Author / Chantel Chansa

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Posts by Chantel Chansa

I am a woman who loves and craves knowledge. I am a professional Cosmetologist who loves to eat and enjoy cooking. I am always on the hunt for ways to improve myself and want to share my knowledge with others. I love creativity and a free thinker.
by Chantel Chansa

The Cosmetology Industry

Castor Oil Infused with Mint

I have chatted about how I got started in cosmetology, but this post will be in a different direction of cosmetology. That post was about me, personally. This post is about the industry and how it works and what I was taught 13 years ago. I know some things have changed, like, now they are monitoring barbers and they have to be licensed to cut hair, just like a hairstylist. The last time I checked, you could get a simple license just to shampoo hair. A few years back, a college classmate told me that they had taken away the Instructors’ License level and is now the same as a regular hairstylist license. I felt bad for her because she spent money on those extra hours and extra money to receive that special license. This goes to show you how corporations can change the rules in a heartbeat whether you think it’s fair or not. However, I am glad that the Barber shops are now regulated.

This industry is all about the Cosmetic appearance of a person. What this means is things like make-up, haircuts, updos, hair colors, products to use to achieve what you want for your hair, skin, nails (fake or real), body lotions, scrubs, scents, and more. I was taught so many things, in depth, about hair, skin, and nails. How to identify infections, conditions, and problems of the skin, scalp and nails. We are not allowed to give a diagnosis, although we may know what it is, we have to refuse service and refer them to a specialist that is suitable for that condition. In cosmetics, we are to try our best to achieve what our client wants or has in mind. We may not get that identical look in the picture shown to us, but, that we try to do our best.

We are taught how to identify hair types and the care requirements to upkeep the elasticity of healthy hair and the products to use to achieve this. We are taught what hues go best with skin types, weather it is hair colors, make-up, or clothing. You just wouldn’t believe how much we are taught in just a one short, year of full-time student cosmetology college course. We are taught how to make a person look absolutely beautiful or handsome. This industry can make a cosmetologist well to do financially.

Now, what we were not taught, all the chemicals that are used to achieve these gorgeous looks comes with health risks. Not only are your commercial shampoos harmful, but the hair colors, face creams, nail polish, and makeups are harmful if they are not made from a natural source. Those chemicals can cause hair loss, scalp or skin conditions, thyroid problems, heart issues, and even cancer. The list of problems that these chemicals can cause is not limited to what I have listed. I have done research on several of the ingredients of shampoos and body washes and was astounded at all the unnecessary chemicals that are in our everyday products that we love to use. Even the fragrance of your hair or body products can cause you harm. I stumbled on a site about toothpaste and decided to look at the ingredients and was shocked to find a couple ingredients used in the toothpaste also used in shampoo. Now why is that???

So, after digging and researching these chemicals, it made me decide to start making my own shampoo, conditioners, body washes, lotions, hair, and oral care products. Let me tell you, I love making my own because I know what’s in my products,, plus most of the time it’s cheaper and I can create my own scent using essential oils or plant-based flavor oils, which is so, so, so, much healthier. I have been on this journey for a year now and am loving it and I want to tell everyone about it. Here is what I feel a cosmetologist should do for their client: yes, make them look absolutely beautiful, but also using healthier products. Not giving them harmful tips of products to use or use products that are going to harm them at any given time. Whether it be in just one month’s time or five years down the road. This is my goal as an honest cosmetologist because I know and have searched for healthier options, not only for myself, but for future clients who want this option. I can say I do learn new natural alternatives each time I research and create a new natural product.

The products I have made are not many, yet, but my list of experience and formulation is expanding as I learn. Below is a list of the items I have made.

  • Hair Growth Oils
  • 3 Ingredient Lavender Shampoo
  • Peppermint Shampoo
  • Lip Scrub
  • Coffee Hand & Body Scrub
  • Basic Castile Soap Shampoo & Body Wash
  • 3 Ingredient Toothpaste
  • Rosemary Hair Rinse
  • Rice Water Rinse
  • Coffee Infused Oils
  • Castor Oil Infusion
  • Oatmeal Body Scrub
  • ACV ( Apple Cider Vinegar) Hair Rinse
  • Lip Balm (with lanolin)
  • Coconut Milk Shampoo
  • Whipped Shea Butter Lotion
  • Turmeric Face Scrub

I did add some additional ingredients, like glycerin and vitamin E oil, in most of the shampoos. I did this to help improve moisture retention and as a preservative. I can tell a difference when I use these ingredients than when I don’t. After using any of these natural homemade shampoos, I use the ACV Rinse as my conditioner. Doing this leaves my hair soft and it balances my hair and scalp ph.

