Wild Lettuce

So in my last post, I told you about my farm job.  

Y'ALL...

I come home most days, jump in the shower,

 take 4 Motrin, 2 Aleve, crank the heating pad to the "lava" setting and crash for several hours.

  

I am old.

I am out of shape.

I am basically falling apart.

Doug had been doing some research on medicinal herbs and came across wild lettuce.  

Now, that's WILD lettuce...NOT the devil's lettuce!

  Anyway, it turns out that it is an incredible natural pain reliever.  Doug bought a bottle of capsules of the dried herb and I've been taking them daily.  

I take them in conjunction with an OTC pain reliver and only at night and I have to admit that it does what it says!  It relaxes me and makes me a little sleepy.  On the nights I forget take it, I usually wake up several times due to pain.  I liked the effects so much that I purchased a package of seeds from Strictly Medicinal Seeds and grew out five plants this past fall.

There are about 50 varieties of wild lettuce and from what I've read, they all have about the same medicinal qualities.  I recently harvested the plants and dried them.  I think I'll make a tincture to last me through the winter and then re-sow the plants in the spring.

For me, it's a great substitution 

for so much OTC medication,

and I know my liver will thank me for that!

Check out some info on Wild Lettuce HERE.

Fire Cider

The end of summer begins the prep for cold and flu season.  My counter is currently filled with jars full of ferments for wellness, and the main one is FIRE CIDER.  Fire cider is full of health benefits from medicinal plants and herbs that are infused into raw apple cider vinegar and sweetened with raw honey.  A tablespoon a day will help support your immune system and overall health throughout the year but especially during cold and flu season.

Here's how I make it:

You'll need:

Organic apple cider vinegar with "the Mother"

Onion

Lemon

Garlic

Turmeric

Black Pepper

Ginger

Rosemary

Horseradish

Any Hot Pepper

Chop all ingredients and add to a glass jar.  Pour apple cider vinegar over and make sure the ingredients are submerged under the vinegar.  Loosely lid while fermenting so gasses can escape.  Place in a cool dark space and shake occasionally.

Let ferment for 2-6 weeks.

Strain into glass bottles for storage and sweeten to taste with raw honey.

Work up to taking a tablespoon a day, this is potent stuff, and increase to 2-3 tablespoons in the event of illness.

All of the ingredients have amazing health properties and really help to support a healthy immune system. If you can't find the ingredients listed above, you can always substitute dried OR any other medicinal plants you may find like elderberries, sage, oregano, lemon balm, lemon verbena, holy basil/tulsi, savory, catnip, etc.

Herbal vinegars like this should last a year at room temperature.

Growing Medicine

Not only am I growing vegetables and flowers in my garden, I'm also growing MEDICINE. 

 

Medicinal herbs, that is.

My favorite by far is Holy Basil.

I've been drinking it in tea daily, but I want to make it into a tincture to last through the winter months when I can't grow basils.

Tinctures are liquid, highly concentrated herbal extracts made by soaking herbs in alcohol, vegetable glycerin, or oil.

To make Holy Basil tincture:

Rough chop enough Holy Basil to fill a jar 3/4 full.

Pour (at least 80 proof) vodka, gin, or brandy over the herb to cover.

Cap, label, and set in a dark/cool place 

for six to eight weeks.  

Shake mixture up every now and then.

At the end of your six-ish weeks, strain out the plant matter and decant into dark glass 

dropper bottles.

Take 10-20 drops in a glass of water daily.

Holy Basil has compounds that alleviate anxiety and depression, increase mental clarity, help to decrease age related memory loss, and fight inflammation in the body.

All of that goodness and healing,

just growing right outside of my back porch!

Progress, and I'm Not Talking About My Foot!

Last year in November when I first saw my surgeon, he told me he would not take me to the OR in the condition I was in.  He challenged me to get healthy before performing my surgery.  

Let me tell you, pain is a great motivator!  

I desperately needed to have my foot corrected, so I began to alter my eating habits.  Exercise was out of the question since it was so painful just to even walk.  But with eating a ketogenic diet, I found I didn't have to do strenuous exercises at all to lose weight.

The picture on the right was me in December 

when I began this journey.  

