Weight Loss Question

I got a good question in my inbox today:

Hello,
I, like many moms, would really like to have a healthier lifestyle, but get overwhelmed to think about getting started. I have appreciated the practical baby-step approach you take in your book. I am not all the way through the book yet, but am already anxious to do some shopping for some items to get us started!

One question I do have for you; I read about drinking while eating. Recently I decided to lose about 10 lbs, and one thing I did to help is to drink a large glass of water before/during eating, which filled me up to make it easier to eat less. I am afraid I won't feel full if I stop this. When do you suggest to drink? How long should I wait after eating to drink? What are some tips to eat less without drinking the water while eating?

I would appreciate a reply when you have a minute. Thank you so much,

Kelli

Hi Kelli!
Great question. For best digestion, you should not drink while eating. When the digestive juices are diluted it makes your food take a lot longer to digest, and then the rotting food is sitting in your system, making gas, cramps, etc. Not good!

I would suggest that you eat a salad at the start of your meal. Don't use fattening and chemical-filled dressings like Ranch or whatever. Use low-calorie, natural dressings such as the ones I recommend in my Super Salads book. The calories in a salad are super, super low, even if you eat a ton of it, and it is so beneficial for your health and digestion. Eat as much of a salad as you can for starters, then follow up with whatever else is for dinner, eating only to the point that you are satisfied. Most people find that they need far less cooked food, and in many cases your salad will have filled you up and satisfied you.

If you decide to give it a try, let me know how it works for you. :)

~Erica

Ways to Use Sweet Leaf Stevia

We’re getting lots of new customer buying stevia here, so I thought I’d share some ideas on why I love it and how to use it.

First: Why I recommend Sweet Leaf Brand over all the others. Clickety click!

Ways to use it:

*Soda alternative: Add your favorite SweetLeaf flavor to low sodium club soda or seltzer water for an instantly flavored and sweetened beverage with fizz! Root Beer, Grape, Valencia Orange, and Vanilla Creme are some of the favorites for this. (Here's my most successful way to make root beer!)

*Flavored water: Why pay over a dollar for a bottled of flavored water that has chemical sweeteners in it when you can make your own for pennies PLUS enjoy a better, healthier alternative? You just need about one drop of stevia per 2 ounces of water!

*Jazz up your pancake or waffle batter or French toast mixture by adding Vanilla Creme, English Toffee, or Cinnamon flavors to the mix. Easy and delicious!

*Chocolate milk without the chocolate? Just use Chocolate or Chocolate Raspberry stevia to your milk for a yummy, healthy flavor boost!

*Make flavored ice cubes!

*Stevia is perfect for sweetening coffee or tea. My husband’s favorites for coffee are Vanilla Creme, English Toffee, Hazelnut, and Chocolate. The most popular flavors for tea are Peppermint, Cinnamon, Vanilla Creme, English Toffee, and Apricot Nectar. Yum!

*Use Stevia flavors in plain yogurt or cottage cheese. Kids love it! The Berry flavor is a nice addition to these.

*Stevia works great as an addition to whipped toppings, icing, or frosting.

See all of our stevia products here.

Day 2 of The 12 Days of Christmas!

Brrr! It's mighty cold here! Last night my husband and I took the kids to visit a friend in the hospital and then went to see the Southern Lights. This is an extensive Christmas light display that you see as you drive through the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park, which hosted this year's World Equestrian Games! In addition to the lights, there is also a petting zoo, camel rides, model train exhibits, and even some little mini train rides around the park (that we did while our teeth chattered!). Although it was cold, there were no lines for anything, which made it worth it! :)

Today is Day 2 of my 12 Days of Christmas and I have an offer that you are going to LOVE! BIG SALE on Supermom Vitamins! Regularly priced at $37 for the 180 tabs, and $33 for the 240 vcaps, right now you can get them for $29.99 for the 180 tabs or $27.99 for the vcaps!! Click through here to make sure you are at the right spot for the sale price. It is not on the usual Supermom vitamin page.

