Living Simple Naturally

Wheat Belly

2012-01-01T16:16:00.004-06:00

Well I have been up to a lot lately but I just haven't put it down into words. Aside from knitting(a lot) over winter I picked up this book to read.

I have always been interested in health and this book caught my attention. But it caught my attention because I switched to a gluten free diet a few weeks before I saw this book.

Not eating gluten is the key for me when it comes to feeling like a million bucks. All of my food cravings went away, I don't go through the day feeling hungry till the next meal and I sleep so much better. Oh, and the energy, I have so much energy!

If you have been searching for a way to lose some weight, feel better or just want to try something different I encourage you to pick up this book.

Fun Fur Knitted Purse

2011-09-04T21:30:00.003-05:00

I knitted up this purse for my daughter's friend that is having a birthday soon. The pattern is from Lion Brand, Fun Bag.

It was very easy and quick to knit up. I made a few changes by making the bag a bit smaller and I didn't have enough yarn to add the ties. I also knitted the handles with a cast on of 7 sts instead of 9

Carnival Party

2011-09-03T09:50:00.009-05:00

It is that time AGAIN!!
Happy 7th Birthday to my very big boy!

My son wanted his party at a local fair with a bunch of rides for the kids to go on. So I thought it would be cute to do a carnival theme and I found a Carnival Set from Typewink on Etsy. It is adorable! it came with a bunch of printable items.

Popcorn cupcakes anyone?

the cupcakes were a huge hit.

I was worried about the warm weather melting the marshmallows but it actually made for a nice soft gooey marshmallow to bit into, they were yummy and so fun to make.

My Friend Jen had the perfect idea to hang the Happy Birthday Banner in the tree, it looked great!

Tinker Town!

This place has been around since I was a little girl! I have memories of being on the same rides that are still here!

The loot!
each child got

a sucker

a box with two bags of fruit gummies and 2 pieces of hubba bubba

a mini Knex box/ girls got a recorder(flute)

$5 gift card to Chapters(book store)

(The little printable box was party of the party package)

I packed everything in these little premade popcorn bags that I found. The set came with a printable popcorn box but unfortunately I misplaced the file and didn't have time to get it printed for the party. I printed out little "thank you" labels and attached them to the bag.

Pink Zebra Party

2011-08-15T10:52:00.010-05:00

It is that time of year again!

Happy 5th Birthday Baby Girl!

I love planning my kids parties. My daughter wanted a Zebra party so I went with a pink, black and white theme. First I ordered a party pack from print.creat.celebrate on Etsy.

I ordered the Pink Zebra party set and made the invitations, party hats, banner and cup labels.

Time to decorate!

I made simple tissue paper poms(same as last years party) I love the look of them so I had to make them again.

A few games.
We played musical chairs(always a favorite) and pink the tail on the Zebra. we used a fancy pink feather for the Zebras tail and my daughter helped colour the zebra for the party.

Time for cake!

I made this Zebra cake. I have never made a two tiered cake before and really wanted to give it a try. I baked 2 8inch and 2 6inch cakes, put homemade strawberry jam in between the layers and decorated with white butter cream icing and zebra ribbon. I also used a cake board and dowels as per Wilton's suggestions. I would have hated the cake to fall into itself so I used the board and dowels to be on the safe side. The cake actually took no time at all to put together and I was very happy with the results. My daughter loved her "mini wedding cake"

Time to go home.

We always do a Pinata at our home parties and finding a Zebra Pinata was tricky. So we had a great idea to turn Pinkie Pie into a pink Zebra!

Goodie bags consisted of bubbles, a giant jeweled ring(the boys got silly putty!), candy from the Pinata and a marshmallow pop that I made a few days before the party.
Just melt some chocolate melts, put pop sticks in your marshmallows, freeze your marshmallows for a few minutes in the freezer and then dip them into the melted chocolate. Put them on wax paper and set them in the fridge to cool.

I can not believe my baby girl is already 5 years old, the time has seemed to go by so fast. I love throwing parties for my children and celebrating them.

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. ~Oprah Winfrey

Knitted Sundress

2011-07-04T11:07:00.004-05:00

Perfect Sundress by Lion Brand

I knitted this very cute sundress for my daughter(she picked the colours). I used an Acrylic and Cotton blend yarn from Bernat, Baby Cakes in Ballerina(pink) and a soft purple that is currently unavailable. This yarn is a worsted weight, easy to knit with but I am hoping it washes well, only time will tell.

I knitted the largest size and should have knitted the size 4, but at least my daughter can grow into it over the next couple of years. This is the first garment that I have ever knitted and although I found the pattern easy to follow I had a difficult time with sewing it together. The pattern has a lot of decreases and this left some messy edging when I was finished. I am not too happy about that part, but all in all I think this dress is adorable, and most important after all my work my daughter wants to wear it!

The purple trim and oh so adorable flower was done by my talented Friend Jen T. She saved me after I was having a hard time getting the trim done correctly, and she crocheted this very cute flower that my daughter just had to have.

School is out for Summer!

2011-06-30T12:05:00.003-05:00

And boy do I miss my son and the free time I was able to have with him before he went to school full days. I miss those lazy afternoons and exciting days at the park, or those late nights watching a movie together. Having my son in full days was a big adjustment not only for him but for me as well and I honestly feel it just isn't natural to be away from our children for such a long periods of time.

I am looking forward to stress free days of playing in the park or swimming at the beach, snuggling on the couch reading stories and eating Popsicles in the back yard.

To new adventures and discoveries I hope summer brings something new for everyone.

Knitted "green" Tote

2011-05-27T19:52:00.009-05:00

My first attempt at knitting a bag and I have to say it was a lot easier then I thought it would be. This is a one handled bag knitted in 100% cotton yarn. You can really use this bag for anything and everything. I thought it would be great in the summer for the beach as the sand will just fall through the holes and with it being cotton it will dry fast if it gets wet. These bags are also perfect for groceries as they are easy to wash and keep clean of bacteria and mold from food.

Green Living Tote: by Lion Brand

TOTE
Base

With 2 strands of yarn held together, cast on 44 sts.

Rows 1-30: Knit. At end of last row, do not turn. Rotate work and pick up and k14 sts along adjacent short side of Base, 44 sts along long side of Base, and 14 sts along rem side – 116 sts.

Top
Note: Work will now proceed in the round. Join, being careful not to twist sts. Place marker for beg of rnd.
Rnds 1-3: Knit.
Cut 1 strand of yarn, leaving a long tail.
With 1 strand of yarn, work Rnd 1 of Lace Pattern. Rep Rnds 1-4 of Lace Pattern until piece measures about 14 in. (35.5 cm) from Base, ending with a Rnd 4.

Handle Shaping
Next Rnd: K 44 sts, bind off 14 sts, k44 sts and sl to a holder, bind off 14 sts – (2 sets of 44 sts for each side of handle).
Rem 44 sts will be worked back and forth in rows for first half of handle.
Row 1 (RS): K2tog *(yo, k2tog), rep from * to last 2 sts, k2tog – 42 sts.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl.
Row 3: K1, ssk, *(yo, ssk) to last 3 sts, ssk, k1 – 40 sts.
Row 5: K1, k2tog, *(yo, k2tog); rep from * to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 – 38 sts.
Row 7: Ssk, *(ssk, yo); rep from * to last 2 sts, ssk – 36 sts.
Row 8: Purl.
Rep Rows 5-8 until there are 8 sts rem, ending with a Row 8. Work rem 8 sts as follows:
Row 1 (RS): K1, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, k1.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: K1, (ssk, yo) 3 times, k1.
Row 4: Purl.
Rep Rows 1-4 twice more. Bind off loosely. Re-join yarn to 44 sts on holder and work same as for first half of handle.

FINISHING
Sew ends of handle together.

Border
With RS facing and 1 strand of yarn, beg at handle seam, pick up and k100 sts evenly spaced around one side of handle and top of Tote. Join, being careful not to twist. Place marker for beg of rnd.
Rnd 1: Purl.
Rnd 2: Knit.
Bind off loosely.
Rep border on opposite side of Tote. Weave in ends.

Blueberry-Banana Bread

2011-05-14T19:47:00.005-05:00

I have made this bread a few times in the past. I was looking for a recipe that contained no refined sugars and found this one. It truly is very yummy and my kids devour it every time I make it. I have changed a couple of things from the original recipe, but only to substitute what I had on hand. Please visit fatfreevega.com for the original recipe.

Blueberry-Banana Bread

3 large over-ripe bananas

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup (80 ml) Almond Milk (or apple sauce)

1/2 cup (120 ml) maple syrup

2 cups (240 g) whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (240 ml) blueberries(fresh or frozen)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

2011-04-29T17:09:00.006-05:00

If you love Chocolate and Peanut Butter you will LOVE this smoothie. The best thing about it, it is SUGAR FREE!!

Enjoy!

2 cups almond milk or other non-dairy milk

2 large ripe bananas -peeled, broken into pieces and frozen

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons unsweetened and unsalted peanut butter or almond butter

¼ teaspoon instant espresso coffee(optional)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients; blend on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

When I make this, I make it without espresso, but I can only imagine it is very good with it.

recipe adapted from Silvana's Kitchen

http://silvanaskitchen.com/2011/01/gluten-free-dairy-free-chocolate-peanut-butter-smoothie/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITED recipe

I have experimented with this recipe and came up with a very quick yummy version.

1 cup chocolate almond milk or rice milk(rice milk is sugar free)or cows milk

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 frozen banana (or unfrozen)

blend it all up for a very simple yummy smoothie. The frozen banana will give this a milkshake consistency, but if you don't have any then just use a ripe banana for the flavour. You could also try adding some ice for that smoothie consistency.

The Fit

2011-04-26T18:18:00.004-05:00

Here today, gone tomorrow. Just like that our little black car(the Honda Fit) is completely smashed due to some crazy kids running a flashing red light.
First and foremost, my Husband is 100% ok, amazingly not a scratch to be found, maybe a stiff neck and back that could use some physio. He walked away a little shaken, he ended up T-boning a full size van(Toyota Sienna) with a bunch of teenagers driving after curfew, no full license behind their names and passengers that were illegally present in the van.

