EMERGENCY KIT

I believe everyone should have an emergency kit by their bedside. This is one of the first things that you will be grateful for in case of an earthquake, a typhoon, a tsunami , or the 3 days of darkness
In my kit -  I have a flashlight, ginger snap cookies, chocolate mallows, sky flakes, chocolate crunchies, rosquillos,  choc nut 4 bottles of water .
You better start preparing your emergency kit now and you'll have a good laugh just thinking of what kind of comfort food you will be storing!

COCONUT OIL FOREVER

Two weeks ago, I dared to use a more luxurious soap brand ( not necessarily natural ) and before I knew it, I started itching under my arms. I was in denial for a while, but when I finally decided to come to terms with it, I decided to throw the whole box of soap away!

It was just terrible, Someone suggested I had the shingles, but I had no pain at all. Just an itch that kept on itching and itching. First, i made a concoction of guava tea, tried it overnight and it was so-so. The next healing formula was boiled turmeric  ( luyang dilaw) . It was also just ok,  not comforting enough!

Out of desperation, I started generously massaging my arms with virgin coconut oil . The healing effect was very significant ! The antibacterial, anti fungal, antiviral properties of the coconut oil was exactly what i needed . Really grateful for this or I won't have anything to blog about.

ORGANIC LECHON ?

HECKY's Cebu lechon is free range and grass fed . No hormones, no hog feeds .... The result?  it's less fat , so it's easier on the conscience! The lechon is stuffed with lemongrass too!
Sorry for the shameless plug, but my favorite son is a franchisee, please text him for more details on prices and delivery . Miguel 09175293842

Back to blogging!

So sorry for lack of posts! My poster girl  #1 ( the one who posts for me) went to a far away land and could not be disturbed as she was adjusting to her new environment . My poster boy #1 ( the one who posts for me too) had to baby sit poster girl #1 for all of two months! He is back now but is burdened with jet lag and the  heat so i don't dare nag him about my blog!

maybe tomorrow.....or the day after....

p.s. They also took my camera with them!

Voila -The Natural Choice for Toys

I  am crazy over my grandchildren, soooo crazy that I decided to be an authorized dealer of toys just for them. My choice ???? VOILA- The Natural Choice for Toys.

 

VOILA toys are  crafted by Thai artisans and in 2002, VOILA became the first Thai wooden toy company to earn the right to use the GREEN LABEL LOGO from the Thailand Environmental Institute for products made from rubber wood. All our toys use lead free and non toxic paint.

 

The added bonus is Voilla is highly educational , no wonder my grandchildren have started out smarting me!!!  Here is the link to http://www.voilatoy.com/. You can have a look at the toys in the website and I can email you back the prices and even deliver to you with an additional charge of course.

 

You can visit VOILA showroom at THE THIRD FLOOR, RODIL BLDG, # 326 Capt Henry Javier St. Pasig City, Brgy Oranbo ( coming from Ultra, heading towards Pasig Blvd Extension, you will go past Crisanta Tower on the right side, then see a Mini Stop, right across Mini Stop , on the left side is Rodil Bldg. Entrance are the steps on the right side of the building. )  

 

Our showroom is open Monday to Saturday 10 am to 7pm!

Banana Split

I  tend to buy too much bananas everytime I go to the supermarket. A few years ago, I chanced upon a very useful tip that I would want to share.

To prevent the bananas from ripening all at the same time, make sure to cut  each piece from the original "crown". You will be surprised that your bananas will last longer and there won't be any over riped bananas left for banana cake!

Camote is Tops

My favorite medicine man told me  that the best food to curb a diabetic's hunger pangs is to eat camote.  Camote is a complex carbohydrate that is easy to digest and low in Glycemic Index. Here's the link http://www.livestrong.com/article/315521-kamote-diet/

The Camotes come in different varieties, there is the golden yellow, white and the purple. My super favorite is the purple camote. It's sweeter than the other varieties .
My mother in law who is diabetic eats them boiled, baked or grilled...... with sugar!

