REAL FOOD for our KIDS

"pizza chicken pasta" (quinoa/brown rice pasta, homemade speghetti sauce, chicken, cheese and broccoli)

I can not stress to you the importance of feeding our children CLEAN, WHOLE foods. Feed them foods that grow on trees, rather than foods that are processed and genetically modified to look like the food that grow from trees. I have written about this topic before, but it has become such a key ingredient to Caleb's success, that I just want to write about it all over again.  

Caleb is now 18 months old. And a short year ago he was one of the hardest babies I've ever known. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure there was much more than just diet that impacted Caleb's extreme colick his first year... and to this day Caleb still has his sleepless nights on occasion, and his typical toddler tantrums... but I am convinced more than ever, that because of his clean eating, no added sugar in his diet... he is a changed kid. A toddler who is so inquisitive, curious, and can focus on small tasks. A toddler who is happy, comfortable and healthier than ever. I know, that in a few years, it's going to get much harder to control what my child eats... but for now... I can monitor and provide every little thing that goes into his mouth. What a blessing. Think about it... when our kids are completely dependent on us to meet their basic needs, why not do that to your BEST ability?! You are building the foundation here... the habits you start them out on, will likely be the habits they grow into and continue to carry out as they enter adolescence and adulthood. There is really no excuse for feeding your kids genetically modified, packaged, junk food. I know there are plenty of excuses out there... because I have given those excuses before...

first corn on the cob

Excuse #1: Time? "I don't have time to cook everyday". Well, I guarantee you have time to wash a few berries or slice an apple for snack.  I guarantee if you have time to make "boxed mac and cheese", you have time to make a pasta dish with whole grain pasta, chicken, vegetables and real cheese, or to throw some vegetables and chicken in a crockpot in the morning. I guarantee you can open a greek yogurt and add some berries for breakfast, in the same amount of time it takes to pour cereal (filled with food dyes, and little to no nutritional value) into a bowl. 

Excuse #2: Money? "I just can't afford to buy healthy foods". I can tell you one thing... it CAN get expensive to buy organic and healthy... but you CAN make it work. Adam and I are eating the healthiest we have ever eaten in our lives, and are currently probably living on the lowest income we've ever had to live off. For one, we eat out much less. We save money there, and rather spend it on organic chicken, beef and produce. Two, we don't buy all organic, we buy organic on the items we can, especially in produce where pesticides are prominent, or on organic items that are on sale. Three, when you eat fresh/clean foods... they usually don't last quite as long, so I may be shopping more frequently, but buying only what we actually consume. Wasting less money on foods that may just sit in the back of the cupboard, and go uneaten. And yes, sacrifice... spend less on things that don't matter, toys/clothes/movies/video games, and add that money to your "grocery budget". 

Excuse #3: Knowledge? This one I understand. Because I honestly am still learning about the importance of healthy eating. I still struggle with the fact that I feed my kid way healthier than what I actually eat. I'm working on it, because I now have the knowledge of the dangers in fast foods, packaged and processed foods, and excessive sugar. But most of America... they just don't know. So many foods, restaurants and stores advertise their foods as "natural", "safe", "nutritious", when in all reality, they contain disease causing agents that produce huge health problems... food intolerances, ADHD, focus problems, developmental delays, and cancer. So read up! Become knowledgeable... and learn to cook :) It's time to start somewhere. Your child deserves it. Set them up for success. 

Especially as a toddler, they don't know any better. They don't know the difference from a mcdonalds chicken nugget vs a homecooked chicken dinner. Feed them food that will nourish them, feed them food that will boost their immune system and brain function.  Feed them foods that will sustain them and give them energy throughout the day. 

homemade banana ice cream (aka pureed frozen banana)

Caleb is 18 months old, has never eaten fast food, and just this past weekend ate food from his first restaurant. (scrambled eggs and fresh fruit from Perkins... and yes it still bothered me he ate restaurant food, but that's totally just my control issue.). ;) It can be done. And I'm not saying you can't eat out or have packaged foods on occasion. We still probably eat out 4-5 times a month, we just try and choose healthier options, and I prepare food for Caleb to eat while we are out. I know I won't always be able to do this, and that there will be the day that Caleb will want to eat french fries and a burger like his friends... but for now, he doesn't care and he's a fabulous eater. He doesn't need candy, cake, fruit snacks, crackers, and ice cream. He is completely satisfied with fresh fruit, veggies, and toast :) 

I'm not writing this article to tell anyone how to parent... just to inform about the important role food really does play in your child's temperament, behavior and development... and how EASY it is to provide those whole, clean foods each and every day. It may be a huge change to your lifestyle, because it is for us...but its definitely a change worth making. :) I challenge you to start today! Read up on an easy dinner recipe and have a home-cooked family meal tonight! It's "pickle chicken", homemade sweet potato fries, and corn on the cob for us tonight! 

Southwest chicken and quinoa casserole

PICKLE chicken! seriously... its good! and easy!

Pickle Chicken-crockpot style!

