It’s beginning to feel a lot like…

November 9, 2013 CleanEatingMamaLeave a comment

Yes. Yes we did.

So last night consisted of Christmas tree decorating, watching Rudolph and a little veggie pizza…

Jordan was SO excited to put the tree up! Every year we seem to put the tree up earlier and earlier… this has been the earliest. But I am not complaining! I love the soft glow of the tree and the coziness of the house now! Love!

Plus, this means I wont have to stash gifts… I can buy, wrap and place under the tree!

Christmas isn’t a huge production at our house and we never go overboard with gifts… but we really like the spirit and the feel of the Holidays!

This morning I woke up and enjoyed my coffee next to the tree… lovely!

I also lit my new apple cinnamon candle – smells so good!

After I checked my emails and blog roll I made a smoothie for breakfast – this beauty had frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries and frozen banana, 1/3 cup greek yogurt, protein powder, almond milk and water.

We have a nice relaxing day planned out! I will be back with my eats!

XxOo Tasha

family · jordan · pumpkin

Pumpkin Patch 2013

October 28, 2013 CleanEatingMama2 Comments

Hey clean eaters! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! My mom, Jordan and I went to our favorite pumpkin patch on Saturday. We had a blast! Tractor rides, hot coffee, pumpkins, and the wonderful sites and smells of a perfect autumn day! I took A TON of pictures – I just love the colors and textures of everything fall harvest!

Jordan always has a blast when we go to the pumpkin farm! He LOVES riding the tractor ride!

And he picked out is very own pumpkin, too!

See you next year, Schuh Farms!

Question: Do you have any family traditions for Fall/Halloween?

PS – Look a the difference between years! My babe is growing up too fast!!!

child obesity · clean eating · family · health

Eating Clean with Children

January 5, 2012 CleanEatingMamaLeave a comment

Question of the day: What are some really good starting out eating clean recipes for toddlers and family of 4?
Clean Eating is not as daunting or difficult as it may seem. In fact, once you start living this life style and slowly changing your eating, clean eating helps to simplify your meal time!
Now remember – clean eating has many definitions depending on who you ask. To me it simply means: To eat from the Earth. But can it really be that simple while still pleasing a family of 4?
Yes. But transition slowly. Introduce new foods at every meal, and help your family become educated about their food choices. By showing them hard facts about the ever so “popular” foods they are used to consuming they will start to appreciate the simplistic foods we all often forget about. Like carrots, beets, baby spinach and beans.
When a person wants to start eating clean, the first piece of advice I give them is to make sure you have enough information. Read and research until you are blue in the face! This will help anyone understand that Eating Clean is not a diet. It’s a lifestyle change. It’s not about deprivation, counting calories or having cheat days. Clean Eating changes the way you look at food, and helps you to understand that healthy, wholesome food is as much of a necessity in our life as the air we breath and the water we drink. You can read my entire Clean Eating Philosophy here.
I love Tosca Reno’s books. They are much more than cookbooks; they are a guide to help this journey be painless and enjoyable! She describes the foods we should be eating and the poisons we need to be eliminating. You will be surprised at how easy the recipes are, how delicious they can taste and how simple this way of life is.
Kids can be the worst critiques, though. Believe me, I know first hand! A few simple moves can warm your children to the idea of no more fast food and (gasp) more veggies!

Get them involved. Help them create the grocery list or give them a few items of their own to shop for. Children love to help! and the more they are involved the better they will be willing to accept something new.
Inspire the “little chef” inside of them. Look through cook books, have your child pick a recipe, then get cooking! You will be surprised at what your child really does or doesn’t like as far as food. When they make choices and decisions that shows them you have trust in them, and they will feel proud that they were able to help feed the entire family.

I hope these small suggestions help your new journey to eat healthier! I wish you the best of luck and years full of good eats!

child obesity · family · health

Treats for good behavior – are you doing more harm than good?

July 3, 2010May 9, 2013 CleanEatingMama2 Comments

What is wrong with this picture?

