The Gift of Life

I witnessed a miracle, an incredible miracle, early this morning. The miracle of birth! At 4:18am a beautiful, healthy little baby was born to a wonderful loving family who is so grateful for this gift from God. Welcome to the world little Aaron!

So, I've been going to bed rather late the past week (getting maybe 5-6 hrs a night). Yeah, I know . . . probably not the best idea when you're on call for a birth :) Last night, I was thankful to at least get the 1.5 hours that I did! Quarter to 1am a phone call, quick dress, grab birth bag and camera with plenty of memory cards, then rush, rush out the door. Baby was born shortly after 4am :-)

This was my 5th attendance as a birth doula. It's something that I just plain love, helping other women - in the little ways I can during one of the most significant and memorable moments of their lives. 

When I got back home I knew I needed something green :) A kale smoothie sounded right up my ally. This time I added a little cultured coconut milk for probiotics. 

Lunch? I've been too tired to eat much today so I just snacked. That works! The afternoon I had errands and tons of other stuff that needed to be done, but about 2 o'clock I crashed. Yup, a power nap was just what I needed. For some reason, initially it was hard for me to just lay down and get some rest. Seeing a new little person enter the world is too exciting! Plus, I kept thinking about my to do list, but then I finally convinced myself that I wasn't being at all productive walking with no sleep :P I felt much better after a nap.  

This evening we celebrated my sweet cousin passing the medical exam to receive her license as a doctor in physical therapy. So proud of you, Ash! 

And, now? Now, I'm heading off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep :) 

It's Monday

How was your weekend? Mine was ultra busy, but great at that! Toss in some great food and fellowship with friends and family, being stretched, plus learning lots of interesting things and I'd say it was fantastic. Here are the highlights in pictures :)

BLTs on wheat bread with a side of cherries make a great, easy Sunday supper! 

Friday night I was up late blanching peas among other things :) My uncle grew these and my bros picked. Time in the kitchen is perfect opportunity to listen to thought-provoking lectures or music. As a vocalist, I love to study techniques of the greats & maximize time by listening to their music while I work!

I snapped this picture of my parents after a wedding Saturday evening. They make a dashing couple, don't you think?

Last week, I had the special privilege of meeting one of the most decorated Korean War aces, Dolph Overton. He's been a good friend of my Pappy through the years so there were several reasons to be excited about meeting this brave fighter pilot. It was amazing to learn how Overton shot down 5 Communist fighter planes in just 4 days during the Korean War. 

Reality. Class this morning :) 

I didn't get lunch packed in time before school this morning, but my Pappy was so sweet and took me out to a local 50's diner. I love this place because they serve nice large salads. I went with the garden mix this time and it was both delicious and refreshing! I also had a taste of my sister's Reuben sandwich - I was surprised to learn it was served with sauerkraut! Yummy. 

I saw this Andy Griffith clip on carbohydrates and glucose on another health foodie's blog. Too good not to share! 

{My 1/2 Greek salad from Panera with a banana on the side I brought from home}

This picture is from Saturday on lunch break during an all day self-defense class. I'm not judging, I'm not judging, but it really does hurt to see people eating McDonald's, chomping on mega-sized candy bars and downing 3-4 Cokes (that's 3 T of sugar per 12 oz) all in one day. There are healthy options that are tasty, and appetizing ways to give our bodies good food that energizes us! I care about people which means I care about what they eat. {This is NOT to stake myself out as saying I would never eat some of these things... :P} To see some interesting points on why we choose the foods we do, click here.

Water bottles are way too scarce and real food is even scarcer in typically classroom and work settings. We can change this! It starts with us :) 

I'm optimistic even when healthy options seem a minority. I think the more education people receive about this and if we can create more healthy options that are tasty and readily available than one by one the public would go for it! Just some thoughts. Let me know what you think! 

Would you be more inclined to go to Panera vs. McDonald's if they were right next to each other?

