A Little Spicy Deliciousness!

 Time for some asian food!!

Oh how I love it. Not enough good can be said about this goodness in a bottle that I found at Trader Joes. it's..... uh-mazing! It's tangy, and sweet, a little "peanut-y" and spicy very spicy! Pure deliciousness! I'm telling you, if you like asian food, GET IT! :) Ok... I'm done with my rant.. Lets begin! :)

So.. I had a recipe from my Spork Fed cookbook that I wanted to try, but this was just about what I expected that recipe to taste like, so I figured I would do the same kind of thing with this.. (Also.. I needed an alternative option because my library books had to be returned before I started incurring the, should be a crime, rate of $.25 per day, per book! and I had over a dozen books!)

I found a 2 lb. bag of mini sweet peppers at the grocery store. I got them because the regular bell peppers were out of control expensive. I figured, if I was going to spend $5 on peppers, I would get something fun and interesting. The mini sweet peppers are so good! Who knew? I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the bag before we left on vacation, but I would say I maybe have a dozen left... if that. We're loving them! So many various things you can add them too, or I've just been chopping the top off and eating, inhaling them! Another favorite of ours now! G has always loved peppers, but these are off the charts. She loves them just about as much as I do, if not more!... well, I'm not sure that's possible.

Ok, take 2.. enough talk, on to the recipe...

You will need:

Spicy Peanut Vineaigrette (Trader Joes)
10 Mini Sweet Peppers
1 Shallot
1 Garlic Clove
Base of Your Choice: Fettuccine, Chow Mein Noodles, Rice.. whatever you want!
1 T. Sesame Oil + Drizzle Olive Oil (just enough to balance out the sesame oil)
Sesame Seeds
Sliced Water Chestnuts
Bamboo Shoots
Sliced Green Onions for Topping

First....

• Heat oil in skillet. Don't make it too hot because you don't want the delicate shallots and garlic to burn the second you put them, but you want it hot enough to sweat the shallots just a bit.
• Add shallots and garlic to pan, and cook just until you start to notice the shallots start to become barely translucent. 
• Cut tops off sweet peppers, cut in half lengthwise, and deseed. Slice into thin strips and add to skillet.

*I barely let my peppers cook at all. Literally, maybe 2-3 min. I like my peppers VERY crunchy and basically just barely warmed through. Just cook them to your liking.

• After your peppers are cooked how you like, add in half of the bottle of Spicy Peanut Vineaigrette. I got 2 good meals out of the bottle from 2-3 people, depending on what you use for your base.
• Add in any add-ins your want. I chose water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Snap peas would be awesome.. whatever you feel like! (Can you tell this recipe is flexible??) ;)
• Once your sauce has warmed through, you're ready to go!
• Add on top of whichever base you want to use. I used fettuccine the first time because that is what my cookbook recipe called for from Spork Fed. The second time around I used chow mein noodles and they were SO much better. The sauce stuck to them so much better and... they just fit! Definitely want to try brown or wild rice next time. It would also possibly be good over quinoa? It's worth a try! :) 

Here are a couple pics of both ways I made the recipe.. I forgot to add the green onions the second time, because I was so anxious to eat it that I piled it on the plate and dove it! (after the pic of course) ;)

Have fun with this one, guys! There are SO many possibilities and room for creativity! :) Enjoy!

*~Lindsey~*

Vegetarian Sushi Rolls & why you should eat Nori

I admit, several months ago, the thought of sushi rolls made me scrunch my nose. Raw fish? Seaweed? Uh, no thanks. Then we went to this sushi place for our friend's birthday, and I tried a couple different kinds and found that it wasn't actually as repulsive as I had assumed, and not every sushi roll contains raw fish! I decided to try out vegetarian sushi rolls made fresh and sold at my local grocery stores (HEB and Kroger's), and found that it was fairly tasty.  Problem is, it's pretty expensive, so it sushi seemed like one of those once in a while treats.

When planning this week's menu, I decided to attempt to make my own sushi roll. I bought toasted nori (seaweed) and the special bamboo mat required. I didn't use the rice that most restaurants use for sushi rolls, but it worked out well, and I was able to cater it to flavors I like.  We have long grain rice on hand, so that's what I used.

Below is my recipe for a Mexican infused sushi roll. It's very tasty, and was a hit with our older two kiddos and my husband, plus it's easy and inexpensive!



2 cups of long grain rice cooked according to the package (cooked, it will make 4 cups)
1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
Minced garlic (as much or little as you like- I keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge).
1-2 avocado, sliced into strips.
Cilantro
3 Nori sheets
Salsa verde
Seasonings (I used Cajun seasonings, but you could use taco seasonings or just salt)
_______________________________________

Combine cooked rice, balsamic vinegar, a splash of salsa verde and minced garlic and sprinkle with seasonings. Mix well.
Lay a sheet of nori onto the bamboo sushi mat. Top with seasoned cooked rice- layer about 1 cm thick and covering about 3/4ths of the nori sheet. Make sure to spread it to the front and side edges.

I sprinkled a little more seasoning over the rice, and then placed a line of avocado strips across the rice. I really should have taken a picture of what this looked like.  When you roll it up, you want the avocado to be in the middle, so make a strip of avocado right down the middle of the rice, from left to right.  Sprinkle cilantro across it.

