New Chapter

Summer and Fall of 2012 were lonely and empty months. October came around and I realized, it was my turn to leave. To start a new chapter of my life, a new and exciting chapter of change. I realized the week before we left, I was terrified. All I have ever known was the west coast. However, as we pulled out of the driveway with a packed car & packed moving truck, it all became so real. It was dark out, and raining. What a perfect night to leave Oregon. Leaving all my sad memories, and the people who made my heart hurt. Taking with me all the happy memories, the times I shared with my best of friends. I watched through the window as the grass outside coarsened and yellowed with the passing miles, watched the trees suddenly erupt into enormous redwoods as we crossed into California, then twist and shrink into leafy oaks. I watched the sun come over the mountains,and got to see all of the beautiful windmills of So. California. Suddenly, that morning in that moment while I was driving I was overwhelmed by peace and excitement. This new chapter has officially begun 10/16/2012.

I looked at my new home state with equal parts excitement and anticipation. This was no longer just a vacation. We arrived in Florida 10/19/2012. One year ago today. I cannot believe we have lived in this paradise for a whole year already. It has been everything we dreamed and more. We had a lot of people not wanting us to leave Oregon, some thinking we were crazy for wanting to leave such a beautiful state. I think people are crazy that someone would want to live in the same place their whole life and not experience anything new and exciting. Where is the adventure in that?

This last year my family has become a whole. I have a husband who is home and gets to eat dinner with his kids (at least a few times a week!). My kids get to see their mom and dad every single day - we are finally a family "unit" and no longer just a family. The sheer happiness that surrounds us in our every day life is more than I could've ever asked for. My kids get to play outside every single day, and have a new-found love for playing in the rain! We have new special people in our lives that I don't believe I would've ever made the connection with otherwise. "Soul friends". We have a beautiful house with a list of changes/improvements longer than I could type of things we want to do. Our future is exciting. Every day, life is exciting.

All that to say, Happy 1 year anniversary to my family and this new chapter of our life. So enjoying every minute of every day, looking forward to the future but not rushing this happy place of life where we are. There hasn't been many times that I wasn't anxious for "the next" chapter or season of my life. Or grateful when one was over, until now. Sometimes a HUGE life change is what you need to find true happiness.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/10/14/2837288/saying-goodbye-and-entering-a.html#storylink=cpy

Broccoli Bites

So I wanted to make something different for dinner, make a vegetable a little more "fun" for the kids. I came across this recipe for Broccoli Bites and what a great treat they were! Obviously I wouldn't serve these all the time, but they were a nice change for the side dish. It was kind've a way of combining the vegetable with a starch. A healthier starch option! LOL. Anyway, long story short... get your kids in the kitchen helping you make these... try them out - they were delicious!

Broccoli Cheese Bites (adapted from My Tasty Treasures & WholeSomeBabyFood.com):
16 oz. chopped broccoli (I used fresh steamed broccoli, it holds together better than raw)
1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs & 1 egg white
1 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs or seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1tbls Minced garlic
Basil, Parsley, garlic powder & pepper

1) Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
2) With your hands, form small patties and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet.
3) Bake at 375F for 25 minutes, turning the patties after the first 15 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Veggies

This is a super easy to throw together dinner and is SO healthy and delicious. I used all organic ingredients, including the extra virgin olive oil. I also partially cooked the potatoes before placing them in the pan so they would be tender to start with, all the food comes out cooked together in the end this way. It is great when you are entertaining because you make it a little in advance and can visit  with everyone as they arrive and serve it with no hectic last minute side items ect.

I didn't have a picture from the last time I made it, so I used one from the internet of the original recipe! It doesn't show the carrots in the picture - so don't forget them they give you beta-carotenes, vitamin A, minerals and anti-oxidants in ample amounts.

I've made and altered this recipe 4 different times, and the last time it came out so delicious, the recipe follows ;) 

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Veggies

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemons, 1/2 thinly sliced, 1/2 juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Rosemary & Basil to taste
• Onion Slices
• Green Beans
• Carrots, sliced in 1/2
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered
• 4 organic chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices & Onion slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, rosemary and pepper; add the green beans and carrots and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and carrots and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.
3. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.

