Category Archives: Food LOVE

This here is the Perfectly Flawed weekly round-up, so if you missed me on Pinterest & Facebook, this is where I’ll be sharing some of that LOVE on Fridays. Enjoy!

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Art, Blueberry Season & The Beatles.

Oooo, and it’s Friday the 13th!

Heading to Ft.Lauderdale today to spend the weekend with my best friend Dawn. Kids can’t wait to see her, she’s Aunt Dawn to them. Tonight we’re going to see the Beatles Tribute band, Across the Universe, in the park.

I was on Pinterest a bit this week, duh! Aren’t you??? Here’s what I’ve found! This amazing blog on Thai cuisine & culture. I made this last night. Well, I made all the components, packaged them in my many saved glass jars, packed it all up and the family head out to the beach for a picnic dinner. Yum!

Anyone else excited about blueberries coming into season? Me! Check out these pretty pictures of blue goodness! Here, here & here at Griottes, Palette Culinaire.

I’ve also fallen in love with a couple of artists this week, both found on Pinterest. Yep, you need to get on those boards people:-). They are Tracy Verdugo & Angelo Franco!

We’re on our thirdish week of using our home-made toothpaste mixture. It’s simply baking soda, coconut oil and peppermint essential oil, about 15 drops. We’re all adjusted, our teeth are whiter I swear, maybe it’s in my head, but I think so. I also use this mixture as my deodorant. I LOVE it! It gives your pits a cooling sensation and I don’t ever stink like I did with Tom’s of Maine. You can make your deodorant with a different essential oil, I just use the peppermint for ease. Take a look-see at more things you can do with Coconut Oil!

We also finally got our herbs and pineapple planted! Here’s a great tutorial video I found on growing pineapple! Enjoy!

Peace!

This here is the Perfectly Flawed weekly round-up, so if you missed me on Pinterest & Facebook, this is where I’ll be sharing some of that LOVE on Fridays. Enjoy!

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Dinner, Produce Bags & Baby Steps!

Woo Hoo, got my cooking grove back this week! Love Pinterest, so many great recipes being shared. I’ve made Gingery Soba Noodle Soup, Shrimp in coconut sauce over rice, Roasted rep pepper & goat cheese alfredo and last night we made homemade chick pea veggie burgers with a side of Brussel sprout & Swiss chard salad!

Finally purchased our reusable produce and bulk items bags. I bought five of these from Flip & Tumble, I also got 6 of these from Kootsac on Etsy. I can’t wait to get these, another stride towards being plastic free!

I’ve been gathering information on making our own cleaning products. I already use alternative non-toxic products, but they come in plastic so…. Next Tuesday on Natural Living Tips I’m switching from Coconut Oil to Home-made cleaning products and I’ll be discussing them throughout April. It is time for Spring Cleaning after all!

Though I did manage to make home-made toothpaste this week, Gavin’s not thrilled, lol. He’ll get used to it.

Just a reminder to anyone trying to go green or make strides in that direction. The best way is baby steps. I’ve not arrived here quickly or without challenge and I’m still far from where I want to be. Here’s an article, from Almost the Truth,  I read this week about Baby steps and why it’s so important to celebrate every one of them. Please read it.

What Baby steps are you taking?
Peace!

Harry says "chill"!

Thanks so much for following this new segment, Natural Living Tips which you’ll find here on Tuesday’s. My friend Rosemary Nickel (Motivating Other Moms) and I have paired up to bring you these weekly tips on living a more natural life. They will be fun, quirky and informative, just like us, ha. We hope you join us here weekly for a new Natural Living Tip! Enjoy!

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Seems I’ve been a bit consumed with Coconut Oil lately, the differences, the benefits, the uses which are all plentiful & the information floating around on the web is endless. I’ve only scratched the very surface, but am excited to share with you what I’ve tried, what I’ve learned & also the the things that I plan on trying.

It was not my idea, BTW, to learn about coconut oil. The brain child for this adventure was Rosemary, my co-conspirator of Natural Living Tips, ha. However, I’m so glad we did this, I’m a transformed woman, I feel this research & trial period has really helped push me that much further into reducing unnecessary chemicals, preservatives & plastics, in my families life. How you ask? To begin with I’m making my own natural body butter, body moisturizer, salt/sugar scrubs, deodorant, make-up remover & coming soon, toothpaste. Yes, all from coconut oil. Think of how much poo is residing inside of those toiletries & most come packaged in plastic containers that I’m no longer purchasing, score!!

A few benefits that I’ve taken advantage of or intrigue me are:

Reducing the appearance of age spots.