Now it's time to roll it up.  If you've never made sushi before, check out How To's on the web so you roll it properly. Once you've rolled it tightly, you might need to push some rice in each end to make sure it's really stuffed.

Slice gently with a very sharp knife.

Make two more just like that.

Now it's time to make the creamy topping.

Take 1/2 an avocado and mash it up. Add a splash of salsa verde and 2-3 TBSP of mayo.  Season it if you'd like. Mix together until smooth.  Taste to see if you want to add more mayo or more seasoning.

Spoon over the top of the sushi, or put in a baggy, cut the corner off of it, and pipe the creamy mixture over the sushi.  Depends on how fancy you want it to look.

Serve with soy sauce!

Makes 3 sushi rolls.  Each sushi roll can be sliced into 5-8 pieces, depending on how thick you like your slices. I like mine more on the thinner side.

I put cabbage and carrots in one of the other rolls I made and really liked that. Play around with things, see what you like!


This is a great appetizer to serve to friends or a treat to take for lunch. (I set aside some to put in my husband's bento box for tomorrow.)

Seaweed is a great ingredient to slip into your diet. It is packed with amino acids, vitamins and minerals.  It has high amounts of iron (which I need) and is said to help with alertness and mental clarity (hello, this mama needs that!)

It helps lower cholesterol levels and has antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Those who suffer from Fibromyalgia or other chronic inflammatory conditions may find this ingredient helpful, as well as those who have memory issues or struggle with depression.

If you don't think you can handle sushi rolls, try it shredded over a salad or in a sandwich.

Here's another recipe for a more traditional vegetarian sushi- looks yummy! I think I'll try this one next!

http://drbenkim.com/how-to-make-sushi.htm

Mandy Vlog: Recipes needed!

Have trouble meal planning sometimes? ME TOO!

Documentaries on Health

Looking for revealing documentaries on health and lifestyle?

Hulu and Netflix offer loads of great documentaries. Some of these are great for children to watch as well.  We have used some of these videos in our home school lessons.

The Gerson Miracle
    The Gerson family reveals how food is our medicine and can reverse health issues and disease that many doctors say can only be healed through intense, harmful chemical therapies. You can learn more about the Gerson therapy on their website, http://gerson.org

Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead
    This documentary follows a man who changes his life through juicing and a lifestyle diet change.

A River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth About Factory Farms  
    This documentary tells about about how factory farms hurt the environment- how it harms the soil, our water sources, and therefore everything else.  Very interesting, as we often don't hear about this side of things. It's not just about how disgusting factory farming is!

Food Matters
     Is a collection of interviews with leading Nutritionists, Naturopaths, Scientists, M.D.'s and Medical Journalists providing proven solutions for overcoming illness naturally.  You can find more support, recipes, etc on their website,  http://www.foodmatters.tv .

Dirt! The Movie
    This is a wonderful documentary that details how the health of our soil impacts the health of our bodies. "Dirt feeds us and gives us shelter. Dirt holds and cleans our water. Dirt heals us and makes us beautiful. Dirt regulates the earth’s climate. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth."  More information available at http://www.thedirtmovie.org .

Hearty Vegan Potato Stew

Friends.. I have to say, this one is a keeper!

It's so easy, it should be a crime. I could give you the idea and you could come up with a recipe all your own, but I know, for me, I like just having a recipe on hand, so I figured that I would share it with you.

This is the hearty goodness that I whipped up tonight..

Hearty Vegan Potato Stew

3 russet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 qt. carton organic, low-sodium veggie stock (Trader Joes)
1 T. fresh thyme (minced)
1 dried bay leaf
2 c. frozen mixed veggies
3 green onions (whites only)
3 T. minute rice
1/4 c. edamame

1 clove garlic (peeled and left whole)
salt and pepper to taste

Add veggie stock to your pan, and throw everything in. :) Simmer until potatoes are tender and rice will be done as well at that point.

Serves: 3

-----------------------------------------

So.. a few things. 

1. If you don't have fresh thyme, just use dried, but only 1 teaspoon.

2. I made this soup mostly for G who is sick, so I didn't want to blow her away with the garlic, but I still wanted to have a little flavor in it. If you like garlic, you could always mince it up or grate it.

3. I had a good sized bowl and then G had a small bowl, and I still had 2 good sized servings left. I would say if you are feeding adults, you could get the 3 good sized servings out of it. If you're serving kids, you could probably get 5 kid servings out of it. Anything in between, you get the idea. It all depends on how big of servings you are giving.

4. Finally, I didn't had a large onion, but also didn't want a huge onion flavor, just something mild. Shallots would be great in this as well, cipollini onions would be great, or even just minced onions.

5. Wild rice would be AWESOME in this too!

Finally, whatever sounds good to you, throw it in. The edamame was a random throw in, and I ended up really enjoying it in there. Whatever you have would be great! It's hearty, and such a great comfort food on a chilly evening.

Hope you guys enjoy this one! I know I did, and I'm pretty sure it's calling my name again right now! :)

Enjoy!

XO, Lindsey

Vegan Cookbook Reviews

Happy Saturday!!

Hope you guys had a great week!

