CNN

Just over a week ago, former President Bill Clinton was a guest on CNN with Dr.Sanjay Grupta. Being the busy Mama that I am, I missed the segment when it aired. However seeing as Dr.Grupta and President Clinton were talking about heart disease, the number one killer of men and women (regardless of race) in North America, I was more than intrigued. Now having watched it, I am tickled pink that CNN is as credible as I've always hopped them to be - as this report is far from endorsed by the Dairy, Meat, or Egg industry (ie - not what the economists want you to hear.) So grab a glass of water, and some crudites for a snack and watch this video. If you're reading The China Study this report will only reinforce all that you're currently learning about. And if you're not reading The China Study yet, this report will give you more incentive to get your hands on a copy!

Apple Carrot Muffins

Have you ever dug fresh carrots out of a garden? Bitten into the crisp, fresh, sweet carrot and thought you'd gone to heaven?  I can not get enough of just-dug-up carrots, but it is always nice to spice things up a bit. Having healthy snacks on hand is a "Must Have" for Mamas everyone so here is a little snack inspiration to get the school lunches, picnics in the park, midnight lunches rolling!

Apple Carrot Muffins


4 eggs
1 cup apple sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup fresh grated carrots
1 cup raisins


Beat egg well. Add apple sauce, oil, and honey, beating well until thick. Add vanilla. Stir in dry ingedients. Fold in grated carrots and raisins. Yeild: 3 dozen (or 1 dozen large, plus four dozen minis!)


Bake at 400F for 15 minutes (or 11 minutes for the minis)

if you're wondering about the about the colorful backdrop to these delicious muffins, I took the pic while on a beach day wiith my boys. I suddenly realized as I unpacked our picnic that I had yet to snap a pic of these, and I really wanted to share thier goodness with all of you! Here's a zoom out of the 'plate' that the muffin is posed on:

If only all my platters were so cute! ha!

Rainy Day

After two full days of rain, when we woke up this morning and saw the rain drops falling, yet again, my sweet little Darius was more than a little despondent. Seeing his little shoulders fall as he looked out the window, I knew I had my work cut out for me today. Time to put on my entertainer hat!

We had a camp out [in a REAL tent!] fought super villains, made cookies [just wait until I show you these babies! I'll post about them later as they deserve their very own post] and had a delicious warm breakfast for supper [yep, I'm that cool ha!]



My little Captain America. Today I was Thor...there is no picture evidence





Darius seriously passed out leaning on the counter while baking cookies! I never knew baking was so exhausting ha!

And now for the delicious breakfast we had for supper. It will warm you up, and bring some good old fashioned comfort on a cold day. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!


Katie's German Pancakes

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 cup soy milk

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

5 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 450F. While your oven warms, and your house is finally warm in these pre-furnace months, place the coconut oil in your pan (I used a 9x13) and set it aside.

Place the remaining ingredients in a blender, and mix that goodness up!

When the oven is preheated, place the pan in the oven for three minutes to melt the coconut oil.

Remove the pan, with melted coconut oil from the oven, pour in the pancake mixture, and return to the oven. Set your timer for 17 minutes, and wait patiently!

When the pancake is baked, remove from the oven and let stand for a couple of minutes before serving. Score the bake (as pictured above) and serve with berries, nut butters, or honey.

What breakfast do you love to have for dinner? Or do you stick to tradition and only eat breakfast in the a.m.?

Work it OUT!

Following a night of interrupted sleep, my nerves were feeling a little frazzled this morning. So, as I sat down to eat breakfast with my little man, I jotted down my "to do" list, and topping the list was a bold

WORKOUT

So, that's just what I did! If you're feeling a little rough around the edges, a good sweat session will help restore your focus, and might even put a little pep in your step - so you might as well give it a go!

The Workout Breakdown

Jillian Michael's Amazing Arms workout (as seen in the July/August 2011 Fitness Magazine)

10 reps, 2 sets of the following:
                -  One-Legged Curl 10lbs dumbbells
                - Hip Heist
                - Staggered Push-Up
                - Frog Hop
                - Forearm Press

Followed by 10 reps, 2 sets of:

From a standing position, hinge at the hip while keeping legs strong and straight. Reach for your foot while lifting the kettlebell up with the other hand (pictured above)

                - kettlebell windmills 16.5lbs kettlebell

               
                - kettlebell swings 35lbs kettlebell


And finished up with:
                - Self - Slim and Sleek Fast Work out DVD (using 5lbs dumbbells)

Total time was approximately 50 minutes. I now feel human again, and am back to being the happy-energetic Mama I want to be; definitely time well spent!

Have you had a great workout today? Do you have any favorite workout DVDs for when your motivation is lagging? And, do you write a plethora of to do lists? I think I'm addicted to them!

Perfect Health [quick fix!]

What if I told you that I have a magic solution to all your health woes? That it is as simple as popping a pill? That it DOES NOT cost you your savings? And you are not required to sign up with some Ponzi Scheme to reap the benefits? Well, in a nut shell, I do. Curious? Read on!

While on my recent family vacation, we stopped in Utah to visit some wonderful friends. These friends have three girls, we have two boys, and our husbands are closer than most brothers. Estelle and I did not know one another quite as well before our vacation, and I can honestly say we bonded over many things over the few days we spent together. We have very similar views on health, nutrition, and what keeps a family ticking - and all this bonding led to the discussion of a book and its valuable information.

"The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell is incredible in its depth and breadth. It covers nutrition as a whole citing over a hundred studies. Conclusions are not simply given, but studies are explained, broken down into what they mean, and how the study findings affect you and me. In a nutshell, Campbell clearly shows that nutrition is the number one factor in health. Whether this statement is surprising to you or not, you should read this book.

Since listening to "The China Study" audio book I have been enjoying a plant based nutrition plan.[I shy away from the word diet, as it's true meaning has been stripped from it, and replaced by a nasty sense of deprivation - so I enjoy a nutrition plan instead.] I eat no meat [land or sea] or dairy, and eat a lot of vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, nuts, beans, grains, and occasionally eggs. I have more energy, feel lighter on my feet, and have been met with little to no resistance from sweet Darius...and some from my amazingly supportive husband, but only when it comes to whats on his plate, not mine.

By simply switching to a plant based nutrition plan, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, MS [the list goes on] can be halted, if not reversed. Add in moderate exercise [meaning thirty minutes, most days] and you have the recipe - ahem, quick fix - for Perfect Health. This is the message of Dr.Campbell's book in a nutshell, but please, please, please, read his book and get the facts for yourself. You'll thank me later.

This is not a paid review of "The China Study" but rather my opinions and views on a very well written scientific paper.

Carrots

Nothing

beats

fresh

garden

carrots

Sitting Pretty

Darius and Elias proved to be amazing travellers - over quite a long distance too!  Here's a little montage of my main man in action....or rather, strapped into a five point harness and not able to move much at all ha!

If you're wanting your own fabulous neck pillow for your next road trip see this post for the deets! Happy travels!