Home Made Baby Wipes

I have made these a couple of time now. I must admit, I like them. I find them, not only money saving, but also eco-friendly.  I don't use an icecream bucket, instead, I do it the "hard way" by folding the papers on top of eachother and placing them in an empty baby wipes container. I also do not own an electric knife as of yet, so I have actually been sawing the rolls into two with a bread knife :)

Homemade Baby Wipes
A recipe that the Duggars learned from Gil and Kelly Bates, parents of 18--soon to be 19--children (as of December 2011).

• Using an electric knife, if available, cut an entire roll of paper towels lengthwise into two separate rolls. Each will be about the size of a toilet paper roll. The Duggars have tried other brands but have found Bounty to work best. 
• Combine 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 2 tablespoons of baby oil in a mixing bowl. For extra softness and a sweet scent, add a tablespoon of infant bubble bath. 
• Place one half-roll of paper towel vertically in a clean, 1-gallon container, such as an ice cream bucket. 
• Drizzle the liquid mixture over the paper towel roll. 
• Cut an X-shaped slit into the lid of the container, and place it securely on top of the bucket. 
• After 30 minutes, open the lid and remove the cardboard tube  
• To prevent the wipes from drying out, keep the lid on at all times. 
• Feed the first wipe, from the inside of the roll, through the X-shaped slit for easy access.  

Recipe Rephrased and Reformatted. Original Recipe Source: "The Duggars: 20 and Counting!" by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar (Howard Books).

Morning Smoothie

This morning we had a yummy smoothie. A HEALTHY yummy smoothie. 

You can see what the ingredients are good for by clicking on them.

Ingredients                                     serves 4-6

2½ C orange juice

1 C Yogurt (vanilla)

1 banana

50g dark green lettuce

1 ripe avocado

1½ C frozen berries

3 capsules of multi-billion probiotics, emptied in

drizzle of cold pressed virgin olive oil, but you can use other healthy oils too. Hemp oil though, is very overpowering in a smoothie.

**3-4 cherry tomatoes work as a natural MSG but I didn't have any this time.**

Step 1

Blend all the ingredients well.

Step 2

Enjoy!

Live-Raw Sweet Apricot and Almond Cookies

I flipped through my favourite Raw and Live Food 'cook' book and came across this recipe, in the pages I have never really bothered to look at before. It was in the "raising rainbow babies" chapter for babies 8months and older! Well I am older than 8 months, but I still had to have a go! I had everything but Almond extract and nutmeg in my pantry! This comfirmed making it TODAY. I went to the shop to buy the missing ingredients but replaced the currants with cranberries and sultanas. If we lived in Finland, I could've gotten currants for dime a kilo! Quick to make - once nuts have soaked overnight - and really YUMMY! Not to mention all the benefits of every ingredient. I will list some of the benefits of the ingredients after the recipe for those who are interested in learning about how awesome our God is in creating such wonder foods!!  This can be made in the oven too. Keep it below 50*C and oven slightly open-

2 C    almonds, soaked                                       

1 C    dried apricots, soaked                             

1 C    coconut pulp                                             

1/2 C currants, soaked         (I recommend raisins instead, for less 'bitter' cookie**)                           

1 C    fresh young coconut water                      

1/2 T vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean                

1 t     almond extract            (I recomment 1/2t because it was overpowering**)                             

1 t     nutmeg                       (I recommend 1/4t, because it was overpowering**)                                

1 t     cinnamon

Cousens, Gabriel M.D. Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, 2003

Step 1

Blend all ingredients in food processor.

Step 2

Drop batter on teflex sheet in heaping tablespoons. Slightly flatten cookies with a spoon so they 

will fit in dehydrator.

Step 3

Dehydrate 2 hours at 145*F. Flip cookies over and continue to dehydrate at 115*F for another 4-6 hours. Mine took a little longer because I didn't flatten them thin enough before dehydrating them.

Step 4

Cookies will store refrigerated for a week or longer. Makes 45-50 cookies.

 I replaced currants with sultanas**

Just click on the ingredients and it will direct you to easy-read sites with loads of info.

