I want to yell it out ot the rooftops, "We bought a VITAMIX!!!!" I've been wanting to add green smoothies to our diet, but every time I made one the kids would turn up their noses and make gagging sounds. I couldn't really blame them, after all my poor little Ninja is just not equipped to pulverize carrots, spinach, kale and such and each mouthful of these "smoothies" was like bitter gravel on the tongue.
Well.. not anymore!
We went to Costco, with my husband- he likes Costco, probably for the samples on every aisle- and my two youngest. Vitamix was having a demo. There, Chad, made us smoothie after smoothie plus an "ice cream" that were fantastic. So fantastic, in fact, that 2 other kids came running (yes, they were actually RUNNING) up to grab some smoothies. Found out the mom has had a vitamix for 2yrs now and her kids love smoothies- green as well as other colors, she even takes it on vacations with them to save money when at a hotel. I thought this idea was genius and may even help enable us to make it to Disneyland this year. I'm standing there learning about the hps and speed and timer and such and Hubster is watching the kids. Watching them devour these smoothies. These smoothies that have spinach, broccoli, kale, celery, tomato in them and he was sold. We decided to invest in our health and put it on our credit card. We've got the machine (the red one) on our cart when we realize that Costco doesn't take Visa and we don't have a MC. So we got back to the guy, Chad, he understands and gives us his card. He probably thinks he lost us, that we'll go home and decide we can't afford a $499 blender. Well he was wrong,,,it just increased our anticipation and frustration that we couldn't get it that day. But we do call, and that very same day even, boy do i want that damn blender! Hubster talks to Chads' wife and there is a refurbished one that she can sell to us for $329! Well hell yeah! Plus free shipping- they refurbish the motor and casing and put a new container on it. And it still has a warranty and excellent customer service
I will make cold, frothy, healthy, lovely green beverages that the kids will adore...hopefully. I can also make flours which will save us enourmous amounts of money as brown rice is very cheap, but brown rice FLOUR costs much more. Same with flax, quinoa and many more- which was another selling point for my husband.
Now.....it just needs to get here already! Come on monday!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
GF Bread SUCCESS!
Since my husband went gluten-free almost 2yrs ago, I've occasionally experimented with making different GF breads. But since he was the only one eating it, I really didn't try to hard as I already spent enough time making whole wheat bread for our boys. I did find a great flatbread recipe here this is an awesome bread- and it works great as pizza crust! But, I wanted more of a loaf bread to send to school in the boys' lunchboxes, so I started my quest for edible, fluffy as-much-like-wheat-bread-as-possible recipes.
I searched high. I searched low. I made many, many......many bricks. You know, those hard, dense, chewy things that have no flavor, no light airiness and the only thing they are good for is throwing at your spouses head when he makes jokes about said brick that you spent hours making. For him. And his children. And then last week, I found it. The holy grail of gluten free breads. It rose beautifully. It was light. It was fluffy. It had little nooks. And crannies. And then I tweaked it. Then I tweaked it a little more. And one more time. It is now our most favorite, most successful bread.....we're on our 6th loaf in about a week. You may ask, why did I tweak it if it was so good in the first place? Well, I wanted to add some different flavors as well as more protein and other nutrients to it. And I like to make things my own. So, her it is, my own personal Holy Grail of Gluten Free Bread!!
Gluten Free Bread Wonderment!
First, the original recipe is here
and mine:
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Warm Water
2t Yeast
2T Honey
1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Almond Flour
1/4 Cup Oat Flour
1/4 Cup Sorghum Flour
1/2 Cup Flaxseed Meal
1/2 Cup Potato Starch
1/4 Cup Corn Starch
2 1/2t Xanthan Gum
1 1/4t Salt
2t Apple Cider Vinegar
2T Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Rice Milk (or any other milk of choice)
1T Molasses*
2 Eggs
2 Eggwhites
Directions:
Combine warm water, honey and yeast in a med bowl to proof- set aside about 5 mins. Its ready when its nice and foamy.
