App Review: WaterMinder

One of the first things I was told to do once I started seeing a cardiologist for my condition (even before getting a diagnosis... remember, I was doing symptom management long before ever receiving a diagnosis as it took 6 years) was to up my salt intake drastically as well as my water. At this point, I'm pretty good about maintaining my salt intake as I have learned to listen to my body's signs that I need more salt and have adapted strategies that are, by this point, ingrained habits that get my sodium in. 

Water is a different issue though as I get lost in whatever I am doing and lose track of the time quite easily, especially if I'm out of my routine. The key I've found for my average workday is to keep two water bottles on my desk and just drink whenever I am thirsty... no stopping what I am doing, just reach for it and take a drink or two. Whenever I finish one I move on to the other... and usually fairly soon after that I need a bathroom break so fill the first back up while I'm already away from my desk. It's working fairly well so far when I have a normal day at work. I use two 0.75 L Camelbak bottles that I referenced in my travel post if you were wondering.

If I drink when I am thirsty and stop when I'm not, I drink between 3-5 liters per day. I don't know many people who drink that much water unless they are making an effort to do so personally but perhaps everyone I know is just dehydrated all the time (not unlikely). I've found that, for me, if I aim for 4L then I'm needing IV infusions of saline less... which is a plus. Unfortunately drinking too much water can make you nauseous so I have to be careful to space it out well... and you are constantly needing to take bathroom breaks it seems, which is a bit annoying. But you do what you have to do, right? 

NOTE: I would not recommend drinking as much water as I do without taking care of your electrolyte needs as well so as not to end up with an imbalance. This is a point I cannot stress enough. I am not a doctor and do not claim to know about how much water you personally need for a happy and healthy body, I just know what I have to do for my specific body to function well. My needs are rarely the same as the 'norm' so do not take my daily requirements to be average in any way. If you are concerned you are not getting in enough (or too much) fluids please consult your doctor to ensure a healthy outcome.

But what about those days that are not 'normal'... or the weekends? Well, there's the issue. I simply do no meet even the 3L minimum it takes to stop me from being thirsty (which they tell me is a sign of dehydration... bad news for someone like me) and definitely not the amount that has decreased my trips to get IVs when I'm out of my normal routine. So I started looking for apps to help me track as I always seem to misplace a paper version of a tracker and I'm never going to remember how much water I've had from the beginning of the day to the end unless the number is super low if previous experience has taught me anything about myself. 

I must've tried half a dozen apps and dismissed at least that many based on the reviews alone but I finally got down to the last three. I tracked with them both for a few days and finally landed on WaterMinder as the one I would keep due to its simplicity and ease of reporting.

When you enter the app (after registration) you will see an outline of either a woman or a man. Since I am a woman, I see this lovely outline. As the day progresses and you log more water the blue level raises and the percentages on the bottom portion labeled "Your Daily Fill" update. One interesting tidbit about that blue level is that it changes how it fills the outline based on the position of your phone, like water in a cup. I got a bit of fun out of that I'll have to admit. Anyways, to enter a serving of water simply click the plus sign and the 'cup' sizes you selected in the settings tab will appear for quick entry. A regular bottle of water is 500mL so I would click on the 500mL bottle to show I had finished one of those for instance. Since this is customizable it is completely up to you how many options you have, or if they are in in mL or oz.

As you can see, once I added a 750mL bottle to represent my Camelbak it showed up on the quick add menu. To add a custom 'cup' click over to the Settings tab and tap "Add Cup" then enter the amount of water you wish to represent. Since my app is in the mL setting it asked for the amount in mL but if you have set your settings to oz then yours will ask for it in oz of course, no conversion necessary.

Another way to add water quickly, if you are using an iPhone, is to add it directly from the Today tab in the Notifications menu. Simply swipe down from the top of the screen to access the Notifications menu.

The other two tabs on the app are History and Tips. I wasn't super impressed with the Tips area as they don't appear to ever change but rather has a small essay on the benefits of water. I found it less helpful than a tip a day type option personally and didn't learn anything new but it is worth a quick read through in case there is something new to you. I have added a screenshot of the table of contents below.

