#thirsty Thursday - Tip of the Day!

How much water do you drink everyday? Do you drink as much as you should? Let's face it, we are all probably guilty of not getting enough from time to time, but there is a quick way to figure it out: take your body weight and divide it in half, for instance, 200/2=100. This is the number of ounces you should aim for EVERYDAY!

What if you exercise - does that change anything? Yep, experts say you should drink an extra 12 oz for every 30 min you workout. 

How much is TOO much? Can't we get sick if we consume too much water? Actually, under normal circumstances, we can hold our water pretty well ;)

So bottoms up, friends, let's make sure we get our hydration on!

Break-The-Fast: Slow Cooker Banana Pecan Oatmeal

In an attempt to make my husband's early mornings with our kiddos a little easier (God Bless him, he let's me sleep in if the baby is sleeping, and he fixes breakfast for the others), I've been dreaming of slow cooker oatmeal. 

Crazy thing is, I've only tried it once, and it wasn't my favorite. But I'm not giving up! I did what any self respecting, recipe searching Mom does - I looked on Pinterest :)

Truth is, I'm drawn to clean recipes with pretty pictures. And I needed groceries, the only fresh fruit we had in the house was 2 bananas. This recipe fit the bill. And the photos are beautiful! Ha!

(Photo: Thelemonbowl.com - see, pretty, right?)

So, adapted from thelemonbowl.com (we were out of whole milk, too!), I give you Slow Cooker Banana Pecan Oatmeal:

What You Need

1 c organic steel cut oats

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp organic ground flaxseed/flaxseed meal

2 ripe organic bananas

1/4 - 1/2 c pecan halves or pieces

2 c water

2 c organic whole milk or organic non-dairy milk (I used organic rice/quinoa because it was in the pantry for such a time as this!)

Put It Together

Mash 1 banana, combine all other ingredients in slow cooker, stir well. Set slow cooker to low for 8 hours (if it's a little longer, that's ok too). After 8 hours, fluff with fork, make sure it was well combined. Serve hot with sliced banana and a few more pecans, if desired. Also, this is not a super sweet breakfast - we like it with just natural banana sweetness. You could add a drizzle of real maple syrup or honey if that's how you like it. Enjoy!

#thirstyThursday - Tip of the Day!

We all know there are 854,920 reasons to drink water, right? Actually, I made that number up, but it truly is one of the best things you can do for your body. Really.

To celebrate #thirstyThursday, here is a tip taken from allaboutwater.org. Enjoy. And bottoms up!

Goal-getters: How do YOU eat an elephant?

Ok, so I've never been much of a goal setter. Ever. I always just figured that was for "business professionals" or "CEOs" of companies or motivational speakers, or Oprah or something, but I didn't need to set goals. 

After all, I'm a small town girl turned stay-at-home-mom, aside from raising our kids the best way we can, maybe having a garden, finishing a few DIY home projects here and there, maybe some recreational camping to liven things up in the summer - what else could I want? What other goals could I expect to achieve? 

My short answer now is: you never know if you never try! This goes for all kinds of goals - health and weight loss, financial, faith, business, recreation, the list goes on!

But you might ask - why bother? I'm happy the way I am! I'd say, that's wonderful! So am I! There is a difference between being content, counting your blessings and loving your life and feeling fulfilled, finding our purpose, striving to grow, to learn, to help those around us. Isn't that what life is about? Not just making ourselves "happy" or "comfortable", but in touching the lives of others, helping them on their journey, helping your church, your family, friends, community. When we do this, we become part of something bigger, we reach past ourselves and into the lives and hearts of others. 

What do we do when we are doing this? Setting and achieving goals. We are doing it for a reason, to work toward a specific outcome. See, like it or not, we all have goals! The more you recognize it, plan for it, aim for it - the more fun it becomes. And the more likely you will achieve what you a et out to do!

Why am I writing about goals today? Well, it is #WisdomWednesday. No, stop laughing, but really, who am I to talk about goals? Well, I had an "ah-ha" moment today. You see, I read it in our church bulletin on Sunday, but we got an email today requesting any extra donations that members of our church might be able to give because the furnaces need replacing. Yep - furnaces. There are 4. And it's mid-January. Nice, right? The price tag? $9000 for all 4 (the church has a school, our kiddos go there).

