Favorite Foods, Loss of a Pet, Busy Days..

So hi to all my fabulous readers!! This is a quick post to let you know I'm still here and to let you know what's been going on over here on our little hill in the woods..

It seems like ages since my last post. I have come to the realization that I could apologize for my lack of posts over and over again, but what good would that do?..For now it is how it is, with starting a new business, taking care of three kids (I have two of my own and watch another four year old during the week for a friend), striving to keep a clean house, homeschooling, oh and mix that in with several painful bouts of an ear infection/sinus troubles...well, there aren't enough hours in the day. For now anyway. But, hey...when I can I will post more often. So, don't give up on me ;-) I'd love to post everyday, but it's not a priority right now. I know I've said this before though...I am very glad that many of you are so consistent with your posts as I do allow myself a little time everyday to browse my favorites (you know who you are).

Okay, so the other day my mom-in-law asked me what my favorite food is..or meal. I had to think about this for a minute. Hmmmm....there's so much to choose from. Well, since I was a kid I have always loved rice and beans. Pretty simple, huh? I'm so easy to please. And of course, if you know me even a little bit you would know that I absolutely ADORE green smoothies!! Love, love, love them!! Yep, If I had to be stranded on a deserted island I would choose to have my Vitamix with me and hopefully would have access to lots of fresh foods and could enjoy a green smoothie daily! ;-) Lol.  I seriously could happily live on GS's!!

                                            Green Goodness: Pre Glass Style

This week has been a blur. But, a good blur. I've been marketing lady for my hubby's new civil engineering firm lately. WOWzers...what a job, but one that I am enjoying! It is fun to work along side my dear hubby! If you haven't already checked out Rocky's website, please do so and let us know if you happen to need a civil engineer for a project (he is getting licensed in other states) ( www.rockychambers.com)

Okay, enough with the sales pitch, huh? Well, what can I say...it has been a big part of our lives right now and it's fresh on my mind. ;-)

I am incredibly proud of my hubby for his hard work and dedication! I admire him in countless ways!

Oh, so more news from the home front..our cat ''Yoda" has disappeared. We live on eight acres and he loves to be outdoors, just as we do..he's an inside and outside cat. Honestly, I'm not much of a cat fan, but he quickly became part of the family. We got him shortly before my son was born almost five years ago...well, we haven't seen him in about a month. A friend pointed out that he may have gotten sick and knew he was going to die so maybe he left to do that. That is sad and well, I prefer to think that maybe another family took him into their home (as he didn't have a collar). Happier ending, right?? We do miss him. ;-) I hope he is well.

So, what are your favorite foods? Do you have any pets? Ever venture into starting your own business? Do you feel pressured by the lack of hours in the day sometimes? 

Ever wish you had more time to get it all done?

Have a great rest of the week!!

Feeding Kids Right..Teaching Kids About Healthy Eating

I get so excited when I see kids eating healthy foods and being conscious of the foods they are eating. Kids need to be educated on the importance of healthful eating, just as they are taught mathematics and grammar. This kind of education should start in the home. Parents truly have the power to encourage their kids to eat to live as opposed to live to eat. Of course, this takes the parents themselves believe in the importance of feeding their bodies healthy, nutrient-rich foods.

I am very passionate about eating healthfully and teaching my kids the importance of eating clean, real, fresh foods. I hope that they will continue on with living healthy lifestyles years after they leave our home and go off and make their own food choices. I also teach my kids the importance of having certain things in moderation...meaning, yes, it is okay to eat sweets in small amounts (and I hope that my love of raw dessert experiments  pay off and they seek those...hey, it's worth a try, right)..fortunately, they LOVE all of my kitchen creations.

Now, don't get me wrong...I am not perfect. I'd love to meet you if you have this area of diet and nutrition all figured out. I love to learn as much as I can. Everyday I learn something new that I put into practice, whether it be a new exercise, a new recipe, new natural remedy, etc. I'm always seeking new information and I am not hesitant to discontinue eating something (or at least cutting down on it drastically) or doing something that I learn to be harmful to myself and to my family. After all, I look at it as my job as a SAHM to do this.  Of course, it is also a passion of mine, as well.

My kids are very familiar with fruits and veggies. It is a part of their lives. We love to look for the colors of the rainbow in our food. The brighter the colors the better!!

Photo Credit

It is my dream to have my kids look at food as a way they can keep their bodies healthy and also to realize that by eating healthy foods they help their minds stay strong for focusing on God.

