The BEST oils for a tight budget and skeptical ME

Hello everybody, first of all let me tell you that when I started this blog, about 7 years ago, I didn't know how much things would change... or how long I would even keep up with a blog (not that I've been keeping up that great lately) but this blog of mine started like an outlet when I first moved from a city in Mexico to a city in Wisconsin, USA... When I married my online boyfriend (on the 7th time we met in person), who loves coffee very much... So the name "The Coffee Shop" was created... I started sharing about life, faith, then pregnancy, motherhood, coffee of course was always present... and even started sharing recipes in my newly found love for baking. In this blog I've shared my marriage, two pregnancies, our move from Wisconsin to Texas, about our church, concerts, sometimes I've even dared share some sort of political rant but I think I do a well job staying away from those, I've shared about my culture, my love for baking with lots of sugar, regular flour, lots of butter and even the oh so gross and oh so great for oh so very flaky pie crusts CRISCO shortening, etc... This blog has also seen me turn into all things healthy, no wheat, no sugar, yes real foods like butter, I've gained weight, lost it and sadly gain some... I've talked thyroid health, gall bladder issues, kids crafts, etc... I've baked beautiful things and had total disasters in my kitchen... homeschooled and keep on homeschooling... And in all this long thing you've never seen me talk about essential oils! What's this hype about essential oils that everyone talks about? Come on! Another FAD! how can oil help anybody's health? I mean... yes... I knew coconut oil was good for you and I embraced all good fats! But ... why would smelling an oil improve anything? A few months ago I read a bit about aromatherapy and I felt like I got the gist of it and it didn't convince me... Then I read you can't ingest oils and I thought everyone who said they were putting drops of oil in their water or baking with it were complete nuts! Don't they know you can't ingest essential oils? Oh! The horrible fate that awaits them for using them internally! They should know better! And I am the one that should've known better...  I continued to see FB friends and relatives praise their oils and I was convinced it had to be some sort of collective brainwashing... Then when I saw the prices of some of the oils I thought for sure they were all trying to convince themselves they worked... why would they want to admit they spent all that money for something that doesn't really work? .. I decided to give oils a try and hubby got me some "great pure therapeutic grade oils" at a local supermarket... I felt awful, the smell itself me me nauseous and I knew I was done with oils... Yet I kept looking at people who were really looking healthier/happier I even saw marvels of "chewing gum" being removed from a carpet with some essential oils and I thought I had to vie the "expensive" oils a try... A wonderful friend from church very patiently explained about her own experience with oils and helped me get started... I'm actually just waiting for my very first batch of oils but I've already been using many samples and my goodness! Have they already made a difference here... I can already say that they have helped with the overall mood in the house (Yes, there's oils for that!) and I even helped some digestion issues my 7 year old has suffered from birth... Am I going to praise my oils? No... But now that I've been reading/learning more I realize it was so easy! the answer was right there! Our Creator made and provided things for us to use in nature... things that will definitely benefit (or hurt) us depending on how they are used... There's powerful stuff in the life of plants, the plants that God created, I had never seen all the references about oils and plants in regards to medicine in the Bible, I mean of course I had "seen them" but never really SEEN them.

About the price: While oils like Young Living are indeed pricey they are in no way expensive... My question would be... just to give a quick example... how much does a dozen of roses cost? how many roses do you need to make 1 ounce of essential oil? don't know? about 60,000 ... sometimes more (it all depends on the process) ... What about the growing of said roses? ensuring they are grown in the most perfectly balanced soil? By people who know how to grow them, free of pesticides, etc... A whole lot of steps and work are involved in this process, to protect the purity of the real good oils (I can only vouch for Young Living )

If you know me you know I'm all IN with the things I am passionate about... After just "Trying" this I am convinced, passionate and sharing with you! Because if you're like me and one day you end up diving into the oils... You'll feel like YOU MISSED OUT for a long time!

Now... You don't have to pay for the full price of oils... You could join as a member/distributor and enjoy 24% off of all of their products, if you enroll to their essential rewards you would then gather points that would go towards free oils, etc... Also Join NOW to take advantage of December promotions.

Trust me... I am in no way in the position of overspending... I enrolled on the Monthly Essential Rewards to receive monthly products from YL so I can get to know the rest of their products and share with you... My monthly order is only 51.00 (saying the word "only" is painful because for us that is not a small amount) but I've made tweaks in our budgets and cut our only 2 times eating out per paycheck so that we can do this... You didn't need to know that... but I am sharing so you know how "ALL-IN" I am in this... I will be trying the oils, doing some experiments and sharing it all with you! Join me in my newly found OILY journey!