This sale price will be in effect through today, and into Friday until whatever time I get around to switching it off and turning on a different deal! (don't you love the small business dynamics?!) You are welcome to use this special offer to stock up, although it is possible that we will have a huge response and I may have to get more product in before I can fill your order. I'll let you know if that happens. :)

12 Days of Christmas: Day 1

Are you getting into the Christmas spirit? We sure are! The falling snow today certainly helps. :)

I decided to offer a 12 Days of Christmas promotion. Each day from Dec. 1-12 I'll have something fun to offer for my customers, in addition to the already GREAT prices that are going on for our end-of-year sale.

Today: Shipping discount!

Regular shipping has been reduced to just $4.95, and orders of $100 or more will receive *FREE* shipping! This special will continue through Dec. 12. :)

**Don't miss our great prices on the Mashoonga Sabers and the Funline Slackline. These are perfect Christmas gifts that your family will love!

Here's what I've been up to while pulling an all-nighter....

Weird things happen when you're up til 3:30am.

(which I am)

I've been meaning to get the store sale up and running for a week now, and tonite I decided to pull a super late night and get it done.

Sometimes when you stay up super late your judgment gets a little goofy. I set several sale prices, and then decided to throw caution to the wind and lower them even more! I think you will like that and hope that I set up sales in the middle of the night more often. :)

Here's a list of just some of the good deals I've got for you:

Almost ALL of your favorite vitamins, minerals, and remedies are on sale!

All Sweet Leaf Stevia 2 ounce bottles just $10.99!

Miessence deodorants just $6.99!

Miessence toothpastes down to $7.99

Rejuvenessence Facial Serum normally sells for $37.95, marked down to $16.99!

Depsyl (to help control blood sugar) just $23.95

The remaining stock of Belly Huggers is on final clearance at just $4.99!

Funline Slacklines are reduced to just $75.99. Your family will have so much fun with it!

Mashoonga Sabers: You can choose to Buy 1 set, get the 2nd set at 50% off!

FREE books are back! Choose one for every $25 of products you purchase. Great for getting a freebie for yourself or to use as a gift for a friend.

There are even more sale items, and you can see them all here. We have new toothpaste at a great price, and most Miessence products are on sale.

Just a few additional pieces of information for you:

Quantities are limited, and it is possible that I will not be getting any more of these products in stock until January. I have to take inventory at the end of the year and get taxed based on what is sitting on the shelves, so rather than pay money to the government for what didn't sell, I'm passing on great savings to you and giving you the benefit of stocking up. :) Ideally, my shelves should be as close to bare as possible on Dec. 31. Go ahead and order what you'd like to get, and if I am unable to fill it, I'll let you know ASAP.

Some of these items are not going to be replaced. I have a limited amount of space for inventory, and I like to use it for products that sell fast. Everything I offer in the store is a product I think is great, but sometimes, for whatever reason, they are slow to sell. When that happens, I sell out and don't look back. All of that to say, if you want something on this list, get it now, because I may not have it available later. (Stevia products are staying around, and the vitamins are safe, but many of the rest of the items are being considered for discontinuation.)

Last day to place an order before Christmas is December 15. Priority Mail should still come through for your deliveries in time for Christmas at that point. I will be taking some time off to spend Christmas with my family, and I may or may not have one last hurrah sale before the end of the year.

Don't miss the great gift-giving goodies like handmade soap and all-natural lip balms!

We still have almonds available, and a small amount of walnuts. After that, we're probably gonna call it quits on the nut orders for this year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My eyes are blurry and my brain is moosh. 4:15am. Let the savings begin!

I could use a long winter's nap,

Erica

Erica Johns

Supermom's Health and Wellness

Supermom News: More Nuts, and some new products!

Hey friends!

We're Going Nuts!

I am so pleased and how quickly our first raw almond order was filled. The second order should be here next week! Because of how quickly the orders are turning around, I am going to go ahead and continue to offer almonds for at least another week or two. So, if you were thinking about getting almonds, you still have time!

