Happy mid week!

Oh my stars will these allergies subside? I wonder if anyone else is having issues. I am having a hard time finding motivation to get much done. Aside from sitting at the computer printing pretty photos to hang on my walls, not much productivity in this house. I did make a really good macaroni and cheese last night however. I can't get around cooking dinner haha, the hubs has to eat or he gets "hangry"!

So I guess the only thing worth writing about today is something I am contemplating. This may go no where, but I am considering trying to make and sell all natural products! The more I learn about them and how simple it is, I think I may be able to do it. I will start small, I'm thinking bug sprays, body scrubs, and an all purpose cleaner to start. Since I enjoy talking about subjects like that, and using all natural products I believe it could be fun. I'll of course test things out first and use the ingredients I feel work the best. I don't need it to turn into anything gigantic...I don't know if I wanna get into dealing with licenses or anything like that.  It could a nice side job/ hobby though! Etsy is also a good place for selling stuff like that. I don't know, we will see! 

Ok, so I know this is a short non interesting post...I will fix that for the next one. Some days the inspiration just isn't there. 

I'm going to ponder my product ideas in the meantime!!

Enjoy your evenings :)

I'll be back!

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week...I have been out of commission due to some horrible allergies. AGAIN. I am lacking in the motivation department, therefore I have not taken any time to sit down and post. I promise to have something truly interesting for you all tomorrow.

For now, its a cold shower and bed for this mama. 

Til Tomorrow!!

New Snack Love!

Good morning all! I am running on not much sleep and an extra glass of iced coffee this morning. My son woke up at 1130 last night crying and did not stop for almost an hour. Nothing wrong with him that I could see...I ended up having to rock him and sing him to sleep haha. He has never really been the kid that is soothed by the rocking chair. He is very squirmy, perhaps just unable to get comfy that way. I didn't give up last night though, my hubs had to be up at 430 so I wanted to make sure he got his sleep. I however did not...but that's one of my jobs as a stay at home mama. 

So even though I did not get much sleep, I decided since it was so nice out this morning I wanted to get a good walk/jog in. There is a nice breeze today and this morning it was not very sunny so it was the perfect temperature for me. I enjoyed my first iced coffee, put the babe in his stroller and probably did about a mile and a half. It got cut a little short because I happened to see a dang raccoon running back and forth across the road near my turn around spot! All set with that. Came back home, had breakfast, etc and decided to make something to snack on later. Unfortunately they are so good I am eating them right now, so I will have to make more after this post.

Today's snack item: Spinach Chips. Oh my gosh deliciousness. If you have had kale chips and enjoy them, then I suggest trying these because they are just as good for you and just as good. I do not always have kale on hand, but I do always have spinach. We use it in everything. Now I have another reason to eat it. Very simple to make  and like my last recipe post, you can use whatever you like here for spices. So here is spinach chips via photos....

This is everything you need!

Beautiful leaves...you want the big ones

Cover in the oil

Foil lined pan for the baking

Seasoning

Mix seasoning well into leaves

Bake em

End Product

 Here is the recipe a little more specific...

Ingredients: Tablespoon of olive oil, about 2 cups of big leaf spinach, and seasoning, (recipe I found called for Italian seasoning...I used spices I normally put in my home made sauce: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and parsley.) You can use whatever you like.

First thing you do is mix the spinach (if it is washed already, if not be sure to give it a good rinse) with the olive oil being careful not to tear the leaves. Then sprinkle your seasoning over the mix. When you are making your seasoning mix, it is all to taste. I love spices so I used a lot, trying to stay low on the salt however. Once it is all mixed , line your baking sheet with foil and place the leaves in a single layer on the pan. No over lapping or the leaves may stay soggy in areas. Bake in the oven 8-10 minutes. Just keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Voila! That is it. Take a bite and tell me those are not delicious. 

Spinach so good for you and if you are not much of a spinach eater, perhaps this is the trick to get you to include some into your diet. If you are an eater like myself...then this is just another awesome way to enjoy what we already love. After eating these I decided the next batch I make will include some Parmesan cheese in the seasoning mix, and use a tad bit less of the crushed red pepper. Some of those were a little "fiery" hahah.

Enjoy the day!

xo

Late Night Rant...

