Author Archives: ByCandace

Stress, Oxidative Damage, and Ningxia Red

16 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Essential Oils, Nutrition

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Stress has been a BIG topic all over the inter-webs for a long while now….I’m about tired of reading and hearing about it….to the point that I roll my eyes and read through or listen a little and realize now we are all a broken record on the topic. I’m so tired of hearing “manage your stress” and then no one really tells you how to implement stress management techniques at are practical and convenient. And if you are totally stressed out already, just thinking about adding yet another habit into your daily routine makes you tired. If you can even commiserate with me on this a little bit ….then this post is for you!

I’m doing my best to NOT repeat what everyone else is saying on the stress topic……so here is a short bit of education about stress followed by actual solutions that works!

We live in a world where we are all constantly bombarded by things that put stress on our bodies. The stress can be mental, emotional, or physical and all cause our bodies’ physical harm in the same way. Even “good stress”, like working out, is still stress on the body. Point is “good stress” or “bad stress” are both still stress and creates oxidative damage.

If you are reading this I’m fairly certain you can research oxidative damage, but the basics is that this damage affects your cells right down to the DNA levels. It isn’t a good thing…..it is what makes us look old on the outside and our organs to age and breakdown on the inside.

My personal example of major oxidative stress damage due to long-term and acute high stress levels is that my skin started drying out, flaking off, wrinkles appeared in what seemed like overnight, my hair got dry and brittle…..it was terrible! My body was running through the nutrients it needed to deal with the stress so fast that it couldn’t keep up and it was breaking down.

Shout-out to Dr. Angela Scopel  who recognized that all of this was oxidative damage caused by stress and my body needed support. She recommended to me Ningxia Red by: Young Living every day!

#1 Solution to combat stress on the body is Ningxia Red!

 

I drink 1 – 2 shots of Ningxia every day! And it is tasty. I noticed a physical difference after about 2 weeks; not only in my appearance but also in my energy levels. I’ve been drinking it every day for months now and I feel fantastic. I believe this to be my not-so-secret to aging gracefully and feel energized while doing it!

I honestly cannot talk highly enough about this product. If you only do one thing for your health, this should be it!

I order a 2-pack of bottles once per month on a recurring order. The more your order the lower the price goes, you can order 4, 6, or 8 bottles per month as well if you want to give it to your family members daily as well. YL also offers 2oz Singles that are in easy to carry size packages that are great for taking to work or traveling with. Alternatively, there is a Combo Pack with bottles and packets!

There are two ways to get your hands on Ningxia Red every month: 1) sign-up for a Young Living account as a Customer or 2) sign-up for a Young Living account as a Distributor (Note: as a Distributor you will receive the benefit of receiving wholesale price).

If you do not want to sign up for an account right a way (because I know you will after trying the product), but are interested in placing an order, please reach out to me by leaving a comment on this post.

Additional Recommendation is Vitamin C. – great to help with oxidative stress and support your adrenal glands.

Check out my Vit C Post on this food grade highly absorbable Vitamin C.  I recommend including this in your day morning and night, because Vit. C is water soluble and is removed from your body fairly quickly.

Young Living also has “Super C” in tablets and chewables which I find easier and more fun. You can also add Lemon essential oil to your daily Ningxia and or water.

We all have stress in our lives on some level. The better we support our bodies to deal with oxidative damage the better we will feel and look.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the “comments” of the post.

 

 

Essential Oils: When & How

21 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in Essential Oils

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WHEN

I use essentials oils every day and some as needed. When my body needs some help, I turn to essential oils first or even as a preventive measure. Soooooo….the WHEN is easy!

HOW

The HOW of essential oils takes a little more knowledge, but practically is also easy.

Application methods for essential oils are varied and fun: topical, inhalations, household products, and internally. I personally have not experimented with household products yet, but have used essential oils in homemade skin care products. My everyday use of essential oils is mostly inhalations, topical, and internal.

What I have purchased so far….