Wanted to share a couple cookbook reviews with you guys. This is my first vlog, I guess you call it, so I hope you find it helpful and informative!

These are the cookbooks that I talk about in the video that I am LOVING right now..

Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin.
and
Spork Fed by Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg.

What are your favorite cookbooks, vegan or otherwise?

I'd love to hear from you! Enjoy the video!



Happy Creating!

XO, Lindsey

Blueberry Goodness

Hello Friends!

My name is Lindsey. I'm a mother of one and a wife of 5+ years to my best friend. 

I love crafting, creating, and cooking. I also adore gardening and everything that comes with it. However, living in a condo in the city doesn't create the greatest atmosphere for the sprawling acres of garden that I'd love to have. One day.. one day. :) 

Mandy has asked me to do some writing for The Organic Family. I, of course was honored and excited at the opportunity. 

I have recently gone vegan, which I am still working through and trying to find the best and healthiest things to eat. I've been searching for new recipes to try and stumbled across this recipe for vegan blueberry scones I knew they were begging to be created in my kitchen! After a light dinner tonight, it was time, and they did not disappoint! I found them on the Earth Balance page. The recipe made 12 scones... I think. Maybe I should have counted before we started munching on them! :)

The original recipe called for two things that I swapped out for other ingredients. You could use gluten-free flour if you have it and coconut spread instead of regular vegan butter spread if you'd like. I didn't have either so I just used what I had. 

I also used frozen blueberries, but really the possibilities are endless! Blueberries, dried cranberries, raisins, orange zest, nuts.. Let your taste buds guide you! :)

So.. enough talk, more food. Enjoy one of my favorite new recipes!

Vegan Blueberry Scones

• 6 Tbs. warm water
• 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbs. coconut spread or regular vegan butter spread
• 3/4 cup soy vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 2 Tbs. raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400 F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

Add the flaxseed meal and warm water to a small bowl, mix together with a fork, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in stand-mixer bowl.

Switch whisk attachment to paddle attachment on mixer and add in butter spread. Mix until combined, but do not overwork.

Stir in flaxseed meal mixture and yogurt into dry mix until just combined. Gentle fold in berries or any other additions you choose. 

Generously flour surface and roll out to approx. 3/4 inch thick. 

Cut into triangles or use a large ravioli stamp to cut scones. 

Place scones onto baking sheet, sprinkle tops with raw sugar.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

And ENJOY! 

----------------------------------

Loves to you all,

Lindsey :)

Back up and running

So I've pretty much let this blog go, but I'm in the process of bringing in contributing writers and invite anyone who has something to share to send in guest posts.

When I started this blog, we lived in the suburbs and desperately wanted to escape "city life".  Now we live in the country on twelve acres, so a lot has changed.

One thing hasn't changed through. It can be a real struggle to eat clean, healthy foods, especially when life becomes busy and rushed.  I have learned that it doesn't have to be all or nothing.  It's okay to splurge now and then. It doesn't mean you have to throw your whole diet (and by diet, I mean "eating lifestyle") out the window.  It's really easy for me to feel overwhelmed when it comes to meal times.  I have five children, I homeschool, and I have a lot on my plate (well, figuratively speaking).  Sometimes supper time sneaks up on me, and I have no clue what I'm going to make.

I often forget to eat breakfast and lunch because I'm so busy making the kids' meals. I drink my cup of coffee and fool my stomach into thinking it has eaten, and then I snack on things as I put together the critters' lunches and... then when dinner rolls around, I realize I haven't actually had much of anything to eat!  It's not that I am purposely depriving myself.  I love food! But it's easy to get distracted and busy and forget to take care of myself. (Which I should, especially because I'm still nursing!)

Sometimes I don't plan ahead, and so I'm out and about and STARVING, so I pull into the drive thru lane and chow on some fries and burgers because, let's face it, when you are hungry, you often don't care about how healthy it is! You just want to fill the belly up and make the cranky go away.

Anyway, I figured it would be good for me to work on this blog a bit more often to keep myself more accountable and to share what I'm going through as I try to get back on the right nutritional path.  I've invited some of my friends to share as well!  Let's be honest with our struggles.  I want this to be a place to share successes, but also our goof-ups, hardships, and dislikes.  Let's share what works for us and what doesn't work for us.  Let's share information that we find useful.  It's not to scare people into eating healthy or to judge those who choose to eat differently than we do, but to inspire and encourage one another.

And, of course, I do hope to continue sharing posts on frugality, cloth diapering, elimination communication, gardening, and such!  If you have a post, link, photo, or recipe to share, please email me at talkto (at) mandymom (dot) com! :)

On the table: Planning Ahead

Let's talk about food and family for a second (okay, more than a second). We live in a convenience-society and a fast food nation. Our idea of preparing ahead of time for dinner is downloading the Domino's Pizza app on our iPhones or figuring out which restaurant we're going to eat at.  We are constantly bombarded with images of great looking food (that rarely looks that good in person, and certainly doesn't taste as good as it appears) and tempted by tricky labeling (All Natural! Low Fat! Sugar Free! Organic!).

I'm in one of those stages of life where there's been a lot of go-go-go, and I haven't been smart about preparing ahead.  It's also a stage of life where I'm pretty darn exhausted (hello, five children!) and sometimes don't have the brains or the energy to slave over a stove.

