A super nourishing and delicious soup

                      Curried Carrot Soup 

I LOVE this soup because I almost ALWAYS have all of these ingredients in my home, it’s super quick to make, and everyone in my family enjoys it!

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 8 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 medium stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 5 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• pepper to taste

*For a creamier soup, add 1 cup of canned coconut milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large stock pot or saucepan over low to medium heat, cook coconut oil and curry powder, stirring, for 2 minutes.
2. Turn heat up to medium-high and stir in carrots, celery and yellow onion; toss to coat; and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetable broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
4. In a high-speed blender or Vitamix, puree soup. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to do this in batches of 2 cups at a time.
5. Return soup to pot and heat through. Season with lemon juice, sea salt, pepper and serve.
6. Refrigerate leftover soup for 5-7 days.
7. I especially enjoyed my soup with ½-1 cup of cooked brown rice mixed in with 1 cup of soup.

Recipe: www.consciouscleans.com

For all my banana bread lovers (allergy free recipe)!

Allergy free banana bread that ROCKS!

Makes 2 8-inch loaves or 1 10-inch loaf

2 flax seed eggs (2 Tbs ground flax seed & 4 Tbs water, mixed)
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup, sugar, or other sweetener)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup gluten free flour (or any other type of flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 small bananas)
8 oz Enjoy Life chocolate chunks (for chocolate lovers…it’s okay to indulge and add more chocolate)

* Optional mix-ins (dried cherries or cranberries, etc.)
*If you do NOT have food allergies you can replace the flax seed "eggs" with 2 real eggs.

1. Grease two 8 inch loaf pans or a 10 inch loaf pan.

2. Preheat the oven to 350º F.

3. In a small bowl or cup mix together the ground flax seed and water and let stand.

4. In a large bowl mash the bananas using a fork.

5. Add the honey, applesauce, flax seed egg mixture, and vanilla. Mix together.

6. Add the flour, salt, soda, powder, and cinnamon to your wet ingredients.

7. Add in any mix-ins. Divide even in the pans and bake about 45-55 minutes for two loaves or an hour for one (until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached). 

*recipe adapted from http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com

Short and VERY Sweet!

It was about 6:30am Sunday morning and both of my girls were out of their beds and ready to start their day! I on the other hand was moving like a snail through peanut butter and getting ready to take a shower. My intention was to shower and then make the girls their breakfast, but Sloan wasn’t having it! She and Liv were hungry and didn’t want to wait for me…so they followed me into the bathroom (I realize I haven’t been alone in the bathroom since 2009) and Sloan purposed her plan. Here is how it went:

Sloan informed me that she was more than capable of making and serving breakfast and that she didn’t need any help. I looked at her as if unicorns were flying out of her ears while she was talking and I thought to myself, “
“Am I really going to let a 5 ½ year old make breakfast for herself and her 3 year old sister?!” The answer was YES I AM!

Before going downstairs to the kitchen and beginning her work I requested that Sloan talk me through what she intended to serve. She described how she would use her stool to access the microwave and help her retrieve anything that might be out of reach in the refrigerator. Her intention was to serve leftover homemade waffles with butter from Saturday.

After she shared with me her plan I told her to go for it and I moved on to take a shower. Now, you might be thinking this is crazy!!! However, what was crazier was the feeling I had when I went downstairs 10 minutes later. As I walked down each step I was expecting Sloan to perhaps realize she needed my help preparing her breakfast or that I’d find her off task. Not my Sloan, who was I kidding!  

When I walked into my kitchen I saw my two daughters sitting at our kitchen table with forks, napkins, cups of water, plates of waffles, and sporting gigantic smiles! They also did not ask for help to cut their waffles…they made it work without any adult assistance or knives.

There are so many things that I got out of this experience with Sloan. For one, I recognize the difference I can make with my girls when I continue to hold a space for them to take more control of their lives. I also saw an opportunity for the girls to work with me to rearrange our pantry and refrigerator so they can continue to do more for themselves in the kitchen. Lastly, let’s not forget about the amazing 10 minute shower I had ALONE (bonus here folks)!

Who am I living with?!

I am in awe!!! I can't wait to share with you what was happening in my house before 7:15am! Stay tuned...

Today's lunch for Vlad's team at Keller Williams

Thai Chicken Salad with Fresh Ginger & Garlic Vinaigrette

Makes: 6 salads

Ingredients:

6 chicken cutlets

1 ½  Tbs Chinese 5 spice blend

Pinch of Sea salt and pepper

1 medium sized green cabbage, shredded

1 medium sized purple cabbage, shredded

2 bunches of green onions, chopped

5 medium carrots, grated

¾ cup of raw pumpkin seeds

3 avocados, cut in half & pits removed

1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and sliced

1. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and then add the Chinese 5 spice over chicken cutlets and rub seasoning in with fingertips. Let chicken sit until oven is ready.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Chicken will cook for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of cutlets.