I'm not sure how many out there are paying attention to what is going on with GMOs and the labeling/not labeling issue happening in our country right now. The more I read the more furious I get. I cannot fathom that the USA is still on the list of Countries NOT singing into law that ALL labels on ALL products should show ALL ingredients! Why is this not law yet? Companies are too afraid of the revenue they will lose once consumers learn about all the bologna that is in their products. What scares me the most right now is baby care/food as well as shady organic brands! I tend to stay away from most junk food and processed items, those are items most guilty of containing artificial and modified ingredients...but when I am purchasing fruit, vegetables or dairy labeled "organic" I do not enjoy the idea that (#1) a larger corporation owns said organic brand, or (#2) that I am being fooled into thinking something is better for me when in all actuality it is no better than a conventional product! I wanted to share this photo: It shows a ton of the companies that are AGAINST GMO labeling in the United States.

 Here is a list from inspirationgreen.com of "organic" companies, owned by larger corporations also AGAINST the labeling....

 Organic (and some Natural) food brands owned by big corporations:


Coca-Cola -  Honest Tea,  Odwalla,  Simply Orange.

Cadbury -  Green and Black's Chocolate,  Nantucket Nectars.

ConAgra -  Alexia,  Hunt's Organic,  Lightlife (vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes like Smart Deli),  Orville Redenbacher's Organic.

General Mills - Cascadian Farms, Cheerios, Food Should Taste Good,  Larabar,  Muir Glen, Nature Valley.

Groupe Danone -  Stonyfield Farm.

Hershey’s -  Dagoba Chocolate.

Hain-Celestial - (partially owned by Heinz) Arrowhead Mills,  Bearitos,  Breadshop Cereals,  Casbah,  Celestial Seasonings,  DeBoles Pasta,  Earth's Best,  Ethnic Gourmet,  Garden of Eatin',  Gluten Free,  Greek God's,  Hain Pure,  Health Valley,  Imagine Soups,  Linda McCartney,  Maranatha nut butters,  Mountain Sun Juices,  Nile Spice Soup,  Rice Dream,  Sensible Portions,  ShariAnn's,  Soy Dream,  Terra Chips,  TofuTown,  Walnut Acres,  Westbrae Natural,  WestSoy,  Yves Meatless.

JM Smucker -  After the Fall,  R.W. Knudsen,  Santa Cruz Organic.

Kellogg -  Bear Naked,  Gardenburger,  Kashi,  Morningstar Farms,  Natural Touch,  Wholesome & Hearty. (Kashi cereals contain GMOs!) Kellogs uses genetically engineered sugar beets in its non-organic cereals.

Kraft -  Boca,  Back to Nature.

Mars/M&M -  Seeds of Change

Nestle -  Tribe Mediterranean Foods

Pepsi -  Dole,  Harvest Crunch,  Izze,  Naked Juice,  Ocean Spray,  Tazo,  Tostito's Organic, Tropicana.

Rich's -  Fresh Meadow

Unilever -  Ben & Jerry’s,  Knorr,  Salada


Personal Care:

Clorox -  Burt’s Bees.

Colgate-Palmolive -  Tom’s of Maine.

Hain Celestial -  Alba Botanica,  Avalon Organics,  Jason,  Orjene,  Queen Helene,  Zia.

Beer:

Anhueser Busch -   Stone Mill and Wild Hop.


Am I the only one whos mind is blown???  Now check this out....these are all countries that already have signed into law that all GMOs be shown on all labels....

http://justlabelit.org/right-to-know/labeling-around-the-world/?2014TakePart=


Why are we not on that list? When will people start caring? I do not like shadiness...and this is shady. PLEASE sign this petition and any others that you may come across...and do your research. We have a right to know what we are putting in and on our bodies and our childrens bodies. If you do one thing when you read this post, please follow the link, sign and share. Thank you!!!

http://justlabelit.org/take-action/

xo

Recipe Love and Share

I hope everyone had a great weekend! The weather here was perfect, and we spent every moment possible out doors. Saturday the hubs did a "canoe and brew" which is basically kayaking down a river with a bunch of people and sippin on beers while you do so. Sounds pretty fun right? While he was having his guy time, I spent some time at the in laws so the babe could visit his uncles and grandparents. Sunday we took Cameron to the park to use the splash pad (he loves to get wet) and the swings etc. Stopped at Fro-Yo World after for some refreshment, came home and grilled for dinner. Summer+grilling=perfection. I wanted to share the side dish I made to go with the meal. We made chicken kabobs, always a favorite...and then I made a Quinoa Summer Salad. I love Quinoa, my husband however is new to it and I try it in different things to see how he will like it best, if at all. I found the recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a bit.