I have been using Young Living essential oils since October of 2015 and am still building my arsenal of oils up. I currently have Clove, Endoflex, Thieves, Progessence Plus, Cedarwood, Grapefruit, Lemon, Nutmeg, Lime, Ginger, Stress Away, Peace & Calming II, Eucalyptus Blue, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Orange, Rosemary, Lemongrass, Lavender, Sleepylze, and Nutmeg.

          *Inhalations*

First thing I recommend is an Essential Oil Diffuser Necklace. Right now it is free; you pay only for shipping. I like to put Peace & Calming II in the diffuser necklace and wear it during my commute or during stressful days at the office. I also like to put uplifting or oils that promote mental concentration in the necklace. I also like using a diffuser in the house or office to get some good inhalation of oils. A few deep breaths and I feel the effect.

          *Topical*

For topical use it is important to remember that most essential oils need to be diluted before putting them on your skin, otherwise the oils because of their high concentration, will burn the skin. Dilute with what is called a carrier oil. Examples of some carrier oils are: coconut oil, avocado oil, emu oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil, or olive oil. Not all essential oils need to be diluted so be sure to read the instructions on the bottle before using. Some of my favorite places to apply essential oils are on my forearms and wrists on the thin skin area, on my face, on my neck, back, and spine, behind and on my ears, the bottoms of my feet, on my stomach, and you can use them directly on the area you need to. I do use essential oils topically every day.

          *Internal*

Internal use of essential oils is somewhat controversial; I advise doing your own research before taking internally. I personally do take my oils internally in a way that I’m comfortable with and feel good doing. I use them mixed with oil, honey, or in a drink. I do not use them internally every day.

Resource

There is a great phone or iPad AP called Reference Guide for Essential Oils (by Abundant Health) that I highly recommend and use daily. The AP has a Guide, Application, Single Oil info, and Oil Blends info.

 

It is important to me to use the highest quality products that I can; Young Living essential oils are top of the line quality and I highly recommend them.

Cost is a concern for all of us, I would love to discuss pricing options with you. If you are interested in learning more about how essential oils can help you and your family live healthy, happy, and save money please reach out to me. I am happy to speak with you.

Essential Oils: Who, What, Why

26 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Essential Oils

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Let’s talk essential oils….specifically Young Living essential oils.

My First Order

WHO & WHAT

“Essential oils have also been used for thousands of years for cosmetic purposes, as well as for their spiritually and emotionally uplifting properties. Young Living has always been at the forefront of bringing this ancient tradition to modern users, introducing millions to a total mind/body wellness they may never have dreamed possible.

Primarily extracted through careful steam distillation but also through cold pressing, the purest essential oils are far more powerful than the botanicals from which they were extracted. Any time you hold a bottle of our powerful essential oils, you are holding nature’s pure essence.”

Source: https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/discover/guide/about

WHY

One of the primary reason why I chose to use and work with the Young Living (YL) brand is because they have their own farms in Utah, Idaho, Ecuador, France, and Oman. This allows YL to control the high-quality products they offer.

“By cultivating, harvesting, and distilling many of our essential oils on our very own farms, we have the unique ability to verify perfection at every step of our process. Combine this with our extensive laboratory testing and independent audits, and it’s no wonder that we routinely exceed our own industry-leading quality standards. Our commitment to quality doesn’t stop there, however. Inspired by the fields, forests, and jungles that surround our pristine farms, Gary Young is constantly discovering new botanicals and essential oils, helping us bring more of nature’s greatest gifts to people everywhere.”

Source: https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/company/about/younglivingfarms

Young Living boasts a quality commitment “Seed to Seal”. Please go and check out more on YL’s commitment here: http://seedtoseal.com/en/seedtoseal. I have found Young Living to be a very impressive organization and I am so pleased to be affiliated with them.

My personal goal is not to make tons of profit, it is to spread the word about the benefits of using essential oils for health and offer away for my friends, family, and strangers alike to have access to a superb variety of products.