When I go grocery shopping, I avoid certain foods because I know they are unhealthy, and I don't want to put that into my family's bodies, but then, a couple days later, I am wishing I would have grabbed that frozen pizza because it may not have been healthy but neither were the tacos we just scarfed down from Taco Bell (and the frozen pizza would have been cheaper).

I am recognizing that with all I have on my plate (no pun intended), I really need to have a plan. I have made meal plans and such before, but they never quite worked out because I would have a day or two where I felt really weary (and lazy) and didn't want to put forth all that effort.  Then veggies and food would go bad, and I would have wasted lot of money and.. bleh.

I see that, especially in this season of our life, I need to be super-duper prepared.  I need to have food I can just grab and go- throw in a lunch box before heading out the door or quickly put together when we get home after an exhausting day. I don't want to sacrifice nutrition just because we are busy.  In fact, I need that nutrition even more!

I realized the problem with my meal plans was that I did not allow for quick and simple meals beyond a peanut butter banana sandwich, so, a couple weeks ago, I decided to give meal plans a try again.

In an effort to eat more real food, less processed crud I am trying to make more foods from scratch.  I enjoy cooking and baking, but, like everyone, I have those down days.  And, like everyone, sometimes I just don't have time to make tortillas or bread from scratch.

But wait, actually I do.  IF I plan ahead.

A month or two before I give birth, I usually start cooking (and baking) up a storm so I can have a freezer full of food to rely on after the baby is born. I know this is nothing new to most of you, but I often forget that I can use my freezer to my benefit in this area.  So, when I have time and energy, I can make a large batch of muffins, pancakes, and breads to enjoy later.  (I have a bread maker, which means I really have no reason not to make my own fresh, healthy bread.)

Have you ever looked at the ingredients on store-bought breads and such?  It's pretty gross.  I mean, the list on the package of flour tortillas I picked up the other day had me wondering why something that only takes three or four ingredients had a list of at least twenty (most of which I could hardly pronounce).  This is one of the main reasons why I like making my own sandwich bread and tortillas.

While I was raised on mostly whole, real foods, I took a rebellious turn when I left my parents' home.... mostly because I didn't know how to cook (but I could bake brownies, cakes, and cookies!). It really didn't occur to me that junk food was not just stuff that had loads of sugar.  I didn't realize that most of the food on grocer's shelves were bad for me.  I thought food was food, and I didn't think it really mattered what I ate. I didn't know about GMOs and whatnot. Of course my mom talked about eating healthy food and would tell us what was healthy and what was not, but I didn't understand the true impact of unhealthy products upon our bodies.

Only in the last 4 or 5 years have I finally began to get a clue about food, and even then I still often make poor food choices simply because I am tired and am not prepared.

Looking back on my childhood food experience, I can see that my mom really worked hard to put nutritious food on the table.  (All my friends knew that you didn't come to my house for snacks like Fruit Roll-ups or Cheetos. They knew my mom was a "health nut".)  I am really grateful that she gave my growing body that healthy foundation.

I want to give my children that same healthy food foundation as well as the knowledge and understanding that goes with it.  So, while I'm learning, so are they. When they ask if we can have something, we pick it off the grocery shelf (or look it up online) and examine the ingredients.  They have come to understand what certain ingredients are, and we've researched various ingredients (especially icky stuff like aspartame!) so they know the adverse effects they can have on the body.

I really struggle with eating whole, real foods because I really enjoy sweets. I would much rather have a whole, real food meal, but then I want to finish it off with a big bowl of Bluebell ice cream with Reese's Pieces and Butterfinger crumbles mixed in. I'm not big on Hamburger Helper or Mac & Cheese mixes, but, by-golly, I sure enjoy chocolate by the (double) handful.

I am having to train myself to reach for a sweet apple or banana instead of junk food sweets. I feel like I need to write myself a note and put it on the fridge. That note should say, "EAT AN APPLE, WOMAN," so I don't forget.  Because, hey, aren't fruits and vegetables the original fast food?

Anyway, last week's menu plan did not go as well as I had hoped, mainly because my husband's work schedule has been all funky and so it threw our meals out of wack, plus he's been working on a friend's house and is often not home for meals, or we are all out of the house and starving. On the plus side, I did manage to whip up several healthy dinners even in my exhaustion and even put together a great lunch for a picnic at the park.

So, I've confessed my struggles, figured out (what I hope is) a good solution, and am going to put more effort into planning head.

What do you do to make sure your family has healthy meals for busy days? Are you good at planning ahead? Do you make a meal plan and stick to it? Do you struggle with all of this like I do?

Elimination Communication, revisited

I started the Elimination Communication (EC) adventure with Jubilee last week, and we've had a lot of success.  I have to tell you, it's really exciting to be able to meet my baby's needs in this way. I think we started doing EC with Evangeline a little over a year ago when she was probably about five or six months old.  I had intended to do EC from birth (with Evie) but it totally slipped my mind... for many months! I wrote about EC here on this blog back then, so if you're curious about the method, you can read more about it by reading the posts labeled ELIMINATION COMMUNICATION. 

