Best Tips For Buying A Home During A Pandemic

 The housing market is crazy right now. In many towns, there are more buyers than available homes. So being prepared before you start home shopping is key. 

 Last year the housing market shifted in a huge way. It seems that the Covid-19 pandemic had many people choosing to relocate to another state. So home buying was on the rise, as well as home sales. So many home areas became a seller's market as there were plenty of buyers wanting to purchase a home. 

 In my town, I had friends selling their homes and having multiple offers on the first day of the home listing. I even had friends who sold their house in a day. So many people were moving to Albuquerque, from other states, and needed to buy a house. It was simply crazy how fast homes were selling.

Home buying and selling from a realtor perspective

 My friends who were realtors were posting on social media that there was a shortage of homes in the Albuquerque area and needed people to list their homes for sale. It was a home seller market and now was the best time to sell your home. People were listing their homes for sale at higher prices as home values were increasing. The reality for those who needed to buy a home during the pandemic was the home market was a competitive market and you needed to act fast. If you wanted to buy a new home, you needed to be quick. 

 I was glad that I was not looking for a new home. Now was not the best time to buy a home for my family. My husband and I spent a lot of money over the past 4 years, remodeling our home to make it look awesome. First, my husband and I remodeled the master bathroom, four years ago. Then two years ago, we replaced the carpet downstairs with ceramic tile. In 2021, we remodeled the whole upstairs with new vinyl floors and new paint. We also converted the bathtub into a shower in the kid's bathroom. We loved our home and had no desire to move.

Tips for first time home buyers

The real estate market is still a seller's market as we head into 2022. So it is even more important to be ready to quickly make an offer on a home or you may not get the home of your dreams. So there are so many things that one needs to do before they start looking at homes to buy. The first step to buying a new home is knowing how much money you can spend on your home purchase.

 One of the best ways to know about home much home you can afford is to use a mortgage calculator. A mortgage calculator will help figure out what your house payment will be, based on the price of the home. So you can then figure how much home you can afford. Knowing how much your monthly mortgage payment will be will help you consider whether it makes sense to buy vs rent.

Important steps to buying your first home

1. Determine How Much House You Can Afford

2. Get Prequalified and Preapproved for Your Mortgage

3. Find the Right Real Estate Agent

4. Shop for Your Home and Make an Offer

Once you determine that it is the right time to buy a home, then head to a mortgage broker and get prequalified for your mortgage. Homes are selling fast and will not have time to waste, once you find a home that you want to purchase. So before you even look at homes for sale, make sure to get preapproved for your mortgage for your new home. This is an important step to home buying as you don't want to look at homes that you can't afford.

So now that you used the mortgage calculator and have the mortgage preapproval, it is time to find the right Real Estate Agent. A real estate agent will be the person who will help you find your home and help you buy the home that is right for you. Make sure that this person is the right fit as you will be seeing them often, as they take you to view many homes for sale. Maybe you have a friend who sells homes or perhaps your friends recently used a real estate agent. Ask friends and family for recommendations for the best real estate agent to work with. It is important to know that you as a home buyer, do not have to pay for the use of a real estate agent. They get paid by the home seller once you buy a home.

Important tips for shopping for your new home

Since you will be buying a home during a time when there is a shortage of homes for sale, you need to be better prepared before you look at homes. This is the time to sit down with your partner and make a list of items that are important to have in your new home. This list will help your realtor find the right homes to show you. When making this list, just consider items that would be hard to change. Items like carpet, the color of walls, light fixtures, and even kitchen counters can be replaced with ones that you desire.

Questions to ask yourself are 

~ How many bedrooms do we need? 

~ How many bathrooms?

~ One story or two floors?

~ Big or small backyard?

~ Square footage of home

~ Size of rooms

 Now would be a good time to measure your furniture and room sizes in your current home. This is especially important if you have unique size pieces of furniture that may have trouble fitting in smaller rooms. You may have a large bedroom set or a big dining room table that may not fit in certain spaces. So, measure and bring these measurements along with a tape measure when you shop for a new home.

