My Top Ten Tips for Eating Better

I am not a nutritionist, but have been a vegetarian for almost 15 years. I began in high school after doing a paper on alternative healthy lifestyles and have never gone back. My oldest son was having some issues behaviorally and so we began to cut out all dyes and processed sugars almost a year ago. From there we really began reading labels and looking at what was in our foods. This has been our journey and I still feel we have some work left to do, but co,pared to 15 years ago when I first became a vegetarian, we have. Ome a long, long way. So I'd like to share some tips if you are just starting to eat a clean diet (which refers to a diet with no perservatives) or just want your family to begin taking baby steps towards incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet. 1. Have healthy things on hand and ready to go. When we get our fruit home, we wash it and store it right away. Some we might save for later in the week, but this makes it so handy if we are going to a park or need a fast snack or a healthy side... All the prep work is done and it's very accessible. I also will sit a bowl of carrots on the table with some natures promise dressing in a bowl while I make dinner or while the kids do school. They're developing tastes for these foods and now if we're out to eat, they will 9 times out of 10 pick a fruit or vegetable as their side over French fries. I love that they have been accustomed to making healthy choices and doing it on their own. 2. Read labels. Know what your looking for. If the list seems outrageously long with things you can't pronounce, don't buy it. If it has the phrase "natural favors" at the end, put it back. This is a way to hide MSG and other things... And a company trying to hide things says a lot. 3. Organic does not always mean its the better choice. Something's should be bought organic, but some organic products need label checking just as much. 4. Don't watch your calories.... Count your carbs! You'd be surprised how many low calorie items or recipes are actually super high in carbs. If youre eating better to loose weight, avoid low calorie options and read the labels for carbs. 5. Avoid every bread product at the store... From tortillas to English muffins to the bagels you might get there. If they're in your bread aisle, they have a long shelf life. Begin making your own bread products and you'll see how quickly they go bad or spoil... Which is actually a good testament to how good they are for you. Make a big batch and freeze some or if you're like us, they'll be gone in no time. 6. This is for moms with little kids, but avoid goldfish. And wheat thins. And Cheetos (that's hard for me to type as I love Cheetos). Goldfish have absolutely no nutritional value and some even have dyes and are loaded wi artificial flavoring. They are in essence a carb shaped like a fish. Cheetos have artificial flavoring, dyes, etc. a really good alternative is pirates booty. Or blue corn chips with the ingredients of corn, salt, and sunflower oil. 7. Switch your oil. Say goodbye to vegetable or canola oil and hello to coconut oil. There are also other good ones like avocado oil, but coconut is the easiest healthy substitute. I still keep some olive oil on hand as I prefer they taste in itallian dishes, but we use coconut for everything else. 8. Know your veggies and how to combine them. Carrots, potatoes, peas, and corn are all starchy vegetables and need something green with them. Avocados are a fat. And exams is green, but a soy product. Watch all these closely and use them wisely. 9. Avoid yellow cheese and switch to hormone free dairy. This is the hardest step for us as we go through a lot of dairy, but one we're gradually working on. Cutting out yellow cheese is a good first step. Dairy is so high in calcium and low in carbs... It's a really good choice. 10. Let's talk sugar. Go with raw honey. Not the honey from a bear or honey that's super clear. It should be cloudy and solid. Also, skip over traditional white granulated sugar and go to sugar in the raw. It's nice and brown and a much better choice. There are also a lot of nectars available, but will take some playing with as you are adding a liquid where a solid used to be. I have found its easier to substitute the honey or raw sugar as they still are more solid in their makeup. Again, it's a journey. But, as you switch and make it a family plan, it's pretty cool how your kids and husband get on board. Take something you love and make it better and healthier. Occasionally allow yourselves a cheat. Yes that food will probably taste better... It's been chemically engineered to be addictive. However, the more you keep changing, the less appealing it will be to you. Get encouragement. Share your journey. Read and read and read about other peoples journeys. And please, share what your family has already done, or are hoping to change :) I think it's awesome where ever you're at!

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Girl!!

