Juicing For The Family

Pin It Now!      So this all came about because my husband does not like smoothies. He doesn't even like juices done in the Vitamix, says they are to thick. So I've asked around and read reviews and we decided to buy a Breville Juicer we felt like this model was a good starting place. It works really well but doesn't break the bank. Little did I know we all love juices. Even though this means I have lots to drink in a day!

     I thought about including this in my breakfast for champions post but sometimes we have a juice with lunch or dinner. Juices are an awesome way to start you day or refresh you at 3pm when you might be dragging and more dehydrated than actually sleepy. Not everyone I talk to thinks that juicing is great. However if your house is anything like mine anytime you can get your family to have a wholesome snack or part to a meal you jump on it. I'm still learning to cook and would struggle to get this many fruits and veggies in our diet otherwise. It is important to eat fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal even if you do drink a few.

     Favorite Family Juice

 *4 Collard Green leaves

*4 Romaine leaves

*4 parsley twigs

*1 broccoli crown (including stem)

*4 apples

*1 Lemon

*2 pineapple slices

Place all ingredients in juicer in this order. Serve over ice. I pour the leftovers into popsicle molds so Bennett can have a popsicle  a hot day as a snack. Or you can melt into a cup and the babe can have fresh juice later. (do not heat when serving as a juice just allow it to melt) 

     I will usually triple my recipe so I have enough juice for the day Bennett's popsicles and juice the next few days. I only give Bennett juice that is fresh out of the juicer. Since it isn't pasteurized I get a little nervous about bacteria in juice that has been sitting a few days. I did find an awesome JUICE JAR, that will keep your juice fresh for up to 3 days. 

     If you are new to juicing one tip that I would give is to serve the juice over ice. Everything tastes better cold. Fresh juice does taste very different than store bought. It tastes a little getting used to but after a week it is the taste you will prefer! 

Cheers to trying something new!

~Brooke

I LOVE White Vinegar

Pin It Now!      Have any of you ever seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Remember how the dad uses windex to fix EVERYTHING? Well Chris (my husband) tells me white vinegar is my windex. You can honestly replace some harsh chemical cleaners with vinegar. You and your whole house will NOT smell like vinegar, promise.

What to use Vinegar for

    * Leave out the fabric softener of your next load of laundry and cut your detergent in half. Using a detergent cap (I have one saved from many moons ago) fill it with white vinegar and pour it into the fabric softener slot of the washing machine. Your towels will be fluffy, your workout clothes fresh smelling, and your sheets will breath again! This was the first and best white vinegar tip I got.

    *Veggie & Fruit Wash is our newest use. Pour vinegar into a measuring cup and then pour over fruits/veggies. Doing this will cut down on waste that will come from pouring it straight out of the bottle. Rinse throughly with cool water and your food will taste fresh and yummy. The vinegar will naturally kill any mold or gross things that might be growing on your food that you can't see yet. I have noticed that if I do this when I get home from the store my berries will last for at least 5 days. Just allow them to dry in the strainer before putting them in a storage container.

     *Hardwood Floor Cleaner. In a large bucket mix 2 cups of vinegar per 1/2 gallon of hot water. Use this to clean your hardwares with a mop or rag of your choice. This will help harden the top coat of poly on your floors and will help keep the shine.

     *Jean Refresher  Fill a spray bottle 3/4 of the way with warm water, fill it the rest of the way with vinegar. Shake well. Mist your day old jeans front and back and hang them up. Once dry they will be fresh and ready to wear. This will keep your jeans from fading since you won't be washing them as often. Plus who doesn't want a little less laundry???

     *Face Toner Use apple cider vinegar for this one ladies. Put a little apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball and rub on your clean face after you wash and before you moisturize. (disclaimer is I like this and witch hazel equally)

     *Breast Feeding Mom's Cure To Thrush So honestly this worked very well for me. I couldn't get rid of my thrush for what felt like forever. I even took an oral medicine. Put a little vinegar on a clean cotton ball and apply vinegar to your nipples before and after each time you nurse or pump. This sounds crazy I know but it works!

     *Ringworm Apply vinegar to clean cotton ball and apply to face 4-6 times daily. Try to leave ringworm spot exposed to air so it will dry out faster. The more moisture the ringworm has the larger it will grow.