Last week, on the first try, Jubilee peed and pooed in the toilet, and we've been at it ever since.  I've always been really laid back about it. If we don't make it to the potty, so be it. I don't beat myself up about it.  I'm also not going to hold her over the toilet for five minutes hoping she'll go.  If she doesn't potty in about 10 or 20 seconds, I put a diaper back on her and get on with the day.

Evie has been doing pretty well too.  Hopefully she'll be completely potty learned by the time she's two.  That would be so awesome!  We went through some EC struggles, especially after she started solids (introducing solids changed everything as it slowed down the poo elimination process), and then she went through a phase where she didn't want to sit on the potty (but she would carry it around all over the house, silly girl). I bought her a package of underwear... so maybe she'll be wearing them soon!

Jubilee seems to know that, when I rest her over her little IKEA potty, it's time to let loose!  Here's a snapshot from this morning. The IKEA potty is perfect for EC as it rises up in the front and back so pee (or poo) doesn't spray OUT of the potty.  Plus, IKEA potties are so cheap, you can buy a couple and have them in different areas of the house.

What's in my packaged loaf of bread?

Ah, grocery shopping day.
Juicing means we go through a lot of fruits and vegetables- mainly apples, carrots, and lemons.  I would say we consume about five pounds of carrots and ten pound of apples, more if the kids snack on them.  Apples are so expensive to purchase organic (bah!), so I usually purchase about 5 lbs of organic apples (the cheapest ones I can find), and 5 lbs of your basic pesticide-loaded sort.  Yum, right? I know it has to be better than consuming prepackaged, processed foods.

I decided to stop buying pretty much all processed foods, except for cereals.  We're pretty picky about the cereals we eat to begin with and hardly eat cereal anyway (it's one of those, "I can't function this morning so have a bowl of this" sort of meals).  This has motivated me to test out various cracker recipes, among other snack delights, so I have a simple and healthy snack to offer to mini-peoples. I've also stopped buying breads. Fact is, every time I pick up a package of crackers, bread, or other snack food, I cringe at the label. I feel like there's not a good option out there for healthy, tasty breads— at least not one that doesn't make my pocketbook flinch.

I've been pretty good about  preparing a decent homemade breakfast almost every morning (muffins, banana bread, parfaits, or eggs with a side of fruit and some fresh juice).  I figure I could make it part of my breakfast routine to pop some ingredients into the bread maker so that we could have some fresh sandwich bread for lunch or supper.

I've allowed myself to eat "junk" as long as I make it from scratch which often means I skip the junk because I'm feeling a bit too lazy to whip up the batch of decadent brownies I'm craving.  However, even when I feel like making chocolate cake or a frappe, at least I know it's from quality ingredients with no added weirdness.

Seriously, have you looked at the label on some of those things? As I mentioned before, I've been scanning the ingredient lists on loaves of bread at the grocery store, and.... it's shameful really. I can't pronounce most of the things on there, and I'm wondering why a simple loaf of whole wheat bread has fifty ingredients (the majority of which do not resemble food stuffs). Whaa?

So, I guess we'll just be one of those households that has a zillion gadgets on the counter tops (juicer, bread machine, crock pot), but if it means we're eating healthy, it's worth it. Brandon's thrilled about me becoming more "domestic" (as he put it) because he absolutely loves when I bake fresh goods. (I've always been the baker in this union.) It's really not that difficult to make bread, tortillas, crackers, cakes, granola bars and other delicious goodies from scratch, and once I get into the routine of doing it (rather than relying on the packaged, flavorless hamburger buns for a buck), I'll wonder why I even settled for such icky substitutes.  (Let's face it. Homemade, fresh baked is so much better!) Besides, when I make it myself, I can pack in even more flavor and nutrition.

Apple Carrot Juice

Carrot juice.  Yeah, I can just hear you gagging.  It doesn't sound appealing, does it? (I'm agreeing with you there.) Let me share a secret with you.

Apples.

Yep. Apples can make almost any weird juice taste good (including celery juice!).



Recipe:

Juice 3 large carrots and 2 medium sweet apples (like Red Delicious or Gala).  I also added half a lemon.

Stir and enjoy!



And don't forget to show off that beautiful orange mustache!

Bottoms up!

Saturday I went out and bought a juicer, and so, we're on day three of juicing (and loving it).  Previously, I used my blender to make green smoothies, which we all love, but... man, juicing is much more fun.  I love that I've been able to slip healthy goods like carrots, celery, spinach, and kale in with apples and lemons to create a delicious drink!

Bottoms up!

The Sugar Drug

Oy! I'm a major sugar addict, so this is definitely a wake-up call for me. (Is it odd that I spent the entire video fighting the desire to binge on Bluebell Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough icecream?)

A foundation of good health for children

There is an issue of vital importance that most well-meaning parents don’t know about. They don’t know because nobody has told them. The issue is this: the modern diet that most children are eating today creates a fertile cellular environment for cancer to emerge at a later age. Trying to prevent breast, prostate and other cancers as an adult may not be possible because most risk factors cannot be changed at this late stage. The bottom line is that in order to have a major impact, we must intervene much earlier, even as early as the first seven years of life. In other words, childhood diets create adult cancers. That’s right: when our children don’t eat fruits and vegetables and instead are fed junk food, the groundwork may be laid for cancer and other diseases down the road.