As I sit here waiting for some elglish muffins to rise and listen to Daddy and the kids upstairs horsing around, I can't believe it has been 6 years since my labor began with our little girl. It really couldn't have begun at a worse or a better time. Matt had been down in Florida over new years as his dad was in pretty bad shape-- and I was waiting at home ready to pop. While he was down in florida, our oldest son had a seizure and we spent half a night at children's hospital with him. He was fine, just over-stimulation or a growing seizure they said. The next day my mom took us both to the hospital for my non-stress test. As we were walking down the steps, I slipped on the ice carrying my son and went down a few steps-- kept a hold of my son, but banged my knee up and the entire ER watched my graceful display. My little trip meant a longer morning at the hospital as they needed to keep an etra close eye on me. I was so tired-- my poor husband was so tired, both emotionally and physically. He drove back up from FA Jan. 1st and went all through the night. It ended up being worth the sacrifice as it was the last time he saw his dad alive and coherent. So, January 2nd he arrived home sometime in the early am, and then went into work that afternoon as his store was getting ready for inventory. We were so, so tired. Cue my contractions. They started mid afternoon and by dinner time they were a minute a part. I ran over to our beloved neighbors and asked if they would sit with our son while Matt came home and took me to the hospital and we waited for my parents to come up and get him. They did one even better-- Bill drove me to the hospital and Kristin stayed with him. Matt met me at the hospital and they immediately gave me something magical and it knocked me right out for two hours-- Matt took advantage and napped too. We were so tired. We labored all night long, and at 5 in the morning it was go time. I know labor is exhausting, but I think this one took the prize. Other than our two hour nap upon arrival, we had been up all night. Matt was pulling his second all nighter in a row, and so we gave it all we got and she arrived right before the sunshine. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and surprisingly very ethnic looking. Jet black curly hair and a deep olive complextion. We snuggled and fell asleep listening to her coo under a heating lamp as her breathing became more normal. We snuggled when I awoke again from another magic dosage of something (or maybe they gave me a placebo-- i was so tired, I could have slept anywhere at that point). The year she was born was adifficult year, our most difficult year as a family ever, but she was our little firecracker and sunbeam thorughout. Our morning child. Our winter child. Our perfect little girl. The perfect addition to our family of three. She is stil spunky and I am so blessed to be her mommy. She adds a huge touch of female drama to our male dominant homw, lots of pizzaz, joy, and is the sweetest snuggler in the world. Happy 6th Birthday Sweetheart! We love you!

Lettuce Wrap Vegetarian or Turkey Tacos

Okay, I dont think these pictures will do these justice, but they were stinken lip-smacking amazing! And heres the best part-- very low carb, could be vegan (I had mine vegetarian), and are so clean eating its seriously should be illegal. I loved them, my kids scarfed them down, and bonus-- they met husband's approval (he even had seconds... and thirds... and fourths!!!!). So, I had to share: Ingredients: 1. 1 package of ground turkey (you could do beef or chicken, or go vegetarian and omit this all together). Season it as you normally would taco meat. I like a generous 2 sprinkle of cumin and chilli powder with some garlic and onion tossed in for taste. ** Try and avoid pre-packaged seasoning as there is lots of hidden nastiness in them. a

2. Taco cheese. Okay, pre-packaged taco cheese all has yellow cheese. Milk doesn't come out yellow, cheese is not naturally yellow-- its dyed (yellow 4 or 6), so its def. much cleaner to make your own blend. I did cheddar and mont. jack and it was yummy-- just popped them in the food proccessor and voila-- much cleaner cheese blend! You could certainly add some spicer blends or milder, or whatever-- but try and steer clear of yellow cheese.

3. Tomatoes-- while your food processor is out, pop these in too and save some time 4. 2 Bell peppers-- chop these, slice them whatever (I did them in the food processor since I like them thin, but whatever works). Saute them in 1 tbs. of coconut oil and add some more cumin and chili powder-- yum-- will smell so heavenly! 5. Black beans-- if you are on a low carb menu, these are tricky and can get very high in carbs, so go sparingly on them. 6. Salsa-- we made some homemade salsa a while back and had it defrosted and ready to go

7. Sour Cream & Guacamole for topping-- go easy on the guac-- its in the fat food group, and yes it is a good fat, its still should be used sparingly esp. if youre watching carbs 8. Lettuce-- these will be your wrappers-- I just set a big head on the table-- looked awful, but we tore right into it as we needed each leaf.

