Easter Sell Out

Lately, I've been really aware of how quickly time is passing and how fast my minis are growing up.  Every day I am having moments of "when did she get so old" and "is he really big enough to be doing that" and "wow, he doesn't need me to do that for him anymore."  And it's sending me into this panic of trying to make memories.  And, why am I telling you this?

Because I am a sell out.  And I am blaming it on my current sentiment.  I already told you about the jelly beans.  And several of you were gracious enough to send me links to all natural jelly beans, even after I asked you not too.  So, thanks!  Unfortunately, you can't order something on Good Friday and have it delivered by Easter, so my minis are stuck with these toxic mixtures of food color and high fructose corn syrup.  I thought I couldn't stoop any lower, and then my tiny mini flipped her Katniss Everdeen braid and batted her blue eyes and said, "mama, pwease make me rainbow jello on Easter."  And I realized, it's only a matter of years before she's asking for a skimpy rainbow bedazzled bikini for Easter, so I said yes.

And my "go big or go go home" attitude kicked in found this recipe on pinterest.  I went to the store and came home with these.  I didn't read the ingredients, but I am pretty certain it reads INGREDIENTS: food coloring and unmentionable animal parts.

And this is the reaction that I got.

She was thrilled.  I was thrilled.  We literally spent hours together in the kitchen and I taught my 3 year old mini all about ROY G BIV.  Success despite all the toxicity.

Rainbow Jello

• small packages of Jell-O, any colors
• plain yogurt (I was REALLY bad and bought vanilla-flavored yogurt to make it really sweet and creamy)

1.  Mix one package of Jell-O with 1 cup boiling water, stirring to dissolve completely. 

2.  Pour 2/3 cup of the jello into an 8″x8″ pan that has been rubbed lightly with vegetable oil. 

3.  Refrigerate until set. 

4.  While it is chilling, stir enough 1/3 cup of yogurt into the remaining Jell-O.

5.  Once jello layer has set,  pour jello-yogurt layer over the chilled first layer.

6.  Continue in the same manner to make clear and opaque layers and chilling each before adding the next. Once finished, cover and chill for a few hours, then cut into squares with a sharp knife.

First layer is purple jello.

Here you can see purple jello layer, purple jello/yogurt layer, blue jello layer, blue jello/yogurt layer, green jello layer, and green jello/yogurt layer.

Here you can see me pouring the orange jello layer onto the purple/blue/green layers.  MAKE SURE YOU CHILL AND SET BETWEEN EACH LAYER!!!!  And yes, I realize, I made a ROY G BIV error and put orange orange on before yellow.  And yes, I considered throwing this out and starting all over again.  But, I didn't, so I will be forced to eat RYO G BIV jello tomorrow.  I consider that punishment enough.

Here's the orange jello/yogurt layer.

Finished product.  So. Much.Fun.

So, I apologize for selling out.  It was worth it because my mini told me I was the best mama ever and she had an I-can't-stop-hugging-you moment.  But, if you are disappointed, I will try to make it up to you with a couple more recipes.

Tomorrow is Easter.  To me, Easter means two things....Jesus and deviled eggs.

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

• 12 Hard boiled eggs
• 4 slices Bacon (cooked & crumbled)
• 2 tablespoons Cheese, finely shredded
• 1 Green Onion (finely chopped)
• 1 cup Mayonnaise (make your own, it's so easy!)
• 1 tablespoon Mustard
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook bacon {we like to cook bacon in the oven}
2. Slice hard boiled eggs length-wise and scoop out yolks, place yolks in a mixing bowl.
3. Mash yolks and mix in the bacon,green onion,mayonnaise, mustard and black pepper.
4. Spoon or pipe the mixture into the egg whites.
5. Refrigerate until serving.

I forgot to take pictures of the finished products, but they were delish!!!!  

I am also bringing this dip tomorrow to Easter brunch.  You can eat this dip with pita chips or veggies.  I prefer veggies, especially cucumber slices.

7-Layer Greek Dip

• 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
• 1 tsp. dill weed or Greek seasoning (salt free–go for a mix that just has herbs)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 c. hummus
• 1 c. seeded, diced cucumbers
• 1 c. seeded, diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. chopped Kalamata olives
• 1/3 c. chopped green onions (about 3 green onions completely chopped)
• 1/2 c. crumbled Feta cheese
• 1/8-1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

1.  With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice until light and fluffy. 

2.  Spread in the bottom of a pie plate or a small, shallow baking dish. 

3.  Then spread a layer of hummus. 

4.  In order, create layers by sprinkling the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, Feta cheese, and parsley. 

5.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with pita chips, fresh vegetables, and/or flatbread.  

I hope you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me for selling out.  I would like to point out that tomorrow is Easter, and Easter is the season of forgiveness.  So, have a blessed day and come back and visit me soon!

Valentine's Day!!!

Today is Valentine's Day, which means moms everywhere are breaking out the heart-shaped cookie cutter to make pancakes for breakfast and PB&J to pack in lunches.  I have had several people ask me how we are going to handle the Valentine's Day candy that the minis will be bringing home from school.  I have decided that today we are following a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.  So, for today, the candy is far game...tomorrow, when they are in school, it's all going in the garbage.  Now, before you get all "oh, those poor minis", remember that my minis are not huge sweet eaters.  They were far more excited about the organic uncured beef franks that tasted like beef jerky than my homemade poptarts.  Besides, they are much more likely to carry emotional scars from childhood memories of their mother yelling "booyah suckas" in their faces during UNO. 

Tonight's dinner is going to be p'sketti, garlic bread, and a spinach salad. 

Spinach salad

• spinach
• berries (I used strawberry, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries)
• crumbled goat cheese

Dressing

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper

1. Add chopped garlic to balsamic vinegar
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Slowly add olive oil and stir to mix.

