Best Almond Meal Berry Muffins!

After making my first batch of fresh Raw Almond milk, I had left over almond meal. Hmmm... what to do with it?  I decided to make some muffins!  Being that I am PCOS, almond meal is a great way to either cut down on flour and carbs (you can replace half of your flour requirement with almond meal in recipes such as breads, muffins, pancakes, cookies!), or replace it all together. For this recipe I did not use any flour.  The texture, of course is a little different, but they turned out moist and delicious! I will normally post a picture, but we have eaten them all up!  I made my second batch of almond milk today and plan to make more muffins.  If I do I will definitely post a picture! (Recipe adapted from Health DAMY)

Ingredients

• 2 c. almond meal (which is 1 c. of the ground almonds left over from making almond milk)
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 c Agave nectar
• 1/2 Tsp Baking powder
• 1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
• dash of salt
• 1 Tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 Tbl coconut oil (melted)
• 1 c. of berries of choice (can be frozen)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place all ingredients, except berries, in food processor or blender and mix
3. fold in berries
4. use a muffin pan and either grease with coconut oil or use muffin liners
5. scoop evenly into 12 muffin tins
6. bake for 25 min
7. cool and ENJOY!

Time... I seem to be lacking it!

Seriously.  I have THREE blog posts that I have attempted to write in the last week, only to come up with none and they are listed as drafts.  Forgive me.  Life is crazy busy and it seems to be getting busier as the boys get older, I can only imagine how the holidays are going to be this year... I'm scared!  I tend to over do it and get sick come the holidays, but maybe I will have gotten all of my sickness out of me by then!?

I am sick now... again!  The boys (I'm blaming it on them!) must be germ machines.  A month ago I had the stomach flu, then two weeks ago I fought a cold off with Zicam and airborne, unfortunately this one got me.  I have a cold.  yuck!

Whats been going on with the boys? Well Rocco has been fighting a yeast rash (thank you antibiotics!) since his surgery.  He was on the antibiotics for over a month and I'm sure it really took a toll on his system.  He has been on probiotics since. I have tried EVERYTHING under the sun (natural diapers, anti-fungal cream, coconut oil, triple paste, cornstarch, etc), including TONS of naked time.  My last resort, unfortunately is an oral med, which seems to be working.  However every new thing starts to work and then it flares back up again.  Any tips or advice for a yeast diaper rash, greatly appreciated!! Then he had a funky virus which also gave him a rash all over his ENTIRE body (poor baby!).  I had never heard of these before! It didn't seem to bother him at least.  Now, he has a runny nose and I'm sure he is the one to give it to Maximus and myself.   Lots of sharing going on here!

Walking and almost walking!  Rocco is walking!  He picked it up very fast!  One day he took his first step then five more the next and so on.  It is the cutest thing EVER!  I have tried and tried to post a video and there is an error uploading. UGH! I will try again!

Maximus took his first step this weekend and then has taken a few more here and there.  He is so cute and wants to walk but is a little more fearful.  He is more fearful with most things and is a little more clumsy, so I get it ;-P  His time will come!

Something new I am doing and am VERY proud of is I started reading my bible daily (okay... most days!)!  I have ALWAYS wanted to do this!  I never new how to start a routine or I didn't think I could get up early enough. I have tried MANY times and it always seems to start dwindling. Well sitting in church one day, it hit me, or rather, I felt God speak to me and say, "Sara, you need to get up BEFORE the babies!"  Conviction!  Since then, a couple months now, I get up around 6:15 ish and get a cup of coffee, pray, read, and journal.  I absolutely love it!  I have to say, my relationship with God is improving, as well as with my husband.  God is so amazing! I truly treasure my time with Him now and crave it!

This past weekend we had an amazing time and took the boys to Catalina Island for the weekend.  They had so much fun... I so did we!  They had their first boat ride over, which is about an hour from Long Beach.  We sat out side and the loved seeing all of the boats and beautiful ocean surround them.  We rented a condo with an ocean view.  We mostly just relaxed and walked around the little town...and ate lots of food, of course.  It was fun!

Here is a couple pics from our trip...

Mommy and Rocco on the boat over to Catalina!

Daddy and Maximus on the boat!

Just the boys on the boat!  They LOVED it!

The view from our condo!  The boys were napping so we had game time!

