My sage advice

I get asked for advice a lot.  Being that I am a spin instructor, a skin care creator, and a teacher, people have this idea that I know what I am talking about.  And when it comes to those subjects, I do.  I take my jobs very seriously and even though I may come across as precocious, I do study and research and care deeply.  But I am about to give advice on surviving the holidays.  So being that I am a mere human, no better than you, please don't take it too seriously.  However, I have talked a few people, "off the ledge" this week so I am going to pull out my Oprah hat and pretend that I am in the know on how to have a serene holiday season.

1.  You don't have to give everyone a present.  I know what it is to have a rough year and want to say thank you to everyone and anyone who has been kind to you.  Don't!  They helped you because they love you and you would do the same for them.  If you don't have the money, or the time, or the energy, don't give even a little gift.  A card with heartfelt words will mean so much more. If it is crazy this time of year, send out New Year's cards instead.  I get mad when one of my dear friends gives me a gift when I know she is struggling.  Just come over for a cup of coffee....or wine.....or vodka.....(still can't do tequila after cinco de mayo).... and laugh with me.  That is what I want.  Also, every teacher or adult that has touched your child's life does not need a gift.  Except if that person is me of course!  I am only joking here.  As a teacher, I appreciate the gifts but I also loved the hand drawn notes and cards from the student.  If you must, pick the main teachers and call it good.  I hook up the receptionist at my daughters' school at another time, just because she is awesome and she still spoils my babies.  Get off the gift ledge.  This year I gave small, thoughtful hand made by me or someone else gifts to my closest friends and family.  I feel so much better and feel that Christmas has been brought down to a reasonable level.

2.  You don't have to go to every single party.  It is a crazy time of year and people know there is a good chance that you won't make it.  Go to the parties that are really important to you and skip the rest to get rest.  It is okay....unless it is my party of course.  Again, I jest.  I narrowed my party going down to two parties before Christmas this year. And because I am not exhausted I enjoyed one very much.  I will let you know how my mother's party went next week.

3. Try to keep the sugar to a minimum. I know that this is a crazy suggestion being that it is the holidays and all, but sugar kills your immune system and wreaks havoc on your skin.  After a week of eating chocolate and Almond Roca I feel a cold coming on and my skin looks dull and nasty!  I cannot have that!  There is no chocolate in my house right now.  And I really want some, but it isn't here and I am too lazy to find some.  It is a win for me!

4.  Don't have Christmas at your house.   And if you do, assign everyone a dish or drink.  People like to have direction and love to bring something to a dinner.  Let them.  You do the main dish and clean your house and call it good.

5.  Have your meltdown.  Call a friend and go ahead and have that melt down.  Then have a couple glasses of wine and read the 25 funniest autocorrects of 2012.  It is a little raunchy so don't read it if you don't appreciate raunchy humor. http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/the-25-funniest-autocorrects-of-2012  Laugh until you cry then repeat steps 1-4

I certainly don't pretend to know all the ways to live a simple and calm life.  But people do ask how I do all that I do.  I prioritize and I do only what I have to do.  I have to be a good friend and mother.  I don't have to be the greatest gift giver, partier, or sane person. If I get that in, however, it will have been a great holiday season!

Cashew "Mayo" and Dana Torres

I am almost 42.  And while I have noticed that it takes my body longer to recover from abuses, say a hard workout or a long night, I still feel pretty darn good.  I have no injuries and I still kick some arse.  We don't need to speak of the time this summer when I went running with a 25 year old man and suggested we do hill sprints and when I ran my little heart out to the top and almost threw up, he looked at me and said, "I thought we were doing sprints?"
If I shove that memory into the deep, dark crevices of my mind, along with all the other denials, I can still feel I kick some major arse. That is why, for the moment, I am obsessed with Dana Torres and Jennifer Lopez.  They are both older than me.  Ha!  And they are amazing.  I really am cheering for JLo and her man.  If they make it a ten year run, I am calling it a victory! And Dana Torres was 41 when she broke the US record for 100 meter and 50 meter freestyle at the 2008 Olympics.  Her secret weapon, interval training on a spin bike.  Holler!  For those of you who don't know, I teach Spin classes on the side for kicks and giggles.  Which brings me to the point of this post.  My Allstar peeps have been asking for my cashew "mayo" recipe.  I usually just throw things in a blender, but I know most need a little thing called measurements, so I measured it for you.  Here it is.

Cashew "Mayo"

Throw the following ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Store in fridge in air tight container.  I would throw it away after two weeks, but there probably won't be any left.

1 cup cashew pieces
1/2 cup strong chai tea (I steeped 1/2 cup water with 2 bags of chai tea)
3/4 cup unsweetened milk substitute.  I used plain almond milk, but have used hazelnut milk and coconut milk as well.
1/2 tablespoon Berbere seasoning (This is an Indian seasoning and will make it a little spicy.  Cut back if you don't like spice.  Subsitute cumin or garham masala if you would like.)
1/2 tsp salt
lime juice from 1/2 lime
3 leaves basil
1 clove garlic

This is great on my favorite sandwich.  I spread it on Dave's Killer Bread and make a sandwich of avocados, tomatoes, slivered almonds, alfalfa sprouts, and cucumbers.  Que rico!
Or.....you can add some oil and balsamic vinegar to make a yummy creamy dressing.

Another smoothie recipe! Pineapple monster.

It is decidedly true that the best way to nourish your skin is to give it the nutrients it needs.  It is your largest organ after all.  I have somehow given up coffee in the morning.  I am 4 months clean....on my honor....okay, okay...I have a latte now and then.  My new habit it a big fruit and vegetable smoothie.  It is a shot in the arm of good for you stuff!  I make an entire blender batch and I am lucky if I get a cup.  My children slurp it down. The above picture shows how much was left for me today. If I have some leftover, I just put it in the fridge for later. Here is my new go to smoothie!

1 can organic chopped pineapple with juice
1 mango
2 oranges peeled
1/4 cup or so of wheatgrass
5 leaves or so of mint
handful of spinach or 2 leaves collard greens, or kale
1/2 lime squeezed
1 banana
2 kiwi quartered, peels on
1/4 cucumber
water or ice

First blend your greens with water really well.  Then slowly add the rest of the ingredients a few at a time.  Add more water if you would like a thinner consistency.

