Search this site

A couple of weeks ago I was giving a cooking class in our community and was asked to talk about building strong immune systems, since the coronavirus was already making people nervous. Fast forward two weeks, and the world has seemed to turn upside-down rather quickly. People seem to be panicking and taking all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer from all the stores, leaving the rest of us scratching our heads. Please, don't panic. There are plenty of things that we can all do to help protect ourselves from contracting a virus, or if you have it these things can also help get you better quicker. Here's a quick overlook of the immune system and what weakens and strengthens it. I'll explain more below. The Immune System: The immune system helps protect the body from foreign or harmful substances It makes cells and antibodies that destroy harmful substances With the threat of the coronavirus and other infectious diseases, it is important we do what we can to help avoid sickness Those with a weakened immune system are more likely to contract infections When our immune system is strong we are much more likely to ward off sickness What weakens the immune system? Smoking Alcohol Poor nutrition Soda, processed foods, sugary foods, refined carbs Sugar sugar causes inflammation of the body Eating/drinking sugar slows immune system cells that attack bacteria for several hours after consumption Some bacteria and viruses feed on sugar as a source of energy Lack of sleep Stress Ways to strengthen the immune system: Don't smoke Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables Exercise regularly Get plenty of sleep Washing your hands frequently Minimize stress Hot/Cold water treatments Get plenty of sunshine Fresh air Limit or cut out refined sugars and carbohydrates Natural Ways to Fight Sickness: Garlic (a natural antibiotic) Onions (reduces pain and inflammation) Ginger (anti-inflammatory) Vitamin C (strengthens immune system) Grapefruit seed extract (anti-microbial) Echinacea (used to fight infections, reduces inflammation) Elderberry (fights cold, flu and inflammation) high in vitamin C and antioxidants Most commonly used medicinal plant in the world Sugar really tends to lower the immune system quickly and for a few hours after consuming it. I'm not talking about all sugars. Fruits have natural sugars but they are so healthy for us and are filled with anti-oxidants, which help fight off sickness in the body. Processed sugary foods are the ones that we want to minimize, or better yet stay away from all together. Fruits and vegetables are the perfect way to build our immune systems to be strong. Eating about 10 servings total a day will really help keep sickness away. Try to get them organic as much as possible, especially berries. Sleeping 7-10 hours a night is beneficial. It's our bodies way of resetting. During sleep the body is able to "heal" itself. Now, maybe not completely because there are plenty of other factors that affect our health as well, and usually we're causing too bad to undo it all. Anyway. Sleep plays a crucial role in the bodies immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions. So it's important we are getting plenty of sleep. It's best to get as many hours of sleep before midnight, because those hours are like doubling up on sleep. A good idea is to at least go to bed by 10 pm. Hot/Cold treatments are amazing, and you should incorporate them into your showers always. This is the easiest way to do a hot/cold treatment. When you're in the shower put the water on as hot as you can stand, just don't burn yourself. Yikes. Let the water run all over you for 3 minutes, then switch the water to as cold as you can stand. Let the cold water run all over you for 1 minutes, then switch back to hot, and do this alternating temperatures 3-5 times. What this does, hydrotherapy, is it gets the blood circulating in our bodies. The hot water brings the blood to the surface more fully, while the cold pushes the blood away from the surface. Good circulation is a good way to build the immune system. Sunshine and fresh air help as well. So get outside and go for a walk. Hopefully you live in a place that has plenty of sunshine, if not think about taking a vitamin D supplement. Open up the windows in your house daily to let fresh air in, if it's not too cold. Supplements that my family and I are currently taking to help boost the immune system are listed below: Vitamin C chewable tablets NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine Elderberry vegan gummies Elderberry syrup B12 Zinc These are the supplements we take to help keep our immune systems strong. The kids may not take all of these, but they do love the vitamin C and elderberry gummies, and eat them like they're candy. Vitamin C is found in many foods, but during cold and flu season I like to also take a supplement. It's best in its natural form from foods, so consume these as much as possible each day. Foods high in vitamin C: Cantaloupe. Citrus fruits and juices, such as orange and grapefruit. Kiwi fruit. Mango. Papaya. Pineapple. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cranberries. Watermelon. NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine "Two other simple suggestions are taking two 600 mg NAC capsules or tablets per day which has been shown by a randomized placebo controlled trial to eliminate any flu symptoms in 75% of those exposed, and will likely help coronavirus as well. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can be purchased over the counter and greatly boosts your immune system by raising glutathione levels," Dr. Neil Nedley. Elderberry helps to fight colds, flus, and inflammation. It is high in vitamin C and antioxidants, which help boost the immune system. It is most commonly used medicinal plant in the world. B12 we regularly take no matter what, since people on a plant-based diet are not able to get this vitamin through foods. So take one daily. B12 is an essential nutrient that's almost exclusively found in animal-sourced foods, such as fish, meat, dairy products, and eggs. It helps maintain nerves and normal brain function. It is important for people who are vegetarians, vegans and plant-based to take a daily B12 supplement. Even meat-eaters come up short on B12 levels, so it’s best they also take a daily B12 supplement. The recommended daily intake (RDI) for B12 is 2.4 micrograms The body absorbs only as much B12 as it needs, and any excess passes through your urine Zinc is toxic to the coronavirus on contact. So "if you are on a plane or accidentally touch your mouth or face without having immediately washed your hands, use zinc lozenges every 2 hours or so," Dr. Neil Nedley. Okay, so those are some natural ways to help build your immune system and better your chances of staying healthy. I hope these help. Be sure to like below and share it with your friends and family. Let's stay healthy, and be nice during these hard times. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6. Play outside more when its warm and the sun is shining.