The History section was useful in that I can track my intake over just the day, the week, month or even the year. You can see that I had one day near New Years that I didn't come close to my goal in a quick glance as well as see an average for the time period and where I'm at today so far.

Other useful things about this app:
- It sends me reminders to stop and drink some water. Those reminders are customizable by time or can be turned off altogether if you wanted to do so. I have selected every 1.5 hours after my normal wake up time until a few hours before bedtime and for the reminders to stop once I've reached 100% of my goal.
- The app can estimate how much water you should be drinking based on your weight if you do not know what to set your goal at but you can also enter your own goal if you disagree.
- It connects to Apple Watch. I don't have an Apple Water so this doesn't help me but it might help you if you have one.
- It connects to the Health Kit app. This was one of the main reasons I decided to give it a try to be honest. I like the fact that I can see a lot of information in one area (Health Kit) and send it to my doctors if necessary. Adding my hydration attempts during a time when I am trying my best to stay out of the ER for IV saline seems like an awesome plus for me as I can toggle back and forth to other items like bp records and see if there may be any correlations.
- It isn't expensive. While this app isn't free I was able to get it on sale over the holidays for $0.99. When comparing it to the rest of the apps I tried (those that were free) the quality jump was worth $1 to me without question.

Have you found a water tracking app that is better than this? Have another app that you're sure I would love? If so, let me know! I'm always trying new health apps and would love to check it out.

DIY: Laundry Detergent

Laundry detergent has a ton of chemicals and fragrances in it typically that I don't want in my house... and it's much more expensive than it needs to be. I'm sure we've all seen more than a few articles and posts in the past few years that made us question if we should be using detergent at all: the scary piece in the news about brighteners, a blurb on social media saying that detergent manufacturers are telling you to use too much detergent in order to get more of your money, detergent remaining in clothes after washing and potentially causing skin irritation, detergent destroying your clothes... yikes! Were any of these pieces accurate? What was the alternative if they were? If you are like me you may have thought there was none and just kept using your detergent for a while but kept a watchful eye open. Eventually I decided I didn't want to continue using detergent on my clothes any longer so I searched for alternatives. There are tons! I found all-natural brands of detergents, homemade detergents of various types as well as laundry balls and probably more that I haven't come across yet.
I used a laundry ball for about a year and, to be honest, I really liked them. I was able to run my washer on cold water which saved me money, my laundry cost was low as I only needed to replace the ball after a large number of washings, my clothes seemed to get clean, all was right in the world but people kept asking me how I knew they were really clean if I didn't have any soap or detergent in the wash. Eventually though I decided I felt better about using some form of cleaning agent in my laundry. I continue to read information on alternates to store-bought laundry detergent regularly. It's a personal preference and I may change my mind someday but, for now, I'm back to using a detergent. The difference this time is that I make it myself so I know what is in it. As a plus: it saves me money and is soooo simple to make. Score!

Ingredients:

• Natural soap bar (I'm using Ivory at the moment but I've used Zote and will be trying Fels Naptha soon)
• Borox
• Washing Soda
• Baking Soda (Optional) or OxiClean (Optional: I haven't found anything showing harm in OxiClean as of yet but if I am wrong please tell me!) 

I had a bit of trouble finding Washing Soda and Borox in my store after I moved as few people apparently request them there... so here are the boxes of the brands I am using in case you run in to a similar issue.

Procedure: 
1. You will need to start by flaking/grating your soap. There are at least two options to do this: grate it with a cheese grater or toss it in the food processor. Zote does come in a flaked form but I had read some reviews about using it in detergent that I wasn't very happy about so I'm back to Ivory now. One cool thing about Ivory is that you have a third option: microwave! I don't know if this works with other forms of soap as I haven't attempted it. (If you do, let me know! I'd love to find out!) If you are using Ivory and want to use a microwave here's how:

1. Chop your soap bad into smaller pieces and arrange them on a microwave safe dish.
   
2.  Then place the dish in the microwave and microwave it for about 1-2 minutes... you'll know you've reached the right time when it looks like this.
   