Join me in living a healthier life...

(Note: I am not telling you to ingest essential oils... I am telling you to try Young Living and YOU WILL KNOW what you can ingest and what you can't ... If you can't ingest any of your oils... they might not be the best... definitely don't eat them!)



© Paloma K.

THM Menu sample One Day at a Time - Friday

 

This meal is featured on Today's Post... AND ... There's pizza for Dinner! Great stuff ahead!

Hello everybody!  And so the series for THM one day at a time continues. It's Friday... So... It's Pizza Night! Yes... lose weight eating pizza!

Remember: The Snacks are optional if you don't have "enough hours in your day" to get all these meals in... don't worry... skip 1 or both snacks... Just remember to never let more than 4 hours go without food. You should always wait at least 2 1/2 hours between each feeding (no munching in between! even if you are not switching fuels! Yes.... again... I say it... even if you are NOT switching fuels) Now... if you are switching fuels you should wait AT LEAST the 3 full hours.

This week I am sharing the SAHM eddition... Next week we can work together on a "on the go" menu.

Friday

S Breakfast:

•  Zucchini (or Poblano) Frittata  I love it with a delicious cup of coffee with some half and half.

FP Snack:

• 2 Light Rye Wasa Crackers, 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese and some extra lean turkey slices.

S Lunch: 

• Salmon and Avocado Sandwich: I use Joseph's low carb pita bread, toasted it a bit and filled it with a mixture of canned wild caught salmon, avocado, mayo, cilantro, a bit of chopped onions and tomatoes. Salt/pepper to taste and a squirt of fresh lime juice.

FP Snack:

• Smoothie made with up to 1 cup of frozen strawberries, unsweetened cashew or almond milk, a splash of vanilla, 1-2 tsp. cocoa powder, stevia to taste (I use 1-2 doonks) and 1/2 scoop of on plan protein powder (I love the Pristine Whey from THM brand)

Dinner: (S)

• Pizza (click for recipe) I absolutely love this pizza recipe! It's easy and delicious! Hubby doesn't even miss the bread! I eat lots of greens with it and a bit of ranch or blue cheese dressing! You can also use the book recipe! I love that cauliflower crust as well, just make sure you really squeeze all the liquid out of the cauliflower before putting it all together.
• Still want dessert? I'd have a couple of squares of dark chocolate (at least 85% cocoa)

Note: This menu that I've put together can NEVER replace the knowledge that comes from reading the book and applying the principles yourself... You will eventually want to be FREE and put together your own food combinations and meals, this is an aid that will allow you to "see" what a THM menu looks like IRL but reading the book is crucial to succeed on the plan. Every good thing is worth the extra work. My tip... is get the book and start reading the chapters about the different types of Settings (S, E, FP, S helpers and Crossovers), start applying every new principle you learn and keep going. I do not charge for sharing my menus and meals, The authors of the book have worked too hard on creating this plan and their own name. Those who use the THM name to sell menus and meal plans are doing so in full knowledge that they are taking advantage of someone else's work. Hopefully they will re-consider and stop. Make sure you do not support those who do so.

You could even make your own "pasta" if you want a side for your pizza




And yes... even to make my pizza I use my:



© Paloma K.

Disclaimer: Some links in this post are affiliate links, this means that you pay the same price, but I also receive a very small compensation. I recommend products I have tried and love.

From Couch to Half Marathon in 14 weeks

Let's get movin'

Hello everybody! Tomorrow is the official day when we start our "From Couch to Half Marathon" Challenge... Don't worry... our challenge's first day starts with a REST Day ... so you still have time to go get new shoes (which I am going to do, mine are completely useless now), I will be sharing here all of my progress and each week (on Sundays or Mondays) I will share what the week will look like... of course, if you want to jump in and join me in this challenge I can send you the whole thing via e-mail just send me a message to love.for.coffee@gmail.com and on the "Subject Line" just write "Couch to HM challenge" and I will send you the info you need... You can also see the schedule I am following on: Couch to HM Training Plan  (I just switched the days to start on Tuesday instead, that schedule works best for me, but you can change it to the days that work for you just make sure you keep coming back to share your experience with me and so I can also cheer you on!).

