Looking for Volunteers

Hey there everyone!  I wanted to put a post up about a project I’m working on to gain more experience.  Around two years ago I graduated with my Bachelors degree in Nutrition Science.  Since then I have only been able to work at a vitamin supplement store for about a year.  When my baby was born I quit to stay home with baby.

It’ll be awhile before I am able to go back to work and I don’t want to lose any of the knowledge I gained.  Honestly, I want to learn more!  So I’m taking this time to ask for volunteers to help me by letting me help you.

Everything would be free.  Depending on the situation you give me will depend on how often we’ll need to touch bases with each other.  I have experience with being vegetarian, vegan, and raw vegan along with the traditional diets.  While in school getting my degree I also took a bunch of classes on health and wellness.  If you’re interested in volunteering, let me know and we can make an appointment with each other.  Or, if you have some questions, ask away!  I want to help you out as best as possible and want to learn as much as I can.

Thank you so much and I look forward to meeting you!

Homemade Beans

Awhile back I decided to do my best to not buy anything canned.  I used to buy most of my veggies in a can.  Crazy, right?  Not sure why I think that’s crazy?  Well, usually, anything canned isn’t BPA free, has loads of sodium, and most likely other things.  It’s pretty surprising what might show up in what looks like an innocent can of veggies!

One thing I haven’t been able to get away from is beans.  More specifically, white and black beans because that’s all my husband will tolerate.  With the exception of refried beans…  The reason I couldn’t get away from canned beans is basically because I didn’t know how to make my own from scratch and was ultimately afraid to try.  Why would I be afraid to even try?  I dunno!  But I finally decided to put an end to it!  So now that “why” doesn’t even matter.

I went to my favorite place to find recipes (Pinterest of course!) and found a super basic recipe to making beans.  It called for a bag of beans, but I didn’t buy one of the pre-filled bags.  If I can find something in the bulk section of the grocery store then I will buy it from the bulk section.  Beans are so cheap and I like being able to get as much as I want at one time.  So I have no idea how much dried beans I started out with.

All I did was:

• put the beans in a bowl and filled with water to rinse them and pick out any of the funny looking ones/broken beans.
• then put the beans in the strainer to get the yucky water out.
• put the beans in the crockpot and fill with water, about 2″ above the beans
• put lid on and set to high for about 3.5 hours

After the 3.5 hours I just tasted a bean to see if it was the consistency I liked.  If it was ready, awesome!  If not, check again in 30 minutes.  I followed this for both the black and white beans.

Once the beans were done cooling down it was time to package them up.  I wanted to freeze them.  I’m not 100% sure how many beans come per can so I just put in 2 cups of cooked beans in a freezer bag.  In the end there were 6 bags each of black and white beans.  That’s 12 cups of each!  This mama is stoked!  In the freezer they went and I am set for while.

What I like to use black and white beans for

My favorite use for the beans is chili.  Minestrone soup is another great one.  I don’t make it often, but it’s delicious when I do.  That’s pretty much it really!  Ha!  Not much… There are so many other things they can be used for especially for the vegetarian.  Awhile back I used to put them in my salads.  Not sure how that would work with frozen beans…Will have to try it out and let you know!  One time I used black beans in place of refried beans (because I didn’t have any).  I just mashed them up when they were warmed up.

Refried beans are next on my list to make.  They are just pinto beans.  I will cook them up like the others and freeze them.  When I’m ready to refry them I’ll take them out and follow another recipe I found.

Benefits of beans

Beans are very healthy!  They are so full of fiber, protein, and a good source for many different minerals our body’s need.  Because of this they are great for the colon, helping in regulate blood sugar levels and many others things.  A good source of information can also be found here.

How do you like to eat your beans?  Have you ever made your own before like I did?  Add a question or comment!

What’s the hype about Nutella?

I’m a huge fan of chocolate.  But, honestly, I never did understand the whole thing about Nutella.  I knew it’s supposed to be a healthier option.  Or at least it was made to seem that way.  It’s a chocolaty spread that could possibly be good on toast for the person who is in a hurry for breakfast.  That what the commercials have shown me.

