brown or white eggs

     So recently I was in my local grocery store to buy some eggs. To my dismay, they were out of the white eggs. Now, I was left with a decision to get the brown eggs or go home egg less. I decided to get the brown eggs. I did read other opinions and nutritional information that compares the two eggs. They are the same thing. So here is my opinion comparing the two:

Similarities:

• shape and size
• taste and smell
• when the eggs are peeled or cracked, the yolks and the whites are the same color

Differences:

• white eggshells are easier to crack and peel
• brown shells are thicker than white shells
• brown shells will break into smaller pieces when cracked or peeled

    I prefer the whites eggs simply for the "crack-ability." Do the test for your self and decide which one you like the best. Good news is, if my store is out of eggs, I can grab the brown eggs instead!

***HELPFUL TIPS***

I try to shop on sale and try to get the best quality food possible for my family. When I buy eggs, I prefer to get organic but, that can be expensive. The next best option is to get "cage free/ free range" eggs that are grass fed. But you can use this tip with any eggs you can afford. What I like to do, to prevent my eggs from spoiling fast, is to coat them with mineral oil. As soon as I get home, I will cover them in the mineral oil and date the cartoon. The longest my eggs have lasted is 2 months. The short time is due to eating them, however, they can last about 6 months or longer. There are other ways to preserve the eggs but I have not tried those. It is also said they DO NOT need refrigeration when coated. They can be stored in a cool place and will hold for months. I am to scared to try that for myself. If any one tries other methods or experiences different results, please let me know!

my lemon cleanse experience

     So, I'm sure most of you have heard of the master cleanse aka lemon cleanse. I was skeptical of doing a detox that prohibited me from eating because it is very difficult, especially when you still have to cook for your kids. It does require a lot of self control. I have started the lemon cleanse and after reading a personal blog about that person's experience, I decided to do the same. Why you may ask, because every one's body is different and there experience will also be different.

My goal: Although I am aware this is a 10 day cleanse, I am taking a day by day approach. If I fail or cheat, I don't want to discourage myself with the "I have to start all over again" idea. Its not about what you ate. My opinion is its more important to know what you did not eat. This is not about weight loss for me, its about cleansing and living a healthier life. If you change your lifestyle you will change everything else.

DAY 1: 4/23/2013
Today is the first day of the cleanse. I used my nutribullet to mix up the lemon instead of hand squeezing because I will get more yield/volume per lemon. I have played with different amounts of the cayenne pepper. I personally like mine peppery. I was extremely happy to finally find grade b organic maple syrup at Kroger grocery stores. I am also still taking my multi-vitamin. I refuse to give those up. I did not do the sea salt flush as recommended but I may do it tomorrow.

I also want to make a point in saying that today I have been experiencing headaches. I NEVER get headaches. Also, I have been experiencing body aches and pains. My face also started to break out. This morning when I woke up, I had one pimple, by the end of the work day, I had almost 5 on my face and some on my back. Call me crazy but it has to be attributed to the cleanse.

Otherwise, it was fairly easy except for the temptations of food, I did not get hungry. If I did hungry, I simply drank my juice. So far, so good. I also drank my smooth move organic laxative tea at night. I cheated and added a FEW DROPS of honey just until I get used to drinking it. I DO NOT LIKE TEA! But, the tea did not taste bad and it smelled great! Today I weighed myself and I was about 160.

DAY 2: 4/24/2013
Today I was a little lazy and did not do the s.s. flush. I have done it in the past and you spend the whole morning on the toilet until nothing comes out but water! ( a little scary) I don't have time for that, unless I wake up early. Plan for tomorrow! Otherwise, I woke up feeling great! I still have a slight headache though. I think I may need to drink more plain water. I weighed myself and I have only lost one pound.

By mid-day, my headaches went away and I did not have any body aches. I cheated a little bit and eat a spoonful of chicken salad. The chicken did not make me sick. However, when I had chicken with mayonaise, it gave me belly aches. I dont think I will eat mayonaise again. I also say this because I eat some almonds and raisins and I did not have any belly issues. Processed foods don't seem to work with my body now that it is cleansing. Good new is, I did not a lot of hunger pains today. I also drank the tea without the honey. I allowed it to cool down some and it was actually pretty good. I herbal tea has not made me use the bathroom.

