Healthy tips for a long winter.

For many of us, winter has lasted much longer this year, and the amount of winter storms has us aching for the spring to come. Often times, after a long winter, we have a difficult time staying in shape, as we tend to do only half the exercise as we would do during the summer. Here are a couple of simple tips to keep in mind to help you stay in shape, even though this winter seems endless.

1. Eat right. During winter, produce isn't always as fresh as we would like, and often then, we tend to move towards more meats during the winter season. But meats alone, although important to your diet, isn't very healthy. Try adding a few veggies on the side. While fruits may be better for the summer, you know what they say: an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Try some fruits and veggies from your local organic vendor.

2. Exercise anyway. Nobody wants to go outside when its 20 degrees outside. How about try something different? Try joining a gym. A gym membership is usually inexpensive and a great idea to stay in shape. 30 minutes a day of exercise will make a world of a difference. Ladies, go to the shopping mall with some friends and walk up and down the mall for a while. Men, how about walking around that bass pro shop a couple times?

3. Look at the bright side. Many times when March comes around and spring still isn't here, we tend to get gloomy. But have you ever stopped to think about how the morning after a snowstorm the snow sparkles in the sunlight? When was the last time you were grateful for even the sunshine? Sure it way be cold, and snowy, but think of the memories you had in the snow as a kid, think on the bright side, and your whole attitude will be refreshed and renewed, and you will feel more motivated to do what you need to do.

4. Lose the caffeine. It can be so tempting to want to pick up a hot cup of coffee to wake you up for the day. And once in a while, that's okay. But to make a habit of it is unhealthy, and very addicting. Eating right, especially fruits and veggies help provide your body with natural energy without the crash later on. Making the decision to eat healthier and skip the caffeine is easy, but just as easy not to do.

Chicken Marinara Quesadilla

Looking to start cooking a great dinner for your family? Here is a great healthy recipe that your whole family will love and is easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 flour tortilla shells
4 tablespoons marinara sauce
16 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup green and/or red pepper
1/4 cup black olives
1 cup baked or grilled boneless chicken breast
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons basil leaves

Directions:
Lay out one flour tortilla shell and use spread 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce across the shell leaving a thin border around the edge without sauce. Parmesan and Romano marinara sauce is really good but any marinara sauce will do. Pour 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over the entire tortilla with a slightly higher concentration around the edge of the tortilla. Chop your onions, peppers, chicken, black olive and any other toppings you prefer into small bite size pieces. Leaving a thin border around the edge, scatter your chopped toppings across the tortilla. Lightly shake about 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning over the top of the tortilla, and approximately 2 tablespoons of basil leaves. Gently scatter 1 cup of your shredded mozzarella cheese over the tortilla. Lay out your second tortilla shell, and lightly spread about 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce across the shell, leaving a thin border untouched. Carefully place the second tortilla, sauce side down, on top of the first tortilla. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your baking pan with butter (Pam). Place the tortilla on the pan and let bake for 13-15 minutes. Carefully remove the pan, and flip the tortilla over. Continue baking for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese has fully melted and tortilla shell is golden brown. Remove, cut, and serve!

Happy New Year!

Post by Mountain Crest Organics.

New Year's Resolutions that you will actually keep!

It’s that time of year when everyone makes resolutions that fade away before even a month is up. So how do you keep those resolutions? There are so many “solutions” out there, but they don’t always work. Here are a few tips to making and keeping your new year’s resolutions.

Keep it simple. Don’t make lofty goals that you cannot accomplish and will only discourage you from going forward. For example, instead of saying that in 2014 you are going to lose 50 pounds, eat only health food, stop eating fast food, quit smoking, turn your business into a multinational corporation, and get married, maybe try for 20 pounds, manage your diet better, improve your company’s sales by 15%, and meet new people. Yes, with some things you are trying to give up, going cold turkey works, but more often than not, it only overwhelms you. Keep your goals realistic, remembering that you don’t have to have a perfect life in only a matter of a year. Take one step at a time.

Set milestones along the way. If you are trying to lose 50 pounds and by the end of January you have only lost 3lbs, it is very easy to get discouraged and give up. Set smaller goals that easier to track and manage. For example, maybe set a goal of losing 5lbs by the end of January. That seems less overwhelming than 50 pounds, right? Looking at the whole picture will often overwhelm you, and make you feel like your effort isn’t paying off. Find smaller goals or milestones that you can meet along the way.

