My journey continues...

Ok everyone I am posting about how I have been keeping green with a new baby around!
1. I am using all my oldest daughters clothes for the new baby girl :)
2. I trade clothes and baby gear like swings, jumpers and so on with family members and friends.
3. My wonderful mother in law shops goodwill and brings in awesome finds for cheap and used clothes!
4. I kept all toys, so I have plenty of play things for the little crawler!
5. Lastly for now I use glass bottles bpa free nipples and I try to go with organic formula when I can!

Also I wanted to mention Happy New Years!!!
Want to be green? Here is a few tips for your new years celebration!
Shop local, and get bulk foods
Get finger foods, less mess, less waste
Compost and recycle, have clearly labeled bins for glass, cans ect...
Go veggie! You don't meat to spice up a party, some homemade hummus and veggies make a great snack, we also like to make roll ups, cream cheese and olives spread on a tortilla with a sprinkle of powdered ranch, them slice into pieces and you have a mighty fine appetizer!! For vegan Ideas go to vegangal.com!

Well hopefully I will have some new recipes for you all soon :) Until then, take care!

Hello everyone~! A few holiday tips!

It has been a long time!! But here are few tips to help you thru the holidays :) I will update you all next time, hopefully tomorrow!

1. Use newspaper to wrap gifts, kids love decorating it! Fun for adults too!
2. If you must buy new, go for quality and wooden if possible they last longer so that more children can enjoy them especially if you recycle and donate :)
3. Homemade gifts in my opinion mean more!! I have a christmas tree full of them and I wouldn't have it any other way!
4. Get a fake tree so that your not using up resources every year. Even special farms for growing christmas trees are still using vital nutrients from the soil and are not being replenished!!
5. Lastly I urge you to watch (found on netflix) Dirt, foodmatters, fat sick and nearly dead, also Forks over knives, they all educate you on food and the status of our farms.

Happy holidays to each of you!

Reasons why you don't want an epidural:

Take it from someone who has been through this, 4 times now.... UHG

So when I had my first daughter I was 19, and scared. I didn't know nearly as much as I do now about things. But anyways I opted for an epidural when I first went into labor. Everything was fine, and went normal. Sounds great right??? NOT. The many things that can happen, and all the risks including signing a form stating that you may die! Yup I signed that.

4 years later here I am in labor with my second daughter, I labored all but 1 1/2 hours of it without any medication, completley natural. First off when your in so much pain and it's readily available, your more likely to use it, so here I was in transisition begging for something. Unfortunately I caved and they gave me another epidural, what I didn't know was that the anestesioligist had to do it twice beacause he messed up the first try. I labored and gave birth to my daughter and was fine, until the next day.

The headache began, it wasn't so bad until they released me the next day, I cried for almost 24 hours. The pain was unlike anything I had experinced. I found myself in the emergency room, to see what the heck was happening to me. After being stuck up and down my arms because they couldn't hit a vein for an IV, they gave me morphine and then continued on to tell me that they needed to do a blood patch. No big deal right, wrong again. They basically have to do another epidural and inject your own blood into the hole. So thats what they did. They told me that because of the first two epidurals in the previous days that I was leaking spinal fluid causing my brain to have less, which pulls on your tissues and makes your brain hurt literally.

I had one day pain free, to enjoy my new family.... Thankfully I got to be pain free on mothers day.

The next day I was back in the ER. Same amount of pain. They cannot do another blood patch although in some cases they will. Another IV and shot of morphine, they sent me home with a bed rest protocall and said if it doesn't go away in a week, to see my doctor.

Finally after three days sobbing and taking perkaset, it went away.

This whole experience was totally unnatural, and I regret not being able to wait out the last 1 1/2 hours. I never want to experence anything like this again, and if I so happen to have another child, I pray that I can birth at home, the way birth should be.

I hope you can all take something from this.

Nominated for Versatile blogger,

By My ever changing life.
Thank you so much!
This contains four parts:
1) Thank the person who awarded you.
2) Write 7 thing about yourself
3) Pick 7 bloggers to bestow the award upon.
4) Contact and congratulate the bloggers you picked.

7 Things about myself:

I love nature walks, and can't wait to go backpacking for days on end like I used to.

I love being a mommy, wouldn't take anything back ever!

I strive to be minimalistic, and eco friendly, so that our children have a future on this beautiful planet.

I have a wonderful husband and will gladly tell anyone how amazing he has been through everything.

I love a good jam out of my favorite songs.

I like to visit coffee shops that are local and unique when I travel.

I want to travel, a lot, I want to see the world that I strive to change!

I can't choose 7 but here is my favorite one:

The info dome, I nominate you!

Finally

I found and eco friendly, and minimalistic blog to follow, this family is truely amazing, and I will be just like them too. If only we could all be this way, the world would be forever changed!

http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/

Please check out their post this month about them being on the morning show, it's awesome what these people do and stand for!

Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, then Recycle is their motto and nothing makes more sense.

