Living Simple and Healthy

 I feel I haven't been able to post that much lately (if I don't post everyday I feel like I'm neglecting the blog). One reason is I've been slamming with the final wrap ups of the eBook design and also my stinking computer has been having the hardest time uploading the pictures I take...it's a bummer. Well I've been trying for  few days to upload some now finally this morning it decided to be nice to me and let me get some pictures to post for you guys.

As a working mom I don't always have the energy and time to make time consuming meals. Sometimes I do, most times they taste great and I'm proud of my hard work, but there are other times when I  am so stressed out that I don't even enjoy the meal because it doesn't taste that great-then it just makes me sad.

It is awesome when I can make something nutritious and delicious without a huge mess or without a huge prep time. I wanted to share some simple food ideas that I've made that my family has loved! These meals are easy to make and the other plus...they are cheap and go a long way! Bring on the healthy and happy in these dinners!

Meal #1 Maple Baked Beans with Baked Potato

Beans:

1 can chili beans

1 can black beans

2 tsp pure maple extract

2 T honey

1 tsp cumin

1/2 onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add all ingredients into and 8x8 baking dish, use the bean liquid too, don't rinse the beans. Mix well. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10 minutes. Delicious! 

* I had the potatoes baking before hand, I added the beans about 25 minutes into the baked potatoes and took them out together! Easy.

These are called Pantry tacos since I just looked around and used anything I saw that would go well together in my fridge and pantry! It worked great! That's all I have to say...delicious. 

Meal #2 Pantry Tacos and sweet potato fries

Taco filling

 1 can beans (any kind) drained and rinsed

1 c low sodium vegetable broth

1/2 chopped onion

1 red bell pepper chopped

1 handful spinach finely chopped

3-4 canned jalapenos with juice

1 T cumin

Add all ingredient to a medium sauce pan. Heat on med-low and cover. Let simmer for 15-20 minuted until vegetables have achieved desired tenderness.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 julienne d peeled sweet potatoes

paprika, salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour olive oil over potatoes and add seasonings. Bake for 15 minutes then flip the fries over. Bake another 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy! Enjoy

It is so nice to have healthy meals that are easy and fun to eat! Does anyone have some easy fun, healthy recipes that they enjoy in their families? Leave a comment!

 

Vegan Cheezy Quesadillas

One of my greatest loves, especially during pregnancy, are cheese quesadillas! I obviously don't eat them anymore. Cheese offers tons of saturated fats and really unhealthy stuff for our bodies! I don't know why I loved them so much, but lately I've been wanting a make over of a quesadilla so I can enjoy again and my kids can have some variety for lunch!

These little quesadillas took a little bit more time to make than original ones, but they were so delicious! I loved them and my kids loved them too! It's so nice to make something that turns out even better than the original and that is better for you! As you can see from the picture of my son's cute little hand they kept coming back for more!

Cheese Quesadillas

1 c raw cashews, soaked in water for an hour

1/2 c nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove

1/3 c milk

4 tortillas

1 can beans (any kind)

Drain nuts. Add nuts, yeast, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, garlic and milk to a blender. Blend for two minutes until completely smooth. Add beans to two tortillas. Pour cheeze sauce over the top and top with remaining two tortillas. Microwave for 30 seconds. Garnish with your favorite salsa or avocado. Enjoy

Guest Post Series-Healthy Fats

The Good Stuff: Healthy Fats

Are you surprised by my topic today?  Do you cringe when you hear the word FAT? Well, it may come as a surprise to some of you that healthy fats are, in fact, essential for a healthy life.

We have been so brain-washed as a society today.  We have been led to believe that low-fat and fat-free eating is better for us and will lead to weight loss. What the big companies don’t tell you is that in those fat-free and low-fat products lie large amounts of sugar!  Think you’re making a better choice by using that low fat mayonnaise rather than a smashed avocado (with naturally occurring fats mind you), on your sandwich?  Think again.

