The Trifecta of Healthy Brain Function

     I learn some really interesting things in Anatomy and Physiology. Other than just the basic class material. Meditation, exercise and journaling are the trifecta of activities needed for healthy brain function. We actually meditate for 2 minutes at the start of every A&P class. Next week we are going to three minutes. I really love working in that class. Exercise is something I am lacking in a bit. I do walk all over the school, but I need to make a bit more effort. It's just a good idea. But when I heard about all this I was thinking that in some ways, my blog is like journaling. I share things I am working on, recipes, my opinion on certain recipes and so on, things in my life and on and on. Journaling helps get things out of your brain, to make more space. Maybe this is why I am finding I am more efficient lately. Making sure to do a blog post every day, helps me to be a bit more organized. To use my time more wisely.
       Yesterday was the first day of The Jennifer Show. Facebook was suspiciously quiet so I didn't have as much idea of what was going on as at a lot of other shows. I do know the jumper/cross country had 35 entries! I told Liesl I would bring her wine and chocolate when she gets home. 
     Anyway, to work on parts of my healthy brain function I stopped staring at the TV and Travis and I went out. I really wanted to go buy eye shadow so we headed out to Holyoke while I debated going to Ulta or Sephora. I settled on Sephora because there are two of them in the mall and a Target and I needed a couple of other things that I could get at Target. I figured if Sephora didn't have what I wanted I could hit Ulta on the way back home. 
     So Travis and I walked around the mall a bit (exercise) and after awhile I sat in a chair in Sephora and closed my eyes (meditation) so the really amazing saleswoman could do an eye look with several colors of Urban Decay Moondust eyeshadow. I taught her my trick to do the eyeliner wing and she was excited. She seemed to be having a lot of fun "painting" so I just let her keep on going. She put at least 4 different colors of eyeshadow on me, I tried a new mascara, which is really good but not as good as the Urban Decay Perversion that I usually use, and she did my brows, which I have never bothered to do but she did such a good job I forgot she did them! After some retail therapy (I bought a bunch of stuff, lol) Travis asked to go to Round 1. So we went to the arcade. I said we only had time to play a few games today, so he picked all his favorites and then we went home. Apparently today was more about Mom. 

In case you can't quite see it my shirt says "in my defense, I was left unsupervised."

     So this is not so much a recipe as a neat trick and something I really enjoy that I can still eat on a low carb diet. I really love tacos. We can't eat tacos because the shells (or more correctly tortillas because I don't like hard tacos) are too carb laden. So these days the closest I can get is taco salad. Which is still amazing. However every single commercially produced packet of taco seasoning contains MSG. At least all the ones I have read the label on. Which is all the ones I can get locally. And we try not to eat MSG. So I have been making my own taco seasoning. I don't measure things, because I rarely measure things, I just mixed cumin, chili powder (in about equal amounts or a bit more chili powder), less garlic powder, a bit of black pepper and some salt. I sometimes also add chipotle pepper and yesterday I used some onion powder. There are definitely other ways to make taco seasoning, but that is roughly how I do it. And it's good. I also use it on pork and chicken somethings. 

    So anyway, the neat trick is to put all your ingredients into a container, I have this tall one that is from Ziplock and has about a 3 and a half cup capacity, twist on the cap and shake it up. Remember when McDonald's had those salad shakers? I don't think they do anymore, but shaking your salad is a really easy way to get good dressing distribution. Or to properly mix your taco salad. I like it because I don't throw as much on the floor trying to mix it. 

       I'm about done with the blog post for today (journaling) so I probably have a very healthy brain. I should exercise more I'm sure, but at least I do get some. And even a bit of meditation, which we do daily (at school) is better than none. So everybody get out there and take a walk or go to the gym, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing for a couple of minutes and write down some thoughts. Your brain will thank you for it.