Dreaming of a better world:

The more I read, the more I want to be an extreme eco friendly family. My life is so surrounded by consumption, tv's, crap food, trash, and much more that I can't even stand to live this way anymore. Every moment I live the more I want to live away from it all. I sometimes wish it would all go away. I wish I could run away to an eco villiage and play my part with my knowlege to help a community that wants the same things as me. I am I wrong to feel this way, or is the way the world is turning out making you sick too? The animals and trees sacrificed every day without a choice, it's really sad. And while I will probably always eat meat, I don't think the animals should have to live in vain. We are making the rest of the world suffer for our own convienince, for our laziness. Who are we to do these things to the earth that provides us with our every need to live? Every second another animals life has been taken, not by nature but by cruelty, and injustice. It is not appreciated, you know even the natives would hold a ceremony to celebrate the life that was taken. Every second another tree is cut.

Truth is, we have the technology to change it. We are smart enough to know that this is wrong, and not what life should be like.

Do you dread the schedule every day? I haven't heard many people say they were excited to go to work. But the way we should live is by doing what we love, we each have an amazing talent that in a community could sustain it. For example, I know about sewing, soap making, even gardening. Other people know a lot about illness, and building, the possibilities of what one person has to offer is endless.

I might sound off my rocker but I have always dreamt of the world this way, and I know I am not the only one. Thats why I am here, I am here to make the difference I was meant to. I feel like my lifes pourpose has a bigger meaning than I know at this point in time. But when it comes I will embrace it, Willingly and unashamed of who I am.

Homemade blowing bubbles:

Yep we have been busy around here, I have really been into making my own homemade things, and it's giving me a nice break from cooking, and new outlook on life, and learning about how people used to live!

Homemade Bubbles:
4 cups Water

1 cup Dish Soap – any kind works
1/4 cup Corn Syrup

container – plastic tub, gallon jug

Mix it by stirring, and enjoy!

Use things like paper clips, straws, cookie cutters ect.. for bubble wands, get creative!

Making soap bars #2:

Olive oil with sage and eucalyptus.

This was my first made up recipe, and I learned a lot!

Here's what you need:
- Bar of olive oil soap, I got 100%
- Sage leaves crushed
- Few drops of Eucalyptus essential oils
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of water

How to do it:

-Step one: Grate or chop your olive oil soap into small pieces
-Step two: Add water and olive oil.
-Step three: Heat in a pyrex measuring cup set in  a pot of boiling water. You'll want to keep the water at a simmer.

-Step four: Keep heating until the soap is like melted marshmallows.
-Step five: THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! You must allow soap to get stringy, this takes 10-15 min more after step four. Don't worry if it takes longer, just be sure it is stringy.
- Pour into some kind of mold, anything works as long as it's plyable. Keeping in mind you probably won't be able to keep your shape.

It can take up 5 hours or so to cool and dry a bit. If it won't come out of the mold and seems really soft, don't worry, I have just the solution. Scoop out and roll into balls or make disk shaped and set on a cooling rack, or you can slice the soap onto your desired chunks and let dry that way. This is the step I was highly confused by, but I get it now! As it dries you will want to shape it a little bit here and there to smooth it unless you like the rough look. But if it pops out of the mold and seems like a regular bar of soap you should be set, it really depends on the temp it was cooked at and the mixture/base soap used.

Some fun information I found about olive oil soap is that it alone without additives has many amazing uses. It can cure rashes, is very good for dry and sensitive skin. Olive oil soap is dated back to the 1500's as one of the most commonly used soaps.

The eucalyptus I added has healing properties, as well as helping clear respitory/ breathing problems when used in small amounts. It can also be a good bug repellent, so be sure to soap up before camping  :)

If you have any questions please leave a comment!

Things that keep people from going green/organic..

I feel it is neccisary to discuss what holds people back, and why it's hurting them, in more ways than one!

1. They don't want to pay extra.
        - Paying a little extra money now for healthy foods, keeps you from paying for doctor visits, helps you feel better, and may even extend your life. Things like light bulbs may cost more but they last longer, and save you money on your electric bill. Composting, keeps the amount of trash leaving your home, and your end result is nice soil for your garden, or if you aren't into that, I bet you know someone who will use it. There are lots of ways you can save by organic, like growing your own herbs and seasoning is way cheaper, and healthier than buying them.

2. They think it's more work.
        - It's really not. So you have to cook dinner instead of eating crap, that you don't know what's in it. But I bet if timed how long it took to cook and then how long it took to wait for your food at a fast food place, it wouldn't be so different, also eating at home is cheaper. Sure a little gardening means more work, but if you have small herb garden inside all it takes is the set up then some watering from time to time. Plus even if some things are more work, it's good for you to get moving.

3. They think they still need to eat as much.
         - When you begin to eat organic, you find that you don't need to eat as much. This is because you are actually getting the nutrients you need. When you eat processed foods you don't get what you need nutritionally, so your body tells you to eat more, resulting in weight gain and overeating. This can lead to problems like obesity, even diabeties.

4. It's not convienent enough.
     - Now a days organic is offered in more than places then it used to be. Try to plan ahead and bring your lunch, and if you absoluetly have to, pick something on the healthier side, like a veggie soup or a salad. You could even drop by the store and grab some fruit and yogurt, it doesn't take any longer than waiting at a fast food place.