- Dr. Joel Fuhrman

We still love raw foods

I've been thinking about raw food again, mainly because the kids and I just watched Food Matters again, and I was reminded of how absolutely fantastic I felt when I was on a high raw vegan diet.  I had come to the point where my energy was no where to be found.  I was dragging by lunch time, had a migraine by two in the afternoon, and had a Garfield-like nap attack on a daily basis (which, after indulging, I'd wake to an even bigger migraine and general grogginess).

I learned a lot from taking part in a high raw vegan lifestyle.  First of all, I realized that our diets were seriously deficient in whole, raw foods. Like most Americans, we were in the habit of eating cooked food, and the little bit of raw we managed to get in our diets was from the lettuce and onions on our burgers. Sometimes we'd have fruit for breakfast.  Sometimes I'd have a fruit smoothie.  Sometimes we'd eat carrots.  Sometimes.

Researching raw foods and their impact on the body really opened my eyes to the big gap in our family's diet, so we made huge changes. It has been my goal for our diets to be over 50% raw.  We changed snacks to fruits (clementines, bananas, and apples are the favorites here) and raw nuts (sunflower seeds are a hit), and started including at least one generous side of fruit or vegetables with each meal.  Breakfasts are generally loaded with fruits as well (clementines, grapes, bananas, strawberries).

We significantly cut back on our meat intake.  We may have a little meat mixed in a salad, soup, or veggie-filled casserole, but we're no longer consuming huge slabs of meat on a regular basis. I found that my body really does not handle large amounts of red meat well at all.  Since cutting back on red meat (I may a small amount once every two weeks, if that), I've found that this horrible full-body itch I'd been plagued with for several years has vanished!

When I first did the "raw food" thing, I did a lot of work in making raw meals.  However, I found that the thing that worked best for us was just consuming raw fruits and vegetables in their natural state, instead of trying to make raw lasagnas, pizzas, and such.  Pairing a lot of raw foods with some cooked foods is what really works best for our family, allowing us to get in the nutrients and live enzymes we need without having to concoct "weird" recipes.

One of our favorite recipes is a taco salad which features ranch-style (pinto) beans, on a bed of assorted lettuce greens loaded with (raw) onions, tomatoes, peppers and such. We enjoy a lot of Greek style foods as well, like gyros, which are easy to pair with cooked and fresh vegetables and a huge salad.

We found the kids really love cucumbers, and even though I'm not a huge fan, I don't mind when they are chopped up finely and tossed in a salad.  They love when I slice cucumber rings to snack on.  They will also consume tomato grapes like they're going out of style, and I buy about 10 pounds of clementines on a weekly basis.

Evangeline is a huge raw food lover. Ask her if she wants an orange or banana, and you'll see her face light up as she squeals with excitement! It's amazing how often the children ask for fruit when they are hungry instead of a sugar snack.  That's not to say they never ask for sugary snacks (they do love granola bars, and we buy organic versions), but I am hearing requests for fruits and veggies far more often.  Here's an example of a meal they might have one day.  (This is Evangeline's, so it's a bit more skimpy than the other kiddos' plates)

Banana, clementine slices, carrot "chips" (just sliced carrots) with a bit of tzatziki for dipping.
Sandwich wraps and organic corn chips (similar to fritos).

See, there's a give and take. The kids do have some things that aren't extremely healthy (even if they are organic, like the corn chips).  Sometimes we have white bread (or, in this case, white tortillas), sometimes we have whole wheat or some other grain. Sometimes their plates are loaded with veggies and fruits and have a muffin on the side.  Sometimes we have soup and crackers.  Thing is, we try to keep a healthy balance.

And there then are mornings when we do crazy stuff like this:

Because, we do love donuts, and there is no use denying it.

Gluten-Free? Check out this delicious blog!

This blog is filled with delicious Gluten-Free recipes (many of which are vegan/vegetarian!).  I am definitely bookmarking this one! (While I can have gluten, many of my friends and family cannot!)

The Cinnamon Quill

Veganized cinnamon rolls? Chewy chocolate chip cookies? Baked onion rings? Oh man, the drool.....

What about fudgy brownies?  Yes please!

And doesn't she take fabulous photos of the food she makes? *Nods*

Now that I have your taste-buds going, check out Free Eats Food.  These calzones look absolutely yummilicious!

Pictures are property of the respective blogs.

Healthy or not?

Update:

So, I found out I don't have any problems with gluten.  Ah, thank goodness, right?  That's great because I love bread and making gluten-free bread seems like it takes a lot more effort, maybe because I'm not used to it?

In our homeschooling today, we focused a lot of healthy foods.  I pulled out some old magazines and had the kids go to town snipping out pictures of different kinds of foods.  Then they sorted through them making a stack of "horrible", "okay every now and then", and "super healthy".

We looked all sorts of foods on the internet by entering "health benefits of _____" (strawberries, pineapples, almonds, etc) in Google, or checking out the ingredient list of different boxes products.  The kids quickly realized that just because the box says it's a "good source of 5 essential vitamins and minerals" doesn't mean it's healthy!  And, the ad may have pictures of fresh fruit or vegetables surrounding the product, but that doesn't mean it's actually nutritious. 