 When homes are selling fast, you may not have the time to take a second look at a home for sale. When I bought a house many years ago, I had a china cabinet that needed more space, so having the measurement of the cabinet helped me to know that it would fit in the dining room of the house that we purchased. So be prepared with measurements so you can quickly buy a home before someone else buys it.

Making the offer on a home

 A real estate agent will help you make the best offer on the home that you want to buy. The realtors know the important things that you need to know before purchasing a home. Things like how much similar homes sold for, how many other people are interested in the home, etc. The real estate agent will help you place the right bid on the home. The realtors make money when you buy a home, so they will help you get the house that you want to buy.

 Buying your first home takes a lot of work. Buying a home can be stressful too. Thankfully there are plenty of resources available online to help you with buying a home. For more tips on buying a home, you should check out these 100 Tips For Buying a Home. Buying a home is also very rewarding. Once you move into your new home, you will quickly learn that owning a home is a good thing.

Easy Spanish Rice For Mexican Meals

Spanish rice is the perfect side dish to serve with Mexican dishes like tacos, burritos, and more. Once you see how easy it is to make Spanish rice, it will quickly become a family favorite rice recipe.

 I always thought that making Mexican rice was complicated and never thought that I could make this rice recipe at home. I live in New Mexico and Spanish rice is an ethnic recipe that is served at most potlucks. So many of my neighbors and friends are of Hispanic and Mexican descent. When they make Spanish rice for a meal, I always enjoy it. Spanish rice is also a staple on the plates of all the local Mexican restaurants. When you order a meal from a Mexican place, it usually comes with Spanish/ Mexican rice. 

 Living in New Mexico means you have access to many delicious Mexican and New Mexican restaurants. The food that is served at Mexican and New Mexican places are quite similar, with the differences being the flavors and the ingredients used in the meals. The main difference is New Mexican recipes incorporate green chiles but both have the standard tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, etc. The meal plates always have beans, tortillas, and rice. Restaurant-style Spanish rice is so delicious.

How to make Spanish Rice

 The other day, I made my first batch of Spanish rice for a church potluck and I was amazed at how easy it was to make. I then questioned why did it take me so long to make homemade Spanish rice? I have made homemade tortillas and chipotle beans but never Spanish rice. Could it be that my family never requested me to cook Spanish rice or the fact that somebody else always brought the Mexican rice to potlucks? Maybe it was my thinking that this white girl could not make a flavorful Spanish rice dish.

 Whatever the reasons, I am glad that I decided to make Spanish rice that was homemade. I brought my spicy Spanish rice to a Christmas party and everyone loved it. My rice dish went well with all the different enchiladas that other people brought. My rice made with a Spanish style was so good that my youngest son requested that I make this rice recipe more often.

Ingredients needed to make Spanish rice

+ Rice - White or brown, long-grain

+ Onion

+ Extra Virgin Olive Oil

+ Tomato sauce

+ Minced garlic

+ Chicken broth

+ Cumin

+ Red chili powder

+ Salt

The best recipes start with Extra Virgin Olive oil

 You might have noticed that my Spanish Rice ingredient list mentions extra virgin olive oil and I wonder if you can use another type of cooking oil. While you are welcome to use your favorite cooking oil, I recommend using extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and recipe-quality results. I use olive oil in many of my healthy recipes simply because olive oil provides the best flavor for recipes. Then I recommend Extra Virgin Olive Oil for many other reasons. 

 Extra virgin olive oil is a healthy cooking oil. EVOO is high in healthy plant nutrients called phytochemicals that may help fight cancer and heart disease. This flavorful oil called extra virgin olive oil also has some amazing health benefits*.

Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

+ Boosts Heart Health

+ Lowers Stroke Risk

+ Fights Inflammation

+ High in Antioxidants

+ Zaps Bacteria

+ Prevents Cancer

+ Boosts Your Brain

* https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-health-benefits-of-olive-oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil facts

● Extra virgin olive oil is made by pressing olive oil, without heat or chemicals

● Olive oils are tested for peroxide values. Lower values indicate fresher oil and more rapid processing.