I know I still have lots more to learn as I travel along this natural journey of cosmetology. My heart’s desire is to educate you with what I know so I can help you find healthier alternatives to live a healthier life. The more people know about these options, the more you could possibly save on doctor’s visits, medications, and possibly surgeries. One day you should just take one of your beauty products and research the ingredients and see for yourself just what I found. That is if you are curious enough to do this.

I now love cosmetology even more now than I did in the beginning. I have always found cutting hair, styling, and giving Updos so much fun, but it just was not a passion of mine as it is for others. The reason I love it more now is because I love to create and learn. And most importantly, I love helping people by teaching them whatever knowledge I can pass along.

by Chantel Chansa

Vegan/Plant-based Alfredo Spaghetti

This recipe here is absolutely delicious, period. Even if you are not vegan, I believe you would enjoy it. It is a must to make and you can determine its worth. A few days ago, my mom was scrummaging through recipes and reading out loud ones that she thought she and my dad would like. She did read quite a few that sounded delicious, but this one stood out. Probably because I love mushrooms, and we had some in the fridge that needed to be used. There are steps to do, but nothing hard to achieve. You will need a blender or food processor. You will also need to soak the cashews for at least a couple hours prior to use. Unless you blanche them or soak overnight. Other than that, it is pretty easy.

The sauce is made from cashews. I have had a cashew alfredo sauce before, but this one was far tastier than the one I had previously. This one was smooth, almost like a buttery taste, with a hint of nuttiness. I am pretty picky when it comes to alfredo and spaghetti sauces. I’d much rather make my own. Before I went dairy free, I made my own alfredo with heavy cream and/or cream cheese. Now, with the tomato spaghetti sauce I now make the homemade-marinara-stash.

As I mentioned in my first paragraph about how even non-vegans would enjoy this recipe, I want to briefly explain where the protein comes in. Whether you add an animal protein or not is up to you. In this recipe you get your protein mainly from the cashews and mushrooms. Spinach has 5.3g for four cups in this recipe and the mushrooms have 4.4g . The cashews have 24g for one cup which is what this recipe calls for. So, as you can see, all this protein adds up to a total of 33.7g. That’s a good amount of protein coming just from three plant sources. I speak about the protein part of this recipe because most people who are not vegan are not aware of the other alternatives of protein sources. I had posted this recipe on my personal Facebook page and had a couple people comment that there was not any protein in this recipe because it lacked animal meat.

Vegan Alfredo Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cashews (soaking at least 2 hrs or quick soak 30 minutes in hot water)
  • 6-8 garlic cloves, roasted
  • 12 oz any pasta (we used angel hair)
  • 2 Tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
  • 4 cups of reserved pasta water
  • 2 cups thick cut mushrooms
  • 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup any plant milk (we used Chobani extra creamy)
  • 1/3 cup tapioca starch (or cornstarch/flour)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • fresh basil for garnish (opt)

Cooking Instructions

  1. Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight, or quick soak 30 minutes in hot water.
  2. In a small pan, roast garlic cloves with the shells on, over med-high heat until browned and soft. Spray pan with Pam or oil as needed. Remove the shells and set aside.
  3. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and reserve 4 cups of the pasta water.
  4. In a large pan, heat EVOO over medium heat: add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture and begin to brown. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. In a blender, combine cashews, 4 cups reserved pasta water, roasted garlic, lemon juice, plant milk, and tapioca starch. Blend on high until completely smooth.
  6. Pour mixture into a large saucepan and cook over med-high heat, whisking constantly until sauce begins to thicken.
  7. Add the mushroom mixture and the cooked spaghetti to the sauce. Use tongs to ensure the noodles are evenly coated. Season with S&P.

This recipe makes a lot!! I would guess this would feed about 8 people. If you noticed in the ingredients that you are not using the entire package of spaghetti, but it still makes a generous amount. It was great having leftovers to eat from because it’s that good to eat on for a few days or just freeze the remainder and enjoy another time without all the hassle of making another batch. To reheat leftovers, just add a splash of whatever milk you used to make the consistency looser.