I had mine with the peppers (so, so good-- seriously, I am loving peppers right now and bonus-- a low carb option), salsa, tomatoes, some black beans, cheese, and sour cream. It was amazing. I went back for more and felt absolutely no guilt. I went for even more (this time minus the beans) and still delicious.

I recently had my first lettuce wrap last week at the cheesecake factory and it was amazing, so I am so glad these were a success. I am hoping to do a greek variation-- tomatoe, red onion, feta, olives, cucumbers (this is the combo I had at the CF), but I have to say I had a lot of requests to make these again! Enjoy!!

Spelt Pasta with Veggies-- kids will love!

I am in love. Wih spelt pasta-- seriously a thousand times better than wheat pasta which I have always personally found a little too nutty for my taste. It is also lower in carbs which makes me very happy too! I made this last night and it was so delicious-- even the hubby ate it and he believes he is allergic to vegetables. The kids devoured it. And I was in pasta heaven. So, I had to share the resipe-- so simple, so easy, and very, very healthy! 1 box of spelt pasta 1 zucchini 2 small heads of broccoli or 1 large head choppes a handful of baby carrots or 2 carrots chopped half a pint of cherry tomatoes or one large tomatoe diced 4 tbs of olive oil 2 tbs of butter 2 cloves of garlic pinch of fresh chopped parsley for top freshly grated parmesean cheese In a large pot bring water to boil. While the water is boiling, add your carots and broccoli into the pasta water (chop them first). This saves pots, flavors your water, and makes things so much easier. In a saute pan, melt butter and add in olive oil. Add garlic for a few minutes. Toss in chopped zucchini. When pasta water is boiling, scoop out broccoli and carrots and add them in to the saute pan. Season with pepper generously-- peppered veggeies are amazing. Boil pasta.

When pasta is cooked, add it into the veggies and turn heat to low. I added a little more olive oil here (you could do coconut to make it even healthier, but I prefer the taste of olive oil with my pasta). Dump the whole lot into a bowl. Add diced tomatoes and parsley. Garnish individual plates with freshly grated parmesean cheese. Now, I want to give you a heads up, spelt pasta is much more then your average box of spaghetti-- even wheat, but when you figure how much it would spend for 5 people to eat out for pasta, its a steal and so much healthier then anything a local eatery might serve you. Same with the grated parmesean cheese-- fresh is so much better and its still cheaper then eating out and you can have as much as youd like without waiting for someone to come to your table and ration out your cheese. Okay, enjoy-- this was so good, so simple, and best of all really good for you-- it looks like youre having a salad with some pasta mixed in.

Life is Beautiful

Today III bought a new frame with that slogan "life is Beautiful". And it is. There will be tears of joy and hardships, but I really think till you've been through the valley can you fully appreciate the sunshine and just how good and amazing our God is. Yesterday my three year old pulled himself up onto my lap and said, " mommy eggs are adorable. I am adorable." he paused to let this sink in and then added, " make me some eggs because I am adorable....... And I want eggs." he is too funny. I actually had already begun to cook frozen pizza, but he was very understanding as Pizza must have some aesthetic qualities as well. With this baby my food whims have been really bland or boring or I just can't stand to look at it. The kids have had more sandwiches over these last few weeks and not complained a bit. And frozen pizza. And pasta. And that's all I feel like eating if I feel like eating. One night I even gave them cookies for dinner. The cookies had pumpkin in them and were served alongside trail mix, but still... Definitely not your standard dinner fare. And they have been so amazing and just keep eating the same small rotation of food over and over again. When I do feel good, I am making an effort to seek out time with my older two. My youngest is still at the age where he will seek me out for everything, but the older two are getting more Independant. My daughter and I snuggle in bed every night possible and read a book of her choosing. It's so special and I love her discussions about what's going on in the characters lives. My son and I have been walking in the mornings whenever possible and this too is a special time. We talk, whistle Christmas songs, discuss books, and just share. I'm thankful to have the time to do this with both of them as they are growing and flourishing in kid hood. So, life is beautiful. It is tough, long, tiresome, but there is so much beauty in the everyday and simple things. For instance my husband just came down from putting the kids to bed, rubbed my hair and said he loves me. So simple, yet such an unforgettable moment that makes the tough bearable and the hardships easier to count as joys.