● Extra virgin olive oil is virtually free of acidity — below 0.8%. If the percentage of oleic acid (fatty acid) is too high, it indicates improper production and rancidity. 

● A panel of trained, expert tasters tests for taste defects and the presence of positive attributes of fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness. If the oil doesn’t have the signature fruity taste and harmonious balance, it won’t receive an Extra Virgin rating.

● Extra virgin olive oil has a high smoking point of 400°F, so it is suitable for cooking and baking.

● Between use, store your oil somewhere dark and cool (around 57°F, if possible), not on the counter or near a stove, and never in the refrigerator. Keep the lid screwed on tight, and use your oil within six months of opening.

Spanish rice questions and tips

How much rice should I make per person? While a serving of rice is 1/2 cup of cooked rice, I recommend 1 cup of cooked rice per person. One cup of dried rice makes 3 cups of cooked rice. Leftover rice can be stored in the fridge for several days.

Which rice is best for Spanish Rice? Any white rice can be used for Spanish rice but I recommend using long-grain white rice. It gets fluffy and does not get sticky like some of the short-grained rice.

Can Spanish rice be made with brown rice? Brown rice can definitely be used in place of white rice. Brown rice is healthier rice also.  Just add ⅓ c more water per cup of brown rice and let simmer longer- until the brown rice reaches your desired texture.

Can you use salsa instead of tomato sauce? Yes! Salsa can add more flavor and even a bit more spice to this rice recipe. Depending on the salsa you use, it can also add additional texture.

Can I add additional ingredients to the rice recipe? To add different flavors and textures, you can add chopped vegetables to the rice while it is cooking. I like to add chopped peppers, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, diced green chiles, or even jalapenos.

How do I reheat leftover Spanish Rice? Make sure to store the leftover rice in an air-tight container in the fridge. The cooked Spanish rice will keep for a week. To reheat, just microwave or reheat on the stove for a few minutes. Add a couple spoons of water if the rice is too dry.

Can Spanish rice be frozen? This rice can be frozen. I like to place about 3 cups of cooked rice into a freezer bag. Make sure to label it Spanish rice. Store in the freezer for 4-6 months, for the best quality. When you need the rice for a meal, just reheat the rice in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave the rice on high stirring every 2 minutes until rice reaches your desired temperature.

12 Meatless Recipes That Use Beans

Check out these other recipes that use Extra Virgin Olive oil

 Roasted Tomatoes Made in The Air Fryer 

Rosemary and Caramelized Onion Sun-Dried Tomato Focaccia

Caramelized Onions

Wild Mushroom Pizza With Caramelized Onions

Make sure to save this recipe on Pinterest

The Best Way To Add Flavor To Healthy Meals With Holic Foods

 Looking for a simple way to add amazing flavor to your plant-based meals? Check out these wholesome gluten-free sauces that are made with no artificial additives or synthetic ingredients. 

 Some days I feel like cooking flavorful healthy meals and other days, I just want to throw something in the microwave. Life gets busy or I get lazy but I still want to eat healthy food with flavor. I don't want to eat a frozen meal that is lacking flavor and tastes like the box it came in. While my favorite quick healthy plant-based meals are vegan food, especially butternut squash noodles that taste like mac and cheese, I don't always have them in my freezer. So I have discovered a quick and easy way to flavor my food with three amazing clean plant-based sauces.

 Holic gluten-free sauces are simply amazing and add delicious flavor to so many meals. These spicy sauces are naturally addictive. I love grabbing the bottle of sauce from the fridge and I pour it on whatever I am eating. From salads to sandwiches, even casseroles, Holic meal flavor sauces ad awesome flavor and a subtle kick of heat to my favorite foods.

