Quick Tip Tuesday: Get Outdoors!

As the weather gets colder (highs in the 30s here all week... Brrrr!), it is harder and harder to remember to spend time outside. Not only are we busy and distracted, timing our days around naps and meals, but getting the baby ready to go outside takes more coordination than just donning our own shoes and coats.

Real Health Benefits!

Getting outside and enjoying fresh air is so so good for us, though! Exercising outside is shown to be even better for us than popping in that workout tape indoors, studies show. There are real, measurable health benefits to just being outside in nature! It takes us away from our mind-melting iPads, laptops, and televisions, gets fresh air in our lungs and even helps us get in a little all natural vitamin D, courtesy of Mr. Sun. Optimal levels of vitamin D can help balance our hormones, reduce inflammation, strengthen our immune system, and even reduce risk of obesity and cancer ! Just living near nature (versus an urban setting) can reduce our risk of more than 20 dangerous conditions including cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological diseases. Natural sunlight also helps calibrate our circadian rhythms leading to better, more restful sleep. Not to mention, the air outside is literally more "fresh"- that's not just a figure of speech! Plants and trees constantly clean the air as part of photosynthesis, making the air outside more pure and clear of toxins. Even our self-estem can be boosted from just 5 minutes spent in a green environment! (source)

 I am always amazed how refreshed I feel after going out for a short walk or even playing outside on the deck with the baby a little bit. We spent our Sunday out doing yard work, and I wrapped our daughter up onto my chest while I worked. She loved the constant mommy time attention, and I enjoyed finishing up our outdoor Autumn projects, hands free :)

So Get Out!

As the last leaves fall this week, remember to enjoy the great outdoors! Take a walk, go to a local park or outdoor mall, or spread a blanket in the grass for a quiet fall picnic. Sit outside at a restaurant, or even park down the block from the store you're visiting! Just be sure to enjoy some of the gorgeous natural settings around you. Bundle up if you have to, but take the whole family out for at least a few minutes. Your body and mind will thank you :)

Recipe: Halloween Super Snack

Halloween is such a fun holiday! Spooky decorations, cheesy music, carving pumpkins, dressing up, and of course there is always a TON of candy around. For those of us trying to cut the junk food, Halloween is right up there with Christmas as far as challenging food choices go.  Fortunately, there is a super healthy and totally yummy alternative to heading face first into the candy bowl this Friday. When you carve your pumpkin, save the seeds for this easy treat.

Did you know that pumpkin seeds are a super food? They are packed with magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and some studies even suggest that the nutrients in pumpkin seeds can increase good cholesterol, help with insulin regulation, and work as anti-inflammatory agents in the body. That is pretty amazing for one little seed!

There are lots of great ways to much on these healthy seeds such as sprouting them, soaking them, or even consuming them raw, but my favorite way to eat pumpkin seeds is roasted! 

Here is how I usually prepare this super snack:

When you carve your pumpkin, I find it helps to have two bowls for the innards- one for seeds and one for other gunk. The seeds usually separate naturally from the other pumpkin guts, and the two bowl system makes the final cleaning process much quicker.

Rinse your seeds in a bowl and clean the leftover guts from the bowl. If you fill the bowl with water and swirl with your hand, most of the goop will rise to the surface, so you can skim it off and move on! Once your seeds are clean, pop them into a pot of salted hot water and boil for 10 minutes. This takes off the signature slime of the pumpkin seeds and makes them much crispier when roasted.

Dump your seeds out into a strainer and then dry thoroughly. They don't need to be perfectly dry but excess moisture will keep them from roasting properly. They'll stick to the towel, that's normal, so just brush them off into a bowl and you're good to go.

Drizzle a tiiiiiny but if olive oil onto the dry seeds (I used about 2 tsp for 3 pumpkins worth of seeds!) and season however you like. This time I kept it simple with just a pinch of sea salt, but in the past I have used paprika, cumin, chili powder, seasoned salt, garlic powder, or a combination of those spices for some seeds with attitude ;)

Spread your oiled and seasoned seeds onto a cookie sheet. The less the seeds overlap, the better for roasting! Roast in the oven at 350* for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the shells are very light golden brown. The actual seed inside the shell can be burned pretty easily, so keep a close eye on these as they roast. Properly roasted seeds lose their shiny look and have an almost hollow sound as they rub together. Silly, but that's how I tell! I took mine out of the oven about 5 times before I was happy with the color, but it was worth it because they are perfect! 

These are totally delicious hot out of the oven, but are also great in lunch boxes for later! I plan on keeping mine in a big bowl next to the candy this Friday to keep me from munching on Milky Ways as I meet trick-or-treaters at the door. 