Almonds:

Soaked Almonds is a rich source of
protein,
fiber,
vitamin E,
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids,
calcium,
magnesium and
zinc.
You gain all the benefits of almonds, if you eat it in the right way. And
B12
is activated through the soaking process.
Apricots
Coconut Pulp and Coconut Water
Currants

Family Rose Easter Menu and Recipes

Roast Beef

I sear it before putting it in the oven 400*F for about an hour untill the inside temperature reaches 75*C. I lay the beef on top of thickly sliced onions and pour over some water to create the steam and juice whilst roasting. I use the left over juice in my gravy.

Roast Lamb 
Click for recipe

Pasha
Click for recipe

Green Salad with Goat Cheese

I dip the slices of goat cheese in batter (just milk works fine too) and then bread crumbs, and fry it on a medium heat with butter until they are golden and crisp. Place a few slices on top of a bed of greens and drizzle balsamic oil on top. Plain and delicious.

Roast Vegg

I chop swede, beets, onion, potatoes and carrots, place them in a glass dish. I drizzle olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, parsley and pepper- throw in a few cloves of garlic with skin on and then some rosemary. They roast in the oven at the same time as the roast beef. 

Raw Key Lime Pie Recipe

Coconut Crust

Yield: 3 cups, for one 9-inch pie or tart crust

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded dried coconut

1 1/2 cups raw macademia nuts or raw walnuts, unsoaked

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, unsoaked

Place the coconut, macadamia nuts or walnuts, and salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until coarsly ground. Add the dates and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and begins to stick together. Don't overprocess. Stored in a sealed container, Coconut Crust will keep for one month in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.  

 

Key Lime Mousse
Yield: 1 cup, 2 servings

3/4 cup mashed avocados (1 1/2 avocados)
1/4 cup raw honey or agave nectar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Sliced fresh kiwifruit and/or berries, for garnish (optional)

Place the avocados, honey and lime juice in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until smooth. Stop occasioally to scrape down the slides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Garnish with kiwifruit slices and/or berries, if desired. Serve immediately.

Cornbleet, Jennifer Raw Food Made Easy 2005

Thoughts from a happy customer, husband Simon.

Well, to be perfectly honest, I was somewhat sceptical. Wasn't sure what to expect, seems as though I am perhaps known for my sweet tooth... no it's ok, it's true, I can admit it.

Firstly it looks fantastic, if looks were anything to go by, it'd be a hit anyway. I have to say it was delicious! And what was that you say... healthy! Wow. I would recommend anybody to give this a try, a really light desert without the bloated, uncomfortable feeling afterwards. There might be something in this healthy eating stuff!! ;-)

Simon

Fruit Leather

Fruit Leather
 

Our kids love Fruit Roll-Ups and I don't buy them any. The ingredients are shocking! Chemicals upon chemicals (hormonal disturbants), sugar upon sugar, sweeteners (another hormonal disturbant), colouring- the list goes on! So I make our own with real berries, fruit and juice. Sometimes I add shredded coconut or chocolate chips on top to make it a even yummy-er treat! Sometimes I add homemade yogurt into the mixture to give it a candy taste and feel to it. Be creative! An oven works just as well, for those who do not own a dehydrator.


Fruits and berries to use and to mix together:
Banana, passionfruit, peaches, persimon, apricot, cranapple, apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries (YUM!), pineapple, blackberries, gooseberries, papaya, mango (another YUM!), soaked raisins, plums, figs, orange -you name it! Sometimes I even add small amount of vegetables (shhhh!!!)


Puree fruit and berries in blender. Pour onto a Paraflexx*, kitchen parchment paper, or plastic wrap. Using a spatula spread thinly leaving the outside slightly thicker, and dehydrate at 135*F/57*C untill leathery. Tip1: as you spread, make it slightly thicker on the outside than the middle, this way it will dry evenly. Tip2: You can sprinkle, chopped nuts, seads, coconut, chocolate before dehydrating for an extra special treat. Add a squeeze of lemon juice as a natural preservative and colour enhancer ;)

Do note, I have done this in my oven too! You just keep the heat low (under 50) and the oven open. I had a few trials and errors, but you can figure it out! It's worth it!

