Yesterday&Today + My EASY Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Thought I'd add in some of my Instagram pictures...

Yesterday we were home all day. I cleaned, did laundry, and cooked. 

During a break:

Here is Ava wanting MY snack as she comes over saying, "ack? ack?" Which means I want a snack. So I ended up with one slice and she with the other that I cut up into pieces. 

Always wants mama's food... :)

(Ezekiel bread toasted with almond butter and raspberry jam...a fave around here) 

I am kind of hooked on making meals or snacks with romain leaves. It's nice fresh tasting change to the usual shell. Plus it's another green I can add in easily :)

These are just filled with guacamole, salsa, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, chia seeds, and Himalayan salt. 

Anyone else put chia seeds in their daily water ?

I do this as another way to get calcium, protein, magnesium, fiber, omega3, omega6, and iron in to my diet. It's a very easy and natural way to get a lot of health benefits into your daily diet.

I put chia seeds in Ava's yogurt for her too.  Chia seeds are a great addition to toddler and kids diets too! 

Great motto, huh? That's how I look at eating now. It's not about limiting and "not being allowed" to eat unhealthy foods. It's that I fill up on good stuff so that I'm not craving sugar and salt throughout the day. Crowding out... Genius! This little motto works in many aspects of life... People, work, experiences, attitudes, hobbies. Fill up your day with as much good as possible and you won't have enough time for the bad things, experiences, or negative people! aha!

And this...

Ava wanted this balloon while we were food shopping that morning. I thought it would be a good way to say Thank You to Mark when I saw her reaching for it. 

I helped her a bit so that she knew what to do with a crayon...

He loved it :)

Then today, I delivered the "Fit&Fabulous" themed basket. My Mommy&Me's class at Amanda's Place was given the task of trying to collect class donations to create an auction item for the program. 

With the help of the moms in our class, we raised about $100 cash and added about another $100 worth of goodies they donated. 

The remaining donated items were thanks to my amazing friends! We ended up having a basket totaling $1,160.00 !!!

We topped our $100 goal and that makes me very happy. I hope the program can raise a lot of money with this basket for Amanda's Place.

It was so much fun for me to coordinate and be involved with the program's fundraiser. 

(Pictured above me is Ava's favorite "teacher" Ms. Jen. 

FSU Alum too. Go Noles!) 

After the basket making, I picked up Ava from her Nana's house (Mark's mom). 

We headed over to Bayview Park in Ft. Lauderdale to meet up with Ava's friend Mya of our favorite and healthy place: Myapapaya | juicery + kitchen. 

Thought I'd let her burn off some energy and get some vitamin D :) 

Oh! And last night I made a pretty tasty soup if I may say so myself! (Prep&Blending took about 25total time - easy!) 

Here is what I did:

1. Cut and scoop out seeds of butternut squash then cut into big pieces to steam in large pan with 1/2 cup water. 

2. Sauté (low to medium heat) 6 garlic cloves in Olive oil 

3. Add in ingredients below to top two cooked ingredients: (all into blender) 

•1/2 cup coconut milk

•2 cups vegetable broth 

•Few dashes of thyme (fresh if you have it) 

•2 chopped up apples 

•Sprig or two of fresh Rosemary 

•Few dashes of Himalayan salt 

and 

•Pepper(optional) 

4. Blend on High for 7 min. 

(If you aren't working with a Vitamix, heat in sauce pan afterwards.

If you are using a Vitamix, then the soup will already be heated after the 7 min blending process.) 

Enjoy your delicious Apple Butternut Squash Soup! 

Made with Love,

Christina 

Fit & Fabulous + GREEN smoothie + free apps

Wednesday morning means Mommy&Me class. 

Today, Ava was at the play kitchen for a majority of the class. She colored for the 1st time today :) 

They had a coloring station set up when we first arrived. Look's like I'll have to start investing in some crafts! yay. 

Today, I was nominated for our Mommy&Me class's "Basket coordinator.".

The Amanda's Place raffle night is to raise money for the program that has about 200+ families. 

I am organizing the "Fit & Fabulous" basket that our class voted on. 

I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited to be the coordinator and collect all of the donated items / and purchase the rest of the "goodies" with donated money! 

Fit & Fabulous covers so much area: spa items, health goods, work out clothes or classes: yoga/ pilates/crossfit etc., family activities for the outdoors... So many things can fit into our category which is great 

(and I have tax write off papers for the donors which is always a plus!!!) 

They are aiming for a $100-200 value basket of donated items but I'm hoping to exceed that! 

I'll post the finished basket in about a month or less. I already can't wait to see which family gets the "Fit&Fabulous" basket that I will work so hard on! 

(I wonder if I am allowed to bid on it too?! Haha) 

Moving on...

Here are some free apps that help if you are wondering which brands to buy to switch out something you already use but want a healthy option instead. Hope you like them! 

And when in doubt, this little butterfly label below is the official 3rd, outside party (Non-GMO Poject) that uses it's stamp of aproval to assure customers that they have verified a product to be not genetically modified. (USDA Organic label also ensures that it is non GMO.) You may have seen these popping up more and more. Love that little label! 

And my favorite helper... Ava knows it's smoothie time when we get home from mommy&me class.

Excited as you can see

Thought I'd ask if anyone's ever tried this organic black bean spaghetti? Kind of odd haha but I thought it could be a great little addition to a taco salad or veggie tacos ?  Maybe even a fun way for kids to chow down on some healthy, gluten free spaghetti ? It is  naturallyblack so many you can name it something creative that your kid will think is cool... Nighttime noodles? I am not that creative so I am sure some mom will come up with a great little name. 

