Quote

"In attending to the mysteries of life and death, I will listen for a chuckle in the darkness"

Inspirational Quote

"Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars" - Charles Beard

Several Uses for Cabbage

Cabbage's cheap, yummy, healthy and has a long shelf life. What's not to love about it. And as soon as the fresh dark green savoy (or non-savoy for that matter) start showing up at the farmer's market, I end up in a crisis to use up all the overwhelming quantities that I buy.

Ways to use it up (because you always end up with SO MUCH, right?):

• Raw Salted Cabbage Leafs - would have never thought to do this until I saw my dad doing it. Turns out is super yummy
• Thai Larb - this recipe uses lettuce, but IMO, cabbage cups are WAY better
• Indian Spiced Curry Kraut
• Traditional Sauerkraut
• Kimchi (there are so many good kraut recipes. I could keep going here). 
• Egg Rolls
• Upgraded Instant Ramen Noodles - Add shredded cabbage, fresh ginger, fish oil, lemon juice, red pepper, thai basil, sesame oil, shrimp/chicken/tofu, small amount of soy (you get the idea)
• Vinagrette Based Cole Slaw
• Galumpkis (stuffed cabbage leaves)
• Vegetarian Galumpkis
• Fish Tacos (or any taco for that matter, just put vinagrette based cole slaw on it instead of lettuce)
• Stir Fry
• Chicken Yakisoba - I can't get enough of this one
• Creamy cabbage soup - there's a million variations of this, but basically chicken broth, whole milk, cabbage, salt and pepper alone it yummy.
• Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup: Literally delicious with just those 2 ingredients (add water and maybe pepper and salt to taste). You can sub chicken broth if you want. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, but the cabbage and kielbasa are the stars here and most anything else takes away from it, IMO. 
• Cabbage added to almost any soup, really. 

Healthy Homemade Coconut Milk Strawberry Ice Cream

Adapted from Wellness Mama

I'm far more likely to have coconut milk in the house than 3 cups of cream and 3 cups of half-and-half, so not only is this more healthy than traditional ice cream, but I actually have the ingredients too. Win win.

Ingredients

• 2 cans of coconut milk
• ½ cup of honey, sugar, agave nectar, or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 pound of fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients minus a handful of whole strawberries. Chop those strawberries in half and toss into the blended mix. 
2. Mix in ice cream maker according to it's directions

Sushi Night

Hubbies going out of town and my bff is coming over for saki & sushi night. So excited. Love me some sushi, but never made it, and must say it's a little intimidating. Just bought these online (jet.com, 15% introductory discount) and got everything for a pretty decent price. Will buy some fresh stuff the night of:

• Ricer Steamer (already had it)
• Rice Vinegar (already had it) 
• Sesame Seeds (already had it)
• Edamame (already had it) - this is a side dish
• Sushi rice (small grain, sticky) - I've never bought small grain sushi rice, but if the goal is "sticky", my rice steamer sure makes some sticky basmati rice (which I have plenty of). I'll report back if this sushi rice is all that much different 
• Bamboo rolling mat
• Nori (toasted seaweed rolls)
• Wasabi Paste
• Pickled Ginger Slices 
• San-J Shoyu - wheat soy (this is seriously my favorite soy sauce on earth and it's just mild enough for sushi)
• Mayo (already had it)
• Sambal Oelek Pepper Sauce (already had it) - another favorite sauce on earth. Recipe for spicy mayo calls for Sriracha but this so SOOOO much better as a substitute
• Smoked Salmon 

Fresh Ingredients:

• Avocado 
• Cucumber Ribbons (already had it)
• Carrot Ribbons
• Scallions (fresh from the garden)
• Roe (maybe)
• Raw Fish? (Ahi Tuna? or is smoked tuna enough?)
• Artificial Crab Meat? (california roll?)
• A few shrimp?

This is a first try, so don't want to go overboard. But it's hard to decide.