5. They don't care.
      

6. They think it doesn't make a difference.
         - It absolutely makes a difference. It will improve your health, it supports the farmers struggling to help the planet, it helps mother nature, it shows your family and friends that you care, it saves you money, and a lot of organic organizations donate portions to help others in need, imagine if you were the one in need to feed their family. There are so many more!

7. People would rather spend their money on other things.

8. They think that because they won't be here later on earth that they don't need to care.

I understand that if you have a big family to feed it might hurt you budget a little, but there are ways around that. Just do some research!

Paper Mache post #1

Trying to keep the kiddo and myself busy over here, I re-descovered paper mache! The first thing is a rainstick. Now you can make a rainstick just like this without the paper mache, but I wanted a nice sturdy one. I used a push pin to make the holes and then shoved the toothpicks thru, I recommend pushing the toothpicks all the way as they keep falling out! I taped one end with a small round piece of cardboard, then left one side open for the filling which happens in post 2.

The second project I am making is a maraca:

I am using water balloons, if you are using big balloons you can use different fillings for the maraca sound, but I am using rice.

Use a funnel to fill the fill the balloon, then blow it up and tie it off.
Here is a picture of the first two, with the first layer.

The third thing I am doing is a small bowl, again using a water balloon and taping it to the cup like this:

I found an old lid to make the bottom of the bowl, and marked the balloon roughly where the bowls edge will be.
Here it is with it's first layer:

The paper mache paste I made was just 1/4 cup flour and water added to my desire. It was the perfect amount for all of these projects first layer.

I wanted my things to be eco friendly, and non toxic. So we have the use of old newspaper, and flour and water is non toxic. When we are finished I want to try to make my own paint, so it's non toxic too.

More about that in post #2. (Soon to come)

Beach in a jar:

My daughter found some of my shells, and to be able to keep them from being spread across the house I got this idea!

Mix sand, (I used rice for a filler when I ran out of sand) rice, and shells. Place them in a jar so that your child can turn the jar around to see different shells.

She absolutely loves it! She carries it around and gets excited when she sees a new shell!

Making soap bars #1:

This first post about making soap is the kid friendly version. I plan to make more using recipes from my new book, and I'll be posting about those soon.

First I bought a soap kit at hobby lobby, so that I could get aquainted with soap making without the use of lye, which is very dangerous.

The kit included:

Molds, white glycern bars, clear glycern bars, fragrence (not natural, so I got my own essential oil), 3 basic colors, and a few recipes to make them pretty and fun.

Additional things you need: A spray bottle with rubbing alcohol in it, pyrex measuring cup, and a spoon.

-First you take a glycern bar and melt it in the microwave.
-Then you add your color and essential oils, start with very small amounts. I have read you should mix a few drops of the essential oils with something like olive oil just a little beacause direct contact on skin isn't recommended.
-Pour into mold and let sit, they cool very quickly.
- Spray once with rubbing alchohol to reduce bubbles.

To spice it up, you can grow your own herbs like lavendar or sage for example and toss those in there.
You can also leave the coloring out to be more natural. I plan on doing this soon!

To make these you would just color some soap and then after it has hardened cut into chunks, lay in mold and pour melted soap over it and put in the fridge to cool quicker!

I choose to store mine in jars to reduce plastic use, but for gift giving you can make all kids of pouches for soaps by using scrap cloth, scrap cardboard, anything like that and decorating it up nice. Another fun craft to do, by painting and labeling it you can personalize it making it more fun and heartfelt!

Next soap post will be about olive oil soaps. Until then I hope you enjoy this eco friendly project!

Beeswax candles:

Not only do they naturally smell beautiful, they are much healthier for you and your home. Burning a beeswax candle not only scents the home beautifully, it also purifys it!

In a jar:




What you need:



- Beeswax

- Jar for candle

- 100% cotton twine

- Pyrex cup for melting

- Pot of hot water to set pyrex cup in

- Paper clip to weigh twine down when coating



How to do it:



1. Preheat oven to warm to warm your jar in so that the beeswax doesn’t crack when cooling.

2. Chop up beeswax or measure your beads into pyrex cup.

3. Melt beeswax stirring almost constantly.

4. Tie twine to paperclip and dip in melted beeswax and hanging in the jar to keep it straight and have somewhere for it to drip.

5. When your wick is dry gently pour your beeswax into jar and leave to cool completely before placing lid.

There you have it!

Making easy bath salts:

Basic bath salt recipe:


What you need:



•3 cups Epsom Salt

•2 cups sea salt

•1 cup baking soda

•1/2 ounce of fragrance or essential oil



How to do it:



Mix salts first. Then add essential oil, start with a few drops, be sure to break up any clumps. Then mix in baking soda. You may color it but it’s not necessary if you want it to be natural. Then you enjoy!

Earth day crafts:

I am planning on starting these crafts next week. One craft per day will replace preschool for one week, as her spring break so to say!

