Archive for October 29, 2015

What to Do About Those Little Ghosts and Goblins?

happy-halloween-clipart_3-1

Happy almost Halloween!  I have to admit, this is not my favorite occasion.  For obvious reasons, the sugar aspect causes issues in our family, but the doorbell that makes the dog go crazy, kids out in the dark, and then the after effect for the next two days isn’t so much fun either.  I LOVE fall, but I am always happy when the 31st of October has come and gone, and there is an official start to the holiday season that awaits around the corner.

The holidays are a whole other ball game, but let’s get through Halloween first.  Erin posted earlier in the week about how she handles Halloween for her daughter.  We do things slightly differently, mainly because we have older children.  The age/s of the child/ren in your household can make a big difference.  My children are 10, 8 and 5 if that helps at all.  They range from being all about Halloween and the candy, to really  just wanting to be with their friends.

IMG_0216 (1)

We are extremely fortunate to be invited to the same party with the same people every year.  This helps me because I don’t have to have my internal struggle about handing out candy at my house.  I have a voice in me that screams, “How can you hand out candy when you preach about sugar?”  Luckily, I get to turn that recording OFF!  The kids (and adults) are fortunate because we are all with friends and the focus turns to playing and visiting instead of tracking down the best candy in the neighborhood.  Don’t get me wrong, I let the kids trick-or-treat, but that is not our sole focus of the evening.  This helps a TON!

IMG_0208

I do have  a few ideas for your weekend:

  1. Watch the forbidden food syndrome.  Unless sugar is going to have severe health consequences on your child (sort term), let them partake in trick-or-treating.  These years fly by, and if they enjoy it, it is one night out of 365.
  2. Give them a time period that candy will be allowed in the house.  I tell my kids (you are not going to believe this one), “Eat what you want on Halloween, pick out a few for tomorrow, and on the third day it will magically disappear.”
  3. Find a place to donate the candy.  Yes, I know it is bad for everyone, but there ARE people that deserve a treat every once in while like our troops overseas.  There are places around that will take donations (Schools, banks, etc.).  They collect unwanted Halloween candy and ship it to the troops.
  4. My friend, Mona, recently told me about the Switch Witch.  You can give your kids a choice (or not) to leave their pumpkin full of candy on the front porch on Halloween night, and the Switch Witch will take the candy and exchange it for (you fill in the blank – some toy they want, baseball or football cards, dark chocolate, an iTunes gift card just to give examples).  Start planning now if you want to use this idea.
  5. Divy out a certain number of pieces for each day – and specify the number of days.  Then stick to it!
  6. Use the candy for teaching any number of things.  For younger children, it is great for sorting, patterns, and counting.  It is always fascinating to people how much sugar is in those little pieces of candy.  This is a great time for the older children to understand conversions.  Read the labels.  Remember, for every 4 grams of sugar or carbs, that equals 1 teaspoon of sugar.  This is a great multiplication and division activity for the older ones.  You can even make up word problems about the candy.  Tina, that one was for you!

set_halloween_candy_640

No matter what you decide to do with your candy, you, just like I, will get through this day.  It is one of my most dreaded, but we always power through.  Your kids will be on a sugar high, but then we will be there to catch them on the way down to lift them back up with healthy foods.  The best thing you can do is to have a plan in place.  Figure out how and when you are going to dispose of that white powdery substance disguised as candy and follow through.  Then life returns to normal.

Have a very safe and memory filled Halloween!

God Bless!

A Trick for Trick or Treating

I have been talking a bunch about how October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and I realize I need to address the elephant of the month. H A L L O W E E N.

So what on earth does a person who cuts out all added and almost all natural sugar do on the holiday known for candy begging?

 

I pony it up and go with it. The reality is, my daughter is going to have enough stories for her future therapist, and I don’t really want to add, “And my mother never let me Trick or Treat.”

IMG_1151

My Favorite Doctor Halloween 2013

All kidding aside, Halloween is for kids. It’s super fun to dress up and knock on your neighbors’ door, shout Trick or Treat (and hopefully thank you!), and at the end of the evening gorge on your goodies.

