Uncategorized – Healthy Living

Delicious Brownies

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:09:25 +0000

This recipe is from a friend of mine and it is absolutely delicious. I think I developed brownie overload after engorging myself on these heavenly brownies covered in vanilla ice-cream. Sooooooooo good… definitely not healthy but they are chemical free. Too good not to share

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
4 eggs
T vanilla extract
1.5 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
tsp salt
chocolate chips, optional

Directions

1. Cream together sugar, butter and vanilla.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
4. Add dry to wet ingredients gradually and stir.
5. Add chips if desired.
6. Bake in a 9X13 pan at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:55:32 +0000

This recipe came with my Cuisinart ice-cream maker and I love it. I will post a picture the next time we make it.

Ingredients

3 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 cup sugar, divided
1-1/4 cups whole milk
2-3/4 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours.

2. Strain the berries, reserving juices. Mash or purée half the berries.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed strawberries, and vanilla.

5.Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Five minutes before mixing is completed, add the reserved sliced strawberries and let mix in completely.

*The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Servings
Makes about fourteen 1/2-cup servings
Nutritional Information Per Serving
Calories 275 (58% from fat) · carb. 28g · pro. 2g · fat 18g · sat. fat 11g · chol. 67mg · sod. 29mg · calc. 64mg · fiber 1g

Day 1

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:55:42 +0000

Breakfast

Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

Homemade syrup

Milk

Snack

Dannon plain yogurt with strawberries, bananas, and sugar

Lunch

Grilled cheese sandwiches (homemade multigrain bread with Tillamook white cheddar cheese)

Grape juice

Snack

Mozzarella Cheese stick

Kirkland Organic tortilla chips

Dinner (which they didn’t eat )

Pot Roast- Beef Roast, red potatoes, baby carrots, onions, celery, garlic salt, and pepper

milk

Living Chemical Free

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:36:16 +0000

Ok, so I recently started my family on a chemical free diet in hopes that it will improve my four year old son Michael’s behavior, attention span, and focus as well as improve the overall health of my family. He is behind in some areas of understanding and he seems to be hyperactive, oversensitive, and has a difficult time sitting still or focussing on one subject for any period of time. He basically can’t seem to stop talking (very loudly), moving, or whining. He also has had dark circles under his eyes for basically as long as I can remember. The doctor thought it might be allergy related and lately I have read several blogs and articles regarding added dyes, chemicals, and preservatives in our food having a huge affect on some children’s behavior. In other words, some children have a sensitivity or allergy to some of these additives. In order to assess whether Michael has an additive or dye sensitivity I have decided to completely remove as many of the chemicals and dyes in our food as possible to see if there is any noticeable change. I am not going completely organic so there will probably still be a small amount of chemicals in our food due to pesticides and fertilizers used in the growth of our foods. I will buy about half of our fruits and veggies from organic sources but all other food will be conventional but without additives. I am going to keep track of what we eat and which brands I have found to have the least additives.

Sunday August 14th, 2011 was our first day on the diet.