Tag: healthier choice

The Importance Of Humidity and Diffusion In Protecting Against Transmission of the Flu

Lori TisdaleLeave a comment
photo credit: unknown

(This information is provided by my friend Doug Corrigan)

Did you know that the reason flu is transmitted more prevalently in the winter months has nothing to do with the fact that it’s cold outside?

The reason the flu and other cold-like viruses are transmitted in the winter months is due to the low humidity conditions during those months. Multiple research studies conducted by the the CDC and other research universities have demonstrated that the influenza virus is transmitted as an aerosol much more readily in air that is devoid of moisture. Because the winter months tend to exhibit the driest air, both outdoors and indoors, the transmission rate of the flu virus skyrockets as it can survive passage through the air in droplets.

For example, the research study by John Noti with the CDC demonstrated that at 43 percent relative humidity, only 14 percent of the virus particles that were released were able to transmit the influenza virus. This is in contrast to the 70 percent transmission rate in air that is at 23% relative humidity. Also, the protective effect at higher humidity levels appeared to be rapid, with the majority of viral inactivation taking place within 15 minutes of when viral particles were first “coughed” into a high-humidity environment.

This just underscores the importance of running a large humidifier in your house during the winter months. Diffusers can’t replace a humidifier, but you can use diffusers in various rooms to supplement this effect, especially close to your bed at night while you are sleeping.

————> A few research studies are referenced below:

Noti, John D., et al. “High humidity leads to loss of infectious influenza virus from simulated coughs.” PLoS One 8.2 (2013): e57485.

Lowen, Anice C., and John Steel. “Roles of humidity and temperature in shaping influenza seasonality.” Journal of virology 88.14 (2014): 7692-7695.

Jaakkola, Kari, et al. “Decline in temperature and humidity increases the occurrence of influenza in cold climate.” Environmental Health 13.1 (2014): 22

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Have you ever asked “What could this become?”

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You know… I have never done this before but hey it’s 2020 so why not?! 😁

Are there any of you on our team who would like to be added to the Team Moxie business group for 30 days? It is primarily for us to encourage each other, help each other learn how to serve our teams well, provide resources for each other and any other business training that needs to be communicated. (Like website updates, in stock / out of stock updates, insider info on inventory, etc)

I know that there are MANY of you that are struggling right now financially so if seeing “behind the curtain” on what working Young Living as a full time career or a supplemental income would look like would help you than I am an open book! I would love to work with you to reach any goals you may have no matter there size.

*pay a bill
*cover your monthly loyalty rewards order
*cover all those things on your wish list
*pay off debt
*vacation fund
*retirement fund
*work in a field that has unlimited space for growth
*secondary income (C V 19 really made this one stand out for many.

I am so thankful that I had this job that only boomed during the worse of it.

No matter what your reason is we can help. There is no extra fee for you to do this business. There is no stock that you have to buy. We do not have required business bundles. There is no initial huge investment like many other companies. Your kit was all you needed and you all have that already. It is just a matter of I want to be only a customer or I would not mind making a little (or a lot) of money for sharing what I love using and why.

Myself, or your enroller, would help you get started. And like I said we have a group dedicated to this that is FULL of all the info you would need.

Myself, or your enroller, would help you get started. And like I said we have a group dedicated to this that is FULL of all the info you would need. I was sharing with a member of Young Living Corporate about this amazing group (and our business group too) and he said “Lori – do you know YL has THOUSANDS of leaders and members that would give their left arm for this kind of training and resources?! Your team is locked and loaded for success.”

If you want an inside view of what that looks like comment below and I will get you in there. You do not have to stay. You can just be nosey and leave when you are ready to or after the 30 days. I do not want to just be a position of leadership for you – I want you all to trust me and the entire process.

Let’s take the journey to health you are already on and use it to help you hit those goals!

Health & wellness for Dogs

Lori TisdaleLeave a comment

The exact same Premium Starter Kit you’ve purchased for your family can be used for your dog!

It’s such a great collection of oils that will get you started on all the basics. Oils & the other products in this kit will help you with everything from a bit of immunity-boosting support to relaxing and even cleaning!

In most cases, the same general purposes we would use them for ourselves, we can use them for our pets. This collection is designed to help you get started with something for every system in the body!

Let’s look at the basic uses — but please know there are so many more!

