healthy eating Archives - Page 15 of 16

Guest Post: Kristin from Kristin’s Veranda!

August 12, 2011 by Aliesha

Today I have a special treat for you… a guest post by my friend Kristin of Kristin’s Veranda! I am excited to have her “chatting” with us today, and I am even more excited about a Blog Warming Party she is hosting on her blog(Vignettes) all next week! Without further ado, here is Kristin!

I was so tickled when Aliesha said she’d be a part of my “blog-warming” team! I’ve known her for many, many years, but we both entered the blog world unbeknownst to the other. Once my blog was up and running, several mutual friends said to me, “Your blog reminds me so much of Feathers in our Nest!” So through their comments, I found and reconnected with Aliesha!

Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Kristin, and I am a blogger of various and sundry interests (don’t you love that old phrase “various and sundry”?). Besides old phrases, I enjoy all things domestic, and have a special love for the art form of dance. I adore my husband, and am very passionate about friendships too. I am generally a very healthy eater, but could out eat any of you when it comes to Sloppy Joes or BBQ Sandwiches! So surmise of me what you will from those few choice facts, and let’s be friends, k?!

Today I’m here to share with you first and foremost about a little shindig going on at my place next week: A Blog-Warming Party! I hope you’ll come join in the fun…and invite your friends too! There will be some guest posters that I know you’ll love, prizes/giveaways EVERYDAY, and some fabulous announcements for the upcoming fall season. The celebration begins officially on Monday, but come on over early and introduce yourselves…I’d love to get to know you!

I did want to share one of my very favorite simple ideas with you today before I go: Infused Water, and since we’re in the dog days of summertime, an idea for jazzing up your lemonade too. Hope you enjoy!
Oh girls…if you’ve never tried this, you must! Fair warning: you may very well never go back to old fashioned lemonade again. Just make your batch of lemonade however you normally do, and before you cover the pitcher, throw in 4 or 5 thick orange slices and let them swim around and do their magical thing for several hours before you serve it. Oh taste of heavenly deliciousness!!! Pardon me – I need to go get some right now…

Now onto a healthier and more necessary beverage: water!

How many of you drink as much water as you should (5-8 glasses per day)? I know unless I’m exercising/working/playing hard, I don’t! I do enjoy water and drink it with my meals, but because it’s relatively uninteresting, I never crave it. – Enter: brilliant idea from Martha Stewart – “Infused Water”. I can’t tell you how much more enjoyable and refreshing and craveable this makes consuming your required amount each day! It’s also very high style if you’re hosting a brunch or spa party or something. All you do is decide which essence you’d like, put a few pieces in a glass pitcher, and fill with water. You can let it sit overnight in the fridge if you want it nice and strong by morning. – I love to just keep my pitcher out on the counter all day w/ ice in it on a trivet w/ a glass nearby, and I know that by the end of the day, my pitcher needs to be empty (which translates to 5-8 glasses consumed). You could do this at your work too – just keep it on your desk and know that by quitting time, you must be able to see the dry bottom of the barrel!

Here are some of my favorite infusions:

Pineapple: just keep the core after you’ve cut one up, and soak the whole core in your pitcher (as pictured to the left – no, it’s not a stick of butter! I know that’s what you were thinking)! You can also wash the rind really well, and soak a few pieces of that.
Lemon slices and mint
Lime slices and lemon balm
Cucumbers: yes, I know it sounds strange, but try it!
Berries: sliced to release the flavor
Oranges slices
Lemon slices and berries mixed
Mint leaves

This is such a simple, delicious idea, and I’ve been doing it for years. – I hope you give it a try!
Do you have a favorite infusion to share?

Thank you so much Aliesha for letting me post over here today!

Thanks, Kristin for joining us at Feathers in Our Nest today! I really enjoyed your post!

Mark your calendars now for Kristin’s Blog-Warming Party next week at Kristin’s Veranda! There will be prizes every day (whoo hoo)!

New Ebook: Against the Grain

April 18, 2011 by Aliesha

Modern Alternative Mama has just released a new ebook! It’s called Against the Grain, and it’s filled with lots of gluten-free and many GAPS-friendly recipes that are created with delicious, easy-to-find ingredients. I can’t wait to try out some of these recipes. Until reading this book, I never even would have considered going gluten-free, but I now am starting to think about bringing some gluten-free recipes into our diet on a regular basis. (With recipes this yummy, my family won’t even notice!)