Speeds up metabolism.

Apply directly to a bug bite, it can stop the itching & burning sensation & quicken the healing process.

Apply to burn immediately & continue applying until healed, it can reduce the chances of permanent scarring & aids in healing.

Affordable eye cream! apply under eyes to reduce puffiness, bags & wrinkles, use on lids in evening.

Wrinkle prevention/reducer!

Energy boost.

LOVE THIS: Use as an insect repellent! Mix coconut oil with peppermint oil extract and rub it all over exposed skin. Keeps insects off better than anything with DEET!
Tons safer too.

This is an itsy bitsy sampling of the benefits of coconut oil. One of the most extensive lists I’ve found is from Hybrid Rasta Mama. You’ll be amazed!
When cooking I’ve use coconut oil in place of all other oils and butter. If you don’t like the flavor of coconut but want the health benefits purchase a refined, expeller pressed coconut oil. If you love the flavor, look for unrefined or raw varieties, these retain the most nutritional value as well.

You can find coconut oil in most grocery stores these days, Spectrum Brand (refined) is found in most locations. Otherwise go to your local natural food store or Whole Foods and you’ll have a variety to choose from. Also found online at PantryParatus.com or TropicalTraditions.com, also a great place to learn everything you’d want to know about coconut oil & other coconut products.

I’m going to leave you with this video on how to make a exfoliating lip scrub, you guessed it, coconut oil!

Peace!

Thanks so much for following this new segment, Natural Living Tips which you’ll find here on Tuesday’s. My friend Rosemary Nickel (Motivating Other Moms) and I have paired up to bring you these weekly tips on living a more natural life. They will be fun, quirky and informative, just like us, ha. We hope you join us here weekly for a new Natural Living Tip! Enjoy!

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The last few weeks I’ve been researching the benefits of Coconut Oil,  there are many.  I do promise to cover them in the next couple of weeks, but I’ve been distracted by all the yummy things you can make with other coconut products, the milk, water and juice.  These also have many health benefits including they’re loaded with Lauric Acid which is naturally found in mother’s milk. Lauric acid has been shown to have negative effect on many microorganisms in the body including yeast, fungi, and bacteria. It also has anti-carcinogenic and anti-viral properties.  You can read more about the benefits of coconut products and lauric acid at The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Here is a wonderfully refreshing way to add coconut to your diet.  This coconut tonic is also a nice substitute for cows milk if you’re sensitive to lactose or simply trying to reduce cows milk in your diet.

This is so easy peasy! You can purchase Coconut water and/or juice in most grocery stores or health food stores, as well as the coconut milk.  These two products are very different. The water is found in a young coconut, it’s the liquid you hear when you shake it. The milk comes from the white meat of the nut and is so yummy to cook with.

You simply take a can of each, dump them into a blender and blend. Viola!  Store in the fridge and serve over ice.  They may separate a bit, so give a little shake before serving.  Use this tonic to make the following green smoothie I found on Pinterest by Delicious Obsessions.

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
1 cup Coconut Tonic
1/2 cup coconut water or juice
handful greens (I used spinach)
honey or other sweetener of choice – optional

First pit avocado and scoop out flesh. The easiest way to remove the pit is to whack it with a knife and twist, it pops out.

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Warning: If not used to drinking coconut milk smoothies, they are extremely filling, you’ll want to share the love!

Peace!

I haven’t yet used any Fadra’s optional topics of the day, but this one I can’t pass up: Where are you lacking trust in your life? (examples: church, government, work, family, etc.)

This past week I’ve been very emotional, mostly due to the rollar coaster ride of feeling of my cat Matilda disappearing for six days and my old man kitty having to be put down on on Wednesday. It would be an understatement to say I was a basket case.  Well, in this emotional state I talked to a couple friends and my hubby about the state of the country, mostly the state of our food supply because it at time enrages me.  I’ve educated myself for years about our food, it’s a really long story that I will only touch on, but it began with my passion for animals almost 20 years ago and I wanted to learn exactly how our food got from farm to table.  That was bad news….  A lots happened since then (the part I won’t get into here) but now there is so much more I know about food as  a whole and it sickens me what our government (FDA, USDA, etc.) allows in our food system.  I absolutely have NO trust in them AT ALL to feed us healthy food.  Right now heads of Monsanto are running the FDA and USDA, this is very sad and scary and we the people are going to have to take matters into our own hands by seeking out locally grown fruits and vegetables, finding our local farmers and ranchers for our grass-fed, free roaming meats and dairy products to ensure they are nutrient rich and not laden with chemicals, pesticides and hormones.  Many other countries have banned these things from their food, yet the US will not. I don’t know what the reasons are, we can speculate a number of things from lobbyists to big business to not wanting to change due to layoffs. Whatever.  I just feel that EVERYONE in this country should have the ability to walk into any grocery store and not have to worry about what’s in their milk, on their oranges. To me it’s very sad.

