I pinky promised!

   Who knew I would be able to jump back in just like I wanted to? I sure wasn't expecting to be blessed with some extra time, and commitment!

   In my last blog post I decided it was time to get into the kitchen and mess around with some FOOD! I love being able to come up with SUPER quick healthy food choices, and I love even more when I can share them with you! I rarely look for recipes, I aim to be as authentic as possible! So forgive me if you have a version of these already, but Heck, someones gotta share these things!

   First recipe will be my Bell pepper sliders! OH my, melt in my mouth and gimme all the food! I was so pleased how they turned out, and they literally look less then 10 mins to make. This recipe is for those who want a quick in and out recipe!

Heres what you're going to need:

1 can of chicken in water, do drain it! (low sodium if you can find it. I know kroger has a great choice!)
1/4 of a red onion, diced
Sliced and diced Jalepenos
diced tomatoes
2.5 bell peppers (I used red yellow and orange, dice the 1/2 of one!)
4tbsp Just Mayo- Chipotle flavor ( best mayo in your life!)

1. section out your 2 bell peppers to make little boats out of them, clean them up of membranes and seeds.
2. toss chicken, mayo, red onion, jalepenos, tomatoes, and the diced pepper into a bowl and mix well until blended.
3. scoop about 2tbsp into each little boat. should make about 6-8 boats loaded with chicken and goodies! Garnish with cilantro and avocado if you choose to! See Easy peasy!

So I almost promised I would give you guys my GUILT free peanut cup! this is also super easy to make. Took me about 15-20 mins total. 

This made 6 pb cups.  about 140cals per cup! 

8tbsp of coconut oil, 2 scoops vegan chocolate shakeo, and pb., cupcake foil cups.

Split that coconut oil in half. Melt by microwaving it for about 20 seconds, mix up one scoop of shakeology in that bad boy until smooth pour into cupcake foils. Pop in the freezer for about 5 mins. when that time is up add about 1 tsp of peanut butter to each one, melt the other half of coconut oil, add the second scoop of shakeology, mix till smooth, pour over the top of the peanut butter, and pop back into the freezer for about 10 mins. They will be ready to eat! I store mine in the freezer so they dont melt. SO good and a pretty good treat if you want to keep it clean and healthy! Can't beat getting a lil superfood in with your treat! Enjoy!

It's been a while!

Man, I have been one busy woman lately. I hadn't had the time or the energy to keep up here, and honestly for a while my heart just wasn't in it! But I've been posting my meals on Facebook again, and some of you have requested I send you my recipes! So why not BLOG about it! 

The last few months have been a roller coaster of go, do, see and be here and there. Busy so I've been surviving off my superfood shakes! I'm happy things have calmed down just a knotch so I can get back to my passion... COOKING AND BAKING! 

Baking releases a lot of stress for me. Mainly because my focus is on making something beautiful, delicious, and I try to make it as healthy as I possibly can. Cooking to me beings out a HUGE range of memories. My dad is who taught me how to cook. He probably doesn't know I soaked in every little thing he ever did with cooking, grilling and presenting food at parties. Reminds me of happy days, filled with sunshine, and mornings that had music playing and pancakes on the griddle. Makes me feel as cool as I thought my dad is/was. Love you mom but you taught me how to love eating out and finding the healthiest restaurants! 

So the recipe I wanted to share with you! This one is a heavenly delicious treat you can make for the 4th of July! 

These little guys were soo very yummy! Super easy to make and we're a great small treat to take to the parties! 

Here's what you need: 

1 cup of graham cracker crumbs

3 tbs of grass fed butter melted

1pkg of the reduced fat cream cheese(8oz)

1/3 sugar- I used coconut sugar! 

1.5tsp vanilla extract 

1 egg 

6 raspberries

12 blueberries 

 Parchment paper or cupcake liners 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom of 12 paper-lined muffin cups. In another small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add egg; beat on low speed just until combined. Spoon over crusts. Took about 1.5 spoon fills.
2. Bake nearly 20 minutes (keep an eye because I've come to realize every oven is different!) Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.before putting In fridge, pace one raspberry on half and two blueberries on half! Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Makes 12, enjoy!

