Prairie Chicks Blog

ViSalus Body by Vi 90-day Challenge Party

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:43:00 +0000

ViSalus Body by Vi 90-day Challenge is having a Challenge Party on April 17th @ 7 pm at the Russell Inn in Russell, Manitoba. Everyone is invited to attend! Guest: 1 Star Ambassador Jodie Gompf

Stop by and try the ultimate in Health and Weight Loss products now out on the Market. Taste the ViSalus Shakes, listen to testimonials from real Body by Vi Challenge users and learn how you can get your ViSalus Shakes for FREE with their refer 3 for FREE promotion. You will also learn how you can make your own 90-day challenge into a great home based business. See you on Tuesday!

If you are in the Winnipeg, Manitoba or Regina, Saskatchewan area on April 25, 2012 join ViSalus founders Nick and Ashley Sarnicola for the Western Canada ViSalus Events. Nick will be in Regina and Ashley will be in Winnipeg promoting the ViSalus Body by Vi 90-day Challenge. Contact me if you are interested in attending one of these informative meetings!

“Fast food” made healthy

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Why is our shake better than others?

1. A unique and concentrated blend of proteins processed to remove fat, lactose, carbohydrates and isoflavones. Mixed with milk or soy milk it provides 20–22 grams of protein, the right mix to burn fat and build lean muscle.
2. Low sodium. Lower than other brands!
3. Contains a serving of calcium, for bone health.
4. Contains vegetable fiber, without gas.
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6. Smells and tastes like cake mix! No grit! No metallic after-taste.

What’s in Vi-Shape®?

1. A unique blend of proteins that work quickly and provide long–lasting nutrition along with diet and exercise to help you burn fat and build lean muscle. Each shake contains a recommended Meal Plan to help you achieve your goals.
2. Heart healthy non-GMO soy protein. (No Isoflavones)
3. Fibersol™, a new ingredient supports health (5.5 grams).
4. Enzymes

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
©2011 ViSalus Sciences® All Rights Reserved. 1607 E. Big Beaver Rd. Ste 110, Troy, MI 48083 • 877-VISALUS • www.ca.visalus.com • D1208CA-00

MSG and Hydrolyzed Protein * Tim’s coffee, KFC - everywhere

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:11:00 +0000

I had this article sent to me this morning and as someone that has battled obesity all my life, I was shocked and astounded by what I read. Pass this on to everyone that you know. After doing some reading on MSG, I have found that even if it doesn't have MSG in it, if it contains Hydrolyzed Protein, Disodium Guanylate or Disodium Isoinate, the MSG is naturally occurring. Recent findings have shown Monosodium Glutamate to cause brain lesions, brain neuron death, obesity and diabetes in mice. So what is it doing to us?

Read on and Please share.....

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No wonder we gain weight and just "love " the coffee, low fat salad dressings, chips , even certain soups. TIMs say they don't add MSG but they don't mention "HYDROLIZED PROTEIN" do they ?

YOU WILL BE SHOCKED when YOU read this article.

Here's an interesting article that warrants a read. We will be extra vigilant in checking labels from now on.

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The content of this article has links to substantiate its claims - Scary stuff!

MSG (a slow poison)

By Elizabeth Joyce

The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as "Natural Flavoring." MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and Starbucks coffee shops!

I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario , Canada and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America .

In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born.

The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese. They even have a name for the fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats.

When I heard this, I was shocked. I went into my kitchen and checked the cup-boards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the Campbell's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals and Kraft salad dressings, especially the "healthy low-fat" ones.

The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label had something called "Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein", which is just another name for Monosodium Glutamate.

It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they don't catch on. (Other names for MSG are "Accent, Ajinomoto," "Natural Meat Tenderizer," etc.)

But it didn't stop there.

When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn't use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they grudgingly provided, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere.

Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant - even the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's, and Denny's - use MSG in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin - their secret spice was MSG!

So why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat? As a preservative, or a vitamin?

Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoning of America, he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body.

Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat more.

A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us?

"Betcha can't eat [just] one," takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight!

MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.

Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance. Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday.

The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles l like these:

"The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in obesity." Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT , Ribeiro IA. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.

"Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats." Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug.

'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors." Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima. AHypertens Res. 1998 Mar."usunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity." Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao. Oct 1978.

No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in 1978. Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" have known about the side effects of MSG for decades.

Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to diabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's.

So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping this fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity epidemic we now see?

Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of the highest government health officials in Canada . While he was sitting in the government office, the official told him, "Sure, I know how bad MSG is.

I wouldn't touch the stuff.." But this top-level government official refuses to tell the public what he knows..

The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing issues with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industry may hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have been addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price for it. Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food additive.

But what can I do about it? I'm just one voice! What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments are insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?

This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you the truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell you.

The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this drug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone. With any luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation protecting those who are poisoning us.

The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on nicotine?

If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for us and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to the National Library of Medicine at **www..pubmed.com* <http://www.pubmed.com/>*. Type in the words "MSG Obese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear.

We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and we do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese, lethargic, addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while waiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation, blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders.

With your help we can put an end to this poison. Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by distribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stop this "Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by the packaged food industry.

Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, so get the word out!

Note: I am not the writer/publisher of this article... just passing on some interesting information!

Farmers don't get much bread from bread

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:48:00 +0000

People are often complaining about the cost of food at the grocery store. Just realize this, the extra cost put onto foods is a result of shipping and processing... off the farm to be processed into a usable product (for example: flour).... to a processing plant to be made into pasta, cookies, bread etc.... then back again to the store for sale. Everyone in that chain has their hand out waiting to get paid. The extra costs at the store just whittle down to people are looking to buy already processed food. If you prefer to have someone else produce the product that you buy at the store, then expect to pay to have them do so.

I found myself complaining as well and decided to make a change. I only buy fresh products at the store, not frozen or canned. Turns out, there is a flour mill locally and for the cost of 4 loaves of bread, I can buy a 10 lb bag of flour... and make my own. Fresh baking is a lost art and I would encourage anyone that has a kitchen to use it! Many kitchens today are just the "show piece of the home". Why not make it the "heart of the home" once again. Use your kitchen for what it was intended. What a way to get closer to your family by cooking together! Share the responsibilities... and the bounty!

Farmers don't get much bread from bread

Shock, horror–some organic farmers have been using synthetic fertilizer

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Organic farmers are finding that there just isn't enough manure to go around. They have turned to supplementing their manure with synthetic fertilizers. Consumers of Organic products pay the extra price to make sure that what they are buying is pesticide and chemical free. There might be something to buying your products right off the farm. You can get to know your farmer and what he/she uses to produce their product.

There is a premium price put on Organic Products and you as a consumer have the right to know if they are playing by the rules.

Shock, horror–some organic farmers have been using synthetic fertiliser

Down but not out!

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:57:00 +0000

How long this time?

Ever have one of those days that just keeps going... and going... and going? I had a major crash of my computer two weeks ago. Had to break down and take it in for fixin'. Turns out that the software that I had purchased 4 years ago to make sure my registry stayed intact was the culprit for corrupting my registry!! What do ya know? Now that makes me wonder.... is my old computer that is sitting here gathering dust really dead or just playing dead? I bought this program about 4 months before it up and quit. Gonna have ta dust off the old girl and fire her up! There are some things on that hard drive that I may want... including the hard drive! Got this one home.. fired it up.. and it stayed running for all of 1/2 hour. Then it was crash... after crash.. after crash! Somewhere along the line, something happened to one of the files in the driver for my video card. It wouldn't repair and I couldn't upgrade the driver as it was the most current for the card. After many hours of digging, I found driver CD and installed an older version of the driver. Restarted my computer and left it running while I went out to check the animals... more babies!! Came back in and what do ya know?... It's still running!!

Anyway... upwards and onwards!! I have a lot of catching up to do.

My apologies to those that have been waiting for newsletters and other correspondence from me. I will be spending any extra time not spent out in frigid weather with the animals catching up on all of that. Up Next for Watkins is a sponsoring challenge. Sponsor 2 new Associates in either March or April for a chance at some great prizes. Up for prizes... you will get immediate access to a goldmine training package plus there will be a drawing for 15 FREE Co-op shares. (value $1500) The co-op is an advertising blitz for lead generation. This promotion will be going on for the next two months through the Summit Group founders Steve and Ginny Bretzke. You have to had joined up with Watkins through a Summit Group member to qualify for this promotion.

If you join up with Watkins through me, a Summit Group member, and get started right away with the Quick Start Guide, you too could be up for these great prizes. A great kick start to your new Home-Based Business with Watkins Natural Products. Complete training is provided as we are there to help you to be the very best you can. The Summit Group has developed a successful business model that you should really check out. Visit my site at http://www.gogreen95.com/ and take the tour. This will explain the business model in detail. If you want more information on this, leave your name and address after you watch the video and I will get right back to you to answer any and all of your questions.