I roll them up in plastic wrap and cut 1" thick slices and keep them in a ziplock bag. If your mixture has yogurt in it, it would be best to store it in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Home Made Yogurt Recipe

This is a Yogurt recipe I found after we moved to Canada. I bought a dehydrator from Excalibur and the "cook" book came with it. We couldn't believe how expensive yogurt was over here! Coming from a Nordic country, where dairy products are eaten far too much , we had already given up milk along time ago and replaced it with almond and soy milk. The soy yogurts over here are not as good as we are accustomed to, so we therefore make our own yogurt from dairy. This recipe can be made without a dehydrator, if one can find a suitably warm place for the pots. In Finland a sauna room would be ideal, or a slightly OPEN, low temperature oven. My grandmother would have had it setting on her kitchen table, because her kitchen was warm enough due to being a wood heated house. This yogurt contains no sugar, preservatives etc and you can make lots for a lot less than you are paying right now. I will be experimenting on soy milk too! Keep you posted on that later!

Yogurt

Excalibur Preserve it Naturally "Cook" Book


4 C milk                                                              Metric measurement: 1C=2.4dl
½C instant powdered milk
2T Plain Yogurt (with culture)
1t vanilla, almond or other essence (optional)

Add powdered milk and essence to the milk and bring to the boil for a few seconds. Cool to 120*F/49*C. Add plain yogurt to a 1/4 C of the boiled milk to make a thick sauce. Stir into remainder of the boiled milk, mixing well. Empty the mixture into clean glass or plastic jars/containers with lids (I use 8 small plastic Glade containers) and place on the bottom of the dehydrator. Set temperature at 115*F/46*C. After 3 hours, check to see if yogurt is set. if so, cool (in the fridge). If not set, check every 15 minutes until it is set. Do note: Do not check by mixing it or shaking it, it will ruin the process.

Order in a chaotic home (mind), finally!

^{Eccleciasted 3:1
1} There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

I found something that helped me tremendously back in Finland. A WEEKLY FRIDGE  PLANNER! How I forgot about this, I do not know? My guess is that I have been so overwhelmed with moving continents, taking care of the kids (mostly alone) and being pregnant and sick. However, I have found it; re-wrote it; it's neither here nor there; not perfect, but at least it's giving me a direction. I feel less stressed just by creating it. Calm.

We do not follow it to the letter, or the minute, all of the time, but we believe that if we aim for the stars, we at least hit the tree tops- which is good enough for us! Also, it gives Simon and I plenty of together time which we have lacked since our move. Instead of having to 'pick up the pieces' at night, we can now cuddle and study the Word or watch movies together- Bliss!

Be blessed!

P.S email me if you want the excel sheet to create your own. It's colour coded because the kids memorize it that way:) they like to know what is going on:)

Update and Super- Healthy Morning Smoothie!

Writer: Cathy

Current weight: 73kg
Target weight: 65kg

It's late September and my fitness regime has quieted down yet my health regime is going strong.

Every morning, without fail, my kids and I drink this Super Healthy Smoothie. Into a blender add,

• orange juice
• ½ Avocado (ripe!)
• vanilla yoghurt (soy based or such)
• probiotics (multi-billion)
• chlorella
• dark green lettuce
• 1 tomato (works as a natural MSG)
• banana
• frozen berries
• dried ground berries
• powdered magnesium (optional)

Blend on smoothie mode and enjoy!

Once we wake up, we drink our smoothies while we think about what we want for breakfast/brunch:)

I don't have to fight my kids to finish their vegg when I know they got a good dose of greens first thing in the morning.

-30kg!

Writer: Cathy

Current weight :76kg/ 167lbs

Weight lost: 30kg/66lbs

Well! It's a happy day! I have completed my STOTT Pilates IMP Course 2 weeks ago and I have begun teaching already! This is great because not only is teaching a job, but it's a way of learning in this field. I'm loving it and so are my clients who are seeing results!

I have been experimenting on myself and my family with new recipes (RAW/LIVE FOODS) and Pilates (I've left the kids alone!). Simon and I still go to the gym but now we know it's not about superficial muscles, sure they look pretty - BUT it's about the SOUL, MIND and BODY! And the deeper muscles;-)

Soul Food for example... there's truth in that. And I'm not just talking about 'food'.