A Spiritual Break through (recipe included!)

So I'm about to get all GO ME again... BUT HOLY COW.. I did it. I actually finished My book I was reading LIKE I SAID I WOULD. Restless: You were made for more. Bare with me though.....

This book.... was not only incredible, it was HEART CHANGING.... For the last year I've been feeling like who is God and why would he let US go through so much pain and suffering...its because he wants us to lean on him, rely on him to bring us where we need to be to share HIM.  Then I went through the phase where I was like okay seriously... there is soooo much more to this life i'm living then being a mom and wife. NOT that its not amazing because it totally is, I love it and wouldn't ever change that, but my heart felt the need to grow, and do/be more. As I wrapped up the book It hit me like a TON OF BRICKS. I'm exactly where God wants me to be in this very moment. And I know feel like I can hear him speaking to me what he wants from me. He NEEDS me to use MY story to show you his love, his promises, his forgiveness, and faithfulness.

I've known for a really long time... well since I had Madison, that I was destined to be apart of something HUGE. Well that HUGE is my family. I have THE LARGEST connection i've ever seen in the Down syndrome community! It blows my MIND how much support i've seen been given, the love thats shared and the joys and pain we experience. We are blessed beyond our knowledge to have these children that come into our lives and teach us more about life and love then anyone else could imagine. But to add to my family... I've been blessed with the amazing support of wounded warrior caregivers like myself who share the same heart ache as I do.  The struggles we live with daily caring for our husbands who came home with deep war wounds that changed everything about them, and us having to find our new normals constantly.

I've been given a gift of being vulnerable. I'm an open book you could ask me anything and I'd be beyond happy to share with you my life, even the most painful things to share. I've also been given a gift of being support, and encourager with the most positive outlooks on the situation. I've been given the gift of being a strong woman, who can tolerate a hefty amount of pain, stress, and chaos. I've been given the gift to be knowledgeable. I have EVERYONES medical history memorized. I've even been laughed at by medical professionals who THINK I'M THE NURSE/ and one time a DOCTOR.  And maybe someday I'll be a nurse like I've dreamed... but for now I'm filled with these gifts for a reason, and thats to be there for those who are feeling weak.. empty... needing help...people who seem to have lost themselves in life. which I have to , thats how I got here! And I want them to know there is more, and everything will be okay. It may not be what we want.. but it will be what he wants and what he wants YOU to do with it.

I somewhat recently went to a concert with my sister, and I broke down into tears later that night just begging and pleading with God to change me, or "fix" my husband and his pain, or take away the struggles of having a child with special needs. Things were so hard and so stressful I felt as though I needed to RUN, and just leave and get out of the mess of it all temporarily. It wouldn't have done any good I'd still be in pain if I let my thoughts become my reality. I cried THIS ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS HARD. And it wasn't until I finished this book that I realized, Yes it is supposed to be this hard. Because Jesus was drawing me nearer to him, calling my name to come back and have the faith I did after seeing the good he did with the other trials I've faced.. we've faced.  I'm supposed to hurt so I can hurt with others. I'm supposed to heal so I can teach others to heal too! I'm supposed to hold my FAMILIES HAND and walk with them, and show them that GOD can do anything!  And to be real... Since that night I begged and cried for things to not be so hard... I came home refreshed, and things have been a lot easier a lot less painful, and a lot more growth has been done.

