Coffee Alternative?

In my quest to drink less coffee, I made an amazing discovery!  Teeccino! 

What is Teeccino, you ask?  Only the best tasting, non-caffeinated coffee substitute there is.  Wait, I wouldn’t even call it a substitute; it’s in a class all on its own. 

Teeccino is roasted and ground to brew just like coffee, but without caffeine, acidity and that oh-so-lovely intestinal irritation.  My favorite flavors are Chocolate Mint – which tastes like a minty dessert, and Caramel Nut, which has such a wonderful aroma; you know it’s going to taste like heaven in a mug. 

I drink coffee for the taste, not for the caffeine (although on a recent road trip, I did drink it for the caffeine).  So the fact that Teeccino has a stronger, coffee like flavor, is perfect for me.

I buy it in the teabag style, as I usually only drink one mug a day.  It is recommended to steep the bag for 3-5 minutes, but I steep for at least 5 if not 6 or 7, in order to get the stronger flavor I enjoy.  Add a touch of raw, local honey and/or a bit of coconut milk, and I have myself a satisfying, tasty morning (or anytime) beverage!

Click here for more info, or to order your own:  http://teeccino.com/

Christmas cookies bring families together

Family.  Some get along great, some not so much, but family is family, at least in my book.  This weekend, I had the opportunity to take my boys to my mom’s to decorate Christmas cut out cookies.  All five grandsons were there, ranging in age from 2 to 11.  Mema had baked the cookies ahead of time, so all the boys needed to do was decorate them.  How much fun they (read: we) had!

The 2 year olds needed a bit of help.  I helped my one nephew, who can be a handful, yet he was an angel with the cookies!  He had a blast choosing the frosting colors and shaking the mounds of sprinkles on the unsuspecting cookies.  He got a special kick out of me dipping a broken piece in frosting and feeding it to him.  The silly grin of his was priceless when he had to take his nuk out first to eat the cookie tidbit.  The other two year old got immense pleasure from sticking his little hand in the colored sugar, then making us wipe it off.  My boys made their ‘ultimate cookies’, which had at least a half inch of swirled frosting, in all colors, and so many sprinkles they looked dusted with colored sand. 

And of course, being boys, the conversation centered on bodily functions, when they were going to get to eat the cookies and what toys they wanted for Christmas.  This is to be expected, and from experience, I know this doesn’t ever go away as they get older.   When we finished, the boys even pulled out the broom and vacuum to help take care of the sprinkles on the floor.

The holidays are a special time of year, whether you have a close family or not.  There is some sort of magic, goodwill and peace in the air.  My hope is that I can create and hold this magic all year long, for me and my family.  Who needs a holiday to be peaceful, grateful or giving?  Who should need a reminder that family is important, and that we should be gracious to others?   Gratitude for the blessings we have been given, and sharing love and peace all year long is something I am striving to do myself, and to also set an example in for my boys.  I believe this world needs more loving and peaceful people, don’t you?

Twitterverse?

After much, very deliberate avoidance, I have joined Twitter.  

Why, oh why?!?  To help get my business in front of more people, to keep up with others in the health and wellness field, and to learn new things.  Plus it just seemed like the thing to do.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet.  I'm technology literate, but it's so fast moving, seems to require constant vigilance, and I want to get the right followers.  The agony!

If you want to join me in the agonizing yet fun Twitterverse, please follow me:  @healthmattersfw
Hopefully I will keep you entertained, and maybe you will learn something new or possibly even be inspired. :)

Happy Tweeting!

New Year's Resolutions

It's really never too early to start thinking about the things you want to accomplish in the new year.  I know, I know, a lot of people make these totally unrealistic resolutions, and then feel awful about themselves when they fall short of their goals.  Guilty!  Sometimes I just get a little too ambitious and am unable to fit it all in between all the regular things I am doing each day, week, year.

It doesn't have to be that way.  It is possible to make achievable resolutions and goals for yourself.  Think about the top three things you want to do this year.  Whether it is for yourself, your family, your career or your relationships, if you can break the goals down into realistic pieces, the resolutions won't seem so daunting, and you'll find it is harder to talk yourself out of trying to achieve them.

I will share some of mine with you:

1. Limit coffee consumption to just once a week.  First I will go down to 3-4 times a week, then 2-3 times a week, then voila!  I will be at once a week!  Nothing against coffee, I enjoy the taste and the slight buzz I get,  plus there are a few health benefits, but it doesn't serve my body well when I drink it every day.
2. Weave more spirituality and meditation into my yoga practice and my daily life.  Whoa, this is a good one!  I practice yoga about 5 times a week, and I am happy with that, but I want to learn how to interlink the spirituality aspect by mediating regularly.  I also want to learn to meditate more effectively, and am going to start with some guided meditation CD's.  
3. Add 1 vegan meal a week into my family's menu.  I will admit, this one is a rollover from last year.  It's hard to be mindful of cheese.  We love it in our house - we are Wisconsinites, after all!  Finding easy and tasty dishes will be key here, and I have many awesome recipes tagged on Pinterest and allrecipes.com.  

There you have it, my top 3, all broken down with steps to achieve them.  That wasn't too hard, right?

I'd be interested in hearing about your goals and aspirations for 2013.  Please share!

www.healthmattersfamilywellness.com