If you're trying to stay healthy, or if you're sick, give this a try to boost your immune system. There are many ways to do hydrotherapy, but this is one that we easily do at home when someone is sick or not feeling well. Fomentation is an old word used to describe a treatment for "warming" up an area, typically with water. You'll be able to see in the video how we do this at home with items you already have. You can buy the more specific items used to do fomentations, but it is not necessary. If you have any question feel free to contact me. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

Almond milk is our favorite kind of milk in our household. Typically I will buy it in bulk because we go through it so quickly. However, I've started making my own occasionally, and let me tell you, it is delicious. Plus, you get to make cookies afterwards. Yum. Win, win. Almond Milk Recipe: 1 cup raw almonds 4 cups water 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) 2 teaspoons 100% maple syrup (optional) Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. For a regular almond milk just blend the almonds and water. The vanilla and maple syrup add flavor and sweetens it up to make a vanilla almond milk. To strain, place the blended almonds into a cheesecloth, nut-milk bad or a cloth towel to strain into a large bowl. Pour the almond milk into a container that is air-tight. Stores in the fridge for 5-7 days. Tip: You can soak the almonds in water overnight for an easier blend. I typically do not soak them because I use my Vitamix which is a high powered blender, and I don't feel the need to do this extra step. Almond Pulp Cookies: Use the pulp from the almond milk (usually about 1 cup) 1/2 cup dairy-free butter 1/2 sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or almond flour for gluten-free) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda In a large bowl mix together the almond pulp, dairy-free butter, sugar and almond extract until well mixed. Sift in the flour and baking soda, and stir together. Take a spoon full of the dough and roll it into a ball with your hands, or you could use cookie scoop. Form into ball then flatten a small amount and place on a lined cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-8 minutes. Let them cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then sift powdered sugar atop the cookies. Eat with the almond milk and enjoy!

If you're looking for a quick and easy recipe to warm up, this is the one. All the comforts of home made vegan. Ingredients: 8 cups water 3 tablespoons vegan chicken seasoning powder 1 cup pasta 1 cup soy curls, or vegan chicken alternative of choice 1/2 onion, minced 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 potatoes, diced 1 tablespoon olive oil salt to taste Directions: Sauté onion, garlic and olive oil on a medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and let it remain boiling for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

Are you a soda drinker? Did you know that about 48% of people are soda drinkers? On average, each year, a person will drink almost 45 GALLONS of carbonated soft drinks! Perhaps it comes as no surprise that carbonated soft drinks are the most-consumed beverages, with an average of 44.7 gallons consumed per person, per year. Rounding out the top three is bottled water at 28.3 gallons and beer at 20.8 gallons.Jun 27, 2011 That is about 1,328 tablespoons, or 83 cups, of added sugar! In terms of calories, that is an extra 64,182 calories, or 18.3 pounds a year. Besides the fact that it is loaded with sugar and calories, most people are aware that soda is just not healthy for you. When you look at the ingredients of any food or drink and are unable to pronounce what is in it, or have to look up what it is, that is never a good sign. Recipe: 1 can 100% juice of your choice, frozen (cranberry, grape, orange, etc.) 36 ounces sparkling water Add fresh fruit or berries Directions: Take the frozen juice and place in the refrigerator the night before, or leave out on the counter for 2 hours. The best results are using the juice when it is in liquid form, that way when stirring the juice and sparkling water, you are not breaking up the bubbles as much. In a large pitcher add the ingredients, and stir until completely mixed.