The picture in the middle is me in May, 

down 50 pounds in five months!  

And the picture to the left is me TODAY.  

(I went shopping for scrubs since none of my old ones fit anymore!)

I still have about 20 more pounds that I'd like to lose, and now that I am able to be more active, I have no doubt I'll be at my target weight by December (maybe before!).  And it's all thanks to the surgeon who cared for his patient as a whole person...not just her messed up foot!

If you'd like to know more about the ketogenic diet, check out the links below:

THE KETOGENIC DIET FOR BEGINNERS

KETO 101

KETO CONNECT - The source of ALL things keto!

BoneBroth

When I had my surgery, my low carb way of eating went out the window.  I ate what I wanted. And because of that, I ended up feeling like crap and gaining weight.  Since returning to work, I finally feel like I want to take control of my life back.  That means drastically cleaning up my diet again.  It's so much more than just cutting carbs and sugar, it's about eating more nutrient dense foods for health.  One of the most nutritious foods you can eat is bone broth.

Here's how I make it.

Place 12-15 organic chicken legs in a crock pot and any combination of onions, peppers, celery, or carrots over them.  Add chopped garlic and seasonings like black pepper, poultry seasoning blend, rosemary, or thyme.  Cover with water and cook on low for 8-12 hours.

Strain the liquid into a large bowl and de-bone the chicken.  Place all the bones, skin, and cartilage back into the crock pot.  Cover bones with water and add 1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar.  Cook on low 12-24 hours.  The longer you cook, the more the vinegar has time to leach the nutrients from the bones. 

Combine the broth from both batches, salt well with pink or grey salt, and store in quart or gallon sized jars.  This recipe gives us just shy of one gallon of broth. If that's too much for you, the broth can be frozen or used in your favorite recipes. 

 Sip a cup or two daily for a boost of collagen, micro-nutrients, and pure comfort!

Some of the many benefits of bone broth:

Helps to fight inflammation.

Aids the body in wound healing.

Strengthens bones and teeth.

Heals the lining of the gut.

Supports healthy skin, hair, and nails.

It contains over 19 easy to absorb essential amino acids.

It is the BEST source of collagen and benefits every part of your body from your brain to your gut, muscles and ligaments.

Garden Therapy

To be honest, I had absolutely NO intention of having a summer garden this year.

I thought maybe I'd start some herbs or flowers from seed, but that would be it.  The surgery and subsequent recovery had been tough and I felt that I had to devote all my energies to healing instead of planting.

But then I realized, planting IS healing for me!

So in February I started some seeds.

I wasn't really sure that I could give them the care they needed.

Some died, but most lived

And as they grew, I found myself dreaming about putting them out in the garden...

But I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do that with mobility issues.

But I shared my vision with my boys and before I knew it, 

I had this beautiful tomato patch with an arched trellis for beans.

My dreams were becoming reality!

And then every morning and evening 

I was hobbling out to the garden in my walker.

Weeding, planting, even just sitting there soaking up 

the glorious sunshine!

It was becoming my therapy.

Something to look forward to every day.  

I truly think I was becoming depressed just sitting in the recliner all day watching TV day after day.

  The garden was making me move, think, and most importantly WALK!

It's still a challenge for me to move about the beds.  

The uneven ground seems to be my biggest enemy with my new bionic foot!  But I've learned to slow down, take my time and enjoy the process which is something I never really did before.

So for a garden that shouldn't have been this season, 

it has turned into my biggest garden to date! 

 I am so thankful for this little piece of earth 

and the healing it has given me!

Fire Cider ~ The Cure to What Ails You

Fire cider is a traditional folk medicine remedy to be used during the cold and flu season.  One look at the ingredients list and you'll know this apple cider based concoction is infused with all the most potent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory compounds around!

We take it at the first sign of sickness or exposure to illness.  

It will definitely stop it in it's tracks, or at the very least, shorten the severity and duration of a cold or flu.  

It also acts as a wonderful stomach tonic for those nasty GI bugs!

This is serious stuff though, you cannot drink it straight. 

It's called FIRE CIDER for a reason! 

We usually take 1 TBS. twice daily (for adults) 

or 1 tsp. (for children) 

in V-8 Juice or sweetened apple juice.  

