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For the week of September 29, 2014.

It’s been pretty quiet around here as I’ve been dealing with personal and debilitating health issues. I’m sure as I figure out my path back to wellness, I’ll be sharing more about that with you all. For now, I’d like to share that food has been the LAST thing on my mind. I haven’t wanted to think about it, eat it, deal with it, or prepare it. I’ve walked away from the table more times than I can count, because I just couldn’t stand to be around food. What helps, though, is knowing that even though Mommy isn’t feeling well, Daddy and the babies have really healthy food going into their tummies. At least, that’s what I’m telling my kids. Meal planning, again, has saved me and my family from a horrible fate of processed, packaged foods and I will continue to say it: Meal Planning Rocks!

I’m not religious about it. I’m not unwavering. I give in to cravings and I change my mind. But overall, having the ingredients for all the meals for a week at a time, ready to go, is INCREDIBLE! Try it! Let me know what you think!

Monday: Tilapia #9, quinoa and broccoli (I swear Monday is a boring dinner night for us, almost every week!)

Tuesday: Chicken curry with vegetables, served over rice

Wednesday: Meatloaf (using GF oats instead of bread crumbs), potatoes and roasted asparagus

Thursday: Pizza on the BEST Gluten-Free pizza crust! I usually top with spinach and leftover veggies, like broccoli and red onion.

For the week of September 22, 2014.

It’s tempting sometimes to throw planning to the wind and say, “I’ll figure it out later!” But, when 5 o’clock rolls around and you don’t know what you’re doing for dinner yet, it can get a little harried. That’s how I’m feeling this week, like meal planning is the least of my concerns and yet, I know it will become a big concern if I don’t do it!

Hopefully, my meal plans will inspire your meal plans and we can all have easy, ready-to-eat meals in front of our family each evening! Have a great week!

Monday: Almond flour crusted chicken fingers (individually wrapped Nature’s Promise chicken breasts are $8.99 a bag this week), cauliflower poppers and rice (new recipes!)

Tuesday: Roast salmon, cooked kale, and quinoa

Wednesday: Beef and cabbage in the Dutch oven (new recipe)

Thursday: Gluten free mac n (goat) cheese (yogurt cheese for the family, just yogurt and spinach for me)

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I’ve had a giveaway running for awhile now, giving away a 5mL bottle of Young Living Citrus Fresh on my Facebook page. Check it out!

You know how to make pizza, right? You don’t need me to tell you how to make sauce, or shred cheese, or add the toppings you love! The key to a good pizza, though, is the crust!

I may be a little biased, but I love bread and all things bread-y, so I know a good pizza crust when I taste one. Domino’s gluten-free crust? Not so much. I need to bite IN to something, not ON to something… Sure, the gluten-y texture is always going to be missing but we can do better than cardboard! So far, this is my best crust ever!

The first thing to note is that the dough will be fairly wet and sticky. I’m not a big rolling-pin person, so I use some kind of plastic wrap or parchment paper to ease my struggles. I also coat everything with olive oil, including my hands! You’ll end up with 2 pouches of wrapped dough waiting to rise. Like this:

The second thing to note is that I use a bread proofer (which my husband affectionately calls “the poofer”). I never needed one before I started making gluten-free breads, but I have had issues getting the dough to rise and ending up with harder breads. The proofer creates the warm, moist environment for the dough to thrive and rise in. It’s not necessary! Some people use a microwave (I don’t have one). Some use an oven that’s been warmed (this hasn’t worked for me). Give yourself a chance and try a few different methods and let me know what works for you. If you’re really interested in making gluten-free breads, try the proofer! You won’t be sorry! It folds up flat and can be stored anywhere. The affiliate link for the Broad & Taylor Folding Bread Proofer and Yogurt Maker is below:

Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
Yields: 2 large pizza crusts

Ingredients

3 3/4 c all-purpose GF flour ( the flour is HUGE; I only use Jules for baking bread)
2 tsp salt
1 c milk (I use coconut milk beverage)
1/2 c water
2 packages of yeast (not quick rise)
4 tsp sugar
4 large egg whites lightly beaten
6 TBSP olive oil (plus more for hands, rolling, etc)

In a stand mixer, whisk the flour and salt together.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and water over medium heat until the temperature is warm, but not hot. Then add the yeast and sugar.

To the mixing bowl with the flour, add the warmed liquid mixture, plus the egg whites and 4 TBSP of oil. Use the paddle attachment and beat on medium for 5 minutes. Add more oil if necessary, or flour. Remember, it should be sticky and wet.