     *Diaper Rash A chemical free way to rid your baby of a nasty rash. This doesn't work for all rashes but it is worth a shot! Just put vinegar on a clean cotton ball and apply to diaper rash.  

     *Smelly Spaces  Are your yogi toes starting to smell from all the hot yoga? Add a little extra vinegar next time you wash your yoga gear and the smell will go away. Dishwasher smelling funky? Run it with vinegar. Front load washer stinky? clean it with vinegar and leave front door open to allow air to circulate.

       Okay everyone I hope you will give at least one of these a try. All of these are tried and true little home remedies. If anyone has more suggestions please leave them in the comments below. It is so fun to me that a $3 bottle of vinegar can replace so many costly chemicals.

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!

Brooke

Benefits of Homemade Purees

Pin It Now!      Did you know..... that the ingredient ascorbic acid in most baby foods is in fact a synthetic ingredient that they list as  vitamin c and it's really a preservative? Baby food sometimes also contains citric acid, I thought that was like a squirt of lemon juice.... WRONG! It would be very expensive for companies to juice fresh fruit and use that as a preservative so instead most citric acid is made of a corn based starch or sugar beet molasses. When I look this ingredient up on the FDA website is lists it as safe. My feeling is if eating solids is optional before age 1 why are we adding junk to our children's food??

     I'm sharing all of this information because until a few days ago I didn't know those ingredients are not good and not real food. Bennett has had his fair share of pouches,(about 95% of his purees were homemade and they were all organic) and we still have pouches in our house. So I got to thinking about how to replace that convenience for when we are running errands or traveling? So last night these are what I ordered. Reusable Baby Food Pouches, and some extra OXO Snack Dish. I have been using the snack dishes to carry around fresh fruit and cheese chunks (we use goat cheese because of the dairy allergy) or Sweet Potato Chunks. I'm really excited to get our pouches in the mail and will be sure to post about them!

More Benefits of Homemade Purees

*higher nutritional value 

*know exactly what's in your baby's food

*make fun new combos

*EASY to batch cook and freeze
*no artificial ingredients
*no preservatives 
*saves money
(when I did the math on that I was able to feed homemade organic for about 1/2 the cost of store bought baby food) 
*It tastes like real food just pureed!

So my plan is to make my baby food like normal, freeze and store. Then when we need a pouch I'm going to put a few frozen cubes in the reusable pouches and by the time they thaw Bennett will be ready to eat them. That way they will stay fresh for about 4 hours. If you thaw the food and then put it in the pouch it is good for about an hour. 

Bennett's Favorite Puree

*1lb frozen organic peas

*1lb organic broccoli (frozen or fresh) cut into chunks

*4 organic apples (sliced)

Place all ingredients in a large pot and cover cook on low/medium stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until soft. Turn off heat and allow to cool with the cover still on the pot. Once cool place food into blender and blend until smooth! 

So this is where I will leave off my creating convenience project. I will update you all soon, and of course give more of my favorite puree recipes. 

~Brooke

Which Spf to buy?

Pin It Now!     I have found that I have been letting you guys down on the beauty advice. I will say most of my advice will be about hair. However I feel like it's getting warm outside and pool time is just a few weeks away!!!! So let's talk sunscreen, with so many kinds for sale how do we know which one to buy??

Classic VS Mineral 

Mineral sunscreens use minerals as their "active ingredients" and the minerals act as a physical barrier against the sun's rays. The minerals reflect the sun.  Zinc Oxide is a mineral that is commonly found in mineral sunscreens.  

Classic sunscreens "active ingredients" are typically chemicals that are designed to absorb and diffuse  the sun's rays. You must apply classic sunscreens at least 30 min before you plan to be out in the sun while mineral sunscreens start working as soon as you apply. 

In my opinion Mineral Sunscreen is better. It's better for us and for the environment. 

Are Higher Spfs Better?

SPF is a measurement of the sunscreens ability to block UVB rays. Those are the rays that cause sunburn, damage skin and could potentially contribute to skin cancer.  Personally I don't think this system makes much sense because just looking at the bottle I would think that SPF 15 would equal 15 minutes but that is not true. It is also wrong that SPF 45 is not 3 times the strength of SPF 15. Geez, why can't this make more sense!