I was watching an episode of Supper Nanny (props to Jo Jo!) and I saw a family giving junk food as rewards. Pringles, cookies, candy… while washing it down with sugar loaded drinks. While this may seem to be the best way to reward good behavior, what are you really teaching in the long run?
That every time they do something good they can have free sugar or junk food? That goes hand in hand with the trend in today’s society. Get a promotion at work – go out to dinner. Good grades – ice cream after school. See the trend and relation? And with excessive TV watching, video game playing and computer surfing, families just are not as active as they could and used to be.
Look, I am not one to say rewards are not in order for achieving goals but I really believe that the type of “reward” should be changed. We as parents and adults need to put the lives of those that rely on us first more often, and to really think before doing.

The child obesity rate is soaring higher and higher as every year passes. Are you, as the parent, contributing to this? Want to change this? Lead by example – eat foods that are healthy and nutritious but keep them fun for the kids. Kids want to do everything that their parents do; you are their role models!

A snack here or there is not making the obesity rate rise. It’s the constant eating of fast food, white bread, sugar, soda, fried potato chips, and endless hours in front of the TV or computer that is causing this drastic rise. If the snacks not in the house kids will not be as likely to be picky about the foods that ARE, or SHOULD BE, in the house.

And do not give in to their cleverly timed tantrums. They know you will eventually break down and give in to quiet them down and for them to be “happy”. Kids will not starve and will eventually eat what they are given to them. You are not being mean or hurtful, you are teaching them that proper nutrition and good health is vital.

Parents: do your part in making your child healthy and give them the tools for them to grow into active and normal weight adults. You have the power to make the child obesity rate lower.

birthday · breakfast · dinner · family · lunch · Seattle · sewing

Weekend treats + eats

June 14, 2010 CleanEatingMamaLeave a comment

Hello hello!

This may be the longest post in the history of TCEM but I hope you enjoy!

I had a fabulous weekend – finally some decent weather in Seattle!

Saturday I woke up and ate a piece of toast +PB and consumed a cup of coffee.

I knew Seattle was going to get pretty warm, in the 80’s in some areas (!!!) so I went on an early run. I ran 6.40 miles in 58.37. I was pretty hot and sweaty after that!

I was craving something cool and semi sweet and I knew just thing to ease my post run craving.

Shredded wheat, kashi Go Lean, almond milk, strawberries, cranberries and toasted coconut!

I was still hungry after my shower, this time for something savory. Beans, rice, salsa and cilantro. Simple is always good!

Let me ask you this: what does one do on a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon? Get ice cream, of course!

Everyone in the car!

And if you are wondering, J is still way to young and small to be without a car seat. I had to put it in and the little monkey beat me to it! I think he feels like a big boy sitting in the car. =)

YAY for ice cream!

I choose a soy Cinnamon Swirl – my favorite! I absolutely love cinnamon!

Now to walk off that ice cream – what a beautiful day!

Even though we live in the suburbs, nature is in arms length. This is also my running trail as I love looking at green while I run.

We also found several families of duck and geese. You should have seen J! He was so excited, he ran right up to them and wanted to touch them. Of course I was right there making sure he didn’t get to close, but they seemed friendly. Of course I am sure they were just looking for hand outs – I don’t feed wild animals, period.

Let me just say that J zonked out as soon as he took his bath and was all snuggly in his jammies. He was one tired boy from all of the running around.

I was still a little full from ice cream so I ended up eating late, like 9 – crazy for me. I made a home made vegetable ragu with whole wheat noodles and sweet peas.

I sautéed yellow onions, kalamata olives, garlic, fresh basil and parsley, mushrooms, red bell pepper and a little of jarred sauce. It was so fresh tasting with the herbs and I love the addition of kalamata olives to my sauce – delish!

———————————————————————————————–

Today is my Mom’s Birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

There were a TON of good eats, vegan of course 😉

My plate consisted of a veggie burger with the trimmings (lettuce, pickle, tomato, mustard, ketchup, onion) green salad with homemade garlic-lemon dressing, orzo Mediterranean salad that my Grandma bought for me =), and raw veggies!

After lunch, there was some play time!

I know my mom is going to shoot me for putting this up, but I think J’s face is effing hilarious!!!

And of course there were presents – many presents!

My beautiful Mama!

She loves grapes and has grape decor in her kitchen and dining area. A few years ago I had made her a set of placemats, but over the years they have started to look a little… meh. I surprised her with a brand new set of placemats. She loved them!

They are made out of batik fabric. I appliquéd a grape motif on the front of each one, then quilted the entire top. They turned out great!

