5 Crazy uses for cayenne pepper

Think you've heard everything about cayenne pepper? Maybe you have and maybe you haven't. Sure, cayenne pepper is delicious in guacamole and awesome on spicy fries. Most people know that, right? What they don't know about is the unconventional uses for this miracle spice. How about using cayenne pepper to keep your feet warm in winter?

1. Keep your feet warm.

You know cayenne is hot, right? Did you know it can warm your feet in cold weather? Just sprinkle a bit into your socks before venturing outdoors. The cayenne will heat up your feet to ward off frostbite. You can do the same if you get cold feet at night. Remember one thing, though. Make sure you use old socks. Cayenne can combine with perspiration and leave a stain.

2. Heal small cuts.

Next time you get a paper cut, give this cure a try. Stop the bleeding and help your cut heal faster. Sprinkle a bit of cayenne on it. You might think that's a bit like rubbing salt in a wound and you'd be right. Why? Salt has healing powers as well. Don't use cayenne for large or deep wounds. It could sting and cause infection. See a doctor for those.

3. Cure a headache.

Mix a bit of cayenne pepper with olive oil. Now massage it into your temples. The cayenne will warm your skin and increase circulation. Cayenne in your food will have the same effect. Cayenne increases blood flow and opens capillaries, just like caffeine. It will also open your sinuses to ease headaches caused by congestion.

4. Soothe a sore throat.

Mix a crazy concoction of salt water, a clove of garlic and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Don't drink it. That would taste horrible. Instead, use this solution as a gargle. Don't worry, it won't sting. In fact, this gargle will take pain away instantly. It'll heal your throat quickly too. Garlic, salt and cayenne are all powerful antiseptics.

5. Cure tummy troubles.

You wouldn't think such a spicy food would help a stomachache. In fact, you might deduce the opposite. Still, cayenne is supreme at cleaning out the digestive system. It also kills bad bacteria that lurk in the nooks and crannies of your intestines. What else? It gets your digestive juices flowing to flush toxins. Eating cayenne regularly can keep you regular.

5 alternatives to kids' lunch box plastic

Plastic is hazardous to your health. Plus, it's not just about BPA anymore. There are at least 700 studies on the dangers of different plastics. Plastic is everywhere. It's even in your water supply. Most kids that pack lunches for school use waterproof plastic containers, plastic bags and plastic water bottles. Is there another way? What other materials can you use to pack kids' lunches in?

1. Start by brown bagging it.

Skip the cutesy little plastic containers with all the nifty compartments. They're not as cute as you think. They can give off toxins, especially if scratched or worn. Why not go old school? Brown paper bags are cheap and contain no plastic toxins. It's not about what the food comes in. It's about what gets in the food.

2. Wrap sandwiches in brown paper or aluminum foil.

Both are recyclable. Plastic is recyclable to a certain extent, but it's toxic to begin with. Boycotting it sends a clear message. Manufacturers can use alternatives or go out of business. With a little practice, you can wrap sandwiches airtight. Skip the plastic containers. Skip the plastic wrap. Skip the plastic baggies.

Note : Did you know they now make cloth bags and baggies? Sweet!

3. Skip prepackaged fruits.

Isn't it nice how they package convenient sizes of cut up fruit in cute little plastic cups? Don't be so sure. Any plastic container can leach chemicals into your food. How long has that fruit been sitting in that plastic? You're better off cutting up your own fruit or placing whole fruits in kids lunches.

4. What about drinks?

How can kids carry drinks to school without plastic containers? Well, no offense, but what did your grandparents do? They used mason jars or other lidded jars. Yes, they're breakable. Kids would have to be cautious. Still, mason jars are quite thick. It takes some effort to break them.

5. Check the grocery or department store for eco-friendly alternatives.

Did you know there are newer plastics made from natural products, not petroleum? Some contain paper pulp. Others are made from food starch. All are biodegradable and safe for food content. They do no harm when they break down. If more purchased green plastic alternatives for kids' lunches alone, think of the difference it would make to the environment.

