Avocado Toast, a great nutritional breakfast!

Today, I am going to forget my kids for a moment. I want to talk about real nutrition for myself. I am noticeably overweight, and have been for my entire life. (Note: I weighed 97 pounds in Kindergarten!!) That being said, I have lost weight on and off throughout my life, through various methods. In the past year, I have quit focusing on a number on a scale, and started focusing on the nutrition that I put into my body. Have I seen a huge payoff in a scale number? No. Have I seen my mood and other physical changes? Yes, and for the better! So, this brings me to my favorite find...Avocado toast. This is a great nutritional breakfast or snack for anytime during the day. It is delicious, and also satisfying. 

Ingredients: 

One slice of low calorie, all natural bread of your choice

1/2 cup of diced avocado

Salt and pepper (Optional)

I start by halving my bread and toasting it. I half it because this particular bread (discussed below) doesn't fit in my toaster whole.

  I, then, dice my avocado and put it into a tupperware container.

 I use only 1/2 cup of the diced avocado, but probably a little less, for the entire piece of bread.

 Smear the avocado over both pieces. Then you can add seasonings to your liking. Note: This is delicious without anything at all!

Avocado(1/2 cup, diced):: 120 calories, 11 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 cholesterol, 5 grams of dietary fiber, and 1.5 grams of protein
Toast(1 slice):: 100 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 1 gram of dietary fiber, and 3 grams of protein

For one slice of toast with 1/2 cup of avocado, you are getting the following nutritional values:
220 calories
11 grams of fat (all plant based, no added oils or processed junk)
1.5 grams of saturated fat
0 cholesterol
6 grams of dietary fiber
4.5 grams of protein

Not to mention the high values of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Potassium in the avocado!!
This is what makes this so nutritional! So, go and enjoy a slice and don't feel guilty about it.

Now, for my bread choice. We eat an all-natural diet. We are not 100% organic, but I do use mostly organic fruits, vegetables, and seasonings in our home. We do NOT use any artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, artificial flavors, or bad preservatives (TBHQ, BHT, BHA) ever. We only buy products that have been proven to be free of the things we avoid as a family. So, for our bread, we use Trader Joe's The Shepherd's Bread. This bread is amazing and delicious. It has a low calorie count and no fat, and contains fiber and protein. One slice is approximately 8 inches long and 5 inches high, so you can use a single slice for toast or to make a sandwich. Please seen the nutritional information below, and notice the packaging from Trader Joe's. They offer a pretty great variety of breads, but this is the best nutritionally, if you are looking for a "white" bread.

Mama's One Pot Pasta with Asparagus and Tomato Basil sauce

I have seen numerous one dish pasta recipes, and they all rely on some form of canned product. I set out to see if I could reconstruct a pasta dish using only whole vegetables and fruit, rather than using canned products. I also didn't want to add a lot of oil to a sauce. So, I came up with this. I used a One-Pot Pasta recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for my guide, but the ingredients and quantities are different; therefore, I bring you Mama's One Pot Pasta with Asparagus and Tomato Basil sauce!

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces organic penne rigatte (or any pasta!)
• 1 pint of organic tomatoes (You could also use a large can of diced if you must use a can)
• 1 bunch of asparagus, washed and bottom 3 inches removed
• 4 cups chicken broth 
• 1 large onion 
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12-15 basil leaves

1 tablespoon of salt
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or sliced mozzarella
  
   Place a deep frying pan on the stove, over medium-high heat, and lightly spray with olive oil. We use Trader Joe's Premium Olive Oil spray.
  
  
   Dice an entire onion, and place into your pan. Stir gently to coat and distribute evenly for cooking.
  
  
  
   Quarter a pint of cherry or grape tomatoes. You can use any variety you choose.
  
  
   Add tomatoes to the pan. Stir.
  
  
   Cut cleaned asparagus, with bottom three inches removed, into 3/4-1 inch pieces.
  
  
   Add asparagus to pan, and stir. Add in six cloves of garlic, minced or sliced. We used Dorot garlic dots, which are located in the freezer section at Trader Joe's and many grocers.
  
