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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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October 30, 2025

🎃 Candy, Cravings & Finding the Sweet Spot

When it comes to Halloween, even the healthiest among us have a soft spot for something sweet. Whether it’s plain M&M’s (Mr. Non-Compliant’s

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Fun, Health
October 23, 2025

Your Autumn Reset Guide

It’s almost that time again — when we fall back an hour and suddenly, the evenings feel longer and darker. Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, No

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Health
October 16, 2025

Good Friends, Good Health, Great Life

Some people call it “girl time,” others call it “guy time.” You may even call it a party. Whatever you call it, spending time with friends doe

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Friendship, Health
October 9, 2025

🥣 Warm Foods to Take the Chill Off Fall

As the Midwest air turns crisp and daylight fades earlier, it’s natural to crave warmth — both in what we wear and what we eat. Fall invites us to

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Food, Health
October 2, 2025

A Star Ingredient for Flavorful Meals

In last week’s blog, I wrote about a variety of spices that add warmth to fall dishes. I had a question from a reader about how to use star anise. S

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Food, Health
September 25, 2025

Fall Spices That Warm the Season

As the air turns crisp and leaves begin to scatter the sidewalks, many of us automatically think of pumpkin spice. It seems to be in everything from l

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Food, Health
September 18, 2025

When Healthy Habits Don’t Add Up

You exercise regularly. Your plate is full of colorful fruits and vegetables. You’ve swapped fried foods for lean protein, cut back on sugar, and ev

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Health, Hope
September 11, 2025

How to Eat Healthier at Any Restaurant

Eating out doesn’t have to derail your health goals. Whether you’re grabbing a bite at your favorite local diner or trying a new international bis

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Food, Health, Hope
September 4, 2025

Mr. Corn Visits Indiana

It’s that time of year again when my dear cousin, Roger, visits from Florida. He visits now because the sweet corn is amazing here in Indiana. For y

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Blog
August 28, 2025

7 Late Summer Wellness Tips

The nights and days are cooler. Darkness comes earlier. The sky looks like fall. I even saw some leaves in Michigan that had turned brilliant red. How

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Blog

The Clean Fifteen and a 5-Minute Habit

June 9, 2022
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Food, Health

Last week I covered the Dirty Dozen— the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 12 recommended fruits and vegetables that should be organic whenever possible, due to the excessive pesticide use.

This week, I’ll give you the list of the Clean Fifteen—those fruits and vegetables that are low in pesticides. 

You may choose to buy organics in this list, however it’s not as critical. When budgeting for groceries, you may want to spend the extra money on those that are listed in the dirty dozen and save money by choosing the conventional produce listed here.

The Clean Fifteen

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn*
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onions
  5. Papaya*
  6. Sweet peas (frozen)
  7. Asparagus
  8. Honeydew melon
  9. Kiwi
  10. Cabbage
  11. Mushrooms
  12. Cantaloupe
  13. Mangoes
  14. Watermelon
  15. Sweet potatoes

* A small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the United States is produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce.

 When I shop, if the organic variety of what I’m looking for is of good quality, I’ll buy it. If it looks sad, or if it’s not available, I’ll buy conventional. I do my best to avoid conventional when buying produce on the Dirty Dozen list.

Buying local produce in stores and from farmers markets is fresher and more nutritious than produce shipped from afar. At farmers markets, you can inquire as to whether the produce is grown organically. Many times, it is.

A Healthy 5-Minute Habit

My most recent 5-minute healthy habit is one that is perfect for summer. I’ve been putting together a fruit salad after dinner as our dessert. 

It’s a sweet treat that is full of nutrients, fiber, and very satisfying.

Any combination of fruit works. Pick up what looks good when you shop and have fun tossing it together in different ways.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”—Miles Kington

In Celebration of June and the Dirty Dozen

June 2, 2022
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Food, Fun, Health

With the arrival of June comes Indiana strawberries. It’s also the month to continue planting your vegetables, flowers, and enjoying life.

Some fun, as well as traditional National holidays, are abundant. 

Here are some of them that you may choose to celebrate, or not:

JUNE HOLIDAYS

2: National Rocky Road Day and National Rotisserie Chicken Day

3: Egg Day, Repeat Day (so you can watch your favorite movie over and over and over…) and National Donut Day (since it’s repeat day, eat more than one donut for a dual celebration)

4: National Frozen Yogurt Day

5: National Gingerbread Day

6: National Yo-Yo Day

7: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

8: Best Friends Day

9: National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

10: Iced Tea Day

14: Flag Day

19: Father’s Day (remember to spoil dad)

Shopping at the IGA

I was recently shopping at a small-town IGA in search of berries, apples, zucchini, and whatever else looked appealing.

While I found a most of the items on my produce list, there were no organic fruits or vegetables available.

I bought my produce anyway, since conventional produce is better than not eating fruits and vegetables. They will get washed a bit longer than if they were organic. 