It takes as much time to make this smoothie as it does to go to the coffee shop and wait for someone else to make your coffee or smoothie.

One step at a time

This last weekend I went to a wedding out of town so I stayed at a little bed and breakfast, the Aloha Beach Side Bed and Breakfast.  It was right on the water and was absolutely beautiful.  With this gorgeous,peaceful place to rest came a six course breakfast made by our lovely hostess who has been trained at the Corden Bleu.  Usually, for health reasons, I am a vegan....except on Sundays and special occasions. This happened to be a Sunday and special occasion!  So we dug into eggs Benedict.  I was in heaven.  I slept in, had no children with me, and had great company.  It was a very pleasant way to pass the morning.
Our hostess sat and chit chatted with us for two hours.  She was a very sweet, educated, passionate, and interesting woman.  She also owned a farm and told us about her adventures growing chickens, trying to make money from the farm, and composting.  She has visited organic farmers all over the country and knows her stuff.  When she found I was vegan, her first response was, "I don't know how you do it! I don't have the willpower."  I was laughing.  I was thinking about how I don't know how she does it with the farm and picks up composting from schools and organizations all over.  I compost and garden, but only do what is needed.  I don't spray and do all that, but I wouldn't say I was ecological about it.  I definitely don't grow my own food.  Unless, a few sad tomatoes count.
Then we started talking about how I gradually came to the decision to be vegan.  And it was a gradual process.  The start of thinking about what I put in and on my body all began with my largest living organ, my skin.  When I told her my journey to take my health, eating, life, and of course skin care back to the basics, she said she could understand how I got there and how the choices I make now aren't really rough on me.  Her journey was also a gradual one.  It just looks on the outside that it is crazy!
Wherever you are in your health, your life, your eating, or your fitness, the people you want to be most like didn't get there over night.  To most, it was a gradual, one step at a time, one realization at a time journey that they are likely not finished traveling.  Make a small change.  Maybe start with your skin care.  That would certainly make me happy!
If you are ever in Gig Harbor, you really should stay here.  And tell her that I sent you and that I have been thinking about her farm and have lots of plans and ideas!
http://www.alohabeachsidebb.com/

The magic of "Green Sludge"

I have been on a bit of a health kick lately.  I would prefer to call it a gradual shift in my thinking about food, but most people think I am on a health kick.  It has been gradual, however.  My first step was to get processed foods out of my house.  Then I started to make many of my own staples such as bread and yogurt.  Next, I began buying everything organic.  I also experimented with almond flour and limiting gluten and corn in my diet.  I attempted and still attempt every day to make produce the center of my diet. The new thing is juicing, but so many valuable nutrients are lost when juicing such as fiber and protein.  I decided I would simply get a nice blender and blend all my produce and make my own "juice".  My kids call it the green sludge.  And finally, I cut out all animal based products.
Okay, not all of the time, but most of the time, I eat only plant based foods.  I love fancy cheeses and the taco truck.  I couldn't see cutting out what I enjoy so much for the rest of my life.  So I don't.  I am not "vegan" for political reasons.  I do it for me and my family.  And I feel AWESOME!  And it is so easy to me.  I love cooking again and creating yummy treats.  My cheese eating, milk drinking, egg devouring children don't mind and have been totally fine with it.  Finding protein has not been hard for me and I eat pretty much whenever I want.  I don't miss meat or cheese at all.  Holler.
The biggest difference I see in myself, besides losing a little bit of weight (on accident), is my skin looks really nice.  When I used to break out during certain times of the month, I don't anymore.  I use Blackett Body Basics skin care, eat lots of fruits and vegies, drink lots of water, and exercise regularly.  My tummy rarely bothers me anymore.  It takes a little bit more planning to eat on the go, but it is worth it to me.
Here are some more tips on beautiful looking skin.  It is so much more than fancy skin care.  And much of it is in your control.
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/tips-for-gorgeous-skin?page=3

If you would like a sample of the BBB Face care system, let me know.

"Green Sludge" recipe

Half a bunch of dino kale, sliced
half a cucumber cut into 3 or 4 pieces
3 small carrots chopped into 3 or 4 pieces
one apple quartered, core and all
one pear quartered, core and all
one avocado
one kiwi, quartered, skin and all
one mango, diced, no skin
juice of two limes
spoonful of minced ginger
1 tsp cardimon powder
coconut milk, almond milk or rice milk, or juice (enough to facilitate the blending process)
Any fruits or vegies that you think will taste good in it. ...peaches, pineapple, berries.

Place all ingredients in blender, kale at the bottom and blend until it is smooth.
It should be really thick.  I pour it in a big pitcher and it takes me two or three days to go through it all.  I usually buy a variety of Evolution Juices (they are local and cold pressed) and mix it with the green sludge to make it a different mixture every time.  I have a 20 once mixing container and I use that to mix it and drink it and drink two or three servings a day.

For beautiful skin take juicing to a "whole nother level"

So I was on my juice craze last week.  And I still am, but I started thinking, I don't need to lose 100 pounds and there is so much awesome stuff in the entire fruit or vegetable that is wasted to juicing.  What if I made a vegetable/fruit smoothie?  I just recently bought the second best blender on the market.  http://www.consumersearch.com/blenders/kitchenaid-ksb560  I couldn't afford a Vitamix.  So I opted for the second best.  And let me tell you, this blender is awesome!  I took my juicing to a "whole nother level".  (This is a reference to a Mad TV sketch I love)
In my quest to get my diet 95% plant based and fairly low fat, I am in the mind set that juicing is a fantastic way to get a huge amount of produce in your body fairly quickly and easily.  I put my blender to the test.  I went to my favorite local market and bought something in every color and produce group. I was so excited.  My BFF, Angela, was excited too and came down to test the final product. (We are old and get excited about strange things, I know!)  I put  apples, pears, mango, kale, spinach, avocado, and carrots with some Evolution juice in the blender and liquefied that mofo in minutes.  It was thick and green.  Oh!  And I squeezed some lemon and grapefruit into it too.  It was a lot! I thought I might get sick of it before it was all gone.  But I have mixed it up a bit.  I mix it with something different every time I get some.  Sometimes I mix it with almond milk.  More protein! I say more protein because fruits and vegetables have a surprising amount of protein in them.  I may add some coconut milk or some Evolution berry mix.  Whatever hits me at the moment.  And I walk around with my bottle and drink 2-3 a day.  By the end of the day, I really don't want to eat because I am so full.
I just want to get more produce in my and my children's bodies. My skin will reflect my efforts and I am, at heart, a vain person.  I thought the kids were gonna hate it. One of my middle school students asked me what the green gunk was and I let her try it.  She said, "Yo, Miss Laura, that is the bomb!"  So I let her have the rest.  She made me promise that I would bring her more tomorrow.  I don't mind being a juice pusher.

