Sunday…food prep day! One lesson that I learned a few years ago was that I am an absolute bear if I do not have my meals for the week planned before Monday rolls around. When you prepare in advance, you are much less likely to run through the fast food lane on your way home from work or pour that bowl of cereal for a less than desirable dinner! I will explain what works best for me but I also know that we all have very different weeks, weekends and lives so adapt these suggestions to whatever works best for you! The bottom line here…is preparation and organization!
Optimally, I like to get my meal planning and grocery shopping done on Saturdays. This allows Sunday for preparation and picking up anything that I forgot or that the market decided to run out of, or quit carrying, right before I walked in:). Now, listen up... this part is VERY important….I suggest washing your fruits and vegetables and also cutting up your vegetables BEFORE you put them away. I cannot tell you how many times I have dug out unrecognizable vegetables from my fridge because I didn’t have time to clean and cut so they stayed in there for days. Let's face it, if vegetables are supposed to be the largest part of our plate each day, we don’t need another obstacle to prevent us from eating them. Cut those veggies up before you put them away!!
Here are a few tips on utilizing the weekends for food preparation so the week can go a little smoother!
1. Wash your fruit before you put it into the fruit bowl or fridge. Grabbing a clean apple out of the fruit bowl sounds silly and trivial but again, it saves time later…you’ll see:).
2. Wash and cut up vegetables and separate into glass bowls.
3. Brown any ground meat that you will use in the upcoming week and store in your fridge or freezer. Ground meats should be used within two days of being in the fridge so any longer than that, put it in the freezer and move it back to the fridge the day before you use it again! (Ground meat stays good in the freezer for up to four months). Throw it on a salad, in marinara sauce or soup and you just shorted your prep time during the week. Woohoo!
4. Bake chicken breasts ahead of time and store in fridge. Cooked poultry is safe in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep the remainder of the uncooked chicken in the freezer until it will be used.
5. Keep fish frozen until the night before you plan to eat it.
6. Hard boil a few eggs and keep in glass bowls in the fridge.
7. Throw together oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut, cinnamon (because it tastes yummy and the added bonus of blood sugar stabilization so you won’t get hungry as quickly) into glass jars. Add a milk alternative in the morning and grab and go!

My family eats a very good and balanced diet and drink lots of fresh water, take some vitamins and have supplemental support when needed. My family also gets a chiropractic adjustment on a weekly or every 2 week basis. My kids might not need an adjustment to their spine but I will check anyway. Your skull and spine house your nervous system. Your brain and nervous system control it all. You can't live without a brain or a spinal cord. They can give you a new heart, a new liver, a new kidney, even a new face but you cannot get a new brain. You should care how all the systems of your body function. We like to say "if your spine was on your face you would take better care of it!"
If you need help finding a chiropractor in your neck of the woods, let us know. Maybe we know one. They are not just for back pain. Did you know the number one reason a parent brings a child to a chiropractor is for an alternative evaluation of chronic ear infections? Yep I see newborns with latch issues, infants with torticollis or head asymmetry issues, babies and toddlers with chronic ear infections and kids who leap off the back of the couch but accidentally land on their head instead of their feet. 
You telling me it isn't important to correct those things while they are young? Let's keep our bodies healthy and strong from day 1. Structure dictates function.

Ok time to kick up the oil routine a notch! We have been taking one pill a day of the oily combo lemon, peppermint and grapefruit. If you have tolerated that fine, time to take 2 per day. I do one in the AM first thing with my lemon water and one before bed. You can even add a few more drops of each essential oil to each capsule. This will help in your detox and your weight control. If you happen to have cinnamon oil, adding that to your capsule before bed will help curb cravings too. 
You should also be drinking ALOT of plain water each and every day. Adding one drop of one of these essential oils to your glass of water elevates the flavor and helps you get it all consumed. Grapefruit is my favorite!
And don't forget to be rubbing that grapefruit oil onto your fatty areas of your body. Place a few drops into your favorite non-toxic body lotion or just use coconut oil. Rub away and think positive thoughts. Preferably do after you have dry brushed. Stay tuned for other ways to use those wonderful bottles of oils you have.

Whether it is a holiday party, super bowl party or just a fun gathering amongst friends, it is easy to go off the deep end and indulge! I suggest eating something healthy before you leave for the party. Showing up on an empty stomach is never a good idea! Now, I'm not saying that you cannot enjoy yourself. I like to think of the 80/20 rule here. 80 percent of the week is fueling your body with anti-inflammatory, healthful foods and the 20 percent is for occasions like this! You don't want to leave the party feeling deprived of enjoyment, but you also don't want to leave feeling like an overstuffed teddy bear.
I am including my favorite recipe for guacamole and stop by Trader Joes for a little non-alcoholic sparkling juice on your way!
Guacamole: Smash three avocados in a bowl, add the juice of 1 lime, 1/2 c diced red onion, 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro, diced 2 Roma tomatoes, 2 cloves of minced garlic and sea salt to flavor. Pair it with sweet potato chips and chopped veggies and not only do you have a healthy dish, but one that everyone will like!

Did you know that chocolate cravings can indicate a deficiency in Magnesium? It is true! Magnesium deficiency has become almost epidemic in numbers and there are numerous symptoms and effects from being low in this critically needed mineral!
Magnesium is an essential mineral required for the proper function of the nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems. It is also referred to as the “relaxation mineral” as it helps muscles to relax and has been shown to improve sleep. Do you ever have those nights when you can fall asleep fast but you cannot stay asleep? You continually wake up during the night and sometimes it can be hard to fall back to sleep. Well, this is another symptom of Magnesium deficiency. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, numbness, irritability, muscle spasms, pain, anxiety,heart arrhythmias and constipation. Magnesium deficiency can also lead to decreased bone density.
Magnesium absorption can be decreased by excess alcohol, coffee, salt, soda (aka poison), profuse sweating, stress (Who has that?!?), diarrhea and multiple medications including birth control pills, diuretics, antibiotics and some anti-inflammatories.
I love getting my vitamins and minerals from food but this is one mineral that typically warrants supplementation. With that being said, here are a few great food sources of Magnesium:
• Leafy Green Vegetables (spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens)
• Black beans
• Potatoes
• Almonds and cashews
• Avocado
• Figs
• Dark Chocolate
• Bananas
For those looking to supplement Magnesium (which I highly recommend), there are many types of Magnesium supplements and they are not all created equal! Magnesium Citrate, Chloride, Malate and Glycinate have all been shown to have good bioavailability for absorption. However, Magnesium Carbonate, Sulfate, Gluconate and Oxide rank lower on the scale for bioavailability and are not usually recommended. I consider 400mg to be a standard dosage recommendation but testing is available for more accuracy. A standard serum Magnesium is NOT an accurate test but a RBC Magnesium test is a far superior option as it is much more accurate. It is a simple blood draw and is offered at many specialty labs. Dosage recommendations may increase based on test results. It is important to note that Calcium should also be taken along with the Magnesium at a 1:1 or 2:1 (calcium:magnesium) ratio as an imbalance should be avoided. For those suffering from Heart Disease or Kidney problems, consult with a Physician before supplementing with Magnesium.

Fold your pancake like a taco and fill it with hearty yet healthy goodies! Perfectly portable!

I love Pamela's products.  Pamela's pancake mix( gluten free) , one egg, water and a tbsp oil. Easy!!