Maybe one of the things that didn’t get me excited was the hazelnut spread part.  And then add chocolate.  I guess it just didn’t seem very tasty.  To this day I haven’t tasted it.  Oh and please don’t get me wrong.  Hazelnuts are great.

The other day my husband and I somehow got onto a conversation about how Nutella was sued because they were promoting it to be healthy when really it isn’t.  Since I have never tried it let alone buy it I thought I would look up what exactly is in it.  Here is what I found on their website:

Ingredients: sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor

First of all, in my most humble opinion, sugar as the first ingredient is not a good thing.  This type of sugar is the refined sugar that we’re all supposed to be staying away from.  Next, is palm oil.  Using palm oil is actually bad for the environment.  And it’s the second ingredient in here!  Soy gets consumed too much these days, and an artificial flavor?  Come on now…  I used to not know why I wouldn’t buy this stuff, but now I do.  At least there’s no artificial colors or preservatives.  I’ll give them that…

The next thing I need to do is try to make my own!  I’m sure I’m not the first person to think of this.  My favorite place to look for new recipes is Pinterest.  Off the top of my head, though, I would imagine just getting some fresh hazelnuts and turning them into a butter in the blender or food processor.  If more oil is needed I bet some coconut oil would work well.  Add in some cocoa powder, maybe a sprinkle of stevia to sweeten it up a bit if needed.  Heck, you could use honey, agave, or maple syrup instead too.  They all have slightly different flavors and could even take away the need for vanilla.  But if you really did want the vanilla, or it’s really needed, vanilla beans are available at stores now or get some all natural vanilla.  Really, you can make your own vanilla ahead of time if you wanted.  It’s easy!

Now I have to make it.  I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.  If you have a good recipe, feel free to share!  Write in your comments and ask a question or two.  I hope everyone is having an awesome Labor Day.

Lunch Time Smoothie

Just wanted to share what I’m having for lunch today!  It’s a little late for lunch, but at least I’m having one.  And of course it’s healthy!

It’s so good!

Like my picture?  It’s strawberry, banana, and peach with a scoop of vanilla protein powder.  Yum!  I love how the vanilla protein powder gives it a creamier taste to it.  There’s 20 frozen strawberries, 3 frozen bananas, and 1 fresh peach.  One of my favorite things about smoothies is how easy they are to make.  Not to mention the crazy variety of possibilities!

What did you have for lunch?

Back to School Time

I’m sure most kids’ are back to school already now that we’re past mid August.  I’ve actually heard that there are some kids who don’t start until early September.  Either way, it makes me think of school lunches and what I need to get for my kids before they start school!  Who’s with me??

I’m pretty picky about what I give to my kids.  Normally, at home, they don’t get much juice.  Our usual is water, water, and more water!  But, for school, I do get them juice boxes.  I make sure that they are only 100% juice.  ALWAYS.  Most of the prices are fairly close so I also try to mix up the brands and the flavors.  The kids have expressed appreciation for this.

When choosing what foods go in their lunches I make sure there is a variety of things: a fruit, veggie, protein, and a snack.  Usually it’ll look a little like this: cut up apple, baby carrots, granola bar, and trail mix (which is homemade).

The trail mix I make on my own.  Basically I just get a handful of different foods from the bulk section at the grocery store and mix and match each item when I make it up.  Each day I’ll try to add something different, but in the end it’s usually the same basic thing.  Some items I like to get are almonds, raw sunflower seeds out of the shell, raisins, straw-cranberries, mini chocolate chips, and banana chips.  The chocolate chips usually are saved for Fridays as a special treat.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t only give them just these foods.  Those are just our go-to foods that we always have on hand.  I am a firm believer in mixing things up a bit!  The kids get bored of the same old thing all the time.  Plus, we are all supposed to switch up our foods because they all have different nutrients that we need.  Variety is awesome.

What are some foods that you give to your kids?  What are the regulars?  Do they ever complain about what other kids have and how they want that too?  Share your thoughts!  Can’t wait to read them 🙂

A New Family Favorite

Honestly, I always think that some of the concoctions I come up with on a whim are pretty weird.  Most of the time they turn out pretty fair.  Many times, I think they are great, but the rest of the family doesn’t agree.  The other day, I made a winner for the family.  What makes it a winner?  The kids LOVED it!  In my book, that’s a great start.  Then, my husband also enjoyed it enough to eat it twice in a row.  Whew!  That’s awesome.

