What is Kombucha tea? Can it Cure Cancer?
Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.
Have you heard of Kombucha? It’s the beverage the ancient Chinese called the “Immortal Health Elixir?” It has been around for more than 2,000 years and has a rich history of health benefits like preventing and fighting cancer, arthritis, and other degenerative diseases.
Kombucha is made from sweetened tea that’s been fermented by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (a SCOBY, a.k.a. “mother” because of its ability to reproduce, or “mushroom” because of its appearance), Kombucha didn’t gain prominence in the West until recently.
A co-worker recently introduced me to GTSKombucha tea and after just a small sip of it with Chai I was hooked, it has such a cool, crisp flavor. Also because of the reported health benefits including cancer prevention and a digestion aid I immediately headed to Target to purchase a few more bottles.
I was hoping hubby would also give it a try as it might help with his intestinal disorder but after reading that it also contained traces of alcohol he said “nope”! I on the other hand have been drinking several ounces daily and no, not because of the alcohol content, but in hopes that it will increase my energy and help me stay hydrated.
The bottles clearly state that “Kombucha is a food product and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease” However, according to Food Renegade there are several health benefits associated with Kombucha including:
KOMBUCHA HEALTH BENEFIT #1 — DETOXIFICATION
Detoxification produces healthy livers and aides cancer prevention. One of kombucha’s greatest health benefits is its ability to detox the body. It is rich in many of the enzymes and bacterial acids your body produces and/or uses to detox your system, thus reducing your pancreatic load and easing the burden on your liver.
KOMBUCHA HEALTH BENEFIT #2 — JOINT CARE
Kombucha contains glucosamines, a strong preventive and treatment all forms of arthritis. Glucosamines increase synovial hyaluronic acid production. Hyaluronic acid functions physiologically to aid preservation of cartilage structure and prevent arthritic pain,with relief comparable to NSAIDs and advantage over glucocorticoids.
KOMBUCHA HEALTH BENEFIT #3 — AIDS DIGESTION AND GUT HEALTH
Because it’s naturally fermented with a living colony of bacteria and yeast, Kombucha is aprobiotic beverage. This has a myriad of benefits such as improved digestion, fighting candida (harmful yeast) overgrowth, mental clarity, and mood stability. As such, it’s noted for reducing or eliminating the symptoms of fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, etc.
Have you tried any of the Kombucha Teas? If so, please share your results as I am very interested in hearing what others have experienced.
New Year ~ New You
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Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world. Yesterday after work I stopped in at Target to pick up a few bottles of Kombucha tea (come back and read more about that on Monday) and while there I decided to check my Cartwheel app. There were a lot of deals on frozen foods including PF Chang’s Frozen Entrees.
The first and only time that we’ve ever eaten at PF Chang’s restaurant was in 2010 while visiting family in Virginia Beach. The food was awesome, especially the lettuce wraps, so I took a chance on buying their frozen home menu meals including the steamed white rice.
I didn’t get home until almost 8 o’clock but it didn’t take long to prepare this meal, as a matter of fact it took less than 15 minutes. 11 minutes in the Wok to cook the chicken, veggie and sauce which is all included in the package, then 2.5 minutes to zap the rice in the microwave, and yes, it was good.
So head over to Target to save 5% from now until 2/28 on their various frozen veggies, chicken, fish and of course the PF Chang’s Home Menu dinner meals.
Happy a warm and wonderful weekend.
New Year ~ New You
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Francois et Mimi Stacking Mugs Makes Me Smile
Hello friends, I hope all is well is your world. Which room in the house is your most favorite? For me it’s the kitchen because it’s the place where I enjoy preparing meals, creating, reading and relaxing.
I can’t help but smile when I walk into the kitchen early in the morning and the sunshine that is streaming through the window is bouncing off the colorful items surrounding me. That is just one reason why these Francois et Mimi Stacking Mugs makes me smile.
The Francois et Mimi Stacking Mugs are a new product recently launched and they are so cute with the bottoms, base and handles of all different colors. They are a perfect size to hold 12 ounces of coffee, tea, hot chocolate or even soup. The set of 4 mugs are stacked neatly inside a metal rack, they are dish washer and microwave safe, and made of lead-free stoneware ceramic.