 I received three Holic sauces to try and I love the flavors of them all. Each Holic sauce has a different flavor profile and they are ready to use or you can use them in your favorite recipes. I was inspired to try the Holic sauces when I discovered this recipe for Honey Aleppo Shrimp Sizzle Skillet. I was drooling over the photo of the recipe that Holic Foods sent me and it reminded me of my favorite take-out shrimp dish. So I just had to request the Holic Honey Aleppo marinade so I could make the Honey Aleppo Shrimp Sizzle Skillet recipe. Make sure to keep reading to get the recipe.

Three Clean Ingredient Plant-Based Sauces

 I was thrilled when Holic sent me all three of their Clean Ingredient Plant-Based Sauces. The first sauce that I tried was the Holic Tahini sauce. I drizzled the spicy tahini sauce over some cooked chickpeas to make a spicy version of my vegan tuna salad. This sauce is made with Aleppo peppers for a subtle kick that adds the perfect amount of Mediterranean heat. It had a nice spicy tahini flavor that reminded me of my Spicy HARISSA Hot Chili Hummus. After one taste of the sauce, I knew that this spicy tahini sauce would add great flavor to vegetables, sandwiches, and so many of my plant-based recipes.

Holic Sauces are:

• Plant-based
• Vegan Certified
• Gluten-Free
• Non-GMO
• No Soy
• No Big 8 allergens
• Keto-friendly

The next day I drizzled the Honey Aleppo sauce over my leftover store-bought vegan gluten-free cheese pizza and it made that bland pizza taste so good. I usually make my own pizza but since I am on a gluten-free elimination diet, this pizza was an easy option since I haven't learned how to make a gluten-free pizza crust. My allergist suggested that I eliminate wheat from my diet for a month to see if that would help my asthma as part of my lung healing treatment. 

 The Honey Aleppo Holic has the sweetness of honey with the subtle Mediterranean heat of Aleppo peppers and it was sweet, savory, and tangy. I could see myself using this delicious vegan condiment in a stir fry, a salad dressing; as a marinade for shrimp or fish, on cooked vegetables, and even over my rice and beans. I am even thinking that this spicy sauce would be perfect for my Southwest Sushi Burrito recipe.

Meet Jalapeñoholic

 I admit that I was hesitant to try the Holic Jalapeñoholic sauce. The last time I cooked with jalapenos, I had a severe allergic reaction. While it was not the jalapenos that left me struggling to breathe but rather the dipping of my hands in milk that caused the allergic reaction, I still struggle with jalapenos. You can read the full story of my severe life-threatening allergic reaction HERE.

The flavor profile of the Jalapeñoholic sounded delicious and I got over my fear of jalapenos so I could experience this creamy plant-based sauce. I had leftover pan-fried potatoes in the fridge and decided to drizzle the Jalapeñoholic sauce over them after I reheated the potatoes in the microwave. One taste and I was addicted to this spicy jalapeno sauce. I loved that it had a small kick of heat! I was expecting burning heat from this sauce but instead, I was greeted with terrific flavor that did not leave my mouth burning. This sauce will be excellent on eggs, fish tacos, pasta, and more.

Make sure to try this recipe

Now that you have met the three Holic sauces, you need to buy some so you can try this shrimp recipe. My favorite way to enjoy the spicy honey shrimp is in a warm tortilla with lettuce and avocado. While the below recipe suggests serving the shrimp over rice, that is optional. These flavorful shrimp are perfect with pasta. If you are looking for more recipe inspiration with the Holic sauces, make sure to explore the recipes on their website.

Honey Aleppo Shrimp Sizzle Skillet

 

Ingredients

 

1 lb. frozen uncooked shrimp, thawed

1 Bottle  HOLIC HONEY ALEPPO SAUCE

8 Cups White sticky rice, cooked

1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

 

Directions

 

Place thawed shrimp in a medium bowl and add Holic Honey Aleppo sauce, stirring to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

 

Cook rice according to directions and keep covered.

 

In a saucepan add marinated shrimp and cook over medium heat until shrimp are opaque and reach 145°F, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

 

Spoon rice into bowls and top with shrimp and sauce and serve with lime wedges.

