Creative Writing Wednesdays

Because I do not want my kids to become slothful during Summer break, we have established a schedule that not only provides us with structure, but it is also fun and educational. 

On Wednesdays, we are working on writing.  With the two boys being my first writers, you can only imagine the penmanship problems we have in our house.  WHY must boys write like chicken scratch?  In an effort to improve their handwriting, and hopefully delight their teachers next year, we are writing every Wednesday. 

I got this idea from a little workbook I bought at Target last year for $1.00.  Each page has a creative writing idea, a space to draw, and lines to write on.  It's pretty spiffy.  BUT....if you missed out on this great book, then you're thinking "Wow, that's great but how does this help me?"  Well, I'm going to give you some of the ideas, and some of my own.  This is so easy to replicate with a little bit of creativity on the computer!

Our first story of choice - My Super Sandwich:

That says:  "My sandwich is yummy!  It is healthy." 

Wow!  Now that is creative!  lol.  The story isn't so exciting, but if you look closer at the sandwich, it gets pretty fun.  Starting from the bottom slice of bread you have :  Jelly, Peanut Butter, Radishes, Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cheetos, Lettuce, Cheese, Carrots, and a DEAD SHARK!   Yep....nothing like a sandwich with some dead shark! 

Some other great creative writing and drawing activities are: 

A Giant Squid in My Cart
A Pig at a Party
An Alien Chef
A Candy Playground
A Vegetable Zoo
Me on Television
Me in a Band
Pigs in Pajamas
Fish with Beards
Tap Dancing Elephants
Worm Family Portrait
Bug Beauty Pageant
The Panda Parade
My Upside Down Family
The Slimy Snake's Snack
Ultimate Ice Cream Cone
My Outer Space Car
Ants Wearing Pants

Let your kids' imaginations run wild with these writing assignments.  Makes it a little easier to get your kids to write on their Summer vacation.

Blueberry Cherry Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 container of no sugar added vanilla yogurt
1 cup Almond Milk
1/2 cup frozen dark sweet cherries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Why is this a great smoothie to kickstart your day?

Almond Milk has only 90 calories per cup, 0 saturated fat.  It contains 10% of Vitamin A, 45% of Calcium, 25% of Vitamin D, 25% of Riboflavin, 50% of Vitamin E, 50% of Vitamin B12, 4% of Iron, and 10% of Zinc.

The no sugar added yogurt is only 90 calories with .5 grams of fat and only 8 grams of sugar.  It contains 35% of Calcium and 30% of Vitamin D.

1/2 cup of Blueberries contains 12% of Vitamin C.  Blueberries contain the highest antioxidant capacity of all fruits.  Studies show that they neutralize free radicals, help reduce belly fat, promote urinary tract, preserve vision, and reduce symptoms of depression.

1/2 cup of the dark sweet cherries contains about 8% of Vitamin C.

This smoothie gives you about 81% of your Calcium, 55% of your Vitamin D, and 24% of your Vitamin C.  What a great way to start the day - and it is my absolute FAVORITE flavor combination!

Cookout - Diet Style

With today being Memorial Day, it is almost inevitable that the day would consist of hamburgers and hotdogs - along with all the other celebratory foods.  Cooking out does not have to mean that your diet is crashed.  It also doesn't mean that you should consume foods that just aren't healthy.  What options do you have?

Change out those regular old hotdogs for organic hotdogs.  Hotdogs are gross, nasty, disgusting things.  If you have children, you also know that you can't avoid hotdogs for the rest of your life.  It's part of cooking out, but you can bring your own, and organic hotdogs are the best choice.  If you cannot find organic hotdogs, then go with Kosher hotdogs like the Hebrew National dogs.  They are less likely to be filled with absolutely disgusting junk. 

An alternative to hamburgers is turkey burgers.  Turkey burgers are just as good as beef burgers, but they are less fattening, healthier, and all around better for you.  Want to make them healthier?  Get rid of the processed sliced cheese and add some shredded cheese and sauteed mushrooms.  Want to kick it up a notch further?  Ditch the bun!  Why load up with 140 calories (or more) of empty carbs, gluten, and stuff your body just doesn't need? 

Chips are also a staple for any barbeque.  You can still have chips, but try to pick the right kind.  Avoid ones with gluten.  Consider the baked chips as opposed to regular old chips.  The most important part about enjoying chips at the party is portion control.  You do not need a ginormous handful of chips.  Pick 5-10 nice chips and cut yourself off.