This is one of my favorite Brazilian side dish recipes. It's so simple and yet so fresh. Typically it's eaten as a side salad with beans, rice, and meat. Of course I just eat it with my beans and rice, and it's just the perfect combination. Recipe: 5 tomatoes, diced very small 1 onion, diced small 2 bell peppers, diced small (use different colored peppers for a more colorful salad) 1/4 cup parsley, minced 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil salt to taste (1/2 tsp-1 tsp) Directions: Dice all ingredients into very small pieces, combine in a bowl with the olive oil and vinegar. Mix well and add salt to taste. It's best if you let it sit 30 minutes or more for the veggies to absorb the flavor. Place in a sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Not everyone is a fan of egg salad sandwiches, and I for one was not one, when I used to eat eggs. For some reason it just seemed so strange to me to be eating mashed boiled eggs on bread. Well, now I'm mashing tofu and putting it on bread. Still strange, but strangely delicious. This is a quick and healthy recipe to throw together when you need a go to simple recipe for lunch. Even my kids enjoy this recipe, who can be pretty picky themselves. So give it a try and see how it goes. This recipe is found in my cookbook Simply Fresh on page 66. Recipe: Ingredients: 1 lb. Firm tofu (or extra firm) 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes 1 Tablespoon vegan chick'n seasoning 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise 1-2 stalks celery, sliced 2 Tablespoons green onion or dill (optional) Salt to taste Directions: Crumble tofu in small bowl, then add seasonings and stir well. Mix in celery and dill or green onion. Add mayonnaise, mix well. Finally salt to taste. This recipe can be found in my cookbook Simply Fresh pg. 66. Drain the tofu well. You can crumble the tofu with your hands or a potato masher.

Pizza is a favorite of most people. If it's not then you haven't had good pizza. When we used to have pizza night I would buy pre-made pizza dough from the store, then I would just roll it out and make our pizzas. But then I got the courage to try to make my own dough, and that's when I realized how easy and cheap it was to make my own. Then when I tried it, it was a world of difference in taste. It was just so much fresher tasting with a softer texture. Dough Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup 2 cups whole wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup 1 teaspoon sugar 1 envelope instant dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast 2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F 3 tablespoons olive oil Directions: Using a bowl or stand mixer, place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in it, and give it a quick mix. Add the warm water and olive oil and mix until the dough forms into a ball. Let it kneed for 5 minutes in the mixer or by hand. If the dough is somewhat sticky, slowly add flour 1 tablespoon at a time. In a large bowl add a bit of olive oil and place the dough in the oiled bowl. Cover the dough in the olive oil by rubbing the dough on the oil on all surfaces of it. Place plastic wrap on the bowl, or cover with a towel, and place in a warm area of the house. Let it stand for 1 hour until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Punch down the dough and divide into 2 balls. These will make 2 large pizzas. Divide into 4 balls for 3 small pizzas, and divide into 3 balls for 3 medium pizzas. Place the dough on a well floured surface and using a rolling pin roll out the dough to the desired thickness. We prefer thin crust, so we roll it out until it's less than 1/4 inch. It will rise a little bit in the oven when baking. Place your favorite pizza sauce and toppings accordingly. For vegan cheese we typically use Daiya. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Be sure to check the pizza around the 8 minute mark to make sure the cheese is melted and the crust has started to crisp up. Just make sure to check it so it doesn't burn the edges. Different ovens cook faster than others, so check on your pizza often. *Tip: If you'd prefer a white crust pizza just substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour for the whole wheat flour. Making it 4 cups all-purpose flour, total. Brazilian Inspired Pizza: 1 pizza dough, rolled out to desired thickness 1/4 cup pizza sauce 1/2-1 cup vegan cheese 12 green olives, sliced 1 can of heart of palm, sliced 1 teaspoon dried oregano This is one of our favorite pizzas to make. Don't skip out on any of these toppings. The oregano at the end really gives it a nice flavor. If you haven't tried heart of palm, now is the time! It's absolutely delicious on a pizza, salad, or salty pie. Hopefully I'll be sharing some more recipes using heart of palm, because it's delicious! If you have children at home, this is a great recipe to make with them. They can help make the dough with you, or even make extra dough and let them play with it. This helps develop their skills and confidence in the kitchen. Also my boys love to add the toppings to the pizza when we make ours. It's not usually very scattered throughout the entire pizza, but they do make it on the dough. Just be creative when allowing the little ones to help make pizza for dinner. It might make a small mess, but the joy they get is worth it all. Of course the best part is when we get to eat it together and enjoy the meal and family time. Even having the little ones clean up afterwards is a wonderful thing. Give the little ones a wet washcloth to clean up the counter. A broom to sweep up the spilt flour off the floor is another good learning moment for them. If they are old enough put them to work doing those dishes for you. It's important our children learn practical life skills around the house. Plus, when they are young it's fun for them. Enjoy!

