Coconut Love

Anyone that knows me knows how much I absolutely love coconut.  I love the taste and the smell and that its good for you.  NOW let me add to my love of coconut....its a great healer.  My nose boo-boo (from my previous post) healed up really nice and quick by simply applying organic coconut oil on it.

Here are some health benefits of Coconut Oil:

• Effective in healing damaged tissues and infections (just proved itself this week on my nose).
• Prevents wrinkles, dryness and flaking of the skin.
• Helps in easy digestion
• Rich in lauric acid that helps maintain blood sugar and cholesterol
• Strengthens immune system (I can honestly say that I haven't gotten sick even during that whole "stomach bug...it's going around" thing).  Thank God! Now, I don't know if its due to my love of coconut or the vitamins I take daily...either way, I'm not stopping either one.  (I like being "NOT sick").  
• Reduces protein loss and it nourishes the hair. (I have lots of hair).
• Treats pancreatitis and Alzheimer's disease. (That's really good to know). 
• Prevents diseases that affect the liver and kidney.
• Improves bone health.
• Improves heart health.

**NO Trans-Fats, Gluten-Free, Non-Toxic

Now let me Bubba Gump you Coconut Style, lol! Mmmmmm! 

• Coconut Rice
• Coconut Ginger Chicken Stew
• Coconut Macaroons
• Coconut Fudge Pie
• Coconut Ice Cream
• Coconut Smoothies
• Samoas (girl scout cookies)
• Almond Joy
• Mounds
• Coconut Shrimp
• Lemon Coconut Sorbet
• Coconut Pancakes
• Coconut Milk

• Coconut Ice Fruit Bar
• Coconut Mojito
• Pina Colada
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Coconut Cookies
• Coconut Bread
• Malibu Rum
• Coconut Butter
• Coconut Water
• Coconut Nectar
• Coconut Sugar
• Coconut Cream
• Coconut Shreds
• Coconut Flour
• Coconut Oil
• Just straight up raw coconut (all of it!)......I can go on forever, but I'll spare you my Coco-Loco-ness!

Let's see, I also enjoy my hair shampoo/conditioner to be infused with Coconut.  I love the house to smell like coconut so I get coconut scented candles or I'll make my own using the organic coconut oil.  Yes, I'm a little obsessed with all things Coconut; but the fact that it has so many health benefits makes me HAPPY (insert Pharell's Happy song here).

Another thing Coconut does for me is it keeps wonderful childhood memories fresh in my mind/heart.  As a child I spent many wonderful summers in Puerto Rico, where I would like to say my coconut love began. Aaaaahhhh! The days of true Toxic Free living....in every sense; Farm fresh eggs, freshly picked coffee, milk, beans, chicken, coconuts...etc. etc. Playing outdoors in the fresh air, interacting with all my cousins, laughing, running, talking face to face, no distractions from electronics, walking to the beach,....*aaaahhhhh, good times! I have been truly blessed to have had such an amazing childhood.

Yeah, Good Stuff! <3 ...... Thank you Coconut, for your taste, your smell, the healing and the memories!

Good Day gone Bad!

I apologize for being late on my weekly post.  I had a really rough Monday! I can laugh now but trust me I was NOT happy at all on Monday afternoon.

The day started great.  The good Lord woke me up :) I started the day as usual, by getting my little one ready for school and on the school; walking the dog and then getting my big girl to school.  So far the day is good! I head over to the gym, to get my sexy back ;-) lol!  Have to take care of yourself....if you don't nobody will.  So I took an hour Body Pump class that helps tone and strengthen the body.  As I leave, I run into a friend from church and mentions she's going to take the Sh'Bam class, so I joined her (ooooh! look at me taking 2 classes back to back; watch out Summer, I'm getting ready for you)....turns out its very much like Zumba.
Enjoyed it very much and glad I ran into her (by the way, Love my church and the wonderful people in it; spiritual health is just as/if not more important as physical health).

I am going going going! Good stuff.  Day is still on the up and up, and it's only 11:15 am.  I'm feeling GREAT! I head over back to the High School to pick up my daughter, she's a senior and gets our early everyday.  We got home had some lunch, did a load of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, swept and mopped the living room, dining room and kitchen.  I even had energy to wash and blowout my hair (I have wavy/curly hair so blow drying it straight takes a little work and I have to be in the mood).  No problems just yet! Wait for it! UGH! I get on my laptop to get some work done, answer some emails, return some calls, research information I need...etc. etc.  Day is going smoothly.  Catch up on a show with my daughter while we wait for my younger daughter to get home from school.  My little one gets home, I give her a snack and get her started on her homework.