Divide the dough in half (with oily hands) and place on 2 sections of plastic wrap. Loosely fold up the edges and place in your proofer until it doubles in size. I usually leave mine in for an hour or until I’m ready to bake.

Preheat your oven to 400*F.

I don’t have a pizza stone or baking peel, so I use 2 round cookie sheets with parchment paper on top. When you’re ready to bake, transfer the dough to the pans and using oily hands spread out the dough, as seen here:

Bake the crusts for 5-10 minutes, or until the underside is firm and crispy.

Add your toppings and brush the crusts edge with the remaining olive oil (this stops it from drying out).

Broil pizzas 5-10 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling.

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When I was new to Young Living (I guess I kind of still am), I heard all this talk about Valor, a blend of oils that was hardly ever available because the end result wasn’t exactly what it should have been. I was proud that Young Living was a company that cared more about quality than they did about making money by selling something “less than”. Still, I didn’t really know what Valor was!

Valor is made of Spruce (Picea mariana), rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora), blue tansy (Tanacetum annuum), and frankincense (Boswelia carteri), with coconut oil as a base. This combination is said to have helped Roman soldiers before going into battle. It’s used for empowerment, confidence, energy balance, increasing feelings of strength, self-esteem and courage while facing adversity.

When I received Valor in the Everyday Oils kit, I immediately put a drop on my wrist and was surprised that it was blue! Of course when my 3-year-old looked at the oils she grabbed that bottle (most likely because it’s dark purple, her favorite color), and demanded to smell it. I couldn’t help but think, “Honey, you don’t need any help in the empowerment, strength and self-esteem category!” Still, she continues to seek that bottle out of all the rest and says, “Mommy, I want to feel strong.”

You can use it like I did, on your wrists. Or you can rub it on the back of your neck, behind your ears, behind your neck or over your heart. I have found it extremely uplifting when my anxiety is high. Valor is known to help greatly with anxiety and panic attacks, as well as depression. Just the scent of it helps me breathe deeply. And breathing deeply promotes calm.

So, this is what I knew. But here’s what I didn’t know:

The many gifts of Valor:

Animals’ nerves – diffuse and put on hands, petting the oil into their fur
Arthritis – apply to joints
Attention – children and adults can benefit from valor diffused or applied
Bruising – apply to injuries
Calming children – apply to big toes (try it for yourself, too!)
Chiropractic adjustment – it’s not as good as the real thing, but they do call it chiropractor in a bottle! Try using it before an actual adjustment!
Confidence – rub over heart, behind ears and on wrists
Sciatica – rub on the area
Scoliosis – rub on the spine
Sleep apnea – apply to big toes
Snoring – apply to big toes
Stiff neck – rub on neck
Tension headaches – rub on the area of the head that aches
TMJ – apply to jawline

Ready to try it?

Go here and enter the Sponsor ID and Enroller ID 1414775. Enter your personal information, select Wholesale (it will save you 24% off the retail price), and choose the Premium Starter Kit. (Valor comes in the Premium Starter Kit because it is part of the Everyday Oils Collection!) You can bypass the Essential Rewards Kits (they’re optional) and you’ll be well on your way to experiencing all these benefits and more! (If you do decide to do Essential Rewards, you can sign up at any time, spend $50 a month and save on shipping while gradually building your medicine cabinet arsenal for every ailment imaginable).

Read more about why we use ONLY Young Living in our home here.

The Essential Oils Pocket Reference is just that: Essential. If you sign up through me with the purchase of the Premium Starter Kit, I will send you this book as a Welcome Gift. You may also purchase it through this (affiliate) link below:

DISCLAIMER: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For the week of September 15, 2014.

Here we go again, another week filled with times and dates and appointments and routines! Phew! I’m sure, as my kids get older, it will only feel more wild! Meal planning saves me every time, because I just glance at my list and know exactly what we’re having. No stress!

