It’s easy to elevate canned spaghetti sauce with a few simple additions!
For the longest time, I felt ashamed of buying canned spaghetti sauce. There’s no denying that homemade, hand-crafted spaghetti sauce is usually going to be the best. But…sometimes I just don’t have the time to fuss with it! And if it’s a choice between ordering takeout or making a semi-from-scratch meal, I’ll choose the latter 9 times out of 10.
The good news is that canned spaghetti sauce doesn’t have to be boring! With a few quick and easy additions, you can get it tasting more fresh and interesting.
If you’d like to read all of my tips and tricks to elevate canned spaghetti sauce, head over to my post on The Pioneer Woman’s blog HERE.
Health Update
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been dealing with unexplained chronic fatigue since April. It’s been really frustrating having to plan my work/life around low energy. Some days I have to go and lie down in bed after making breakfast. ?
I went to see a naturopath doctor, and she had me go and get blood work done. I had never had my blood drawn to my knowledge, so I was a bit nervous about the whole operation. But it was over in no time! The worst part was the rubber band that the lady tied tightly around my arm.
Last week I got the test results back. I’m not sure what to make of everything…my appointment with the naturopath isn’t until next week. But I did learn a few interesting things:
- I don’t have the MTHFR gene mutation. Hooray! That means I can process B vitamins normally.
- My vitamin D levels were on the low end. This is after having supplemented with cod liver oil regularly, and getting out in the sun when I can. I wonder what my levels were during the winter…
- I have really low levels of CoQ10. I’m still learning about what exactly CoQ10 is. But as far as I can tell it’s an important antioxidant that all cells in the body need.
It will be really interesting to get my doctor’s view on all of this, and start on a treatment plan. I am so sick of not having any energy!
So that’s what I have for you this week. You can follow me on Instagram is you’d like more updates about what’s going on in our life. I occasionally talk about health-related stuff on my stories.
How’s summer going for you so far? Did you have a fun 4th?
Kelly
Sunday 15th of July 2018
I hope you feel well soon! Having littles & no energy is a frustrating combination!
Erica Kastner
Monday 16th of July 2018
Thank you, Kelly! Yes, it is very frustrating, especially if you're someone who loves a clean house. Kids + no energy to clean = mess.
Anna W.
Monday 9th of July 2018
Oops! I meant one of the organs for coq10 but I just looked it up and specifically it is grass fed beef heart! You can find this in a blend via the grass fed organ blend or just heart via ancestral supplements and I’m sure other brands carry it too!
Erica Kastner
Monday 9th of July 2018
I'll have to go check those out. Thanks, Anna!
LizB
Sunday 8th of July 2018
I hope you find out soon and get well on the path to optimum health. It is hard, especially with two kids - I have 2 the same age as yours, so I understand!
As for getting the blood drawn - I was pretty shocked that you never had it done before. In the country where I live, it is mandatory every month from the 4th month of pregnancy until the end, to keep an eye on things.
Erica Kastner
Monday 9th of July 2018
Yes, having kids definitely makes it more complicated/challenging!
Interesting that it's mandatory where you live! I go the home birth "method" and the only blood work my midwife has done is to prick my finger to find out my blood type. I was worried that I might faint since I get really dizzy most days, but it was pretty easy!
laketha
Saturday 7th of July 2018
Ask your Naturopath about the latest findings on the benefits of drinking coffee.
Erica Kastner
Monday 9th of July 2018
We did talk about coffee/caffeine briefly - coffee makes me crazy! What are the newest findings?
Anna W.
Thursday 5th of July 2018
Have you looked at dessicated organ supplements? I remember one of the grass fed beef ones is a good source of coq10. I like to read the ancestral supplement website. Also I live in Florida and struggle with my vitamin d levels doing the same thing even with seemingly significant sun exposure. It does seem to help to just take a good vitamin d supplement in just higher doses (which you probably would not want to increase cod liver oil, at least that was my personal thought on it). Good luck! I know naturopaths have helped a lot for me, but coupled with my own research I’ve found better things for my body since I now am in tune to my own body better than I ever have been!
Erica Kastner
Thursday 5th of July 2018
I currently take a grass-fed dessicated liver supplement every day! I didn't know that it's a good source of CoQ10, though. Maybe I need to up my dose, or specifically supplement CoQ10.
Interesting that even though you live in Florida your Vitamin D levels were low! I have the Thorne Vitamin D3 drops, which I think I'll start supplementing with. Yeah, from what I read you don't want to go overboard on the cod liver oil or it can start to have detrimental effects.
Thank you! I really hope my naturopath will have some good input and I can start to turn this around...