I’d like to recommend a very tasty vegan cheese to add to this meal. It is a 3-ingredient mock parmesan cheese. You can find this quick and easy recipe here dairy-free-parmesan-cheese-crumbles/.

*This recipe is not the original, it has been altered to fit my family’s taste. The site where it was discovered is unknown. If the site is ever recovered, I will certainly add it here to give credit to that person.

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by Chantel Chansa

Dairy Free Parmesan Cheese Crumbles

We had this recipe so long I don’t remember where it was found. This recipe is a great substitute for parmesan cheese for those who are lactose intolerant or who just can’t do dairy. It is pretty tasty. I use this on several foods other than just pasta dishes. Make it for yourself and see. This recipe is fast and very simple to make.

Ingredients

1/3 cup raw cashews

2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Put all ingredients in a food processor and grind until fine. Looks like crumbs. See the photo below.

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by Chantel Chansa

A quick recipe for hair loss with great benefits

This concoction I found by accident online during some research on the names of chemicals that we find in our commercial products, so I decided to write it down. I have no need for hair growth, but these ingredients are very good for just hair and scalp health. A few days later, I was speaking with a couple of coworkers who were telling me they both were trying to regrow their hair and the results from what they both were doing just was not productive enough for them. I offered to make this for the ladies to see if it would get them the better and quicker results that they were wanting. After I gave the oils to them, I decided to give it a try myself, just to experiment with my own hair. I applied it twice a week and left on for about an hour. As the beginning of the third week came, I noticed major results with my hair growth and hair health. I did not apply anymore after those applications. Why? Because it made my hair grow too fast and made it thicker. I liked that because my hair is fine and feels like silk. I have Type 1 hair.

This recipe has only three ingredients, but you can add or replace whatever oils you want to fit your need. I know this combination works, not because I have the education, but from experience from myself and others. One tip I can give is, if you do not like the smell of Tea Tree oil, replace it with Rosemary oil. Rosemary is another great natural hair growth ingredient to add or replace with. You can store any remaining oils in any type of container, but preferably glass and in a cool dry place.

3- Ingredient Hair Growth Oils

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 2 Tablespoons castor oil
  • 5 drops tea tree oil
  • makes about 4oz

How to make and use

Mix all ingredients together and apply to scalp. Massage scalp with pads of fingers working the oils into the hair strands.

Leave on for 20-30 minutes. You can also use a shower cap to help the oils penetrate into your scalp and hair strands. This can be done prior to showering or after showering. Rinse and dry your hair has you normally would.

This treatment can also be used as an overnight hair mask. Apply as directed and wrap hair in a silk wrap or a shower cap.

These oils can also be used on the body after showering as a great dry skin moisturizer and will smell amazing if you replace the Tea Tree oil with Lavender oil or any oil that you wish.

My suggestion on how often to do this would depend on the severity of your hair loss, hair damage, and hair type. If you are using this just to make your hair look and feel healthier, shiny, and soft, use once a week. For those who are needing help with regrowth or chemical/heat damage, use 2-3 times a week.

****Important tip****

When rinsing hair of oils, especially coconut oil, make sure you allow your water to run as hot as you can for 2-3 minutes. This will help the coconut oil to wash completely down the drain. If you do not do this then you risk a hefty plumbing procedure to be done. Continued use of coconut oil down the drain will clog the drains.

If you make this and use it, please share your experience with me and others.

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by Chantel Chansa

Summertime Mock Chicken Salad

This Mock Chicken Salad is really good. My mom found this recipe a couple years ago from one of her magazines, probably Forks Over Knives. Anyway, this mock salad is made with chickpeas. If you truly do not like the taste of chickpeas, then this is not for you. It does have a slight taste of chickpea but not overwhelming. You can also taste like a nutty, but smooth, creamy texture. If you don’t like the texture that you get with your first try, then you can process it a little more to take the lumps out, or you can make it chunkier by less processing. This will need to be decided while you have the chickpeas in the food processor, not after you have made the complete salad. You can change any of the ingredients to fit your taste. My mom has made this with four different types of mayonnaise and found that we enjoyed using Duke’s, Vegan Mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, and this last time we used Hellmann’s. All of them tasted really good, but my favorite is the Miracle Whip because it is light in texture and is a salad dressing, not a mayonnaise. You can use whichever mayonnaise you like with yours. I also like to add more pickles to my sandwich and load my sandwich with Alfalfa and Cilantro. Oh, and I like to lightly toast my sourdough bread.