When I was looking at the items we had to make a dinner I was a little worried.  Here’s what it contained:

• Breakfast sausage
• Rice
• Frozen peas and carrots
• Frozen corn
• Cream of mushroom soup
• Almond milk
• Shredded cheese

I actually made this twice in a row because everyone liked this so much.  It was so simple too.  All the stuff I already had, not being committed to any other recipe.  The rice was already cooked from a previous meal.

The breakfast sausage was just one of those packages that are a pound each.  Not the Styrofoam stuff.  Since the rice was leftovers there wasn’t too much left so I just used half of the breakfast sausage each time I made this.

Using a cast iron pan, I fried up the breakfast sausage, then put about half of a frozen bag of corn in along with about half a bag of the peas and carrots.  I tried to make the veggie ratio as equal as possible.  ‘Cause that’s how I cook.  Mixed it all together then put a lid on the pan for the veggies to defrost and steam.

When those were almost done I added the rice, mixed it up, then put the lid back on.  Every few minutes or so I would mix the rice around again because usually it’s chunky when it’s cold.  Steaming it helps keep its moisture while the heat helps break it apart.  When everything is cooked I added cream of mushroom soup to the mix.  The soup is pretty thick so I added a splash or two of almond milk.  Mixed that all around.  And that was it!

It really didn’t take long either so that was really nice.  I thought it would be weird to use the cream of mushroom soup with the rice, but somehow, it also seemed like a good idea.  So I ran with it!

Sometimes, even when it seems you may not have many options or you’re so limited on supplies, you can still make something that the family enjoys and will fill them up.  Having leftovers is always a bonus as well!

I’m bummed to not have a picture of the meal for you.  Sure everyone told me they liked it while they were eating, but I didn’t realize they liked it that much!  It wasn’t until my son told me the next day, “Mom, I really liked that stuff you made.  You should make it more often.”  I was like, “Cool! I totally will!”  By that time, all of it was gone.  So next time I’ll try to remember to take a picture for you and add it.

Recipe:

• 1/2 pound breakfast sausage
• 1/2 of a big can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 bag frozen corn kernals
• 1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots
• @2 cups cooked long grain white rice
• Unsweetened Original Almond Milk

This recipe could be switched up in so many different ways.  For example, using a mild sausage, mixed veggies, fresh veggies, cream of broccoli soup, cow milk….whatever!  So many different options which makes it even easier to be able to use what’s on hand.  Not to mention, this could be a one-pot meal!  Or a nice big salad on the side would be amazing.

If you try this out let me know how you liked it.  What did your family think?  Let me know in the comments below!

Smoothies!!

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE, love, love smoothies!  These days I typically just make one type with a change up to one ingredient sometimes, but overall, smoothies are bomb!

Currently my favorite includes strawberries, blueberries, bananas, orange juice, a scoop of protein powder, and water.  Occasionally I’ll add in either sliced peaches or mangoes.  Either way, it’s delicious.  And I will be the first to admit that I need to mix up the flavors a bit.  I’ve been using this same mix for a good couple of years now!  Whew that’s a long time!

My kids especially love my smoothies because I’ll let them have it at any time of day.  When all the fruits are frozen it will turn into an ice cream like texture and they wont be able to drink it with a straw so a spoon is required.  Yes, I tell them it’s ice cream!  They especially love it when it’s for breakfast because it’s just awesome to think you’re having ice cream for breakfast, right?

Aside from the protein powder, this is an all fruit mix.  How can you go wrong?  The protein powder I use is low sugar and fat so it’s essentially just protein.  Can’t go wrong with that either in my opinion!  My point, though, is it’s all natural.  There’s no preservatives, added colors, or any other weird stuff.  So I get to feel really good about drinking it and giving it to my family.  Winning, all around.

These types of smoothies are also great to drink in the morning during winter time because of the big vitamin C boost.  As most people know, vitamin C is essential in staying healthy by preventing colds.  And if you can do it the all natural way while tasting good, you really can’t go wrong.  Am I right?