  • Lavender 5-ml — skin, calming, harmonizing — all the things!
  • Peppermint Vitality™ 5-ml – cooling, focus in learning, mouth care
  • Lemon Vitality™ 5-ml — energizing, cleansing, flushing
  • Valor® 5-ml – confidence, courage, skeletal system
  • Peace & Calming® 5-ml — the name speaks for itself.
  • Frankincense 5-ml — for everything! Spirituality, Calming, Grounding, Well-being & Healing
  • Thieves® Vitality™ 5-ml – Immunity
  • Citrus Fresh™ Vitality 5-ml – mood booster, adrenal support
  • Raven™ 5-ml – Respiratory
  • DiGize™ Vitality™ 5-ml – Digestive System
  • PanAway® 5-ml – Muscle Relief
  • Stress Away™ 5-ml – again, the name says it all!

Want more info on how to incorporate these oils into your fur kids’ life? And how to do it safely? Let’s chat!

RECIPE: Fish Tacos

Lori TisdaleLeave a comment
Mmmm…. fish tacos!!!  There is no better summer dinner. None…
Here’s where I started… mahi mahi, corn tortillas, a green onion or two, cilantro, cabbage and the amazing Southwest Dressing…
Oh yeah… and you must, must, must use the Liquid Gold aka the garlic-infused olive oil … promise me you’ll keep this on hand in your kitchen.  You won’t regret it!
Here’s the quick run down on how the Lite Southwest Dressing is made… greek yogurt, cayenne pepper, cumin powder and chili pepper.
Several dashes of chili powder, a dash or two of cumin powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper…
And some kosher salt and black pepper…
Mix it together.  Taste to see if it needs anymore kosher salt (it probably does) or black or cayenne pepper.  Just make this to your own tastes.  You can’t go wrong with this… and whatever is left over can simply go in a container in the refrigerator for several weeks (just like the yogurt).
Next attack those greens… cabbage (sliced rather thin), green onions, cilantro…
Line ’em up where they will await their final calling in life…
Next is the fish… add about a tablespoon of garlic-infused olive oil to the skillet and bring it up to HOT!  Then add the salted/peppered fish to the skillet and let it cook through, turning over half-way through.
While the fish is cooking you can throw the tortillas on a griddle to warm up a bit, on medium heat… turning over once they bubble a bit.  Don’t let them get too crispy… they’ll just crack in half when you use them.  And you don’t want that to happen…
Once the fish is done you can remove it to another flat surface cut into strips…
Then the assembly process starts…  line up your warmed tortillas, schmear them with a touch of Southwest dressing, topping them with a couple slices of fish…
Then add the cabbage, green onions and cilantro… and be prepared…
to enjoy a really yummy (and rather healthy) dinner!!!
We typically serve these up with a small side dish:
sharing a can of clam chowder
corn on the cob
black bean soup
Corn and Black Bean Salad
there really are so many options…
the only thing that ISN’T an option is making these tacos…
enjoy your time in the kitchen…

Things, they are a-changin’…

Lori Tisdale2 Comments

he just said WHAT?!
a friend’s husband said something to me one day in passing that really stuck with me. he knows about my food blog (due to consequent love for food) + my desire to lose weight and gain life = two things that have been at war with each other.

this friend’s husband (who, for these purposes, shall remain unnamed. lest said husband wants to get punched by his wife – he knows who he is) said to me “if you spent as much time in the gym as you spend on that food blog i’m sure you’d see some amazing results.”

he was so right. so very right.

i kinda wanted to hit him.

but i’ll be honest with you, i knew that up until that moment in time i wasn’t ready to hear that from ANYONE.

and i thought about it. pondered it. still wanted to hit him. but he was right.

that’s around the time my postings on this food blog slowed down. my attention was drawn in other directions.

friend’s husband will be happy to know that since then i have spent a bit more time in the gym – and lost over 20 pounds to prove it. (granted, up to that point i had been spending about 4 hours/week in the gym – i’m now up to spending about 7 hours/week “working on my fitness”) but i’ve also started counting my calorie consumption. THAT will “do in” any food blog…. RIGHT?!

changes
so i’ve been busy revamping recipes by tearing them apart and tweaking them to a much lower calorie count, if possible. (some of our old food favs have since gone by the wayside, fortunately and unfortunately.) i’ve also been testing healthier food ideas altogether.

