Welcome to Health and Wellness guide

Hello everyone and welcome!

Here at health and wellness guide we will be talking about a few things that interest us the most:

• Correct way of eating healthy
• Indoor and outdoor exercises
• Pros, cons and reviews of dietary supplements
• Natural remedies
• Mental and spiritual wellness

As you can see, there are lots of topics we can talk about and if you anything to share your comments will be more than welcome.

Remember; eat healthy, smile a lot, and be discplined because it's good for your health and wellbeing.

Lentil soup

A bowl of lentil soup is considered to be one whole meal in a bowl. Not only that, but lentils have high levels of iron, which good for your blood stream. I leave you this complete and nutritious recipe that everyone can enjoy

Ingredients List

4 cloves Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
4 Carrots
4 stalks Celery
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cups Lentils
1 tbsp Cumin
2 qt Vegetable Broth
1 Bay Leaf
2 whole sprigs Thyme Salt and Pepper to taste

 Directions

1. Set a large, dry dutch oven over medium heat and drop in the Garlic cloves with their peels still on. Let them toast for a few minutes on each side, until the skins are browned and fragrant, and set aside.

2. Roughly chop the Onion, Carrots, and Celery. Add the Olive Oil to the dutch oven and saute until browned and tender.

Peel and smash up the Garlic and add it back to the pot, along with the Lentils and Cumin. Cook for a few seconds, until the lentils are nicely coated in oil. Empty the Broth into the pot and add the Bay Leaf and whole sprigs of Thyme. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Fish out the Bay Leaf and Thyme.

3. Season with Salt and Pepper and serve piping hot. We like this soup all on its own, but it’s kind of amazing with a little extra . Stir in some spinach or add a little diced ham and definitely serve it with a big side of hearty whole grain bread or cheesy croutons.

Fast and delicious teriyaki chicken with vegetables

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 lbs organic chicken breast, chopped
12-16 oz organic fresh broccoli
2 garlic cloves, you can also use ginger
4-5 large organic carrots, sliced
Pepper flakes, optional
2 Tbsp olive oil

Teriyaki sauce

2 Tbsp ginger, chopped
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce, gluten free
1/3 cup cold water
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder, or cornstarch
1/3 cup honey, or unrefined sugar

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl mix the Teriyaki sauce ingredients. If you are just making the sauce for future consumption follow this step otherwise follow the next paragraphs. In a small sauce pan, over medium to low heat, heat the sauce until thicken stirring occasionally. About 5 minutes. Let the sauce cool and store it in a glass air tight container in the refrigerator.

In a large heavy bottom saute pan, over medium to high heat, add the olive oil. Add the chicken and carrots and cook stirring occasionally until almost tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook further for another minute.

While the chicken is cooking, place the broccoli on a safe microwave dish and microwave for 6-7 minutes. Depending on how strong your microwave is you may need less time. My microwave is not too powerful so I use 7 minutes but 3-4 minutes may be enough in yours.

Add the Teriyaki sauce from the bowl to the chicken and carrots and stir for about 1-2 minutes or until it thickens. Turn heat off and add the broccoli and pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine.

Serve over brown rice or rice noddles.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Spicy buffaloed oven fried chicken bites wrapped in buttery lettuce leaves with tomatoes, quinoa, avocado, and blue cheese dressing. Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a healthy and filling lunch or dinner your whole family will love. Note that prep time includes 30 minutes for the chicken to marinate.

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• ½ cup buffalo sauce, plus a little more for drizzling over the finished chicken if you prefer
• 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
• 4-6 large soft leaves of lettuce (I used Boston Bibb Lettuce)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ½ cup diced tomatoes
• ½ cup diced avocado
• blue cheese (or ranch) dressing & scallions to garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly grease (I used cooking spray) a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
2. Toss the chicken in the ½ cup buffalo sauce, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Pour the breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. Coat each chicken piece evenly and place them on the prepared baking sheet. The baking sheet will get pretty crowded -- it's okay.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. You can toss the baked chicken with the extra buffalo sauce if you like.
5. To assemble the wraps, fill each leaf of lettuce with quinoa, tomatoes, and avocado. Top with the crispy baked buffalo chicken, drizzle with the blue cheese, and sprinkle with the green onions.
6. These are also a delicious cold lunch if you prepare the chicken ahead of time and refrigerate it before serving.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive, but does involve a lot of creativity especially when trying to get the whole family involved.

Mini Fruit Pizza snacks

I'm gonna honest here. I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to share it with everyone. I know that people have a hard time eating fruits because it's boring and some people just don't like eating too much fruit.