Here are a couple of tips that we have noticed that makes a difference in the texture of the salad’s final results. First, allow the chickpeas to rest in the colander for 30 minutes after rinsing, this helps make the salad mixture not so watery. Second, while you are waiting for those to dry up a bit, you can take the waxy coating/protective hull off of the chickpeas. Just slightly pinch the pea and the hull will come off. Discard the hull in your empty can. Do about half the peas or you can do all of them if you want. We have noticed by doing this, it gives the salad a smoother consistency and it is easier to digest, in our opinion.

Mock Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 (15oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup vegan mayo
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup pickles, chopped (dill or sweet)
  • 2 scallions, sliced thin
  • 2 TBSP freshly minced dill, parsley or tarragon
  • bread or crackers

HOW TO MAKE

  1. Process 3/4 cup chickpeas, mayo, water, lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp salt in food processor (FP) until smooth, approx. 30 sec. Scrapping down the sides as needed.
  2. Add remaining chickpeas to FP and pulse until coarsely chopped with chunky bits remaining, about 4 pulses.
  3. Combine chickpea mixture, celery, pickles, scallions and fresh choice of herbs in a medium bowl. Add salt & pepper to season with taste.
  4. Spread mixture on bread, toast, or crackers.

Curried Chickpea Salad

Add 1 TBSP curry powder to mixture in FP during step 1 and substitute 1/2 cup golden raisins for the pickles.

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by Chantel Chansa

The Interesting History of Coffee

If you are a coffee lover like I am then you must know the history behind our delicious cup of bean brew. I suggest you knowing the history because you may not know that coffee has an extensive background and will be surprised by how it was first discovered, how it was used, and how it was cultivated. I am only giving you parts of the history that I think is most important, but all is important in my opinion, even the dark history of coffee. There is a lot of information out there about the history of coffee. I have not explored all the information from all the sources out there. Many of the sites were pretty much of what I have written below.

The word coffee entered the English language in 1582 via Dutch (koffie).

The history of coffee can be traced back for centuries to the Ethiopian plateau. There is a legend that states a goat herder first discovered the red berries back in the 9th century in a part of Yemen called Mocha. Evidence of knowledge about the coffee tree and drinking coffee first appeared in the late 14th century. History has it that coffee was used widely by the Nomadic Tribes for thousands of years. The trees grew wild in Yemen. In those times coffee was employed as an aid in concentration during prayers by the Sufi monasteries.

Roasting the seeds was not a way to serve coffee until 1400s. During the cultivation period, brewed coffee was reserved exclusively for the Priesthood and Medical profession; doctors would brew coffee for their patients, who were experiencing a need for better digestion. Priests used it for long nights of study. Coffee later arrives to Europe in the early 16th century. Central and Eastern Europeans learned of coffee from the Ottomans. The coffee was only served to the wealthy. Coffee arrived in Italy about the second half of the 16th century, only receiving it through the Mediterrian trade routes.

By the mid 17th century, it had reached India and the East Indies. Coffeehouses were established in England and were called “penny universities” by the late 17th century. During the 1700s, coffee seeds were brought to Martinique, those seeds produced over 18,000 coffee trees which enabled its spread to Carribean Islands such as St. Dominque, and then to Mexico. Midway into the 1800s, Brazil became the largest producer of coffee, globally, and still holds that status today. In 1950, the playing field widened to the emergence of several other major producers, notably Colombia, the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. In 1999, Colombia had overtaken and became the second largest producer. This information is similar with cocoa, tea, potatoes, maize, peas, and beans.

This article about the History of Coffee was researched on en.wikipedia.com. There are other sources of information of the history of coffee out there. I decided to use this information as an introduction to my coffee articles. There is so much to knowledge about coffee that the majority of people don’t know and maybe they don’t care to know. When you really get into the depths of the history of how it is cultivated and produced, you will probably be more grateful for your delicious cup of Joe.