We love the cool weather!!! I had to get a pic with their owl hats on! :)

Cooking and what not...  I have just made my first batch of FRESH Almond MILK!  YUM!  It is so easy to make and is very delicious!  I am considering switching the boys to pure Raw Almond milk instead of cows milk.  Rocco has had many skin problems and I am just wondering if cows milk is attributing to that.  

Here is how to make Raw almond milk

1. c raw almonds (soak overnight in water)

3 c. water

3 dates (opt)

vanilla to taste (opt)

Directions.  After soaking almonds, pour out water.  Put almonds with 3 c. fresh purified water into the blender and mix.  Add dates and vanilla, mix.  With a nut bag and a bowl Pour the contents into the milk bag which is in the bow.  Squeeze the bag to remove all liquid.  You will have almond pulp left over which you can add to recipes like muffins, breads, or bars!  Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed my three blog posts in one!  Hope you are enjoying your week! Cheers!

A new horizon...

Going to the park has gotten a little more interesting these days.  We have moved beyond the swing!  The boys, who are SO close to walking but not quite yet, are crawling, climbing sliding all over the playground!  It is so much fun to see their excitement!  Maximus absolutely LOVES the slide and Rocco loves to climb!  They both LOVE to watch the 'big' kids run circles around them (although I do try to go when it is a slow time).  We are very lucky because we have a great park a few minutes a way!  So, now we go for a run and then stop at the park on the way home!

I have been exercising a bit more now.  Last week I trained two days and ran four days!  I am noticing much more energy and my runs are getting better.  I bought some new Nike Free's (LOVE THEM!), not sure if they have helped my running, or if its just been a progression in my fitness.  Over all I'm feeling great!  Pregnitude?  Clean eating? Exercise? Green smoothies? I think its a combo!!

Here are some pics I took of my boys at 14 months... They are getting so big! You know me... I have a hard time choosing so there is a lot to see! ;-)

Warm Leek, Potato, Cheddar Soup!

When it is cold outside (and it is today... with RAIN! Yay!) nothing sounds better then a hearty bowl of soup!  I am not a huge soup fan, but when it comes to a creamy soup... I'm in!  This a a healthier, Cleaned up Version of Potato Cheddar, thanks to Clean Eating Magazine!

Ingredients
2 tsp EVOO
3 large leeks, chopped (whites only)
3 Yukon potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 c low sodium chicken broth
2 c low fat milk (I am using unsweetened almond)
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 c. cheddar

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil.  Add leeks and cook until soft. Stirring frequently, about 5 min.  

2. Add broth and potatoes and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, about 8 min. until potatoes are soft.  

3. Add milk and nutmeg. Stir until heated. About 3 min.

4. Using a hand blender, blend mixture. Or pour into food processor or blender. Puree.

5. Return to saucepan. Add cheese. (opt. sprinkle with turkey bacon, chopped Italian parsley)

I officially have TWO trouble makers... I mean toddlers on my hands!

Yep that is right TWO little boys who like to work together.  I know when they are being quiet they are up to NO good!  So today I found them splashing in the toilet with one of their shoes.  Actually it was Rocco holding the shoe and putting it in the TOILET water. Yuck!  Hmmm... Rocco is pretty sneaky.  He is much quieter than Maximus so I think he is going to be the harder one to catch doing naughty things.  Maximus on the other hand is loud and just does the naughty things right in front of us... he unfortunately has needed a few more timeouts already!  Yes I do timeouts at this early age!  NEVER did I think I would need to, but I have one "spirited" child... and one sneaky one it seems!

This was taken a few days ago!  I should have known todays event was coming! ;-)

Pregnitude... what is it?

Myo- Inositol, which is found naturally in many foods, including oranges, cantaloupe, nuts, beans and products with high bran content, is the main ingredient to Pregnitude.    It is technically considered a carbohydrate and is part of the B complex vitamins.  According to the examiner.com, "Myo-inositol has been shown in clinical studies to increase ovulation rates, improve regularity of menstrual cycles and improve egg quality."  It continues to say that, "this supplement holds the potential to change the direction of the reproductive support for women with PCOS."  It not only has the potential to help women women seeking to become pregnant it has also been found to help with with PCOS improve their body composition (fat to weight ratio), inflammation, insulin resistance, androgen levels (acne and hair growth/loss), and blood lipid levels.

