Poison (MSG) in my cupboard!

That's it. I have scoured my cupboards and pantry and have found that villainous ingredient lurking in on the labels of products I know and love! How can this be? I have always been a label reader and have been aware of the various names of MSG for some time but until I did some more thorough research I did not realize all the names by which MSG can disguise itself. All of the products shown above show some of the more obscure names but it is there non-the-less. The most common name that I missed was Natural Flavoring or just Natural Flavor(s) added. Some products still in my pantry list "spices" only and so I actually disregarded those items but truthfully I suspect them as well. As I'm making so many of our meals from scratch anyway most of these products I will not miss very much. It just takes a little planning ahead to make sure I have homemade chicken stock on hand, herb tea that is not artificially flavored, etc.

A short list to watch for below, but I'm sure you could find a whole different spectrum of names as well. I just happen to have ignored the term "natural flavorings"
Celestial seasonings herbal teas (natural flavors)
Bigelow iced and some herb teas
Pacific Organic Creamy butternut Squash Soup-Tetra pack (Natural flavor)
Tazo Chai tea- tetra pack (natural flavors)
Worcestershire sauce (natural flavorings)
Carb sense pancake mix (Atkins products- had this for so long I'm glad to throw it out! (natural flavoring)
Oregon Spice Ranch Buttermilk Dressing base (yeast)
And here is the product that started my reaction that in turn started this witch hunt for MSG in the first place! Cortas Halva! (with Tahini extract!)


On the other hand, I had a great find today of a great and natural seasoning that I recommend, at of all places- Dollar Tree my neighborhood dollar store. I found a nifty salt grinder for celtic salt for $1.00! I have looked at a similar grinder on Amazon and at my favorite natural food supplier Azure Standard and they were all $14.00 plus shipping! I think I will go back and get a few more for gifts and stockings and ...hmmm what else can I do with these handy non metal refillable grinders? Maybe I'll try grinding fresh pepper corns, and fresh ground gomachio as well! Any other ideas?

Vision Forum Sale!

In case you have never visited one of our worthy sponsors, Vision Forum before, you really ought to now. From today until Midnight Sunday (Feb 10th) they are having a $25.00 off sale ($75.00 or more) on anything and everything on their website. Just thought I'd give you the heads up on that sale. I'm heading on over there right now for some birthday presents, some educational books, DVDS and finally my copy of, Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. Yeah! I've heard it is a great book!

#1- The biggest and most important thing you can do for your health.

Yesterday I hinted that I would post THE most significant thing you can do to increase your health, thereby setting your body up for effective weight loss. That number one thing is..... (drum roll please).... exercise. You were afraid I was going to say that right? Well, so was I. You see, I too have slipped out of the habit of daily exercise and that is one of the routines that I have been determined to reinstitute in the Month of February (and beyond). Even if you eat poorly, you can come out ahead if you exercise! (No, this is not an excuse to eat poorly) Getting your heart pumping is the equivalent of plunging the pipes, cleaning, massaging, detoxifying and energizing every organ with life giving oxygen.

I know there may be many obstacles in your way this month that keep you from instituting the good habit of a daily walk and I too have had to overcome several one by one. My children were too little to leave and too many to take at one point. I also could that claim whenever I start to exercise my children all pile on top of me wanting to "play" as well.

If you have these difficulties I can sympathize as I have been there too. The only way I could and can pull off a daily routine is through the use of Jane Fonda Collection: The Complete Workout & Stress Reduction Programvideo, in fact. I still laugh at myself when I remember the promise this young bride made to her husband over 2 decades ago. I boldly promised my husband that I too would look as slim and trim at 50 as Jane does in her video. (she was fifty when she made it. Yes, I have been doing her workout that long!)

Well, I have arrived, in the 50 Plus department but to look as fit and trim as Jane Fonda, well, that might be a stretch. But how far off base might I have been if I didn't even try? (Can hear my goal setting philosophy in a nutshell?) Still today I plug in Janie Baby and we go though the whole routine together. For those of you who do not like her feminist views, neither do I but her complete workout is the best I've seen around, and I have looked around. (You do have to endure some cat calls during the tougher workout parts and a few other minor feminist comments but other than that it is worth the time invested in a good workout.

Here is what one Amazon reviewer had to say about the new Dvd set.

As a beginner, who had a total lifestyle change to include my diet, Mrs. Fonda's Personal Trainer series really helped me lose weight, tone up, and be fit. I lost 20 lbs and have kept it off. I also had success after I had my son when I used her videos in combination with a 2 mile run 5 days a week. I also recieved complements on how my body looked, many people would ask me if I was a gymnast!:) Her workouts and fitness philosophy are right on. I highly recommend this series for anyone just starting out. They are easy on the joints, and have three women who demonstrate basic, intermediate, and advanced levels in each workout, as well as lead some of the workouts, so its not all Jane. The workouts really have some great basic moves for learning about the body in toning and stretch. The aerobics get the heart rate up, and the moves are simple. The aerobics section does require a little bit of space, enough to walk about 5 paces in each direction. I've moved up in my fitness level, but I still use this series for toning, stretch and when I just wanted to burn a few extra calories.