Mixed up a few recipes and concocted this amazingly tender, juicy, flavorful chicken! yummy! Definitely worth trying.

ingredients:
-1 lb chicken breast
-1 c. greek yogurt-plain
-1-2 garlic cloves
-1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- pickle juice! (to taste... i added about a 1/3 of a cup)
-sea salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 c parmesan cheese

directions:
plop it all in the crockpot on low all day. add cheese for the last 15-20 mins. SO EASY, and SO GOOD! It was moist and just kind of fell apart, you could also shred it.

I served this chicken with a side of parmesan cheese quinoa (2 cup water, 1 cup dried quinoa, 1 tsp butter... bring to a boil, then simmer 15 mins. Add in some parmesan cheese).

ENJOY!

a Breakfast COOKIE?!?!

A flavorful, crunchy...yet soft breakfast treat, you won't feel bad about eating. 

Waking up to rain this morning, the first thing that popped into my mind was that I wanted to try and bake something new today! :) So I popped online searching for a healthier baked good option to try. Knowing I wanted to stay away from too much gluten, dairy and sugar.  I also have limited ingredients in the house and don't currently have a car during the day to go to the store. So I did a quick check through the kitchen, and my cheerios caught my eye. So I looked up a few things then concocted this homemade breakfast bar...aka COOKIE!

~Ingredients:~

*2 eggs, beaten

*1/2 c. raw honey

*1/2 c. butter (I actually reduced it to 6 TBS and added 2 TBS raw milk)

*2 TBS natural applesauce

*1/2 c. raisins

*1 c. grated carrots

*1 c. chopped almonds (I used peanuts due to adam's allergy)

*1/2 c. chopped apples/apricot

*1 c. all purpose flour (I used GF)

*1 c. rolled oats (I also used GF)

*1 tsp. cinnamin

*1 tsp brown sugar

*1 tsp nutmeg (optional... i didnt have)

*1 1/2 cups cheerios (YAY who doesn't love a little cheerio treat)

~Directions:~

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate carrots, and chop apples/apricot and nuts and set aside.

Combine egg, honey and butter

Then add the grated carrots, peanuts, apples, and raisins. Stir to combine

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg.

Add to the wet mixture and stir until all mixed and wet.

Fold in the cheerios, then drop them onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-15 mins (until firm).

Cool, and enjoy!

I haven't tried it yet, but i'm going to also freeze half the cookies, so you can just grab one in a pinch for breakfast or a snack :)

ok ok, if you look closely I MAY have added a couple choc chips to 1/2 the cookies.
A girl needs her chocolate! ;)

LOVE that hurts.

Love that hurts. 

I seriously look at this kid we've created, and my heart literally hurts and is bursting with love. It's so darn corny, but it's a love I've never quite experienced before. It's a feeling of responsibility, wrapped up with pure joy.  It hurts, because you know that someday this pure innocent little man is going to face life's real problems, and it hurts because you know that someday you will have to let go and trust him to make the right decisions, it hurts because this world has so many messed up crazy things going on that you can not control. But the joy... that genuine joy, is what makes that hurt, feel so good. The joy you feel when you look into those big innocent eyes, the joy you feel when your baby learns how to put that puzzle piece in for the first time, or the joy you feel when you watch your toddler build a personality, do things to make someone ELSE laugh, and learn to communicate with you. I can't tell you how proud I was the first time Caleb signed "i love you" and was able to communicate what that little heart of his was feeling. It was the corny... bursting love kind of feeling, that feeling of love that literally hurts. 

Caleb is growing up, and more and more I am left having to make decisions that impact his life in a huge way. Let that sink in, the decisions we make impact our children greatly. If I wake up crabby, yell or treat others poorly, guess what... those baby eyes are watching me, and soon he will copy those behaviors. For instance, our sweet dog Milly... well she's kind of a spaz. We often yell at her to stop barking, use a harsh voice to tell her to shut the heck up when she is barking at the car that's driving by. Well now our little toddler, although its pretty darn cute, walks around, waving his hand, furrowed brows yelling "sta! sta!" telling her to stop barking. We think its cute now, but in a way it does make me think... I am yelling at her, I am teaching him that I don't like her barking so I'm going to handle it by yelling... rather than walking up to her, and helping her calm down and showing caleb the correct way to handle this situation. So instead of waking up crabby on rainy days, or nights you don't get a full night sleep... my sweet husband once told me...make that conscious decision that today you will wake up happy, because you have a life full of blessings and people to love. As women, our moods are often based on our emotions... so if I wake up tired and crabby, that is how my morning will be. But what Adam said made sense, make the conscious decision when you wake up, to make your day great. You control your emotions, which effect those around you, especially our kids.

Now is a time to TEACH. Children are watching. So, NOW is the time to live like Jesus did. Love others, and really put others before yourself. Get down to your baby's level and communicate, interact, and play. And when you are interacting with others, your spouse perhaps... interact with encouragement, love and respect. Because that is where your child will primarily learn how to treat others. If you want your little boy to grow up to be a gentleman, someone who respects and treat others with dignity and grace... then be that person yourself, each and everyday. It's hard, and sure easy to just say... but if you are reading this, then take time today to start. Encourage someone around you. Take time to hug your spouse when you get home and ask how his/her day was. Compliment the cashier at Target or hold the door open for the family walking in the grocery store. It doesn't take much to put a smile on someones face. And because we have a generation to impact... let's impact it for the greater. Let's love so much that it hurts. :)

Blueberry Banana MUFFINS! :)

yum!