Other tips:  Before you go, set a limit of how many sides you will indulge in.  My limit would be 2 sides.  Also determine before-hand how large your portions are going to be.  When faced with potato salad, I knew I would not be willing to eat more than 2 tablespoons of it. 

So here was my Memorial Day feast.  While some may feel that a barbeque isn't a time for a diet, I feel that with food that looks (and tastes) this good...I'm not missing out on anything!  Who could refuse a turkey burger topped with sauteed portabella mushrooms and 4 mexican cheeses - with a few baked sour cream and cheddar Ruffles chips. 

I am not sick tonight.  I am not disgusted with myself.  I do not feel guilty.  I induldged in good wholesome food with a little tiny bit of "junk."  I also drank water.  There's nothing that will ruin a good diet faster than some soda.

Unsurpassed Sweet Potatoes

Beyond yummy and full of amazing health benefits, the sweet potato often gets the shaft when it comes to being the baking potato of choice.  I am here to change all that.  Prior to my health overhaul, I loved me some regular old white potatoes.  Nothing could beat a cheddar and sour cream potato - UNTIL I figured out just how amazingly yummy sweet potatoes can be!

How do I make mine?

Take a baked sweet potato, split it open, dig out the inside and kinda mash it up.  Then I put in about 1 tbsp of butter in the potato.  I actually cut the butter into thin slices so that I can put them over the entire top of the sweet potato.  I then drizzle it with raw local honey and top with cinnamon. 
Sounds simple enough, but why does this make it an "unsurpassed sweet potato?"
Food Facts:

Sweet Potatoes - They are one of nature's unsurpassed sources of beta-carotene.  Recent studies have shown that they have the remarkable ability to raise our blood levels of Vitamin A - especially in children.  Just one cup of a baked sweet potato has the following daily nutritional values:  438% of Vitamin A, 37% of Vitamin C, 28% of Manganese, 17% of Vitamin B6, 15% of Potassium, 15% of Fiber, 10% of Vitamin B5, 9% of Copper, and 9% of Vitamin B3.  Plus sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and they have unusual blood sugar regulating benefits, especially for starches! 

Butter - The butter is incredibly important in the nutrition of the sweet potato.  What?  Butter - healthy?  Yes.  In order for your body to process the beta-carotene, you need some fat content (a minimum of 3-5 grams).  Butter contains 11 grams, which meets this requirement, so therefore it greatly increases the uptake of the beta-carotene.

Raw Local Honey:  I'm not talking about the fake honey crap that you buy for a couple bucks at Walmart.  I'm talking about real, honest to goodness RAW honey.  Raw honey is not only a sweetener, it is an entire FOOD.  Honey is an anti-microbial agent and an antioxidant.  Yes, it is an anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal substance!  It's packed with phytonutrients - and processed fake honey is devoid of all that good stuff.  When it comes to a sweetener - always choose raw local honey over refined sugar - always!  Refined sugar is not what you want to consume, but adding honey to your sweet potatoes takes them over the edge in yummy-ness and gives you a little extra boost.

Cinnamon - Just looking at the picture, you may wonder why on earth would I put so much cinnamon on my sweet potatoes?  I can put so much on, because I was generous with the raw honey and because I know that it will benefit me.  Cinnamon is one of the top fat burning foods.  Did you know that?  Yes, cinnamon has been found to lower blood sugar levels and change insulin output.  High blood sugar levels are closely related to weight gain and obesity. 

You CAN Eat Healthy AND Coupon!

I am a die-hard couponer. Now that I have a new-found gluten intolerance and have changed all of our eating habits from processed crap to real foods - with real ingredients I can pronounce, I felt lost.  I knew I could no longer get all the inexpensive crap I was feeding my family - and I didn't really want to get it anyway.  After seeing the prices for the healthy stuff, I was presented with a new challenge....saving money while buying only healthy, nutritious foods. Could I do it?
I hear a lot of people say "I can't coupon because I only buy healthy food" or "There aren't coupons for things that I eat."  Well, I am here to tell you that I DID, in fact, save money on all kinds of yummy, healthy stuff. 