I'm going to look for it in Whole Foods next time I go.

Last night, we drove over to my mother in law's house to visit with Grandma Ann (Mark's grandma) who is in town from ND... they pulled this picture out of Luke (Mark's half brother) and Ava is a spitting imagine of him!! Looks like she and Uncle Luke are two peas in a pod. Too cute. 

Have a nice rest of the day! I'll be heading outside with Ava when she wakes form her nap and then off to who knows.  Maybe I'll find some nice donors for my basket today *hint, hint!* 

XO

Christina 

Healthy Habit: Daily Green Smoothies {+Resolution Update}

Happy Hump Day!

Today has been a fun morning. Ava and I played, danced, and sang at mommy&me class. We also made this...

Our little pot of gold :) She is so talented.

After mommy&me class this morning, we came home and I started preparing daily green smoothie. 

One of my friends requested that I do a green juice/smoothie post: here ya go! :)

Today I used: 

Big handful of Kale, 1/2 apple, juice from 1/2 a lemon, thumb sized of peeled ginger root, some water = blend. 

(By the way, I do not use a traditional blender or juicer. I use a simple, hand blender. Clean up is easier and faster for me this way. 

The one I have is similar to this one below in the link provided, but about mine is about 3 years older since I got it around our wedding.)

click > Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-75 Hand Blender

If you like info graphics, here is one to help guide you at the grocery store:

   

Credit: MindBodyGreen.com

And sometimes if I am running low on fresh fruits/veggies, I pull out my supply of organic, frozen fruits...

I buy them at Whole Foods and they are easy and inexpensive to always have on hand.

My publix (Palm Aire location) recently started carrying these bags of Kale. I love it because it is all Kale (not a kale mix) and it's huge! I think I only paid like $2.50 for it too! That is my green base for the whole week! 

I usually mix up my greens from kale to baby spinach to rainbow chard to celery... I don't distcriminate. Plus, it's great to switch it up for your body so that you get the different benefits of each kind. 

Also, remember to peel your ginger root (if you want to use a powerhouse, health ingredient!)

You can't really mess it up...have fun with it. 

 If it tastes a little too green for your liking, add a banana or some berries to sweeten it up. 

Either way, you will get a ton of nutrients that your body isn't getting in processed foods, fast food, etc. 

Eat your whole, nutrient dense foods- and/or drink them! 

{And I'll be honest...I have my moments where I eat something that I know is not good for me, but I also know that I have given my body really great nutrition with my daily smoothie.  

 Imagine those who eat processed junk all day and don't eat or drink anything raw and nutrient-dense. You wonder how their body is even functioning. Chances are those people are tired, sick, and grumpy more often. 

Keep those raw greens and other fruits and veggies in your daily diet - trust me, you'll notice a difference and your immune system, skin, hair, nails, digestion, mood, (and baby - if you're expecting!) will thank you. 

 (I say "raw" because raw = more health benefits. When you cook your veggies, for example, you are killing some of the nutrition with the high heat.)

Any veggie is better than none, but if you can get some raw ones in each day - the better! 

*Prevention is key. Kill disease and illness from your body before it starts forming or before it can progress. Let food be thy medicine.*

P.S.

If you love chips and you haven't tried these yet...

Do it. You'll love them. 

Mark and I keep these on hand at all times for something crunchy. 

The green bag is also great. I think it's a jalapeño flavor. Publix does a great job of keeping them on sale often. 

I am doing well with my new year's resolution of keeping clutter free of "heavy things and people" in my life. The cleaning out of our closets, junk drawers, night stand tables, storage, etc. have been ongoing. I did this all the time in college when I felt stressed or overwhelmed with something. I was always throwing something out.

Now, I call the Vietnam Veterans of America and they come and pick up our donated items on the day we choose. So easy!!! Pus, I feel better that it is going to them rather than Goodwill which I am not a fan of. 

I also find myself saving my free time for family and close friends rather than keeping in touch with acquaintances all the time. Plus, I notice I am happier when my circle is smaller. Becoming a mother has definitely taught me to use my time and energy wisely and on those who love and appreciate me the most. 

How are you doing on your resolutions ? 

XO

Christina 

Today's Mommy & Me Class

Hi there! Earlier this morning we had a our first mommy and me class at Amanda's Place. It was an hour and a half of pure cuteness. 

Ava made a lot of new friends and enjoyed wearing her new Halloween "Frankenstein" socks from her Godmother. All of the little ones interacted so well! I always love seeing Ava's expressions and personality when she is around another baby. Too cute. 

A big Thank You to Mark's mother for enrolling us in this 8 week mommy and me class! We are loving it!!! 

 This is Ava and I playing in the waiting area before class started. We were early as usual. 

Our pretty girl 

We even made Daddy a present from his "little bat" for Halloween! 

Her little hands are the bat wings. 

It's clean up time already?! 

But I don't want to leave my new friends...

Now we are back at home and enjoying a snack before our afternoon nap. Yes, that's a snack stuck to her head. It happens. 

Later today, we will go for a stroll and head over to the park. 

Happy Wednesday... Only 3 days until Ava's 1st birthday! 

...Go Ava and Go Seminoles on Saturday!!! Cannot wait!!! 

XO

Christina