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Good nutrition is vital to a strong and healthy mind and body. It’s true what they say - you are what you eat.

This statement points out very effectively that if you feed your body with low nutritional and sugary garbage, your body has nothing to work with and you’ll end up eventually feeling like garbage.

On the other hand, if you nourish your body with food that is packed with nutrients such as vitamins, fiber, healthy fats, whole grains and omega-3’s, you’ll notice a huge difference in how you look and feel…especially if you make this type of food a dietary habit.

Right now we’re at a crossroad - we know we should be eating better, but there are so many restaurants available offering “bad” food and it’s making the obesity rate skyrocket. Even restaurants that offer fish platters and other health-conscious meals end up not so good because of the amount of calories you ingest between the bread, large portions and dessert.

You have two options:

1. Stay away from fast rood restaurants - and when you eat out at restaurants, be strict about what you eat. Stay away from the bread and don’t finish everything on your plate…bring the rest home for a meal you can eat the next day.

2. Make a meal at home yourself using ingredients you buy at the grocery store, not frozen entrees.

The focus of this article is on number two because by making your own meal, you can control exactly what goes into it. The end result is a meal that you know is nutritious and NOT packed with health-deteriorating ingredients.

Here’s an example of the perfect meal you can make at home. It has everything you need for better health.

What you’ll need is:

1 9-10 ounce bag of baby spinach
1 can of wild Alaskan pink salmon
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
1/2-3/4 cup of brown rice

Here’s a breakdown of each food’s health benefits:

Spinach - this green leaf is packed with phytonutrients, vitamins and fiber - and it’s low in calories.

Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon - yes, canned! It tastes better than you think. The reason this is recommended is because the food is a powerhouse of good fats, protein and omega-3’s and is low in calories and carbohydrates. The salmon you would normally buy is potentially high in mercury, which is bad. This Wild Alaskan form is free of mercury…and it’s inexpensive.

In case you’re wondering, Omega-3’s are vital for healthy weight loss, brain health and a healthy cardiovascular system.

Olive Oil - full of good fat which your body does need. When you buy olive oil, make sure it’s 100% authentic. Some brands are now mixing olive oil with refined oils…the end result is olive oil, but not really.

Balsamic Vinegar - vinegar reportedly controls your blood sugar level when eating which is important for overall health. Furthermore, it gives the meal more taste.

Brown Rice - whole grains are full of vitamins and fiber. Check out Uncle Ben’s instant brown rice…it’s pretty good and quick to make.

Making the meal is easy. You simply lay the spinach out on a platter- you can more or less use however much you want- and drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the spinach.

Let this sit for 10 minutes or so- this gives the spinach a chance to soak up the oil and vinegar. While this is sitting, cook the brown rice and open up the can of salmon.

When ready, simply spread the salmon over the spinach and put the brown rice either on the side or in a separate bowl.

And now the best part of all - ENJOY!

This meal will take you 15 minutes max to make and each bite will nourish your body from the inside out. And once you get used to eating healthy, you’ll find yourself experimenting with all types of different meals.

This article shared with you one example of a perfect meal, but there are many many more!

Ah, puppies…so adorable, filled with boundless energy and curious about any-and-everything around them. That’s why taking steps to puppy-proof your home will go a long way in protecting these little ones from harm. And on the flip side, your precautions will also safeguard your belongings from possible damage.

Your first task is to get a puppy’s point of view. How? By going from room to room, getting down on your hands and knees and taking a good look at what your puppy might be enticed by. Remember, they are new to the world and like toddlers, puppies are inclined to explore their surroundings by putting things in their mouths and poking around in nooks and crannies.

Cabinets

Be mindful of cleaning supplies and personal care items that are stored in low storage areas like kitchen and under-sink bathroom cabinets. Needless to say, the ingredients in these products are extremely harmful and can even cause death. If the cabinet doors can be easily pried open, think about storing these items in some other place. Another option is to purchase plastic child-proof cabinet locks that can be temporarily attached to the handles or knobs. These safety locks can usually be found online or in local pet supply (or baby) stores.

Electrical Cords

How tantalizing is an electrical cord especially when it’s looping down from a table or desk? “I can jump at it, pull on it, wrestle with it and even gnaw on it,” Puppy thinks to himself. Well, the dangers are obvious: a falling lamp or electrocution can cause serious injury or worse. Wrap up loose hanging electrical cords or at least block access to them. And for cords that need to run across the floor, use rubber or plastic cord/cable runners that can be purchased at an office supply outlet or home improvement store.