 

Here’s where I change things up a bit though; my plan is to give my now 4 year old her choice of three treats the night of Halloween. The rest is going to magically disappear-she is still young enough that I can hopefully get away with this. We often give to little girls that don’t have anything, (Goodwill) and she is good with that. Hopefully this will go somewhat similar.

 

I am also going to purchase some dark chocolate, so if she would rather have that as a trade, or perhaps a homemade sugar-free mini cheesecakes with whipped cream. So be it.

Pretty wrapper is key

While it may be hard to believe that she would pass up a fun size Snickers or little M&M baggie, she does not get candy often, and actually really likes the dark chocolate due to that being the rare treat in the fridge that mommy shares. The less you have, the less you want.  Starting super young doesn’t hurt either!

 

As for me, as crazy as it may sound, I have ZERO desire for such junk at this point. I even remember thinking back when I was the one doing the Trick or Treating how some of the stuff was just plain not good. That junk would likely still be eaten just after all the good candy was gone. Really? Does anyone like WarHeads or banana flavored Now and Laters? Likely not.

Who actually likes black licorice?

If I’m going to eat something that is not keto-friendly, you can bet I have decided that it is going to be worth it. And the second after I put a small bite in my mouth, I will decide again if it’s truly is worth it. Honestly, I have decided on more than one occasion that the one tiny bite was plenty.  For me, there will be nothing in that orange plastic pumpkin that will be worth it.

 

 

Pumpkin and Spice and Everything Nice!

Pumpkin Patch

This is the time of year when we hope for cooler weather, and start to crave those fall comfort foods mom used to make!  There is something about pumpkin…everything pumpkin, and the spices that go along with it, that just bring back warm thoughts of autumn and the holidays around the corner.  This recipe is a huge treat for the kiddos.  They beg for them.  Serve these with a side of eggs for breakfast or top with sugar-free whipping cream for dessert.  Delicious!!!

 

coconut-flour-pumpkin-muffins

 

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 3/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup Swerve granular

3 large eggs

4 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp cream

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line muffin pan with baking cups:

IMG_5036

Mix together your flours, baking soda, spices, and salt.

IMG_5039

Combine your wet ingredients in a mixer (hand held or stand).  Once combined, add your dry ingredients and mix well.

 

Using a spoon, fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.  The batter is thick so try to smooth out the top.

IMG_5042

 

Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

IMG_5043

 

Enjoy!

IMG_5047

 

 

 

Taco Thursday!

It really could be any day of the week, but one thing is for sure – it is the kids’ favorite dinner without a doubt.

Going back to what we seem to bring up over and over again…the dreaded packaged foods!  How many of you use the little packet of taco seasoning you find on the grocery store shelves?  You are not alone – I used to be one of them too.  It is so easy to brown some ground meat, throw a packet in with a little water, simmer, and call it dinner!

images

Have you ever looked at the ingredients?  You will find things like maltodextrin, potatoes starch, sugar, and yellow corn flour along with a lot of other things I can’t even try to pronounce.

What if I told you it could still be that easy, but so much better – and healthier without all the preservatives and seasonings that are who knows how old?  Better?  You bet!

I have blended a combination of spices that will wake up your senses and make the healthiest best tasting tacos ever!

large-batch-taco-seasoning-2-600

First off, I buy jar and bulk spices just depending on where I am when I need them.  If you find yourself somewhere with bulk spices (Central Market, Whole Foods, Sprouts all have them) – buy them!  They are fresher, easier to measure and a much better buy – a bargain in fact!  You can buy what you need, or buy a little extra.  Label them (name and date) with a Sharpie and discard after a year and refresh.  Fresh spices make all the difference in your recipes!  They don’t necessarily go bad, but they do lose a lot of flavor over time.

