Capricorn Soap Company Review & Giveaway!

I am so excited to have the opportunity to share the Capricorn Soap Company with you on my blog! I have had such a great experience working with this company and getting to know them! The owners work really hard and make some of the prettiest luxury products for your body and home! They have great customer service and their products make wonderful gifts for any occasion!

If you are still doing your last minute Mother's Day shopping, this is the place you will find something for all those special women! Whether it is your mom, grandma, aunt, wife, sister or friend, they are sure to enjoy some homemade bath soaps, lip balm, bath salts, aromatherapy mist or candles, etc!

You know June is the month for Weddings and Anniversaries, so you had better be stocking up on some gifts for all of those special occasions! Thankfully Capricorn Soap Company is your one stop shop for Wedding and Anniversary gifts! If you are having a Wedding or Anniversary party, or helping put one on, you should visit to see about putting in special orders for soaps for party favors, candles, etc!

The Capricorn Soap Company sells shave creams, shaving kits and after shave! I would Love to try some of the Virginia Rose shaving cream!

The after shave and shaving kits would make wonderful Father's day gifts!

Along with aromatherapy mist, some of the other products for around your home are furniture polish and ironing water! Great ways to freshen your home and clothing for the summer!


I love Oatmeal and Honey baths, so I was absolutely delighted to see that the Capricorn Soap Company sells the oatmeal & honey bath bars and body lotion! Here is a way to relieve stress and feel relaxed! How heavenly! My husband would love this, and I think I would try to sneak a bath more often! =) Just think, a relaxing bath with oatmeal & honey soap, then after the bath using the body lotion!


I had the opportunity to review the Herbes de Provence Luxury Bath Salts and Herbes de Provence Aromatherapy Mist from the Capricorn Soap Company! The essential oils used in these products have such an amazing smell! I Love herbs and the smell of herbs and essential oils! With the bath salts, it really is like having your own spa at home! I would recommend buying some of the candles from the Capricorn Soap Company to put around your bath to complete your spa! And some of the shaving cream and body lotion!
The aromatherapy mist makes the home smell so fresh and relaxed!

Meet Our Featured Etsy store and Owner!
Here is what the owner of Capricorn Soap Company shared with us about her and her store:

What inspired the name of your Etsy store?
My Etsy shop is the same name of our company, which is Capricorn Soap Company - even though we don't just make soap. :-)

What insipred you to open your Etsy store? We have sold wholesale and private label for a long time, but wanted to get some exposure for our own brand, as well. So we (hubby and I) decided to try Etsy to test the response. It has been great so far!

Would you like to share a little bit about yourself? A little about me - hmm...well, we're really a team. I (Christina) create the products, and my husband Tim is the concept brain behind it all. We both do sales and marketing. We're both visual artists in our free time, and Tim is also a self-employed architect and furniture designer. I've personally tried my hand at a lot of different professions (studied foreign languages in college) but never found anything that I wanted to do until I started making personal care products and home luxuries. Now I'm hooked. :-)

Anything else you would like to share with us? For those artisans looking to become financially independent and who are trying to build their business: don't give up. Keep going forward. Be professional. Eventually, it pays off. :-)

Now for the Giveaway!
One winner will receive one 8oz. glass jar of Herbes de Provence Luxury Bath Salts and one 8oz. bottle of Herbes de Provence Aromatherapy Mist with Aloe and Essential Oils from Capricorn Soap Company!



"Herbes de Provence Luxury Bath Salts - with Pure Dead Sea Salt, Botanicals and Essential Oils"
Product Description from Capricorn Soap Company:
"Enjoy a relaxing bath in luxury with our Herbes de Provence dead sea salt bath soak. Made from pure dead sea salts, this decadent bath treatment is sure to ease tired muscles and provide a rejuvenating, refreshing spa experience right in your own bathtub!
A little of these salts added to your bath water will provide a clean, fresh fragrance, and you'll soak your cares away while these dead sea salts draw out impurities and leave you feeling clean and energized."