Plants

Household plants are attractive to most puppies but they are toxic. Ingesting a bite or two can cause nausea, vomiting and in some cases death. So re-position your plants so that they are out of reach.

Small Objects Around the House

Be alert to small items around the house that can be swallowed or cause choking such as coins, jewelry, sewing supplies, batteries, medication and miniature knick-knacks left on low surfaces. And don’t forget to block access to trash receptacles in the kitchen, your home office and even the bathroom. Now speaking of bathrooms…

Toilet (Or, “Beyond the Great Rim”)

To an adventurous puppy, the challenge of climbing up, up and over the rim of your toilet is a tail-wagging delight. Unfortunately, falling head first into this big, slippery bowl of water is not so delightful especially for a smaller-sized pup. Simple solution: make it a house rule to keep the bathroom door closed at all times.

Puppy-proofing your home may seem like a hassle but providing the safest environment possible is a necessity. After all, your lovable, four-legged bundle of joy is worth it.

Herbs to Know and Grow: Meet The Families

The herb garden is home to five major families of plants. While these families comprise literally thousands of species, a relatively small number are familiar as herbs. The five families are listed here with small sub lists of some of their more commonly known members.

Note that in the menthe or mint family, you’ll find not only all the mints, but the rosemary, lavender, oregano, sage and thyme!

1. The Parsley Family– includes chervil, fennel, parsley, dill, anise, cumin, coriander, caraway, fennel and carrot not to mention that most famous of plants, hemlock. This family is made up of plants with “umbrella” shaped flower heads.

2. The Mint Family – includes all the mints, pennyroyal, lavender, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, thyme and basil Look for the squared stem, opposing leaves and often wrinkly or hairy leaf type.

3. The Aster Family (also known as the Sunflower Family) includes daisy, thistle, calendula, dahlia, dandelion, chrysanthemums and zinnia. This family is recognizable by it’s daisy shaped flowers.

4 The Lily Family (recently this group has undergone a good deal of change, however, historically, this group included onion, garlic, asparagus, jonquil/daffodil, amaryllis The lily family has long then tapered leaves and a bulbous body stalk.

5. The Mustard Family includes cabbages, kale, mustard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, Chinese kale, rape seed, mustard seed, rutabaga, turnip, horseradish, wasabi.

A Few Important Things To Know About Herbs

Herbs have three different types of life cycles. They are evergreen, herbaceous or annual. The specifics of these life cycles and how to care for plants in each life cycle are given below.

Herbs grow in two phases each season: leaf producing phase and flower producing phase. Most culinary herbs are grown for their leaves or foliage. Once flower production begins, leaf production ceases. Theefore, in annuals and herbaceous varieties, harvesting the foliage consistently before the plant flowers can extend leaf production somewhat if care is taken to cut consistently.

Three types of herbs – Evergreens, Herbaceous and Annuals

EVERGREEN HERBS

The evergreen varieties of herb, for example, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, do not die back over the winter, but remain green year round. They will still require pruning to maximize their pruduction of new tender and flavorful growth, and should be pruned at least once a year.

HERBACEOUS HERBS

The herbaceous herbs include oregano, mints, tarragon, chives bee and lemon balm, winter savory and many others. These plants will die back to the ground at wintertime. There is no need to prune these plants with care, as they can be chopped right to the ground and will come back strong and healthy. In fact, for some, an annual mowing is an easy solution.

ANNUALS

Annuals, unlike evergreens and herbaceous herbs, do not live more than one season. While evergreens and herbaceous herbs are perennials, and grow for two years or longer, annuals produce flowers and then seeds before dieing off at the end of each growing season. Therefore, annuals require new plantings each spring.

Examples of annual herbs are cilantro, basil and chervil.

Planting the Herb Garden

There are three main ingredients to a healthy and successful herb garden sunlight, soil and pruning. It simply is not true that herbs will grow anywhere in any soil. Herbs require healthy well drained soil to grow, and poor soil or poor drainage lead to failed gardens.

Sunlight is a major factor in a successful herb garden. Full sun is a must if what you want are healthy full lush herbs. Shade or lack of sun leads to “leggy” or long stemmed plants with poor foliage and little flavor. To get the full lush foliage, fragrance and flavor of exceptional herbs you need plenty of sunlight.