Happy Birthday again, Mom! I hope you enjoyed your special day!

Phew… well that’s a wrap!

clean eating · family · faq

Starting to eat clean

May 2, 2010 CleanEatingMamaLeave a comment

Question of the day: What are some really good starting out eating clean recipes for toddlers and family of 4?
Clean Eating is not as hard as it seems. In fact, once you start implementing this life style and change of eating into your daily life, clean eating helps to simplify your meal time.
Now remember, clean eating has many definitions depending on who you ask. To me it simply means: To eat from the Earth. But can it really be that simple while still pleasing a family of 4?
Yes. But transition slowly. Introduce new foods at every meal, and help your family become educated about their food choices. By showing them hard facts about the ever so “popular” foods they are used to consuming, they will start to appreciate the simplistic foods we all often forget about. Like carrots, beets, baby spinach and beans.
When someone wants to start eating clean, the first piece of advice I give is to make sure you have enough information. Read and research until you are blue in the face! This will help anyone to understand that Eating Clean is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. It’s not about deprivation, counting calories or having cheat days. Clean Eating changes the way individuals look at food, and helps them to understand that healthy, wholesome food is as much of a necessity in our life as the air we breath and the water we drink. You can read my entire Clean Eating Philosophy here.
I love Tosca Reno’s books. They are much more than cookbooks; they are a guide to help this journey be painless and seamless. She describes in detail the foods we should be eating and the poisons we need to be eliminating. You will be surprised at how easy the recipes are, how delicious they can taste and how simple this way of life is.
Kids can be the worst critiques, though. Believe me, I know first hand! A few simple moves can warm your children to the idea of no more fast food and (gasp) more veggies!

Get them involved. Help them create the grocery list or give them a few items of their own to shop for. Children love to help, and the more they are involved the better they will be willing to accept something new.
Inspire the “little chef” inside of them. Look through cook books, have your child pick a recipe, then get cooking! You will be surprised at what your child really does or doesn’t like as far as food. When they make choices and decisions that shows them you have trust in them, and they will feel proud that they were able to help feed the entire family.

I hope these small suggestions help your new journey to eat healthier! I wish you the best of luck and years full of good eats!

breakfast · dinner · family · green monster · half marathon · jordan · lunch

Adult time… for the most part.

December 5, 2009 CleanEatingMama8 Comments

Good evening my lovelies – how was your Friday? Any big plans for the weekend?

Marc and I have an “adult weekend” planned out! J is at Grandma’s and we are going to run wild! Ok… maybe not extreme but we do have some adult activities planned – wine tasting, food, night away… fun stuff!

I started the day with a Green Monster – kinda yucky, though.

I added the norm – alomd milk, almond butter, peaches, berries, spinach… but it tasted bland. I didn’t even drink it – I felt bad about wasting it but I was not enjoying it. Then it dawned on me… I forgot the banana! DUH!

Poor J was not having a good morning. Lots of drool = teething and fussiness. He didn’t even take a nap until 12:30 which is extremely late for him. He did sleep until 2 but still… I hate when he fights it.

Lunch was leftover chili, some veggie tortilla chips and some clementine’s.

I was reading recipes on some juicing (I am determined to start using our juicer more often!) and it sparked something in Marc – he started to juice! He hasn’t been feeling well and he thought the extra vitamin c and nutrients would help his immune system.

His concoction:

Let’s see… he juiced 2 oranges, 2 carrots, 2 celery, an apple, then dumped it into the blender and added some fresh strawberries, a banana and some spinach.

Results? AMAZING! There was enough for two so he poured me a glass too! I was pretty full form lunch so I only drank half. Good job, hubby!

We packed a bag, gathered some toys and headed up to Grandma’s house! Marc and I were starving so we took my mom and step dad out to dinner – pizza and beer time!

J and I shared this plate of food – I had the salad and he had the fruit and cottage cheese. My salad had baby spinach, tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, broccoli, chickpeas, baby corn and a small amount of ranch dressing. Do you know how long it’s been since I have had ranch!

Bud light!

And my mom shared a veggie pizza – I actually have no idea what was on it but I *think* there was onions, peppers, olives, mushrooms with some cheese and the tomato on top. Next time we come here I am going to order thin crust – there was a lot of bread!

