Coconut Oil

Because I love coconut oil now, I wanted to share this with you. I found it on Pinterest, no less!  See how GREAT coconut oil is!
Reposted from: Delicious Obsessions

52 Uses for Coconut Oil

1. Eat a spoonful when you need an energy boost.
2. Use it as the base for a homemade body scrub.
3. Use to condition your wooden cutting boards.
4. Use as a super conditioner on your hair (apply to dry hair, leave in as long as possible and then shampoo as normal).
5. Use as a styling agent if you have really dry hair. Just rub a tiny bit on your palms and apply to your hair and style as normal.
6. Keep a little container in your purse for lip moisturizer.
7. Add a spoonful to your dog or cat’s food. CO is great for our furry friends!
8. Replace nasty, unhealthy vegetable oils in your cooking and baking with CO.
9. Make healthy Magic Shell ice cream topping.
10. Use it for oil pulling (learn about oil pulling here).
11. Use a tiny dab on your underarms for a natural deodorant.
12. Use coconut oil instead of shaving cream.
13. Add to your bath tub for a moisturizing soak (a drop of peppermint oil is wonderful!).
14. Use as a makeup remover.
15. Use it to help sooth chicken pox, shingles, or other rashes or skin irritations.
16. Use it to treat athlete’s food, ringworm, or other fungal or yeast infections.
17. Take a spoonful with your vitamins to help improve absorption.
18. Spread a thin layer on cuts or burns to speed up healing.
19. Take up to 5 spoonfuls per day for improved thyroid function.
20. Add a spoonful to your smoothies for extra nutrition and flavor (here, here, andhere).
21. Use on the delicate tissue around your eyes to help prevent wrinkles and sagging.
22. Use as the base for homemade toothpaste or lotion.
23. Use in place of massage oil.
24. Use on your baby’s diaper rash or cradle cap.
25. Use to help reduce visibility of stretch marks or to prevent stretch marks.
26. For nursing mothers, use coconut oil on your nipples to prevent cracking and irritation.
27. For nursing mothers, consuming coconut oil will help increase your milk flow.
28. Apply to bee stings or bug bites to soothe and heal the wound.
29. Women can use in the nether regions to relieve yeast infections, dryness, and/or discomfort.
30. Eat a spoonful with each meal to improve digestion.
31. If you’re prone to nosebleeds, coat the inside of your nostrils with coconut oil regularly.
32. Helps soothe and heal hemorrhoids.
33. Take to helps reduce or eliminate migraines.
34. Use as the base for homemade vapor rub.
35. Mixed with peppermint, lemon balm, rosemary, or tea tree oil makes an excellent insect repellant.
36. Mix with baking soda for a non-toxic “Goo Gone”.
37. Use to help detox the body during a cleanse or fast.
38. Use as a metal polish, but always test a small area first.
39. Use as a leather moisturizer.
40. Season your cast iron pans.
41. Use to oil your pans and baking dishes instead of pan spray.
42. Got gum stuck in your hair? Try using coconut oil to remove without cutting your hair.
43. Use instead of WD-40.
44. Use as a personal lubricant (not safe with latex).
45. Take a spoonful to help with heartburn, acid reflux, or indigestion.
46. Use as a natural sunscreen.
47. Mix with a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice and use as a furniture polish (always test a small area first!).
48. Mix with butter and toss your popcorn in it.
49. Use on cracked or rough heals to help smooth them out.
50. Massage into your nails and cuticles to help strengthen them.
51. Use as the base for homemade chocolate candy (like peanut butter cups).
52. Take a couple spoonfuls every day to help overall immune function.

Now, go get some coconut oil! :)

Healing Cuisine by Elise

I have one major "go-to" blog that I use for recipes.  I discovered Healing Cuisine by Elise when I was searching for Advanced Plan recipes.  She happens to be the wife of a Maximized Living doctor and a foodie.  So, she creates some great recipes according to the Advanced Plan in the green Maximized Living Nutritonal Plan Book.

Just to reiterate, I am following the Candida Yeast Diet.  My husband is following the Advanced Plan.  They are both VERY similar diets.  The Candida Diet eliminates all things sugar in order to starve the yeast in our bodies, thus killing it off.  The Advanced Plan eliminates almost all of the same things, with a few exceptions.  The goal of the Advanced Plan is to reduce all inflammation in your body, allowing your body to heal itself.  Sugar causes inflammation, so sugar is eliminated.  The exceptions that are allowed on the Advanced Plan are berries, because they are natural anti-inflammatories.  Also, you are allowed to have raw cheeses because they are loaded with probiotics.  There are a few more differences, but those are the major differences I see in the recipes on Healing Cuisine and what I am allowed to eat.  So, be sure to always be aware of what you are allowed to eat and adjust your recipes accordingly.

This site is a great resource...I have made LOTS of her recipes and really like them.  I will share some specifics in the future.  But for one....this week I made the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  It was good!  A bit of a different texture than I was expecting, but it sure filled my need to have a scoop of Blue Bell!

Dynamic Greens

I will be the FIRST to admit that I don't LOVE vegetables.  I have a few staples, including broccoli, squash, zucchini. Oh! And I LOVE fried okra :) I love things that are added to stir fry like bean sprouts and water chestnuts.  I eat tomatoes in salsa or bruschetta and I love grilled or sautéed onions.  And thats about it for me.

Being on this diet, I eat a LOT of protein and not enough veggies.  I can tell it's slowing down my digestive tract.  And my hubs caught on to it, as well.  So, he investigated and found these Dynamic Greens to be one of the suggested greens powder for those of us that don't like greens.  And I LOVE IT!  I have even surprised myself.  I just plop a scoop in my protein shake, which makes it BRIGHT GREEN and slurp away.

What I have discovered is that for me not eating ANY sugar, I shouldn't have eaten this at this stage in my diet.  It does have fruit in it, thus naturally occurring sugar, which I can't have.  However, it is a fantastic way to get your vitamins from green veggies if you are watching what you eat...just not if you are trying to eliminate sugar from your diet, like me.

I have the berry flavor and it tastes amazing...a far cry from greens powders I have tried in the past!