What have I taken from this experience? Many things.
The Honda Fit is amazing at safety! My husband went from 60k to 0k in 0 seconds flat with a head-on collision and lived to tell about it.
I learned my husband has a lot of strength to move forward from situations that I otherwise would probably be traumatised about for weeks if not months. I already knew I loved my husband more than anything, but when I saw our little car and what was left of it I got very choked up and realised how lucky we really are that nothing serious has come from this.
On a down side, I am saddened that some young kids think they are invisible to risk their lives and others for an evening out. I am also upset that our brand new car(only 1 year old to the day!) is gone and we have to fight with our insurance company to get out of this in some way benefiting us. I find it funny how the accident is not even our fault yet we might have to fight for our rights.

Live each day like it is your last. Hug your spouse, snuggle your children and eat some good food!

No to Facebook?

2011-04-19T23:07:00.005-05:00

I did it, I left Facebook and all the time wasting energy behind.

With some recent events happening in my life I had this overhwleming feeling that Facebook was really nothing but a times waster and I was letting it enable me to do just that.

I actually feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel so free now. I might not know when Janet ate her last cookie, or when Sally goes on her next vacation, but I do know that everyone I care deeply about will stay in contact with me through e-mail, phone and coffee chats(which are the best!).

Gingerbread cookies

2011-04-15T19:49:00.004-05:00

My little peanut and I made some yummy gluten free/dairy free ginger cookies today.

I have been having so much luck with Slivana Nardone's cook book(Cooking for Isaiah) that I look forward to the next recipe I might try. I like to keep some sweet treats in the freezer for those short notice play dates, or tea with my girlfriends.

These ginger cookies are very good and they have very little sugar, which is a plus. The only negative thing I can say about Cooking for Isaiah is the amount of sugar in the recipes. I have successfully cut the amount of sugar in half when the sugar content seemed to be very high, with great results I am happy to report. But this recipe only has 1/2 a cup of light packed brown sugar and it seems to be the right amount.

Spring Fling

2011-03-18T20:31:00.007-05:00

I knitted up this oh so cute little cowl today. My little spring fling, the cowl that wont be enjoyed for very long in hopes that our weather smartens up and I can tuck it away till next year.

I used a basic worsted weight acrylic grey yarn and some fancy accent yarn I found on clearance a long long time ago. I knitted them both together on size 15US needles(in the round) with a CO 52 and K5, P5 pattern until it was as wide as I wanted it.

Gluten free Surprises!

2011-03-17T20:42:00.009-05:00

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze (and sprinkles!)

Yes, believe it or not these yummy treats are gluten free and oh so good.
I Bought the book Cooking for Isaiah a gluten and dairy free cook book.
When I saw the doughnuts I knew I had to try them and after I hunted down a doughnut pan the project was on. In Winnipeg there is a little Gluten free store called Lorenzo's, it is located on St. Mary's Avenue and they sell some premixed gluten free flour blends for baking.
The only thing I can say is my kids and husband were all fooled and had no idea that these were made with gluten free flours.

I encourage everyone to try something different, you just may very well be surprised at the results.

Oatmeal Date Bars

2011-03-01T19:10:00.004-06:00

These are so yummy, and very simple, great for school snacks.

Enjoy!

1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg white

In a small saucepan, combine the dates, water and sugar. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened, stirring constantly.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the butter and egg white until blended. Pat half of the mixture into an 8-in. square baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully spread with date mixture. Gently pat remaining oat mixture over date mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Rainbow Mittens

2011-02-13T20:41:00.003-06:00

I finally did it! I made a matching pair of mittens and both are the same size!

I have attempted to make mittens a few times now and with perseverance I finally got two mittens that I am happy with.

I used this basic beginners Lion Brand pattern, but instead of using worsted weight yarn which I was suppose to use, my daughter really wanted this yarn but it was a light weight. I doubled up the yarn and it worked out great, the mittens are cozy and warm.

Knitted Marker Bag

2011-02-11T21:44:00.004-06:00

I am a bit of a knitting freak these days and I can't seem to get enough of it.

My kids have a little art area set up in our kitchen, with an art wall to display all their "fine art". I picked up this really cute easel from Ikea(of course) and one side has a dry eraser marker board on it but no place to put the markers. I was thinking what could I do with these markers, when it came to me! why not knit a bag! and so I did. I just knitted a simple rectangle and there you have it, a really cute bag to hold the markers.

The Man Scarf

2011-01-05T12:17:00.006-06:00

My Little man modeling his Dad's scarf

This Christmas season I ended up knitting a whole load of scarfs. Sadly my memory was horrible and I forgot to take pictures of most of them before I gave them away as gifts.

But I did manage to take a picture of this one. I made it for my husband using this Meandering Rib Scarf pattern from Lion brand. I used about one ball of inexpensive black acrylic yarn. The original pattern is for a very long (130inch) scarf. But I made mine a lot shorter, about 30inch.

SCARF

Cast on 34 sts.

Knit 3 rows.

Rows 1 and 2: K2, *k3, p3; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2.

Row 3: K2, p1, *k3, p3; rep from * to last 7 sts, k3, p2, k2.

Row 4: K4, *p3, k3; rep from * to last 6 sts, p3, k3.

Row 5: K2, p2, *k3, p3; rep from * to last 6 sts, k3, p1, k2.

Row 6: K3, *p3, k3; rep from * to last 7 sts, p3, k4.

Rows 7 and 8: K2, *p3, k3; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2.

Row 9: Rep Row 6.

Row 10: Rep Row 5.

Row 11: Rep Row 4.

Row 12: Rep Row 3.

Rows 13 and 14: Rep Row 1.

Rows 15 and 16: Rep Rows 11 and 12.

Rows 17 and 18: Rep Rows 9 and 10.

Rows 19 and 20: Rep Rows 7 and 8.

Rows 21 and 22: Rep Rows 5 and 6.

Rows 23 and 24: Rep Rows 3 and 4.

Rep Rows 1-24 until piece measures about 130 in. (330 cm) from beginning, end with Row 2.

Knit 2 rows.

Bind off.

Knitted Bookmark

2010-12-09T12:41:00.004-06:00

Here is a little project I quickly made last night.

I ordered some very nice lace weight yarn(still no project for it yet) and I got a sample of this yarn, wool/bamboo blend. It was easy to knit with and gave me some practice knitting with lace weight. I used 2.5US size needles and did a K1,P1, K 5, P1,K1. till it was as long as I wanted it to be. Then I added a little fringe to one end.

Super cute and very practical!

Lazy Day Beanie

2010-11-11T14:31:00.004-06:00

ETA: I knitted this hat lastnight after the kids were in bed. I used a chunky yarn and followed the below pattern exactly and it fits my very small 4 year old little girl. The pattern really needs to be revised to say "kids" hat. I knitted a matching scarf a while back and now she has a set. My next project is to try and make matching mittens, I just might have enough yarn left.

This is my first attempt at making a hat. I have to say I love the yarn and the end result. The pattern on the other hand said it was "one size". I added 4 more rows and it just fits my 6 year old son. If you make the pattern I suggest adding 8-10 rows for an adult hat.
want the pattern? it was a Lion Brand pattern.

Dragon Party

2010-11-10T21:42:00.004-06:00

Wow, this is seriously long over due. I have neglected my blog long enough!

I think when September hit and the lazy days of summer were over I found my free time was limited.

My son had a party in August, yes that was many moons ago. But he wanted a dragon theme and I wanted to finally share some of the fun things we did for his party.

We melted some crayons in a dragon mold to give away as party favours. we made some neat colour combinations and the kids loved to see the crayons melt and what colours it would create. We peeled a lot of crayons!

I made dragon wings for all the guests. This is my son trying to fly like a dragon. I got the instructions from Dabbled.

I did make some changes since mine were a no-sew project. I used that iron tape instead(I can`t sew)

My husband drew this dragon for a fun game of pin the flame on the dragon.

oh and the cake. My first attempt at making a shaped cake. It turned out OK. The kids loved it so that is all that counts. I made the wings and spikes out of chocolate and free formed them on some wax paper.

At the end of the party we set the kids out on a hunt to find the dragon hiding in the cave. My husband had fun making the clues and the kids had a blast following them to find the dragon.

Vegan Chinese "Chicken" Balls

2010-09-19T17:46:00.006-05:00

I am very excited about this recipe. My son asked me one day to make "chicken" balls without the chicken. I searched the Internet for some recipes and came up with nothing made specifically vegetarian. So I put a few ideas together and this is what I came up with.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. My husband who still enjoys eating meat really likes these "chicken" balls. He said he was very impressed and had nothing bad to say. Yahoo!

Ingredients for Tofu marinade

2 vegan chicken flavoured stock cubes(or powder to taste)
2 cups boiling water
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground sage
salt to taste
1 garlic clove minced
1/2-1 block of organic tofu cut into 1 inch cubes

Prepare Broth
Dissolve vegetarian chicken-flavored cubes in boiling water. Add spices, and tofu to marinade and let sit in fridge for at least 4 hours. I marinaded mine for 8 hours. You can do it over night as well to save time the next day.

I also made my broth very strong tasting. The instructions for my broth cubes was 1 cube per 2 cups of water. I used 2 cubes with only 2 cups of water.

Ingredients for batter

1 1/4 cup all purpose white flour plus 1/4 cup for coating the Tofu
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 eggs substitute or 2 eggs
3/4 cup soy milk
1 to 2 tbsps cooking oil

Mix together 1 1/4 cup of white flour with the baking powder, salt, pepper (reserve 1/4 cup for coating tofu pieces before dipping into this mixture).
Add the 2 eggs and the milk. Mix all together well.

Take the tofu pieces and dip them in the 1/4 cup of flour, then dip into this batter to coat the tofu. Fry the tofu pieces in hot cooking oil until browned on all sides.
Server with your favotire Sweet and Sour sauce.

Party Pom Pom's

2010-08-21T08:22:00.005-05:00

I kept the decorations simple, but these Pom Pom's are super cute and very easy to make. I found the instructions at Martha Stewart's website

The Birthday banner was also very simple and even comes with a printable template. I printed the letters out onto coloured card stock and weaved them through some ribbon.

I bought some purple flowers and out a cute cupcake ribbon on the vase, and used my fancy 3 leveled tray for the sandwiches that we served for lunch, along with(not in picture) some fancy white tea cups and saucers that were lent to use by some great friends.

Cupcake Purse and Cupcake Soaps

2010-08-21T08:10:00.004-05:00

Are these not the cutest things you have ever seen!
My great friend made these for all the girls that came to the party.
We used them as the gift loot/party favour bags and all the kids collected the pinata goodies and put them inside.

We also tucked in a little cupcake soap into the cupcake bags, which smelled so yummy you could eat it.

