Natural Cold Remedies + Artisana Giveaway Winner

What a beautiful week it's been! Now, to what you've all been waiting for! We have a winner for the Artisana Organic Food giveaway!!! I apologize for this post being so late in the day; I'm sure there must have been some suspense :P I've had trouble with Internet access, hence the reason. So, now onto the winner! And, it is . . .

Audrey!!! Congrats, girl! You've won a free 8oz jar of  Artisana Organic Raw Coconut Butter & the  Assortment of On-the-Go Squeeze Packs :) 

Since my last post I've experienced my cold from bad to worse and now to better :) I had a painful ear infection which tempted me to get antibiotics. I'm all for meds when you need them! I'm currently out of town, though, so it wasn't as easy as running to the family doctor for help. Plus, it was late in the day making it harder to find something open. I guess you could say I was "forced" to go the natural route :P And, I really didn't want to use antibotics unless I absolutely had to and now that I'm over the hump- I'm glad I was able to muscle through it :-) 

I made an onion poultice which REALLY helped to calm me down. Has anyone else ever done this with success? For those interested: you slice an organic onion in half, boiling until soft. Then you wrap it in a cheese cloth, holding the onion next to your ear as you tilt your head to meet the steam as it rises. This soothes the pain, and helps to move the congestion that is clogging up the ear. 

Some of my family went hiking at Grandfather Mountain yesterday! They did this 8 mile rough terrain hike in 4 1/2 hours. Joey did it too and he's only seven! I wanted to go SO bad!!! I had to be left behind - which almost killed me because I was sick as a dog. In the end, I was okay with it as I needed the rest :)

This picture is from last year, though! 

Delicious chocolate green smoothie from earlier this week :)

I love this picture! It's one I took from a picnic adventure this afternoon.

This was our delicious packed lunch. Chicken salad & lettuce stuffed into whole wheat pita pockets and ginger snaps for dessert!

And, of course - if you go on a picnic and there's a creek you have to stick your feet in, just for the experience :) 

Have a great weekend everybody! Let me know what recipes and workouts you've been up to of late :0) 

Naturally Sweetened Summer Blueberry Cobbler

{Hand picked blueberries turned into a healthy blueberry cobbler = heavenly}

I hope you're sitting down because this recipe is . . . amazing. It can be so discouraging to search for an "already in existence" healthy recipe because they can be difficult to find. Especially if you have high standards, requiring the recipe to be both yummy and nutritious all in one! But, I guess it just makes the treasure found valued even more :)

I went of this recipe as my base, and this what actually went into the mixture:

Naturally Sweetened Blueberry Cobbler
2 sticks butter
1 cup natural turbinado sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups AlmondBreeze milk
4 cups blueberries (fresh is best!)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Melt butter in dish.
3. Mix together dry ingredients, add milk.
4. Pour the milk mixture on top of your butter. Throughly stir.
5. Sprinkle your blueberries evenly on top of batter.
6. Bake for 25-40 minutes (depending on your oven). Watch it careful to be sure it doesn't burn. 
7. Enjoy with your friends and family! 

There was nothing left and the pan was scrapped clean! This recipe filled an 11x15 glass dish and served 11 people. If you have a smaller party you can halve the recipe to make less. It would be great served with ice cream, but we played it simple and served it as a stand alone.

I love sandwiches! There are so many delightful summer vegetables in season - making it quick & simple to throw together something nutritious. This tomato was from our garden!

Friday's feast was dip and salad with Mexican flair :) We served the blueberry cobbler for dessert.

I ran 3 miles this morning; it felt amazing to wake-up, spend time in the Word and get my heart pumping before I attacked the day's work.

If you haven't already, feel free to enter the Artisana Raw Nut & Butter gift giveaway! A winner will be announce July 27th. Join the fun!

Oh, and I'll leave you with this . . . What do you think about Monsanto and federal immunity?