  
   Add one tablespoon of salt.
  
  
   Add one teaspoon of dried oregano.
  
  
   Add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Stir all seasonings in.
  
  
   Place four cups of chicken broth into the pan. We use homemade chicken broth, but you could use a canned/boxed equivalent. You could also substitute beef or vegetable broth.
  
  
   Take 12-15 fresh leaves of basil.
  
  
   Stack them all together and roll tightly.
  
  
   Slice the basil into thin slices.
  
  
   Add basil to pan.
  
  
   Allow chicken broth to thaw.
  
  
  Once the broth is thawed, you add in the entire 16 oz. package of pasta (your choice). Stir, and place the lid on the pan. Reduce heat to medium and allow this to simmer for approximately 12 minutes. 
  
   This is the finished product. It will not have a lot of juice, and pasta is tender.
  
  
   You can serve this plain, or you can add some fresh mozzarella or parmesan. 
  
  
  
  

This recipe serves six adults. This pasta dish has minimal sauce, so if you like a lot of sauce, you can always increase the liquid and tomato content. Also, you could serve with a side of marinara sauce. Enjoy!

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Strawberry Limeade

All-Natural Strawberry Limeade

One of the hurdles that I hear from many who are going all-natural is, what do you drink? Well, we drink lots of water, milk, tea, and juice. My kids have never missed things like neon colored, sugary drinks (i.e. KoolAid). However, from time-to-time I like to change it up around here and make a special drink for all of us to enjoy. We enjoy fresh squeezed lemonade at least twice per month, but a new favorite is strawberry limeade! 

For this recipe, you will need:
1/4 Cup of raw sugar (you could also use white sugar, honey, stevia, etc.)
3 Limes
2-3 Strawberries
A carafe, or half gallon container
Water
Food processor, or blender


First, peel one lime. Remove all of the pulp from each section and place into the blender. Clean and dice your strawberries and place in the same blender. 

 Blend/Puree

Place 1/4 cup of sugar in bottom of cleaned carafe. Add about a cup of hot water and swirl until sugar is dissolved. 

Add in puree of strawberry and lime. 

 Juice two additional limes and add juice to the carafe. 

Fill carafe with additional water. Secure the cap on the top, and shake to combine.

 Poor a cup and enjoy! 

There a few facts you should know about this recipe. 
1. The longer you puree the fruits, the more readily they will incorporate into the water. So, if you like a pulp feeling, don't puree too long. If you don't, go a little longer.
2. You can enjoy this beverage as soon as it is done; however, the longer you allow it to chill in the refrigerator, the stronger the strawberry and lime flavors will become.
3. This will last at least one week in the refrigerator, but I have never tested it's longevity because it is gone in our house in one day!
4. This recipe is not very sweet; however, you can add more sugar to your liking. 
5. Have fun with making this! Try different fruit combinations. You could do strawberry orange-ade, cherry lemon-ade, grape strawberry "cool"ade, etc. The combinations are endless!

Mama's Favorite Caramel Sauce

I often lament at how overpriced a caramel frappuccino or caramel macchiato (both my favorites!) are at the well-known chain. After scouring for recipes, and many failed attempts at creating something I enjoyed, I have come up with my favorite caramel sauce! 

To make the caramel sauce, you will need:

1/2 cup sugar (you can use refined if you choose, but it will be a lighter caramel)

3 Tablespoons of salted butter

1/4 cup of half and half (or for a thicker caramel, use heavy whipping cream)

Place the sugar in a pan over a medium-high heat and whisk until melted. This usually takes me about four to six minutes. 

As soon as it is melted, add in the 3 tablespoons of butter, and whisk this together quickly and remove from heat when combined. Note: Do not boil, a few bubbles are okay, but you don't want to burn the caramel.

Once removed from heat, immediately add the half and half. Combine this quickly, then let it sit for approximately 10 minutes to cool. 