I bought the cupcake purse pattern from Amy Gaines on etsy, and I bought the cupcake soaps from LulliLiscious at esty as well. Check them out, both shops have fantastic stuff. The soaps were also all chemical free!

Cupcake Pinata

2010-08-16T20:51:00.005-05:00

I don't know if it is where I live or if the cupcake theme isn't that popular. But trying to find a cupcake pinata was nearly impossible.

So I made one! and you can too. I was inspired by this website, all-about-cupcakes.com, click on the link for the isntructions.

Mine doesn't look quite the same, but you get the idea, and it was fun to make and I saved myseld $20 by not having to buy one.

It's a Cupcake Party and you're Invited!

2010-08-15T10:00:00.004-05:00

Birthday Party Invitation

"Princess Carissa is turning 4!

Please join us for Cupcakes and more"

I just used pink card stock and printed the wording on white paper. Then I cut the white paper and glued it to the pink card stock. Added a wribbon and a cute out cupcake. Nothing fancy, but it was affordable and fun to make.

Save the Date Card

Wording inside simply says

"Save The Date

for Carissa's 4th Birthday

on August 14th"

I have a mild obsession with cupcakes, anything cupcakes and I want it. I don't collect cupcake stuff by any means but I can't help but think how anything made to look like a real cupcake is the cutest thing going.

My daughter celebrated her 4th birthday and we had an oh so cute cupcake theme. I am going to add, over several posts what we did for her party. It was so much fun and the ideas I found online were fantastic!

First, for the save the date card I found this template for a Cupcake Box and Cupcake Card. I just used the card template, and it is all for free!

Reading Organic Labels

2010-08-09T22:53:00.006-05:00

After watching the movie Food, Inc. I decided to buy the book to read a little further into what the movie didn't get a chance to say. I have to say I am enjoying the book a lot and have learned so much about our food industry.

One thing I didn't know was the Organic label and the laws that are set around it. The word Organic doesn't mean that the entire product is organic nor does it have to be. Here are the tips I learned about reading labels. write them down if you need to, but remember these three things when shopping for organic foods.

"The term "100% Organic" is fairly self-explanatory and refers to foods and fibers that are indeed produced at every step, from field to store shelf."

"The Second level, simply "Organic" requires that at least ninety-five percent of a product's ingredients be organic, with the remaining five percent strictly limited to ingredients on USDA's National List of allowed and Prohibited Materials."

"The third category, "Made with Organic", means that at least seventy percent of a product's ingredients are organic."

My only concern with this is the very long list of materials that are on the USDA's National List. Curious about the materials? Click on the link above for a full list of stuff in alphabetical order.

The Best 100% Whole Wheat Loaf

2010-08-05T22:36:00.005-05:00

I have been a long time maker of homemade breads. I have tired my fair share of recipes, some worth keeping and others just down right nasty. My kids have grown up on whole wheat bread and I honestly don't think they know the difference between whole wheat or white bread. They just eat what they are given.

For anyone who makes whole wheat bread themselves they will know that it can be hard to get a nice light loaf. They tend to be more dense over the white loafs and they are by nature just harder to make.

But I am happy to say I have finally found the perfect whole wheat recipe. I very well may never make a different recipe again.

I do cheat a little and use my bread maker to make the dough for me. I have never been good at doing it by hand and always seem to kill the yeast. But if you are a master and making bread 100% from scratch then go for it. Otherwise I highly suggest you buy a bread maker, it is one appliance we can never live without in this house. 7 years and counting for when we bought our first bread maker.

Maple Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select wheat bread cycle; press Start.

More often then not I only put my bread on the dough cycle of my bread maker. Once the dough has finished rising I take it out, flatten it and let it rise for another 30-50 minutes. I bake it in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes.

"I don't want to eat pigs"

2010-07-27T18:36:00.009-05:00

Those are the sweet words my 5 year old son said to me after we saw some very cute piglets at the Minnesota Zoo this month.

I have never really pushed my children into not wanting to eat meat. They just haven't been eating very much of it unknowingly. I feed them "hot dogs"(once in a blue moon) and they eat them up like it is the original hot dog they ate many times before. They eat "pepperoni" on their pizza with no questions asked, and they eat "meat loaf" now more then they ever did.

They love beans and rice and can not get enough fruits and veggies. One other thing I am very surprised at is that they don't ask for milk very often since I stopped giving it to them. My son has only asked for cheese and crackers a couple times, but their desire for dairy has pretty much been eliminated. They willingly eat "ice cream" made from coconut milk, soy or rice milk and enjoy every bite. They have willingly replaced rice, almond and soy milk for cows milk.

When my son saw those piglets and decided on his own that he didn't want to eat them, I was very proud of him making the choice on his own. I think children don't want to eat animals that they think are cute and cuddly and when they get old enough to realise what they are eating they start to ask questions. Some children refuse outright to eat meat even if their family does, but many children eat it because they feel they have no other choice.

When we were at the Zoo we had the opportunity to watch a dairy cow get milked. Now it wasn't the old fashion way with doing it by hand, but rather at the Zoo they have a few cows that they used for their dairy source and they are milked by machine. I was not excited to watch this being done and I already knew what the process was, but I was glad for the opportunity so our children could see what really goes on. It was a great learning experience for them, and for me to explain to them why we don't drink milk.

The process at the Zoo was fairly humane, but the sad reality is, the calf's born to those cows are not shown with the words "veal" written on their pens. The process at the zoo is not nearly as degrading and unsanitary as it would be in a huge production line of 500 cows being milked 4 times a day, which makes the cow milking "show" 100% false in my opinion.

People will walk away from that show thinking that the cows are being treated well with a lot of care and love, and I seriously feel that the cows on the farm are treated that way. But the milk you are drinking is not from those cows at the Zoo.

I will not and do not force my children not to eat meat or dairy. I want them to come to the realisation themselves that by them not eating meat or dairy that they will be healthier and not contribute to the suffering of animals. Nor will they be sucked into societies view of what you should be eating.

Cookies for Breakfast?

2010-07-17T21:03:00.004-05:00

cookie monster!

yes you can! I made these cookies a while ago and the kids just loved them. If your kids want a cookie for breakfast this is the one. They will think they are getting a super treat but you will know that these are packed with so much healthy nutrition.

Low Fat Oatmeal Cookie

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seed
3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
5 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1/4 Cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl mix together all ingredients. Drop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. Use 1 slightly raised tablespoon of dough per cookie. Mash down dough some to help them spread out. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom and top. Allow cookies to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before taking off cookie sheet.

Vegan Lentil Loaf

2010-07-16T14:23:00.003-05:00

This loaf is so very yummy, and yes, my kids even ate it!

(recipe from myvegancookbook.com)

I made the loaf with some mashed potatoes and vegan gravy along with some peas and carrots.

My son just didn't care for the tomato topping so much. But it can easily be omitted and the recipe would still be great.

Tomato Topping Mixture

1 6oz Can Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Onion Flakes
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

Lentil Loaf

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Block Extra Firm Tofu
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1/2 Cup Chopped Green Pepper
1/2 Cup Chopped Red Pepper
1 Tablespoon Tomato Topping Mixture
3 Tablespoons Plain Yellow Corn Meal
3/4 Cup Cooked & Drained Lentils
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Thyme
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the tomato topping mixture together first because you will need a tablespoon to mix into the lentil loaf. The rest will be set aside to coat the loaf when completed.

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat, add chopped onions, red and green bell pepper and let cook until onions are transparent (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

In a food processor chop oats for 5 quick pulses.

Drain tofu well and press with hands until all excess water comes out. In a mixing bowl mash tofu with a fork or use grater to coarsely grate.

In the same mixing bowl combine, cooked onions and peppers, 1 tablespoon of tomato mixture, oats, corn meal, lentils, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon olive oil, thyme, cumin, chili powder, parsley, salt, sugar, garlic and onion salt, dried mustard and mix until well combined.

Spray a large sheet of tin foil with cooking spray to form loaf on, place on cookie sheet. On top and in the middle of tin foil form loaf mixture into loaf that is 2 1/2 inches tall and 4 1/2 inches square. Coat top and sides with tomato mixture (you will probably have some left over to spoon on later).

Cook loaf for 20 minutes, then cover with tin foil and cook for another 10 minutes. After cooking let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into it.

McCruelty

2010-07-14T22:40:00.005-05:00

To the giant king of the food industry, this video is for you. This video is also to anyone who likes to avoid thinking about what they eat.

McDonald's is picked on because it owns about 90% of the meat industry in America and if McDonald's makes a change in how animals are treated and slaughtered and demands change then change will happen.

As a family we have decided to boycott McDonald's because of their careless practices and lack of courage to make a change. But, you as a consumer can send the message by not eating there. If you like McDonald's I encourage you to watch the video. If you watch the video and still eat at McDonald's, then more power to you.

Link to Video

Pass on the Napkins

2010-07-07T22:56:00.005-05:00

Clear cut forest, Washington coast

I was watching a show called Eco Trip on the Sundance Channel. The show is about a man(David de Rothschild) who investigates environmental issues and how one small item can be disastrous to our world. On today's episode he focused on one tiny napkin and how using virgin papered goods is doing more harm to our environment then almost any other industry.

I really appreciate this show but in reality I wonder how many people are watching it and how many people care.

Here are a few scary facts about paper and how using virgin trees is impacting our environment.

http://www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf

Approx. 324 L. of water is used to produce 1 KG of
paper.

Average worldwide annual paper consumption is 48
KG per person with North America accounting for
over 1/3.

Asia has surpassed Western Europe in paper
consumption and will soon surpass the United
States.

Recycling 54 KG of newspaper will save one tree.

Paper manufacturing is the 3rd largest user of fossil
fuels worldwide.

Recycling paper uses 60% less energy than
manufacturing virgin timber paper.

Paper manufacturing is the largest industrial user of
water per pound of finished product.

10,000 trees are cut down annually in China to
make holiday cards.

Every year in the United States, over 2 billion books
are published, 359 million magazines are published
24 billion newspaper are published

Recycling half the world's paper would free 20
million acres of forestland.

Ok, so you get the point. Please read the link above to read ALL the points.
How can you help make a difference? One of the most important and easiest things you can do is make sure you do not buy toilet paper and paper towels created from virgin trees. There are so many other options out there these days. Even wal-mart sells an eco friendly paper option. Super Store has their President's Choice brand and Vita Health sells Seventh Generation.

