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Deliciousness = Full and Happy Bellies

In my last post I mentioned it was my mom’s birthday. Well, being the health coach that I am, I had to make sure we ate healthy on her special day, so I cooked up an organic brunch complete with Barefoot Coffee. Now, you know healthy doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious. Because it was. And we all agreed that I should write a post about it.

Now, I’m tooting my own horn here because I really knocked it out of the park this time, you guys.

And just for letting me toot the horn, I’m sharing these two insanely good recipes with you.

Super simple. Super delicious. Super healthy.

The first was an egg casserole, loaded with veggies. The second was a baked french toast that was dairy-free and had only low-glycemic coconut sugar. Both recipes are completely organic, with the exception of the salt, as salt is not organic. Instead of topping the french toast with syrup, we had fresh fruit, and it was the perfect compliment.

As usual, there were no GMOs here and everything was prepared with safe cookware. See my post on what I like to use to avoid BPA and chemicals from non-stick cookware.

I really should have a picture of this feast, but there was no time for pictures. I couldn’t wait to dive in. Forgive me.

And without further ado…

EGG CASSEROLE
Ingredients:
8 eggs (I used 4 whole, 4 whites)
1 1/2 bags of spinach
1 box of mushrooms
1 tbsp of ghee
1 tsp of turmeric
Seasoning: pink salt and/or pepper and/or Italian Seasoning to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Chop up mushrooms and any other veggies you love.
Tip #1: always let veggies sit for 5 minutes after cutting and before cooking to let the freshly broken enzymes do their thing.

3. Scramble eggs in a bowl with turmeric, a pinch of salt, and seasoning (I used a bit of Italian Seasoning). Use whatever combination of whole eggs/egg whites you prefer.

4. Heat the ghee in a pan.

5. Sautee mushrooms in ghee with a splash or two of water – you want just enough for a juice so they don’t stick and burn, but not too much that it’s really saucy. Once cooked (give it about 4 minutes), add spinach. and cook until wilted, not longer.

6. Line a 9×9 casserole dish (stoneware or glass) with unbleached parchment paper and spread the mushroom/spinach mixture evenly along the bottom. Pour the egg mix over the veggies.

7. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes (until egg sets).

8. Tip #2: always sprinkle pepper (any kind will do) on your eggs to break down the glairy mucus from the whites.

Enjoy!

RIDICULOUS BAKED FRENCH TOAST

Yup. Ridiculous.

Ingredients:
1 lb of organic whole wheat bread (I used 1 1/2 loaves of Petit Pain Pascal from Trader Joe’s – it’s in their day bread section and it’s fantastic)
1/2 cup of ghee, melted
4 large eggs
3/4 cup almond milk
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (non-alcohol) + 1/4 tsp of ground vanilla
1.5 tablespoon cinnamon (use 1 1/4 in the mixture, 1/4 sprinkled on top)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pink salt
Fixins on the side: 1/2 cup each of blueberries and banana slices

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Line an 11×15 inch pan with unbleached parchment paper. Melt the ghee on the stove on low and allow it to cool so you don’t curdle the milk or cook the eggs.

3. Cut the bread into 1 inch pieces and place on the parchment paper, making sure it all fits along the bottom without too much stacking.

4. Mix ghee, eggs, almond milk, coconut sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pour over the bread. Make sure to wet every piece gets wet. Pour a little extra milk if necessary (you may even need to make additional batter if there’s not enough for sufficient soakage), sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon on top. Put a few pieces of unmelted ghee across the top. Cover with foil and let soak for 4 hours in the refrigerator.

5. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. It will brown but don’t overbake because you want it moist. Some pieces should be a little toasted but there will still be some liquid in the center.

5. Serve yourself a big honkin’ piece and top with blueberries and banana, or any other fruit you like. This does not need syrup or additional sugar.

