Cinnamon: not just for taste

I remember years ago my mother had found an article about the benefits of cinnamon and she did her best to incorporate it into everything we ate.  She's a lucky lady that I liked cinnamon and didn't mind her latest health adventure.  However, not long ago I noticed articles about cinnamon all over the place, and TV doctors (Dr. Oz, The Doctors, etc.) mentioning the benefits of consuming cinnamon.  I guess mum really was onto something back then.

I decided to look into these benefits that I kept hearing about since I never really listened to what was being said, and there are plenty of them! The two most popular reasons for using cinnamon are to lower bad cholesterol levels and to keep blood sugar in check.  For individuals seeking to be heart healthy, lowering your cholesterol is a big deal.  Components in cinnamon lower your bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels within the body, which equates to a healthier cardiovascular system as well as overall wellness.  If you're diabetic or hypoglycemic, cinnamon helps regulate glucose amounts which helps control any dramatic changes in insulin levels.

Anyone suffering from arthritis?  You guessed it, cinnamon can help with that too!  Scientists have proven that those nasty cytokines, which trigger the pain where you have arthritis, can be lowered with cinnamon.  Unfortunately, cinnamon can't rid you of arthritis but it definitely can make that unbearable pain become a small ache.

Dr. Oz (that charming doctor you see on TV everyday) even pointed out some less known abilities of cinnamon.  Along with detoxifying the system and stimulating brain function, cinnamon can help rid you of a bladder infection.  Instead of waiting to see your Dr and then having to take antibiotics, Dr. Oz recommends making yourself a strong cup of cinnamon tea within the first 48 hours of symptoms and you can but that bladder at ease.

One thing that I've noticed with any natural remedies or additions to your diet, you'll notices certain aches go away or maybe even stumble upon your own natural fixes.  I have come to learn that when I get some aching gums or sensitive teeth, I like to brush with a little bit of cinnamon extract or swish around a small bit of water with cinnamon mixed in.

Hopefully I've gotten you excited to try adding some cinnamon to your diet to help increase your overall health, but I have the feeling that some of you may be a little confused on how to get this additional cinnamon into your diet.  At first I felt the same, but then I let my creativity fly and found some delicious ways to get my cinnamon fix, and no it's not just in oatmeal so don't you worry!
My favorite ways to eat cinnamon:
1) oatmeal, add in some apples, raisins or nuts for crunch
2) a sprinkle in coffee
3) in some non-fat yogurt with honey
4) a sprinkle over cereal
5)honey mixed with cinnamon for a great dip for apples
6) in an apple/cinnamon protein smoothie
7) baked apples with cinnamon and a dash of Stevia

So as you can see, you don't always need drugs to fix problems!  Mother Nature has provided us with an all natural and inexpensive pharmacy for us to use that tastes great too!! Just a delicious teaspoon a day and you can see your blood results come back better each time.  However, remember to check with your doctor before making changes to your diet and don't over do it!!  A teaspoon is enough, I don't want to see any of you end up like these kids trying to eat a tablespoon of dry cinnamon.  Don't do it!!!!!!! (but go ahead and enjoy a laugh here at this link:  http://youtu.be/mNQEcTGkAgM)

Until next time...
Have a happy healthy day!
Klaudia Fronczek

Scrumptious Sunday...Yumm!

Hello Ladies and Gents!  It's Sunday and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to kick back and relax. Now if only I could find a hammock and somehow be on a tropical island. Oh look!! There's a hammock!! :)

In my family, Sunday means doing your best to sleep in and still make it for the 11:00 mass, i.e., waking up at 10:20, running around frantically finding missing tops and bottoms, and if you're lucky grabbing a cup of coffee on your way out the door.  After all this frantic chaos, plus an hour at church with another solid half hour of socializing afterwards, you can count on my tummy grumbling for some much over do food.  However, with it being so hot I feel like I'm a turkey in the oven on Thanksgiving, and the last thing I want to do is actually turn on the oven and create a sauna in my home.  This is where we count our lucky stars and thank God for the invention of grills.  We all know that grills are a summer time necessity!