SPF15 blocks about 94% of UVB rays while SPF30 blocks about 97% of rays. So is there really a need to go over SPF30, NO! I feel like most brands that go over SPF30 put chemicals in their product  that we don't need on our skin. 

     An important thing to remember is that no matter which product you choose you need to reapply often. After swimming, drying off or after sitting out for 2 hours your sunscreen has worn off and needs another application.  Sun is typically strongest from 10am-2pm, please be aware of that when spending the day in the sun. It might be a good idea to spend some time in the shade even with sunscreen on. 

I hope that this advice has been helpful and will make your sunscreen shopping easier. Please remember I am not a doctor and these are bits of information I have picked up from research. ALWAYS consult your doctor with any questions. 

These are the two products that I would recommend. Red Badger and Honest Company they are both wonderful companies. 

Happy Sunning Everyone!

~Brooke

What We Made This Weekend

Pin It Now!

     I noticed on friday that we were running low on homemade freezer food. I love having plenty of options on hand to be able to have a healthy meal ready for Bennett in under 20 minutes. I work Tuesday thru Friday and have a husband that travels so I don't always have time to whip a gourmet meals from scratch everyday. However it is really important to me that I make all of our food, so I make things ahead of time and freeze them. This way I know what every ingredient is and where it came from! 

     I have a general rule about reheating. Take everything I want to serve for dinner and put it on a parchment paper cover baking sheet. Turn the oven to 350 and place the baking sheet inside.( I do not even wait for it to preheat) The food usually takes about 10-20 minutes depending on what it is to defrost and become warm. (no cooking until hot at this young age to avoid burns)  

Sunday Muffins
*1c almond milk
*1c oats
*1banana
*2Tbsp coconut oil
*1c whole wheat flour
*1Tbsp honey
*2tsp baking powder
*1tsp cinnamon
*1tsp vanilla extract
*1/2c raisins
*1/2c chopped walnuts (optional)

1.In a small bowl combine almond milk and oats, allow to soak for 15 min

2.preheat oven to 400 and put cupcake liners into cupcake pan
3. in separate bowl combine banana and coconut oil. using a potato masher mash very well
4. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon & honey
5. Sift flour and baking powder into mixture, mix well
6. Add soaked oats

7. Mix well then fold in raisins and walnuts
8. spoon into cupcake pan filling each cup 2/3 of the way full
9. bake 18-22 min or until a toothpick comes out clean

!!!!!ENJOY!!!!!

Asparagus & Black Bean Burger

*1can Black Beans strained and rinsed 

*6 stalks of Asparagus (diced)

*1/4 white onion (diced)

*6 diced baby portabello mushrooms(about a cup)

*1/2 cup of almond flour

*1 egg

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350

2. In medium mixing bowl mash black beans with potato masher

3. mix remaining ingredients together using your hands

4. form into patties (6-8 depending on the size you like) and place on baking sheet

5. bake for 15 min

*these freeze well so just double the recipe when batch cooking

serving suggestion: spread a super ripe avocado on burger and or melt cheese over it!

I also take these with me for lunch while I'm at work. In fact I can make myself a batch and they will last in the fridge the whole week~~~ WONDERFUL

Carrot & Sweet Potato Soufflé

*1lb carrots

*1 large sweet potato 

*2Tbsp flax seeds

*3Tbsp coconut flour

*1tsp Cinnamon

*1/2tsp nutmeg

*2 eggs 

*2Tbsp coconut oil or butter

1. preheat oven to 375

2. peel & wash carrots, wash sweet potato but don't peel

3. place carrots and sweet potato on a baking sheet add 1/4 cup of water and cover with foil

4. Bake for 35 min until carrots and sweet potato are extremely tender and allow to cool

5. slip the peel off the cooked potato and place into a large mixing bowl

6. cut carrots into chunks and add to bowl and mash with potato masher or forks

7. add remaining ingredients and mix on medium speed until fluffy

8. line a casserole dish or cake pan with parchment paper

9. fill dish with mixture and spread evenly

10.bake for 40 min or until a knife comes out clean

11.allow to cool and the cut into pieces

*I freeze this and then reheat by baking for 10 min at 350, and honestly I put a piece in the oven when I turn the oven on and a few mins after the oven heats it is ready to eat. This pairs great with the  Kale and Broccoli Cakes for a great dinner of finger foods 

