Healthy Zucchini Bread

1/4 cup milled flax seed
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup organic (unbleached) white flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup "local" honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cups chopped apples
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts

Blend dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine eggs, oil, apple sauce, honey & vanilla. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Fold in zucchini, apples, raisins & walnuts. Fold into 2 lightly greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

For Muffins bake at 350 for 18 - 20 minutes.

Product of The Week

According to Ayurveda, improper diet and digestion can lead to a build up of toxins, known as "Ama". Tongue cleaners are an efficient and effective way of removing "Ama" and bacteria from the tongue as well as eliminating bad breath and improving taste.

I purchased Dr. Tung's Tongue Cleaner from Akin's Health Food Store about 3 weeks ago. I have to say that the results were unexpected. The cleaner is essentially a curved piece of stainless steel that you scrape across your tongue. The rubber handles are nice and soft, which temporarily takes your mind off the fact that your shoving a piece of metal far back into your mouth. It definitely feels weird, but there is no discomfort at all, just a severe case of cotton mouth. I gargle with water and baking soda throughout the process to add some moisture back into my mouth. I personally like to use the tongue cleaner twice a day, once in the morning and once before bedtime, after brushing my teeth. Honestly...I LOVE IT! I like to see all the gunk that comes off of my tongue (I'm just gross that way). I love that fact that I no longer have a funky taste in my mouth or wicked breath first thing in the morning. Apparently your tongue is supposed to be pink and not coated white!

Baby Steps

I drove on the highway today! I realize I didn't perform brain surgery, but I managed to drive about 16 miles on the highway without having a panic attack! You see... I suffer from sooo many irrational fears (vata trait), one of which is a fear of highway driving. I'm not exactly sure when this began. I remember as a small child being afraid on family road trips. I suppose that was because we traveled from Oklahoma to Miami via New York City in the back of a van on a futon, with no seat belts. This was back in the days when seat belts beyond the front were optional!

I have experienced random moments of bravery throughout my adult life, just not very often. I once drove to Arkansas for a business trip. The trip should not have taken more than 3 hours...it took me about 6. I had to stop every few miles to shake off the panic attacks. On another business trip I bi-passed the highway completely and drove 96 miles on back roads. It is really difficult for me to drive more than 15 miles in any direction. Usually after a couple of miles, my legs start to shake, my jaw clinches, my arms stiffen, my elbows lock and my eyes blink uncontrollably until I have to pull over. Not pretty! But today was different. Today I made the decision to go for that 16th mile. I started off feeling pretty confident, then traffic began to build and I felt my arms stiffen. I turned off the radio, took 3 deep breaths and kept going. As I began to approach I-40 (the scary part) I could feel my body pulling toward the nearest exit like a magnet. I took 3 more deep breaths and began chanting the only 2 mantras I know, OM & RAM. Amazingly, as I focused on the vibrations, I began to feel calm, my joints loosened up and I stopped blinking uncontrollably. I chanted for many miles, when before I knew it, I had made it safely to my exit. Hooray for Me! That is the power of meditation, a mind in the present moment, de-concentration, letting go and relaxing.

Top 10 home remedies

As an unemployed, stay at home mom, soon to be full time nursing student, I have been really trying to tighten the belt. So I started researching homemade beauty products and remedies. Here are my top 10:

1. Red Lip gloss - vegetable shortening & beet juice (few fresh drops)
2. Clear Lip gloss - olive oil
3. Mascara - Olive oil alone or mix with dark eye shadow
4. Moisturizing Face/hair Mask - left over/over ripe avocado & olive oil
5. Foot Cream - Vegetable shortening & cocoa butter
6. Zit Zapper - Baking soda paste (baking soda & water)
7. Face Masks - Honey & Olive Oil moisturize or egg whites to tighten the skin
8. Exfoliate: Body - Coffee Grinds, Face - Olive Oil & natural sugar
9. Toner - Cucumber & honey
10. Hair Loss - Raw Onion & Olive Oil *This sounds way worse then it actually is! I started rubbing raw onion & olive oil on my scalp every night before bed time - I wrap my head (it really stinks), sleep on it, then wash it out the next morning. After 4 days my hair stopped falling out!

Sinus Headaches, Sneezing? Try the Neti Pot - Page 2 - DivineCaroline

Since his many appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show, Dr. Oz has become well known for his common sense approach to health problems. In one...

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Perfect Health Day - 1

I made the decision a few weeks ago to study and practice ayurveda. In the weeks to come I will be following an ayurvedic diet specifically for my "dosha" type, I will also be following Deepak Chopra's 7 spiritual laws of success, practicing daily meditation and yoga.

My goal is to eventually incorporate as much ayurveda in my life as I can. My reasoning for all of this is quite simple, I feel out of balance. For over 20 years I have suffered from depression, eczema, acne, obesity, hormonal imbalance, alopecia, etc...etc....etc...Last December I had a miscarriage, although one of the worst experiences of my life it forced me listen to my body. I realized that everything about my lifestyle is toxic. So I have decided to begin my journey to "Perfect Health" today! I will be posting my daily/weekly progress, issues, experiences, product critiques etc.

Here goes...

Today I went to my first ayurvedic consultation. I filled out what is called a dosha quiz, questionnaire that determines which ayurvedic element is most lively in your nature. I found out that I am a Vatta type - full of fear & anxiety, indecisive & forgetful, sensitive & unsteady, friendly yet solitary (not exactly the life of the party). I also learned that I have an aggravated vatta & pitta, causing excessive appetite, gall stones, diarrhea,dry throat, gas, constipation, joint pain, acne, rashes, dry skin.

I had my first acupuncture treatment - it was pretty odd. Most of the needles didn't bother me much, a couple of them really hurt - 2 on my face, 1 in my wrist, 1 in my left shoulder (still hurts), 1 on either hip (those hurt the most). After the needles went in, I was hooked up to a machine that sent electrical pulses through specific needles. The pulses where the weirdest part - causing my legs and shoulder to randomly twitch. I warming lamp was placed over my abdomen and on my back - I'm guessing this was to ignite my digestive fire! Overall a very relaxing experience. I will be going back in about 4 weeks. I was put on herbal supplements to balance my thyroid, aid in digestion & sleep.

Day 1 down...feeling pretty good!

How's Your Digestive Fire?

Weakened Agni Your score indicates that your digestive fires are functioning at far below the optimal level, preventing your body from extracting value even from food and experiences that are potentially nourishing. A weak fire generates an excessive amount of smoke, leaving behind charred pieces of wood that are similar to the toxic residue, or ama, that remains when your digestive power is poor. This accumulated residue can weaken your health and block the flow of energy and information throughout our body, making you feel tired and listless. Fortunately, cleansing and detoxifying the body will help you restore your agni, which naturally burns ama and aids in digestion. Read the recommendations below to learn practices you can start using today to cleanse your body and reignite your digestive fire.

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