Monday: Wild scallops (on sale at Martins), broccoli, quinoa

Tuesday: Pot roast with beef broth and lots of vegetables

Wednesday: Easy roast chicken with lots of vegetables and potatoes

Thursday: Black bean tacos with lots of toppings

I’ve made zucchini lasagna and I love it. I’ve sliced the zucchini and set it out on paper towels, sprinkled it with salt and allowed it to sit while the juices ran out. I’ve flipped them and done it again. I’ve cooked ground beef and onions and set myself up for an afternoon of layering. It’s beautiful and tasty. Some days though, time is not on my side! On this particular day, I had a HUGE harvest of zucchini and cherry tomatoes from our garden. It was vegetarian night, so I wasn’t going to cook beef, and I did not have time to salt and spread out the zucchini slices to sit. Hence the invention and beautiful creation that is: Ladybugs on a Log (or Zucchini & Cherry Tomato Bake).

I had returned from our trip to Texas and there was very little food in the house, but I certainly didn’t want take-out after traveling. Thankfully, our garden was producing more food than I knew what to do with and there were copious amounts of cherry tomatoes and gigantic zucchinis! I used one giant zucchini for a 9×13 pan. Basically, this is a “use what you have” recipe and I swear you can’t go wrong, not with cheese and tomatoes and zucchini!


Ladybugs on a Log (Zucchini & Cherry Tomato Bake)

– 1 Giant Zucchini (or several small ones) sliced lengthwise as thin as possible
– several cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
– 10+ oz chevre (goat cheese) or other soft cheese
– 2 eggs
– salt & pepper to taste
– Italian seasonings (I used oregano, basil and parsley)
– 1 cup of shredded cheese (we use yogurt cheese with garlic)

Coat the bottom of your 9×13 glass pan with coconut oil (or other high heat oil). Place one layer of zucchini slices down on the bottom. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.

Mix the chevre and eggs together until it forms a creamy cheese. Add spices to the mixture. Spread about a third of the mixture on the first layer of zucchini and top with halved cherry tomatoes. Repeat until your last layer on top is cherry tomatoes.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake 45 minutes at 375* covered with foil. Remove foil for 15 minutes.

Prepare for liquid at the bottom of the pan. Perhaps a lot! I actually tipped my pan on its edge over the sink and drained what I could carefully without dumping my creation down the drain. This is the price I paid for quick and easy. Also notice there’s no jarred sauce. The cherry tomatoes provided all the juiciness needed. I’m sure marinara sauce wouldn’t hurt, but we didn’t need it. Let me know if you try it! 🙂

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For the week of August 25, 2014.

Another busy week in our home, with my parents coming to visit and my oldest turning FOUR!!! Her birthday party is this weekend too, with even more family arriving. It’s going to be a busy and fun time, which is more the reason to have a fool-proof meal plan in place so everyone is well fed and energized!

Monday: Tilapia (#9), rice, broccoli

Tuesday: BBQ chicken (baked), mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts

Wednesday: Southwestern ground beef casserole with peppers and spinach

Thursday: Vegetarian enchiladas using my favorite homemade sauce, black beans, spinach and goat cheese

We have returned safely from our trip to Texas!

I wanted to share what I’ve learned about traveling with toddlers, besides the fact that you feel like a superhero after you’ve survived!

Below are the 8 Things I’ve Learned About Flying with Toddlers!

Feel free to comment below and add your tips!

1. This is not like your single girl adventures.

Back in the day, I would grab a water bottle and some gum, sit back with my journal, maybe my computer, and a good book to enjoy a flight. Now? I’m getting whiplash looking back and forth between my two toddlers, trying to meet their demands, cries, questions and requests for more entertainment. Doggie? Here he is. iPhone? Got it. Drink? One second. Pretzels? Okay. Stickers and a notebook? Sure! Movie? Coming right up. Phew.

2. Embrace the technology.

I was this close to purchasing the $18 Wi-Fi pass for our 90-minute flight. Ridiculous, right? You’d think, until a certain 3-year-old is whining for something else to do and asking what else she can watch because the only thing on the iPad is the $19.99 iTunes purchase of Frozen I made the day before we left. I didn’t pay for Wi-Fi, by the way. I let sibling rivalry do its job:

Mommy: “Baby sister, would you like to watch the movie?”

Baby: “Yes!”

3YO: “But I want to watch it!”

Mommy: “Okay!”

The result was two kids side-by-side, watching Frozen and being quiet as mice.

3. Don’t skimp on the lollipops.

The sucking of lollipops (or for my kids – biting / chewing / gobbling) helps little ones’ ears when the plane is taking off and landing. I did not assume one lollipop per kid was going to be enough and I was right. I had a whole section of my backpack dedicated to all manner of flavors, all organic and all containing vitamin C.

