cinnamon.  Lay each empanada on the cinnamon sugar mixture brushing off excess then lay on a cookie sheet sprayed with either olive oil or coconut oil.  Repeat dipping the empanadas in the mixture.  Then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on the empanadas.  Bake for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Makes 8 empanadas.  Serve warm.  They are really yummy with vanilla ice cream and caramel topping.

The Benefits to 5 Day Mini-Cleanses!

Detoxing if done properly can greatly aid the body in removing toxins from the body.  The catch is, not starving the body.  Because if you starve your body then it will hold on to most of the toxins along with the extra fat you are trying to rid your body of.  The detoxes where the detoxer just drink water, broth and/or juice are not beneficial.  Those are the negative kind that few people can do and who would want to anyways.  Not me!  A mini-cleanse on the other hand is a fantastic idea for most people.  The kind of mini-cleanse that I’m referring to is the type where you eat a normal amount of calories.  The detoxer / mini-cleanser eats every 3-4 hours to keep the body full so it releases the toxins while keeping the metabolism running at top speed.  This allows the detoxer to lose fat and toxins, instead of holding on to it them.

The other difference is the same as what happens with a diet.  The dieter may lose weight but it is muscle and fat while the toxins are still hanging out in the body.  And, as soon as the dieter starts eating normal amounts of food they gain the weight back and sometimes even more weight.  Thus creating the roller coaster of dieting.  Detoxing with the starvation type does the same thing to the body, yes there is a chance some of the toxins are removed from the body.  But, once the detoxer starts eating normal again their body will hold onto the toxins and fat, because it doesn’t know if it will get food again or if it will be starved.  To get the most benefits of a mini-cleanse / detox the detoxer needs to eat often, so the body doesn’t get confused and try to hold on to any unwanted fat and toxins.

Mini-cleanses are great to cut sugar cravings and reduce bloating.

The mini-cleanse / detox that I have found works best for me, because I CAN’T starve my body is the Shaklee 5 Day Mini-Cleanse.  It is even safe for diabetics and nursing moms, I don’t know of any other detox that can say that.  For the 5 Day Mini-Cleanse / detox the detoxer eats and drinks the following along with the supplements needed to rid the body of the toxins or the 5 days, then gradually adds other foods back into the diet for best results. This 5 day Mini-Cleanse is a great way to speed up the metabolism just before starting a new healthier eating plan.

I just finished a 5 Day Mini-Cleanse losing 3.8 lbs and reducing bloating, here are my before pictures.

And, here are my after pictures!

Breakfast: Shaklee 180 Smoothee or Vitalizing Protein Smoothie w/ or w/out ½ cup fruit, Detoxifying Energizing Tea, Alfalfa Complex and Liver DTX

AM Snack: Shaklee 180 Snack Bar or other approved snack.

Lunch: Shaklee 180 Smoothee or Vitalizing Protein Smoothie w/ or w/out ½ cup fruit, Raw veggies.

PM Snack: Shaklee 180 Snack Bar or other approved snack.

Dinner: Salad, Shaklee 180 Smoothee or Vitalizing Protein Smoothie w/ or w/out ½ cup fruit, Alfalfa Complex, Liver DTX and Herb-Lax. (The last smoothie of the day can be drank later as a type of dessert instead of with the dinner salad.)

Lemon water, cucumber water, plan water, unsweetened sparkling water or herbal teas like chamomile to drink.  Must drink ½ your body weight or a minimum of 62 oz. of water a day!

On the mini-cleanse you eat 1200-1300 calories  if under 175, 1500-1600 calories if over 175, add 500 calories if nursing and add an extra 300 calories if you’re not interested in shedding excess fat during the reset, just doing it as a cleanse.  For those that weigh more than 175 pounds or are nursing need an extra snack to get the added calories.

Certain fruits are best eaten on the detox and others are best to stay away from. Approved fruits are apples, strawberries, grapefruit, watermelon, bananas, grapes, tomatoes, avocados, pineapple and lemons.  The same goes for veggies, only raw veggies that are not high in carbs.  For salad dressings the creamy kind are not allowed, only vinaigrettes or fresh salsa are okay.  Black beans, chickpeas and other beans are okay to add in to the salad or snacks for extra protein and fiber, but no sugary baked beans.  The idea is to remove all sugars and processed foods to get rid of the cravings.  It is best to not over train the body while on a detox / mini-cleanse because the body is already working hard to get rid of the fat and toxins.

To get the items needed for the mini-cleanse start here:

Alfalfa Complex - http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthyfoundations/minerals/product-_p_alfalfa-complexp

Liver DTX - http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthysolutions/liver/product-_p_liver-dtx-complexp

Herb-Lax - http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthysolutions/digestive/product-_p_herb-lax_p_

Energizing Tea - http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthyweight/shaklee180energizingtea/product-_p_shaklee-180_supsup-energizing-teap

Snack Bars - http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthyweight/shaklee180snacks/product-_p_shaklee-180_supsup-snack-barp

180 Smoothee Mix - http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthyweight/shaklee180meals/product-_p_shaklee-180_supsup-energizing-smootheesp

OR

Vitalizing Protein Smoothie Mix - http://jberinger.myshaklee.com/us/en/shop/healthyfoundations/protein/product-_p_vitalizing-proteinp

Ande’s Chocolate Mint Pie

Ande’s Chocolate Mint Pie

This pie is not necessarily healthy for you, however it is not that bad for you either compared to most pies.  The calories are pretty low with this pie.  The sugar and carbs are average for a typical pie.  You can cut down on the fat and calories a little if you use light or fat free cool whip.  I have to say it’s nice to have treats every now and then and this pie I created is FANTASTIC!  Everyone always compliments me on it and my family fights over the extras, if there are any and usually there aren’t.

Ingredients:

9” Chocolate pie crust (I just buy the pre made kind)

8 oz cool whip, thawed

1.5 - 2 packages hot cocoa mix (I’ve used a few tbsps of just cocoa powder, but the cocoa powder doesn’t blend as easily and can be clumpy sometimes.)

½ tsp peppermint extract

1 package Andes mints (½ the package needs to be cut in half on a diagonal to make pretty triangles of the mints for the top of the pie.  The other ½ is to be cut up into tiny pieces about 9th.)

Hard Shell chocolate topping (the kind that turns hard after it has been poured on ice cream.)

Directions:  Pour a thin layer of the hard shell chocolate topping into the 9” chocolate pie crust.  Sprinkle the little chopped andes mints on the thin chocolate hard shell layer, then let it harden (putting it into the frig or freezer will speed up the process to only a few mins.)  I a bowl fold the cocoa powder into the cool whip.  Then, add in the mint extract.  Once, the hard shell chocolate has hardened top it with the mint-cocoa cool whip mixture and smooth it out in the pie crust.  Top it with the pretty andes mint triangles and sprinkle the top of the pie with a little hard shell chocolate.  Put in the frig to let the chocolate set just a few mins. (or as long as you can hold off eating it.)  Makes about 8 slices.

Nutrition Facts per serving: Cals. 295   Fat 18.25g   Carbs. 31g   Sugar 21.75g   Fiber 1.25g   Protein 2g