In a second bowl combine all dry ingredients, mix well with a wire whisk.
In yet another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix with hand or stand mixer. Add yeast mixture. Then add flour mixture a little at a time. You should have a slightly thick batter.
Prepare a SMALL loaf pan (it rises better) by either oiling or using parchment paper ( i like using paper, because after it cooks, you pop it out and POOF its clean!).
Using a spatula, scrape dough into the pan, place in a warm spot and let rise for 1 hour. (I put my oven on low, then once it's pre-heated I put the bread in, turn off the oven and open the door a bit and it works really well for me)
Then, pre-heat oven to 350' and bake for 35-45mins.
*I use organic, unsulphured molasses which is REALLY strong, if using another kind you might want to start with more, maybe 1 1/2-2T.
I hope you love this bread as much as we do! Please leave me a comment if you try it and any of your own tweaks!
I searched high. I searched low. I made many, many......many bricks. You know, those hard, dense, chewy things that have no flavor, no light airiness and the only thing they are good for is throwing at your spouses head when he makes jokes about said brick that you spent hours making. For him. And his children. And then last week, I found it. The holy grail of gluten free breads. It rose beautifully. It was light. It was fluffy. It had little nooks. And crannies. And then I tweaked it. Then I tweaked it a little more. And one more time. It is now our most favorite, most successful bread.....we're on our 6th loaf in about a week. You may ask, why did I tweak it if it was so good in the first place? Well, I wanted to add some different flavors as well as more protein and other nutrients to it. And I like to make things my own. So, her it is, my own personal Holy Grail of Gluten Free Bread!!
Gluten Free Bread Wonderment!
First, the original recipe is here
and mine:
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Warm Water
2t Yeast
2T Honey
1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Almond Flour
1/4 Cup Oat Flour
1/4 Cup Sorghum Flour
1/2 Cup Flaxseed Meal
1/2 Cup Potato Starch
1/4 Cup Corn Starch
2 1/2t Xanthan Gum
1 1/4t Salt
2t Apple Cider Vinegar
2T Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Rice Milk (or any other milk of choice)
1T Molasses*
2 Eggs
2 Eggwhites
Directions:
Combine warm water, honey and yeast in a med bowl to proof- set aside about 5 mins. Its ready when its nice and foamy.
In a second bowl combine all dry ingredients, mix well with a wire whisk.
In yet another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix with hand or stand mixer. Add yeast mixture. Then add flour mixture a little at a time. You should have a slightly thick batter.
Prepare a SMALL loaf pan (it rises better) by either oiling or using parchment paper ( i like using paper, because after it cooks, you pop it out and POOF its clean!).
Using a spatula, scrape dough into the pan, place in a warm spot and let rise for 1 hour. (I put my oven on low, then once it's pre-heated I put the bread in, turn off the oven and open the door a bit and it works really well for me)
Then, pre-heat oven to 350' and bake for 35-45mins.
*I use organic, unsulphured molasses which is REALLY strong, if using another kind you might want to start with more, maybe 1 1/2-2T.
I hope you love this bread as much as we do! Please leave me a comment if you try it and any of your own tweaks!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Holding them tighter....
It's never an easy thing to lose someone in your life. I haven't had very much experience with it, thankfully. Today I found out that a friend from my past died yesterday. We went to High School together and were pretty good friends....even tried to date once or twice but we just didn't fit that way. He was an artist, an athlete and just an all-around good guy...and very, very TALL. At 6'8", that was the first thing you noticed about him and he probably answered the basketball questions a million times in his life, to which the answer was yes. I haven't seen him in years, nothing more than a few facebook messages, but my heart aches today. He is the first of my friends to leave us, the first of my peers.....not even 40 years old. So today, I held my children a little tighter, a little longer because sometimes there is only today.
Rest in peace Steven Kilgo. You are already missed.
