Slow and Steady

I wanted to give a little update on one of my new years resolutions

to eat a healthier, more natural, and less processed diet.

Eating organic is nice, but its not a huge concern for me right now.

I knew it wasn't realistic at this point for us to do

a complete 180 on our diet,

But my goal instead was to make simple baby steps in the right direction.

..and that I feel we have achieved

and we are on the right track.

- We now eat WAY more whole and multi grains.

- I try to make more homemade meals.

 -I started prepping and freezing meals,

so I always have a healthier options to cook

or place in my beloved slow-cooker.

- We now eat a salad almost every night with dinner

- More fruits and veggies

Don't get me wrong, we still enjoy sweets here and there,

or have good ol' comfort food

(I am from Minnesota after all, haha)

But I feel better overall of what I eat and what I feed my family.

Plus, losing that baby weight doesn't hurt either :)

Living Homemade: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

This was my first attempt at baking cookies with whole wheat flour.
 I was a little nervous about baking with it, in fear that it would be "grainy", but they turned out great! I couldn't even tell the difference from  plain white flour.

What you need:
2 c. 100 % white whole wheat flour
(I got mine at Trader Joe's, its great for pastries)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. softened butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 2 eggs
 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
 (I used milk and white chocolate)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine flour, salt and baking soda in small bowl, and set aside.
Combine brown sugar, white sugar, softened butter, and vanilla. Beat well until creamy. 
Add eggs and beat well.
Add dry ingredients slowly to wet mixture. Mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop mixture, in rounded teaspoonfuls onto a non-greased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes. (makes roughly 24 cookies)

Blessings

What is it about watching a baby sleep,

that makes you reflect on your life?

I sit here awake in my living room,

with nothing but the sound of my daughter sleeping

in her bouncy chair next to me. 

Her face reflects her innocence

and with one glance,

I am reminded how blessed I am

to be a mom..

..to be her mom..

My life is no longer about me.

It's not about my wants,

or my needs.

My life is now about my daughters.

and know what?

I wouldn't have it any other way.

I feel so blessed

to be able to hold their hands

and help guide them

to whom they will become.

God has given me

the greatest gift

.. and for that I am truly thankful..

My girls will grow up

so fast.

 I may lose countless hours of sleep.

But when I look over at her,

 she is sound asleep and dreaming.

I know that it is worth it.

These are the little moments

I will cherish forever.

Living Homemade: Banana "ice cream"

So in my effort to eat healthier,

I found my new favorite treat!

...Banana "ice cream"...

Well, yes it's technically not ice cream

but the texture is very similar.

Without all that extra sugar and fat.

heck, you'll  never know the difference!

It fulfills my frozen treat cravings.

For one serving all you need is:

 1 frozen banana ( I let it thaw slightly)

blender or food processor

Optional mix-ins:

peanut butter

fruit

anything you desire!

Yup that's really it.

Blend it to a thick creamy texture

and enjoy!

Living Homemade: Egg Noodles

So one of my biggest New Years resolutions was to have

my family and I eat cleaner, healthier and make more homemade goods.

With the majority of food being prepackaged and processed.

Its kinda scary what all the ingredients are in it,

especially when I can make the same thing and control what my family eats.

(That's the goal anyway)

So tonight I had my first attempt at making noodles.

It was super easy and I will make them again and again.

Although, next time I will definitely roll them thinner and cut them smaller.

The noodles expand a lot once cooked. So beware!

Next time they will be even better!

There are tons of noodle recipes out there,

but this time I used the recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

Check her out- she has an awesome picture tutorial.

I would recommend this recipe when making spaghetti, lasagna or fettuccine type noodles.

As for a plain egg noodle,

I might try another recipe for more of an "eggy" flavor.

What you need (2 servings):

2 eggs

2 cups flour

(one for recipe and one for on table)

Yes, that's it!

I told you..easy!

In bowl, place one cup of flour. Dig a well in middle of flour to place your cracked eggs in.

Stir lightly with a spoon to mix in egg.

Then with a floured hand, knead dough on a well floured surfaced until dough becomes smooth and less sticky. 

You may have to use more flour if dough is too sticky to your surface.

Let dough rest for a few minutes. Then with a rolling pin, roll dough thinly and as flat as it will go.

remember your noodles will expand! ( I learned this first hand )

With a long knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into strips of desired shapes and length.

Place into boiling salted water. The noodles will cook in about 2 minutes.

Drain and pair with your favorite sauce!

Goodbye 2012.. Hello 2013

          The year 2012 was one of many adventures and adjustments for my family. 

Not only did we welcome April into the world,

but made the biggest purchase of our lives, a home.

This past year I also survived my Practicum teaching

(while being a full time mom and working)

and finished my last college course of my Undergraduate career.

2012 wasn't always easy,

but it sure was a year of blessings and change.

What's ahead for the year 2013? Well that is unknown..

I do know that I want 2013 to a year

of growth and settlement for my family.

Most importantly, I plan to graduate and obtain my Minnesota Teaching License.

I have been dreaming of the day when I finally get to wear that cap and grown, and finally receive my Bachelor of Science! It's been a long day coming.. SEVEN years in the making to be exact!

I plan on finishing unpacking our house

and making it feel and look like home.

With this busy last semester,

believe it or not, we sill have abut half of our boxes that we need to unpack.

That includes decorating and putting our "touches" in the house.

Its time for our new builder block house to reflect our taste and character.

I plan on finding new ways to waste less and save more.

This includes time and money.

Yes, I will be sharing my ideas of what works for us along the way.

I'm going to attempt more freezer cooking and homemade items.

Time with my children is priceless

and I want to get as many moments for that that as I can.

I plan on a healthier lifestyle and diet for my family.

We are pretty good when it comes to food,

but we need a diet change for health reasons.

With my husband having an auto-immune disease

and the girls and I having bad horrible eczema, we need to try something.

So our goal is to switch to less processed foods

 and try a more whole food lifestyle.

With busy schedules and trying to stay on budget,

we know its not realistic to go completely "all natural"

but we want to move towards that direction.

Eat less processed foods, and more fruits veggies and whole grains.

Oh and more exercise is a must for me (goodbye baby weight!)

With our three main goals in mind,

we hope 2013 will be an exciting and fulfilling year.

I for one, cant wait to see what it brings :)

Happy New Years!

Love,  

    Sarah