Juice please!

The other week I watched the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and ever since I have had a huge craving for juice.  Usually, I am against juice.  To me, it is mostly sugar and the vitamins we get from it are minimal for the amount of calories and sugar we are consuming.  I won't even put juice boxes in my kids' lunch or buy juice for parties.  Have water or beer instead.  Well, if you are old enough to drink, that is.  If not, I am the boring mom who only has water to drink. Yeah, I know.  Poo poo on me!
My BFF, Angela, brought this movie to my attention.  She was craving juice too and had asked to borrow my juicer which was given to me and I have never, ever used.  She and her son were going to try "juicing".  And they did.  And they are.  And they like it and have lost weight and feel better.  But the juicing is a pain in the arse and it requires a lot of prep and produce.  So I was thinking, maybe I could buy a better juicer......or I could maybe purchase my juice and it might be cheaper because juice companies can buy in bulk, right?  So I went in search of juice.
My first love was the Green Machine by Naked.  This stuff is good and has all kinds of nutrients.  But as I looked closer at the label, it has no fiber (how does a vegetable juice have no fiber?) and is "gently pasteurized."  What the heck does that mean?  I guess it is heated up just enough to kill bad stuff, which means it kills the good stuff too.  My heart was broken.  I love you Green Machine, but I have to leave you.  You are sugar with vitamins.  It is like having a really hot boyfriend that is always sick and can't dance.
So off to PCC for cold pressed juice.  I found Evolution juice and it is made in Bellevue.  Awesome pawesome! You have to look closely because some of their juices are "flash pasteurized" (again, what the heck does that mean?) and some are cold pressed. From what I am gathering, cold pressed means that it is just produce "pressed" and put in bottles.  It is never heated and nothing is added to it.  That is what I want.  Evolution also has pressed juices with fiber and pressed juices with protein.  It seems to me that if you wanted to add easy nutrition to your diet, that this could be a way to do it.
I also discovered Amazake which are scrumdillicious made with rice milk so that it is naturally sweet!  And their drinks have tons of fiber and nutrients.  From the label, however, I cannot deduct whether or not it is cold pressed.  But their drinks are the bomb and super filling so if I need a meal replacement, I could use one of their juices....in case of an emergency.
I don't have that much weight to loose and I believe that you don't have to go all crazy to detox.  I believe in eating a balanced diet that is very produce heavy and very anti processed.  We all could use a little help getting some more nutrients in our diet.  I am thinking of trying out some cold pressed juices IN ADDITION to the greens I already eat.  Why not, I have been craving juice and that is better then my usual craving of microwave butter popcorn with M & M's.
And I know that what I put in my body effects how my skin looks on the outside.

Check out the movie.  It is very interesting.  http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122/fat-sick-and-nearly-dead

Blackett Body Basics Testimonial Tuesday

We are starting a new tradition.  Testimonial Tuesday.  This is where, I let you, my peeps, have your own blog post.  My first volunteer is Meche B. from Astoria Oregon.  She has been a faithful Blackett Body Basics consumer for over two years now.  Here is what she had to say.

How did you find Blackett Body Basics? 

I first met Laura Blackett at a bilingual leadership camp, La Cima, several years ago.  I remember telling her that I thought she smelled really good and she told me that she made her own lotions and perfume.  I also mentioned that her skin was super soft and asked about buying some of her product.  She was just getting started in creating Blackett Body Basics and I told her I wanted to be her first customer!
The following year I was hooked - I loved the creaminess of her oeshi bars and the clean, bright scents.  Laura is so amazing that when I made the suggestion later on of making a lemon-scented product, the  "Vanilla Lemondrop" fragrance was born!  

What is your favorite product and why?

I absolutely love the creamy oeshi - it absolutely melts into your body as you put it on.  The fragrance just envelops you and it feels like a spa experience right in your own home!  I use the Lavender in the winter, and love the Vanilla Lemondrop for the summer!  
My husband enjoys the Nag Champa creamy oeshi for his hands and finds the scent subtle and not too overwhelming for a man.
We recently had our first child and are now loving the baby products Laura has created - especially the creamy oeshi in Baby Powder for our sweet little girl's skin.  It's the only product we trust on her!

Why is using all natural products important to you?

I have noticed that with many other lotions and creams, even though they claim to be "hypoallergenic" or even "natural" they tend to make my skin irritated, break out or become excessively dry or oily.  Laura's creams can actually be used on my body *and* my face and leave them soft, smooth, and with no residue.  Using Blackett Body Basics all natural products makes me feel good about what I am putting on my body, what I am using from the earth, and how I am supporting local business all at the same time.

If you could have a life time supply of a combination of BBB products, which would they be?

A lifetime supply?!?  I would definitely ask for the Lavender Creamy Oeshi, all the baby products in Baby Powder and some of the Cocoa Smooth Legs for shaving - it smells divine and lasts forever!

Would you gift BBB products?

I have used many of the BBB products as gifts - to my mom and sister-in-law at Christmastime (Lavendar Creamy Oeshi & Bars) - to my friends at my baby shower (sample sizes of BBB creamy oeshi) - to my neighbor as a thank you (Men's Cold Remedy box) - to friends as a little pick me up (gift sets for hands and body).
They are excellent products to show my appreciation & I love that I can buy gift certificates online now too!