What are your favorite smoothie flavors?  Do you come up with your own or do you find recipes somewhere else?  Leave me some comments!

Fuji Apple

Just the other day I made my baby some applesauce for the second time.  This big little guy sure does love his fruits!  (Not that he’s tried many…).  I found a great recipe in a baby food cookbook a friend gave to me at my baby shower.  The specifics are a bit of a blur, but I remember the most important parts:

• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 apple, sliced then chopped in chunks

Boil water, add apple chunks, put a lid on it and steam until apples are soft.  I like to let the apples cool down a bit, put them in the Vitamix with the water they were steamed in and let it turn into applesauce.

It’s really that easy!!  I’m sure any blender/chopper will do too.  I keep thinking about adding cinnamon to the sauce, but haven’t been brave enough yet.  I’m sure baby will really like it though.  Just need to do a little research first.

A couple common facts are apples are full of vitamin C and fiber.  An averaged sized apple is about 60-80 calories.  It’s available year round, at least where I’m at (thankfully!).  There is a site that has extensive information about apples totally worth checking out!  You can find it here.  It’s really pretty amazing how much info they have for any fruits or veggies.  Like I said, totally worth checking out.

So, as you can see, apples are pretty awesome!  They are such a great snack for kids and adults alike.  If you turn them into sauce you can give them to your baby, eat it with pork, give it to the kids or adults alike… I’m not the only adult who likes applesauce, right??  Personally, I like fuji apples the best because they are sweet and just all around good.  The Japanese guy who figured out how to make this beautiful hybrid is genius.

That’s it for me tonight my friends.  Let me know what you think about the post, add some comments and/or questions!  I’m excited to hear back from you!  Happy Friday!

Friendship is Awesome

Hey there everyone!  I’ve been out and about like crazy lately!  However, I have been doing great and I hope everyone else has been too.

Recently I have come a lot closer to a person and it has been such a great experience so far.  We have actually known each other for a few years, but only really saw each other at school functions with the kids or during a sports activity.  Never really hung out much or anything.  All of a sudden, we have been spending a lot more time together, talking, hanging out, driving around running errands together….  It’s been really nice!

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like this person is my only friend!  Even though it may seem like it by the post.  I guess it’s just different because we are both moms, our kids are around the same age, and we have enough in common.  Oh and we live super close!  That has been such a huge bonus!  It’s not a problem to walk or drive either way.

I just wanted to share.  I’m not sure she knows yet, but she has become a new best friend.

Crispin

Who has ever had a Crispin??

Seriously, this is the BEST apple cider beer I have EVER had in my drinking career!  It is perfectly made naturally.

Apparently there is a wide variety of types and flavors of these ciders made by Crispin.  So far the biggest variety I have experienced are from the 4-pack I have found at Costco.  My personal favorite is the yellow label which is shown above.

The moment I found out about hard ciders in general I had become a huge fan.  It’s so much better than beer!  Who agrees with me?  And the moment I found out about Crispin I was in heaven.  THE BEST cider beer ever created so far from what I have tasted!

As mentioned earlier, I have tasted the 4-pack that Costco sells.  My favorite is the yellow label.  This label in particular is unfiltered which means it has a film-like substance in it unlike the other ciders available.  Kinda like apple cider vinegar.  Ever seen that stuff?  If not, I’ll save that for another post another day.  Either way, all other ciders I’ve seen have already been filtered so they look clear instead of cloudy.

My husband and I like to get Crispin every once in awhile.  I try not to get it every time I go shopping because I don’t want its awesomeness to get worn out.  Know what I mean?  Also, as much as they are worth every penny, they can be a little spendy.  I get mine at Winco and they are close to $5 each.  When I get the pack from Costco they are around $3.50 each, but comes in a 4 pack at around $14 per pack.

  

There are apparently other Crispin ciders I need to try.  Just looking up their pictures there are a bunch of new ones that come up that I have never even seen before.  The green one is a pear and the reddish one is a blackberry pear.  I would LOVE to try those!  So far I have only had the apple.  Can’t wait to try the pear.

I love these ciders!  They are highly recommended 😀

Have you ever had this cider before?  What did you think of it?  I would love to see your comments below!  Let me know what you think!