"Herbes de Provence Aromatherapy Mist with Aloe and Essential Oils"
Product Description from Capricorn Soap Company:
"Relax and rejuvenate with the soothing fragrance of lavender with our aromatherapy mist in our Herbes de Provence essential oil blend.
Mist a little of this into the center of the room and experience the calming and uplifting scent of lavender, basil and chamomile.
You can also use this as a body spray. Take care, however, not to spray this mist directly onto clothes or linens as essential oils have a tendency to cause spotting."

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Capricorn Soap Company shop and tell me a product you would love to try or give as a gift!
Mandatory entry must be done to enter giveaway!
Please leave your email address in your comment or have it visible on your profile.

Extra Entries After completing mandatory Entry:
-Follow Capricorn Soap Company on twitter (1 entry)
-Follow Capricorn Soap Company on Facebook (1 entry)
-Follow Capricorn Soap Company's Blog (1 entry)
-Add the Capricorn Soap Company's Button to your sidebar (3 entries) -Purchase a product from Capricorn Soap Company during the time of this giveaway (10 entries per purchase)
-Follow my blog (1 entry)
-Follow me on Networked Blogs (1 entry)
-Follow me on twitter (1 entry)
-Tweet this giveaway (1 entry per day)
-Add my blog button to your sidebar and leave a link of where I can find it(2 entries)
-Add my "Spring Into Health" blog button to your sidebar and leave a link of where I can find it (3 entries)
-Write a blog post about this giveaway and leave the link to your post below (5 entries)
-Enter one of my other blog giveaways (1 entry per giveaway you enter)

That gives you 32+ chances to win! Have fun!
Please leave a comment per entry that you qualify for, for each entry to count!

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and Ends on May 31st at 12 am central. The winner will be chosen at random using random.org.
The prize will be sent directly from Capricorn Soap Company to the winner.


Disclaimer:
For purposes of this review, I received products from Capricorn Soap Company.

"The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw" Review & Giveaway!

*Giveaway Closed*
I love fresh food!
I love eating it fresh from the garden, right off the plant, vine, tree or shrub! And my favorite section in the grocery store is the produce section!
I did not really think about what cooking does to your food until I started studying about whole foods and herbs. Wow. No wonder so many people are sick, groggy and have to take (or need to take) so many vitamins and supplements!
Since I have learned how important it is to eat food as fresh or "raw" as you can, I have been wanting to learn how to prepare meals that have more raw foods for my family.
"The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw" is just the book I needed!
"The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw" covers everything you need to know if you are wanting to start a raw foods diet/lifestyle, or if you are like me and just want to add more raw foods to your menu, and want to learn how to be a more creative cook!
"The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw" covers:
the benefits of eating raw, myths, going green by eating raw, superfoods & the future of food, shopping & raw food storage, tools to help you succeed, raw techniques and raw transitions (learning how to integrate raw food into your everyday life, fasting & cleansing, and a great 4 week raw success program)!
There are over 150 recipes for:
"Appetizers & Spreads",
"Salads and Dressings",
"Sublime Sauces and Toppings",
"Sumptuous Soups",
"Nutmilks and Cheeses",
"Bountiful Beverages",
Unbeatable Breakfasts",
"Filling Wraps and Sandwiches",
"Pizzas, Crackers and Breads",
"Delicious Main Dishes",
"Puddings, Pies and Parfaits",
"Cakes, Cookies and Energy Bars".

Beside each recipe, there is a box to tell you the calories, total fat, protein, etc. that is in a serving size.
There are also "Extra" boxes throughout the book, with interesting information such as "Tasteful Tips", Healing Foods", Raw Deal", and "de-f-i-ni-tion".
I was very excited about the technique section in "The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw", which covers preparation basics, how to soak and sprout seeds, juicing, pickling, and the advance techniques on dehydrating and culturing!

Are you looking for a healthier diet? Want to learn more about eating raw and how to get more vitamins and superfoods in what you eat? Or maybe want to lose weight or even open up a wholefoods restaurant/diner? I highly recommend "The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw"!

Now for the Giveaway!
Thanks to the great people at Idiots guides, one of my readers will win a copy of "The Complete Idiots Guide To Eating Raw"!!