Chicken Tenders

*2lb Chicken Breast

*1 1/2c almond flour or whole wheat flour

*1tsp Paprika

*1tsp Cumin

*1Tbsp Garlic Powder

*2 eggs

*1tsp melted coconut oil

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400

2. In a medium bowl or plate whip together eggs and coconut oil

3. In another plate combine flour,paprika,cumin, and garlic powder stir

4. Slice Chicken breast into strips or cubes (you can buy this precut at Earth Fare)

5. Roll each tender in egg mixture and then flour covering tender thoroughly

6. Place on baking sheet

7. Once you've done this to all of the tenders put in the oven for 20-22 min flipping half way through

8. To brown better turn the oven on Broil for the last 5 min

***these are wonderful to freeze and reheat in the oven, you can also toss these in tomato sauce with whole wheat noodles. For a little Italian evening***you can leave out the coconut oil I just use it so the tenders will brown better***

     Alright everyone this was my batch cooking for the week. I hope this will give you all some inspiration and new ideas of what to make for baby. I would love to know what you made this weekend and any variations that you make to these recipes.

Happy Cooking!

~Brooke

Food Allergies

Pin It Now!      Ahhh.... That was really my first thought. First at 7 months it was a confirmation of a dairy allergy when we gave Bennett yogurt and now at 13 peanuts. We actually gave him peanut butter 2 weeks ago and ended up in the urgent care. I have waited to write this until we saw an allergist. Now we have skin text positives for dairy, peanut and crab (random).  We will go back in 2 months for his blood test.

     For whatever reason his dairy allergy is not something our pediatrician took very seriously and encouraged us to try it again (because 85% of kids outgrow this allergy), I just nodded my head and smiled but never tried it again. I never tried it again because my gut told me not too. In my opinion we give kids to much dairy anyways so it might be good to try some other things. Why rush it?  After lots of reading we choose to continue breastfeeding and I learned to cook with breast milk for things just Bennett will eat and then Almondmilk for things the whole family will eat. We also give him goat cheese & yogurt, we have tried goat milk but the smell is awful and it's expensive. I can say now that I very much believe in my "gut" and I'm happy we never tried dairy again. 

    We gave Bennett peanut butter 2 days in a row the first day, nothing. The second day my sweet boy got welts and a rash on his face and chest. He was also coughing because I guess his throat was itchy. I quickly put him in the bath to rinse off the peanut butter residue and called the pediatrician. They told us his Benadryl dose and after we gave him that to rush him to urgent care. Nothing like a good allergic reaction to get your blood pumping at 8am on a Sunday! I am not sure why but I felt so sad that he had this allergy. Maybe it's because it's not commonly outgrown or because I feel like this is an allergy where you here about more serious reactions taking place. Sweet Bennett he was fine, never really knew much was wrong. I was a mess!! 

      I had took a few moments to reflect on the fact I have a few friends with kids that have this allergy. I was always aware and would always be overly cautious if serving them food, but never took into consideration how much worry this must cause my friends. On that Sunday morning I understood all of their worry and fear and also that I should work on being more compassionate. 

    The crab allergy, well we have never given it to him and I guess now we never will! Luckily we are drama free on that. 

     My other bad news and I have no answers or much research as to why B has these allergies. I have a lactose and scallop sensitivity and Chris has no allergies at all. In fact allergies don't really run in out families. I read that as a society we are "too clean" or food is just so different than it used to be. I believe that these are both educated guesses. Not hard answers or fixes!

     So for right now on we will be PEANUT and DAIRY FREE!! Any of my recipes that call for milk I have already been changing out for almond or breast milk but now I will be reporting back to you all on what works and what doesn't. We have been given the ok to use all tree nuts so they will be replacing peanuts. So CHEERS  to home cooked meals, and allergy awareness! 

     For now I do have some helpful links for everyone and I will be doing another post about our allergist and what to expect after our next visit that is on July 12th. My biggest fear is the skin test would be painful and it wasn't. They use little drops of liquid NO needles! 