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by Chantel Chansa

SCRUMPTIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE

This chocolate cake is one of the best I have ever made. This recipe is made without butter and eggs, and is so incredibly quick and easy to make, imagine that!!!! I stumbled upon this recipe on YouTube several years ago and decided to try it. I didn’t know that this recipe was vegan, I just wanted to try it. Well, I am so glad I did because this is my favorite chocolate cake recipe. I am not a huge fan of chocolate but this cake will have you addicted to just this cake. I believe the oil in the cake is what makes it so incredibly moist. You can use any oil you choose but I opt for the Olive Oil. This recipe also calls for lemon juice or vinegar. Either one is good but I prefer fresh squeezed lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice gives it a wonderful flavor vs the vinegar or even bottled lemon juice. The type of Coco (Caco) powder you use is up to you but any unsweetened will be good. One day I would love to try this recipe using unsweetened Carob powder. When I first made this recipe I used regular granulated white sugar versus now I use organic cane sugar. Any substitute sugar or sugar alcohol will work fine, just adjust the measurements if needed.

I should type these next words in bold but I’ll trust that you will be sure that you DO NOT miss this one very important step when you are placing your dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. Make sure you aerate the flour. Doing this will make a world of difference on how your cake will turn out.

I will include the icing but I have only made it once and DID NOT like it at all. So, I never make it when I bake this cake. If you make it, you may like it but to me the cake alone is delicious and truly doesn’t need any icing, in my opinion. Sometimes I’ll sprinkle Confectionary sugar on top of my slice before I eat it. I don’t suggest sprinkling it on the entire cake unless you will be serving it in expectation of it being devoured.

This cake will probably become your favorite and a favorite with others who you share it with. It was always a popular dessert wherever I took it. So be prepared to share this simple and quick recipe with others.

SCRUMPTIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour (earache flour)
  • 1 cup sugar ( any kind)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coco powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt ( do not use coarse)
  • 1 cup cool water
  • 6 Tbsp oil ( I used Olive)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting

  • 2 Tbsp salted butter (room temp)
  • 1 cup confectionary sugar
  • 1Tbsp coco powder (unsweetened)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • about 3 tsp milk

Mix all ingredients together except the milk. After mixing, you will add 1/2tsp of milk at a time to the mixture until you have a frosting consistency. I ended up using a total of 3 for my consistency. Since I did not care for the frosting, you may like it. I also think that it needs to be adjusted to that persons liking, which I did not do, for the fact that I loved the cake without it. I hope that you enjoy this recipe.

chocolate-cakeDownload

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by Chantel Chansa

Plant-Based and Intermittent Fasting

Now that you have the knowledge of what IF is and how it works, we can now move forward to what foods work best for the results you want to achieve. When you incorporate IF, and eat the right foods, you will begin to feel the change in your body. It all actually starts with your mentality and how determined you are to achieve your goals. I can dare say that even if you do not do IF and eat the healthy foods, you will still get results of feeling better and may find it an addictive way of eating. I say addictive because you will be amazed at how wonderful you will begin to feel. Feelings of better health, and your food will actually be tastier. A lot of people think that plant-based eating is nothing more than just eating salads or “rabbit food.” I was one of those thinkers until I was introduced to how and what is involved with eating a plant-based diet. I was then able to experience all the delicious alternatives that can be used in place of those non-healthy foods. When you find certain recipes and see how delicious they are, it will lead you on a search for more recipes to experiment with, experience, and enjoy.

I personally feel that IF is an important implement because of what it has done to my body. As I have mentioned in my previous post about all the troubles I have had to face every single day, they were alleviated greatly when I practiced IF. The great benefits that IF has, has been proven by science to be extremely effective with eliminating many health issues. So, when you do IF and eat a plant-based diet, you will see many benefits such as: weight loss, less inflammation, more energy, cognitive and concentration improvements, and so much more. I recommend doing both, but you should go at your own pace if you are completely new to all of this. It is a big change to you in every way and does take time to get used to this old-fashioned lifestyle. America has become the number one land that has the highest medical issues in the world. It can all be blamed on many things, but as for the food, it is horrendous with all the harmful things that are added to our foods. In a future post I will go into more details about America’s food industry. So, this is why I implement a diet of clean eating as much as possible.

*** This article is for entertainment and informational purposes only****

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by Chantel Chansa

HOW I STARTED INTERMITTENT FASTING

Photo by makafood on Pexels.com

I must start off by saying, please consult with your Primary Care Professional, if you have one. The reason being, your doctor should be able to help you find the right dietician/nutritionist and hopefully be able to help you along this journey.

