Wellness Wednesday: Toothbrush Sanitizer

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Nisha

It seems like the cold and flu bugs are thriving in this warm winter weather and our neighborhood is getting hit harder than ever before. It’s funny because one day, it will be in the mid-40s and everyone is out raking leaves and cleaning out garages. Then, the next day, it’s freezing cold and snowing. With that warm weather and the bugs brings a spring cleaning, sanitizing itch for me as a mom. One thing that has always grossed me out is the fact that we keep our toothbrushes on the germie bathroom counter. And my husband, who brushes his teeth in the shower, leaves his toothbrush on the back of the toilet {ew!}. I was more than happy to find this toothbrush sanitizer recipe to help with the natural health in our home.

As an added bonus, I can only imagine that the oils in the doTERA OnGuard blend will benefit overall gum and mouth health. About 50% of the population has gingivitis and while there aren’t conclusive studies about the affect of the doTERRA OnGuard blend on gingivitis, it makes sense that it would help.

If you are using essential oils in your home or want to learn more, visit these other Wellness Wednesday posts:

Intro to Essential Oils, Dr. Mom Class

Homemade Cleaner Recipe

Lavender Epsom Salt Bath Soak

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Spaghetti Squash and Shrimp

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Tara

I’ve kind of been on a spaghetti squash kick lately if you haven’t noticed by now.  I just have to share one more tasty recipe before the season of this hard winter squash comes to an end.  Tah-dah {Enter in Spaghetti Squash and Shrimp}!  This recipe takes time to bake the squash, but is super easy and gourmet.  It was created by looking at many different recipes and not really liking any of them, but taking the concept and creating this masterpiece.  My family loves when I make this and yours will too.

Spaghetti Squash And Shrimp
By: HealthyMomsKitchen.com
Rating:

Low-glycemic replacement for noodles. Super easy and gourmet!

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Directions

Makes: 6 servings
Step 1
After roasted, shred with fork into a bowl.
Ingredients:
1 medium Spaghetti Squash, cut in half, roasted face down in oven 350 degrees for 45 mins or until soft
Step 2
Combine shrimp and lemon pepper seasoning in saute pan for a couple of minutes until shrimp are cooked and pink. First time we made it we used baby shrimp, second time regular sized shrimp, both were delicious.
Ingredients:
1 pound Shrimp, baby or regular, divined and ready to cook
1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Step 3
Add coconut oil and squash to saute pan of shrimp until well coated and flavors are melded. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Coconut Oil

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Bountiful Baskets Roundup & Weekly Healthy Menu Plan

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Heather

Getting up at 4:50am on a Saturday morning to volunteer at Bountiful Baskets was, as always, a fun adventure. Our truck arrives at 5:00am, but our pickup time isn’t until 6:45am. This gives the volunteers plenty of time to distribute produce, but I really wish more people would volunteer! It really is a lot of fun, and we do agree to do it when we sign up for a basket. And, because our pickup time is so early, I even have time for a little “nap” before starting the rest of my day. Here’s what the conventional basket included today:

Bountiful Baskets Food CoopVegetables: Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes), yellow squash, romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, English cucumbers.

Fruits: Pineapple, mangoes, Braeburn apples, bananas, oranges, lemons.

My daughter came with me to volunteer – she is getting to be quite a pro at setting up baskets and breaking down boxes. She was excited to be able to pick a few small extras as a thank you for helping – a lemon and a mango. She asked if we could make lemon bars with “real” lemons – I think I’ll get working on a healthier version of lemon bars this week.

Every once in a while we get something interesting to play with in our Bountiful Basket. This week we got Jerusalem Artichokes (aka sunchokes) – see Nisha’s post about them from last year. She has an excellent idea for using them in a salad with poppyseed dressing. At my mom’s pickup site this morning, they suggested peeling them and grating them into a salad. I’m also going to try roasting them (I got a dozen!)

Our family has a few staple recipes we use when certain items appear in our baskets. If we get cucumbers and tomatoes we make Greek Burgers. Yellow squash is used in Tortellini Sausage Soup. Here’s a menu plan to use the bountiful baskets produce this week:

Saturday – Continue reading →

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Roasted New Potatoes and Asparagus

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Katie

This recipe was so yummy. I love the way that roasting the asparagus brought out its strong taste.  The Parmesan Cheese added an extra flavor to the potatoes too that was really yummy!  My family gobbled it right up…including my 2 year old…she loved eating “trees”.

Roasted New Potatoes And Asparagus
By: HealthyMomsKitchen.com
Source: Adapted from Cinnamon Spice
Rating:

A yummy way to get your kids to eat asparagus!

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Directions

Makes: 4 servings
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400*. In an extra large mixing bowl toss the asparagus, potatoes, oil and spices together.
Ingredients:
8 small Red Potato, cut into chunks.
1 small Asparagus, bunch of
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Garlic Salt
Parmesan Cheese
Step 2
Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil for easy clean up (I sprayed my tinfoil for even easier removal of veggies). Roast vegetables about 35-45 minutes until potatoes are tender, stirring half way through.

