Christmas Creations!

This Christmas I made my award-winning "Christmas Calabaza Cookies" (they won the Christmas cookie competition at work - ha!), honey vanilla caramels, lotion bars and bath ornaments...which I dubbed "Bain d'Ornament." Yes. Cheesy, I know! Here are the pics and recipes! :)

Christmas Calabaza Cookies
Dry Ingredients
1 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour (just started using Bronze Chief and LOVE it...chemical & GMO free, slowly ground to maintain a low heat, keeping in tons of protein, vitamins and minerals)
1/4 milled flaxseed
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
Wet Ingredients
1 c raw honey
1/2 c butter softened
1 c pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
Glaze
2 c powdered sugar
3 T milk
1 t vanilla extract

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil. (This is a "pro-tip" that my hubby has been asking me to use for awhile. If you line the sheets with aluminum foil, you can immediately pull all the cookies off the sheet at once and the foil cools almost immediately, so the bottom of your cookies don't get any browner. Plus, virtually no clean up.)
SIFT dry ingredients into a large bowl.
BLEND wet ingredients in another bowl until smooth.
COMBINE (slowly) the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture.
DROP by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets.
BAKE for 15-18 minutes.
COOL for 5 min.
MIX glaze ingredients above and DRIZZLE over cookies.
ENJOY!

Honey Vanilla Caramels
(yeah, just realized that I can't find this recipe anywhere! Basically, I just replaced the corn syrup with raw honey from a local farmer. I figured, why not fight allergy instead of cause them. They were pretty tasty too! :))

Luxury Lotion Bars
(note: lotion bars can be made with equal parts of just about any wax, butter (shea, cocoa, mango, kokum, etc.), and oil (olive, avocado, sweet almond, sunflower, etc.) I'm looking forward to trying many more combinations in the future)

3/4 c filtered beeswax
3/4 c virgin organic coconut oil
3/4 c organic unrefined shea butter
18 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops ylang ylang essential oil
10 drops geranium essential oil
7 drops patchouli essential oil

MELT beeswax in a double boiler, add in coconut oil and melt, add shea butter and melt (shea butter should be heated just to a "melted" point, otherwise it can become grainy).
REMOVE from heat and add in essential oils.
POUR mixture into silicone mold and let cool. Then pop out and rub it all over! (Elliot loves his "Christmas Tree" lotion)

Bain d'Ornaments

1. Pick up some glass ornaments from your local craft store...or ask a friend to do it for you. :)
2. Gather ingredients - I used (in order of layers) citric acid, french green clay, baking soda, powdered yarrow, epsom salts, and lavender flowers
3. Craft a funnel out of piece of paper if you don't have one small enough for the ornament opening. (I was actually thinking, I might pick up some of those free paper funnels at the gas station just for these sorts of purposes)
4. Add your ingredients in layers

Isn't it pretty? Now you can just dump it into your running bath water and feel all wonderful!

My First Soaked Grain Bread

So....BREAD! Guess what? It can actually be good for you. With most healthy folks having a strong aversion to carbs (and for good reason), we've kind of convinced ourselves that all leavened baked goods will make us fat. Now, if the bread that we bought at the store was actually fresh and made from whole grains then this might be a different story.
I'm learning that there are a lot of nutritional benefits to grinding your own whole grains so that they're fresh and to soaking those grains before you bake with them. Lindsey at Passionate Homemaking does a GREAT job explaining this...here! So read what she has to say and then try to make some bread! :)
My recipe below is a combination of hers and my friend Lynette's (here) and my own head.

Soaked Whole Grain Bread

3 c whole wheat flour

3 c all purpose flour

1 c coconut flour

2 c steel cut oats

1 c oat bran

1 c flax seed meal

1 c flaked coconut 

1 c sunflower seeds (ground)

¾ c plain yogurt

¼ c apple cider vinegar (I used the yogurt and vinegar because I didn’t have any kefir on hand, but you can definitely use 1 c kefir here instead)

¼ c honey

¼ c agave nectar

½ c coconut oil

¼ c butter

3 c warm water

Let sit at room temp for 12-24 hours

2 ½ T active dry yeast

½ c warm water

1 t honey

Let yeast fully proof (basically get foamy so you can’t see the yeast granules anymore) then add to dough mixture. Mix until dough no longer clings to the side of the bowl. Knead 10 times. Form into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a wet cloth and let rise for 1-1 ½ hours (until doubled). Punch down, turn the ball of dough over and let double again. Divide into fourths. Roll each piece out with a rolling pin and then roll up (like a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll) place each dough roll in a greased bread loaf pan. Place in oven to rise (you can turn oven to “warm” but no higher) for 45 minutes. Bake bread at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Let cool and remove from pans. ENJOY!

Flab-Off Update - Lettuce Wraps & Nutty Pancakes

Well, with one day to go...the February flab-off has been a great success! I've only lost 1 lb. but my stomach is flatter and my energy is higher and more consistent. Elliot has not exactly been participating at the same level that Evan and I have been, but he's maintained his little weight the whole way along. My husband on the other hand has lost 18 pounds...in 27 days. Seriously now?! Isn't that great?!
However, the best thing of all happened the other day. See, this last week, I haven't been very good AT ALL about planning and preparing for our meals, but Ev has stuck with the Flab-Off commitment. When I said that we only had a week left, he asked, "Well, then what do we do?" I said that we could talk about it and see what we wanted to add back in or exercise moderation in some of our more excessive pleasures (cough...Cokes and Little Debbies...cough). And he just kind of looked at me confused and said, "I'd like it better if this were just our lifestyle." WHAT?! I got so excited! That was the most perfect thing that he could have said. And the best result I could ask for from the Flab-Off, better than any number of inches or pounds lost.
Here are two more recipes that we've enjoyed - Lettuce Wraps and Nutty Pancakes!

Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
10 oz canned white chicken
3 Tbsp Ground Walnuts
1 Tbsp Olive Oil Mayo
1/2 tsp Sage
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
Dash of Pepper
Hummus
4 long romaine lettuce leaves
Hummus

Instructions
1. Spread hummus on lettuce leaves
2. Mix chicken, walnuts, mayo, and spices in a small bowl and spoon onto lettuce
3. Fold lettuce in half lengthwise and enjoy!

We had the lettuce wraps with a few raspberries and 7-grain crackers.

Nutty Pancakes


Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup ground walnuts
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup ground oats
1/4 cup ground shredded coconut
1/4 cup wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup kefir whey
1/2 cup yogurt (the whey and yogurt could probably be substituted with 1 cup buttermilk)
2 Tbsp Butter or Coconut Oil, melted

Instructions
1. Grind all dry ingredients in a quick mill or food processor and mix together
2. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl
3. Stir wet and dry mixtures together
4. Cook on a non-stick, preheated griddle
5. Top with fun things like - berries, pecans, dark chocolate chips, honey, almond butter, etc.

My brother and husband liked these! Ev said he liked them better than the coconut pancakes I highlighted in an earlier post, and they're chock full of protein and other good vitamins and minerals!

Kefir Cheese!

I made Kefir Cheese! Like....there's cheese in my fridge that tastes good, that I made! :) So fun, right? Here's the recipe.

Ingredients
6 Tablespoons Kefir Starter or 1 packet Kefir Grains/cultures
1 quart milk (unhomogenized works best, a lot of people use raw milk, but I haven't found a provider for that yet)


Supplies
1 quart container with lid (or some sort of cover - plastic wrap works)
Cheesecloth (or unbleached linen)
Strainer
Bowl


Directions
1. Heat milk to skin temperature (around 90 degrees)
2. Stir in kefir cultures and pour into quart container
3. Cover and leave on a countertop (do not refrigerate!) for 2-4 days, until the curds are separating from the whey
4. Line strainer with cheesecloth, set strainer in a bowl (so there is space for the whey to drain and collect)
5. Pour the kefir mixture into the cheesecloth (whey will immediately begin to drain off)
6. Wrap cheesecloth tightly around the curds
7. Set strainer, bowl and all in the refrigerator for 1-2 days
8. Unwrap cheese and put in a sealable container. 

The kefir cheese will be the consistency of cream cheese and you can use it in any function that you would use cream cheese. We've had it as a cracker spread thus far. I left half of it plain and half of it I mixed with a bunch of herbs (marjoram, oregano, thyme, basil, dill, garlic, salt). You can use it on bagels, for dips, etc.

I ordered by Body Ecology kefir starter cultures online from Amazon.com here. Here are a couple links on the benefits of kefir - here and here. One benefit of using raw milk was pointed out to me by a friend the other day. Raw milk, doesn't spoil - it cultures! SO...when raw milk starts to taste sour or less creamy, that means it's time to use it for other things, like yogurt, butter and cheese. I'm still doing a bit of research on the whole thing, but I think we'll be switching soon, if I can find a place close by where I can by a share.

Enjoy!

Some Flab-Off Recipes - Coconut Pancakes & Nutty BBQ Meatballs

One thing that has been really fun about this Flab-Off is getting creative and trying new recipes. Monday morning we had flourless coconut pancakes. You can find the original recipe on Tropical Traditions...here. They have several other GREAT recipes! I used honey in place of the sugar and 1/2 plain yogurt, 1/2 milk instead of the heavy cream.
Yesterday for dinner we had lima beans, sweet potato chips (thinly slice a sweet potato, toss in 2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, place in a single layer on a cookie sheet, top with red pepper, black pepper, garlic powder and salt, cook on 400 for 20 minutes), and BBQ Meatballs. And yes, I made the recipe up all on my own! Here's the thing. All of these recipes include ketchup and worchestershire sauce in their ingredients, which are chock full of corn syrup and sugar. SO...here's the flab-off recipe. Loved by mommy, daddy, and Elliot! This one's a winner for us. Hope you enjoy it too!

BBQ Meatballs

BBQ Sauce

1 cup tomato puree

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

½ cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. ground mustard

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef (grass-fed)

½ cup milk

1 egg

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)

¼ cup pecans

¼ cup almonds

¼ cup ground flaxseed

¼ cup coconut

Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in a large saucepan and mix together. Start simmering on low, while you prepare the meatballs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ground beef, milk, egg and celery in a medium bowl.

Combine pecans, almonds, flaxseed, and coconut in a food processor and process until mixture is at least coarsely ground.

Knead nut mixture into beef mixture. Roll into small balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Combine meatballs with BBQ sauce in saucepan.

Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

February Flab Off - Day Three

So...we're on day three of the flab-off and so far, so good. We've not been exercising like we wanted to, but I think the water and diet and trying to get more sleep is disrupting our lives enough. Maybe we'll try to be more intentional about the exercise next week. We've been enjoying the food a lot...for the most part. The almond butter-raisin oatmeal this morning could have used a bit of honey, but other than that, it's been pretty good stuff. Here are our favorite lunches so far!
Enjoy!

Strawberry-Chicken Salad Pita
Toss 3 oz of canned chicken with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp olive oil mayo, 1 Tbsp chopped pecans or almonds, and 3-4 sliced strawberries. Fill a whole wheat pita with the chicken salad mixture. Have with about 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits and 1 light string cheese.

Chicken Mango Muffin
Toast one whole wheat english muffin. Spread with one wedge of herbed Laughing Cow Cheese. (You can buy it herbed, but I just added some rosemary, garlic and paprika. Sage, marjoram & thyme would probably be good too.) Mix 1 Tbsp chopped pecans with 3 oz canned chicken, put that and a couple slices of mango on your sandwich. Serve with the rest of the mango, some strawberries, and some non-fat yogurt.

Flab Off - Day One Menu - Sassy Water and Flab-Off Granola Recipes

So today is the first day of the Flab-Off. I'm still trying to figure out how to attach files to my posts, so I can give you my meal plan, recipes, and charts, even though I'm sure most of you are not as anal as I am about that stuff. Prevention magazine started something called the Flat Belly Diet, which now has a book out about it. One thing that they do as part of their 4 day jumpstart is drink 2 liters of Sassy water a day. This water is supposed to calm GI tract irritation, decrease bloating, get rid of constipation, and decrease water retention. I guess a flabby belly is both because of fat and retained fluid, and most of the time, you retain fluid because you're dehydrated. You can read more about it here.
On our menu today - Sassy Water (of course)...Flab-Off Granola, Low-fat Yogurt, & Raspberries for breakfast. Sunflower seeds and light string cheese for a snack. Chicken, Strawberry and Pecan Salad Pita Pockets and Pineapple for lunch.
Here are the recipes for the water and granola.

Sassy Water Recipe


1 Lemon
1 Medium Cucumber
1 Tbsp. Grated Ginger
12 Spearmint Leaves
2 Liters of Water


Slice lemon and cucumber, grate ginger root, and combine with spearmint leaves in a pitcher. Fill pitcher with water and place in fridge overnight. Drink all of the water the next day and repeat.

Flab-Off Granola


3 cups Oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup slivered or chopped almonds
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 pkg. unsweetened shredded coconut
_________________________________
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. warm water
1/4 cup coconut oil - melted (you can substitute canola oil)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup honey


Preheat oven to 300. Combine oats, nuts, seeds, and coconut in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together cinnamon, vanilla, water, oil, agave nectar and honey. Pour sticky mixture over dry ingredients and stir together until coated well. Spread granola evenly over a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cook for 40 minutes, taking the granola out every 10 minutes to stir it. Dump cooked granola onto wax paper covered surface to cool and dry. Store in an airtight container for two weeks or freeze for up to two months.

ENJOY!

My Christmas Eve Eve Eve Projects

Yesterday was the first day home away from work and anything work related. Except for a few frenzied emails, since I'm the only Leadership faculty in the country. This post will include lots of pictures! Hope you're ready.

Project #1: Super Chocolatey Hot Chocolate-on-a-Stick

I started on the hot chocolate on a stick, my recipe was inspired by Givers Log. You can find the recipe here. She has lots of helpful tips! And I will tell you what she does...do NOT get even a DROP of water in your chocolate!!!! I'm SERIOUS! Bad things will happen if you do.
I used candy canes instead of sticks and drizzled white chocolate over all of it and then topped it with crushed candy canes.

Step 1: Get your molds and sticks (or stick substitutes) ready, while your water heats up in your double-boiler (or makeshift double-boiler like I use)

Step 2: Melt the chocolate and add in the other ingredients. I had 16 oz of chocolate, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 cup powdered sugar. Mix it all up (it will be very thick! So use your muscles!)

Step 3: Dump that deliciousness into a ziploc bag and snip off the corner with a pair of scissors. Then pipe the chocolate mixture into your molds and wait for it to harden (it will obviously harden faster if you pop it in the fridge)

Step 4: Pop your chocolate sticks out of their molds and place them on some wax paper for their finishing touches.

Step 5: Finishing touches. This can be whatever you want. The chocolate looks a little chalky when it dries, so if you want it to be shiny and smooth you might want to dunk it in some more plain chocolate. I melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over the sticks, then I crushed the leftover candy canes and sprinkled them on top.
Who knows! Some of you might be getting one of these for Christmas. :)

Project #2: Christmas Wreaths

When I saw this wreath on Thrifty Decor Chick, I knew that I wanted to make one. Now, about three weeks later, I did. Mine isn't as pretty, but hey, it was worth a shot. If you're going to make one, PLEASE follow Sarah's advice and hot glue all the bulbs to their little toppers before you start. It will save you a lot of trouble. I thought that because mine were plastic and not glass that they were on there really good....not so. I had to go back and glue them all.

This wreath is hanging in our Christmasy Kitchen.

This is about step 3 on the wreath I've been promising Evan that I will make, ever since we put our tree up. We saved the branches that fell off or that we had to saw off our tree from the bottom and have been preserving them in water for the past couple weeks. They were still quite fresh. Then I took a wire hanger and reshaped it into a circle to be the base of the wreath. THEN... I tied all the branches around it and wove some of the branches through other ones, added a bow, some pine cones and couple ornaments....and VOILA!

Evan's wreath. We still need to hang it up, but hey. It's finished.

Project #3: SOAP! (of course)

I tried two new soap recipes last night (which I'll detail in another post). But it was a crazy adventure. At 11:30 my comatose husband was being a gem and standing next to me to help me stir. SO now, coconut milk and green tea soap are curing on my table. Hurray!

Project #4 was wrapping a ton of gifts, but I won't bore you with a picture and I still have more to wrap. So before my little guy wakes up, I better get to that.

A Short Word on Tea

Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, 
Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round,
And, while the bubbling and loud hissing urn
Throws up a steamy column and the cups 
That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each,
So let us Welcome peaceful ev'ning in.
-William Cowper


As the air starts to chill and frost creeps across my windshield in the morning, I am beginning to open up my pantry on a more frequent basis to peruse my selection of teas and choose one that is just right for the day. If you haven't known me for long, you should know now that I LOVE tea! I love the smell, the warmth, the taste, the experience that it brings, the friendship and conversation it sparks. My husband got me a Tea day calendar in my stocking last Christmas and it has seriously brought me joy and relaxation almost every day at work. Here's a couple of fun facts about tea:

1) Did you know that the custom of tipping servers was created in England's tea gardens? Locked, wooden boxes were placed on tables inscribed with the letters "t.i.p.s." - to insure proper service. If a guest wished to guarantee that his tea arrived hot from the kitchen, he dropped a coin in the box when seated.

2) Did you know that if you've been handling fish and you can't get the smell of your hands that washing your hands with a strong tea gets rid of the odor?

3) AND...since it's fall, head to the store and get some pumpkin spice seasoning while you still can. It blends great with black teas!

Come along inside...we'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place.
-Wind in the Willows

One Can of Libby's

One can of Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin....infinite possibilities. Now, I do have a real, organic pumpkin from Victory Acres. However, I'm currently using it for decoration.

I'm used to buying Libby's each year around Thanksgiving just to make pumpkin pie. But I have a confession to make -- I don't really like pumpkin pie. Ridiculous, I know!

I had some girls over from Carmin this week for dinner, and I made them a fall dinner. We had competing soups (Ev made chicken vegetable....I must say it was delicious! And I made butternut squash soup....you can find the recipe here! Sorry I can't give you the recipe for the chicken vegetable. My amazing husband cooks without recipes. The girls had to vote on which one was better.) and apple cider and crescent rolls.

"BUT!" you say, "this post is about pumpkin!"

Yes, yes! I also made pumpkin cookies! They were delicious!!! But after I made them I had a lot of pumpkin still left - Just from the one can!

So here's what I've made with my one can of Libby's! Do you have any other ways that you use it?

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Scones 

(Sorry, no picture...we ate them too fast)

Ingredients:

2 c. whole wheat flour

3 T. sugar

2 t. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

5 T. butter (softened, not melted)

4 oz. sour cream

1/2 cup Libby's pumpkin

1 egg yolk

1 egg white

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2) Combine dry ingredients

3) Cut in butter with a mixer, just until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs

4) In a separate small bowl, mix sour cream, pumpkin and egg yolk

5) Add the wet mixture to the dry, stirring just until the dough clings together

6) Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 10-12 times

7) Pat to 1/2 thickness and cut into circles or other fun shapes (we did flowers)

8) Place scones on an ungreased cookie sheet

9) Top with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

10) Bake for 12-15 minutes

**These are delicious with the Autumn Tea Butter and your favorite cup of tea!**

Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Spread

Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter with 1/2 cup Libby's pumpkin and spread on crackers, an apple or celery. Add a dash of powdered sugar and nutmeg for extra fall flair! :)

That's about all of the pumpkin. I have a little bit more that I'm going to try to make pumpkin pancakes with tomorrow morning, but remember I want to hear your pumpkin recipes too. There's a whole lot of fall left!...I hope.

Pump Up the Jam!

Okay...So I like Jock Jams...Don't judge me! ALSO...I made jam for the first time! We've got this plethora of ripe raspberries at Victory Acres, so I went and picked a few the other night and grabbed my pectin (I think that's a funny word), to give it a go.

The great thing is! It's sugar-free. Instead of sugar, I used 1/2 cup of honey and a heaping tablespoon of organic stevia leaf powder. It only took about 20 minutes...if that. And it is great! Here's how to do it...

Raspberry Freezer Jam

Ingredients:

3 cups crushed raspberries (crush one layer at a time with a potato masher)

3/4 cup Apple or White Grape Apple or Cran-Raspberry Juice

1 pack Ball No Sugar Need Fruit Pectin

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbsp. Stevia Leaf Powder (if you have "Truvia" you could use about 4-5 packets for the same effect. if you don't have either, just use 3/4 cup honey instead of 1/2)

• In a saucepan, combine pectin and juice and stir until the pectin is dissolved. 
• Bring to a rolling boil and stir continuously for 1 minute
• Remove from heat and IMMEDIATELY add smashed fruit
• Stir energetically for one minute
• Stir in honey and stevia
• Put into jars and refrigerate for 24 hours

THEN EAT IT! :) You can store this in the freezer for up to a year and in the fridge for 3 weeks. It makes about 8 oz.

Haha...Happy Fall!

So...today is the first day of fall (I hear it officially starts in about ten minutes). So here's funny story and a fall recipe.
Today I drove over to my classroom because I had left it a mess yesterday afternoon and knew that some more people were teaching in it today. I had left posters on the wall, bandanna's on the counter and chairs scattered about. As I got out of the car, I thought, "What is the world is that smell?" Oh well, I was on a mission, so I cut across some "grass" to get to Center Hall. "SPLUCK!" Yes, that's the sound that I heard, as I pulled my foot out  my shoe mid-stride, the shoe remained stuck in the mud and my foot was covered up to the ankle in gobs of mud. And guess what the smell was...yep! The mud! Gross, huh? So I walk to the classroom holding my white pants high above my muddy ankles, drop my shoes at the door and go in (where people are already starting to gather for class), grab one of my bandanna's and wipe my feet off. Then I come back to my office to make sure I don't have any meetings...barefoot. Grab a co-worker's tennis shoes and head off to Meijer. Meijer's cheapest pair of shoes were $20...ridiculous! So I went to Walmart. I scored a $7 pair of shiny bronze shoes and came back for a productive work day.
Happy fall! Go grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and try some Autumn Tea Butter on some scones or biscuits.

Autumn Tea Butter
Blend 1 stick softened butter with 2 tablespoons store-bought apple butter, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Healthy Burger & Fries

I made up this great meal...all by myself! I know for some of you this is no big accomplishment, but the fact is that I am one of those girls that cooks from a recipe for anything that goes beyond cereal and milk.

Here's what you do!

Mini Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Turkey Breast

1 package Hawaiian rolls

Veggies (I used Tomato, Cabbage, and Onion - you could add peppers, cucumber, pickles, etc.)

Coconut Oil Mayonnaise (you can check out how I made that here)

Directions:

1. Make ground turkey breast patties (pat on a little garlic salt & pepper) and pop them in the oven on broil until they are no longer pink (inside or out)...usually take about 8 minutes

2. Follow directions on Hawaiian rolls packaging for warming them up

3. Wash & slice the veggies you want while you're waiting.

4. Cut the hawaiin rolls in half, add burger & veggies, and top off with a spread of coconut oil mayo...YUM

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes

Coconut Oil

Paprika

Parmescan Cheese

Garlic Salt

Directions:

1. Wash sweet potatoes and slice in small sticks

2. Throw in a skillet with 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil and stir periodically

3. When the fries start to soften, you can add the spices & cheese to taste

(You can also bake these at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes)

Spa Water on the Go!

I LOVE going to the spa! Seriously...every birthday, Christmas, anniversary, whatever, Evan asks me what I want, and every time I have some various items and/or a trip to the spa. I love the robes, the slippers, the smells, the complimentary showers and steam rooms, the little cookies, AND of course, the spa water.

While I will never be able to completely recreate going their on my own (since part of the point is being pampered by someone else), there are some things that I enjoy intentionally incorporating into my life that just make me smile and feel pretty and help me breathe a little more easily. One of these things is my healthy new Spa Water On-the-Go!

Just try it...

• Take a re-usable water bottle (we have these great Voss water bottles, compliments of my friend Lynette's wedding)
• Add a sprig of fresh rosemary, a two or three very thin slices of cucumber and a thin slice of lemon

It's pretty and tastes great! Enjoy!

DIY Vintage Herb Labels

Okay, so most of you know that I'm on this natural, herbal kick. So I was SUPER excited to find this tutorial on DIY Vintage Herb Labels on EatDrinkChic. She even has a free download of the labels!

She also has vintage labels for oil, vinegar, teas, and more --> here!

I'm going to try to start making some of my own essential oils next week after I do some picking at Victory Acres. So stay tuned for that herbal adventure! :)

For the Tea Lover

To my fellow tea lovers. I have a couple of resources for you to try. First, have you ever tried making your tea in a French Press? If not, join me on this adventure. A new co-worker told me about how she makes hers and I think it's a fantastic way to brew your loose-leaf tea without having to worry about getting the right/best/most economical/most environmentally friendly tea bags.

Also, I have two websites for you to try. If you're a creative, artsy type, try out Teavana. You'll learn a lot about different types of teas, and you can even mix up your own. If you're more of an organic, earthy type try out Mountain Rose Herbs. They have lots of different loose leaf teas with information on the health benefits of each. I think you might be able to put together a little sampler pack there as well.

First CSA Experience

My friend Kayla clued me in to this Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement that's sweeping the country. Maybe it's not a movement, maybe it has been going on forever, and I'm just now learning about it. But there is a CSA farm in Upland, where we're moving.

Basically, you buy a share of this farm for a year, and then you get a portion of their harvest during that season. Our season lasts from the beginning of June through October. So we are going to have fresh, organic, locally-grown produce for that amount of time. Our CSA does mostly vegatables and herbs. Then they have pasteur-fed chickens and eggs as well. After you've paid for your share, it equals out to about $1 per pound of vegetables.

So at Victory Acres this is how it works --> You go and check off your name and pick up your veggies and herbs. They have this list of how much of each thing you get, and you get to gather it from these crates and pick which ones you want. This week we had summer squash, red & yellow onions, cucumbers, swiss chard, and basil. If you get a vegetable that you and your family don't particularly like, or you have too much of it, you can take it and leave it in the "swap box." Then if there is anything that you particularly would like more of you can check the "swap box" and just take it. Also, if there is anything they have in over-abudance you can pick as much of it as you want by yourself. This week they had quite a bit of basil, so they supplied pesto recipes and let us go pick a ton of it. We were able to pick basil, oregano, thyme, and chives. Let's just say, my car smelled was a very fragrant vehicle!

I would encourage you to check out a CSA in your area, most people don't even know they exist, but several farms have drop-offs in larger cities too.

Here's the pesto recipe that we'll be trying this week!

Pesto

3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

3-4 large cloves of garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup parmesan

Optional: 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted

Optional: salt & peper to taste

1) Place basil and galric in a blender or food processor and mince well

2) Add nuts, if desired and continue to blend.

3) Drizzle in olive oil as you continue to blend. When you have a smooth paste, transfer to a bowl and stir in parmesan.

4) Season to taste with salt and pepper, refrigerate in an air-tight container.

Pesto is often used with pasta, fish, etc. One of my favorite uses for it is to mix it with cream cheese as a sandwich spread. Enjoy!

A Festive Fun-Filled Fourth!

Amidst the drizzle yesterday, we had a great time! Beth and Evan worked on laying down some tracks for her demo in the morning and then we headed out in our red, white and blue to the festivities at the Smith Ranch.

We had a lovely cookout with family and friends, and after calling the Fire Department to make sure that the horrible rumors about postponing fireworks were indeed false, we headed into town to take our traditional spot in the high school parking lot and watch the fireworks. Elliot wasn't quite sure about them, as you can see from his facial expressions on the bottom left.

Then back to the Ranch for more fireworks and Patriot Pops - YUM! (Thanks to Amy at TheIdeaRoom for the recipe - we used Dixie Cups and Toothpicks, because I don't have those cool tupperware freezer pop things. Check out her creative fourth of July treats here)

Also, even though you can't see it well in any of these pics, I made my headband from the tutorial on UCreate --> Here!

Today we stopped by Upland to drop off some boxes and were able to meet one of Ev's new co-workers and his wife, which was lovely. Now we're back home, doing laundry and gearing up for another big week.

It Ain't Hellmann's Folks!

I am SO stoked to try this recipe. A healthy mayonnaise? Really? I wanted to share with you all right away.

This recipe is from Tropical Traditions, where I get my coconut oil (thanks to Mama G), but you can also get some from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Coconut Oil Mayonnaise

• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 cup Virgin Coconut Oil (melted if solid)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Put the eggs, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into a food processor or blender: Then with the processor or blender running on low speed, start adding your oils very slowly. Start out with drops and then work up to about a 1/16-inch stream. It should take about two minutes to add the oil.

2. Continue blending until there is no free standing oil.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Hurray for TEA!

June is NATIONAL ICED TEA MONTH! Yes...I was as surpised as you and Ethel over here in the picture, but we've got to ditch our hot tea for a month. (Okay, maybe not ditch, I'm not sure I could really do that). We must at least give Iced Tea a shot. Time to pull out the tea bags and that hand-painted pitcher, let it sit in the sun and just brew. 

One of my favorite things about tea is that regardless of the pace of my day, it forces me to savor something and relax my breathing. So savor your iced tea...DON'T USE A STRAW! (That's right, I don't care if your dentist disagrees) and for goodness sake...DON'T CHUG IT! :)

Here's a nice fresh summer recipe to enjoy on some toast or other baked item with your iced tea:

Strawberry Tea Butter:

1. Combine 10 oz thawed, frozen strawberries with 1 stick of softened butter, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest.
2. Puree until smooth
3. Spread on toast, biscuits, scones, or what ever you like

**If you swap the butter with plain yogurt or sour cream, you could have a delectable dip on your hands!**