The key to finding a good brand is to read the label. Make sure the company has a high number of post consumer material Seventh Generation used 90%!

Another serious issue is pulp being bleached with because we have this obsession with everything having to be white. Having pulp bleached with Dioxins has seriously toxic consequences. If you must have white toilet paper you should use eco friendly paper goods that have been whitened without chemicals.

So why isn't recycled paper cheaper you ask? The Government highly subsidises the logging industry to make virgin paper affordable. The best thing we can do is to STOP BUYING virgin papered goods. The more you buy the more the industry will stay alive. The Government needs to wake up and support those companies who are trying to make a difference so everyone can afford to buy recycled papered goods.

So, before you walk down the lane at wal-mart to buy your "kleenex" or toilet paper think twice about what brand you buy and the virgin trees that are being destroyed. And pass on the napkins at the resturant. Carry a few reusable cloths to wipe down the kids if needed.

Biscuits with no butter? oh my!

2010-07-06T20:50:00.006-05:00

And no sugar either! I can't believe it myself, but it is true.

I am trying to find some yummy breakfast ideas to feed the kids.

We have decided(after much reading) that cereal is pretty much one of the worst things you can ingest(more on that later). The kids do ask for it once in a while and once in a while they can have some of our fairly old depleting stock of cereal. It is plain cheerios or organic rice puffs. Not much to choose from so I am trying to make things that are much more exciting then cereal.

I found this Pumpkin Biscuit recipe today. By no means do I want my children to eat a fat free diet, but they are sugar free and I had all the ingredients so I wanted to give them a try.

Fat-Free Pumpkin and Raisin Biscuits

If you want to make the dough itself a little sweeter, substitute agave nectar for a couple tablespoons of the soy milk. Or, if you want sweetness without calories, try adding a little stevia or your favorite sweetener to the batter

.
2 cups white whole wheat flour (I used 100% organic whole wheat flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon(I used only 1tsp)

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup pumpkin (canned or cooked, pureed, and drained)

1/2 cup plain soy milk (plus additional, as needed)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425F and lightly oil a non-stick baking sheet. Mix the dry ingredients together well (flour through raisins). Add the pumpkin and mix until crumbly (do not overmix). Combine the soymilk and lemon juice and add it, stirring until a soft dough forms. If all flour is not moistened, add additional soymilk a teaspoon at at time until dough forms a ball.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle the top lightly with flour. Roll out about 3/4 inch thick. Using a 1 1/2-2-inch wide biscuit cutter or glass dipped in flour, press straight down without twisting to cut into 12-15 biscuits.

Place the biscuits, sides lightly touching, on the oiled sheet. Bake until tops are lightly browned, 9-11 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 14

Yield: 12-15

The results were a yummy nice textured biscuit. I tried one right out of the oven with a tiny bit of butter(that is a debate for another day). My goal is for my kids to enjoy these as well. I will feed them to the kids tomorrow and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that they like them.

City Patch

2010-07-04T21:45:00.003-05:00

Until the kids are done with their swing set and trampoline we have to wait to have a nice size garden again.

The one thing I miss about our old house is our strawberry patch. We had a nice established area where we got some berries each year along with some other goodies.

One thing I wanted to try this year in our new house was a hanging strawberry patch and we have success! We bought the plants at Sage Garden Herbs, a garden centre that sells organic plants and they have been growing very well in our little hanging basket.

We can't wait to try one and to watch the rest of the berries grow.

Life is sweet

2010-07-04T17:47:00.006-05:00

Nothing says Summer in Manitoba like fresh strawberries, picked by none other than yourself of course!

I have enjoyed picking strawberries for the last 3 years now. I always end up going to Grenkow's U-Pick because it is nice and close to our house.

Support your local strawberry U-pick's and buy local berries! I know it is tempting to buy cheap berries at the grocery store, but nothing is sweeter then a strawberry so sweet and ripe off the vine that it melts in your mouth.

No time to pick your own berries? Go to the Farmers Market on Saturday for the berries already picked for you. But be forewarned, they cost almost double what you would pay to pick them yourself.

Vegetarian Lasagna

2010-07-01T19:13:00.007-05:00

This recipe was originally adapted from the Vegan Spinach Lasagna from myvegancookbook.com.

I have made this recipe two times now with great results. My kids love this lasagna and eat up every last bit of it. My version is not vegan. I did add a tiny but of organic Cheddar cheese to the top of the lasagna. But I am going to bet that even without cheese my kids would eat this.

When I made this recipe the second time I decided to make a veggie Ground Round layer(what is veggie Ground Round?). I pan fried the ground round with some chopped up mushrooms and used that as my bottom layer. The only changes I made to the original recipe aside from adding an extra layer was not using the nutritional yeast and adding cheese.

The "ricotta" spinach mixture for this recipe is so good. I bet even tofu hating people will really enjoy this one. Give it a try, you will be very pleasantly surprised.

For the love of beans

2010-07-01T19:03:00.012-05:00

I know many people never eat beans and if you do it is usually by accident or because your mother forced you. But if you prepare them right you may actually enjoy them.

I saw this recipe on another blog (you know who you are). It looked very yummy so I just had to try it.

Tomato and white bean salad with dill and lemon

2 15-ounce cans white kidney beans, rinsed, drained
2 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes (about 12 ounces) or cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed

Toss all ingredients in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let marinate at room temperature 1 hour. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

I could not find white kidney beans without EDTA so I purchased some organic navy beans. I also just used a few whole tomatoes cut up instead of cherry tomatoes and I added some olives which added a nice bite to the flavours. Oh yes, and no fresh dill so I used dried instead and it still tasted great. Don't have a fresh lemon? just use the stuff in the fridge, no one will know.

Switch it up. Greek Bean Salad. Do you love Greek pasta salad? The bean mix would taste wonderful with the Greek salad dressing I posted below. Instead of pasta just use beans for a healthy high protein side dish. White beans or black beans would work just find, or heck if your feeling creative mix the two!

Where is my milk from?

2010-06-30T18:36:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wondered where your milk cames from?

There is a very cool website created to just do that very thing. http://whereismymilkfrom.com/

We have decided to stop drinking milk completely in our house. Have you ever given it some thought that humans are the only species to consume a milk product after they have been weened from breast milk. It would be quite a funny thing to see a cow ween her calf to only have it go and drink Emu milk or human milk. All mammal species go from drinking their mother's milk to drinking water and it only makes sense for humans to do the same.

The Best Chocolate Cake

2010-06-18T13:34:00.002-05:00

I signed myself up for some cake decorating classes a few weeks back. It has been a lot of fun and one thing I have to do each week is bake something to decorate. This past week I had to bring some cupcakes. I ended up trying the Chocolate Cake recipe from myvegancookbook.com

I was so pleasantly surprised. I have made my fair share of vegan cakes in the past and this by far is the best I have ever made. The cake is so moist and tasty, you wont be disappointed.

I made the cupcakes and can not wait to make the cake for my kids birthdays.

Enjoy!

Oats & Rice Sausage

2010-06-07T18:44:00.004-05:00

I tried this Oats & Rice Sausage recipe from My Vegan Cookbook. They were very easy to make and tasted great. I pan fried mine(with a tiny bit of oil) on a cast iron skillet and they turned out very good. Give them a try!

Granola Bars

2010-06-04T22:52:00.004-05:00

I recently tried this new Granola Bar recipe from where else, My Vegan Cookbook(.com)

I made the original recipe first and it was fantastic. So my mind got thinking on how could I make this so my son could eat it at school(must be nut free).

Here is my version of the granola bars, nut free.

1/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/2 Cup ground Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Coconut Flakes
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sunflower seed butter
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon vanilla

To grind the oats finally I put them in a clean coffee grinder. This will make an oat flour which worked great in this recipe. I may also try grinding up some flax seeds in my next batch. I also didn't have any sesame seeds so I chopped up some pumpkin seeds instead.

I also added some yummy choco chips, butterscotch chips, marshmallows and coconut to the granola bars. I let the granola bars bake for 25 minutes then I sprinkled on 1/4 of chocolate chips, 1/4 cup coconut and a handful of marshmallows. I placed the pan back in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. The bars were very goopy since the chocolate wasn't spread on, so next time I will sprinkle the chocolate on alone and bake the bars for 5 minutes and once the bars are out of the oven I will spread the chocolate around and then add the coconut and marshmallows.

Vegan Meatballs

2010-05-30T20:07:00.003-05:00

I found this webite My Vegan Cookbook one day when searching for meatless meatballs. I was pleasently surprised to find many great recipes that I can't wait to try.

For tonights dinner I made Vegan Meatballs. They were super easy to make and tasted very yummy. My daughter didn't care for them too much but they did have chili in them. Next time I will omit the chili powder and maybe add some oregano instead.

The recipe makes 12 meatballs which was enough for a family of 4. If you want left overs or any to freeze make a double batch.

Greek Pasta Salad

2010-05-30T13:58:00.003-05:00

I know most of you may have had something as simple as a Greek Pasta Salad. Nothing shocking here but to say that this is the best recipe I have made and it can't get any simpler then it already is.

I did change up the recipe a bit. I found the dressing amounts to be a little excessive so I halved it. I used one 375g box of Penne noodles(whole wheat). If you use two boxes then I would make the recipe as is. This is perfect for a BBQ party with friends and of course just for you. I also omited the meat, it isn't necessary. Here is the recipe how I made it.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoons garlic powder(I used 2 cloves crushed garlic)
3/4 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
375g Whole What Penne

3 tomoatoes diced
1 cup sliced red bell peppers (any colour is fine, I used orange)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (or to taste)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, green onions, and olives. Toss until evenly coated. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

2010-05-29T19:24:00.004-05:00

I made this recipe from my all time favorite cook book. Don't let the images scare you. I know I was a little hesitant myself to eat it by the looks of it, but it really is yummy. The book is 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes, by Carol Gelles. She lays all the recipes out by either Lacto-Ovo, Lacto, Ovo, or Vegan. She even has a little heart beside many that are heart healthy. Not a vegetarian? No worries, this book has so many recipes that even meat lovers will find it interesting, especially if you love to cook.

I honestly am not sure if I can share this recipe publicly or not? So for the sake of unknowing I will have to keep you all wondering. But with that said, go buy the book!!

Smoothie Pops

2010-05-29T18:35:00.007-05:00

Blackberries, Strawberries and Pineapple Juice

Yummy!