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Wellness Wednesday: Homemade Cleaner Recipe

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Nisha

In my transition to creating a healthier home for our family – including keeping our very curious two year old monkey (aka Landon) safe, I’ve been looking for less toxic cleaners to keep around the house. This homemade cleaner recipe costs less than 75 cents to make.  I buy doTERRA Essential Oils and a 15 mL of lemon essential oil ($10) contains about 250 drops. So, for 5 drops of lemon and 5 drops of lavender ($21 for a 15 mL).  Granted, I am buying glass spray bottles from AromaTools.com for $1.25 each and getting one for each of my bathrooms and one for the kitchen, but I’ll be able to reuse those for a long time.  I’ve used lemon oil to instantly blast out stinky smells (aka vomit and dirty diapers).  Essential oils don’t expire, so you can keep these in storage for a long time.  Of course there are plenty of ways to use lemon and lavender, many of which we’ll be covering on our Wellness Wednesday series.  You can see the first post covering the basics of essential oils or read about my relaxing spa night.

Homemade Cleaner Recipe

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Healthy Dessert Recipe: Lovey Dove Cookies

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Nisha

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Since today is a Lovey Dove day and Dove Chocolate is one of my favs, I created a recipe around it.  I am all for the 90/10 rule and sometimes even the 80/20.  There is nothing wrong with indulging in your favorite decadent desserts on special occasions, but it is always nice to have some healthier dessert recipes on hand for those times when you’re assigned to bring a dessert or the kids have been asking for cookies.  This recipe doesn’t call for the coconut as seen in the picture, but I decided to roll the dough in coconut just to add a little twist this time.  I liked the way it turned out!  You can also add nuts to this recipe for a little extra crunch.

Lovey Dove Cookies
By: HealthyMomsKitchen.com
Source: Healthy Mom's Kitchen
Rating:

If you love chocolate and peanut butter, but want a treat that won't sabotage your weight release efforts, try this cookie!

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Directions

Makes: 36 servings
Step 1
1. Pre-heat over to 350. 2. Mix together first four ingredients until creamy. 3. Stir in oats until well combined.
Ingredients:
2⁄3 cup Nut Butter
2⁄3 cup Unsalted Butter
1⁄2 cup Agave Nectar
1⁄4 cup Honey
3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
Step 2
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt. 5. Incorporate dry ingredients to mixture alternating with yogurt as needed.
Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1⁄2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1⁄4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1⁄3 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
Step 3
6. Stir in chocolate chips. 7. Drop 1 rounded Tbsp cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. 8. Press Dove Chocolate Heart into center of each cookie. 9. Bake 8 minutes or until light brown. 10. Let cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.
Ingredients:
1⁄3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Dove Heart Chocolates

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Meatless Monday Recipe: Vegetarian Egg Rolls

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Heather

This Meatless Monday Recipe: Vegetarian Egg Rolls is a winner with the whole family.  In fact, this morning, I had to call my husband to ask “Did you take the leftover eggrolls?  Are they gone yet?  Take a picture before you eat them.”  The kids loved them way more than the chicken ones I have made in the past, so I thought for sure this was a recipe I should share with Healthy Mom Readers!

Vegetarian Baked Eggrolls
By: HealthyMomsKitchen.com
Source: Adapted from Branny Boils Over
Rating:

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Directions

Makes: 10 servings
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray roasting pan with nonstick spray. Chop cabbage very fine and roast in pan for about 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
1⁄2 head Green Cabbage, chopped very fine
Step 2
While cabbage is roasting, peel and grate carrots, slice green onions very thin. Stir cabbage and spread carrots and onions over the top. Roast for another 5 or so minutes.
Ingredients:
2 Carrots, peeled and grated
5 Green Onions
Step 3
Remove from oven, add ginger, garlic powder and liquid aminos. Taste filling to make sure it is seasoned the way you like, adding more garlic, aminos or ginger to taste. Cool for a few minutes.
Ingredients:
1⁄2 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce (approximate)
1 package Egg Roll Wrappers
Step 4
Take egg roll wrappers out one at a time. Scoop 1/3 c. of cabbage mixture onto middle of each wrapper. Fold according to package directions to make individual egg rolls. Use water on final end to seal. Place eggrolls on nonstick cookie sheet or cookie sheet sprayed with a little olive oil. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of eggrolls with olive oil. Bake for 6 minutes then flip over and bake for another 6 minutes. Turn the oven on to broil and let the eggrolls crisp up, about 1-2 minutes per side.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Weekly Menu Plan: 3 Reasons to Eat More Fiber

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Nisha

One of the keys to weight release is incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.  Maybe it's an OCD thing or maybe it's a healthy habit I've created, but when I sit down to eat my meals, I fill up on the produce – the fiber – first, then move to the protein, and finish my meal with any grain (if we have one). 