My packages arrive, woo-hoo!  I love getting packages...especially when its stuff for events I'm planning.  Party stuff is fun to order and receive.  I drag the two big boxes into the house but before I open and go through them I have to walk Bruno (our dog).

It was Monday so the garbage & recycle bins are out front from this morning and so I have to roll them back up the driveway.  I have Bruno on the leash, I grab the mail from the mailbox, tuck it under my arm and start rolling one of the bins back up our driveway.  Let me tell you all that Bruno is a beautiful dog and looks/is very intimidating to strangers (love that)...BUT he's afraid of the rolling sound of the stinkin' garbage & recycle bins.  I'm use to him being afraid of this so that's why I decided to roll in one at a time (less rolling sound).  He normally gets really nervous, shakes and walks really slowly next to me.  I wish he would get over it, but I'm use to it and its the routine...whatever! BUT NOOOOOoooooo this time Mr. Bruno decides he's REALLY afraid of the stinkin' bins and BOLTS!!! I mean full on, with all his might BOLTS!!!  Mail goes everywhere, bin drops......and I get yanked and thrown into the MUD!  Let me paint a picture for you.  I'm 5'6" tall about 150 lbs, wearing sneakers, black sweats, black t-shirt and a white 3/4 length coat/jacket (WHITE!!); My dog is a Cane Corso, about 135 lbs & really strong; our driveway and front yard is full of mud (due to all the snow that is still melting).  Bruno stopped, I pulled the leash off my wrist, He ran back into the house and I'm laying flat on my face in MUD!  I get up and am covered, literally, HEAD to TOE in thick MUD!  Ewwwww!

If I were a cartoon I would have had steam coming out of my ears and beeping sounds coming out from my mouth.  I walk into my house (remember just swept & mopped) tracked in a whole lot of mud, entered the bathroom (remember just cleaned that too), took everything off, started to wash myself off (MUD everywhere).  I look in the mirror, after washing it and my forehead and nose are all scratched up...my hands have scratches on them also.  Ouch!  Very painful.  My house now looked like the way my face looked and felt..NOT GOOD!

So I throw all my muddy clothes in the wash, I cleaned the bathroom again and swept and mopped again! I was NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!!!  Although, oddly enough, my hair stayed fabulous.....no MUD in the hair.  How the heck did that happen?  I don't know but Happy!  For the next two days my neck, shoulders, hands and nose were very sore.  I'm healing quickly, putting organic coconut oil on my boo-boos.

That was a very unfortunate event but I do Thank God for waking me up every morning, my health, my family and that Bruno stopped after I fell...he could have easily kept running, dragged me and I could have gotten hurt really bad.  So at the end of the day I pretty much want to say that life is Good and Mud may get thrown in your face ;-) (or you fall in it) but don't let one thing ruin your spirit.  Don't let the bumps in the road poison you, derail you from your happy path, from the Toxic-Free You!  Stay happy, stay positive, stay Toxic-Free!

SICK!

NOTE: When purchasing please use my ID#504498 so I can get credit for your sale! Thanks!

ARE YOU SICK!!! Stomach Bug is going around.  I keep hearing about it going around.  So many from my family and of friends have caught the bug.  This stomach bug is causing nausea and diarrhea...yuck! and feeling light headed.   

Hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this but I have not caught the bug.  THANK GOD!!! I actually haven't gotten sick this whole winter season.  I say this happily because as a mom I just don't have time for it.  LOL! All you moms out there know exactly what I'm talking about.  But really, NOBODY has time for it; aside from time NOBODY cares for the way it feels either.  In my home this whole winter season my husband has gotten sick a few times, my daughter's also....I'm the one constantly around them, yet I haven't been down for the count.  (Please, please, please oh God...continue to bless me with my health).  I pray for the health of my loved ones also.  I didn't enjoy seeing my girls with horrible stomach pain, not being able to hold anything down (not even water), feeling light headed and not looking bright eyed.  

Total Body Health: Removes Toxins :) YAY! 
NOTE: When purchasing please use my ID#504498 so I can get credit for your sale! Thanks!

I've been taking my vitamins.  I tried getting my husband to take vitamins but he doesn't.  I tried getting my daughter's to take their vitamins also but they don't. I choose my battles, I don't like fighting.  I will now force them all to take their vitamins & omega.  I can't say for sure that this is why but I will share with you that I've been taking a total body health-multi vitamin in liquid form and I feel great!  I also take Omega 3/6/9, also in liquid form and it doesn't taste yucky either.  I like that its in liquid form because its so easy to take each morning.  I also like it because I feel like it goes right into my body and I get it all right away; without it having to breakdown as in pill form.  I don't like taking pills. blah!  

