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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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July 9, 2025

The Dog Days of Summer

How often I’ve heard this phrase, yet never knew that Dog Days were official. Turns out, the Dog Days of Summer run from July 3 to August 11. This t

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Food, Fun, Health
July 3, 2025

Can Bananas Ruin Your Berry Smoothie?

This past week I received an email with this question: “I recently read an article about bananas reducing the nutrition of the berries in a smoothie

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Food, Health
June 26, 2025

Hot Weather, Cool Tips

Lots of ideas swirling around in my head today—to which Mr. Non-Compliant would say, “Uh Oh!” Since I couldn’t decide on one topic, thought I&

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Food, Health
June 19, 2025

Savor the Solstice and Welcome Summer

On June 20 at 10:42 p.m. EST, the sun will reach its highest point in the sky, ushering in the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Th

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Food, Fun, Personal Development
June 18, 2025

Summer Solstice Fruit Salad with Mint & Citrus Honey Drizzle

This bright and refreshing fruit salad is perfect for summer gatherings, picnics, or a simple treat to celebrate the season. With a citrus-honey drizz

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Recipes, Salads
June 12, 2025

Flossing Beyond the Gums

We all know we should floss—but it turns out this simple daily habit might do more than just protect your smile. More and more research suggests tha

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Health
June 4, 2025

The Cancer-Fighting Power of Habits

Every so often, you stumble on two articles in one day that seem to shout the same message from different rooftops. That’s exactly what happened thi

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Blog
May 29, 2025

Survival and Everyday Strength

There are books you read, and there are books that change you. One that recently left a lasting mark on me is Resolute by Benjamin Hall, a Fox News co

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Health, Hope, Personal Development
May 22, 2025

Celebrate Smart with Memorial Day Tips

As Memorial Day weekend approaches, many of us look forward to picnics, cookouts, family gatherings, and the unofficial start of summer. But before we

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Family, Food, Fun, Health
May 18, 2025

Simple Cucumber-Tomato Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing

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Salads

Some Coffee Caffeine Chatter

June 8, 2023
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Fun, Health

I hope those of you who love donuts enjoyed your special day last week. Mr. Non-Compliant was caught savoring a blueberry sour cream donut from Rise’n Roll.

He said it was amazing and is considering having another one before next year’s donut day celebration. 

If you see him at Rise’n Roll, be sure to take a picture and let me know.

For my coffee lovers, here’s a tidbit that you may find interesting.

Light roast coffee tends to be slightly higher in caffeine content than dark roast when measuring scoop for scoop.

Some studies have shown a difference of 9 mg of caffeine (per half cup) between light and dark roast coffee, with lighter roasts containing the larger amounts.

Because the light roast beans spend less time in the roasting process, they are slightly smaller than medium and dark roast beans. Therefore, when measuring by volume, you’ll get more coffee beans per scoop with light roast. More beans equals more caffeine.

When measured by weight, the difference is insignificant.

Another tidbit: Dark roast coffee is less acidic than light and medium roast. If you suffer from heartburn or other digestive issues, dark roast may be a better option.

I am a fan of Lifeboost Coffee. It’s organic, low acid, roasted fresh in small batches when you order, 3rd party tested for molds, bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides and 400 other toxins.

There are a variety of coffee flavors to choose from, although I find the basic dark roast to be delightful.

If you enjoy coffee and must avoid it due to its acid producing qualities, or if you are searching for a “clean” coffee, you may want to give Lifeboost a try. Check it out at www.lifeboostcoffee.com

Cheers!

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

 “I wake up some mornings and sit and have my coffee and look out at my beautiful garden, and I go, ‘Remember how good this is. Because you can lose it.'” —Jim Carrey 

Score a Free Doughnut on Friday

June 1, 2023
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Food, Fun, Health

Friday, June 2nd is National Donut Day.

And it’s Gina’s birthday.

Happy National Donut Day! Happy Birthday, Gina!

We’re finally in the month of summer and my peonies are in their glory—white, pink and red blooms abound. There is much to celebrate.

Back to the free doughnut topic, in case you’re a fan. 

Dunkin’ Donuts is offering a free classic donut of your choice with the purchase of any drink on their menu on Friday, June 2nd.

There may be other donut deals, so be sure to ask at your local bakery if you’d like to be part of the celebration.

You can bet Mr. Non-Compliant will read this blog post and check into it.

He’s all about a doughnut—but only if it’s amazing.

Amazing is better than free.

Since doughnuts are not a health food, (I know you know this because you’ve been reading my blog posts) it’s best to limit intake. On National Donut Day, if you must indulge, make it amazing.

Curious as to the correct spelling of doughnut? Here’s the scoop:

“Dictionaries and popular style guides like the AP Stylebook list doughnut as the preferred spelling. However, donut is a common variation in the United States. It’s less common in official settings but is still fully acceptable.”

There you have it. Consider yourself to be a donut expert, at least on Friday.