                                                     Quinoa Summer Salad (my way)

 I used one cup of un cooked Organic Quinoa...then cooked it obviously and set it aside to cool. For my veggies, I chose chopped organic tomatoes, corn, green onions, orange and red bell peppers, and garbanzo beans. If i had cucumbers and avocado on hand I would have thrown those in as well. I put all of this in a large bowl and tossed in the Quinoa. Mixed it all together so all the beautiful colors of vegetables were showing and then added in a little Italian dressing. I love Good Seasons dressing, it is the only Italian dressing in our home, and it tastes perfect on this dish!!! That's it! Like I said, super easy and very good for you. I am in fact eating it right now for lunch!

Here is the link to the original recipe, they use a different dressing here so if Italian is not your style perhaps you will enjoy that one instead:)

A few reasons to eat Quinoa: 

It is packed FULL of protein! 
It contains twice as much fiber as other grains
For those of you trying to avoid Gluten...its your lucky day! Quinoa is Gluten Free!

If you are looking for a side dish that is perfect for summer....this is it! You can add or substitute any vegetable you love!! 

Enjoy your day!!
xo

Product Review Thursday: Beech Nut Baby Naturals

Good morning! It has been a month or so since I did a product review, and I know that the last one was a baby food brand too. My son is eleven months old so I have had some time to go back and forth with baby food brands and find the ones that I really enjoy. In the beginning I made all of his first foods. I was given that awesome Baby Bullet so I used it as much as possible. Then as he got older I was seeing all these foods in the stores with 3 and 4 mixed fruits and vegetable that looked really fun! Things like pumpkin, apple, apricot and prunes...(an example) looked so good and I knew that I was never going to puree a pumpkin or prunes so it was easier to just buy the foods already made. Anyways I narrowed down my two favorite brands that are cost affordable and delicious. I do enjoy the Ella brand pouches, but they range from like 1.40-1.85 a pouch...no can do on our budget. Sprout Organics and the newest Beech Nut baby foods are the only two I purchase now. Granted, my son does eat things I cook for my husband and I...but I like to keep jars still as back up.  I mix jarred fruit with his yogurt, if he has oatmeal for breakfast I will mix it with a pouch or a jar, pouches are good for on the go snacks, and sometimes I will give him a jar of veggies with whatever he ate for dinner. Last night he ate two Perogies and cut up small veggies. I switch it up on him often.

Today I thought I would share why we love the new Beech Nut 100% Natural baby food. I actually found out about this new food via the Green Moms Meet website. I posted about this sampling earlier, but I believe it was more about the website then the actual baby food. So I was sent 20 Jars of food to sample with a few friends and their babies. Right off the bat, Beech Nut draws you in with their packaging. I hate to say I fell for the advertising...but I did. Besides the cute little boxes the food came in, the jars are adorable! They are still your typical 4.25oz jars of food, just cuter. Perfect for re using with things like your spices, or knick knacks, or if you work with children they are great for crafts. In my previous post you see I used one for a father day present I found on Beech Nuts Facebook page. Along with adorable packaging comes a wide variety of flavors, which is something I feel was lacking years ago. I have worked with kids for over 15 years and have fed my share of infants. The most you would see in the jar foods then was your typical apple, berry mix or just mixed fruit and just mixed vegetables. Companies are picking up on the interest of combining flavors you wouldn't normally consider, and children are digging it! In the photo you see the remaining jars of food I have at the moment, and just look at the flavor combos.

 For breakfast my son had his oatmeal mixed with a half jar of Pineapple, Orange and Banana. It is delicious. I of course try everything he eats. I could easily eat a jar of this for my own snacking. Not only is this a fun way to eat foods, but you are sneaking in some good for you vegetables that your baby may or may not eat in a solo food jar. I love Quinoa myself, and it is filled with fiber, I love that Beech Nut includes this in their baby foods. Who would have thought? Not me. They also continue to carry simple ingredients since there are still stages of food from 1-3. Stage 1 foods are single ingredients like just banana, just pears, just green beans etc...then as the stages go up so do the amount and type of foods in the jars. Now most of their 100% natural jarred foods say "JUST" on the label. Example, "Just Bartlett Pears" I eat mostly Organic in my house and usually fed the baby only organic as well. However, organic is costly and can not always be within the budget. I scour labels and when I looked for the ingredients in this particular brand it simply states "Just Bartlett Pears" So I emailed Beech Nut via Facebook and asked them what the preservative was that was not listed. There had to be one, there is a shelf life on these foods. What I got back as an answer was this... 