To be successful in our challenge we will be including:

• Rest Days
• Strenght Training (ST) - (sessions of 20 minutes) (pushups, squats, lunges, deadlifts, planks, etc)
• Easy Runs (ER): Runs at a comfortable, conversational pace. No huffing or puffing involved.
•  Run/Walk (R/W): (Alternate between running and walking), you must walk at a brisk pace to make your transition to running easier. (run about a minute and walk about a minute, you can and should increase your running times as it gets easier).
• Walks (W): You’ll walk some of your miles so you can safely build your fitness, but keep a brisk pace.
•  Tempo Runs (TR): Run at a faster pace, it should be harder than the Easy Runs but not so hard that you can't breath, this runs should improve your speed and resistance, you can actually start at a more comfortable pace and increase your speed after you are all warmed up, when you are done with your run you can add a few minutes of walking at a relaxed pace.
• Cross Training (XT) - Low Impact - (like cycling, swimming, elliptical), what you do will be your choice, but it is important that you do not skip these exercises. 

Now if you are wondering how much you need to invest for this challenge or what kind of equipment you need to buy for this... let me just tell you that not much or maybe even nothing at all.. You can find great YouTube videos that can guide you on what to do and how to do it for your strength and cross training ... You don't need any sort of equipment, you don't need a weight room or to own any specific clothes for this challenge, my only recommendation again will be to get comfortable running shoes... You don't want to get injured, we need to protect those running feet (you don't see them like running feet yet? They will be!)

You can find great deals on running shoes here

Another thing (and totally an "extra", not indispensable) but it's something that I think is a great motivator and can help hold you accountable is an activity tracker... I absolutely love my FitBit... I have friends that are on Fitbit and I love having people "I walk with" even if I am not necessarily actually walking with them... Fitbit also allows you to sync with your phone and/or computer and you can challenge your contacts there to see who can get more steps in... it can be a lot of fun (especially if you are competitive)

My suggestion is definitely Fitbit I've had a Fitbit (FitBit Zip and FitBit Flex) for about 2 years now I wouldn't switch to any other (at least not yet)

My first Fitbit... FitBit Zip.... does the work and it's the most inexpensive one (there are different colors and I liked the fact that you can comfortably wear it in your bra, so there's no issue of "matching it with your clothes" or anything)

My current Fitbit... FitBit Flex, it is more expensive but it can also track your sleep (see how well you sleep, when you're restless, etc.) I love it too but this one you have to wear on your wrist, if you're going for a "not so sportsy" look then it can be an inconvenience, I usually don't care and wear it anyway... I care more about tracking my steps but that's just ME.

You can also find it in different colors, the tracker is actually a small device inside the wristband, you can buy wristbands in different colors for a very reasonable price and that helps you match it with what you wear.

 But again, you do NOT need a tracker to succeed in a challenge, it is just another tool, it IS indeed a great motivator (and also quite an eye opener when you actually see how many steps you take in a day), it is a glorified pedometer BUT a very cool one... these trackers from FitBit that I just mentioned do not track your heart rate ... Fitbit does have that but the cost is absolutely ridiculous to me.... (and I do get into all these gadgety things)

So... for this week... our schedule will look like this:

Week 1: (Remember, I start on Tuesday but you can start whenever it works best for you)
Tuesday:  Rest
Wednesday: R/W 2 miles
Thursday:  XT 30 min
Friday: R/W 2 miles
Saturday:  Rest
Sunday: R/W 3 miles
Monday: W 2 miles

Also... Remember to drink lots of water, eat healthy, get enough sleep and do some stretching before and after your runs.

If you are already on Fitbit and would like to add me to your friends there you can find me HERE . I'd love to RUN with you! 

© Paloma K.

This post contains affiliate links, the recommendations and opinions are based on personal experience, I do not recommend products I haven't used and enjoyed.

Quinoa Salad! - E or Crossover

Hello friends! Today is the 5 Day of the 30 Day Challenge  I started on Facebook... Hopefully you'll join us! It is a quick routine of exercises to tone some muscles and I am definitely starting to feel it! It is great to have somebody else to do it with me (Thanks Karen) as it is helping me stay accountable!

Now... of course exercises are great but we need to also watch what we eat ... I am making all the right choices and eating until I am satisfied (or a little more, yeah... that's me) and I am starting to see the scale slowly (oh so slowly) go down again! It's been a while since it did that for ME so I am ecstatic (even if it's an ounce... we're headed in the right direction!)

If you already know the Trim Healthy Mama Plan then you know what I talk about when I mention "E meals or Crossovers"... if you're not on the plan you can also enjoy the recipes I share because they're healthy, yummy and nothing like your "typical Diet Food" ...

So... today I am going to share with you an amazingly delicious (and easy to make) Quinoa Salad, which you can eat in an "E" setting or as a crossover if you're at that point where you incorporate healthy crossovers to your menu.

Here it goes:

You can see it with avocado here, it is a yummy crossover!