The Francois et Mimi Stacking Mugs would make a perfect Mother’s Day or Housewarming gift and can be purchased for a quick ship from Amazon.com. I can’t wait for Spring to arrive so that I can sip some herbal tea on the back deck in one of these colorful Francois et Mimi Stacking Mugs.
Oh and don’t forget to check back in on Sunday to watch “Brunch with Blake” on my YouTube channel…you’ll want to see what I’m cooking!
New Year ~ New You
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Headed to Hollywood – Part II – Scenes From the Shoot
Hello friends and welcome to Thankful Thursday. Today’s post is Part II of my fabulous trip to Los Angeles. As you may recall from Part I, our day started extremely early but there was such beauty in the mountains and warmth from the California sun at Veteran’s Memorial Park that everything was a-ok.
The shoot was in Slymar, and the traffic at 6:30 am was a pure D mess, how do people in LA deal with all of that, no wonder there is so much smog in the air. Once we arrived at the park the production crew was already in place but we ate breakfast before hair and makeup so they could set up for the videos and stills. Alexandria did her thing first and I caught a little of her mad-cap frivolity, she is a hoot. I was next followed by Pam and then we did a few group shots and videos before a lunch break.
After lunch everything was packed up and we traveled to the the next location in West Hollywood on Melrose Place. Driving to West Hollywood, checking out the scenes, snapping a few pics was a great tourist thing to do, but once we got to Melrose, that’s where it started getting real.
Not only were we on one of the most famous city streets in the world, but the streets were packed with drivers in exotic cars, shoppers strolling, pedestrians and lookie-loos all around us. The valets were jumping up from their podiums greeting wealthy shoppers as they rolled up in front of the ritzy boutiques on Melrose. I didn’t see him, but was told that Toby McGuire (aka Spiderman) was seated at an outdoor cafe where Pam was supposed to shoot so things were delayed until he left the scene.
Trust and believe when I say, I worked hard that afternoon, it was exciting, exhilarating and exhausting…how do the stars do it ? Everything went well with all of us, including the group antics, is reality TV in our futures, (#3boomerswhoblog) anywho, we finished an hour ahead of schedule which I don’t know if it was a good or bad thing, but I do know that it was one of the most exciting days in my life and I am truly blessed and thankful to have had the experience…and pray for more!
After hugs, kisses and goodbyes to an amazing crew of photo, video, production, digital, wardrobe, hair/makeup and catering we left West Hollywood and headed to Griffith Observatory to see the famous “HOLLYWOOD” sign which was barely visible through the smog…all those exhaust fumes! There were some great looking homes and buildings as we returned to the hotel to shower, change and have dinner at Pez Cantina, a wonderful Mexican restaurant with the best Shrimp aguachile ever!
After dinner we walked a few blocks down to The Last Bookstore and in Part IV, you will see pictures of a truly amazing more-than-a-bookstore, one that you definitely must visit if ever LA. Stay tuned for next week’s Headed to Hollywood – Part III – The Eco-Friendly Hotel.
Until then…stay THANKFULLY blessed because you truly are!
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WIWW – Mixing Metals
Hello friends and happy Hump Day Wednesday. I hope all is well in your world. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Headed to Hollywood Part II – Scenes from the Shoot, I have some great photos to show you.
Having come back to the cold weather in Delaware with snow flurries in the forecast I opted to wear pants twice last week. Do you mix your metals? I mean do you wear silver accessories with gold accessories, bronze with rose gold, etc? I think most of you will say, no, but I actually enjoy doing so and have quite a few pieces of mixed metals that I love to wear.
I like that this sweater has gold threading but that doesn’t automatically make me want to wear gold tone jewelry, instead I rather like wearing silver and gold mixed metals. I recently read an article Four Secrets of Style:Rules That Are Meant To Be Broken, and one of those rules are mixing metals.
The boots were a recent purchase from Rainbow Shops, they had a Buy One Get another ½ price and I wore them to LA. Believe it or not they are very comfortable and didn’t hurt my feet walking through the busy airports. The clutch was also purchased at Rainbow Shops. The pants are Talbot, thrifted and this sweater is so old I can’t remember where it was purchased.