Blog Hop and Awards

Good evening, Friday blog readers :) I hope all of you are enjoying these summer evenings as much as I am!

I went for an invigorating walk after supper last night... so beautiful. The only thing that marred it was the greeting I received on my return at the back steps -- a disgusting snake was slithering away and completely freaking me out. Ugh! I am such a farm girl minus these disgusting creatures :P 

Now, onto something much more pleasant :-) 

Today is my first time participating in a blog hop! Here are the links to the other gals that are in on the fun: ABPetite, Laurie's Cravings, Ape's Eats, Skinny & Delicious, Bargain Bites. Check them out, and follow if your interested. 

So, what is a blog hop? I had the same question! Basically, it's a great way to meet other bloggers with similar interest, and in our case food and fitness. See the bottom of this post if you'd like to add your blog link.

Several of you have been so sweet and kind to nominate me for blog awards! {Blush, blush...} I'm excited to return the favor... 

#1

 

Thank you to Laurie @ Laurie'sCravings.com, and Emma @ Food, Fork & Good! 

The "addictive" blogs I'm choosing to nomiate are:

• Oh My Veggies
• The Healthy Foodie
• Pioneer Woman
• Mrs. T Naturally
• Lemons and Anchovies 
• Apron and Sneakers 

The rules?

• Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them.
• Share a little bit about why you started blogging.
• Copy and past the award onto your blog.
• Nominate up to 10 other bloggers you think are addictive enough to deserve this award.

#2

The Liebster Blog award is for up-and-coming bloggers of 200 followers or less. Horray! As a point of interest "liebster" is German meaning "beloved". Thank you, Anna!

For this award, I get to share 5 random facts about myself... Not that will be too interesting :P And, here's how it works.

Each nominee should:

• Choose 5 blogs to the Liebster Award to.
• Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
• Post the award on your blog.
• List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites.
• Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they're received the award.
• Share five random facts about yours.

Ahh, so here it goes... five random facts about me:

one.

i love ice cream

two.

i could cuddle babies all day

three. 

i'm terrified of snakes

four.

i will be 21 later this month :) 

five.

a duathlon is on my bucket list

My nominations are:

Grace @ A Southern Grace

Monica @ Lick the Bowl Good

Weimar @ What's For Lunch, Honey?

Samantha @ Quick Feet, Good Eats

Julie @ Peanut Butter Fingers

#3

 

Thank you to Elizabeth for the Versatile Blogger award :) 

I'm nominating From Chapel Hill to Chickenville and Spark :) 

~

This was my quicky of a lunch today. I threw it together in a jiffy before heading out the door: romaine lettuce, tomato, shredded carrot, grated almond cheese with Asian Sesame dressing. It hit the spot! When it's hot outside (and the air condition doesn't work in your car) eating light just plain makes you feel better.

I finally feel like I'm starting to get back into the grove of working out. Running, running, running... I can't wait! Planning to try it again Monday! Yeah!!!!!!!!!! 

Tomorrow I have class all day tomorrow. Excited to learn! No groans for this one even if it is a Saturday except that it's getting late and I need to go to bed!!! Yikes! How did it get to be past midnight?!

Okay, I promise to try and include more pictures in my next post :) Have a great weekend! 

July 4th Recap :)

I think I'm spoiled... I've had lots of ice cream in my lifetime, but today's was by far the best! Most things homemade taste better than store bought, in my opinion, simply because you made it with real food ingredients. Add a little love on top of that and - wow! 

This is the fresh, unpasteurized, "pet milk" I was telling you about. There are risks that go with drinking it so I'm not advocating it or encouraging you to try it at all. Do your research and take personal responsibility if you go this route. 

I love how this picture turned out simply because it looks so pure and wholesome.

Since we made the ice cream ahead of time, it was difficult to restrain from using the excuse, "I'm just tasting" over and over again!

