This hearty recipe is from a reader in North Carolina. It’s a great recipe to welcome in the autumn – it’s perfectly spiced, packed with plenty of protein and fiber, and has a truly addicting flavor. This healthy recipe’s ingredients include lean ground turkey so is a healthier alternative to a ground beef version but loses none of the deliciousness!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 chopped medium red bell pepper
• 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, rinsed and drained
• For topping: cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro, sour cream

Stovetop Instructions

1. Place oil in a large pot and place over medium high heat. Add in onion, garlic and red pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. 
2. Add in ground turkey and break up the meat; cooking until no longer pink. Next add in chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt; stir for about 20 seconds.
3. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, kidney beans and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chili thickens and flavors come together. Taste and adjust seasonings and salt as necessary. 
4. Garnish with anything you’d like. 

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each.

NCRGEA is compiling a Digital Holiday Dessert collection of recipes for 2023! If you have a dessert recipe you’d like to share, Submit A Dessert here by October 10, 2023.

Many of us are familiar with Marie Kondo’s philosophy of our homes should be filled with only things that “spark joy”. While that is an admirable ambition, it’s also not 100% realistic: only a handful of people feel a sense of joy about their soup strainer. Still, every household should have things that are needed as well as wanted. But when does enough become too much? What are the serious signs it’s time to declutter your home?

Clutter has a strange way of accumulating under the radar: one day everything seems fine, then suddenly you realize your home is in complete disarray. If you recognize any of the signs listed below, it’s time to be proactive and get yourself – and your home – to an organized placed and defeat clutter once and for all.

Excessive clutter can lead to inadequate cleaning and health risks, including trips and falls, increased fire hazard risk and other dangers.

Ways to Recognize it’s Time to Declutter Your Home

• 1) You Can’t Find Things

Misplacing items occasionally is one thing, but constantly not being able to find things you need is a surefire sign it’s time to do a deep cleaning.

Deep cleanings don’t need to seem daunting. Take it one step at a time: instead of trying to tackle every room, surface, and shelf all at once, dedicate a few hours each day to one single area of your home. Start with the most problematic places, for example the kitchen drawers or the coatrack closest to the entryway. 

Start by getting rid of the things you don’t use or want anymore. The next step is to categorize like-items and assign them to a specific location. That way, you’ll know exactly where to find things going forwards, saving you precious time and unnecessary stress.

• 2) When “Out of Sight, Out of Mind “Becomes “Out of Space”

Closets, cabinets, and drawers are frequently the worst areas for clutter. The old saying “Out of sight, out of mind” applies here. Two of the most obvious signs you’ve allowed your storage past the point of capacity is if you’re constantly running out of hangers for your closets and/or the doors won’t close for any of these storage spaces.

If there’s an overflowing jumble in your hideaway spaces, it’s likely that many of the things that are in there can be trashed, recycled, or rehomed. The next step organizing these spaces with dividers and neatly arranging what’s left.

• 3) It Takes a Long Time to Clean and Tidy

 Whether it’s cleaning the kitchen, organizing the living room, or sorting laundry, no one wants to spend all day maintaining their home. If completing these chores is taking too long, it’s time to cut back. 

The fewer things you have, the simpler and easier it is to clean and organize. Decluttering regularly is one of the best ways to keep on top of tidiness.

• 4) You Worry About Inviting People Over

Is inviting friends or family over a cause for excitement or stress? Do you find it easier to just not invite people over at all? If you find yourself your overly cluttered home. It’s exhausting. So much so, that it’s probably easier to just not host at all, right? 

Wanting a welcoming home for guests is an excellent motivator to declutter! It’s also an affective tactic to motivate yourself to not only present your home at its best, but also where the problem areas are. When you imagine yourself as a guest and examine your home with a fresh set of eyes, seeing where you could and should clear things up is easier.

• 5) You Feel Drained When You’re at Home

Your home should be your oasis. If you walk through the door and feel agitated by all the ‘stuff’ lying around, rather than calm and happy with the serene space you’ve created for yourself, it’s a sign that decluttering really is in order.

As well as being difficult to live with physically, dealing with clutter on a regular basis can be very draining on an emotional level, too. Even the simplest of tasks become hard work.

Getting frustrated when you’re trying to leave the house because you’ve misplaced the keys again? Are you not able to enjoy a relaxing night in because you can’t locate the TV remote? These are clear signs it’s time to take back control and make your home the serene abode you deserve.

Clutter Can Be Frustrating And Dangerous

Clutter isn’t only emotionally draining, it can be physically dangerous. If you have a lot of stuff on the floor, especially in walkways or in other areas where you walk, there’s a greater chance you’ll trip and fall. Loose rugs, cords and other objects on the floor can become tripping hazards, which can lead to potentially serious injury that can result in a need for emergency medical transport.

