Awesome Amazon Sale!

Ladybug eats and loves HAPPY BABY Organic Greens Puffs, we usually pay anywhere from $3-4 per container.  Amazon has them on their Friday special TODAY ONLY at a great price, we just ordered them!!!  I just had to share in case any of my readers like these too!!!If you sign up for their Subscribe and Save they come down to $2.26 per container…which is a great deal!!!!  You can always go in and cancel your subscription at any time, so there is no obligation.  We do this and it saves us tons of $$!

They come in a pack of 6, and also have the banana and apple flavor on sale {but we only use the greens flavor}.

Bowl of Health

We are still juicing about 4-5 days per week, and have gone over our usual amount lately. I have a certain cup I use to juice into and recently we have had to transfer our juice to a bowl as we are juicing, since we have so much! It just makes me feel good to see this big bowl of GREEN and even better to see it all end up in the bellies of my kiddos and me!

The boys will now drink the juice straight, although Pac Man sometimes gives me grief about it. Surprisingly Krash is the one who guzzles it down no matter what!

Swamp Juice

We continue to juice almost daily around here and the boys remind me if I forget ;). The other day our final smoothie was rather green, so we named it Swamp Juice. The boys devoured it like it was filled with chocolate, sugar and everything yummy for a child.

Look how happy they are...


Getting every last drop...
Funny thing is, our Swamp Juice was filled with items most kids would barf at. Even mine would if the items were presented separately! But together, they make a truly delightful Swamp Juice.
We make our juice and smoothies differently every day and always enjoy seeing what we come up with. This was by far one of the favored concoctions. Here's a snapshot of a few of the healthy items that were added this day...

Leftover Odwalla juice, Wheat Grass Powder, flax oil, organic spinach (yup we throw it right in the blender now), Flaxseed Meal. The smoothie also had 2 bananas, an avocado, frozen raspberries, and our fresh juice. I believe the juice was: carrots, celery, cucumber, apple, purple grapes, cabbage, and maybe something I am forgetting-who knows?

We love juicing, it has become such a fun part of our life! I must admit, I wish I had a juicer-cleaning-fairy though.

Feeding the Lil' Bug

So, it's almost that time. I can't believe it. Almost time to offer Ladybug her very first food...ahhh--how did she get this old?

She is exclusively breastfed and eats well. My boys were both BF also, and each had their first food around 5 1/2-6 months of age. I used the wonderful book, Super Baby Food with both of them and plan to with Ladybug also.


I am more confident when it comes to nutrition nowadays so feeding Bug will be easier for me. My plan is to start with ripe organic Avocado, mashed up and mixed with breastmilk until it's really runny.


We will eat only a little bit of this for about 4-7 days and then I will gradually add other healthy items to her diet. With Pac Man (my 7 yr old) I made all of his food, even his cereal-grinding the grains myself!!! I wasn't so dedicated with Krash (age 3), and plan to do it somewhere in the middle with Ladybug. She will eat entirely organic, everything. I plan to make most of her food myself, with the exception of some organic jars of things I don't usually have on hand, but that will come later.

I am not ready at ALL for her to be old enough to eat food, we still may wait a few weeks. But, I do know that my boys are good eaters, and I do believe in giving first foods between 5 1/2-6 1/2 months. Ladybug will be 6 months old on 10/14. I don't believe any eating plan is 100% right or wrong, that's just what I personally feel comfortable with for various reasons.

I hope to post about her feeding adventures, and resources I find to use on our journey! Anyone else who has posts on your blog about feeding your baby, please leave a link in the comments, I'd love to see!

Point Proven.

I began juicing a couple of months ago and have juiced almost everyday since, with a few exceptions. I did not take my juicer to the beach and was sans juice for 9 days there. Then when we got home from vacation I did not make my initial trip to Whole Foods/Trader Joe's and took my husband up on his offer to swing by Shoprite quickly to get some basics. Shoprite just does not have the organic produce that WF has and the quality stinks at SR. Even the prices are higher there on some things, believe it or not!

So, we went without juice again. We had some organic celery, apples, and carrots so I made a tiny amount of juice for me and the boys until that ran out, but we weren't having our loaded up concoctions each day.

Not only did we go without our juicing, we went without our huge stock of produce that we consume now daily. I had taken for granted how much fresh we were eating. I knew we changed, I just didn't realize how much we had changed in just a couple of months. Both my husband and I were complaining in misery by Thursday, and couldn't wait till it was Whole Foods today (which was today).

What point did I prove?

That I feel so much better when I am eating fresh foods. I have survived on my old diet at the beach and last week for the most part. I ate cereals, didn't eat as often (I am one who will just not eat if we don't have something healthy), ate some extra sweets because we didn't have much fruit. I didn't eat horribly by any means-still eating whole grains, limiting sugar, and eating some fruits and veggies. But it was a change.