 Thick, creamy, and distinctly vanilla. "Out of this world!!!" as Paula Deen would say :-)

This picture is from Tuesday. My brother Bobby (to my left) and I had a lunch date with some old friends at Mi Casita! Yummy :) I ordered vegetarian quesadillas with beans & rice. It was a ton of food and I was stuffed to the gills afterwards - take away boxes are great for such situations! As are brothers, I should add :P

Wednesday morning, July 4th, I tired to think of a way to make my green smoothie patriotic. A red, white & blue smoothie didn't sound too appetizing so instead I just went with this background to snap the picture.

I'd had the fun idea of making blueberry pancakes to celebrate too but that just didn't happen :/ We were up the night before with friends which made the morning a little slower. So, instead I just arranged a semi-patriotic scene for my delicious banana/kale smoothie :)

I keep offering sip samples to other members of the family... hopefully one day they'll be excited about me serving 'em up a glass of this green goodness.

Posin' for a picture in the kitchen with my sweet Momma. She made the gorgeous festive trifle to the right. Delish! I enjoy eating healthy, but I also enjoy special occasions :-)

You can barely see the creamy vanilla ice cream in this picture (with the cow scoop), but it was so, so good. Wish I could share!!!

We went swimming at my grandma Mimi's and did a little cookout at her house. I love events with food, family and fun!

I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a real burger! This was a super big treat!!! I think everyone in my family was really looking forward to this picnic style meal :) Hanging out at my grandma's house brings back great memories from being a kid! It's times like these that make me grateful for my wonderful family, and miss my grandfather - I remember grilling out with him as a little girl. So special. It's interesting how you think things will always be the same, but they won't. Time changes, people change, life changes... Even though there are blessing all around me, I feel I can always be reminded to have a grateful heart :)

Happy Birthday, America! Enjoy this music clip "God Bless, America" from Martina McBride :) How did you spend the 4th with your loved ones? Any good food or fun activities?

"America, God Shed His Grace on Thee..."

Independence Day is this week! I sure love an All-American holiday. Fourth of July is probably one of my most favorite days of the whole year!

Do you have any festive plans? Whether it's a cook-out in the backyard or a big shindig at the local park, Independence Day is opportunity to reflect on the founding of our country and think about what makes it so great. 

This national holiday is a fabulous excuse to throw a party and relish time with friends and family! Stay tuned for recipe reports later this week! The excitement is building... I can barely contain myself! A local farmer sold us "pet milk" - unpasterized, straight out of the cow and oh so creamy. It's my business if I want to drink the dog's milk, right? Enough said. Well... clearing off throat - let's just say I think that stuff would make some really good homemade ice cream :-) 

Saturday, I went blueberry picking and then I went again this morning. The weather was perfect! Cool and shady, plus the rain yesterday made the berries sweet and plump. We're aiming to put up at least 100 lbs to enjoy during the cold months. These will make great gifts for friends, as well as delicious additions to smoothies, salads and desserts. 

At .96 cents a pound it doesn't get any cheaper than this. And, these blueberries are fresh, local and picked by us - the people who are going to eat them! 

I love this picture and can't wait to pull this delightful bag of blueberries from the freezer in November for Thanksgiving! 

Saturday was filled with planning for the coming week, organizing pictures, shopping with my momma and finally rounding off the evening with a going away party for a good friend who is headed out to the Philippines this week! So fun.

Sunday evening I was in for a special treat with family & friends. The North Carolina Symphony came to town! About 10,000 people turned out making it a huge event. It was so special with musical numbers by Richard Rodgers, Offenbach & a smashing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. One of my favorite parts of the program was the Service Branch Medley and seeing all of our veterans and active-duty stand and be honored - seeing this never fails to swell my heart with pride!

I snapped a few pictures, but my camera battery started to die during the firework show which almost made me die. Ha! No, seriously. It would have been cool to get some time sensitive shots of the fireworks. Hopefully, next year!