I'd like to say I'm a bible reading girl who knows what she's talking about. I absolutely do not. And I'm sure some church going friends might read this and think.. what is she talking about. BUT All I know is theres a path in front of me, thats opened wide up with the possibilities of support systems, and finding more to this life with jesus as my guide, that i'm just going with it, walk that way, and learn as I go. Jesus calling is what i'll use to guide myself through learning his word, and i'm open to suggestions, because I'm not sure your "supposed" to read it from pg.1- the end.  My heart if overflowing with excitement. To be more, do more, get more involved, and open up more without the fear of judgment.  So Honestly I don't even know if this makes sense... but I'm wanting it out here to show everyone, to tell everyone, and I want everyone to seriously read this book!!!!!!! I will be re-reading it FOR SURE.


Don't worry I wont leave you hanging... here's the recipe for the week!!!!!

3 chicken breast (browned)
1 cup balsami
garlic cloves
3 bell peppers
onions
2 medium sweet potatoes

Chunk the veggies and chicken (I browned mine before i tossed them in though!) all and let them marinate in the balsamic for a few hours. Slice and dice your sweet potatoes into long strips like fries, spray with Extra virgin olive oil, and toss them in the  oven at 450* for 45mins.   Once your veggies and chicken are on the kabobs then toss those in when there is about 15-20 mins left on the taters! Make sure they finish, enjoy with JUST MAYO chipotle Mayo.

Memories

Boy do I have a special for YOU today! I found a wicked old recipe I was never able to blog about because I didnt have one then! But now I can consume your brain with TAPIOCA. But the healthy kind! Yes... yes this is possible. So here is what you will need...

1cup coconut milk
1cup almond milk
A heaping 1/3 cup chia seeds
2tbsp honey
1tsp of vanilla extract

Shake all ingredients up, and let sit in the fridge! Tastes just like tapioca to me! A lot of people also call this chia seed pudding, the flavor and texture remind me of the better stuff!  your welcome! 

Tapioca has been a long time favorite of mine. Mostly because I remember how yummy it was whenever my dad made it. He always made it so good, and made sure we ate it while it nice and warm. Now my recipe isn't warm, and i've not tried it warmed, but I'm sure it would be delicious. It brings back some fun memories standing by my daddy and smiling hoping I get the first taste. Maybe one day, if i'm lucky, i can get him to make me some warm tapioca and we can sit and be grown ups and have talks about life together with a warm latte. Because that too brings me lots and lots of good memories with my daddy! :)

Here's a lil did you know for the moment. My recipe calls for the yummy and healthy chia seeds... yes I'm singing the dang song too. 

Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body as seeds (unlike flaxseeds). One ounce (about 2 tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals.

so in case anyone's wondering, i'm headed into my 3rd week of Insanity Max 30! This week the soreness really hit me. especially yesterday. I ended up taking both Saturday and sunday as a rest day and plan on hitting it back hard tomorrow. Loving the results, love the meals, and love love love the way my body is feeling. Its amazing how much change can happen in just 3 short weeks. Mostly on the inside, but thats where the magic happens. I haven't felt this good since.... I dunno about a year ago before I started struggling with energy. 

So i'm sure some have not seen or heard the update. We are all moved in, just waiting (still) on the last of our furniture. I'm dying to decorate the walls, but I'll get more of a feel for what I want once everything here. I do know what I want my office to look like though. I'm day dreaming of a cherry blossom pink, with gold and glitter, and just a splash of turquoise! So very girl, so very me. I love this job that I do, and I feel its deserved to be in an environment that makes me happy. 

To close, i'm super happy to be home. My husband loves it here (which he said he would never live here in a million years!) and my family seems to be way happier with the new change. We're dealing with a few small things, but that comes with the territory of finding a new normal with such a complex family history.  But oddly, i'm ok with it, and I KNOW its all worth it and this is where i'm supposed to be.  

"its Beautiful that your heart doesn't beat fast about the same things my heart beats over."- Restless: you were made for MORE

New year, New Beginnings

We did it! We moved! There was a lot of bumps in the road and a lot of tears that were shed while waiting for things to move forward. BUT we're homeowners again, and we finally have a house filled with things, we now have a  fresh start! Happy New year! 