all the while i’ve attemped to wrap my head around how this changes the food blog. you see, i have had so much fun with this blog. i’ve met some new people while blogging. i’ve enjoyed taking pictures of food (the food doesn’t complain about how it looks in the photo).

i’ve learned quite a few new things about cooking and baking and writing and blogging.

overall, i’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time at this. in fact, i’ve missed it immensely over the past 2 1/2 months.

so now what?!
so this post is my promise to you that i didn’t go anywhere. but things are going to start looking a little different around here.

the freshness factor will remain.
the yumminess factor will continue.
the step-by-step tips and play-by-play photography isn’t going anywhere.
dare i say, my fruity character will live on…

i will continue to forge forward without advertising on my blog.

but most importantly, i will continue to enjoy this fun adventure in the kitchen.

but it will look (and taste) a bit different around here. thankfully healthy food still tastes good!

come with me as I find new / yummy ways to be healthy???

enjoy your time in the kitchen…

WRAPS: His and Hers

Lori TisdaleLeave a comment

Just as summer is coming to an end, I realized I hadn’t yet posted one of our staple summer dinners…

Wraps… we make “his” and “hers” versions of our mediterranean chicken wraps. How easy can THAT be?!

But first I’ll start with the low-cal dressing that goes on so many dishes in our house… it is adapted from a chain brewhouse-type restaurant. Instead of a mayo/sour cream base, I use 0% fat Fage yogurt to keep the calories down.

Low-Cal Southwest Dressing
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Instructions
1 cup Fage 0% yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
Healthy pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch kosher salt/black pepper

Instructions
Whisk together. Give it a taste; add more cayenne or salt, if needed.

The grilled chicken gets cut into long strips…

The tortilla (aka wrap) gets thrown on the griddle real briefly to warm it up, on both sides…

Then the low-cal Southwest Dressing gets gets smeared on the slightly warmed sun-dried tomato wrap…

Then the rest of the to0pings-of-choice get placed atop the dressing… I chose lettuce, red onion, red bell pepper strips, chicken, havarti cheese and arugula. Mmm mmm good!

Cut it in half… and you’ve got an entire meal right there!

And for his… (he likes different toppings)…

Same wrap. Same dressing, lettuce, red onion, red pepper strips… but he prefers mozzarella cheese and some New Zealand spinach…

Oh! I forgot one more important thing… wrap it tightly and place back on the griddle for about 45 seconds, seam side down. This will help to hold the tortilla together at the seam.

There ya go… this meal earns major points, in my book!
– It’s quick and easy.
– It doesn’t require heating up the whole kitchen (which is a plus during the hot summer).
– It can be easily customized for each person.
– It can be easily wrapped up and taken with you.
– It makes for fantastic leftovers.

These wraps are just fantastic for easy summer livin’… and life is good!

enjoy your time in the kitchen…

RECIPE: Nutty, Fruity Granola

Lori TisdaleLeave a comment

They say “You are what you eat” … and you know what that means: I’m nutty and fruity!!!

That being said, here’s how I made my special granola…

I preheated the oven. I chopped some nuts. I got out every last mini dish I had in the kitchen… and I lined up all my ingredients.

The coconut flakes got toasted…

And set aside to cool, looking all toasty and scrumptious…

Next? I got the oat mixture into the oven after mixing together the oats, agave nectar, water, oil and sugar…

I spread it out on a baking sheet… and slid it into the hot oven. I closed the oven door and waited to smell the amazingness that is homemade granola.

The nuts and seeds? They got toasted in a little smidge of butter in a big ol’ skillet. I melted a pat of butter (or maybe it was two) in a skillet over medium-low heat and cooked the raw taste out of the nuts.

Depending on how many nuts and seeds you have in that skillet (and the size of the nuts) this will take between 10-15 minutes.

I added the flax seed in the last 3-5 minutes… they are very tiny and don’t need much cooking time…

I transferred the nuts and seeds to a large bowl to await the toasted oat mixture. Once they had cooled slightly (waiting was the hardest part) I added the oats, coconut and dried fruit to the nut/seed mixture.

It’s so simple… you can do this too! ENJOY!!! But let me warn you, you might want to make sure you have enough of these ingredients to make a second batch… because it’s so tempting that it will go faaaassst!!!