 Quinoa Salad (E)
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of cooked red quinoa (1/2 cup uncooked)   I use this one
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 medium zucchini (or yellow squash) - cubed-
- 1 medium red tomato
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- the juice of 1/2 a lime 
- about 1 tbsp. of olive oil (you can add this if you keep it to only 1 serving and do not incorporate any other fat in your meal, it would still be an "E")
- 1 clove of garlic (very finely chopped)
- salt to taste
- 1 avocado -cubed- (ONLY FOR CROSSOVER, omit if you want to keep it an "E")
- Add 1/2 a fresh serrano or jalapeño pepper (chopped) if you can handle the heat, (you can seed it if you want to tame the heat down a bit), this will add a bit of a quick and give it more of a "Mexican flare" to it.
 
Directions:

Mix the quinoa, cilantro, zucchini, tomato, onion (and avocado if using it) in a big bowl, separately whisk together the lime, olive oil and garlic, drizzle over the quinoa mixture, season to taste and let it sit for about 10 minutes to let the flavors "mingle". Serve at room temperature (or even cold), this salad is a great accompaniment to any meat (keep your meats lean for the "E" setting).

I soooo can see it served in this salad set... I am going to add it to my Christmas List! 


 Enjoy!

© Paloma K.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. All the recommendations and suggestions are entirely my opinion.

Stuffed Celery - Thanksgiving Side Dish THM Style

Good day everyone! As Thanksgiving approaches I started to get nervous! This year is the first time I will try to create an entire "Thanksgiving Menu" following all THM principles! (Of course I'll still have to make an exception for auntie Sally's sugar cookies and also her cranberry/orange relish for hubby or he'd never forgive me!)  But I am excited to see that following the THM plan it's not hard at all to still put together and enjoy an amazing feast!

First of all... Turkey... Approved! Right? Butter it, baste it, stuff it with herbs, season it right, cook it to perfection (Turkey Roasting Times chart) and you already have your Thanksgiving food foundation, right? I can also enjoy a delicious and oh! So buttery cauliflower mash! yes... I can make gravy too! and I'm already working on my "dessert spread" recipe which will for sure include: Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream(S) and Pumpkin Muffins (S), then I started thinking of the other "sides" I usually serve and I was happy to realize I can make my amazing salads that will include delicious, satisfying, crunchy, healthy nuts and almonds, deviled eggs which are definitely a tradition in hubby's family and one of my favorites! STUFFED CELERY! ... I've already shared this recipe before, I am just making a minor tweak (substituting Worcestershire sauce for Bragg liquid aminos) and voila! You'll have a deceivingly delicious appetizer that is perfect for Thanksgiving (plus it always looks beautiful and it's fun to make)

So... here it is... back on my blog... for all my fellow Trim Healthy Mama's to enjoy!

Stuffed Celery (THM S)

Ingredients:

1 Bunch of celery (about 4-5 long stalks), trimmed, peeled (always peel your celery to remove the overly-fibrous parts) and cut into 3-4 " long pieces.
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. drained red pimientos (from a jar) - chopped
garlic powder to taste
1 tsp. horseradish (horseradish does have sugar, etc. but it's minimal and you're only going to use 1 tsp. for the whole recipe)
1-2 tsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos (this stuff is amazing! And sooo good for you!)
1/3 cup of mayo
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions: 

Blend all the ingredients together (except for the celery, of course) season with salt and pepper to taste if desired, stuff your celery, plate and Enjoy!

Super easy, isn't it? I hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as my guests and I do... please let me know! I appreciate all your comments!

Also, if you'd like to join our "30 Day Strength Training Challenge" you're still on time! We're doing quick strength training exercises that are slowly increased day by day. We'd love to have you on board, check out our updates on Facebook, today is day 4th! Here's  Today's challenge by The Coffee Shop.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links but the recommendations are all mine.

© Paloma K.

Best Work From Home Job ever!

 Hello everybody! As some of you may or may not know a couple of months ago I was looking for "work-from-home" jobs... I was getting quite frustrated because even when I have the skills to land a good paying job as a translator I found that there are sites to get this kind of jobs but everybody in the world can apply to them, sounds great but it ends up making the paying rates really really low (as for some people that live in other countries, working 24 hours for only 10 dollars is an actual good pay but it wasn't what I was needing).

I decided I wouldn't give up in trying to help with the finances here at home, so I went to my closest library and I found all about couponing and THAT is where I found MY new job! It does require time and diligence... but it has been very rewarding... Today I just want to share with you some of the great deals I found... If you're in Texas, those deals apply to you too! I just want to share in case it helps somebody else as much as it has helped me!