Waiting to Move

We have been asked with baby number 4 coming if we will be moving of our tall little anorexic house quite a bit.... And the answer is yes, I hope, but not yet. First off, I don't relish a move while I am pregnant and in the middle of a school year. That just seems more then what I would choose to handle. If God moves us in that direction,then I'll trust that he will equip and enable us to do so. But on my own choosing, no thanks. Also, in our morning Bible time we read the story of how Saul didn't wait for Samuel to offer the sacrifice and went ahead and did it on his own. I felt like the Lord was telling me, please wait on me and trust me to orchestrate everything. And that's what I remind myself every day... god has asked me to wait and so wait we will. Its hard I feel like other then the above reasons why I am not ready to move, I am ready in every other possible way. Another factor is that my husbands position at work could be changing and we may need to relocate, so we are being patient and again, he is so close to his job right now, we need to just sit tight. So we are waiting and trusting and patiently working on our hearts to allow God to orchestrate everything. We are trusting Him that when He has made it clear it's time to move that our home will sell in a reasonable time frame and that He will pick a perfect location for our growing family. So, may I share what's in my next home list? 1. Another toilet. Seriously, one potty for five people can get a little crowded so yes, this is at the top of my list. I am trying to be very practical. 2. No oil heat.... We've been there, paid for that, and well, I would love a fireplace or two at the next place to help heat our home. And probably gas or electric. 3. A bigger living area.... We live in our house, I mean really live in it all the time since we homeschool, so a greater living area for us to spread out or rather have more room to create and grow and welcome others in to our home who also have big families would be awesome! 4. A nicer yard.... Not huge, but enough. I am trusting God in this area that He will be able to foresee our needs and help us know exactly what would work for us. 5. An extra bedroom or two... Really, I love our bedroom sizes right now. They're great, but a few extra rooms means we can explore foster or adoption options more since PA requires their own rooms. Again, trusting God to find us the right one. 6. If I could be a little chooses,not a development home. I want something a little more unique and um, cozier? I don't know, I just don't feel like they fit our personality. Okay, that's our dream list, well more like our prayer list. We are covering this home and the next in,prayer and just leaning on the Lord. Which, I might add is easier typed then applied, so we would appreciate you partnering in prayer with us! Thanks friends!

My Baby turned 3

I think I have been putting off talking about this for almost a month now because there just doesn't seem to be away that my baby is 3 already! He is such a sweetheart and fills our home with lots and lots of laughs! Here are the top 10 reasons why we love you sweetheart: 1. You are a walking toy storage unit-- what would you do without your trusty pockets to hold all your treasures? 2. You give the best peck kisses ever! 3. You love your big brother and sister so very much and play so well with both of them 4. You still dont mind snuggling with mommy during books and movies 5. You melt your daddys heart when he comes home and you say a big Hiiiiiiii Dadeeeeee!!! 5. You milk being the smallest for all its worth! I not big enough to clean up this mess mommy-- uh huh sure ;) 6. You love food. I dont think any more needs to be said on that topic ;) 7. You make us laugh so much with your wardrobe malfunctions whether your bursting out of your pajamas, loosing your pants, or insisting that undies go on backwards, its always a laugh! 8. You love to be sweet to others whether you pick a flower, give a hug, or share a toy 9. You still sneak in some nights to sleep with mommy and daddy and nuzzle your little nose into ours and fall back to sleep 10. Your love for getting bigger and doing big boy things... just slow down a little buddy those days will be here before you know it!

I also am including pictures of his favorite meal-- breakfast! That week we had some wheat muffins, berries, and homemade applesauce :) We have also been enjoying english muffins homemade and this week-- homemade bagels (and they look so much better then last time!). http://johndlee.hubpages.com/hub/Homemade_bagel_recipe_Make_great_nadrolled_water_bagels__its_as_easy_as_baking_a_loaf_of_bread