I know that cost is a concern for all of us; I would love to discuss pricing options with you. If you are interested in learning more about how essential oils can help you and your family live healthy, happy, and save money please reach out to me. I am happy to speak with you.

Stay tuned for the WHEN & HOW….

 

For more information go to my FaceBook Page

Book Review: The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook by: Diana Rodgers

17 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by in Book Review

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I was lucky enough to catch Diana Rodgers of Sustainable Dish when she was in Houston, TX at the end of May this year. We met at the Last Organic Outpost, which is worth going to and checking out what great work they are doing.

She spoke to the guests about sustainability and Paleo with a Q&A followed by book selling and signing. I purchased The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook and Paleo Lunches and Breakfasts On the Go that day. I want to share my thoughts on The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook with you.

Diana Rodgers' Books

First of all, the book has been well produced. It is made of good sturdy materials. The pictures are beautiful. I love the pictures on the front cover of the book.

Homegrown Paleo

Although I thought I was purchasing the book for the recipes, because I’m a recipe junkie, I got the book home and realized what a fascinating and fantastic resource this book is. I learned so much from the front section of the book; almost like an interesting text book or encyclopedia…..in the best possible sense.

The book starts out talking about sustainability. Then teaches you how to raise your own food animals (chickens, turkey, ducks, rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, cows, bees) including slaughtering and processing. She also covers seafood and hunting. The book then discusses growing your own vegetables and fruits (building your soil, planting, composting). Also, how to forage off your land.

One of my favorite areas of the book is “The Ideal Homestead Setup” on pages 144 – 145. These two pages breakdown, in pictures, how much of each animals etc. you can fit on your various size land parcels.

Then the book goes into the recipes. Since the book is centralized around the sustainability idea she has the recipes sectioned out into seasons: early, mid, and late.

I found that generally speaking the recipes are not necessarily dishes I would make everyday. They tend to be more items I would make for a dinner party. Some of the recipes have longer ingredient lists, which I tend to stay away from, some of them though are ingredients that most Paleoers keep in their kitchens on a regular basis. The other recipes are simple, few ingredients, and look good and easy to cook. I like that she also covered the basics on homemade fermenting (example: Kombucha).

The ending section of the book is quite thoughtful and creative. She continues the sustainability application by showing how to do fun lifestyle things like….naturally died Easter eggs, making beeswax candles, goat milk soap, pig roasting, and making a clambake to name a few. She also discusses the importance of giving back or paying it forward.

I do not have a homestead or parcel of land to apply most of the book, however she covers growing food in small spaces and container growing. She did a good job of making this book apply to everyone. The beginning of the book is inspiring to this country girl…who lives in the city.

This book can easily be used as a “coffee-table book”.

To Buy or Not to Buy….That is the question……I say YES!

How to make even the most simple of foods delicious, flavorsome, scrumptious, succulent, mouthwatering and juicy!

16 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in Food

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I work full-time, keep up with the house, run errands, etc. etc. etc……you get it!

I have been working really hard to find ways to make the most simple foods taste fantastic with the least amount of time and effort. I cook a lot for myself and my husband…..also for small house parties. So, it is important that I maximize time and effort.

I found the answer…..brining and/or marinating. I’m totally in love with brining!

If you Google brine you will learn that it means to soak or saturate with salty water. It is amazing what this process does to ordinary chicken. You can do this for a long as you have to do it….the longer the better.

I have now branched out, adding things like black currant tea, the juice of lemons or limes, black pepper or pepper corns, and bay leaves to the salty water. Use what you have on hand.

The best is to soak it overnight in a container wit a lid (after the meat is thawed) in the refrigerator. If you forget, as I often do, I will get it soaking sometime in the morning hours until dinner time. Some time is better than no time!

After you pull your chicken out of the brine, rinse it with cold water and pat it dry before you season it and cook it.

There is a fine line between brining and marinading…..since most marinades have salt and water in them. Anyway……

Some of the best chickens I have cooked lately have resulted from soaking in light beer, lemon juice, salt, and a lot black pepper overnight. Also, had really good results from just soaking overnight in Shiner Bock beer. Again, pulling the chicken out of the beer, rinse it with cold water and pat it dry before seasoning it and cooking it.

