Life, Gluten Free

Thanksgiving Menu

This coming week will be Thanksgiving and I wanted to share with everyone what is on our menu this year. For me, Thanksgiving has always been a bit different. I was raised vegetarian and so we never had what most other people have for Thanksgiving. Instead, we would often have homemade cranberry sauce, plus my mom would make a tofu dish with stuffing and gravy. It was awesome. At some point, not sure when exactly, we started a tradition of having lasagna. I think I may have started that one, since I love to make homemade pasta sauce (that's the only kind we eat now, no jar pasta sauce in this house!). Once you've tasted homemade, there's really no going back.

So, to carry on the new lasagna tradition, I will be making two lasagna's this year. That's right, we happen to have hearty appetites. It's just going to be us, no guests, but really.. can you have enough lasagna? Garfield says no.

I will be using the tinkyada organic brown rice lasagna noodles.

Menu:

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

Saute onions then add spinach and artichoke to the mixture, along with salt. Pour this mixture between the cooked lasagna noodles. Bake.

Tomato Lasagna

Make a homemade tomato sauce or use a jar sauce. Add between the layers of cooked noodles, along with a ton of olives! Bake.

Peach Tart

If this comes out well, you'll see the recipe on here. I'm making a coconut crust and then making a peach mixture to pour inside of it... sort of like a pie.. sort of like a tart? who knows, but the idea of it sure does sound good!

So that's it. A pretty simple Thanksgiving.

We've also been keeping a book where we write down what we're thankful for every Thanksgiving. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for, but we also have to remember that it's not just one day of the year. We should be thankful every day.

One of the things that human's tend to lean into is the habit of only being grateful for what they have when they have reason to be (bad news, etc).

A good book to read is Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. One of the points that he makes is that people tend to take for grated the simple everyday things that are important to them. Then, when those simple things get taken away for some reason, a person will suddenly be grateful for them because they start to realize what it's like not having them.

Life is amazing and being with people that I love is a blessing. My daughter is amazing and it is a honor to watch her grow and become who she is. Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours! Have a good one!

-Heather

Pedoodles: Review and Giveaway! (Cute shoes!)

My daughter has cute feet, and that's a totally unbiased remark of course. So, naturally I want to outfit her with cute shoes that match her whimsical personality and awesome sense of adventure. I was so pleased when I stumbled upon Pedoodles, especially their eco-friendly line. I talked with someone from the company and worked out a review and giveaway combo!

Sophie received the Petal Jumpers to test out and she loves them! They look really comfortable and soft.. I am jealous :) Where are the comfortable and cute adult shoes?! I like that the Pedoodles seem to be very high quality and built very well too. I can imagine that once Sophie is done with them, they will be ready to pass on to another little munchkin to wear.

The owl on the bottom of the shoes is way cute too...

So the eco-friendly line...

- recycled packaging

- recycled soles!

- constructed from eco-friendly leather, which has been tested to be free of lead, antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, mercury, selenium and harmful amines.

And they just came out with some eco-friendly winter boots too. I am so excited, especially since we've been looking for a pair of boots for our daughter but haven't found any that we like.

They offer different sizes: Crawling (0-8 months), Walking (8 months - 2 years) and Running (2-4 years).

From the web site:

"In creating Pedoodles, our goal was to create soft, comfortable, quality footwear that kids really love to wear.  In doing so, we've delighted parents and gift seekers alike, with our fun designs that become fast favorites.  Our shoes provide the best possible fit for your child's feet, their personality, and the way they live."

Here's how to enter:  

1) Visit Pedoodles and tell me which pair of shoes you like. (required to be eligible to win)

2) Leave a comment with the above answer.

3) You must have a U.S. mailing address to qualify to win.

4) Contest is open until Monday, November 23rd at 11:00pm MST.

Please note that your comment will not appear immediately because I have to approve them first. There is no need to submit it more than once unless there is some obvious error. Thanks!

Good luck! The winner will be chosen randomly :) And a BIG thank you to Pedoodles for sending me a pair of shoes and sponsoring this giveaway.

And according to Random.org, the winner is: comment #14

Kristi C

"I would love a pair of Little Caesar."

Congrats to Kristi C!

-heather

Hemp: How it's Healthy and Hypoallergenic

Here is some more information on hemp to complement my post on Popcorn and Hemp Oil. I want to emphasize why hemp is healthy and also explain some of the myths out there about hemp. It's actually a great source of protein and essential fatty acids and can be consumed safely with a lot of positive health attributes.

Hemp Then and Now

First I want to touch base about the history of hemp. The first drafts of the United States Declaration of Independence were written on paper made out of hemp fiber. And the first American flag? It was made out of hemp fiber too. Hemp is also used to make clothes, bags and even shoes.

Why it's Healthy - The Amazing Hempseed

Guess what? Hemp seeds contain 3x the amount of Vitamin E than Flaxseeds. Flax is a phytoestrogen, whereas hemp is not. This means that hemp will not impact your levels of estrogen like flax and soy can. Soy also contains natural toxins that block enzymes needed for protein digestion and absorption, but hemp does not contain any "antinutrients" like soy does.

Hemp contains Essential Fatty Acids. Unfortunately, 90% of people consume too little of the EFA's, including omega 3. This happens to be one of the most important EFA's and yes, it's found in hempseeds.

The seeds also contain 10 essential amino acids. They are a great source of protein and are very high in edestin, which is a simple protein that is responsible for proper function of the immune system. Hemp seed is also more digestible than other sources of protein (including meat, dairy and eggs).

It's not Marijuana

The plant that is grown for hemp seeds is a different variety than is grown for marijuana. Hemp seeds contain such a minute amount of THC (the component in marijuana that is responsible for making people high) that you could eat hemp seeds continually, on an ongoing basis, and never register for levels of THC on a test. If this is a concern for you, please visit Nutiva's web site for more information on testing and levels of THC.

Hypoallergenic

Hemp is considered to be hypoallergenic. My daughter is severely allergic to nuts and seeds. But, when I read about hemp being considered a low-to-no allergen food, I decided to give it a try on her. She is able to eat hemp without any reactions of any kind. We are very thankful for hemp. You can use it for a lot of different things and the seeds taste great by themselves (think pine nuts). We also love to make hemp seed butter.

I know that sometimes people think hemp = marijuana. That's why I wanted to clarify some things on hemp, since it is a great resource for nutrition and should not be overlooked.

Hemp is illegal to grow in the United States, so must of the hemp will come from Canada - like Nutiva.

If you are interested in hemp, stay tuned for my next post on Hemp. I'll be taking more about ways to add hemp to your diet!

-heather

Popcorn with Hemp Oil

One of our favorite ways to "decorate" popcorn is using hemp oil. One thing to remember though is that you do not heat the hemp oil. Hemp oil is 70% polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are not suitable for cooking. Some people recommend using it for low heat cooking (not above 120F), but I don't. We use it for dressings on salad and even in cold pasta salad. I have put it on noodles or rice after they are cooked but that's the extent to which it is "heated."

Hemp oil tastes a bit nutty and it's green in color. What's not to love? Hemp oil also has one of the most balanced and richest sources of E.F.A's (essential fatty acids). 

My husband had the idea of trying it on popcorn (fresh air-popped of course) and I am glad he did. It's so good!Our brand of choice is Nutiva's organic raw hemp oil. Do you use hemp oil - if so, how do you use it?

-heather