Up to 3-4 times daily if illness sets in.

How to make FIRE CIDER:

In a glass jar (I use a one gallon size), combine:

1 large cut or grated horseradish root

2 heads of garlic

5 habanero or jalapeno peppers

1 large white onion

1 large ginger root

6-8 pieces turmeric root

2 lemons

several sprigs of rosemary

1/2 cup raw honey 

Cover the chopped ingredients with a raw and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar.  Cover jar opening with cheesecloth or parchment paper secured with a rubber band.  Set on counter or other cool, dry place for a minimum of two weeks or up to a month. 
 Stir the cider a couple of times a week.
When done, strain out the solid ingredients, be sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the pulp, and store the remaining liquid in the fridge.

Take as needed for:

Cold and Flu

Chest congestion

Sinus congestion

Cough

Digestive Aid

Or use daily as an immune boosting tonic.

Wishing you health and wellness this holiday season!

The Creamer Garden ~ 6.13.17 (a.k.a. The Goji Edition)

Every year I try to grow something new and different in the Creamer Garden because, let's face it, zucchini gets boring after a while!  Last year, on a whim, I purchased a goji berry plant.

I thought it would be a pretty ornamental in the garden, but I really had no idea how to use the berries.  You never hear of a 'goji berry pie' or a 'goji berry cobbler'...and now I know why!

They really don't taste sweet like you'd think a berry would be.  They taste like a sweet bell pepper and are hollow inside except for several tiny seeds.  To me, they seem more closely related to peppers than berries.

These plants also spread and multiply like crazy!

I've had three more plants pop up in this same garden bed several feet from the original plant.  I thought I'd transplant the extras so I dug them up by the root and gave them a new home.  Despite lots of watering and TLC, it appeared that my transplants died.  I just left them where they were and I'll be darned if a week later they both sprouted new growth AND berries!

Even if you have a "brown thumb," 

you can grow goji berries!

I'm still not sure what to do with all these berries!

Right now I'm drying them and using them in salads, sauces, soups, and they make the most lovely tea (with a little lemon!).

I definitely want to incorporate them into our diets 

more and more due to their amazing super food properties.

If you're interested in growing your own goji berries, 

I got mine HERE.

Now if anyone has that recipe for goji berry pie....

Relief for what ails 'ya!

For YEARS Doug and I battled stomach problems.  

We didn't have insurance and so we started looking for natural remedies for this too common ailment

and VOILA:

Raw, organic, and unfiltered

apple cider vinegar!

Just one to two tablespoons daily and all traces of stomach upset were GONE!

This stuff tastes like the Devil's Scourge so I only tend to drink it when it's absolutely necessary.

And believe me, after all the holiday food and festivities, 

I needed to cleanse my system of all that junk!  

This is the BEST way I've found to down the stuff:

Mix one to two tablespoons of ACV 

with cranberry juice and lemon or lime wedges.

Shake well and enjoy!

It's really refreshing this way...but it is an acquired taste!

Here are some other wonderful ways ACV can help you get healthy in this new year:

Read HERE,

HERE

and HERE.

Wishing you a happy and healthy

New Year!

Checking in

So it's been a couple of months since I checked in 

regarding my weight loss journey.

This is me now,

50 pounds lighter!

sweaty gym selfie

I'm not going to lie, I was a total slob over the holidays.

I ate, and ate, and enjoyed every tamale and sweet homemade treat.

But now I'm back on the 21 Day Fix 

and in the gym 4-5 days a week.

My goal is to lose 50 more pounds by June.  

At 46, my body isn't willing to give up the extra pounds so easily but I'm going to give it all I've got.

I feel great!

People tell me I look good all the time.

I've found a new love of skinny jeans and cowboy boots.

And my husband has even threatened to take me out dancing!

So far 2016 is looking like

a very good year!

For more on my weight loss journey, click on the "Health" tab in the label cloud to the left

Round 2 of the 21 Day Fix

I just completed my second round of the 21 Day Fix 

with really good results 

AGAIN!  

In case you missed it, here are the before and after pics 

from my first round:

And here I am today:

Only eight pounds down BUT I've lost major inches in my abdomen, hips, and legs!  I think the weight loss would be more but I'm gaining muscle because I'm lifting weights five days a week.  Overall I am very happy with the results!