Who doesn’t love a fresh salad? I do, especially with vegetables that are in season. Since corn is in season this makes the perfect recipe. It’s yummy in my tummy! It’s nice and simple, just the way I like it. So take a look at the video and give it a whirl! By the way, I just wanted to thank all of you for supporting me with my blog and videos. It truly means a lot to me. Please continue to support by sharing the posts and videos, and also subscribing to my youtube channel. It is SO much appreciated. It will help me to continue spreading the health. Recipe 5 ears of corn 1 1/2 cups edamame 2 tomatoes, diced 3 Tbsp green onion, chopped 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped juice of 1 lemon salt to taste The corn can either be boiled or roasted. The roasted corn gives it an extra special flavor. Cut the corn off of the cob. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Benefits of Edamame It’s a great source of fiber and soy protein. Soy protein may help reduce insulin resistance, kidney damage, and fatty liver in people with diabetes, according to a study in rats. A new study from Chinese university of Hong Kong indicated that soy protein containing isoflavones (phytoestrogens) significantly reduced overall cholesterol and LDL “bad” cholesterol, and raised HDL or “good” cholesterol, especially in men. Isoflavones also appear to work with certain proteins in soy to protect against cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Benefits of Tomatoes Tomatoes help protect against prostate cancer, enhance the immune system, and are an anti-carcinogen.

Superfood with a super delicious taste! Okay, that was lame I admit, but it's still true. If you're looking for more ways to enjoy quinoa salad, then this won't let you down. Quinoa contains a lot of good stuff, check it out: It is a complete protein It has 2 times as much fiber as other grains It has iron It is high in vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) It has lysine It has magnesium It's high in manganese Recipe: 2 cups quinoa 3 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 zucchini, sliced somewhat thick (about 1/4 inch) 1 squash, sliced somewhat thick (about 1/4 inch) 1 red onion, diced 3-4 Tablespoons parsley, chopped 2 Tablespoons Italian dressing Directions: In a medium pot place 2 teaspoons olive oil, and place on a medium heat. Add 2 cups quinoa, and stir to coat the quinoa with the olive oil. Let it brown for about 3-5 minutes. Add 3 cups water and stir occasionally until it comes to a boil. Ad 1 teaspoon of salt, stir in, and cover with a lid for about 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed into the quinoa. Using a grill pan, place it on a medium heat and add about 2 teaspoons olive oil. Slice 1 squash, zucchini, and red onion into about 1/4 inch slices. Place them on the grill and grill for 3-5 minutes on each side. Diced the zucchini, squash and onion into bite size pieces. Chop 3-4 tablespoons of parsley. Add the quinoa, zucchini, squash, onion, and parsley to a serving bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing, and stir until it is well mixed together. Eat warm, or place in the refrigerator to cool before eating. It will keep for 5-7 days covered in the refrigerator. More quinoa recipes coming your way!

Have you ever had your house professionally cleaned before? If you haven't you should totally try it. As a busy mom of three little ones it's hard to get everything done, and done right. To me my time is more well spent with my babies than deep cleaning my house for an entire day, only to turn around and have it messed up. I've found that as soon as I finish cleaning one room and head to the next, the kids are in the newly cleaned room messing it all up again. When I get my house professionally cleaned, I'm able to come into my house with the entire place cleaned and organized. Even if it only lasts twenty minutes, before the kids start playing and messing things up, it feels so good to see it that way every once in a while. Growing up I only knew one family who would have someone come clean their house. It was never an option for us since my family didn't have much money when I was younger. Even as an adult it never crossed my mind until a friend of ours started a cleaning business, and I was very pregnant with one of my babies and my husband mentioned I should have her come help me. At first I thought, "well, I can clean the house." Even though I was keeping a tidy house, cooking, tending to the babies, and vomitiing all day long, I still thought I could do it all and be fine. I could have done it all, and I usually did. But when I finally let my pride go, and unclenched my tight fisted hand, I finally asked her to come help me with my house. It was even better than I imagined it would be. The whole house just smelled fresh and clean, all at the same time! This hadn't happened since before kids. It was wonderful to come home to a clean house and only have to worry about playing with the kids and enjoying them. For some having someone come clean your house may not be an option because it can be spendy. Typically I'm the cheap one between my husband and I, so it's usually me that has to reason with paying someone to deep clean my house. However, we have been using a budgeting app for a few years now, and it has really helped me to be okay with when money is spent and on what. Some months I will budget in a cleaning for my house, and others not. Only because we have certain financial goals we're trying to reach. But when I put it in the budget for the month, then I don't feel guilty, because I know I allocated that money for it. For moms I recommend having a professional come in every once in a while to help out with the house. It can give us more time to enjoy out babies, while getting some help with the house. For me it's such a wonderful and helpful thing, and I'm grateful for it. Take a look at some picture of my house after it was cleaned professionally.

