Healthy Living: Healthy Brownies?

So, I admit it. I’ve got a sweet tooth. And although sweets aren’t wrong every once and a while, there’s no doubt that too much of it is not a good thing. And often times, we eat way to many grains(which are found in virtually every baked good). Soaked or unsoaked, to many grains just aren’t good for us because our bodies weren’t made to ingest so many of them.  I came across this amazing HEALTHY brownie recipe the other day (I know…it seems impossible that “healthy” and “brownie” fit in the same sentence!)  Take a  look at the ingredients in these gems and you’ll see I’m not kidding. What a great way to get the kids to eat some beans too! If you make them, I’de love to know how you and your family liked them.  Enjoy!

Good-For-You Brownies

• 2 cups black beans (or 1 can of no salt added)
• 3 lightly beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or melted butter)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey (or other equivalent sweetener like palm sugar or Sucanat [dried cane juice] )
• 1/2 cup chopped up bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Making these could NOT be simpler. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8×8 pan. Toss all but the final 2 ingredients (the chopped up chocolate and walnuts) into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Fold in the chopped chocolate and walnuts. Pour into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

 

Healthy Living: Soap Nuts Anyone?

While we are on a roll  with healthy living, and since so many of you showed such great interest both in person and in the blogworld, let’s talk about soap nuts. Ever since our firstborn was a baby, she’s battled a skin condition called eczema. Nothing too serious, but annoying and extremely frustrating nonetheless. Who wants to watch their little one uncomfortable and itchy all the time? We’ve visited doctors, allergists, and researched homeopathic  remedies only to find that we must patiently wait for her to out-grow her skin condition that most likely is not linked  directly to any specific food allergy. We have found, however, that so many soaps, lotions, shampoos, and detergents out there are filled with skin irritants and most of that stuff tends to worsen her eczema. So, began my search for a laundry detergent that would not irritate my sweet girl’s skin and be “healthier” for all of us in the long run anyway.

Enter: Soap Nuts.  Most commercial detergents are filled with harsh chemicals and the natural alternatives often contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and other ingredients that are now being debated over their safety. Most commercial detergents leave perfumes (cover scents), brighteners, and/or fabric softeners on your clothes to cover up the fact that the detergent really didn’t clean anything. These additives can easily cause skin irritations.  Soap Nuts are the only laundry soap that grows on trees, thus giving us the most sustainable and natural option out there. It is 100% safe and natural for the most sensitive skin. Soap nuts are the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree. They contain saponin, a natural cleaner. They are simply harvested, de-seeded, and then dried in the sun. Great for hard water and high efficiency machines. It is biodegradable, hypo-allergenic, brightens colors, low sudsing, and contains a natural fabric softener. You can reuse a handful of nuts for 5 or more loads (depending upon water temperature, etc), and then they can be added to your compost! Most soap nut orders come with a reusable cotton bag which you use to place the nuts in and then throw in the washer, keeping them contained. The best price I have found is the NaturOli Soap Nuts. You can also find them here.  If you buy it in larger quantities ($50 for 800 loads), you are looking at around $0.07 per load! You can also purchase them in smaller quantities, which will be no more than $0.12 per load. Plus you will save additional money as there is no need for dryer sheets or fabric softeners.

We absolutely love these things. They have been a tremendous cost effective source of blessing to us. I still have our bag of Soap nuts that I ordered just about a year ago and it’s still going strong. And for added softening effects and “bleach like” dis-infectant , I’ll often add a 1/2 cup of vinegar to our loads of laundry.

Curious about trying Soap nuts? Since we’re prize-happy around here, leave a comment and you’ll have a chance to  Win a hand-sewn organic cloth bag of soap-nuts that will last you through 5-7 loads of laundry.  See for yourselves just how amazing this little “fruit” is!

*Word of caution: although Soap Nuts are technically a fruit, they are not to be consumed. Keep them away from little ones and pets.