WE LOVE YOU MECHE!!! xoxoxoxxo

Trying something different; Yoli Better Body review.

I am a fitness instructor.  Which means, like it or not, people look at my body.  And it means that people come to me for fitness and diet advice.  I take that seriously so I try to make sure that I have some answers for them. It also means that I get approached to try different workout and diet systems.  I always say no.  I fundamentally believe that eating right, working out, and keeping it basic, simple, and natural will get you the best results.
But I decided that I would give the Yoli Better Body system a try.  One, Hank gave me a week for free.  You all know how I am about free!  Two, it is all natural with no preservatives.  And three, the science behind the program seems pretty solid. It is along the same lines as the 17 day diet.
If you want a more detailed idea of how it works, http://www.yoli.com/
I have been on the program for two days now.  Today is my third and Hank called to talk me through it.
I am struggling.  Basically, the first two days, are a cleanse with shakes and only protein to eat.  It is killing me.  First, I put vegetables in everything.  Breakfast is my meal.  I wake up.  I have a cup of green tea with lemon and a little agave syrup, then I have my latte with lactose free milk and coconut palm sugar, then I slice up whatever vegies I have and make me some scrumptious scrabbled eggs and have a piece of fruit to top it of.
Do you see where I might be struggling? I have never been a smoothie for a meal person.  I like to chew my food.  And as you can see, I have quite a morning ritual.  Now that ritual is gone.  And no fruits or vegetables!  Grrrrrrrr...
Hank assured me that the first two days are always tough and that it will get easier and I will replace my rituals with other rituals.  I promised them a week and a fair shake. Today is the day where I get to have a meal with vegies and fruits and carbs.  Whoo hoo.  I am so looking forward to it!
I do believe so far that this program can work, especially for people who need a lot of direction and are not huge fans of produce and really like to eat meat....  aka most of America.  But Hank reminded me, that no program is magical.  Desired results take effort no matter what.  He believes his program is natural, easy, and most of all, effective.
So this is where I am. I will keep you on my progress and my thoughts.

All natural make-up vs the urge to spend less.

I have a confession.  Even though I don't feel I need to wear make-up, I love make-up.   I especially have a thing for purple eye shadow.  Here is another confession.  Even though I wash my skin with Blackett Body Basics' all natural face products, I have not always been careful about the make up I wear.  I don't know why exactly that hadn't crossed my mind until recently. So I decided to make a switch to all natural make-up.  And the price tag nearly made my head explode.  $29 for face powder!!!!!!  Hay dios mio!  And if you are like me, you don't always pick out the right color and have to go back for a different shade.  I have a lot of make-up and replacing all that make up would cost me a pretty penny.  So I formulated a game plan. I will replace my make-up as it runs out and buy the all natural make up, a little at a time.  And you, my friends, get the benefit of my experimentings, as I will post my reviews.
I recently ran out of face powder so while grocery shopping at my good old neighborhood PCC, I laid down the cash and bought some all natural make-up.  It was expensive, but they have samples out so I could match my color exactly and see if I liked the feel of it.  I bought ZuZu Dual Powder Foundation.  I LOVE THIS STUFF!  It is light and provides a nice matte finish.  It is perfect over Blackett Body Basics' Cocoa Face Cream.  And it seems to go a long way.  They had many different shades for all races of women.  It doesn't settle in my wrinkles.  It doesn't look like I have a ton of make-up on.  It just looks nice.  This is my stuff.
I need new mascara and since I like this brand so far, I am going to try their mascara.  I will let you know how I like it.

Hungry for Change

Have you ever tried to cut out the processed foods in your diet and bring your life and food back to the basics, only to crave the one thing you know is bad for you?  Have you ever done a cleanse and almost wanted to cry because you didn't have your sugary latte and buttery toast in the morning and felt you were forced to eat something all natural? I did.....last week.  I could give up everything else except for the coffee.  I don't think it was the coffee because the thing that I was supposed to give up was sugar and I didn't want my coffee if I couldn't have my sugar!   grrrrrrrrr.... I thought that maybe I was just a weak person.  But it turns out that sugar is as addictive as cocaine and heroine and wreaks havoc on the body.  Watch this documentary that states our health risks simply.  Let me know what you think about it.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/24/hungry-for-change.aspx

3rd week in a row $200....all organic! or 4th?

Holler!  Yes!  I have done it a third week....or is this the 4th week?  No wait it is the fourth!  Holler!  Holler!  Holler!  Yes.  I have fed my family of five all organic food for $200 a week.  And I plan on keeping this budget.  I want to be able to afford gymnastics for Selah and art classes for Zoe and a sitter for me to get the heck out of here!  Whoo hoo!
This organic grocery endeavor has been heavy on fruits and vegetables. It was hard at first, but after a bit, I got the swing of it.  I never bought processed food.  That saves so much money.  And so does my bread maker!  I should have saved my grocery lists for you.  But I can tell you what we ate last week.

Breakfast:  Toast, tea, and fruit and eggs for the girls. (thanks to Meg for the fresh eggs!)or pancakes. For me and Fara:  scrambled eggs with vegies, smoked salmon, and chevre, fruit, green tea, latte. (we always eat later than the girls and I don't play when it comes to breakfast!) Snack: kefir smoothie with frozen fruit.

Lunch: Fruit/ vegetable squeeze, applesauce and sandwich for the girls. Maybe they will take some almond milk. Selah likes to see what she can score of the share table.  If it is a fruit or vegetable, she will take it even if she is not hungry and save it for later. That's my girl! Zoe is too cool to do that now.
For me: leftover dinner.  This week it was chicken vegetable soup, chicken sauteed with kale, red peppers, onions, cauliflower, and chevre, pan seared cod with vegies, or cauliflower faux potatoes, chicken salad with grapes in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, Kazak slaw with cabbage and carrots in olive oil and vinegar. Oh! Fara and I made a tuna salad with a balsamic vinaigrette and green beans and put it over spinach.  That was bomb!

Dinner: We usually eat dinner together. We had chicken vegetable soup, pan seared cod with cauliflower potatoes and spinach, the kale sautee, baked chicken with vegies and potatoes.  We ate the same thing a couple of times.  Last night, I got them pizza from PCC and still was under my $200 budget.  Holler!

