It is already that time again!!!! Time to start planning what your going to do this year - spring garden, summer garden, fall garden, enough to can and freeze, just enough to cook a lot and share, only enough to experiment with your black thumb?????
The Spring Garden must to planted in February......so are you going to do it?
I am going to continue my garden which is big enough to freeze and can lots of surplus. I am going to do this in 6 beds that are each 8x8. But I am also going to help Ashleigh with her garden that is only going to be big enough along her fence to have food to cook (she is a cooking enthusiast) and give some away. I am also going to help Deanna with her first garden mostly in pots and hanging baskets. So here is the plan for Spring starting in February going three different ways:
Bree (Me) Ashleigh Deanna (the first timer)
Cabbage 5 2 none
Carrots 1 pack of seeds 2 small rows none
Lettuce 1 pack of spring mix spread out over 5x2 fill 1 pot of spring mix for the patio
Peas 1 pack 1/2 pack none
White Potatoes 15-18 plants 4-6 none
Radishes 8 5
Spinach 5 plants if I can find them or 1 pack 3 plants 1 smaller pot for patio
Start planning and get digging before the third week of February. Pictures to follow!!!!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Beets for the Kids
I recently saw this article in Parenting Magazine with beet recipes:
http://www.parenting.com/article/beet-recipes?cid=searchresult
Well, we are going to try a few. I have never eaten a beet in my life. I do know that they are very healthy and easy to grow. But, I wonder if I can substitute canned beets rather than roast and puree whole beets???
We made the cupcakes first without the frosting and substituted an organic flour so that these would be OK for afternoon snacks. We also used 1/2 can of canned beets pureed with an immersion blender.
I thought about making them as mini-cupcakes, but then Camilla would not have been able to use her new Elmo Cupcake papers! I think she likes them.
http://www.parenting.com/article/beet-recipes?cid=searchresult
Well, we are going to try a few. I have never eaten a beet in my life. I do know that they are very healthy and easy to grow. But, I wonder if I can substitute canned beets rather than roast and puree whole beets???
We made the cupcakes first without the frosting and substituted an organic flour so that these would be OK for afternoon snacks. We also used 1/2 can of canned beets pureed with an immersion blender.
I thought about making them as mini-cupcakes, but then Camilla would not have been able to use her new Elmo Cupcake papers! I think she likes them.
We will have to try the pancake recipe next!
Friday, January 18, 2013
9 Months On...9 Months Off
Well, I DID IT! Actually I did more. Nine months ago, shortly after Rex was born I posted my most embarrassing post ever revealing pictures of myself at 176 pounds and a month later at 170 pounds. I was having the hardest time losing the weight after my second pregnancy being thirty-three years-old. I had some pitfalls, some months I did not lose anything...but I managed to meet my pre-pregnancy weight of 150 pounds when Rex turned 7 months. Now, at 9 1/2 months-old I am 145 pounds exceeding my goal by 5 pounds. But, lets face it, 150 pounds is too high. I made a short term goal of losing the baby fat and getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. With that said, I can now make my next goal: The Wedding Weight. (Isn't it funny how we women can associate our body size with life milestones? Wedding Weight, High School Weight, Pre-Children Weight, Marathon Weight.....) Wedding Weight (140 pounds) is only five pounds away and realistic for a 5'3 woman. High School Weight (135 pounds) is also realistic...but lets take it one goal at a time.
What have I been doing differently. Well, not that much. I stuck to my gut (pun intended) and did not go on a diet. I did however read Dr. Oz's book You On A DIET about the harmful consequences of dieting. It also recommended three principals in healthy eating for life:
Don't eat anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup, Enriched Flour, or Sugar listed in the first five ingredients on the labels. The book was a great read. I borrowed a copy from my mother and I am sure you can find one at the library. It really helped me realize why a snack of cookies was bad - not only calories, but because of the chemical reaction that sugar was playing on my mind and hormones, I was going to want more in about 45 minutes. I still eat the same amounts of food, but I made a couple of small changes to cut out those three ingredients and VOILA!
1. I cut the coffee creamer and just use milk.
2. I eat sugar free yogurt now instead of the vanilla low fat. (I actually make my own because it is cheaper.)
3. I eat sugar free granola. (I make my own so that I know what is in it, and its cheaper. Add this to the yogurt and delicious.)