Spaghetti Sauce

• one onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3 cans plum tomatoes
• basil
• salt and pepper
• sugar, 1 tsp

1. Remove tomatoes from cans (keep the juice) and cut into chunks.
2. In a pan, saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
3. Add red wine, and let cook for a few minutes. Some of the liquid will evaporate. This is okay, just don't let it all.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, basil, salt and pepper. Stir.
5. Simmer 30 minutes.
6. If you don't like your sauce chunky, remove the large chunks of tomatoes and puree in a food processor.
7. Simmer on very low heat until ready to serve.

We are having our sauce over spaghetti squash (I will mix some Ezekiel 4:9 pasta in with the minis).  Ezekiel 4:9 products use freshly sprouted organic live grains, which means they are higher in nutrients. 

Cook the squash at 375 F in the oven for about an hour (or, if you're okay with the microwave, just nuke it. I'm still unsure about microwaving everything, so I bake mine). Once it's cooked, slice it in half, dig out the seeds, and scrape it with a fork just like this.

We are also having garlic bread with our dinner.  And because I do know how to let my hair down and have good time, I used all white bread flour when I made this. 

Bread Machine Garlic Bread

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2-3/4 cups and 3 tablespoons bread flour
• 2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese (I was out of parm, I used asiago and romano)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1-3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1.  Put the ingredients in the bread machine according to your machine's directions.  For mine, I put in water and oil first and then the dry ingredients. 

2.  Bake on white or basic bread setting.  Set for 1.5 pound loaf and medium crust.

I wanted to talk to you guys about some information I learned from my boyfriend the other day when he did an episode on weight loss.  Now, the last time I said Dr. Oz was my boyfriend I got a few emails and even a text from my bestie saying, "Really, Heids?  Dr. Oz?"  I know, I really should stop calling Dr. Oz my boyfriend because the truth is my boyfriend of 14 years is pretty wonderful.  And he tolerates a wife that celebrates Valentine's Day by cooking a dinner that uses 12 cloves of garlic, makes him a mixed tape, and sends him this.....

Anyway, Dr. Oz is really smart and can do a lot of push-ups, which are the 2 things I look for in a man, so he's sort of my boyfriend too.  Anyway....Dr. Oz had an episode on eating for your body type and I wanted to pass this information along.

When I was overweight, I carried all my weight in my mid-section.  This is the most dangerous place to carry extra weight, so I have to be really careful to keep myself thin.  So, I decided I would follow Dr. Oz's recommendations of avoiding all refined carbs (bread, pasta, etc) and try to eat healthy fats (fish, avocado, etc). 

This morning for breakfast, I sliced an avocado thick and placed it on a pan.  I cracked an egg in the hole of the avocado slice and cooked both sides.  Oh My.  Delish.

I copied and pasted this from Dr. Oz's website, I am hoping that's okay.  I don't want my boyfriend to be mad at me on Valentine's Day.

Body Type: Big Bottom (Large Hips, Thighs and Rear)
If you fall into this category, the first secret to slimming down is to understand what type of body fat you’re fighting. Those with big bottoms are carrying around extra subcutaneous fat. This fat that appears just below your skin is actually healthier than belly fat; unfortunately, it is also harder to get rid of. Subcutaneous fat is associated with healthy cholesterol levels and fewer heart attacks, but it also has less blood flow and holds onto calories, which makes it tough to burn off.

Diet Plan: Eat a Low-fat Diet
Research shows that a low-fat diet actually helps break down stubborn fat cells in your bottom region.

Step 1: Cut Back on Saturated Fats
To get on track with a low-fat diet, begin by cutting down on saturated fats, including animal sources such as high-fat dairy and red meats. Eliminate hidden saturated fats such as hydrogenated oils found in processed foods.

Body Type: Big Middle
If you’re struggling to get rid of a big middle, you’re battling visceral fat, the fat located in your abdominal region that surrounds vital organs. While this fat is easier to get rid of than subcutaneous fat, it is also worse for you. Excess visceral fat has been linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. People with big middles tend to have higher levels of cortisol, the body’s key stress hormone. Too much cortisol slows your metabolism and also breaks down muscle, making you hard-wired to store fat.

Diet Plan: Avoid Refined Carbohydrates/Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods
First, avoid refined carbs like white bread, pasta and rice that are low in fat and spike blood sugar, which can increase stress and make you hungrier. Replace simple carbs with anti-inflammatory foods such as barley, buckwheat and amaranth. These whole grains stabilize blood sugar and help control cortisol surges. Go for other healthy anti-inflammatory fats, too, like olive oil, avocado, sea bass and salmon.

Body Type: Big on Top (Chest, Arms and Back)
Women who are big on top carry fat in their chest, arms and back and are the android type. Upper body fat is dangerous for your heart. Stress and lack of protein makes this problem area worse. However, the right combination of foods can melt away the extra fat.

Diet Plan: L-Carnitine Lunch Tex Mex Salad
Just like big bellies, people who carry weight in their upper body do well on a diet that emphasizes dairy. This salad has a decadent sour cream topping. Pair with 500mg of L-carnitine, which stimulates growth hormone and helps turn on the mechanism that burns off fat in those specific areas. Eat with an orange since vitamin C activates L-carnitine.

Body Type: Big Thighs
Trying to lose fat on your thighs can be very frustrating since the fat on your thighs is not very metabolically active. Those with big thighs, like those with a big behind do best with a low-fat, high-protein diet to help boost their metabolism.

Diet plan: Liquid Lunch
Make a protein drink with a secret fat-busting ingredient: white kidney bean extract, shown to help prevent carbs from being broken down into sugars and converted into fat in your thighs.

If you are still reading after all this, HaPpY VaLeNtInE's DaY!!!!!