Meals for the week!

I guess I kinda forgot I had a blog!  Its been so long since I've updated!  Well, the summer is going great!  I am loving the Medina farmers market!  The reason for my random update today is because I was planning out my meals and grocery list for the week and thought - hey why don't I just post my meals/recipes for the week!  Then I can refer back to them and if anyone else is looking for some good recipes -- feel free!

Sunday: Mexican Casserole
      Ingredients: Tortilla Chips; Ground Chicken; Carrots, Spinach; Green Pepper; Onion; Taco Seasoning; Tomato Sauce; Black Beans, Guacomole (ALL ingredients should be ORGANIC)
1. Brown Chicken on stove
2. Add in chopped carrots, spinach, green pepper & Onion; Add taco seasoning and a little olive oil; Add black beans
3. Layer in 9x13 baking dish in following order:
     - Tortilla chips, ground chicken/veggies & black beans, tomato sauce, tortilla chips
Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins
I am serving it with cashew sour cream & guacamole

Monday: Salmon & Broccoli

Tuesday: Quinoa Veggie Fried Rice (substitute soy sauce for coconut aminos)
      http://damndelicious.net/post/33882952382/quinoa-veggie-fried-rice-and-a-giveaway

Wednesday: Salad/ Oven-baked potatoes
      Ingredients: Lettuce, Spinach, Carrots, Green beans, Avocado, Hard-boiled Egg, Hemp seeds + My homeade balsalmic vinegerette dressing

Thursday: Shrimp, Cilantro, Avocado & Quinoa (or Brown Rice)
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/simple-asian-meals?page=1
 

Is SOY healthy?

If you don’t feel like reading the rest of this - the simple answer No… don’t eat it! 

Want to know some of the reasons I don't eat soy- besides the fact that BOTH Ava and Dale react to soy... keep reading and maybe you will stop eating soy too!!

Some harmful properties of soybeans are:

• Soybeans contain phytoestrogens, which mimic the body’s natural estrogen hormones. For men, this can lead to a testosterone imbalance, infertility, low sperm count, and increased risk of cancers. For women, it can cause estrogen dominance, which has been linked to infertility, menstrual troubles and cancer
•  These phytoestrogens are so strong that a baby consuming only soy formula is consuming the equivalent hormones of 4 birth control pills a day!
• The high levels of phytic acid in soy inhibit the body’s ability to absorb important minerals, including zinc, calcium, copper, iron and magnesium (which many people are dangerously deficient in already).
• Soy also contains protease inhibitors, which can block the enzymes that are necessary for the digestion of certain proteins.
• Soy phytoestrogens are potent anti-thyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Soy is often promoted as an alternative food for celiac and gluten intolerant people, but its lectins can be harmful to the intestines and prevent healing even when gluten is removed.
• Consumption of soy foods increases the body’s need for Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, calcium and magnesium. 
• Many studies have found even more harmful properties of soy: This link has a summary of many studies done about the harmful effects of soy.

·         In addition to being harmful to our bodies, soy production is harmful to the planet and to livestock who eat it as well.  90 – 95% of all soybeans grown today are genetically modified (GM) and “Round-up ready.” They contain a gene that allows them to be directly sprayed with pesticides without dying. There is some evidence that this gene can mutate and create a pesticide-like toxin in the body.

This mutation means that soybeans can be (and are) sprayed with large amounts of pesticides and herbicides during their cultivation. Animals who are fed soy can suffer many of the same health consequences as people who consume too much soy, and these harmful properties are then passed on in their meat.  Which is the MAIN reason I try to ONLY eat organic meats – if its not organic you are getting GM soy through the meat.  

Muffins

Making Paleo Applesauce Muffins tomorrow - I'll let you know how they turn out!  

• 3 whole Eggs
• 1-½ cup Almond Flour
• 7 ounces, fluid Unsweetened Applesauce
• ¼ cups Honey
• Cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Chopped Walnuts (optional)
• Blend eggs separately, breaking the yolk. Mix together all the ingredients except for the nuts until smooth. Fold in the nuts. Spoon batter into 6 to 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Cook 20–25 minutes at 350ºF until the top is golden-brown

Ava Marie is ONE!!