Mandatory Entry:
Visit Idiots Guides.com and tell me another Idiots Guide that you would like to have.
Please leave your email address in your comment or have it visible on your profile.

Extra Entries After completing mandatory Entry:
-Follow Idiots Guides on twitter (1 entry)
-Follow my blog (1 entry)
-Follow me on Networked Blogs (1 entry)
-Follow me on twitter (1 entry)
-Tweet this giveaway (1 entry per day)
-Add my blog button to your sidebar and leave a link of where I can find it(2 entries)
-Add my "Spring Into Health" blog button to your sidebar and leave a link where I can find it (3 entries)
-Write a blog post about this giveaway and leave the link to your post below (5 entries)
-Enter one of my other giveaways (1 entry per giveaway you enter)

That gives you 16+ chances to win! Have fun!
Please leave a comment per entry that you qualify for, for each entry to count!

This giveaway is open to US and Canada and Ends on May 26th. at 12 am central. The winner will be chosen at random using random.org. The prize will be sent directly from Idiots Guides.com to the winner.

Disclaimer:
For purposes of this review, I received a copy of this book.

"Frontier Coop" Review & Giveaway

*Giveaway Closed*

When I started my "Spring Into Health" blog event, I was really hoping for the opportunity to feature Frontier Coop great site and products! This is the ultimate "health" company and center piece for my "Spring Into Health" blog event, since they sell natural, organic products and share so much information! So you can only imagine my excitement when I was able to feature them and review some of their Wonderful products! Before I go any further, I have to say I give them 5 stars and you really have to try their products!!!!!!


It was not to hard for me to decide what products I wanted to try, since I have been eyeing them for a while and really thought they would be great for the review/giveaway, but I was very surprised when I opened my packages from Frontier Coop and found such great quality products, sealed very well for long storage, and they were all green products! Yes, literally green! How Cool is that! I had picked healthy and green products!

Wondering what I picked?
Stevia Powder,
Barley Grass,
and
Pumpkin Seeds!
Yay!!!


Here are the descriptions of them from Frontier Coop:

Stevia Description:
"Stevia, also known as sweetleaf or sugarleaf, is a member of the sunflower family and native to South and Central America. It is 300 times as sweet as sugar and widely utilized as a sugar substitute."


Pumpkin Seeds Description from Frontier Coop:
"One of the most nutritious and flavorful seeds around, pumpkin seeds are delicious right out of the bag-- or added to trail mix, sprinkled on cereal, and used in baked goods. Also excellent dry-roasted, with tamari, or salt and spices."

Barley Grass Description from Frontier Coop:
"Barley Grass is a whole food loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and many more nutrients your body needs every day. A wonderful way to ensure you're getting enough dark leafy greens in your diet."

I am really excited to have these products in my kitchen and look forward to all the ways I can use them! I posted a bunch of recipes and links for pumpkin seeds and stevia the other day, while going thru recipes to try out! You can find that post HERE! Today I put some pumpkin seeds in my homemade granola! Yum!


Growing up, my mom was introduced to barley grass from her nutritionist. My mom was in terrible health and she started drinking some barley grass powder with a protein powder in cranberry juice! I remember it well because it helped her So much and us children loved how it tasted and would always try to sneak a drink! =)
We also use to put barley grass powder on a wet toothbrush and brush our teeth with the barley grass.

Since I started learning about herbs and using herbs to make our own formulas, I have slowly been building up a supply of dried herbs. Frontier Coop sells a huge selection of herbs! From the popular herbs like calendula, to herbs like Partridge Berry!
Frontier Coop has a great selection of recipes! You really should bookmark the recipes and try them!
The customer service at Frontier Coop is really great! I was very impressed with that too!
As if Frontier Coop was not great enough by itself, their are actually three great companies!
Simply Organic Foods sells gluten free baking mixes, spices, gravies & sauces, salad dressings, etc. I would love to try their Chai Spice Scone Mix, Classic Caesar Dressing, and the Grinder Top Spices!
And Aura Cacia sells aromatherapy products!

