Monday, December 17, 2012

Homeschool: Update

Many of you have been asking for an update on how homeschooling is going. And in light of the recent elementary school shooting, I feel it is an appropriate time to write this post, as I sense there may be an increased interest in homeschooling because of this incident.

Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment and send my condolences to each and every family that lost their Kindergartners. There is no words that anyone can say to make your grief any less felt or any easier to manage. I pray that God can comfort you and fill the void that was once your child.

If you're wondering how I can hold onto my faith in Christ after this horrific and senseless tragedy, let me explain. I believe in free will. I believe we each have it. Without free will, there would be no purpose for love. Genuine love. If this is true, this free will thing, then it makes sense to believe that things happen every single day that aren't God's will. And if this is true, then it suffices to also say that God is there, grieving with each of us. He didn't make the shooter pull the trigger. The shooter made that "free will" decision on his own. But, He is there, in the aftermath, caring for the children that entered heaven, loving on the adults who joined them. And he is there, comforting those who mourn and are broken-hearted. I keep my faith because Jesus is my hope in this increasingly horrific world. Without hope, I've got nothing.

[Jesus] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. ~Psalm 147:3 NASB
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In case you missed our first day of homeschool, you can read about here and compare to how we now do things. I've learned a thing or two in the past 13 weeks.

Homeschooling no longer takes us over 3 hours, but rather 1-2 hours per day.

Our mornings are filled with playing, cooking, running errands or going to the local YMCA.

After lunch, I put my 17-month old down for her nap and the Kindergartner and I begin our schoolwork.

So, our school day begins around 1PM and ends between 2-3PM.

Most days are a lot of fun with total cooperation and excitement from my student. But, occasionally, there are the rough days. The days when we both end up in tears. Luckily, those days are few and far between and a lot is learned.

Here are some things I've learned from the hard days:
  • My child lacks self-confidence at times and just needs me to be her cheerleader.
  • DD reacts to my reactions. If I start to get frustrated, so does she.
  • My child likes to pick the order of subjects, rather than me pick them for her.
  • Sometimes, she needs to be moving while I'm reading. And that's okay.
  • It's okay to not get everything done in one day. It can made up another day.
  • My child's heart, and my relationship with her, is way more important than anything she's learning.

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Here's what we learned today, in the order in which my child picked her subjects to study.



Bible Memorization
 
We listened to this week's memory verse song on "Sing the Word: From A to Z". We're currently memorizing Isaiah 45:22.



Handwriting

Today, we learned how to write the letter "A". First, I wrote it on the chalkboard and then DD tried it.

Then, she built it using block lines.

Lastly, she practiced it in her workbook (which I forgot to take a picture of).

Language Arts: Creative Expression: Writing Song Lyrics

Today, my DD was instructed to come up with her own song lyrics. She had so much fun doing this! The concentration wasn't on proper punctuation or spelling, but rather to get her to practice writing and mostly to have fun doing it!

Math

First, we watch the lesson being taught on a DVD. I pause the DVD along the way when the "teacher" asks questions, so she can answer and see if she's understanding the lesson.

After the lesson, we get out her color-coded blocks (blues are tens) and her workbook and she begins practicing what she just learned.

Some days she does all 6 pages in her workbook in 1 day. Other days, she only does 1 page. I let her go at her own pace. We're currently on week 18's lesson (and this is only week 13 of school) so you can see how quickly she's working through the lessons.

Today we learned how to add by 10's. She chose to only do 1 workbook page today.

Reading

I'm finding that the reading in our current program is a bit juvenile for my DD, meaning, she sat down one day and read through all 26 books by herself. However, I've chosen to stay with them, so that she can build confidence and master the different things she's learning with each book. We read the same book every day for 1 week, then we move on to the next book.

In her free time, though, she gets library books that are more advanced. She enjoys reading those, too.

History/Geography

We use 3 different books for History/Geography throughout the week, but today, we used a book called, "I Heard Good News Today" This is a book about how each of the parts of the world first heard about the Good News of Jesus Christ, among other heart warming stories about missionaries and pioneers. Today, we read about how Braille came about.

Afterwards, I had DD draw a picture of the boy who invented Braille in her timeline book.

And then we found France on our map, which is where the boy lived.

Bible

We're working our way through Egermeier's Bible Story Book. Today, we read about how the Ark of God troubled the Philistines.

