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Meal Plans for the Week

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To save money, I am basing all my meals this week on a 18 pound turkey I am cooking. I got it on sale after Thanksgiving and should be able to stretch one turkey for meals all week. We will also have turkey sandwiches for lunches and turkey omelets for breakfasts this week. Any leftovers after this week I will freeze.

Monday- Roasted Turkey , home-made stuffing (mine is gluten free), sweet potato casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, steamed green beans, salad

Tuesday- Turkey Soup made with turkey broth, chopped turkey, leftover green beans, carrots, onions, celery, spinach, corn, eggs, and seasoned with turmeric, curry, cayenne pepper, sea salt, garlic, and my herb blend (recipe to come)

Wednesday- Grilled Turkey and gouda paninnis, salad and leftover soup

Thursday- Regular leftovers- Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes

Friday-Grilled salmon, brown rice pilaf, steamed asparagus, salad

Saturday-turkey casserole with turkey, brown rice, cream of mushroom soup, and vegetables

Sunday- Brunch in the morning and leftovers for dinner

Herb Profile: Black Walnut Hull

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Black Walnut Hulls

Black Walnut Hull or Juglans Nigra is, just as it sounds, the  hull of the black walnut tree. The Black Walnut tree grows in the eastern US and parts of Canada, and while easy to grow, it is not plentiful.

Black Walnut has been used in herbal medicine for thousands of years. It has been used throughout history for treatment of intestinal problems, snakebites, open wounds, ulcers, scurvy, and as one of the most effective laxatives available. Because of its dark color, the outer hull is also used as a dye and was used in brown hair dye until the early 1900s. Black walnut is a good source of beta-carotene, acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, zinc, tannin, B-vitamins and vitamin C.

Today, black walnut hulls are used to help with many conditions. It is known to be a gentle and effective laxative. Black walnut is known as an effective anti-viral and is used to fix warts, which are caused by viruses. Black walnut is an anti-fungus and has been used to fight herpes, cold sores, athlete’s foot and Candida. It has been used as an antiseptic to combat illness like sexually transmitted infections and malaria and can be used to treat acne.

According to scientific labs:

Black Walnut Hull may help to lower blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels and is believed to burn up toxins and fatty materials while balancing blood sugar levels. This activity may help to ward off heart disease.

The tannins in Black Walnut Hull (and leaves) possess an astringent quality that is thought to shrink the sweat glands and reduce excessive sweating.  The herb is said to help control menorrhagia, the excessive loss of blood during periods. It is also used to control diarrhea.

Black Walnut Hull is considered a tonic that aids digestion and the intestinal system. It helps to relieve colic, heartburn and flatulence.  As a cholagogue, Black Walnut stimulates the flow of bile into the intestines and is thought to ease bilious colic and pain in the spleen.

Perhaps Black Walnut’s most well-known property is its ability to fight intestinal parasites. It is a well documented vermifuge that is effective at helping the body rid itself of parasites. As a laxative, it expels parasites as part of its cleansing of the body and the high tannin and juglone content is thought to oxygenate the blood and kill parasites. Black walnut is effective against pinworm, ringworm, tapeworm and other intestinal parasites.

According to BulkHerbStore.com, black walnut can be used for:

Indicated Usages – Internal:

Ballooned or relaxed colon	Constipation
Diarrhea	Parasites (intestinal worms)
Sore throat, tonsillitis	Warts

Indicated Usages – External:

Abscesses, boils	Acne
Conjunctivitis, eye disorders	Nosebleed
Leukorrhea, yeast infection, candida	Hemorrhoids
Eczema, psoriasis, shingles	Ringworm (tinea)

This Week’s Meal Plans

Check out all my healthy meal plans and recipes at my new and improved site.

Here is my meal plan for the week… Keyword is plan, I will let you know how the execution goes

Monday- Baked Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

Tuesday- Greens and Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken, grated cheese, sliced red peppers, mushrooms, cucumber and homemade herbal vinaigrette

Wednesday- Bean Soup made with cannellini beans, chopped zucchini, celery, carrots, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic, onion, and spices to taste

Thursday- Crustless chicken pot pie made with chicken, carrots, peas, spinach, corn and homemade potato soup

Friday- Grilled Tilapia, baked sweet potatoes, spinach salad, asparagus

Saturday- Roasted Chicken, steamed broccoli, salad

Sunday- Pasta and meatballs- Italian Grandmother’s secret recipe

Check out all my healthy meal plans and recipes at my new and improved site.

How to Make Natural Homemade Hand Sanitizer

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With all the paranoia about the flu this season, everyone seems to be carrying instant hand sanitizer and using it everywhere. The only problem, besides the fact that all the alcohol in conventional hand sanitizer will dry your hands out, is that using hand sanitizer too much can actually cause germs to become resistant to it. I also didn’t like the idea of my kids using conventional hand sanitizer because it contains alcohol and chemicals and they put their hands in their mouth. As a solution, I decided to invent my own hand sanitizer. It actually turned out pretty good….

For this recipe, you will need:

• Rubbing Alcohol
• Vegetable Glycerin
• Aloe Vera Gel
• Grapefruit Seed Extract
• Cinnamon Essential Oil
• Tea Tree Essential Oil
• Distilled Water
• Other Essential Oils if you like the smell

Ingredients

To make, mix 1/4 cup aloe vera gel, 1 teaspoon glycerine, and 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol in a small bowl. Add 20 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract (A Natural antibiotic and antiseptic), 10 drops of cinnamon essential oil and 10 drops of tea tree oil along with any other oils you want to add for scent (lemongrass, orange, lavendar and peppermint are good choices).

Mix the ingredients together

Mix will and add distilled water to thin to desired consistency and add any other oils to desired smell.

Use a small funnel or medicine dropper to transfer hand sanitizer into spray or pump type bottles.

Use as you would any other type of hand sanitizer.