Rest in peace Steven Kilgo. You are already missed.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Pizza and Ice Cream!
Bye bye Papa John...so long Ben.....see YAAA Jerry!
This was our goodbye party and it was yummy! The boys loved it and while the changes we're making haven't quite sunken in yet, they did have fun. Well, who wouldn't with a fantastic melty, cheesy, crispy, pepperoni-y pizza and cold, creamy sweet chocolate chocolate chip ice cream.
Before our "party" I spent the better part of the day shopping, or should I say label reading? I had to ask 4 different managers at Costco what the ingredients were on a package of Kirkland's Hamburgers (frozen) were...there was ingredient list nor did it say 100% Beef. We finally figured out that it was indeed 100% beef, but you have to be careful, alot of the pre-packaged burgers have fillers like soy or wheat flour, both of which are no-no's now. I was exhausted after shopping in the 111' weather for 6 hours but the kids had a great time and the food was awesome!
So then comes the next day and I'm already clueless. I really should know how to do this already. Hasn't my husband been nearly gluten-free for over a year? But feeding picky kids is different, especially when they're used to going into the pantry and grabbing a granola bar or cereal whenever they are hungry, now i've got to get in the habit of preparing snacks which means I need to find some snack recipes....another thing to add to my ever-growing to-do list!
Dinnertime comes around and I still have no idea what to make...i've got a refrigerator and pantry full of food that I don't know what I'm going to do with! It's now 7:30, hubby is on his way home and i'm still searching through the cupboards and looking on Pinterest to find inspiration......none comes. SO what do I make on our first night of our gluten/dairy/soy free diet? Scrambled eggs. Watermelon. And.........Basmati Rice. Rice? How did that get there? I'm not sure really, I needed something else and that's what I grabbed, haha!
Ok, now its last night, which was Saturday, Husband was working again (he works 7am-7:30pm at a hospital as an RN) and he's really no help anyway when it comes to food...he just says "You know what I like to eat". So I'm looking in the fridge and I'm thinking tacos....how can i make a version of tacos without cheese that the kids will still eat? We already only use corn tortillas with no additives so those were fine. What I finally did was brown some ground beef, throw in a generous amount of my homemade taco seasoning, basmati rice, corn and some water. Afrter cooking, I added some salsa and black olives to the adult meals and everyone but Boy3 loved it (and he's difficult with anything new, after a few more tries he'll most likely eat it too)! Even the baby ate a full bowl. I was so proud of myself! Hubby even says its a keeper!
But. today is a new day with the same dilemma...but today I have a plan! I am making this tonight: http://paleoparents.com/featured/bacon-wrapped-meatballs/ Can't go wrong with bacon!
I'm not seeing any changes yet, although I don't expect to see any this soon.
As for Boy1, he's struggling with doing chores. He didn't do as he was told this morning and now can't play any games today. He cried and had a bit of a fit- he doesn't quite get consequences and that the choices he makes is what dictates them. BUT, his behavior did not escalate and he did not get out of control. He got over it and he unloaded the dishwasher. Small victory...but a victory nonetheless...and I'll take any of those that come my way!
This was our goodbye party and it was yummy! The boys loved it and while the changes we're making haven't quite sunken in yet, they did have fun. Well, who wouldn't with a fantastic melty, cheesy, crispy, pepperoni-y pizza and cold, creamy sweet chocolate chocolate chip ice cream.
Before our "party" I spent the better part of the day shopping, or should I say label reading? I had to ask 4 different managers at Costco what the ingredients were on a package of Kirkland's Hamburgers (frozen) were...there was ingredient list nor did it say 100% Beef. We finally figured out that it was indeed 100% beef, but you have to be careful, alot of the pre-packaged burgers have fillers like soy or wheat flour, both of which are no-no's now. I was exhausted after shopping in the 111' weather for 6 hours but the kids had a great time and the food was awesome!