Science

Today, we read about Creepy-Crawlies, like dragonflies, bees, spiders and snails.

Afterwards, we answered some questions and did some activities in our workbook about what we had just read about.

One thing I love about the Usborne's Children's Encyclopedia is that they have a link to go to on the internet with other links to learn more about the subject they just read about. Sometimes it's through videos, sometimes it's through games, sometimes it's through reading more or looking at pictures.

Read-Alouds

At night, before bed, my DH and DD spend some time reading some of the recommended books. Tonight they read from "The Llama Who Had No Pajama" and "The House At Pooh Corner".

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Many people may have questions about homeschooling, so I'd like to start a Homeschooling Q&A. Please email me at foodie4healing@gmail.com or comment on this post with your questions and I'll try to get them answered as best as I can.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

2012 Best Food Blogger Contest

Thank you soooo much to whoever nominated me for the FriendsEat 2012 Best Food Blogger Contest! I am truly honored!

What can I win?
The winner of each category will receive a prize from the sponsor Le Creuset as well as $25 worth of FriendsEAT advertising credits.

The blog chosen as “Top Food Blogger of 2012” will receive an iPad mini and $75 worth of FriendsEAT advertising credits.

How can you vote?
People can vote with Loves. 

What are loves?
You should now see a box in the upper right corner of my blog with a "Love" button. If you click on that button, you vote that you "Love" my blog. The blogger with the most "Loves" by the end of the contest (December 17th) in each category, wins!

What is FriendsEAT?
FriendsEAT is an online social community for foodies and one of the world's leading food websites with over half million visitors per month. Started in 2006 by Antonio Evans and Blanca Valbuena, FriendsEAT has become one of the best source of what's going on in the culinary community.

Remember... Voting offically ENDS December 17th, 2012, so go vote now!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Online Silent Auction: Dec 1-8

Remember Oak's story?

If you've read that post, please re-read it. I've since learned that I had a few of the details wrong and have updated that post.

If you haven't read it, please do! :-)

So, how can you help?

Visit our Online Silent Auction and bid on one of our items! 

We have over 100 items being auctioned off and there is something for everyone at every price range. We have: photography, personal training, party rental items, babysitting, handmade walking/hiking sticks, handmade greeting cards, gym membership, handmade holiday decor, sunglasses and handmade jewelry, tree decorating lessons, wall mural painting, dance lessons, gift certificates for dining-makeup-itunes-nails-jewelry, handmade candle holders, handmade crosses, handmade games, autographed baseball, sheet cakes, movies, books, massage, swim lessons, and MORE!!!

Tell your friends!

Auction ends December 8th, don't miss out!

Erika & Oak, in Haiti

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Bring Oak Home!

Dear Readers,

My friend Erika, and her husband, Jason, are in the process of adopting a beautiful baby boy from Haiti. His name is Oak and he is 5-months-old.

Since July, Erika has been living and serving in Haiti as she oversees the job-creation and youth mentoring programs of 3seams, a ministry established by her family (www.3seams.com). Though she went to Haiti to serve and help raise families out of extreme poverty, she was approached about intervening in the life of a newborn baby who had lost his mother. Erika and Jason were asked to adopt and rescue him from an unsafe situation, in a country that is profoundly broken.
The process has been swift and because of the circumstances, there was no time to plan or save money, only to act immediately as God directed them. Though they have scraped together the funds needed through the early parts of the adoption, the costs of the attorney and the orphanage were more substantial than they expected.

As they neared the completion of the process, they were informed that the process could not be completed, and Erika would not be able to return to the US with Oak, until nearly $10,000 was raised to cover the final expenses...and thus began the “Bring Oak Home!!” campaign.

In the meantime, Erika and Oak are living in conditions far below standards considered acceptable in the US. The personal living space for the two of them is one 10’ x 10’ room. Running water and electricity are sporadic. The water and much of the food is unsafe for consumption, so water must be boiled for cleaning and purchased for drinking, and food must be shipped in with missionaries. They have no car or personal means of transportation, and when they are sick, they’re access to reasonable health care is extremely limited…and far from US standards. This was particularly scary, for example, when Oak was spiking fevers of 105 degrees. Being a new Mom is difficult enough; could you imagine having to do it alone in a country like Haiti?

