Decorating/ HOME/ Homemaking/ Simplifying

Tips For Redecorating and Simplifying A Small Sunroom

Thank you HedgeScapes, for sponsoring this post. Visit HedgeScapes to find your perfect artificial decorative hedges capes that are 100% maintenance free.

Our sunroom has been on my list to simplify and redecorate for quite a while now. It is the first room that any visitor to our home sees, and I want it to be a warm, inviting and welcoming space.

I have found this area to very easily attract clutter, as it can be a place where we dump items from the cars that go in the house. We also seem to put things that need to be delivered (like a box for donation or to mail) and instead of taking those items all the way to the car, they get left in the sunroom. Well, not anymore! By keeping it picked up and beautifying it, we are much more purposeful to put things where they go instead of leaving them in the sunroom.

It was also time to simplify the decorations. My tastes change over the years and I wanted a rug that would ground the eye and be a calming center. As you will see in the photo below, I had a rug that was pretty and bright. It was gifted to me years ago and I loved it, but it is more of a decorative statement and one that was appropriate for spring and summer, but felt a bit too flowery during the fall and winter months, and I wanted a more minimal look.

I decided to give our sunroom a mini-makeover, by purchasing a new rug, new pillows, some fun new lights, adding a topiary, and rearranging items.

Simple Color Scheme and Simple Patterns

The above photo clearly shows all of the new items I bought. I wanted to keep just a hint of bright color and did that through the red pillow and the red ribbon on the chalkboard hanging. Red is a great color for all seasons. Grey is the other accent color, which is quite neutral. I love having two pillows, in the same pattern but in different colors.

Add Texture

I added texture to the room with the fuzzy, striped white pillow, the patterns on the other pillows, the rug and also plants. Texture can give a simple, small room some much-needed depth and interest.

Add Greenery

My favorite new addition to the sunroom and just outside on the porch are my new 100% maintenance free HedgeScape Topiaries. I ordered them from HedgeScapes and they arrived in no time, which really made me happy and motivated me to get on with decorating my sunroom. I love that they do not need water or care, but look amazingly real. I had a real hanging fern in the before pictures, and it was not happy with me! I never got the watering right and it was losing its leaves all over my sunroom floor, but no more! Now I have these lovely topiaries. There are so many different types of topiaries on the HedgeScapes website, and I love the ones I chose!

Add Ambient Light

My new obsession are these battery-operated fairy lights. I am sticking them in jars and vases all over my home. This one in the sunroom is a great way to welcome guests who come in the evening, or to turn on when I want to relax on the swing at night. Candles are a great way to add ambient light, and I love choosing scents to match the season. Pumpkin for fall, Evergreen or Cinnamon for winter, Berry or Fruity scents for summer and Floral for spring. The lantern on the hook has a little battery operated tea light in it. Our sunroom is now magical with everything lit up in the evening!

Hanging Lights

I love that these lights can be seen from the street, welcoming my guests even as they drive up. I have another string of globe paper lanterns on the opposite window, which you can see from inside our living room, that cause me to turn down lights inside in the evenings, light more candles and enjoy the globe lights while watching television in the dark. It makes me so very happy!

Edibles

I love keeping edible plants and potted herbs in my sunroom where they add some life and are conveniently located for cutting. They give such a fresh look to my sunroom. I have found parsley to be the easiest to grow in small pots on the window sill.

A Touch of the Season

These little pumpkins add a touch of fall. I will replace them with three little evergreen trees or maybe a nativity for Christmas. In the spring I will put bulbs in vases, and the summer it will be flowers or succulents. I used to add a bunch of seasonal decor to our sunroom but it was always so hard to clean around. The minimal me now just adds a touch.

Use Chalkboard

I hung this little chalkboard and wrote a friendly greeting on it. I may add a simple little pumpkin drawing under the ‘hello’ for October and November, a star or tree in December, a heart drawing for Valentines Day, a flag in July. It is a great way to add a touch of holiday without adding more items to dust, store or keep up with.

So those are the steps I took to simplify, minimalize and redecorate my sunroom.