Aquascape

A fish aquarium can seriously turn into an artwork. I'm particularly inspired by these

First Blue Apron Shipment

Exciting. This is 3 dinners for 2. It looks pretty low cal too for those dieting. It was purely coincidental we ended up almost vegetarian (vegan aside from the 2 eggs, butter and catfish)

Chamomile Essential Oil

Chamomile Flowers used for Essential Oil

Uses

• Reduces stress/pain associated with child birth (clinical research)

Clary Sage Essential Oil

Clary Sage

Uses

Reduces stress/pain associated with child birth (clinical research)

Sandalwood Essential Oil

Sandalwood Trees

About

• Latin Name - 

Uses

• Herpes  (clinical research)
• Cancer treatment (clinical research)

Oregano Essential Oil

Oregano Fields

About

• Latin Name - 

Uses

• Antimicrobial (e-coli clinical research, more)

Thyme Essential Oil

Thyme Essential Oil

About

• Latin Name - 

Uses

• Antimicrobial (e-coli clinical research)

Clove Essential Oil

Clove Essential Oil

About

• Latin Name -Eugenia Caryophyllus 

Uses

• Antiseptic – It is applied topically to address fungal infections, wounds, and cuts. It is also a common treatment for athlete's foot (clincial research, more)
• Flu (clinical research using On Guard by doTerra
• Dental aid - ease the pain of a tooth ache or fight bad breath
• Digestive aid – Cloves possess beneficial properties that help relax the smooth muscle lining in your gastrointestinal tract. When used as an oil, it can aid in halting digestive problems, like nausea and vomiting.
• Insect repellent – When used together with citrus essential oils, this plant oil can help ward insects away.
• Expectorant – Clove bud oil is also used to help ease respiratory problems, such as cough, colds, sinusitis, asthma, and tuberculosis. In fact, chewing on a clove bud is said to help sore throats.
• Skin care product – When applied topically, clove buds can help address skin problems like warts, acne, sagging skin, and wrinkles.
• Flavoring / Cooking
• Perfume ingredient – Bud oil, with its strong and unique scent, is used in carnation, rose, and honeysuckle perfumes. It has a strong and unique scent.
• Soap ingredient – Clove bud oil is used in soaps not just for its fragrance, but also because of its relaxing and antiseptic qualities.
• Mental health - Can relieve depression, anxiety, stress, and mental exhaustian
• Massage oil – It can be used to relieve pain and stress.
• Aphrodisiac

Tea Tree Essential Oil

Tea Tree - Used for essential oil

About

• Latin Name - Melaleuca Alternifolia

Uses

• Cradle Cap
• Dandruff
• Cleaning
• MRSA Antibiotic resistant bacteria (clinical research)
• Successful topical treatment of hand warts -- Millar & Moore (2008)
• Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties. Carson, Hammer, & Riley (2006)
• topical decolonization agent for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.Caelli, Porteous, Carson, Heller, & Riley (2001)
• In-vitro activity against Candida spp. Hammer & Riley (1998)
• Escherichia coli. Gustafson, Chew, Markham, Bell, Wyllie, & Warmington (1998)
• oral solution for the treatment of fluconazole refractory oral candidiasis in AIDS patients. Jandourek & Vazquez (1988)

Patchouli Essential Oil

Patchouli Plants

About

• Latin Name - Pogostemon Cablin (what I have) or Pogostemon Patchouli

Uses

• fragrance (perfume, incense, deodorant)
• meditation, relaxation, yoga, calming
• for acne, eczema, and dry skin
• dandruff
• antidepressant
• antiphlogistic
• antiseptic
• aphrodisiac
• astringent
• cicatrisant
• cytophylactic
• diuretic
• febrifuge
• fungicide - (ex/ athletes foot)
• insecticide
• sedative

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

About

• Latin Name - Eucalyptus globulus (there are many species, but this is the most common)

Uses

• expectorant or mucolytic (inhalation)
• body pains, fever
• allergies and asthma
• MRSA Antibiotic resistant bacteria (clinical research)
• antiseptic
• insecticide and miticide
• fragrance
• Pain relief – Research indicates the analgesic properties of this essential oil. A study in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation applied Eucalyptamint on the anterior forearm skin of 10 subjects, and found that Eucalyptamint "produced significant physiologic responses that may be beneficial for pain relief and/or useful to athletes as a passive form of warm-up."
•  Dental health – This oil exhibits antibacterial activity against cariogenic (tooth decay-causing) and periodontopathic bacteria.
• Stimulating immune system response – According to a study published in BMC Immunology, eucalyptus oil extract is said to implement the innate cell-mediated immune response.

Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint Essential Oil

About

• Latin Name - Mentha Piperita

Uses

• reduce fatigue or nausea (inhalation)
• irritable bowel syndrome (clinical research)

Black Pepper Essential Oil

Black Pepper Essential Oil

About

Uses

• A blend of essential oil containing black pepper or ginger can reduce pain from arthritis and improve flexibility (topically)

Ginger Essential Oil

Ginger Essential Oil

About

Uses

• A blend of essential oil containing black pepper or ginger can reduce pain from arthritis and improve flexibility (topically)

Rosemary Essential Oil

Rosemary Essential Oil

About

• Latin Name: Rosmarinus officinalis

Uses

• Antimicrobial (clinical research)
• Enhanced Memory

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender Fields

Uses

• Eczema
• Relaxation / Stress Relief
• Anxiety and Depression (clinical research, more)
• Sleep Aid
• Local Anesthetic (clinical research)

Recipes

Bath Salt Recipe

• 1 Part Baking Soda
• 2 Parts Epsom Salt
• 3 Parts Sea Salt
• Add 6 drops of essential oil to 2 Tbsp of this mixture

Anxiety & Depression Massage Oil

• 3 drops Bergamot
• 3 drops Lavender
• 3 drops Frankincense
• 1 oz almond oil (1.5% solution)

Myrrh Resin & Essential Oil

Myrrh Resin

About

Grown from Commiphora tree. Dispute that modern Myrrh might not come from the same plant as ancient myrrh. Trade diminished vastly once the Roman Empire fell. Ancient Myrrh might have come from a mimosa plant. Worth its weight in gold at the time Jesus was born. Traded and used for 5000 years. Found in vials in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Uses

• Fragrance (perfume, incense)
• Meditation, relaxation, yoga, calming
• Incense/medicinal trade 
• Arthritic pain (better if used together)
• Medicinal (topical treatment, syphilis, herpes, hay fever, gum health, athlete's foot, ringworm, weeping eczema, bedsores, boils, carbuncles, acne, stomach upset, diarrhea, dyspepsia, indigestion, flatulence, hemorrhoids, cancer, chapped lips, diabetes, cholesterol)
• Dental rinse – freshens breath, treats gingivitis, relieves tooth aches & mouth ulcers
• Food flavoring
• Lung support - helps relieve congestion and expel phlegm
• Fertility and Inducing labor
• Embalming

Instructions

• Burn resin with charcoals as an incense
• Grind resin to powder with mortar and pestle. Mix one part ground resin to 2 or 3 parts carrier oil. 
• If using essential oil, use 10 drops per 1 oz carrier oil for a 2% solution

Frankincense Resin & Essential Oil

Frankincense Resin

About

Grown from Boswellia tree. Worth its weight in gold at the time Jesus was born. Traded and used for 5000 years. Found in vials in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Uses

• Fragrance (perfume, incense)
• Meditation, relaxation, yoga, calming
• Incense/medicinal trade
• Arthritic pain (better if used together)
• Skin Care (toner, lotion, soaps, bath soak)
• Medicinal (Pain relief, Aids digestion, Relieves anxiety and depression,  Suppresses cancer growth, Reduces scars, Gout, Insomnia)
• Silver colored and highly opaque is considered the best quality although translucent is best for ingestion
• Cancer Treatment (clinical research)
• Anxiety and Depression (clinical research)

Instructions

• Burn resin with charcoals as an incense
• Grind resin to powder with mortar and pestle. Mix one part ground resin to 2 or 3 parts carrier oil. 
• If using essential oil, mix 10 drops per 1 oz carrier oil for a 2% solution

Aromatherapy Free Online Resources

• Yellow Emperor’s Book of Internal Medicine - Possibly originally written in 2600 BC. Influential to traditional Chinese medicine. 
• http://www.csh.umn.edu/education/online-learning-modules-resources/online-learning-modules
• http://ocw.upm.es/ingenieria-agroforestal/industrial-utilization-of-medicinal-and-aromatic-plants
• http://www.aromahead.com/courses/free-trainings

Vegetarian Galumpkis (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

This is a traditional Polish dish. Very simple, cheap, & tastey.

Normally this would be made with ground beef or sausage, but I was going extra cheap & easy (didn't want to defrost the meat). Honestly, I think it turned out even better than usual.

Cook up 1 cup of dried rice.
Meanwhile, chop up a box of mushrooms (or 2 even, but I only used one).
Finely dice 1/2 medium onion & 2 cloves of garlic
Warn up a wrought iron skillet on medium-high until good and hot.
Put a few drops of oil on the pan and toss in the mushrooms.
Resist the temptation to stir the mushrooms. You want them to get good a browned before they start releasing too much water. Once your'e sure they're good and brown, then stir once and let them brown again. Now add your onions and garlic and let them brown too. Remove from heat.