Ava Marie my little baby is getting so BIG!

I can't believe she's turned ONE...

She has become quite the little mover

She crawls everywhere and walks all around the furniture...

She isn't quite ready to walk on her own, but once in awhile she stands by herself.

Her favorite foods include (organic) avocados, bananas, applesauce, peas and eggs. 

She is sensitive just like her daddy and breaks out in a rash if she has any gluten, soy or dairy

She loves mommy and daddy to read her books, dance with her and cuddle!  

She has the cutest moves(and what appears to be pretty good rhythm) when a good song comes on!!

Her bottom teeth came in around 6 months, then the two top teeth next to her front teeth... now both her front teeth are breaking through and making her drool a lot!

She loves to play with mommy and daddy's shoes (even tho we take them away every time), pots and pans, and all of our tupperware (basically anything that aren't her toys).

Her first word was dada -- she is a pro at repeating whatever we say... its not quite the words, but sounds so much like it!  She is the cutest waver, she gives high fives and even fist bumps!

She prays with mommy and daddy each night to Jesus and says a big I love you to big brother Mason.

She is our little sweetheart and we love her more than words can say!

Happy Birthday Big GIRL!  :)

Frankenfood!

I know I promised a couple months ago to write more about why I don't eat certain foods (mainly, SOY, DAIRY, GLUTEN(wheat) or CORN).  And I still really want too - because I think its such an important topic to be as informed as possible on!!  So for those of you who don't share my love for food knowledge - I will try post some things on here that may perk your interest and help spread the word about what is going on with our food supply!!

Here is an excerpt from an article talking about the new genetically modified foods coming to a grocery store near you...  YUKKK!

Genetically altered to withstand heavy applications of toxic chemicals, resist disease or contain more nutrients, so-called “Frankenfoods” are appearing on supermarket shelves at a rapid rate. Currently, genetically modified (GM) corn and soy can be found in many processed foods, and the produce section may contain GM zucchini, corn on the cob and papaya. But beyond those that have already been approved for human consumption, many more GMOs are on the way – and they probably won’t be labeled. These 20 crops and animal products include both those that are already available (whether we like it or not) and some that are still in development, like cows that produce human breast milk. 

To read entire article here is the link: http://worldtruth.tv/20-genetically-modified-foods-coming-to-your-plate/

Too Long to be Gone!!

I have been horrible at updating my blog lately and there have been so many fun things going on with Christmas and Ava turning the big ONE!  
Here are a few shots from her latest photo session on December 18th!  I can't believe how big she is getting!  She is going to be walking any day now!!

NO dairy/gluten/soy pizza

I'm not going to lie, pizza used to be a weekly treat in our house.  When we gave up gluten and dairy - pizza was a hard meal to say good-bye too!   I tried to find a cheese substitute... I tried some of the rice and veggie cheeses - which I quickly found out are not good substitutes, as one contains casein and one contains soy (ickkk)!  Daiya is the only brand I've come across that seems to have decent ingredients! Most of the time I prefer to just pile on the toppings and skip the cheese.

My whole goal in not eating the foods we gave up is because of the many health concerns associated with those foods.  So I try not to just substitute gluten or dairy free foods - I read ALL ingredients and look for healthy whole food options.  If there are ingredients I don't know I don't buy that product!

RECIPE:  Many times I will make my own GF crust or GF foccaccia bread.  But that is definitely more time consuming and for me, I like faster options on the weekend.  So for our dinner tonight we had Udi's frozen GF pizza crust with the following toppings:
 * Organic Tomato Sauce
 * Organic chicken
 * Organic Mushrooms
 * Organic Kale (could substitute spinach, swiss chard, arugula)
 * Organic red onion
 * Organic green peppers
 * Spices: Oregano, crushed red pepper, basil, garlic
 * Hemp seed
IT WAS DELICIOUS!!