The Petersons: Healthy Living

Thursday, October 16, 2008

My Little Green Goodness

I never leave home without my little tin of green goodness (aka...Burt's Bees Res-Q Ointment). I LOVE this "all natural" ointment and I use it for EVERYTHING! On the tin it reads, "For all of life's discomforts, naturally soothes skin...". So, some of the things I use my "gg" on are: cuts, bumps, bruises, burns, bites, stings, scrapes, rashes...and my newest favorite...ZITS! It is the BEST zit ointment I have ever found for my skin...and I LOVE that it is made with all natural ingredients, instead of all those chemicals in your typical acne ointment. My "green goodness" has even cleared up overnight those BIG-painful "undergrounders" (as Tim refers to them). Ohhh...all the great things you can do with a little green goodness...

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Grandma Sycamore...you better watch out!

...cause, here I come!!

Okay, really she has nothing to worry about, but I'm pretty proud of it. Today, I baked homemade wheat bread ALL by MYSELF! And...it even tastes delicious! How do I know this you might ask? Well, I had several taste testers on hand; even the most important people to please in my life, all enjoyed several slices! I LOVE the smell of homemade bread! I got to enjoy the scent everytime I walked into the house, it smelled of the yummy, fresh, warm homemade bread! Just thinking of it makes my mouth water! :)

Well, I guess if I did it once I can do it again. At least that is my goal. We just bought 500 pounds of wheat and I need to start using it in someway. So here's to Homemade Bread weekly!

Avery & George's Quotes of the Day

Now that George is starting to talk. I have added him to the quotes of the day. Here is a little intro to welcome George to the talking world of kids! He can say several words, but here are my favorites: Georgie, mama, dada, Avery, one (he'll tell you how old he is as he points his index finger), Nemo, whale, juice (sounds like juu-juu), elephant, thumper, outside, nin nin (what he calls his binkie), ni-night, bu-bye, hi, hello, shoes and all the car noises. George is very loud and gets excited about the littlest things. He loves to play with his food, line up his cars and say "choo-choo", he loves to go outside and find bugs, especially ants. George can now open & closed doors. For some reason he really likes all the doors to be closed. I love his curly hair and big belly. I've been told by people that he has a "santa belly", but nonetheless people love his gut and it currently is one of his defining features. George loves to be silly, laugh, wrestle and get tickled. I love my Georgie! 10.12.08
So today I asked Avery if she would like to call Aunt Jessica and sing Happy Birthday. She responded "sure, mom how old is Jessie?" I told her Jessica is turning 33. Avery said, "mom, Jessie is going to be three like me?". I explained to her that she has a 3 in her age, but she has 30 years on Avery. Then, Avery got a little upset and in a cute whinny voice said, "but I want to be older than Jessie". I told Avery...maybe in another life. That seemed to appease her for the moment. 10.10.08
Avery calls the crust of bread..."crunch". I've tried to correct her, but I just decided to let it be for now...it's her own special thing...and one of the very few things that helps me remember that she is only 3. Anyone that knows Avery well knows that she is very ariculate (she can pronounce words better than I can), she has an incredible memory and a brillant understanding of relationship (all kinds). She sure keeps me on my toes. Thanks Avery. 9.29.08
George is starting to talk more. My favorite moment was while I was away at my tradeshow, George said to me over the phone "I wove oooo" (translation: I love you). I almost cried. It made my whole day. Thanks Georgie! 9.10.08
Today we went on a nice morning walk. As we were headed home I suggested to the kids that we stop at a park. Avery responded with "That's a Fantastic idea, mom!" I just giggled to myself. I sure love her responses 8.06.08
When we were in the car this afternoon, I put on some new lotion. Avery instantly said, "mom, I smell something...sniff, sniff...something good. Did you clean the car?" you gotta love that little mind of hers! 7.23.08
Tonight, Tim had to take a phone call for work and went outside not to be interputed. I told Avery and George that Dad was on an important phone call and they needed to stay inside (as they were desperately trying to get out the door). Then Avery grabbed her princess phone and headed towards the door as she said, "Mom, I need to take an important phone call and I need to go outside, so George can't hear me."...really! 7.22.08
We were talking about missions and Avery said she wanted to go on a mission. I asked her where she would like to go on her mission, she replied "to the princessess" 7.16.08
While I was saying a prayer on our lunch today, Avery looked at me with one eye slightly opened and said, "mom, I love you"...I cherish the random "I love yous" I get throughout each day. 7.16.08
Avery freaked out when she saw a spider on the porch this morning and screamed at me, "hold me RIGHT now, young lady"...excuse me Avery? It was actually too funny that I couldn't get upset. 7.14.08
Why this? Why that? Why when? Why how? Why who?...Why?, Why?, Why? Avery has officially hit the "why" stage of childhood. Any advice? 7.11.08
When I got home from the dentist this afternoon, Avery had a whole lot of questions about where I had been. I explained to her that I had my teeth cleaned and as I smiled to show her, I asked if they looked nice? She said, "yah...(pause)..they're yellow!" I told her they must not have cleaned them very good. I love the honesty. 7.10.08
This morning Avery was examining her scabbed knees that were healing and said "I want my cousin Ashty to pull me down again, so I can get more bruises" ...huh? What a silly girl! 7.10.08

Heathly Living

Tim and I are striving to live a more healthy lifsetyle. We have been exercising more frequently and also making better choices when it comes to eating. We are trying to eat more whole foods, sweets in moderation and the tough one...to eat meat sparingly. So, I thought it would be fun to post some of the new recipes I am trying out. Some of them are absolutley fabulous. Enjoy~

This salad has been refered to as the "famous salad" amongst our neighbors. We eat it about once a week. It's one of our recent favorites. Once again, compliments to the "Original Fast Food"

Oriental Salad
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
1 zucchini, cut into thin matchstick slices
1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
3 cups Napa cabbage, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 lb whole-grain pasta

Combine salad ingredients into large bowl.

Peanut Dressings for Oriental Salad
1 tsp fresh garlic minced
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce

Combine dressing ingredients into a blender. Blend until warm. Pour dressing on salad, toss, and serve. Enjoy!

After making this recipes several times. I think have it down and it's a fantastic bread recipe...thanks to the book "Original Fast Food"

Whole Wheat Bread (yield: 4 loaves)

1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp honey
4 1/2 cups hot water
13 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup honey
1 Tbsp salt

Combine warm water, yeast, and 1 Tbsp honey in small bowl. In separate mixing bowl combine 4 1/2 cups hot water with 7 cups flour and mix well. Add honey, salt and activated yeast mixture and mix again. Add additional 5 to 6 cups flour and knead until smooth and elastic. Divide into four oiled pans. Allow to rise double original size. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy! It's delicious!

Whole Wheat Pancakes/Waffles Recipe
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (non-aluminum)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp applesauce
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup water
1-4 Tbsp honey

Add all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix batter. Cook on a non-stick or lightly greases skillet or waffle iron...and enjoy!

*I usually put yogart, honey, or Grade B Maple syrup on them instead of the sugary yummy syrup. My kids loved the pancakes, which is my way of testing recipes. If my kids love them, I love them!

This past weekend, I was able to attend a "Original Fast Foods" cooking/food prep class. I loved it! I learned so much and have been striving to implement the healthier choice of foods in our diet. I will share some of the info soon!

The Petersons

Thursday, October 16, 2008

My Little Green Goodness

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Grandma Sycamore...you better watch out!

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