Even better, I have also been able to get some raw cashew pieces and raw walnut pieces! I will have the initial order here next week, and will be able to order more after that if there is enough interest. For the cashews and walnuts you can order as little as 5 pounds!

New Toothpaste!

I know that many of you are just as cautious about fluoride as I am. My family has really enjoyed using the Miessence brand toothpastes, and I appreciate the organic ingredients. However, I know that for most of us, we like a good bargain price, don't we? Well, I have now got some new toothpaste in stock with a price you will love! This peppermint toothpaste is free of sugars, has no fluoride, no propylene glycol, and no sulfates that are in virtually every commercial toothpaste. The Oral Select toothpaste tastes good and is sweetened with cavity-preventing xylitol. It is a whitening, plaque-preventing, tartar-control formula. Best of all, it is on an introductory special right now at less than $3 per tube! I have a limited quantity of this, and depending on how it sells this month, I may or may not be able to get more. So, if you want some, this is your chance. Clickety-click!

PMS and other pesky issues relieved!

I am really pleased to be able to offer you a new product: Vitex with Dong Quai. Whether you're having trouble getting pregnant, suffer from PMS, or are entering menopause, Vitex can make life easier for you. Also called chaste berry, Vitex is known for its ability to nourish and support the female endocrine system as it regulates estrogen and progesterone levels.

I decided to try Vitex because I was experiencing overwhelming PMS symptoms and extra heavy menstruation. I was amazed at how much relief I had in the very first month of using it! Highly recommended.

You can still take advantage of this GREAT deal!

Are you already shopping for Christmas? I've got a great early-bird deal that is pretty awesome! When you buy a Funline Slackline I'll send you a set of Mashoonga! Sabers for FREE! (*very limited quantities*)

The slackline has been my family's greatest discover for this year. We have had hours of fun and entertainment using it outdoors. We even got my husband's parents to try it! (His 71 year old Dad did pretty well!) It has been really cool to see how each of us has improved on it, especially since it seemed so difficult when we first started.

The Mashoonga! Sabers are used on a daily basis around our house. They were also a big hit at one of our birthday parties here in the summer. Kids and adults seem to be drawn to the whacking power of the Mashoonga! :) Loads of fun, so keep these in mind for Christmas gifts for kids of all ages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you have enjoyed getting up to speed on what's new at Supermom's. I am busily planning some fun things to share with all of you in the coming months. If you have not already joined us on Facebook, you should! :)

Enjoy what's left of fall! Winter's on the way! :)

~Erica

Christmas Sales and Specials

For any of you that have been receiving my newsletters or have been doing business with me, you know that I don't do the hard sell. The Christmas buying season is no different. It holds no appeal to me to bombard you with one pushy sales letter after another, offering bigger and better discounts each week, making you feel upset that you missed out on a better deal by buying early. As a customer and consumer, I really hate stuff like that, and as a business owner, it's just not how I do things, even if I could possibly make more money by being obnoxious. No thanks. Not worth it. :) I value my relationship with all of you too much to act like that.

What I do want to do for the rest of this year is offer you good deals as I am able to, to provide fast and friendly service, and to be fair and treat each of you as I would want to be treated.

There isn't a huge profit margin with most of what we sell, so our sales may not be as flashy as some, but they are honest and we can offer them while also being able to stay in business. :)

If there is a product you wish you could buy from Supermom's Health and Wellness, or an item that you are hoping to see on sale, please share your ideas in the comments section. I'll see what I can do to make your Christmas wishes come true. :)

Chocolate Almonds

2 cups raw almonds
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
1 Tbsp. raw chocolate powder (or nonalkalized unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Soak your raw almonds in water overnight, then drain and allow them to air dry (an hour or two). Make sure coconut oil (warm it in hot water if necessary) is liquid, and mix all remaining ingredients well. Stir in nuts. Spread evenly on dehydrator tray and dry until no longer wet/sticky, about 14-18 hours, below 116 degrees. Enjoy!

