Happy New Year!

Do good.

Feeding the Munchkins Right

As a mom, and substitute teacher, I am always exposed to the concerns (or lack thereof) of parents regarding their children's diet.
Are they getting enough of this? Are they eating too much of that? Why won't they eat a big hearty breakfast before school?

I have always been a firm believer in eating and feeding organic, non-GMO, local and no food color foods to the best of my ability. I have always been proud of my children's willingness to try anything, and they eat very well. They used to eat great breakfasts. Before school started.

When we get ready for school at 7a.m. the kiddos are simply not hungry yet. Pair that with a long school day, and you can have a disaster on your hands. I have pleaded with them to eat eggs, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese for breakfast to get them that super important boost of protein to keep them going until lunch. It can be a challenge some mornings.
The most successful breakfast as of late has been oatmeal. It is cold outside, and the hearty and warm bowl of oatmeal seems to make them happy and content. Great! Except, there is only 6 grams of protein in a cup of cooked oatmeal. At their age they should consume at least 25 grams of protein per day. Protein keeps them full longer, giving them sustained energy until lunch. I came up with a great solution! I tried this amazing protein powder from Shaklee. I chose the vanilla kind, figuring I can mix it in with a variety of foods. I mix in a scoop in their oatmeal and bam- that cup of oatmeal does not just taste delicious, but it all of a sudden has 10 grams of protein instead! I also usually mix in a spoon full of coconut oil in the oatmeal for some healthy and yummy fats to help sustain their little minds.
Also, what can be more satisfying than a warm cup of vanilla milk on a cold winter morning?! My kids absolutely love these. I simply heat up two cups of milk (one for each of them), mix in a scoop of the Vitalizing Protein, and again a  cup of milk turns into 12 grams of protein, hooray!

Stick around for the energy bites I make with this stuff, yummy!

Is it safe? Yes it is. I only trust Shaklee products when it comes to my family's health. Shaklee does clinical trials, step-by-step testing, third party verification, uses a "beyond organic" approach, and guarantees all their products.

Fall and Winter... Cookies and Lattes- What's a girl to do?!

I don't know about you, but this time of year is the worst for me when it comes to eating healthy. I feel constantly surrounded by lattes and newly baked somethings.. .
Don't get me wrong, it is OK to indulge a little this time of year, it is cozy, we share with our friends, we spend more time indoors baking and cooking. Truly, it is ok! However, this year, I am going on a very un-timely tropical vacation in the beginning of December, you know, that time between the Thanksgiving meal and Christmas cookies.

Well, I'm trying something new! I want you to join me, because peer pressure, I mean support groups, make it easier to stay on track!
It is a 5-day "re-set" we use Shaklee's exceptional products to cleanse, and fuel our bodies for 5 days. Detox, and cleanse our system out! Sounds perfect for right after Thanksgiving, right!?

It is super easy to follow!

So what does a Reset entail?
For 5 days you have three Shaklee 180 smoothees for your main meals.  For snacks you add fruit, nuts, yogurt and vegetables.  Drink LOTS of water and cut out everything else.  You can eat as many fruits and veggies as you like and if you need snack ideas, we also have snack bars that fill you up and are great on the go.

We start December 1st, so get your order in by November 20!
Contact me for a shopping list, and we will get started together!  Check out the products at: sunnyside.myshaklee.com. You know I would only back a ethical, green, reputable company with superior quality products, right?!

Apple Butter & Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

You say you want to make a perfect fall cookie? You say you like fall spices? Pecans? How about Russian Tea cookies? You can have it all in this delicately easy autumn treat!

I have combined and mixed from a few recipes (as I always do.. ) so I can't give credit to any one in particular, so here goes:

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup ground nuts (as you may have guessed, I used pecans)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter at room temperature  (I used Kerrygold)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt (skip this step if your butter is salted)
1 tsp vanilla extract, or seeds from one vanilla bean

powdered sugar, and apple butter (or pumpkin butter etc)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab a couple of cookie sheets, and either lightly grease, or cover in parchment paper. I have some really good non-stick ones from Ikea that never need either grease or paper, you know your kitchen and tools!

Mix sugar, salt, flour and nuts in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl mix the butter and vanilla. Once butter is creamed, add to nut/flour mixture. Mix well until you have a thick dough easy to shape.

Make 1" balls and place on the cookie sheet about 2" apart. Press your thumb, or back of a spoon into the middle of the cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes, keep an eye on them! You want to pull them out just as they start browning lightly along the bottom edges.
Let them mostly cool on the cookie sheet, then gently move them to a wire rack.
Once on the wire rack dust with powdered sugar (I use a tea sieve), and place a small amount of apple butter in the thumbprint.
Let them cool completely. And enjoy!