This sandwich was from last week... it was so gooood! I split it with my Mom as was a lot of food! If I had been really hungry, I could have eaten the whole thing :)

Tomorrow night I'm going with my family to some friend's house to celebrate July 4th a bit early. Both of our families enjoy games and laugh about a lot of the same things which makes for a great combo! I'm thinking about this recipe to take along, minus the reduced fat :) What do you think? If anyone has any great, healthy recipes that you know are solid or that you're planning to try for July 4th - leave me the link so I can check it out! I'm still debating on what I want to fix, meal wise, for the 4th. We'll probably make it super simple... Gonna be fun!

So... running? Yes, I know it seems like I've fallen off the side of the earth with this. I haven't run in over a week! {gasp} Wow, I really miss it! I've had good reason not be logging any miles, though. Remember that running injury I was laughing about {shame on you, Kat!} a few days ago. Yeah... well, it's not something I'm laughing about anymore.

As much as I want to, I know better than to go for a really good run before my leg is completely healed, but I'm hoping that I can get back to it in a few days. Free weights & stretching sessions have been my friends this past week. Getting that blood pumping is essential, running or no running.

Summer is prime time for sandwiches. Eat 'em up! This one was real mayo on whole wheat bread, almond cheese, tomato slices, avocado, and spinach leaves. You can serve it solo or with your favorite chips and fruit!

These chips came from Aldi's (brand: Clancy). I recently discovered a fun little secret - want to hear? Shh!! Did you know that Aldi's and Trader Joe's are both owned by the same company?!!! Don't get ripped off anymore. If you can overlook a bare bones store with no fancy presentations . .  then go for Aldi's - you can save yourself lots of $$$!!!! Just last week they had pineapples for $0.99!

Cost is a consideration for all of us when it comes to healthy eating, but making good choices is an economical option when food like this is available! Snatch it up :-)

Basil Pesto Pizza with White Chicken

Basil pesto is great for a whole host of different recipes and it's a fabulous way to use garden fresh basil! 

Basil Pesto Recipe

2 packed cups fresh basil

2-3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts (toasted)

2/3 cup olive oil

salt & pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup Pecorino Parmesan cheese

Makes about 1 cup of pesto.

To start off, you'll want to wash your basil leaves & dry them either with a towel or in a salad spinner. Try not to bruise the leaves, if you can help it. :) 

Mince your garlic & throughly mix with nuts & cheese.

Add your basil. It smells so good! Then add olive oil until mixture is the right consistency. Salt & pepper to taste.

Scoop the pesto mixture into muffin tins, freeze the balls, pop them out and then store in a Tubberware in the freezer until you're ready to use them.

The pesto will last for up to a year in the freezer, but it's such a great addition to recipes that I don't think it will last that long for me! Too good!



My Aunt Rhonda came over this week to help make food for the weekend. This classy, southern lady is amazing in the kitchen! She can make leftovers out of anything... and make you think it's a gourmet meal - I have no idea how she does it!  I'd have to say she's one of the best, if not the best cook I know.

This is just one of the beautiful dishes she whipped up. To make: tomato slices with mozzarella cheese layered on a pretty platter, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar & olive oil. Crack a little black pepper on there with a shake of salt, garnish with some fresh basil and you have a delicious addition to your summer supper!

Supper on Thursday night was roast chicken, cheesy potato casserole, dill angel eggs, tomato/cucumber/onion salad, and chocolate zucchini bread. What did you have?

{This picture was taken just before 1am - I was so tired and this shot was the best I could do}

Yesterday evening was great fun! A dear friend came over after supper and we starting another batch of tomato sauce. Canning spaghetti sauce is pretty easy, but it is a long process. I just learned how this past Tuesday and it is now a new favorite. The evening went by fast as everyone was having such a good time! But, of course, sleep is a must so everyone else went to bed while Mary & I finished up the 12th quart well after midnight. We watched Forks Over Knives between batches to help keep us awake :) Anyone else seen this film? What did you think?