Thanks for checking in for this simple, easy super snack! I hope you all have a happy, safe, and super Halloween!

xo Allison

Recipe: All Natural Pumpkin Spice Latte

The weather is cooling down, the trees are changing to reds and golds, and I have a craving for comfort food! Today's recipe will be the first in a series of guilt free, clean versions of some of my favorite fall treats.

Nothing says fall like a hot, delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte! Unfortunately, the popular Starbucks version is packed with yucky additives including artificial colors, tons of processed sugars, sulfites, and the list goes on. Fortunately, there is a healthy (ok, healthier!) way to satisfy your PSL craving this Autumn, and it is actually really easy to make! I found this delicious recipe on Mama Natural's Blog and tweaked it a little to share with you. The recipe below yields about 4 "Tall" sized drinks. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:
4 Cups of Almond Milk or milk of your choice
2 Cups of strongly brewed coffee or espresso
3/4 C Pumpkin Puree (I recommend using organic but it wasn't available in my area)
1/4C + 2Tbsp Real Organic Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:
First, combine the maple syrup and almond milk. Heat in a pot on the stove.
While your milk is heating, brew your coffee. I used twice the recommended amount of beans to get a nice strong coffee.
Pour the brewed coffee into a glass bowl and combine with vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree. Whisk the mixture until combined.
Next, add the milk and syrup to the bowl and continue to whisk. If you want a nice foamy mixture, whip with an immersion blender or in a traditional blender.
Pour out into mugs and enjoy! Serve topped with whipped cream :)

This will be the perfect treat for tonight's Homecoming Parade & football game. Go Bulldogs! :) I hope you enjoy this delicious latte recipe! Check back next Friday for another fall treat, fresh from the oven!

xo Allison

Edit:

I had a reader ask for nutrition facts on this recipe, so here they are! Yes, it is only 157 calories per serving if made exactly as above! Whipped cream not included :)

Quick Tip Tuesday: Cleaning with Vinegar

Hello all! Thanks for being patient while I took the weekend off of blogging! Scott truly spoiled me rotten for my birthday, we had a ton of fun! 

We went out to a local farm & winery for a delicious lunch and a house-made beer tasting. It was a gorgeous day! 

They had the prettiest little farm store and cafe! Our lunch was incredible, totally fresh and delicious. 

I had a Parmesan encrusted Havarti and Swiss grilled cheese, and Tomato Bisque with basil oil. Yum-o! The view from the vineyard out over Lake Michigan was unbeatable!

So, thanks for being patient while I enjoyed a relaxing weekend with my family. 

Today's quick tip Tuesday is about cleaning with vinegar! 

Ditching conventional cleaning products is something I am super excited about. Did you know that whatever comes into contact with our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream within 3 seconds? My 6 month old will be on the move in no time, and I am realizing how many dangerous poisons we use to keep our home "clean". The labels scream "keep out of reach of children", "if ingested, contact poison control", and "rinse surfaces that will come into contact with food". Nothing about that seems safe to me! So here we are... Vinegar is nontoxic, safe to ingest and *bonus* totally cheap! A big jug of white vinegar was only a couple bucks at my local grocery store.

Vinegar can be used in a shockingly huge number of different ways! I found the tips and tricks I used online at VersitileVinegar.org. Sorry for the lack of photos in this post, but I figured nobody wants to see the "before" photos of my carpet stains, dirty mirror, etc! Here are a couple cleaning tips I tried and loved:

- Use a Vinegar/Water 50/50 mix to wipe windows and mirrors for a streak free shine. Make sure to dry thoroughly so you don't end up with water spots.

- Run several cups of straight white vinegar through your automatic coffee maker. We have really hard water and this helps get all the junk and buildup out. Make sure to run a few pots full of water through following this to clear the vinegar from the machine.

-Pour a small amount of 50/50 warm water and vinegar onto carpet stains. Scrub with a scrub brush or toothbrush. Vacuum and let dry. This worked like a charm on our living room rug!

- Wipe down shower walls with a soft cloth soaked with white vinegar to remove hard water buildup.

- Fill a reusable spray mop (we love our Libman!) with 50/50 vinegar water mix to clean floors. This really made our flooring shine, with no toxic floor cleaner stink!

I love how clean our house is after my vinegar cleaning spree! I was concerned that there would be a vinegar smell lingering in the house, but I haven't really noticed that. Best of all, I don't have to worry about my little beauty coming into contact with cleanser residue during her bath, when she's learning to crawl, or when she is playing with that cute baby in the mirror. Pretty sweet!  

What baby-safe products do you use in your home? Let me know your favorites in the comments below! Thanks for checking in!

Xo Allison

Recipe: Fresh Pasta Sauce with Home Grown Tomatoes

We visited my in-laws this past weekend and came home with a huge bag of tomatoes from my mother-in-law's garden. As soon as I got my hands on these perfectly plump, shiny, red tomatoes I just knew they were destined to be pasta sauce! My husband and I eat a LOT of pasta with marinara sauce, and while the brand we normally buy is pretty clean, I have always wanted to try making my own.