 

For the spices, you will need:

12 TBSP Chili Powder (as fresh as you can find)

6 TBSP Onion Powder

2 TBSP Pink Himalayan Salt

8 tsp Paprika

8 tsp Garlic Powder

4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

6 tsp Ground Cumin

4 tsp Dried Oregano

Gather all your spices, mix well, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

IMG_5032

IMG_5034

IMG_5035

 

For the tacos:

We are a grass-fed beef family so I have the butcher package all of our ground meat in 3 pound portions for our family of 5.  This gives us plenty for a couple of dinners and lunches.  This is a meal that saves well so make extra!

Brown 3 lb ground meat over medium heat.

IMG_5049 IMG_5051

Add one chopped onion and 5-6 cloves of minced garlic:

IMG_5050 IMG_5052 IMG_5053

Now, most people at this stage drain the fat, but we add our healthy fat – Kerrygold of course.  You could add bacon grease as well.  Grass-fed beef is super lean so you need to add a little grease.

IMG_5055

Lastly, add in your seasoning to your liking.  I used 6 TBSP of the seasoning mix above to the 3 pounds of meat and it was perfect for us!

IMG_5058

Now, all you have to do is wash your lettuce and prepare your sides.  My family likes guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and cheese.  Queso and jalapeños are excellent as well!

IMG_5056

IMG_5057

And that’s dinner folks!  You will have a lot of spices left over, so keep them in the fridge for an even easier dinner the next time!

IMG_5060 IMG_5063

IMG_3779

And…to make it even better…this is how I pack it up for lunch boxes the next day!

IMG_5066 IMG_5067

Dinner (and lunch) in a flash!

Enjoy!

 

Someone I Love Just Diagnosed, Now What?

There are so many articles and videos about what to and what not to say to certain people- Pregnant women, someone who just lost a spouse, first time parents, stay at home moms, working moms, and the list goes on.

Here is MY version of what to say or do when someone you love has just been diagnosed with cancer. There are actually full books on this topic-but like any thing not 100% universal. I’ve read to not tell a cancer patient they look, “Too healthy to have cancer.”  I actually loved hearing that.

 

Say:

 

“I love you.” This is universal and easy 🙂 Cancer can feel extremely isolating, but knowing that people are still thinking about you as they carry on with their day-to-day is nice.

 

“Can I help  you with _____?” Be specific, for example: When can I bring over dinner? Do you want me to watch the kiddos for an evening? Can I come over Wednesday afternoon if you want to get out of the house or take a nap.

 

“Let me know when your next treatment is, I’ll come sit with you.” HUGE! Having that friend or loved one sitting next to you is so nice. You can even Be that super friend and bring a blanket and a trashy magazine. Very few (if anyone) wants to be the alone person in the treatment room. Honestly, you don’t have to stay the whole time or even talk the whole time – just having you there is AMAZING.

Positive stories – DO NOT tell the story of someone that died or got this crazy infection after surgery.  Seriously?!  We are already scared, even if we don’t say it. Yes, this happens – A LOT!

 

If you stick your foot in your mouth (SO EASY TO DO) just apologize and move on.

 

 

DO:

 

Pray.

 

Send a card or a note- I still have all of mine in a box.

 

Call/text. Even if your reach out doesn’t get returned, try again a few days or week later. Even let them know in your message that the call doesn’t have to be returned, you just wanted to say hi and see how it was going.

 

Bring over dinner, do laundry. Try to be helpful, but not intrusive.

 

Please don’t complain about little things that the person getting treatment would be grateful for – needing your hair done was something I overheard in a treatment room once.  Grrrrrrr…

 

Remember the whole family is affected, not just the one getting chemo. Think about the spouses and kids – this is REALLY hard on them too.  A book, some golf balls, small toy, coloring book; these things can uplift in a matter of moments.

 

 

Do NOT start looking up statistics and diagnosis outcomes on Google – you can, and likely will, end up in some very dark places.