I am so excited and these barely cost anything. I will try to make a post about each one on how to do them too. This may be my new favorite holiday, it is so much more exciting then the same old thing for other holidays :)

1. Make bath salts
2. Make bubbles for kids
3. Make bar soap with a kids kit
4. Make a rain stick.
5. Make a mud house with stuff outside!
6. Make pinecone birdfeeders.
7. Make a small composter (it will be a test run, but lots of learning too!)
8. Maybe we'll decorate boxes for recycling.
9. Make herb pots out of tin cans, painted and labeled.
10. Begin planting our garden.
11. Make beeswax candles, it's lots of fun to dip them over and over!
12. Make pouches with bath salts to give away.

So hopefully I can insipre you all to love this time of year and how we can re-use some of our trash to make fun learning and beautiful decorations for the kids to enjoy!

Two great posts I came across...

http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/diy-homemade-vanilla-extract.html

http://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/5-ways-to-use-mason-jars-in-the-bathroom.html

These are great ideas, the first is about making your own vanilla, and the second one is about using mason jars for decor.

What you cook your food in...

Is just as important. Did you know that teflon heated over a certain point can kill a bird? Isn't that suppossed to mean evacuate the premiss?

Ever notice the little bits of black in your food? That is not from burning, this is teflon scraping off into your food, and if your sure it's not, it is probably plastic then. On my journey I have discovered that teflon is the worst, I avoid it at all costs and I only use my plastic utensils when taking things like cookies off the cookie sheet, not for cooking like scrambled eggs.

The best alternative is stainless steel, and even though it may be an investment, they also last a lot longer with no worries of toxins in your food that you pay so dearly for. More on that later!

Things we do for preschool!

I'd like to compile a list of stuff I do as a pre preschool learning, for everyone. I thought they were good ideas to get you started! My daughter is only 3 1/2 and these things are age appropriate!

We got a preschool book and do a couple pages every day.
We color in coloring book, talking about colors.
We cut and glue shapes in the book we are making together.
We count jelly beans, crackers ect... for snack.
We do puzzles together.
We practice writing our letters, big and small.
We learned how to play tic tac toe!
We look for stickers that relate to what we are doing.
We read books together and I point out the words to her.
We have flash cards with one word and a picture, so we can learn reading.
We plan to make a book about fruits and veggies, even though she already knows them, I want her learn      what the seeds look like, my nature teachings will not stop when school starts.

Thats all I can think of for now, if I can come up with more stuff I will make a second post :) Hope you enjoy!

Keeping preschool learning at home Green!

Sure we want our kids to learn and we want them to have all the free space to do that. But have you noticed how much paper you thru? It's absolutely absurd, it's coming out my ears! Here are some ideas to green it up and still have what you need to get the job done!

Tip #1 Recycle what you can. This will allow you to still do things like paint.

Tip #2 You can get dry erase books for things like writing. ( Got some today!) You can even get a dry erase board (or in my case a piece of paper inside of a clear cover sheet) to post up things like letter of the week.

Tip #3 Make a book out of some of your favorite things, maybe make a story to go with it for you to read to your child, it makes for double uses of your paper and time put into the learning!

Tip #4 We got a preschool book so that the pages of paper are limited.

Tip #5 Keep all your preschool supplies put up when not using them and make sure they have some they can do whatever with, this keeps you from replacing a ton of supplies.

I hope these tips help you!

Slacking..

Yup thats me right now, slacking off. Coming towards the end of my pregnancy has destroyed my energy to do anything... I mean I have to force myself to keep going, and not sit there and sleep all day! But I want you all to know that I have a few posts coming soon that I hope you enjoy, so hang in there!

It's so rewarding when...

Your daughter finally shows interest in the organic foods. She even has started asking me for certain things, like pistachio's and avocoado, she even asked for a salad with lots of tomatoes. It feels so good to hear those things come out of your childs mouth. It was hard work though, I have been offering her the healthiest things I possibly could from day 1, and here we are almost 4 years later, and it payed off. I just had to share with everyone how amazing it is that my daughter is learning where her food comes from and how to appreciate it, as well ans enjoy it to it's fullest! Namaste~

Keeping positive pays off..

No matter what the circumstances if you stay positive, I promise eventually you will see results. It has happened in my life in so many ways. I try to be the positive rock for the family, and try to see the better in each situation, and the lesson that can be taken from it. Just wanted to say that it does happen, so keep hope and keep on going. Don't give up!

New obsession..

I bought almond butter for the first time last week, and now I am seriously addicted, I can't get enough of it!! YUM!

I have had it on a sandwich with apples and honey.
Banana honey almond butter sandwich.
Apples dipped in it.
I have had it with jelly, and in smoothies. Seroiusly if you have never had it, you need to!

Can't wait!

It's just around the corner, we can all feel it coming. Spring. What am I talking about?

Fresh foods, farmers markets, hikes through the forest, gardening, picnics, and sooo much more. I know this is what I look forward to every year.

I can't wait for it all, I want to share all the fun and new fresh recipes with you!

Get moving #1

Even in the winter you can enough excersise. If it's too cold to go out, why not turn on some tunes and dance?

Pita pizzas!!