Here is how I started off doing Intermittent Fasting (IF). I started with 12 hours of fasting, which was pretty easy. I like to snack late at night, so that helped me adjust to my new eating times. I would stop eating at ten o’clock at night and would not allow myself to eat again until twelve hours the next day. Most of the time it would be later than ten in the morning. I do want to input that during my fasting time, no matter how many hours I was fasting, I did not eat more than five hundred calories. Now, with these calories, I tried to stay away from processed sugars. What I refer to as processed sugars is: High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, cane sugar, maltitol, artificial sweeteners, and other processed sugars. Okay, so I’m admitting that all I would have is a cup of coffee. However, my coffee consisted of non-dairy creamer and sugars that are of low glycemic index (organic coconut sugar and monk fruit sugar with erythritol). I usually have my coffee before nine in the morning, so near eleven I would start looking to what I would eat for lunch, then eat by noon. My lunch would be a small portion of a heavy food or just a finger food. Then I would not eat again until five o’clock in the evening. My evening meal would be a normal dinner meal and I would leave my eating window open until ten o’clock that night. Now, this is just how I started prepping my body for fasting. If it takes you longer to jump up to the 16:8, then keep taking those small steps towards your goal.

I do want to add, what you eat also plays a role in what you are trying to achieve. Whether you’re doing IF for weight loss or wanting to clean your body. I will tell you that eliminating anything processed (including sugar), meat, and dairy will definitely help start you on a great path. I did not eliminate all of these at once. Doing this is a major adjustment to your body and mind. You may not be the person who can eliminate all these at once, but start eliminating something so you can start detoxing from that. I also want to warn you that you will experience signs of detoxing, and those signs could be headaches, a rash in various areas of your body, fatigue, body aches, nausea, brain fog, and irritability. You may experience sweating, diarrhea, and cold chills. Everyone may not experience all of these symptoms, but the toxins are released through breathing, bowels, sweating, and urine. Your detox may, or may not, be as severe as others. I personally believe that depending on how much detoxing your body has to expel, will be based on the severity of how much the body rids of the toxins.

Another addition to this start is to drink water. I know a lot of people who have problems with drinking water. Those of you with this issue, start with putting fresh fruits or veggies in your water for taste (do not add sugar). I also do not suggest adding any flavoring packets to your water. Those packets have sugar in them and food coloring. I can suggest a flavoring that is sweetened with a sugar alcohol such as Stevia. If you are a person who drinks sodas all day long, cut back to one a day and do this for about three to 4 days then keep decreasing. Your goal is to get your body rid of sugar and caffeine. You can drink green tea, black tea, and black coffee. All of these can be consumed hot or cold and sweetened with local honey or stevia. Hopefully, the teas and coffee will replace the soda caffeine with a natural caffeine to help with the withdrawals.

I know all this may seem overwhelming, but remember, you will have to mentally prepare for all this before you actually begin. If you truly want to improve your health, then you will be just fine. You could see results as early as a week. Keep a track record of the day you began and what you have consumed. It’s always nice to see progress and what you ate to achieve those goals. Also, keeping a food consumption record could help you track what could be aggravating your body. Overall, keeping a good, detailed journal could help you with your new health journey. I, personally, have found whenever I get off track from my diet, my body lets me know.

Photo by Cats Coming on Pexels.com

********DISCLAIMER******** I AM NOT A TRAINED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL. THIS INFORMATION IS FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL RESEARCH THAT I HAVE FOUND.

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by Chantel Chansa

LENTIL SLOPPY JOES

Let me tell you about this recipe. If you don’t like lentils, don’t know if you like lentils or just want to try something different using lentils, then this is the recipe to try. In my opinion, it tastes like just like sloppy joes. The only difference is that you are replacing the ground beef with lentils. Another opinion I’ll give is, this recipe actually tastes better than any canned sloppy joe or any seasoning packets that there is out there. I can say that adding ketchup to your sandwich seems to add great balance of flavors. The photo above is of my sandwich. I love adding pickles, mayo and ketchup to finish off my sandwich before I devour it. Of course, you add your own favorite toppings that you would like.

This recipe makes a lot. If you are feeding a family of six with each of them having one sandwich, you’ll still have leftovers. You can store leftovers in the fridge for about four days or you can opt to freeze the remaining for another day.*

HINT: If you don’t have time to chop up those veggies just buy the chopped frozen bell peppers and onions.

lentil-sloppy-joesDownload

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