When I got the email I thought "whew! $9000! I really wish we could help, but (insert excuse x, y, z). I hope more wealthy members can dig deep an make it happen or it's going to be chilly on Sunday mornings." But then I stopped to really think about what that meant. Don't get me wrong, $9000 is a lot of money, but if 90 families/households gave just $100/each - BAM - problem solved and everyone attends a toasty warm school and church! Now, perhaps some can give more and others can afford to give less, but the bottom line is, doesn't it sound more achievable when you break it down a little? Of course it does!

Which brings me to my point: no goal is too large, you just have to break it down when you are working for it. Can't pay off your $5000 credit card bill this month? Why bother then? Right? Nope - how about paying an extra $50/paycheck until it's paid off - perhaps a little easier. Think you can't possibly change your lifestyle enough to lower your blood sugar where your doctor wants it? How about improving it 25% by your next check up? In just 2 appointments you'll have cut it in half! Think you can't possibly fit any time in your day to exercise? What about getting up 10 minutes earlier each week until you have 30 minutes for fitness everyday? Ever look at yourself in the mirror and think "I will never lose all this weight..."? Sure, it won't happen overnight - none of these things did, our financial problems, health concerns, weight gain or work frustrations - but when you break them down, do what you can everyday, you WILL get there. One bite at a time. Just like eating an elephant ;)

Crustless Skillet Quiche Surprise! A clean, easy weeknight dinner!

Whats not to love about quiche, or it's close cousins frittata and egg bake? They are tasty, fluffy and totally versatile. 

In my experience, egg bake takes a little more time, since it is better to let sit overnight if possible. And many times they are layered with cubed bread or hash browns. I have nothing against either one, necessarily, but I get a little picky (bread without HFCS and preservatives, made with whole grains and preferably organic but at the very least clean, 5-6 ingredients max--good luck finding frozen hash browns with no preservatives...bummer!). What's a girl to do? Make crustless quiche! How to make it better? Make it entirely in your cast iron skillet (one pan to clean up? Yes please!).

What is so great about crustless quiche? Well no crust=easier, no wheat/gluten, fewer carbs and therefore a great choice for a weeknight dinner!

What makes it so dynamic? You can put anything in it! Really, just toss any leftovers, veggies, cheeses and eggs together and voila! This recipe is a guide, really, I've also made it with some leftover taco meat, broccoli or peppers or spinach (fresh or frozen), cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, no cheese - gasp! I know! - it all works just fine.

So, without further delay, I give you clean, crustless skillet quiche:

What You Need

8 large eggs, fresh I you have chickens, organic or free range if you don't 

1c organic whole milk (you can sub non-dairy, I recommend plain, unsweetened)

1 and 1/2 tbsp organic butter or organic coconut oil

3-4 organic baby Bella mushrooms

1/4 to 1/2 organic onion, any variety you like

5oz container organic greens of your choice (kale, spinach, chard, mixture of those - even sub frozen! Just be sure to drain first)

4oz grated cheddar cheese, organic if you have it

3-4 tbsp grate Parmesan cheese

1/2 - 1c ham, bacon, sausage (nitrate free), or a combo, whatever you have on hand

Salt and pepper to taste

*optional: 4 tbsp cream cheese

What To Do

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sautée onions & mushrooms in oil/butter until tender, about 3-5 min, on low heat (no damaged fats here!). While that's going on, chop your meats and mix your eggs, milk, salt, pepper and cheeses in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl. 

When veggies are tender, chop your greens and toss them in. Cook for a few minutes until wilted. Add meats and 1/2 tbsp butter/oil. Move around in skillet to coat butter on the pan (trust me, it helps keep things from sticking). 

Remove from heat, let cool for a minute or two, pour egg mixture over top and place hot skillet in preheated oven for 35-45 min, until puffy and golden brown. Allow to cool about 5 minutes. Cut like a pie, serve alone or with some cut up veggies (we like mini sweet peppers or sugar snap peas - yum!). Enjoy!

*what to do with the cream cheese? I "sliced" it into about 8 pieces and laid it like a pinwheel over the sautéed ingredients before pouring the egg mixture and baking. It is entirely optional, but very tasty should you go that route.