PonyCycle®, Makes My Dreams Come True!

 I have already posted two blogs about how my children love PonyCycle toys, they are just amazing, and have brought so much fun to my family!

 However, I have a dream of a PonyCycle toy for my son: I would like to buy him a bigger pony. My granddaughters ride PonyCycle toys every day, but my elder son could only look at them enviously because he is 13 years old, he is too old to ride Model N or Model U Size 4. It is such a pity right? I really hope that they could ride ponies happily together!

 I cared about my son’s reaction as soon as my granddaughter ride the pony, so I decided to send emails to the PonyCycle official team, to ask for an answer that if they would design a new size of PonyCycle toys for those kids who have already grown up because they still want to horse riding experience when they don’t have a real one.

 What excited me so much is that they gave me a positive reply, a bigger size for 7+ big kids will be released on January 1, 2022!

 I can’t wait to tell this exciting news to all my children immediately, they were so surprised that they almost jumped up! As I just mentioned before, I’ve been thinking about buying a bigger pony for my eldest son for a long time, and it will come true! Our family is about to welcome a new member! I believe you will be as excited as me if you have the same demand who desires to have a bigger size of PonyCycle toy for bigger kids!

As I just mentioned in my previous blogs, compared with PonyCycle® Model N 2018, Model U 2021 has been greatly changed in all aspects!

 Quality Appearance: Compliant fur and hair, comparable to a real horse

 Safe Stopping Brake: Hand-controlled, Safety Stop brake ensures very gentle and gradual braking

 Realistic Sounds: Easily squeeze the ears for realistic neighing and galloping sounds

 Updated  Bearing One-way Wheels: Without a stop ring, the craft is upgraded for a smoother ride. A larger contact area makes more stable use.

 Non-slip Solid Half Arc Pedals: Increase the force area, non-slip and wear-resistant.

 Optional Pedal Pads: You can purchase pedal pads to help kids reach the pedals easily. It increases the foot reach by about 3cm in height.

 Optional Reins: You can purchase reins to help kids feel more like riding a real pony.

 New Sophisticated Package: new design, more colorful.​

 PonyCycle® even launched New Christmas Costumes suitable for all models: The right thing to warm your heart and bring up memories of Christmas.

That’s really a good idea, is it?!

PonyCycle makes my dream come true! We are looking forward to the new size, this will be definitely the best gift for my son.

Unique Ways To Use Motion Sensor Lights In Your Home

 Motion lights can help you spend energy wisely and help light up dark places in your home. Check out some unique places to use motion lights in the home.

 Motion lights are lights that light up when you need them but turn off when no longer needed. A simple motion light can help light up so many places in your home, even places that do not have an electrical outlet. Using motion lights can help you avoid the phrase, "turn off the light!" and save money. A motion light needs motion, from someone walking by the light, to turn on and when it does not detect motion, it turns off. So no need to remember to turn off the light.

Adding light to unique places in your home

 This past year, I did several home renovations which included replacing the carpet on my stairs with vinyl flooring. The new flooring on the stairs looked amazing but I quickly discovered that the pattern of the vinyl tile made walking down the stairs at nighttime difficult for me. So I needed a light solution that would make walking downstairs easier.

While the lights that are controlled by a wall switch gave light to the stairs, I quickly realized that it was not practical. I often forgot to turn off the lights after going up and down the stairs. If I had items in my hands, then it would be even more difficult to turn off the lights. So I realized that I needed to purchase a motion sensor light to make my stair safer. Since the stairs did not have an electrical outlet, a battery-operated motion would be best for the lighting of my stairs.

This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases 

 Once I placed the Vont Round Motion Sensor Light on the wall, I no longer had problems walking down the stairs, when it was night. This motion wall light was easy to stick on the wall. It was a stick anywhere battery-operated motion light that was perfect for the staircase. The three battery-operated round LED night lights needed no tools to install. Once I saw how the motion lights worked, I decided that I needed to purchase more motion detected lights for my home.

