essential oils

Blended or Single Essential Oils?

  essential oilsThe pharmaceutical industry has long practiced singling out one particular component of a plant in order for them to duplicate it chemically and then qualify for a patent. Regardless of how perfectly the chemical component matches the original portion, it still is sorely lacking in one of the most important factors of the original effective compound—the synergistic effect that the other portions of the plant have which makes up the whole.  It’s no different than someone taking the cello out of the symphony and trying to pass it off as a full symphony by itself. A piece of lettuce isn’t a salad and an orphaned child isn’t a family.  While beans and rice each on their own can taste wonderful, the combined effect of the two of them together comprise a perfect protein for our bodies.  This principle is also true when you look at the effect which botanicals have in impacting our health and well-being. The part is more effective when joined with its counterparts.

grain

Grain: How Much and How to Cook


 

grainLast weekend I wanted to create a recipe in which I could successfully use wheat pasta as a grain in our diet. My husband tends to be just as picky as any of the kids I know when it comes to eating “healthy foods” so when he declared the culinary creation one of his favorite top 10, I was thrilled and relieved.  Relieved because it meant that I wasn’t going to have to eat the leftovers single-handedly, and thrilled because it was an easy one for me to make.  I’ll be sure to share the recipe with you down below. Before I do that though, I wanted to clear up some of the confusion that folks have about how much wheat they should store and what they should be able to do with it. So here goes.

The Win BEFORE the Fight–Self-Defense Preparation

by Kellene

I’ve been reading a great book over the last couple of weeks, “Molon Labe” that covers a lot of self-defense preparedness. In it the author reminds the reader several times that all fights are decided before the battle begins. The point being that it’s the level of self-defense preparation which takes place before a battle which determines the victor.  To me that’s certainly what self-defense preparedness is all about—a way to ensure that we win as many of life’s battles as are thrown at us, but this particular saying comes in full view when it comes to physically defending yourself as well.

Coupons on Steroids?

I have SO much that I’ve got building up that I want to share with you guys! When I don’t write regularly, I feel like I’m ready to explode with information and insight. So, you may be inundated this week with info if I can find enough time to write. For those of you who have inquired, my friend is definitely in a battle for her life, but I feel very, very confident that she will be victorious. Thank you all for your kind comments and prayers on her behalf.

What’s Kellene Reading?

Hey Folks. Happy Friday to you!  As some of you know, I’m helping to take care of friend who’s battling breast cancer. As such, I’ve made sure that I have plenty of reading materials on hand. Since I’m already an admitted book addict, I’ve probably used this opportunity as an excuse to devour several books that I’ve been wanting to read but haven’t had the time.  In the last month I’ve read several books—some of them I couldn’t put down—and I thought that I’d share these books with you. I frequently get e-mails asking me what I would recommend. So here you go:

Nothing to Fear

I may sound like a snob saying this, but to be frank, I don’t do fear.  Nope, I simply refuse to do it.  Any decision made out of fear is usually wrong or at the very least, incomplete. Why would I willingly want to knowingly make wrong decisions when I make perfectly innocent wrong decisions without the nasty toxin of fear added to the heap? Seriously. Fear is underrated. There’s a lot of validity in the saying “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Bottom line, fear has no place in our lives. Every fear we have, we can conquer and counter with actions which smother it with peace.

Why Does Misinformation Exist?

I realize that for many persons it’s simply impossible to believe that we are subjected to a litany of misinformed articles in the mainstream media each day, courtesy of our government, but not wanting such to be the case doesn’t get rid of it.  If a mental will was enough, I’d be 3 inches taller, 100 pounds lighter and still able to indulge in my favorite foods without consequences.  But the fact of the matter is that we ARE constantly fed misinformation through the mainstream media, as well as some more strategic occurrences, on a regular basis.  The appropriate question is WHY?

drought-affects-wheat-crop-in-russia-photo-co-yahoo-news

Did I Mention That a Wheat Shortage is Imminent?

A perfect storm is brewing folks and it’s a mixture of Mother Nature, misinformation, and apathy. Today Russia, the worlds 3rd largest exporter of wheat, announced that they were banning wheat and wheat derivative exports for at least the next four months. (Click here for article)  They are asking that other nations, including Kazakhstan—another major grain exporter, to do the same.  Keep in mind that China, one of the largest importers of wheat, is presently experiencing the worst drought of the century. Additionally, the news article quotes a Russian official claiming that the United States had a good harvest this year, and thus the news of today is no cause (more…)

FoodSaver Saves the Day

I know that I’ve shared with you all the merits of a FoodSaver previously, but my enthusiasm for it has recently been refreshed. FoodSaverLast week I wanted to use up some brown bananas and make some banana bread. I usually put walnuts in my banana bread, but for some reason I was having a challenge finding my walnuts. After searching for about 20 minutes, I finally found a large half-gallon Mason jar of them which I had sealed via the FoodSaver Mason Jar attachment. Inside the jar, I had the walnuts still in their original packaging which read “Best if used by October 10, 2007.” Nearly three years old on a food that is notorious for going rancid quickly. So…the moment of truth…