I haven't had much play time in the kitchen yet with recipes to make some extravagant meals that are to die for BUT I have been making some pretty amazing meals that are easy to prepare, healthy and they align with my goals with the new MAX 30 program i'm doing.  And of course I'm not missing a dose of dense nutrition!  I've fallen in love with the Vegan flavors recently. It seems to sit lighter in my stomach, and I get this energy afterwards that just makes my body feel blissful. If you have ever wanted to try it, i'm OVERFLOWING with samples of Vegan shakeology, so please let me know if you want a packet or three!  So whats pictured today is something SO simple, and I'll break it down for you.  I've got ONE purple container from the 21 day fix. There is one and a half red containers (eggs and bacon!). 1/4 of a blue which would be the feta cheese, and one green veggie container! Perfectly Portioned meals through out the day to keep me on tack for what my body needs to endure the intense 30 mins. Who said "clean eating" is boring?

In addition to my new fresh start I've also made a commitment to myself. I've promised I would read ONE book a month to help better myself. I used to say I HATE READING. But I'm being very picky with the choices of books, and i'm actually enjoying the First book. Restless: You were made for more.  VERY powerful. Very hard at the point i'm at right now because we're talking about suffering, and pain that we've been through. I've had a fair share of some traumatic events in my life, as have others, so this isn't a poor me, or my life is harder than yours paragraph. As I keep reading though, my heart aches to share it all with everyone or anyone who wants to listen. If I can help change their life, or encourage and support someone through a journey of their own my year would be MADE. Being a coach, and woman who has a heart to help people  would be overflowing with purpose. I will continue to start sharing more of me with you, if you would like!? :) 

 ANYWAYS....... sheesh getting emotional in there!

INSANITY Max: 30  is BRAND NEW, its been out for about a month. I'm one week in, LOVE IT. Bottom line, it will deliver the results i'm in search of and I can't wait to show you all how amazing this product really is. 30 mins. You're in, you're out, you're sweaty. You totally feel accomplished after you bust your booty for 30 mins.  Its reasonably priced, and its yours. FOREVER.

Ever wondered what a purchase like this include?

well I'll tell you! This Special Includes: 

30 Day Supply of Shakeology

30 day FREE trial of our Club membership which is about to be even more AWESOME. 
Program of your choosing
Nutrition Plan 
Container system ( with 21 day fix, Insanity max 30, but can be purchased separately!)
$2 Shipping 

Some Programs even come with extra workout equipment

A personal trainer, in your own home! 
AND my SUPPORT to get you through this entire program and beyond! 

If you've set some big goals for 2015 that include bettering yourself, then this is for you! Everyone needs exercise, I can GUARANTEE that after finishing a program your entire life will be different! 

Happy SUNDAY! 

WTHeck!

So, WTHECK, I'm moving... i'm like.... 36 hours away from getting in my car and DRIVING away. For one, I'm so super stoked, I can't even hardly wait to get going, but two... my heart is so sad... let me explain...

   Why am I so stinkin' excited.. because I get to be with my sister, more family, and more friends. It will be SO good for my family to be closer to people our age. We'll have more support, more things to get involved with the schooling for my daughter will be WAY better and I'm totally looking forward to going to school, all kinds of different opportunities are waiting for us.
   Why am I sad.. I'm leaving my mama.  My mom is my VERY best friend. I hate hate HATE being away from her. I was so excited to be in Arizona because my mom was there, and its warm all the time ( the cold is NOT cold people! LOL ) I could hang out with my mom ever single day and NEVER get bored or sick of her. I'm sure she cant say the same, but I know she loves me dearly.  The other part, is because my babies wont be around their mi mi! Plus I had some pretty amazing friends/neighbors who made a big impact on my life, and I hate saying goodbye. I think having been a military wife I learned to hate goodbyes.