I've been looking for a "treat" for Caleb that didn't contain a bunch of preservatives and excess sugar, and soy free of course. When I came across a whole wheat blueberry banana muffin recipe I thought I'd try modifying it to be gluten free. So this recipe can be easily made with whole wheat flour for those of you who don't need to bake gluten free. I used rice flour, and all purpose gluten free flour in it's place.
TRY THESE! :)

Ingredients:

*1 1/2 cups of rice flour

*1/2 cup of all purpose gluten free flour

*1 1/2 tsp baking powder

*1 tsp baking soda

*2 ripened bananas, mashed

*1/2 cup brown sugar

*1/4 cup buttermilk

*1 cup whole milk

*1 egg, lightly beaten

*1/4 cup olive oil

*1 cup frozen blueberries

*1 Tbsp stevia (or you could use organic white sugar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini muffin tins.  In a large bowl mix up the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar.  Make a hole by pushing the mixture around to the sides, and add the bananas, buttermilk, milk, egg and olive oil in the center. Fold together, just until combined, being careful of not over mixing. Gently mix in the blueberries with a few stirs. Drop mixture into muffin tins.  Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with some stevia (or sugar). Plop in the oven for 20-25 mins, until golden brown and risen. Let cool, then ENJOY! DELICIOUS! Finally a gluten free baking recipe I didn't ruin. :) 

You can also FREEZE these little treats, and thaw on the counter when you want to eat them. :)

Yield: 24 mini muffins

Clean, allergen free, BROCCOLI SOUP!

Broccoli Soup

Adam is currently following a dairy and sugar free diet, for the month.  On top of his already gluten free, and Caleb's soy free diet, my recipes have gotten a bit more challenging the past few weeks. It has finally warmed up here in MN, but when I made this soup it was snowing out, just a few days ago. :) I was looking for a good comfort, warm the soul, kind of soup and came across a recipe similar to this. I again, made a few modifications and wahlah! A creamy, CLEAN eating, Broccoli and cauliflower based soup. I have to admit, its no creamy cheesy broccoli soup like I used to eat constantly at Panera Bread, but its a good healthy substitute. :)

Ingredients:

1 head of Cauliflower-cut in florets

1 head of Broccoli (or bag of frozen)-cut in florets

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

1 small onion-diced

2-3 tsp of minced garlic

1 can of great northern white beans (any white bean works)

2.5 cups of chicken broth (homemade=best)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

(optional) parmesan cheese, grated 

Directions:

Place cauliflower florets in a large pot and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, then steam an additional 10 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and cook another 3-5 mins until soft. Drain the veggies and set them aside in a separate bowl.  Return pot to the stove and melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, add garlic and cook an additional few minutes. Add broth, beans, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add broccoli and cauliflower. Use food processor or blender to puree into creamy soup. Season with salt and pepper, and top with cheese if desired.  

ENJOY!

THE Most DELICIOUS Grilled Cheese

Roasted Cauliflower, Onion Grilled Cheese

I was watching the Today show one morning and they had a professional chef fancying up normal day to day recipes... I was busy playing with the kiddos, so I didn't catch the recipe, I just heard her say "You've got to try this roasted cauliflower grilled cheese", and I thought... brilliant! I must try this!
So here's what I put together, which turned out to be the most flavorful grilled cheese I've ever had!

Ingredients:

1/2 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into small florets

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp dried rosemary 

dash of garlic powder

1/2 small onion, diced

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

sliced mozzarella/white cheddar cheese

shredded mozzarella & parmasean cheese

olive oil

bread (any kind)

spinach leaves

Directions:
~First you need to roast your cauliflower. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash and cut your cauliflower and cover with coconut oil, rosemary and garlic powder in a small bowl.  Layer on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pop in the over for 20 mins.
~While the cauliflower is roasting, saute your onions in melted butter. Once they are caramelized, add the balsamic vinegar and saute a bit longer. Once the cauliflower was done, I added it to the pan and sauteed a few more minutes with the onion to give it more flavor, adding a dash more garlic powder.
~Now, the art of grilling your sandwich! Butter each side of your bread... (with my high needs family, I actually had to use 3 different types of bread! Gluten free for Adam, Ezekiel for Caleb (no soy), and Wheat bread for me.) Add some olive oil on a heated pan (medium/low heat)... throw on your bread and build! Add sliced cheese, layer on cauliflower and onions, sprinkle with shredded cheese, add a few leaves of spinach and top with your second piece of bread and grill!
ENJOY! Simply delightful, and fancy :)

Caleb's first bite... he gobbled it right up!

NOTE: We made these again tonight, and this time added organic, nitrate(ite) free bacon... AMAZING! :)