Whether you've spent your morning rushed like I have or you're just waking up because you're exhausted from your long walk (ahem ahem, yesterday's post, ahem ahem), I know for a fact you'll want something absolutely delicious without too much hassle!   So here it is, a lean (this IS a healthy newsletter after all) yet absolutely DELICIOUS steak fajita!!!
Now please don't hate me for not posting my own recipe that I'm whipping up just for you special folks, but I haven't even had time to run to the grocery store this week and I know you don't want a recipe consisting of peanut butter, eggs, and peaches.  I'm good, but I'm not that good, and I can't for the life of me come up with a recipe that would taste good with those ingredients. Sorry!!!

 However, the lady (Gina)  that created this recipe is an absolute genius in my mind. Her meals are mouth watering delicious, beautifully photographed and HEALTHY!! Thanks skinnytaste.com (<-- check out her website!) for all your wonderful ideas and nutritional information!
And now for the moment you've all been waiting for... the Recipe!!! Bon apetite, and don't forget your lazy Sunday stroll after dinner!

Until next time...
Have a happy, healthy (and delicious) day!
Klaudia Fronczek

Grilled Steak Fajitas

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 2 fajitas (3 oz meat total + onions, peppers + 2 tortillas)Sodium: 487.6 mg (without adding salt) • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 ptsCalories: 297.8 • Fat: 13.1 g • Protein: 28.9 g • Carb: 30.4 g • Fiber: 16.1 g • Sugar: 1.7 g

For the Steak

• 2 lbs flank steak, trimmed of fat
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp cumin (or to taste)
• 2 scallions, sliced (optional)
• salt + fresh pepper to taste

 For the Onions and Peppers 

• 3 medium onions, sliced into long strips
• 3 bell peppers (I used multi-colors), sliced into strips
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt + fresh pepper to taste

• 12 7" flour tortillas, such as La Tortilla Factory Low Carb High Fiber

I like to season the steak a few hours ahead. Pierce steak with a fork all over to tenderize. Season steak with cumin, garlic, scallions, salt and pepper. Allow steak torest at room tempurature at least 10 minutes before grilling. 

 In a large grill-safe pan such as a clay Chamba or cast iron skillet combine onions, peppers, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Place on the BBQ and cook on medium-low heat, tossing occasionally until onions are caramelized, about 20 minutes. This could also be cooked inside on the stove as well.

When the onions and peppers are done, set aside to keep warm on the top rack of your grill; raise the flame of the grill to high flame. Discard scallion and sear steak 4-6 minutes without moving, turn the steak over and cook a few more minutes until rare or medium rare (well done will be too tough). Remove from grill and let it rest a few minutes before cutting.  

Cut meat into small cubes and combine with the cooked onions and peppers andserve with tortillas, cheese, guacamole and sour cream.

Work-Out Wonders

I'm sure you've all heard your doctor say it plenty of times, "You need your exercise. It's good for you." I'm also pretty sure you've all blown him off thinking, "What's the point? I'm not training for a marathon. I don't need to exercise."  Truth be told, you really should listen to the doc, and not just because he spent an eternity studying the human body.  They actually know what they're talking about on this topic.
Exercise does wonders for the body, and I'm not just talking about weight loss.  Exercising helps you 1) de-stress  2)feel happier  3)help you sleep at night  4)prevent diseases  5)keep your weight in check  6)build your immune system  7)helps you become popular! Think, exercise classes or asking friends to join you on your work-out.

Still not convinced that you should exercise? Maybe it's because you think you need to sign up for a gym membership or buy lots of expensive special equipment.  Not to worry, I'm not here to tell you that you need to do either of those.  I'm not even a believer in spending hundreds of dollars on a gym membership, especially not during the summer!!! Our own backyards are our personal gyms.