It's really disappointing to see how we are being manipulated into buying certain products. If you take a glance at a can or box of prepackaged food, you may be fooled into believing it's good for you, especially if you see things like "NO MSG!" or "GLUTEN FREE!".  Maybe it states, "NATURAL!" or "Good source of ____!"   Many products now boast they have a "full serving of vegetables".  They don't want you to look on the side of the box where they list the ingredients, where some form of sugar falls first or second in line followed by all sorts of weird ingredients, food dyes, and artificial "tastiness".

One thing I taught my children several years ago was that "if God grew it, it's good" meaning if it's raw and man hasn't messed with it yet it's healthy for you.  Of course, I've had to explain how even raw fruits and vegetables can be unhealthy because of pesticides and chemicals, but we've also discussed how they're still healthier than processed junk. (Obviously I'm not encouraging my children to go chew on some poison ivy or the grass in the backyard. So don't hear what I'm not saying here!)

We've talked a lot about food dyes, artificial flavorings, etc in the past, so they seem to have a good understanding of what is in food.  They almost always go grocery shopping with me, so we often pull out a box or can of food and inspect the ingredient label. 

Today we solidified the lesson that raw, fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, and nuts are great for you. One thing we found every one of these foods had in common was that they are cancer preventatives and cancer fighters. I truly believe that one of the reasons why we see and hear of more people having cancer (and seeing more aggressive forms of cancers pop up) is because our diets are robbed of good nutrition. 

I truly believe that we need to educate ourselves and our children on what is truly healthy and what is not.  That isn't to say that you can't have a little diet splurge here and there (I totally love Shipley's Donuts and McDonald's fries), but we need to learn that these things aren't good for us... not even in "moderation".  See, people throw that word around. "It's okay to have this, as long as it's in moderation."  What is your definition of moderation?  Three times a day? Once a day?  Once a week? Once a month? Once every few months? Once a year?  And, if we say it's okay to have this group of things in moderation, does that mean I can have donuts for breakfast and Oreos for dessert on Monday, a stack of chocolate chip cookies and a big glug soda for snack on Tuesday, McDonald's on Wednesday, sugary cereal for breakfast and a Sonic slushy along with chili cheese fries on Thursday, followed by a few Taco Bell tacos for dinner and a handful of M&Ms on Friday?  I could legitimately say that I'm having each of those things in "moderation"!

I think one of the problems we have in society today is that we don't know what it is to sit down at the table as a family.  We're in a rush, and we rush here and rush there and rush to put a meal together, and ......  Well, you know how that goes. We've all been there! When I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with Evangeline, we moved to a different house.  Because of all the packing, moving, unpacking, etc... we ate a lot of to-go food.  And, we didn't really make great choices. We had a lot of nuggets, burgers, fries, and other junk for about two weeks.  One day, I told my husband, "I am so sick of this food. I feel like poo, and all I really want is a really big salad."  

I think we so often feel like when we're in a hurry, we don't have many options.  Maybe it's because the most obvious in-our-face options are the unhealthy ones.  They're the ones that draw us in.  However, I've found I can have a great, healthy salad or sandwich at Jason's Deli.  I can even get one to-go in a small amount of time.  Or, I can run in the grocery store and grab fixings for sandwiches and salads for much less, which would only take me about 5 minutes, rather than go through a drive-thru for burgers and fries.

Panera Bread, Corner Bakery Cafe, and  are all great health-food option.  If you can stop in for a sandwich, soup, or salad.  Also, I have noticed more and more grocery stores selling premade organic soups!

Chipotle and other healthy "burrito" joints are popping up everywhere.  Also, I am finding more raw food smoothie places around town.  Fruit smoothies, green smoothies, etc are more filling than you think, and you won't have that icky greasy-food hangover later.  You can also buy these in the grocery store (we love the brands Odwalla and Bolthouse Farms).... or make them at home, of course. My parents make fruit smoothies at home and freeze extras in portion sizes. My dad thaws them out the night before so he has one to drink on his way to work. Smart, right?

If you're trying to teach your children about healthy foods, I recommend going through old magazines, or even your own pantry.  Look up foods on the internet and explain why something is or isn't healthy. I really felt like we had a fruitful conversation today (pun not intended).  It's good to have these discussions often, not only to remind your children, but to remind yourself.

Here's a photo of me talking to the kiddos about why this picture has a lot of healthy goodness in it! We learned so much about the power of mint, pineapple, and strawberries!  (Apparently, I need to go get a good dose of Vitamin D by sitting out in the sun. Boy, am I pale! I feel there needs to be a disclaimer here: Person in picture is darker than appears.)

So, tell me about how you've taught your children about healthy foods (or how you plan to in the future)! 

Cloth diapering: Muttaqins

Evangeline wearing a Muttaqin fitted diaper (size large)

If you asked me which diaper I grab first, I'd say the Muttaqin.  It's been my all time favorite since we switched to fitted diapers.  (Note: fitted diapers require a waterproof cover.)

Not only are they extremely cute, they seem cozy, comfortable, and soft. They are made with top-quality fabrics and any snaps that would be on the inside of the diaper are hidden so they don't press against baby's skin. Not only are they wonderfully absorbent, but they also contain "messes" well.  I've never had a blow out with these babies!

