The Importance of Clearing Your Body and Life of Toxins

Our bodies can only handle a certain amount of toxins. Once our bodies are overloaded with toxins we start to have health problems. These health problems can vary from person to person, but the most common ones are fatigue, chronic pain, inflammation, bloating, digestion issues, weight gain or weight loss or sometimes even severe health problems can occur like cancer or auto-immune diseases for example.  

What is important to note, is that not only are many of us consuming toxins daily in our food and our beverages, but we also experience toxins in our environment. So, you have to find a balance. This is really important. When you purchase products of any kind to use in your household either for cleaning purposes or to consume, look at the labels. What are you actually putting on or in your body. Start paying attention and make some changes. Start slow, but work on replacing all of these toxic chemicals from your home.

The question really is, how much can your body handle? No matter how any toxins we remove from our lives, we will always come in contact with toxins, pesticides, and chemicals because we can't expect the whole world to make these changes overnight. Your neighbor may continue using pesticides on their lawn, and your family members might clean their house with strong chemicals right before you come over. You can't control that. So what CAN you control? 

Cleaning Products

You might think that all that clorox bleach and your dryer sheets are 100% safe, but the truth is that these products are extremely toxic to us and over use of them can cause problems in the body. Have you ever noticed that after you clean your house with bleach or other strong chemicals that you get a bad headache? There's a reason for that. These chemicals are not good for you to inhale. And when it comes to laundry detergents and dryer sheets, those are covered with all sorts of toxins and chemicals as well and those clothes go directly on your skin. And Yes, toxins can enter through your skin. There are many alternative products out there now that you can replace these things with. My favorite brands are Next Generation, Puracy, and Better Life! I love Better Life best because the products were created by a cancer survivor! Start looking for alternatives to your cleaning products! I highly recommend investing in some good microfiber cloths and using those with water for most of your cleaning. If you have a tougher mess, use baking soda and vinegar.

Makeup and Lotion

This one was a shocker for me! I had no idea that makeup would be bad for you in any way. It turns out that most of the make up and even the lotions that you buy have tons of not so nice things in them. However, if you watch ingredients, you can still find products that have little to no irritants in them and you can even find products that are 100% organic. For makeup I like 100% Pure brand and for lotions I like the Honest brand, but feel free to research and find ones that work for you. For a while I refused to use makeup or lotion because I learned of all the toxins in them, but then I started to find products that had real ingredients and left out the bad stuff. 

Lawn Chemicals/Pesticides

These hurt us all. Including children and pets. They don't just stay in your yard, the rain and water moves them to our drinking water, our rivers, our lakes, our swimming pools, and all surrounding lawns. I refuse to use chemicals on my lawn after cancer and you should too! There are many ways to treat your lawn without harmful pesticides. For example, if you are worried about weeds, which you shouldn't be because most are edible and medicinal and are food for our bee friends, you can spray them with vinegar and it works just as well without the danger of poisoning yourself and your neighbors. For pest control you can use certain plants, or even water with cayenne pepper and spray your plants so bunnies and deer don't eat them. There are so many options, please research and stop poisoning yourself and those around you! 

Food!

Food is a sensitive topic for people because they don't want to give up their favorite foods! I totally get that! So think of it this way. If you fill most of your menu with whole foods like fruit and vegetables and grains and beans, your body will be able to detox all of these chemicals so much better and easier. And you know what that means? It means if you want to have that vegan burger at a restaurant that is chock full of chemicals, salt, and such along with a big basket of greasy fries, your body can handle it! This is where you just have to limit yourself. Not necessarily give it up. For me, I eat whole food plant-based foods most of the time with small amounts of salt, sugar, and no oil. When I eat this way I feel so much better, and on those days that I decide to have my vegan burger or vegan brat, I know my body can handle it without making me ill. 

Listen to your body! If a food makes you feel sick at all, you should NOT be consuming it. I grew up thinking that it was normal to feel sick after eating eggs or a big ice cream sundae! Apparently, my body does not feel good eating those things. And at this point, even the thought of meat makes me want to gag. But each body will be different, so you listen. If you have acid reflux after you eat greasy fried foods, then don't eat them or make it an occasional treat! 

I love you all and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out! I want you all to be happy and healthy! 

Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Over Penne with Broccoli and Mushrooms

I haven't written on this blog for a long time, but last night I made a new recipe that was so fantastic, I just had to share it. 

For those of you that don't know! I eat mostly whole foods, completely plant-based, with no oil, no processed sugar, and very low salt. 

When I have ingredients to use up in the fridge, I enjoy making up dishes. And to be very honest with you it either ends up being some sort of noodle based stir fry or a pasta of some sort. 

Last night I made a delicious garlicky alfredo sauce out of cauliflower and spices. I put it over a pot of gluten free penne noodles and added in some sautéed broccoli and mushrooms. It was extremely good and a great way to hide some vegetables for certain family members that don't enjoy them. :)

If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, no problem! The pasta was good on it's own, but you could also just add whatever vegetables you want. It would really be good with anything!

Okay so here's the recipe. 

Ingredients: 

For the sauce:

1 small head of cauliflower (cut into florets)

1 yellow onion (roughly chopped)

4 cloves of garlic (peeled and left whole)

3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons of Miso (Found at whole foods)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of tapioca starch

1 cup unsweetened non dairy milk (I used soy)

black pepper

For the Veggies:

low sodium tamari

1 package baby bella or shitake mushrooms (sliced)

1 package of organic broccoli (cut into bite size pieces)

1 16oz bag of gluten free penne (I get mine from Trader Joes)

Instructions:

Steam the cauliflower and onion for about 20 minutes. 

While the cauliflower is steaming, add the rest of the sauce ingredients to your blender and set aside. 

Sauté your mushrooms and broccoli in a bit of low sodium tamari sauce. 

Once the cauliflower and onion are done steaming, drain and add to the blender, blend until creamy and smooth and set aside. 

Now it's time to cook your pasta. 

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse and add your sauce to the pot to heat it up a bit. Once it's heated, add the pasta to the pan and stir until well combined. Then add in your mushroom and broccoli mixture. 

Serve hot and enjoy! 

Alcohol and Why I Don't Drink it

Disclaimer: I am not writing this to stop you from drinking alcohol if you so choose. I am writing this to tell you why, I personally have chosen not to drink alcohol. I do not expect anyone to follow in my footsteps, however, I will be providing alternatives if you wish to start taking alcohol out of your diet. 

For those of you that don't know, I no longer drink Alcohol. I think I may have had a few sips of wine

here and there since my Leukemia diagnosis in July of 2017. There are many reasons why I have chosen to no longer drink alcohol unless it is added to cooked dishes.

Number One:

I am still on many prescription medications. I've been told by one of the pharmacists that I could still have alcohol if I wanted to, but considering all the damage these pills are already doing to my organs and my body, I'd rather not add another element to that. As many of you know, excessive alcohol use can damage the liver. Considering how much I have gone through, and the fact that I have had issues with my liver throughout my cancer and bone marrow transplant experience, I think that drinking alcohol is not worth the risk to my health.

Number Two: 

Even if I felt safe drinking alcohol, I wouldn't drink it because I don't feel good after drinking. It's not worth the dehydration, the headache, or the feeling ill the next day. For some reason, even a very small amount effects me negatively. Even before I was diagnosed, I only needed to drink a small amount of it to feel an effect, and I'd often get a headache later.

Number Three:

For me, there is a spiritual reason to not drink alcohol. I believe that it lowers your vibration, meaning that it brings you down to a low space and makes you more susceptible to lower energies. Some people say that drinking helps them in their spiritual journey, if this is true, than all the power to you, for me, I really believe that it hinders me and is not helpful.

It might feel good while you are drinking it, but many who drink to much of it end up in a depressed and low space. It's not good to bring yourself to this space and stay there for a long time. Many get addicted to the initial high that alcohol brings, that little buzz that you get that gets rid of your inhibitions.

Number Four: 

I simply don't enjoy it anymore and I've figured out other beverages that are healthier and don't effect my body in negative ways. There were many summers when my husband and I would sit on our back patio and have a drink and just chat, but what I realized was that I didn't need alcohol to do that.

So, what do I do for an alternative. Sometimes, I just want a nice big glass of ice water, but for those that don't enjoy just drinking water. Here are some other options.