Green Beans health benefits overview- Green beans are a heart friendly vegetable. Not only are they a good source of cholesterol lowering soluble fiber, they also contain the antioxidant vitamins A and C which help to prevent oxidation of cholesterol - a forerunner to arterial plaque and heart disease. They're also a good source of potassium and magnesium to normalize blood pressure and take some of the load off of the heart.

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe
It cost approximately $5.50 for the ingredients and lasts a two person family well over a year. Saving us around $100. I was skeptical at first, but now am a total convert.

You need
*A bar of Fels-Naptha (found in the detergent aisle) $.97
*Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (found in detergent aisle) $2.45
*Borax (I used 20 mule team) $1.99
*Bucket (5 gallon or you can get a large mop bucket  at the dollar store)
*Three gallons of water


1) Grate the bar of soap with a regular cheese grater. I preheat two gallons of water in pots on the stove, since I don't have a large enough pot for that I split the recipe and have two one gallon pots going. Add the soap curls evenly to the water, add 1 total cup washing soda, and 1 total cup borax. Heat the solution until all of the curls are melted, the water will turn a yellow color due to the coloration of the bar.

2) Stir occasionally as the soap curls melt. Add essential oils if you'd like. I usually add a combination of lavender, orange and lemon! Sounds like a weird combo but it smells delightful. While you are waiting fill the bucket with one gallon of room temperature water. After the curls are completely melted, add the detergent to the water in the bucket, pour slowly, and mix well.

3) Cover the bucket and allow to set over night (or for 12 hours). I always cover mine with aluminum foil or Glad Press & Seal. The following morning or 12 hours later, remove the cover and mix the solution. It will be a firm gel. I chop up the solution with a wooden spoon and use my electric hand mixer to blend the solution. After it is well mixed pour it into containers to save.

This is a very low sudsing formula and safe to use in any washer. I use 1/2 cup per load.

This recipe yields 96 loads, so it costs about $.05 per load!

Clean & Green!

Last year I changed my life to live healthier. I learned how to grow an organic garden (and fell in love with it), and started running and exercising. This year I decided in addition to living healthier, I needed to start getting rid of some of the chemicals in my house, and not just out of my food. After a lot of research I found that making your own "all natural" cleaning products is actually much much much cheaper than buying them, and they work just as well (or even better!). My kids (4 & 2 1/2) are able to help make them buy stirring and pouring, and they have a blast watching the baking soda foam up when added to vinegar. They enjoy helping me clean because they are apart of the whole process from start to finish with making the products, packaging them (I let them help decorate a new label each time for each product), and finally, trying them out. Next I hope to tackel things like "oatmeal scrubs" and lotions ect. My options are endless!!!

The cleaning products I use can be made from the following ingredients:


Baking Soda is a very simple and effective surface cleaner. It is similar to commercial powdered abrasive cleaners and has the added benefit of being an odor absorber. Baking soda can be used alone or with water and a sponge to scrub out tough stains like a scouring powder. You can leave baking soda on particularly tough stains (even pots and pans) for 15-20 minutes before wiping away.


White Vinegar is another all-purpose cleaner. Vinegar is a deodorizer, like baking soda, and is also a disinfectant. Because it is colorless and contains no colorants, it will not stain. Vinegar does not work well on marble or on grout, where vinegar’s acidity may cause damage. The vinegar smell lingers while wet, but quickly dissipates while drying. Vinegar is also an effective stain remover on sinks, floors, stovetops, chrome and countertops, and can even be used to remove rings from your toilet bowl. Finally, adding half a cup of vinegar to your rinse cycle acts as a natural fabric softener.


Lemon Juice, another highly acidic liquid, works extremely well on hard-water stains and on built-up soap scum. You can mix lemon juice with vinegar and/or baking soda to make a paste similar to the Soft Scrub brand cleaning scrub or mix it with olive oil for a wood-furniture polish.