So then comes the next day and I'm already clueless. I really should know how to do this already. Hasn't my husband been nearly gluten-free for over a year? But feeding picky kids is different, especially when they're used to going into the pantry and grabbing a granola bar or cereal whenever they are hungry, now i've got to get in the habit of preparing snacks which means I need to find some snack recipes....another thing to add to my ever-growing to-do list!
Dinnertime comes around and I still have no idea what to make...i've got a refrigerator and pantry full of food that I don't know what I'm going to do with! It's now 7:30, hubby is on his way home and i'm still searching through the cupboards and looking on Pinterest to find inspiration......none comes. SO what do I make on our first night of our gluten/dairy/soy free diet? Scrambled eggs. Watermelon. And.........Basmati Rice. Rice? How did that get there? I'm not sure really, I needed something else and that's what I grabbed, haha!
Ok, now its last night, which was Saturday, Husband was working again (he works 7am-7:30pm at a hospital as an RN) and he's really no help anyway when it comes to food...he just says "You know what I like to eat". So I'm looking in the fridge and I'm thinking tacos....how can i make a version of tacos without cheese that the kids will still eat? We already only use corn tortillas with no additives so those were fine. What I finally did was brown some ground beef, throw in a generous amount of my homemade taco seasoning, basmati rice, corn and some water. Afrter cooking, I added some salsa and black olives to the adult meals and everyone but Boy3 loved it (and he's difficult with anything new, after a few more tries he'll most likely eat it too)! Even the baby ate a full bowl. I was so proud of myself! Hubby even says its a keeper!
But. today is a new day with the same dilemma...but today I have a plan! I am making this tonight: http://paleoparents.com/featured/bacon-wrapped-meatballs/ Can't go wrong with bacon!
I'm not seeing any changes yet, although I don't expect to see any this soon.
As for Boy1, he's struggling with doing chores. He didn't do as he was told this morning and now can't play any games today. He cried and had a bit of a fit- he doesn't quite get consequences and that the choices he makes is what dictates them. BUT, his behavior did not escalate and he did not get out of control. He got over it and he unloaded the dishwasher. Small victory...but a victory nonetheless...and I'll take any of those that come my way!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Hello......its me!
Hi. I'm Kelly.
Not much of introduction, I know.
You see, I've been here before. Started a blog. Wrote a few posts. Abandoned it. I don't think I had a real direction before.
So.....why am I back? Is it going to be different this time? Yeah, I think so. Do I have a direction? Yeah I think so. Is it going to be interesting to readers? Yeah, I hope so. Hope. Hope is a great word.
You see, I have 4 sons. Yes, I am blessed with four healthy, happy, rowdy, energetic, creative, loving.....I could go on, but I have 4 amazing little people in my life who happen to be all boys. I get a lot of looks from people when we are all out...mostly looks of pity, sometimes wonder and occasionally awe, but that's a post for another day. Today, is for you to get to know me a bit...and my family.
Me: I'm mostly a stay-at-home-mom, about to be <gasp> 39. I also have 2 small businesses on facebook, one is a sewing biz where I make kids clothes and cloth diapers and such- it's a lot of fun and is starting to bring in some extra money. The 2nd biz is for advertising other small businesses. I've been to college....several times.....I want to write a novel....I used to be an actress and hope to dabble a bit more in the future. I'm a horrible procrastinator and I hate to clean and I get a bit obsessed over whatever is new in my life.
My husband: Is an RN, is an awesome singer and likes to invent things.....he is currently working on (read: obsessed!) a motor that runs on magnets and solar panels- he can be quite brilliant! He also has 2 other kids a son who is 17 and a 22yr old daughter who has 2 kids of her own.
Boy4 is the baby...he just turned 1 and is taking his first steps this very week! He's a chunky, playful handful who is already defending himself against his brothers who like to love on him a bit too much at times.
Boy3 is 3- yrs old that is. Too smart for his own good- his grammie calls him "scary smart". Full of energy and laughter and did I mention energy? He eats like there is no tomorrow and says the funniest things.
