Slow Cooker Apple Butter

I searched and searched for an apple butter recipe 

that didn't require 6lbs of apples. I just couldn't find one. 

So I took from Oh She Glows recipe and modified if for us 

 2 lbs fuji apple and 2 Pink Lady's cut in eighths and cored 

(leave the skin on)

Place in the slow cooker on HI for 2 hours, stir a few time otherwise they will stick to the bottom and sides. You could always add a little water or apple juice to the slow-cooker to minimize sticking

After 2 hours your apples should be super soft 

and easy to mash with a potato masher. 

Once thoroughly mashed puree in a blender. I don't have a super high powered blender so I did it in batches. If you have a Vitamix you can do this all at once. Return to slow-cooker

Add your spices, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 

2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground allspice

Stir spices in very well and cook another 45 min uncovered on HI to thicken

Store in an air tight container. 

I had this old Classico Spaghetti jar on hand. 

I know this isn't going to last long

Elliot ate 1/2c immediately and I had several spoonfuls!

This will a make a great hostess gift, or Christmas gift. 

Going to try my hand at canning them to make them last longer.

I'll let you know how it goes!

This recipe will be easy to double or triple, 

just make sure you double and triple the time and spices

Whole30 Week 1: Jan2-Jan6

I've completed my first week of my Whole30.

 It wasn't a complete week since I started on January 2nd and not the 1st. 

Here is my meal plan and a few pictures from each day my favorite meals. 

Links to recipes are forth coming!

Egg muffins and grapes

Day 1: Jan 2
B: 3 Egg muffins, grapes
L: Salad with boiled eggs, avocado and orange bell pepper
S: Almonds
D: Chipotle Bowl with Chicken, fresh salsa guacamole and lettuce

Spaghetti squash with sauce,
 roasted asparagus and grapes

Day 2: Jan 3
B: 2 Egg muffins, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 Granny Smith apple
S: Raw almond butter and 1/2 Granny Smith apple
L: Salad, with 1/2 avocado, 3 slices of turkey, and orange bell pepper
D: Spaghetti squash with meat maranara, roasted asparagus and grapes
S: Fuji Apple

Salad with turkey, orange bell pepper
and avocado

Day 3: Jan 4
B: 2 Egg Muffin 1/2 avocado 1/2 c blackberries
S: Raw almonds and pink lady apple
L: Salad with Turkey, avocado, and orange bell pepper
D: Spaghetti squash with meat sauce

Egg muffins, grapes and 1/2 avocado

Day 4: Jan 5
B 2 egg muffins, 1/2 avocado and  1/2 c grapes
S: Unsweetened apple sauce and raw almonds
L:
Dinner: Salad with Chicken, avocado, bell pepper

Chipotle Bowl, chicken, salsa, guacamole
and lots of lettuce

Day 5: Jan 6
B: 2 Egg muffins
S: Pink Lady Apple and raw almonds
L: Chipotle Bowl, chicken, salsa, guacamole and lettuce
D: Chicken thigh leftover asparagus
S: Avocado

Grilled Chicken, Green Beans & Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Chicken, Green Beans & Sweet Potatoes

This was a last minute throw together meal. My husband decided day of that he wanted to grill the chicken that I had ready for another meal. But hey he wanted to cook! So here is the yumminess!

Boneless skinless, chicken thighs
{Sweet paprika, Sea salt, Garlic powder and Black pepper}
Sweet potatoes pealed and cut into thick strips
Fresh green beans
Butter {for paleo use coconut oil}
Season both sides of the chicken with the above seasonings

Place the veggies in the center of a large square with dabs of butter of foil and fold the edges to make a pocket

Grill on med/high heat {honestly I don't know how long my hubs grilled for I'll ask and update!)

Fabulous Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are wonderful and grain free, sugar-free, and dairy free. When I decided I was going to start eating a Paleo diet, I was knew I would have to find some bread/muffin/pancake alternatives for me and the family. So I was super excited when I came upon Clean Eats in the Zoo. She feeds herself and 5 kids a 85-90% Paleo diet while her husband is on a strict 100% Paleo diet because of Celiac Disease.

So rather than copy word for word what her recipe is just hop over there
Blueberry Muffins to Die For

Enjoy!

Paleo Quiche

Now that I am going Paleo I have to change how I eat. You don't realize how much you eat something {say pasta} until you can't. So I have pursuing blogs and websites for recipes. This quiche is something I came up with on my own. Enjoy!

