Has school really started? You know what that means – early morning hustling, after-school tizzies and ragged nerves at dinnertime.

It’s still possible to have pleasant family mealtimes even after school has begun. Check out these back-to-school dinner tips for busy Moms:

1. Have a meal plan.

The most important key to having relaxed family dinners even on school nights is having a meal plan. This will simplify both food shopping and meal preparation, and help you save money to boot.

If you need help, check out Dine Without Whine’s meal and grocery planning service.

2. Try freezer meals.

Cut down on cooking time by cooking large batches and then freezing them for future use.

3. Simplify your schedule.

With school comes extracurricular activities that could have you running – or driving around – like a headless chicken. Keep things to a minimum. Overloading children with too many after-school activities is not good for them. They need downtime too.

4. Get the kids involved in cooking.

Get some help by mobilizing your own troops – your husband and children – as your kitchen helpers. Cooking is an important life skill and now it’s bonding time as well.

5. Have an emergency plan.

No matter how well you plan in advance, something always comes up. Plan for that as well. Always have emergency supplies in the pantry so you can throw together a home-cooked meal at a moment’s notice.

It could be a frozen dinner you prepared during the weekend. Mine is pasta, a can of tomato sauce and whatever vegetables are in the refrigerator.

6. Post your family schedule.

Keep a large calendar on the wall where you can see every family member’s schedule at a glance. It will also help you plan activities around your family dinner times.

7. Stay flexible.

Sometimes you just can’t afford disruptions to your meal times. An occasional missed family dinner is no big deal – when you know you’ll have more throughout the week.

8. Consider school schedules.

Take note of school events and other activities in your family calendar – so you can plan your family dinners with them in mind.

9. Cook once, eat twice.

Every so often, cook a double batch of meals that can easily be transformed into another entree or side dish. For example, roast 2 chickens. Have one for tonight’s dinner. Chop up the other for chicken salad for later in the week.

10. Organize your kitchen.

If you haven’t done so yet, now’s the time to take stock of your kitchen. Make sure the items you use most often are accessible from your food prep area. Replace the tools that are broken, and get those gadgets that will help you get dinner ready faster.

11. Have a special meal.

Make Friday night Teen’s night – which means they plan and prepare the meal. That is, if you have teens or any child old enough to prepare meals. They’ll learn how to cook, you get the night off (from cooking), and everybody has fun. The only condition is: everybody has to eat what’s prepared.

12. Make it educational.

This idea is for preschool-age kids. Make or buy a special placemat with letter or numbers. Laminate it with Con-Tact paper so it becomes a wipe-off board. Use it only for dinnertimes.

13. More mealtime learning opportunities.

Plan some meals to coincide with specific topics your child is studying in school. For example, on the night after a field trip to a pioneer town, have a pioneer-style meal.

14. Celebrate school successes at dinner.

Celebrate school successes with a special family meal. Prepare the child’s favorite meal and prepare a nice dessert. It’s more important to have a meal that’s relaxed and delicious, than one that tool hours to prepare.

15. Nurture school relationships.

Get to know your children’s closest school friends by inviting them to dinner once in a while.

Follow these tips to make family mealtimes simpler, easier and more fun. For meal planning and grocery shopping help, go to Dine Without Whine.

Your monthly subscription includes a weekly meal plan with recipes for main dishes, side dishes, 2 desserts and 2 brunches.

You’ll also get a weekly grocery shopping list of everything you need to create the recipes. The list is categorized according to grocery sections, so your shopping will be easier and faster.

For a limited time, you can try Dine Without Whine for a penny. Click here to find out how.

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Question: What are you without an immune system?
Answer: You are dead.

As morbid as it may sound, it’s true. When your immune system is weak you will get sick. When your immune system completely fails you will die.

If I could show you a way to boost your Natural Killer Cells by up to 437%, would you be interested in hearing more? Of course you would.

Get Healthy and Wise with  Extreme Health 4Life

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More brain power is an essential key to success in nearly every area of life.  Your brain is much like a  muscle.  As the saying  goes; use it or lose it.  Many experts agree that you can grow your mental focus and intelligence quotient as much as you want.  Here are nine nice and easy to do tips to improve brain power:

1. Develop a regular exercise routine
Exercise benefits your brain cells by supplying high doses of much needed oxygen. When you exercise, the blood vessels in the brain begin to dilate. With the increased blood flow, more oxygen is transported to various parts of the body, but most importantly the brain. Physical activity and exercise not only allows more oxygen to flow, but  other vital nutrients as well. Toxins are more readily eliminated through sweating also. Beachbody Fitness is my favorite as far as fitness programs go because they have a huge selection and variety of workouts programs that you can do right in your own home.

2. Mind games
Since the brain is a muscle, it too must be used. Brain games of thought and concentration like cross word puzzles, word search, sukudo, or even a game of chess can  improve mental clarity and intelligence all at the same time.

3.) Deter the Distractions
On the other hand, distractions are an enemy to maximum brain power, so you must learn to calm your busy mind.  When you notice things that bother you, try to deal with them as soon as possible, rather than dwelling on them.  Whether it is a phone call, paying a bill, or writing things down on your to do list so that you won’t forget, just get it done.  Doing these things will come easier with practice, especially as your thinking becomes more sharp and your brain power boosts.