There are many benefits to increasing fiber in your menu plans.  1)  Fresh produce has high energy and therefore will give you more energy.  2)  Fiber takes your body some time to break down, so it will keep you feeling full longer.  3)  Fiber is a great tool to get things moving along if you know what I mean, so it will aid in creating that healthy figure you're going for.

This week, we have plenty of fiber options to menu plan around!  See what produce I'm planning around in my Bountiful Baskets post. I have a big challenge ahead because I have yet to find an eggplant recipe I like.  Wish me luck!  

I wanted to share what I made tonight for dinner because it was a big hit.  We don't get home from church on Sundays until 2, so we eat right after that and I don't always want to cook a big meal for dinner since it feels like we just ate.  Tonight, we simply had egg sandwiches with bacon on them as well, corn on the cob, and a delicious juice I made.  The juice consisted of fresh squeezed oranges (8 of them), pomegranate seeds (from 2 pomegranates), and a few drops of stevia and crushed ice.  It was so delicious!!

On Monday, I'm experimenting in the kitchen with two of my new contributors.  We're creating a multi-grain bread recipe.  Clients have been asking me for one for years!  Wish us luck!!

  Breakfast
 Lunch
 Snack
 Dinner
Monday
 oranges, smoothies Sandwiches apples, peanut butter Taco Salad
Tuesday
 Banana Stuffed French Toast Leftover Taco Salad carrots, Greek yogurt Ranch dip
 Italian Chicken Sausage, Steamed Broccoli, Asparagus
Wednesday
 Omelets Crispy Eggplant Bites served with Spaghetti Squash & Marinara bananas, peanut butter Chops and Pineapple and Chili Slaw
Thursday
 Raspberry Coconut Baked Steel-Cut Oatmeal
 Kidney Bean, Cabbage, & Feta Salad
 apples, almonds Pork Roast with Carrots, Potatoes
Friday
 Leftover Oatmeal Leftover Roast pears & cottage cheese Cream of Celery Soup with Bacon
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Bountiful Baskets Roundup 2.11.12

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Nisha

My fridge is so packed full with fruits and veggies, it’s a li’l crazy.  Before I picked up our Bountiful Basket, I had red potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, celery, pomegranates, asparagus, cabbage, green and red peppers, green onion, and butternut squash on hand.

Today, we brought home tons of fruits and some veggies too.  Glad it was a fruit heavy week since we already have so many veggies on hand.

FRUITS
lemon, oranges, apples, bananas, pears, pineapple

VEGGIES
eggplant, celery, Romaine lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, corn on the cob

Everyone else got mushrooms, but thy ran out, so my basket didn’t have one.  But, I did a post last year on mushrooms – how to store, prepare, etc.

Tonight, we’ll be having stir fry to use up our peppers and cabbage.  Stay tuned later for my full menu plan including breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner.

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Wellness Wednesday: Lavender Epsom Salt Bath Soak

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Nisha

A couple weeks ago, I sprained my wrist and the pain was beginning to go up my arm, into my neck and down my back.  Part of it was the sprain and I think stress also was contributing to the effects.  In the past, my first thought may have been to call a chiropractor or doctor. This time, I sent my massage therapist a message to see what she suggested.  In addition to a massage, she recommended an Epsom salt soak.  Trust me, I had NO problem with a day of pampering!  There is nothing worse than a mom with pain and stress!  So a couple days later, after volunteering at Bountiful Baskets, I enjoyed a 90 minute massage.  After a date with my hubby, I enjoyed an Epsom salt soak with drops of doTERRA lavender oil, accompanied by Nicholas Sparks Safe Haven and a few Dove Chocolates.  Seriously the best Saturday ever that I think needs repeating monthly and, a at the very least a 20 minute bath weekly.

The healing effects of relaxation time, Epsom Salt and lavender essential oil are medically documented.  My wrist had been causing me major pain for a couple weeks and after this Saturday of pampering, I was completely fine!  Talk about quick results!  Epsom Salt acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and can help with joints among many other health benefits.  Epsom helps to reduce pain, stiffness and swelling.

Lavender Essential Oil is considered the Swiss army knife of essential oils and has countless benefits.  Lavender is a universal oil that has traditionally been known to balance the body and to work wherever there is a need.  In our home, we use it most frequently for relaxation at bedtime in particular.  Few things help my 2 year old son unwind and go to bed, but a little foot massage from mom with lavender usually will do the trick.

For more information about lavender, click on this link: LAVENDER Information Sheet.

Prescription for Happy Healthy Mom: 1 or more Lavender Epsom Bath Soaks/Week

Recipe:
1)  Tub full of hot water
2)  1/4 cup – 2 cups Epsom Salt (use more if you have aches or soreness)
3)  3 drops doTERRA Lavender oil (Add the oil to the salts before putting into water to allow the salts to absorb the oil)
4)  1 mom (no kids!)
5) Optional: soothing music, favorite book

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