Please consider making a donation or visiting our silent auction from December 1 - December 8th at: http://32auctions.com/bringoakhome

Sunday, November 11, 2012

It's Ok To Take A Break.

I have a confession.

For the past few weeks, I've slowly fallen farther and farther off the healthy train.

I lost my mojo.

I just wasn't inspired to eat healthy, nor to exercise.

This happens every so often and every time it does, I've beaten myself up.

Until now.

I've realized that it's okay to take a break.

Leading a healthy lifestyle, is not a destination. You won't "arrive" at the place when, for the rest of your life without wavering, you'll exercise daily and never put a morsel of processed food in your mouth again. I'm just being realistic here. Birthdays happen. Holidays happen. Vacations happen. PMS happens.

While, I'm in no way condoning yo-yo dieting, in fact I downright think it's unhealthy, I am saying that sometimes, it's okay to take a breather. It's okay to indulge from time to time. It's okay to let your body rest for a few weeks. It's okay to let your hair down and not worry so much about every little thing you're putting in your body.

The truth is, leading a healthy lifestyle, especially when it doesn't come naturally, can be downright stressful. If it becomes more of a burden then a help, that's when you know that it's time for a time-out.

Now, here's the key, make sure you get this... you can't stay there.

Healthy eating is a journey. You have to pick up your knapsack and keep trudging forward.

The way I start to regain my mojo and find some inspiration, is by reading up on some of my favorite bloggers! Nothing motivates me like reading about all the delicious yummy food that I want to be eating (and that I can be eating cause it's healthy). Or reading about all the races they're running in. Makes me want to be running right alongside them!!!

Also, I know I need to examine my mindset. I used to have black-and-white thinking.

"Well, I just ate brownies for breakfast. There goes my diet. Guess I'll just eat whatever I want today."

"Well, I missed a workout, guess I've screwed up the entire 8-week plan. Guess I can just stop working out now."

I've worked really hard and by the grace of God, I've been able to change this way of thinking...

"Well, I just ate brownies for breakfast. Those were nummy. Better make sure I make healthier choices the rest of the day." or "Oh man, my tummy hurts after eating brownies for breakfast. Guess I won't be doing that again!"

"Well, I missed a workout in the plan. Perhaps my body needed the rest. Tomorrow I'll keep going!" or better yet "Well, I missed a workout in the plan. There's still hours in the day! I'll do it tonight instead of this morning, like I had planned."

This mindset had helped me to take breaks without guilt and also to stay on track!

I also know, that I know me. I know that I need a plan. I need to plan my meals ahead of time, so I don't have to think about "what do I feel like eating" in the moment. For me, that leads to poor choices. I know that I need a workout plan to follow. If I try to fly by the seat of my pants and decide the day of what I "feel like" doing for my workout that day, the workout won't happen. I also know that I need accountability, because it's too easy for me to say, "I'm too tired. I don't feel like working out." or "that doesn't sound good. I'll eat brownies instead."

So, here I am. Feeling refreshed from my few week break and ready to get back on track!

The plan:
  • Workout: I've decided to give P90X a try. I may substitute a few of the workout videos for classes at the gym, or a home workout, or do the weights videos with free weights in the gym. I also would like to keep up with my running, so I may add in a few runs during weights days. Then again, I may not. It all depends on how my body is holding up. I am battling endometriosis, afterall ,and that can be unpredictable. Realistic goals, ladies, realistic goals.
  • Diet: I will not be following the P90X diet, as it doesn't line up with what's best for treating my endometriosis and PCOS. I won a lifetime membership to YU and have received a number of meal plans already planned out for me. All I have to do is shop for the ingredients and make the food! Easy peasy. YU is vegan and therefore, follows closely The Endo Diet rules.
In addition to tracking my workouts and diet here on the blog, I'll also be tracking on myfitnesspal.com. Feel free to follow me and offer words of encouragement or a swift kick in the pants, if I need it! ;-)

Readers: Have you been taking a break? Have you made the switch from black & white thinking to being more flexible? How do you stay on track? What motivates you to get back on track? Do you need a new diet & exercise plan or does flying by the seat of your pants seem to work for you? 
 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Making Banana Pancakes, Pretending It's the Weekend...

*sigh*

Oh yes. Today is a *sigh* kind of day. Or week, rather.