Since beginning this weight loss/healthy living journey in June, 

I'm down 47 pounds.

I may not look like it, but I sure FEEL like it!

All the new clothes I bought in July are too big now...

and for me, that's a really great problem to have!

And today while Doug and I were at the gym, I got SO dizzy.  I felt like I was going to puke.  I think it's time to get rid of my blood pressure medicine, what do you think?

I have about three more weeks until I follow up with my MD. 

 Just enough time for another round of the 21 Day Fix!  

Will let you know how that follow up goes. 

 I expect great things!

21 Days ~ The Before and After

I DID IT!

I completed my  own copy cat version of the

21 Day Fix

and I'm here to give you all the low down, 

dirty deets about how I did.

First of all the before and after pics:

 I don't know if you can tell the difference, 

but I can definitely FEEL the difference!

I could absolutely kick myself for not taking measurements 

but I can tell that I am down several inches 

in my arms, thighs, and abdomen.  

I feel GREAT, have tons of energy, and am sleeping soundly though the night without the aid of melatonin...or wine!

I did my own cheat version of the 21 Day Fix (just scroll down a few posts to read about it!) and went to the gym every day M - F for at least an hour for cardio and weights.  I'm not going to actually divulge my weight, but I am down 9 lbs.

And I am very happy with that!

In these three weeks I have found that meal planning is the key.  Having pre planned, portioned meals/snacks on hand when I'm hungry or in a rush is the key to success.

I haven't been hungry on this plan either!

As a matter of fact, I find it difficult to get in all my veggie containers in a day.  I tend to plan my meals only two days in advance because I get bored eating the same thing over and over.  Some people make a whole week's worth of meals at a time, that's just not for me.

I love that I am eating whole foods and I know that that is the reason for feeling so good on the program.  One day while running errands, we had to stop for burgers.  I didn't feel guilty for cheating on the program, but my body felt sick for eating crap. 

 I haven't wanted it again since then 

and my sugar cravings have disappeared...

except for a piece of really good chocolate now and then!

My blood pressure has always been through the roof since having Mary Grace.  My diastolic, or bottom number, 

has always been over 100.  Always.

I have been getting dizzy this past week and couldn't figure out why, so I just randomly checked my BP.  

Check this out:

It's truly amazing that all of this happened in just three short weeks!

Today is officially the last of my 21 Days

but I'm starting another round tomorrow.

I will most likely keep repeating rounds of the 21 Day Fix until I reach my goal weight.

The program is simple, healthy, and perfect for a busy lifestyle.

I feel like I finally know how to eat healthy.

Plus, I gained a super cute gym partner to keep me motivated!

No make up, sweaty gym selfie!

#HOTTIES

21 Day Fix On the Cheap

So if you read my previous post about my workout obsession, you can understand that exercise alone doesn't change your body. 

 Real change, real health starts in the kitchen!  

One weekend I was channel surfing and came across the 21 Day Fix infomercial.  It sounded easy enough, but the price nearly killed me!  I thought for sure there had to be an easy cheat...and there was.

The basis of the 21 Day Fix are color coded containers.  Each holds a certain portion of food and you can have so many of those portions based on your calorie range. It's all about portion control and eating the right combinations of fruits, veggies, and lean proteins.  It breaks down like this:

Green = veggies = 1 cup

Purple = fruit = 1 cup

Red = lean protein = 3/4 cup

Yellow = carbs = 1/2 cup

Blue = healthy fats = 1/3 cup

Orange = 2 Tbs. = dressings and seeds/nuts

You can figure out how many of each container you will eat for a day by figuring up your caloric need.  For me, I need to be between 1800-2000 calories a day so I get:

5 Green

3 Purple

5 Red

4 Yellow

1 Blue

1 Orange

Every couple of days, I portion out prepared meals into containers so that way I'm all set.  No guess work or frantically trying to find something to eat come meal time.  There are also workout DVDs included with the program.  Since I go to the gym daily, I feel like I'm covered there.  Then there's the water.  This programs has you drinking LOTS of water...my quota per day, 16 cups!  I've yet to drink that much, but I'm trying!