Touch each goal every day. You don’t have to win a marathon. Just simply do one thing towards accomplishing each goal every day. It’s easy to do, but beware it is just as easy not to do. If you are trying to lose weight, exercise for 5-10 minutes every day and be faithful about it. It is better to do 5 minutes every day, than try an hour a day and give up after you have worn yourself out. If you are trying to quit smoking, each week just smoke one less cigarette per day than the last week. Wait an hour and a half between cigarettes instead of just one hour. If you are trying to start or build a successful business, stop stressing the details, and just do one small accomplishment every single day.

Reward yourself. You are always more motivated to work harder if you feel you have accomplished something. Reward yourself for the little everyday victories that bring you towards your goal. If you set a goal of earning your degree, and finished a big essay that you worked hard on for two weeks, reward yourself to a spa day. If you were able to go that extra hour without a cigarette, reward yourself! If you finished getting your LLC for your new business, give yourself that pat on the back. Let yourself know that you are proud of your small accomplishments, and that will lead you to accomplish even more.

Here’s to a healthier, stronger, smarter, and more efficient you in 2014! Happy New Year everyone!

What you put on your skin matters!

Did you know that what you put on your skin can be more dangerous than what you put in your mouth? Whenever you digest something through your mouth, your liver works as a filter to remove harmful aspects from ever entering your bloodstream. When you put something on your skin, it gets absorbed into your bloodstream without passing through your liver as a filter. This means that when you put anything on your skin, everything is being absorbed in - both the good and bad. It is important to be your own filter by monitoring what you put on your skin before it goes into your bloodstream.

Parabens (such as methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, and ethylparaben) are synthetic chemicals that are designed to be antimicrobial agents (preservatives) within most skin care products on the market today. They are a synthetic chemical compound, meaning that it is chemicals that are combined in a way designed to mimic the antimicrobial properties found in nature. The problem is that whenever you have a synthetic compound, you have a similar chemical, not a natural substance, meaning you will also get negative side effects to the chemical.

Parabens mimic hormonal estrogen in your body, and therefore mess with natural hormonal behavior. This can be especially dangerous in women who are pregnant, as parabens in the bloodstream can create birth defects, and other pregnancy problems. In addition, recent studies have shown that parabens have been an influencing factor in approximately 60% of breast cancer patients, and may have been a contributing cause. At the very least, you are increasing your risk of breast cancer or skin cancer through the use of parabens.

Shea butter is revolutionizing the skin care market!

Shea Butter is a triglyceride, meaning that it contains your essential fatty acids. It contains oleic acid, linoleic acid, and palmitic acid, as well as small amounts of linolenic acid and arachidic acid. Shea butter comes from the nut of the African Shea Tree, and was first used by the Africans as cooking oil. It is a food grade (edible) substance that is extremely healthy for your body due to its fatty characteristics.

Beyond being edible, Shea butter in its natural form works as an excellent moisturizer for your skin. Its smooth texture gives your skin needed oils to hydrate and revitalize your skin. It works well to fight against common skin conditions such as acne, or other similar skin conditions.

Shea butter is used in almost every skin care product available on the market. But, unfortunately only a few companies, like Mountain Crest Organics, offer pure 100% unrefined organic shea butter, just as it is found in nature to preserve its best healing qualities. No additives, just whipped into a perfect creamy texture. See for yourself what shea butter can do for your skin!

Are fruit seeds and fruit seed extracts healthy for your body?

Natural ingredients are traditionally used for natural and organic cosmetic companies. However, coming from nature does not always mean non toxic. Many fruit seed families are very toxic. As many people know, 1/4 cup of apple seed can be a lethal dose, if ingested. Grapefruit seed extract contains cyanide and is not safe to use as a preservative. This is a prime example that many product ingredients coming from nature or considered to be “natural” are quite toxic to humans.

A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta stated that many adults have high levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies because of synthetic ingredients in many personal care products. (Natural Foods Merchandiser Magazine, June 2001)

Typical preservatives used in the cosmetic industry include methylparaben, ethylbaraben and propylparaben and their derivatives. They disable enzyme activity (in the bacterial wall) to prevent fungal contamination. This action continues when the product travels into the skin tissue, then on to the blood stream, and ultimately residing in the major organs. The preservative action is so stable, it continues to work while inside the body, limiting the normal enzyme activity of the body. How do we know this? Autopsies performed on cancerous tumors have shown residues of methyl-, ethyl- and propylparabens. (Household and Personal Products Industry Magazine, September 2002)