"Actually, our new foods don't have any preservatives in them. Using our new cooking method we like to call just gentle cooking, we essentially take out all the air to keep the freshness in. This is what allows us to have just the food and nothing else-and still have a good shelf life! When you see our jar of just honey crisp apples that's truly all it is. No water, no preservatives."

How incredibly wonderful is that! Now there are a few jars that do not have the "Just" on the front which means there is something else in the ingredients, however it IS listed. Sometimes it is lemon juice concentrate, or perhaps heavy cream ( like in the Zucchini/Quinoa jar) Now with all the Monsanto/GMO talk going on lately some of you may wonder if there are GMOs in this brand of food. You will be happy to know that Beechnut is working with the Non GMO project to achieve verification for their products. It takes time for things like that to happen, it is a process and I am confident that Beech Nut will be putting Non GMO on there labels in the near future. 

So as a mom who depends on healthy foods and products for her children, I am thrilled with this product and have had nothing but a positive experience. I will continue to give this to my child, as well as recommend to any new parent I know. I have in fact already turned a couple onto it. You cant wrong when the price is hardly ever over a dollar a jar. My local Stop and Shop/Walmart and Price Chopper often have these for sale as well and I stock up when I need to. I mean, do you need more proof than this?

For more information, head over to their Facebook page. If you have any questions they are very good about answering comments and messages. 

Enjoy!!

(all writings in this blog are of my own opinion and I receive no compensation from any company I review)

Blogger Profile "Surviving and Thriving on Pennies"

Hey everyone! So in an effort to switch up my writing topics, I decided to profile another blogger that I really enjoy. I have been following her for probably two years now, both on her blog and her Facebook page. I actually stumbled upon her just playing around online looking for coupons and deals on organic food items. Somehow she came up in a search, and I took a few minutes and gave her blog a once over. Turns out she shares many of the same passions and ideas that I do. She is all about living naturally, but doing it cost affordable which is also something I am interested in. The title of her blog is "Surviving and Thriving on Pennies." It is a great title also! If you are into saving money, then the title grabs at you, as it did me. Then you just decide if her topics are of interest.

She has a variety of posts, ranging from healthy recipes, to DIY projects, gardening topics, and much much more. I have enjoyed keeping up with what she writes about. For an example, here is a post that she put up back in April. I am sharing this particular one because a friend just brought me over a bunch of mint and I was not sure what I wanted to do with it:

http://survivingandthrivingonpennies.blogspot.com/2014/04/infused-simple-syrup.html

Basically this post is about using herbs to create a simple syrup, which you can then use for things like your own natural soda! This is so perfect, because I never buy soda, and if I do it is ginger ale. But I will admit, I do love an ice cold glass of cola! Especially when eating grinders or pizza. It just fits. I know it is not great for you and that is why I do not buy it. With this recipe, you make your syrup (as directed in her post) and then you can just add it to seltzer water. Voila! So, I think I will try this with the mint I was given. Perfect idea for a future blog post too.

Her Facebook page is constantly updated. She gets a little more personal here, sharing things about her husband and her children, which I enjoy reading because I have the same things in my life. Right now there are a lot of posts having to do with gardening, obviously because of the season. I always like to see how others format their gardens because we have one here ( a small "salad fixins" one) and sometimes I need a little advice on the best way to plant, what to plant near what, etc...)

Another thing that she talks a lot about which she is very passionate about is living as "green" as possible. She is very big on conserving energy wherever she can, recycling/reusing, staying away from plastic if possible, and using natural/chemical free products. From time to time you will see a recipe pop up so you can try it yourself. Obviously you need to share these interests in order to enjoy her social media sites, and if you do not, then they are not for you. I share....so I enjoy!

So, please click on the links above...they will take you blog side and to her Facebook. Have a look around and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do! I have learned some very interesting things from her, maybe you will too.

Product review post coming up a little later! 

xo