The mixed metal necklace, and “Basketball Wives” inspired earrings are both from Jewelrymax.net; ring from Avon and bracelet from a flea market vendor. Mixing metals allows you to wear your costume jewelry much more often.
What is your favorite metal, Gold, Silver or Bronze?
New Year ~ New You
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Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, however, all opinions are 100% mine alone. #LowPriceMeals #CollectiveBias
Our youngest son, Malik is away at college so I don’t buy as many groceries as I used to, which is saving us a little bit of money. However, our oldest son, Tayair is living at home while attending college and is hungry when he gets home. I don’t get home until late and he isn’t willing to wait until dinner is ready, so he’ll find something to eat before then.
Thankfully, I can still save money with Walmart’s Rollback prices on Banquet Frozen Dinners, Pot Pies and Chef Boyardee products, all of which he loves and are easy for him to fix.
Banquet Frozen dinners & Pot Pies
Chef Boyardee Cans
The rollback prices on frozen Banquet dinners and pot pies and Chef Boyardee cans makes it easy to save and spend less time in the kitchen. The rollback prices are just $0.80 for each frozen Banquet dinner and pot pie now through February 24, 2015 and $0.75 for each 14.5-15 oz can of Chef Boyardee February 9 – April 6, 2015.
Tasty meals like Banquet salisbury steak and Chef Boyardee raviolis make dinner and in my case pre-dinner easy and delicious! Be sure to head to Walmart and stock up on this great deal while supplies last!
Here is the entire list of meals on rollback price:
Frozen Banquet dinners:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12MWYZijbUaky8xv113sM2G0Vm-7MOCeas3PKVHNEwgY/edit?usp=sharing
Chef Boyardee cans:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T0KEogmmH2WsqnhXYaLHlDnt8dXKGI9jO1o8N1WiZUk/edit?usp=sharing
While shopping at Walmart, be sure to look for the Rollback signs for Banquet in the freezer section and Chef Boyardee in the Canned Food aisle!
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10 Basic Blogging Tips
1. First Impression is the Last Impression
If your blog don’t have decent layout and your readers are finding it hard to read your actual content, you need to fix it . It’s your blog design which is first viewed by your blog readers and if they don’t like it, they will simply close it and move on.
2. Content Quality
You content’s quality matters a great deal. If it’s really good, it will motivate your blog readers to visit your blog again and again to read your latest blogging tips and keep up with your posts. Relevant and interesting images and videos makes your posts more interesting. No one wants to read a long wordy blog post without a single image. Also, proofread for grammatical and sentence related errors and create an eye catching title for all your blog posts.
Blog posts with eye catching headlines get better CTR (Click through Rate) in search engine results and other places of listings.
3. Write Guest Posts for Other Blogs
Write guest posts for other blogs in your targeted niche is one of the best things you could do to become a successful blogger. Make a list of most popular blogs in your niche and approach them with high quality guest posts.
4. Reply to Comments
You should reply to comments coming on your blog posts. If you are not replying comments, don’t expect lots of comments on your blog posts from genuine blog readers. Check your guest posts on regular basis and reply to incoming comments. Before commenting you should set an avatar with your picture on Gravatar.com.
5. Learn the Basics of SEO
You should start learning the basics of SEO. It will be your SEO skills that will take you from being an average blogger to a successful blogger. Use targeted keywords in your blog post URL, Title, meta tags, as an alternative text with images, heading tags and few times in your actual blog content. You should interlink your blog posts where they make sense. Link to trusted websites to give additional information about a topic to your blog readers.
6. Link Building Activities
Guest blogging on other blogs will help you get some high quality backlinks for your blog from popular blogs in your niche. You cannot get much traffic to your blog without link building activities if you are blogging about a competitive niche.
7. Have a Strong Presence on Social Media Networks
You need to make sure your blog has a strong presence on Social Media networks like Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
8. Improve Speed of Your Blog
You need to look at all possible ways to improve the speed of your blog. If you are adding images, you should optimize their sizes before uploading on your blog. You should enter cleaned HTML into your blog posts.
9. Improve Engagement on Your Blog
You should write engaging content on your blog. You should give a personal touch to your blog posts. You should ask questions; take advice and feedback from your blog readers. CommentLuv plugin to encourage visitors to leave comments and interact with one another.