I felt sluggish all week. Coffee did not help, I just couldn't seem to gather my mental competence each day to feel focused and alert. I even woke up this morning feeling the same. But I still drug myself to Whole Foods.

Thank goodness I did. I came home and made a huge batch of fresh veggie juice, mixed it into a very healthy smoothie mix (green powder, flax oil, and more) for me and the boys. Then I ate a huge spinach salad for lunch with raw nuts and seeds on top. Then I made this wonderful recipe for my afternoon snack and for the family to munch on later on.

I feel amazing! I don't know if it's all in my head or actually related to what is currently swirling around in my body. Honestly I don't care...I feel better when I eat this way. My entire family feels better. Point proven.

Juicing with my kids

I originally began to juice for me, for my health. My boys just happened to be out of town visiting their grandparents when I began so it was just me for the first few days. As soon as they got home they were both very interested in the new silver thing on the counter! It didn't take long for me to realize that including them would be a wonderful thing for so many reasons.

We now have a routine of juicing together every day (when we are home) around 10:30am. The boys look forward to this and so do I. The peace I get knowing that all of us are getting our healthy foods in us each morning makes me feel so great!

Keep in mind we are novice juicers and are still trying things out and reading to learn. This is our current process, which very well could change as we learn more! For now, here's how we do it...

1. The boys help me get the produce together, we talk about the different kinds of veggies and fruits we use. After selecting with me, we place it all (unwashed) in a big silver bowl.
   
2. The boys go play in the living room while I prep the produce for juicing (peel carrots, wash produce, etc.)
3. I then place it into 2 piles for the boys to help me put into the juicer...
4. They then take turns with me putting it in, while we name every piece!
5. Our usual juicing produce is: cucumber, celery, green leafys (spinach, romaine, etc.), carrot, apple, a few purple grapes, tomatoes, cabbage. We don't use all every day and try to mix it up. We have also juiced sweet potato, green pepper, and broccoli. We use all organic produce too, which is all washed in Veggie Wash.
   
6. Once the juice is ready we move over to the blender, which I prepared while the kids were in the living room playing (better to have it ready I learned). I always add 1 banana and the rest is variable. We use any of the following things to mix in (not all at the same time, I vary it up from day to day)...berries (fresh or frozen), flax seeds, Wheat Grass Powder, Coconut Oil, coconut milk, plain yogurt.
7. I pour all but about 8 ounces of the juice into the blender along with the mix for the day and the kids help me blend it up for them. I drink the plain 6-8 oz of just juice myself, and then a bit of the kids' smoothie also.
8. The boys guzzle it down...no matter the color (usually deep green or dark orangish-green). K, my 3 year old begs for more with a huge mustache all over his lips. He seriously can't get enough, I have to stop him!!! My 7 year old likes it, but doesn't beg for more!

Juicing with my kids is way more fun than I thought it would be. I am not a big fan of cooking with the kiddos (I know, horrible mom I am), but this process has been so much fun! I love that I am teaching them so much through this process and nourishing their young bodies. It is really a neat bonding time for us too, and something they now really look forward to. When Daddy is home, he will drink our juices and smoothies too!

I'm a Juicing Momma!!!

When I began cloth diapering, I thought I was nuts, now I can't imagine not doing it. When I began reading my friend Jill's book- Breaking Free ~ Truths for Healthy Living, and began to explore the idea of juicing, I thought I was a little nuts too. Anyone who really knows me is probably still thinking I am a bit nuts.

Nuts or not, I decided to give it a try, I went out and bought the juicer Jill recommended (which I LOVE), I made a big trip to Trader Joe's and stocked our fridge with TONS of veggies and fruits. I made a commitment to juice every day for at least 30 days.

I am very happy to say I have juiced every day for 10 days so far!!!! Honestly, I think I will probably juice for a very long time, I am in LOVE!!!! How else can you be sure to eat at least this amount of healthy veggies, and be sure your kiddos are getting them too???
I will be writing more posts about juicing from here on out, to share what works and what doesn't. I am truly so glad to have found this new addition to my life and diet.

Here's the juicing books I have so far, to continue to learn and juice!!!

Stay tuned for my next post to see what my boys are thinking of all this juicing!!!!

Finally!!!

I am SO thrilled!!!!! Shoprite carries their own brand of organic coffee creamer!!!!If you have read this blog for awhile, you know that I was trying to find an alternative to my regular coffee creamer. I need my coffee creamer, I am not giving it up, but the ingredients in the other one were so gross. I knew I needed to get an organic one so I could guarantee there were no GM ingredients, and I wanted one without hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. I found it!!!!!!

So, finally, I have let go of my white sugar and switched to Agave Nectar, and now I have this creamer...I am set in the coffee department!!!!

On the right track...

