Summer salad

Summer Salad

INGREDIENTS

spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
sliced strawberries
warm morning star grilled chicken strips (or use real chicken if you wish )
soy nuts or almonds
dried cranberries, raisins or both ( i like cranberries best)
Ranch dressing or a vinaigrette one would also be good.


Toss all ingredients together and pour on dressing.

Valentines day week menu :)

So, we had a wonderful weekend again....kinda. Brian was in a mood Saturday so it wasn't as much fun as it could have been but it was still nice to get out. We went to Target and to eat at Calhouns. My stomach had been hurting really bad that day and the day before so i just had a southern style chicken salad. The kids ate great and after we left we had to run by the hospital to see my little nephew who had broken out in hives. He was so itchy. It was sad. :( After that we had to go get groceries.

Today we went to get the kids their valentines presents (they weren't with us) and we found out my cousin was close to us so we snuck up on her and surprised her. We hung out with her and her hubby for a while and then we had to go get our stuff for the kids. Then we came home and grilled out on the grill. The kids have their valentines day party tomorrow so i had to get stuff ready for it. :) I will post a picture of Cobi all dressed up in her Valentines day clothes when i get one.

Sunday- Salmon on the grill and a HUGE salad

Monday- Taco's with meatless ground and corn on the cob

Tuesday- Potato Broccoli and cheese soup

Wednesday- Veggie Omelette's with cheese and fried potatoes and onions

Thursday- Black Bean Burgers on wheat buns and baked potato fried

Friday- Pizza

Saturday-HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!! heart shaped meatloaf, pink mashed potatoes and creamed corn......for dessert its chocolate fondue with fresh strawberries and the kids will make yummy heart shaped cookies and drink pink milk. :)

yummy sugar body and face scrub

This scrub will exfoliate your body and face without breaking you out. It feels amazing and smells delicious!

You will need:

Sugar (white or course brown....you can also mix the two)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Your choice of essential oil: The sky is the limit but here are a few that i have tried.

Lavender- The health benefits of lavender oil for the skin can be attributed to its antiseptic and anti fungal properties. It is used to treat various skin disorders such as acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and other inflammations. It heals wounds, cuts, burns, and sunburns rapidly as it aids in the formation of scar tissues. Lavender oil is added to chamomile to treat eczema. Its very relaxing and known to help people sleep.

Peppermint-Peppermint oil contains Menthol, which is good for skin. It gives a cooling effect. Further it nourishes dull skin and improves oily skin. Like most other essential oils, peppermint is able to provide relief from stress, depression and mental exhaustion due to its refreshing nature. It is also effective against anxiety and restlessness.

Tea Tree Oil- acne, athlete's foot, blisters, burns, cold sores, dandruff,herpes, insect bites, oily skin, rashes (nappy rash), spots, verrucae, warts,wounds.


Lemon oil- balances overactive sebaceous glands that lead to oily or blemished skin, helps clear acne and controls oily hair and dandruff. It revitalizes underactive and mature skin and helps with cellulite by improving circulation and encouraging the elimination of wastes. Lemon oil encourages the exfoliation of dead skin and enlivens the complexion.Lemon oil is cooling, refreshing and uplifting. It encourages clarity, concentration and recall. It can calm or prevent emotional outbursts. It fights depression, eases fear, strengthens resolve and assists in communication and decision-making.

Orange oil-restores balance to dry or oily skin. It maintains healthy youthful skin by promoting the production of collagen.
. It reduces puffiness and discourages dry wrinkled skin. Orange oil stimulates circulation to the skin surface and softens rough skin. It also clears blemishes and improves acne-prone skin. It tends to increase perspiration, thus assisting the release of toxins from dull or blemished skin. Orange stimulates the circulation of lymphatic fluids and helps relieve tissue swelling and fluid retention. It improves cellulite, which is sometimes called orange-peel skin.

Take 1/2 cups of sugar and pour into a small jar with a lid. Pour EVOO into the jar until it covers the sugar. I usually pour close to a cup of the oil on top of the sugar. Then choose which ess oil you want to use and shake about 4 drops into the sugar/oil mixture. Then stir or shake until mixed well. You can add as little or as much of the ess oil as you like.

For a face scrub i like the lavender or tea tree oil and i just scrub softy all over my face and wash off with warm water.

For a body scrub i love how the peppermint makes me feel all tingly and wakes me up. I use it in the shower and just scrub as hard as i want. It feels so good on itchy skin. :) Then i wash it off but still feel so soft. I leave it in the shower or on the sink and it last for a long time. EVOO has been known to spoil though so toss out if it smells funny or looks different after a few weeks. Mine has never gone bad though so i wouldn't worry to much about it.