Borax (sodium borate) works as a laundry soap but is a great disinfectant and all-purpose cleaner and can be mixed with water baking soda or white vinegar. Here are basic recipes I use for cleaning (I clean and reuse spray bottles and glass jars for storage and always label all of my products).


Soft Scrubber (like scrubbing bubbles)- Mix baking soda and water, vinegar or lemon juice to form a creamy paste. For tougher jobs, mix ¼ cup borax, ½ teaspoon lemon oil and enough vegetable oil-based liquid soap (such as Murphys Oil Soap) to form a creamy paste.


Glass Cleaner - Mix 1/8 cup vinegar with 1 quart of water.


Toilet Bowl Cleaner - Sprinkle baking soda and lemon juice into the toilet and walk away. Later scrub with a toilet brush. For “bachelor pad” toilets, spray vinegar around the bowl, sprinkle with baking soda and scrub.


All-purpose cleaner - Dilute equal parts water and vinegar. Vinegar can also be used straight from the bottle on tough stains and mineral deposits.


Automatic Dishwasher Detergent - 1 ½ tablespoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon Borax.


For Laundry, I use: Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, Borax, Fels Naptha Soap & Essential oil for fragrence.


Draino - Baking soda and vinegar

Amazing Cake Balls

Amazing Cake Balls

So I made these last weekend for my daughters 4th birthday party, and they were such a hit! I actually had 1 person tell me they were so good, she had to close her eyes to eat them... to really take in the moment! You can mix and match all different flavor combinations, I used white cake, white & chocolate almond bark, and made a homemade marshmallow cream frosting for the inside (although you can buy any container of premade frosting).

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

frosting (16 oz.) (my recipe below)

1 package chocolate bark (regular or whitechocolate)wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly with frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)

4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)

5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.

6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.) I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Marshmallow Cream Frosting

Ingredients
· 7 ounces marshmallow cream
· 1/2 cup butter softened
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
· 1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. I beat this for several minutes.
Use to frost cupcakes, cakes, and other desserts.

My Dr Seuss Baby Shower

So my baby shower was actually in October but I'm finally getting around to updating my blog :/ Life is amazing but crazy! Wanted to share my themed babyshower pictures with everyone, it turned out AMAZING! My sister and I made almost all the decorations, and had Dr Seuss quotes printed out all around the house.

We had Dr Seuss themed food (which was my favorite part, so cute!) Green Eggs & Ham, Truffula Fruit, 3 Cheese Trees, Yinks Pink Ink Drink (Pink Lemonaid), ABC Cookies (sugar cookies with B's for BOY), Thing 1 & Thing 2 Cupcakes, One Fish Two Fish (not all red and blue fish) multi colored goldfish crackers, Yertles Turtles, Hop on Pop (corn), Cat in the Hat Veggie Tray...



We made Lorax Trees to go all over the house, a "Dr Seuss Book Chandelier", we even had our game theme based on guessing how many fish were in the jar. It was simply amazing.

Homemade LARA-like Bars

These things seem to be all the rage right now, everyone is making them or selling them. They're the latest "nutrition" or "sports" bar but most that I've found on the market are loaded with over-processed ingredients (enriched), packed with sugars and are really high calorie. Might as well eat a PB candy bar, I would get my protein and probably the same, if not less sugar!

The lara bars are an unprocessed, all natural, all-raw, "healthy" twist. After checking out the ingredients online, and browsing recipes I found that they were nothing more than a new take on that old secenties classic "the dresaded date roll". lol. A little funny but true!

Anyway they've got about 200-220 calories each, which is pretty high BUT it's healthy. All healthy fats & protien from the nuts, natural sweetness from the dates... overall a great snack, maybe for after a workout or when you just dont have time to eat!

Recipe as follows makes 1 bar. Yes ONE. I ended up making around 15 bars altogether.