My oldest DD has had a scratchy sore throat for days. We're still waiting to get the test results to see if it's strep.

And then last night, about midnight, my youngest started throwing up and hasn't stopped since.

So, today, we decided to play hookie from homeschool and instead we made banana pancakes and are watching tv, pretending it's the weekend.

Enjoy! (and if you wouldn't mind, please say a little prayer for our family)

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Angela's Banana Pancake Sandwich
This recipe was inspired by Angela's Banana Pancake Sandwich. This is essentially the exact same recipe as Angela's, but with substitutions and amounts increased in order to serve 3.

1/2 c brown rice flour
1/2 c oat flour
1 c almond meal/flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 dashes sea salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1T unsweetened cocoa powder
1.25 tsp vanilla
1-1.5 c almond milk
1.5 bananas
a few handfuls gluten-free mini chocolate chips

see Angela's Recipe for directions

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Angela's Reduced-Sugar Syrup
Yields: 1
 
Substitutions:
*sub - 1T raw coconut nectar for maple syrup
*Note: It helps to warm up the coconut nectar & oil before trying to mix them together since they separate easily.

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And now... let Jack entertain you while you pretend it's the weekend!

Monday, October 15, 2012

An Apple A Day...

Tis the season for Apples!

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as our family does.

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Lisa's Crockpot Apple Sauce
In my house, applesauce is a staple. My kids can't seem to get enough of it. But, thanks to this recipe, I won't ever buy homemade applesauce again! No preservatives!

In the morning, when my DD's bowl is empty of applesauce, this is what happens...

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Angela's Apple Pie Oatmeal

Substitutions:
*sub - raw yacon syrup for maple syrup

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Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Serves 1

1/2 c raw oats
3/4-1 c water
dash of sea salt
1/2 c dried unsweetened apple rings, chopped
2T walnuts, finely chopped
cinnamon, to taste
powdered stevia, to taste

Make your oats with the water and sea salt. While the oats are heating, chop your apple rings and walnuts. Add to the hot oatmeal. Then, add your cinnamon and stevia, to taste. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Raw Cookie Dough!

What if I told you that you could eat cookie dough guilt-free?

What if I told you that it's egg-free?

What if I told you that this cookie dough tastes pretty darn close to the real thing?

You probably wouldn't believe me, right?

But, it's true!


Substitutions:
*sub - 5T oat flour for 5 tsp flour
*use - 2 tsp coconut oil
*omit - sprinkles
*sub - vegan chocolate chips, amount is as desired
*use - 1 tsp almond milk
*omit - forming into balls
*omit - cooking! eat raw!

Happy Eating!


Winner Announced + 2 Mexican Dishes

Congrats to Andrea for winning the Nuvia Cafe giveaway!

Thank you to everyone else for entering the giveaway. I'm hoping to have more giveaways in the future, so stay tuned!

If you are a company, interested in having me giveaway your product on my blog, please contact me by emailing me. Thanks!

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While I love the colors of fall, I don't love the colder weather coming in.

Yesterday had me dreaming of warmer, sunny days, like you see in Mexico.

Oh well. If I can't have warmer days, at least I can eat like I'm there.

Ashley's Mexican Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Serves 2-4

This was amazing! It had a bit of heat to it, so I couldn't believe it when my youngest cleaned her plate! 

This is a favorite and will for sure be made again in my household.

We topped ours with the following recipe, like Ashley suggested.

Averie's Raw Cheddar Dipping Sauce

Again, amazing! I think I've found my new favorite salad dressing, "cheese" for pizzas, etc.

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Life around here has been chaotic. We are running at least 2-4 nights per week for swimming lessons, small group and dance lessons. So, when meal planning, we're trying to take those nights into consideration, since we won't have time to cook and want to plan ahead so that we won't be tempted to eat out. We're trying to utilize our slow cooker more and make meals that can be eaten multiple times throughout the week.  This meal was perfect for all of those things! This recipe is even "freezer-friendly" so you can prep everything ahead of time, if needed.

Gina's Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
There are so many fun variations on toppings for this soup, but it's also good by itself, too. The first time I had it I used organic corn tortilla chips infused w/lime to scoop up the soup. I can't wait to try it with plain greek yogurt and/or avocado! Yum!