3.  Let the 'soap cloud' cool. It may smell a bit at first so if you leave it in the microwave for about 45 minutes or so it will be cool to the touch and won't really smell anymore.
4. Place the soap cloud into your food processor and it will turn into powder! Ok, this step isn't 100% necessary, you can use your hands to turn it into powder as it will crumble very easily. I just prefer doing it this way and I already had the processor out for another project so I blitzed it quickly and moved on with making my soap. 
   
   
   
    

I've found that the most efficient way to make detergent regularly has been to grate up enough soap for 3-4 batches all at once so that I can quickly measure out the ingredients and get on with my day when it comes time to making detergent again every month or so. Again, a personal preference.

2. Mix your borox, washing soda and soap together in a 2:2:1 ratio (so 2C borox, 2C soda, 1C soap or 1C borox, 1C soda, 1/2C soap, etc.). 
3. If you want to add some baking soda or OxiClean (both are optional) you would make this at the same amount as your soap.
4. Done! You will typically need between 1/8-1/4C of this detergent per load depending on size. I keep mine in an airtight container with a scoop in it so that I just pop it open and put 1-2 scoops in and am on my merry way come laundry day. :)

What alternatives to store bought laundry detergent have you used? Which worked best?

New Year’s Resolutions

I don’t really do New Year’s Resolutions… I know that seems abnormal with today’s society of fad diet crazes, cheaper gym plans, cleanses, and post after post of organization tips and meal plans in January. I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions because I think they give you an excuse to not take an action that you know you should because your start will be a later date. I prefer to make a goal for myself and start it whenever it needs to be started, preferably sooner rather than later. I started one of my goals about 3 weeks ago for instance. This year I will make an exception, a week late, and make my current goals into ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ that I will share with all of you. Some of these goals are ones I have had for a while but updated to start as of Jan. 1. I have spent the last month or so doing an evaluation on my life and priorities and this is the outcome. 

Religious:

1. Complete a Bible-in-a-Year plan. I chose “Eat this Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm” which is available on YouVersion (app or website) if you want to join me! My username is songbirdheather. I’ve decided to do a lot of study this week in order to be ‘caught up’ as if this were a New Year’s Resolution.
2. Make more Wednesday Bible studies. Depending on work I don’t always get to church on Wednesdays if the traffic is bad. My goal is to decrease the number of times I miss services and studies this year in general.
3. Invigorate my prayer life. I have started a 30 Day Prayer Challenge study on my YouVersion app a few days ago to be a new year push on this goal.

Health/Medical:

1. No soda… I started this a few weeks back and so far so good. I had started drinking it again when my headaches were getting really bad to help with them (caffeine can help and it’s just a quick stop at a fast food restaurant verses going home and brewing tea or the like).
2. Prep more and try new things! I got off track a month or so ago when I moved and need to get back on the meal prepping bandwagon something major so that I don’t resort to bad options. This goes with my current goal of sticking to Paleo 90% of the time and Real Food even more than that. I might allow myself a small portion of grains once a month if we’re eating out but I know that I regret it within hours so I want to add ‘try new things when dining out’ to this year’s goals so that if I am faced with a social situation where grains is the main staple on the list of things I know I like the taste of I am less stressed about giving something new a try that looks more gut-friendly.
3. To go with the above, and due to the crazy amount of fluids I now need post flare it seems, I have a higher water consumption goal than before. To help with this goal I downloaded an app: WaterMinder which was on sale over the holidays for $0.99. So far this is my favorite water tracker app… and I have tried quite a few.
4. Meds… take them daily. I downloaded Medisafe over the holidays to remind me and keep track of when I need to have my vitamins, minerals, and medications refilled. I like this app better than any of the ones I have had in the past but it isn’t perfect so if there is a better one out there let me know!
5. Exercise! I need to make sure I am putting in the time for reconditioning as I should be, with finals and the holidays I was letting myself slide more than I am comfortable with. Not everything can go with my Zombies, Run app as not everything I need to do is walking/running/cardio related but I signed up for a 5k nevertheless as an incentive to stick with this goal.
6. Lose 50 pounds. This is less than 1 pound per week, I would ideally like to lose 2 pounds per week but I know that I need to be realistic and account for my illness when it comes to this goal as a flare will set me back. This is one of those goals that isn’t new, just updated for 2016 numbers wise.  So far I am a couple pounds in as I’ve had an awesome week weight loss wise (so if next week isn’t as awesome then I’m ok with that, baby steps!).