We have been told that if using oil is necessary, in cooking, baking, etc., then the best oils are safflower, canola and soy. However these oils, already highly processed, are carcinogenic when heated over 400 degrees!!! I don’t know about you but I don’t want to put that into my body.

Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA’s) are essential for our bodies to function; for silky hair, smooth skin and cellular function everywhere in the body. Organic virgin coconut oil has the highest levels of MCFA’s, but unfortunately, thanks to a very successful political campaign by the soy industry, tropical oils (coconut and palm) are practically a swear word in our society because they are saturated and said to cause heart disease.

The studies that were published about saturated fats (over 60 years ago) did not distinguish among all the different kinds of saturated fats (factory-farmed beef, grass-fed beef, Crisco, coconut oil). It turns out it is actually the trans fat that is linked to heart disease not good sources of saturated fat.  

Look at two civilizations, the Inuits and Pacific Islanders, hardly affected by western civilization and with little to no occurrence of heart disease.  The Inuits live off a diet which consists of large amounts of whale blubber.  The Pacific Islanders’ diet is up to 60 % fat and most that is from saturated fat from coconut.

So, what are the good fats?  Luckily, there are many to choose from.

Tropical Oils (Like coconut and palm)
-Coconut oil is pretty easy to find; the less processed the better.  Virgin coconut oil will have a slight smell and taste of coconut, whereas a more processed coconut oil will be odorless and tasteless.  However, there are tons of health benefits with virgin coconut oil (too many to name, but a worthwhile investment of your time to research it.) Use coconut oil in cooking and baking and even as a skin moisturizer! I also use it in my granola and put a spoonful in my kids’ hot cereal.

Olive Oil
-Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed.  This should not be heated in order to gain the most health benefits from it.  It is great for salad dressings and drizzling on top of things. “Light tasting” olive oil is more processed and can be used in sautéing and pan-frying.  I wouldn’t use it in baking because of its strong taste, unless the recipe specifically calls for it.

 
Nuts and Seeds
-You can buy a variety of nuts and seeds that will supply you with healthy fats, but make sure they are raw and unsalted.  I usually find them in the bulk section of a local grocery store. You can use them to make nut milks, nut butters, in granola, or just eat them whole.

Other
Avocado and flax oil are also good sources of healthy fats

Good sources of fat should comprise about 10% of your total calories. The ratio is not difficult to achieve when your diet consists mainly of greens, vegetables, fruits and legumes.  Eat high-fat whole plant foods like avocados, olives, seeds and nuts of all varieties every day.  Avoid fake fats like margarine, and shortening (and other hydrogenated fats such as rapeseed oil found in low-quality peanut butters), vegetable oils, and any processed oil. Avoid animal fats like lard or bacon grease as well.

Coming up...whole grains, protein, sugar and staying "whole."

Reaching Your Goals

Health is an important part of life. Health comes in many forms. 90% of this blog is made up of food and diet tips, but another important part of health is happiness! I have people near and dear to my heart who live their lives in a comfort bubble. That's fine if it works for them, but we've had conversations about how they would like to change their situation at times, but admit they are comfortable.

It is hard to change sometimes; I know it's hard, but I also believe the minute we stop progressing in our lives in whatever it may be, we are digressing (I'm not sure if that's a word, but let's role with it)! I believe it's okay to fail. My husbands hero is Thomas Edison, being an engineering student and someone who hopes to invent one day, it makes sense. Edison said he didn't fail 100 times, he found 100 ways not to make the light bulb ( it was a commercial incadescent light bulb, not the first light bulb by they way)!

That is a lesson we can all learn someday I think! I was comfortable too for awhile. Did it mean that we were happy, not really. I mean we weren't miserable, but we knew we didn't want our whole life to be lived paycheck to paycheck someday, Derek knew he didn't want to settle for a job, he wanted to be an engineer, so he needed to go to school. That is just one example.