To buy their products, visit Frontier Coop online.

Want to learn more about the company and their history, values etc? Click HERE to find out more about them & their story!

Now for the Giveaway!
I will send 2 winners 3 oz. each of the three products I was sent from Frontier Coop! That's right! Each winner will receive:
3 0z. of stevia herb powder,
3 oz. of barley grass,
3 oz. of pumpkin seeds!

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Frontier Coop and tell me which product(s) you want to try.
Please leave your email address in your comment or have it visible on your profile.

Extra Entries After completing mandatory Entry:
-Become a Facebook fan of "Frontier Coop" (1 entry)
-Follow Frontier Coop on twitter (1 entry)
-Tell me something you learned about Frontier Coop or their products while visiting Frontier Coop (1 entry)
-Subscribe to Frontier Coop newsletter (1 entry)
-Follow my blog (1 entry)
-Follow me on Networked Blogs (1 entry)
-Follow me on twitter (1 entry)
-Tweet this giveaway (1 entry per day)
-Add my blog button to your sidebar and leave a link of where I can find it(2 entries)
-Add my "Spring Into Health" blog button to your sidebar and leave a link where I can find it (3 entries)
-Write a blog post about this giveaway and leave the link to your post below (5 entries)
-Enter one of my other giveaways (1 entry per giveaway you enter)

That gives you 20+ chances to win! Have fun!
Please leave a comment per entry that you qualify for, for each entry to count!

This giveaway is open to US only and Ends on May 20 th. at 12 am central. The winner will be chosen at random using random.org. The prize will be sent from me to the winner.

Disclaimer:
For purposes of this review, I received samples from Frontier Coop.

Dandelion Cookies Recipe!

A couple of years ago, when I really started getting into herbs, I found Learning Herbs and all their great recipes! One was for flower cookies and I knew my girls would love this! I made them year before last, but did not get to last year. This year our dandelion patch in the front yard is huge and so pretty! So today I used the recipe from Learning Herbs Recipe for Dandelion Cookies! Here is my step-by-step of their recipe and of course I had to make some changes for my ingredients!

By the way, I doubled the recipe and it made 3 dozen cookies!!

Dandelion Flower Cookies

For this dandelion recipe, you’ll need: 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil (I used my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions!), 1⁄2 cup honey (out of honey so used brown sugar), 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 cup unbleached flour, 1 cup dry oatmeal, and 1⁄2 cup dandelion flowers.

1) Preheat the oven to 375.

2) Mix the oil and honey and then beat in the 2 eggs and vanilla.
3) Remove the yellow flower parts from the green parts (compost the green parts).

4) Stir in the flour, oatmeal, and dandelion flowers.

5) Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto an oiled cookie sheet.

6) Bake for 10-15 minutes.

7) Cool and enjoy!

Yummy and pretty healthy! =)

(Now time for a cookie and coffee)!

~Hannah

~Health Tip Tuesday~ Dandelions!

Dandelions!
The past few days, our front yard has had a huge spread of dandelions blooming in it! I just love dandelions! Funny, most folks do not like them and many think they are a weed, but you can use the whole dandelion plant for many different remedies and recipes!

Dandelion recipes from Learning herbs!

And many more recipes:
How to Make Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee,
Dandelion salad, wine, etc.,
Dandelion Potato Salad Recipe
Cream of Dandelion Soup Recipe

Dandelion-Pineapple Juice
"Cool off with a refreshing glass of dandelion-pineapple juice. It's easy to make, and loaded with the vitamins and anti-oxidants that your body needs.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
•1 large handful fresh dandelion greens, washed
•10-12 ounces pineapple juice
•5-6 ice cubes
Preparation:
1. Place the dandelion greens and pineapple juice in a blender and puree.
2. Add ice to the blender and pulse or serve in a tall glass over ice."

Dandelion Soup
(From Herbalpedia)
2 Tbsp butter
1/8 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp flour
1 bay leaf
2 cups milk
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and sliced (garnish)
2 cups dandelion flowers
1/8 tsp celery seed
Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan
over low heat. Mix in the flour to form a paste.
Stir in the milk a little a time until smooth.
Mix in the dandelions, celery seed, thyme and
bay leaf. Simmer until the flowers are tender,
15-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before
serving. Garnish with slices of hard-boiled
egg.