Brew a Tastier Cup of Coffee

As I was thinking about donuts, my mind wandered to thoughts of coffee. If I were going to enjoy a donut, I’d want an amazing cup of coffee to accompany it.

This past weekend, I deep-cleaned my coffee maker. 

NI’m sure my coffee will be tastier now.

When was the last time you deep-cleaned your coffee maker?

If you’re like me and that task gets overlooked on a regular basis, follow these simple steps to deep-clean your coffee maker. You use distilled white vinegar. If you need some, let me know. I overbought.

Be sure all the water is out of the water chamber before beginning.

Step 1: Pour
Pour equal parts distilled white vinegar and water into your coffee maker’s water chamber.

Step 2: Brew
With the basket and filter chamber empty, activate the switch to brew.

Step 3: Stop and Sit
When half the liquid has brewed, turn off the coffee maker and let the solution sit for about an hour.

Step 4: Resume
When an hour is up, turn the coffee maker on again to finish the cycle.

Step 5: Rinse and Repeat
Discard the solution and run several brew cycles with clean water until the smell of vinegar is gone.

It’s advised to repeat this procedure every month to enjoy delicious coffee and extend the life of your coffee maker. (Wash the carafe, basket and filter with warm, soapy water after each use.)

Better put it in the calendar or it won’t happen.

Wishing you a beautiful June weekend.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“I choked on a carrot this afternoon and all I could think was ‘I bet a donut wouldn’t have done this to me.’ ”–Anonymous

Raw Honey is Good

May 25, 2023
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Food, Health

I’m with Winnie the Pooh when it comes to honey.

Although, I don’t recommend eating pawfuls of it from a honey pot.

To get honey’s natural health benefits, look for raw or unpasteurized.

Raw honey has some healing properties (may help with sore throats, stomach flu, digestion), strengthens the immune system and has antiseptic properties when applied to wounds, burns, and other skin conditions. Raw honey is Nature’s Neosporin. 

Local raw honey may be beneficial for pollen allergies. Any raw honey that is harvested nearby where the same sort of plants are blooming at roughly the same time can be considered local. Try taking a teaspoonful daily.

Bees really are very busy. A colony of bees can visit up to 50 million flowers each day, with as many as 60,000 bees in each colony.

To make honey, worker honeybees fly up to 5km searching for flowers and their sweet nectar. Usually, they’ll visit between 50 and 100 flowers per trip.

This explains why there are so many benefits to enjoying raw honey. Botanicals have provided healing properties for centuries. Bees are gathering all this goodness to make their unique blend of honey.

Impressive.

Tip: Young kids are more prone to acute coughs because they’re still developing their immune systems. If your two-year-old develops a cough, give them honey. Mix a teaspoon into warm water and give it to your child to drink daily until the cough has gone away. Children under the age of 2 should not consume honey, as there could be bacteria present that could make them sick.

A teaspoon of raw honey added to your lemon water, herbal tea, drizzled over fruit or Greek yogurt, or enjoyed on its own, is a healthy way to sweeten up your day and get a boost of energy. 

Recipe alert: I like to add my teaspoon of honey to a salad of mixed greens, blueberries or pear slices, goat cheese, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Toss to combine.

I’m thankful for bees. And their honey.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.”– A. A. Milne     

Savor the Season

May 17, 2023
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Health, In the Garden

Here in the Midwest, it’s finally safe to plant flowers and vegetables without fear of frost.

We hope. I’m going to risk it.

The daffodils and tulips are done for another year. My lilac bushes are fragrant and their beauty is short-lived.

My peonies are going to open in the next week or so, depending on the warmth of our days. 

I have rhubarb growing that’s ready to be harvested and made into something tasty. Fortunately, it returns faithfully each year.

The flowers, vegetables and herbs are calling my name. It’s a beautiful time of year.

If you enjoy fresh herbs and vegetables, I encourage you to plant a garden.

You may not have much space; however, you may be able to have a few herb pots on a sunny patio or tuck a tomato plant or two into your flower bed.

Have fun getting creative.

It’s fascinating to see what develops from a plant when you add some water and sunshine.

If you’re an accomplished gardener, then you’re most likely well ahead of the game. You have your garden mapped out, have seedlings started in a warm window and will enjoy your first tomato by early July, if not sooner.

My dad always planted a huge garden. I didn’t appreciate it as a kid on the farm, since I had the chore of weeding. Swore I’d never grow up and plant a garden.

Never say never and never swear.

Although I’m not the meticulous gardener that he was, I do the best I can and enjoy whatever happens to grow. I now find satisfaction even in the weeding. It’s a wonderful form of meditation for me. 

Guess I’ve grown up to be my father, the farmer’s, daughter.

Whatever beauty you find this spring, take time to enjoy it. The seasons pass much too quickly.

Sending you love,
Health Coach Carol

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” – Alfred Austin  

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