So... here's just a few of the great deals you can find at Kroger and they're good through midnight Tuesday, October, 2014

So... look some of the things I got:

I want to help end some of the myths most people have about couponing (myths that I used to believe)... most people think that couponing is just for "junk food" and people who eat healthy 'can't save' any money through couponing... I do try to eat healthy... I can't always afford Organic but I try my very best to eat the best choices within our budget... I would say that "the worst" thing I got this time are those Honey Nut Cheerios that I was not even sure I should get but then I thought it would be ok for a snack because if you've SEEN my girls you might think they don't eat much but if you KNOW them, then you know they eat as much (or sometimes more) than their mommy and daddy! So... I have to fill them up somehow and since we don't do candy here and I haven't baked much I am ok with my decision to buy this for them. If you don't like that, you do not have to buy them of course.

So... let me now explain to you how I purchased this and how much I spent:
 (I get most of my coupons through my Sunday Newspaper )

Honey Nut Cheerios SALE 2x $5.00 - $1.00 coupon = 4.00
EGGS (Cage Free, Natural Eggs) = FREE with the purchase of 3 participating items (Silk Almond, Soy or Coconut Milk, Kashi Go Lean Cereal, Pizza, Entrees & Waffles)
Silk Almond Unsweetened Milk SALE $2.99 - $1.00 coupon = 1.99
Silk Chocolate Almond Milk SALE $2.99 - 0.75 DIGITAL coupon = 2.24
Kashi Go Lean Crunch SALE $2.99 
Suave Professionals Shampoo SALE $1.49 - 1.50 coupon = FREE
(32oz.) TRESemme Shampoo SALE 3.99 AND TRESemme Conditioner SALE 3.99 - $5.00 coupon in the purchase of two TRESemme Items = 1.49 each. (2.98 for both)
Nature's Bounty Fish Oil BOGO SALE - $1.00 coupon = 10.29 for TWO!

For the items mentioned in the list above I paid a total of: $24.49

All these items combined have a total regular value of $52.98 - Total Savings over 50%


It's just a matter of looking for the deals! And yes, you can still eat healthy! I also got Bob's Red Mill Pearl Barley on Sale and Organic Carrots 2 lbs. for 1.48, Organic Granny Smith Apples $1.48 (All prices are WITH Kroger Card), etc. So... run to your nearest Kroger and take advantage of these and more deals! You can also search for coupons on the Kroger.com site and load them to your kroger card, I will be providing you with coupons here also!

Yesterday I also went to Randall's! I got a lot and all within my budget! Matching Store Deals with Coupons IS the way to go! Randall's has great sales on Friday that you cannot miss! I will be RUNNING over there again early tomorrow morning! let me just give you an example:

Randall's, right now, has a SALE on the "Crystal Farms Natural Slices of Cheese" for $3.69 ... oh, you think that's an "ok deal?" well... Friday gets JUST PERFECT! you will be able to get 2 of those packaged slices of natural cheese for only 5.00! so ... only $2.50 each! If you buy natural cheese you know it is expensive! So ... this IS indeed a good deal!

I used to always think Randall's was way too pricey ... and IT CAN BE if not looking for coupons/deals (Note: Always check out their meat aisle, you might find amazing things that get a price cut by the manager) ...


Let me just show you my receipt from yesterday:

The original total was 139.60 - Total Savings of 66.73 I saved 48% ... You can go to Randalls.com  and create an account (you'll need a member card from the store) and you can load coupons and discounts directly to your card as well!

See that? ... it was pretty amazing! They even have a deal with some participating items/brands (glade candles, pledge, scrubbing bubbles, lysol, etc.) and if you buy 3 of those (MIX&MATCH) you get $3.00 in savings... and that's already good BUT if on top of that you happen to have your own coupons for each of those items... well... you end up with a lot of great savings! It is REALLY, REALLY COOL!

So... yes... I got a job! And it pays off! It is work indeed! Lots of work! But it makes me very happy when I see my bill go from 140.00 to 70.00 or... like... at CVS... that they have a Sale for Tide for only 5.94, sounds good but 5.94 is too much for me to pay, so ... I had 2.00 cash rewards + a coupon of 2.00 for Tide Detergent... Yes... the result is 1.94... now... that's more like it! Don't you think? Stay tuned for more tips and great deals! Now let me go do my happy dance and take a sip of my Torch Coffee that I got with a 40% discount, you want some too? Well... I'll be sharing a code exclusive for my readers with an AWESOME discount for you to try it!

Note: There are NO affiliated or paid links within this post... These are all my personal opinions, experiences and recommendations.


© Paloma K.