I ran across this blog after a deep discussion with Erin about educating our kids. While our children are a few years away from formal education, (TJ is 22 months, and Lilly is nine months), we've been hit with friends asking things like, "when are you starting preschool" and "are you planning on holding them back."

Like our other parenting avenues, we thought we'd be relaxed! Who knew that we needed to apply to the best school when we saw the first sonogram? We certainly didn't. Most of our friends have older kids, so we have seen the perils and pitfalls of massively overextended little ones, everything from 3 sports and extracurricular school activities, not to mention the incredible the amount of homework elementary students have nowadays. Just try to mash up all the homework and science fair projects with this busy extracurricular schedule. I can feel my hair turning gray thinking about it!

There's so much to learn about being a working adult while climbing trees as a youth. The ...

Seared Lamb Loin Chops and Fennel, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

I love lamb loin chops so I was really excited to try this.  The lemon really brought out the flavor of the lamb.  This is the first recipe that I have to warn you about, be careful with the salad, the grapefruit really takes over the taste.  So I would only use 1/2 to 1/4 of the grapefruit.

Seared Lamb Loin Chops

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 (4 oz) lamb loin chops
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt,
• 1 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium- high heat.
2. Rub lamb chops evenly with parsley, lemon rind, salt and pepper.
3. Cook chops, in batches, 4 minutes per side or to desired degree of doneness.

Fennel, Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 large grapefruit, peeled and divided into sections
• 1 teas
...

"True healthcare reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington"
~Anonymous

In what some would consider a government shutdown based on healthcare reform, I'd say this quote was pretty timely! I'm not going to get on a large soapbox with this one today, but the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can not save us from runaway health care cost. Neither can billions of dollars spent on medical research, and, honestly, if you think the massive "food" companies like Archer-Daniels-Midland, Cargill, ConAgra, and Monsanto are looking out for your health then you are seriously naive.

Your health starts with the vote you make with your checkbook by buying local and organic GMO-free foods. When you have an 8 in 10 chance of getting diabetes, or a 50/50 chance of dying from a heart attack, both of which have high prevention rates when consuming a proper diet, the obvious conclusion is that changing our diets is the only way to stand any chance of real health reform in this country.

Food, family, ac...

This is such a big issue, and with all the great marketing behind Atkins, I understand the confusion. On the surface they appear to be the same "diet," however, when you look deeper they are entirely different!

Both have their foundations as the modern diet is fundamentally flawed, and that protein and fats should make up the largest part of your diet. To better understand each one let's first take a look at Atkins.

Dr. Atkins, a cardiologist, based his diet on his finding in practice that most heart and health problems stemmed from our diets. He proposed a radical idea that fat was healthy and we needed to completely reset our physiology away from the high starch and sugar diet that most Americans still eat. While most people never really got past the part of the plan that said eat meat, there were 2 phases to his original plan.

The phases boiled down to basically, phase 1 meat, phase 2 addition of cheeses and nuts, then maintenance which meant adding in acceptable vegetables. It i...

Type 1 vs Type 2: Different Diseases, Same Problem

Diabetes—both Type 1 and Type 2—reflects one fundamental problem: your body can't regulate blood glucose properly. The mechanisms differ, but the outcome is the same: chronically elevated blood sugar damages blood vessels, nerves, kidneys, eyes, and cardiovascular tissue.

Type 1 Diabetes (Insulin-Dependent) typically develops when an environmental trigger (viral infection, gut permeability, dietary protein mimicry) combines with genetic predisposition to create an autoimmune attack on pancreatic beta cells. These cells, located in the islets of Langerhans, produce insulin. When they're destroyed, insulin production stops. Type 1 diabetics require exogenous insulin for survival.

Type 2 Diabetes (Non-Insulin Dependent) is metabolic dysfunction, not autoimmune disease. Your pancreas produces insulin—often too much—but your cells have become insulin resistant. They're saturated with glucose and refuse to accept more. The pancreas respon...

Balsamic Chicken Thighs and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

This was a great meal! It was really fast, simply started the marinade before I went to the office and threw it on the grill when I got home.  I did this with both boneless, skinless and bone in, skin on chicken thighs.  I have to admit the boneless picked up the marinade better and had a better flavor. This will make a great appetizer at any party or get together.  The hardest part of this meal was wrapping the asparagus with the prosciutto. Hope you enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken Thighs

• 2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1. Combine balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Brush half of mixture evenly over chicken thighs (reserve remaining balsamic mixture). 
3. Let stand 30 minutes. 
4. Heat a large grill pan over high heat. 
5. Cook chicken in batches, 6 minutes per side or until done. 
6. Brush occasionally with reserved bals
...

I get asked all the time, "...how is it those little pills that you give, that taste sweet, can make a person feel so much better that quickly and take away so much pain?" Well, those little pills are homeopathic remedies!

They can unlock amazing results in the human body, restore balance to the human condition, and help your body heal gently, rapidly and permanently. Homeopathy was founded by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843).

He is called the Father of Experimental Pharmacology because he was the first physician to prepare medicines in a specific way; proving them on healthy human beings, to determine how the medicines acted to cure diseases. In a healthy person when a large dose of a substance is administered, whether it be chemical, plant, mineral, or animal, produces a set of symptoms you may then dilute the material down and treat those same symptoms in a sick person.

In the 1700's cinchona bark was used to treat malaria. Dr. Hahnemann was healthy at the time and decided to eat...

THE MAN IN THE ARENA

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

This is an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt's 1910 speech, "A Citizen of the Republic." This is just one section of the 35-page speech that he gave at the University of Paris. I was first exposed to th...

Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks & Butternut Squash Slaw

This is one of the best marinades I've ever used!  The combination of the balsamic, honey and coconut oil surprisingly marries well. Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks 3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 lb chicken drumsticks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine oil, garlic, vinegar and honey in a large bowl. Add chicken, toss well to coat. Place chicken on a rack of a roasting pan rubbed with olive oil. Bake 35 minutes. Bring remaining oil mixture to a boil in a small saucepan; boil 1 minute. Serve reduced sauce with drumsticks. Butternut Squash Slaw 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1⁄2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper Place chunks of squash in food processor fitted with shredder disc and shre...

Your thyroid controls metabolism, energy production, body temperature, and hormone regulation. When it's not working properly, everything else suffers.

Most thyroid patients are told their only options are medication or surgery. That's not true.

Here's what you need to understand about thyroid dysfunction, why it happens, and what you can actually do about it.

How The Thyroid Works

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces two main hormones: T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine).

T4 is the storage form. T3 is the active form that actually does the work in your cells.

Your body converts T4 to T3 primarily in the liver. This conversion is critical. You can have plenty of T4 and still be functionally hypothyroid if you're not converting it to T3 properly.

What blocks conversion? Stress, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies (selenium, zinc), liver dysfunction, and chronic cortisol elevation.

Your adrenal glands and thyroid work together. When your adrenal...