4. I snack on all natural peanut butter with no sugar added instead of Jiff or Peter Pan - my favorites.
5. I read the cereal box label and only buy the ones with no enriched flours (usually a Kashi cereal).
6. I snack on a homemade trail mix of nuts, rice puff cereals, and dark chocolate.
7. I buy instant brown rice instead of white rice.
8. I buy whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta.
9. And I still eat lots of healthy meals from my freezer and canning jars of foods I grew over the summer. I know that my tomato basil sauce doesn't have sugar in it and that my meatballs do not have enriched flour in them. With the concept of cooking every meal, freezing or preserving it ahead of time for time management, and providing a home cooked meal every night I was able to make some easy changes for the whole chemical balance of weight loss to click!
10. I never was a soda fan, so I kept rocking the love of water.
11. I still bake and make homemade biscuits, but I have found some organic flours at Target and Big Lots that use better substitutes.
So here are the pictures. Rex was unavailable when I was ready to take the picture so I grabbed Camilla. I also tried to find similar clothes....
What have I been doing differently. Well, not that much. I stuck to my gut (pun intended) and did not go on a diet. I did however read Dr. Oz's book You On A DIET about the harmful consequences of dieting. It also recommended three principals in healthy eating for life:
Don't eat anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup, Enriched Flour, or Sugar listed in the first five ingredients on the labels. The book was a great read. I borrowed a copy from my mother and I am sure you can find one at the library. It really helped me realize why a snack of cookies was bad - not only calories, but because of the chemical reaction that sugar was playing on my mind and hormones, I was going to want more in about 45 minutes. I still eat the same amounts of food, but I made a couple of small changes to cut out those three ingredients and VOILA!
1. I cut the coffee creamer and just use milk.
2. I eat sugar free yogurt now instead of the vanilla low fat. (I actually make my own because it is cheaper.)
3. I eat sugar free granola. (I make my own so that I know what is in it, and its cheaper. Add this to the yogurt and delicious.)
4. I snack on all natural peanut butter with no sugar added instead of Jiff or Peter Pan - my favorites.
5. I read the cereal box label and only buy the ones with no enriched flours (usually a Kashi cereal).
6. I snack on a homemade trail mix of nuts, rice puff cereals, and dark chocolate.
7. I buy instant brown rice instead of white rice.
8. I buy whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta.
9. And I still eat lots of healthy meals from my freezer and canning jars of foods I grew over the summer. I know that my tomato basil sauce doesn't have sugar in it and that my meatballs do not have enriched flour in them. With the concept of cooking every meal, freezing or preserving it ahead of time for time management, and providing a home cooked meal every night I was able to make some easy changes for the whole chemical balance of weight loss to click!
10. I never was a soda fan, so I kept rocking the love of water.
11. I still bake and make homemade biscuits, but I have found some organic flours at Target and Big Lots that use better substitutes.
So here are the pictures. Rex was unavailable when I was ready to take the picture so I grabbed Camilla. I also tried to find similar clothes....
176 Pound 1 Month Old May 2012
145 Pound 9 Months Old January 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Recipes for our New Juicer!
Creating your own Superfoods and working them easily into every meal.
From Williams-Sonoma:
Orange, Celery and Carrot
Reduces cholesterol and helps prevent cancer
4 navel oranges
4 celery stalks
8 carrots
Peal and quarter the oranges. In juicer, do the oranges first followed by the celery and the carrots. Makes about 2 1/4 cups
Pear, Apple and Greens
Builds bones and strengthens the immune system
1 pear
1 apple
4 oz rainbow chard
2 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Halve and core the pear and apple and chop into chunks. Separate the stems and large veins for the chard leaves and coarsely chop. Put the pear, apple, chard leaves and stems, spinach and parsley in at high speed and process. Dilute with water if desired. Makes 4 cups.
Tomato-Pepper-Cucumber
Helps protect against heart disease and boost the immune system.
2 red bell peppers
1 tomato
1 cucumber
1/2 jalapeno
splash of balsamic vinegar
Half the bell peppers, remove the seeds and ribs and roughly chop. Quarter and core the tomato. Slice the cucumber. Mince the jalapeno. Put the peppers, tomato, cucumber, jalapeno, vinegar and 1/2 cup water in at high speed. makes about 2 cups.
From www.raw-foods-diet-center.com
Pineapple Goodness
1 handful of spinach
1/2 pineapple
10 strawberries
1/2 cucumber
Juice in order listed
Purple-Rific
Purple Cabbage
Red or Black Grapes
Pineapple
Pomegranate
Strawberry Field
2 apples
2 carrots
8 strawberries
Green Mean Machine
3 stalks celery
2 cups spinach
2 cucumbers
1 green apple
From www.healthygreenkitchen.com
Jalapeno Watermelon Limeade
4 cups cubed watermelon
2-3 lines
1 jalapeno chili
Peal lime. Juice all ingredients. Add pinch of sea salt. Optional> add splash of vodka
From www.natural-cures-and-home-remedies.com
This was a really cool website to read
For a Sinus Infection
2 carrots
1/2 cucumber
bunch of parsley
2 stalks of celery
1/2 clove garlic
For a UTI
2 apples
1/2 pound cranberries
For Yeast Infection
3 cabbage leaves
1 garlic clove
4 green beans
2 carrots
1 grapefruit
From Williams-Sonoma:
Orange, Celery and Carrot
Reduces cholesterol and helps prevent cancer
4 navel oranges
4 celery stalks
8 carrots
Peal and quarter the oranges. In juicer, do the oranges first followed by the celery and the carrots. Makes about 2 1/4 cups
Pear, Apple and Greens
Builds bones and strengthens the immune system
1 pear
1 apple
4 oz rainbow chard
2 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Halve and core the pear and apple and chop into chunks. Separate the stems and large veins for the chard leaves and coarsely chop. Put the pear, apple, chard leaves and stems, spinach and parsley in at high speed and process. Dilute with water if desired. Makes 4 cups.
Tomato-Pepper-Cucumber
Helps protect against heart disease and boost the immune system.
2 red bell peppers
1 tomato
1 cucumber
1/2 jalapeno
splash of balsamic vinegar
Half the bell peppers, remove the seeds and ribs and roughly chop. Quarter and core the tomato. Slice the cucumber. Mince the jalapeno. Put the peppers, tomato, cucumber, jalapeno, vinegar and 1/2 cup water in at high speed. makes about 2 cups.
From www.raw-foods-diet-center.com
Pineapple Goodness
1 handful of spinach
1/2 pineapple
10 strawberries
1/2 cucumber
Juice in order listed
Purple-Rific
Purple Cabbage
Red or Black Grapes
Pineapple
Pomegranate
Strawberry Field
2 apples
2 carrots
8 strawberries
Green Mean Machine
3 stalks celery
2 cups spinach
2 cucumbers
1 green apple
From www.healthygreenkitchen.com
Jalapeno Watermelon Limeade
4 cups cubed watermelon
2-3 lines
1 jalapeno chili
Peal lime. Juice all ingredients. Add pinch of sea salt. Optional> add splash of vodka
From www.natural-cures-and-home-remedies.com
This was a really cool website to read
For a Sinus Infection
2 carrots
1/2 cucumber
bunch of parsley
2 stalks of celery
1/2 clove garlic
For a UTI
2 apples
1/2 pound cranberries
For Yeast Infection
3 cabbage leaves
1 garlic clove
4 green beans
2 carrots
1 grapefruit
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Deal Alert!!
This week juicers are on sale at Aldi for $35. I have a lot of practice on a Breville Juicer that starts at $99 and runs to $299. This model is very similar in function. The plastic feels a little thinner, so we need to not force vegetables down the hatch. After our first use, I am very pleased with the product.
http://weeklyads.aldi.us/aldi/default.aspx?action=entryflash&
Next week, Williams-Sonoma will be offering a free technique class for eating "RAW" which will include recipes for the juicer. I will update this post with some recipes after that class.
http://weeklyads.aldi.us/aldi/default.aspx?action=entryflash&
Next week, Williams-Sonoma will be offering a free technique class for eating "RAW" which will include recipes for the juicer. I will update this post with some recipes after that class.
Green Waffles for Everyone
Another great way to sneak the veggies in. I found this waffle recipe online and altered it.
Green Waffles (Great for Ketchup Dipping)
1 lb. frozen chopped spinach
1 onion
olive oil
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup organic waffle mix
1. Cook the onion over medium high heat until translucent. Add the spinach and continue to cook. Season with salt and pepper. Optional: After onion and spinach are cooked pass them through the food processor so that there is no vegetable textrue to be detected.
2. Combine other ingrediants and cook in a waffle maker on a dark setting.
Green Waffles (Great for Ketchup Dipping)
1 lb. frozen chopped spinach
1 onion
olive oil
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup organic waffle mix
1. Cook the onion over medium high heat until translucent. Add the spinach and continue to cook. Season with salt and pepper. Optional: After onion and spinach are cooked pass them through the food processor so that there is no vegetable textrue to be detected.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)