This is just a snippet of how I feel on this topic but you can clearly see that I don’t listen to the government about what’s good for us in the food department. Better re-think those Got Milk ads!

Times Up!
This has been my Sunday 5 minute Stream of Consciousness.

Want to try it? Here are the rules…

* Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
* Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
* Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
* Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
* Link up your post at all.things.fadra.
* Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

Common site with today's agribusiness. Image from propankitchen.com.

Factory-farm chickens.

I don’t even know where to begin.  The state of our food today so deeply saddens me, and concerns me. I worry about the future of food for our children, their children, so on. I believe that it’s our responsibility to make the world a better place for future generations and I’m afraid we’ve failed and are moving too slowly to recover our mistakes.  We are in such a deep whole, it’s going to be a difficult climb out.  I know there are movements that are working hard to make strides in the right direction, thank goodness.  Here at home we’re doing our best and constantly moving towards doing better, a little at time as to not get overwhelmed.

I’ve always been one to educate myself about the environment, where our food comes from, etc.  Years ago I read everything I could get my hands on about Factory Farming, how the animals are treated prior to getting to our table, how this industry effects our planet.  It’s appalling. One book I really took a lot away from was Mad Cowboy.  To read a story about a man, a fourth generation cattle rancher turn Vegan, was uplifting & inspiring. I believe everyone should be educated in the process of how our food comes to the table. I also believe that we shouldn’t have to be worried about what toxic chemicals or genetically modified crap is in our produce, it just shouldn’t be there. The Americans’ need for low food costs have COST us plenty more in quality of life and medical bills. We need to WAKE the heck up and start nourishing our bodies with food, good food, whole food. Can’t tell I recently watched Forks over Knives can you? Most of the information in this incredible documentary wasn’t new to me. Though the statistics were jaw dropping. I had myself convinced prior that as long as I looked for sustainable, grass fed, free-roaming, humanely slaughtered, wild, etc., animals than I could still eat them. I was a vegetarian years ago for ethical reasons and caved after my kids were born out of ease. I beat myself up a bit about this and would like to head back in that direction, though I find my will power has decreased since then. My husband and I are finally in a place that we’re ready to begin the big changes. Though compared to the typical American diet, we’ve done good, eating very little red meat, mostly poultry and fish, lot’s of veggies, etc. This isn’t enough. We know that.

As a people we need to seek out our local sources, grow what we can. We have to be in control of this, no one else is watching out for us. The government is supporting big industry, like Monsanto, unfortunately it’s all about big business. The small farmers are suffering. Go to your local farmers market on weekends, they’re spreading rapidly and can be found in most large and small communities now (Click HERE to find one near you). SUPPORT THEM! Join a CSA. Do whatever small part you can. I’m not one to throw in the towel because it seems hopeless, it IS hopeless if you do that. We the people must demand changes!

If you’re interested in learning more about your food, the future of food and what you can do about it, here are some links to articles, documentaries and groups that can help.

Food Inc.
Forks over Knives
Ingredients
Food Matters
The Future of Food

Slow Food, USA
Non-GMO Project
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (School Food – demand better)

Mad Cowboy (links to books & documentary)

Current Monsanto article – Washington Post

Tell Obama to Cease FDA Ties to Monsanto!
Watch This!

Anything written by Michael Pollen!

….

We love pasta and this year I wanted to conquer making it from scratch. So I did, three times already and it’s getting easier every time.  PFMan surprised me with a Kitchen Aid mixer with pasta making attachments for Christmas, so cool!  So I was off to find a recipe.  The first one I used was fine, but then I looked through our Top Chef cook book and found another recipe by Fabio and switched.  I mean, “it’s Fabio, from Italy”, how could I go wrong, lol.  He didn’t steer me wrong.  Using more eggs and the same technique.  First making the pile of flour, then making the hole in the center, adding the water, olive oil, salt and eggs, then beginning to combine slowly working out from the center. My mini volcano erupted through the sides the first two times  I did this.  I had mastered keeping it together on the third try. Fabio’s recipe, calling for more eggs, was richer and deeper in color, we could taste the difference.

Here’s how it’s made:

1. Make mound of 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, make well in center.

2. Add 2 tbls olive oil, 2 tbls water, pinch salt, 8 egg yolks whisked with 2 whole eggs, to the well.

3. With a fork begin to slowly work the flour into the mixture, be careful to keep the outside wall supported with your other hand so you don’t have a premature eruption.