 Madison is VERY in touch with her mimi, and I know it will be hard for both of them. Madison had her last day of school complete with notes from her classmates saying how much her smile would be missed, and her teaching thanking me for allowing them to be filled with JOY from having madison in their classrooms. Clearly Madison was VERY excited this morning! :p





    Today was totally a crazy full moon day. The kids were wild and crazy and L.O.U.D. I am pretty sure I have at least 10 new gray hairs. The only things that were accomplished... cooking one big meal to last all day, and playing with trucks. I'm positive my husband has done 95% of the packing. BUT this one big meal I made... was pretty fan-freaking-tastic. Home-made chicken fried rice. It served my husband and I 2 meals each.

1 cup uncooked brown rice (cooked in rice cooker)
5 scrambled eggs
1/4 of each color bell peppers
2 medium carrots
1 head broccoli
3 chicken breasts (baked at 350* for about 30-40mins)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and about 1-2 tbsp braggs liquid aminos

cook it all up, then sauté in olive oil and the braggs!


     BIG NEWS! I got a NEW program to tackle! I cannot wait to start this bad boy. Not only have I never done it, ITS BRAND SPANKIN' NEW! I know its going to give me KILLER results and I can't wait to share them with you guys. And YES I will absolutely get going on a MEAL PLAN for this! EEK! Only one problem though! I do not want to do it alone! I need some buddies to do this with me. I need some MAJOR accountability! Want to do it with me? Let me know if you do, and we can get you set up, or you can go straight to it and get going, but BE SURE to send me a message to put you in my groups! :) depending on the pack you choose in the pic is some of the things you'll get.

Okay okay, i'll stop talking (typing) now. Get some sleep. eat well, sweat, repeat.

You are beautiful.

You are strong,

You are WORTH it!

Fall is nearing the end!

The season of PUMPKIN everything is about to die down, and we're headed into Eggnog time, christmas cheer and time to give gifts. Fall is quite possibly the most beautiful season change with all the colors, and the leaves falling, and the excitement for littles to dress up for halloween. BUT  hands down my FAVORITE time of year is Winter. The silent snow that falls, and the magic of the pure white, peaceful, crisp scenery brings a warmth to my soul no other season touches.  The happiness on kids faces when they KNOW Santa will be coming soon, the Snowmen they build, and the lights on house tops at night light up the grin from ear to ear. This is just another thing I can not wait for in Washington.


Since Thanksgiving is literally just around the corner, I'll give you what I'm thankful for. These two kiddos right here! Madison, and Christian. 10 and 2. BOTH a handful, but light up my life, as well as many others. Madison does a lot of work in my personal life. Makes me grow in a whole. To adding more patience to my life, to teaching me how to fight for her medically, and educationally. She's a reason behind my desire for nursing. I've spent a lot of hours in hospitals, learning about procedures, medicines, and diagnoses.  I adore her smile, and she has the most joyful soul that would bring anyone to tears.
  Christian is by far the most dangerous child I know. He's so fearless, so rough, and UBER clever for his age. He knows how to change an attitude so fast, as well as change the mood in any room. He throws fits like a champ, loves chocolate, helicopters, and Semi-trucks. ALL B.O.Y. Since he's still developing his personality and growing, I just pray every day that my husband and I raise him to be a good, honest, hardworking man who loves Jesus, and has a respect for people in a whole.

Okay, okay i'm sure you're DYING to know how to make this delish photo below! I tasted it this morning, and its like heaven! I would go amazing on toast, ezekiel bread, bagels, or even make a YUMMY filler for homemade cinnamon rolls with a coconut cream frosting all over the top!

Here's what you'll need:
3/4 cup Raw Almonds
3/4 cup Raw Halved Pecans
1 cup of Pure Pumpkin
3 tsp Coconut Sugar
1 1/2 tbsp Coconut oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. preheat your oven to 375*. One heated, roast your almonds and pecans for about 8-10 mins. Careful not to burn them. Let cool for 5 mins.
2. In a blender or food processor blend up the nuts until they are becoming gooey like a paste.
3. Add in the remainder of the ingredients, and blend until smooth. (about 2 mins or so)
4. throughly enjoy!