What do you think? Do you like what I did with it? Do you have a sunroom or porch you would like to do a little mini-makeover on?

I’d like to thank Hedgescapes for sponsoring this post. Content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Visit them at their Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, & Google+ .

Frugal/ Gardening/ HOME/ Homemaking

My Simple Potted Plants

Follow New Nostalgia

I kept my potted plants simple and cheap this year! My energy has been down and I really didn’t want to spend a lot of money on plants. I’d rather save it for making fun summer memories with my girls!

Here is what I did:

2 Green pots of Dalias to greet my guests at the stairs by my front porch

1 Galvanized Steel Bucket holding herbs and a Mother’s Day gift from my Mother-in-Law

1 pot of my favorite funky spiral grass named Corkscrew or Juncus effusus ‘Curly Wurly’ that I plant every year. It is so easy to keep happy and I love how fun it looks.

1 pot of plain jane red geraniums (pictured above). They are the cheapest way to add color and take very little care.

1 pot of snap dragons. They were on sale and I wanted to add a pop of yellow to my backyard.

All in all, I only spent $25.00 for potted plants for both the back and front yard. Not bad, huh? They are nothing fancy, but they sure make me happy and make our little yard look thought of and taken care of.

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What did you plant this year? Do you plant the same types of flowers every year?

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

12 Favorite Plant Sources Of Protein + 39 Plant Based Recipes

A question I get asked often as a plant- based eater, is “Where do you get your protein?” Thanks to the meat and dairy industry, we Americans have it drilled into our brains that we need huge amounts of protein, so getting enough protein the first thing on every one’s mind when considering eating less animal foods.

I will answer that question in this post and with the help of Dr. Fuhrman’s words below.

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From Dr. Fuhrman

In North America, about 70 percent of dietary protein comes from animal foods. Worldwide, plant foods provide 84 percent of calories. The first scientific studies to determine human protein requirements were conducted in the 1950s. These studies demonstrated that adults require 20-35 grams of protein per day.[1] Today, the average American consumes 100-120 grams of protein per day, mostly in the form of animal products. People who eat a vegetable- based diet (vegan) have been found to consume 60-80 grams of protein per day,well above the minimum requirement.[2] More importantly, eating more plant protein is the key to increasing our micronutrient intake.

It is interesting to note that foods such as peas, green vegetables, and beans have more protein per calorie than meat. But what is not generally considered is that the foods richest in plant protein also are the foods richest in micronutrients-vitamins, minerals, fibers, bioflavonoids, & antioxidants. By eating more of these high-nutrient, low-calorie foods, you get plenty of protein and your body gets flooded with protective micronutrients at the same time. Animal protein does not contain antioxidants or phytochemicals and is filled with saturated fat – the most dangerous type of fat. Even a professional bodybuilder desiring to build half a pound of extra muscle per week only needs about seven extra grams of protein per day over normal intake. No complicated formulas or protein supplements are needed to get sufficient protein for growth, even in the serious athlete. Since exercise results in increased hunger, athletes consume more food (calories), which provides more protein.

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I love the idea of eating foods with the MOST micronutrients. This is why my husband and I have really jived with the Nutritarian lifestyle. What is a Nutritarian? It is a person who chooses their foods based on micronutrient content.

Let’s go through the above foods and I will share with you how we incorporate them into our diet.

1. Almonds

This one is easy. I love buying them sliced thin to use on salads. Trader Joes has amazing Honey Roasted sliced almonds that make a salad taste like a treat. We will eat whole, raw & unsalted, just plain as a snack, or grind them into almond butter in the food processor. I use them in our Raw Taco “Meat” and will throw them into the base of Raw Raspberry Bliss Bars along with the walnuts. Trader Joes also has Dark Chocolate & Salted Covered Almonds. I eat a couple of these. At night. In bed. While reading. It makes me VERY happy!