The top 5 easiest things to feed a vegan at a BBQ

Oh no! Vegan food is so weird. And there's a vegan coming to your BBQ. You've never fed one before. What on earth do they eat? Don't panic. Chances are, they will eat a lot of the food you're already serving, as well as some you might like to try.

5. Grilled Portabella Mushrooms

Most “regular” people like these too. It's a giant mushroom shaped like a burger. You grill it and slather it with spices, sauces or whatever you like. Goes great as a guacamole burger. Do remember to keep it away from the blood and gore, though. Vegans have a thing about that. Can't imagine why.

4. Salad Without the Meat and Dairy.

A vegan's worst nightmare is a yummy, perfect, green salad that has been desecrated by loading it with meat and cheese, topped with buttermilk ranch dressing. Why? Because there's good stuff in there. It's just buried in nasty. SO frustrating. Talk about a dangling carrot. Just stick with the veggies and vinegar and oil, please.

3. DUH! Watermelon

It's a fruit. You eat it on the 4th of July. It makes an appearance at nearly every BBQ you've ever been to in your life. Best of all, it's vegan and great for seed spitting contests. Yay!

2. Grilled Corn on the Cob or Sweet Potatoes With.....Not Butter

Vegetables are vegan. Who knew? Slap some sweet potatoes or corn on the grill. Drizzle on some olive oil and yummy spices, wait for the optimum texture and you're done. So simple and so very vegan. Thank-you!

1. Did Someone Say Guacamole?

Oh right, that was me. Vegans put guacamole on everything. They slap it on veggie burgers. They serve it in salads. They wrap it in.... wraps. They even put it in their Mexican food. Yum, yum, give us some!

Final Thoughts

So there you go. Vegans are not difficult to feed. There are thousands upon thousands of combinations of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Now if you could only get your vegan friends to tolerate that giant dead carcass you have on the grill. Hey, I know. Why not go to a vegan BBQ instead? Aw, come on, you know those ideas sounded delish! Why not have a try at some other great vegan foods? Be careful. though. We might just turn you. LOL 

5 Ways energy impacts your life

Tired of what life is throwing at you? Try throwing around some good energy, rather than dwelling on the negative things that happen to you. We all know those people who are constant complainers, don't we? And doesn't it seem sometimes that they are right about their crappy luck? Well, they probably are. But maybe not for the reasons you think.

5. Whatever you wish for and focus on in life, will come to you.

Oh yes, it's true. Whether you dwell on negativity or positivism, you will surely get what you believe you will out of life. Somehow, when we focus on the good, good comes to us naturally. It's not magical or mystical. It's just how it works.

4. Your kids will become exactly what you tell them they are.

Oh, ya. I've seen it happen both ways and many times, even when my own kids. Kids who are told how great they are and whose parents place less emphasis on the “bad” things they do and more on the “good' are usually very well rounded and happy.

3. Negativity is contagious.

When you treat others badly, they are not as apt to send out the good vibes, as it were. They go on to spread more negativity to even more people until the world becomes a big ball of yuck. Emitting negative energy toward others impacts everyone.

2. Energy is everywhere.

It's what we're made up of. In fact, everything in the universe is made up of energy. Energy is made up of positive and negative currents. So, whether it's directed at another person, or a bad day, bad energy will naturally intensify/spread from one terminal to the next, just like an electric current. Luckily, good energy has the same effect. So, put it out there. It will come back to you.

1. There is another worldwide web.

There is a web that connects us all and acts like a distribution system for the energy mentioned above. The web doesn't care what kind of energy it receives. It's just there to pass it on. The great news is that if we all concentrate on the good vibes, they spread out far and wide over the web. The bad news is that negativity can do the same.

So throw that good energy out there, everyone. It will come back to you, I promise.