Financial:

1. Budget, budget, budget! I am continuing my budgeting campaign to help with the purchase of a home later this year *fingers crossed*. I was going to do a review on YNAB early this year as I had used it for about 5 months and felt I was ready to do so... but they have upgraded. I'm liking the new version quite a bit actually but I want to give it a few months before I review it to find more of those little fixes that I'm already loving.
2. Pay off debt... this goes with my budgeting one from above. I had paid off 2 bills I ended up with according to the divorce as well as the majority of my moving costs last year so this year I would like to finish those and the rest of my credit card (there isn't too much compared to the average person it would seem but it includes the remainder of my moving expenses from California to Texas). Next year I'll move on to tackling my student loans and car note with enthusiasm more than likely (or if I finish my credit card/moving expenses early!). 
3. I'm also saving for a house as I would like to have my own place again late this year or early next year at the latest.

Personal:

1. Get back into the dating world. I was not looking forward to this to be perfectly honest (the annoying messages from people who haven’t even read your profile, the rejection, the mean retorts to rejections… I don’t remember dating particularly fondly) but it was time to give it a try as I would like to find someone to spend my life with… so I signed up for several online dating sites for 3 months to dip my toe into the current dating world. So far I haven’t found anyone with whom I would consider marriage a real possibility so I am not ‘dating’ anyone but I have been on a couple of dates with various people. One of them might even end up being a potential friend, which I am in short supply of, so I would give this a ‘going well’ categorization. *fingers crossed*
2. Complete at least 50 blog posts this year. I need to get back into writing more as it is something I really want to do but had put on the back burner due to finals and the holidays. 50 isn’t an unmanageable goal as it gives me two weeks off with one post per week. I would like to say I will do more than that though so this might get revised later to a higher number but I want to see what my new schedule will allow.

This may be a lot of goals… but I don’t do Resolutions so this is a first for me. Perhaps next year I can chose one or two to highlight and call Resolutions for the year but I doubt it. 

[Edited on 1/11/16 to add financial goals which I had forgotten to put on here as they were continuations and just part of my habit 100% by the original date of this posting.]

Review: Cocoon CoolMax Blanket

When I went on my trip to Kentucky I realized that I needed a travel blanket and all the blankets I had currently wouldn't fit in my bag... so I headed online to start researching good options. I get either cold or overheated pretty much round the clock (there's not a lot of in between unfortunately) so I have collected a LOT of blankets over the years and found a lot of duds in the process. I needed something to keep me warm for those chilled times but still be lightweight enough that I don't have to devote my carry-on to a blanket. Typically I have a thick sweater I keep with me year round when I am out but I really wanted something that would keep all of me warm instead of just my arms as I was going to be trying to sleep on the plane and shivering doesn't work too well with that goal.
After reading a lot of reviews on travel sites I purchased the Cocoon CoolMax Blanket from Amazon as it seemed a good combination of quality and affordability. The cheapest color option was the 'tree frog' green so that is what I purchased. It ended up being basically a lime color which reminded me of my college dorm room but it wasn't a horrible color like some of the reviews had complained about (I didn't care so much about the color but rather the functionality). The color really isn't too bad but it is quite a bright color if you are opposed to vivid colors for your blankets. I ended up finding the bright color useful though as I could always find it... even when my niece decided it made a better ghost costume or superman cape than blanket and wandered off with it various times on my trip.

