Tag Archives: Healthy

The Day After Soup

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Let me apologize for the somewhat dramatic and still somehow vague title of this post. I just couldn’t think of anything else…

I went out to eat last night. The Italian food I had was quite delicious and I didn’t overindulge -I didn’t even have bread or wine- but I am having the same problem I always do the day after I eat out, salt and oil overload! Even vegetarians can’t escape the liberal generous mammoth use of salt at restaurants. I am just not used to it and feel a bit off today.

My first attempt to rebalance was to make a large smoothie:

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An all fruit smoothie has a lot of natural sugar in it but I am not sweating that because it is packed with natural fiber, vitamins, micronutrients and a high water content … which I need right now.

My next order of business was to start up a nourishing vegetable soup:

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Making a veggie soup once a week is one of the easiest ways to improve your health. You don’t even need a recipe. Chop up a few cups of colorful vegetables, throw them in a pot and cover them with broth or water, add spices, add heat and wait. I like to throw mine in my little crockpot. Heat on high and it’s ready in time for lunch, on low for dinner. Add pre-cooked beans and you have a complete meal. (I would suggest waiting until the last 20 minutes before adding any leafy greens to avoid over cooking.)

So, there are two of my picks to stay healthy during the holidays.  How do you stay in balance this time of year?

Many blessings,

Cynthia

Please follow me on Twitter. Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page.

justdragonfly

Quick (Mostly Healthy) Tea Cookie

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I was perusing YouTube the other day when I came across a quick and easy tea cookie recipe from Mary Harris on her Sprout and Blossom channel.  I thought, “Ooooo, tea cookie!  That sounds lovely and comforting.  I have to try that this weekend,” So, I did.

Two main ingredients: banana and oats, what could be simpler?  Mary’s recipe is quite healthy, as well as quick and easy, but I wanted to do the cocoa, peppermint variation.  I was concerned that the cocoa might be a little bitter with only a banana as sweetener.  So, I added a little sugar.

Here’s my variation on the Sprout and Blossom Three Ingredient Recipe:

One cup rolled oats (blended into a flour consistency)

Two small to regular mashed bananas

One teaspoon vanilla extract

One level tablespoon of cocoa powder

Two tablespoons of organic cane sugar

About 3 drops of peppermint extract

About a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix everything together but add the chips last.  Drop teaspoons of the batter on a lined baking sheet.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  (Keep an eye and nose on them, as baking times tend to vary depending on your oven.). I got a dozen cookies out of this mix.

Enjoy!

Many blessings,

Cynthia

Please follow me on Twitter. Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page.

justdragonfly

Natural Beauty DIY: Better than Store-bought Facial Exfoliant

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Most people know by now that commercial facial exfoliants with those little plastic micro beads are bad for the environment and have looked for alternatives.  Thank Goodness!

However, I don’t understand why people are willing to still buy products, containing other harmful ingredients, in packaging (that may or not be recyclable) and throw down a huge chunk of change to do it.  I just did a quick search and saw a dozen or so facial exfoliants, ranging in price from $5 to $50.  My facial exfoliant is all natural, only has two ingredients and costs practically nothing.  You can make it right now.

Honey-Sugar Facial Exfoliant

Pour approximately a tablespoon of honey onto a dish or in a small bowl.  Add a teaspoon of sugar. Mix them together.  Apply to damp skin in gentle circular motions with your fingertips.  Avoid your eye area.  (If any gets in your mouth, eat it!)  Rinse with warm water.  Voila! Beautiful smooth skin!

Sometimes, we seem to consume for no other reason than …just because.  Our inner child is lured by a shiny new package (destined to crowd landfills and pollute our oceans.)   We are looking for a quick fix to assuage our fears and insecurities.  So we buy something that we not only don’t need but may cause us harm either through artificial ingredients or by befouling Mama Earth.  Let’s top the madness; shall we?  Let’s take care of ourselves by being creative instead of blindly consuming.

How do exfoliate your skin?  Do you DIY your beauty products?  Leave me a reply.  I would love to hear from you.

Many blessings,

Cynthia

Please follow me on Twitter.  Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page.

justdragonfly

Natural Energy: Chia Seed Lemonade

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I am pretty much full of chia seeds lately. They are fantastic! If you are looking for one easy way to improve your health, take chia seeds daily.