How does STOTT Pilates differ from Regular Pilates? click HERE

Private and Semi Private lessons available. Inc.Postural Analysis and Program

Nutrition advice available. Inc. Analysis and Program

Ask for a quote cathyrosepilates (at) gmail.com

Stott Pilates

Writer: Cathy
As some of you may already know, I am currently doing my STOTT Pilates Intensive Matt plus Instructor Course located in Helsinki center, at PilatesHelsinki Studio.

Well, I am so excited! I have definately found something special, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me in STOTT Pilates. After this course, I am allowed to teach and I can't wait! Especially because I am so close in finishing my courses in Nutrition Therapy at Stone Bridge College! Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me since I would love for you to be a success story! Hint hint, nodge nodge**


Have a look at the link above for what STOTT Pilates is and how it differs from the Regular Pilates.

Peace out, be blessed!

xx
p.s I am going to post some "before and after pics" of myself and Simon! We've been our own guinea pigs and aren't finished yet!

Sugar: Sweet or Bitter?

I'm Krystal.

I'm new here.

I'm from Canada.

I have a husband and two kids.

I try to feed healthy food to my family.

That's my bio.

Eating healthy food is a constant education. It can be a chore. It can be fun. In most cases, the problem with healthy eating is that everything that is inexpensive is full of chemicals and processed so much that it no longer has any of its original nutritional value.

As my husband has embarked upon the process of "losing the love handles", we were constantly surprised that no matter how healthy we seemed to eat, he just could not move past that elusive weight plateau. Those love handles were holding on, at all costs.

Now, we had already been aware of such evils as monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, sucralose, and soy protein isolate, just to name a few, and we had mostly eliminated those things from our diet. Of course it came as no surprise to me to find, in my research, yet another "drug" in our food that is keeping us fat and sick: fructose.

In North America, there has been a heavy taxing of sugar. This has caused an unnatural inflation in the cost of sugar and for food manufacturers, became a problem when trying to put out products that people could afford. So alternative methods of sweeteners were sought. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was born. In Canada, this is labeled on food products as "glucose/fructose", and since glucose is actually very healthy for you, as it can be metabolized by every cell in your body, the title on the food labels is sort of misleading. Because of the low cost of sweetening foods with HFCS, it can be found in almost everything, and you'd be surprised at where you can find it in your supermarket: bread, ketchup, bbq sauce, pop, frozen juices, and the list goes on.

The problem with high amount of fructose is that our bodies do not know how to metabolize it. Thirty percent of all fructose you eat will be automatically turned into celluloid fat, a fat that your body will almost never be able to wear off. The reason for this? Our bodies are not designed to eat high amounts of fructose. Whenever you see fructose in nature, it is always packaged in such a way that makes it digestible, with high amounts of fibre. 

So what am I trying to say to you?

Switch to a low-fructose diet. Simple.

Read your food labels and be aware of the things you are putting into your body. You may not look at it this way, but food is actually a drug, with the power for good or evil in your body. When you put good food in, your body will thank you.

Getting rid of HFCS has been a challenge for us because so many of my awesome recipes require something that is made with it. We are in the process of purging our cupboards to get rid of all HFCS, will you do it too?

Here are a couple of resources which we found helpful. The video is quite scientific, but certainly understandable... take some time and listen. If you'd rather read? Try this book: The Sugar Fix. The book also had recipes and suggestions to rid your diet of high amount of fructose. A valuable tool.

Good luck!!
Krystal out.

After 4 months..

Writer: Cathy.

Well it's been quite a summer with dieting and working out. All in all I weigh 78 kilos. That is a 28kilo loss from child birth. Not bad! I got 10+ kilos to go. We will see how things start progressing.

I did that 4 week diet and i think I lost 8 kilos first try. I didn't continue after 4 weeks since it was too unnatural for me to eat the same !*?& every day, every week... I love food and I believe that eating was also created for pleasure.

The only thing that I took from that diet that I am still doing, is my 1st thing in the morning shake which is

• 40g diet mix protein powder
• 800ml of cold water

I seem to have lost another 2kg just by replacing my breakfast with that shake. I eat lunch, a snack, dinner and sometimes even something in the evening. More about WHAT I am eating, later. It's going good.

