Wow, it's been 2 months!

I think this is a new record for me, not posting for 2 months. I have been busy and then I was burnt out from school. Our computer is on it's last leg and our camera broke (now have a new one). Those are my excuses for not posting on my blog and only on my FB page. Since I have been gone from my blog I have made some changes in the kitchen. I bought the book Eat to Live and started my whole plant food journey. As most of you know I have hypothyroidism. I have been using this as an excuse why I have not lost all of the baby weight (yes, the baby is 4 1/2 years old now)! I really did not know how I was really sabotaging myself until I started reading Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst. I believe these two books have given me the knowledge and insight that I needed. One of my favorite lines from Lysa's book is, "French fried don't love me. The only lasting things they give me are cholesterol and cellulite." She also talks about how our flesh buys right into Satan's lie that it's not fair for things to withheld from us. I can't be ruled by anything other than God and sometimes in the past I feel like food has ruled me! I get so frustrated when I work out as much as I do and I do not see the results, but I now know that becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristics of self-control. This has been a struggle for me and knowing that it is a struggle for so many more women and how I can use scripture to help me with this battle is freeing. Instead of focusing on negative thoughts like, "Why can she eat anything and look the way she does," or "Only if I did not have hypothyroidism and almost 40 I would still be skinny." I am choosing to think positively and focus on making exercise more about spiritual growth and discipline so I focus less about weight. Everyone has their battles and this is one of my battles I have dealt with since 5th grade! I know I am healthy, I know I am not fat, but I know I can be healthier and leaner. It's about how I feel in my clothes. 

Another reason I like this book is she links scripture to what I am going through. If I am thinking this is not fair, she has a couple verses listed under, "This isn't fair." One of those verses are from James 1:2-4

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may mature and complete, not lacking anything." How cool is that!

Since I have began this journey I have been eating 80-90% whole plant based diet. I do have a little half and half in my morning coffee, but now I am happy with a half a cup of coffee. On vacation I ate veggie pizza and some ice cream and had pulled pork nachos (they were delicious), but gave myself limits and most of the time I ate my Larabars and salads. I am not snacking, but if I do, it's nuts, fruits or veggies. I also have added Kombucha and drink anywhere from a half to a full bottle a day. This gives me my probiotics that I need and helps when I am feeling sluggish. I am happy to say that I have lost 10 pounds and hoping to loose 10 more. I know it is an uphill battle and I will slip every now and then, but I am no longer making excuses and now know this has to be a lifestyle change. I have discovered that I do not have to have meat and if I want some, I limit it to 10% of what I am eating (I still eat fish). I feel full and my cravings for sweets have almost disappeared, though I still like something sweet every now and if I do want something sweet I make sure that I make it. I will see how this plays out while I am student teaching. I think with a plan and a freezer full of prepared foods, I will be successful.

Lime and Coconut Ice Cream

I found this recipe at two peas & their pod. I made an adjustment to using coconut extract for coconut concentrate and unsweetened coconut flakes instead of shredded coconut. You can go to their site for the original recipe.

 

Lime and Coconut Ice Cream

Yield: 2 quarts

This Lime and Coconut Ice Cream is a great summer treat. Cool down with a scoop...or two!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes(get at Whole Foods)
1/4 cup granulated sugar or sugar substitute like Stevia
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon finely chopped lime zest
1 teaspoon coconut concentrate

Directions:

1. In small sauce pot, combine the milk, coconut and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat. Continue simmering until it has reduced to by about a fourth. Cover and allow to steep for one hour. After one hour, strain the coconut milk into a measuring cup. Reheat milk mixture over medium-low heat.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks. Once milk mixture is hot, temper the yolks by adding half of the mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and heat until thickened.
3. Pour sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and zest into a large mixing bowl, over an ice bath. Strain custard into the cream, stirring until cooled. Add coconut extract, stir, and place in refrigerator until thoroughly chilled, about 5 hours or overnight.
4. Once chilled, add to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Beauty Products Without The High Cost