Chia seeds have a long history of providing excellent nutrition. Ancient Aztecs and Mayans used them to maximize their energy and strength. Chia seeds are still considered a superfood today. Packed with fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids.  They have all the benefits of flax seeds without the need to grind to them to make them digestible. Plus, they are shelf-stable and bugs don’t like them. Hallelujah!

Chia seeds are really easy to incorporate into your diet. You can sprinkle them into salads, cereals, casseroles and baked goods. I often put them in brownies and muffins. You can also drink them. I put them in my smoothies. Unlike other seeds which stay hard, when you add chia seeds to liquid, they expand and form a gel. So, they slip right down your gullet!

Chia Seed Lemonade (a.k.a. Chia Fresca a.k.a. Iskiate) is my new favorite to take these wonderful seeds.

Chia Seed Lemonade

Tall Glass of Water

Three Tablespoons of Chia Seeds

Three Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

Half Teaspoon of Stevia

Ice

Mix the seeds into the water and let sit for ten minutes. You will notice it is much thicker at this point. Stir again. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir again and enjoy!

Do you think you will try Chia Lemonade? Do you already use chia seeds in your diet? Please let me know by leaving a reply. I love hearing from you!

Blessings to all,

Cynthia

justdragonfly

Naturally Beneficial: Behold The Mighty Dandelion!

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Today, winter turns into spring but it’s snowing… So, it seems like a good time for you and me to discuss dandelions. That’s right, dandelions. Before you decide to kill them again this year, I implore you, let them live. Let them live!

I don’t know who convinced the American public- at-large that we all need lawns that look like pristine, lush, green carpets – probably some brilliant but evil marketing genius at a chemical company – but that person should have been sho- ahem, given a stern talking-to!

Anyway, however it happened, it’s a damn shame because the dandelion, and other so-called weeds with wonderful health-benefitting properties, went from friend to foe in the space of a generation, when all they ever wanted to do was heal us and the rest of the planet. That’s right! Those lovely, little yellow flowers are really nature’s medicine. Dandelions are meant to nourish us and many other species.

The bees, for example, rely on dandelions for food in the spring before many other flowers are blooming and again in the autumn, after less hearty blossoms have long been spent. Much has been made recently about the declining bee populations and the dire consequences that stem from their loss. You can help the little buggers out by leaving the dandelions alone! I mentioned in an earlier post that you may have noticed your dog or cat eating dandelions. They do this because instinctively they know that dandelions will clean them out and improve their health. Dandelions are a mild diuretic and they are high in vitamins and minerals. *

Guess what? Dandelions will help get you healthy and clean you out too! I can hear you now. “Oh Cynthia! You’re being weird again! There is no way I am picking dandelions from my yard and eating them!” Well, you don’t have to eat them straight from the yard. Bring them in the house and wash them first for Goodness’ Sake!

Early spring dandelion leaves are quite tender and delicious in a raw salad. I have also put them in smoothies. A lovely herbal tea can be made from fresh or dried dandelion leaves. Wildman Steve Brill has several interesting cooked dandelion root recipes on his website. You can even make the flowers into wine! (I gotta try that… one of these days!)

Have I convinced you not to poison or rip out and discard this misunderstood herb yet? Are you impressed by all the health-improving benefits offered by the mighty dandelion? If you still feel weird about picking these beautifully abundant plants, you can always go to Fairway and pay several dollars for a bunch instead of allowing them to grow in your own backyard!

What’s your take on dandelions? Friend or foe? Leave a comment and let me know!

 

*A somewhat decent but by no means complete list of dandelion’s beneficial properties:

  1. Food for animals and insects
  2. Diuretic
  3. Eases indigestion

Good source of:

  • Iron
  • Calcium
  • Biotin
  • Potassium
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Phosphorous
  • Inositol
  • B Vitamins
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin D

Love and Blessings to All,

 

Cynthia

 

Please follow me on Twitter.  Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page.

justdragonfly

What is The Best Protein Shake? The One You Make Yourself!

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I am not generally a fan of processed foods.  There is nothing natural about cookies that have a two year shelf life or a freeze-dried shake with ingredients almost no one can pronounce.  If you want to look good, feel good and perform optimally then I believe a varied, whole foods diet is the way to go.  However, there are times when you might need a little assistance from something comes in a plastic container.

