keepin' it fresh

One of the healthy habits I still struggle with is the whole "8 glasses of H2O per day". This is my way of making that just a wee bit easier on myself. I toss in whatever fresh fruits I have on hand. YUM. Plus it really doesn't add calories. 

I'm finishing up the first dress with my new fabric! I'll be making a run to the fabric store for a zipper for the back and finish the bottom hem. It's soooo adorable! Can't wait to post pics!

it's not easy being green... or is it really that hard?

I know, I know. I don't really discuss this topic often, since I never, ever want to come off preachy. ;-) But, I had a question in my comments on my salad recipe yesterday that made me want to touch on it a bit today... I'm not really going to talk much about all of the "green" things we do in our daily lives like recycling, re-using, carrying our own re-usable shopping bags {read here for some nasty statistics on those... not to mention the amount of oil, yes, oil -  that is wasted to create them every year}, filtering our water instead of buying bottled, driving fuel efficient vehicles, and using plant based instead of chemical based cleaners and detergents... What I did want to talk about today is

eating organic.

Why? How long have we been doing it? How did we make the changes? Was it tough?  All great questions...

As for the why, one great place to start is with this book... Though I have done lots of research for many years before reading this book, it's a great place to start with some really solid research. If  you've never before looked into this stuff, it will really open your eyes... and yes, we ate some of these junk foods growing up - but guess what? The amount of chemical preservatives and additives that they put into them today has grown exponentially. So sad.

Fortunately for myself and my husband, we didn't grow up with a lot of junk food. My parents were both raised on farms in the midwest - though we didn't live on one. When we needed meat, we contacted one of my aunt and uncles. They still lived on a farm - and they'd let us know when they had something ready. Cow, pig, chickens... they'd butcher the animal, and send it to the locker. Then we'd tell them the cuts that we wanted. We knew where our food had been from the time it had been born. Where it was raised, what it was fed, and how it was cared for. That's important! Especially today! We also got our eggs from them. And sweet corn. We had a large garden that we cared for in the summers and we spent a lot of time canning and preserving what we harvested. We went to the strawberry fields in the summer and picked flats full - and then made our own jam.

My husband wasn't raised here in the states. His mother went to market and bought their food. They didn't eat things that were processed because they weren't there! lol They were happy and healthy...

When? We made our switch to all organics five years ago. I admit it. I strayed. I was pulled in by the lure of how inexpensive it is to shop for conventional foods. What prompted it? Oddly enough, I stumbled onto this lady - Nigella Lawson. At the time she had a 30 minute program on the Style Network. I loved her attitude and style. She renewed my love of cooking/baking for me. {I had spent several years in the industry and gotten burned out...}I have to say, I love her writing style. She was a food writer for Vogue magazine for many years before writing her own books, and her candid writing style is fresh. She tells you in the intro of her first book that she hopes that it reads like she's in your kitchen having a conversation with you while you're cooking. I love it. Anyway, in her books, she talks a quite a bit about using organic foods. That sort of caught my attention. Someone so hip, young and fresh talking about organics? She wasn't any hippie or strange hermit living on a mountain!

That's when I really started doing my research. Which continues today still. I'm constantly learning about what we eat and ways to be healthier. :) {though it it important to NOT become obsessed with these things as important as they are! ;)}

How did we make the changes?
~  Some things just got tossed. Don't beat around the bush. Don't tell yourself you can't waste that... most of the things that junk foods are made from are just that: junk. They're not even food. So toss 'em.
~ Find good substitutes for things. You can buy just about anything organic these days. It's best to stick with whole foods, but when you're making that transition, it makes it easier. Instead of fruit snacks with food coloring, flavoring and high fructose corn syrup, grab either fruit leather strips, or organic fruit snacks made from real juice. One of our favorite companies for fruit snacks, organic snack mixes, and alternatives to things like goldfish, is Annie's Homegrown. We try to limit these things as a whole, but these are great alternatives! Stonyfield Farms and Horizon Organics have great products like flavored milks and yogurt tubes that the kids love. They're typically lower in sugar than their conventional counterparts, too. And instead of buying baked goods,  I bake at home. I know everything that goes into it, and when I choose to use all organic ingredients, they're far healthier than their store bought versions.
~ If you have kids, explain things to them! My husband and I made this decision together - I feel so blessed that I have his full support! You need that when you're trying to turn things around in your household. So, when we were changing things around, we talked about the changes we were making. We explained why, and also why it was important. Talk about nutrition and leading a healthy balanced life with your kids. You are their example, and if you teach them now, they'll have the lesson learned for life. I was blessed in that I had taken nutrition, anatomy, and pharmacology classes as a part of nurses training, so I had good foundations in these areas, but anyone can educate themselves. I've learned more since being out of school than I did when I was there!
 ~ Some things can be eased into. Honestly, when we first made the switch to organics, I wasn't about the whole grains. It took time for me to get used that that idea! So, I bought organic white rice, and organic white pastas. I learned how to make bean dishes as a great supplement to our meats, since organics cost a bit more. Now that we've made that switch, I realize just how much I was missing! We now only eat whole grain pasta,  and have incorporated so many other grains like the bulgar from my previous salad recipe post!

Was it tough to make these changes? I'm not gonna lie. Although a lot of things weren't bad at all, it took a bit of time to adjust. Your body is so used to being overstimulated by the chemicals in the food that you eat, that it's all mixed up. It's going to read some organic foods as not having flavor, when that is completely not the case. The cool thing is - that changes over time. I now really can't stand any kind of chips. Doritos? Nope. Cheetos? Nada. Even Sun chips? No, thanks! I put it into my mouth, and my body and taste-buds are overwhelmed to the point of it really not tasting good to me... I don't get hungry for them or crave them, either. Even o ur kids turn then down, and I'm proud of that! ^_^ I'd rather have a bowl of pita chips with cream cheese on the side any day... so will our kids! Or some organic tortilla chips with all natural salsa...

You'll also find out by trying new things, that there is a whole world of really great tasting foods you've been missing out on! Bulgar, couscous, and scores of different beans for us! We already had a really robust diet of fruits and veggies, so we haven't tried too many new ones there, but we're always open!

The bottom line is - don't settle. Make a conscious choice about the way that you live your life. You won't regret it. We haven't for a moment! You deserve to live healthy, and feel good. If anyone's interested, I'd be happy to share some of the great benefits we've experienced because of these changes! I hope these thoughts on our experience have helped or encouraged you today!

mostly whole wheat bread

Mostly Whole Wheat Bread

Bread is a labor of love. I always feel a connection with it, once I’ve got my hands in there kneading the dough together… Even so, when you put a batch together, it doesn’t have to be time consuming. In fact, I frequently take a few minutes to toss a batch together while I’m making dinner at night for our family. The oven is already on, so the back of the stovetop provides the perfect spot for the dough to rise quickly… this is my every day bread that I bake for our family weekly.

2 ½ c. while wheat flour

1 ½ c. all purpose flour

1 heaping T. rapid rise yeast

1 scant Tablespoon sea salt – meaning, not quite, but almost.

1 ¾- 2 c. warm water

1 T. soft, unsalted butter

Whisk together flours, yeast and salt in a large, heavy bowl. Measure your warm water. Getting the right temperature can be a bit touchy. The easiest way to check is to shoot for something that would be comfortable for a hot bath – but not too hot. That would kill your yeast.  Pour the warm water over and lightly toss together until you get a mixture resembling a shaggy fur. Squidge chunks of butter off and toss with the mixture. At this point you’ll have to discard your spoon and dig in with your hands. Knead the dough by folding it over and pushing away from your body. Fold and push. Fold and push. Continue to knead for 8-10 minutes. Once you notice the dough start to spring back and develop an elastic quality, it ready to sit to rise.

Roll or round off into a nice ball in the bowl and cover with a dry cloth. Leave it in a warm place to rise until it’s roughly doubled in size. I made this with our youngest son last week and told him that we would check it later because it would get big all by itself. Sure enough, he was fascinated. When your dough is ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease the center of a cookie sheet with olive oil.  Grab the risen dough out of the bowl and punch the air out. Roll into a ball and flatten slightly (it’ll rise up again in the oven). Set it on your oiled cookie sheet. Pop into the oven and bake for roughly 40-45 minutes.

This bread has a really lovely texture – not crumbly. Crunchy on the outside, but slightly moist on the inside. If you’re not familiar with baking your bread at home, be aware that this’ll store for roughly 5 days – since it has no preservatives. Which is a good thing! If you can’t finish it in that time, be sure to pop it into the freezer. Bread does not store well in the fridge.  The less humid air dries the loaf our faster.  Enjoy!

*Note: I use all organic ingredients in my recipes...

Good Enough to Eat

I've been playing around with the idea of baking our bread at home. I mean, honestly. I used to work as a baker. Not to mention all of the culinary experience I have. What is the deal? :) I guess I just think it takes time. But does it? Really?

Well, I finally took the plunge on Thursday and baked a loaf. Again. I realized. I missed it. And like so many things that we sometimes leave behind, it's not as hard or time consuming as we might think. And to be completely honest - I even made my own recipe. Yes, I still remembered how to do it! And by unanimous vote of the family, it turned out delicious.

And it's so much better for you. They put waaaay too much stuff in the average loaf of bread that you buy off of the shelf, and the brands that were ok, had nut allergy warnings on them. Booo. Not cool.

So, baking the bread it is! I'll share the recipe some time soon! After I make it a few times and get the quantities totally nailed down for your baking and eating pleasure!

^_^

frozen treats for summer...

I don't know about you, but now that summer is upon us, the boys are constantly popping into the fridge and freezer looking for something refreshing... we had a serious heat wave about a week ago when we had highs in the 90's all week. THAT was a wake-up - hello? I'm the heat that makes you swelter all summer long...

Anyway. On to the recipe/idea... I absolutely can not stomach the thought of our boys cooling off with  the popular brand of "popsicle" on more than an occasional basis. If you haven't checked these out lately - yikes. I used to think they were fine when they only had a serious amount of food coloring in them. Now it's colossal. As in, those popsicals have more coloring than the paper I scrap with. Not good.

As a healthier {I'm not claiming this as a health recipe. Ha!}alternative, I whipped these up a couple of weeks ago, and the boys beg for them on a daily basis. ^_^ The nice thing being that I can freeze a batch and toss them into a freezer bag for them to pull out at their leisure. With mommy's permission. ;)
Frozen Fruit Treats
Ingredients:
2-3 c. low fat, organic vanilla yogurt
1/2-3/4c. 2% organic milk
2 c. of your favorite frozen fruits
And, depending on the fruit you use,
1/4 c. granulated sugar

These are just general quantities that you can adjust to your tastes as you get used to making them. I only add the sugar when I'm using a tart fruit, like the red and black raspberries in this case. Another favorite around here in mango. Mixed with just about anything. But, when I use mango, I tend to leave out the sugar. Got it? Good. We always tend to dip a spoon in after mixing to make sure it tastes good. Just remember that whatever you taste at the time you mix up, will not be as sweet when frozen. It has something to do with how your tastebuds perceive cold flavors...

Honestly, I just dump everything in my food processor and whiz it up. Before:

WahLah! This mixture is good just the way it is if you want to sprinkle some granola in!

For the treats, just gently spoon the mixture into frozen treat molds, pop your lid on, and insert your sticks. No big deal if it all doesn't fit. I store it in the fridge and then pour another round with this set comes out.

Freeze them for a good 7-8 hours. {Ignore the slightly icky freezer. How in the world to those get dirty?}

After the time period of eight hours {And putting up with your kids asking, "Are they done, yet?" enough times that it reminds you why you don't take many road trips}

You have some happy kiddos!

Happy enough that they regularly ask for these for breakfast. Yeah. You heard me. At least it's better than a donut!

Store them in a freezer bag for happy snacking through the summer!

Lesson Learned...

I love blogging. Miss it when I don't get the opportunity to check in and spill my thoughts and inspiration... I've been playing it close to home lately and spending time with our boys. For some reason age 3 = needy lately. :) I don't regret one moment spent with them, though! {My scrapping time this week has taken a hit, though! Bedtime is a major struggle, and usually that's mommy's scrapping time. Oh well - this too shall pass!}

Making lots of healthy changes around here this week. I spent a few hours on Tuesday doing some shopping around for good stuff to fill our shelves and tummies. As always, I've got big support from the whole family on this, and THAT ROCKS.

My big personal challenge this week is learning to eat breakfast. Believe it or not - I haven't done that consistantly since -who knows when. I really don't think I have since childhood. That = bad. We all know it. Sooooo... why do we do that to ourselves? {sigh} Well, I did great Monday and Tuesday, but this healthy combo got me. I definitely can't go this heavy/rough yet, even though I LOVED the taste.
When I added this guy in to the mix {another thing I'm adding to the healthy habits list}, this whole thing was a recipe for disaster for this girl.
Yeah. I lost it. Tossed my cookies. Lesson learned. One thing at a time. These are big changes. Pace yourself, girl - 'cause slow and steady wins the race!

Easter Fun and Telling my Story

We had a great time over Easter and spring break! In fact, I enjoyed it almost too much! Really relaxing as a family... it's gonna be tough to get back into the swing of things...

We colored eggs on Sunday this year - D was under the weather, so we stayed home and had a family devotion. :)


We like to dip twice:
Then we pick our favorites for the "winner's nest":
All finished!
I totally need to take some photos of the yummies that I filled the boys' baskets with. I'm really happy with the alternatives I came up with this year! Birdie nests, sugar cookies, Izze sodas, Annie's bunny fruit snacks...

And I'm starting on my story. My journey. It's been a long one, {starting in my teens, since I was a chubby kid...that became a heavy teen...} and it still continues, but for the first time, I'm writing it down. And I'm happy.
Today's a new day! I started reading this over the weekend - picked up when grabbing books for the boys' baskets...
It's basically re-affirming things I've already known and believed, and given some cold hard data to support it...

Step one for me is to make sure I eat breakfast. I'm sooooo bad about this!
I'll be making changes to our home and eating habits over the next few weeks! Getting back to the basics - whole foods! Yay!

And I promise, I have a layout started... in fact, it just needs to be glued down! Ha! I'm hoping to get to it tomorrow!