Herbal Iced Teas: I love to experiment with herbal iced tea. This year so far, I have made hibiscus orange mint and Chai Roibos. Both are delicious. You can really make any herbal tea iced. You can also by pre-made herbal iced tea bags that make it even easier.

Fruit Infused Water: My favorite fruit/Veggie infused waters are Cucumber Mint, Apple Cinnamon, and Lemon, Lime, Cucumber. You can try any kind you want. You just throw whatever veggies or fruit you want and then put it in the fridge to infuse and then drink it up within about 3 days or so.

If you want something more creamy, I have also been experimenting with making iced chai lattes. I do it the healthy way, by making everything from scratch, but if you aren't worried about all the sugar, I used to really enjoy Tazo Chai Concentrate with soy milk and ice.

For my healthy version, I have been adding coconut nectar, soy milk, chai roibos iced tea, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove powder, all spice, ginger, and sometimes a tiny bit of turmeric and black pepper and then I blend it to make it a bit foamy, then I pour it in a glass with a few ice cubes. It's not Starbucks chai tea latte, but I like it and it's way healthier.

These are just some drinks that I enjoy and love to have when everyone else is enjoying their beers or other alcoholic beverages on the patio.

When I'm out at a restaurant, I will usually just have herbal tea, or water. There was this one place in Florida that was all vegan and organic! It's still stands as one of my favorite vegan places I've ever been. It was called The Dandelion Community Cafe and if you are ever in Florida, you should go! Their food is amazing! Anyways, they had herbal iced tea, and they did a different flavor every day. I loved it!

Mini Chickpea Flour Fritatta Muffins

I want to start this off by telling you that I have been missing

certain breakfast foods. Most of the items I consume for breakfast are on the sweeter side, things like muffins or breads. I've been on the search for something savory that is also delicious and nutritious. 

I discovered this recipe when I was looking for ideas of things to contribute to my Mom's Easter Brunch. Since we are all kind of stuck in our houses right now, I decided to try them at home first and see if they are any good. They are seriously my new favorite thing! Like not just for breakfast, but in general. 

As you know, I'm really into sauces. We had a leftover sauce I had made for another dish. It was supposed to be kind of a blue cheese sauce, but it doesn't taste like it. It tasted more like a cheesey sauce. These tasted amazing alone, but even more amazing with this cheesey sauce, so I will share the link to both recipes at the bottom of the blog as usual. 

These are full of veggies and they bake perfectly. You will find that the batter seems runny, but don't fret, because they will still turn out lovely. You have to make sure that when you transfer these to the muffin tin that you have an even amount of the veggies and the batter in each cup. The veggies called for are corn, kale, peppers, and shallots, but you could use any veggies you want or have on hand.

When my hubby the taste tester tried these, he said they were delicious, but he thought they could use more salt and something to make them spicy. Since I can't handle any spice, I did tell him he'd have to add his own at the end. I did, however, make these again and added a bit more salt. I didn't think it really changed the flavor much. 

Chickpea Flour Fritatta Muffins

Cheesey Sauce

Note: Kala Namak, or black salt, is part of this recipe, this is what gives it an eggy flavor. I am not sure where in a grocery store you would look for this, but if it were to be found locally, it would probably be near the Indian foods as Kala Namak, or black salt is from India. I ordered mine on amazon and I've been loving making eggy dishes ever since! 

Thai Peanut Ramen

This was so yummy!!! I made my own curry past with thai basil leaves, water, curry leaves and a little yellow curry powder. It wasn't the exact same as a curry paste, but it was delicious anyways! 

I also left out all oils as I don't personally consume oils. But, this recipe did not require it at all. I used vegetable broth to saute the vegetables. As a mostly gluten free Vegan it's hard to find vegan and gluten free ramen noodles, but Cost co carries a great brand that is organic, gluten free, and vegan so we use that. When making this recipe, I also left out all the spicy stuff, but if you can handle spice! Leave it in! Thai based things are usually spicy! 

If you love ramen, I highly recommend trying out this recipe. It's delicious and filling and comforting. 

Recipe Link Below:

Thai Peanut Ramen Noodle Soup! 

Chickpea Flour Mini Frittatas

This is the first recipe I've been really excited about sharing lately. My energy levels have been low and the past few days, I've been struggling mentally. Today I woke up and decided to try making these and they are absolutely delicious! They taste like cheesey eggs with savory veggies. 