Boil water and place several whole cabbage leaves (about 12) in the boiling water until they're tender. Remove cabbage leaves and run under cool water.

Once rice is done, combine ingredients and add cumin and soy sauce to taste (just enough cumin to give it a little earthy meatiness, but not so much that it tastes Mexican).

Assembly rice mixture into cabbage leaves and roll up like an egg roll. Place in a shallow dish. Top the cabbage rolls with v-8 juice (I'm pretty generous with this step). That rice absorbs a lot of moisture.

Crack pepper on top.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Beach Shag Dance

I'd skip ahead to minute 1

Fish Taco Salad - Atkins Friendly

My parents are on the Atkins diet, so made this for dinner with them. Dad says it's the best thing I've ever  made, so figured I'd post it here to share.

Cabbage Slaw

Finely Sliced Cabbage (one small bag)

Half of a bunch of finely sliced scallions

A few leafs worth of finely diced kale

Apple cider vinegar and olive oil to taste (2 to 1 ratio)

Salt and pepper to taste

Pico de Gallo

1 Avocado diced

1 Medium tomato diced

1 Small onion very finely diced

1 Large garlic clove (or two small) finely diced

1 Lemon or Lime 

Small bunch of finely diced cilantro

Small bunch of finely diced fresh parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cream Sauce

Big dollop of sour cream

Lots of Louisiana's hot sauce (until, when mixed it's colored like thousand island)

Salt

Chipotle Pepper Seasoning (to taste)

Fish

Mahi Mahi (can probably substitute other fish like Tilapia, cod, etc...)

Dry Rub

Unfortunately, I didn't measure this. Just applied it directly to each filet until it looked fairly well coated

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Cumin
Paprika

Zaa'tar (basically lemon thyme with a little bit of sesame seed)

Fresh Oregeno (only b/c I didn't have dry)

Salt

Pepper

Chili Powder (just a little)

Cinnamin (just a little)

Then sprinkled a little soy sauce on it until it was pastey and I could rub the seasoning all over

Once the fish has marinated, I cooked it on a George Foreman grill. I never cooked fish on this thing before, but it was absolutely perfect and it's the only way I'll cook this type of fish (thick white filet) from now on. It cooks very fast (just cook it until it has nice looking grill marks). It felt like about 3 or 4 minutes total, no flipping. 

Leftover Ham Ideas

Ham Bone Soup with Beans and Kale

Ham and Cheese Pretzel Calzone - Pretzel is key here, I think

Ham and Cheese Puff - puff or croissant roll could work here

Scalloped Potatoes - very thinly sliced ham here

Stuffed Baked Potato - My favorite, although not listed, is potato, shredded ham, and BBQ sauce with a tiny pit of cheddar on top

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchilada - definitely up the Mexican (and health) factor and add some chilies (or bell pepper at least

Quiche Lorraine - this is VERY rich and filling. Best for a crowd

Cuban Sliders - that bread looks yummy, doesn't it?

Cuban Sandwich - I really like Cuban sandwiches. can you tell? And panini sandwiches for that matter.

Country Style Green Beans With Potatoes and Ham - I know this link calls it soup, but where I come from, this is just country style green beans. Maybe just go slightly easier on the broth.

Ham Pot Pie - this link looks like am amazing pot pie, but I modified mine heavily (was aiming at less total calories and easier to make. It didn't disappoint).

• 2 medium-small potatoes diced into small cubes
• 2 large carrots cut into small cubes
• Handful of corn kernels
• 1 cup of peas
• 1 cup of chopped ham
• Combine all ingredients into large frying pan and add enough chicken broth until mixture is half-way filled up with broth. Cook until everything's nice and steamy. 
• Add milk (until as creamy as you like. I did about 1 cup) and 1-2 Tbsp of corn starch. Should get pretty gravy like at this point. Stick in pie dish. 
• Roll out half of a pie crust (the thinner crust topping is crustier and yummier, plus less total butter/fat in the recipe this way). I used the Pillsbury rolled up crust. Take a rolling pin and make it even thinner (doubling in size so a half crust can fit over a whole pile dish). Doesn't have to be round b/c you're going to cut it into squares. Lay the squares slightly overlapping. 
• Cook at 400F  until the crust looks nice and brown. The veggie/meat mix is basically already cooked going into the oven (I cooked mine about 20 minutes probably). 
  