Here is the 2022 Dirty Dozen—the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 12 recommended fruits and vegetables that should be organic whenever possible, due to the excessive pesticide use. This is especially important for babies, children, and pregnant women.

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, collard, and mustard greens
  4. Nectarines
  5. Apples
  6. Grapes
  7. Bell and hot peppers
  8. Cherries
  9. Peaches
  10. Pears
  11. Celery
  12. Tomatoes

If you are trying to decide which items to splurge on when buying organic, you now have your updated list.

Cheers to June,
Health Coach Carol 

“Be shore of yourself. Come out of your shell. Take time to coast. Avoid pier pressure. Sea life’s beauty. Don’t get so tied down on work that you miss out on life’s beautiful waves.” – Advice from the Ocean

Guess What I Caught Mr. Non-Compliant Eating

May 26, 2022
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Family, Fun, Health, Hope

About a week ago, I walked into the kitchen and saw Mr. Non-Compliant (my dear hubby) eating breakfast.

Up-close inspection revealed that he had a bowl of Greek yogurt, the plain unsweetened variety, with a bit of granola sprinkled in, and a sliced apple on the side.

“Really? You put this together all by yourself?” I said. “Who ARE you?”

Now, to be clear, I’ve seen him eating Greek yogurt and granola before, but usually with a generous amount of honey (he’s been cutting back on the honey over time), and a piece of toast in place of the apple. 

I was in shock.

“Are you ruining your reputation?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” he replied ever so calmly. “I’ll make up for it later.”

And he did. I witnessed him gleefully enjoying a brownie later that day.

The point of this brief exchange is to give you hope. Hope for you and/or the people you live with, as you practice eating more nutritionally dense foods in place of some that aren’t.

The apple and toast are both carbohydrates. The difference is that the apple—a complex carbohydrate—will not spike his blood sugar like toast, offers a wider variety of nutrients, and even has fiber. (He won’t eat whole grain bread.)

This was huge.

He’s learned that he must eat some protein at each meal, less added sugar is better, and carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables is preferred over foods made from white flour.

He still enjoys his treats, however, a little goes a long way. Many foods that he was used to eating on a regular basis are too sweet. His taste buds have adapted and are now happy with less. 

I saw an article on dessert-inspired breakfasts: Boston Cream Pie doughnuts, Tiramisu pancakes, Carrot Cake waffle breakfast sandwich. None of those are happening in my kitchen, and Mr. NC is fine with that.

It is possible to change your taste buds with a bit of patience and conscientious eating.

Cheers to your progress!

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

 “You will find that your taste buds have a memory of about 3 weeks.”—Neal D. Barnard

Treat Your Taste Buds to This Simple Green Salad

May 19, 2022
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Food, Fun, Health

As warmer days make their appearance, we tend to trade our hearty soup recipes in for light, bursting-with-flavor salads.

By increasing fruit and vegetable intake, and introducing a variety of produce, we can strengthen the immune system by diversifying the gut microbiome, or “good” bacteria. 

This salad is perfect for a light lunch or even a snack. Add grilled chicken to make it a more substantial meal. 

 Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Blueberries

Fill your favorite salad bowl with a mixture of greens. I used mixed spring greens, arugula, and buttercrunch. Crumble goat cheese (or your favorite soft cheese) and add a handful of blueberries to the greens. Toss first with extra virgin olive oil, then add fresh lemon juice and a bit of salt to taste. The sweet blueberries balance out the tart goat cheese and lemon juice. When sufficiently tossed, top with sunflower seeds or chopped nut of your choice.

For dessert, a honeycrisp apple. If you eat apples and don’t have the gadget in the picture, it’s time to invest in the apple corer slicer. With one quick swoop, the apple is ready to eat.

Confession: when I buy greens, I often get the organic varieties that are washed and ready to eat. They come in those recyclable plastic containers. I’m trying to bring home less plastic, however I eat more greens when it’s quick and easy. Still a work in progress here…   

Sautéed Vegetable Mix

This week I also made a side dish with some veggies that were hanging out in my vegetable bin.

It was quite a colorful combo and Mr. Non-Compliant commented on how much he liked them. Yes, you read that correctly. He is enjoying his vegetables these days.

I sautéed Vidalia onion, zucchini, red cabbage, and rainbow Swiss chard in coconut oil (avocado oil is good too, since it is stable when using high heat) until tender. Before serving, I sprinkled on some Tajín Clásico Seasoning, a unique blend of 100% natural chili peppers, lime & sea salt. You could sprinkle with your favorite seasoning, or salt and pepper.

Remember to find something “new to you” in the produce section this week. Have fun creating a simple colorful salad or side dish.

Cheers to colorful and delicious eating,
Health Coach Carol

“Food is not simply organic fuel to keep body and soul together, it is a perishable art that must be savored at the peak of perfec­tion.” – E.A. Bucchianeri

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