 

The blanket is quite large compared to other travel blankets I have had, which is a plus. The description states that it is 55" x 70" but I didn't measure it to verify... it covered me from shoulders to toes completely with a little room to spare so I was happy. Unfortunately, while it is large it is not particularly thick. The thickness is about what I would expect for a thicker bed sheet yet somehow warmer than a simple sheet would be. The warmth of the blanket was enough to keep me comfortable on the planes all but once, when it got particularly cold, but that was only for a few minutes and most people would likely be quite comfortable. 

You can use this, or any travel blanket actually, even when you are not traveling. I keep my blanket in the trunk of my car in case I need it personally. I actually used the blanket today at the office as I forgot my sweater today at the house so I was freezing (why is it that office's are always so cold!?!).

Space-wise I was quite happy with the amount of room this blanket took up as it was able to fit into my already quite packed backpack without issue. One feature that I liked was that it comes in a bag with a drawstring to keep the blanket in. I suggest that you keep the bag if you purchase this item as you don't need to roll the blanket or do anything special with it... just quickly stuff the blanket into the bag, pull the drawstring and you are ready to go, the bag doesn't seem to get much bulkier than when it is neatly folded and rolled. The blanket in the bag is larger than a can of soda but quite a bit smaller than my travel pillow. These are not my hands (and it is not my photo) as I have pretty small hands and didn't feel that you would get a good comparison.

Overall I would say this was a good purchase for me but for some people it might be a little more expensive than they are willing to pay. If you have more room in your bag for a slightly bulkier blanket then there are a lot of other options out there that may work better for you. Let me know if you have found a fantastic blanket as I'm almost always cold so pretty much always looking at potential new blankets for my home or for travel.

Basic Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken can be quite complex but it doesn't have to be. This staple in the kitchen can be completed in about 2.5 hours with minimal hands-on time and makes a wonderful dinner. I made two chickens at once in a roasting pan with about 10 minutes of prep from start to finish and kept it very simple for this recipe (the recipe and instructions below are for one chicken). I wasn't at home when I made the chickens above which means that I didn't have fresh garlic or herbs... so I just used minced garlic, salt and pepper for the seasoning and stuffed the chickens with onion alone. It was a hit even without the herbs and fresh garlic. Also, since I went very simple I didn't need to tie the legs together but if you are going to be using stuffing you might consider doing so. I'm all about simplicity and using what I have available whenever possible so most of my recipes are easily adapted for a wide range of options, this chicken included.

INGREDIENTS:

• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• garlic- either dried minced garlic or fresh, to taste
• 1 3-5 lbs whole chicken with the giblets and neck removed (if included)
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 onion, rough chopped
• fresh herbs of choice, optional

NEEDED:

• roasting pan
• small pan/bowl to melt butter
• basting brush, optional

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Chop your onion and garlic (if using fresh).
3. Melt the butter.
4. Stuff herbs and onion into the cavity of the chicken. I tend to save any that does not fit inside to rub on the chicken after I salt and pepper it.
5. If you are using fresh garlic rub it onto the chicken. If not then you will add your dried garlic with the salt and pepper.
6. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the chicken and place it breast side down into the roasting pan.
7. Baste the chicken with half of the melted butter.
8. Bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes.
9. Reduce the oven's temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. Baste the chicken with the remaining melted butter and continue baking at the reduced temperature for 1.5-2 hours depending on the weight of the chicken. (Do not consume under-cooked chicken. Please check internal temperature of chicken.)
11. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving it in order to maintain the moistness of the meat.

Back to Basics: How to Make Ghee

"Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in ancient India and is commonly used in South Asian cuisines, traditional medicine, and religious rituals." -Wikipedia

In today's world there are a lot of people who cannot tolerate dairy, myself included. One of the good things about ghee is that, when it is prepared correctly, the milk proteins are removed. This means that many people who cannot tolerate butter can tolerate ghee. Basically, it is the best of both worlds: the benefits (and taste!) of butter without the casein and proteins that you may react to.

You can find ghee in the store:

... but I suggest you make it yourself if you have lactose intolerance as I have found that it is very easy and a lot more of the milk proteins seem to be removed when I make it myself than when I purchase it at the store. The exception to this would have to be Tin Star Food's ghee. I have heard awesome things about their ghee from people who do not tolerate dairy well. This isn't to say that other brands' ghee isn't great, I just haven't tried it so I don't want to speak to it. The brand of ghee you see above ended up making me decide to stop being lazy and make some ghee at home again. That's good for you guys though because you can now see how I make it!