6. Tip #3: go back for seconds because sometimes we just need to enjoy ourselves.

You’re welcome. 🙂

4 Comments

Filed under BPA, Fruit, GMO-free, Health, Low-glycemic, One Pot Dish, Organic, Recipe, Tips and Tricks, Vegetables

Holy Smokes! (Aka Endings and Beginnings)

Well, I didn’t know what to name this blogpost so I gave it two names.

I know. I’m wild and crazy like that.

It’s been a big few weeks for me and although I’ve missed you all and I KNOW you’ve all missed me just as much ( 🙂 it’s been far too long since we’ve had a post from me…my apologies) I’ve had my plate very, VERY full.

I feel a little like a machine that was out of order due to maintenance. But now I am rebooted and ready to roll!

It’s been an exciting time full of both beginnings and endings.

I should tell you that I don’t do well with endings. I used to cry on New Year’s Eve. Seriously.

Luckily, these days, the beginnings have helped me through the endings. But it’s been bittersweet. When it comes to chocolate, bittersweet is great. In life, maybe a little less so.

Now that I’ve spoken in generalities, I’ll get a little more specific. Last week I bid farewell to a place I called home for several years. It was my first real home as a “grown up” and it was a beautiful, warm, and cozy home. I now live in a much different home, beautiful in all different ways, in a neighborhood that is much more peaceful, or as the hubby calls it, “Paradisical.” Love that. Love him.

Here’s a picture of “Paradisical” because blogposts need pictures to be fun.

2013-02-28_15-47-46_629

So what this all means for you is that as I settle into my new surroundings, I will be posting more.

Exciting, right? I know!

Now I want to take a moment and give a shout out to The Institute for Integrative Nutrition for what they are doing to change the world and all the many ways in which they facilitate an incredible experience for their students. Becoming a Certified Health Coach is one of the greatest things I’ve ever done and IIN completely changed my life, helping me get to where I needed to be on so many levels.

If you’d like to get on board with changing the world or changing your world, let’s chat. I will be rolling out some programs this year so that you, too, can get to where you need to be. It can be as simple as learning how to easily prepare healthy meals for your family or as complex as radically changing your diet for pregnancy.

It’s about where you want to be. And I can help you get there.

And on a final note, I want to wish a very happy birthday to my amazing mom. She’s incredible, folks, and today is her day. She deserves all the love and pampering that birthdays bring…and then some. Happy Birthday, TM! I love you so much!

Have a fantastic weekend, all! I’ll see you next week…

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Filed under Friday Fun, Health

My Ten Truths of 2012

As I look back on 2012, I can’t help but appreciate all I’ve experienced and all I’ve learned.

It was an interesting year for me, to say the least. Action-packed and educational.

I wanted to share with you what crystallized for me in the last 12 months:

1. Listen to my body
Earlier in the year, I wrote about craving cauliflower. As my tastes are always changing, that ship sailed and now I’m into green beans for the first time in my life.

Let your body tell you about different foods. Don’t force something that doesn’t appeal. And while you may not like something now, be open to the possibility that one day you might.

2. My sweet potatoes kill
They really do. I make the best damn sweet potatoes.

Here’s how:
-Wash the sweet potato
-Stab all over with a knife
-Wrap tightly in unbleached parchment paper
-Bake on the rack at 350 for about an hour to 1:20 (until it’s really squishy to the touch)

You won’t need to add sugar, butter, or anything. It’s that sweet. And that delicious.

3. Slow down
Sometimes I just have to slow down. I can’t do it all. Nor should I try. Nor should you.

4. I fell in love with my kitchen
Fall in love with yours. Cooking at home is the healthiest way to live.

5. Embrace imperfections
I’m still working on this one, but I’m getting better. I’m finding the beauty in the flaws…most of the time.

6. Diet can change everything
I used to be the sleepiest person. Now that I live my life free of the white stuff (white carbs, white sugar, etc.), I have tons of energy. Sometimes, too much (See #3). If something isn’t quite right with you, look at your diet first.