Veggie Sausage Quiche

6 whole eggs

2 egg whites

1/2 lb. cooked sausage{what used isn't the best, but it was in my freezer so no waste!}

10 asparagus spears

1/3 red bell pepper chopped

1/3 orange bell pepper, chopped

1/2 c mushrooms, chopped

{any vegetable will work}

coconut oil

1. Saute mushroom and bell pepper in coconut oils

2. I broiled my asparagus in olive oil and salt and pepper for about 5 min, then chop

{you can easily saute it as well just be sure and chop it up first}

3. Beat eggs and egg whites in a large bowl.

4. combine vegetables and sausage into eggs

5. Pour into a coconut coated pie pan

6. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until set

This was a hit for the whole family! Including the boys, success!!! 

Going Paleo

I have for a while been trying to loose weight. Now I can't full blame any of diets because I haven't followed them to the letter. But I have been doing some searching and keep hearing about the Paleo diet. At first I said
 NO WAY I am not giving up grains and dairy.
I can give up sugar and legumes no problem. But I love my cheese and bread. So after reading about my friends' testimony about following Whole30 program. I was inspired by her changes, but did nothing. However last week I checked out The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat
from the library and was intrigued. 

Now to fully believe in the Paleo lifestyle mean believing in evolution as the site the 'cave men' who lived 10,000 years ago and hunted and gathered. This I don't believe, I believe things started with creation as stated in Genesis 1. But the theory applies still, people still hunted for meat, had no sugar, the grains they ate were obviously not GMO. 

So I am going Paleo, which means I eat ONLY real foods - 

• meat-pasture raised, grass-fed, free-ranged
• seafood - wild caught
• eggs - omega3 enriched
• tons of vegetable - organic if possible
• some fruits- organic if possible
• plenty of good fats from fruit, nuts oils and seeds- raw nuts, extra virgin oils

This also means I DO NOT eat - 

• no grains of any kind 
• no sugar real or artificial {some folks make a honey exception}
• no legumes 
• no alcohol 
• no dairy
• no white potatoes

Sound crazy, well maybe I am a bit, but what could it hurt?

The possibility of being healthier, losing some weight and have more energy 

Why not!

What do you think about Paleo?

A journey in healthy eating

Are you on a food and health journey? After watching this video (it's long)...

I started thinking about what I am doing to protect my family from what the government has allowed into our food supply.

I was on my friend Beth’s blog and it reminded me of the many changes my family has already made toward being more natural, holistic and chemical-free

Changes we have made:

• Started using natural cleaning products
• Using natural toothpaste and mouthwash
• Buying natural, hormone-free, cage-free, antibiotic-free dairy/meat; organic when possible,
• Cut out most refined sugar
• Eating the dirty dozen produce organic
• Drinking Kefir
• Consuming organic oat (regularly grown oats are heavily sprayed) 

Changes I want to make:

• Cloth diapering at home with the next child(ren)
• Switch to all natural/chemical free shampoos, conditioners, lotions, cleaning and laundry product
• Using Coconut oil for things
• Juicing vegetables
• Buy my grass-fed beef and free-range chicken/eggs from a local farmer
• Read and educate myself on holistic and natural living.

My MIL has been seeing a Maximized Living chiropractor in the Dallas area with a 'eating food the way God intended' approach. It is very much in keeping with holistic and natural living. He teaches you the why about what is wrong with food today, and how to make the changes. A couple of recourses that he recommend are: 

healthychild.org

The cosmetic database~ it rates product based on the level of toxicity 

On of my favorite people on the topic of real food is Tosca Reno. Tosca popularized Clean Eating which my family has adapted for the most part. Eating clean has so many benefits, that the though of tweaking it even more make me a little giddy. 

So I am recommitting myself and my family in the journey to healthy eating. What are you doing?

Tasty Tuesday

I am really obsessed with baking right now. Since my midwife has me on a

 modified bed rest schedule and so many friends are bringing us meals I have time to bake! 

So I have been enjoying that. Yesterday I made these. 

Zucchini Pineapple Muffins

1 c. oil (to cut the fat you could do half and half unsweetened applesauce)

3 eggs

3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c honey

2 tsp vanilla 

2 c. shredded Zucchini

1c. well drained, crushed pineapple

3 c Whole Wheat Pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp  baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1 c. chopped walnuts

1c. raisins

Preheat oven to 350

Beat eggs, add oil, honey and sugar,

 Add pineapple, zucchini and dry ingredients

Mix until dry ingredients are moist

Stir in walnuts and raisins

Spoon 1/4 c batter in to greased muffin tin 

Bake 12-15 minutes

or if you want a loaf this will make 2

pour into greased  loaf pans 

Bake 40-50 minutes 

Until toothpick inserted come out dry. 

In addition: 

I added a 1/4 c each ground flax, and wheat germ for added fiber

I also used just all spice 3tsp because I didn't have all the other spices!