I did run the Naisten 10 in May. I ran 10K in 1h 3minutes which was good for an over weight person. I am aiming to lose more weight and to run it in less than a hour NEXT TIME!

I bought myself a Excalibur Dehydrator and now finally I can use my Rainbow Live Food Cuisine Recipe Book and create a new eating plan for my family. I am really excited. Have a look by clicking on the links! At the moment I am making us coconut and garam masala crackers... this will be interesting!

Well that is for that now untill SOON! Keep on visiting our Blog and you will be posted and wiser!

God Bless.

Update on 4 week Diet

So, it's been 2 and ½ weeks since I began my diet. The beginning was hard, the fat free curd was something to get used to. Now, I seem to enjoy it, seem to look forward to my curd and berry moments. I'm not hungry. I eat in such clock work fashion that I don't get hungry. I'm experimenting with different recipes to keep my diet interesting.

Sometimes it's hard to watch other people eat cakes, bread, muffins, and other stuff like fruits that I am not allowed to eat but I bare it. As Kate Moss says [and I somehow agree with to an extent] " nothing tastes as good as skinny feels". Sometimes as I sit through the cake eating, I sometimes feel like I've eaten cake and I am satisifed. I leave the table feeling content and not a bloated feeling. That's the only difference between them and me :)

I have lost 22, 4kg since pregnancy- 7,4 kg with this diet. So I'm going to do this to the end, and hopefully continue with this untill I have lost another 13kg. I can do it. I can.

Looking forward to running around with my kids and not feeling overwhelmed with 'back boobs' and an out of shape sweat.

Weight 83,6kg

Praise God!

4 Week Diet

Today is the first day of my high protein 4 week diet. All I can say is that it's high in dairy products which my system is not used to. We rarely eat dairy.

This diet has been "given to me" by Finland's Gold metalist of the Body Fitness Masters, Jutta Gustafsberg. You may want to visit her website at GOJUTTAGO and have a look.

Here it is!

Aamiainen/Breakfast

• 45 g kaurahiutale/oats
• 100 g raejuusto, rasvaton/fat free cottage cheese
  
• 1,5 dl mehukeitto, sokeroimaton/sugar free berry-fruit soup
  
• + Omega 3 2 kpl

Lounas/Lunch

• 100 g kana, chicken / 100 g naudanliha, beef / 100 g kala, fish
  
• 1 kpl kananmunanvalkuainen, eggwhite / 25 g rasvaton raejuusto , Fat free cottage cheese
  
• 200 g vihanneksia vapaa valintaisesti/Free choice of vegetables
• 5 g oliiviöljy/oliveoil

Välipala/snack

• maitorahka 250 g/curd
  
• 100 g pakastemarjoja/frozen berries
  
• tai,or 1 kpl Pro-Fx lo-carb bar -proteiinipatukka / 40g Fast Dietmix

Päivällinen/Dinner

• 100 g kana / 100 g naudanliha / 100 g kala
• 40 g riisi, rice / 40 g pasta / 170 g peruna, potato
  
• 200 g vihanneksia vapaa valintaisesti
• 5 g oliiviöljy

Iltapala/eve snack

• 250 g maitorahka / 150 g raejuusto, rasvaton
• 1 dl mehukeitto, sokeroimaton
• 10 g vehnäleseitä
• + Omega 3 2kpl

Palautusjuoma (heti välittömästi treenin jälkeen, vain treenipäivinä)/Post workout shake

• 40 g Fast Dietmix (kovaa treenaavat voivat käyttää tuhdimpaa palautusjuomaa esim. Fast Reco 2)

It's too early to even comment on how I feel or how my body is coping. But all I can say, is that I want to give it a try and "just do it!"

My weight now is 87kg/191lbs, I have come down from 102kg /225lbs (after birth weight) but am impatient and wanting to knock off heck more weight before my 10K run this month. Two years ago I ran (non-stop) the 10K in 1 h 13 minutes weighing 81kg/178,2lbs and unless my weight comes down, I don't think that I will improve that time at all. I am proud of myself for the fact that my running is really good taking into account how much extra weight I am carrying.