7. Simplify
I discovered that I’m happier when I simplify things in my life. I will continue to do so. Look to see where in your life you can reduce.

My new favorite product is NuttZo Seven Nut and Seed ButterWith chocolate. So I’m getting my chocolate fix with a protein snack all in one. One spoonful packs a punch. Yum, yum, and…organic, of course. 😉

8. Baby Steps
Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? Some of the greatest accomplishments take time…lots of time. Stick with it.

9. Life takes unexpected turns
I’ve been very surprised by my life in 2012. It took some turns that were unexpected, exciting, scary, challenging, and fulfilling. I’ve grown a lot and grown some gray hairs to prove it. 2012 was further proof that when (wo)man plans, god laughs.

Which god? Doesn’t matter. Have your own kind of faith and let it guide you.

10.  I’m a blogger
That’s right. 2012 made me a blogger. And I’m loving it. Here’s a big thank you to all of you for your support and interest. I have some great topics lined up for 2013, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, what have you learned this year?

Happy New Year!

12 Comments

Filed under Baby Steps, Health

Address The Mess

Wow, I feel like it’s been ages since we’ve had a blogpost here. I’ve missed you!

I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend. And I hope your Memorial Day was chock full of memorable events that left you feeling happy, recharged, relaxed, and reconnected to the people and things that you love most.

I happened to do quite a bit of cleaning this past weekend. In fact, every kind of cleaning up. From laundry, to house, to diet, to dog grooming, to relationships…suffice it to say, it was a weekend for tending to some messes.

While it feels good to get some things in order, there is always more work to be done. So with that, I want to share with you my favorite ways to address the mess.

1. For the Spirit
Meditation is my answer to tidying up the internal stuff. Take some time to get centered. We’ll revisit meditation again in another post. But for now, I recommend starting by downloading the Relax and Rest app for $.99.

2. For the Body
My favorite soap hands down is Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap. Smells amazing. Feels tingly. Fair trade. Organic. Only $9.99 at Trader Joe’s for a big ol’ bottle. Awesome.

3. For the Face
I love, love, love Be Natural Organics Rose Hip Seed Facial Cleanser. It works so well. It gets makeup off. It gets the face clean. And it only has a few ingredients, none of which are harmful to you. Yay.

4. For the House
The husband, while wonderful in so many, many ways, hates the smell of vinegar. I have to be very careful about how I use it. But when I do get away with it, it is a wonderful cleaning product. Click here to get recipes for all different surfaces and needs. Works great to clean and disinfect while being safe.

5. For the Diet
Get back on track. For me, that meant getting more protein this weekend. If it means eating less sugar or drinking more water, do it. If it means getting more fiber or less protein, do it. Listen to your body. It tells you what it needs.

6. For Relationships
Communicate. Listen. Love. Respect.
Be patient. Be grateful. Be understanding.
Be able to admit when you are wrong.

7. For Your Heart
Take a moment to get out of your routine. It only has to be a minute or two of your time, but it should be a minute that makes you happy.
Kiss your dog (she did just get groomed, after all!)
Pump up the jams and bust a move
Make someone laugh
Do a quick flip through that magazine you haven’t gotten to read yet

So there you have it. Keep your house tidy. And by house, I mean your life.

Here’s what I heard over the weekend:
“To solve any problem, you must always begin with yourself. Be open to changing and learning. Be grateful for your life – for your illness, for your conflicts and your resolutions, for everything. Be grateful for the light days and the dark days. They teach you who you are.”

Question of the Day:
What was memorable for you this past weekend?

3 Comments

Filed under Meditation, Products, Sugar, Tips and Tricks, Water

Friday Fun, vol. 2 – Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day weekend is upon us, so let’s take a moment here to honor all of the wonderful women who have gone above and beyond each and every day, working tirelessly to protect their young. It’s not an easy job, Ladies! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! And that includes you, Mom. I love you – you’re amazing! Now, let’s enjoy some mama pics…

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Filed under Friday Fun