Unique places for motion sensor lights

+ Staircase

+ Hallway

+Bathroom 

+ Kitchen

+ Cabinets

+ Garage

+ Closet

+ Pantry

+ Outdoor Hot Tub Gazebo

The motion lights not only made my home safer but they saved me money. I place some of the lights that turned on with motion in the bathroom that I converted from a bathtub to a shower. That way the kids could use the bathroom at night without having to turn on the wall light. I knew that the dark garage would be another room that needed motion lights. That way I did not have to leave the garage light on when I needed to go somewhere at night.

 These motion sensor lights from Vont are affordable so I bought several more and I quickly discovered other places that needed motion lights. My hall closet was a perfect place for a motion sensor light. I use the hall closet to store my food stockpile. This walk-in closet has no light in it and is quite dark. So it is hard to see inside the closet. So I stuck one of the round motion lights on the wall of the hall closet and now I can easily see inside the dark closet. I really love how these motion lights stick on the wall with magnetic adhesive brackets. That makes changing the batteries so simple.

Lights for the hot tub 

 Last year we decide to purchase a hot tub to make surviving the pandemic easier. We also purchased a metal gazebo with curtains for the hot tub. I love using my hot tub at night. The dark makes it hard to see my pathway to my outdoor hot tub. So I placed Vont LED Outdoor Solar Lights near my outdoor gazebo to make my walk to the hot tub safer. I also placed one of the round motion lights inside the hot tub area so I would have a source of light to open up the hot tub and turn on the hot tub lights.

 I love that the outdoor solar lights are waterproof landscape spotlights that can be used outside in so many places like near the front door. These solar-powered outdoor LED lights are wireless and ready to use. The solar lights come in a 2 pack and I am already planning to purchase more solar lights for my front yard. Solar lights will help keep my home safe.

Places to use Vont LED Outdoor Solar Lights

+ Yard

+ Walkway

+ Driveway

+ Porch

+ Patio

+ Garden

+ Outside by the front door

+ Near the trash cans

 I am glad that I discovered lights that work by motion. They are so useful in the home and so practical. I know the motion sensor lights will help me save money on my electrical bill. The motion lights will be replacing the use of other lights in my home. Since I will be using the lights controlled by light switches less, I will see the energy savings and be saving money. Check out the motion lights 

      

How to Naturally Heal Your Lungs From Trauma

 Whether you have asthma, allergies, COPD, or have been a smoker, these tips and products will help you heal your lungs from trauma. Join me on my journey as I heal my lungs from experiencing trauma from severe asthma attacks and food allergies.

I am not a doctor and these treatments are not substitutes for prescribed medications. I am just sharing things that I learned about natural healing.

 My journey of trauma to my lungs started many years ago and recently some events added more damage to my lungs. It was first discovering mold in our house a couple of months ago and then a severe food allergy attack that left me unable to breathe. These events made me realize that I needed to seek help for my asthma, food allergies, and airborne allergies. It was time for me to make a doctor's appointment for allergy testing and asthma tests. 

 I was unable to control my asthma symptoms naturally without prescription medicine

It was through the skin-prick allergy test that I discovered how allergic I was to plants and weeds that grew in my city. When the nurse came to check on my back during the allergy testing, he described my itchy back as angry. My seasonal allergies were on the very high side as the testing gave me hives and an itchy back. My back was itchy for several days after the allergy test. 

 The allergy testing did not show any of my food allergies as I had not consumed any dairy, soy, or mushrooms in over three years. My severe food allergy, which I experience in September, was from dipping my hands in milk. Thankfully I had past food allergy blood tests to show the doctor about those food allergies. I was able to tell the doctor the symptoms that I experienced when I consumed dairy, soy, or mushrooms. 

The allergy doctor also did a lung function test and it showed that my lungs were experiencing asthma symptoms. The doctor knew that my allergies to plants, mold, and food were causing me to have severe asthma attacks. The doctor said that asthma could be causing damage to my lungs and needed to be treated or I could end up with COPD. The asthma doctor also informed me that the night I woke up unable to breathe was most likely my airway closing up from an anaphylaxis shock from my dairy allergy. 