Nothing says summer like sugar, food colouring and artificial flavour frozen into a million different forms. From Popsicles to freezes those really have to be one of the worst things to eat on a regular basis. I have had my fair share of them as a kid and boy were they great! I do let my kids have them on the rare special occasion but for the most part we make our own healthy alternatives.

I like to call them Smoothie Pops. They are basically what we would drink as a smoothie but frozen. Here are a few ideas to get you motivated, but really, the options are endless and there are no rules.

I always use frozen or fresh fruit. Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries are a favorite in our house. I put the fruit into the blender and add just enough liquid to puree the fruit to a nice smooth texture. Liquid options are endless. Milk, soy milk, rice milk, fruit juice and even just water.

You can be really sneaky with smoothie pops and use this opportunity to add ground flax seeds and wheat germ, they wont even notice!

For a super fun treat you can also add "fruit" gummies the kids will go wild.

Get creative with your containers too(if you feel up to it) You can use mini paper cups with Popsicle sticks or you can buy several different kinds of Popsicle holders just about any where.

Too lazy to make your own? Motts now has fruit only freezes with no sugar added. They came out with them last summer and are a great alternative to buying Mr. Freezes. I also know you can buy many different brands of frozen fruit Popsicles but they are not cost effective by any means. Making your own will cost very little and you don't have to go to the store to get them.

Involve your kids in making them, they will have a blast helping.

Littler Less Lunch Program

2010-05-28T20:17:00.003-05:00

Get with it! I think I need to be blunt with this post. But for all of you STILL using those zip lock baggies, enough is enough.

I know I don't need to explain that one of those baggies stays in the landfill but for FOREVER and if every single school age child used 2 of those a day for 200 days of school that alone is 400 baggies per day in the landfill created by your child(per year). Times that by millions students(in Canada lone) and you get the point.

I seriously think those bags should be banned or a recycling program be paid for by those companies should be mandatory. Our Earth is suffering enough.

Now with that said I would like to introduced to you litter less lunch baggies!! very simple, buy a reusable baggie and wash it out and reuse it!

As a concerned parent I(along with two other lovely ladies) started a Green Committee at my son's school. One of our goals is to have a litter less lunch program set up at the school to make people aware of this issue.

We put on a KangaSac fundraiser to give people the opportunity to buy reusable baggies and we also gave people alternatives if they didn't want to buy the KangSac's. Here are a few of them.

Stainless Steel Containers(great for liquids like messy fruits)

http://lifewithoutplastic.com/boutique/food-storage-c-66.html

Laptop Lunches

http://www.laptoplunches.com/

Sandwich Wraps

http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/

100% cotton baggies

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RosyUndPosy

Get Cleaning!

2010-05-28T16:41:00.002-05:00

Living Simple Naturally wouldn't be complete without posts on cleaning without chemicals.
Did you know that childhood cancer is the #1 leading cause of death among young children. Asthma is the most prevalent chronic condition in children.

Every time you spray chemical cleaners your family is breathing these chemicals and sadly they will last in your home for months, probably even longer for those of us who live in cold climates and we keep our windows closed for many months out of the year.

I purchased the book Clean House, Clean Planet by: Karen Logan. There are many great recipes in this book and although I don't agree with some ingredients(borax being one of them) this book has provided me with some simple and effect cleaning products that are safe for my family and the environment. Plus they all cost pennies to make. Some of the recipes in the book have been published at Green Amarica but I have altered some of them to eliminate the borax.

I have also taken on the task of selling Norwex products. I can not say enough about how important it is for your family to live in a clean home but not an overly clean home. People who are constantly bleaching and killing everything in site are not doing themselves nor their children any favours. Don't get me wrong. Norwex products work, but going beyond what is necessary is not essential to being healthy nor living in a clean environment.

Soda Pop

2010-05-27T21:25:00.009-05:00

I don't know too many people who let their kids drink pop and if they do it is usually for a special occasion and not very often.

I had borrowed a really great cook book from a friend and in the book it had home made Soda Pop recipes. when I saw it I had to try it.

Keep in mind you can use absolutely any fruit for this recipe.

Strawberry Soda

1 cup whole strawberries(frozen or fresh)

1/4 cup honey(or omit completely, fruit is sweet enough!)

Puree the strawberries in a blender until smooth. With the machine running, add the honey in a thin stream. Mix well.

Pour into a jar, and store in the refrigerator. Use within a few days.

To make soda, use about 1/4 cup of concentrate for each 16-ounce glass. Add carbonated water and, if desired, ice cubes.

The recipe failed to tell me that I would need to strain the strawberry puree. If you don't strain it there will be tiny strawberry seeds in your drink. If you don't mind(they do sink) then don't bother straining it. The kids didn't seem to notice, but I did and I will strain it from now on.

Alligator Skin Cake

2010-05-23T21:30:00.004-05:00

If your kids hate Zucchini they will love eating Alligator Skin bread. Unless you have a little girl who is a self made vegetarian, then I highly suggest finding a new name for this oh so yummy treat. My son was pretty darn excited to try some real Alligator skin! I think he was actually disappointed when I told him it was a joke.

Bread is a pretty suggestive term. This "bread" has WAY more sugar in it then bread ever would.

I got this recipe from my all time favorite cook book. 1000 Vegetarian Recipes, I can't say enough about this book, it really has a lot of amazing nutritious recipes in it.

I tweeked the recipe a bit, so I will write it as I made it.

Alligator Skin Cake a.k.a Zucchini Bread

3 cups whole wheat flour

1tsp baking soda

1tsp baking powder

1tsp salt

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil(don't be afraid, it makes 2 cakes!)

2 Tbsp lemon juice(I never use fresh, always fridge stuff)

2-3 cups shredded Zucchini

1 tsp Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flower 2 BREAD loaf Pans.

2. In a large bowl, stir together both flours, the baking powder and soda and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and egg whites until frothy, then beat in the sugar and oil. Beat in the lemon juice.

4. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined; stir in the zucchini and Cinnamon. Pour into prepared pans;bake 50-60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

You can also add some mini chocolate chips if you so desire. And the cake wouldn't be called Alligator Skin cake if you peeled the zucchini. But if your kids really and truly hate all things green, peel the zucchini so they will at least eat it. Or not and you wont have to share.

Affordable Frappachino

2010-05-23T16:12:00.006-05:00

If you love coffee, you would most likely love Frappachinos on a hot Summer(or spring) day. I personally consider a Frappachino to be a HUGE treat. The cost is, lest face it, REDONCULOUS!!

So with that, here it is, an affordable alternative to Tim's, Starbucks and even Co-op's Iced cappachino's/Frappachinos. I don't have an actual measurement recipe here, which can be a good thing. This way you can make as much or as little as you want.

Things you will need: Glass for drinking(so obvious),instant coffee or seriously strong brewed coffee,ice cubes, milk(or soy,rice, you name it), sugar(optional), and blender.

1. Fill your glass half full(or empty depending on your mood).

2. Top up your glass with ice cubes till it is full.

3. Place the contents of the glass into your blender.

4. Take 1tsp of instant coffee and dilute it with a tiny bit of hot hot water in a separate cup. For best results boiled water works best. If you are using brewed coffee you will probably need at least 1/4 cup so add more ice cubes to get desired thickness of Frap.

5. Place diluted coffee into blender with milk and ice.

6. Add sugar if desired. 2tsp is plenty for a 16oz glass, but again it is personal preference. I actually drink it with no sugar and my husband has about 1-2tsp.

7. Turn your blender on and let her ripe.

8. Poor into glass and serve with straw. If you want to be very fancy you can add chocolate syrup or caramel and even whipped cream! be careful though, the kids will want some as well and we all know what will happen if they drink this. It could get ugly.

No blender? no problem!

Instead of filling your glass half way with milk fill it 3/4 of the way, add your coffee and a bunch of ice. Add sugar if desired, stir and enjoy a nice iced coffee.

You may also want to use icing sugar instead of refined white sugar. The icing sugar will dissolve instantly and you wont get any grainy texture.

Hate coffee? try this recipe with your favorite tea.

Meshy, hotsacks

2010-05-09T21:33:00.004-05:00

boy, oh boy has it been a LONG time since I posted last. Time was stollen from me and I have been keeping busy. I got hooked on reading the Twilight books, among other things.

I haven't been doing any new baking in the last couple of months either.

Today the family and I went to Sage Garden Herbs. A really nice garden centre that sells organic plants and flowers. Aside from buying some heritage tomato plants, organic strawberry plants, and a Raspberry bush!, I came across these bags called "Meshy" hotsacks. If this isn't the next best thing I don't know what is. I always hated having to use those plastic produce bags and many times would not bother when buying small amounts of food. But with a family of 4 and 2 kids who love their fruits and veggies, using those bags is inevitable.

Sage Garden Herbs is a quaint little garden centre just off of St.Mary's Road. 3410 St.Mary's, not far off the Perimeter Highway, just before the Floodway.

If you live too far for a drive you can buy them directly from hotsacks.ca, or find a retailer closer to home.

"Almost" Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-24T18:53:00.007-05:00

So I started my no sugar kick on Saturday instead of Monday. I felt I was ready and didn't feel the need to wait. I am proud to say I have not ate one baked good with refind sugar. I don't feel any diffrent yet but I am sure that takes time.

I am in the process of trying to find recipes for goodies that don't have any sugar. I have sucessfuly baked banana bread and some chocolate chip cookies.

Ok, so the chocolate has sugar, but they are for the kids. Making a cookie without sugar and the kids actualy eat it is amazing, chips or not.

"Almost" Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup mashed banana

1/3 cup vegetable oil(or melted butter)

1/4 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/4 cup rice milk(rice milk is naturally sweet) or you can use cows milk

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsp wheat germ

1/4 tsp baking soda

2/3 cups rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat together the mashed banana, oil, vanilla, eggs and milk until creamy. Beat in the flour, wheat germ and baking soda. Stir in oats and mix thoroughly. Coat a cookie sheet with veg oil or butter. Drop batter by the spoonful onto the cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.(8 minutes in convection oven) until just firm to the touch. Don't over bake! cool before serving.

If you want to make these completley sugar free add raisins or coconut, or nuts instead of chocolate chips.

Recipe taken from "Sugar Free Toddlers" Susan Watson. revised the original recipe.

Calling all fellow sugar addicts

2010-03-18T18:06:00.010-05:00

Magnification of grains of sucrose, the most common sugar.