Day 3: 4/25/2013
Today I did the sea salt flush. I used a tablespoon of sea salt and about 1cup of water. I found it easier this way to get the salt in my system first and because it taste bad. The more water used, the harder it was to drink it. Then I followed it 3 or more cups of water. The more water you drink the more you go to the bathroom. You will literally go until only water comes out. Problem 2: my stomach shrunk, so I threw some of the water up. It was too much. I will say that within 45 mins, I was using the bathroom. I felt really good and energized afterwards. drank the tea again. Unfortunately the tea is not helping me go to the bathroom. But I will continue to drink it because herbal remedies tend to take longer to work for some people. Today I was really bad. I cheated again but it was not because I was hungry. I had a piece of chicken breast. To make it worse, it did not taste that great. I will have to work out to burn off what I ate.

Day 4: 4/26/2013
Today I did not do the s.s. flush. I weighed myself in the morning and lost a total of 5 lbs. I so failed with this day because it was Friday. This is the day we eat whatever we want but, I did not eat as much as normal due to my shrunken stomach and my stomach would get severely irritated when I ate greasey or junk food.

Day 5: 4/27/2013
I weighed myself again. Today I lost a total of 10lbs. I also did the s.s.flush again Nothing came out but discolored liquid. I will also say that I failed again today. The weekends are horrible if you have no will power. So, I have stopped the cleanse until a later time when I am more mentally prepared for the cleanse.

***FYI*** I hope you all are more successful with going through with the entire 10 days. I also want to let you know that within 3 days, I did gain 5 of the 10 lbs back. But, I feel great. I have more energy and had more restful sleep. My mood also was restored to generally feeling happy and less irratible. So, my overal experience with this cleanse was great and I will recommend this to others to try.

Rotten avocado!?

     For some, this post may be completely stupid, but, for me I was not able to find any pictures about rotten avocados.  I recently purchased a avocado. It was very hard (almost like a rock). So, I let it sit at room temperature until it softened. The problem was I waited entirely too long to cut it. So, I wanted to be sure that I absolutely could not eat it. I did find a couple of sites that explained that if it was it would have a brownish to grey color. The site stated it would also have rotten smell.

                                                      
                             Both Halves a Rotten Avocado               Left: Good      Right: Bad

     When the rotten avocado was squeezed, it felt as though there was space between the seed and the skin. It did have a horrible color compared to the bright yellows and greens of a ripe avocado. I also tasted it. It did not taste as bad as you would think nor did it smell (in my case) but the texture of the "meat" was very paste-like. So the end result is, if it doesn't look right...then don't eat it! I hope this picture helps someone trying to figure out: "good or bad". Another helpful tip I learned about avocados are, they are good for your hair. Now, if I allow my avocado to spoil, even though I can't eat it, it can be used for my haircare.

Sea Salt Really Works for Pink Eye!

     With all kids, especially mine, they are always coming down with some sickness or infection. My youngest daughter came down with the dreaded Pink Eye infection. If you are like me and have very little money, you can use the sea salt remedy. Basically, you will make your own saline solution by using 1tsp of salt and 1 cup of warm distilled water!

     For anyone scared about putting this in your or your child's eyes, put your mind at ease because this is no different than going to the ocean and swimming with your eyes open! Okay, well maybe a little different. This is more sterile! Please be advised that there are different types of pink eye caused by bacteria, allergens, or viruses and each one should be treated accordingly! The pink eye my daughter had, appeared on its own with no warning! The saline solution made with the sea salt and distilled warm water simply flushes the eyes of germs that cause puss. When using sea salt, try to use the raw and unrefined salt. Regular table salt will burn your eyes because it has been processed differently.


          

   I am in no way telling anyone not to see a doctor for help, but this is a great way to soothe the discomfort of pink eye and will also aid in ridding you of the infection. Also remember to stay open minded when using homeopathic remedies because they take a little longer to be effective. In my daughter's case, it took about five days to see a major improvement in the infection. And her eyes had to be rinsed several times a day to keep the pus causing germs from building up in her eyes. With presciption treatment you still need to allow about 7 days but the frequency of using the drops is less.

***It is always a good idea to go to a doctor for a diagnosis. If left untreated it can cause serious issues, but using the solution, either way, is no different than you going to the store to by an expensive eye drop to alleviate the symptoms.***