Today's health tip (If you haven't already guessed) is about exercising!! I promise I'm not going to demand you do some crazy workout that has you jumping on one foot, then dropping to the ground and doing some contorted push-ups.  Today's workout is simple and actually very pleasant. You can do it alone, with others or even with your dog. Any guesses as to what it is? That's right folks...today is all about walking!  Walking is a great way to get in your minimum 30 minutes of exercise.  All you have to do is put on some supportive shoes (Please ladies, leave the stilettos at home for this one. Power walking in heels isn't so great) and get moving.

During the summer walking as the sun is on its way down is a great way to release the tension of the day and digest your delicious dinner.  Plus, the way the sun sets is absolutely stunning with all those beautiful colors.  If you rather not walk after you've had your dessert, try and get up a little earlier in the morning and take a brisk walk with the smell of the fresh dew filling up your nostrils. Still not a fan of walking? How about shopping? Now I've got your attention! Yes, you read that right, you can kill two birds with one stone.  Take a moment to think about it.  While shopping you're on your feet the whole time, and you're WALKING from store to store, but it doesn't feel like a workout with all those beautiful clothes surrounding you, does it? However, let's try and avoid a stop at the food court which would ruin this great workout of yours.

If you need some more ideas, how about my favorite way to walk which I learned from the greatest woman of all time, my mother.  Give your friend a call and see if they'd like to catch up on some gossip... while walking! If they can't make it for a walk but would still love to talk take them with you, or rather your phone with you.

Remember, there's always a way to get your exercise in, and it doesn't need to feel like hard work either! Thanks for reading, and hopefully you'll get a stroll in today.  Feel free to share your favorite places, times, or ways to take a walk!  Maybe you'll be the inspiration that someone else needs to get outside.

Until next time..
Have a happy, healthy day!
Klaudia Fronczek

Welcome to the Express Canadian Drugs Newsletter!

We here at Express Canadian Drugs have spent the past 10 years helping our customers not only save thousands of dollars on their prescription drugs, but also relieve some of the stress that can come with medical costs.  The costs of medications alone are enough to create such stress that you're headed straight back to the doctor for more prescriptions to help ease the aching in your chest caused by all the previous stress.  I think I'm starting to sense a vicious cycle of stress and drugs.  However, don't worry, you're not alone in the "what do I do, and how do I pay for all these drugs?" situation.
Many others, including myself, have been in that very exact spot.  I personally was written a prescription for an antibiotic that would have cost me over $2,000 for just three weeks! Seeing such a large figure for an antibiotic that might cure me was nauseating. I realized, that if I was going to invest such money into my health I better do everything in my will power to make sure that I got healthy, and stayed healthy.  No more $2,000 antibiotic binges for me!
With that in mind I made a checklist of what things pertain to "good health" in the eyes of a doctor and myself.  Essentially, it all came down to feeling good.  What does "feeling good" mean exactly?  It means that you have the energy to wake up and tackle a day of errands, you can eat a piece of cake and not be effected, you can think clearly all day long and most importantly that you don't have to worry if your heart will hold up during a walk in the park with your dog.  You may be thinking, "Oh my! I haven't felt full of energy in a long time. I bet it takes a lot of work to 'feel good' again."  But don't you worry, that's where this newsletter and I come into play!
Once I started to improve my lifestyle along with the Doctor's prescription, I realized I was feeling great and continued to feel great!  So naturally, I thought why not share this with all my valued customers who I want to feel just as energetic and as healthy as I do.  With that I bring you Express Canadian Drugs Newsletter.  The newsletter will be filled with tips on exercising, healthy foods & products, healthy (yet tasty!)recipes, herbal supplements that can help counter aches and pains, vitamins, alternative health care, and many other healthy living tips.  Also, since our #1 priority is still saving you money on your Rx, we'll be posting promotions for al of our customers to apply towards orders. So be sure to check in with us as often as you can!

Thanks for being a part of Express Canadian Drugs and welcome to our new venture. Hope we can help you out in many more ways.

Have a happy, healthy day!
Klaudia Fronczek

Feel free to give us a call (586)443-4367, shoot us an email: marlena@expresscanadiandrugs.com, or stop by for a hello: 27113 Harper Ste 106, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080.