In my quest to increase my extremely low energy levels, I’ve tried a lot of “super” foods and supplements. One I had never tried—never even heard of actually!—until recently is Baobab. Grown in Africa, this fruit naturally dehydrates itself while still on the tree, requiring no heat at all to process. After harvest, it’s cleaned and crushed into a powder.

The Baobab powder is incredibly nutritious! Check out these amazing benefits:

• Calcium – 2X more than milk 
• Potassium – 5X more than bananas
• Antioxidants – 6X more than blueberries
• Fiber – 20X more than apples and 2X more than chia seeds
• Iron – 1.5X more than spinach
• Vitamin C – 6X more than oranges

Baobab has the highest levels of Vitamin C in any fruit—this can help to increase energy. It’s also an immunity booster. (Both of which I truly need!) While the name may be hard to pronounce, it’s very easy to eat. The taste is similar to citrus, a little bit sweet, and isn’t overpowering. It can be used in a variety of ways—added to the batter for baked goods, added to the blender when making smoothies, or mixed into hot cereals. 

I used it once daily for a week, either in my morning oatmeal or as an afternoon pick-me-up drink. While my energy hasn’t changed tremendously, I did notice a slight boost. The high fiber content makes it very filling too, which is an added benefit for anyone counting calories. 

To find out more about this awesome, organic powder or to order some, head over to PandaVita. A 50-gram bag sells for only $6.21—worth every penny to me!

Do you ever feel like you’re cleaning from morning ’til night? Prepping food, doing dishes, washing clothes, picking up toys, scrubbing, polishing, sweeping…it just never ends! Since cleaning is NOT my favorite activity, I try to streamline, the exception being cleaning for Passover. When I’m especially short on time and/or when I lack motivation, I focus on 3 rooms:

Kitchen: Regular meals, served on-time, prepared at home, and consisting of mostly healthy food is my goal. To make this happen, I write a weekly meal plan, grocery shop regularly, and bulk cook so there is always something ready when needed.

On a daily basis, I do a quick swipe of the counters, quick sweep of the floor, and concentrate mostly on dishes. (Dishes will take over my table, sink, and counter if I let them!) Unless an item is over-sized or delicate, it goes into the dishwasher immediately after use. I run the dishwasher every night before bed. In the morning, I empty it and the process starts again. I try to never go to sleep with a full sink or leave dishes out overnight.

Beyond the daily stuff, everything else is cleaned as needed or during my monthly deep-clean session (things like organizing cabinets, pantry inventory, mopping the floor, etc.)

Bathroom: Since you can’t get clean in a room that’s filthy, this is a spot that deserves extra attention. Daily chores include wiping down sinks, counters, and toilets and making sure hygiene products are not running low. Bigger jobs like scrubbing the shower with grapefruit, I don’t get to as frequently. In my family, we all shower or bathe and brush teeth before bed. Mornings are already crazy and this cuts down on the chaos significantly.

Laundry room: By doing one load of laundry 5X weekly, start to finish—meaning I wash it, dry it, and put it away—I can keep it under control. I usually don’t wash on weekends unless it’s dire. I separate into whites/colors and towels are done by themselves since they take so long to dry. Most things are cotton and don’t need special care. (I avoid ironing like the plague so this is very, very important!) I do delicate items by hand occasionally and send some stuff to the dry cleaners like coats and suits.

If you have a large family, lots of young children, or regularly do outside activities, you many need to do laundry a lot more frequently. Experiment with what works best for your own situation.

Need more tips or inspiration? Try a cleaning challenge.