They are super yummy and you could add all kinds of things to them.

Meeting Tosca

So Tuesday afternoon I met The Eat Clean Diet, author/spokesperson/living proof Tosca Reno. She was awesome to hear. She looks better in person than in her books or magazine. She told her story of being an over 200lb housewife addicted to food and sugar, turned 70lbs lighter addicted to eating clean and exercising. I have to say that the proof was in the pudding,  her hair and skin did look amazing (you know how the shampoo commercials/ads have that 'shinny' hair, well her's was real!

She talked about her new book, 
Your Best Body Now, Look and Feel Fabulous at Any Age the Eat-Clean Way


She also just talked about the basics of the Eat-Clean lifestyle
here are some tidbits I gleaned from the talk:
Eat more to loose weight
Eat a complete breakfast of complex carbs and protein
An egg white is a complete protein
Stop eating at 7pm
Good food=Good health
Eating Clean takes commitment
The gym isn't a punishment!
It takes 3 weeks to see definition if your portions are correct and you weight train more than cardio
Instead of soaking in a bubble bath, soak in Epsom salt, great for your skin


These are just a few of the great things she had to say. It was so awesome to meet her. I hope she come to Dallas again, it would make a great before and after photo!
Happy Clean Eating!

Tasty Tuesday

A yummy all time favorite but much healthier! This salad has 3 ingrediants, my kind of meal and is super tasty.

Chicken Salad

1 lb of chicken, 

boiled and chopped

1 cup of grapes

halved

1 6 ounce container of

Plain nonfat 

yogurt

(optional)

McCormick

Salad Supreme 

seasoning to taste

Toss together and 

ENJOY!!

I made this yesterday for lunch and loved it.

It's a clean meal I found from the 

December 2009 issue of 

Oxygen

Tasty Tuesday

Today's Tasty Tuesday come from Cleaneatingonline.com. Before I got pregnant with child #2 I was very focused on eating clean. I helped in so many ways, but energy was the  biggest pay off. So I'm thinking with 2 boys under 1 come Jan 6 I am going to need all the energy I can muster! So I am slowly getting myself back into eating clean. 

Which is why I'm sharing this with you. What do you cook that is Clean?

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

1 c. dry old fashioned oatmeal flakes

1 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c. skim milk

2 egg whites, beaten

2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. canola oil

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tin by lining with paper baking cups or cooking spray.

Combine oatmeal, applesauce, milk, eggs, flaxseed and oil in medium bowl. In another bowl combine all dry ingredients including fruit. Make a well in center of the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into it. Stir until all ingredients are just combined. 

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15 - 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Nutritional information per muffin: Calories: 120; Protein: 3 g., Sugar: 3 g., Fat: 3 g., Carbs: 20 g.

For more information on clean eating visit

Become a fan on Facebook.com 

Toscareno.com

eatcleandiet.com

Or read any of Tosca's books

Motivation

So as I have stated, I want to have a new body. My ultimate goal is to be lean, tone, and healthy. However, being a new mom and trying to make healthy changes isn't a walk in the park. Two word Sleep Deprivation. OK well maybe not total sleep deprivation, but not getting your normal night of continual sleep makes it hard to stick to things. For instance, eating clean and exercising require time. However when your baby is fussing and you are tired it is SOOO easy to do what is easy. Like for breakfast cereal, or nothing at all for that matter (yes I know as a breastfeeding mom I need to eat my breakfast!) is easier than making steal cut oatmeal (which take 30 mins!) or eggs. This is just one way that it is easy for me to do what is easy. But I know that I will never have the lean, tone healthy body and life I want if I don't make the time. So I make a point to go to my closet and look a particular brick red button front knee length dress, and say " If I want to fit in you and look fabulous I must make the time!" I have made this dress my motivation, that and reading the amazing success stories from the Oxygen magazine. So what is your motivation for being healthy?

New Body

So I am ready to get back to pre-baby, pre-marriage, pre-college weight! If you type in "weight loss" in Google, OMG what you will find. Promises of 15 lbs in 15 hrs and other crazy things like that. As much as I would LOVE to loose weight that fast I know it is at all healthy. I have been looking into a lifestyle change not a quick fix. So I was super excited about the Eating Clean Diet. Writer and figure competitor Tosca Reno has some really good books on eating clean. I love what I have read. I know that it will make me healthier and fit. Which is the most important thing. So here it to my new body.

I promise to be kind to the current one, no negative thinking, or criticism. I promise to feed my body healthy wholesome fresh food. I promise to move my body in exercise. And I promise to have a positive and happy outlook no matter how fast or slow the weight come off! OK!