You might even want to make sure you have yogurt on hand so you can enjoy while the granola is still warm…

Or you can just put some in a little dish and carry it with you around the house, munching on it all along the way. That’s what I did…

Just call me nutty (and fruity)!!!

Now… go make your own! And quit judging me…

Nutty, Fruity Granola
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups old-fashioned oats
¼ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
¼ stick butter
¼ raw pecan halves, chopped
½ cup shelled pistachios, chopped
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup sunflower seeds (roasted/salted is ok)
2 tablespoons flax seed
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
Pinch kosher salt/black pepper
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ dried/chopped apricots

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet; toast until light brown. Stir occasionally; about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In large bowl mix together oats, canola oil, agave nectar, sugar and water. Spread in thin layer on baking sheet. Bake until oats are golden brown, stirring occasionally; about 20-25 minutes (or to your personal liking). Set aside to cool.

In large skillet, over medium-low heat, melt butter in large skillet. Add chopped pecans and pistachios, pine nuts, sunflower/pine/pumpkin/flax seeds. Cook until nuts are golden, stirring occasionally (about 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle with pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, toss well. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In large bowl mix coconut, oats, nuts/seeds, and dried fruit. Store in airtight container. Consume within 1 week.

Serving suggestions: Serve granola over yogurt, with fresh fruit, etc.

enjoy your time in the kitchen…

RECIPE: Corn and Black Bean Salad

Lori Tisdale1 Comment

If you know me, you know how grumpy I get in the heat of the summer. However, THIS salad makes it all better! Seriously, it’s all better now…

The salad tastes great, comes together quickly and can be made from items in your own garden (if you’re into gardening, of course)… here’s where I started.

Corn, black beans, sweet red pepper, red onion, cilantro, canola oil and some seasonings for the viniagrette.

I start by mixing together the viniagrette… lime juice, canola oil, onion powder, ground cumin, kosher salt/pepper and at the last minute I also decided to add some dried oregano.

Then I added the red onion to the viniagrette so it could sit for about 15 minutes. I prefer the red onions to be “pickled” a little… letting them sit in the viniagrette for a bit tames them down a bit, just to perfection. But it’s here that I also added a few teaspoons of our favorite hot sauce.

After 15 minutes or so I added the corn, black beans, sweet red pepper …

Oh yeah, and the cilantro… and then it sits for another 30 minutes or so…

This time we served it up with our “house grilled chicken”… yummy! Make this salad this summer … your loved ones will love you more for it!

Corn and Black bean Salad
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
2 cups frozen corn
1 can (14 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet red pepper, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
¼ cup cilantro, diced
2 limes, juiced
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch onion powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions
In a large bowl make vinaigrette by whisking together lime juice, hot sauce, oil and spices. Add red onion and mix well; set aside. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.

Add corn kernels, black beans, red pepper and cilantro. Mix well. Allow to sit for another 30 minutes or so, for the tastes to marry. Salt/pepper to taste before serving.

enjoy your time in the kitchen…

RECIPE: An easy stir fry…

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Looking for some more easy summer dishes? Here’s one that I think will be enjoyed quite often this summer! That’s because with stir fry the veggies are cooked at a super high heat, which cooks them very fast! Other than prep time you’re hardly spending any time actually “cooking”.

And I know you know that I love my short cuts… taking a short cut here we bought a frozen package of stir fry vegetables (from Trader Joe’s, but most groceries should have this). It’s chocked full of pea pods, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, soybeans, water chestnuts, carrots and mushrooms. And then to that we added fresh broccoli. (Whick veggies do YOU use for a stir fry?)

Next we move on to making our stir fry sauce… it’s a combination of soy sauce, chicken stock, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, corn starch and dark sesame oil (not pictured here). Oh, how forgetful am I?! I forgot to buy more when doing this post… so instead I used a touch of canola oil – and of course it didn’t quite taste the same. But it worked out alright… next time, there’s always next time.

The ingredients were whisked together in a little bowl and the corn starch added.

Here’s an interesting fact about corn starch – it thickens when it gets hot. So be prepared for the corn starch to settle at the bottom of the cute little bowl… you can whisk it up again real quick before adding it to the heat.

