Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup

OK, so our tastebuds are going crazy right now at our house.  We have this Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup simmering on the stove AND the chili recipe (see post below) simmering in the slow cooker all at the same time.   Oh, the lovely aroma(s)!!    

CLICK here for soup recipe and see post just below for chili.

PS - we did not use the heavy cream in the soup (its totally awesome without it!).
PPS - we quadrupled most ingredients (celery, carrots, tomatoes, etc) to make more because we eat a lot of this!

Compliments to my friend, Trina, for the recipe share.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili compliments of Real Simple

Our house smells SO good right now with this simmering in the slow cooker.  YUM!
CLICK for Recipe and let the mouth-watering begin!

Be a Loser!

Wellness/Prevention: Lose To Gain? 
People who are overweight or obese could gain ten years worth of health benefits by simply losing 20 pounds. Modest weight loss (average 14 lbs) reduced the risk of individuals developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%. Weight loss of just 10% of a person's body weight has been shown to have long-term impact on sleep apnea, hypertension, quality of life, and to slow the decline in mobility that occurs as people age. 
American Psychological Association, July 201

Had no idea!

Diet: The Not So Small Intestine. 
Have you ever wondered how your body gets nutrients out of your food? Your small intestine absorbs most of your food; however, the small intestine is not that small. The average surface of the human small intestine is about the size of a tennis court! 
Gray's Anatomy 

Really Cool Fact!

Wellness/Prevention: Constant Change. 
A big reason to stay healthy is that the cells of your body are constantly replaced. Eating right and exercising will give the new cells the best chance to become healthy cells. For example, did you know that humans shed and re-grow outer skin cells about every 27 days? That's almost 1,000 new skins in a lifetime! 
Gray's Anatomy

Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

Click Me for Recipe

Ultimate Health by Dr. Sarah Marshall, Naturopathic Physician

What Is Ultimate Health?  It's time for a reality check.  If asked if we are healthy most of us would answer, "Yes".  And, yet, as a country 2/3 of adults are overweight or obese, we are tired, stressed out, overwhelmed, over scheduled, toxic and more or less don't feel so hot. So what gives?  How are we defining health in the first place and what does it feel like to be healthy? The most common definition of health is not having a disease. This definition is not nearly broad enough to truly support our lives. Nearly 20 years ago the World Health Organization defined health as:  "A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."     What that definition really looks like in our lives is what I call Ultimate Health. Ultimate Health is having a strong, fit, healthy body, a peaceful, kind and gentle mind, balanced, joyful, loving, and rich emotions, and living a life of purpose with passion, satisfaction and abundance.

Clean Living

Wellness/Prevention: Live Longer - Exercise & Diet. 
According to a recent study, women aged 70-79 who exercise and eat healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables have a longer life expectancy than those who do not. What makes this study unique is that it looked at these two factors together. Researchers found that the women who were most physically active and had the highest fruit and vegetable consumption were 8 times more likely to survive the 5 year follow-up period than the women with the lowest rates of exercise and healthy eating. 
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, June 2012

Be Happy.

Arbonne's Pure Mint Deodorant: A Review

Jenni's Review of Pure Mint Deodorant (new!):

I also used the Pure Mint Toothpaste and Mouthwash last night and those Reviews are below.

Like with the toothpaste and mouthwash I am a huge fan of the packaging of this new "Pure Mint" line. The colors are clean and simple. The products themselves look clean and neat sitting on the bathroom counter. These products are made to help us feel clean/refreshed and just looking at them evokes that emotion of clean and happy.

Once you remove the deodorant cap there is a safety seal type of cap that needs to be removed. It takes a little bit of "oomph" to remove that safety seal but I found that if I pulled up each side a bit and then alternated that on both sides, one at a time, it came off easily vs. just pulling on the "tab" alone.

I LOVE that the deodorant is a solid and that it is not like a powder. It is more of a gel solid if that makes sense. The product itself, the "stick" part -- is like a clear-ish hue. It has a rounded top which is always nice for application. It is wide -- not like a ball -- more like an oval.   Its nice that you don't have to "break it in" where some deodorants are flat and can hurt until you round them out.

I LOVE that as soon as you apply the deodorant it INSTANTLY absorbs into the skin. Just like all of Arbonne's products formulated for the skin the products absorb immediately and get to work. There is no greasy or sticky feeling once you apply. It is almost like the product disappears into the skin!

I trialed the deodorant in the late afternoon after we returned home from a long car ride. Our house was very warm as we had turned the AC down since we were away. I was unpacking, cleaning, doing laundry and pretty much not sitting still for almost 2 hours.

Given these conditions I have to say I am SUPER IMPRESSED with the Pure Mint Deodorant!!! I did not feel sweaty even though I could tell my body temperature was elevated from all my work around the house. Not to sound weird but I did do a "sniff test" several times under each arm and there was no sweaty, musty, "body odor" smell that we all get from exerting ourselves or being in warmer conditions.

I am excited to trial it all day today! I did hear through the grapevine that a male Arbonne Consultant trialed this deodorant all day long and the product worked for him all day! Strong enough for WOMEN and MEN!

BONUS: I currently use a $20 retail natural deodorant and Arbonne's Pure Mint Deodorant blows it out of the water! The Arbonne brand is SO MUCH BETTER and since the Arbonne brand is only $8 before my discount I am totally sold!

Overall Review: This is an awesome deodorant! I am impressed with it on every level. I am so happy Arbonne finally came out with this Pure Mint line!! ♥