So going on a gallbladder diet, to me is just a step further into eating healthier. I also have to remember to get my growing baby enough nutrients as well as my daughter. So while I have to obtain a lower fat diet, my daughter (3 1/2) must have a higher fat diet. Cooking for so many different needs can be tough, but it's a challenge that I embrace.

I made my daughter an alfredo pita pizza:

With leftover alfredo sauce, parmesan cheese, tomatoes and shredded cheese. Bake at 400 for 10 min. She picked and topped her own pizza.

I made myself a Pesto mushroom pita pizza:

I used pesto as sauce, just a thin layer, topped with: chopped mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, parmesan and shredded cheese. Cook the same way. It was nutritious and delicious. My daughter rather liked the mini pizza too!

I love a good challenge! Enjoy this simple, 20 min throw together meal!

Valentines cake...

Homemade strawberry cake and frosting!

This is dairy free!

Strawberry cake:

2 cups of unbleached flour
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 tbls. baking powder
1 teas sea salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup of canola oil, or apple sauce
1 cup pureed strawberries, can be fresh or frozen
1/2 cup of soy or almond milk, can use regular

Mix all dry and wet ingredints seperately, and add wet to dry, be sure not to over mix, pour into greaded 9x14 dish and bake at 350 for 30 - 35 min.

Icing:
1 box of powdered sugar, or 2 cups
4 tbls butter (for dairy free use smart balance)
4-6 tbsp of pureed strawberries
Fresh strawberries for decor.

Sift sugar into melted butter, add strawberries, and decorate!!

If you want the chocolate crust, it is not homemade, I am working on a recipe for that though. Here it is:

Buy a premade chocolate cake mix and melt 1 stick of butter, mix them together and press into pan before adding cake batter, and ta da!

Hope you all enjoy this :)

A little change up:

I will post my strawberry cake recipe here soon, but after that I will be posting some different types of recipes. I have been having terrible pain and I am sure that my gallbladder is the culprit. So I am cutting back on all sugars, fats, and adding in a higher fiber diet. I still want to eat yummy food too, so thats why I say I will be posting some newer recipes, as well as changing my weekly menu to accomodate me as well as the rest of the family. I look forward to a new challege in eating healthy!

Sweet and sour chicken:

We'll start with my sweet and sour sauce.

Pineapple sweet and sour sauce:

Juice from 1 lg can of pineapple (I used frozen pineapple and thawed it for juice)
1 cup of ketchup
1 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of brown sugar
6 tbls of cornstarch
4 tbls worchestire sauce
2 teas garlic powder
1 teas mustard powder

Put in a pan and stir over heat until thick.

Now for the Crock pot sweet and sour chicken recipe:

2 large boneless chicken breasts
Home made sweet and sour sauce(or 18 oz bought)
1 pound of fresh broccli and carrots
1/2 white onion chopped
Rest of pinapple ( or 1 cup frozen)


Mix all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve over rice!!


This is a good way to get all your colors in. Plus plenty of veggies and some fruit!


*****For vegetarian sweet and sour veggies: add 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper, and if you would like I think some tofu would go nice!

Newfound Love..

I have fallen in love with raw cahews, and whole foods bulk raisins. It's definately my new favorite snack. You can't beat the real taste of nature. It's wholesome and healthy. Raw cashews provide better nutrients beacuse they haven't been cooked, and the raisins are packed full of good nutrition. Score one for the team!

Before starting feb 8 menu..

We plan to eat everything else we have in the house. We want to have a fresh start, and no temptations by the sugary cereals and such. The only things we plan on keeping around are the bulk foods we just picked up, like rice and beans, nuts and seeds. I only did the first half of my bulk shopping, so I will update you on the total cost after we finish. (Note, a three year old at the bulk part of the store = disaster, thus we only did half!)

Eating is not the only important thing...

It's just a big part of it. A big part of going green, or becoming more eco friendly is to enjoy the outdoors. If you get out and enjoy nature, you will be reminded of why you do the extra work you do for it in the first place. As well as getting excersise. You can eat healthy all you want, but to keep a balance you must get enough physical activity.

Start small. Go for walks, do jumping jacks, chase your kids around. Once you get going a little bit everyday, step it up, do a short jog, go biking. Sprint up hills. Even climbing a tree.

Here is how I started, and this is while being pregnant.

3 times a week. I either go for a walk, or do 1 hour of yoga. Of course I drink a lot of extra water and give myself plenty of rest. After the baby I plan to start jogging, hiking, and getting daily excersise.  The key is not to workout one time of the day but to spread it out. It does no good to workout for 1/2 an hour then sit around all day. Keep moving, that is the key. I promise it will get easier.

The more you do it, the better you feel, the better you feel, the more you want to do it. The results, a healthier you!

Garden Bruschetta

This is my own recipe, hope you enjoy it.

Loaf of french bread, I got a bagette

Variety of tomatoes, 8- 16 oz

1-2 cloves of garlic

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

5-8 basil leaves, fresh

Shredded cheese

Slice bread diagonally and toast slightly. Cut/ mince remaining ingredients and mix all together. Top each slice of bread with tomato mix, and top with cheese. Toast until tomatoes are warm.