And we’re ready to stir fry… since stir fry is a quick process I’ve gotten in the habit of lining up all the players so they are ready for use: frozen stir fry vegetable mix, broccoli bites, and our “house chicken” (sliced/cooked – which we’ll cover in another blog post)…

Heat the oil up, over medium-high to high heat… and add those veggies. (Please note – after eating this dish I wish I would have cooked the broccoli a little more. So, the recipe below is written to let the broccoli cook for a few minutes by themselves before adding the frozen veggies.)

Isn’t that beautiful?! Yes, the pan will sizzle when the veggies are added… that’s the sound you’re looking for! You want it to be hot, hot, hot… (kind of like it is right now, outside… UNLIKE how it is as I sit inside typing away in my air conditioned house! Ahhh…. )

Keep moving the veggies around the pan, stirring/tossing frequently. They will cook for about 6-8 minutes total…

And then the sauce and the chicken is added… remember, as the sauce heats up it thickens up. It will also soak into the veggies and chicken… and it’s oh so yummy!!!

Stir it around… and when the chicken has heated through it’s ready to serve up!

We enjoy ours with brown rice, a touch more soy sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds to top it off.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
¼ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups fresh broccoli, cut into small bite-size pieces (by volume)
8 ounces frozen vegetable stir fry mix (by weight)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 10 oz, cooked and sliced)

Instructions
In a small bowl whisk together chicken broth, rice vinegar, soy sauce, corn starch, sesame oil and crushed red pepper. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to hot sauté pan (or wok) over high heat. Add broccoli, sauté for about 2-3 minutes; tossing pan regularly to coat and evenly cook broccoli. Add the vegetable stir fry mix and continue to saute for another 5-6 minutes. (If using fresh vegetables reduce cooking time appropriately.)

Stir broth mixture one more time to make sure corn starch is completely mixed in and add to pan. Simmer for about 30 seconds; add chicken. Reduce heat and stir until chicken is warmed through

Serve with brown rice, a touch more soy sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top.

enjoy your time in the kitchen…

Recipe: Lite Tex Mex Salad

Lori TisdaleLeave a comment

As my hero-of-a-hubby and I embark on an “eating-fresher-and-getting-healthier-in-the-process” adventure we’re finding all sorts of new food combinations, cooking methods, tasty tricks, etc… and this salad was one of the first things we discovered. It will be a staple for us through the summer…

Here’s the recipe we started with… it was originally in Eating Well magazine, but most recently featured on Cooking.com. As you’ll notice, the recipe doesn’t include the fried tortilla… we just crumbled up a few tortilla chips on top of the salad for some extra crunch. The meat has so much flavor… so, so much flavor! What a great salad…

Tex-Mex Taco Salad

We decided to use ground turkey (obviously a leaner meat which also contains more protein by ounce and isn’t as high in cholesterol as ground beef)… and then we changed up the dressing to a lighter yogurt version.

The original Southwest Dressing post… Southwest Dressing

But NOW we are replacing the Ranch dressing with Fage greek yogurt. This reduces the calories and carbs dramatically. (And with all the extra seasonings in it you can’t even taste the difference. It’s a perfect substitution!)

Come with us as we dig deeper into the topic of nutrition and as we commit to eating fresher and being healthier!

Below is my “lite” version of Eating Well’s Tex Mex Salad recipe…

Lite Tex Mex Salad
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
½ cup prepared salsa
3 tablespoons Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 ounces ground turkey
1 large plum tomato, diced
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
¼ cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

Instructions
Make the lite southwest dressing first. Compbine Fage yogurt, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, pinch of cayenne pepper and kosher salt. Whisk together until combined. Add salsa to yogurt mixture and stir well. Set aside.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until onions start to turn translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute or so, stirring often. Add ground meat and cook until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Add kidney beans, cumin, chili powder and a pinch of salt. Stir well, lower heat and place lid on skillet. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes to ensure the beans get cooked. Remove lid, add tomato and cook for a few more minutes, until the tomato begins to break down (about 2 minutes). Remove from the heat, stir in cilantro and 2 tablespoons of the salsa mixture.

In a large bowl add lettuce and remaining salsa mixture – toss until all lettuce pieces are coated with salsa. Divide lettuce among two plates; top with the cooked meat/bean mixture, shredded cheese and a few crumbled tortilla chips.

enjoy your time in the kitchen…