Now don't think you can just fill your carb container with ice cream and call it a day.  This program also gives you a food list for each container.  You learn to eat whole foods in their proper portions.  I'm on week two and it's really sinking in!  I'm already portioning out my food without the use of measuring cups.  I know how much, and of what, I should be eating and it's becoming automatic.  I'm also down 3 pounds after the first week.

Here's a sample of what I took to work this weekend:

Breakfast:  Greek yogurt with berries

Morning Snack:  Carrots with hummus

Lunch:  Shrimp salad with avocado

Afternoon snack:  Cucumbers and sweet bell peppers with dressing

For dinner that night, we had salmon and kale salad

and I saved the apple for my evening snack.

I have never felt hungry on this plan, as a matter of fact, I have trouble getting in all my containers for the day!  I'm actually craving whole, healthy foods instead of the processed crap.

There are tons of meal plans, tips and tricks, and just good old basics of how the program works on YouTube and Pinterest.  Just type in "21 Day Fix" into the search engine.  Or you can follow my 21 Day Fix board on Pinterest HERE.

I'll post an update at the end of my 21 days,

so check back!

Sweat is MAGIC!

A little over a month ago I had a routine check up with my doctor.  For me, check ups usually go down like this:

My weight would be inching upwards.

My lab results would be crappy.

She'd add another medication to the already lengthy list.

I'd feel like such a loser leaving the office that I'd drown my sorrows in Chick-fil-A or Mexican food.

This time was different.

By some miracle, I was down 10 lbs. from my previous visit.

My labs were pretty darn good.

I got off of one of my blood pressure medications.

And she praised me for the positive changes I had been making.

I felt like such a winner that I went out and treated myself to some new clothes instead of food.

It was a really good day.

Something inside me snapped.  For the first time in a really long time, I felt empowered and encouraged to make some more positive changes in regards to my health. 

 So I joined a gym.

Yes folks, I've become one of THOSE people.

You know the ones....

I hit that gym Monday - Friday for 1-2 hours at a time.  I also go back in the evenings for Zumba, Tabata, Pilates, or whatever class they are offering.

It's an addiction, really.

This is MY time to get healthy.  

It's MY time to crank up my music as loud as I can stand it and just zone out.  

It's MY life and I feel like I'm finally waking up and taking charge of it!

Sweat is magic, y'all.

It has made me so much stronger than I was a month ago, physically and mentally.

It has shown me how to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression.

It has shown me my body is capable of amazing things.

It has shown me how to love myself.

And best of all, when my husband says, 

"DAMN GIRL!  You look HAWT!"

Well...what more could I ever want?

Trust me, the best things in life make you sweaty!

The mint patch

If someone ever tells you, 

"Don't plant mint in your garden, it becomes invasive!"

Just listen to them.

I did not listen, and now my herb garden 

has turned into the mint patch.

After I pulled up as much as I could find, I covered the bare ground with cardboard and four inches of mulch.  The mint didn't care, it just burst right through the cardboard, around the edges of the garden box, and even into the grass 

(it smells awesome when we mow!).

I had to find something to do with all this mint!

So now you get to have a tutorial on making mint oil.

Start by picking a bunch of mint, only the best leaves, and give it a good wash and air dry.

Once the leaves are dry, really pack them tightly into a jar and crush with the end of a wooden spoon.  

This was my favorite part, it smells SO good!

Pour oil over the mint, stir again with the end of the wooden spoon to make sure the oil gets into all the crevices, and pour on more oil if needed.  I used a food grade grapeseed oil, but olive or sunflower oils would work just as well.

Put the tightly sealed jar in the sun for about two days then strain out the mint leaves through cheesecloth.  Give those leaves a good squeeze to extract all the "minty-ness" from them.  Now you can use the oil immediately, but because I have so much mint growing in the garden, I'm going to repeat the process with the same oil and fresh leaves.  Kind of a double strength oil!

Some uses for mint oil: 

 indigestion 

sinus and respiratory infections 

inflammation of the throat and mouth

headache

toothache

bacterial and viral infections 

muscle pain 

itchiness 

Mosquito repellent

and it's a wonderful scalp treatment for dandruff