Unfortunately, not every one looks at food the same way I do. Many kids, sadly never eat any fruits or veggies. Shocking, too, is the fact that many kids can't recognize fruits and vegetables (as I learned from this video below). This is saddening.

While I taught preschool in Colorado some years back, I saw glimpses of this growing problem of children not being fed nutritiously, and thus not being taught healthy eating practices. Many of the students came to school each day with belly aches and illnesses. Each and every day these kids came to school with lunches consisting of only processed junk (can we really classify the junk as food? No, we can't.). As the teachers, we talked with the parents encouraging them to pack more fruit and veggies. Some began to do so, some did not. We sent out letters requesting healthier lunches be sent with the students. Now, don't get me wrong..this was not the case with all the students, but I would say majority. My heart ached for those students with constant tummy issues. Fiber would have done their bodies good, but being kids...they couldn't do much to change what they were being fed.

What can be done about this?? Education is key, I would say. Watch this video and see what I mean.



Processed foods can be so easy and inexpensive. I think this has much to do with how fast paced our society is...we need things cheap and in a hurry. This is killing us (or atleast those who fall into the trap). Sad, but true.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you ever caught yourself sneaking in processed foods into your child's diet for simplicity sake? Have you made changes for the better? I'd love to hear your feedback.

Whirlwind Week Recap & Banana Muffin YumYums!

Hello all! It seems like my posts are few and far between. This one is no different. I am so happy, though, that I can take a few moments each day to keep up to date on the fabulous blogs I follow. You all truly inspire me in the kitchen, for sure. I've been trying out lots of new recipes lately (all coming from some wonderful blogs out there). I will post pics and recipes and where I got them soon.

Life here has been super busy!!! It's pretty much been a whirl wind of a week, but a wonderful one at that. This is one of my favorite times of year. This week was obviously 4th of July for us Americans and then...on the 6th, Rocky and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. Since we both had work to do that day on various projects we celebrated it in passing, but will officially celebrate it together on a night without the young sprouts soon.

And...on the 7th our youngest sprout turned 3! Yep, she was born on 7/7/07 and she was three days early. The years have flown by all too quickly. Where's that pause button when you need it,right? Lol.  We will have a small get together with family on the 11th to celebrate!! On the morning of her birthday, I made yummy vegan banana muffins which turned out soooo lovely! Our tastebuds danced!

THREE CANDLE BLOW-OUT

Next time I won't add as much sugar, as the bananas are a great sweetener. Maybe drop the sugar by half next time is what I will do. Here's the recipe: The Best Banana Muffins Ever


FROM VEGWEB.COM
Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    2 tablespoons unsalted vegan soy butter
    2 heaping tablespoons sugar
    1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
    2 very large ripe bananas
    1/2 cup all purpose flour
    1/2 cup dry oats
    1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    pinch of salt
    walnuts or carob chips, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a pan on a low heat to melt, then remove and set aside for a few minutes.

Mash the bananas and, in another bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Don't over mix: just stir a couple of times; you will have a not terribly attractive lumpy sludge, but don't worry about it.

Fill the muffin trays about two-thirds full of mixture. Put in the oven and cook about 25 minutes. Leave in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack for another 5-10 minutes or until cool.

Enjoy the recipe!! It is really great!!

Serves: 24 mini size or 10 full size

Preparation time: 15 minutes


When these were done in the oven I sprinkled them with chia seeds, as I am chia-seed obsessed. They added a great crunch to the finished goodness! 


Later that evening we headed to Chester Frost Park. This is a very nice place with a nice little beach...the water was so nice and warm.

SAND CASTLE TIME

Rocky tried my raw pasta for the first time...first time I made it so, obviously...first time he tried it. ;-) And YAY...he liked it!! Hmm...the recipe?? It was super easy. I do not currently own a spirlizer YET so I used a carrot peeler and shredded a zucchini squash..topped that with marinara sauce (will soon be homemade sauce once my tomatoes in my garden start coming in and can't wait for that!!). That's it. I will get fancier with it, but I'm was happy as so were the kids and the hubby! 

ABOUT TO EAT

HELLO, RAW PASTA!

Sorry the picture doesn't really show the goodness of the pasta...it was pack and go and no time for a food photo shoot. ;-)

Have you ever made raw pasta? What's your favorite recipe? I'd love to learn new recipes! Please tell Kell..