I'll be the first to admit that I've gotten lazy in the kitchen lately! It's winter, the kids are back in school, and it's usually just the kids and I for dinner. When my husband is home I usually let him do the cooking. This weekend my daughter got on a salad kick and I decided to play around in the kitchen with some RW Knudsen Just Juice that was sent to us. I received 2 bottles of juice, one was Just Pomegranate and the other was Organic Just Tart Cherry. I had no clue what I wanted to do with either of these and I honestly stared at the bottles for almost a month before braving them in a recipe. Did you know that Tart Cherry is good at bedtime for naturally relaxing your body? It's a natural source of melatonin which can help you sleep better at night. I'm going to start offering a small glass to my daughter at dinnertime every night and see if it helps her wind down for bed. She is still my night owl and could stay up until midnight if I let her. I did try it mixed with hot ... [ Read More ]
Breakfast Granola Cookies & Stonyfield Yogurt
Less than one week until Christmas and I'm finally starting to get in the holiday spirit. There's something about being in the kitchen that brings it out in me. I'm able to recharge and relax offline and use my creative energy in other ways. The kids are out of school for 2 weeks and a little time in the kitchen with mom will entertain them for a few minutes at least...and keep them offline as well. Today we decided to make some breakfast cookies for the coming week. This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt & Nature's Path Organics. I absolutely love oatmeal cookies and peanut butter cookies, so I decided to see how I could tweak some of my favorite recipes into something a little more healthy for breakfast. Breakfast + cookies = easy mom trick to get your kids to eat something good! The ingredients are pretty simple; 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, 1 cup Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Granola, 1 egg, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup of peanut butter. I almost always have ... [ Read More ]
Stonyfield Strawberry Pancake Muffins Recipe
What's for breakfast? How about some strawberry pancake muffins make with Stonyfield organic greek yogurt. You can make up a batch on the weekend and have them for the kids during the week to grab on their way out. I actually had to giggle when I found out it was National Pancake Week because my family knows that the only type of pancakes I am good at making are the frozen kind. I really don't know what is wrong with me, I can cook almost anything except pancakes! I usually end up burning them, making them too fluffy, too cakey, to thin and runny, or flat. I decided for this project I was going to do something I rarely mess up on - cupcakes or muffins! Pancake muffins!! It's strawberry season here in Florida so I added some fresh chopped strawberries to the batter. You could add any of your favorite ingredients including chopped nuts, bananas, chocolate chips, peanut butter, etc. 5.0 from 1 reviews Stonyfield Strawberry Pancake Muffins Recipe Print ... [ Read More ]
Sensual Sea Salt Body Scrub Recipe
Are you looking for a new way to connect with your loved one? Send the kids to Grandma's for a few days this summer and plan a spa day (or evening) at home with your special someone. Skip the expensive day spa and make your own experience at home with a few simple ingredients. Start with a nice warm aromatherapy mineral bath with Eupohoric Ylang Ylang. I dissolved a pack of Aura Cacia pure essential oil mineral bath and slipped in to get relaxed. The smell of ylang ylang, bergamot, and ginger uplifts your spirt and warms the body and senses. Next enjoy a gentle foot or body massage with a sensual sea salt body scrub. Make up a batch of the sea salt body scrub ahead of time using course sea salt, virgin organic coconut oil, and your favorite essential oils (I used Ylang Ylang). Gently massage the sea salt body scrub over dry or rough skin to soften them up. Finally, finish your massage with some Euphoria aromatherapy body oil and the rest is up to you! How to Make ... [ Read More ]
The Weekly Green List #2 – Books, What I’m Reading Now
In this weeks Green List I'm sharing some of the books that I'm reading now. I have a pretty eclectic bookshelf with topics ranging from DIY, fitness with kids, and a few new cookbooks. What are you reading right now? DIY Books: Sewing the Seasons: 23 Projects to Celebrate the Seasons by Sandi Henderson. I'm itching to start sewing again and this book is full of fun projects that don't look too complicated (remember I'm still learning). The Farmers Market Tote is absolutely adorable as well as some of the cute Lemonade Swing Top (or dresses) patterns. In addition to sewing projects Sandi includes a few seasonal recipes as well. Fitness Books: Yoga for Children by Lisa Flynn. I've played around with Yoga for years and when my oldest was little we had fun practicing our poses together. Now that my daughter is 4 I think she'd have fun doing Yoga with her brother and I. My favorite part of the book is the sections on partner poses and family Yoga games. I'm sure ... [ Read More ]
Pack a Better Lunch Box
What do you pack in your kids lunch? It's so easy when we go shopping to grab the prepackaged junk products that are popular with the kids. My kids would love it if I gave them Lunchables every day but that sends me into serious mommy guilt because of the artificial ingredients. Here are a few of our favorite alternative lunch box favorites - Applegate natural deli meat - Applegate meats do not contain antibiotics, hormones, artificial ingredients or preservatives. Serve them on a sandwich or cut them up to create your own healthier cheese, meat, and cracker snacks. To learn more about Applegate follow them on Facebook. Late July Organic Snack Chips - Late July chips are made with USDA Organic ingredients, are GMO free, and gluten free. They do not contain any artificial ingredients, flavors, or colors. They come in a variety of flavors like blue corn, sea salt, mild green mojo, sweet potato (seriously delicious), and dude ranch! To learn more about Late July follow ... [ Read More ]
Green Smoothie Recipes
I must have lost my mind this year! I am eating veggies like they are chocolate! Why the sudden change? Earlier this year at my annual physical I found out that my cholesterol is SKY HIGH! I'm not overweight but I didn't exercise much before this and I didn't really pay much attention to what I ate. I was never a junk food addict but I wasn't a veggie girl either. It's mostly a genetic trait that I was blessed with. My dads side of the family has all had to battle heart disease (open hear surgeries, stents, blocked arteries, you name it they've had it) and it looks like I need to start the fight now myself. I looked over the list of recommendations from the doctor and about cried at the thought of giving up some of my favorite foods. I LOVE cheese! I use to eat it several times a day as a snack. I also had the opportunity to speak with an amazing nutritionist, Cynthia Sass, at Blissdom and she gave me even more suggestions. Her biggest recommendation was...are you ready ... [ Read More ]
How I Saved an Hour Using E-Mealz!
Every week the hubs and I have the same conversation (sometimes it's nice and other times it's downright stressful) and it usually starts with "Hey honey - what do you want for dinner this week? It's time to go shopping!" Then comes the look of agony from both of us and the longing for the other one to make a decision. We both work full-time and we have our 2 fun-derful children who never stress us out after work (we can all dream right?). I actually love to cook but I hate to meal plan. Neither one of us mind shopping, we don't even mind taking the kids...but neither of us plan well. And to make it even better - we have different shopping tactics. I really need a list to shop with or else I feel overwhelmed. He could go into the store and buy whatever is on sale and come home with plenty of food. It actually stressed me out to shop with him if we don't have a list because I feel like I'm just wandering around and I can never remember what we already have at home. So last ... [ Read More ]
Healthier to you Potato and Ham Soup Recipe
Today has been a lot about food to me. I've been PMS'ing B-I-G time today and incredibly moody. When this happens I tend to redirect my moodiness to something creative. Today I've been cooking up a storm - and trying to be healthy. Now - before you get all excited - I'm not one of those New Year's resolution kind of gals. I've never really worried about my weight too much and never really had to diet. However, as you reach mid-thirty (I mean 29) your metabolism does slow down. The hubs has been eating healthy and exercising for about a year now and looks younger and more fit than the day we met. I've been on the all-you-can-eat-breastfeeding diet for two years now and haven't really cared too much about what I put into my body. Sure it has to be healthy because I'm feeding Lil B as well - but I've never been overly concerned with watching my figure. So I eat chocolate (alot), drink sodas (less than I use to), and love CHEESE! Yesterday we made our traditional ham, ... [ Read More ]
Cloth Wipes, Accessories & Recipes
Giveaway alert! Franklin Goose online is giving one lucky reader their own Prince Lionheart Warmies Wipes Warmer (for cloth wipes). Details on how to enter following this post. Contest closed - ECO-ngratulations to Debbie G! I did it! I finally make the last leap into the cloth diapering world; I switched to cloth wipes. I've always had a stash of cheap wash cloths on hand to use but I always struggled with how to use them. I've tried spray on wipe solutions which I actually really liked (but I'm too lazy to go buy more online) but my bottle is empty. I recently received a set of Thirsites Fab Wipes (thanks www.weewilliewinks.com) but haven't done much with them. I have a sample of some bum solution beans that I got with a diaper order which I haven't done anything with. WHY? Because I didn't have a wipes warmer! Just like my diaper sprayer that I don't have...I never invested in a wipes warmer. I'm not sure why really, maybe I just didn't think I needed it. I WAS ... [ Read More ]