Fruit Diet

My husband decided to go on a cleansing diet about a month ago. He was so serious about it, I was totally left impressed. His determination to stick to the diet was really commendable.

Everyday, for a week, he only ate fruits, a platter of assorted fruits for breakfast, a bigger platter of fruits for lunch and the biggest platter of fruits over dinner. In between the fruits he had more fruits! I He also took some digestive herbs with it, and cups of sambong and ampalaya tea.

I was under the impression that his sugar would go up  because of all the fruits he took but was surprised that it didn't.

Occasionally, I would give him fish and a salad but the major part of his diet was fruits. he says that he never tired of the fruits because each fruit had a different taste so he just kept on going and going.

The end result was loss of 10 lbs after a week and about 4 inches around the waist! whew! I could never do that....

My husband says he will go on a detox diet for one week in each month. Will keep you posted on the next round of fruits.

An Apple A Day....

I know this chart will definitely come in handy . Natural cures inside our refrigerator.

After reading this entry you will definitely look at fruits and veggies in a different light. Thank you God for all of these, You surely know how to take care of us.

Pretty Feet

My Birkenstocks have been my faithful companions over the years.  I can't imagine a day without them.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have terrible bunions in my feet. The arch support in Birkenstocks are helpful to alleviate the pain that comes at night especially if you have been walking all day!

Somehow, the pain doesn't totally go away which makes me even more frustrated . I saw this gummy thing being advertised on TV and decided to buy one. It is supposed to massage your toes etc....

It's too early for me to know if it really works, all I know is that it seems as if my toes are 3 inches apart from each other when I remove them .

I will religiously wear them at night and will keep all of you posted

Go go Gugo!

If you know anyone who has receding hairline or balding problems, this  GUGO soap bar .  maybe the perfect answer. Here is the link that has some of the benefits of GUGO http://www.filipinoherbshealingwonders.filipinovegetarianrecipe.com/gugo.htm

If you have thick and long hair  I suggest you don't use it .  I tried using it and the lather was excellent but when I tried to comb my hair , the comb just didn't go through. The Gugo  confused my hair, the strands of hair kinda got stuck to each other, so in my mind I was thinking, no wonder it prevents falling hair , cause your hair is stuck to your scalp ! Kidding aside, if you have serious hair problems, this Gugo bar is worth a try .

However, if you have short, limp hair and want more volume, this soap would definitely work. Please don't use any hair conditioners with it.

A friend  of mine used to ask me to get her boxes of this soap because she would bring it to her brother in the US. I found out that her brother had alopecia for years and had tried everything in the book. She sent him this soap to try and apparently it worked because his hair started growing again.

I don't know exactly if his hair started growing after using 24 bars of soap but am pretty sure it didn't take more than 48 bars because she stopped sending him after that.

Organic Rice

I knew I had a winner when Little Miss Dress Up told me that she can eat Pink Rice for the rest of her life!

Little Miss Dress Up is such a picky eater , she drives me nuts, oooops , since she reads my blog, I should say she drives me bananas! She likes bananas but hates anything with nuts! Vegetables to her is French Fries and healthy juice would be in tetra packs.

For years, I have been searching for an organic rice that she would like, tried everything in the supermarket, tiendesitas, market market and was so happy when I found this Pink Rice! It's as soft as white rice and tastes just as good , It says it's organic too! I usually soak the Pink Rice in water a few minutes before cooking. I also add a little bit more water than normal!

Finally, Little Miss Dress Up is taking  something organic! Yehey !

Diet Crackers

These bunch of egg crackers have been keeping me company this week. Have been so  busy with work lately and have neglected my favorite form of relaxation ....eating.

My favorite albularyo mentioned to me that egg crackers would be good for hyperacidity or acid reflux . He also said that diabetics can take them when they are hungry  and it won't increase their blood sugar, if taken moderately of course.

As for me I enjoy them because it helps me maintain my weight and kinda fills me up. If you are on a diet, you can indulge in egg crackers.

