Homegrown peach smoothie

A co-worker of mine unloaded a lot of his home grown chemical free peaches on me. They're beautiful. Peaches are a natural laxative (eat without peeling each night before bed to keep away constipation), and good for skin health. Not to mention packed with vitamins, and just plain good for you. We put ours in a smoothie this morning. We worked out the recipe as we went. It makes about 3 cups.

Homegrown Peach Smoothie

5 peaches, small to medium
15 raspberries
1/2 c apple juice
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
3.5 oz silken tofu

We used R.W. Knudsen Family apple juice, Stonyfield Farm yogurt, and Nasoya tofu.

Menstrual cramp relief

I read about drinking a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water to relieve menstrual cramps, so I tried it. It eased them up for a few minutes, but nothing major. I still suggest trying it. It's an inexpensive drug-free method. And uses a lot less packaging that ends up in the trash or recycle bin. It's an overload of sodium, but it's a one-time teaspoon if it works for you. And had the benefit of making me that much more aware of how much salt I put in my body the rest of the day. I followed it up with my more trusted methods.

Vitamins and minerals Bananas for potassium. Vitamin B12 and C. Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc for both menstrual and leg cramps.

Herbal tea Organic peppermint tea for muscle relaxation and to help with pain relief.

Muscles I laid on the floor with my feet against the wall and pushed. Then I did thirty sit ups.

Relax I laid down and started listening to the audio cd In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, read by Scott Brick that Mistress found for me at the library the other day. (It's fantastic.) I napped. I drank more peppermint tea.

Yoga mat smudging

Yesterday we took a yoga class taught by a friend of Mistress Herbalist's. During one pose, she instructed us to "release your day out onto the mat." And it hit me, we've never smudged Mistress' yoga mat. I've never heard of anyone smudging their mat. Or keeping it cleared with another method. After class, I took my rented day-splattered mat, rolled it up, and stuck in on a shelf with several other rentals. They're disinfected at some point, I'm sure. I hope. But are they cleared?

Maybe it's a non-issue. Maybe the yoga practice itself, since it releases stress, keeps us from taking in any mat trapped stress. Or very possibly an uncleared mat could keep a yoga routine from being as productive and relaxing as possible.

I'm curious if anyone else smudges or otherwise clears their yoga mat. Or doesn't believe it's necessary.

Allow us to introduce ourselves...

Welcome to Healing Junkie!

This blog is all about our trials and experiences as we dive into healing. We're sharing what we try, what we learn, and our ideas. It's for amateur wellness junkies like us and seasoned herbies alike.

Here, healing means a process of wellness and balance. And where are we creating balance? Our bodies, energy, attitude, homes, environment - basically anywhere.

The focus is on keeping it:

Simple
Natural
Holistic
Herbal
Nutritive
Local
Sustainable
Reusable/Recyclable
Grassroots
Supportive of organizations and people with a similar focus
Inexpensive
Nonjudgmental
A learning experience
Fun

Thanks for stopping to take a look. And check back with us as we navigate the healing front.

Happy Healing!
Well Nessy and
Mistress Herbalist