Apple Cider Vinegar – A Toddy to help clear those Sinuses…

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar and pre-crushed Ginger

Apple Cider Vinegar is the miracle fluid you’ve never heard of and never tried, unless you’re just one of those folks that knows or you’ve been to see a holistic nutrition expert.  I am not the first, but I am the second and I google a lot.  I want to tell you about one specific use of apple cider vinegar and that is creating a tonic that will help clear up sinus issues and get you mending.  I certainly don’t remember which website I saw this on, but if you google Apple Cider Vinegar and sinuses or sinus infections, you’ll see a ton of home remedy sites that recommend Apple Cider Vinegar.  As always, I put my own spin on this recipe to create a tonic that won’t make you want to vomit.  Next time you feel those sinuses sneaking up, give it a whirl.  Here’s what I do:

Ingredients:

• Apple Cider Vinegar – I use organic, unpasteurized ACV.  I currently have Bragg brand.  Warning, there will be a residue at the bottom of the jar that will make you think you’re drinking dirt – shake it on up…it’s fine.
• Ginger (optional – you can use fresh ginger or you can buy the pre-ground stuff.  I’m sure you know which I prefer)
• Lemon Juice (optional)
• Honey (optional)

Boil some hot water, however you do it.  As the water boils add a tablespoon or two – depending on your tolerance to taste and the size of your mug of apple cider vinegar, add some ginger (I usually add about 1/2 a tablespoon), half a lemons worth of lemon juice to your mug.  Pour the hot water over the mixture and stir.  Add Honey to taste.  It should end up tasting like a tart tea, but since it’s hot, it will soothe you.  You can also do this cold.  I just prefer hot drinks when I’m sick.

Variations:

• Sometimes I brew my beverage and add  non-caffeineted Ginger Tea bag to the hot water.  I have some Ginger Snappish tea (Ginger and Lemon) that adds a nice bit to the beverage.  Experiment with Tea flavors.  An apple flavored tea or even just a lemon flavored tea will be nice.
• The Hot Toddy – when I drink this before bed time – I add a splash (the size of splash is dependent on you) of Vodka/Rum whatever to it to help me sleep.  Now…I know some of you may protest that booze is not the answer.  Wrong.  Booze is always the answer.  Add a splash, you’ll love me for it, but be careful how much Vodka your mixing with whatever other drugs you might be taking, especially any NSAIDs or Acetaminophen.  Use common sense please.

Good Luck, feel better, and let me know how it works!

Super Green Smoothies for the rest of us – It will change your mind about drinking green stuff…

I am in a constant war to try to get in a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetables – as i’m sure the majority of you are as well.  I choose to do a green smoothie almost every morning and it really gets me PUMPED.  Now, if you’ve read me a while, you know i’m no health freak and I’m very particular about the color and consistency of my food.  So, at first the thought of drinking vegetables in a GREEN thick mixture – made me want to throw up in my mouth.  I’ve found many ways to make this actually quite delicious.  So, if you need some more vegetables, have a blender, and are willing to give it a whirl with me.  Read on.

The Super Smoothie…

Super Smoothie – Unblended

I know Juicing is all the fad, but let’s be real.  I’m lazy and buying all that stuff just to extract the juice is just to damn much.  I much prefer a smoothie.  I like to get the fiber, don’t mind the grainier texture and with A’s overpriced, but amazing Vitamix – I get a smooth meal everytime.  I loaded this smoothie with EVERYTHING (and I do mean EVERYTHING) I’d need to stay healthy.  Here were my ingredients:

• A ton of Kale greens (Spinach/Chard/Whatever) When I have my massive bag of Kale, i use fresh.  I also keep frozen spinach always just in case.
• Frozen Mango/Raspberry (this can be any fruit combo.  I like mango because it’s strong enough of a taste to break down some of the greens)  Lots of people use banana because as you know if you add banana to anything it tastes like banana, but it’s a pretty starchy veggie.  Crisp granny apples are also good.  Berry mixtures are good too, but beware blueberries mixed with the greens make the smoothie a brownish color that MIGHT just be more offensive than green.
• Ground FlaxSeed – Get those Omega 3’s!
• Aloe Vera Juice
• Fish Oil (totally optional) but if you try to take it and the fishy burps assail you, try putting it in the smoothie
• Lemon juice (again optional, but can help balance taste depending on what fruit you add)
• Water or Coconut Water – I add Coconut water when I know I’m dehydrated and want to up my hydration game.  Regular old H20 is cool too.  Add more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothie.

Tastes too greeny – ewww…  Try adding one or more of these

• Agave Nectar – adds some sweet – WARNING this stuff is MUCH sweeter than you will realize.  Use sparingly at first.
• Splenda – if you’re not a chemical purist, it does help to add a few packets
• Truvia/Stevia – if you like it, this works too.  I find it has a bit of an aftertaste, but that’s just me.  I’m a splenda gal.  Give me my chemicals.
• Crystal Light Lemonade – again, if you aren’t offended by chemicals, this is a quick fix to get some extra lemon flavor without squeezing lemons.
• Honey – does same as any sweetener
• Ginger – especially if you use apple or mango as your fruit, adds a lovely zip.
  