But what if we made it fun to eat, not just for ourselves but for the kids too?

The original recipe uses a lot sweet ingredients but I will show you how to make it fast and easy and with less sugar.

What you'll need:

• Pita bread (wholemeal or white)
• Cream cheese
• Fruits of your choice

Preparation time: 5 mins or less

Preparation:

• Place the pita bread on plate
• Spread the cream cheese until pita bread is covered
• Slice the fruits and place them all over the pita bread
• Serve cold or room temperature

See! Fast and easy. I think your kids will like it and so will you. 

Le-vel Thrive Review. Is the experience worth it?

One of the supplement products that I would like to talk about is this one.

And why would I mention this product in this blog site?

A few months ago a friend of mine approached me and started talking to me about: Le-vel Thrive (sounds kind of french don't you think?), and how it worked for him to achieve his health and wellness goals.

I met my friend before he went back to the United States and before he even knew that this product existed. When he got back to the States he set his personal goal to achieve the famous six pack abs - which he did - and afterwards he told me about the product packages.

Le-vel - the company - was founded in 2013 and is located in 9201 Warren Pkwy #200, Frisco, TX.

So yeah it's an american company.

After doing a little bit research about the company, they basically focus on letting people know about the product and have given them a challenge that they call: "The 8-week experience".

But why an 8-week experience?

Le-vel says that they want to let people know that their products aren't just protein shakes or supplement capsules full of caffeine and other energy boost products. They say that taking their natural blend of herbs will be more of a progressive experience than an immediate reaction.

What products are included in the 8-week experience package?

1. Le-vel premium lifestyle capsules: When acquiring the 8-week experience package level ships them out depending on gender. Each bottle contains 60 capsules and recommend that you take two capsules in the morning before breakfast. The capsules offer these benfits:

• Weight management
• Cognitive performance
• Joint support
• Inflammation support (reduces inflammation)
• Anti-aging and Antioxidant blend
• Lean muscle support (helps burn fat)
• Digestive and Immune support (detoxes and improves immune system)

2. Thrive premium lifestyle shake mix: This product also comes within the 8-week experience package. It can be bought in a canister or in a box containing 16 servings of what Le-vel calls: the special blend. Le-vel says that you take this shake mix with: water, milk or juice 20-40 mins after taking the capsules. The shake mix contains:

• Ultra Micronized (cool phrase for powdered mix)
• Nutrient mineral dense formula
• Probiotic and Enzyme blend (things we find in dairy products but better)
• Antioxidant and Extract blend
• Lean muscle support
• Weight management
• Gluten FREE

3. Thrive premium lifestyle DFT: DFT? This is Le-vel's acronym for: Derma Fusion Technology and it's the last product in the 8-week experience package and a total of 30 patches in box. What's interesting about this product is that you don't eat it or drink it in any smoothie or shake. You just slap this little patch on your body (preferably on your arm or shoulder) after taking the capsules and the shake mix and Le-vel claims that this little baby transfers a trademarked secret formula (I still don't know what it is) through your skin during for 24hrs. Le-vel recommends using only one DFT patch a day. The benefits of using the patch are:

• Weight Management
• Mental clarity
• Appetite control
• Derma Fusion Technology
• All natural time release
• Metabolic support.

Conclusion:

After reading about the products I basically interviewed my friend Braxton Peterson and asked him about his 8-week experience with   Le-vel Thrive and he was also kind enough to let me have a "before and after" photo (ladies he's single... for now).

Braxton says that after using the product he has felt much more active, mentally focused and full of energy. He doesn't feel jittery like someone who has taken caffeine nor does he feel anxious because the DFT patch helps him control his appetite and he disciplined himself to achieve his fitness goal.

So is it worth it?

I going to have to say yes!

And he's not the only one who feels happy with results but there are many people who publish their progress on youtube and other social media sites.

In the Le-vel web store the products can also be bought separately and prices range form $40 to $75 and Le-vel is increasing their product line to offer even more premium quality products. Enrolling as customer is free of charge and ships to the US, UK and Canada, so other countries would have to open a P.O. Box on any of these locations to receive their products.

So if your willing to give it shot click here to see for yourself. And as Le-vel says: Thrive on!

Healthy Recipes

Lemon and honey: a multi-purpose remedy

Mother is always benevolent with her gifts. I like to eat every once in a while sweet and sour foods because I've always liked how the flavors, although different, make a great combination for treats and desserts.

But is it beneficial for your health and wellness? Yes, it is. Here are three purposes for using lemon and honey:

Purpose #1: Honey and lemon tea.