Here are a few of the real-food recipes included in this cookbook:

Spicy Lime-Marinated Beef Strips
Fish in White Sauce
Fresh Herb Burgers
Garlic-Rubbed Pork Chops
Tomato-Cream Sauce with Chicken and Zucchini
Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken
Baked Potato Soup
Italian Chili
Onion Rings
Salad Dressing
Chocolate Brownies
Banana Pancakes

Here is some more information about the ebook from Modern Alternative Mama:

Are you grain-free? Whether it’s due to allergy, weight loss, or doing the GAPS diet, grain-free eating isn’t easy. In fact, it can get pretty boring: lots of plain baked or grilled meats and steamed veggies. Who wants to eat boring, bland food forever? Especially on long-term, family diets (like GAPS), family members are likely to balk and “fall off the wagon” if they’re expected to eat so much of the same all the time.
But grain-free doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, grain-free can include all kinds of interesting flavors, spices, and even sauces. Grain-free can be delicious and exciting. It can even include breads and desserts! That’s how Against the Grain came to be: a cookbook full of grain-free (mostly dairy-free and GAPS-friendly) recipes that aren’t boring, but are delicious and fun to eat.
Against the Grain is a 55-page guide to delicious grain-free eating. It contains 30 amazing recipes, including 6 “breads and desserts!” Yes, you can have dessert, even grain-free! It sells for just $7.95.
Against the Grain doesn’t use any weird or unusual ingredients: instead, it focuses on fresh, delicious flavors that are easily found at any regular grocery store. It also focuses entirely on whole foods — no weird, science-experiment-type ingredients! That’s a major complaint among a lot of gluten- and grain-free families: strange, processed ingredients to replace the grains or dairy. But not in this book! Everything is based entirely in real food. That means you don’t even have to adapt the recipes to be healthy!
Not grain-free? Against the Grain has delicious recipes that are an asset to any family’s kitchen repertoire! See the Table of Contents for all the amazing foods.
If you’re on GAPS, this book is perfect for you. While there are a couple of recipes that aren’t quite suitable for GAPS, most are. In fact, our family was on GAPS during most of the creation and testing of this book! (Note that not all are suitable for intro, but the vast majority are for full GAPS.) There are 27 delicious GAPS-friendly recipes!

Click here for more info about Against the Grain.

The first 40 copies sold are 40% off, with code GRAINFREE40! This offer will end after the 40th book is sold, or at midnight tonight, whichever comes first. That makes the book just $4.77, a total steal!
In case you miss out on that deal, get 30% off through tomorrow, April 19th, with code GRAINFREE30! That makes the book just $5.60 — still a great deal! You won’t find a sale like this again any time soon, so make sure to take advantage now!
Finally, the book will remain at 25% off through Friday, April 22nd, with code GRAINFREE25! (Simple codes, right?) That makes the book $5.96 (totally worth it!).

Purchase your copy today!

*Links contain affiliates. I received a copy of Against the Grain to read.

Homemade Fruit & Nut Granola Bars

January 20, 2011 by Aliesha

I love granola bars, but because we are trying to buy less processed foods, I stopped getting them. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have a quick snack to grab on the way out the door. I have been meaning to make homemade granola bars for a while (original recipe here), and finally got to it today! They didn’t take long… 30 minutes start to clean up (with a 3-hour wait until they’re ready to eat). Whip up a batch today!

Homemade Fruit & Nut Granola Bars

Homemade Fruit & Nut Granola Bars that taste so much better than store-bought! Perfect for when you're on the go!

Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest

Recipe type: Snacks

Serves: 18 bars

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats
¾ cup steel cut oats or wheat germ
¾ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)
2 Tbsp. flax seed
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds (or try walnuts or peanuts)
⅔ cup brown sugar
½ cup honey (local, if possible)
4 Tbsp. butter (not margarine)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup dried fruit (your choice: raisins, Craisins, apricots, pineapple, etc.) - I used orange and cherry infused Craisins

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine oats, seeds, and nuts in a shallow baking dish. Toast in oven for 12 minutes, stirring mixture every 3 minutes to prevent scorching.
Prepare a 13x9 pan by placing a sheet of waxed paper in the bottom and spraying it lightly with cooking spray.
Meanwhile, heat sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.
In a large bowl, combine toasted oat mixture, dried fruit, and honey mixture. Stir well to coat.
Using a wooden spoon, press mixture into prepared pan. Cut another sheet of waxed paper and lay over top of the bars. Press firmly and evenly to help bars stick together. Allow to cool for 2-3 hours.
Turn pan over a large cutting board and carefully remove the waxed paper. Using a large chef's knife, cut into bars. Wrap bars individually or store in a large container separating bars with waxed paper.