Protecting your health with simple, commonsense measures is important. So is protecting your savings. Getting a Medical Air Services Association (MASA) plan can prove to be one of the smartest things you ever do. MASA can protect you from catastrophic financial loss when emergencies arise at home or while traveling by covering your ambulance or airlift, regardless of your age or medical condition. Services are paid in full, with no deductibles, co-pays, or dollar limits. MASA provides coverage in all 50 states and Canada. NCRGEA and AMBA make getting a MASA plan easy. You can even sign up online. Learn more at www.AMBAmedtransport.com or call 877-290-3170.

Getting older comes with several life-changing realities. Making healthy choices is one of the most prominent and important. Along with physical exercise, getting plenty of sleep, and staying social, a healthy diet is essential.

Eating right is crucial for adults over the age of 60. Poor diet can lead to many chronic diseases, including diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.

Nutrient deficiency is also a common problem for older Americans due to not enough dietary variation. An easy way to get the nutrients you need and keep your body healthy is to add more avocados. Yes, the same food responsible for delicious guacamole can keep your body healthy for years to come.

Avocados Are Nutrient Powerhouses

Avocados are “nutrient-dense”: they’re packed with Vitamins C, E, K, and B6 as well as nutrients like iron, niacin, potassium, omega 3, and beta-carotene.

Plus, unlike other fruits, avocados are low in calories, solid fats, added sugars, and refined starches.

Heart Healthy

A serving of avocado meets the American Heart Association’s recommended dietary intake, which is:

• Low to moderate fat
• Low in saturated fat
• Limited trans fat
• Low cholesterol or less than 300 mg per day

Avocados also fight the risk of heart problems because they are abundant in heart-healthy nutrients like:

• Mono and polyunsaturated fats, which helps reduce blood cholesterol and the risk of developing heart problems.
• Potassium, which aids in normalizing blood pressure by blunting the effects of salt.
• Beta-sitosterol, which is proven to help keep the heart healthy by maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. It also decreases the risk of developing kidney stones and bone loss in the future.

Avocados Fight Cancer

Avocados are filled with antioxidants, helping to prevent the development of cancer cells in the body. Add to that its folate content which acts as protective gear against DNA and RNA mutations thus preventing the development of colon, pancreatic, and cervical cancer.

Recent research findings suggest that avocado extracts may even aid in treating cancer patients. Phytochemicals from the fruit kill and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It also aided in reducing the negative effect of the chemotherapeutic drug cyclophosphamide to a patient’s body.

Want more protection in case of a cancer diagnosis or a heart event? A Cancer Plan from NCRGEA and AMBA can help. The plan will pay you a lump sum upon initial diagnosis. You’re free to spend the money as you wish: to pay medical bills, cover the cost of transportation to the doctor, anything – the money is yours. You can even add a Heart/Stroke rider to your policy for an additional premium. Request more information at www.amba-review.com/ncrgea or speak with a skilled AMBA representative by calling 800-956-1228.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255361/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cam4.5984

Currently, nearly 10,000 people in the United States turn 65 years old every day. By 2028, that number will reach nearly 12,000 people a day. That adds up to millions of people leaving the workforce every year. Are they prepared for a successful retirement?

Americans are living, on average, more than two decades after the traditional retirement age of 65. The average 65-year-old American man will live to be nearly 86 years old, while the average 65-year-old American woman will live to nearly 88 years old.

As exciting as retirement can sound, the fact is more people are retiring with less savings than they need to be comfortable. In fact, more than 1 out of 5 Americans have no retirement savings at all.

It’s never too late to save, even after retirement. Here are a few things you should consider for a successful retirement.

Downsize

Consider what you own, what you need, and what you’d be OK doing without. If you’re an empty-nester and no longer need a big house – or want the expense of maintaining it and the property – you can move to a smaller and less costly home. You could even consider moving to another state that might have a more favorable cost of living and new adventures.

Downsizing doesn’t only have to mean your home. You can consider if it’s time to let go of items like season tickets to your local team or subscriptions to a variety of entertainment services. Additionally, you could sell an extra vehicle or some items like designer clothes and handbags. Put what you make into savings.

Trim your lifestyle and spending

Look at your purchases over the past few months. Identify spending habits that you can eliminate. One of the most frequent expenses that “sneak up” in terms of the accumulation of cost to you is dining out too often. Could you start cooking more meals at home instead of going out to eat as often? Keep a diary to track your spending. Note extravagant purchases and see ways to save.

Invest wisely

At this point in life, you’ll want to make less risky investments than you did when you first started working. But you’ll still want to invest. See if you can get a higher return on investment by investing in an annuity or mutual fund compared to waiting for a savings account to grow.

Be ready for a rainy day

One of the smartest investments you can make for a successful retirement is having the right benefits to cover routine health exams like Vision and Dental care, or in case of an emergency. The healthier you stay, the less expensive health care will be! Set up a FREE Benefits Review today so you can discuss with a skilled AMBA field agent what coverage you need to protect your health, finances, and loved ones. Visit www.amba-review.com/ncrgea or call 800-956-1228 Mon.-Fri 10am-6pm EST. It’s nice to know that anytime you have questions about your insurance benefits, someone is ready to assist.