I did a recent marinade with steak, which I usually don’t do with beef, but again I was looking for something different for my tongue. It was comprised of equal parts whisky and balsamic vinegar. I think I used 1.5 oz or a standard shot glass worth of each. I let it sit in a ziplock with the steaks for about an hour turning it over frequently for even distribution. Then remove the steaks, let them rest and pat them dry before seasoning and cooking.

Every time I am grilling veggies I marinade them. This also works nicely when roasting the veggies in the oven. It takes your veggies to a whole other flavor level. The basics: olive oil, acid (vinegar or citrus fruit), sea salt, pepper (black or red), and herbs of your choice.

The best part is that it takes little to know time to do this but it can make all the difference in the world for the flavor of your dish. You will see your typical recipes be devoured faster than ever before if you brine or marinade them first.

Brining and/or marinading your most basic food items will make them delicious, flavorsome, scrumptious, succulent, mouthwatering and juicy!

Feel free to leave comments on this post with your brining experiences.

Pure Gold Nuggets!

22 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in General

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I ran across this article today….and while I do not typically write on topics like this, I find that it is very important……important enough for me to share with you. The whole article is not very long and worth the read for sure!

The three items of gold from the article that particularly hit home for me are:

1) “Everything involves sacrifice. Everything includes some sort of cost. Nothing is pleasurable or uplifting all of the time. So the question becomes: what struggle or sacrifice are you willing to tolerate? Ultimately, what determines our ability to stick with something we care about is our ability to handle the rough patches and ride out the inevitable rotten days.”

2) “What most people don’t understand is that passion is the result of action, not the cause of it.”

3) “What is your legacy going to be? What are the stories people are going to tell when you’re gone? What is your obituary going to say? Is there anything to say at all? If not, what would you like it to say? How can you start working towards that today?”

Something I have realized lately are that the things that use to hold value for me and were my extrinsic motivators have changed. I no longer derive satisfaction and fulfillment from what I have the past 15 years of my life. I currently am at an in-pass of where I have been and where I want to be. At the age of 38, I hardly think this is the appropriate time in my life to have these thoughts! Yet, here they are and here I am.

My thoughts:

1) Life is made up of a lot of different cost/benefits jammed together. The sacrifices/costs that I used to be willing to tolerate are no longer so. Now the rough patches are increasingly more difficult. Is this the true catalyst to change??

2) I have never been much of a “talker”; I am a “doer”…..an “action taker”. The less you do the less you want to do. Motivation is not cultivated from complacency. Doing something, anything is better than not doing at all. At the very least by doing, you will learn what or how not to do or what you do not want to do.

3) I said before and I’ll say it again….if you do not know where you are going you will not know how to get there. If you can define, imagine, visualize, describe, believe, know…what the end game looks like you are much more likely to arrive there. It can be argued there is never a “there” there though; the end game is always moving and evolving.

The problem is that most people while not content, fulfilled, or satisfied with their life or areas of their life, do not put forth the time and effort to soul search and think through these things…..to answer those questions. People go day-in-and-day-out knowing they want something different but just keep living the same life anyway. Life is short, really short, too short….

Homemade Lemonade with an Extra Vitamin C Kick!

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Lifestyle, Nutrition

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Last year was an extremely stressful year for me. I knew I was stressed out, but I do not think I realized exactly how much at the time and the lack of support I was giving my body. In 2014 between June and August….I graduated college, got married, changed jobs, and moved homes. Not to mention…kept up with life at the same time. Followed by adjusting to being married, adjusting to the new job, and family drama.

Needless to say my body waked-out on me! I couldn’t figure out what was going on…I kept thinking it was hormonal. I was partially correct…..the the stress and subsequent consequences of the stress caused my adrenals to go into over-load. This affected my thyroid and caused it to under produce. The combination caused a myriad of symptoms.