So, now onto the pizza! Basil pesto pizza with white chicken... ahh! The title of this dish sounds too good to eat!

For the dough I wanted a really, really good whole wheat pizza crust recipe. If you're not careful, whole wheat flour pizza crusts can turn out really heavy. When I eat pizza - I want to eat pizza - not lead! This recipe from The Healthy Foodie looks so good and I had plans to make it, but didn't get started early enough. For today, I went off this recipe as my base (click here). You may have to add a little more flour to get the right dough consistency. . .  just play with it.

After making your dough the rest is a cinch! Spread with the basil pesto for sauce (if you don't have homemade you can buy it), add some cubed white chicken, grate with a little fresh Parmesan and ta-da! You have a gourmet meal!

To give your crust that nice toasty look, beat together 1 egg and spread around the edges with a pastry brush just before the last few minutes of cooking. Crack some fresh garlic salt for a unique taste.

Words? There aren't any. Beyond goodness :-)

100+ lbs of Tomatoes

Phew! What a day!!! It all started bright and early, just before 6am, with a green drink and devotions. It was so beautiful outside this morning -  I couldn't resist smiling :)

Monday I took a break from running as I was babying my leg. I think I pulled something on Saturday... Not going to tell you what I was doing- in the interest of your health, of course! It was totally avoidable so don't ask :P If I tell you what I was doing you just might die from laughter.

Instead of running today, I did low impact squats & lunges with light weights and then stretched. I am planning to hit the trail running tomorrow!

~

Mary & I helped some friends put up approx. 100 lbs of tomatoes today. Every last tomato was fresh from the garden! Take a look and try not to get bitten by the green bug :)

It doesn't get better than this! Now, imagine a field with dozens of tomato plants just like this one. 

The work stations. 

Fresh herbs. Ahh, the aroma was heavenly...

Lots and lots of garlic :-)

So beautiful.

Leftover tomato juice that I decided to sample. Yum! So nutritious. 

We took a mid-day break for lunch. From scratch tomato soup with freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

After making 28 quarts of spaghetti sauce - Mary & I headed home. By this time it was late afternoon and when we walked in the door there was a pan of fresh cookies just sitting there all alone on the counter.

Being the girlie girls that we are, I must admit that we love cookies! A few minutes after digging in - it hit me that maybe these aren't for us. "uh, Mary...". She must have been reading my mind, because in her typical think the best of everyone way, she replied. "Who else would they be for!" Ha! Love her!!! Thankfully, the person who made them was more than happy for us to indulge ourselves :-) They were pretty healthy, too! Flour-less & vegan carob chips to boot. Thanks Kris - you're the best!!!

~

Eating fresh, healthy foods is something I want to be apart of me; not something I idolize, but still it needs its proper place.

Do you ever feel confused about where the balance is with food?

On the one hand, you have the people who just plain don't care about what they eat and seem to accept hospitals & needles as a way of life; on the other hand, you have people who think conventional doctors & nurses are in some kind of conspiracy to keep us all sick. It t can be overwhelming to sort through all the hype! What's true & what isn't?

My family has experienced life-changing benefits from both sides of the health world. I'm thankful for the advancements of modern medicine, very thankful. But, I'm also thankful for food and the healing effects found in them.

I guess, in short, this is what this blog is about... an attempt to find truth and the proper balance with healthy eating.

~

We got home from helping our friends about 4:30 and starting our own batch of spaghetti sauce at 6:30, finishing up around 9:30pm.

Here's a taste of the before & after:

And, finally- this was the result (+ one more jar)!

Well... if I taste one more tomato I'm convinced I'll turn in to one! I've throughly enjoyed the day and as a result I'm throughly exhaustified (is that a word?) :)))

More recipes coming up! Anyone else putting up fresh food for the winter months?