King of Nuts

This post is dedicated to my readers who have high uric acid. Starting today, you are freed from your frustration of not being able to enjoy the addicting habit of eating peanuts when you are bored!

Fear not......  I want to share with you that if you eat the peanuts with their maroon   skin on, your fingers and toes will not become crooked ! Your elbows and knees will not ache ! You will not have a difficult time going up those steps !

Boy Fajardo told me to try it and I was surprised, I survived the whole weekend without any discomfort....yehey ! 

Coconut Water

Nursing mothers usually take a lot of Malunggay in their diet to help increase their milk supply. When my daughter was nursing, it was coconut water that I suggested she take. I read on the health benefits of coconut water and knew that it would be perfect both for mother and child.
http://www.babycenter.in/toddler/nutrition/benefitsofcoconutwater_expert/

It is a fact that the coconut from the Philippines has one of the highest lauric acid content. This alone can make the coconuts from the other countries jealous. The next time you see coconuts ,even if you are not a nursing mother,  don't ignore them, it's tree is not called the Tree of Life for nothing.

Saba Bananas

When my daughter and son in law are not looking, I try to infiltrate my grandchildren's diet with my own ' theories or experiments' . It goes without saying that their yayas are under my scrutiny most of the time.

One of my favorite discoveries is the SABA BANANAS,  Our yaya of 32 years told me that in Bicol, where she comes from, the SABA is eaten ripe in it's natural form, not boiled or fried etc. If it is eaten this way on an empty stomach it can act as a laxative.

When any of my grandchildren has a  digestive problem, it's the SABA BANANA that we turn to.

Camote Tops

A year ago, I would notice that every time, my granddaughter would have an insect bite, the mark would stay for a while. I took her to Boy Fajardo to check on a huge bite, he pulled down her lower eyelid and said that she was slightly anemic because her lower eyelids were quite pale. He suggested that I include ' pulang talbos na kamote or alugbati ' in her diet. The iron content in these veggies would help her.

A week later , my granddaughter developed fever , she had to have a  blood test and results were negative for  dengue, but yes she was slightly anemic.

I would always end up buying camote tops in exaggerated quantities so that one day, the sales staff asked me what I was going to do with them. The question caught me by surprise, I replied
" I have a flower arrangement project " .

Healthy Lechon

One of the health benefits of taking lemongrass is to reduce high cholesterol and uric acid levels.

I usually have this bottled lemongrass extract at home. I put a teaspoon of this in  a cup of warm water to make a light afternoon tea. Some days, I boil the lower part of  fresh lemongrass stalks whenever I run out of the bottled ones.

Here is the link to the health benefits of lemongrass http://ezinearticles.com/?Discover-The-Many-Uses-Of-Lemon-Grass&id=402586

So the next time you eat Cebu lechon and notice all the lemongrass stalks stuffed inside, you can conclude that the lechon is a health buff too!

Chili ! Chili!

Over the years, my husband VERY RARELY, gets sick with anything. I don't remember him even catching a cough or a cold, or maybe it's because my memory is failing me .

Part of his diet are these chili peppers that he eats with almost every meal. He eats in with anything or takes it as his afternoon snack. He says he believes in the health benefits because it has worked with him all this time . Click on this link http://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-health-benefits.html

One bottle of hot peppers is empty except for one piece that I saved for my photo shoot, that's how popular it is in our dining table!

Open Sesame

I have been giving my husband some sesame seed candy which is mixed with molasses the past month. My husband developed some liver problems 20 years ago. I realized that it's never too late to restore good health. Boy Fajardo mentioned to me about the health benefits of  sesame seeds, but never got around to seriously look into it. Please read link attached http://www.newsfinder.org/site/readings/open_sesame/

I was delighted to see some of these sesame seed candy ( no sugar, just molasses as a binder) readily available.

I think sesame seeds would be very helpful to those taking a lot of medication or to those who wine a lot .

Of course everything is to be taken in moderation, the nutty sesame seeds included.