Have a great Watkins day!

Take the tour http://www.gogreen95.com/
Visit my online catalogue www.watkinsonline.com/janicejohnstone
Or email at janicejohnstone@watkinsonline.com

Today is the last day for the Watkins January Promotion

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:41:00 +0000

Still trying to find the right fit for a home-based business? A business that you can build and supplement your current income? Watkins Natural Products could be what you are looking for.

Today, January 31, 2011, is the last day of Watkins January Membership Promotion. If you join with Watkins by the end of today, you will not only receive a 25% discount on all products purchased but you will get FREE for three months, a personalized E-Associate Website. What a way to start you off with your new home-business! In today's business world, there isn't a better way to promote your new business than with your own e-commerce website. That's not all you will get! With any Watkins Membership, you will have access to a host of training supplied by Watkins along with business building tools to make sure that your business is successful.

If you are looking for that home-based business that comes complete with training and all the information you will ever need to make it successful, then take that look at Watkins Natural Products. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. http://www.WatkinsOnline.com/janicejohnstone

THE FARMER'S STAND: Customers are eating up Eat Canadian food-branding...

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:38:00 +0000

THE FARMER'S STAND: Customers are eating up Eat Canadian food-branding...: "Customers are eating up Eat Canadian food-branding pilot project - The Green Man By Randy Shore 28 Jan 2011 COMMENTS(0) ..."

January Promotion for New Watkins Associates

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Watkins is offering a spectacular January Membership Promotion for all New Associates.

Join before January 31, 2011 and receive a free e-associate web package for 3 months. Watkins will pay all set-up fees and maintenance fees for the first 3 months. Also, purchase a Watkinize Your Home package in the first 90 days as an Associate and receive an EXTRA 3 month free. As a gift from the Summit Group (if you sign up with me) you will receive a 24 CD training set. This set of 24 Audio Cd's covers training, motivation, product knowledge, and business strategies, taught by leaders within Watkins and from special guests Watkins has had speak through the years. You will get this set FREE from the Summit Group if you purchase the Watkinize Your Home product assortment for yourself.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Visit http:// www.WatkinsOnline.com/janicejohnstone today and explore your options.

We're a fun, friendly group of normal everyday people. We've just been lucky enough to discover the best way to earn income working from home part-time (without interfering with our jobs or families). This may be the best thing that ever happened for you, too.

Ever wanted to own your own business? Be your own boss? It's a brand new year!

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:38:00 +0000

It's a brand new year! You have just awakened from your holiday turkey coma. Many of us feel the same way. You look at the year ahead and what do you find? You are asking the same questions over and over. How can I make 2011 different from all the others? How can I find a way to supplement my income so that I can afford to spend more time with my family?.. or pay off more bills?.. or buy that little something that I've had my eye on? Easy...

Ever thought about owning your own business? Its easier than you think. I searched high and low when I went about finding a home business that would work for me. I needed to find a company with a history built on its honesty, integrity and product quality. I found all of that in Watkins Natural Products... and then some! I've only been with Watkins for a year and a half and I can see the potential that it holds for me.

Most people have grown up with the Watkins brand in their home. Your Grandma can probably tell you stories about the Watkins Man with the horse and buggy filled with her favourite Watkins extracts and spices. Watkins still carries those same product lines but today's Watkins products have been reformulated to reflect the needs of today. Watkins have taken out all the questionable ingredients of the past and replaced them with sustainable natural ingredients. Environmentally friendly is the direction that Watkins is taking right from the production of the products to the products themselves. Soy based inks for labelling, gravity fed filling lines, using lighter weight product packaging, plant-based home care products that are free of pollutants and biodegradable, certified 100% organic herbs and spices and all-natural pure extracts. The consumers have spoken of their wants and needs for the future and Watkins has listened and responded by taking their tried and true products that have been used and much loved for over 140 years and changing them to fit the needs of today. It's that kind of commitment to the consumer that made me stop and take a good look at Watkins as a business option.

Visit the WatkinsOnline.com site to find out more about the history of Watkins, the product line and starting your own home-based business. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.watkinsonline.com/janicejohnstone

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:37:00 +0000

Wishing you all the very best for 2011

I hope this year will bring much joy, good health and happiness!

From my home to your home,

Happy New Year

What am I thinking? On Christmas Eve?