Fa-La-La-La-La...Stuffed Cucumber Bites with Bacon

Confession: the above photo I found on Pinterest. I didn't get a chance to snap a pic of my finished product before they were GONE, but I documented the process (below). However, this is how they looked, just on a pretty Christmas platter :)

Ok, moving on, so in one of the clean eating accountability groups our team is hosting for the Holidays, a fellow coach posted this recipe. I knew right away that I wanted to try them, but my Mom is allergic to cucumbers, so it had to be a party setting. Enter the annual Christmas party with friends where we find our Christmas trees! 

Let me just say, these are simple, easy, clean and SO tasty! Hubby and kid-approved! We will totally be sharing these at one of our Christmas get togethers with family.

Mmmmm...here it is:

What You Need

6-7 strips of uncured bacon (we use Simply Nature from Aldi's, comes in 12 oz package)

1-8oz block of cream cheese, room temp or softened

1-16oz container Stonyfield organic plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp dill (dried; organic if you have it)

1 tbsp dried onion flakes OR organic onion powder (Wal Mart has Wild Oats organic spices locally)

Dash of fresh ground pepper

4-5 longer cucumbers (organic if you can find it)

Put It Together

Cook bacon by using your preferred method. I like to cook it in the oven, 400 degrees, about 40 minutes, on foil lined cookie sheet. Remove from oven when crispy, transfer to paper towel to cool.

Mix next 5 ingredients with a hand mixer, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you're ready to assemble, put this mix in a plastic Baggie, snipping the corner to easily fill the "cups".

Wash cucumbers well and peel, alternating stripes. Cut off ends and slice approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Scoop out seeds with a melon baller, leaving 1/8 to 1/4 on the bottom to form a "cup". Just get as close as you can. 

Fill the cups with your tasty, creamy mixture, there is enough filling to fill them nice and *slightly* heaping. Top with chopped bacon pieces and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Round Up - My Favorite Cranberry-Pear Sauce!

I love cranberries. And pears. No, really - together, separate, either way. But for lots of people, they either love or hate cranberry sauce that is typically found on the table at Thanksgiving celebrations across the US. No surprise, these tart little gems are often unrecognizable in many recipes - ranging from plain old canned cranberry sauce to jello varieties, perhaps in an effort to make them more palatable.

The truth is, cranberries are tart. They're supposed to be tart. If they were supposed to be sweet, they'd taste like apples or jelly beans or high fructose corn syrup :) Now, I'm not going to lie and say this has been my favorite recipe since I was a little tiny girl. Nope. I discovered it JUST LAST YEAR when my Dad made a similar version due to some of the changes we all were making in our diet. He did, however, still make his legendary - and my Mom's favorite - cranberry sauce with oranges and jello, etc. So, until last Thanksgiving, I had no idea what pure goodness I was missing. (That's not to say I didn't LOVE his jello sauce - it is also delicious - love you Dad!)

 

Soooo...fast forward to this year. The thought of HAVING TO MAKE IT BEFORE THANKSGIVING made my mouth water. Seriously. I thought "YES! I can make this and share it with my friends and family AND I get to enjoy it before Thanksgiving!" I love it that much. I really love how the pure tart cranberry flavor comes out in this easy, clean cranberry sauce. We're not enjoying it with turkey tonight (I tossed our last lamb roast in the crock pot to complement, however), but let me tell you, I will enjoy it tonight, on Thanksgiving, and maybe I'll pick up some extra cranberries to enjoy it throughout the winter, too!

My FAVORITE Cranberry-Pear Sauce
Makes about 3 cups

WHAT YOU NEED
12 oz fresh, organic cranberries (sometimes hard to find - I like to sub local berries, we know the grower)

1 ripe organic pear, peeled and diced into 1/4"-1/2" pieces

3/4c organic apple juice

1/2c organic or local honey

zest from 1/2 organic orange (optional)

PUT IT TOGETHER

Rinse cranberries. Combine all ingredients together in a small pot and bring to a boil. Stir then simmer until cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15-20 min. Cool, refrigerate, and ENJOY! ...I sometimes "taste test" while it's still warm...YUM!

*my bags of cranberries are generally 12 oz, but if you have a 1# bag, you can use the same ingredients, just use 1c organic apple juice instead of 3/4c.