Finally, An Honest Company!

I’m pretty excited about a company that I have learned about called The Honest Company. You may have already heard about it, as it has created quite a buzz in the non-toxic, eco-friendly world. It is the company founded by the beautiful Jessica Alba.

I am always looking for products that are safe for my family. The fewer chemicals, the better. So when I heard that this company started with a parent who was looking for the same thing, I was very interested in their products!

The Honest Company did not disappoint. I have found their non-toxic, eco-friendly products are beautiful, effective and affordable. Even their packaging is beautiful, yet environmentally friendly.

Are you a Mom of a little one in diapers? I sure wish these were around when I had such wee ones.

Is your child potty training? Then you might be more interested in these:

The have product bundles–diapers and wipes, a line of cleaning products & personal care products–that you can have delivered directly to your front door. Click here to learn more.

Uncategorized

My New Glasses & A Confession

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Coastal.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Confession:

I have put off getting a much needed pair of eyeglasses for over 4 years now! I’ve been driving my daughter crazy by stealing her glasses whenever I wanted to watch a movie or had to drive at night. I thought we had similar prescriptions, until Coastal.com rescued me and showed me otherwise!

If I had known about the ease of using Coastal.com to order a pair of eyeglasses and if I had known that I could get my favorite designer glasses for over 70% off, I sure would not have procrastinated for years! Why did I procrastinate? I’m not sure…I guess the last thing I wanted to do was spend forever trying on a bunch of glasses…but I think the main reason was I knew my taste in frames would cost us WAY too much money, so I put it off. For years. Until now.

{my new glasses–Coach Margaret Toffee}

I now have a beautiful pair of Coach glasses. I can’t tell you how much I love them! I think the color of the frame is perfect with my hair color, and the shape is exactly what I wanted. I have to be honest and tell you I was very surprised that they fit so nicely. I was a bit skeptical about ordering glasses online because I was not sure they would fit properly, and I was not sure if it would really work to buy glasses without ever actually trying them on.

If these are your concerns too, let me reassure you. IT IS WORTH IT, AND IT WORKS. The money you save at Coastal.com and the ease of ordering is amazing. If you are still concerned, here are a few tips:

To place an order with Coastal.com, you need an up-to-date prescription. When you go to get your eyes checked at the eye doctor, make sure to ask for a copy of your prescription, AND get measured while you are there, having them write down your measurements. You can also take a minute to get familiar with what shape frames look best on you, and when you find a pair, look on the inside of the ear for the size of the frame & take note. Also look at the price tag of the frames while you are there and try not to have a mini heart attack!

When you get home, take all your information, log onto Coastal.com, and have a blast looking through their amazing assortment of name brand frames. Need contact lenses, too? No worries, they offer those as well. You will love how easy it is to use the site. You can search styles according to price, popularity, frame size, frame shape, frame color, material & style. To top it all off, they offer FREE shipping.

Things to know before ordering & to get when you have your eye exam:

~~prescription. Here is what mine looked like:

EYE	SPH	CYL	AXIS
Right(OD):	-1.00	-0.50	105
Left (OS):	-0.75	-0.50	91

~~if you find a favorite frame, take note of lens width, lens height, bridge width & arm length & even brand. Coastal.com offers so many popular brands, so if you find a brand you like, chances are they will have it!

~~have a professional at your eye exam measure you and ask them to write your measurements down.

{brands offered at Coastal.com}

Coastal.com is known for their fast delivery and excellent customer service. They are the first and only optical retailer to pass 1MM Facebook fans (2nd place has about 260 fans)! There is a reason for this. Great customer service = lots of fans! They are truly a great company, and the video below gives just a glimpse of how incredible they are. I am so happy to know about them and to share them with you!

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Toby & Max Jewelry Giveaway

I love you to the moon and back best friend necklaces

Today’s giveaway is a beautiful one from Toby and Max! One reader will receive their “Moon & Back” pendant in sterling silver. All Toby and Max designs are original works by Sandy Comstock. They are all proudly MADE IN AMERICA.

Toby & Max

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I LOVE YOU To the Moon and Back

$32.50

“I love you to the moon and back” … this very cute solid sterling pendant says it all! An adorable smiling moon, with stars and heart. Perfect for your sweetheart, your daughter, your wife, your grandchildren, anyone you want to know just how you feel!!

Pendant itself is about 1″ long. Comes on a 20″ ball chain ready to wear.

Pendant is Solid Sterling and made in America.

It can also be made into EARRINGS for you!!

{Toby and Max Website}

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

RECIPES/ Sides/ Sponsored

Healthy Homemade Onion Straws

Every year we go out to eat for my husbands birthday, and every year he chooses the same restaurant because he loves their onion straws. We just celebrated his birthday (quite a few months late–been busy!) and he decided we go to the same restaurant, but only get onion straws as an appetizer, then head over to a different place for dinner. I was relieved as the place is a burger joint and I would much prefer the Blue Sushi and Sake Grill that we ended up at. It was a super fun night out with my sweet man! It was a stormy night, which made it quite fun and romantic. We drove an hour to Omaha to hang out in their downtown area, and ended the night at the best European dessert cafe called Delice, sitting next to a fireplace. So much fun.

