Purpose Driven Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping can have a positive impact on the environment, your budget, the community you live in and the nutritional value of your meals. This is why we are seeing such an increase in the local food movement from “100 mile diet” campaigns to food action coalitions helping restaurants and grocery stores support local food suppliers.

For the individual grocery shopper, this means taking the time to find and purchase from retailers that stock locally grown and produced foods, within British Columbia (Canada). Luckily, Dave and I also live in an agricultural paradise, and this special community truly cares about the health of its valley. Most of the restaurants in Creston BC and the grocery stores offer locally grown foods.

Going a step further, gardening in your yard, on your balcony, in front of the window or along a walkway can have a positive effect on the environment too. In fact, Dave and I grow much of our own food in our gardens. What we cannot consume or process for ourselves, we are able to share with friends, clients and neighbors. We utilize the local small brewery to make the berry and fruit juices we produce from our harvests into beautiful wine at only $6 a bottle. As such, we spend about 60% less than we would if we did not garden. Continue reading “Purpose Driven Grocery Shopping”

8 Things That a Healthy Dutch Oven Can Do for You

If you are a healthy cook and you have the right Dutch oven in your kitchen, the possibilities are endless. A Dutch oven is a very useful piece of cookware and can be used to cook a number of dishes. Having a single cookware for cooking multiple types of food is not only convenient but it also saves a lot of money – you no longer need to buy a wide range of cookware to try your hands on different recipes. But, as mentioned in the first line of this article, you need to have the right one.

The healthiest choice would be a pure-clay Dutch oven because it has certain features that no other has. Want to check if yours is the right one? Let’s see if it can do the following 8 things:

1. Naturally Non-Stick

It becomes naturally non-stick when seasoned well (used a few times). It starts repelling food from sticking to the walls without any toxic coating. It is easier to clean by scrubbing under clean water without using any soap or cleaning agent. Continue reading “8 Things That a Healthy Dutch Oven Can Do for You”

Survival Food Supplies For Your Emergency Kit

When putting together your emergency preparedness kit you must consider what kinds and how much food stuff you want to put away. You may be thinking short term as in a weeks worth out to one year supply. When making a purchase many people opt for the ready made food supply packages that can give you everything for a family of four, as an example. This can be a good way to go for some but it can be expensive and it may include items you don’t really want.

The best option would be to build your own emergency food supply. You know what you or your family like and can make purchases based on that. As far as storage of your food, the ready made deals are packaged for long term, but not all of what you buy yourself would have a long shelve life, but you can rotate your stock to keep it up to date. Use what you have put away so if you really need it you will already know how it tastes and how to prepare it so you have no surprises. Continue reading “Survival Food Supplies For Your Emergency Kit”

Healthy Eating – Simple Tips To Improve Your Digestive System

Are you suffering from gas? Bloating? Constipation? Stomach upset? Gastrointestinal issues are all too common and unfortunately can get you down. Luckily, there are some simple tips you can use to help get your digestive system in better order and help you feel well again.

The digestive system is a group of organs working together to convert food into energy and essential nutrients and feeds the whole body.

Let us look at what these tips are so you can begin to implement them in your day…

1. Add A Probiotic. Perhaps the single best thing you can do to help improve your digestive system is to add a probiotic to the picture. Probiotics are great for helping to not only enhance the digestive process but also strengthen your immune system.

Continue reading “Healthy Eating – Simple Tips To Improve Your Digestive System”

Constipation Remedies for Breastfed Babies

If you thumb through most books about breastfeeding, you are not likely to find a section on constipation. This is because true constipation in a fully breastfed baby is very rare. In fact, most experts agree that if a breastfed baby is constipated, there is something medically wrong.

Breast milk is a natural laxative; however a breastfed infant may become constipated due to the introduction of foods or formula. Formula in particular is constipating. If you have recently started giving your baby formula, this may be the reason for the constipation. The single best remedy is simply more breast milk.