Harmful Chemicals in our products

As most of you know, I'm into natural skin care because i know the big secret about all the harsh chemicals that go into store bought products. Take a look around your bathroom.

"The average North American woman uses 10 or more personal care products every
day. From toothpaste and soap to antiperspirant and moisturizer, personal care
products are made from 10,500 chemical ingredients. like most things that happen
before a mug of morning coffee, it’s easy not to think about them too
much.
But researchers and women’s health activists are sounding the alarm
bell about the makeup of makeup. Women and girls are particularly susceptible to
exposure to certain chemicals that mimic hormone activity. Because our bodies
have a greater percentage of fat in comparison to men, chemicals that are
fat-soluble are more easily absorbed. Breast tissue is one such site where
chemicals can accumulate.
“As more and more women are diagnosed with cancer,
we have to question, where is this all coming from?” posits Carol Secter, a
board member of Breast Cancer Action Montreal. With an emphasis on breast cancer
prevention, Secter’s group is part of a North America-wide movement to have
harmful chemicals banned from personal care and household products."

The European Union, driven by consumers' concerns, has banned or heavily restricted hundreds of toxic substances in recent years yet we in the USA still use those products. Its so dangerous to our health. Lotion, shampoo, makeup and lots of other things seep into your skin and go into your blood stream. They are killing us but many people still don't know this and continue to use them. I cant say that in don't ever use some of these products but I'm trying to cut back as much as possible. I want to share some ways of doing that with you too. I will give you some ideas on how to save money and save your health by making your own products. I have already posted my home made laundry detergent, and all purpose cleaner. Its so much cheaper to make these then to buy them and they work just as well as store bought stuff but without the chemicals.

Gingerbread Spice Cake

Gingerbread spice cake

(with broccoli and carrot)

This cake is SOFT and yummy. You would never know there is hidden veggies in it.

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1tsp baking soda

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp cinnamon

1/4tsp ground cloves

1/4tsp allspice

1/4tsp salt

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive or coconut oil

1 LRG egg

1 Cup broccoli puree

1/2 cup carrot puree

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/4 cup molasses (i never used this because i didn't have any and it turned out fine)

2tsp pure vanilla extract

1TBS grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 375 and coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, mix the flours with the baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, oil, and egg until smooth. Beat in the vegetable purees, yogurt, molasses, vanilla, and orange zest. Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake, 45 min to 50 min. Cool 5 min in the pan before turning the cake out onto a rack to cool completely.

Menu time again

We had a really nice weekend. It was time for us to buy a new mattress because ours was sinking in the middle and killing my back. Every morning i would wake up hurting and it was hard to sleep because it woke me up so many times. Me and Brian left the kids with K and went to pick out a nice one. We had to compromise because he doesn't like it to soft and after sleeping on a rock for 10 years i wanted a soft one. We found one we both love and when we took ours off the bed we could NOT believe how hard that thing was. We had put an egg shell pad thing on it to help it not be so hard but it didn't help much. Anyway, it was so hard we just laughed at it. Then we saw how bad it was sinking in the middle and i realized what that had been doing to our back. I cant believe how much this new mattress has made such a difference in my sleep. I have woken up the past two mornings with no back problems and feeling great. :)

Yesterday me and Brian took M out to have breakfast. K didn't want to go so she stayed home and kept C. They had some sister time and K made a tea party and watched a movie with C. Me and Brian took the baby and got groceries and then ran around after we dropped them off at home. R was a doll. She was so good and sweet. Everyone kept smiling at her and she kept telling me she loved me over and over. Then she would say...Your my baby Neika. LOL!! Im your baby and you my baby...i love you Neika. I said stop calling me that...I'm mommy to you. ROTFL! She is to sweet. I had some Christmas money from my grandmother and i bought myself a pretty blouse and skirt. I haven't had a skirt since having R so it was about time. I love it! I am so blessed to have a husband i can call my best friend and have more fun with then anyone in the world. I love him so much. It was just the BEST weekend and last night we laid in bed on our new soft mattress and watched a movie snuggled together. God is so good to us.

Monday- Cabbage FAT burning soup :) I will also make some home made bread with kefir and coconut oil to go with the soup.

I will have to take the kids to school and pick them up from now on so that's a lot of being in the car...i figure this soup will be best for today because i can just have it cooking in the crockpot all day.

Tuesday- butter bean burgers on wheat buns.

I will be cleaning all day and doing school with the kids

Wednesday- salmon on the grill with baked potatoes and peas and carrots.

Today me and Erica have a lunch date. YAYYY!

Thursday- pumpkin french toast and cheese eggs

I have mops so i get to go out for a few hours with no children. That's always nice. :)

Friday- bean burritos and movie night :)

I'm excited because we are going to watch a movie i have been wanting to see and its always nice to spend time with my family.