a brave mama: 2013

good advice

2014 is going to be a big year for me and my family. each year before this i've set out to conquer the laundry list of things the average person hopes to accomplish: lose weight, get organized, pay off debt and save money, blah blah blah. well, my lofty plans always get the better of me and i get so caught up in the actual planning, and those plans never truly come to fruition. this year is going to be different.

my one and only resolution for the new year is to

do what i tell myself i'm going to do.

that one resolution should help me accomplish everything else i always TALK about doing, and PLAN to do. i've been spending the last few weeks of 2013 planning and reading and planning and gearing up and planning..... and planning, because i have promised myself that once that clock strikes midnight on the 1st of january, i will be DOING. well, maybe i'll sleep first and then DO a few hours later....

i'll be going into more details about all that i ~~plan to do~~ WILL BE DOING in 2014 from a whole food detox to decluttering my entire house, but for now i wanted to share with you a free printable! yay! my first one=)

goal setting is important. i know this, you know this, but how many of us actually do it? those of you who said "ME!" good for you, you have won half the battle. for the rest of us, we need to get our butts in gear. how do we know we've reached our destination if we don't know where we're going? or something like that.

this printable works perfectly in your planner with room for holes on the left and can be reusable with post-its (cause i love stickers=). each day, week, month, quarter, whim, whatever, you can rotate through your goals. once one has been accomplished you can take it off, throw it out, (or hoard it like i probably will) and replace it with a new goal. you could also laminate it and write in your goals with dry erase markers. even better, find a pretty frame that fits your decor and write your goals straight on the glass. i've printed it out and will be adding it to my planner so i can set monthly goals and see them everyday, in my face. i need things in my face.

happy goal setting!! in your face.

how do you plan to kick ass and be awesome in 2014?

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, by angela

clean eating

quick, clean & easy meal starter

my bestie amber has been trying the clean eating for a few weeks now and is beginning to see some real results! however, she's still a little discouraged about the taste of her food. after reading a few of her posts all containing the word "disgusting" i decided to share this little tidbit i came up with the other night.

if you have:

ground turkey

bell peppers (all colors preferred, but not required)

and any other vegetables for that matter. . .

you have the beginning of a great meal!!

i was making sloppy joes on this particular evening, but as i was preparing the meat, i realized i could go a number of different directions with our meal. i could have made spaghetti, tacos, lettuce wraps, lasagna, stuffed bell peppers, the list goes on as far as your imagination can carry it. it just depends on what spices you add to the turkey to really take it where you want to go.

here's a visual to help inspire ~~amber~~ you=))

chop your veggies (onions would have been fabulous, but i wasn't in the mood for the 4 year old melt down at that point about the "oooooonioooonnnnns"

saute with your ground turkey (this is a pound, and i seasoned with cracked pepper, garlic powder, a dash of salt, cumin - you can never use too much cumin in my opinion - and a little onion powder, cause i missed my onions) drain the fat.

at this point, you have free reign to do WHATEVER your little heart desires!!

i added a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce (organic, no sugar added)

i also added a little natural ketchup to thicken it a bit because i was out of tomato paste. i have a major aversion to large amounts of ketchup because the thought of it makes me gag, but just a little worked out fine. it also gave it that "sloppy joe" sweeter taste. let that simmer on low until it thickens to the consistency you think your bun can handle.

*however, you could go to town with this, add more tomato sauce and whole wheat pasta and you have a yummy spaghetti recipe. if i were you, i'd add mushrooms, zucchini, artichoke hearts, and of course onions!! maybe in that case, i'd leave out the cumin and add italian seasoning. oooh, fresh basil!*

way before i did all of this, i cut up a sweet potato, tossed it with cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, a little sugar, and a little butter buds and popped it in the oven at 350 degrees, until tender and crisp.

and there you have it! a quick and clean meal, even the kids will enjoy! all of this took me maybe 20-25 minutes! it can take that long driving to, "thru," and back from a fast food joint but the pay off is so much greater!

that dollop of yum you see is "yogurt cheese" i mixed with a little vanilla yogurt for dipping the fries. i'll tell ya how to make it tomorrow!

hope that gets you started thinking "clean and easy!" what are you going to make?

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, by angela

clean eating

yogurt cheese {a recipe, if you will}

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, by angela

breakfast

Easy Crock Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal

Quaker Oats Peaches and Cream oatmeal is most definitely a meal that sends me straight back to my childhood. My grandmother made it for me almost every morning in a very specific way (even I can't replicate) and it may be the reason I was such a happy child. Ok, I guess there may have been a few other reasons, but I definitely need to give the oatmeal major kudos.

Even in my adult life, I crave it. Now, probably, because I'm addicted to carbs and sugar, and the crap in that package has more sugar in it then a pitcher of kool-aid. Also, did you know the fruit in the fruit'n'cream variety are actually apples... not peaches at all. I felt duped when I first found out.

Even though I steer clear of the processed Quaker Oats, oatmeal is still an excellent, nutritious meal when done well. It's low in calories and extremely filling, stabilizing blood sugar and reducing the risk of diabetes. It's high in fiber and protein and low in fat. It's great for controlling your blood pressure and weight loss.

Oh, and it's delicious.

Over the years, I've begun to prefer steel cut oats over rolled oats. The texture is different and for some can be off putting, but it's what I like best about it. It's like a party in your mouth. Well.... it isn't vodka or anything, but y'know... I do eat rolled oats uncooked with cocoa powder and cold almond coconut milk though. You could definitely sub the cocoa powder for chocolate flavored protein powder for added goodness.

Steel cut oats take a little more work to prepare and I prefer to do it in the crock pot because... well, because I'm lazy. This is my favorite method.

Easy Crock Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal

This is so super easy, it's silly.

:ingredients:

2 cups steel cut oats (cheapest in the bulk section at your grocery store)

6 cups unsweetened almond milk

(I love Almond Breeze Almond Coconut Blend.

Califia Farms is delish too, but more expensive and harder to find.)

1 cup water

any toppings (fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, nut butter, anything)

Throw in a crock pot for about 2 hours on high or try it overnight on low. My crock pot is a bitch and burns it every time I try this overnight. She won the argument, so I do the 2 hour method.

Makes 8 1 cup servings of less-than-200-calorie bliss.

:a couple of tips:

Use the crock pot liners. They were made by the heavens and are holy.
Divide into 1 cup portions in a large muffin tin and freeze. Once solid, put your pre-portioned breakfast in a freezer bag and you have breakfast made! microwave for 60-90 seconds. My microwave is bitchy too, so hopefully you have a better relationship with your appliances.
Try 1/2 cup servings for an excellent, filling, less than-100-calorie snack.
Seriously, you can add ANYTHING you want to this either during the cooking process or while serving. I added fresh ground peanut butter and bananas this morning and I just about peed my pants it was so good.
Kids LOVE this. Like, LOVE.

What's your favorite oatmeal topping??