2016 New Years Resolutions

1. Design and help build my own kitchen table
2. Read at least one new book a month
3. Increase vocabulary (i think this will come with reading more anyhow)
4. Start a family fun night
5. Take one painting lesson
6. Take one dance lesson
7. Take one wood working lesson 
8. Learn a new song on the guitar or piano
9. Sew something for my first niece/nephew ever
10. Eat a fresh/raw vegetable at least once a day (I normally only eat them cooked or in form of juice)
11. Exercise 3-5 times per week
12. Take vitamins every day, including omega 
13. Get (and keep) everything in the house more organized
14. Do at least one side job outside of my main job (entrepreneurial work) 
15. Pay off credit card
16. Build up 3 months income in savings
17. Make a family cookbook
18. Floss every day
19. Brush before bed
20. Volunteer
21. Actively work on improving relationships with those I'm closest to
22. Stop cussing
23. Develop  habit of changing negative thoughts into positive ones
24. Drink at least one glass of water a day

Green & White Chili

White & Green Chili

I like green chili. I like white chili. So I did a mix, and it worked. Matter-oh-fact, it even worked for the toddler (which is a huge plus) AND it has lots of veggies. Score!

This might look like a weird recipe list, but it's how I measure/store things in my house. It's a very flexible recipe anyhow, so do your best, in the event that you're actually reading/making this.

• 1/2 cup onion, finely diced (or roughly one small onion)
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper (or roughly one large green bell pepper)
• 1-2 teaspoons (or finely diced cloves) of garlic

I keep onions & bell pepper pre-chopped in the freezer, at all the times. And have pre-chopped garlic in the fridge (by the jar). Toss these in a hot skillet (preferably an iron skillet), and saute just a bit, but don't go overboard. Keep your bell peppers bright green. If you want, cook the onions first, then add the peppers (I like my onions to turn brown).

• 1/2 cup of diced or shredded pre-cooked chicken or turkey (again, I keep this in the freezer, but you could even use canned for this recipe, in a pinch)
• 1 can or 1 cups worth of white beans (any white bean really, or lentils even)
• ~8 ice cubes worth of chicken bone broth (or basically just enough chicken broth, canned or homemade, to cover everything up nicely, but man is homemade chicken bone broth tasty. It's much darker than normal chicken broth, when I make it. )
• 1/2 cup of salsa verde (tomatillo and cilantro)
• Nice dose of cumin
• Nice dose of oregano  and/or thyme (fresh or dry). I usually just use Zahtar (which I always have on hand from the Mediterranean market, and it's the cheapest way to get lots of thyme, plus for some reason it just tastes better than normal dried thyme).

Cook all of this until it's good an hot.

• At the end, add a large handful of kale, finely diced (like parsley, basically). 
• Dice up some extra cilantro if you like too.

Cook that until it's just wilted then serve.

Top each bowl with some sour cream and/or cheese (I like Parmesan even though that's not traditional for chili, just b/c the flavor goes a long ways w/o adding too much. 2nd favorite's extra sharp cheddar. If I'm out of fresh cheese or sour cream, then I just add whole milk.

For me, almost every ingredient is already on hand, pre-prepped, in the fridge or freezer, and this is an incredibly easy and fast meal to prepare. You don't have to simmer for a long time, with this dish, so you can make the whole thing in one pot/pan (dutch oven or iron skillet). Winner, no matter how how you look at it.

Versatile Lasagna Rolls

Versatile Lasagna Rolls

This was a creation tailored around ingredients I had & wanted to ditch quickly (and luckily I had ricotta and lasagna noodles): Spinach, turkey, and mushrooms. Also, I wanted to make a big batch of something we could eat off of for a while. Voila, Lasagna Rolls (tweaked from this recipe)

Ingredients

• Your favorite marinara sauce (24 oz worth, size of a jar, roughly). I added fresh garlic, fresh oregano & parsley, mushrooms and finely chopped turkey to this. 
• 12 boiled lasagna noodles, cooled
• Some sort of shredded hard cheese (I didn't have parmesan or mozzarella, so used white cheddar)
• Cheese filling: 1 pint ricotta cheese, 1 small zip-lock bag full of fresh spinach finely diced, salt to taste, and a few tablespoons of sour cream to smooth things out a little (it was a bit too thick), but milk or water would be fine here too. Most recipes call for an egg, but I was out.

