Simply put...

I'm taking some me time. I'm sorry that means I missed the last Tasty Tuesday. Rest assured, next Tuesday will have a recipe for Veggie Dillas. You can make them without queso people. :)

I'll share a little more as to why I'm taking some me time in a couple weeks. I'm trying to keep up with Gid and work at the moment, so the me time portion is...interesting. lol

In the mean time, I hope you're still well. I hope life is going along and you are able to find moments of joy. I hope you're happy and healthy. :)

Until the next entry,
M :)

Life Changes

So much can be said with the two words that make the title to this post.

Life is full of change. Life, by definition, is change. Ours has been going through some big ones over the past few months.

Starting in January, much heavier than I ever would have thought I'd get, I made some changes for my family I stopped eating white flour and white sugar. I cut out almost all pasta, and what we did eat was whole wheat. I replaced pasta with veggies and started making a lot of our own foods, so that I knew what was in it. It sounded hard, time consuming, and expensive. The more I did it though, the easier I found it. The less I was spending on food and the fewer things were ending up in the trash. I started to see the change in my feet and hands first, then my thighs and arms.

In March, I found out my Grandma might need open heart surgery. Now, many people wouldn't think twice about this. I haven't really shared a lot in the past couple years with y'all. My Grandfather passed away last summer. Grandma is the last one I have. She's also diabetic and has some other health things going on. So, I was desperately looking for things to help her make it through. From diet to supplements.

Enter Juice Plus+. Now, before you stop reading because you think I'm going to get salesy or like an infomercial, remember that I'm always 100% upfront with y'all. :) I was super skeptical. With all the different things out there promising to be magic pills and potuons, I wasn't going to get my grandma into anything without asking every sales trained question I could. I went to the store and price checked. I nerded out over 30 research papers done with the products lines. I asked Uncle Google about scams and misinformation  (oh.my.goodness. some people need lives. Not to be mean, just stating that some people will complain about anything)

Let's just say, I tested the resolve of the person I was talking to in every way I could think of. She didn't waiver, she connected me to board certified doctors, athletes, moms...all normal people with the same results.

To date, I've gotten rid of over 60 pounds. I'm down from a size 24 to a size 16. I get better sleep and have much more energy. And, I don't need a cup of tea or coffee every day. I no longer have that dependency.

I partnered with the company because I wanted to help others experience health the way I had. That has been an amazing journey and a true gift. :)

I'm now running my own company, and I'm backed by years of track record.

I started sharing my recipes here. Favorites with a twist of health. I don't deny myself food. I eat pizza here and there, we've had cookies. But, 8 don't feel like I need to eat half a pizza, or a whole carton of cookies. I have a better relationship with food and crave fruits and veggies. My brain has been reprogrammed to what it should be. :) And I'm really happy with that.

And my almost 2 and a half year old...well, he hasn't gotten sick. We didn't get the flu when it came around in June. :)

I'm building two businesses, I'm staying home with Gid, and I'm sharing recipes with y'all. That's what I'm doing. Some changes coming our way, some changes already happening. Life changes. :)

Apologies!

Hey there faithful reader!

Stopping by to say I didn't forget about your Tasty Tuesday for yesterday, I was out of town spending some time with family we don't see often enough. I'm off to bed now, however, I will be getting you the tasty you deserve, worry not!

We had so much fun, slept more than I have in a while. On an air mattress, no less. Saw some sights, went to the park. Didn't make it to the beach. Maybe next time. :)

Now, back to conquering the world, one healthy choice at a time. I'll post soon about the businesses, you won't want to miss it! :)

Tasty Tuesday pt. 2: Potato Chowder

Usually I call this potato soup, but I realized it's more of a potato chowder. Either way it's filling and delicious. Hardy for winter nights and even satisfying in the summer.

I have a #lifehack that makes it even easier to do. :) Find it in the ingredients below.

