Green Bean and Basil Salad

Here's a veggie recipe to help with the New Year's eating healthy resolutions:

Green Bean & Basil Salad

1 10 oz pkg frozen green beans (or fresh)
1/2 cup onions, sliced thin
2 tblsp red wine vinegar
1 tblsp olive oil
3 tblsp water
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried basil or fresh finely chopped
1tblsp grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt (optional)

Cook beans according to directions or until tender-crisp.
Combine beans and onions in large bowl.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over beans.
Toss until coated.
Chill several hours or overnight.
Enjoy!

Vitamin C

Are you taking vitamin C? Did you know  some of  the "benefits of vitamin C may include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling." This is according to Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD from WebMD.

For real results, we need 500 milligrams per day. And according to my doctor, taking 1,200 milligrams a day at the first sign of a cold, then 500 each day after that can help a cold go away much quicker and with less complications, such as sinus infection. So take your suppliments along with eating foods high in vitamin C to help this cold season.

Food sources for Vitamin C

oranges & orange juice

lemon

cantaloup

broccoli

red & green peppers

tomatoes & tomato juice

kiwi

strawberries

grapefruit

kale

brussel sprouts

Chicken noodle soup

It's what grandma always did when we were sick! Here's my recipe: http://beth-sunshinedaydreamz.blogspot.com/2009/10/homemade-chicken-soup-recipe.html

Stay well this cold and flu season!

Healthy School Lunches

It's Back to School time again! What is in your kids' lunch box? Here are some great tasting and healthy ideas:

DRINKS
Water, 100% juice, drinkable yogurt, milk.

SNACKS
Graham crackers, animal crackers, baked chips, pretzels, popcorn (not microwave), popcorn cakes and rice cakes with peanut butter, dry cereal nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried or canned fruit in natural juice, applesauce, fruit leather made of 100% fruit, cheese, grapes, bananas, orange slices, fat-free or reduced-fat pudding, yogurt, cottage cheese, granola bars that have less than 3 grams of fat and fewer than 30 grams of carbohydrates.

MAIN ENTREE
Turkey wraps, left over chicken, tuna, veggies with hummus, sandwiches on whole wheat, cold pizza, leftover meatloaf, and so on.

Just don't send the kids with Lunchables - they are full of fat and salt. Or big bags of Hot Cheetos. I work in a school and kids actually come into the lunch room with these things...

Hobbies as Therapy

One of the ways I relieve stress is by creating. Most of the time I design jewelry. Other times, it may be some project to enhance the look of my home, such as a wall hanging or handmade clock. Doing something with my hands is very rewarding, gets my mind off worrying about crap and even provides an outlet for anger, lol. Trust me, hammering a piece of metal feels good! In the end, I wind up feeling proud of what I accomplished and how I used my time. So don't sit around letting worry and stress eat at you. Put that energy to work, get a hobby and make something awesome!

Ah, Avocados!

Did you know?

Avacodos are high in potassium, vitamin K, folate, fiber and the "good" kind of fat? You know - the fats that are mono-unsaturated & actually help lower cholesterol levels! So get making some guacamole, add avocados to salads, soups, or just eat them straight up!

Is it ripe?

Gently squeeze and if it "gives" a little, the avacodo is ripe. If it's hard you can just let avacodos sit on the counter for a few days to ripen. Or speed the process up by putting hard ones in a paper bag with an apple.

Homemade Hot Oil Treatment for Your Hair

After spend the past few weeks at the beach, I noticed that my kids hair was starting to look like they were sporting dreadlocks. Nothing wrong with dreadlocks - I love them, but these were more nests than dreads, lol. Instead of going out to purchase hot oil treatments, I made my own homemade version.

I simply mixed one tablespoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon hair conditioner in a small bowl. I warmed the mixture up by placing the small bowl in a larger bowl of hot water. When warm, I stirred it up more and applied the treatment to their hair. Let it sit for three minutes and wash out. I was then able to throughly comb through all the tangles - with no crying!

I think I will have them do this once a month. It really helped with their long, thick, curly hair.