Substitutions:
*omit - chipotle chili in adobe sauce (only because we didn't have any on hand)
*omit - cheddar cheese (can sub w/nooch, if wanted)
*sub - plain greek yogurt for sour cream


Happy eating!


Sunday, October 7, 2012

The Best PMS Food

Ok ladies, let's be honest here.

How many of you crave brownies when you're PMSing?

It's the number one food that I crave. But with all my health issues, it is the least friendly food to my system.

Until now.

Whether you like a more cake-like brownie or a denser chewy brownie, I've got a recipe for you!

Happy eating!

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For a cake-like brownie:

Coconut Brownies

1 cup soy-free vegan butter, softened
2 cups coconut sugar, blonde
4 eggs, organic, free-range
1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla
1.5 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

In a large bowl, cream vegan butter and coconut sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and cocoa; gradually beat into creamed mix just until blended. Stir in coconut. Spread into a greased 9x13" baking pan. Bake at 350* for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs (do not over bake!) Cool on a wire rack.

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For a dense, chewy brownie:

Katie's No Flour Black Bean Brownies

Substitutions:
*Used Coconut Nectar in place of Maple Syrup/Agave/Honey
*Omitted the Stevia/Sugar
*We used 2/3 cup chopped Trader Joe's Organic 70% Super Dark chocolate bar in place of the chocolate chips



Saturday, October 6, 2012

Fall in MN

Fall is my absolute favorite season.


The amazing color and beauty that come out when the leaves start changing colors is hard to beat.


Today some of my family and I celebrated our German heritage with an Oktoberfest-themed boat ride down the Mississippi.


Silly me forgot to take pictures of the food! So sorry!
Here is what we enjoyed:

  • Brats & Bavarian Buns
  • Sauerbraten
  • German Potato Salad
  • Spaetzle with Paprika Sauce
  • Vinegar & Oil Coleslaw
  • Black Forest Torte Cake
The brats and spaetzle were amazing!!!

I got a bit claustrophobic at the Lock and Dam. But otherwise, it was a beautiful tour.


We even spotted a bald eagle! Can you find it?

Hope you enjoyed Fall in MN!


Friday, October 5, 2012

Pasta w/Creamy Sweet Potato Sauce (GF, DF)

Doesn't fall just put in the mood for all things pumpkin, sweet potato and the like? It sure does me! That's why I was so excited to try this recipe! (sorry for the bad picture)

Pasta with Creamy Sweet Potato Sauce
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home
Yields: 5 servings



1 large sweet potato
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 cups uncooked gluten-free pasta, any type
1T pine nuts
1 tsp rubbed sage
1T Earth Balance coconut spread or coconut oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup water
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Scrub and pierce sweet potato; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 8-10 minutes or until tender, turning once. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Place potato in a large bowl and mash with almond milk. In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions (do not overcook!) In a large skillet on low-medium heat, saute pine nuts and sage in coconut spread/oil until pine nuts are toasted. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same skillet, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in the sweet potato mixture, salt and pepper. Drain pasta. Add pasta, plus 3/4 cup water to sweet potato mixture. Stir in the nutritional yeast, pine nut mixture and reserved cooking water. Now try not to eat all 5 servings in one sitting! ;-)


Thursday, October 4, 2012

Field Trip: Chicken Farm

Today was a homeschool field trip day. We travelled to my good friend and fellow ministry partner's farm.


Ok, so it's just a hobby farm, but they have cats, a dog and chickens! The chicken-part was new to me. So, imagine my excitement when I able to pick freshly laid chicken eggs and take them home!!!

The very next day, I decided to do a little experiment and see the difference between my Kirkland Organic Vegetarian-Fed Eggs and my friends' Free-Range Eggs. See for yourselves the difference...


Which do you think is which?

The darker (and larger) yolks, on right, are from my friends' farm. 

So, what's the difference?

Several sources indicate that the more orange (and thus, less yellow) a yolk is, the more access the hens had to bugs, worms and plants and the more nutrient-dense their diets were. You can trust these hens are truly free range. The yolk color, however, does not mean that they are more nutritious. Regardless of yolk or shell color, eggs are a great source of Vitamin A.
Sources: Ca.Uky.EduEggland's Best

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As most of you know, my DD is obsessed with Little House on the Prairie. I knew she'd be delighted if she could search for and pick her own eggs! So, my friend (who also homeschools) and I arranged for a "Pioneer Days"-themed day.