Also from Herbalpedia
"How to Roast Dandelion Roots
Cut off the leaves and scrub the roots. Lay the
roots on a baking sheet with the oven turned to
its lowest setting and the door ajar. It may take
3-4 hours until the roots are shriveled and snap
easily. They are done when the insides of the
roots are dark brown."
You can read about dandelion Here and Here on Herbal Legacy!
And Here at Botanical.

Debi Pearl sums up the dandelion very well in her article Here.
"The flowers have traditionally been made into a wine or tonic and used as a liver cleanser. Its effectiveness has been scientifically validated. The leaves can be eaten as a salad, cooked green, or made into a green drink. The root of the dandelion can be roasted for a coffee like drink. Dandelions are high in vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and vitamins A and C. They are high in protein, iron, manganese, potassium, and sodium—all nutritive salts for the blood. It is often used to treat anemia. As a food source, the dandelion could be invaluable. Most physical problems could be helped if not completely cured by a balance of nutrients.
As a medicinal herb the dandelion is a remarkable friend. It is a potent diuretic, which means it helps flush excess water from the body. As a diuretic, it can be used to reduce bloating before your cycle, or anytime you have swelling around your ankles or hands, which might indicate you are retaining water. As a diuretic, it can help keep the urinary passages flushed in case of irritation or infection. It could even bring some relief in congestive heart problems, which is water collecting around the heart.
Dandelion also stimulates the flow of bile, which makes it a good tonic for the liver and gallbladder. Most herb books recommend it for a wide variety of liver disorders.
Dandelion neutralizes acids in the body, thus it is often used by people as they lose weight to help keep the acid levels down, which rise as a person loses weight. Dandelion has antioxidants that help cleanse the body, which is why it is mentioned in many herbals as a help for people suffering with cancer. Because of its anti-toxin activities, many herbalists suggest dandelion to treat various skin problems."

I will be posting our dandelion cookie making sometime soon (hopefully in the next few days!), so keep an eye out for that!
Happy dandelion picking and cooking!
God bless your health!
~Hannah

~Health Tip~ Chickweed!

Here in the south, I have noticed that chickweed grows from fall thru spring! But it does not grow really thick in most places that I have seen it, compared to pictures of it growing up in northern states!
So I have not been able to make anything with chickweed, Yet! Just wait though, (beware chickweed!) I want to make some chickweed ointment, chickweed eye rinse, chickweed pesto, chickweed steamed, chickweed in salad, chickweed on sandwiches, etc!

Here are some chickweed recipes:
Prodigal Gardens,
Learning Herbs,
Herbal Cuisine,
Medicinal Herbs


From Edible Chesapeake:
"Chickweed (Stellaria media)
One of the first weeds to greet us in the spring, chickweed is chock full of beneficial nutrients. It contains vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, biotin, choline, inositol and rutin. Chickweed also provides us with a variety of minerals including calcium, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and silicon. It contains saponin, which dissolves thickened cell walls and membranes, giving chickweed a reputation as a weight-loss aid. Beneman likes to use chickweed as a self-sown cover crop for some of her larger, taller vegetables, like tomatoes. She cautions against using it with crops such as lettuce, since chickweed will take up too much space and compete for nutrients. Chickweed has a pleasant, mild flavor and can be used instead of sprouts in a salad or on a sandwich or even wilted like spinach."

Learn more and see more pictures about chickweed at Wildman Steve Brill's!