10. Monetize Your Blog
If one of your primary goals behind blogging is earning cash, you should start monetizing your blog once you start seeing some traffic on it. No doubt there are hundreds or even thousands of websites claiming to help you make money from your blog, but don’t believe all of them, ask other bloggers who are more than willing to share their success stories.
Do you have other tips to share?
New Year ~ New You
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A Spring Cleanse Begins Within
Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world. Did you start off the year trying to declutter and rid your home of unwanted or unnecessary items from your closets and dresser drawers? Perhaps you would rather wait until the Spring thaw to begin the cleaning process. If you haven’t started cleaning the house or car, just remember that a Spring Cleanse begins within and you should start now.
A Colon Cleanse is a healthy way to rid your body of toxins, toxins that enter our body almost daily. I am not one who advocates replacing meals with a gallon of lemonade made with cayenne pepper or popping pills that put me in the bathroom all day. I use natural healthy ways to cleanse, such as drinking boiled parsley or cilantro; a few teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar or one of my grandmother’s favorite, “pot liquor” which is essentially the juice that remains in the pot after we’ve eaten all the collard greens.
theimprovkitchen.blogspot.com photo
Green smoothies are another way to get a natural healthy cleanse and there are a million and one recipes on the internet, including this one I found at The Improv Kitchen, check it out.
Recently I heard an interview on the TJMS with TheHerbSistah and her recommendations to use natural ingredients to help men and women cleanse and detoxify. I believe that incorporating Superfoods into your diet is truly the best way to keep yourself regular, so remember to add a few of these goodies to your grocery basket the next time you shop.
*Salmon
*Tuna
*Avocado
*Walnuts
*Almonds
*Olive Oil
*Flax Seeds
*Blueberries
*Raspberries
*Spinach
*Kale
*Eggplant
*Tomatoes
*Carrots
*Sweet Potatoes
*Apples
*Oranges
*Butternut Squash
STOCK PHOTO
Superfoods not only help you cleanse your body to rid it of harmful substances, but they also fight off any harmful agents that may be trying to attack your system. You can keep those nasty bugs and virus’ at bay with a natural cleanse if you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Come Spring you’ll be ready to tackle those cabinets and closets!
Happy New Year ~ Happy New You!
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Headed to Hollywood – Part I – Pinch Me Please!
Hello friends and welcome to Thankful Thursday. Today’s post is Part I of my fabulous trip to Los Angeles. I am still in awe and total amazement to think that I was chosen to be a Brand Ambassador for a Kimberly-Clark campaign. I think I read the email 5 or 6 times before it actually sunk in…and when it did – wow it was a wonderful experience!
I was one of three bloggers chosen for this particular campaign; Pam of over50feeling40 and Alexandria of Fun and Fit were the other two. We had a fun, fantastic time and our individual quirky personalities really meshed, we are definitely “Reality TV” material! #3boomerswhoblog
It was an early morning flight from Philly to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to LA but I was so pumped with adrenaline, I couldn’t sleep a wink on any leg of the trip. Upon arrival at the airport I took a shuttle to the hotel, The Standard, which is an eco-friendly downtown LA hotel with a few quirky room amenities, however, I will dedicate a separate post with pictures about it at a later date.
Meeting Pam for the first time was like greeting an old friend, we hit it off immediately and due to a mix-up with the room reservations we were able to spent hours in the hotel lobby talking and taking pictures before dinner with Alexandria and our agency contacts Mendy, Sarah, Maria, Jake and Kay.
Bright and early Friday morning, we all headed to the beautiful Veterans Memorial Park in Sylmar for a video shoot which was preceded by a great breakfast then followed by an awesome lunch from Beezoo catering before heading to Melrose Place in West Hollywood. It definitely was an awesome day, makeup and hair, followed by a wardrobe selection, which for me was this Diane Von Furstenberg Freya Silk Shirt dress and Steve Madden flats which I was able to keep!!
It was a gorgeous day in Hollywood and at one point during my shoot, a PAP (paparazzi) stopped his car to take pictures of me. Not knowing who I was but obviously impressed by all the cameras and crew he must have thought I was someone famous, that really made my day! I laughed, thinking, “just wait until he finds out who I really am and what I was there for”. Too bad he along with you will have to wait until April for the big reveal. Hollywood, California is definitely the place where dreams are made!