This month I plan on alternating the video workput with an outside neighborhood walk. Mon, Wed and Fri for 50 min inside with the slim trim lady, and Tues and Thursday outside with my youngest son. (He's pretty slim and trim as well) The advantages to this alternating plan is it give your muscles a days rest so you are not overtaxing them. Furthermore it is not actually beneficial to continually work and rework the same parts without a break or any variety. If for some reason you simply could not go out for walk, then it might be best to alternate a few different video programs by different instructors for mental and physical variety. So if you care to join me and working along with any video you have right now, I'd love to hear from anyone attempting to do the same as me. Getting back to moving and stretching adn burning a few extra calories.

Tomorrow I will be discussing the second biggest necessity to a healthy lifestyle. Any guesses?

Notebooking is for Mom, too!

I am still wrapping up a few leftover projects that I had planned for January and I have just finished another one. Yeah. It feels so good to get on top of one more task. One of the annoyances that I've had over the last few years is that my binder of favorite recipes was over stuffed and very inefficient. I could not find certain recipes when I needed them and it was embarrasing when a family member wanted a copy of a family favorite. I knew I had to separate the book into several books and categories and this is how I did it.
I have on hand several extra thick clearview binders-small size. I also have on hand a collection of funny or sweet pictures from magazines and keep them in a file for notebooking or for journals. My collection served the purpose well as I could find relevant pictures for each catagory that I needed. Then I "scrapbooked" the inserts for the covers and spines.
This binder is obviously Main Dishes with tabs marked: red meat, meatless, soups and stews,
poultry, eggs, fish, barbeque and gravy and sauces.

Bread, Muffins, Cakes and Desserts.

Inside tabs include:

cookies and squares

muffins, cakes and quick breads

bread, sweet rolls, pizza dough

pie crusts

desserts and toppings

jams and spreads

granola, pancakes, waffles, breakfasts foods






Salad, Veggies, Dressings and Spice Mixes
Tabs include,
salads

vegetable dishes

dressings, sauces and dips,

spice mixes,

pickles and preserves












This is my Household Management binder which contains Cleaning plans, schedules and requirements, family budget, menu planning, future major purchase list, laundry and cleaning tips, recipes for bug repellant, bone china price lists, food suppliers, furnace filter size and type (this is important when you move often enough to forget what size you need without pulling the filter out each time) etc, everything that is household related.














I haven't officially named this book yet but temporarily it contains all raw food recipes. I may keep this a separate book permanently just so I can find all raw ideas and recipes quick and easily (rather than including each food type in it's own binder.

















Seasonal and Special Occasion is a regular size binder (Not small like the other ones shown) that I keep all sorts of seasonal craft ideas, articles, poems and decorating ideas. It is the larger size because I include many magazine articles, etc, usually too big for the 9X9 size)Tabs include

New Years/Winter.
February/Valentines
March, St Pat's/
Easter
Mother's Day
Father's Day
July Aug/Vacation ideas
Sept/school
Shower/birthday ideas







This is the other half of the above Seasonal and Special Occasions binder containing all the favorite recipes for each special seasons in the year. I include all of the above tabs and include-birthday (cakes, present ideas, and party foods in general)



















And here is the spine shot of them all lined up ready to go in the cupboard. Easy to use, easy to find and easy to add to - The epitomy of notebooking. And we thought that notebooking was only for school subjects!


Tomorrow I'll be posting on the most important weight loss, weight managment tool a health minded person has. And it is free! (no monetary cost)
Any guesses?

Congratulations, Jenny!

Congratulations Jenny, on winning the free draw on my Bloggy Giveaway. The book is Perfect Weight America, and is Jordon Rubin's latest and newest hot off the press. I'm glad it is going to some one who is really interested in loosing weight.(aren't we all?)Here is what she said in the comment

Jenny said... I am trying to lose those last few pounds of baby weight. Count me in! January 29, 2008 4:29 PM

To the rest of you thanks so much for visiting, and leaving a comment. I feel that in a small way I have gotten to know you all a little better. Thanks to all who came out of hiding and risked leaving a comment. Keep it up. I love to connect and visit a bit. And welcome to all who visited for the first time! Of those who did leave a comment, if you are really interested in loosing some weight, why don't you join me this month for my co-op weigh down? I will be referencing this book along with quite a few others as the month goes on......and I'd love the company.