INGREDIENTS: 

• butter (grass-fed butter is a little more difficult to find but is the best due to the higher quality... more vitamins for one!)

EQUIPMENT:

• small pot
• cheesecloth
• glass container for storing ghee

PROCEDURE:
1. Place butter in sauce pan over low heat. I couldn't find grass-fed unsalted butter so I am using a salted variation.

2. Check on butter regularly over the next 2-3 hours, stirring as necessary. It does take a long time to make but you don't have to stand over it the whole time. I often put it on and then go clean my house or do homework, checking on it about every 20-30 minutes. 

3. When you see the milk solids have settled to the bottom and begun to brown so your liquid butter has become golden in color it is time to remove it from the heat. When it gets close to this point though I suggest you stick close to your pot to make sure you only slightly brown the solids verses burning them. I should have left this batch on the stove for a few more minutes so that the milk solids would brown a bit more but I was running behind. It still came out beautifully though.

4. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth into a non-plastic container (I have melted a plastic one before... oh the mess!). The milk solids will remain in the cheesecloth while your ghee will strain through the mesh to the container beneath.

5. Place your ghee in a container. If it has been prepared properly you won't need to refrigerate it and it will last for months!

The unrefrigerated ghee is on the left but if you do store it in the fridge it will look like you see on the right.


One thing to understand about ghee is that the flavor is more intense than the butter you started with. I would suggest adding a little at a time to your dish when first learning to cook with ghee for this reason. Another, awesome, thing to know is that the smoke point is incredibly high so it is great for high heat cooking like sautes and stir fries! I have heard it said that 'you flavor with it like butter but cook with it like oil' and I find that to be fairly accurate but I tend to use less ghee than butter when flavoring with it due to my personal preferences on taste.

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

Shredded chicken is incredibly versatile. You can toss it in a variety of sauces for instant wrap filling, burritos, spreads, and more... or just eat it plain on a bed of salad greens with a drizzle of your favorite vinaigrette for a quick and healthful salad. I prefer to make my shredded chicken in bulk when I find a good sale and freeze it up in batches for later use. It's simple, quick, and saves time when preparing last minute meals or bulk cooking chicken meals in later weeks. 

INGREDIENTS:

• chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• chicken stock or broth (check the ingredients if you didn't make it yourself)

EQUIPMENT:

• crock pot
• electric mixer (if you don't have one you can use two forks)

PROCEDURE:

1. Place chicken in crock pot. 

• Most people thaw their chicken first as it is safer from a health perspective since you don't have to worry about intermediate temperatures beyond the safe limits. I have been asked previously if the meat really needs to be thawed first, here's my two cents: I have used frozen chicken directly in the crock pot without issue for this recipe and a few others before BUT food safety rules suggest that you thaw the chicken appropriately beforehand to avoid those potentially longer periods at intermediate temperatures... so that is what I do suggest that you do if at all possible. It is better safe than sorry when it comes to the health of your family in my opinion.

2. Add a couple tablespoons of stock/broth per pound of chicken. 

• You could use a little bit of water in a pinch but I prefer the stock so that the resulting meat will be tasty and packed with flavor.

3. Place crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Ensure that the chicken has reached the correct temperature/if fully cooked before turning off the crock pot.
4. Allow the chicken to cool for a few minutes before attempting to shred. If you are using the two forks to shred the chicken I suggest that you allow it to cook quite a bit as I have been burned quite a few times trying to rush to get it shredded and off my to-do list... its not worth it.
5. Shred the chicken. My suggestion is to use the electric mixer to shred the chicken by simple putting the mixer in the bowl with the chicken and 'mixing' like you would cake batter. The chicken shreds very quickly with this method and you avoid burned fingers. :)
6. Allow the chicken to cool completely before freezing it into portions appropriate to your family's needs to avoid ice crystals forming in the containers and on the chicken itself.