Ingredients:
3 medium golden potatoes, cubed
3 to 5 cups oat milk, you can use cow milk here as well.
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 cups Roasted Veggies, see previous recipe. I usually cook extra to make meals quicker. :)

Directions:
1. In large pot, heat coconut oil and add cubed potatoes over medium heat. Add nutritional yeast, stir well.
2. Bring mixture to temperature and cover, cooking for approximately 15 minutes.
3. Add Roasted Veggies, heat thoroughly. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add milk slowly to prevent curdling. Stir well.
5. Place on heat again and bring to just boiling.

You're done! Serve and eat! Most people like it with a little cheese, which takes it from Vegan to Vegetarian.  Whichever does it for you, I hope you enjoy this family favorite. :) 

Cleaning up labels.

Looks like I have quite a few different foody labels. I'll be condensing sometime soon. I have My Cookbook and Cookbook, as well as Tasty Tuesday, and Make It Monday. We shall see how this changes.

Last night I got a whole lot of nothing done because Littlest Giant decided he didn't want to sleep soundly.

So, today I'm going to go by a couple tips that should help me get back on track and productive. These come from Eric Worre's Periscope yesterday.

1. Consistency - Be less distracted and change your focus. Set your hours and don't waiver. As a mom of a toddler, this is going to be difficult, however, he's a kid that is used to routine, so maybe we'll work it out better than I'm thinking.

2. Contribution - Provide value. For people on my team, for people I'm talking to about my products.
It's a mindset about serving others, not about myself or my numbers.

3. Skills - Be teachable and trainable. The best teams are also the most skilled. This will mean watching videos, taking notes and putting these skills into practice.

4. Build Your Belief - What kind of belief drives you? This goes back to a mentality of scarcity. When you have that mentality you act out of desperation, not motivation. Get your head right about when you're doing what you're doing and believe in the process.

5. Hard work - Put in your sweat equity. You can feel as though you're doing a lot, but if they're not activities that benefit the mission, are you really that busy? Figure out what are activities that will further the cause. Work on those.

Notice that hard work is the last one. Not because it's not important, because it definitely is the cornerstone of getting yourself going in whatever business you do. You need to establish those other habits to make your hard work count. If you're working hard without direction, you're going to get burnt out and find that you have no time for anyone or anything.

This is me asking y'all to keep me accountable. Ready? I move fast. :)

Tasty Tuesday pt. 1: Oat Milk

Good morning! I thought doing my twofer at two different times made sense and that making milk in the morning make even more sense. :)

This recipe is very simple. It does require a blender, however, it's worth the little time it does take. I'm lactose intolerant. I've found ways to get around the sensitivity with cheese and yogurt, but never with milk. I do drink Lactaid sometimes. I've found I prefer alternative milks now. :)

Oat Milk

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked steel cut oats ( you can use rolled oats as well, I just prefer steel cut for the creamy factor)
Water to cover

Soaked oats
3 cups cold filtered water
2 to 4 dates, optional

Directions:
1. Place oats in a bowl, cover with water. Allow for an inch or so of water over the top of the oats. This will allow the oats to absorb as much as they need and help work off the oat goo. It's a protective coating that you want to wash off. This needs to sit anywhere from one hour (with warm water) to over night (with cool water) I like to let it sit over night.
2. Strain and rinse oats.
3. Add soaked oats and 3 cups of water to your blender. If you want sweet milk, add some dates. If not, leave them out. :)
4. Blend on a medium high setting for 4 or 5 minutes. Not enough to heat it, but just to pulverize all the oats.
5. Strain twice through fine mesh. I let the milk sit between strainings and the mealy part tends to settle to the bottom making the straining process easier. I do also keep the oat meal that comes from this and put it into oat and date breakfast bars. :)
6. Pour into container and allow to chill. I use a mason jar with lit.

You should use this over the next week. :)

Voila! It's done. It does have an oatey taste when you drink it straight, but I like the flavor it adds to cereal and tea. :)
Enjoy!