4. While chicken is cooking shred the cabbages and carrots, then distribute evenly put in bowls.

5. Add chopped cilantro, green onions

6. Sprinkle raw pumpkin seeds and distribute the slices of avocado between 6 bowls.

*recipe adapted from:  http://blog.naturebox.com/posts/thai-chicken-salad-with-peanut-dressing

Fresh Ginger and Garlic Vinaigrette

1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 large garlic clove

3 Tbs. rice vinegar

2 tsp of honey

1/3 – 1/2 cup of olive oil

Pinch of sea salt and pepper

1. Put ginger and garlic in food processor and puree.

2. Add honey, rice vinegar, salt and pepper and puree.

3. Slowly add olive oil to food processor.

*If consistency is too thick, I add filtered water about 1 Tbs. at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

*Make sure to taste throughout creating the dressing…you may enjoy a sweeter taste OR add Sriracha hot sauce for a bit of kick!

Do nothing, say nothing (part 1)

Nobody got ME dressed!!!

Early one Thursday morning my 3 year old daughter Liv yelled this statement to me from across the room in her most exacerbated voice ever! In this moment I instantly saw the opportunity in front of me as a parent and I quickly added her statement to the notes in my iphone. Let me back up and tell you why…

Generally speaking here is how the morning flows in my household:

I go into each of my daughter’s bedrooms and in my most gentle and loving voice I tell them it is time to get up. Then I leave their rooms and start doing other things I need to get finished before we leave the house. Then for a second time I go back and remind the girls it’s time to get up. Once they are officially out of bed (sometimes after several requests) I remind them to get dressed, brush their teeth, use the toilet, make their bed, bring their socks downstairs, and the list goes on. Oh, have you noticed we haven’t even gotten downstairs yet?!

Does this sound familiar to you? All of the repetitive reminders and suggestions to get things accomplished?

I had started noticing that I was talking WAY TOO MUCH at my children. Yes, I was using my loving tone (until the 3^rd request and then I started using my bear-like mom voice) and my reminders and requests came from a place of wanting to care for them and make sure they were safe.

However, what was I really offering them? At what point would my daughters take on responsibility for their own lives? At what arbitrary year of age was I deciding “Okay, my kids are ready for more responsibility” is it when they’re 8 years old, 12 years old or gasp…at 18 years of age?! As the late Whitney Huston used to say, “Hell to the No!!”

So, a few days later I told my girls that I would be giving them space in the morning. I shared with them that I noticed I was talking too much and that I wasn’t clear to what their true abilities were regarding our morning routine. My older daughter Sloan said with a big smile, “So we get to do what ever we want?!!” My reply to her was, “To a degree (pause)…yes. I want to see for myself how I can best support you and your sister.”

Then my first morning of “do nothing, say nothing” began!

That Thursday morning I didn’t wake the girls up they woke up on their own about the usual time I would go into their rooms. Sloan put on a pair of shorts, skirt and a t-shirt and Liv remained in her pajamas. Inside I was freaking out that they hadn’t brushed their teeth…ewww! Then they came down stairs and I lightly helped them prepare breakfast. I told the girls we would be leaving for school at 8:10 (with a visual clue on my oven and microwave clock) and off they went to do their thing. Sloan was busying drawing and Liv was on the living room couch looking at books. Then at 8:10 I announced we were leaving for school. At that moment Liv began to have a melt down and yelled at me from the couch, “Nobody got ME dressed!!!!!”

Bingo! I got it. Even though Liv was completely falling apart she was giving me such an amazing gift…a breakthrough in how I want to “parent” my children. Without feeding in to her distressed she quickly got over her drama and then happily left for school in her pajamas and light up sneakers without brushing her hair OR teeth. By the way, I hate light up sneakers!

I must say that in that moment of her crying out that no one had gotten her dressed, I was present to all the ways I try to protect and care for my daughters. Without any judgments about myself, how I parent, or my children, I noticed that I wasn’t guiding them towards being self-reliant human beings. Instead I was conditioning them to rely on my reminders, nags, and suggestions rather than providing them with opportunities to make choices and take action for themselves!

My first morning of “do nothing, say nothing” gave me useful information:

          1. Things I need to teach my children how to do:

                   -Take the cap off the tooth paste

                   -Liv, make her bed

                   -Brush their hair

                   -Liv, take off her shirt

                   -pack their own lunches

                   -take dirty dishes to counter/sink

         

2. There are several things my daughters can do without me when I get out of their way:

                   -Taking the entire top off the toothpaste and brushing their                     teeth.

                   -wash out the sink after brushing their teeth

                   -Sloan, makes her bed

                   -Sloan gets herself dressed

                   -make part of breakfast

                   -set the table

                   -distribute their multi-vitamins and probiotics

           

I think getting out of their way is an important awareness because it will literally and figuratively give them the space to create greater self-confidence and responsibility for how things go in their life.