Parents of Allergic Kids - a free support group! It is a message board for research updates, sharing recipes, tips from other parents and advocacy

Food Allergy Research & Education

Symptoms of an Allergy

*itchy/ runny nose

*sneezing

*itchy mouth, swelling of lips or tongue

*a few to many hives

*redness on body

*vomiting or diarrhea

*shortness or breath, cough, wheezing

*nausea

*tight throat, trouble breathing

*becoming hoarse

*anxiety/confusion 

**If you ever suspect an allergy call your doctor or 911 right away, you will never regret it**

     I hope this has been helpful for someone and I will keep you all posted! And remember I'm not a doctor nor do I have any medical training always ask you doctor about any allergy concerns. 

~Brooke

My Favorite Pan

Pin It Now!       I have to say I bought this pan for Christmas for my husband and I use it almost everyday. It's perfect, especially for someone like me that's still learning how not to burn things. This pan heats evenly and not even burnt cheese sticks!! I'm hoping to buy some more pots and pans made by this company. I recommend starting with this Classic Griddle Pan.

This pan can be found HERE. It's a good value at $80. I should also mention it's a wonderful size. I am able to make 3 decent size pancakes or 4 pieces of french toast. 

Happy Cooking Everyone!

~Brooke

Breakfast for Champions

Pin It Now!

     Veggies for breakfast...... this is not a concept that I am used to. However I really feel like that is the only way we will get the "recommended" 5 serving a day. So I had to think about what is the best way to change our way of thinking there is a negative to having vegetables for breakfast and never let Bennett think that? I've decided that an omelet is an easy place to start. It's easy to cut into finger food, not messy and generally pretty easy to make. 

1 Egg Omelet

what you  need:

1 pasteurized raised egg

1 slice of block cheese (we used yodeling goat)

1/4 cup of shredded greens (spinach or kale) 

                                          what to do:

In a small bowl whip together greens and egg, pour onto hot non-stick skillet. Allow to cook until firm on the bottom and only slightly runny on top then flip. Add Cheese to half of the top. Cheese will melt while the bottom cooks. Then fold the side without cheese onto the side with cheese. Allow to cool and then cut into cubes or strips for baby! 

 I usually serve fresh sliced fruit as an appetizer. That gives me time to cook and the omelet to cool. Also while B eats his I will often double the recipe and make one for myself! And as always I use organic when possible.

Happy Friday Everyone!
~Brooke

All about cakes

Pin It Now!     I wish life could really be all about cake. I have an incredible sweet tooth, I wish I didn't but I do. However I have learned that when batch cooking you can make healthy "cakes" for your family. Often times I use them as side dishes for my husband and I, and Bennett gets them more as a main dish. All of the cakes I make freeze well and reheat easily, both things that make for good batch cooking. There are a few basic things I have learned to keep it healthy.

*always use whole wheat flour, coconut flour or quinoa instead of white flour

*eggs and unsweetened applesauce will keep it all together

*baking powder is a must for real "cake like" things (i.e. sweet potato pancakes)

*unsweetened apple sauce can double as your sweetener

*the more veggies the better

*if you haven't added veggies then add fruit 

     I made these Kale and Broccoli Cakes for Bennett last week. They are awesome! I added the curry so he could try a new flavor. Honestly it took a couple of pieces but they he decided they are good. I've also spread hummus on them and it makes it an even heartier snack! I hope you all enjoy as much as we have. I will also post some more "cake" recipes soon. I just need to make them and take pictures. (something I often forget to do!) 

Kale and Broccoli Cakes 

1 cup of shredded Kale
1 cup steamed broccoli 

1/4 cup of diced onions

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

2 garlic cloves

3 eggs

2 cups of cooked Quinoa 

1 cup of breadcrumbs 

1/2 tsp. curry powder (optional)

Directions 

In a large skillet over medium heat put 1 Tbsp. coconut oil and diced onions.

cook onions until soft. Add garlic and kale. Cook until kale is soft. 

In a large mixing bowl add cooked quinoa, and broccoli cut into small pieces. Add cooled onion kale mix. Mix together with breadcrumbs and eggs. If you are going to add curry now is the time. I used my hands almost like I'm making meatloaf. 
with your hands make patties that are about 1/2" thick. I make mine small about 2" in diameter. 
In a hot skillet melt 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil and place patties in skillet. I fill my skillet and only leave enough room to turn the patties. I cook each patty for 3-5min per side. Place on cooling rack. 
*To reheat place in oven on 350 for 5 min. you can also use a microwave or toaster oven***

~Brooke