Now that is short season I have been wanting to clean up my skin so I have nice smooth legs. Being on a tight budget I can't run out and buy whatever scrub, salt or body butter I would like so I have been doing some research and making my own from ingredients that I already have. This morning I made a coffee scrub and it smells fantastic. I had some old coffee I was not going to use and had all of the other ingredients around as well. I found the coffee scrub recipe HERE from Revitalize Your Health blog. There are a lot of recipes on this page that you can whip up at home. This scrub worked great on my feet. I always have dry heels from flip flops and it made my feet so soft and smooth.

Another inexpensive product I have been using is Coconut Oil. I have had a recent post about Tropical Traditions and the benefits of coconut oil. If you would like to order some, click on the picture to the right of my blog so I can get credit. I love Tropical Traditions, but it is a little pricey so I only use it for consumption (about 1 tbsp. a day), not for my body products. For beauty products, I go to Trader Joe's and buy a 16 oz. jar for $5.99. This is what I use TJ's organic coconut oil for:

Deodorant 

• FYI, I sweat a lot and I workout a lot. I was skeptical because of this and did not want to stink. I do sweat a little with coconut oil deodorant but I do not smell. I find that I sweat with most store bought deodorants as well, unless it is the clinical stuff. If I know I will be out somewhere nice on a hot day, I will use a stronger deodorant, but products like Secret Clinical (that works) have aluminum as their first two ingredients and probably a lot of it.

Eye make-up remover

• Put some coconut oil on cotton balls and wipe your make-up off.

Nighttime moisturizer

• After washing your face apply coconut oil. You will be shinny for 10 min. but it your face will soak it up. My face has never been softer.

Deep conditioner

• Apply to wet hair before washing, a little goes a long way. You can also put it in your hair and place a shower cap over your hair for 1 hour to overnight.

Scrubs/body butters

I also try to get as much as I can for free. If you have not already, sign up for the AVEDA birthday club. I was sent a $25 coupons for a free body product and I get free samples all of the time from them. You can find AVEDA in Fig Garden.

On Earth day, Origins always gives out free product. Right now I am using their moisturizer with sunscreen in the mornings. This was a great freebie and I also received a coupon for my birthday from them $10 off a $25 purchase.

One last product that I have recently tried is Dr. Bronner's magic soap peppermint. You can use it as a body wash and it leaves your skin feeling nice and cool. This is great to use during the hot summer in Fresno. You can make your own foaming soap with this product as well.

• Use one of your old foaming hand soap dispensers. The ratio is 1 tbsp. of Dr. Bronner's magic soap to 40 tbsp. of water. Measure the water then add the soap since the soap is really foamy. There are different scents to choose from and you can buy this product at Target or on Amazon. This product runs about $14.00, but you only have to use a little. Some have said that one bottle can last them for months and there are so many uses for this product.

These are a few different ways that I have learned to save money without using cheap products that have harsh chemicals or perfumes (I do not like perfume and any flowery scent).

Homemade Waffles

I got this recipe from my sister and now this is the only waffle batter I make!

Recipe:

1/2 cup luke warm water

1 tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp yeast (I use 1 1/4 tsp, I have a strong yeast)

2 cups whole milk warmed (or 1 cup 2% and 1 cup heavy cream)

1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

1 tsp salt

2 cups flour (I use whole wheat flour)

Mix all of these ingredients the night before and cover with a towel and leave it on the counter. In the morning you will add:

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp baking soda

Mix and you are ready for delicious, fluffy and light waffles.

I put peanut butter, bananas and real maple syrup on mine....yum! 

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway

I have been using coconut oil for the last two years. For Christmas one year I bought my parents coconut oil and Tropical Traditions Book on Virgin Coconut Oil. There was one chapter dedicated to thyroid disease and because I have hypothyroidism I read the book and ordered my first jar of coconut oil. The benefits I see by using coconut oil is a reduction in puffy eyes in the morning and my feet are not as dry (some side effects of hypothyroidism).