No fishy taste! YAY!  
NOTE: When purchasing please use my ID#504498 so I can get credit for your sale! Thanks! 

Maybe, just maybe they'll listen to me or at least learn by seeing and start taking their vitamins; and take them without fighting with me.  By the way....all are non-toxic, NoGMO's, cruelty free, made in the USA & BPA free.  That's bonus for me :) 

Nothing to EAT!!!!

I can never find anything to eat in my house.  I'll look in the fridge, NOTHING! In the cabinets, NOTHING! On the counter, in the drawers....again, NOTHING!  My husband comes along, looks in the same places and the next thing you know dinner is served.  I'm not talking about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich either, I'm talking a full, hearty, delicious meal.

I am a foodie.  In the sense that I love food, not that I like making it myself.  I would be a great tasting judge, because I'll try most anything (NOT everything....there are some funky things out there that don't look or smell appealing at all).  Up until last summer if I was hungry (and hubby wasn't around to whip something up) I would just drive through a fast food place, order Chinese food, or pizza, or make anything microwavable....OR I would wait for him to get home from work or where ever he's at to make something.  He sometimes would even cook a large meal so I would have enough left over for the next day.

Don't get me wrong I can cook, its just not as good as his cooking and I really, really don't enjoy cooking.  I don't like any part of it.  The prepping, the stirring, seasoning, waiting....UGH!  I cook well enough to survive and my daughter's are still alive, LOL!  They're not starving.  I really wish I did like cooking, but I don't.  My daughter's told me I should sign up for "Worst Cooks in America" on the Food Network (I'm not mad, it is what it is).  They tell me I'm bad enough to go on the show but teachable enough to possibly win the whole thing, LOL!

Here's another problem (on top of me not cooking), I don't want to go to fast food places anymore because they're TOXIC!  It was bad enough knowing they are bad and fatty for you but goodness they're TOXIC also!?!?  The pink stuff in chicken nuggets, the chemical foam in breads, the non-rotting burgers & buns, the added fillers....etc. etc.
The more I learn about what I should be putting in my body & what I shouldn't, the more disgusted I am about all the toxic stuff that's in fast food.  OMG! at this rate I should have lost major weight, lol! I'm not saying I'm fat, but I can afford to lose a few pounds (like 15-20).   I've learned that fast foods in other countries aren't as bad as the fast food here in the USA.  WTH???  Even French Fries!!!Something as basic as french fries! Really?

Wake up America! Why are we killing ourselves slowly by allowing this to continue happening.  Why is it OK for our fast food places to allow these kinds of toxins to get into our food?  We need to take a stance and demand healthier food.  I don't mean buying organic and digging deeper into our pockets to eat healthier...I mean making it right.  It shouldn't be either/or.  It should just be.  If they can do it in other countries why can it be done here in the USA?

Let's add to my (not being a great cook) problem....the stuff that's microwavable and/or easy to make is killing us also.  The number of toxic ingredients in our food is ridiculous. So I now can't buy frozen chicken nuggets, hot pockets, burritos, mac & cheese...etc. etc. This is a great struggle for me because I now really have NOTHING TO EAT!!!! Remember, I don't cook...or rather I'm not a great cook.  UGH!!!!!

Some dangerous ingredients to avoid when shopping for products:

1) High-Fructose Corn Syrup: possible side effects are obesity, insulin resistance, belly fat, heart disease
2) Trans Fats: possible side effects are heart disease, cancer, diabetes
3) Artificial Flavors: possible side effects are allergic and behavioral reactions.  Its also a general term referring to over 100 possible chemical additives.
4) Artificial Colors: possible side effects are allergies, sinus congestion, hyperactivity in children, heighten symptoms of ADD and ADHD
5) Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): possible side effects are chest pain, heart palpitations, headaches
6) Bisphenol-A (BPA): possible side effects are reproductive problems, cancer risk, diabetes, heart disease
7) Benzoate Preservatives (BHT, BHA, TBHQ): used to keep fats in food from going bad.  possible side effects are cancer risk, asthma, hyperactivity

This list doesn't even scratch the surface.  The list of toxic chemicals that are in our foods is astronomical.
I really have to learn to cook so my family can eat healthy.  I need help fast!  Pray for me people.  :