5 Alive and Healthy

230 LB Psalm

Strict is my diet

I must not want

It maketh me to lie down at night hungry

It leadeth me past Baskin Robbins

It tryeth my will power

It leadeth me in the paths of starvation for my figures sake

Yea, though I walk through the isle of the pastry department

I will buy no sweet rolls

For they are fattening

Thy cake and thy pies, they tempt me.

Before me is a table with celery and lettuce

My days quota runneth over

Surely calories and weigh charts will follow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the fear of the scales forever.

As January has finally come to a close, I am surveying all that I did accomplish in this month by setting the goal to get organized and focus. Much has been done but I'm not going to get bogged down on what didn't get done. I can do a little more as time goes on in spare moments here and there.

Onto Fabulous February, a month of heart health (apparently sponsored by Marie Osmond), love, wearing red and Valentine's Day.

My new goal for this month is something that I have never done before-at least publicly. In light of my chosen Bloggy Give away last month- Perfect weight America by Jordon Rubin, (which has not been chosen yet-to be announced) I am leaning towards getting back into line what has been slipping out of line in the last couple of years.

I'm talking pounds! fat! flab! flubber!

I have never had much of a weight problem, except after giving birth, and then I usually got it back in control as soon as I could. But here I am over the big hill (I'll let you figure out which hill) and I am now having to be a little more careful with my weight. So, I am planning on posting both my progress, recipes and principles that I have applied through the past years - only pressed a little harder now.

Furthermore, I'd like to stress that I do not believe in diets. (The above poem is for humor sake only) Truly, if you can go on a diet, you can go off a diet, causing a see saw in your thinking and in your weight which effects your health and makes future weight loss very difficult.

Rather, I will be readjusting old bad habits back into good ones and letting the weight fall off. We'll be discussing food combinations, choices, good calories/bad calories, healthy fat/unhealthy fat, carbs, fiber, water, temptations, excersize and plenty more. If you care to join me, I'd be honored. My goal is to not loose weight but to regain health-via loosing 5 lbs! (Does that make sense?)

For anyone who does join me I just may have a another independent give away at the end of the month. If you have more than 5 lbs to loose- that's ok. (So do I) All we are going to work on this month is 5 pounds! We're taking baby steps here. Next month you can choose your next goal.

Whenever I have lost weight I have felt more alive, energized and more in control of myself and my emotions so, 5 alive and healthy is my theme for February.

NATURAL flavor enhancers - real spices and herbs.

Yesterday, I researched and wrote a lengthy post about the dangers of the chemical additive-MSG. If you did like I did and rummaged through your whole house on a MSG witch hunt and got discouraged with every additive find, I thought I'd encourage you with a recipe that I have been using for some time that is a wonderful flavor boost-naturally. It is a spice mix that I mix myself from bulk organic herbs that I get from Azure Standard or Mountain Rose Herbs.

Believe me, you will get rave reviews whatever you add it to and on how great a cook you are becoming!

To mix a large amount (which I do regularly because I use it so much) in a bowl or large spice container mix

6 T (Tablespoon) Celtic salt(regular sea salt is fine but not as healthy for you (future post)

6 T sweet Paprika

6 T dried oregano leaves

6 T dried thyme leaves

3 T garlic powder

3 T onion powder

3 T black pepper

3 T turmeric powder (Excellent anti cancer properties)

3 T chilli powder

and

a little cayenne powder depending on how hot you like it.(Maybe a 1/4-1/2 of a teaspoon)

Shake all this together and store in an airtight container. This does tend to clump together over time (moisture in the Celtic salt) so if it does it is helpful to shake the bottle well and maybe stir it with a fork before use.

Add to soups and stews, scrambled eggs, and just about any meat dish:

I chop up our organic red meat into strips, coat with seasoning mix and fry till cooked. I then use this in stir fries and crock pot fare.

Also adding liberally to the crock pot when you do a roast along with a can of Thai organic coconut milk is very easy quick and delicious! I also have coated chicken thighs exclusively in this spice mix (shake and bake style) and this recipe has come to be called in our house "spicy chicken."

If I do not want to knock people off their feet with strong flavor (but wonderfully strong) I will grind up dry roasted sunflower seeds, grind them to a powder and mix half and half with spicy mix and this is delicious also. Be sure to roll and roast the chicken pieces in healthy coconut oil for a crisp and flavorful crust.

Coating homemade french fries and oven roasting in a coconut oil coating with this mix is yummy too. Great for hot lunch on a cold day.

That's all I can think about right now. (I may remember in the middle of the night what else I do with this versatile spice mix and run downstairs and add a few other ideas (sorry, I'm too heavy a sleeper for that)

In the next few days I'm going to divulge what I found in my pantry, fridge, and medicine cabinet with the offending ingredient. (blush)