I have been dealing with one of these situations on and off since I fell.  While my jaw was wired shut, I lived on protein shakes and soup.  More recently, I had braces put on which when combined with my flipper (a retainer with a fake tooth on it) makes eating solid food on my lunch hour a bit daunting.  So, I am back on liquids and very soft (i.e. easy to remove foods) during the day.

For a while, I was regularly picking up Nearly Naked Protein Drinks, thinking they were among the better options on the market.  I noticed that I was feeling really bloated and couldn’t understand why.  Then one day, I read the label and was surprised to learn that these shakes had WHEY, as well as, soy protein in them.  Ugh, no wonder why!  Then I went on a quest to find a vegan, organic ready-made protein shake.  There are a few but they are not always that easy to find and I wasn’t convinced ready-made was even the way to go.  When was it made?  How long had it sat on the shelf?…on the truck?… at the factory???

I decided to go back to making my own.  Although, I do use protein powder sometimes for the sake of convenience (other times I will blend down tofu or throw in some vegan yogurt,) I like having control over the freshness of the other ingredients.  Quite frankly, I think they taste a lot better because you can use fresh fruit, real vanilla bean or your favorite dark chocolate.  Also, you can put it in a reusable container.  So, that is kinder to Mama Earth.  And if you use a glass container (I like Ball Jars ’cause they’re neat!) it is kinder to you because you don’t have to worry about plastic contamination.  It is also kinder to your wallet.  I can make something twice the size of the Nearly Naked Shake I was buying for far less than half the price.

Protein shake

My country-inspired protein shake.

So, next time you find yourself reaching for a pricey protein shake, why not reach for your blender instead?  All you need is a banana, a glass of almond milk, a scoop of protein powder (or half a package of tofu,) maybe a lil pure vanilla extract and then just shake shake shake…

What do you like to blend up?  I would love to hear from you.

Love and blessings to all.

Cynthia

Please follow me on Twitter.  Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page.

justdragonfly

My First Blog Post: A New Beginning …

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May I just say, starting a new blog is a little intimidating!  My mind is swirling with so many thoughts: 1. Will anyone read it?  2. If they do…will they like it?  3. And the most frightening thought of all: What should my first post be about?  Hmmmm…

Then I came across this quote:

And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings…

Meister Eckhart

So, that’s what my first blog post is about: A new beginning!  What could be more appropriate?

Cynthia Lenz’s Naturally Healthy and Happy Blog is a new beginning for me in so many ways.  Starting this blog today begins a new life purpose for me… but please allow me to back up for a moment and tell you about some recent endings.

Like so many people who lived along the waterfront in the Northeastern U.S, my home was flooded by Hurricane Sandy.  Thankfully, I had a warm, safe place to go and stay with family; where I currently still reside.  Then in December, after six plus years, I decided to close my business, Chickyrhumba.  It was an emotional decision but selling my handmade jewelry has been a struggle in the current economy.  So, suffice it to say, selling it, wasn’t nearly as joyous as making it.  Although I still really love making jewelry, I feel called to a higher purpose which is helping people get fit, happy and healthy in a natural way.  And this blog is where I shall begin.  Thank you for joining me!

So, what can you expect to see here on weekly basis?  Essentially, all things in regard to health, happiness and living more closely aligned with nature (have I mentioned I can be very literal sometimes?) If you are a girly girl or a metro-sexual male, don’t worry!  I won’t be writing odes to living on a hippie commune or coming up with little ditties on and when not to flush the toilet to save water.

Life is about growth, not perfection.  I will be sharing information I have found over the years on how to feel great, look great, be kind, eat well and take better care of Mama Earth while you take care of yourself.  We’ll be getting into all the different facets of wellness in the weeks, months and hopefully years to come.  From time to time, I’ll include some of my own struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as, the solutions I have found to alleviate it over the last twenty plus years.   And, of course, there will be much MUCH more but let’s keep a little mystery for now, shall we?

Thank you for reading my first blog post.  I appreciate your time and would love to hear from you as this journey continues.  What would you like to get started? Let me know what you plan to begin and about the magic comes from it.

Love and Blessings to all,

Cynthia

Follow me on twitter! My handle is @cynthialenz.  Please LIKE my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy