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.