On first taste, my husband suggested adding some sort of spice, which I won't do because I can't handle spice, but I told him he was welcome to add hot sauce on the top if he wants. He also said he wished it was a bit more cheesey. Personally, I thought these tasted great without anything else added. My husband also thought they could be a little more salty. So, I might add a bit more salt next. 

After he taste tested for me, I decided to try dipping mine in a vegan blue cheese dressing I made the other day, and I'd say that added a bit more of the cheesey taste he was looking for. Other than that, I'd say, if you want it to be spicier, add in some hot sauce, or sprinkle some on top. 

If you have access to chickpea flour, you could really use any veggies you wanted. These called for kale, corn, red pepper, and shallots. I thought that worked out as a good combo, but you could use whatever you have. 

I highly recommend this recipe. I may have added more veggies than called for. 

Make sure you have enough batter to veggie ration in each muffin cup. 

Here is the recipe:

Chickpea Flour Frittata Muffins

How to Treat Lung Congestion and Cough at Home

During a global pandemic, there are going to be lots of people that will develop symptoms. It doesn't mean that you have the virus, but it could. So, fear gears up and it lowers your immune system. So, how can we combat our fears and anxiety when we develop a cough?  How can we cope when we feel like we can't breathe? The best way to cope with these fears is to focus as much as you can on what you can control. So, if you start having symptoms that scare you. Start doing things that can help, not only your immune system, but can treat your symptoms. 

Of course you should watch your symptoms and if they get worse, absolutely see or talk to your doctor, but in the mean time. Try some of these methods first. I, myself, recently had a sore throat and had heard that this was how the virus starts. Did I freak out? Yes, I'll admit I did a little. But, I spent the next two days drinking lots of oregano tea (known to be an natural anti-viral) and I drank lots and lots of liquids. After two days of this, my sore throat was gone. So, sometimes it's just a simple fix. 

Here are some simple at-home methods to treat lung discomfort. I'm going to start with the most effective method. Start by trying an overnight ginger wrap. You may have to do this a few nights in a row, but ginger wraps are known to help remove phlegm from the lungs. Below you will find directions for making a ginger wrap.  

How to Make the Ginger Wrap for Cough

• Grate or puree about a half a cup of fresh ginger
• Place in a strainer lined with cheesecloth to drain
• Spread on an old towel about 9-12 inches square
• Lay the towel with the paste on your chest as you are laying down
• Cover with another towel that is damp and warm
• Leave on for 15-20 minutes
• Rinse off with a warm cloth or shower
• Repeat if necessary

If you experience discomfort from the ginger wrap, you can use another old towel on your skin under the towel with the paste. You’ll need the vapors to penetrate your skin to benefit from the herb.

 Along with using a ginger wrap, you can also drink ginger tea or ingest ginger raw. Not everyone can eat raw ginger, but if you can stomach it, this is the best way to consume it, make sure it is organic and wash it well. It is great for immunity and again, even ingested, it will help with your lungs. It has also been known to help with anxiety. Below I have included a link for fresh ginger root tea. 

Homemade Ginger Root Tea

Alright, so the amazing ginger! Try it in it's many forms. Next, lets look at the benefits of  echinacea. This is another thing that can help with breathing. It is often used along with peppermint as you can see on this tea box. I like to take a tea like this and breathe in the steam it creates. It soothes the lungs. Then, because of it's immune powers, I drink it once it's no longer too hot. 

If you aren't interested in drinking tea, you can also put a drop of ecinacea oil and a drop of peppermint oil into a bowl of boiling water. You can then put your head over the bowl and breath in the oils. Or, if you have a diffuser, you can do that as well. Another option is to take a hot shower and put a few drops of oil on a wash cloth and hang it in your shower. 

Another thing you can try is Eucalyptus tea or oil. It has been known to promote lung health and help remove mucus from the lungs. This is great for use in the shower as well. A drop or two is all you need as this has a very strong scent. I love a tea called Breethe Easy that utilizes this amazing plant. 

I hope this helps! And remember, focus on what you CAN control. Find ways to calm your mind and do what you can. 

Much love to you in these trying times!