This is how I use coconut oil:

• I use 1 tsp of coconut oil in my oatmeal.
• I spread coconut oil on my toast before adding peanut butter.
• I saute my vegetables in coconut oil
• I also bake with coconut oil instead of using butter. Coconut oil in brownies is yummy! Gives it a coconut/chocolate flavor, yum!
• If you want to check out more uses and benefits of coconut oil go to: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/how-to-use-coconut-oil.htm
• Watch this video for more information http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h6eycjf29M on Tropical Traditions.

Tropical Traditions is giving away a 32 oz. jar of Virgin Coconut Oil to one of my readers! To enter you must subscribe to Tropical Traditions Newsletter and tell me why you would like to try Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil. For three extra entries (4 total), complete the three tasks and leave me separate comments for each entry (Please leave me your email in the comments). The contest will end April 19th at midnight.

For additional entries:

• Follow us on Twitter @troptraditions and @ttspecialdeals 
•  “Like” Tropical Traditions on Facebook (Please no, “I was sent by…”  posts or posting a link to your blog, they will be removed 
• Follow us on Pinterest
  http://pinterest.com/troptraditions/

If you would like to place an order for virgin coconut oil go HERE!


Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Homemade Gnocchi

I do not have a food mill or ricer, so I used my colander and pushed the potatoes through the holes. It was a little time consuming, but I was not going to rush out and buy a ricer just to see if my family likes gnocchi. I may buy one now!

The sauce is a hearty vegetarian sauce with lots of mushrooms.

It was a little messy to make, but worth it.

I served the gnocchi with a fresh baguette that I ordered from Barefoot Bread.

For the gnocchi:

From the Food Network Magazine

• Kosher salt
• 3 large russet potatoes (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pour a mound of kosher salt onto a rimmed baking sheet. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and nestle them in the salt; this prevents the potatoes from browning and draws out their moisture. Bake the potatoes until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Let sit until just cool enough to handle.

Halve the potatoes lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a potato ricer; discard the skin. Press the flesh through the ricer onto a floured counter or cutting board; let cool 3 to 4 minutes.
Spread out the potatoes slightly. Beat the egg with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and drizzle over the potatoes.
Sprinkle the potato mixture with 1 cup flour and knead until a smooth dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is sticky. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes.
Lightly flour your surface. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll into "snakes," about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-to-1-inch lengths with a bench cutter or knife; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly dust with flour.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi; wait until they float to the surface, then simmer 30 more seconds. (Taste one to make sure it's cooked through.)

For the sauce I used one of Giada's vegetarian bolognese recipe.  You could also do a brown butter and sage sauce with freshly grated parmesan cheese as well. For Giada's recipe, I felt the onion over powered the recipe so next time I will only use a half of an onion. Hubby loves onions so he really liked the sauce the way it was. I did add a can of tomato sauce to tone down the onion flavor for me and I really liked that. I also added a little red chili flakes once I plated mine.

Applesauce cookies with caramel frosting

This recipe was on Pinterest and I took it and changed it a little. They are very moist and the kids had fun frosting them. I am always looking for different cookie recipes since I make cookies a lot. I try to make all of the treats that my family eats since it is better then packaged cookies. I think this recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
• 2 cups applesauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• In a large bowl, sift together all of your dry ingredients
• Cream sugar and butter together
• Add eggs and applesauce, mix well
• Add in all dry ingredients and mix until incorporated
• Drop small spoon fulls of batter on greased or lined cookie sheet
• Bake 8-10 minutes

Caramel Frosting:

• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium hear, combine butter, heavy cream and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture just begins to boil. Remove from hear and stir in the vanilla. Let cool, then stir in the powdered sugar and frost the cookies.