August 19, 2012 By Barbie 13 Comments

Hot Chicken Salad & A Challenge

As summer winds down, I find myself once again reflecting on how I did not wear shorts much, nor did I go swimming in public. I had grand plans last fall to get healthy before summer hit; but summer has come, and will soon be gone, and I have made no progress. For the most part, I have been unmotivated and uncommitted to the cause. Even though my desire to lose weight and get healthy constantly nags at me, I haven’t been healthy enough emotionally to tackle the challenge.

I will not give up! I am going to keep trying. I have decided to join my friend Kim over at At Home With Kim as we continue this journey. I would love to have you join us! For me, accountability is huge. I am so thankful for friends in blog land who are walking the same journey and who will encourage me along the way.

I want to share a favorite summer recipe with you. I am not sure how healthy it is, but when I eat it, I feel as if I am eating healthy. I’ve made it for lunch and dinner, and my kids love it too.

Hot Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 can sliced water chestnuts (chopped a little smaller)
1 can (10oz) Mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup of Mayonnaise
Minced onion or grated onion
Pepper
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Ruffle Potato Chips

Instructions

Mix chicken, celery, water chestnuts, pepper and minced onion together in a bowl.
Add Mayonnaise and mix well.
Gently fold in Mandarin Oranges and gently fold in.
Put into an 2qt. casserole dish
Top with cheese and crushed potato chips
Bake at 425 for about 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

http://myfreshlybrewedlife.com/2012/08/hot-chicken-salad-a-challenge.html

Don’t forget to head over to Kim’s blog for information about how you can join us as we continue our journey to health.

Filed Under: Healthy Living, Recipes, Soups & Salads

April 16, 2012 By Barbie 1 Comment

Agave Sweet Potatoes: {Spring In My Step Guest Post}

Introducing…

Gina belongs to a not so average San Francisco, Bay Area family. The Hyatt’s are a homeschooling dad, a full-time working mom, and five kids, one with Type 1 Diabetes. They share lots of interests and activities together, but most of all they love to share their lives with others. Together, Gina and her husband Johnny are parents, musicians, artists, home-schoolers, teachers, ministers, entrepreneurs, writers, and designers. The neatest thing for them is to see their children develop their gifts and talents too! Gina blogs about faith, family, DIY and all things creative at her family blog, Family In Real Time. Visit her Etsy Shop where she sells her original art and handmade accessories. She also blogs at Silverlake sound, where she shares what the Lord reveals to her through the study of His Word.

*** * ***

Everyone has heard about how good sweet potatoes are for you, and more and more women have become aware of the benefits of the vitamins and natural hormones in yams over the last several years. Research continues to grow and yams are suddenly a “healthy craze”.

As the parent of a Type-1 Diabetic child, we are always looking for foods with a low-glycemic index. Can you believe that even though sweet potatoes taste like candy they are thought to contain anti-diabetic properties! (more web info here)

Another interesting “healthy craze” lately has been substituting various sugar supplements to Agave Nectar. I personally made the switch about two years ago. I like Agave because it actually tastes like real sugar and substitutes in the exact amount for recipes. I have used it as a substitute for brown sugar with amazing results every time! I made the switch because I was told a few years ago that I was “Pre-Diabetic” and if I cut sugar out of my diet now I could be “saved”! Well, I tried and tried but artificial sugars made me sick to my stomach. Now, using Agave in my coffee in the morning, I don’t have the “shaky” feelings I use to, similar to “dumping syndrome”. I found out that Agave Nectar also has a low-glycemic index. In fact, we did an experiment with my ten year old daughter. We had her use Agave and retested her blood sugar after 30 minutes. Fifteen grams of carbs would normally raise her blood sugar by 25-50, but it stayed normal!

Now, back to the Sweet Potato Recipe… unfortunately for me, I love sweet potatoes but was running out of ways to serve them (besides the usual way — with butter, brown sugar, and roasted marshmallows on top, right??). So I came up with a new recipe that was a hit with the whole family!

Agave Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Serving Size: 6-10

Agave Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

2 Large Orange Sweet Potatoes
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1/2 Capful (2 drops) Mapleine
1 Tsp Salt

Instructions

Slice the Sweet Potatoes keeping the skin on. (The skin is good for you! Teach the kids to eat it young!)
Put Sweet Potatoes into a medium sauce pan, add the water, agave, Mapleine, and salt. Stir so the salt mixes in over all the potatoes.
Cook on Medium until a boil begins, then turn to low and let them steam in the pot.
Set a timer. They should be steamed thoroughly in 10 minutes, but will vary depending on your stove.
Pour into a bowl and serve.

http://myfreshlybrewedlife.com/2012/04/agave-sweet-potatoes-spring-in-my-step-guest-post.html

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Healthy Living, Recipes, Side Dishes

April 2, 2012 By Barbie 3 Comments

Gluten Intolerance & Lemon Lime Salmon: {Spring In My Step Guest Post}

Introducing…

Kandi of Gluten Free For Jen is a stay at home mother of 2 and a wife of a law enforcement officer. Because her life can tend to be hectic and busy, she loves to come up with meals that are budget friendly and healthy. She began blogging in December to share her adventures and the information she learns along the way about the gluten free lifestyle. She hopes to encourage others who may be feeling lost during this huge transition. She is not a doctor, nurse or nutritionist, but a mom who loves helping others and sharing her stories.

Back in May 2011, I found out that both my daughter and I are Gluten Intolerant. Since then I have made it a point to educate people about Celiac and Gluten Intolerance. Ninety-Nine percent of the people who have Celiac do not even know they have it. It is estimated that about 3 million adults and children are affected by this disease. There are about 300 known symptoms of Celiac and not all of them occur in the digestive system. In fact, some people do not show any symptoms at all. Symptoms can be as serious as depression, down syndrome, eczema, Infertility, Anemia, Hypothyroidism, and Osteoporosis or as simple as diarrhea, bloating, and fatigue. Children tend to have more of the classic signs, which include growth problems, fatigue and irritability. In adults, the most common symptom is anemia that does not respond to iron therapy. More information about exactly what Celiac and Gluten Intolerance is can be found on my Information Page.

Another thing I purpose to do is to encourage others to eat healthy, natural and budget friendly meals. More fresh meat, fruits and veggies have been introduced into our home and we are all feeling a lot better. Today I would like to share with you one of our favorite dishes — Lemon Lime Salmon. It is high in Omega 3′s and overall very healthy. When you are Gluten Free, it is important to get a healthy dose of vitamins into your diet.

To help make this dish budget friendly, make sure to buy the Salmon when it is in season. I can usually get 2 portions for $7 from our meat department. This goes great with some Quinoa (which is high in fiber) or a simple garden salad.

Lemon Lime Salmon

Ingredients

2-4 Salmon portions
2 Lemons
2 Limes
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Instructions

First make sure that all the bones are out of the salmon portion. Then squeeze the juice of half a lemon and half of a lime (will need to use more depending on how many salmon portions you have) over the salmon. Season with salt and pepper, rubbing the salmon to assure it is covered with season.
Finish slicing up some lemon and lime (use as much or little as you want) and set aside. Place salmon on the grill and cook for about 10 minutes. Place the lemon and lime slices on top and finish cooking. The salmon will flake with a fork when it is cooked through (do not cook to long or it will dry out).

Notes

This can be either grilled or baked in the oven. To bake in the oven grease a glass baking dish and turn the oven to broil (I use the high setting).

http://myfreshlybrewedlife.com/2012/04/gluten-intolerance-lemon-lime-salmon-spring-in-my-step-guest-post.html

Filed Under: Healthy Living, Main Dishes, Recipes