Stay tuned next week for Part II of Headed to Hollywood ~ Scenes from the Shoot
Just think, this time last week…Pinch Me Please!
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5 Things You Don’t Have in Your Bathroom But Probably Should {Guest Post}
Author: Amber Brubaker
You may think that your bathroom is outfitted with everything necessary for you and your family’s needs. But think again. There’s always a way that you can spruce up your bathroom for both looks and functionality. Once you try these five functional and attractive bathroom additions, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them!
1. Nifty, Creative Storage
Maybe you don’t have very much cupboard or drawer space and something always gets left out without a home. Or maybe you have plenty of cupboard and drawer space, but they’re always cluttered and unsightly. Either way, you need some new, creative DIY storage solutions like the ones below.
Mounted Mason Jars: Mason jars are the perfect and cute way to store your cotton balls, q-tips, and makeup brushes. Just nail some large metal, adjustable hoop rings to a painted board, put your mason jars in the rings, and hang the display for some adorable storage!
Cupboard Door Cubbies: Use some wood glue to attach boards to your cupboard door to create an open box where you can store lotions, toilet paper, and more. Or, if that seems a little too complex for you, simply use adhesive plastic hooks and hang wire baskets from them.
Floating Shelves: Over-the-toilet stands are bulky and not always classy-looking, but floating shelves are the perfect, attractive solution to your storage needs. Whether they’re over your toilet, next to your towel rack, or by the door, floating shelves will look great and work perfectly for your towels, toothbrushes, and bathroom decor.
2. Framed Bathroom Mirror
Don’t you love that giant mirror spanning the entire wall of your bathroom? That big mirror is the reason you and your partner never argue about space in front of the mirror in the morning. But that’s pretty much the only good thing about it. It’s not exactly the most attractive part of the room. That can all change if you frame it.
Start by measuring the perimeter of the mirror so that you know how much trim you need to buy. Carefully remove the clips around your mirror and make sure it’s glued to the wall. If it’s not, glue it on. Ask advice from a professional on this one.
Next, collect your trim from a hardware store. You’ll want the edges to be angled so that they’ll fit together in a nice corner. Spray paint the trim with the color of your choice, and use wood glue to attach it to the wall around the mirror. Voila! A perfectly attractive frame to enhance your favorite bathroom feature!
3. Indoor Shutters
You’re curtains may be cute, but honestly, they aren’t the best window covering for your bathroom. They fade quickly, aren’t exactly sanitary, and it’s hard to keep them clean. If you want the best possible window covering, you should look into indoor shutters for your windows. They’re the most modern, yet cozy window covering available. You can get them in any color to match your bathroom decor, not to mention, they’ll increase the value of your home. If that’s not enough to convince you that your bathroom needs indoor shutters, read this article for more dynamite reasons.
4. Reminder Boards
Do you have little ones who forget to brush their teeth, wash behind their ears, or any other hygiene necessities? Sounds like you need some cute reminder boards to give them a hand. You could use a plain white board to write daily reminders for your forgetful mini yous, but if you want it to be really cute and match the decor of your space perfectly, make a cute dry erase board out of a picture frame.
All you need is a picture frame of any size, a piece of scrapbook paper that matches your home decor, and some dry erase markers. Put the scrapbook paper in the picture frame, hang the frame on your wall, and use it for your reminders. The dry erase markers work on the glass just like they would on a white board.
5. Towel Hooks
Boring towel racks are a thing of the past. They aren’t exactly attractive, and they usually only hold two towels. You probably also end up with a pile of wet towels on the floor every morning. If that sounds like your bathroom, remove the towel rack ASAP and add cute hooks instead.
You can make your own with some fancy, decorative hooks attached to a painted board that you can hang on the wall. Or, look for a row of hooks in your favorite home goods store. This update is not only stylish, but it will also encourage the other members of your household to hang up their towels because it’s so easy.
So, there you have it! Some simple bathroom remodel ideas that will make your plain bathroom fabulous!
Disclosure: This Guest Post was written by someone other than the author of DeDivahDeals. The author of this post submitted the article to me for the purpose of being published on this blog as a Guest Writer.
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