Then we had some hugs and lots of kisses and came back home. It is so strange not to have J with us. We miss him terribly when we are away! But we know the times we need for ourselves, adult time, is good for the entire family.

Hehe – he looks so chubby here! I LOVE his hat!

MIss you my little Bubba-loo! PS – I have MANY nick names for him! But I use Bubba-loo quite a bit! =)

So after we returned home I did some last minute chores and watched 4 Christmas’s. VERY CUTE movie! Along with some coconut ice cream 😉

Now I am blogging in bed and Marc is on the couch, snoring. Alas, nothing changes… even with an adult weekend. =)

Big day ahead of us tomorrow! Good night!

———————————————————————————————–

Get your run on!

So I decided I’m going to sign up for the Rock n Roll Seattle 1/2 marathon! :gulp:

I really need a goal in my running, and this looks and sounds like it would be a lot of fun! Wait…. run for FUN? I never thought I would say this! But here I am loving to run! AMAZING!

The Seattle area is known for their music scene: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Jimi Hendrix, Candle Box… to name a few. The half is only 13.1 miles – I think I can handle it in 6 months!

Now I need to get a game plan in gear, write a schedule and keep at it! WOOHOO!

breakfast · dinner · family · football · garden · groceries · lunch

And the cold sets in

October 12, 2009May 9, 2013 CleanEatingMama7 Comments

You should see me – I am wrapped in my favorite fleece blanket. It is cold, bone chilling cold. Dramatic? Maybe, but I am not used to this fall weather yet. It was a beautiful sunny day but the high was only 61 and right now it’s 50. Brrrr! However, I am extremely cold all of the time!
PS – Jenna, I am so sorry that your heater isn’t working right now! 😦

Well, onto today.
This morning I woke up, brewed some java and starting getting down to business. Writing.

As I have been mentioning I am going to be writing nutritional articles to an online personal fit website. I needed to submit my first one, along with a bio, this weekend and another one in the next few days. I wrote my first article on Clean Eating – what else?! I promise to post links as soon as can!

All that writing made me hungry so I made a nice bowl of yogurt, granola, apple slices and almond butter – it hit the spot!

Weird fact about me #598: I can’t eat lunch BEFORE I take a shower. It has to be AFTER. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the joy of knowing I get to go into the kitchen and make myself something yummy after a nice hot shower. Or maybe I feel the need to be clean so late in the day. Strange, huh.
What is a crazy fact about you and food?

Today I nibbled on some terriyaki bits that I made a few days back while I was contemplating what I REALLY was going to eat.

I finally settled on a chicken breast sandwich.

sprouted bread
lots of hummus
baby spinach leaves
avocado, added after the fact
tomato slices
s & p
chicken breast chunks that Marc bbqued last night

Paired with a nice cup of Pacific french onion soup.

Mmmmm…

And since it was Sunday and game day I had to have a beer. I ended up only drinking half but it really hit the spot!

I am sad to say that this will be the last produce I get from my little container garden this year. =(

Since the frost is coming, my plants will soon be black and dead. I was able to salvage the last of my un-ripened tomatoes and my cute little green peppers. I seriously don’t know what happened to my peppers this year – they are not supposed to be this small and this is the first time I picked from the plant. Hopefully they will taste good! I know the tomatoes ROCK but they will have to ripen in the window for a while. I have never had green tomatoes, as in fried green tomatoes, because they just don’t sound that appealing to me. Oh well…

After the bulk of the games were over with we went to the grocery store to pick up some fruit and a few other items. Jordan has outgrown all of his hats so we went to the baby section and found an adorable fleece hat! (Fred Meyer rocks because it’s a grocery store AND a department store!) We also found the cutest outfit for dress up dinners or nice events. It’s a little big but should fit him this winter. I think I am going to wrap it up and have him open it at his party.

If you are a parent, what did you buy your little one for their first birthday?

Marc and I ate rather late tonight, around 7:30. We had separate dinners tonight so I went a little creative. I am bored of my salads and I saw a post tonight on veggie burgers and it looked so appetizing! Veggie burger it was!

flat bread bread/bun
pesto
feta
veggie burger
tomato
spinach leaves
s & p
avocado

OMG – I could have eaten two (or more) of these! I scarfed it down so quickly, you would have thought I hadn’t eaten in days! This is definitely a combo I am eating again, very soon!

And a nice bowl of big, juicy green grapes.