La Bella Vita

Chipotle roasted sweet potatoes & vegetables

♥

Roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, entire onion, chipotle & jalapeno pepper, cilantro, cumin, coriander, red chili pepper... over brown rice :)

"An estimated 800 million pairs of jeans are sold worldwide each year."

-Whole Living Magazine

WOW! I love a pair of jeans... but yikes! Just last week I got a "new" pair of designer jeans from Hallelu (on Wrightsville Beach, beside WINGS) for like $45 opposed to the like $200 that they normally cost. They were basically brand new... and actually fit perfect. I am going to have to get all new jeans this year :( and :) ... I put a sad face because money, but happy face because the reason I have to get new ones is because all of mine are huge on me now.

...FERNS...

are masters at clearing indoor air...? Who knew! It's the most effective air-purifying species... Whole Living Magazine says to put one (or many) in a bathroom with a window and let the steam from the shower act as a virtual greenhouse. (hmmmm that is pretty neat)

STRESS

Greenery reduces stress. Studies show the presence of plants significantly eases the recovery of hospital patients & lowers the blood pressure of office workers.

I can't wait until (I think) March when my lease is up at my apartment and I can move into a house with (hopefully) Kailee... I can't wait to paint a wall with that chalkboard paint. I think it is SO neat. I also think it would be cool to have like a "corkboard" wall, so we could put up pretty pictures, recipes, random pictures up and like make a collage...

When I "grow-up" aka get married and settle down, I plan ;) to have an office where I can have one wall with the chalkboard paint (for myself) or my kids to play on, a corkboard wall... and yeah I'll stop with my daydreaming... :)

Do you have migraines/headaches?

I found THIS interesting. Click here to read.

I've suffered from migraines my entire life... yes, even as a child... and completely think that my change in my diet, without a doubt helped me out... especially the dairy/cheese.

Beautiful skin...

Karyn Calabrese, a holistic health expert said "I use coconut oil for everything, without fail. It works as a makeup remover and as an intensive moisturizer. Jojoba Oil is even lighter and keeps oil skin in balance." It's absorbed into the skin instead of sitting on top of the surface, blocking pores and causing breakouts unlike mineral oils.

(I loved hearing this because I myself use coconut oil for ABSOLUTELY everything. Cooking, makeup remover, lotion, EVERYTHING... seriously. There is a glass jar of it right this second in my purse... you can get it at Tidal Creek & Fresh Market in the big containers... not positive about the other places. I'll have to go and get some Jojoba Oil to try out.

10-25% of Americans have a sensitivity to at least one food.

-Thought this was interesting because of gluten "deal"-

Brain Food

blueberries - red wine - dark chocolate

NAP TIME

2003 Harvard study showed that a 60-90 minute nap, including both slow-wave and REM sleep stages, boosted learning retention as much as a full 8 hours of sleep!

BUILD YOUR IMMUNITY

Veggie ppl way: beans, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans)

nuts, and seeds (try sunflower & pumpkin)

Battle of the Superfoods

Almond Butter > Peanut Butter

Almond butter has 60% more monounsaturated fat than peanut butter.

This fat decreases harmful LDL levels, lowering heart-disease and stroke risk.

-Runners World Magazine

Kale > Spinach

Kale contains 4 times more vitamin C and one and a half times

the amount of immune-boosting vitamin A & vitamin K.

Quinoa > Brown Rice

Quinoa has 3 extra grams of protein per cooked cup

plus more fiber, iron & magnesium.

Orange > Apple

Have similar amounts of calories & fiber but oranges have 12 times as much vitamin C.

Red Pepper > Green Pepper

Red Pepper has 8 times the vitamin A

(keeps your immune system strong)

Stole these from their facebook page :) so cute!