A quick note...

My bbq sauce recipe, works very well with la choy soy sauce, but I am trying to re figure the taste for the kikoman soy sauce, as it has less of the nasty preservatives in it...

An easy guide to going green.

The first thing you need to know is that you have to take it in steps. If you try to cram it all into your lifestyle at once you are less likely to be succesful.

The first steps I made:

1. Switching lightbulbs.
2. Making sure I turned off the water whenever possible and taking shorter showers.
3. Turning the lights off, and only turning them on when needed, same goes for the outside light, who needs them all day?
4. Eating healthier. This is a big one, but when you eat better, you buy less packaged foods, therefore reducing waste.
5. The obvious is recycling, but do your research, even if you think it can be some things can't.
6. I like to air dry my clothes, no shrinking involved.

This is just a good starting point.

So much fun!

I have been making all my own sauces lately. It has saved so much money, becuase it uses ingredients that most people keep around anyways. I have already shared with you how to make BBQ sauce, and today I am going to share a simple basic vinaigrette:

Ingredients -

2 Tablespoons Wine Vinegar

1/8 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Pinch Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Dry Mustard

6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation:

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the olive oil.

2. Blend in the oil by a slow steady stream.

I have already made 2 batches and it make a great salad and dressing for an italian sandwich.
I plan to share a sweet and sour sauce recipe next.

Creamy black bean soup.

Everyone in the house loved this soup. I quote my husband " This is like, gourmet". My daughter even ate quite a bit. It is filling and easy to make!!

Serves 4


Garnish this thick, velvety soup with an extra dollop of sour cream and pinch of chopped fresh thyme, if you like. I also used tomato, cheese and garlic salt.



Ingredients

2 tablespoons vinaigrette (any kind will do)

3 carrots, chopped

2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced, divided

2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 3/4 cup per can)

1/3 cup lowfat sour cream

Salt and ground black pepper to taste




Heat vinaigrette in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add carrots and two-thirds of the green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Add beans, 3 cups water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender, 12 to 14 minutes more. Working in batches, carefully transfer contents of pot to a blender and puree until smooth. Return soup to pot and heat over medium low heat until hot throughout. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper and serve, garnished with remaining green onions. And Enjoy!!!

Gotta have it...

I just had asparagus spaghetti, and it was simply wonderful. I never knew spaghetti could taste so good.

Feb menu:

This is my more organic menu, the estimated cost is $150, which may be less than that after I do my bulk shopping. I plan to make my bulk products last at least 6 months.

The first two weeks:
Menu for Feb 8- 14 Organic eating




Tuesday:

Breakfast: Smoothie with hemp seeds

Lunch: Tuna in a pita with veggies

Dinner: Black bean taco’s



Wednesday:

Breakfast: Whole grain bagel with egg and cheese

Lunch: Salad with lots of nuts/ organic dressing

Dinner: Crock pot sweet and sour chicken



Thursday:

Breakfast: Granola, yogurt and fruit

Lunch: Organic macaroni

Dinner: Stuffed peppers



Friday:

Breakfast: Organic oatmeal

Lunch: Baked potato

Dinner: Egg drop soup at whole foods



Saturday:

Breakfast: organic cereal

Lunch: Avocado pesto pita

Dinner: Leftovers



Sunday:

Breakfast: Bagel egg sandwich

Lunch: Almond butter and Jelly in a pita/ leftovers

Dinner: Fettuccini shrimp alfredo w/ broccoli and carrots



Monday:

Breakfast: Banana honey Almond butter sand.

Lunch: Leftover soup

Dinner: Fondue



Snack Menu



Trail mix Popcorn

Fruit / smoothie Lara bars

Granola Dried fruit

Nuts/seeds

Avocado/guacamole

Carrots and celery

Fruit leather

Yogurt

Apple sauce

Granola bars

Black bean brownies



Menu for Feb 15- 21 Organic eating



Tuesday:

Breakfast: Smoothie with hemp seeds

Lunch: Tuna in a pita with veggies

Dinner: Sweetish meatballs



Wednesday:

Breakfast: Whole grain bagel with egg and cheese

Lunch: Salad with lots of nuts/ organic dressing

Dinner: Foil wrapped chicken



Thursday:

Breakfast: Granola, yogurt and fruit

Lunch: Organic macaroni

Dinner: veggie soup



Friday:

Breakfast: Organic oatmeal

Lunch: Baked potato

Dinner: Leftovers



Saturday:

Breakfast: organic cereal

Lunch: Avocado pesto pita

Dinner: Shrimp stir fry



Sunday:

Breakfast: Bagel egg sandwich

Lunch: Almond butter and Jelly in a pita

Dinner: Breakfast



Monday:

Breakfast: Banana honey Almond butter sand.