Reasons for constipation in a breastfed baby:

Continue reading “Constipation Remedies for Breastfed Babies”

Electrolux Microwave Ovens – For Delicious And Healthy Food Each Time

A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance which saves cooking time and makes food tastier. It’s easy to use and consumes less electricity.The microwave oven heats foods but does not get hot itself, so the risk of burns is greatly reduced. Microwave ovens have lower temperature of cooking so there is less formation of carcinogenic tars and it does not change the nutritional content of foods. The shorter preparation time in the microwave usually means a better retention of nutrients. Microwave ovens do not require water, so the risk of nutrients leaking into water is also prevented. A rotating turntable helps prevent hot spots, so the food is cooked evenly. All microwave timers come with preset options and timers, so you don’t have to constantly monitor it.

AB Electrolux or more commonly known as Electrolux is a Swedish multinational household and professional appliances manufacturer headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. It’s consistently ranked the world’s second-largest appliance maker by units sold after Whirlpool. The company manufactures products that include refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens, washing machines and dryers. Continue reading “Electrolux Microwave Ovens – For Delicious And Healthy Food Each Time”

Top 10 Inexpensive Places to Eat at Walt Disney World

Dining is one of the biggest and quickest drains on your wallet when you vacation at Disney. People have to eat and Disney takes full advantage of that knowledge by providing restaurants on just about every corner, and most of it pretty steeply priced. However, it is possible to find several places inside of Disney to eat cheaply with a bit of digging.

Magic Kingdom

— Main Street Bake Shop has the best options for a bite of breakfast. They offer baked goods in the 2-3 dollar price range, as well as a breakfast quiche, or cottage cheese with fruit for about 4 dollars. You can also grab sandwiches at lunch time for a decent price as well.

— Columbian Harbor House has vegetarian chili and clam chowder. You can get a bowl of soup for about 5 bucks there. They also offer zero trans fat foods like chicken nuggets and fried fish, as well as salads and sandwiches. Continue reading “Top 10 Inexpensive Places to Eat at Walt Disney World”

7 Easy Ways to Live an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle While Saving Money

1. Shop your local farmer’s market each week for fresh, local and organic real food from the earth.

2. Put a face to your food. Get to know your farmer and ask if they have a CSA program (Community Supported Agriculture.) If yes, sign up! I love my CSA. Each spring, I graciously send them a nominal fee ($250). In return, I get 18 weeks of delicious and nutritious, locally grown organic food This is the way to go! You can’t buy a month’s worth of organic, local, seasonal food at your local grocer for less than $250 a month. Click here to find a local market in your area.

3. Help your wallet and your waistline by growing your own food. For 10 cents worth of seeds, you can grow more than a dollar’s worth of produce. Start with a small planter of herbs or tomatoes. If you’re feeling more adventurous, invest in an Earth Box. Or, do it up right and have the experts at Teich Garden Systems set you up with some raised beds. Continue reading “7 Easy Ways to Live an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle While Saving Money”

5 Foods That Are Much Less Healthy Than You Think

There are several “healthy” foods that are not as good for you as you may think. Food manufacturers advertise these products as effective for delivering lots of nutrition, helping you lose weight, keeping your mind sharp, and offering other physical and mental health advantages. Unfortunately, all the advertising tricks in the world don’t change the chemical composition of a food item.

If something is unhealthy for you, it is simply unhealthy. Avoid the following 5 foods which are not as healthy as you thought they were, and your mental and body-based fitness efforts will receive a boost.

1 – High-Fiber Snack Bars and Protein Bars

The key here is reading labels. There are some energy bars, protein bars and high-fiber snack bars which are very good for you. Start reading food labels. Find those that don’t contain sugar, salt, added flavors and a long list of ingredients that end in -ite, -ate and -ose. Continue reading “5 Foods That Are Much Less Healthy Than You Think”

5 Common Weeds You Can Eat For Emergency Nourishment

Most people live normal lives, expecting little change, and preparing for even less, not expecting food to run out. However, disasters do happen, and store shelves are often cleared in short order. Little do most know, however, that there are weeds you can eat, and they are often found right in or around the average backyard.

Many of the weeds you can eat can be found right in your yard, around your driveway, beside roads, etc. We’ll be talking about 5 common weeds that are edible in this article. However, please keep in mind that you will need to be able to positively identify any wild plants before consumption, as there are, in some cases, wild plants that may resemble or be very similar to the weeds we’ll be covering but may be potentially dangerous to ingest. Continue reading “5 Common Weeds You Can Eat For Emergency Nourishment”