This week's menu is the same for breakfast and lunch but for dinner we will be having stuffed green peppers, chicken caccatoire with spinach, pan seared cod with kale, and chicken lettuce wraps.  yummy! I am going to make some egg salad with flax seed oil mayo just for something extra!  I do have a turkey someone gave me.  Maybe I will bring that out and cook it.  I do cook something every day.  The more labor intensive things, I cook once in a bigger batch and we eat that for lunch and dinner a couple of times.  No big.  I have 3 kids, a husband who is gone all the time, a business, and two part time jobs.  If I can do it, I know anybody can.  And, even though I will never admit it, I am a closet lazy person.  For reals!
Here is what I had for breakfast

Who wants to join me on their endeavor to eat well, eat healthy, eat cheaply, and take life back to the basics so we actually have time to enjoy it?!

Recipe of the week:

Chicken kale saute

You will need baked chicken, shredded kale salad mix, onions, diced red peppers, diced onions, shredded carrots, grated cauliflower, garlic, olive oil.

Saute onion, red pepper, garlic, cauliflower "rice", and carrots until soft.  Add kale. Season with garam masala, turmeric, and salt.  Add chicken.  Cook until chicken is warm.  Top with some chevre.  yummy!

oh yes I did for a 3rd week in a row!

Quiet everyone!  Quiet now.  I have an announcement to make.  For the third week in a row, I have stayed within my $200 a week grocery budget and have only bought organic.  I repeat.  I have only spent $200 a week on groceries for my entire family and have only bought organic food.  Yes indeed.  I will pause here for a while as I imagine the applause that is occurring at this moment.

I have only stayed in a budget that tight once and that was last year when I was only spending $100 a week for groceries so I could have more money to spend in Puerto Rico.  (priorities people!) I emptied out my pantry and made some very creative things and going organic was not on my list. But once I came back, I went right back to my old habits and just bought what I felt like eating. Here's my trick.  Get ready!  It is magic!  .......Hold on.....I only buy the food I need.  Yeah.  I know....craziness!  

Okay, it is a little more than that....kind of.  My husband is the kind of man who will eat whatever I make and will never complain.  You will never hear him say, "There ain't no meat in this.  This ain't no meal!  I need meat." So making vegetable based meals isn't an issue.  Which if you have looked at the prices of organic meat, you will see why that matters.  He also is never here, so I really don't include him in my meal planning.  I buy him almond milk and make sure that there is something for him to eat, but I pretty much get to plan the weekly menu without any comments from the peanut gallery.  I have this rule for the girls about food.....suck it up if you don't like it.  I don't care.  Makes my life pretty simple when it comes to meal planning.

I buy for three meals that will be big enough for leftovers for my lunch and dinner the next night. We make a loaf of bread every night. And I do buy those Peter Rabbit Organic fruit and veggie squeezes.  The girls love them.  I don't buy juice boxes.  Why?  Sugar in a box.  They can drink water and eat the fruit.  I have limited the girls to one gallon of milk a week and now buy almond milk and coconut milk.  I never buy cereal.  The girls will make themselves some scrabbled eggs or banana pancakes for breakfast. And we do not have meat with every meal.  

That was the sticker price that shocked me the most.  I buy one thing of chicken and one thing of frozen fish and that is our meat for the week.  I did splurge a little bit this week and got Zoe some ham for her sandwiches.  

I figured that even though the organic peanut butter is almost $10 for a big jar, it will last a little over 2 weeks using it for dips for apples and sandwiches every day.  That is feeding my babies for less that $1 a day.  I can live with that. 

I actually only spent $170 for this week's groceries.  I like to give myself a little wiggle room just in case I forgot or run out of something.  I make it into a game and always ask the checker if they think I will come in under $200.  This serves two purposes.  It makes me accountable and if I go over, I won't feel so stupid asking them to take things off.  I make it into a game.  A couple of the checkers now follow the blog to see how I am doing on my endeavor and ask me if I am in my budget.  

Last week, we ate like royalty.  We had baked chicken thighs with rice, red bell peppers, and asparagus cooked in a dutch oven, (that I love almost as much as my steam cleaner) That meal fed me, my daughters, my eldest daughter's 3 overnight guests, and gave me a nice little meal to soak up last night's vodka.  I made this amazing soup with orzo, spinach, garlic, ginger, and avocados.  Fed myself and my husband two servings each that night and I had a nice little lunch.  And of course the butternut squash coconut curry with rice.  We still have some of that leftover.  That went nicely with some pan seared halibut. Oh and I cannot forget the bananas in sweet coconut milk for dessert.  Yummy!

This week our meal plan is Nicoise Salad, chicken salad lettuce wraps, chicken vegetable soup, pan seared dover sole with rice and vegies.  I made the Nicoise Salad tonite and will sever it over spinach for my lunches for the next two days.  I baked all the chicken breast tonight and that will make the chicken salad and chicken vegetable soup.  I splurged and got some smoked salmon too and feta cheese for our eggs in the morning or a salad I may be craving.  And if we need more food, I do still have $30 to spend for the week.  If all else fails, we can have banana pancakes for dinner.  Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?

I like eating all the food I buy.  I like feeding my family food that is good for them and kind to the environment.  And I really like my grocery bill.  Buy simple.  Buy basic.  Be healthy.  Save money.  Holler!

Recipe of the week

The orzo soup I made last week was so delicious.  I looked in the pot and was surprised to see that what was in my pot looked just like the picture from the recipe.  Because I am on a budget, I used ginger for a jar I already had and I didn't use the mustard seeds or any of the fresh herbs.  It was still fabulous.  Try it this week.  http://marcussamuelsson.com/news/recipe-my-veggie-soup

Going Organic on $200 a week! WTH!?