The breakthrough I saw for myself from this experience is an enlivened connection between my girls and who I am being as their mom. I am excited to continue this practice of “do nothing, say nothing” so that I can empower my daughters to discover for themselves their own intentions and what actions they need to take to have the most extraordinary lives! It’s amazing when we are open and listening we hear such beautiful opportunities to shift our thinking and who we are being. 

                                           Liv's outfit and crazy hair

                                        

carrot cupcakes with sneaky frosting

This carrot cake recipe continues to be my go to for all things carrot-ish. I use this recipe to create loaves for breakfast/brunch, cupcakes, or even double the recipe so I can make a layered birthday carrot cake. I love that there is no processed sugar and the recipe is so easy to manipulate. OH!!! BUT THE FROSTING!! It’s always about the frosting for me!

For so long I have been looking for a way to eliminate powder sugar from my cream cheese frosting. DATES! It totally works and packs just the right amount of sweetness.

This picture is from a birthday party the girls were going to and we needed to bring our own dessert. Sloan and Liv loved the frosting and we added the pink sugar on top to make it a very special treat.

BEST EVER Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups finely grated carrot (I use a food processor), unpacked
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
• 1.5 cups sprouted spelt flour (or other flour)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked for 10 minutes & drained

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and either brush muffins plan with olive oil OR use cupcake liners.

2. Put raisins in bowl and cover with very warm water. Let them soak while you work through the recipe.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the grated carrot, ground flax, pure maple syrup, almond milk, oil, vanilla, vinegar, and lemon zest. Set aside for at least two minutes while you gather the dry ingredients.

4. In another large sized bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder & soda, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (a few dry spots may remain). Fold in the raisins. Be careful not to over mix as spelt is a very delicate flour.

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

*recipe adapted from www.ohsheglows.com

Sneaky cream cheese frosting:

8 ounces vegan cream cheese (we use Tofutti), softened
4 ounces soy free Earth Balance, vegan butter, softened
1 1/4 cups Medjool pitted dates
pinch salt

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Place all dates in a bowl and pour boiling water in bowl to cover the dates. Allow dates to sit for up to 5 minutes. I find that this makes them softer and much easier to use.

2. Drain dates, peal the skin (it should be flaky), and remove the dates.

3. Place the pitted dates in a food processor and puree until it smooth.

4. Add cream cheese, butter, vanilla, pinch of salt to food processor and blend.

*If you want a silkier frosting add 1-2 tsp. of coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk) and puree.

*Pink sprinkles can be found online at http://www.indiatree.com/

Getting out of the way

Last Friday was “Grandfriend’s Day” at my daughters’ school. It’s a special time in the year when the children can share part of their morning with their grandparents or other special adults in their lives. So when Friday morning came Sloan and Liv were bursting with excitement! I mean you could feel the energy buzzing around them as they got out of bed!!

As our morning began I attempted to “slyly” coax them into wearing clothes that were not only clean (bonus here), but weather appropriate. Okay truthfully, I asked both girls, “What would you like to wear?” and obviously I wasn’t really asking them because I found their choices were less than favorable.

So, I continued trying to convince my almost 6 year old daughter, Sloan to wear an outfit I thought would be cute…I mean who wouldn’t want to wear a cute pair of pink pants and matching heart covered shirt? Right?! Can’t you just see the adorable photo opportunities in this outfit? I could, I think I was blinded by it actually.

After I laid Sloan’s outfit out on her bed, I turned around to see her eyeballing me with her arms crossed against her chest and I could feel we were about to get into it over an OUTFIT! Yes, an outfit! While I kept looking at her I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she was tightly pursing her lips together, and I just knew we needed an energy shift and quick!

She might have thought I was nuts, but I said to her, “Hold on a second, will you?” and I walked out of her bedroom and into the hallway. I stood there for a brief moment to take a breath and then I said to myself, “What am I doing? Get out of her way!” Okay, I really used more colorful language, but you get my point. I had such a moment of clarity to see how I was getting in her way of being self-expressed and I was not giving her the freedom to dress herself or immerse herself in the joy she felt about her special day! Yea, I got it loud and clear…I am so grateful for this moment.

I then walked back into her room and shared with her what I just saw for myself. It was as if a weight had been lifted. Her shoulders relaxed and she had her big, beautiful smile back. We didn’t need to talk any further since she was racing around her room selecting a super fancy dress, a pretend pearl necklace, and gigantic pearl chandelier clip-on earrings. This was my Sloan in action and her energy was contagious.

Even though this time between Sloan and I was only a tiny fraction of our day, it made all the difference in the world. Sloan’s gift to me that morning was to bring me back to who I want to be for my children, which is someone that gives them the guidance and space they need while each of them discovers who they want to be for themselves.