From More Than Alive:

"Chickweed is high or very high in:
•Aluminum
•Calcium
•Cobalt
•Iron
•Magnesium
•Manganese
•Phosphorus
•Potassium
•Protein
•Silicon
•Vitamin A
•Zinc

Has been used in the following:

•Acne
•Allergies
•Appetite Depressant
•Blood Poisoning
•Blood Purifier
•Boils
•Bowels
•Burns
•Cancer
•Fatty Tumors
•Hayfever
•Hemorrhoids-bleeding
•Obesity
•Plague, blood vessels
•Psoriasis
•Skin
•Sores
•Weight Loss
•Wounds "

From Herbal Legacy:
"For others who suffered from asthma, as well as any respiratory condition. Dr. Christopher developed Lung & Bronchial, a formula of chick-weed, marshmallow root, mullein leaves, comfrey leaves, and lobelia. He chose all of the herbs in the formula for their ability to rebuild the lungs and expel the thick mucus secretions that accompany so many respiratory conditions. Some also soothe inflamed tissue, relieve pain, and heal hemorrhaging tissues in the lungs. In addition to Lung & Bronchial, Dr. Christopher recommended a sound diet, plenty of steam-distilled water, oil massage, and external application of Complete Tissue & Bone ointment.
One of the most valuable herbs in the formula is chickweed. It soothes, softens, and reduces irritation of the mucous membranes while relieving the cough of colds, influenza, and bronchitis. It activates the liver to eliminate the toxins related to these conditions. A powerful expectorant, it increases the secretions of the broncho-pulmonary membrane, facilitating the discharge of mucus."

God bless your health!
~Hannah

DISCLAIMER
This information is not intended for the use of diagnosing any disease, condition or prescribing any treatment whatsoever. It is offered for informational and educational use only, and for use in maintaining and promoting good health in cooperation with a licensed medical practitioner.
In the event the reader of this post uses the information without the approval of a health care provider, he/she is prescribing for himself/herself and assuming full responsibility for it. This is his/her right to do so, but Preparing For Our Children's Future assumes no responsibility for his/her actions.

My Easter "Splurge"!

I hardly ever buy stuff for just me. Yeah, I know, I am not a "normal' female! But I knew that! When I buy things, I make sure that my whole family can benefit from them! I prefer to go without and spend for my family and when they are happy and have what they need, I find joy in that!
Last month, I had the opportunity to spend some money though (yay, naughty me!) and of course I went for mostly books! I purchased books that I knew my whole family (and even others) could benefit from though.
I wanted to get the children a treat for Easter and since the oldest is reading I got the Billy & Blaze book for her and a Dora reading set for her and the youngest (who Loves Dora!).

Plus I bought them a dvd! I never do that! I think this was the second dvd we have bought! Lol! But they love "Ice Age" and had not seen "Dawn of the Dinosaurs". Sure enough, the whole family loves it!

I also bought a bunch of seeds, but hope to post about that later!

The top herb book on my list has been:

Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health

So I knew I wanted to get that one! Now if I could just discipline myself to read more, so I can soak in all this great herbal information!!!!!
Rosemary's book is full of recipes, pictures and info on herbs and health.



I would love to grow most of my herbs and have started growing some, but I would like to know more about how to do it right when I do more! I have been gathering up a lot of herb seeds, so I finally got
Growing 101 Herbs that Heal by Tammi Hartung!

This book is packed with info! I was surprised! I assumed it was all about growing herbs, but has So Much more! How to store herbs, making herbal preparations, recipes, garden plans, and about marketing your herbs, etc!!

Another book I have had on my wish list for a Long time is:
"Rejuvenate Your Life, Recipes for Energy" by Serene Allison

I was very excited to finally get it and read over some of the pages! She gives tons of info and advice on how to make and cook healthy for your family and switching to healthy foods. Also love that she tells where they get their foods! I look forward to being able to eat more like her family, but know that I will probably end up just using a lot of her recipes and ideas, since we do canning and cook on a woodstove!

My other purchase was also from Above Rubies!

"Who Am I?" Two-Disk DVD Set by Nancy Campbell

I have been wanting a dvd set from Nancy Campbell for a long time now, and when I saw the new set, and it was cheaper then her other set ("Reclaiming God's Plan For Women") I decided to get it. Nancy is so inspiring and I love her speeches. My husband was disappointed in her misspeaking some (like when she says that male and female are two separate species) but I hope people know that she must have misspoke there! Maybe I should have bought the other dvd set.....Oh well, I want to share your messages with other women, and thought her dvds would be good. Has anyone else had women over to their house to hear her dvds? Would love to hear how that went for you!