Boy2 is my 6yr old dreamer....sometimes off in his own world, very smart and so creative. He has a bit of a speech problem and just started seeing a speech therapist for help in some of his pronunciations. He is also the most affectionate and expressive of the bunch.
Boy1 Very bright, very creative and a charmer to be sure! At 8 he's already had a couple girlfriends and i'm sure more are to come. He is full of emotion and he is why I am starting this blog, at least the incentive. He has trouble controlling his emotions, especially anger and frustration. He has trouble focusing on schoolwork. He is easily distracted. He has ADHD.
Its always been in the back of my mind that this could be the case and I always knew that I would not medicate. So we are exploring all the alternatives, and I thought others might like to follow our journey.
We are starting with diet and supplements. Friday we are saying goodbye to gluten, dairy and soy. We are adding omega-3's and a multi....with more to come after some more research. So, tomorrow we are going whole hog and having a pizza and ice cream party to say farewell the right way!
So, welcome! I hope this is just the beginning and I hope you'll join us in many discoveries!
Not much of introduction, I know.
You see, I've been here before. Started a blog. Wrote a few posts. Abandoned it. I don't think I had a real direction before.
So.....why am I back? Is it going to be different this time? Yeah, I think so. Do I have a direction? Yeah I think so. Is it going to be interesting to readers? Yeah, I hope so. Hope. Hope is a great word.
You see, I have 4 sons. Yes, I am blessed with four healthy, happy, rowdy, energetic, creative, loving.....I could go on, but I have 4 amazing little people in my life who happen to be all boys. I get a lot of looks from people when we are all out...mostly looks of pity, sometimes wonder and occasionally awe, but that's a post for another day. Today, is for you to get to know me a bit...and my family.
Me: I'm mostly a stay-at-home-mom, about to be <gasp> 39. I also have 2 small businesses on facebook, one is a sewing biz where I make kids clothes and cloth diapers and such- it's a lot of fun and is starting to bring in some extra money. The 2nd biz is for advertising other small businesses. I've been to college....several times.....I want to write a novel....I used to be an actress and hope to dabble a bit more in the future. I'm a horrible procrastinator and I hate to clean and I get a bit obsessed over whatever is new in my life.
My husband: Is an RN, is an awesome singer and likes to invent things.....he is currently working on (read: obsessed!) a motor that runs on magnets and solar panels- he can be quite brilliant! He also has 2 other kids a son who is 17 and a 22yr old daughter who has 2 kids of her own.
Boy4 is the baby...he just turned 1 and is taking his first steps this very week! He's a chunky, playful handful who is already defending himself against his brothers who like to love on him a bit too much at times.
Boy3 is 3- yrs old that is. Too smart for his own good- his grammie calls him "scary smart". Full of energy and laughter and did I mention energy? He eats like there is no tomorrow and says the funniest things.
Boy2 is my 6yr old dreamer....sometimes off in his own world, very smart and so creative. He has a bit of a speech problem and just started seeing a speech therapist for help in some of his pronunciations. He is also the most affectionate and expressive of the bunch.
Boy1 Very bright, very creative and a charmer to be sure! At 8 he's already had a couple girlfriends and i'm sure more are to come. He is full of emotion and he is why I am starting this blog, at least the incentive. He has trouble controlling his emotions, especially anger and frustration. He has trouble focusing on schoolwork. He is easily distracted. He has ADHD.
Its always been in the back of my mind that this could be the case and I always knew that I would not medicate. So we are exploring all the alternatives, and I thought others might like to follow our journey.
We are starting with diet and supplements. Friday we are saying goodbye to gluten, dairy and soy. We are adding omega-3's and a multi....with more to come after some more research. So, tomorrow we are going whole hog and having a pizza and ice cream party to say farewell the right way!
So, welcome! I hope this is just the beginning and I hope you'll join us in many discoveries!
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