Evolution of the Slow Cooker

I want to publicly express my gratitude to my dear friend, Carolyn for her awesome Christmas gift! She gave me a generous gift card to the only large store in my local area...Walmart! This caused me to go down the Walmart aisles with a whole new attitude. What creative item can I find that reflects the cool, artsy being Carolyn is?


I've had a crock pot in the 80s and gave up on it, turning it into a beeswax melting device for my artwork. But I wondered if they'd evolved since the 80s since they're still on the market today. I got a Dummies book about slow cookers and researched how they've evolved.


I am LOVING slow cookers! I am on a strict diet and can't eat out around here, so to have one of these in my home allows me to do quick prep in the morning, go do all the work I have to do and by evening it's like a magic chef created a meal designed just for me!



I so highly recommend slow cookers for anyone with little time,who work hard and love to end their day with a nice, hot, gourmet meal.


Forever thank you, Carolyn! Your gift was life changing and the coolest ever!

Being Honest About What We Ingest

I have not yet read this book, but just watching videos about it and reading the reviews, it looks like a very healthy approach to not just finding a cure for cancer, but eradicating it. I used to be one of those consumers who just trusted that since a product was sold in stores it was safe. Fortunately, I hang out with people who know better. There are companies out there who don't seem to care if the ingredients in their products can cause terminal diseases and health issues. Products like hair dyes, BPA in food storage containers, unsafe cookware, cosmetics, shampoos, cleaning products, produce chemicals, etc are all suspect. We truly need to be reading labels and paying attention to what's in/on products, what they're packaged in and what's in our environment. I'm so glad people are starting to be open and honest about this and pray that companies will soon as well.

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Adding Some Flavor to Life's Recipe

Even though the Zumba licensing procedure list told us the day will be loaded and to get plenty of sleep the night before...I didn't sleep a second the whole night. My mind filled with visions of running into this guy on my way to the car in the dark of the morning. Fortunately, he wasn't around when I left for the long drive to Zumba training class. 

After the long drive, blurry-eyed and not fully awake....I entered the room that was filled with all types, ages, and backgrounds of future Zumba instructors preparing for a loaded day of learning physically, intellectually and emotionally how to live and teach the Zumba lifestyle.

Zumba is very cool because it has guidelines, but encourages each of us to bring our own flavor to it...from how we dress to how we choreograph and teach to the type of music we choose. The room was filled with diverse flavors, making the perfect Zumba marinade.

     Here is one of our course helpers striking a pose for the camera. Everyone there was so friendly!

Then the day began. There were lectures, demos, workouts, steps and combinations to learn, improvising, working with groups and partners, Power Points and finally...

 ...licensing! I've done a ton of certifications in various venues and have to say that this was the first one that participants were smiling during and after the whole event.

I had to do a little celebration salsa with our instructor, April. She has the nickname of "Smiles" because hers is magical and contagious. Her energy and talent blew me away! Though it was a loaded day and I made it through on no sleep whatsover... I came home inspired to be a part of a very cool and creative Zumbaworld.

THIS is how important brain health awareness is....

I wished I knew about Dr Amen earlier because this info cracks the code as to why we humans

behave in certain ways. He has a wealth of books and videos out. The first lecture of his I've ever seen that made me a huge fan is not embed-able, but can be found on this site....and is well worth the 95 minute time investment....http://www.highperformanceacademy.com/amen

You can't walk away from a Dr Amen lecture that doesn't leave you in awe!

To Your Health in 2012!

A new year tends to inspire us to focus on health. In this era it's easy for health focus to fall to the bottom of the to-do list if we get too busy. It's probably more important to put health on the to-be list.

 I recently noticed when going down the aisle of my local Walmart that many people were reading the labels of food products before choosing to put them in their shopping carts! This is not something I'm used to seeing where I live! I also see many affordable workout DVDs that didn't make it under the Christmas tree, are on sale. There are so many workouts available anymore that it's easy to find some that are fun enough to stick with. The current trend of short workout DVDs that align with this time-challenged era is a brilliant idea! I know how life gets, but I also way honor the incredible fitness instructors who inspire us live and I wouldn't enjoy paying for a live class that was as short as some of these DVDs. It's all a matter of taste and what works best for how we choose to live.

 I love this message from Michael Pollan! Simplicity is wise to consider when choosing what we ingest (and not just with food.)
 So far, this year is exciting for me because I'm paying attention to my intuition instead of paying tuition to learn what my intuition has been trying to tell me for decades. And though it may seem impractical to focus on some of these things, I am curious to see what happens if I actually act on whispers I've been hearing for decades.

I hope this video clip inspires you to experience 2012 with a simple and healthy way to nourish yourself every day!