~Health Tip Tuesdays~ Pumpkin Seeds

~Health Tip Tuesdays~

Pumpkin Seeds!

I have not had pumpkin seeds in such a long time! But I have been reading about them lately, and I have already decided to grow some pumpkins this year, mainly for the seeds! (I will also save some of the seeds for planting next year if they grow well).

So how good are pumpkin seeds for you?

Well here is some of the info I have found and combined just for you!

From Rebecca Wood:

"The seeds from pumpkins, or any other variety of winter squash, make a healthy and tasty snack. They're protein rich and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, phosphorus and vitamin A.

Commercially available green pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, have had their fibrous white hull removed. To hull your home-prepared seeds, crack each seed individually between your teeth, discard the hull and savor the tender kernel.

It's faster to crunch and swallow the seeds and hulls together. This, incidentally, is a home remedy for expelling pinworms or other intestinal parasites. As the seed and hull pass through your digestive tract, the seed is assimilated and the fibrous, indigestible hull gently scours out unwelcome guests.

To roast pumpkin seeds place them on a lightly buttered cookie sheet and add a pat of butter and a dash of cinnamon or curry powder and salt. Bake for about 15 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven, stirring once, until the seeds are aromatic and lightly browned."

For Parasites and Worms Herbal Legacy says:

"A simple herbal aid for a mild case of worms is to use pumpkin seeds (Cucurbitaceae). It is best when fresh seeds are used. To make the infusion, steep one ounce of crushed seeds for fifteen to twenty minutes in a pint of boiling hot water. Dosage: One teacupful or more (up to one pint daily), six days a week for one to three weeks. Also eat one to two ounces of the pumpkin seeds each day. [HHH p.124]

Another "Seed" Aid is to Combine the Following:

1 part pumpkin seeds, crushed (Cucurbitaceae)
1 part watermelon seeds, crushed (Citrullus vulgaris)
1 part cucumber seeds, crushed (Cucumis sativus)

Dosage: Take one pint of emulsion (two ounces of seeds triturated in honey and distilled water) in doses at two hour intervals; or take one to two tablespoons of the crushed seeds in honey, syrup, etc., in three doses at two hour intervals.

The patient should fast during this treatment, then take an appropriate cathartic several hours after the last dosage such as senna tea or preferably the lower bowel formula [Fen LB]. Use this procedure at least three days in a row. [HHH p.124]".

By the way, is case you are wondering "[HHH p.124]" means that the quote is from Dr. Christopers book, "Herbal Home Health Care". I Highly recommend this book to everyone!

From: REJUVENATE YOUR LIFE: Recipes for Energy by Serene Allison

"ZINC BUILDER MILK

3/4 - 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
3 cups distilled water
1 scant TBS. of honey or pure maple syrup
Optional-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Blend until creamy and frothy."

And here is a trea from the Bulk Herb Store:

"Smoothies/Blended Drinks
Basic recipe:
1/2 - 1 c. liquid of choice (apple juice, orange juice, coffee, yogurt, milk, water, etc.)
1 banana, fresh or frozen in 1" pieces
1/4 c. fresh or frozen fruit of choice (strawberries, cherries, blueberries, etc.)
1 Tbls. Chia seeds
1 Tbls. seeds or nuts (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, flax seeds, soaked almonds or brazil nuts)
Directions:
Blend and serve.The more fruit you add the thicker the drink. With a 1/4 cup of liquid you can create a pudding-like dessert from any fresh fruit and liquid of your choice."


You can buy pumpkin seeds from:

Tropical Traditions,
Natural Zing

And you can buy pumpkin seed oil from
Mountian Rose Herbs!

So pumpkin seeds have essential, unsaturated fatty acids, are loaded with zinc, and are a super food! Wow! Sooo much packed into a seed!
I am really looking forward to using them more and introducing them to my children! =)

God bless your health!
~Hannah

~Health Tip Tuesdays~ Drink Your Food & Chew Your Liquids!