Soil should be loose, have a good base of composted matter, leaves or mulch to create plenty of air space for the roots and nutrients for the growing plants. Herbs need well drained soil to avoid drowning and root rot.

Pruning is the final ingredient for your healthy herb garden. Follow the guidelines according to the plant type (evergreen, herbaceous or annual) above to ensure your plants remain strong and healthy throughout the growing season.

At the very least, at the end of each growing season all herbaceous plants should be cut back completely, evergreens should be well pruned to remove older non productive woody growth and annual seeds should be collected.

Selecting The Herbs to Start Your Garden

For a simple start, consider choosing from the following selection:

1. Basil – 3 to 6 plants, depending on your taste for it. For a constant supply of fresh leaves, plant consecutively over the growing season. For fresh basil and tomatoe salads you’ll need at least two cups of fresh leaves to serve 4 people.

2. Greek Oregano – this hardy easy to grow herbaceous seasoning will flavor almost everything. Plan on 2 plants to start if you enjoy Italian cooking.

3. Chives – 2 to 3 plants can be found in various flavors. Delicious in fresh salads, on potatoes and in a variety of dishes

4. Parsley – 4 to 6 plants, or try a few plants of cilantro as a variation

5. Rosemary – 1 to 2 plants will get your garden started and as they grow you’ll have plenty of this pungent evergreen each year. If you live where Rosemary cannot winter over, consider using a container, or plan to harvest and dry for the winter. Delicious in rosemary garlic roasted potatoes, or place a few springs inside poultry before roasting!

6. – Marjoram – 1 to 2 plants will provide plenty of this tasty herbaceous plant for your seasoning needs. Use the leave fresh and harvest the soft seed heads for winter flavoring.

7. Bay – 1 plant which can be taken indoors in winter if needed, will provide you with a bay tree. Use Bay leaves in soups. Savory stews, meat dishes and a host of other ways. Add a bay leaf to stored grains and flours to repel weevils

8. Mint – 1 plant at least, in a container so as not to take over the garden. Personally, I keep one peppermint and one spearmint, and use them both prolifically.

9. Dill – 2 to 4 plants. Like Basil, dill will need to be planted consecutively during the growing season to keep a fresh supply of leaves.

Some Tips To Success with Your Kitchen Herb Garden

1. Finding a sunny spot near the kitchen means you’ll use the herbs more often! Herb gardens far from the house or kitchen tend to be used much less often. Out of sight is out of mind, so keep it as close as you can to the kitchen door.

2. Consider using outdoor containers or raised beds. Many garden supply stores now carry old wine barrels cut in two, as well as extensive lines of prefabricated containers. Raised containers or beds mean you don’t have to get down on your hands and knees to work the garden.

3. While the idea of indoor herb gardens is quite popular, the practical truth is that unless you have plenty of indoor sunlight, your herbs simply won’t grow. A patio, porch or even a picnic table placed in the sun will serve perfectly to hold your kitchen herb garden containers.

4. Mix it up! While it is recommended that individual containers be used for each type of herb, if you’re working in an outdoor garden there’s no reason not to pretty things up: plant marigolds, zinnias, calendula or other clumping flowering plants around your borders. If you’re looking for protection from pests and animals, use wormwood and tansy as an outer border to the garden.

5. Take the time to enjoy your new herb garden! Nothing perks up a dull moment like a whiff of fresh basil or rosemary crushed between the fingers. Feeling mentally sluggish? Basil is known as the “mind clearing herb” and it’s surprising how just inhaling a few deep breaths of this pungent plant can bring your mental faculties back on line!

6. If you’re new to cooking with fresh herbs, start slowly. A great chef recommends you begin with one herb at a time: choose the herb and use it in your cooking in different ways until you get familiar with its qualities. Then try another. If you try to use too many different herbs at once you’ll end up with a muddle of flavors and it will be harder to learn the individual tastes and complimentary characteristics of different herbs.

7. Have fun! After all, the heart and soul of great food is its ability to bring pleasure and joy to the table! If you’re getting frustrated or overwhelmed by your kitchen herb garden project, take a break, find a spot in the sunshine for yourself and sip a cool drink. There is no point in stressing out over your kitchen herb garden!