It was a bit windy and cold, so we scratched the theme, but the kids had a blast none-the-the-less.


First, I must show you some pictures of their lovely farm-style house!




Then, you can meet some of the chickens, one of which is lovingly named, "Sally".



And now you see my DD's first experience with gathering her own eggs!

The barn where the chicken coop is located.

Peeking her head cautiously into the chicken coop.

Got her first egg!

Found the hidden nest! Sneaky little chickens.

Found another one!

The final loot!

Thanks again to my friend, for letting us visit your chicken farm and taking home some of your delicious eggs!


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Product Review + Giveaway!!!

I am so excited to share today's post and giveaway with you!

Big time bloggers sometimes have companies contact them. These companies want to send the bloggers their product, for free, to try out and review on their blog. This, of course, is for exposure and marketing purposes.

I don't consider myself a "big time blogger", so I was shocked and extremely excited when I had my first company contact me!

Rest assured, that I will only try out products that I truly feel might have a beneficial aspect for myself and my readers. If a company contacts me and I can't eat their ingredients or don't believe in their product, I won't even bother to try it. You can trust that I will give you honest reviews.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Nuvia Cafe.

Nuvia is "Sumatran Arabica coffee infused with a trifecta of legendary ingredients: the extracts of 100% certified organic Ganoderma (aka Reishi Mushroom), African Mango Seed and Pomegranate. The Sumatran coffee beans are roasted to perfection yielding a superior flavor that is rustic, yet rich and full bodied. Ganoderma (an immune enhancer), African Mango, (a healthy, natural appetite suppressant) and Pomegrante (a super antioxidant) are renown in recent clinical studies." ~written on the product's box


Directions:
"If you desire a delicious cafe experience while optimizing your immune system, boosting your metabolism and protecting your cells, add the contents of a Nuvia packet to 6-8 oz hot water and enjoy!"


Personal Experiences:
Along with the product to try, I received a promotional newspaper from the company with four pages full of amazing testimonies from people who have used Ganoderma supplements in some form or another. Below is a summary of those testimonies.

  • energy increased
  • arthritic pain decreased
  • no longer suffering from PMS
  • cancerous tumor disappeared
  • eczema is clearing up
  • broke up congestion
  • chronic pain becomes manageable or disappears
  • sleep soundly
  • cravings for sweets disappeared
  • blood sugars are balanced
  • acne slowly cleared up
  • regulated menstrual cycle
  • eliminated menstrual cramping
  • calmed ADD symptoms
  • reduced ear and throat infections
  • menopause symptoms became more manageable
  • brain fog disappeared
  • weight loss
  • depression was gone
  • liver spots on skin went away
  • blood pressure normalized
  • digestive system regulated
  • red blood cells stabilized

You'll see that I "bolded" a few of the personal experiences. These are the things that most attracted me to this product, because those of us suffering from PCOS and/or endometriosis, have been dealing with these symptoms. It was worth a try!

My Review:
I agree with the company's statement that this product has a rustic, yet rich and full bodied flavor. It's equivalent to a dark roast. This product tastes nothing like mushrooms, cause I know you were wondering. ;-) It has a smooth taste and didn't aggravate my acid reflux, like other coffees sometimes can. The really great thing about this coffee is that it's an instant coffee. All you need is hot water. No need to even have a coffee maker!

You would have no idea that this was an instant coffee though; the top becomes amazingly frothy, like you got it from a fancy coffee shop.

I even tried this out on a few unsuspecting friends. And they loved it as much as I did! I haven't noticed any dramatic changes in my health, but I also have not been drinking it on a regular basis, like you should. The one thing my testers and I did notice, was that it wasn't as strong as other coffees. Some of us needed to drink 2 cups to feel the same caffeine effects as 1 cup of other coffees. This could be due to the dark roast, though, since the lighter the roast, the more caffeine there is. If you have endometriosis, remember not to drink anymore than 1 cup of caffeine a day during your menstrual cycle since it's known to increase a women's natural estrogen up to 70% over non-caffeine drinkers.

And now the best part!

I loved this product so much, that I contacted Nuvia Cafe and asked if they'd send me another box to giveaway to one lucky reader!

This giveaway will be open for one week only. A winner will be chosen on Tuesday, October 9th. So enter now!


a Rafflecopter giveaway