So, let's go over some of my trip: 

3 boxes of Jennie-O Turkey Burgers - B1G1 $8.59 (so $4.30 each)
    - $2.00 off of 1 Jennie-O Turkey Store Products coupon  ($2.30 each)

Publix No Sugar Added Yogurt (yes, no sugar - not even fake sugar) normal price $.50 each
     sale price:  $.25 each    I bought 20 for $5

Organic Milk (Publix) $5.99
    - $1.00 off any diary item coupon - Publix Baby Club

5 Containers of Sabra Hummus - B1G1 $3.99 (so they are $1.99 each)
    - $1.00 off of 1 Sabra Hummus coupon (Publix cooklet) - making them $.99 each

5 Stacy's Pita Chips (for hubby, not me) - 2 for $5
    - $1.00 off of 1 Stacy's Pita Chips coupon (Publix booklet) - making them $1.50 each

Baby Spinach $2.49
    - $1.00 off any fresh produce coupon - Publix Baby Club

I bought several other things like 12 fruit leathers, some REAL maple syrup (not the high fructose corn syrup junk), some eggs - and guess what....I have coupons for Eggland's best eggs - even the cage free organic eggs! and a couple other random things that we needed. 

My total came to $55.80 and I saved $53.90!  The only non-healthy things I bought were the pita chips, but because my kids and hubby can have them on occasion, it's a good "treat" for them.  So yes....you CAN coupon and eat healthy.  It's hard.  It takes effort and dilligence, and it might just take the right store, but it is possible!  I feel somewhat vindicated!

Elephant Toothpaste

What you need:

A baking sheet
An empty 16 oz clear plastic bottle
4 ounces of Hydrogen Peroxide
Food coloring
Liquid dish soap
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp hot water (not boiling, but hot)
Bowl (not pictured)
Funnel
Measuring cup (with ounces) and measuring spoons

Step 1:  Place baking sheet in middle of table.  Place empty 16 ounce plastic bottle in the center of the baking sheet.

Step 2:  Pour 4 ounces of hydrogen peroxide into the bottle.  Add a couple drops of food coloring (or a small amount of gel food coloring) and add a few drops of the liquid dish soap.

Step 3:  In a bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of the hot water with the 1 tsp of dry active yeast.  Mix until combined.

Step 4:  Carefully and quickly pour the yeast and water into the plasic bottle and quickly remove funnel.  Stand back and enjoy. 

The chemical reaction starts

Spencer learned that this does NOT taste good

Emily LOVED watching it - despite her somewhat concerned expression

So, what do we learn from this experiement?   Hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen on its own, but when you add yeast (a catalyst) the process is speeded up.  Hydrogen peroxide locks onto the yeast, and the yeast splits it into water and oxygen without becoming chemically changed itself.  The oxygen produced combines with the dishwashing liquid to produce a lot of foam. 

Want this to look better than mine?  Use fresher hydrogen peroxide and add a bit more dish soap.  :)

Super Salad

A lot of people ask me what kinds of stuff I'm eating, and I usually give the general answer "smoothies, lean meats (chicken, fish), raw fruits and veggies, and salads."  Well, that is all well and good, but one cannot live by Iceburg or Romain lettuce alone.  Salads do not have to be light on calories and light on nutrients.  You can pack a powerful nutrient rich punch at lunch time - or any time - by having what I have deemed as my "super salad." 

Looks good right?  It usually has a couple more things in it, but it's the end of the month and it's always a little leaner right about now.  So....this is what's in it, and WHY it is called "super"

Kale (1 cup chopped)
Spinach (1 cup chopped)
Sweet Butter Lettuce (2 cups chopped)
Portabella Mushrooms
Cheese (4 cheese mexican to be exact - about 1/8 cup - just a sprinkle)
Seasoned with Basil, Garlic, and a teeny tiny bit of salt
Dressing:  Acai and Pomegranite Infused Red Wine Vinegar

Total calories:  about 130

Why is it super?

One cup of kale adds the following to your nutritional daily values:  608% of Vitamin K, 206% of Vitamin A, 134% of Vitamin C, 9% Calcium, 6% Iron, 5% Thiamine, 5% Riboflavin, 10% Copper, 9% Vitamin B6, 5% Folate, 6% Magnesium, 9% Calcium, and 9% Potassium.  With stats like these in just 1 cup of raw kale, it's no wonder that it is a SUPER FOOD!  And it's not super expensive, either!  A bunch of fresh kale costs me about $1.89.  As Dr. Josh Axe says:

One cup of raw spinach adds the following to your nutritional daily values:  161% Vitamin K, 56% Vitamin A, 15% Folate, 14% Vitamin C, 6% Magnesium, 5% Potassium, and 5% Iron. 

Just one portabella mushroom adds the following to your nutritional daily values:  24% Riboflavin, 19% Niacin, 17% Copper, 13% Panothenic Acid, 12% Potassium, 11% Phospherous, 6% Folate, and 4% of Vitamin B6 and Thiamine.   And that's just one mushroom - my salad as shown had 3 on it.

So this truly is a SUPER salad!  It also tastes good!  :)