I use and recommend the Excalibur dehydrator:

Teriyaki Almonds

This is my family's favorite raw almond snack. It is surprisingly delicious and addictive! Last year my mom didn't order any raw almonds because she didn't think she would use them. Then she came to my house for Christmas and got hooked on Teriyaki Almonds! This year.....she's buying 30 pounds of almonds! (Yes, this recipe is *that* good!)

10 cups raw almonds, soaked and dehydrated at 105 degrees (or less) approx. 12 hours
½ cup chopped dates, soaked and drained
½ cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1/2 cup nama shoyu (or if you don't have this, just use Bragg's instead)
2 Tbsp. raw agave nectar (or honey, if you prefer)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne or red pepper flakes

Blend all ingredients except almonds in your food processor, blender, vita-mix, BlendTec, or whatever you've got, on high until smooth. Pour into a very large bowl, add almonds and stir well. Let mixture sit for an hour to allow nuts to absorb liquid, and then stir again. Spread nuts on teflex sheets in dehydrator. Dry at 105 degrees for about 16 hours. Place nuts on mesh sheets and dry again until crunchy (about 10 hours).

Yes, it takes a few days in the planning and process, but it is extremely easy and worth it!

I recommend the Excalibur dehydrator. I love mine!


Special thanks to Green Smoothie girl who gave me this recipe.

Candied Raw Almonds

6 cups raw almonds, soaked and dehydrated at 105 degrees (or less) approx. 12 hours
2/3 cup chopped dates, soaked and drained
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
optional: ½ tsp. butter or rum flavoring
Blend all ingredients except almonds in your food processor, vita-mix, or blender until smooth. Pour in bowl, and stir nuts in, stirring to coat. Let nuts sit for 20 mins. to absorb liquid, and stir again. Spread nuts on teflex sheets in dehydrator. Dry at 105 degrees for about 16 hours. Place nuts on mesh sheets and dry again until crunchy (about 10 hours).

Variations: You could also use soaked pecans or other nuts or combinations of nuts!

I use the Excalibur dehydrator. It is the best!


Special thanks to Green Smoothie Girl for this recipe!

Raw Almond Information and FAQs

Last year was the first time I got to buy truly raw almonds. Boy were they goooood! Most people do not realize how important it is to get raw almonds. When nuts are raw they contain powerful enzymes and nutrients that benefit your body and your health! Unfortunately, any almonds you find in a store will have been pasteurized (heated) to the extent that the enzymes and nutrients have been damaged or destroyed. Thankfully there is an allowance in the pasteurization law so that we can purchased truly raw almonds direct from a farmer in limited quantities. (up to 100 pounds per person per day) This is how we are legally obtaining these fabulous almonds again this year!

Are the almonds in their shell?
No way! Wouldn't that be a nightmare?! (sitting around the kitchen table shelling and shelling and shelling til 2011.....) These almonds are out of the shell and ready to eat when you get them.

Do raw almonds look or taste different from regular almonds?
Raw almonds look just like other untoasted, unsalted almonds you could find in a store. Since these are fresh, they taste better than the nuts sitting on the shelves at the store. :)

How do I use raw almonds?
They are great just like any almonds you would ever use. For those of us that like to keep our almonds raw, for the greatest health benefit, it is ideal to soak them in pure water overnight, and then dehydrate at a low temp (90-100 degrees) until dry. I typically soak most of our almonds before eating them, because the soaking releases more of the plant enzymes within the almond. (you know how sometimes when gardening there will be seeds that need to soak overnight before planting? This is the same idea! You get the germination process going, and that's extra good for your body, plus makes nuts easier to digest.)

Some people like to make their own almond milk. (recipe coming soon) Others turn them into crunchy snack mixes and delicious treats. There are a lot of possibilities, and with the high amount of protein and low amount of fat, almonds are a nut worth getting comfortable with!

I will be posting some of my favorite raw almond recipes soon. They are all very yummy, even for people that are not typically into healthy food. :)

So how many almonds is it if I order 10 pounds?
I have found that 5 pounds of almonds generally fills a gallon zip-loc bag. So, two big bags of almonds equals ten pounds. Yum!