Lunch: Leftover soup

Dinner: Philly cheese steaks



Snack Menu



Trail mix Popcorn

Fruit / smoothie Lara bars

Granola

Nuts/seeds Dried fruit

Avocado/guacamole

Carrots and celery

Fruit leather

Yogurt

Apple sauce

Granola bars Black bean brownies

Buying in bulk:

I have decided that it is time to head off whole foods and buy in bulk. The things I am seeking out are, oatmeal, rice, different beans, different nuts/seeds, coffee, dried fruit. This is just a starter list. It is far cheaper to buy bulk, no name brands that are organic. A lot of these things can keep in the freezer for up to a year. I know that bulking up on items like the staples saves us a lot of money and leaves us able to buy fresher foods with our monthly allotment. Not to mention this will be very helpful with a newborn around!

Life without tv..

Has been amazing. My daughters behavior has improved, she uses her imagination, and helps me out! Sure my husband and I watch a show or two before bed, but the days without the drone of the tv has certainly made me feel enlightened!

Granola bars!

Dark chocolate chip Granola bars

Ingredients

4 cups of quick cooking oats

1/3 cup canola oil

2/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (dark chocolate)

1 cup chopped organic nuts (optional) I used pistachio's and a few dried cherries.



Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread oats on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Allow oats to cool to room temperature. Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled oats. Spread mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed or oiled, pressing down hard to compact it.



Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars.

Pita chicken sandwich.

Just had one for lunch, that took me all of 5 min to make!

I usually have cooked chiken hanging out in the fridge because we like to make wraps and such.

Small chopped chicken
Chopped lettuce into bite size
Sprinkle of parmesan cheese
Minced white onion, just a sprinkle
Chopped tomato
Chopped avocado
Enough dressing to coat all of the above: Ranch

Stuff into a pita and enjoy! My daughter loved it!

Slow cooker minestrone soup!

Ok so this was huge hit!  I would reccomend less noodles, it soaked up all the juice! But everyone swears it was amazing! Also, if you like your onion a little more cooked I would saute them first, they came out a bit crunchy.




Slow cooker Minestrone soup:



4 cups of veggie broth

4 cups of tomato juice (i used sauce and added water)

1 tbls of basil

1/4 teas. pepper

2 medium carrots

1 medium onion

1 cup mushrooms ( i did potato and added it a little bit later)

2 garlic cloves minced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups uncooked pasta I used the mini shells

I added a can of beans as well



Chop and add all ingredients (except noodles, and beans add those about 30 min before eating) set crock pot on low for 7- 8 hours, or on high for 4-5. Enjoy :)

Soon to come:

I am posting to you all what I plan on posting as far as my next step to going green. I am in the process of making an organic monthly food menu, that has to be within a budget: ways you can eat healthy without spending to much money. And to be truthful with you people eat too much as it is. I always make sure we have enough food for everyone but keeping in mind we don't need to gorge ourselves.

I will be posting my organic pancake, granola bar, and black bean brownie recipes. These are healthy treats that everyone has loved so far. These are also snacks you can make at home, without all the extra packaging and preservatives!

I also want to do a post about the baby gear I plan to use, and why.

Looking forward to it all. See you all soon!!

Valentines, and how I plan to keep it green!

First, I plan to have our own fondue night, with fruit for dessert, maybe some chocolate fondue too.
Second, all I want for valentines is a poem written written by favorite writer, my husband.
Third, this might be personal, but we'll take a bubbly bath.
Fourth, we will enjoy some hot cocoa and cuddle together.

Who could ask for more? I certainly don't enjoy the traffic or the dining out on actual valentines day. While I would love to have a babysitter, everyone I know is busy that day, so we'll put the kiddo to bed then have our time. I don't need any expensive give just the gift of time.

Black bean taco's

Two thumbs up! My husband loves them too!

Reasons why this works for us:

1. Meat is more expesnsive, although sometimes it's ok.
2. It's healthier.
3. It tastes good.
4. It's better for you.


Recipe:

Canned black beans
taco seasoning (I made my own)
taco shells
avocado
onion
tomato
sour cream
romaine lettuce
Shredded cheese


Just drain most of the liquid off the beans, leaving a little. Mix in taco seasoning and heat until warm/hot.
Make avocado salsa using onion and tomato with a splash of lime.

Layer into taco and chow down!

Nature is amazing.

Last night we got to watch a fox in our backyard. He had buried his food there, so he dug it up and ate some, then buried it in a different place. My daughter loved watching him, and it was a great learning experince for her. She asked me all kinds of questions this morning about him and how he lives.

I love that my daughter is curious, I hope that someday she will be as passionate as I am about saving our planet. The animals deserve to keep their home too.

Todays post is a rant..

Just a warning!

This morning while on our drive to my doctors appt. I asked my husband why the road appeared to be wet, we hadn't had any percipitation, and I couldn't imagine why the roads would be cleaned on a cold morning. My husband informed me that they laid a layer of chemicals over the road that are supposed to be slip resistant and not able to freeze as easy.

First of all WTF????

Why? So that crazy people can drive crazy?

How about this. Those chemicals get washed away into our water, yes your water, which yes we do supply. I live in the mountains where a lot of people and farmers benefit from our water sources. So not only our water, but your also adding another natsy chemical to our food.