A mother's advice is always good to keep in mind. Honey and lemon tea is a good cold remedy because the lemon helps disinfect your body from the inside and the honey helps soothe the pain of a soar throat. Add some ginger and eucalyptus leaves to mix and it helps clear nose form nasal congestion. 

Purpose #2: Face mask.

Lemon and honey can also be used for external application (my wife uses it all the time). Using these two ingredients for a face mask helps clear out those nasty and unwanted blackheads, control acne and have smooth skin. Add some oatmeal grains and aloe vera to the mask mix for a better cleansing.

Purpose #3: Cough syrup.

I have used and still use this remedy as my preferred cough syrup. Because the lemon contains high levels of citric acid and vitamin C, it kills the bacteria that cause people to cough. The honey serves as a balm to soothe the pain and helps remove the bacteria lodged in your throat.
Add some garlic cloves to the cough syrup to remove phlegm or coconut oil when it's a dry cough.

Natural remedies

Natural remedies has always been a part of human history. They have been passed down through generations and have become a target for scientifical studies to prove that herbs, roots, fruits and vegetables offer a higher nutritional and medicinal value than the famous pain killers, vaccines and antibiotics.

Here we will mention a few.

Benefits of aloe vera

Aloe vera is quite an incredible medicinal plant full of nutritional benefits. It has both internal and external applications. It can be grown quite easily in a pot, requires minimal amounts of water (water the plant at least 3 times a week) and lots of sun - which means that the plant needs grow outdoors.

Here are some benefits of the aloe vera:

1. Aloe Vera Is High in Vitamins & Minerals:
Aloe Vera contains many vitamins including A, C, E, folic acid, choline, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6. Aloe Vera is also one of the few plants that contains vitamin B12.

2. Aloe Vera is High in Amino Acids & Fatty Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are about 22 amino acids that are necessary for the human body and it is said that 8 of these are essential.

3. Aloe Vera is an Adaptogen
Aloe vera is a well-known adaptogen. An adaptogen is something that boosts the body’s natural ability to adapt to external changes and resist illness. It is thought that aloe’s power as an adaptogen balances the body’s system, stimulating the defense and adaptive mechanisms of the body. This allows you an increased ability to cope with stress (physical, emotional and environmental stress like pollution)

4. Aloe Helps with Digestion
Poor digestion is related to many diseases. A properly functioning digestive tract is one of the keys and foundations of health. Aloe is known to soothe and cleanse the digestive tract and help improve digestion.

5. Aloe Helps in Detoxification
Aloe Vera is a gelatinous plant food, just like seaweeds and chia seeds. The main benefit to consuming gelatinous plant foods in your diet is that these gels move through the intestinal tract absorbing toxins along the way and get eliminated through the colon.

6. Aloe Vera is good for the skin
Aloe vera, when applied to a bruise or a cut, helps disinfect and scar the skin faster. When mixed with honey and oat and applied to the face as a mask helps cure those unwanted pimples or blemishes.

Benefits of ginger

Ginger has been commonly used as an exotic ingredient for meals and as a special ingredient for many know desserts and beverages such as: ginger bread houses, ginger ale and ginger bread cookies.

But why is it used as natural remedy? And are the benefits?

Here are a few of these benefits:

• It reduces pain and inflammation, making it valuable in managing arthritis, headaches, and menstrual cramps.
• It has a warming effect and stimulates circulation.
• It inhibits rhinovirus, which can cause the common cold.
• It inhibits such bacteria as Salmonella, which cause diarrhea, and protozoa, such as Trichomonas.
• In the intestinal tract, it reduces gas and painful spasms.
• It may prevent stomach ulcers caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen.

Having ginger around the house will always be useful, especially if you live in cold places. Natural remedies have littel side efects, but if you perceive any consult your physician as soon as posible.

Supplements

In today's modern world and growing population, organic whole foods have become bombarded with pesticides and hormones to both protect them from insects and to accelerate the growing of crops and livestock. These pesticides and  hormones have been the cause of many unwanted diseases and allegergic reactions and have inhibited our bodies to naturally absorb nutrients and vitamins to protect us from those diseases.

I'm the kind of person who prefers eating healthy, but after seeing and eating what's being put in our meals, me and my family have decided that taking supplements is one way to get our vitamins and mineral on a daily basis.

Don't get me wrong though, I do support organic foods and I even started planting my own crops in the back yard, but growing crops the natural way is slow and I hate going to the clinic and taking pills, meds and even getting a vaccine. 

Taking supplements and eating healthy (that mean no more McDonald's kids) is one sure way of preventing most diseases.

Here in this website I'll be recommending the products that me and my family have been using and the ones that we have considered that work.