I’m all for taking small, doable steps toward a healthier me. My eating habits range from “really healthy and on plan Weight Watchers” to living on the processed/boxed foods on which I grew up. Mostly it’s a balance between the two. However, one of the easy things I’ve done is to change the color of my potato.

I won’t lie: mashed potatoes still are my comfort food. And for me that means 4-5 Russet Potatoes, a few TBs of butter or low-fat Butter (Brummels & Brown, or Smart Life, or Move Over Butter are my favorites), and a big dash of skim milk. Squish it all with a potato masher, leave it kind of lumpy, then enjoy with butter! It’s a comfort food.

But we also have a lot of baked potatoes at our house because my partner prefers baked potatoes to mashed. (Silly guy!) So when we have baked potatoes, I have sweet potatoes.

A sweet potato, sprinkled with cinnamon, and yeah, sometimes a little butter, is a lovely addition to any meal. Tonight we had smoked pork chops and baked potatoes, and with my sweet one, I felt I had a perfect fall meal for the first day of Fall.

The steps we make toward wellness don’t have to be big ones. I’ve found sweet potatoes are the same price as russets at my local grocery store. Substituting the potato I bake at home, or when I can order them at restaurants, allows me to put more color on my plate and more vitamins in my body.

For someone with year-round allergies, August is my worst month. Between the corn pollinating and the hot, dry days alternating with muggy, oppressively hot days, this year has been worst than most. I rely a lot on essential oils and teas to help control my allergies, as I’ve found many OTC and prescription medicines don’t work for me. All the ones they advertise on TV…I’d be better off grabbing a roll of smarties and chowing down. Cheaper and at least I’d get a sugar buzz. Even the pseudophedrine-based medicines, which in my state are kept behind pharmacy counters only work from a placebo-effect for me. So I rely more and more on my neti pot, essential oils and teas.

The good news is that not only do these things help, but that they’re cheaper than medicine and they make me feel like a million bucks. One of the things I love to do is sprinkle a few drops of essential oils in the back of my shower, then step in and enjoy a spa-like experience. My favorites are a mix of lavender and tea tree oils, which not only smell yummy, but also have the added effect of helping pain (lavender) and being anti-viral and anti-bacterial (tea tree oil). My inhaler, a mix of peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus oil, is never far away either. (It’s basically a lip balm that’s designed to be inhaled, or used just below the nostrils so you can smell the essential oils.)

But in the shower we’re presented with an array of fragrances designed for our every need. Want a pick-me-up in the morning? Try a citrus oil blend.

A floral blend, such as gardenia or rose can give you a sensual, luxurious feeling. And for those of us with sinus problems, in addition to the lavender and tea tree oil blend which I enjoy, you could try a peppermint or spearamint oil. Eucalyptus also works well.

Just a few drops will do, so a bottle of oil will last a long time. And your every day shower will turn into an extraordinary experience.