~Health Tip Tuesdays~

We live in a day and age where fast food is great and eating on the run is the norm! What a life! No time to sit and enjoy a meal and when we do, we are still in a rush to do something or go on to something or somewhere else!

Growing up I can remember my grandma always telling us to chew our food really good and I thought it was crazy that she made my dad chew like 40 times per bite when he was growing up!

But I have learned the importance of taking your time to eat and drink and as Dr. Christopher says you need to "drink your food and chew your liquids"!

We may eat healthy foods and cleanse our colon ever so often, but as long as we are not chewing our food well enough and getting saliva mixed thoroughly with our food and liquids, our digestion system is going to work poorly to say the lest!

Heartburn, flatulence, constipation, and many other discomforts and health problems are caused by poor eating habits. Once you think about it, doesn't it make more since that we just take our time eating and drinking, instead of hurrying along and suffering thru the aches and pains of poor digestion?

Relax and be happy when you eat! make dinner time a good time and have everyone lay their complaints and stressful discussions aside while ya'll are eating. Discuss pleasant things and laugh a little! =)

Chew, chew, chew! Chew everything very well! your solid foods and your liquids. Swish them around in your mouth and make sure that they get covered and mixed with saliva. Your mouth is the first part of the digestion process and it is important that the saliva is on the foods so that the stomach can break it all up for your body to be able to use it.

Teach your children while they are young, to take their time eating and make eating time a pleasant time, so that their bodies digestion will be much more pleasant!

God bless your health!

~Hannah

For disclaimer and more health tips visit my previous post Here!

A Herbal Tea Giveaway @ "One 2 Try"!

I have been following/subscribing to "One 2 Try" blog for a while now and she has some great reviews and giveaways!

One of her new giveaways going on right now (till December 18th), is from Mighty Leaf Tea. They have some really great looking products and their teas sound wonderful! I am always looking for some herbal teas and companys that sell herbal products, so I had fun checking out the Mighty Leaf Tea!

Hope you get a chance to visit "One 2 Try" and join in on the great reviews and giveaways!

Cold Season Herbal Tea

We got head colds right before Thanksgiving, so we took it easy for a few days and did not get out for Thanksgiving. =( Oh well, did not feel up to it anyway! Did manage to cook us a turkey and gressing and greenbean cassarole though!
I also made up some of my new tea to try! It was SOOO good! I think it is some of the best tasting herbal tea I have ever tried!

The tea is called "Cold Season Immune" and it is one of Dr. Christopher's formulas, of course! You can read about it Here, but I highly recommend buying THIS book, so you can make the tea yourself (and tons of other formulas, etc)! The book may be around $70, but it is really worth it!

The "Cold Season Immune" formula has

6 parts garlic,

1 part rosemary,

1 part parsley,

1 part watercress,

and

6 parts rosehips!

This tea is full of vitamin C! And is great for fighting infections.
I left out the garlic though, since I thought fresh garlic would be better to add as we drink it. I ended up not putting it in the tea I made the other day though, since I wanted the girls to drink it and knew they would not with garlic in it! =)

I hope you get a chance to make this tea and try it!

God bless!

~Gratituesday~ Health!

Happy Gratituesday! =) I hope you will join Laura and the other bloggers over at "Heavenly Homemakers"! You can leave a comment on Laura's blog about what you are thankful for, or make your own blog post and link up to her blog! Remember, she has some giveaways for this Month's Gratitusday Challenge!

I love Thanksgiving! I was really looking forward to spending it with family I have not seen in years, but we have started coming down with headcolds.
=( Boohoo!
With us coming down with headcolds, I am reminded to be more thankful for our health! Praise the Lord, our family has not been sick much! And for that I am VERY thankful! God is sooo good!
Homeschooling, staying home a lot, and not being around a lot of people helps keep from being sick so much. So I am thankful we can be home a lot and really thankful we homeschool! I do enjoy seeing friends and family ever so often though! =)
I am also thankful that I have been learning how to use herbs to take care of my families health!

I hope everyone else has good health this winter too! And pray that our family is over this soon and does not get sick the rest of the winter!

May you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving!