Snack time!

I know that I've already mentioned my love for avocados...but today is no different! Torin and I were hungry for a snack, but I was really hungry and wanted something filling! I needed some protein in there somewhere.  I wanted vegetables, but I knew just that wouldn't do the trick of filling me up! What's better with veggies than hummus?!

I love hummus. I try to always keep at least one can of garbanzo beans on hand at all times. Hummus is one of those things that you don't realize how easy it is to make until you've made it! You can't mess it up it's so simple!

I wanted to spruce it up so I put in some avocado! Superb taste, awesome color! Seriously, who doesn't like the color green?

Torin loved it so much that he was sucking it off of his red peppers and asking me to re dip his pepper for more.



I let double dipping slide this time! ;)




Avocado Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and ringed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 avocado
1 T olive oil
1 T water
Salt/pepper to taste

Throw everything in your food processor and process until smooth. Devour with veggies and blue corn tortilla chips!

This is my "It's delicious!" face....can't you tell?...

 

I love this sweet boy.  He makes my world go round.

 

In the mood for a snack??

I always am. I'm actually kind of a snacks eater. I don't eat huge meals...but it seems as though I'm always eating. Just ask my husband. He's always asking me sarcastic questions like, "Didn't you just eat?" What can I say?? I love good food. My snacks aren't chips or cookies or the typical processed junk of which one might think!  It's usually carrots and hummus, peanut butter on an apple, or these little guys....

I love to make little snack balls that I can put in the fridge and grab when I'm feeling snacky! I've made different varieties of these but these are one of my favorites! They are so simple and really quick to whip up! Plus, they satisfy that sweet tooth too (which I pretty much always have).

Coconut Raisin Snack Balls

1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 C oats
1/3 C raisins
1 T honey
1/4 t cinnamon
1 T almond milk

1. Put ingredients in food processor.
2. After about 30-60 seconds it should be mixed and sticking together. If its not sticking together, add a bit more almond milk.
3. Roll into small balls. (this step is especially fun for the kiddos!)
4. Refrigerate.

After an hour, these balls should be pretty firm. You don't have to wait that long to dive in (I never can). Store in your refrigerator and snack happily!

Buying bars such as Lara bars and KIND bars gets expensive! These are pretty cheap to make and every bit of delicious!  Torin loves them.  They have the appeal of a cookie, but pack a stunning nutritious index!

 

 

 

Lactose intolerance meet coconut milk

A few weeks back I started having some painful stomach aches. My tummy was in knots. I mean tossing and turning...won't settle down kind of knots. It was terrible.

I put on my detective hat and tried to pin point the culprit. I found that every time I had a bowl of my lovely homemade granola (which is the perfect anytime snack!!) my stomach became furious with me. It also started happening after I would eat cheese, but not as extreme as when I drank a cup of hot cocoa made with whole milk...but enough to raise a flag.

This is weird, because I've never had a problem with milk. I love milk. Well, at least I did until my body started rejecting it. Turns out, your body can lose the ability to tolerate lactose.

So I conducted a little experiment. I gave up dairy for a week to see if my tummy issues were solved. In place of milk, I made some homemade coconut milk and used that all week. I'm so glad I did this, because oh man is coconut milk delicious!!

(Yes...those are clean peanut butter jars....see my note about being a cheapskate!)

I didn't have any problems all week. It was glorious. I chided down on granola, but used the coconut milk...I made a delicious hot cinnamon flavored coconut milk beverage with cooked bananas and it was pure perfection.

After the week was over, I tried dairy again. Ouch. My poor tummy. Dairy is no longer a viable option for me. At first I was sad. I love cheese and yogurt and milk. These are the things I grew up with and it made me profoundly sad to think that if I wanted to eat them, I was going to have to suffer the consequences.  Is it really worth feeling like crap??  The answer is no.  I pouted for a couple of days, especially when my husband was eating the vanilla ice cream he requests I make him every week.

Then it hit me. Why do we drink cow's milk? It is kind of absurd. We are the only mammals who drink another mammals milk. Weird.  And it makes me sad to think that mommy cows have to give birth to a calf for their milk to arrive, but their calf is taken away from them right away so that us humans can take their milk. That's not very fair.  At least I don't think so.  Our bodies weren't designed to drink milk, so why should I try to force something that was never meant to be.

These are just my thoughts...drink your milk if you please, but I can't and it doesn't bother me anymore!

Want to try some coconut milk? It's so easy and so delicious! Sure you can buy it at the store, but if you make it, you know there's no yucky preservatives added. 

Homemade Coconut Milk

Boil 4 cups of water. Remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups (depending on your personal tastes..I'm a cheapskate, so I use the smallest amount!! He he) to the water and cover.

 

 

Allow it to sit and steep for 1-2 hours. Pour into blender, and mix for 1-2 minutes. Pour through a mesh strainer and then pour milk in airtight container (mason jars are great...or used peanut butter jars if you're like me...). Store in refrigerator for 3-5 days.

I hate wasting food, so here are a few things to do with the leftover pulp...make another less strong batch of milk (if you're a cheapskate Luke me!!), throw it in with some granola, make some granola bars, or dehydrate it and grind into coconut flour.

We played out in the snow today!  Hooray for living in Alaska!  Isn't my little snow angel a cutie pie!?  He absolutely loves being outdoors.

 

Green goodness

Sometimes I get a hankering for avocado. Okay...this is pretty much everyday. Seriously, I love avocados. Anyways, I have a few favorite recipes to use them in, especially for snacks!

Smoothies are one of my favorite snacks. They are so simple and filling and they always taste amazing. Plus Torin loves smoothies. He runs to the kitchen in excitement when he hears the blender! And I can throw spinach in ant smoothie and it's tastes awesome!

So before we go any further, let me say yes, I am about to tell you to put avocado in a smoothie. Don't be scared! It's delicious!

Some people are afraid of avocados because they have a good amount of fat and calories in them-but it's good fat and calories! Our bodies need it! And the fat in avocados is great for your metabolism! But don't go out and eat three avocados or anything! Moderation is key! :)

So back to my smoothie! It's a lovely green color and mildly sweet! I call it the green goodness smoothie.

Green Goodness Smoothie
1/2 avocado
1 banana
1 C spinach
1 C cold water

Put everything in a blender and blend for a minute! Easy peasy!

We also did some painting today! Picasso...ahem, I mean Torin loved it! This art easel we got him is pretty awesome! Lots of goodies out of it already!

Sick and tired of being sick and tired!

Ever since we moved to Alaska , it seems like someone in our family catches an illness every month. And then we pass it on to each other. This time my husband became sick. And then Torin. And then inevitably, so did I. This all happened within a day of each other, so it has been fun-and by fun, I mean terrible.
I don't really take medicine. I'd rather let my immune system fight what's going on, especially when it's just a cold or a virus.  However, I do believe in using good nutrition for healing. I've been making sure to drink lots of water with apple cider vinegar, eating lots and lots of fruit to load up on vitamin C, and packing in nutrients from various veggies! Also tea is a must for me when I'm sick. And who doesn't want a good soup?
I made a super delicious soup with stuff I had in the house - there was no way that this girl was leaving the house to go to the store. I thought  this combination would be good, but I wasn't prepared for just how delicious it really was!
I used sweet potatoes, chicken broth (I had some in my freezer that I made a few weeks back), coconut milk, and spinach! Then I topped my bowl with some avocado! Deeeelicious! Here's the recipe...



Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

2 baked sweet potatoes
2 C spinach
1/4 C chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C coconut milk (or any kind of milk-whole, almond, soy)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg

Directions
1. Saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes in some olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat.
2. Add the chicken broth.
3. Scoop out the insides of the baked sweet potatoes into the saucepan.
4.  Add coconut milk and spinach.  Also throw in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
5.  Reduce the heat to low and cover.  Cook for about an hour. 
6.  Serve warm and garnish with sliced avocado!

 

My kitchen helper!

 

I'm definitely going to be making this soup again, and it won't be reserved for illnesses!  This is such a yummy soup!  Sweet and fulfilling!  You could also use kale instead of spinach, or butternut squash or pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes. 

 

We're finally starting to feel better over here!  Yay!  We're venturing out to the grocery today!  Wish us luck!

Quiche anyone?

Ever have those days where you don't have much in the refrigerator, but you don't want to go to the store??  These days are becoming more frequent over here.  I like to challenge myself and set a date until which I'm not allowed to go to the grocery. Sometimes it's just a couple of days, but this time I was determined to last a week.

That doesn't sound like a really long time, but considering most of our grocery haul is fresh produce, it was a feat!

Anyways, I was trying to come up with something for dinner using what we had left. We had eggs and bacon (and some leftover veggies and fruits!), but we just had breakfast for dinner so I knew scrambled eggs were out of the question! But we haven't had a quiche.



My husband has never had quiche before, so when I told him that's what I was probably going to make, he made me repeat the word quiche about 5 times before asking what was in it.

"A what?!"
"Quiche."
"Huh?"
"Quiche."
"Who?"
"A quiche, babe. Q-u-i-c-h-e. Quiche."
"What IS that??"

But then I realized that I had run out of milk that morning...wait a minute...I have yogurt. I can make this work...

So I used plain whole milk yogurt(this is a staple in our house - Torin loves it And we use it in our green smoothies). It turned out nice and fluffy!



Now a quiche is not the healthiest thing in the world. It uses a pie crust (butter and flour...hmmm) so its pretty important to put LOTS of veggies in there! Plus my husband is a carnivore, so I put some bacon in there so satisfy his meaty ways.

I also made a fruit salad of strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and kiwi. Torin eats a lot of fruit, so it's something I pretty much always have in hand.



Here's the Quiche recipe..

Fluffy Vegetable and Bacon Quiche

-1 pie crust recipe

1 1/4 C flour (I use half white and half wheat)
1 t salt
8 T cold unsalted butter (cubed)
1/4 C ice cold water

Mix flour and salt together.  Work butter into flour until pea-sized balls form.  Slowly add cold water until the dough comes together (you may not need all the water).  Form into ball and put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

-6 eggs
-1 1/2 C yogurt
-2 C spinach
-1/3 C chopped onion
-1/2 + 1/4 C shredded cheese
-1 T butter
-3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
-any other cooked vegetable you want to add!  zucchini, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms - just remember the more you add, the more space it takes up so you wouldn't want to use as much yogurt and eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Roll out the pie crust and place in pie dish.  Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven. 
3. Meanwhile, sweat the onions in the 1 T butter.  Throw in the spinach at the end so it becomes wilted.
4. Line bottom of partially cooked pie crust with onions, spinach, bacon, and 1/2 C shredded cheese (and any other begetables you decided to use). 
5. Lightly beat eggs.  Add yogurt to eggs and mix.
6. Pour egg mixture into pie crust on top of the vegetables and cheese.
7.  Sprinkle top with remaining cheese.
8. Bake for approximately 40 minutes.
9. Eat and enjoy! 


My husband ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.  He not only knows what a quiche is now, but has become a fan!  We saved the leftovers for Daddy to eat, so this is what Torin and I had for breakfast!  Happy oats!!  Yum!  Torin was pretty excited to see his oats smiling back at him. 

Hat!  Torin used to hat hats.  He would wrestle to get them off of his head.  Now he enjoys putting them on his head, along with Mummy's headbands.  Mr. Potato Head let Torin borrow his hat for the day.  :)

Who can frown when waffles are for dinner?

I woke up to a grumpy boy yesterday. As a mum, you always want to see your kids happy, smiling, and laughing! But I guess kids and babies have their off days too. He needed a good nap and that's what he finally did in my arms.

Little angel! Kids look so peaceful when they sleep.

He definitely got some extra loving...and breakfast for dinner! Who doesn't like breakfast?!

This reminds me of an episode of Parks and Recreation (which is a really funny show if you've never watched)...
Leslie Knope - Why would anyone eat anything besides breakfast food?
Ron Swanson - People are idiots, Leslie.

I don't know about being idiots, but maybe completely unaware of the multiple healthy breakfast possibilities and options!  So breakfasr it was and we had eggs and waffles.



I have a hard time keeping things plain and ordinary. I cant just scramble eggs- that's too simple. Instead, our eggs were smothered in veggies. I think eggs taste good with almost any kind of veggies, and I already had steamed broccoli and carrots from lunch so in those went, along with fresh spinach and a tiny bit of cheddar cheese. It was delicious. Torin gobbled them up, and needless to say, so did I! 



My waffle maker is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. I can't say it's my favorite because I don't want the others to get jealous... I got it years ago while I was in the Navy on a spontaneous shopping trip. I saw the double waffle maker (yes...at the time I seriously felt like I needed a double waffle maker instead of a single) and I just had to have it. So many great waffles have come out of there since that day! Also, waffles freeze well, so you don't have to worry about eating the whole batch!



We made Wheat and Oat Blueberry Waffles. My husband loves them. He was a astonished when he saw me putting the oats and yogurt in the waffles-but you seriously can't even tell. So as long as you keep picky eaters (aka my husband) out of the kitchen, they won't know the difference and will just be excited to be having waffles!




Wheat & Oat Waffles
1 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C oat flour (just put about 1 1/4 oats in a food processor and pulverize until it resembles flour)
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder

1 1/4 C milk
3/4 C plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

3 T melted butter

1. Whisk dry ingredients together.
2. Whisk wet ingredients together, except melted butter.
3. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
4. Fold in melted butter.
5. Fold in your add ins - blueberries, bananas, or nothing!
6. Cook according to waffle maker instructions.

Serve these with fruit on top, yogurt, or real maple syrup.

 

 

Enjoy!  Here I am after a sweaty workout, ready to eat...Ignore my nerdy thumbs up!  :)

 

 

Footie and pizza!

Anyone who knows my husband and I, know we love soccer. In fact, that's how we met! We played on the same co ed team. I wasn't a fan of him at first ...I thought he was full of himself...plus I accidentally kicked him in the shin and he made a dramatic scene about it...which triggered an eye roll from me... But I guess he grew on me... :) And I stopped accidentally kicking him in the shin... He was madly in love with me from the get go.

Anyways, we went to kick the ball around yesterday like we used to!  We went to an indoor facility that just put in a new turf field!  Torin had a blast. We're pretty sure he may play professionally. We're expecting a call from scouts any minute! ...but seriously, at 15 months, he knows exactly what to do! He dribbled the ball up and down the turf like a pro! It made me one proud mummy!


After a big day of play, we needed a yummy dinner! So we made pizza! I love pizza.

 I am not a big fan of ordering it though because it's so easy to make...not to mention a lot cheaper. I make a really delicious honey wheat crust. I don't do the pizza sauce thing typically. Usually I just empty a can of diced tomatoes on top of the crust. Then you cover it with fresh spinach and then cheese.

This next step is really important. Take anything that is in your fridge and put it on top. He he The husband watches me strangely when I root around trying to find more to put on top of the pizza. Tonight he asked, "Is there anything you're not going to put in there?"

So if you look closely, we have a bit of crumbled Italian chicken sausage, red peppers, broccoli, and pineapple! Yummm! Writing this makes me want another slice.

Here's my crust recipe...

Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
1 C warm water
2 T honey
2 1/4 t yeast
1 1/4 t salt
3 T coconut oil (or olive oil)
2 3/4 C whole wheat flour

Put water and honey in bowl of stand mixer with dough hook. Sprinkle yeast on top and leave until yeast gets nice and foamy-about 5 minutes.
Add in the salt and oil. Gradually add in the flour. Allow the dough hook to knead the bread for about 6-8 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for an hour.
Form into pizza pie and bake for 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees.


I don't eat a whole lot of bread, so I can tell a difference when I do.  I definitely feel a lot fuller and a little sluggish, but 100 % whole wheat is so much better than white!  And pizza is just so yummy!  Especially when it slightly resembles the back of a garbage truck...Kidding!  Kind of.

 

Morning oats and Cup of Joe

Good morning! My son slept until almost 8 o'clock this morning! That is late for him! Which is strange because we live in Alaska and it is dark outside until almost 10 AM...but he's an early bird and always has been! But I got some extra snoozing this morning! Yay!

So we got up..changed his nappy...played for a few...then got breakfast started.

I always drink a cup of warm water in the morning with lemon juice and a bit of apple cider vinegar in hopes of realigning my digestion and hydrating before that cup of coffee!



What a cool coffee cup, right?  My sister, a ceramics major, gifted it to me at Christmas.  It is awesome.  My favorite mug.  Coffee tastes better out of it I'm pretty for sure.  She didn't make this one herself, but she is seriously talented.  I am amazed by all of the stuff she makes and so proud that she is doing what she loves.  A friend of hers made this one.  I love stuff that has that handmade touch to it! 

But onto my oats...yummmm



here's what I do:

World's Greatest Oats (seriously...)

1/4 C old fashioned oats
1/4 C oat bran
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 banana, sliced
2/3 C water
2/3 C whole milk

Put all of these ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat.  It will start to thicken up, so make sure you stir it consistently at this point so it doesn't stick to the pan.  The bananas will mash up as you stir it, so you will get that sweetness in every bite!  Once the liquid has been soaked up, and it's pretty thick, remove from heat and eat! 

So you can top this bowl of deliciousness with more fruit - blueberries perhaps?  or strawberries like we did?! Torin loves strawberries do he was excited this morning! Or you can put some natural peanut butter on top.  Or maybe some raisins. 

I love oatmeal.  Adding the oat bran creates a really smooth feeling to the oats.  and cooking on the stovetop allows the oats to expand so it feels like you're eating more!!

Chia seeds are amazing little seeds and are a great source of calcium and protein so I try to throw them into my oats and smoothies!

My whole breakfast.  A hard boiled egg is a must when I work out in the morning.  Otherwise I find myself starving halfway through the workout. 

Torin and I have a Mommy fitness group this morning.  It's such a fun class and I love that Torin gets to socialize while I sweat my butt off!  Happy Friday!

Aren't we beautiful? Inside and out!

Sometimes I let myself forget just how beautiful life is.  Then I see my little  boy and I am just amazed by his precious liveliness.  I want to take care of that little boy and make sure he gets everything he needs.  Now I am not talking about expensive clothing or toys.  I'm talking about his needs to be a healthy, happy individual.  I believe that so much of what and how we feel - physically and emotionally - stems from how we treat our bodies and what we put in them. 

We have these amazing bodies that are able to do such amazing things - internally and externally. At any moment, so many things are happening that we aren't even aware of.  It's silly , to think that sometimes we take better care of household appliances that we do of ourselves.  I mean, I have a toaster oven that I regularly clean just because I want it to stay in tip top shape. 

I take care of myself now, but there was a time when I didn't and I frequently indulged in junk food.  This all changed when I became pregnant with Torin, my angel of a son.  As my due date approached and it hit me that the health of another person rested on my shoulders, I began to research food ingredients (or should I say fake food ingredients...you know, the ones you can't pronounce).  Torin was born, and I was busy as could be.  Days full of nursing, diaper changing, sleeping (when I could!!), more nursing, holding baby on couch, more nursing...you know the drill. 

As I became a more confident mum, I started taking him for walks around the block very early.  First in the moby wrap, then the baby carrier, then the stroller.  Eventually, when I was ready and he was ready, walks turned into short runs.  I wanted to get back in shape so I would feel better for me, but also to be a good role model for him.

I started reading food labels and I was disgusted.  I plugged ingredients into google and was horrified by what the search results revealed.  I realized so-called healthy foods really weren't so healthy.  I stopped buying processed food and food that had more than 5 ingredients.  I didn't want to expose myself or my son (since I'm a nursing mum) to any of those crazy chemicals.  I started drinking whole milk, eating nuts, eating whole wheat, plenty of vegetables, and fruits. 

Before I knew it, all of the pregnancy weight I had gained - which was a ridiculous amount...had disappeared along with about ten extra pounds.  Why had I never done this before?!  Did people think I was weird for looking at food labels?  Yes.  Even my husband thought I was crazy at first, but he's come around since then (he stilll thinks I'm crazy, but for different reasons).  I've been called a hippie...but I don't understand why.  I've been asked why I'm dieting, but I explain that I just like to eat healthy.  But that's the truth. 

I love oatmeal.  It is the only thing I want in the morning.  Broccoli is one of my favorite foods.  I crave avocados just like I crave chocolate (which I do crave!!).  I eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away.  These are the habits that I want to pass on to my son and my future kids.  It makes me smile when I see Torin reach for the brocolli crown instead of the peanut butter sandwich, and then ask for more. 

These are the gifts that I am giving him.  Health and happiness.  He comes with me to work out.  He goes running with me.  He helps me make awesome meals and snacks that are full of nutrients.  Real food that will supply him with the energy to be the fun, exploring little boy he is!

As I was out running today, pushing Torin in the jogging stroller, I couldn't help but thank my body for doing everything it was doing.  Thank you legs for your stamina.  Thank you feet for keeping me balanced.  Thank you arms for pushing my big boy.  Thank you lungs for maintaining.  Thank you body.  This body of mine is pretty amazing and I want to make sure I treat her that way.  Give her what she needs.  Take care of her.  And as Torin's mummy, it's my responsibility to do the same for his.  And hopefully I can teach him to make good decisions for himself and his body as he gets older.

Tomorrow morning I'll snap a shot of my oatmeal and leave the recipe.  It is to die for.  Try it and tell me that you don't want it every morning.