1 tbls dates (pitted and pureed)

3 tbls nut mixture (nuts, dried fruits, coconut, oats ect)

1) Pit the dates (or buy them pre-pitted) and blend in food processor (I used my magic bullet) or by hand if you need to until they're a sticky mass. This is the base, or the "glue" of the bar that will hold everything together!

2) I then chopped (roughly with my bullet as well) cashews, almonds and pecans. I also mixed in 2 tbls ground flax seed and 3 tbls oats.

3)Mix everything together with your hands and form into a tight ball. Roll this ball into a rope and flatten into a rectangle. Rightly wrap in plastic wrap and apply pressure to the top and mold into a rectangle. Cut if you need to cut it (if you doubled the batch ect).

Refrigerate wrapped to preserve freshness.

Another alteration I tried was mixing in some unsweetened coconut - which was amazing!!! Probly 2 tbls worth for 4 bars.

--Other ideas:--

*Almond Spice: 1 tbls dates + 3 tbls almonds + 1/4 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/8 tsp ground ginger

*Cranberry Coconut: 2 tbls minced dried cranberries, 1 tbls unsweetened coconut

One more.

I read this artical today about "the Power of One" which can mean SO many different things. In this instance they were talking about you having the power for one more repetition in weights, or one more lap in running. It's all about choice. Your choice. Sometimes I think we put so much emphasis on how hard everything is, we forget that it's ultimatley about our choices. My mom always reminds me when we're running and I'm tired to change my mindset. If I am lagging and my legs are tired at mile 4 of 8, she reminds me "we're already half way" not "OMG we're only half way". Once you start changing things, everything seams a little better. A little easier.

When running the track (which are 1/4 mile laps) think about what your accomplishing while running, not how much farther you HAVE to go. Give one more than you normally do, one more than you feel physically capabale of doing. Whether it's one more lap, one more mile, one more minute of running... Thats when you'll see progress, that's when you really feel good, thats when you go above and beyond your own expectations of yourself. That's a powerful feeling.

One more rep.

One more set.

One more lap.

One more mile.

One more glass of water.

One level higher on the stairmill.

One more minute on the treadmill.

One more song before the end of your workout.

YOU have the power.

Little changes, just doing that ONE extra thing doesn't seem like much when you think about it, and that's why it works. Change your mindset.

"What one thing can you do to move one step closer to reaching your goals?"

(quoted from fitness&spice blog "the Power of One")

Stuffed Eggplants

Ok guys, this was my 2nd, "officially vegetarian" dish I've made, and it turned out really good! It's also a healthy recipe, consisting mostly of vegetables! You could probably add in some chicken if you wanted meat in it, but without it, well, lets just say "amazing".

Ingredients

2 cups died whole wheat Penne

2 tbls (ish) extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Egg Plants

1 Medium Onion, chopped

1 Garlic Clove, minced

14oz can, chopped tomatoes (I used garlic & basil roasted ones)

1 Medium Zucchini, chopped

1 Red Pepper, chopped

1 tbls Oregano

2 tsp Basil

2 oz Mozzarella Cheese, thinly sliced

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Salt & Pepper to taste

~~Optional: 5 tbls Dry Breadcrumbs for topping~~

1) Preheat the oven to 400.

2) Cook the 2 cups of pasta according to package (should take about 10 minutes).

3) While pasta is cooking, cut the egg plants in half lengthwise and score the inside without puncturing the shell. Scoop the insides out and chop them up. Brush some oil on the inside of each shell. Set aside.

4) Heat skillet and add a small amount of oil. Cook the onions and garlic over low for around 5 minutes. Add the other vegetables and stir frequently for another 5 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes, and seasonings (I also had to add about 1/3 cup of water to this mixture). Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the pasta and mozzarella cheese and cook until melted, then set aside.

5) Spoon the vegetable mixture into each shell, top with parmesan cheese (and breadcrumbs if you choose). Bake for around 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

Yumm-O!!!

ChickPea Patties!!

So for lunch today I thought I would get creative! Jessalynne was able to help me, which is always fun, we made a chickpea (garbanzo bean) patty on a whole wheat sandwich thin with vegetables! It was actually, surprisingly flavorful and yumm-o! For the whole sandwich it was only around 220 calories too which is amazing since it was filling and good!! It was a good source of protein, potassium (over 200mg), antioxidants (the tomato & avacado), and I'm sure other good stuff too! But I'm new to actually paying attention to this stuff ;)
I put lettuce, tomato, pickle, cucumber, 1 slice of avacado and mustard on mine! It would have been good with some chips on it... because I LOVE chips on my sandwiches but I refrained from it... yay for me lol.

The only thing I will probably do different next time I make them, is I think I will add an egg white to it to help hold it together better. It was really crumbly and fell apart when trying to flip it, and eat it! But as far as the texture and flavor went, they were right on! Jessalynne helped me eat it - she tried to take my whole sandwich from me! lol. Silly girl!

Makes a good lunch or dinner. I think I will eat one of the other patties in a wrap tomorrow for lunch. Chloee is eating part of one now for lunch and she is scarfing it! lol. Turned out to be a pretty good recipe, I'm so excited! If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them :)





Chickpea Patties
1- 15 oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (or about 2 1/2 tbls dried parsley)
1 clove of garlic (or 2 tbls minced garlic)
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp each, salt & pepper
2 tbls whole wheat flour
Virgin Olive Oil/Cooking Spray

Blend together all ingredients (except flour & oil) in a food processor (or magic bullet). Form pattys and dust each with flour. Cook in greased skillet/frying pan on medium/high heat about 2-3 minutes on each side until done.

Made 4 pattys at roughly 95 calories each.

Yum yum!

So this is my first blog entry. I'm pretty excited to have blog, somewhere to share my thoughts and not have to worry about whether someone is listening to be nice, or because they actually want to!

So tonight I want to talk about running. This morning I ran 8 1/2 miles (of hills.... ugh) with my mom, I've been gradually increasing my runs since Christmas, preparing for the 10 mile Pear Blossom Run on April 10 (which is only 4 1/2 weeks away -- OMG). Anyway, back to this morning, normally I don't really enjoy running, and at some point during my run I end up "a little bit hating my mom" because she pushes me so hard. It's good for me, and keeps me going, but I dont have to like it :) Anyway, most of the time she doesn't realize she's pushing me, but just by running with me, she pushes me. She is truely amazing. I dont know how I would stick with it without her encouraging me & motivating me to keep going. She doesn't intentionally run too fast for me, she's just amazing and can lol. Some of those busy roads with no sidewalks it's hard for her to tell when I start lagging too far behind! Well today when we ran, I didn't worry about trying to "keep up" with her, or worry about beating my last time. I ran, just to run. And I really enjoyed it. I finished (tired & with aching knees), with a slower time than I would have liked, 76 minutes and some change, but, I did it! It's one of the first runs I have really enjoyed, and not been discouraged or frustrated at some point. Thats a great feeling to start my day with. Now of course my knees are still aching (just a little), and my calves & butt are SO tight from those stinkin' hills, but mentally I feel great knowing that I set out to run 8 miles, and did it!

I can't believe the Pear Blossom is so soon, seems like I just ran the 5k in last years Pear Blossom (of course then, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant, but still!!!). Well, I'm excited that I get to run 2 days a week, although I wish it was more (maybe 1-2 days more, but not every day like some people lol). I'll take what I can get! In just 4 weeks, the race I've been preparing mentally & physically for over the last 3 months will be here... Wow. Then what will I do? I've read a lot about people running races that they have trained for, whether it e a 5K or a marathon, and afterwards getting really depressed afterward, and that this is normal? It seems like it would be the exact opposite, you should be proud of yourself, excited! But what do I do when it's done? I won't have a goal or deadline anymore? Just keep enjoying running? Maybe I will try for a 1/2 marathon? That'll be exhausting to run LOL.


Well anyway, I'm ending my day feeling really good about me. Thats not something I have really ever been able to say until the last year or so. Its a really good feeling :) Watching my girls play together, and my husband is dinking around with his new lazer something printer... Life's just great.