"Mutts", as they are known in cloth diaper circles, come in a variety of designs.  One of their most economical designs is their unique one size diaper, which they call the 3 Step Rise 1 Size (referred to 3SR Mutts in the CD world). Because of their adjustability, they fit from 8-35lbs.

Those anticipating the arrival of a newborn may love their Newborn Sized diapers which come with a snap down umbilical area to avoid covering that fragile little umbilical stump. These diapers typically fit from 5-15lbs because of a special snap down rise which made.  When your baby outgrows these, he or she will fit wonderfully into 3SR Mutts.  Mutt's NB sized diapers are deliciously adorable. These will definitely hold in those newborn would-be-blowouts!  These are newborn diapers you don't have to feel guilty about splurging on since they fit a wider range.  I have a hard time buying diapers that only fit up to 8 or 9lbs, since my last two have been around eight and a half pounds!  Seems like a waste!

Mutt's Front-Snapping diapers are the ones I am most familiar with.  They come in medium and large sizes.  Evie, at the average size for a 16 month old, can easily fit in both medium and large sizes.  She never has red marks on her skin from the gussets or snaps (since the snaps are hidden).  I generally use a Thirsties Duo Wrap (size 2), Bummis Super Brite (Medium) or wool soaker (like EcoPosh) over these diapers.

Muttaqin also carries side-snapping diapers (which I'd love to test out! I'm new to side-snapping!), "Baby-shapped" diapers, and turned and top-stitched sized diapers (their other diapers are serged).

FYI, I am not being paid to post this review. This is just a personal review of some of my favorite cloth diapers!

Our Cloth Diaper Stash

I recently sold most of my pockets and built lil Miss Evangeline a new stash of cloth diapers made mostly of fitted diapers.  And, I've been working on building Molly Jo's cloth diaper stash, this time splurging a bit on a newborn fitted stash.  (With Evangeline, her newborn stash was flats and prefolds with Bummis Super Brite and Thirsties Duo Wrap size 1 covers)

{diapers nicely organized into bins}

Molly Jo:

11 Birds-Eye flats (I must have lost one)
4 Dark Green Edge prefolds
5 Gerber Prefolds

1 Cotton Sherpa Small or Newborn Kissa Contour
2 Small Floral Contours
2 Small Sckoon fitteds
5 Diaper Drive Thru Newborn fitteds
4 Newborn Patooshie Fitteds
1 Gussie Pocket (made by me) fitted
8 Small flannel diapers (7 made by me) [Evie outgrew these around 6 months old]
2 Small Organic Hideaway diapers
3 Medium Stage 2 Drybees (adjustable)
1 Medium Piper's Closet diaper
5 Medium Thirsties Fab Fitteds
8 Tinkle Trap Converted Prefold Fitteds

4 GroBaby/GroVia diapers (I have a 5th.. somewhere...)

1 Black OS Tweedlebug Pocket diaper
2 Small Fuzzibunz pocket diaper (white)
3 Pink OS BumGenius pocket diapers (fit on the small side, IMO)
2 Blueberry OS pocket diapers

1 OS Wool cover
1 small wool cover
2 small pair of fleece longies
4 Thirsties Duo Wraps size 1 [Evie outgrew these around 6 months as well]
1 Weehugger cover size 1

Evangeline:

3 wool soakers (covers)
2 Bummis Super Brite wraps (1 medium, 1 grand. Grand is still a little too big.)
1 Lavender Thirsties Duo Wrap (size 2)
1 Kushies cover
2 Snapless Fleece wraps (made by me)
1 Fleece soaker (made by me)
3 Fleece "capris" (made by me)

3 Nifty Nappies fitteds
6 Large Muttaqin fitteds
4 Large Sandy's ME fitteds
2 MEOS (Mother Ease One-Size) fitteds

To share (but mostly for Evie):

3 OS Muttaqin fitteds
2 Bumpkie Bottoms Snapless OS fitteds
2 OS Cheeky Cloth fitteds
2 Bugga Bugga Boutique fitteds (OS)
1 snapless zebra/floral BSRB
1 Egg & Bacon Soothe Baby OS fitted
1 Tinkle Trap side snap fitted
3 Good Mamas

and a bunch of inserts, mostly bamboo or hemp. I'm sure I have more diapers here and there I forgot to mention, but this is what was among the things I was organizing (or was waiting to arrive in the mail). I purchased the majority of my diapers in excellent used condition from other cloth diapering mamas. Therefore, I have some really great high-quality diapers without paying a high-quality price! :)

A lot of my friends have exclaimed that I have a large stash- if only they knew how big the average cloth diaper stash is! I know many women who have far more than I have... and for only one child!

I'd really like to get a dozen more diaper for Evangeline so I don't have to wash as often.  Since Evie has not been interested in using the potty at all lately (there's your Elimination Communication update!), we've gone through a lot more diapers, so I usually have to wash every other day. It's not a big deal, but it'd be really nice to wash every three days instead.  However, since for years I had a tiny stash and was accustomed to washing every day, I am thankful that I can nearly squeeze in three days out of Evangeline's stash.

Our current stash- this photo is missing a little over 2 dozen diapers from our stash.

I'm going to start reviewing some my favorite diapers, so you'll know what I love about my new stash! Check back for that if you're curious about cloth!