Derek and I have been trying to change our financial situation for a long time now. We've tried different things, none have worked in the financial sense, but we have learned something. We have grown in a way. We've found ways how not to make money in a sense. A special lesson I've learned from our attempts at change, is to never stop trying to reach a goal. It has pushed me to do something I've always wanted to do, write a book!

This eBook I've briefly mentioned is almost complete. It is at the designer as we speak! When I picutured my book that I would write someday, eBook didn't even cross my mind. I thought of a novel, not a healthy living guide for budgeter  (I hope you all will find it interesting and helpful- of course I think it is wonderful!)But I thought to myself, why not. I am so passionate about healthy foods and spreading the word about the benefits health can add to our happiness- why not?

I'm hoping to release it soon- I hope by October. The next step after the design is to get some wonderful bloggers to read and review it for me! I've had several volunteer already and I'm so excited!

The point is- I want my kids to know someday that we always tried- that we reached goals no matter what our situation was at the time. We want them know that we overcame the fears that come with change! That what some might look at as failures we now look at as learning opportunities and times of growth!

So I would love some interaction with this post- Have you always wanted to do something? Have you suceeded in a dream of yours? What is something you want to do but fear? How are you going to make it not something you'll do someday? Leave me a comment or shoot me a message! Begin to see things a growing opportunities, not failures and you will never fail!

Remembering

I live in the United States as many have probably assumed. Today marks the 11th anniversary of thet terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington , and Pennsylvania. Many Americans, tourists, husbands, wives, friends, sisters, mothers, fathers etc lost their lives that day.

Today is a day of rememberance for the United States. It is a somber day. It allows us to reflect on ourselves and our love for our country. I can remember that day vividly. I was at school and it took me several hours to understand what was going on. I thought it was a freak accident at first. When I finally realized it, I couldn't believe it. I was about 13 years old, I didn't realize there was so much hate in this world. I was innocent and I was hurt that someone would hurt my country. I think everyone feels a sense of love for their country and I am no different.

I have had multiple friends who have family members sent over seas to fight with other the war on terror, it is hard to see families sepparated, but they do so proudly. I think a lot of us view the flag differently since Sep 11, 2001. For me, on that day, the symbol of our country of our freedom was forever changed in my head. I think of the men and women since our country was founded who have fought and died here. I try and live my life in gratitude for their sacrifice so I can raise my children in this country.

The world economy is crazy right now. Even the U.S. is crazy right now, government is crazy right now! But, I urge all of us,even though things are crazy- don't forget what this country was founded on! It was founded on the hope for freedom for all men and women. To live and raise their children how they choose. I hope that we all go forward today and remember those who sacrificed fighting for that freedom 11 years ago, 50 years ago, 70 years ago or 200 years ago. It doesn't matter. The world may be crazy, but show patriotism today...remember those. Go forward with a love for this country and defend Her, even now if it's defending Her against the home bound craziness it doesn't matter! (It's an election year, it's always crazy)! I'm remembering today! Thank you for all those who have lived and died and continue to defend us!

Guest Post Series-Fruits and Vegetables

The Good Stuff: Fruits and Vegetables

Change is always difficult, and changing the way you eat is no easy task.  When most people start a diet, the first thing that usually happens is they have to get rid of “this” or “that.”   So, let’s start with some good stuff you can incorporate into your diet.

Fruits and Veggies
Regardless of personal beliefs about nutrition, I think most people would agree that fresh fruits and vegetables are better for you than processed food. This is a natural place to start, something that you can add rather than remove from your diet.

Adding fresh fruits and veggies, in the form of green smoothies, was actually the first step for me in changing the way we ate.  For a little while, after deciding to revolutionize our family’s diet, green smoothies was the only thing extra that I did. It was fun and easy and something that I could get my kids to drink (most of the time).  Although there’s a learning curve when it comes to green smoothies (rather BIG in my case), we now have a handful of tried and true recipes that I can pull from anytime we want to whip them up. (You can check them out here.)

