2009 – Page 3 – Vibrant Life

01 SEP

Healthy Economy

Unemployment. Foreclosure. Recession. Bankruptcy. Credit crunch. Stock loss. Depression. Bank failure. In recent months, the negative reports about the economy have poured down on us like a torrential downpour. And when we’re drowning financially, it affects all aspects of life, including our health and relationships.

Millions of Americans feel anxious about current financial uncertainties. Fortunately, no matter your circumstances, it is possible to find your bearings financially. There’s hope, and it starts with reexamining your attitudes and values about financial security and success.
Read more about Healthy Economy …

01 SEP

Yes, You Can Grow Alfalfa or Clover Sprouts

Prep Time: 2 minutes a day
Growing Time: 6-7 days
Yield: 4 cups
Cost per serving: $0.16

You can buy a set of 3 plastic sprouting lids (fine, medium and coarse mesh) and a sprouting chart for about $5 at most natural food stores. Or you can make your own screen with cheese cloth (available at grocery stores) and a rubber band to hold it in place.)

Equipment needed:
• Wide-mouth quart jar
• Fine-mesh sprouting lid
• Medium-mesh sprouting lid
• Cereal bowl

01 SEP

AÇAI

The trendy açaí (pronounced ah-sah-EE) berry is found in a variety of products, including juice blends, smoothies, sodas, instant-drink powders, and ice cream. Touted and marketed as a super fruit that provides highly beneficial properties, the açaí berry is in high global demand in recent years.

Açaí is the fruit of a large palm tree, Euterpe oleraceae, indigenous to the Amazon and its tributaries. The açaí palm produces branched clusters of berries, containing 700 to 900 fruits. The fruit is small, round, and black-purple, similar in appearance and size to a grape but with less pulp and a larger seed.
Read more about AÇAI …

31 JUL

Cutest (and Most Enduring) Reusable Bags

People ask me where I bought my reusable bags. They really do, all the time. That is, those who are not annoyed and/or threatened by them. I’m not sure where I originally found Envirosax, but at the time they were a tiny Australian company exporting handfuls of bags to the US at very dear shipping prices. I bought myself a bag o’ sacks — it’s a real thing — and then dozens more for everyone on my shopping list that year. The thing is, they were adorable! Sweet, printed florals or bold, sweeping graphics gave each bag purse potential. While the company has bloomed, I, along with the original recipients of my holiday 2005 buying spree, still carry the bags from my first Envirosax order. That’s how durable they are, and mine have been sorely tested with everything from heavy canned goods to weekly farmers market runs. One bag has holes poked through the center after a loose artichoke prickled through two years ago and he’s still going strong, though I’m careful about the artichokes these days.

This year I supplemented my fraying, tired collection with two newbies from Envirosax. (Now that I live in the country, I need a few extra bags for stocking up.) Yes, there are plenty of other reusable bag manufacturers. But I like to adopt the second and maybe even fourteenth cousins of my current bags and think of them all giddily catching up on family business when I’m asleep.

If I think about how many plastic bags I’ve avoided by using these five bags on nearly every outing for the past four years, I’m proud of the tiny dent I’ve made. I’m down at least 1,040 bags, at five bags per week. Scoff if you must, but it’s more than a few bags.
Read more about Cutest (and Most Enduring) Reusable Bags …

08 JUL

Paper Towels — Necessary Evil or Expendable Disposable?

There’s a war going on between my husband and I about the importance of paper towels. Occasionally, I’ll admit, it’s a relief that he wipes his grimy car-parts hands on the disposables rather than my fresh white linens. Even when he’s washed them three times, he leaves a gray trail of grease after he changes the car’s oil. Ew. I reach for them myself, too, after weeding the garden or planting a few things, using the edge to dig dirt from under my nails. And there’s nothing better for gross cleanups like pet mistakes — not using cloth for that!

While there many reasons I like to use paper towels, I realize it adds a bit of volume to my trash over the course of a year. I’ve done a few things to cut down on that without erasing paper towels entirely from my grocery list.
Read more about Paper Towels — Necessary Evil or Expendable Disposable? …

01 JUL

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Ingredients: Salad 1 zucchini, cut lengthwise and then into ½-inch slices 1 yellow squash, cut lengthwise and then into ½-inch slices 1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares 1 red onion, cut into ½-inch thick slices 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (or a mixture of dried basil, […]

01 JUL

Five of the Healthiest Breakfast Cereals

Cheerios (Original)
Serving Size: 1 cup (30g)
Calories: 110
Fat: 2g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 1g
Sodium: 210mg
Carbs: 22g
Protein: 3g

Cheerios was made and marketed in 1941 by General Mills under the name “Cheeri Oats,” and the named changed to “Cheerios” because of the “o” shape. Cheerios has always been and remains a “children’s favorite cereal.” Be careful with the flavored cheerios, though, because even the multigrain Cheerios are loaded with sugar!

Mesa Sunrise Flakes
Serving Size: ¾ cup (30g)
Calories: 120
Fat: 1.5g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 4g
Sodium: 130mg
Carbs: 24g
Protein: 3g

01 JUL

Five Stories of Overcoming Hurts, Habits, and Hangups

The 12 steps aren’t just for Alcoholics Anonymous. They can change your life in ways you can never imagine. Just listed to how the steps changed the lives of these five people.

Overcoming Perfectionism and Workaholism

Work and worry were the watchwords in my early environment.

Family life centered around church, where I gathered many positive messages. But for some reason, my brain fastened on the negative. I heard subtle mandates in scripture, sermon, and song that drove me to obsessive/compulsive behavior: “We’ll work ‘til Jesus comes.” “Work for the night is coming.” “Be vigilant, lest you be caught unawares.” “Are you ready for Jesus to come?”

Studiously obeying these “commandments,” I became a world-class workaholic/ perfectionist, driving myself mercilessly for the next 40 years. The social and emotional consequences of my excessive behavior were enormous. When I finally accepted the fact that I was a workaholic and that this addiction was killing me, I went into a treatment center for addictive disorders. There, most of my peers were alcoholics. I could see that I was no different from them. Subsequently, I have found in twelve-step groups the guidance and support I needed to change long-standing, deep-seated, self-abusive habits into balanced, moderate, healthy living.

01 JUL

Help for Overcoming Habits, Hurts and Hang-ups

Do you sometimes feel your habits and choices control you, rather than the other way around? Is there something about yourself you’ve tried to change, but you just can’t seem to experience a breakthrough? Does fear hold you back from getting the help you need?

The truth is we all suffer from circumstances, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors that can cause disruption in our lives. Often we feel like we just have to live with it, but there is hope for change. Twelve-step programs can be of assistance to you or loved ones.

The 12-steps are spiritual—not religious—tools that can be applied to any issue in life. The steps have been proven to help countless people work through unhealthy life issues that separate them from God and other people, thus freeing them up to healthy relationships in the environment in which they work and live.

01 JUL

Sleep Apnea and Restless Limb Syndrome affecting your sleep?

I can fall asleep, but I wake up throughout the night and never seem to feel rested the next day. How do I get a good night’s sleep?

There are several different stages of sleep that need to be reached in order to achieve quality rest. Many things can disrupt your ability to achieve quality sleep, including your external environment and medical problems.

Your external environment
An uncomfortable bed, constricting clothing, bright lights, and noises can be distracting while you slumber. Even a disruptive spouse who snores or tosses and turns could be the reason you don’t get rest!