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Settling back in.

Hey there! Last week was… just what I needed. Being away from my normal life for an entire week was fantastically relaxing and a huge stress reducer. I camped with a totally new group of people (Clan Blue Feather) in a “no kids allowed” camp. I don’t think I need to tell you that for a SAHM this was a bit of paradise. Of course I love my children and would die for them blah blah blah… but come on! Everyone needs and deserves a vacation once in a while! I ate when and what I wanted. I drank alcohol without the nervous guilt of needing to be a responsible parent. I stayed up late, knowing that there would be no 6:30 am “Mama!” wake up call. It was heavenly.

Aaaaaand now I’m back. I’m glad to be back with my lovies, knowing that they missed me terribly and I indeed missed them. We are slowly getting back to our regular schedule, with one major difference. I have loads more patience than I did before vacation. I have more compassion and understanding too. Being not so quick to jump down their throats for the slightest naughtiness, has made a huge difference for all of us. I said it last week and I’ll say it again. It makes me a better parent.

Being away also gave me time to think about my goals for the next few months. School will be starting in a month for both my son and me. Big changes and challenges are coming and I know this time away gave me a more solid foundation to accomplish what needs to be done. Trying to get my school work, house work, child care responsibility done while dealing with all of my pent up stress would make every single thing that much harder.

So today I am thankful. Thankful that I have an amazingly supportive husband that gives me a break every year. Thankful that I can afford to take a week away to myself.  Thankful that the people I camped with were so welcoming and now consider me one of their own. Thankful that I now feel ready to take on the next phase of my life with confidence and renewed energy. I know how fortunate I am and I try my best to take none of this for granted.

Rekindling the fire

Blue Feather Campfire.
Blue Feather Campfire.

Another type of nourishment.

One of the many sources of nourishment that I will be learning and talking about this year is that which comes from caring for yourself. Being a stay at home parent brings days that are filled with amazement at your child’s growth, laughter, snuggles, dance parties, new adventures and so much more. It also brings frustration, stress, anger, sadness and a general feeling of being burnt out. It’s the greatest job in the world and the hardest at the same time. The love from your child verses the endless meal planning. The pride in raising a kind, generous child verses reminder after reminder to “PUT YOUR SHOES ON!”.

As a result of all the ups and downs and burnt out feelings that come with the full time parenting, I choose to take one week out of each year to care for myself. I go away. Far, far away. My husband takes the week off from his job and stays home with the children. Yes ladies, I realize how very lucky I am. He’s wonderful with the kids and I trust that everyone will be breathing when I return home. This week is my therapy, my reboot. Without it I become Monster Mama half way through the year. I truly feel that every stay at home parent needs and deserves a week away to refresh themselves and maintain an even temper with their children.

I’ve found that after my vacation, I can’t wait to see those little smiling faces. I am filled with renewed energy for my husband, children and myself. It also gives my husband a better appreciation for everything I do for the family every day as well as giving him time he wouldn’t normally have with his kids.

This year, I am going camping in western Pennsylvania at Pennsic (a two week long medieval reenactment gathering). I’m not a reenactor myself, but I love the environment there. It’s beautiful, quiet, relaxed and because of elevation, a few degrees cooler than it is in central New Jersey. Everything is slower there and although there are children around, there are none that need any care from me. So, starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be on my yearly one week vacation. I most likely won’t be posting anything here, but may be able to share photos and short updates on my facebook page. If you haven’t “Liked” Enlightened Nourishment on facebook already, please do.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Don’t forget, nourishment doesn’t just come from food.

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Sore Throat Crushing Limeade

My throat started feeling a bit sore yesterday afternoon and it’s been bothering me all day today as well. I have a week long camping trip that starts next weekend, so whatever it is, I want it gone! I’m pulling out the big guns to try to stop it before it turns in to a full blown cold. This is it. If this doesn’t help, I’m not sure what will. I will warn you, it’ll put hair on your chest.

2 oz lime juice (Vitamin C!)

2 tblsp local raw honey (Strengthens Immune system and soothes sore throats)

2 pinches of cayenne pepper (Anti-bacterial, soothes soar throat, detox support)

1/2 tsp powdered ginger (Soothes sore throat, helps in absorption of essential nutrients)

8 oz water (Um, it’s water. We need it to live. Also, it keeps us hydrated and our throats lubricated)

Throatcrusher

It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done.

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Hey, I’m a guest blogger!

Today I had the privilege of being a guest blogger on a lovely blog by a very inspirational woman. Fitpixiemama is letting us follow along on her journey to better health and vitality through better food choices and fitness. She doesn’t consider herself an athlete or health guru, but she is very determined to create a healthier, pain-free life for herself. When I don’t feel like exercising or like I just don’t have the energy to cook one more well thought out meal for my family, I think WWFD (What Would Fitpixiemama Do)? Then I push myself to get off my butt and just do it, because I’ll feel better that I did once it’s done. I am encouraged my her resolve on a daily basis.