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I go organic when there is a sale.  I have never made the intentional effort to go completely organic.  When people use economics as the reason not to eat more healthily, I guffaw!  Puhleeezzze!  It costs less than buying all that processed and fast food.  So I didn't really consider how going organic was going to change the way I buy groceries.  This is my first week in and I see my approach to meal planning and shopping already changing.
First, organic does go bad faster.  Which is fine and even comforting.  How can I trust chicken that lasts for two weeks?  There must be something in it.....like ammonia! (which I found to be a true statement upon further investigation) So I can only buy what I need and go shopping twice a week.  Okay I can handle that.  That usually happens anyway, even to the most prepared of us. I also only buy what I need because it is a little more expensive.  Americans throw away 40% of their food anyway.  What if we bought only what we needed and actually ate what we bought?  Now there is a new concept.  Our grocery bill would be the same or less.  We would be healthier and it would be better for the environment.  Sounds like a win/win to me.
So after taking a survey of what I already had in stock, I planned our week's menu; Curry Squash with rice, Chicken  breast with sweet potato salad and greens, and pasta with Cauliflower and pancetta. Then of course bread, which I make, fruit for snacks and lunches, eggs, milk, almond milk, coconut milk to make yogurt, and organic Mac and cheese for when I feel lazy.  (Okay, sometimes there is prepared food in my house.  Sue me.) I only planned for 3 full meals. If anyone complains in my house about eating leftovers, they can just suck it!
I went shopping last night and spent $158 for the week.  I didn't go to PCC which kind of made it harder for me.  They didn't have any organic sweetened condensed milk for my coffee.  But I didn't give in.  I am going to use my organic cane sugar instead.  And resisting the sales was a little hard for me.  But I stuck to my list and got out of there for under my $200 weekly budget.  I left myself a little wiggle room for later on in the week.  (PCC has organic sweetened condensed milk, which I will be getting.  Hello!  Don't mess with my morning coffee routine.) My refrigerator is a little empty but I know I will use all that food.  I even got myself a little treat of coconut water! I saved a little money and bought frozen organic squash.  Who wants to slice and cube a fresh butternut squash anyway.
We will see how I do this week and if my minimalist approach is going to work and feed a family of five.  I do know that when there is nothing else to munch on, my girls will slice up a red bell pepper and think they hit the jack pot of snacks.  I am also trying to use up all the stuff in the pantry.  I want an empty pantry by the end of this month.  I think it is possible to eat all organic on a budget.  We just have to be more conscientious about the choices we make.  If it costs a lot, it makes it a little more painful to be wasteful.  If I will spend over $4 for a latte, why wouldn't I spend that much on some apples that would last me a few days.  Speaking of which, organic Fuji apples are only $1.49 per pound at Metropolitan Market and they are crispy yummy!


Recipe of the week

Bread machine bread

1 cup milk with 2 tbsp vinegar (let it sit for 10 min.)
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt

Put all ingredients in bread maker and select white bread option.  Perfection every time.

Back to the Basics, Step 2

I recently met a woman who told me she has no canned food in her house and that she makes everything from scratch, including her coconut milk.  That astounded me.  I consider myself a fairly back to the basics kind of girl.  I bake our bread.  I don't have processed food in the house.  I try to make everything from scratch.  But I do buy tortillas, canned beans and tomatoes and jam.  And being that we are on a fairly tight budget..front porch rotted, was not expecting that expense......I buy organic sometimes, but am not consistent about it.
Looking at her life and how she prepares food for her family seemed overwhelming to me.  Another friend of mine and fellow blogger, http://growandresist.com/ Meg Brown's life seems so busy and so unattainable, it wears me out to read her posts.  She grows her food.  She has chickens and her own business.  She is a mom and she makes everything.   Then I started thinking about people who always make prepared foods and have packaged snacks in their house.  My life style may seem a little overwhelming to them, even though it is actually very simple. I began thinking that maybe the key to success to simplifying life, eating and cooking healthy is baby steps.
Back to the basics, Step 1 is using natural skin, hair, and cleaning products.  Steam cleaning is my favorite activity in the world!  Step 1 is also not buying prepared foods.  No more Marie Calender.  No more Stouffers.  (Notice that I know the brand names.  Marie Calender Pot Pies...yum!) No more frozen pizza.  Buy nothing with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, or any ingredient that you don't know.  Make meals from scratch. It takes just as much time to make a chocolate cake from scratch as it does from the box.  We have just been duped into thinking a box cake takes less time.  All natural bread can still have high fructose corn syrup in it.  I don't know how, but it does.  So read the labels.   My kids get a sandwich and a piece of fruit, maybe string cheese for lunch.  They can drink water.  Juice is a waste of money.  And what nutritional value do those fish crackers have anyway?  They get 15 minutes to eat.  Give them what they need to be nourished and be done.  And if they don't like it.....tough.  And so I have a little more time to make all that food, my kids clean up their own stuff and as soon as they get home from school, one does the dishes, the other the laundry.  They have been doing that since they were five.  Get it done.  Do it simply.  Do it naturally.  That is my basic philosophy for Step One.
Then I started thinking, what if I took it a step further?  I am mad that my chicken is soaked in ammonia rather than the company taking simple steps to make sure the chickens are healthy.  I am mad that instead of giving cows a diet of grass for just a week that would eliminate most illnesses, they are pumped full of antibiotics and walk around with a hole on their side so we can have access to their stomachs.  It seems ludacris to me.  So I decided to stick it to the man and go entirely organic.  If I am making everything from scratch, then my ingredients need to be actually good for my family. That is my Back to the Basics, step 2.  Going organic....for everything including my make up. My skin care is already taken care of.
After my first trip to PCC, I began realizing that this going organic on a budget was going to take a bit of adjusting.  $7.99 for a pound of grapes!!!  Guess who didn't buy grapes.  My weekly budget for everything is $200.  For the entire month of March, I am going organic on a budget.  My strategy so far is buy only at PCC or the farmer's market.  I do this not because Safeway doesn't have good deals on organic, but because I am a weak person and if I see strawberries for sale for $2.99, I want to buy them.  If I see that there is a manager's special on pot roast, I am going to buy it.  I am a sucker for a deal.  So I need to eliminate the temptations.  Also, PCC takes great care in the selection of what they decide to sell.  They take out the ethical guess work for me and each one of my 3 kids gets a free piece of fruit.  They go shopping with me!
I am also buying what is on sale.  They have mangoes 2 for $4 right now.  Yummy!  And until I get this shopping organic thing under my belt, I am going to make very simple meals.  The meals that seem to cost the most is dinner so I am going to shake it up a bit and eat like a queen for breakfast, a princess for lunch, and a pauper for dinner.  It is worth a shot.  Who wants to watch this month's adventure unfold.  Remember last year's $100 a week for groceries?  That was fun!