We devoured our greasy, delicious onion straws and a fun fruit drink, and honestly I felt quite sick right away! I love onion straws, but my body is not used to the grease. I knew I would have to try and figure out how to make them minus the grease & stomach ache, and I have done just that!

I started by slicing my onion thin with one of my favorite kitchen tools–my mandoline. This is not necessary, as onions can be sliced thin easily with a knife…but take my word for it…if you get one of these you will eat more vegetables. I use my mandoline daily and it takes just minutes to slice up a whole bunch of vegetables. My kids love it when I slice apples with it…nice and thin!

I searched the web for some baked onion straw recipes, and came up with one of my own using them as a guide. My recipe is close to this recipe from Closet Cooking.

I thought I had bread crumbs, but I didn’t. I decided to use the Triscuit Wheat crackers I had on hand ( I used Trader Joes brand) and it really gave them a good crunch & added some great fiber to the recipe. This is optional though…you can use regular bread crumbs, italian bread crumbs or panko crumbs.

The process was very easy, but messy. I used my hands to dip the onions. The mess really was no big deal and took just moments, but it kept me from taking pics of the process!

These were not greasy or overly salty like most onion straws you get at restaurants. They are full of flavor and nice and crispy, and really hit the spot without all the heaviness of your typical onion straws!

My family all ate them and loved them, and I will make them again for sure! My man was quite appreciative that I thought about him and took the effort to make a healthy version of one of his favs.

Ingredients for healthy homemade baked onion straws

Healthy Baked Onion Straws

1 large onion, sliced thin
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup crushed Triscuit type wheat crackers (I used a food processor for crushing) (or bread crumbs or panko crumbs)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp salt

Soak sliced onions in cold water for 10 minutes. In the meantime, get 3 bowls out. Beat egg in one bowl. Mix flour and baking powder in another bowl. Mix crushed cracker crumbs or bread crumbs and seasonings + salt in the 3rd bowl.

Spray or coat a baking pan in oil to prevent sticking. I used Earth Balance and spread it out over the pan.

Drain onions well. Dip in flour/baking powder mixture. Then dip in egg. Then dip in breadcrumb/seasoning mixture. Place on pan. It is ok if the onions are not entirely coated…they will crisp up.

Bake at 450 for 7-10 minutes. Watch closely as they can get too brown very quickly. Enjoy!

Books/ FAMILY/ Sponsored

Learning The Love Languages Of Children & Teens

These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.

If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post – Purposeful Living #1.

………………….

Correct Priority #5 – Children (Emotional Health)

Goal – June 2013

Formally identify the primary Love Language for each of my three girls.

Thoughts

I have assumed for a long time that I know the primary love language for each of my three girls, but realized recently that I am not certain about any of them.

Whether through a simple test or through conversation (or some other method), I am going to take time to more formally assess and identify the love languages of my girls.

Knowing the primary way my daughters feel loved is super important to me as I set goals every month to try to speak that language for them on a consistent basis. If I am making mistakes or missing the boat in this area with any of them, I want to figure this out.

Seeing as this is such a priority to me, I am thinking it makes sense to purchase and read the following two books which can best provide an overview of this topic. I don’t want to assume just because I have read the adult book that I fully understand how the Love Languages apply to children and teens.

The five love languages of children book

The 5 Love Languages Of Children by Gary Chapman

The five love languages of teenagers book

The 5 Love Languages Of Teenagers by Gary Chapman

If you can’t tell, I am a huge fan of the book The Five Love Language: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman. There are a million marriage books out there, but this one may be my favorite.

The Five Love Language: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman.

…………..

Foundation Post

Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1

Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts

Purposeful Living Outline

……………..

{Try it for free, keep it for $9.95 a month}

…………..

GF, Vegan & Raw/ RECIPES/ Sponsored/ Sweets

Dreamy Coconut Bites

Once a month, the first Sunday of every month, my in laws have the whole family over for what we call “Pizza Sunday.” There are usually at least 6 adult couples, who all have at least 3 children whose ages range from 3-21. It is a day my family looks forward to every month. The family fellowship is sweet and my in-laws have made their home an absolute haven for the grand kids. They have a pool, basket ball hoops, tether ball, volleyball, a play set & a nice big yard. Inside they have a pool table, pinball machine, arcade game, video games and a play room. My kids never want to leave Grandma’s house!

The adults sit around and have great conversation while we eat. We then enjoy watching the kids play and swim, sit around and relax with magazines, chatting in between pages. It is so awesome. I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to truly love and enjoy all of my in-laws.