Put cheese filling on each lasagna noodle. Roll up. Smooth sauce on bottom of pan. Place noodle rolls on sauce. Cover in sauce. Sprinkle hard cheese on top. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes.

Most of this recipe is very versatile. My only advice is whatever you put in your sauce or filling, make it small, so it doesn't mess up your rolls. Super yummy!

The Holy Grail of Fresh Southern Style Green Beans (Thank You Paula Deen)

Southern Green Beans with Salt Pork and Onions

Her recipes normally scare me. I won't lie. And this one's no exception, but I TASTED them before seeing the recipe and, by God, they're the best fresh green beans.  This is adapted to how we made it for Thanksgiving (no added grease, no potatoes, fewer onions). Soooo good. This will be our new recipe for green beans at Thanksgiving from now on.

Take a 3lb bag of fresh green beans, and get to snappin'. Toss about 1/4 - 1/2 lb of salt pork in a large iron skillet and cook on medium until browned. Add enough chicken broth (preferably homemade) to fill up the pan by about 1/3". Add your green beans and simmer on low with a lid for about 20 minutes (you want it soft but still bright green, so just keep checking).

Very finely dice half an onion, add to beans, and cook for 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with garlic powder & black pepper (no more salt, trust me). If for some reason, once it's done, it doesn't taste salty enough, add it on the plate, but that salt pork is serious stuff. 

Summer Vegetable Gratin

Saute up a pan full of onions in olive oil and fresh thyme
until well caramelized. Helps to use an iron skillet. 

Slice up some squash (and/or zucchini)
and season with salt and pepper. 

Slice up some tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Let squash and tomatoes sit out for about 45 minutes
with seasoning on them, then blot the moisture away. 

Put onions on bottom. Then top with veggies. 

Fresh parm cheese and panko bread crumbs

Cover veggies with bread/cheese mixture

Bake at 375 until it starts looking good and brown.
Turn heat off.
Put freshly chopped basil on top.
Leave in oven for a few minutes to wilt the basil.
Serve immediately afterwards.
Doesn't make the best leftovers.

28 Tips to sleeping better

These are all things I do to try to get a good nights sleep but was trying to formalize a list to hopefully help my parents. Here goes, mom and dad:

1. Find a good pillow
2. Find a good mattress (one that doesn't sag in the middle and you're comfortable on)
3. Avoid sleeping on the couch
4. Put fresh linens on bed regularly
5. No distracting noises (fan or white noise can help here). If you just need "noise" besides white noise or a fan, try very low frequency songs designed for falling to sleep.
6. Avoid blue light (like from phone or tv) an hour before bed. Don't sleep with tv on.
7. Take a warm bath just before bed with lavender scented bubble bath or bath salts
8. Spend at least an hour winding down for bed. Nothing too exciting. No alcohol. 
9. Do physical activity every day, even if in only small amounts but well before bed time. Late workouts can keep you up.
10. Avoid day time naps.
11. Get black out curtains.
12. Seal mattress with plastic sheets. Particularly if you tend to sneeze or have trouble breathing.
13. Run a fan even if not for white noise. Just makes for more breathable and fresh air. Crack a window if the temp is right. Keep the air as clean and fresh as possible in the house.
14. Try to go to bed at the same time every night.
15. Avoid caffeine for several hours before bed or during any time when you should be sleeping.
16. It's better to have a big lunch than big dinner. Don't eat within an hour of your normal bed time.
17. If you pee a lot, also avoid drinking much within 2 hours of bed time.
18. Regulate circadian rhythm. Get a good dose of bright light by day. Lower the lights in the house 2-3 hours before bed. 15 watts will trigger melatonin release (not blue lights from tv though). 
19. Nicotine is a stimulant so avoid smoking a couple hours before bed or during the time when you should be sleeping.
20. Do something relaxing an hour before bed like read a book (while taking a bath in 15 watt lighting) or meditate.
21. Ear plugs help with partner snoring.
22. Humidifiers help with ambient cigarette smoke.
23. Setup a proper mattress in another room if partner is still too disruptive to sleep soundly after trying other tips.
24. Keep it cool in the bedroom. 65 is recommended. Use a blanket as needed to keep body warm.
25. 200 mg magnesium and 600 mg calcium boost sleep.
26. Spritz lavender essential oil spray on pillows at night.
27. Melatonin is naturally produced but in much higher doses when young. It's probably the most effective supplement you can take for sleep.
28. Valerian is a natural supplement helping 90% of people sleep better if taken regularly ( the other 10 it makes worse). 200 - 800 mg is best.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut. So nutritious. So yummy. So cheap. Just do it. 