Can I order less than 10 pounds?
Sorry, not from me. I try to keep things simple, and working with 10-pound increments is what seems will work best for this year. See if you can find a friend to split a 10-pound order with you. :)

How long do I have to order?
I'm placing an initial order during the first week of November. It is possible that I may place another order later in the month. The sooner you get your order in, the better.

How do I order?
Clickety click right here! You can pay with credit or debit card or paypal.

How much is shipping?
Shipping is $6.95 within the USA, for any amount of almonds you order!

How soon will I get my almonds?
You should have them within a month of placing your order, but hopefully even sooner than that.

How do you ship the almonds?
I'll be shipping them through the US Postal Service. I will line the box with a plastic bag and the almonds will be inside. This method allows us to fit ten pounds of almonds inside flat rate boxes, which make it much more economical to mail.


Do you have any other questions about raw almonds? Leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer quickly!

Off the wagon

It's only fair, since I told you about losing weight and not eating sugar last year, to admit when things are not going so ideally.

In 2009 I lost 30 pounds, thanks to cutting sugar out of my diet, regular exercise, and eating a lot more raw foods. I got through the holiday season without eating sugar, but somewhere after that I made an exception for myself. I can't remember what or why. But after that, there were more exceptions. And a few more. And now here I am. My jeans are getting a little tight. (they had been getting a little loose) I can see that the pounds are creeping back in.

(real life moment: the battery in the scale died, and we have yet to replace it. I hate to think how many of those 30 pounds I may have gotten back.....)

Honestly, I am struggling with the exercise aspect as well, because my life is so busy, it is hard to take or find the time to do it.

Getting up early to go walking seemed like a good solution, except that I was so stinkin' tired every day, plus every night when I had stuff I wanted to do I had it hanging over my head that I was going to have to get up extra early.

With homeschooling in full swing, I don't really have time during the day.

My walking partner and I fell off of that wagon maybe two months ago. :(

I have a part time job caring for a handicapped gal, so that takes a significant amount of my time as well.

And then there is the fact that exercise has never felt like my friend. Yes, I was doing it. And yes, I was losing weight. But....so many articles promise that exercise will make you have More Energy! and a Better State of Mind! Yeah, well, not me. Exercise makes me tired. And hungry. and sapped.

Is it worth it to be closer to your ideal weight if you are also more tired?

I guess the answer is no. and yes.

Recently I did some reading in relation to adrenal fatigue (which I have struggled with for ages), and it pointed out that strenuous exercise and cardio can just make adrenal fatigue worse. Which makes perfect sense to me. No wonder I always felt like junk even though I was exercising 3-5 times a week.

The article recommended gentler forms of exercise, like pilates or yoga. I don't know how to do either, don't have any classes near me, and our TV died and we haven't replaced it yet, so DVDs won't help much at this point. (well, I guess I could set up a DVD on a computer....)

So, today I'm uncomfortable in my jeans. I've had some nagging health issues that I'm sure eating a less-healthy diet isn't helping. Something's got to give. I'm not sure how I'm going to approach this yet. I may just suck it up and be more tired and at least start reversing the encroaching fat. Maybe I will rig up a way to learn pilates in front of my laptop....

I will say that one saving grace (in addition to having an ever-supportive and loving husband) is that my baby step habits for living healthy truly do help in cases like this. Yes, I'm falling short of my personal wishes for how to eat and for being closer to where I'd like my weight to be, but there is still a lot in place that helps hold some of the lines. Smoothies are still happening. There are no sugary snacks in the house. Healthy meals are still happening.

The Challenge: Increase raw foods. Re-eliminate sugar. Find exercise that works for me, and find time to make it happen.

We fall down. We get back up. This is not about perfection. This is about keeping on and moving forward even though we are imperfect.

How do you handle it when you fall of the wagon?

FREE SHIPPING!

I'm offering Free Shipping this weekend on all orders of at least $65! Enjoy!