As a footnote, you can also use pumpkin butter, jam, pear butter or something similar (maybe Nutella!) For a simple pumpkin butter recipe, check here. 

Annual Earth Day Pledge

The month of April, and the approach of Earth Day always makes me think of what new challenge I should take on to minimize my eco-footprint, and help save some small piece of this wondrous planet we call home.

In years past I have taken on challenges such as; minimizing household trash to one kitchen bag per week (did it!), replace all household products with their eco-friendly and bio-degradable cousins (done! *insert Shaklee sales pitch*), and build a successful compost.

This year I am contemplating this topic from my front porch of our new home in Wake Forest. Our home is nestled in the woods on over an acre of beautiful wooded land. The natural treasures that surround us on a daily basis amaze me, and often leave me silently grinning ear to ear.

Just yesterday the kids came running in to let me know they found a box turtle in the yard. Later in the afternoon a lone doe wandered around our yard, munching on the long, un-mowed grass.
We have a nesting pair of wrens in the wreath on the front door. We have to go out the side door to not disturb them.

I adore these woods. I love living in such close proximity to complete wilderness. It makes my heart happy to see my children climb the trees, make leaf piles, identify the snakes with their new "Snakes of North Carolina" book, and play in nature until the sun goes down.
This year I have decided to, among other things, pledge to make my yard a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through the National Wildlife Federation.

With the addition of another water source (one bird bath is not enough), some native shrubs, and a couple of bird houses, I should be right where I ne
ed to be. If you want to try, just check out the National Wildlife Federation's website for more details!

Additionally, I aim to complete a chicken run and chicken coop to incorporate some partially free range chickens into our landscape. As much as I want to add a bountiful vegetable garden to the list, we do have an abundance of deer here, and I really don't want to fight them. They were here before we were. With a few planter boxes on the porch and some herbs in the kitchen window, I will stay calm and garden on.

Stay tuned for updates on all these projects, and other topics as random as my life! Be green and Be good!

Earth Day Party 2014

My two greatest passions in life are my children and protecting this planet that we all share. Earth Day has become the one great day each year where my two passions combine into a party of care and fun.
I love planning this party with the kids and I love that they are absorbing what I teach them about being responsible earth citizens.
Last years party was a huge hit with kids and adults. I do it mostly for the kids, but if the adults can have fun and get even a slight spark of enthusiasm to do good, I'm all the more pleased. This year the party will be at our new home in Wake Forest. We still don't know alot of people here, but I am inviting all the kids we know so far- and then some. I feel more challenged here then I ever did in Denver.
It seems that in Denver in particular, people are exceptionally green minded. I was so pleased to find that many families actually celebrated Earth Day. Almost everyone we met were strict recyclers, urban homesteaders, solar powered home owners, Prius driving, responsible citizens. It  was easy to be green in Denver.
New locations mean new challenges, and I dear venture this guess; North Carolina (rural in particular) is not the crunchy cousin of its Colorado relative. Judging by the state of the road sides around here, I can almost conclude that recycling programs are not just under utilized, so is the trash service. Challenge accepted.

I hope to throw a super fun and educational Earth Day party for our new friends, and I sincerely hope we can encourage at least one new green light bulb to go off.

Stay tuned for updates!

And yes, there will be Dirt Cake.

Birthday Questionaire- 5 Year Birthday

This is the third year where I'm asking these questions of my twins as they turn a year older. Fun tradition!

1. What is your favorite color?
H: Pink
N: Blue
2. What is your favorite toy?
H: Princesses
N: don't have a favorite
3. What is your favorite fruit?
H: Peaches
N: Apples
4. What is your favorite tv show?
N: Justin Time
H: Wild Krattz
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?
H: Ham sandwich
N: Cheese sandwich
6. What is your favorite outfit?
H: PJ's
N: PJ's
7. What is your favorite game?
H: Board game: Chinese Checkers Computer game: Purple Place
N: Backgammon/ Spore
8. What is your favorite snack?
H: Chocolate
N: Gummy bears and chocolate chip cookies
9. What is your favorite animal?
H: Sheep and mammoth
N: Dinosaur
10. What is your favorite song?
H: The Croods
N: What does the fox say
11. What is your favorite book?
H: Disney princesses
N: Click clack moo
12. Who is your best friend?
H: N:
13. What is your favorite cereal?
H: Squares/ Circles
N: Squares/Circles
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?
H: Swing
N: Play T-ball
15. What is your favorite drink?
H: Milk
N: Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday?
H: Christmas
N: Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?
H: Comfy, Panda, Flora
N: Rabbit
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
H: Eggs
N: Squares
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?
N: Ribs
H: Ribs
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?
H: Mama
N: A doctor