Pregnitude, includes a combination of folic Acid (200 mcg) and Myo-Inositol (2000 mg or 2 grams) per packet, which means you would be consuming 4oo mcg of folic Acid and 4000 mg or 4 grams of of Myo-Inositol per day.  It is possible to a cheeper form of Myo-Insitol and add a folic acid supplement, however, research has found that "many of these supplements do not contain the amount of myo-inositol indicated on the label making it challenging to dose for effective results."  The benefit of taking Pregnitude is that it has been clinically tested and is quality controlled which provides a more effective and accurate dosing.  In addition many people, including myself, have trouble taking supplements.  Pregnitude makes it very easy to take and comes perfectly portioned... no pill counting needed! 

I remember the days of being obsessed with "symptoms."  "I feel something different," "My boobs are more sore," "I have more energy," etc.  The good news is that now that I am not TTC, I am no longer "obsessed" with "feeling pregnant," etc.  This will help make me a good evaluator for this product.

How do I feel since taking Pregnitude?  Exactly the same.  I have no "symptoms," I do not feel any different, nor do I plan to... at least not for a few more months!  I just ordered my second box, with about 10 days left in my current box.  I did FINALLY start my period, four days later than the previous month.  So here are my stats:

Cycles Post BFing...

First- 35 days
Second- 44 days
Third- 48 days (started Pregnitude mid-cycle)
Fourth- CD 7

Yummy Smoothie recipes for Mommy and baby(ies)!

I have already posted a few recipes on Kale, the super food! For many of us, Kale has a strong flavor that is hard to get down. I am on the hunt for a Kale salad that I enjoy!  However, I have found a DELICIOUS way for my boys and I to enjoy the wonderful health benefits!

Kale Orange Banana Smoothie

2 c Kale chopped
1 banana (frozen optional)
1 orange peeled
1 tsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
6 oz water
 Blend

Kale strawberry banana smoothie

2 c chopped Kale

1 frozen banana

1 c frozen strawberries

6 oz water

We are officially done with bottles.  I have weened the boys from formula (and unfortunately my breast milk).  I haven't really written about this, but I had SO many issues breastfeeding.  It was the the best and the hardest thing I have ever done (or one of them).  I breastfed my twins for NINE months, which I am BEYOND proud of.  I gave them the best beginning that i could.  I was devastated when I had to stop.  I had to make a choice... I could either pump or play.  You see, breastfeeding twins you need to produce A LOT of milk.  My breasts would get so full!  There was one night around the six month mark that I didn't pump because Maximus had been waking up at 11pm and wanting to nurse. C and I had a date night and got home late and I decided I wouldn't pump because Maximus would want to nurse in an hour... or so I thought!  I fell asleep and woke up at 4 am in the worst pain!  My breast were engorged, hard as rocks, and full of plugged ducts.

After I nursed the boys, I could still feel that my ducts were all plugged up.  It was excruciating.  The following day I felt achy and it continued to get worse.  I thought I was coming down with a flu.  By that evening I had a fever of over 101!  I had full blown Mastitis.  My bones ached!  I was shaking!  It was miserable.  The following day I was able to pump a total of 2 oz during a nursing.  I tried to nurse and my milk never let down.  I had a pumping weekend and was able to build my milk supply back up, but it never was the same.  I had to work so hard to maintain it.  With introducing solids, battling Mastitis, it was a losing battle.  Around 9 months I had to make a choice, do I pump after every feeding again and in between or play with my boys who are only going to be this age once.  I probably would have breastfed them until they were two if I was able and if they wanted it.  That's how much I loved it and how pro breastfeeding I am.

So, my thought process was, if I can't produce the best, I can make the best for them.  I want to instill a healthy palate and eating habits and prevent (as much as possible) picky toddlers.  So far so good!  Rocco and Maximus LOVE fruits and LOVE vegetables.  They eat a variety of proteins (no chicken fingers! no fish sticks!), and whole grains (wonder bread who?).

The picture of the three smoothies one of their new daily snacks (and mine!).  They haven't mastered the straws yet, but we are working on it.  They both polished those smoothies off and loved 'em!  I also love those straw cups (playtex) because they allow me to help squeeze up the contents  until they figure it out.