Do you find you are overly addicted to sweets and take every opportunity to eat something with sugar in it?
Do you find yourself sneaking sweet treats when no one is watching? Do you bake for the kids but end up eating more then half of what is in the cookie jar?
Would you rather eat baked goods instead of real food when you are hungry?
If any one of these describes you then you have a sugar addiction.

I am calling all sugar addicts to jump in with me to cut out sugar for 2 weeks. No commitments after that, but you can't cheat for the entire 2 weeks.

I know I have a serious sugar addiction. I always use to think I was addicted to food, but I came to realise that it isn't food, but actually only some sorts of foods, namely foods with sugar. Like baked goods. For one thing, I LOVE baking. It really is an outlet for me and something I really enjoy doing. I just have to do it and learn not to eat it, or at least learn to know when to stop eating it. I know sugar, especially refined white sugar is possibly one of the worst things you can eat and to eat it on a regular basis, lets face it, is the entire reason why I have a weight problem. My logical mind knows the answers to my own questions, but the other half of my selfish mind just wants that sweet fix of sugar(especially when my sweet darling children are driving me nuts)

so, for my own confirmation of why I want to do this, here an article of all the negative things about sugar and its side effects. #1 being weight gain, of course, so beyond that, here goes.

Sugar is the No. 1 ingredient (in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), fructose, or glucose) in foods. But sugar (1) typically delivers a load of calories with little to no nutrition; therefore, (2) it can stoke your appetite rather than satisfy it, and (3) it can even become addictive: By constantly eating sugar, you force your pancreas to work overtime, and as you eat more, it pumps out massive amounts of insulin--eventually, your body may become less sensitive to sugar and build up a resistance to it. The Women's Health magazine website has a ton of tips to avoid sugar shock in an article called "Sugar Overload."

A host of diseases--diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, dehydration--have been linked to excess sugar/glucose intake. Despite this fact, simple sugars (such as HFCS) are being used 42 percent more in our foods than they were in 1970, when they were used only two percent of the time. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080404054202AAz39KD

So, after reading that you must want to at least give it a 2 week trial, right?

There will be a few rules though(of course) you can not substitute the white poison for artificial sweeteners cause that stuff is even more poisonous and don't try and tell me anything different, even you know it is. You can however substitute sugar with honey, Agave syrup necture(found at any health food store),Maple syrup, molasses, and pure Sucanat(read the link) you can find this stuff at health food stores or even Super Store in the healthy living sections in their stores. But I think for the 2 week trial we should stay away from all sources of sweet stuff, excluding lactose(found in milk products)

Read labels! you should be a crazy label reader after this two weeks is up and after reading a few labels you will be shocked at how much stuff has sugar in it. And I challenge you to cut your children's sugar intake by half, if not completely.

I personally did it with my kids for a 2 week trial and I saw amazing results, especially in my son. I also strongly feel that kids are so loaded with sugar these days and no one even gives it a second thought. I always felt that I was controlling the intake but it wasn't until I really sat down and realised that unless we cut out packaged foods my kids will be eating sugar every time they open their mouths.

Are we perfect? no. Do we let our kids still have sugar, yes. But it is very limited. Lets just say they appreciate every bit they get and will be over the Moon come Easter Morning.

If you feel like giving it a shot, post a comment below. I am hoping a few people will want to do this with me as it is much easier doing things as a group and not alone. Start date is Monday March 22nd(I will give you one more weekend). We can do this!

Here is a list of words that mean "sugar"

Corn sweetener
Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
Dehydrated Cane Juice
Dextrin
Dextrose
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Invert sugar
Maltodextrin
Malt syrup
Maltose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Rice Syrup
Saccharose
Sorghum or sorghum syrup
Sucrose
Syrup
Treacle
Turbinado Sugar
Xylose

Gingerbread Biscotti

2010-03-16T12:46:00.006-05:00

I finally decided to try this recipe that I have had saved for a while now. I am not sure why I felt intimidated by it, but I did. Needless to say it was so simple to make. I am a huge over thinker and I fidgeted with the shaping of the dough for much longer then I should have but I couldn't visualise the end result before it was baked.

I made up my own glaze recipe and my liquid measurements are not exact so if you make it just add small amounts of liquid till you get the consistency you want.

Gingerbread Biscotti

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
3/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and molasses. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; mix into egg mixture to form a stiff dough.

Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a roll the length of the cookie. Place rolls on cookie sheet, and pat down to flatten the dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to touch, cut into 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. Place sliced biscotti on cookie sheet, and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until toasted and crispy.

My Chocolate Glaze

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp butter(room temp.)

1 tsp Vanilla

1oz semi-sweet bakers chocolate square

Buttermilk to thin

In a bowl mix the icing sugar and butter with water and vanilla until smooth.

With a double boiler, or using a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water, melt your 1oz of chocolate. I used 1 baker's Square. You can use chocolate chips if you don't have any baker's squares. Just make sure they are semi-sweet, not milk chocolate, or your glaze will be much too sweet.

Once the chocolate is melted add it to your sugar mix and combine. Once it is combined add enough buttermilk until you have a nice smooth and somewhat runny consistency for drizzling it on your Biscotti.

If you don't have buttermilk just use cows milk, rice milk, soy milk or almond milk.

Eggless wholewheat chocolate chip muffins

2010-03-10T22:14:00.003-06:00

I made these for my son's little friend who LOVES anything with chocolate. He also has an egg allergy and these turned out wonderful and moist even without the egg. If you or anyone you know also has a dairy allergy try using Rice milk or a really thick Soy milk.

I tweaked my recipe from one I found on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat flour

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk(don't use low fat)

1/3 cup veg oil

1 egg replacer (or try any of these substitutes)

3/4 cups semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F . Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.)

3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan. Serve warm.

Magnetic Chalkboard

2010-03-10T21:50:00.003-06:00

I had this wall space in the kitchen, and just for fun I thought I would make a chalkboard for the kids and for a grocery and to-do list.

When I was looking around for chalkboard paint I discovered that you can make a magnetic chalkboard. So I thought, why not, I will give it a try.

The magnetic primer was being rather fussy and I ended up having to do 6 coats of the stuff to make any magnet stick. I was worried that once I got the chalkboard paint on top of it nothing would stick. Thankfully, everything but the kids VTech letters stick.

There are many places you can make a chalkboard wall. In the Kitchen, on the inside of your pantry door, a child's room or even on top of a desk or table.

before you paint, tape off the area with painters table and make sure your lines are level by using a leveler.

Your best application option is a foam roller for both the magnetic primer and the chalkboard paint.

The magnetic primer can be bought at Home Depot and comes in 1/4 gallon size cans. I was able to do my space with 6 coats and I still have about 1/2 the can left, so it does go a long way.

This primer dries fast so you may be able to get the project done in one day if you had the time.

Once the primer is dried and you are ready for the chalkboard paint you now have to decide on the colour. The brand Home depot sells has many different colours, from pink and brown to red and yellow. But if you just want to use black and don't have a huge wall to cover Benjamin Moore sells small size cans to save you a few bucks. I didn't need 1/4 of a gallon and found the small can at Benjamin Moore. I painted on 3 coats and still have enough paint for another project if needed.

Once your 3 coats of the paint has been put on, let it dry for 3 days before you cure the chalkboard. To cure the chalkboard just rub chalk all over the painted area and wipe off with your brush. Your chalkboard is now ready to use.

Oh, and before I forget, you can even buy whiteboard(dry eraser) paint!! how cool is that.

Hamburger and Hotdog Buns

2010-03-07T19:21:00.005-06:00

100% Whole Wheat Hamburger and Hotdog Buns.

Ingredients

1 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg
3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast or active dry yeast

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in order according to your bread machine.
2. Select ‘dough’ cycle.
3. Allow cycle to run.
4. Dump out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 8-10 pieces(I make 8 hamburger,10 hot dog).
5. Shape each piece into a hot dog or hamburger bun.
6. Place on greased cookie sheets (or bun pans), cover; let rise 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden.
8. Cool on wire racks.

I found this recipe a while back and I have no idea why I haven't posted it hear sooner. It is simple and very easy. Sadly my hotdog buns are not photo worthy. I am still trying to get the prefect shape and size.

My only tips are to not make them too big. The dough has a second rising stage and the buns will get larger before and as you are cooking them. There is an art to making them just the right size and I am still trying to master it. Some days I make them great for smokies, other days I make them great for kids size dogs.

Hamburger buns on the other hand are rather easy. You can make mini ones for the kids and big giant sized ones if you want to.

Enjoy!

Canned Beans

2010-03-07T18:29:00.003-06:00

I decided to try an experiment in making my own canned beans.

I have tried to eliminate as much canned foods from our pantry as I could, but canned beans are so much nicer then dried beans just boiled. Canned beans have a nice creamy texture to them.

I started out by soaking white beans over night in a large bowl with water.

In the morning I drained the beans from the water, picked out any brown ones and had a handy helper help me place all the beans in canning jars.

Once the all the beans were in jars I poured boiling water into each jar leaving about 1/4 of an inch from the top. At this point you can add a little salt if desired. Place seals and lids onto jars and tightening loosely. If you tighten them too tight you wont be able to open the jars when you want the beans.

I used the waterbath method to seal the lids.

To seal the lids with this method you carefully place the sealed jars into a hot pot with the water just covering the tops of the jars. Let the water come to a safe gentle boil for about 10-15 minutes.

When the jars are ready to come out carefully lift them out and leave them standing upright till cool. At this point you start to hear all the jars pop as the seals start to set.

I plan to let these rest for 3-6 months before I open a jar to see if it worked. I am really hoping it does. This is a very economical way of eating organic canned beans. Plus it is so much healthier for you. I find it hard to buy canned beans that don't have calcium disodium EDTA(a colour preservative) in them aside from organic beans, which cost up to $2+ per can.

If you are scared to try any canning just do some google searches for tips. I don't have a proper canning pot and you honestly don't need one if you don't can very often.

I will post back on my bean adventure when I crack open a jar.

Homemade Meat Coating

2010-02-27T19:29:00.014-06:00

Homemade Meat Coating(Shake n' Bake) is so simple you would have wished you thought of it sooner.

You can make a huge batch of this stuff and store it in your freezer to keep it fresh. No need to run to the store for those last minute dinners and you have no idea what you are going to put on your chicken or pork.

You can use a high fiber cereal like Fiber 1 or any other type of brand that you would rather feed to the birds then eat. You can also use dried bread crumbs or even fresh bread will work too. If you have fresh bread and want to use dried bread crumbs, just cut up your bread into small squares and place it in your oven on 400 degrees for about 10-20 minutes to dry the bread out.

