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How to Create a Healthier Family Home

05/12/2021 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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When you have kids, you want to do the best for them and ensure they get off to the best start in life. Keeping your kids as healthy as possible is crucial to help them thrive and gain the most from childhood. Keeping your kids healthy begins at home, as your living environment plays a vital role in the whole family’s health. Everyone knows the benefits of getting the kids to eat a balanced diet and stay physically active, but there may be some things you have not considered that could impact the health of your home. Here are some of the factors you may want to consider when making your home as healthy as possible for your family:

Be Carbon Monoxide Aware

Carbon monoxide is a very real concern in people’s homes, and the bad news is it is often not detected before it becomes an issue. Carbon monoxide poisoning is potentially fatal, so being aware of it is incredibly important. Carbon monoxide is generated by fuel-burning appliances and equipment, such as stoves, fireplaces, furnaces, car engines, and charcoal grills, to name a few. When these items are in an enclosed or semi-enclosed space, carbon monoxide can build up with dangerous consequences.

To help protect your family from the hidden dangers of carbon monoxide, it is wise to get carbon monoxide detectors fitted in your home so you can be alerted to its presence. Ensuring your appliances are all professionally serviced, and chimneys are cleaned will help to reduce the risk and never have carbon monoxide-producing items in an enclosed or partially enclosed space.

Maintain Your Water Quality

Water is something that is frequently taken for granted. As water is used so widely, many people assume it is safe to eat with, cook with, wash with, and drink. However, water can become contaminated, so it is worth being aware of this so you can ensure your home’s water supply is healthy. Many parts of the US have water supplies that have been enriched with fluoride. While some people are happy with this, it is a cause for concern for others, and they are keen to remove fluoride from their tap water. If you want to try and remove fluoride from your tap water before using it, you could take a look at the suggestions contained here https://truthaboutfluoride.com/does-boiling-water-remove-fluoride/.

If you are curious to find out more about your home’s water quality, you can request an annual water quality report. The report will provide you with plenty of details about any contaminants and where your water is sourced, which you may find helpful.

Improve Indoor Air Quality

When many people think about air quality, they immediately picture highways being heavily polluted with exhaust fumes or factories pumping grey smoke through their chimneys into the sky. But, did you know the indoor air in your home could also be polluted?

Many factors can impact the indoor air quality of your home. Moisture levels, the presence of asbestos, pollen levels, and dust can affect the air quality within your home. The impact these factors have on your family’s health will depend on their pre-existing health conditions and sensitivity to these substances. While asbestos is unhealthy for everyone, dust and pollen may only affect people in your home that are allergic to these. But, thankfully there is lots you can do to help improve your indoor air quality to keep your home as healthy as possible for your family.

If you suspect you have harmful substances such as asbestos or growths of mold anywhere on your property, you should always seek professional assistance to handle their removal, as these can be incredibly harmful to your and your family’s health. In either of these cases, finding a good service that offers mold inspection in Stamford, CT can be vital to ensuring a healthy home environment.

If yourself or anyone in your family is an allergy sufferer, you will know how much discomfort this can cause, especially if they also have another condition such as asthma. To control the amount of pollen that is able to enter your home, there are several things you can do to help. Keeping flowers and plants out of your home that may trigger an allergy is a crucial first step. It is also helpful to get your HVAC system cleaned and serviced regularly; otherwise, the system’s dust and pollen can be spread throughout your home. Highlands Ranch HVAC offers a full range of heating, cooling, and ventilation services to keep your indoor environment in optimal condition. Removing your shoes before walking around the house is also helpful to prevent you from spreading pollen and dust across your home from the bottom of your shoes.

Making your living environment a healthier place for your family does take effort, but the benefits make it worth the work.

Food, Going Healthy

Five Things To Do With a Sweet Potato

08/12/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

The sweet potato as well as all potato varieties are incredibly underrated vegetables. Both offer distinctive nutritional benefits, but are completely different vegetables from each other. Sweet potatoes actually come from a completely different family in the plant kingdom. While many sources hold sweet potatoes on a pedestal claiming they are far superior to the regular “baking” potatoes, they both have a welcome place in our diet.

Just like the regular spud, sweet potatoes come in many varieties and range in color from a pasty white to a deep red; each imparting unique tastes and textures. Although sweet potatoes taste sweeter than their distant “white” cousins, they do not spike our blood sugar as much as the regular spuds.

One reason is the fact that sweet potatoes have almost double the amount of fiber than their counterparts; fiber plays a major role in slowing digestion and releasing sugar. Both varieties offer similar amounts of vitamins and minerals, but sweet potatoes come out on top for antioxidant content. So, don’t skip out on baked potatoes as they have a lot to offer in flavor and nutrition, but I want to focus on the sweet tuber today.

First, let’s look at how to select your sweet potato. WHFoods.com has great tips on how to select and store a sweet potato:

Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and do not have any cracks, bruises or soft spots. Avoid those that are displayed in the refrigerated section of the produce department since cold temperature negatively alters their taste.

Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place, where they will keep fresh for up to ten days. Ideally, they should be kept out of the refrigerator in a cool, dry, dark place not above 60 degrees F / 15 degrees C, which would fit the characteristics of a root cellar. Yet since most people don’t have root cellars, we’d suggest just keeping your sweet potatoes loose (not in a plastic bag, but if desired, a brown paper bag with multiple air holes punched in it will work) and storing them in a cool, dark, and well-ventilated cupboard away from sources of excess heat (like the stove).

After selecting a sweet potato or five following the tips above, here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy:

Sweet Potato Soup

1. Sweet Potato Peanut Stew or Bisque – Eatingwell.com provides a great recipe I use and change as needed. Instead of the tomato juice their recipe calls for, I use canned chopped tomatoes; sometimes I toss some cubed and cooked chicken breast in after pureeing for a protein boost. The peanut butter provides healthy fat that enables the body to better absorb the beta-carotene in sweet potatoes.

2. Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding – So good. Cube and steam the sweet potato in the microwave, throw all ingredients in a blender with a little milk, and blend away! Add avocado for extra creamy nutrition; trust me. This is great hot or cold and with or without roasted peanuts added for a little crunch.

3. Roasted Sweet Potato – either cut into fries or simply cubed, I love baking these in a 375 degree over for 30 – 45 minutes. The roasting brings out the sweetness of the spud and is even better with cinnamon sprinkled on top. For something savory, toss with whole garlic cloves, ground cumin, and parsley to roast in the oven; this is great served cold too!

4. Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili – If you haven’t combined sweet potato with black beans yet, make this now! When it’s hot outside, make it a cold salad instead by cutting out a few steps. Try adding sliced avocado for a cool and creamy addition with extra nutrition.

Eat Me.......seriously — Eat Me…….seriously

5. Sweet Potato Pancakes – a great change from regular flour pancakes for a special weekend breakfast; try this recipe I found on Pinterest you will love it! I use half unsweetened applesauce and half plain full fat yogurt instead of just yogurt. Whisk plain yogurt with peanut butter (Like NuttZo!) and honey for a tasty topping; sliced bananas with extra cinnamon is a great way to really up the flavor!

The potato is a versatile food and can be prepared in less than 10 minutes for when you have no time to spare. Kelley and I have found the Jersey Sweet Potato to be our favorite so far; we simply rinse and microwave for 4 -5 minutes and enjoy topped with plain full fat Greek yogurt. Similar to my squash puree mixtures, I sometimes use cooked sweet potato instead; this makes for a very creamy and delicious treat when mixed with frozen berries or bananas.

Don’t be scared to eat more potatoes, both sweet and regular are great nutritional powerhouses. Buy organic so you can just rinse the skin and eat it to obtain the vital vitamins and minerals it has within. If you do not buy organic, you might be better off peeling the potato to limit the amount of pesticides you ingest.

How do you enjoy sweet potatoes?

Food, Going Healthy

Strawberry biPro Protein Cake Recipe

07/14/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Have you ever used protein powder as a substitute for regular flour in baked goods? I’ve been doing it for years with some bad, some good, and some fabulous results. Luckily, this strawberry protein cake using biPro’s Strawberry Protein Powder really….um, takes the cake!

protein cake, biPro whey protein, baking, healthy, cooking, bread, dessert

Writing the review of biPro’s Strawberry Whey Protein left me craving something full of strawberry goodness to snack on. Maybe share a little with the little one too. A smoothie is easy, but I wanted something I could eat and use as the perfect NuttZo delivery device.

nuttzo, healthy, protein cake, cooking, peanut butter, organic — I’m waiting for you….

Not sure why it always sits right at the window I look out of most often, but it sure does drive me NuttZ…..O!

Back to the protein cake. With no real recipe to follow, I mixed and ~~measured~~ tossed ingredients together and put it all into the oven. The end result was good, but now I had remake it and actually measure. Ugh. You will be happy to know that the second time around came out even better. Hey, measuring does serve a purpose!

BiPro Strawberry Protein Cake

Don’t take my word (or anyone’s word) for it, make it for yourself and taste the proof. Maybe smear a little NuttZo on too.

protein cake, biPro whey protein, baking, healthy, cooking, bread, dessert, nuttzo

Strawberry biPro Protein Cake

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20 – 25 Minutes

Keywords: bake bread dessert protein powder cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup cottage cheese (can substitute Greek yogurt)
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg whites
2 tsp chia seeds
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup biPro Strawberry Protein Powder
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
15 drops liquid vanilla stevia or 1/16 tsp stevia powder
optional shredded coconut as desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F, and line an 8-inch square or round pan with parchment (or grease very well).

2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and let sit at least 10 minutes. If batter is too thick, add unsweetened almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time to help mix it better.

3. Pour batter into the prepared pan, and smooth down evenly. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before devouring each and every protein-packed bite.

Once you make and devour the protein-packed cake, come back and let me know how you (and, if shared, your friends and family) loved it!

BiPro Strawberry Protein Cake_Half Slice