Author: foodjules

Breakfast for Dinner!

The kids love it. The adults love it. Breakfast for dinner is DELISH! I would eat it all day long. Wouldn’t you?

Tonight, we made stuffed french toast (using the homemade bread that I baked yesterday), yum, alongside eggs over easy and tofu sausage. Oh, and for dessert, Lilliana made her own Butter Cake! Yes, she did the entire cake all by herself, with some help from her brother Lucas, who rubbed his finger all along the batter that fell on the table and licked it up.

Lilliana's Butter Cake

Just looking at it makes me so hungry, but I am still on the cleanse so I can’t eat anything like this for another week!

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I baked my first loaf of bread!

There are no words to describe the yummy smell of fresh bread coming out of the oven and then smearing it with butter….. wow! Lilliana probably ate a whole loaf all by herself. It was a simple recipe (I got it from a kids cookbook), but baking bread still takes time. Here are some photos of our bread right before everyone devoured it.

My sister in law told me about a simple bread recipe from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”  http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/. I’m going to try that next. I mean, just look at this beautiful bread. Who wouldn’t want to eat that fresh out of the oven? Let’s just see if it really only takes five minutes!

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Is there a better place?

Do you know? I don’t know if I’ll ever know until it’s my time. It helps to think there is a heaven and all our angels are watching over us. It helps to think that a loved one’s spirit is still with us even if he’s passed. I’m not so sure if it helps me, mainly because I don’t know if I believe it. At least, not yet.

But, as Father Bill said at Julian’s funeral, “If you spend all your time wondering why, then you won’t use your time living”. The other night on Desperate Housewives (yes, I’m quoting from one of my favorite shows), the reverend said to Brie, “Don’t spend your time thinking about what you’ve lost but instead spend your time helping others. Isn’t that a better way of living?” Pretty ironic but it made sense to me and that’s what I’m trying to do. Trying to help others in my own way.

So, keep living and keep loving and always try to help others, for that is all that really matters in life, isn’t it?

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I’m getting hungry!

After two successful pre-cleanse days, which consists of replacing breakfast and dinner with one Isagenix shake and having a sensible 400-600 calorie meal for lunch, I’m ready for tomorrow, which will be my first cleanse day. The cleanse days are the most difficult as you can’t eat anything all day long, except 6 raw almonds throughout the entire day! I am getting so hungry just thinking about it.  This is going to be rough but I’m trying to keep the end goal in mind, losing some of this post pregnancy weight. It just doesn’t feel right having this weight on without a baby to care for. I need to lose it, for my own sanity and look forward to getting back into my regular jeans again!  At least I’m trying to see if losing the weight will help, I’m trying everything imaginable under the sun to be able to survive each day without Julian.

I’ve had some recipe requests so I will be posting a Potato Leek Soup recipe and a Spinach Frittata recipe tonight. Super easy meals to prepare and so delicious and good for you. Enjoy and as always, feel free to share and comment.

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What’s cooking for dinner tonight?

Last night, I made the tortellini soup with spinach for dinner. It was so delicious. Even though I wasn’t supposed to eat it because I’m on the cleanse program, I gave it a little try. Every good cook tests his own cooking. It’s very easy to make and your family will love it. It’s my own original recipe.

I’ve also added some other yummy new recipes to the blog and will continue to add more this week. Check out “recipes” in the menu at the top of the page.

Tonight, I’ll be making some vegetarian nachos. Tortilla chips on the bottom, pour some vegetarian chili (leftovers from the other night) on top of the chips, and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese (always a staple in my refrigerator). Melt in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes and dinner is done! We enjoy topping off the nachos with some fresh salsa and sour cream. This is a definite treat for the kids. Very kid-friendly meal. You can add a green salad with tomatoes, olives and cucumbers as a side dish for the nachos.

What are you cooking for dinner tonight?

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The Dirty Dozen, Plus

Buying organic is healthier for the environment, farmers and for you and your family. Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and conservation of soil and water to enhance the environmental quality for future generations.

Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are not given any antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides.

Since many of us can’t afford to buy all 100% organic, the solution is to avoid those foods that have the heaviest amount of pesticides, chemicals, additives and hormones. Here are the Dirty Dozen: Meat, Milk, Coffee, Celery, Peaches, Strawberries, Apples, Blueberries, Nectarines, Bell Peppers, Spinach, Kale, Cherries, Potatoes and Grapes. Plus, here are some others that are frequently contaminated with potent pesticides: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Carrots and Pears. Most of these are easy to find at your local grocer as well as at Farmer’s Markets during the summer season. Other grocers that sell a variety of quality organic produce, coffee and dairy are Whole Foods Market and Trader Joes.

I’ve pulled together this organic/conventional list that may be useful during your shopping trips. This is a great resource for our family.

Organic Fruit: Apples, Blueberries. Cherries, Grapes, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Raspberries, Strawberries

Organic Vegetables: Bell Peppers, Celery, Lettuce, Potatoes, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes

Organic Dairy: Butter, Cheese, Eggs, Milk, Yogurt, Peanut Butter

Organic Other: Meat, Poultry

Conventional Fruit: Avocados, Bananas, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Mangos, Oranges, Papaya, Pineapple

Conventional Vegetables: Asparagus, Brocolli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Corn, Eggplant, Onions, Sweet Peas, Sweet Potatoes

Conventional Other: Bread, Cereal, Pasta

According to the Environmental Working Group, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables. Here’s a great article with more information: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods.

Organic foods are a healthy, wholesome, safe choice for all of us, especially for growing infants and children. The most important lesson is for all of us to do the best that we can for ourselves and for our children. Support our local farmer’s efforts and buy local/organic whenever possible.

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