I gained over 50 pounds during my pregnancy with Ladybug (the exact same with my boys also). I gave birth a little over 4 weeks ago and I have lost about 20 pounds, which means I am still carrying approx. 30 extra pounds. I was really small to begin with, so I don't have a huge desire to get all of it off, but I would like to get at least 20 more off. Even more than the extra pounds, I want to FEEL my best and I don't right now. I am naturally a very small person so the extra 30 pounds I am carrying doesn't necessarily look horrible, it just feels that way. I am much more concerned with my overall health rather than my actual weight and appearance.

So begins the REAL journey.

First, I must admit my issues, uh-um...addictions I suppose.

I am in love with sugar. I mean LOVE with sugar. I have cut back from what I would LOVE to eat, but I still have a sweet tooth that won't take a break. K's birthday cake sat out on the table all weekend and guess who cut off *just a bite* way too many times? Yup, me.

I used to eat candy, way too much candy. I have cut back a ton, to the point that I rarely eat any. BUT, if it's here-in the house-I can barely resist and often give in. When I eat some, I just want more.

I eat to fill time. I eat when I am bored, I eat, just to eat. I am very thankful I don't gain weight (unless prego) because of this problem I have, but that doesn't mean it's not a problem. Eating the way I want to is not healthy.

I don't like getting food ready. I go for the quick fix, and they aren't always the most nutritionally balanced. My diet is not horrible-at all, but it is not where I desire it to be. I need to give my food choices even more effort and thought each day.

Those are my main issues. Sugar, candy, eating just to eat, and laziness in food preparation.

My strengths, yes I do have some!!! I am good in the liquid department-I only drink water, organic milk, and occasionally purple grape juice. I do not like soda, and can easily stay away from my husband's sweet southern tea. My only pitfall is coffee-2 cups per day-but the coffee isn't the issue-it's the creamer that goes into it! I switched the sugar to Agave Nectar-so at least I am doing better there.

Another strength-fresh stuff. I eat veggies-usually raw spinach, carrots, and celery every day. I usually eat bananas, apples, kiwi, and mangos too. I love plain avocados and will eat 1 per day if we have them.

I'm sure there are a few more, but those are the main ones.

In my quest to evaluate where I am at and get on a better track-not only for weight loss, but also for overall health, I was online today. I came across a GEM of a website that is already helping me tons!!! It's called Nutrition Data-Know What You Eat. Basically you register at the site, and then you can see your recommended intakes (calories, vitamins, etc.) based on your stats. THEN, you can keep track of your food intake and even add foods they don't have in their (very large) data base.

I spent much of the afternoon dragging foods up from the kitchen to input their nutritional info from their labels! It was really easy and once they are in, I don't have to do it again!

I am now keeping a *If you bite it, WRITE it* journal, and also recording my Nutritional Data from the day. Already in just a few days I notice that I am not getting enough Vitamin D-gotta get in the sun!!

I am hoping this will help me not eat too much, stay on track nutritionally and teach me a few things along the way! Obviously I don't want to WRITE that I ate an entire box of cookies, so just the mentality of having to write it down changes it all for me (and most people, I've heard).

I don't plan to be obsessive about writing every day, but I do hope to document at least 1-3 days per week to see where I am and give myself a wake up call. IF I begin to eat bags of cookies, then I will go to writing every day!!!

Reading and Learning

I recently ordered 2 new books to help me along my journey of health. I need to thank my online (soon in real life when we meet this summer) friend Jill for really inspiring me in this area. I began reading these books the other day and am learning so much.

First, The Coconut Oil Miracle...

and, Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby's First Foods...

I am not sure if I will truly love the Real Food book as it is VERY obvious that she is not a Christian, which in books like this I normally don't mind, but she has some way off facts about how old certain food are ;). What I do like about this book is that it promotes eating the way our great-great grandparents did. My husband has always said that his grandma, who lived to be over 90, was one of the healthiest women he knew and she cooked the good old fashioned way. I love the book as it teaches about how processed foods have changed our diets and affected many aspects of our health.

As for The Coconut Oil Miracle...LOVE it so far!!! It is very scientific at first and I am learning a ton! It also has recipes in the back and chapters that are very simple to understand. I LOVE coconut so I am really excited about getting it into our diet more and more!

The RIGHT Bread?

We eat sandwiches, and I do not (and will not) make my own bread. We eat enough bread that I need to be able to find what we use reasonably priced at my neighborhood shopping centers (not my special places)...which for me are Target and Shoprite.

Several years ago we converted to all 100% whole grains, and that's great...but now that new ingredients are coming to my attention, I realize that alone wasn't good enough. I always knew many WW breads had High Fructose Corn Syrup in them and I hated it, I just couldn't' seem to find one that didn't, so we lived with it.

I think I found our new bread... The back label is why I am so pleased....
It may not be the absolute best bread for us but it is certainly better than the other WW breads we used, and I found it at Target!!!!

What brand of bread do any of you think is best, or what ingredients do you focus on when choosing bread items (bagels, tortillas, etc.). Anyone have a better WW bagel than Thomas' mini(that's what we eat regularly)? They also have HfCS in them...so we opt for bread more than bagels but my boys love the mini bagels!