Zoe and Selah with fresh coconut for a snack.

recipe of the post

1 can organic tropical fruit
coconut
sweetened condensed milk
pecans

spoon fruit into bowls. Sprinkle with coconut (organic) and pecan pieces (organic) and drizzle with (organic) sweetened condensed milk.  It make a nice little dessert or snack.

Fitness taken back to the basics

I have a confession to make.  I am a nerd.  I like to read..... a lot.  I don't have TV and while I love movies, I couldn't tell you the last time I actually sat down and watched one.  So while I was on one of my reading jags, I read the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferrisse.  The book started out very smarmy and Tony Robbinish, but I read it in about 4 days and got very excited about my business future.  In between the Tony Robbinish not is impossible mantras and the bragging of his accomplishments, Tim does give some solid advice and an amazing amount of resources.  He also challenges our paradigms about working harder.  His idea is to work smarter, not harder. He figures if we cut out all the unnecessary meetings, people, tasks, and emails out of our schedule, we can actually get our jobs done in less time.  He follows up his ideas with concrete actions.  While much of his advice won't be for some, making small changes to the way we approach the tasks most of us have could make a big difference.
Being the nerd I am, I of course researched reviews of this book to see what others had to say and if I was just getting excited because I got sucked into the rhetoric.  Most of the reviews were along the same lines of my sentiments about the book.  I also found that Tim had written another book called the Four Hour Body.  This is the book that really got me thinking.  Four hours a week?  Then I broke it down.  That is a little more than 30 minutes a day.  That could be very possible provided we use our 30 minutes wisely and eat properly. I began thinking in my head, if I were to teach a class in 30 minutes (I am a fitness instructor in my spare time) how would I set the class up so that it were the most effective.  I am only talking about the time needed to make changes in your body if you are eating right, not working out more if you need to burn more calories to offset eating. (which I need to do often.  I will not lie) Using only 40 minutes a day for six days a week to equal 4 hours a week, I believe it is possible to make changes in your body and stay fit.
Here is the kicker.  Tim's book is actually talking about 4 hours a month and has some crazy diet advice that every professional nutritionist is shaking their head at.  Tim may know about business, but his fitness notions are out of his expertise.  They may work for him, but they are not healthy.  Just because you look good, does not mean that it is all good.  Be that as it may, it is about shifting our paradigms about how we use our time and being effective. And I am going to test it out for you.
I have decided that this year is about going back to the basics.......in everything....in skin care, in health, in nutrition, in fitness, in managing my business, and in managing my life.  Each month will be a new challenge.  This month is my fitness challenge.  I am going to test the back to the basics body in four hours a week.

Here is my game plan.

Cardio on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
Strength/interval training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Rest on Sunday

In nutrition, small changes can be huge.  I like to use the word nutrition rather than diet.  We are not on a diet.  We are trying to give our body the nutrients it needs while at the same time, enjoying our food and reaching our weights goals.  Since I already don't eat very much processed food, and eat pretty healthy, I am cutting back on what are my weaknesses.  Sugar and eating out.  I am cutting out most sugar, except in my morning coffee because that would be crazy! I am not saying that I won't have a treat, but a cookie a day is not a treat.  It is a habit.  I will allow myself to eat out once a week.  Most likely at the taco truck!  It is easier on the pocket book and the waist.

I am all about efficiency.  I do not want to work harder than I need to.  I like to have time to play with my family and friends.  So this month is my fitness challenge.  Do you want to join me.?  Next, I will post my workout details with a video.  You can see that I struggle too.  And it is okay.

Your task this week is to formulate a workout schedule.  Just figure out the schedule. And figure out what two small, and specific changes that you could make to your nutrition.  Let me know what they are!

Recipe of the week.
Mommy's yummy Pot Roast

pot roast, whatever size
a can of cream of mushroom soup, condensed, preferably organic (no preservatives and bad stuff)
a packet of onion dip mix (it will be hard to find a natural one, but PCC or Wholefoods should have something.  You just need some onion flavor)
Put all 3 in a slow cooker without water and cook until meat is tender.

I make a big thing of rice (gotta have leftovers!)  When the pot roast is done, I serve about 4 oz of it over a cup of rice and a big hand full of spinach.  I might dice up some tomatoes too.  Yummy.

Don't forget to sip your water all through the day! If you are a spinner and want some fun T-shirts to work out in check out my T-shirt shop.  It is silly, I know, but I had to make them or I would have burst! http://www.cafepress.com/blackettbodybasics