As a mother, I am constantly looking for ways to help my children to see and experience God's love for themselves. That doesn't only include all the blessings He as poured out upon us, but also to realize that "it's more blessed to give than to receive." For a while I have been praying and thinking about how I can help my small children, ages 5, 4, and 2, to give back to others. This is the first year we started homeschooling, since one is now the age for kindergarten, and it has been a wonderful experience. Don't get me wrong, that does not mean we haven't had hard or frustrating times, we have had plenty. But just the experience of teaching my own children is honestly a blessing. At some point I'll have to share the things they are learning, because it's pretty amazing stuff. Who knew a 3 year old could memorize the entire 10 commandments, and not a shortened version, but the whole thing in its entirety. Or even to know all the books of the Bible. Wow. God has made children to be so incredibly smart and capable. Back to the point of this blog post. I've been thinking of ways to help my children help others. They'll do small things like holding the door open for others or giving things to the neighbors, but I wanted more. As I prayed about what we could do, since they're so young and I have three of them needing my full-time attention, God answered. The words, "feed the poor," kept running through my head. I knew it was God, but I still didn't know how we would do this. We're on a tight budget, and as you know the price of groceries has significantly increased. But never once has God failed us or His people During a Costco trip I decided to get some extra food to make sack lunches to give to the homeless. It was simple and sustainable foods that would not need refrigerated. We had granola bars, fruit cups, boxed juice, water bottles, chips, and ingredients to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's food most people would like and has some health benefits to it. So I go the kids together soon after purchasing the items, and we set up a sandwich station and a sack station. The older two helped put all the items in the bags. Each kid was in charge of one item and had to make sure each bad had that item. My oldest would pick the fruit cups and put one in each sack. Then my middle child would put the granola bars in each bag, and so on. They were enjoying it and even counting how many bags and items we had. Since my kids are still pretty young I was the one making the pb&j sandwiches and putting them in ziplock bags. We wanted to feed the hungry physical food, but also wanted to give them some bread of life, some scriptures. We stopped at a Christian book store and purchased some little brochures that told about how God cares for them. They are simple reads that can be done in 10 minutes, but can change a life forever. So we added one to each of the bags. Before heading out we prayed over the bags and asked God to guide us to the people He wanted us to help. We had about 15 bags of food that we were ready to hand out. We drove around in the car to areas where we had seen homeless before. Some might think it's dangerous to do this, and it could be, but we knew God had asked us to "feed the poor" so we knew He would take care of us. "The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalms 121: 5-8. We would stay in the car and I would roll the window down when I would see someone who looked hungry, I would say, "excuse me, would you like a lunch?" Everyone would come over to the car with a smile and say yes to them. They said thank you and left with a smile, but not as big as ours. Our heart were overflowing with joy to give to someone in need. It wasn't much, but it was what we had. Finally we had one more lunch left and we were driving around looking for someone. As I was in a parking lot I saw a man at a bus shelter area. It was hard to tell if he was waiting for the bus or homeless. Afraid of offending him and asking if he was hungry, I didn't want to stop and ask, but something inside me made me stop. I got the mans attention and asked him if he was hungry, he quickly came over to the car and said, "oh yes! I'm so hungry, you saved my life. I haven't had anything to eat in a long time. Thank you so much. God bess." As soon as we drove away tears started falling from my eyes. It was God who made me stop and have the courage to ask this man if he would like a lunch. My children were so excited about helping the people and when we got home they couldn't wait to share what they did with daddy. We prayed during our evening worship for the people who received the food and spiritual food. We don't know their stories or why they are without homes, but we know everyone could use some food. My hope is to inspire others to pray and ask God how they can reach out to others, and have their kids help as well. We can read about how God fed the thousands of people, but we can also go out and help him feed them as well. We've done this a few times now, and even had some other friends come and help us. One last thought before I close this blog post. We see in the bible many times God had used angels to help people. Once when I was in need of help with a car that wouldn't start, on a very hot day, with three little kids in the back, I asked God for help. I asked him to send an angel to help us. Someone near by I knew, came to help us in many ways with that situation, and on the way home I asked God why he didn't just send His angel. He told me, "why would I use an angel when I can use my people." He wants to use us. Let Him use us.