More recipes from NN that use almonds:

Raw Cookie Dough Bites
Lemon “Larabar” Balls
Homemade Pesto
No Bake, No Sugar Chocolate “Larabar” Truffles
Delicious Strawberry-Kiwi Spinach Dump Salad
Fruit Pie With Apricot-Nut Crust
Chewy No Bake Granola Bars
Orange-Almond Polenta Cake With Strawberries

2. Avocados

Guacamole of course. These are great thrown in smoothies instead of yogurt. It makes the most creamy smoothies ever! They are amazing in my Chocolate-Avocado Mousse with Raspberries recipe. They are good sliced thin on toast or thrown onto a sandwich or salad.

{Chocolate-Avodaco Mousse with Raspberries}

More recipes on NN that use avocado:

Black Bean, Corn, Avocado & Hominy Salad
5 Minute Creamy Avocado Dip
Chocolate-Avocado Mousse with Raspberries
Green Smoothie Popsicles
5 Minute Lemon Basil Guacamole Dip

3. Black Beans

Oh I love my black beans! I eat some sort of bean daily and black beans are one of my favs. They are great in wraps, on nachos, on salads. I love them simply seasoned and on top of brown rice.

More recipes on NN that use black beans:

Go-To Easy Black Bean Soup
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Black Bean, Corn, Avocado & Hominy Salad
Bean & Corn Salsa With Rice, Cheese & Chips to Dip
My Go-To Chili Recipe
Mom’s Taco Salad

4. Broccoli

We eat our broccoli raw, steamed and roasted. Raw broccoli dipped in hummus is a double- whammy for protein. I love to steam it and season with salt, pepper & finely grated lemon peel. Roasted is also a delicious way to eat broccoli.

{Cream Of Broccoli Soup-No Dairy!}

5. Hummus

Hummus makes me happy. I’ve been using it as a salad dressing. Make a big green salad, add veggies, apples, dried cranberries & slivered almonds. Top with a big blob of hummus. YUM! Hummus is great as a sandwich spread. I use it to make my most favorite Hummus Sandwich Heaven. Trader Joes has flat pretzel chips that go great with hummus. Also makes a very healthy veggie dip.

{Hummus Sandwich Heaven}

6. Lentils.

I have yet to post one of my favorite lentil recipes here on the blog–coming soon! Another favorite lentil recipe of ours is French Lentil Soup. I could eat this soup almost daily, it is THAT good. I make it every couple weeks. Lentils are a quick cooking bean, and super easy to make! We use them to make Red Lentil Sloppy Joes. Mmmm…

{Red Lentil Sloppy Joes}

7. Oatmeal.

You all know I’m a HUGE fan of oatmeal. I eat it everyday. Here are the ways:

More recipes from NN that use oatmeal:

Strawberry Banana Raw Breakfast Oats

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Best Recipe I Ever Messed Up Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

5 Ingredient Soft Granola Bar Bites

Overnight Breakfast Chia Oats

Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Oatmeal

8. Peanut Butter

We use it as a dip for apples. We use on sandwiches, toast, or a dip for dark chocolate. We often top our bananas with it–slice banana lengthwise and smear with peanut butter–this is great way to add some protein to breakfast!

More recipes from NN that use peanut butter:

Peanut Butter Chia Seed Roll Ups

Peanut Butter Clouds
Fudgy Buttons

9. Pumpkin Seeds

I need to experiment more with these. I have used them in this granola recipe and it was yummy. I also like them thrown on a spinach salad with along with chickpeas. Spinach, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds all contain protein so it is a great way to put protein on your salad without meat. What are ways YOU use pumpkin seeds?

{A Salad Full Of Plant Protein}

10. Quinoa

If you can make rice, you can make quinoa. It is one part water to one part grain, just like rice. Quinoa is a STAPLE in our home. It is a grain that is full of protein. You can eat it hot or cold. It has a bit of a nutty flavor, and takes on whatever flavor you add to it. I love making cold quinoa vegetable salads in the summer, and eating it like you would a warm bowl of oats in the winter.