It was pretty overwhelming trying to find a recipe for homemade sauce as there are so many variations out there, and just as many opinions on what tastes the best. I decided to take the advice of an Italian girlfriend of mine and kept it simple. "All you need is onion, olive oil, tomatoes, and basil," she said. "Ok, I can do that," I thought! Here is what I came up with...

For my sauce, I used:

7 large garden-fresh tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp dried basil (or use fresh if you have it!)

1 large white onion

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Set a large pot of water to boil. Wash the tomatoes and cut out the tops. Cut an "X" shape across the top of the tomatoes.

Chop the onion and garlic, and saute in a pot with the olive oil until fragrant. 

Drop each tomato into the separate pot of boiling water for a few seconds. By the time I dropped in the last tomato, the first was ready to come out. This loosens the skin and makes the tomatoes very easy to peel.

Peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds, leaving you with only the meaty part of each tomato. There is no need to dice or chop these at all- they will cook down. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to the pot with the onions and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 hours. 

Remove the mixture from heat and puree with an immersion blender, or pour into a regular blender and blend to desired texture. We found the regular blender to be easier and less messy!

Voila! This pasta sauce was incredibly delicious. It has a bright, fresh flavor that is simply unmatched by canned sauces. This sauce can be canned (follow can manufacturer's instructions) or frozen for later use. The recipe above yielded about 3-4 cups of sauce.

Do you grow your own tomatoes? What is your favorite way to use them? Please share in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy this delicious Fresh Pasta Sauce recipe! 

xo Allison

Quick Tip Tuesday: Using Dried Beans

Each Tuesday I'll post a quick tip or product swap. Something really simple that you can implement in your family's home without too much work or prep time. This week, I decided to swap out our usual canned beans for dried.

We made this swap for two reasons-
1. Using dry beans helps us avoid all the extra sodium used to store prehydrated beans in a can.
2. It is way cheaper! A 1lb bag of all natural dried beans was $1.29 at Meijer, which yields a little more than  three 15-oz cans of hydrated beans.

Dry beans are most likely available at your regular grocer, displayed right near the canned beans. Hydrating them for recipes is incredibly simple, and can be done a couple different ways. If you're using your beans right away for a recipe, try the hot soak method. I won't be using these for our chili until Friday, so I used the overnight soak method:

You will need:
Beans
Water
Container for soaking

Method:
Sort and rinse your beans before you begin. This is just to make sure they are clean and that no pebbles or other objects make their way into your recipe.
Measure out however many beans you want to use (I used 2 cups dry) and pour into your soaking container.
Fill the container with cold water so that the beans are completely covered.

Leave the mixture to soak 8 hours or overnight.
When complete, drain and rinse the beans with clean cold water.

Transfer to clean container for storage until use (use as soon as possible for best results).

(instructions adapted from the US Dry Beans Council... who knew there was a US Dry Beans Council!)

Pretty simple, huh? These beans aren't the prettiest, but since they are just for Chili, that's fine with me. If you need nice looking beans for a bean salad, I would suggest going with the hot-soak method instead, as the beans are less likely to crack or wrinkle that way. Since we are trying to reduce our meat intake in favor of other proteins, this trick will definitely come in handy! Thanks for checking in, and I hope you enjoyed this Quick Tip Tuesday!

xo Allison

Fresh Start

Something about September makes me want to shake things up. Maybe it is the return to our routine after months of summer. Maybe it is my upcoming birthday, and the feeling that the year's end is looming. Either way, September gives me that itch for a new project, and this year, its a big one!

I have always been bothered by the pervasive use of harmful chemicals in every part of our world. Since my daughter was born last March, my discomfort with these synthetics has only increased. From toothpaste and shampoo, to cleaning products, and even the food we eat, there are hundreds of mystery ingredients and unpronounceable words on every label. If that doesn't make you nervous, it should! I'm certainly not saying that everything we don't understand is dangerous, or that everything natural is safe for use, but I for one wish I had a more complete understanding of what I eat, what I use in my home, and what I apply to my skin. 

So, here we are! In the next year, I will be slowly replacing the harmful, unhealthy chemical-containing products in my family's life with all natural, sometimes homemade items. Once a week I will commit to a new swap out, whether it be a healthy new dinner or dessert recipe, testing out an organic cleaning product, or concocting my own beauty product replacement. I am by no means an expert and surely this blog will showcase the occasional blunders or Pinterest fail. This will be a learning experience, and hopefully a lot of fun!

Thank you for stopping by to check out my new project! Feel free to shoot me an e-mail with questions  or ideas for my next swap or recipe. Now sit back, relax... and watch the Home Made Magic happen :)