After you have decided what base you want to use you now add the spices. And again, this really is a no brainer. Just add whatever spices you like.
I added garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, onion powder, sage, thyme and basil.

The best way to blend everything is in a coffee grinder, but if you don't have a coffee grinder you can use a food processor or by placing the ingredients in a plastic bag and smashing it with a meat clever. If you do either of those two methods you might want to sift it through a fine sifter to get the fine granules out so you can continue to break up the large bits.

The best results are from a coffee grinder though. As you can see the constancy is exactly like the Shake n' Bake brand which is like a smooth powder.

When I use the coating I don't add any egg or water to the meat. I just place the meat onto the powder and pat it to coat the entire slice. Once both sides are covered the meat is ready to be baked.

All baked and ready to eat. I love being able to make my family a healthier alternative to packaged Shake n' Bake. My children love their meat with mild flavoring. But you can make this hot or sweet to every one's taste. enjoy!

Wheat Tortillas

2010-02-24T19:55:00.008-06:00

Dough in the Tortilla Press

Tortilla pressed out

baked on iron skillet

completed Tortillas

Tortilla shells are another very overly processed bread product. A true Tortilla will only stay fresh for a couple hours at the most. After a period of time they get hard and not very easy to use. Store bought Tortilla's are packed with preservatives and softening agents to keep the Tortilla soft.

Wheat Tortillas are relatively easy to make, but they are very time consuming. You need to make sure you have at least 1 hour set aside to make the entire batch. If you are pressed for time cut the recipe in half, the original recipe does makes quite a few. I also suggest using whole wheat flour since it is a lot healthier for you.

You do not have to have a Tortilla Press to make these. I just find it helps to make them round, otherwise my Tortillas end up into a shape that isn't a shape. They also can not be rolled out too thin, the thinner the better imo.

Having two baking pans going will speed up the process. The work is definitely worth the effort. These taste so much better then store bought Tortilla's. The only down side is they don't freeze so well. Within a couple days they seem to take on the freezer taste. I suggest wrapping them in wax or parchment paper, then in tinfoil and then a freezer bag. This might be the only way to keep them from absorbing any smells. But they do defrost quickly and you can place them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make them soft for wrapping.

In the past I have made Corn Tortilla shells using masa harina. These too are very good, but they have a much different taste then the wheat tortilla.

Vegetable Broth

2010-02-23T19:42:00.006-06:00

Veggies ready to be simmered

Results after simmering for over 14 hours

I made a HUGE batch of homemade vegetable broth the other night.

This is an affordable and preservative free method of having yummy tasting veggie broth for recipes and soups.

I used my largest roaster for this broth. I filled the roaster with carrots, celery, onion and a bag of spinach. The options are endless really. You can add beets, potatoes, corn, squash and so on. For spices I added some course salt, garlic, bay leaf and pepper. The great thing about making homemade is you can add these spices all to taste.

After the veggies and spices were in the roaster I filled the roaster to the top with water, put the lid on and slow cooked the veggies over night at 200 degrees in the oven. You can also use a crock pot but you wont yield as much broth.

This can also be done to make your own Turkey or Chicken broth. Just put your chicken carcass in the crock pot or roaster, add veggies like carrots and celery along with the same spices listed above. Fill the pot or roaster with water and simmer for many many hours. If you use a crock pot put the setting at low for 10 hours.

Most store bought broth contains MSG which is usually labeled as "natural flavouring". Be aware of all the ingredients. I tried to find ingredient lists at the Campbell's website and they have none listed. They provide the nutritional information but nothing further. I find it interesting that they don't feel confident enough in their own product to list the ingredients.

Wool Dryer Balls

2010-02-22T19:41:00.011-06:00

Dryer Balls I have made

When I had my son I became very conscience of chemicals that were used in every day life. One of the big things I really wanted to eliminate was using dryer sheets and fabric softeners. I went for a period of time using nothing in the dryer. The winter months were brutal to say the least. Home Hardware came out with their fantastic Natura reusable dryer sheets. I bought them when my son was 1 and still have the same set 5 years later. But I was lucky, we have family close to a Home Hardware and could easily get the dryer sheets.

I was surfing the Internet one day and came across some instructions on how to make your own wool dryer balls. I thought the idea was wonderful and made a few.

They are simple to make and they really do work. Having about 4-6 balls in your dryer at one time is ideal, but I found that even 2 was good enough for regular cotton clothing.

If you haven't considered why fabric softener and dryer sheets are dangerous please read below and consider eliminating this harmful chemical from your home.

Why is Fabric Softner unsafe?

Many people will remember a famous TV ad where a woman races to her washing machine, fabric softener in hand, only to arrive just as the wash ends. This woman who "forgot to ad the fabric softener" was actually doing herself and her family a favor.

Although they may make your clothes feel soft and smell fresh, fabric softener and dryer sheets are some of the most toxic products around. And chances are that the staggering 99.8 percent of Americans who use common commercial detergents, fabric softeners, bleaches, and stain removers would think twice if they knew they contained chemicals that could cause cancer and brain damage.

Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in fabric softeners and dryer sheets:

* Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer

* Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant

* Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders

* Limonene: Known carcinogen

* A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage

* Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list

*Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders

* Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic

* Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders

* Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

So how could products with pretty names like Soft Ocean Mist, Summer Orchard and April Fresh be so dangerous?

The chemicals in fabric softeners are pungent and strong smelling -- so strong that they require the use of these heavy fragrances (think 50 times as much fragrance) just to cover up the smells. Furthermore, synthetic fabrics, which are the reason fabric softeners were created in the first place, do not smell good either when heated in a dryer or heated by our bodies ... hence the need for even more hefty fragrances.

In other words, remove all the added fragrance that endears people to fabric softeners and -- like the cliché wolf in sheep's clothing -- the real smells of the chemical-laced fabric softener and the synthetic fabrics they were designed around may prompt people to shoot their laundry machines and be done with it.

Are "Soft" Clothes Worth It?

Fabric softeners are made to stay in your clothing for long periods of time. As such, chemicals are slowly released either into the air for you to inhale or onto your skin for you to absorb. Dryer sheets are particularly noxious because they are heated in the dryer and the chemicals are released through dryer vents and out into the environment. Health effects from being exposed to the chemicals in fabric softeners include:

* Central nervous system disorders

* Headaches

* Nausea

* Vomiting

* Dizziness

* Blood pressure reduction

* Irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract

* Pancreatic cancer

Soften Your Clothes Safely With These Tips

Even if you don't feel the effects of these chemicals today, they can affect you gradually over time, and children, whose systems are still developing, are particularly at risk. There's really no reason to expose yourself to these risky chemicals when natural alternatives exist. Not only are they safer for you, your family and the environment, but they're much more economical too:

* Add a quarter cup of baking soda to wash cycle to soften fabric

* Add a quarter cup of white vinegar to rinse to soften fabric and reduce cling

Bagels

2010-02-15T12:14:00.016-06:00

Shaped and ready to be boiled

Boiling!

Baked and ready to eat!

All these need is a little jam or cream cheese, yummy!

No I am not a carb addict. But I find breads are the one food product that is very over processed. I challenge you to find a store bagel with only 5 ingredients. If you do let me know! I even find that many fresh bakery's still add preservatives and have a long list of ingredients that I can not even read, let alone pronounce.

I had made these bagels a long time ago when my children were small. For some reason they seemed much easier to make today compared to back when my kids were scooting around.

These are seriously very simple to make and take no time at all.

If you don't have a bread machine I encourage you to make a triple batch of these in a bowl. The only negative thing about this recipe is that it only makes 8 Bagels.

I have a second whole wheat batch in the bread machine right now. Hopefully these ones will make it into the freezer for quick snacks.

Your options are endless with this recipe. You can make chocolate chip ones for the kids, sun dried tomato and cheese, flax seed and rosemary(you get my point). Have fun making them and enjoy eating a chemical free bagel.

I would also assume that the calories from this recipe will be significantly less then a store bought bagel. You can cut out the sugar which will make them even lower in calories.

Refried Beans-not from a can

2010-02-04T19:27:00.004-06:00

Refried Beans without the Refry.

I don't know many people who don't like refried beans. The canned variety, brand name or no name is pretty darn good.

About 2 years ago when all the issues with BPA came to light and the fact that canned foods were sitting in cannes lined with BPA, I decided to try and find recipes for some of my favorite canned foods.

I came across this recipe for Refried Beans without the Refry. I have to tell you, I have never bought a can of refried beans since. These are so simple to make and they taste SO GOOD! You can freeze the left overs (cause it does make a bunch). My only suggestion is to make sure they are fairly wet. If you drain them completely you will have dried out beans after they have been in the freezer for a while. I also cook them on low for 10+ hours overnight.

Freeze them in small 1cup size containers for fast defrosting. They make great quick lunches for the kids(my kids love these beans) great taco night dinners and also great for bean dips.

If you don't have a crock pot/slow cooker, buy one!

Pita Bread

2010-01-31T22:14:00.005-06:00

Rolled out dough ready for second rise

Freshly baked(could have been browner). I don't know the chemistry behind Pita Bread

but they baked perfectly with the centre open.

You are probably thinking, no way! But yes, you can make your very own homemade Pita Bread and with very little effort with Peppy's Pita Bread recipe. Again, I used my bread machine to mix the dough effortlessly. For some odd reason I had troubles with this recipe. The dough was very sticky but I followed it exactly and I am not sure what went wrong. Otherwise I am sure the dough would have been much easier to work with.

But I shall redeem myself and try it again with a few changes. The taste is good but it wont blow your socks off. This recipe will save you a lot of money if you really like Pita Bread. I think most packages of 8 Pita's run about $3 per bag? I also have a hard time finding fresh ones that don't expire within a few days of buying them. Super Store is also notorious for freezing their baked goods so they last longer on the shelf, which makes knowing how old the breads really are very deceiving. The bonus to homemade, no preservatives!!!

Support Sustainable Farming

2010-01-30T08:29:00.007-06:00

Free Range Chickens

Mass produced chickens

(which meat do you want to eat?)

Have you ever thought about where your meat comes from and what it contains? Many people don't even begin to think about these things. All animals produced for mass slaughter are given antibiotics and a long list of vaccinations to keep them "healthy" until they are ready for slaughter. They are given these antibiotics and vaccinations because they are housed in very small and dirty environments where germs and viruses grow rapidly.