Did they ever think about what a waste of money this is? This is your tax money at work. It pays for the chemical, but as well as the employees to take time to lay it down. Plus your car gets covered in nasty crap. Who wants that? Ok I think I am done for now...

Homemade BBQ sauce

Ok so I don't have all the measurements, but here's what I did!

Ketchup
worchester sauce
soy sauce
sprinkle of brown sugar
sprinkle cumin
sprinkle onion powder

YUM!

Meal planning cont....

Week 2 of the month:  This monthy meal planning is based off of $300 a month for food. I'll admist the end of the month gets tough, but when I plan ahead, we can usually make it. My months start on the 8th, and go until the 7th of every month.

Menu for Jan 15- 21




Saturday:

Breakfast: Fruit bowl

Snack: Pistachios

Lunch: Sandwich wrap chicken ranch

Snack: Guacamole

Dinner: Boca burgers, sweet potato fries



Sunday:

Breakfast: homemade pancakes

Snack: Fruit

Lunch: egg salad sand.

Snack: Chips and pico de gallo

Dinner: Black bean taco’s



Monday:

Breakfast: Fruit, yogurt, granola

Snack: Toast

Lunch: Macaroni and cheese

Snack: chips and dip

Dinner: Spaghetti



Tuesday:

Breakfast: French toast leftovers

Snack: Smoothie

Lunch: Leftover spaghetti

Snack: Pistachio’s

Dinner: Steak, Baked potatoes



Wednesday:

Breakfast: Eggs and toast

Snack: Smoothie

Lunch: Tuna sand.

Snack: pistachios

Dinner: Chicken alfredo pizza



Thursday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Snack: yogurt

Lunch: Leftover pizza

Snack: pudding

Dinner: Meatloaf



Friday:

Breakfast: Cereal

Snack: Smoothie

Lunch: Grilled cheese

Snack: Veggies

Dinner: Minestrone soup slow cooker



Estimated total including what I already have $64
 
Previous week was $125, My esitimated total was right on, with $1 to spare!

I think I finally figured it out...

All my life I knew that I wanted to do something meaningful with it. It has been many years of wondering what would be just right for me. I have explored many ideas, and while I love being a mother, I feel there is more for me out there. I always wanted a profession that I could love, I also knew that even if it was something I love, it may not pay a lot, but to me it's worth it. Money never mattered to me and when it did, I was very unhappy with my life, and "thought" that money could fix it.

The past few years I have been trying to find a profession that I loved but also one that was kind to the earth, and helped people see life for what it really is, a beautiful miracle. I know it's asking a lot. So after letting my thoughts off into the universe, I finally recieved my answer.

I want to be a yoga teacher. It doesn't require a lot of things, which is kind to the earth, and it teaches people about themselves, and the more you know yourself, the easier it is to open up to the world around you, and see beyond the commercialism, to see life, the way it really is.

Now that I am sure of what I want to to do with my life I can begin down that path.

I thank all the people who have supported me, and let me be who I am so that I could find the right path for me. All those people, are every single person in the world who has accepted me for me, and let me make my own decisions, with lots of love and support.

Reduce waste tip #1

Buy the frozen 100%  juices instead of the big plastic ones, it saves a lot of waste!!

Meal planning

A few years ago, when money got tight after having our sweet little girl, I started to meal plan. I wrote out a weeks worth of meals and snacks, and wrote a grocery list according to it. We only bought what went on the list.

A few perks about this.
1. You will have everything you need for each meal
2. You can plan healthy meals, like buying fresher ingredients which is actually cheaper than all the canned stuff.
3. You eat healthier!!
4. You don't end up buying a bunch of junk
5. It saves a lot of money to plan ahead
6. You can make a list based off of stuff you already have on hand.

I am sure there are more good perks to this, like not having to decide what to make for dinner last min. when your all tired, it will just be there for you.

Here is an example of our next weeks menu, which I figured the cost without minusing what I might already have at $125 That may be a lot to some people, but I use a lot of the other ingredients for the following week, which will cut my cost down by a ton!!

Menu for Jan 8 - 14




Saturday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Snack: Smoothie

Lunch: Salad

Snack: veggies

Dinner: Split pea soup



Sunday:

Breakfast: Muffins

Snack: Banana

Lunch: Pesto wrap

Snack: spinach dip

Dinner: Eggs benedict with avocado



Monday:

Breakfast: Cereal w/ pb toast

Snack: Fruit

Lunch: Tuna

Snack: Guacamole

Dinner: Beef stir fry



Tuesday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Snack: Smoothie

Lunch: Leftover soup

Snack: Leftover spinach dip

Dinner: Salad, Tom soup/ grilled cheese



Wednesday:

Breakfast: Eggs and toast

Snack: Pb and apples

Lunch: Leftover stir fry

Snack: pico de gallo

Dinner: Enchilada bake



Thursday:

Breakfast: Cereal

Snack: Bread

Lunch: Baked potato

Snack: Pistachio’s

Dinner: Crock pot bbq chicken



Friday:

Breakfast: French toast

Snack: Smoothie

Lunch: Enchilada bake

Snack: Avocado’s

Dinner: BBq chicken sand (leftovers)