Image result for google no

 

 

Cancer is incredibly hard on the person going through treatment and the ones that love them. Being there for your friend or the one you love is really all they want. I was absolutely amazed by the love and thoughtfulness that my family and I received when we went through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

 

I can speak from first-hand experience that I did lose friends when they found out I had cancer.  I get it.  Crummy, but I get it.  Being a friend or loved one of someone going through cancer is hard.  Watching them morph before your eyes is hard.  Not knowing if they will be okay is hard.  They may, and likely will, be a different person after they have traveled this road.

 

The reality is – being there for a loved one or friend is not always easy, it’s not always sunshine moments. Sometimes it’s just hot sad tears. But being that solid person that sticks around through the really hard and low times makes those laugh-til-you-cry moments even better.

A New Twist on the Breakfast Casserole

Unknown

Today is Grandparent’s Day at my children’s school, which means a rushed morning so we make sure to have a parking space.  It is a day for a breakfast casserole to throw in the oven so I have time to get dressed myself!

I was preparing last night…I went to the fridge to get my ingredients, and of course the breakfast sausage that I had checked for before grocery shopping earlier in the day turned out to be expired!  Now what to do?  I definitely needed a meat to throw in with the eggs, and was DEFINITELY not going to the grocery store with three children at 5:00 PM.  Soooo….we are improvising!  We all love beef bar-b-que sausage which I had purchased to throw in some spaghetti sauce to serve over zucchini noodles, so what about that?  It was fresh, ready to go, and how yummy in eggs!

I did change up the recipe a tad to account for the extra grease from the sausage so here you go:

 

Bar-B-Que Beef Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1 3/4 pound Beef Sausage

10 eggs

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

3 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp ground mustartd

1 tsp salt

fresh ground pepper

 

Steps:

Cut and brown your sausage in a pan.

IMG_4994

IMG_4997

IMG_4999

Spray your pyrex or ceramic baking dish with coconut oil or butter.  I like this one from Trader Joes.

IMG_4998

Add your sausage to your greased dish.  It should line the bottom of the dish.

IMG_5001

Sprinkle your grated cheese over your sausage.  I did the grating the old fashioned way for this one.  My kids love to serve themselves slices of this cheese while we have it out in the kitchen.


IMG_4995 (1)

IMG_5002

Whisk your eggs, cream, and spices together.

IMG_4996 IMG_5003 IMG_5004 (1) IMG_5005 IMG_5008 IMG_5006

Once your ingredients are thoroughly mixed, pour this over your sausage and cheese.

IMG_5007

Place saran over your unbaked casserole and let it set overnight.  Bake this for 1 hour 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until it is set in the center.  You don’t want any jiggling.

Happy Friday, Y’all!

 

Here is the outcome:

No complaints about breakfast this morning!

IMG_5010

 

Topped with sour cream and homemade salsa:

 

IMG_5011

 

Every bite was devoured!

 

IMG_5013

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Get a Little Sunshine

 

 

When I was diagnosed with cancer in September 2013 one of the very first things my oncologist tested me on was my level of vitamin D.

It was off the charts low. This really should have been no surprise with amount I was working in a cube everyday and making sure to fully coat myself in sunscreen when I (infrequently) played outdoors. I had wrecked havoc on my level of the oh-so-important sunshine Vitamin. I was given a prescription to bring my level up to optimum amounts.

 

This deficiency is incredibly common. Not just for cancer patients but for most people that spend most of their time in doors and likely too much time in front of a screen.

 

Vitamin D is incredibly important for basically every cell in our body especially that of our immune system.

 

Think about cold and flu season, typically during the short day cold weather months where most are covered and bundled if outside at all.

But so many of us are scared to be outdoors or without sunscreen due to the fear of skin cancer. The reality is the threat of skin cancer is very real and very dangerous. I have met several skin cancer patients in treatment rooms getting very significant doses of chemo.

 

I am not advocating tossing the sunscreen! But what I am advocating is that we give ourselves a little time without it. Enough to satisfy our bodies need for the sun.