So, thank you Fitpixiemama for letting me be a part of your project and for being a hero of mine.

https://fitpixiemama.wordpress.com/2013/07/20/what-works-for-me-may-not-work-for-you-so-how-do-you-figure-out-what-will-work/

 

Super Easy Coconut Avocado Pancakes

I got a little “creative” in the kitchen this afternoon. I knew I wanted to make pancakes on the griddle to avoid turning on the stove or oven (it’s crazy hot this week!). So, I found a recipe for grain-free pancakes that sounded pretty tasty, but I didn’t have some of the necessary ingredients. This is where the creative bit comes in. What’s easier than avocado to mash up and substitute for apple sauce? OK, maybe a banana, but I wanted to get some green in our dinner and cut some of the sugar. Besides, avocado has 2.9 gr of protein, 708 mg of potassium, vit. B-6, vit. C and magnesium.

The recipe went over well with the kids and the husband. Win!!

 

Coconut Avocado Pancakes:

 

1/2 large avocado (mashed)

4 large eggs (beaten)

1 tblsp honey

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp salt (I used himalayan pink salt)

1/2 tsp baking soda

 

Smash the avocado. Add beaten eggs and honey. Blend well. In large bowl whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Combine wet and dry ingredients. I added the cocnut milk at the end because the batter was way too thick. You could add it to the wet ingredients earlier in the process, it doesn’t really matter. Spoon the batter on to griddle to make approximately 18 silver dollar pancakes. Flip when browned and firm on the bottom. Let other side brown and remove. Top with whatever you like. That’s it!

These pancakes are Paleo, gluten-free, fast and very nummy.

Give them a shot and let me know what you think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Scrubalicious.

My little man likes to help out in the kitchen. His favorite chore is helping to wash all the fresh veggies for the week’s salad. We wash all of the lettuce, carrots, celery, broccoli, radishes, peppers and whatever else we happen to have from the farm that week. He loves to grab the potato scrubber and get all that dirt off in a big pot of cold water. He’s been doing it since he was big enough to reach in to the sink with the help of a chair or step stool. I think it’s helped his nutrition to work so closely with the food that we eat. I highly encourage parents to have their kids help them wash and prepare fresh vegetables on a regular basis. When they are involved in the process, they are much more likely to eat their fruits and veggies.

Living Wheat Free

My most recent dietary epiphany has been that I do indeed have a wheat sensitivity. It’s something that I’ve been ignoring and blaming on other factors for years. Whenever I would have a dish of pasta, a sandwich, a cookie, scone or slice of birthday cake, I’d end up feeling bloated and nauseated. That’s pretty much every day when I think about it. Somedays would be worse than others depending on how many wheat products I would consume. I just got use to it after a while I suppose. However, now that I am really zeroing in on which foods make me feel good and which don’t, I can no longer pretend that my body can digest wheat. I’ve considered following the Paleo diet and giving up all grains, but I’m not quite sure that’s the best for me. I know that I’ll figure it out during this next year of furthering my nutritional education.

Since I’ve eliminated wheat from my diet, I’ve had to get creative with my food. Investigating wheat flour alternatives to bake with has been somewhat daunting. There are a lot of alternative flours, but none seem to be able to duplicate the fluffy, light texture that you get from wheat. You have to add tons of other wacky ingredients that don’t even sound like something I’d want to eat (tapioca starch, guar gum, xanthan gum, agar agar powder).There are gluten free mixes and some of them are even organic, though not many. They already have the wacky ingredients mixed in, so at least you don’t have to spend the money to buy each one individually.

There is one flour that seems to be as close to wheat flour as I am able to get when used alone. Quinoa flour is light and so far has given me pretty fair results when baking. It has a light odor that is definitely different from wheat, but it’s not enough to turn me off. It has 4 g of protein (same as whole wheat), but only 18 g of carbohydrates (23 g for whole wheat). So, though it is pricey, it will keep me satisfied when the cravings for baked goods come around.

Tonight, I made these yummy summer squash pancakes with quinoa flour. They cooked up beautifully and was a super way of using up some of the extra squash I had in my farm share this week. The kids devoured them so quickly, I had to make sure to save a few for my husband before they were all gone.

Sweet and Savory Summer Squash Pancakes

Makes about 12 pancakes

2 large eggs

3 tbls melted butter

2 tbls honey

2 tbls milk

2 tbls plain yogurt

a splash of vanilla extract

1 1/2 medium summer squash grated in food processor (pat with paper towels to reduce moisture)

1 cup quinoa flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

 

Simply stated, mix all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk all the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add the dry to the wet and blend gently until it looks like this:

IMG_0677

 

Then spoon the batter on to an electric griddle or buttered skillet:

IMG_0680 IMG_0682 IMG_0684

The end result is something like a potato pancake, but sweeter and not quite so heavy.

IMG_0686

 

 

I topped them with maple syrup and butter. Nummies :)

 

Homemade Apple Lemonade

This image shows a whole and a cut lemon.
This image shows a whole and a cut lemon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a recipe that I make in the summers when my son starts asking for lemonade. Sometimes I substitute limes for lemons, either way it’s not too sweet and very refreshing. The raw honey and lemon boosts the immune system and helps greatly with seasonal allergies. You can add more or less apple juice to your liking.

 

4-average size organic lemons

1/3-cup raw honey

8 ounces organic apple juice

1-tall pitcher full of filtered water