• Medium-Small Fresh Cabbage with loose outer leaves removed finely sliced (not chopped). Using a mandolin is best. 
• 1 Tbsp whole peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1.5 Tbsp sea salt (no iodine)
• Toss together in a large bowl. Tamp into mason jar in layers using a meat tenderizer mallet (it's hard to over tamp. give it a good effort)
• If cabbage is already covered in it's own brine, great, you're done. If not, wait a couple hours, come back, tamp some more if necessary. If it's still not covered, make up a brine that tastes about as salty as typical kraut. Pour it over the cabbage. 
• Now you just want to keep every single piece of cabbage under that brine. If you want, you can cut out a circular piece of thick green cabbage leaf to sit on top (it needs to stay submerged too). Then fill up a small glass or water (or some sort of weight) to sit on top and hold the cabbage down. 
• Lay a light cloth on top to keep out dust. Let ferment for 1-3 weeks (speed varies by temperature). Supposedly the best tasting is at slightly lower room temperatures over more time. The warmer it is, the faster it goes. 
• Keep tasting periodically to see if it tastes ready. It will stink in a less pleasant way the first few days, so don't worry about that yet. If you see mold / spots appear on top (because a bit of cabbage touched the air), just scoop out that piece of cabbage and the spots and wipe down the side of the glass. 
• Once it's ready, just keep it in the fridge. If you eat it fairly soon after sticking in the fridge, it will be a fair but crunchier than store bought kraut (much yummier, I think). I like cutting up just a bit of darker green leaves. Prettier that way. 

Note: homemade kraut has the beneficial bacteria in it where as store bought has been pasteurized and all bacteria (the good stuff) is killed. 

Pretty mommy song

Simple Healthy Food Time & Money Savers

Lately, I've been busier than usual. It's often tempting to get fast food or buy foods that are already made (which is very difficult to find if your criteria is inexpensive and healthy). So this is a small list of time saving healthy foodies, I've come across, that don't break the bank.

Simply cabbage and carrots and in the right quantity. A whole head of cabbage is always too much for me, and I like it better never frozen. I use this for stir fry, homemade ramen, soups, and actual slaw. Getting just cabbage/carrots is the cheapest. Then I can add my own tid bits of broccoli. 

I didn't realize how much more often I'd use ginger, until I bought this stuff on Amazon. Tastes just like freshly cut ginger.

Crushed garlic preserved with citric acid. I love trader joes!

Granted, this is an all in one meal (add rice), but a) they're as simple as it gets, b) they're really healthy, c) they're fabulously delicious, and d) they go on really big sales. When they do, I buy them out. Makes for a great easy week night meal (add some veggies and rice). I usually have a freezer full of chopped veggies to add. Easy-Peasy.

Mirpoix - Carrots, Celery and Onion. Granted, you do have to take time to chop it up, but you can freeze about a 6-month supply and just pull a little out as you go. I use this in about half the things I cook (roasted chicken, stir fry, beans and rice, soups, etc....)

Fully stocked freezer full of frozen veggies. No worries, it won't go bad. My staples are mirpoix (see above), corn, peas, limas, spinach, cauliflower, bell peppers (chopped myself) and broccoli. I'm not a huge fan of the store bought mixes. They always taste funny.

Chicken bone broth saved to ice cube trays for easy re-use. Granted this takes effort, sure, but if you make a big batch, later it's really easy to use (particularly if you have some of it in ice cube size quantities). That way you don't really have to "defrost". I hate that step. We cook a whole hen on the weekend, shred all the chicken for use throughout the week, then boil the bones overnight to make broth. You could simplify this even further but buying the sale rotisserie chickens and make the broth from the leftovers in that. This broth is way better (and healthier I think) than any store bought broth, plus it's leftovers, so it's free! Boiling those bones gives it that cloudy appearance which is collagen and some extra vitamins and enzymes. It's also good for inflammation reduction when sick (read more here)

I can't always find this stuff, but when I do, I buy a bunch. You can freeze it and it tastes exactly like fresh  lemon (unlike that other lemon juice stuff you buy) and no preservatives. So easy. And cheaper than buying lemons too.