 I left the allergy testing place with way too many prescriptions for asthma and food allergies. The prescriptions included an Epi-pen, a nebulizer, a nasal spray, and other medications for asthma. Most of the prescriptions were for emergency treatments for my asthma and food allergies. The doctor also wanted me to take a daily prescription medication for asthma. I left that allergy doctor appointment both relieved to have emergency food allergy medicine but discouraged that I had to take daily prescription medicine for asthma.

7 Effective Ways To Clear Mucus For Better Breathing

Could wheat be causing asthma problems?

 The allergy doctor also suggested some other allergy and asthma treatments. Since my skin allergy test showed a bad reaction to wheat, she suggested that I eliminate wheat from my diet for 4 weeks to see if my asthma improves. Not being able to eat any wheat during the holidays is going to be tough as that means none of my favorite Christmas sugar cookies and no holiday dinner rolls. Following a gluten-free diet is going to be hard. I am glad that I have many gluten-free products in my pantry from attending the Nourish Festival. I will have to modify my favorite recipes to be made without wheat flour. I am glad that I have a delicious recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Mocha Protein Brownies.

Natural ways to heal the lungs

 If you have been visiting my website for any amount of time, then you probably know I like to do things naturally. I like to use food and supplements to heal my body. I like to also keep my body healthy with exercise and a plant-based diet. I am one who avoids taking over-the-counter medicines and prescription medicine. I use supplements like CBD for sleep and pain. I am thankful that there is medicine to manage my asthma but they will not heal my body. So I decided to do research on natural treatments to heal the lungs. I discovered food and supplements that could heal the lungs. So I am going to start including these in my diet for the next month to see if they could help improve my lung function testing. 

 Please remember that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, these are items that I have discovered through my own research from medical websites and natural practitioners. I obtained a lot of this information from a book called Ancient Remedies.

The author of Ancient Remedies, Dr. Josh Axe, talks about three types of medical treatments and I want to focus on healing my lungs with the last ~ Ancient Medicine

1. Conventional Medicine: drugs and surgery prescribed to cover up symptoms

2. Integrative Medicine: general diet recommendations for everyone; supplements, exercise, and natural therapies to treat causes of symptoms.

3. Ancient Medicine: personalized diet, herbal supplements, essential oils, exercise, holistic treatments, emotional health recommendations aimed at treating the root cause of the disease. Yes, asthma is a disease.

In Dr. Axe's book, he focuses on using food, herbs, and supplements that can heal the dampness or dryness in the lungs. Asthma is usually caused by excess mucus in the lungs but you can also have dry asthma ( the key sign is a dry nonproductive cough.) I have experienced both types of asthma. Three years ago when my asthma was at its worse, the dry cough made it hard for me to sleep. So I had to sleep sitting up. Then I remember those mornings when I would wake up and cough so hard that I would vomit up mucus. 

Now I have mostly the wet excess mucus type of asthma and on my bad days, I tend to cough up a lot of phlegm. My family always will ask me if I am ok when I am coughing all the mucus out of my body but I remind them that getting the mucus out of my lungs helps me breathe better.

So to heal my lungs, I am following the advice of Dr. Axe and including these foods in my diet. I also did some searching online to find out how exactly these foods and herbs help the lungs. So make sure to click on the link below the foods if you want more information.

20 SuperFoods and herbs that are good for the lungs*

+ Beets ~ This includes homemade beet powder in my smoothies, beet juice, and roasted beets.

+ Peppers

+ Apples

+ Pumpkin ~ I discovered a delicious vegan protein powder made from pumpkin.

+ Turmeric ~ Great for inflammation. I am drinking a creamy vegan golden milk blend with turmeric, saffron, and ginger.