Pro-Aging vs. Anti-aging

Yesterday, I meandered into Nordstrom's for "market research". There is definitely a lot of skin care lines, most of which are anti-aging.  It would seem that us women are not supposed to look older, and definitely not look our age.  I will admit as a woman in her 40's that watching her skin and body slowly change is not something I relish.  I sometimes freak out.  If I hear how great I look for a woman in her forties who has had three kids one more time, I will most likely punch the little twenty something twinkie in her face!  Men, I have found, do not feel a need to clarify a compliment.  They see it pretty simple.  If you look good, you look good.  Nuff said.
Which brings me to wonder; what exactly is a woman in her forties with children supposed to look like?  Are we supposed to look old?  Are we supposed to be sexually invisible? Are we supposed to not care about how we look anymore? So with those questions in mind, I listened to what the media is telling us.  It would seem we are not supposed to look our age.  It is not attractive to have wrinkles. It is our fault if we don't look younger than we do.  And the biggest lie of all; it is possible to stop the aging process.  I am a little surprised that us women in our forties or older, haven't completely lost our minds and punched quite a few twinkies in their noses.
On the contrary, women I know my age are, for the most part, strong, confident, and independent who have realized that sexiness and attractiveness is not at all how you look.  It is in how you feel and in how you carry yourself.  I never want to feel like I did in my twenties again!  That being said, I wouldn't mind looking like I did in my twenties and if I had that figure again, you would have to pay me to put my clothes back on.  Maybe it is a good thing that I don't look like that now.  You wouldn't be able to deal with me!  Hay dios mio!
As per usual, I digress.  As I was walking through Nordstrom's for "market research", I noticed that there weren't any all natural skin care lines.  I saw products with "ingredients derived from natural products."  Can I just ask, "What the heck does that mean?"  High fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils are derived from natural products.  Does that mean they are good for you?  What does putting those chemicals on your skin for the sake of anti - aging do to you in the long run? So many of us are cognizant of what we eat, yet we will still put chemicals on our skin, all for the sake of looking younger.
I understand that and would most likely par take in the purchasing of some miracle anti-aging cream if it weren't for the reason that I am also a cheap skate at heart and a skeptic.  Do I actually believe that any of those anti-aging creams work?  Not enough to where I would spend $200 on it.  It may diminish my fine lines and wrinkles, but would anybody else notice?  Not likely.  They are called "fine lines" for a reason.  They are fine and usually only noticeable to ourselves.  And at that price, I would most likely analyze my wrinkles and skin more then ever to see if there is a change, making myself hyper aware of my aging.  So is putting all those chemicals on our skin actually worth the price, economically, physically, and psychologically?  Most likely no. Not to me anyway.
Which brings me to a conversation I had with a young man in his twenties a while back.  He asked me, "Why is beauty equated with youth?"  I couldn't give him an answer.  He was a little angry in this question.  He said, "I like older women.  They are usually drama free and come with a plethora of understanding, wisdom, and humorous stories to share."  He decided that rather than anti-aging, we should focus on pro-aging; aging naturally and healthfully.  He is right. To me, my friends are all beautiful and I find an older woman who walks into a room with her head held high and obvious confidence extremely attractive.  I think most men do to.  So why is beauty equated with youth?
 Another conversation I had with a man in his late thirties came to my mind.  He said that he found women in the late thirties and forties extremely sexy and fascinating. He continued that these women don't change who they are to please others anymore.  They know what they want and they make it pretty clear.  To him, obviously, beauty was not equated with youth.  These conversations with these two men, in different stages in their life caused me to reflect on aging.  That beauty really is not equated with youth.  The most beautiful and sexy women I know do not look like they are in their twenties.  So why is a topic of conversation between me and my fascinating friends often about aging and how it is pissing us off and how it can be prevented?
Here is what I propose.  Accept aging as a natural process.  I know!  I know!  A big pill to swallow!  I don't mean let yourself go and get old.  I mean focus rather on the prevention and maintenance of, not the reversal of aging.  Bring life to a simpler stage. Stress is a part of life, but as I am becoming a wiser, older woman, I realize a lot of stress is self inflicted.  Do what you have to do and let the rest slide.  Emotional stress is the real ager.  How can you minimize this?  These are harder changes to bring about over night and often take a lot of self reflection and change.  So how about I give you some simple tips to bring your skin care back to the basics?  There are some very simple ways to make the best of the skin you already have.....without chemicals or magic solutions.....and working with what you already have.

Your skin is your largest organ.  You need to feed it properly.  It needs to be hydrated to look its best.  Drink plenty of water.  Sipping water all day long is the best.  Your kidneys are like a Britta Filter.  It can only filter so much, so drinking a bunch of water at once is not very beneficial.  Sipping water all day long is the best.  Your body can process it and you won't be running to the bathroom having to piss like a race horse. Don't like water? Sip herbal tea....without sugar.  Put a cucumber and fresh mint in your water bottle.  Sounds crazy, but tastes amazing!  And stay away from processed food.  Your skin is a reflection of all you do.  If you eat Lean Cuisines, (which are very bad for you) your skin will tell on you!

Sunscreen!  Sunscreen!  Even in the winter!  Don't forget the hands! Getting a little sun if fine.  Getting sunburned is not.  We have all seen those tanning bed goddesses whose skin look like leather.  There is a reason why.  It is soooooo bad for you!  If you must have a tan, I have perfected the tanning cream regimen, although I don't do it anymore because of all the chemicals. E-mail me and I will let you know my secrets.

All natural skin care!  Using gentle cleansers that clean not strip your skin of its natural oils really do work.  My skin care line is simple and effective.  http://www.blackettbodybasics.com/#!blackett-face  Skin is different from person to person.  Use what works for your skin, just make sure that you can recognize the ingredients in the products.  Be wary of skin care lines with ingredients "derived from natural products."

Exercise!  Exercise!  A 30 minute walk every day has shown to help prevent all sorts of weight related diseases, without the loosing of the weight.  Exercise gets the blood flowing to the largest organ of the body;  your skin.  It feeds it with all the good nutrients that you have been eating.  Go ahead work up a sweat!  Even for 30 minutes.  And make sure you wash that sweat off your skin with all natural soap that is made of glycerin.  I can tell when my man is not using my soap and is using cheap soap by just looking at it and by the way it feels.  If I were to offer you a drug that prevented obesity, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, and was anti aging, would you take it?  Well, guess what?  Exercise is that drug and it can be as simple as taking a 30 minute walk every day.  This website breaks down the science beautifully. http://devour.com/video/23-and-a-half-hours/

So here is my anti-aging skin miracle.   1. Drink water and eat right.  2. Use sunscreen even in the winter.
3. Use natural skin care products. 4.  Exercise.

It may take a little shift in our paradigms on aging.  I am going to focus on prevention and maintenance rather than reversal.  If I were going to spend that much money on chemicals to diminish my "fine lines" by 30%, I would rather just save my money, use natural products, and get a face lift where the difference would be permanent and noticeable to other people other than myself.  Or.....I could make the changes necessary to maintain my skin as it is, live a healthier and simpler life, and walk around this world like I own it!  Now that is sexy!

Guess which one of us is 50 and which one is 30?  I will never tell. No chemicals or face lifts here.  Just healthy living and the occasional shot of Hornitos. And Salsa dancing......lots of Salsa dancing!