This only makes approximately 3/4 of a cup of caramel. You can store this in a pint sized mason jar in your refrigerator until it is gone. Or, if you want another fun option, store it in a squirt bottle for that awesome drizzle over your coffee or dessert! 

I found these Sistema small 35 ml squirt bottles at my local grocery store, and they are fun for my kids! These are also great for giving a serving of syrup, caramel, ketchup, or other condiments that you would like to control portion size.

Now, for the most amazing coffee recipe: Kristin's Caramel Macchiato

Fill your coffee 3/4 of a way full with your favorite brewed coffee. Admittedly, I use Folgers for myself, but you can use any brand you choose. Stir in a teaspoon of your prepared caramel sauce (see above) into your coffee, until melted. Add half and half to taste. Top with whipped topping and a caramel drizzle. Now, sit back and enjoy your cheap knock-off, and think of all the things you can do with that extra $4-5 dollars. Also, the coffee house chain that I sometimes splurge with is selling these AWESOME reusable cups for $1, so it makes an even better fake-out! Just be careful with these cups because they are not insulated and get extremely hot. 

I also enjoy my morning coffee with a cutie! She gets "coffee" too! I put about 1/4 cup of coffee in a small cup, add 1 teaspoon of caramel, and fill the cup the rest of the way with organic almond milk. Then, top with whipped topping and a caramel drizzle. It is something that only Mama gives to her, so it is a special treat.

Now, that is a smile :)

The 5 Happy Camps Going All Natural

In August, 2012, our family began a food program called Feingold, which completely avoids artificial colors/dyes, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, and harmful preservatives (BHA, BHT, & TBHQ). For sanity sake, we will note that those things are known as "the bad stuff" from here on out! Our child's doctor had recommended it instead of medication for one of our children who was experiencing difficulty focusing in school. Our first step was to clean out absolutely everything from our pantry and refrigerator. I gave away about 85% of our groceries, because we had been eating a traditional American diet that was laden with the bad stuff. As part of the program, I had purchased a food list, that contains lists of products that are researched and found to be free of the bad stuff. I sat down with this food list, and created a four page shopping guide, with foods broken down by category, that I knew my children would eat and I could find in the local grocery stores. At that moment, I was feeling very limited and extremely overwhelmed, but I was committed to this! My first shopping trip on this program was tedious. I walked every aisle at the store and marked prices next to the things I found on my guide, for future comparison with other stores prices. After 3 hours, I had about half of the prices listed, and over $200 worth of products in my grocery cart.

For the next three months, we did Stage 1 Feingold, which is more restrictive because it limits naturally occurring salicylates in produce. Since December, 2012, we have continued to leave out all of the bad stuff, but have added in all naturally occurring fruits and vegetables. As a family, we buy produce that is on sale, and we try to buy organic when it is cost effective. I don't fuss about GMO ingredients, yet! As of today, I can say that we have strayed from the Feingold program, but continue to eat all-natural.

So, you want to know how this has changed us and our children right? Well, for my husband and I, we don't see a huge difference mentally. I am sure it is better for us physically, but we haven't seen any major physical changes. Our children are a different story. The eldest, for whom we initially started the program, we haven't seen a huge difference but her attention and focus is better. Our middle child, who is diagnosed as autistic, is the one who we have seen the most remarkable changes. His stemming behaviors (i.e. hand flapping, noise making, clicking, etc.) have mostly disappeared. He is calmer and less-agitated by outside stimuli. Due to his age, I will say that it is possible that it isn't completely diet related, but a combination of diet and development. Prior to going all natural, he was a very picky eater and would only eat the highly processed foods (i.e. hot dogs, lunch meat, etc.). Now, he is still somewhat selective, but mostly based on texture and foods touching, and will try most anything for one bite. Our youngest child was a newborn when we started the program, so she is just starting table food. The difference with her is that I allow her to eat everything we eat, because it contains all natural ingredients.

That is how a blog is born. I have always loved Facebook, and am overly open and honest about, well, everything. You can expect to get a lot of recipes, some excitement from our home, and a few rants every now and again. Now, continue following The 5 Happy Camps!