4. As dough forms use your hands to knead in all the flour forming a smooth ball. (I’ve had issues getting it smooth, but after it rests in fridge it’s fine)

5. Cover dough and let rest in fridge for an hour.

6. Split into four pieces, working one piece at at time (keeping others covered with damp cloth), roll out until 1/2 thick and easily passable through pasta maker.

Make pasta!

Most importantly though, HAVE FUN!  There’s nothing like fresh made pasta!

Mangia!

Eggs Benedict with Meyer lemon dressing.

One of my goals for 2012 is to cook more at home, with fresh ingredients, using what’s on hand with less waste. I love to cook, I love cookbooks, so this year I’m making it more of a priority. This past weekend our close family friend, Britt, spent the night on New Year’s Day. We had made Grilled Salmon and a Fennel salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing from my new X-mas gift cookbook, Big Sur Bakery Cookbook, (I highly recommend by the way). I was so excited to make this at home. PFMan and I spent a few days in Big Sur in July and fell in love with the Bakery. Though all the food we had in our 9-day trip to Northern California, my absolute favorite meal was the simple salad of fennel, greens, herbs and Meyer lemon dressing at the Bakery! So I’ve been itching to get the cookbook and PFMan didn’t let me down for the holiday!

Anyway, we had plenty of dressing leftover, as well as a French Baguette, some greens and a hunk of ham in the freezer so I whipped up a beautiful new recipe for Eggs Benedict on Monday morning.

Believe it or not, I’d never poached an egg before. So I got on-line, of course, and had that figured out in under five minutes.  I have to say I was very pleased with my first try at poaching.  Anyway, the Benedict went like this. Cut baguette into slices, lay on cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, toast in oven.  We plated four slices per plate as the base of our Benedict. Then we placed the ham, which had been previously cut into thick slices and heated in a skillet, on top of baguette slices and then a dollop of salad greens. Next came the poached egg, a drizzle of Meyer lemon dressing and some chopped fennel tops to garnish.  It was a crowd pleaser.

On a cookbook note, I’m also really enjoying Jamie Oliver’s At Home Cookbook.  It’s about his garden and the recipes inspired from the beautiful bounty that grows there.  Very inspiring to eat healthy, fresh and sustainably.

Salute!

The PFFamily in Key West - May 2011

I was up pretty late last night, four glasses of wine not settling well in my belly. I read, actually finished my current book, A Modern Witch, and then turned to my I-phone for a little research on a couple of things I wish to begin in the new year.

Last year around this time I posted about how I’m really not into making New Year’s Resolutions. I still refuse to put that much pressure on myself, but I do have a laundry list of things I’d like to do, change, see, stop doing, etc.

Before I begin my list for 2012, let’s see how I did in 2011.

Things I will be working on in 2011:

Family – Feel good about this. We moved to the country and began homeschooling, lot’s of family time.
Travel – Good here too. We began our yearly family trip overseas with Ireland in March, road trip over the summer along with nine days in N. California with PFMan celebrating an early 15 year anniversary. We took two cruises with a highlight on one out of San Juan, taking us to Curacao, Dominica & Aruba. To round it out, we also took a couple of much needed camping trips, one to North Georgia, one to Ginnie Springs in North Florida. Ahhhh….
Positive energy & intentions – This a failed miserably, well not entirely because I still have intent and know my triggers to self destruction.
Eating clean -Did well for a few months only. I did really well with giving up coffee and drinking more tea. Got to August then crashed. Have to reboot this one.
Organization – This will be a never ending battle, lol.

So what about 2012?

There are many personal accomplishments I would like to achieve this year. In the kitchen I want to learn how to make Thai and Indian food, get better at meal/menu planning and stocking the kitchen, learn to make bread, start canning regularly, shop at farmer’s markets and from local ranches and farms more often and consistently. This year is the year to get the chicken coop and run built, I’d like to have 3-5 egg layers:-). Also, get the hydroponic garden started and plant the Meyer lemon trees. We’re thinking things like, sweet potatoes, lettuce, strawberries, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs at least. Going along with natural/sustainable trend we need to get the compost reinstated too!

Other Personal plans: Begin yoga and stick with it, it WILL be tough for me but I must prevail. Part of the Self-help, positive energy & intentions theme. Thinking about Tai Chi as well. Michael and I will get bikes, the kids are just getting them on New Years Eve (we’re celebrating our family Christmas when we return from NY).