  The final Super Smoothie Product – Tastes better than it looks – I promise.

Jazz it up with … (do not recommend all these at once, experiment!)

• Almonds (optional) – If you want some extra protein, soak some almonds and throw them in.
• Protein Powder (vanilla, optional) – again if you want to boost the amount of protein.  I usually throw a scoop of vanilla or berry flavored vega smoothie powder in
• Greek Yogurt (plain or vanilla fat free) – I prefer the plain in my smoothies, adds a nice little zip

Optional Ingredients depending on if you have some issues like I have some issues

• When you just can’t go (you know…go) add Miralax (it doesn’t make you go, it makes it EASIER to go — and I can’t abide castor oil)
• Want some more green power – Green Powder (Super Foods) try this slowly (adding just a bit) the green powder can add a super greeny taste you won’t expect
• emergen-c – I typically add this to up my vitamins and boost the immune and hell, why not.

Now, add to blender, mix, taste, mix, taste, mix, taste, add water, taste – BAM…Super Smoothie.  You’ll have at least ONE meal of your days packed with veggies and other stuff that will get you MOVING (in more ways than one depending on what you add).  It took me a few smoothies to get my preferred ingredients right and the taste I like, but it’s well worth it.

Good Luck and Let me know how it works for you!

Thank the Good Lord for the NO Man…..

I started pretty darn useful because I was dedicated to bring you, the public, all the things I found useful or the utter fails in my life so that you could learn from my mistakes.  However, even I must be schooled sometimes.  Even I must admit to being guilty of thinking I’m above and beyond some solid rules, that my swag is so on point, I can pull almost anything.  I am wrong most of these times and dear reader, so are you.  The difference between me and all the rest of the folks out there you’re laughing at???

I have a No Man.  Or two.

A cute black shirt for A….

This blog post is a very serious warning and reminder to everyone out there.  I hope you take what I have to say to you seriously because some of you, don’t have NO men.  I consider myself to be a generally fashion conscious girl.  I don’t wear denim on the top and denim on the bottom.  The hint of a mom jean sends me scurrying away.  Even a somewhat cute pair of sneakers was rejected because they were CROCS and since I am not 3, 300, or in the medical profession, it’s no bueno.  I wear what I like, with my own flair, not afraid to break a rule here or there, but the goal is to always not end up on some website being mocked.  However, I must admit, I have my moments of aiming to high, of believing that since I am me, and I am a Diva, I can “Pull it Off”.  This is where the NO man comes into play.  I was reminded of this pre-vacation when my co-workers saved me from a potential Hawaiian shirt disaster.   More on that later.

What is a no man you ask?  A NO man is that person in your life that will tell you when you’re DEAD wrong, that person that isn’t concerned with hurting your feelings and will say, yes those jeans make you look fat.  Kevin Hart had it absolutely right, everyone needs a NO man.  You don’t think so?  Spend 10 minutes in your local Wal-Mart, K-Mart (if you can find one), any nightclub, or even your local mall, and you’ll see people walking around in things that convince you they either A. don’t own a mirror or B. Have no friends.  However, it’s usually option C. that is plaguing our woman wearing pants that clearly give her camel toe, her circle of trust does not include a NO man.  Examples from my own life…

• The cute little sequined black jacket that I thought would be so nice on those evenings out and my friend told me that “Estelle Getty wore it on her nights out too.  NO.”
• The Cheetah print pants I ogled, but am clearly too curvy to pull off without being dead wrong – there was a full Facebook intervention on that one and my boyfriends favorite line, “You could pull it off, but why would you want to?” His nice way of not ending up getting the hairy eyeball.  NO.
• Any turtle neck – I look like “A golf ball on top of a tee.” NO.
• Everything my boyfriend says that “reminds him of my mom.” NO.
• Finally and the most recent example – the His and Hers matching Hawaiin shirts.  NO.
  

  And the matching one for me! Cute… NO!

His and hers matching Hawaiian shirts for vacation, cute right?  No.  It’s not cute and if I hadn’t been in such a pre-cruise dither, I would have known I was dead wrong, thank god for my NO man/woman at work.  Dear readers, I hope you have a NO man and if you don’t…get one.  Email me pictures, I’ll let you know.  For your pleasure on the next post, I will include some general rules and signs that you don’t have a NO man…things to look out for.

NO Man – Pretty DAMN USEFUL!

P.S. If we ever institute Hawaiian shirt Friday’s at work as has been previously threatened, I’m ordering this shirt because I am still convinced that ALONE, I can totally pull it off.  #swag.