3. Eat (or drink)  the best breakfast.
Eating a healthy breakfast (one void of sugary carbs and high in protein) is one of the best things you can do for your brain.  Likewise, skipping one of the most important meals of the day will affect your brains ability to cope, reason and function. Besides breakfast, aim to eat (or drink) plenty of live raw fruits and veggies and their juices throughout the day.  Fruits and vegetables have the ability to detoxify the body and nourish your brain with important nutrients and essential antioxidants that help protect your brain from the harmful effects of free radicals. Beachbody also offers the most power packed nutritional drink called “SHAKEOLOGY the healthiest meal of the day” that is easy and delicious. See what the Doctors have to say.

4. Drink LOTS of water.
Besides fat, your brain is comprised of almost 80 percent water. This means that the brain is a lot like a sponge; when it is well hydrated it will perform more effectively.  Dehydration, even in the slightest amount can raise the stress hormone levels in the body, which can damage the brains tissues over the course of time.  A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 84 ounces of water a day. Pure clean water is best but if your like me you enjoy variety so you can  add a bit of fresh lemon juice and stevia for a delicious and nutritious way to stay hydrated. You can also drink herbal, non-caffeinated tea. White or green tea are packed with antioxidants and other phytonutrients that are very beneficial for health of the brain.

5. Keep journals and Lists
Writing down your thoughts and ideas are a great way to clear the mind of it’s clutter from the day.  When you write your thoughts onto paper, you are able to think  about them in a more powerful and creative way. Keeping a To Do list will also help you mind stay focused and less forgetful. This is a great way to improve your brainpower.

6. Think about things in a positive way.
Thinking positively is not some “pie in the sky” mentality. It is just another way to enable your brain to think more clearly and creatively.  When you are thinking about positive things, your mood and feelings will follow. This alone will allow your mind to function more smoothly.  Ask yourself questions like  What am I most grateful for right now?. The attitude to gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to boost brain power.

7) The beauty of sleep
Research shows that someone with sleep deprivation is equivalent to someone who is legally drunk. Make sure you sleep at least 7 hours of sleep. Research also shows that the best hours of sleep are from 10:00pm to 6:00am. Your body and your brain in particular, repair and rejuvenate during these sleep hours. Sleep also helps your brain to process new memories, practice new skills and solve problems.

8. Develop your creativity and your intuition.
Creativity gives power to your thinking. Raw computation can be done by computers now, but humans provide the creative thought that shapes our world. Intuition can be an important part of brain power. Einstein and others have relied heavily on their intuitive hunches.

9. Make a brain power commitment.
Studies show that it takes about twenty to thirty days of repetition to establish new habits. So be patient with yourself.  This means that you should plan to use these techniques such as exercise, eating healthy, staying hydrated and sleeping well for at least three weeks for the habit to form.

You can use many of the brain boosters here and get immediate results, but it is creating new habits that will give you the most brain power boost.

Mellisa McJunkin
Extreme Health and Wellness Activist

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A friend sent this to me yesterday so I checked it out. Since the company is too new to effectively research and review, it is a challenge for me to confidently recommend it. However, because they are offering a F*R*E*E product just for signing up, I feel it’s a safe enough venture at this time.

The product is FOOD. Food that’s prepackaged and good for emergencies, difficult economic time, hunting, backpacking, hiking, or whatever.

I read this under the Products section of their website …”With Sundance Global products, we took health food quality ingredients and blended them into our proprietary recipes to create ready to eat meals that taste like gourmet restaurant cuisine, yet have a guaranteed 15+ year shelf life.

If you want ready to eat meals that only require you to boil water and simmer for 10-20 minutes, then you will want to order “Sundance Gold,” the Sundance Global Premium Food line. Sundance Global products have ultra high quality ingredients, incredible taste, easy preparation along with convenient portions and packaging. Sundance Global products are used for days when food preparation time is limited or when mobility and convenience are important such as emergencies, camping, fishing, backpacking, hunting and other activities.”

I encourage you to take a look around AND sign up to receive a free sample of the food. You can’t lose a thing.

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More Thoughts from Mellisa McJunkin – Health and Wellness Advocate

Question: What are you without an immune system?
Answer: You are dead.

As morbid as it may sound, it’s true. When your immune system is weak you will get sick. When your immune system completely fails you will die.

If I could show you a way to boost your Natural Killer Cells by up to 437%, would you be interested in hearing more? Of course you would.

Get Healthy and Wise with  Extreme Health 4Life

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Modern medicines have been known to have side effects from their own treatments and one of the major causes of unnecessary death and suffering.

Most of the drugs are toxic or cytotoxic and generate free radicals in the body. As a result many of them have other side effects that can lead to further complications.

We’ve all heard of the benefit-risk profile of medicines, but does anyone warn you of their toxicity? Why do you think lawyers are advertising on TV now for drug related injuries? Tell me you have seen the ads.

All drugs and chemicals have some form of negative and positive effect on cells, organs and the pathways in the body.

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More Thoughts from Mellisa McJunkin – Health and Wellness Advocate

Question: What are you without an immune system?
Answer: You are dead.

As morbid as it may sound, it’s true. When your immune system is weak you will get sick. When your immune system completely fails you will die.

If I could show you a way to boost your Natural Killer Cells by up to 437%, would you be interested in hearing more? Of course you would.

Get Healthy and Wise with  Extreme Health 4Life

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