So, to the point! To give some LOVE to my adrenals I make “Homemade Lemonade with an Extra Vitamin C Kick!” daily. The adrenals love vitamin C!

Please take a special note that not all vitamin C is made equally. Quality matters, as with most things you put into your body. I personally like Health Force Nutritionals: Truly Natural Vitamin C. It is in powder form. I purchased mine at Sprout’s, but you can find it online everywhere. If this brand doesn’t suit you, try to find a brand that is 100% from food or food-derived and is a vitamin C complex not an isolated nutrient.

Vit. C

Yummy Recipe for my “Homemade Lemonade with an Extra Vitamin C Kick!”

  • Aprox. 6 to 8 oz of water (however much that glass holds)
  • 1/2 to 1 Lemon Juiced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of Vitamin C Powder
  • 1/2 pkg of Stevia Powder (organic brand)

I mix this all together and drink it down. I feel great after I drink it. I hope you add this cocktail to your daily routine as well.

Introducing: Kasandrinos International

21 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Food, General, Lifestyle, Nutrition

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kasandrinos organic extra virgin greek olive oil

It is my tremendous pleasure to introduce a company to you all….Kasandrinos International. I love to support family owned businesses; what’s better than a brother and sister team?! This twosome Effi and Tony Kasandrinos opened their business to share their passion with us….fantastic imported Greek organic extra virgin olive oil from their father’s village in Greece. That’s not all they offer….they also provide body care products, seasonings, and more!

I know I love the “built my business out of my garage” stories, but how about “out of the trunk of my car”??!? Oh yes…that is where it all started! The American dream is in full swing for the active duty U.S. Marine, Tony, who is located in my great state of Texas!! AND his sister Effi who is located in Las Vegas.

I hope you all take the time to get to know and choose to support this wonderful team and company. In this you can also support me in my bogging endeavors as I am so fortunate that the Kasandrinos’ have accepted me into their affiliate program as a brand ambassador. What an honor! 🙂

When you decide to make a purchase, because I know you will! – please use the link below to do so….

Affiliates

kasandrinos organic extra virgin greek olive oil

Recipe: Main Dish – Mozzarella Stuffed Italian Meatballs

09 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by in Food

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I did this recipe on the fly yesterday, easy and the fast way – alternatives shown below.

Recipe: Main Dish Mozzarella Stuffed Italian Meatballs

IMG_1954

Ingredients:

  • Fresh Mozzarella Balls (cherry sized / in water not oil)
  • 1 lb of grass-fed ground beef (venison, turkey, or pork would work as well)
  • 1 Whole egg
  • Garlic Powder or fresh garlic if you so desire
  • Onion Powder or fresh onions if you so desire
  • Italian Seasoning Blend
  • Basil
  • Salt / Black Pepper
  • Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
  • 2 Tbs gluten-free generic flour

Directions:

Gather all the ingredients plus a flat baking sheet and bowl. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Put ground beef, egg, seasonings, and flour in the bowl and mix by hand till it is blended together and sorta sticky. Take 8 mozzarella balls out of the container and place on a napkin near the bowl. form a meat ball, make a little dip in it put a mozzarella ball in the middle and form the meat around it. Do this 8 times, making 8 meatballs. For those who are not tolerant to dairy, you can also use cherry tomatoes and it is quite delicious.

Bake on one side for 20 mins. Flip them over and bake for another 20 mins.

Done! Eat!

Enjoy on their own. Dip in Tomato sauce. Enjoy with Egg Plant Pizzas or other Italian dish of choice.

All Things Baby – Updated 06/16/17

12 Thursday Mar 2015

Posted by in Babies: Before, During & After

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I have so many women in my life that are wanting to conceive, are pregnant, or just had a baby. Below are resources that I suggest.

Registry:

WebPages:

Vitamins:

Herbs:

Books:

Fertility

Conceived

After Baby

Overall

Articles:

 

To all the mothers-at-heart – I hope you find these resources helpful.

Note: I will update the post as I gather more resources.