There is a simple solution to this problem. Buy sustainable farmed meat with no antibiotics or vaccinations. It is a domino effect. More people have to be aware of what they are eating and they should care about what they eat. If you support small farmers who are taking that extra step you are creating a market for a more demanding product and hopefully one day we will push out the mass produced meat that is unhealthy for us.

We will also be supporting farmers who actually really care about their livestock. Farmers who care about quality over quantity. Farmers who don't force their hogs and chickens into small steal crates but rather let them run free, like nature intended.

A few great search tools to find local meat producers is 100milemanitoba.org

There is a list of local meat and egg suppliers as well as a few other products like honey, nuts and seeds.

As a family we have purchased Chickens from Asher Farms, and Pork from Ian Smith. The cost may seem high, but isn't your health and the health of your family worth it?

And the simple thing about supporting a local farmer goes beyond more then you can even imagine.

The Difficult Lives of Farm Raised Chickens

Supporting Haiti

2010-01-27T19:05:00.003-06:00

ok, so these are not exactly healthy. But my son's school was having a bunch of fundraising activities all week for the Haiti relief efforts. Tuesday was a bake sale and I wanted to do something fun. So at least they are all 100% completely homemade goodness, and the kids loved them and I had fun making them.

Ranch Dressing/Dip

2010-01-27T18:48:00.005-06:00

I found this Ranch Dressing recipe one day when I was in search for all things home made. I don't want to even imagine what is in packaged salad dressings, I can only think they are packed with a lot of preservatives. There are many ingredients on the list that I can not pronounce nor do I know what they are without looking them up.

I have altered the recipe(of course) I just use all organic sour cream instead of mayo and sour cream. It is nice and thick which makes a great dip for raw veggies. If you want to make a salad dressing I would suggest just adding some organic milk, or even soy milk to thin it out. Make sure you let it sit overnight. Enjoy!

The Perfect Food

2010-01-19T20:30:00.004-06:00

My Husband and I discovered this grain like substance a while back called Quinoa. It can almost be considered the perfect food.
here is the nutritional break down.
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2

High in protein, high in calcium, great for celiac's, good source of fiber, low in fat, no saturated or trans fats and very high in folates.

How to cook it
http://www.fatfree.com/foodweb/food/quinoa.html

Here is the recipe I made tonight.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-Side-Dish/Detail.aspx
(sorry no pictures today). It turned out great!
We had tried it a few months back but cooked it like we would have rice, with just some salt and olive oil. Lets just say there was a reason why it took us this long to try it again. It was horrible!
We didn't rinse it first, which makes a huge difference and Quinoa will take on any flavour you throw at it. So if you like beef or chicken broth use that instead of vegetable broth. I suggest to try a recipe that adds flavour and you will probably really enjoy it.

I bought some Organic Quinoa from the Bulk Barn and have not looked for it anywhere else. I am sure the health food stores like Vita Health and Organza have it. Super Store may also have it in there New Health food sections that they are adding to all their stores(which I am loving).
Enjoy!

Skinny Bitch

2010-01-19T20:07:00.003-06:00

No, I am not a Skinny Bitch, or I at least have to work on the Skinny part.
A parent of one of my son's Kindergarten classmates suggested this book to me. We got talking on healthy eating and she told me I just had to read it.
It took me a few weeks to decide to get the book. I bought it on a Friday, started the book that afternoon and finished it early Saturday afternoon. It truly was a great read. I consider myself open minded and had no issues reading the book. It also brought me back to the good old days when I was a Skinny Bitch. Why was I skinny? because I was a strict Vegetarian! I always had issues with my weight whenever meat was involved in my diet, but once I became a Vegetarian and then a Vegan my weight just fell off.
So, with that I have decided to finally get back into it. I had always had that thought at the back of my head that I should really stop eating meat again. Skinny Bitch gave me that push that I needed.

I highly suggest the book. It not only talks about Veganisum, but it also talks about the politics on food. Which companies are corrupt and a nice long list of artificial ingredients to stay away from, as well as an ok list of natural safe ingredients in packaged foods.
I am still trying to stick to my no packaged food lifestyle as well, so this is going to be a challenge.
In my previous vegetarian ways I would always eat packaged hamburgers and never gave it any thought. But you have to be careful with the amount of sodium in vegetarian packaged foods. The companies have to add A LOT of salt to make those foods taste good.

You may see some of my old favorite recipes pop on here, one being a super yummy mushroom burger I use to make all the time. But if you hate mushrooms I am sure it doesn't sound good at all.

I am going on day 4 of no meat and I feel great! I also cut out coffee cold turkey and surprisingly never had any withdrawal symptoms. I am seriously addicted to coffee, it is harder for me to give up the coffee over anything, even the meat.

Etsy

2010-01-18T16:31:00.003-06:00

I LOVE Etsy.com. If you are not familiar with it, you must go there and brows. You can pretty much buy anything you can think of ever needing on there. It is all handmade or vintage items, so you know anything you buy from there is not from a sweatshop and it is all really good quality stuff. I have bought many thing off Etsy and have never been disappointed.
I always look in the "local" section to see what great local artist we have.
Today I found this lovely store that is donating some of her proceeds to Winnipeg Animal Services. RubyDee Creations http://www.etsy.com/shop/politepaws
Why not have a peek and buy something to support all the dogs who desperately need a home.

Mini Pancakes

2010-01-14T18:20:00.006-06:00

This was lunch one day this past week.

Quick and simple and the kids love them.

1 cup of milk

1 cup of flour(preferably unbleached or whole wheat. 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup wholewheat works nice too.

1tbsp baking powder

1 egg

Mix all together and fry on the frying pan. I like to use a little bit of butter to fry them up.

Serve them with Maple syrup and fruit on top(or on the side if you have picky eaters)

Pizza Perogies

2010-01-14T14:51:00.017-06:00

These are an all time favorite with my kids.

I was inspired to make my own after buying some Pizza Perogies from the Farmer's Market.

I start off with my Mother-in-Laws perogie dough, which is very easy to work with. (I have her Cottage Cheese Perogie recipe at allrecipes.com) also very good.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup cold water

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and baking powder. Pour in the vegetable oil and cold water, and mix or knead into a smooth dough.

2.Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, and cut into 3 inch circles using a glass, can, or cookie cutter. Place a spoonful of the cottage cheese filling onto each circle. Fold in half, and pinch the edges together to seal.

3.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the perogies into the water, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they float. Remove from water with a slotted spoon, and place on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to drain excess water.

For the Pizza filling I make my own pizza sauce.

1 small can of tomato sauce(about 8oz). I prefer to buy the no salt added and be careful to read labels. Many tomato sauce cans have added sugar as well.

1 small can of tomato paste. Again, read the labels. Superstore yellow label is simply "tomatoes" which it should be, but again many companies add sugar and salt.

Spices of choice, garlic, basil, oregano, onion, pepper and salt. You can add tiny slivers of pepperoni or mushrooms if you wish. There really are no rules or limitations to this, my children just like it simple.

Once you make the sauce add a small amount of sauce and cheese for your perogies.

I got a Hunky Bill's for Christmas this year and it is amazing at how fast I can make perogies now. You can buy it online or at specialy Kitchen supply stores in your area. The dough recipe above makes 18 perogies with Hunky Bill's larger size perogie maker.

Strawberry Banana Jam!

2010-01-07T15:37:00.004-06:00

This is only the best Jam ever! Homemade that is. Any flavour will do, but nothing beats making homemade jam.

The first time I made it I tried to cut back on the sugar but it turned out more like a thick sauce instead of a nice jam consistency. with my second try I followed the instructions as per the recipe but added some banana to the strawberries and boy oh boy is it yummy!

The possibilities are endless really. I have to admit that I hardly even do a thing when I make jam. My wonderful bread maker does it all for me. The only difference with this jam is you have to eat it within 2 weeks or freeze it. I collect small jars and freeze about 1/4-1/2 a cup in each jar. Take it out of the freezer as needed and you have fresh homemade jam, for a fraction of the cost of good quality store bought jam.

If you don't have a bread maker you can buy Certo packages specifically labeled "Freezer Jam" you don't need to worry about having a bunch of canning items and boiling any jars. all you need is some fruit, Certo mix, sugar, a pot, a spoon and jars. Plastic containers work just as well.

Note: If the fruit you want to use is not in season, buy it frozen. Frozen fruit is always picked in season.

English Muffins

2010-01-04T20:14:00.006-06:00

Today's new experiment involved making homemade English Muffins.

Thankfully I have a bread maker to make the dough as I have never been good at making yeasty breads without killing the yeast some how.

I placed all the ingredients into the bread maker and rolled out a couple dozen English Muffins in no time.

Again, a learning experience. I always try to follow recipes since they usually do work or they wouldn't be published, but for some reason this one needed to be changed and it was the baking process.

I tried making them on the stove as suggested but they just burned badly. I decided to bake the remaining muffins in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, turned them over and baked them for another 8 minutes. They turned out lovely!

The only ingredient I changed in the recipe itself was I used 3 cups whole wheat flour and 3 cups unbleached white flour. Next time I make these they will be 100% whole wheat.

We are not huge white bread fans but again, I try not to veer too far from the original recipe or I can't blame it for not working if it doesn't turn out.

p.s. The family and I loved these! so much nicer than bought english muffins, and not packed with preservatives and cheap fillers. Just simple homemade goodness. try them, you will love them too.

Pasta

2010-01-03T22:42:00.000-06:00

My first attempt at making home made pasta.

I bought a cheap pasta maker($22) I wanted one that attaches to my Kitchen Aid mixer, but at well over $100 I figured starting out small was the best way to go.

The pasta maker was very simple to use, not too time consuming and the pasta tasted pretty good. I used just regular unbleached flour for my first try and made the noodles on the thickest setting. This is very much a learning process, but I will be trying Whole Wheat flour next time and making the noodles much thinner. Our son had some issues with the texture of the noodles, otherwise he is fine with pasta as it is one of his favorite things to eat.

Welcome!

2010-01-03T22:13:00.000-06:00

My first post!
I wanted to start this blog to record all the different things I am making. I have always tried very hard to feed my children healthy natural foods without preservatives or added chemicals, but boy is that hard. I have always been a label reader and the older I get the crazier I get.
We are starting out slowly but I would love to make my own yogurt and butter one day. But the key thing for that is to find some whole cream. For some odd reason the only full fat cream sold in stores has carrageenan in it, so I am on the hunt for pure cream!