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:16:00 +0000

Christmas Eve 2010

I can't believe that I am still baking for Christmas. The first batch my husband ate and the second, well I gave that all away in care packages for the family. They enjoy it as do I!

This mornings tasks.. yet another batch of shortbreads, pumpkins pies and a "Low Fat" Lemon Cheesecake for those of us that can't (or shouldn't) have the others! I know.. at this time of the year it is hard not to partake and enjoy.

Here is my Grandmothers Melting Shortbread recipe.

3 cups flour
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 lb. butter
1 tsp Watkins Vanilla

Cream butter and icing sugar. Add Watkins Vanilla. Sift together flour and corn starch. Mix into butter mixture. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten with a fork dipped in icing sugar to prevent sticking. Put in a 300 deg. pre.-heated oven for 15 min. Cookies are ready when the bottoms are lightly browned yet the top is still white.

For something different, roll cookie balls in sugar and Watkins Cinnamon and place on cookie sheet without flattening. Or, dip finished cookies in dark chocolate. Or, roll dough into a log and cover with chopped nuts. Slice into 1/4 inch slices and bake. The possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

How about cheesecake for dessert tonight?

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 06:13:00 +0000

I was asked to share a recipe that I used to make years ago. After going back over it, I don't know why I stopped making it! Here is one of my favourite cheesecake recipes. I have tweeked some of the ingredients to bring it down from the regular full fat recipe to one that all can enjoy without the guilt. Make this No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake for your family tonight.

No-Bake Cheesecake

Crumb Mixture

6 Tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp Watkins Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Watkins Nutmeg

Press 2/3 of mixture into an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan; reserve remaining crumbs for top.

Filling

2 envelope Knox unflavoured gelatin
1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
2 tsp grated lemon rind (rind from one lemon)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Watkins Original Double Strength Vanilla
3 cups creamed cottage cheese (or 1%)
1 cup heavy cream, whipped (or 2 cups low fat whipped topping)

Combine gelatin and 3/4 cup sugar in medium saucepan. Beat egg yolks and milk together; stir into gelatin mixture. Place over low heat; stir constantly until gelatin dissolves and mixture thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon rind, juice, and vanilla. Beat cottage cheese in blender until very smooth; stir into gelatin mixture. Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds slightly.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gradually add remaining 1/4
cup sugar and beat until very stiff. Fold into gelatin mixture; fold in whipped cream (or whipped topping). Turn into prepared crumb base and sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Chill until firm (3-4 hours). Yield: 12 servings. Garnish as desired.

Update on My Mother-in-Law's Stroke Recovery

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 21:44:00 +0000

Here is a quick update on Maisie's condition as of Sunday, November 21, 2010. Just to recap, she had a stroke last week and is in the midst of her recovery.

Maisie is doing great. She is sitting up, having conversations and eating. Next week, she will be travelling to Brandon to have a CAT Scan to see just where things are at. Things are looking up and we are very hopeful that she will make a full recovery in the next couple of months.

Its not going to be easy. She is a spry 92 year old that is an important fixture in this very small communtiy. Our prayers are with her in this time of her recovery.

Helping stroke victims cope - Winnipeg Free Press

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:30:00 +0000

This is a great article offering information for the rehabilitation of stroke victims. Its a comfort to know for those of us currently helping a loved one after a stroke.

Helping stroke victims cope - Winnipeg Free Press

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 08:34:00 +0000

Its kind of early in the morning and I don't think its a really good time to be starting to blog. Its been a long day... hell, its been a long week. My mother-in-law had a stroke on tuesday and things have been kind of difficult. She's 92 and a fighter. The doctors didn't want to do anything to make her comfortable but its good to see that things are being done for her now.

What is it with doctors? Shouldn't it be the family that decides what should be done with a family member? It was horrible to hear someone say that they are just going to leave her as she is 92, no tests, no medications, just to let nature take its course. This was a vibrant, fiesty and productive 92 year old. Who was he to decide that this was it for her. Today, she has a patch to help break up clots, the nurses are coming in more often to check up on her and she is getting lots of visitors to keep her stimulated and alert. After only 4 days, she is weak but starting to do a lot of talking. Now, thats the woman that I know.

She might be 92 but this is a woman that is fighting to get better. Fighting for her right to live her life. I only wish that I can have her drive and determination when I am her age. Make sure you question the doctor and see that he is doing everything that he can to start the healing process. Don't let them get away with the "let nature take its course" path. The sooner that treatment is started, the better chance the patient has for recovery. Here is to hoping that you have a speedy recovery, Maisie!