farmers what???

farmers what? a farmers market! oh, whats that and how do i find one?  eat local fruit, veggies, and eggs. ok, that sounds great however one BIG problem how do i find them and where do i buy them? ok i guess that is 2 problems.  last couple summer's my husband and i had our own garden in the back yard. it was great! we had lots of fun! the whole family got into it.  yet another problem...not a wide variety of veggies. we had a ton of what we grew.  so last september i heard about these farmer things....well how do find them was my biggest issue.  i heard about this web site http://www.localharvest.org/  all you have to do is type in your zip code and it pulls up all the local farmers markets in your area and gives you all the details. that simple!!! i have a list wait for us to try!!! i can NOT wait to check them out.  i hear get there early for the good produce sells out fast!

lisa

yellow and red, what pretty color's? wrong!

not that long ago i read an article about food dye.  something i never really  thought much about. i have heard parents say before "red dye 40 makes my child go crazy" and i thought to myself yeah maybe you are crazy...ok i have to admit i am now one of those parents! not to mention, food dye is terrible for you, and that is an under statement!  after reading a blog about food dye i said to my husband "i know why lovebug (our 5 year old daughter) has her behavior outburst.  once again he looked at me like i was crazy and being the best husband ever he listened and he said "ok honey whatever you want to do i stand behind you!" man i love him!!! well first of all no more yellow food dye!!!!  (and red)  OMG food dye is horrific.  i had no idea how bad it was and what it was made with/from!!!  please, please, please read the article, yes i am begging you.  did you know that food dye in the uk in banned however not here in the united states!

i will leave you with this...

i spoke with lovebug's teacher this week and she commented on how over the last two weeks lovebug has made huge progress in school especially her writing! she would even go to say that she made the most progress in the last two weeks then she had all year! wow what does that tell you?  lovebug is in kindergarten, and has been on grade level all year however the last two weeks has just bloomed!! and that is without any yellow!

lisa

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/13/real-food-tips-7-reasons-i-hate-artificial-food-dyes/#more-2352

some days you just need a brownie. or four.

i've been doing so well. trying new recipes. paying attention to what goes in my mouth. and also, what doesn't. i think i need to start a food journal. it's not that i'm counting calories or measuring food. more as a reminder of what i haven't eaten for the day. i forget to eat fruits and veggies. isn't that awful. but i really do. i forget to drink water too. it's not that i'm having soda and junk food instead. it's just sometimes the day gets away from me and i forget to eat & drink. but not today. today, i had a brownie. well, maybe four. a dear friend suffered a loss in her family and i'm making a meal to bring over. and when you make a meal you need to include something sweet. it's like a rule. i think there's a law about it...'when bringing a meal to a family you must include dessert, some kind of sweet treat. and the gal who is providing the meal must taste test said sweet treat.'...and boy was it sweet. hot dang. brownies by jackie are pretty much the. best. brownies. EVER. like eveerrrrrrrrrrr. i'm feeling giddy from all the sugar and will share the recipe with you. but be prepared, they are pretty hardcore, watch yourselves.
oh yeah, nothing good for you about these brownies. but one bite will make you forget all about the butter and sugar. lots of sugar. but sometimes, like in this case, you just need a sweet treat to share with a friend.

brownies by jackie

2 sticks butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 well beaten eggs
1 cup flour (unsifted)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups walnuts (i skip these)

melt chocolate and butter in medium saucepan. remove from heat. add sugar and mix. add 1/2 beaten eggs, then flour. mix well. add remaining eggs, vanilla and nuts. mix well. pour into greased 9x13 inch pan. bake at 325` for 35 minutes - no longer.


thanks for reading.

amy~

what's in juice?!

now of day's every time you turn on the t.v. or get on the internet something else is bad for you.  the one that had the most impact on my family( well at least the one we listen to) was juice.  don't get me wrong my kids didn't drink juice all the time, however kids drink juice! so after doing some research i decided i wanted, no i NEEDED a juicer. well my husband thought i was once again, yes, crazy. being the best husband he embraced the idea!  i decided to borrow one before we went out and spent the money to buy one, due to they are not cheap.  well, i fell in love with it, along with the rest of the family. not to mention the health befits and best of all it is all natural!!!  what's your favorite juice?

