Close friends, family, and loved ones

Beach View

 

I have been extremely busy lately, juggling health, multiple jobs and such, and have taken some down time, to relax, re-focus and plan! Health challenges can often be overwhelming, though it is so rewarding when you finally get a grip on things. Whether it be dealing with severe food allergies, environmental allergies, asthma, a serious chest cold, or injuries from sports or an accident, it is easy to get pulled into a downwards spiral. Times when we are perhaps not as healthy, having the loving, caring and supportive family members, relatives, colleagues and close friends around will make things a whole lot better.

Having someone who is not afraid to give you a pep talk and get you back on track is key! When things are not going so great, it is easier to lose sight of our goals. I’ve learned that the best possible thing I can do to prevent myself from losing sight of my goals, dreams and other plans is to be able to kick myself out of the blues. A quick pep talk usually gets me back on track, though often times, a hug or chat with a close friend or my sibling is needed. I like to go for a walk, or sit on the beach and listen to the sounds of the waves breaking, or watch the calm water on a day when there is no wind.

Do you ever find you are overwhelmed by health challenges? If so, how do you get back on your feet and try to see past the present struggles? Do you tell yourself it is only temporary? Do you tell yourself you’ve gotten through it before? Who do you call for a chat?

Spring is here and summer is near… Are you looking for a new salad recipe?

Jicama and Cilantro

Jicama & Cilantro Salad

You will not want to miss this extremely simple, recipe! If you’ve never even heard of Jicama, and wouldn’t know what it was if you saw it… Do not worry, more information here!

Be adventurous. Pick up a jicama on your next grocery trip!

 

A fine balancing act

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Finding a balance between jobs, school, rehabilitation from injuries and volunteering, all the while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle can prove challenging at times. Even with many things on my plate, I find time to go for a walk, sit on a bench in the inner harbor to watch the float planes take off and land, or do some art. It CAN be done. Even if you think you don’t have the time. Find the time. Often times the reason I am not posting is because I have too much on my plate, and I am taking some much needed down time.

Like many other chronic conditions, allergies and asthma can add a significant time commitment to your already filled schedule. Reading all the food labels at the grocery store; on cosmetics, beauty or cleaning products, can take a fair bit of time, depending on the allergies you have. When I am looking for new products to use, whether it be; shampoo, conditioner, make-up or other soaps, I need to plan for a good hour or two for label reading, going to different stores if needed, and often, calling manufacturers. My most recent challenge has been to find a new shampoo as I have been getting hives from the one I used for years. It is becoming quite the search… A week later I am still looking.

This can often add more anxiety to our lives. Too much anxiety is not good. What do you do to wind down, relax, take a break? Who helps you to let loose and take some time where you are not thinking about the million things you have to get done?

Tea time?

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Sitting here at my computer with a huge cup of tea, I ponder the following… how safe is tea? To some this may sound a little silly however the reality is that nowadays you can find soy on the label of teabags. So what does this mean about other allergens. Well, have you ever been to a loose leaf place? If so, have you ever noticed that there are all kinds of tea, some which include nuts!

I’m a little hesitant to have loose leaf teas, and when at a coffee shop I always opt for the tea bags and read the boxes of the tea before I order anything. Most people are shocked when I turn down having tea, it seems so innocent, however nothing is completely safe.

Do you drink loose leaf teas? If so, what brands do you drink. Does that company make any teas with blends that may have shells from nuts? If they do, do they have procedures in place to lessen the cross-contamination factor? I’m on the lookout for some nut-free loose leaf companies… Any ideas?

My personal motto always has been and remains to be: “you can never be too careful”

New recipes to be added soon!

Recipe Book

I will be adding some more recipes soon and am wondering what types of recipes you are all interested. I try to keep them the simplest a possible, so anyone can make them. :)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Hopefully you have a little sun wherever you may be. Our weekend here in Victoria, BC is looking wet and grey… Perfect weekend for some website work and to build the french site which will be very similar to this one. Stay tuned, and please share any topic, or recipe suggestions you may have. The more the merrier.

Allergy friendly lip gloss

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Have you ever tried to find lip gloss that doesn’t contain soy, almonds, other nut oils or castor oil? If you haven’t had to yet, good luck! Unless you are looking at a health food store or special pharmacy, they are fairly tricky to find. Safe ones I mean. I’ve been fortunate to find many different brands out here on the west coast. Most of them have a shea butter as the main ingredient. I have been using Shea Lips which is a Canadian Company, for the last few years.  I recently tried the ones in the above picture and LOVED the products! They have jojoba, avocado and hemp oil in them, and the combination really helps dry lips! I HIGHLY recommend Dr.Bronner’s lip balm and the Shea Lips brand as well. Both are absolutely terrific and organic. What more could one ask for? :)

What is your favorite allergy friendly brand of lip gloss or chap stick?