 

Healthy Living: Clean?

It seems Americans are obsessed these days with being clean (well the majority of them anyway). Many take more than one shower a day, wash with anti-bacterial soap, Clorox the house twice a day…you get the point. Ever thought about your body before and whether or not it’s really clean? Like, inside-out clean?

Nutrition has always been a real love of mine. Remember this post? Ever since I can remember, I ate my greens as a wee little girl just because I liked them. Ask my mom.  So I think it’s in my blood. I just love whole, nutritious eating (except for an occasional cheeseburger here and there, especially when I’m pregnant. no, I’m not pregnant) and I love reading books, articles, magazines…anything to do with health and nutrition.  Over the years as I get a little older, I’ve realized the importance of “cleaning” out my insides every once in a while. I’ve been on the search for a good cleanse and finally happened upon one that I LOVE and quickly became passionate about.  Before you stop reading because the word “cleanse” has you envisioning yourself camping out by the toilet or buying into some marketing scheme,  this isn’t rocket science nor am I trying to make money off of my friends and family.

That said, lend me an ear.  A cleanse is simply that, “cleaning” your body of waste and toxins (found in pesticides and hard-to-digest foods) and enabling your colon and other organs to function more freely. It’s almost as if, your body is “resting” from having to work so hard to rid itself of the bad stuff. I won’t go into all of the details as to why herbs aid in the cleansing process (because there are numerous cleanses out there without the herbs), but herbs are a natural source of health and wellness and were often used before medicine came into the picture to aid the body in self-healing. A cleanse also aids in maintaining a healthy weight and/or healthy weight loss for those that need it. And with ingredients such as butternut bark, black walnut hull, wheat grass leaf, milk thistle seed, and some good pro-biotics, you just can’t go wrong! We definitely don’t incorporate these gems into our body on a daily basis, unless you live in the Amazon or something.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the cleanse that I chose (which was recommended to me by a nutrition pro who happened to also be my maid-of-honor in my wedding) who has studied nutrition and supplements a good chunk of her life along with her mother.  So what’s the point in all of this? I mainly am just answering questions that many of you have had, and some whom even requested a blog entry about. There are thousands of details I’ve left out but to keep it simple, because of our poor food quality in our time and culture, nutrition is very important coupled with good supplements to help the body function at it’s best quality.

All of this is said, with a very fine balance of course. I don’t claim that if you do a cleanse or take supplements to aid in your health, that you will be happy and healthy. We serve a God who is ultimately in control of our health. At any point He could take that from us and so we as Christians don’t depend on products that are “good” to save us. Kevin and I believe that we are held responsible before the Lord to care for ourselves and for our family in the best possible way. And in particular, I as a wife and mom feel that this is one of the ways I can be faithful to the Lord. So no nutritionist wars here or battle of the opinions please We each do what we feel the Lord has called us to not pointing our fingers in judgment. This is just a very ,very small concern in light of eternity. I’m happy to answer any additional questions you might have about things I’ve implemented into our family or anything else concerning herbs, vitamins or cleanses. I’m here to help not because I think I’m “super nutritious woman” and have all the answers, but simply because I love nutrition and helping others to be more passionate about it as well.

And just to make this post a little more FUN, there’s a  huge prize involved! Just leave a comment (by Monday January 25th) and I’ll draw a name at random. The lucky winner will receive 2 packets of SPARK ( a wonderful, delicious and energizing vitamin/amino acid drink, also safe for children 4 and up), 2 bottles of SLAM (another incredibly healthy drink that especially helps when you are fatigued or need a boost for exercise), 20% off of one Advocare product of your choice ( a brochure of products will be included) , 1 Quart of FIT all natural fruit and Veggie wash as well as one 100% organic cotton kitchen towel with the monogram of your choice. And for local peeps, 2 FREE one-day passes to Health Central. A give-away hard to pass up. Comment away!