{Quinoa & Black Bean Salad}

11. Tempah

Tempah is a soy product, and with my breast cancer history I stay away from soy, so we do not eat much of it. Honestly, I don’t trust many of the soy products in the United States since a huge percentage of it is GM. BUT, if I do choose to eat soy, organic tempah is a product that I feel most comfortable with as it goes through a fermentation process which makes it extra healthy. Tempah is a great way to add the “texture” of meat in dishes like vegetarian chili. My local health food store makes an amazing Jamaican Jerked Tempah, and served over rice it gives on the feel of eating meat. They also do a BBQ Tempah, and when slapped on a bun, even my meat-eating friends love it & comment that it feels and tasted like a BBQ beef sandwich.

12. Tofu

Not a fan, due to the reasons above. I don’t buy it and I don’t use it.

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Also from Dr. Fuhrman

{to learn more, see Dr. Fuhrman‘s Eat To Live book. One of my favorites!}

In the chart below, an equal caloric amount (100 calories) of porterhouse steak is compared to broccoli, romaine lettuce and kale. Broccoli provides the greatest amount of protein per calorie.

Green vegetables are all rich in protein, and relatively low in calories. They provide generous amounts of most micronutrients with no cholesterol and virtually no fat. Meat on the other hand, is relatively low in micronutrients. Remember whole grains, beans and seeds are also high in protein and should be utilized to achieve adequate protein on a diet with no or minimal animal products. But the point in this example was to illustrate how weight-loss favorable green vegetables are and that no matter how many green vegetables you eat, you still cannot take in too many calories. If you fill up on greens, they will reduce your desire and ability to overeat.

	Broccoli, frozen, chopped boiled	Romaine Lettuce	Kale, cooked	Beef Short Loin, Porterhouse Steak, separable lean & fat, 1/8 “ fat, broiled	Beef short Loin, Porterhouse Steak, separable lean & fat, 1/4” fat, broiled
Calories	100	100	100	100	100
Weight (g)	357 (12.6oz)	588 (20.7oz)	358 (12.6oz)	34 (1.2oz)	30 (1.0oz)
Protein (g)	11.1	7.2	6.8	8.0	6.5
Fat (g)	0.4	1.8	1.4	7.4	7.7
Carbohydrate (g)	19.2	19.4	20.2	0	0
Fiber	10.8	12.4	7.2	0	0
Cholesterol	0	0	0	24.1	21.6
Calcium (mg)	118	194	258	2.7	2.4
Iron (mg)	2.2	5.7	3.2	0.9	0.8
Magnesium (mg)	46	82	64.4	7.8	6.0
Potassium (mg)	507	1453	816.2	109	76.5
Vitamin C (mg)	143	23.5	146.8	0	0
Thiamin (mg)	0.2	0.4	0.2	0	0
Riboflavin (mg)	0.3	0.4	0.3	0	0
Niacin (mg)	1.6	1.8	1.8	1.4	1.2
Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.1	0.1
Folate (mcg)	200	800	46.5	2.4	2.1
Vitamin A (IU)	3609	51253	48763	0	0
Vitamin K (mcg)	315	603	2924	0	0

Source: Data was obtained from Nutritionist Pro Nutritional Analysis Software, Version 4.7, Axxya Systems , Stafford TX, 2012.

Please note that 100 calories of steak is only about one ounce, which is not much meat to fill you up. More typically, 4 – 8 ounces is eaten, supplying too many calories and too much animal protein without the lifespan enhancing micronutrients. Bottom line—eat more greens and less meat to get more micronutrient bang per caloric buck and to suppress your calorie intake.

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The video below is one of the catchiest tunes about getting protein from plants. BEWARE if you watch it once, you will be singing it forever. My kids and I have fun with this one, singing “Where do you get your iron? PLANTS! Where do you get your calcium? PLANTS!” It is cute and fun.

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Last but not least, both my daughter and I had some blood work done recently. I was very curious how her iron, B-12, calcium etc levels were since she is eating Nutritarian.

Both of our levels came back perfect, and BOTH of us were high in calcium, despite the fact that we eat very, VERY little dairy.

1. Rose W. The amino acid requirements of adult man.

Nutritional Abstracts and Reviews 1957;27:631. 2. Hardage M. Nutritional studies of vegetarians. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1966;48:25.