lisa

emotional eating

i have always been an emotional eater. i eat to celebrate and i eat when i am stressed out, oh yeah and every other emotion in between.  well today was a stressed out type of day, which is going to only lead to another one tomorrow as i sit in the waiting room while my husbands has emergency eye surgery.  how do i stop myself from picking that candy bar, bowl of ice cream, cookies and then finish it off with a nice big soda. i have learned to pick up a cheese stick or a big glass of cold water when i feel that need to eat because i am stressed out...

lisa 

i wish i could post a smell

Fajitas tonight!! I have them cooking in the crock pot and it smells oh my god delicious. Here is the recipe from my new BFF. Well she has no clue who I am but I love her! http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/19/recipe-slow-cooker-flank-steak-fajitas/

skinny vs. healthy

ultimately in my mind i want to be skinny, . , . , . oh yeah feel good about my body and be healthy. i guess up until today i never put real thought into what i said and how i worded it, about my weight loss and eating while my five year old daughter was around  . . .  i thought we had a couple more years to worry about self image with our daughter .  while spending time together she said to me, "i wish you were skinny like erin's mom." I asked "why?"  point blank she said "it's cool to be skinny like her."  i think my mouth dropped to the floor. she is FIVE. please tell me where do they learn this???? after lifting my jaw up off the ground i simply respond " i want to be healthy, it doesn't matter how skinny you are as long as you take care of your body." ok this is after i have lost 66lbs. from this point on i will now talk about how i am becoming healthy and NOT skinny.  i don't want my daughter to think it is cool to be skinny!!!! i want her to be confident and comfortable with who she is. yes do i want to to be "skinny",  however what defines skinny?

with all that being said, she loves our new mid-day snack that i offered today and the best thing is, the little guy can eat it too!!! home-made trail mix!  all i did was grab a bowl, pour some cashews in, pour in some crasins, add some chocolate chips and mix. how easy is that! yummy!

lisa

It’s a two-fer!

1.       Here’s a neat little trick to help you stay on course with your new healthy eating lifestyle. When challenged with delicious foods at a birthday party, just bring a screaming infant. You only have time for a few munchies, one slice of pizza and then forced to leave BEFORE cake is served.  Easy peasy.

2.       I’ve got my second loaf of bread in the machine. I must say – it’s tasty. My toddler gave me a hassle when I switched from split top wheat to a seven grain whole wheat loaf. But she loves this stuff. Plus, she helps make it. How cool is that!

I will post the bread recipe and some other recipes soon. Thanks for reading.

Amy~

whats for breakfast?

not that long ago, i would have woke up in the morning, had a cup pot of coffee, feed the kids breakfast, got my daughter's backpack ready, as I  shoveled a cookie or two or three into my mouth and saw nothing wrong . . . what was i thinking? looking back on my childhood i can still hear my mom saying, "breakfast is the most important meal". until recently, i don't remember sitting down and eating breakfast. it was like a light bulb moment. how do i teach my children to take the time and eat breakfast, while i stand there with a cookie in my hand and one in my mouth(my mom always had raisin brand) . . .so now i take the time to sit down with them  and eat the most import meal of the day! not cookies . . . what a better way for my lovebugs to start their day, then extra mommy time!  oh i still have my coffee!

lisa

i made bread.

here's the story of how i started being healthy, not crazy.

for a few months now I knew my cousin lisa was doing some crazy new diet she found. i didn't put much into it. that is until i heard of the success she was having, then i was all ears (or should i say hips :). turns out she had been introduced to eating real food. and it wasn't a crazy diet. it's a new way of eating. a healthy way of eating. the idea is to cut out processed foods, eating more fruits, vegetables, 'good' meats and grains. i like the idea. i LOVE the results lisa was getting. but could we do it? for the past couple weeks i have made small changes, began reading labels and doing a little planning. and here i am two weeks later, FIVE pounds lighter and making bread. stay tuned for more about the healthy changes i've made for my family.

gotta go, my husband got home with chinese take-out. i said i was being healthy NOT crazy! i can't deprive myself of everything and need to splurge once in awhile. thanks for reading.

amy~

Let's Do This!

Hi- I am Lisa!  A couple months I ago I  started making  healthier choices for my family. I  was so excited when my cousin Amy show interest in our new healthy lifestyle.  Amy and I have talked almost every day for the last week about meal, snack, drink ideas, and  all around how to make easy changes without disrupting our family life! Last night she said to me, "Let's start a blog!" so here we are... Join us as we make healthy choices one meal at a time!!