I gradually began offering fresh fruits and/or veggies at each meal and served them raw whenever possible.  I wanted my family to have the greatest benefit possible from what I served them, and cooking the life (and nutrition) out of them just didn’t seem to make sense to me. When I do cook up veggies, I try to quickly steam so they are still crisp-tender and brightly colored; keeping as much nutrition as possible. (*On a side note,  I do home can a few things like peaches, pears and tomatoes that I get from local farmers during their peak season. We enjoy these over the winter months when good produce is hard to find.)

There are two other things I have done to incorporate more greens and veggies into mine and my husband’s diet, in particular.  The first was to move from a meat-centered main dish at dinner to a salad-centered main dish.  In other words, although I don’t always serve meat at dinner, when I do, it is not the “main” part of the meal.  It is most likely a small piece to the side, next to a large salad that fills most of the plate (and I’m talking dinner plate here, not salad plate).

The second thing I did was to become a connoisseur of salads.  This is absolutely crucial, if you ask me, if you’re going to continue with any success eating large amounts of salad and veggies. I previously enjoyed salads but never made them because they seemed so boring and I hated putting the same weird-tasting processed salad dressings on them.  I made it my mission to learn how to make a VARIETY of different salads as well as all my own dressings. (Here are some ideas.)   Variety is important.  Change it up all the time so you don’t get in a rut eating the same thing over and over.  That could be the downfall of your success!

More to  come.....

Life...It's Busy...but here's a recipe anyways!!

Somedays I feel like the only thing I want to do is stay curled up in my bed and stay there until I hear little feet running down the hall and feel a little hand tap my shoulder asking for breakfast!

I'm all to familiar with an annoying buzzing noise that tends to be snoozed to often. I'm all to familiar with a dark empty kitchen while I quietly get ready and head out the door. It's busy sometimes in life, I go to bed much too late most nights, last night I blamed Grey's Anatomy episodes on Netflix!

Somedays when I feel overwhelmed with trying so hard to find delicious, healthy meals that my family will all eat, these days are when I want to run down and pick up some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese bowls, or Chicken Nuggets and just whip food up in 4 minutes or less for my kids. It's hard to work, cook, blog, write, play legos, play dress-up, start homeschool! Man, the life of busy people. Why do we add so much to our plates?

For me I wouldn't change most of my plate. Sure someday I'd like to skip waking up and leaving for work, but for now it's what I do. It takes a lot of work trying to stand firm while my kids go through their eating phases, like I posted yesterday, my son is on a fruit diet lately, healthy, but I've been getting worried about his fats and vegetables. I keep trying, it's frustrating to watch him through his broccoli or sweet peas, but I keep trying. Over the weekend my kids were given hot dogs and cotton candy, that was what was available to starving kids since we weren't at home. I stared at their plates and felt sick inside knowing that if I stuck to a diet like this multiple times in the week I would be setting up my children for health failure!

So that little epiphony is why I keep trying. Last night I made our Sunday meal, spaghetti, and was inspired by my son to make a sneaky veggie sauce. Well I went even farther than that and made a veggie "meat" sauce. Since I loved the vegetarian meatballs so much I used those again in our "meat" sauce. It was a good choice.

Although he still didn't eat as much as I would've liked him too I know he had some added goodness in his meal without him knowing. My daughter ate her's really well and is actually turning into a really healthy girl...she seems to be eating constantly right now, can you say growth spurt, but she requests good wholesome food! It brings me happiness.

Well these ramblings are what needed to be taken out of my head this morning...thanks for listening...hey you get a recipe out of it right?

Veggie Meat Sauce

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 T basil

2 T oregano

1 c cooked butternut squash

1 handful spinach

2 garlic cloves

1/2 recipe of vegetarian meatballs (you can bake them, you don't need to crock pot)

Combine all ingredients except meat balls to a blender. Blend on high until everything is pureed. Add to a saucepan and heat over med-low heat. Crumble vegetarian meatballs into the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta! Enjoy

* If you make the meatballs in the oven, bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.