Cauliflower Curry

I don't mind telling you that I'm not an adventurous eater. I am not a person who wants to travel the world to taste food everywhere. I have never lived anywhere that had Indian, Cuban, or any other authentic ethnic cuisine. I grew up on all-American food, with Americanized Italian food on the side. :)

So, all of that to say I have little-to-no experience with curry. Normally, if I had seen this recipe in a book I would not have even considered making it. If I had looked at the ingredients, double that. But thankfully, my mom made this while we visited her last week and Oh-me-oh-my! this is Soooooo Gooood! My husband and some of the kids loved it too. And I have been dreaming of making it here at home ever since.

Today's the day!

I love crock pot recipes that don't ask me to do much beyond throw everything in the pot. If I have to pre-cook stuff, to me it kinda loses the point. Well, this is one of those easy-peasy recipes, so, give it a try! (ok, you will have to chop some stuff....can you handle it? :) )

Throw into the crock pot:

4 cups cauliflowerets (fresh or frozen)

3 medium tomatoes seeded and chopped (2+ cups) or the equivalent of canned diced tomatoes (get cans without BPA please!)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 14-ounce can coconut milk (not cream of coconut) (I'm not really sure how healthy this is, so report back to me if you have anything to say about it. There is no sugar in it, but there were some preservatives. I found mine by Chinese food at the grocery store.)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce, or you could substitute Bragg's liquid aminos

1.5 teaspoon (not 15!) curry powder

half a teaspoon sea salt

half a teaspoon dried crushed basil

Cook on low 4-6 hours.
Shortly before you want to eat, stir in 6 ounces fresh organic spinach. Cover and continue to heat on low for 10-15 minutes or so.

The perfect accompaniment to this is organic brown rice. If you have a rice cooker and will not be home while this is cooking, use it!

Experiments I look forward to trying with this:
-throwing already-cooked rice into the pot for the last hour of the cook time
-you could add cut up bits of cooked chicken to this as well
-the recipe book I saw this in suggested topping this with chopped peanuts, raisins, and/or shredded coconut. I would not have thought of any of those, but now it sounds really yummy.

This is very warm, soothing, comfort food. Perfect for fall and winter! Be brave and give it a try. Let me know how you like this. :)

Make Yogurt In Your Crock Pot!

I am a person that does not like to have a lot of appliances. I like to just have a few that are versatile and use them for a lot of things. I thought about making homemade yogurt for awhile and looked at various yogurt making appliances but was hesitant to spend the money and then give up the counter space for something else. Then I found out how to make yogurt in my crock pot, and life was beautiful! :)

It is SO easy that I cannot imagine going back to store bought ever again. I control the quality and fat content, there are no chemical additives, and it is a great money savings. Check it out:

Put 8 cups of milk into your crock pot (cover) on low for 2.5 hours.

After that time, turn the crock pot off. (don't take the top off) and leave it alone for 3 hours.

After the 3 hours, add in a half cup of plain yogurt (yes, you're going to have to buy some plain yogurt to start with, and once you make your own, save a little of it to "feed" the next batch) (use a whisk to mix it in--be kinda quick about it), put the top back on, and wrap the whole crock pot up in a thick bath towel.

Come back in 8 hours or more and your yogurt is done. Easy!

If I get around to starting the yogurt before 8am and I'm going to be home most of the day, I can finish the batch before I go to bed at night. Alternately, this works well to start at around 4pm, and you wake up to yogurt in the morning, which is perfect for adding to your morning smoothie!

It is not all that important that the yogurt be put away directly after the 8 hours of incubation. it could stay in there for longer. Obviously don't leave it out on the counter for days, but it is fine if you just get around to putting it away after 10 or 12 hours or whatever. It'll be alright.

I use glass canning jars to store my yogurt in the refrigerator. Very easy!

You can use anything from skim to whole milk. At my Kroger they mark down organic milk pretty often, so when I see that I try to buy extra and make yogurt then. Even if I pay full price for the organic, though, it is cheaper than buying organic yogurt.

And did you know that pets benefit from yogurt too? You can add a little to your dog or cat's food and let them have some good probiotics as well!