My Non Toxic Journey – November 2015

November 2015

One Step At A Time

Join me each month as I share insights from my journey to non toxic living.

Finding the Joy?

I recently overheard some women talking about how the “dreaded” holiday season was upon us and how it entailed too much of everything ending in exhaustion. I thought, “how sad” but I could totally relate. I can remember years of being overcommitted, resentful and exhausted. What dawned on me at a much later date was the lack of holiday “joy” that I had often experienced.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday as it represents gratitude and moments to reflect on our many blessings. Good food and being with loved ones is joyful in its simplicity. Then, whoosh, the gates open and the holiday rocket collects me, and launches most of us into three frenzied weeks of baking, shopping, school and home parties, volunteering, gift purchasing, wrapping, shipping, decorating, hosting, and/or traveling. All the while dragging our “JOY” with us as an afterthought. “Oh yeah, that was fun…” I’ll think months later. It all becomes a blur.

In the last few years, my husband and I have derived more JOY both as givers and recipients in giving the gifts of experience with the kids and grandkids. Also, several years ago we started donating to our families’ favorite charities, in their names, in lieu of presents. They found this much more meaningful, and so did we.

This holiday season I challenge myself to experiencing JOY in saying “no” to over-commitment. This holiday season I challenge myself to experiencing JOY by saying “yes” to more soul-nourishing activities and fewer soul-diminishing ones. I challenge myself to my own “Power of Two” intentions.

This one affects so many of us. I invite you, my readers, to please share your thoughts for experiencing your JOY during the holiday season.

And in the wise words of our dogs, “Bark Less and Wag More!”

Powerhouse Pumpkins!

Powerhouse Pumpkins! It’s officially autumn and with this season I always think of pumpkins! We carve them, decorate with them and best of all, we eat pumpkin in many delicious ways! Loaded with vitamins and minerals, pumpkin is low in calories, so indulge! In today’s post, I’m going to share the health benefits of eating real pumpkin (not to be confused with artificial seasonings) along with one of my favorite recipes and links to beautiful, easy to make table centerpieces!

Did you know that pumpkin:

• Is NOT a vegetable; it’s a fruit! In fact, it’s a berry. Pumpkins belong to the family Cucurbitaceae, which includes cucumbers, melons, squash, and gourds. (The general rule is that an edible plant is categorized as a fruit if it has seeds, but without seeds, it’s a vegetable. So that makes a tomato a fruit as well!)

• A cup of cubed pumpkin contains twice the recommend daily intake of Vitamin A which promotes good vision and slows the decline of retinal function.

• With all of its Vitamin A, pumpkin helps form and maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones.

• Lowers blood pressure

• Provides incredible fiber protecting your heart, the male prostate and helping you feel full longer. Fiber also helps one digest food more efficiently, thus absorbing more nutrients.

read more