+ Tomatoes

+ Blueberries

+ Green Tea

+ Red cabbage

+ Edamame

+ Olive oil

+ Oysters

+ Yogurt

+ Brazil Nuts

+ Swiss chard

+ Barley

+ Anchovies

+ Lentils

+ Coffee

+ Cocoa ~ My favorite way to add cocoa to my diet is by adding this delicious Hot Sexy Cocoa Adaptogen Blend to my coffee. This blend has ashwagandha, which is also beneficial to the lungs.

Uplift Florae is a delicious dose of superfoods in one drink to help you feel good and perform your best. Uplift Florae comes in five healthy, plant-based beverage blends – Plant Power Vegan Protein, Phyto-Superfood Green Drink, Lean Bean Power Coffee, Hot Sexy Cocoa Adaptogen Blend, and Tranqui-Latte Golden Milk. Uplift Florae products are vegan, all-natural, non-GMO, Keto-friendly, Paleo-friendly, gluten-free. Uplift Florae uses only plant-based ingredients. No added sugar, fillers, or starches. Designed, developed, and manufactured in the United States. Sold at: https://getuplifted.com, Amazon, and Walmart.com.

* Click here for more information on the complete benefits of all these foods and herbs

Since questioning do I have asthma? I discovered many supplements that may improve asthma symptoms. By managing my asthma so I am symptom-free, my lungs are not being inflamed. So this can help my lungs heal. This list includes supplements that I currently take and some new ones that I will be adding to my daily supplements. My favorite supplements for asthma are ClearLungs and the essential oils ~ peppermint and eucalyptus. The ClearLungs is a Chinese remedy that opens up my airways while the essential oils are my natural inhaler. I deeply breathe in the essential oils to open up my airways. 

Supplements that are good for the lungs

+ Probiotics ~ Healing starts in the gut with good bacteria

+ Licorice root ~ Strengths the lungs ~ Take 1000 mg daily

+ Ashwagandha ~ increases nitric oxide production. Several animal studies have shown that ashwagandha helps decrease inflammation.

+ Essential oils ~ Peppermint & Eucalyptus ~ open the airways ~ breath in or apply topically to the chest

+ CBD ~ Research is still being done on the many benefits of CBD but studies show that CBD reduces inflammation in the lungs. I already use CBD for sleep so I will continue to.

+ Clear lungs ~ Herbal supplement that supports free breathing and keeps airways open.

+ Redd remedies inhaler ~ An easy way to use essential oils for opening up the airways.

+ Allergy Shots ~ Keep reading to find out more.

 The allergy doctor informed me about doing a treatment for asthma and allergies. This allergy treatment was allergy shots. I had always heard about allergy shots but never thought about them as a treatment option for airborne allergies. When the allergy doctor told me that my seasonal allergies were causing harm to my lungs from asthma and could mean I could have COPD later in life, I considered allergy shots. 

 I have always been against using traditional medicine as it just manages the symptoms of the disease. So when the doctor mentioned that allergy shots could heal my seasonal allergies, I had to do some research. Allergy shots are basically shots of the items that one is allergic to. The shots contain only the substances from the plants. So I would not have to worry about chemicals. These allergy shots are a way to introduce your body to the allergen so it eventually does not recognize it as the enemy. 

 The allergy shots will be time-consuming as for the first 6 months, one has to get the allergy shot injections every 2 weeks, The injections start out with a small amount of the allergen, less than the amount in the allergy skin test. Then the dosage increases gradually until your body no longer has any allergy symptoms. Then I will have to have the allergy shots for 3-4 more years for maintenance purposes.

 While I know that the allergy shots will benefit me in the long run, I worry about the side effects of the injections. The skin testing for allergies left my back itchy for a couple of days. I also felt congested too. So I know that I may experience some less desirable side effects from the allergy shots. Then when the plants that I am allergic to start growing, that will be another layer of allergy symptoms. I guess that I need to take a chance with the allergy shots as I have been dealing with seasonal allergies for over 20 years.

Have you done the allergy shot treatment? I would love to hear about your experience, the good and the bad.