I actually think I should have received an award, or perhaps a standing applause from the whole plane when I single-handedly stopped the ruination of another 90-minute flight. A child we’d befriended in the airport was sitting behind me, perfectly content. Until takeoff. The screaming and wailing began and I quietly asked his dad if he could have a lollipop. When he nodded, I reached into my treasure chest and pulled out a lovely child-silencer. He stopped crying, took the treat, ate it and promptly fell asleep for the duration of the flight. Powerful, powerful things lollipops are.

4. All hail the Family Restroom.

I can’t say enough about the family restroom. They’re not everywhere, but in the big Atlanta airport we had our layovers in, they were pretty widely available and we may have visited every single one. I can’t tell you what it’s like to wait for the single handicap stall in a restroom to be available, while my 3-year-old lifts her dress up and holds her private area whining about how “it’s going to come out”. What to do? The stroller, 2-year-old, 3-year-old, mommy, and bags were not ever going to make it into a single stall! Family restrooms to the rescue! Entering a private restroom, unloading our stuff, giving everyone their turn, and not being bumped, or hurried, or looked at for taking up so much time and space was just what we needed to get our family put back together.

5. Pressure and sippy cups don’t mix.

I’m still glad I brought empty sippy cups on the plane with me. It gave me somewhere to dump my children’s drinks when they no longer wanted them. It also gave me somewhere to put my youngest’s beverage when she thought that moving it to and from the tray table was the best game ever (as it sloshed all over her dress)…

However, it wasn’t long after the take-off of flight #2 that my 3-year-old loudly pointed out her sippy cup was bubbling all over the place. Augh. Cabin pressure. I was forced to drink watered down apple juice to stop it from flooding our section of the airplane. Waiting to add liquid to a sippy cup is a great idea… I won’t forget.

6. Travel with your own garbage bags.

I know the flight attendants come around collecting trash at least five times during a flight, so why would I need a garbage bag? Remember the lollipops? Wrappers, sticky sticks, empty snack bags, dirty wipes from wiping down trays and sticky hands… There’s really nowhere convenient to put these things. Even a sandwich bag would be convenient to keep it all together. I learned this after one of four flights, delicately wrapping sticky lollipop sticks into wrapper and balling them up into wipes and finding a safe place to put them, only to be handed another and another.

7. Everything has its place and there’s a place for everything.

I organized my backpack brilliantly. It wasn’t too hard to get to a snack, a cup, a toy or a technology device. But what about after a child is finished with it? Those little pockets in front of me look pretty enticing. I’ll just pop it in there. Or toss it in my purse and look for it later. Until the plane lands. I’m scrambling to calm my youngest who’s begging me to pick her up. I’m helping my oldest get her seat belt off. I’m zippering compartments and grabbing our bags. Then I think, “Where’s the iPhone? Where’s the iPad? What did I do with that bag of snacks?” At one point I found the iPhone under the seat. I can’t imagine what I’d do if I’d lost that! I found toys between seats and stickers in the pocket in front of me. Nope, never again. Finished with the iPhone? Back in it’s zippered pouch. Finished with a snack? Back in its appropriate compartment. Only the bubbling sippy cups stayed out, hanging off the side of the bag to be dumped before the next flight!

8. Overpack, overprepare.

I definitely threw in a dress for each girl, rolled up tight at the bottom of my bag. I was so proud of myself for remembering that for all the “just in case” possibilities. You know what I forgot? Clothes for myself. I mean, even a shirt!? Thankfully, I didn’t need it. But my sweet, wonderful friend, who was also traveling with her toddlers for the first time, did need it. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if my baby had thrown on me and had to sit in those clothes. She, of course, handled it like the super-mommy she is! Future notes: roll up a shirt for mama and stick that in the bottom of the bag, too!

So, maybe I had way more snacks than I needed, but they made me feel safer. Maybe I packed more technology products than were used, but they were available, if necessary. For our next trip (yes, there will be another), I’m going to pack just as much and be just as prepared, if not more.

Oh, and those essential oils I posted about before our trip? Not a problem going through TSA. I had peppermint and joy with me, as well as my Thieves Spray. I sprayed our spray at the beginning of every flight. They didn’t really like the attack-spray-method, but no one got sick! I thought with the recycled air, germs and lack of sleep, it might be inevitable to get sick. When we didn’t, I became more of a believer than ever! I also loved arriving to my destination with small bottles of essential oils waiting for me in my checked luggage. Having them during our trip made me more confident that I could take care of my girls and myself while we were away from home.