Image result for vitamin D

 

Think about that warm comfortable feeling when the sun first hits your skin. This feeling doesn’t last that long maybe 10-20 minutes (for fair skinned.)The best way I can describe it is therapeutic.  Turns out that’s because it is! I am talking about the time before you start to get pink or hot, and definitely well before you burn!

 

The amount of sun time a person needs varies from person to person, just as our skin tone itself. Pasty folks like me may need as little as 15 minutes to get their vitamin D fix for the day where as darker skinned person may need a couple hours. The Vitamin D Council  goes into depth about the variables. This site even has a suggested amount of sun time needed based on your skin tone and location.

Image result for terrier in the sun

I think he’s on to something here.

As another survivor told me, “It’s hard for cancer to live in a body getting a bunch of Vitamin D.” She has recently celebrated her 5 year cancer free status and throughly enjoys her time gardening outside and taking daily walks.

 

Here are my suggestions:

  1. Daily get outside and get a bit of sunshine-drink your coffee outside, watch part of your kids game or practice in the sun, roll down the windows, open the blinds
  2. Get your Vitamin D level tested*
  3. Consider taking a Vitamin D3 Supplement
  4. When playing outside all day-WEAR sunscreen/cover up!

 

 

As with most of the tests taken at your doctors office-shoot for optimum not for normal. “Normal” doesn’t necessarily mean healthy it’s based on the average person’s numbers including cube dwellers.

Enter (and stay for 10+ hours) at your own risk.

 

Southern Comfort Food – Keto Style!

I am trying to pretend that it is fall here in San Antonio!  Sure doesn’t feel like it, but I heard a rumor that it might be coming soon :).

fall-festival-clipart-fall-festival-clip-art2-300x214

With fall approaching, we start to crave more comfort foods and home cooking.  I’m not sure there is anything more comforting in cooler weather than some good ol’ southern cooking.  The trick is trying to create southern comfort food lower on the carb scale.

While at Costco last week, I noticed that they had some huge, delicious, bone-in pork chops on sale.  I bought them, put them in the fridge, and then began to wonder what on earth I was going to do with all these beauties.

Driving around, looking at all the fall wreathes on doors and pumpkins on stoops really made me want to try something southern good!

images
I searched, tweaked, and nailed it – gravy and all!

I just had to share so you can plan for this cooler weather we are rumored to have soon.

Best of all, I cooked this entire meal on my kids crazy sports day because it can all be prepared ahead!

 

Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Herbed Gravy

3-4 pounds bone-in pork chops (6 chops)

1/2 cup butter

1 white onion

6-8 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ground mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup bacon drippings

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

Sauce:

1 1/2 cup cream

3 tsp xantham gum

1/2 – 3/4 cup fresh basil chopped

 

Instructions:

Lay out your pork chops and coat each side with salt, pepper, thyme and ground mustard.  Be generous with your seasoning.

Chop onion and mince your garlic.

IMG_4749 IMG_4750

Saute your onion and garlic in the butter until softened.

IMG_4751

Press softened veggies to the side and add your seasoned pork chops.  Brown slightly on each side over medium heat. (2-3 minutes per side)

IMG_4752 IMG_4754

Pour everything from your pan into your crockpot.  Then add chicken broth and bacon drippings.

IMG_4756 IMG_4757

Add your parsley and mushrooms last, cover, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

When you are almost ready to serve, remove the pork chops and cover to keep warm while you make your gravy – YUM!

IMG_4763

These were so tender, they fell off the bone!

For the gravy:

Turn your crockpot up to high.  Add your cream and basil.  Stir with a whisk.  Very carefully, lightly sprinkle the xantham gum over the top while whisking quickly.  This has to be added very carefully with a fine sprinkle or it will clump similarly to corn starch.

Continue to whisk and you will see it thicken – be patient, it will take about 5 minutes.

IMG_4761

We served this wonderful mushroom herbed gravy over the pork chops which we placed on a bed of garlic cauliflower mashers with a side of okra.  It was a huge hit with the entire family just in time for fall!

IMG_4760

 

Enjoy – and Happy Fall, Y’all!!!