Julie Naturally
natural self-reliance for Christians
Lately, I’ve seen lots of folks hoarding toilet paper and paper towels, rice, beans, hand sanitizer, and ramen noodles (huh?). You might think all these folks were stocking a prepper pantry. But, if they were true preppers, they’d already have what they need. Preppers don’t wait for something bad to happen. They know that bad …
As a person who always got picked last for gym class, I grew up dreading sports. I had poor eye hand coordination and struggled to connect my hand with any moving object smaller than a beach ball. It took me for-ev-er to learn coordinated movements, such as sophisticated choreography. But, I loved to move and …
What does your family do for Mother’s Day? Do they treat you like a queen, take you out for dinner, and clean the house for you? How about offer you a box of chocolatey goodness with all its chocolate benefits? It’s definitely fun to be pampered for the day when you’re usually the one taking …
I love chocolate. I bet you do, too. It seems to be the treat for everything: chocolate hearts for Valentine’s Day, chocolate bunnies at Easter, chocolates for Mother’s Day, and chocolate bars for summertime s’mores. Oh, and let’s not forget chocolate chips, chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate milk, brownies….need I go on? Even though chocolate …
Do you have your winter herbal medicine chest all stocked? I hope you don’t have to use it. Even though the cold weather seems to bring more illness than at other times of the year, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can learn some preventative measures for how to stay healthy in winter. …
When you’ve been in the habit of stuffing your emotions with food, it can be hard to reverse that trend. But, the toll it’s having on your emotional, physical, and mental health probably frightens you. Then, feeling bad, you eat more to try to feel better. It’s a vicious cycle that cannot be broken with …
During the holidays and winter months, we can experience higher levels of stress. This time of year often stirs up painful memories and family tensions, deepens financial troubles, and finds us gaining unwanted pounds. We also tend to get sick more often. So, what do we do? We engage in stress eating. The roots of …
During the holidays and other stressful times of the year, we often eat too much. And then, we make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. The average person gains about ten extra pounds during the fall months. But, how many times have you made that resolution? How many diets have you tried? For many women …
Do you have a bad mood? Considering today’s environment of uncertainty and chaos, it’s pretty common. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports an increase in depression and anxiety in 2020 over 2019. Their study showed that 40% of adults currently struggle with mental health or substance abuse. But, we cannot stay depressed, …
Have you ever woke up and an hour later, you’re ready to go back to bed? At times, I have felt that way and wondered why. After all, sleep should be refreshing, but maybe that’s not enough to give me the energy I need. So, where does energy come from? Quite simply, burning calories. But, …
Essential oils are all the rage these days. Multi-level marketing companies have popularized their use for cleaning, boosting immunity, and helping children with common sleep and focus issues. But, how about essential oils for relaxation? Most people are familiar with lavender as a sleep aid, but there are several other oils useful for calming the …
When we’re feeling stressed out, we can’t always get to our favorite method to relieve stress. We need to know how to relieve stress right there in the moment. One of the best ways to to do this is to learn our triggers so we can avoid stress in the first place. Relieve stress by …
When we think of Christmas, we think of the three wise men and maybe mistletoe. But, there are actually eight Christmas herbs. These are: frankincense, myrrh, mistletoe, holly, poinsettia, pine, peppermint, and cinnamon. On my podcast, Crunchy Christian Podcast, I cover seven of these in depth over the holiday season. When we think of these …
Around the holidays, we often lots of food gift baskets available at grocery stores. Public and private schools often pass around fund-raising catalogs with these offerings as well. Why not go beyond the norm with some fresh food gift basket ideas designed for the health-conscious person? After all, many of the readily available ones include …
I love filling gift baskets. It’s super fun to design and build that personalized little package. I get to add unusual items that would seem a bit goofy all by themselves. I mean, who wraps a body brush, right? But, in a healthy gift basket, it makes sense. In this post, I’ve put together some …
When the seeds of fruits and vegetables develop tiny roots and their first true leaves start to show they are considered microgreens. This means they are in between the growth stages of sprouts and baby greens. It also means that you can harvest microgreens within two to three weeks after you’ve planted them in the …
Sometimes taking a look back through history helps us better understand our present. This isn’t just true for politics or economics, but also for cultural traditions. For most of history, the spring equinox meant a spring fast. When people were bound to the earth’s natural cycles of abundance and scarcity, springtime brought scarcity of food …
Some of the natural remedies for seasonal allergies are not safe for children and so we need to learn how to treat children’s allergies naturally by other means. I hate watching my sons suffer with puffy eyes and hot, dripping noses, sneezing their heads off. They feel exhausted and irritable. I feel terrible watching them …
Now that the weather is starting to warm up it’s safe to venture out of your house and grab some seasonal spring produce at your local farmers’ market. Your body is probably even craving some greens and the local market is the best place to get them. Farmers’ markets provide seasonal and freshly grown produce …
While there is no cure for seasonal allergies, natural remedies for seasonal allergies may offer your body what it needs to heal itself. When I was a girl, I used conventional over-the-counter remedies for years. I hated spring and summer because I always felt miserable. Even though the drugs helped, they made me feel weird. …
While some habits make allergies worse, you can learn how to reduce allergy symptoms with daily habits. These habits are simple to do and can make a big difference in how good or bad you feel. Because, let’s face it, natural remedies for allergies work better if our symptoms are milder. And, if we’re using …
You may have wondered in the past if growing your own food is worth the effort. The short answer is yes. In fact, there are many reasons why you should garden, from saving money to having access to produce without chemicals. There also happen to be quite a few health benefits of growing your own …
I am always amazed at God’s provision for us! As winter ends, what are the first plants growing in our gardens? Greens. The benefits of spring greens show God’s eternal care for us. He gives us exactly what we need at the time we need it if we pay attention and eat seasonally. In colder …
When your eyes water and burn and your nose keeps running, the last thing you want is to do something that makes allergies worse. But, we’re busy people. When our lives are full with educating our kids, keeping a home, and maybe even working part-time, it’s easy to make mistakes. We don’t mean to make …