My Mother-in-Law orders a bunch of pizzas, makes a big healthy salad, and puts out some fruit and a few appetizers. She usually has a couple different desserts, and sometimes asks us if we would mind bringing desserts. This last pizza Sunday she asked a few of us to bring a dessert to share. I know she is a huge fan of coconut, so I searched my pinboards for something sweet with coconut in it. I found the perfect recipe.

The recipe is originally called Coconut Crack Bars via Chocolate Covered Katie. I can see why…they are addicting. But I decided to name them something a little less harsh, especially since they are made with pretty wholesome ingredients. I also took the liberty to add chocolate chips to the recipe. Yum!

These are no-bake and take just minutes to whip up in your food processor. They are vegan, but were very well- received by both vegans and non-vegans in the family. If you are a coconut lover, you must try them! I will be making this recipe again and again.

Enjoy!

Dreamy Coconut Bites

1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) (80g)
1/4 cup honey (or agave nectar if want to keep vegan)
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (my fav vegan brand, dairy, nut and soy free – click here)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. (Perhaps you can mix by hand if you don’t have a food processor, but I haven’t tried.) Squish into any small container (I used a 7×5) and fridge for an hour before trying to cut. (Or freeze for 15 minutes.) Can be stored in the fridge or freezer, for at least a few weeks.

Dreamy coconut bites and chocolate chips

_____________

Are you a coconut lover? Here are a few more recipes from NN with coconut in them!

Coconut Crusted French Toast

Honey Whole Wheat Muffins with Coconut Butter
No Bake, No Sugar Chocolate LaraBar Truffles
Coconut Chicken (or Beef) Curry with Noodles
Raspberry Bliss Bars

GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

Do You Sprout?

by Teniel Moore, Raw Foods Contributor

Sprouting is one of the cheapest, simplest and most nutritious foods you can eat. My favourite things to sprout are lentils, buckwheat, quinoa & mung beans. These have never failed me.

I know lots of people that do not sprout nuts and seeds simply because they think its too hard and don’t know where to start.

Well why sprout you may ask?

Soaking softens the skin and begins the sprouting process, also soaking makes it so much easier for your body to digest the grains or seeds. Gas causing enzymes in legumes are released into the soaked water. (make sure to discard the soaking water)

When you sprout it truly increases the amount of nutrients in the food compared to the dried grain/nut/legume. When you sprout the vitamins minerals and protein increase.

And also the calories and carbohydrate content decrease. So its a win win all around.

So now I’ve told you how super nutrient dense and good for you sprouting is, let’s find out how to do it.

What you will need:

~ Organic grain or legume of choice

~ A sterile large glass bottle with some fine mesh cloth to cover, or nut milk bag or sprouting jar

~Filtered water for soaking

So lets get started.

Soak your grain or legume in a large glass bowl or jar with heaps of filtered water. Cover and let sit on bench overnight. If you remember, its best to change thesoaked water at least once or twice. But this is not crucial.

The next morning you will need to drain the grains or legumes and rinse well. Drain the water away. Place them into your sprouting jar you have chosen to use pop a breathable cover over the top. You can use an elastic band to hold in place and set up on an angle to make sure all the water strains away. If you buy a proper sprouting jar it will have an attachment that lets the jar sit up on an angle.

These are mung bean sprouts soaked then rinsed and ready to sprout.

Now all you need to do is repeat the rinsing every 8 hours making sure to drain well each time.

What I usually do is this:

~First rinse in the morning, then do another that night.

~Repeat again in the morning and again at night.

On the second or third day of doing this you will see gorgeous little sprouts growing. You can keep doing this process until you get the sprouts the length you like. It should take no longer than a few days. Once done do a final rinse and very good drain and store in the fridge. They will last around 3 days in the fridge.

These are mung bean sprouts after 3 days ready to eat or you could leave them another day if you like.

Here is some sprouted buckwheat. So easy to do and they grow the cutest little tails. I then dehydrate the buckwheat till it goes crunchy and add it raw cereals.

Its great to add texture and crunch to the top of a smoothie. I also make my own buckwheat flour by grinding the buckwheat up in coffee grinder. Then I have wonderful sprouted buckwheat flour ready to use in cooking.

Lentils and mung bean sprouts are great to snack they are crunchy and delicious. Throw them in salads on top of raw crackers and even in a green smoothie!

Mixed sprouted salad.

Mixed sprouted salad recipe

A selection of mixed sprouts and legumes

Mix in some crunchy almonds (soaked and dehydrated if you can)

A generous drizzle of organic olive oil or organic flax seed oil

Pinch of Himalayan salt

Cracked pepper

Generous sprinkle of cumin powder

Generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Generous sprinkle of garlic powder

Generous drizzle of coconut nectar or maple syrup for sweetness

Generous sprinkle of kelp seasoning granules (optional)

Squeeze of lemon juice

Mix well and enjoy. Best eaten straight away.

Raw Foods Contributor

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