In the house we need to get the great room painted and focus on the meditation garden off the master bedroom and Asian decor in the master bedroom/bathroom. I need to get the studio organized too, both the Tails Collection shooting/office areas, as well as organizing the arts/crafts area for Addy and I. There is so much space to work with, so I will most certainly get a bit overwhelmed, ha.

Travel plans! To start off the year and celebrate my 40th b-day, I’m heading to Big Sur for three nights! Doing a hike-in and staying ALONE, to reflect and get centered, hopefully, ha:-). Then driving north to meet my girlfriends for some time in wine country. The kids and I have a 6-8 week road trip planned for the June/July. Heading back to Big Sur, taking 2ish weeks to get there, stopping in AL, LA, TX, AR, UT and CO. PFMan will meet us out west for a 10 day California Adventure, then the kids and I will head back. I CAN’T wait!! And cross our fingers for Vienna/Paris for the Holidays.

Now I realize this is super loaded, these are just top priorities, which change, we tend to be indecisive at best, or as I like to say, Perfectly Flawed. Some things may not happen, others may be added, but at the end of the day or year, it will all be another super adventure, surrounded by my PFFamily and that makes me smile.

Happy New Year everyone!
Buon Anno!
Ein glückliches neues Jahr!
Feliz año nuevo!
Bonne année!

I can’t help but look back at PFMan and I’s trip to Northern California this past July. We went to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, a bit early. I’m planning on going back in February to mark 40 years here on earth. Can’t think of a better way then to be surrounded by girlfriends, sipping wine, hiking in the redwoods, biking through wine country, etc.

PFMan had such an amazing trip. We did all of the above, took an incredible pedal ‘n paddle tour in Healdsburg, a town we absolutely LOVED! We booked the excursion through Getaway Adventures, our guide Tommy was super personable, knowledgeable on the wine growing process and the area. We started with a bike tour leaving from the Alexander Valley Campground, through the beautiful countryside filled with vineyards, first stop Robert Young, AMAZING wine here! This was one of three wineries we became members at and one of our favorites of the trip. Their Chardonnay is so rich and creamy! Then we headed to de Lorimier. Also good, but the highlight here was the beautiful pergola under which Tommy had set-up a seriously yummy spread of meets. cheeses, homemade salads, etc. Sweet! Time to sit back, relax before heading out the the Russian River for our 5-mile kayak trip back to the campground. A wonderful day, I highly recommend it!

So that was just one day, we also met with some very good friends, who in previous years had moved to N. California, for some trippin’ through wine country. It’s hard to pick a favorite day, but this one ranked high. On a friend of Wendi’s recommendation we ended up at Viansa. OMG! LOVE! This was our favorite vineyard/winery of the whole vacation. It felt like we had stepped off the train in Tuscany. The wines, every one we tasted, were all amazing, of course we became members, ha. They also have a large selection of marmalade, honey, sauces for everything and very unique I must say. I walked away with Truffled honey, and Chardonnay Carmel sauce. You can easily picnic here. They have a deli of sorts with packaged meats, cheeses, salads, and fresh baquettes. We grabbed a bottle of wine, an assortment of noshing grub and headed out to a table. This was one of the best lunches ever. Great friends, beautiful view, great food! Then we moved onto Cline Cellars and the goodness never ended.

We simply had way too much fun on this vacation. We spent a total of nine days in N. Cali, six of those in Wine Country, three nights in Guerneville (Russian River area, Redwoods – Hello!) and three nights in Sonoma, on the Plaza. We stayed at the El Dorado Hotel, right across the Girl and the Fig restaurant, a favorite of mine! We were also able to make it over to Bodega Bay, (Alfred Hitchcock – The Birds). Wowzer, COLD! But we had some super splendid clam chowder soup at the Spud Point Crab Co. and took the stunning drive up the coast to Jenner Beach. Watched the sea lions basking in the sun and playing in the water, took a nap in the car at Goat Rock, a walk in Armstrong Woods…. Enough said!

Other places we enjoyed immensely!

Willow Wood Market Cafe in Graton, Ca! – In the area? You must stop here.
The MacLeod Family Vineyard – I’ve been here twice now and will be going again. Call and make an appointment for a tasting/tour, you won’t regret it! Here’s a bit on the Vineyard when I went with my girlfriends this past February, this is becoming a trend:-).
Harvest Moon Cafe (just love the name) The ambience and food were both very good – in Sonoma on the plaza.
Spoonbar at Hotel Healdsburg!
Zazu – Farm to table in Sonoma
Also – The first three days of our trip were spent in Big Sur, you can check that out HERE!

Peace!