Premama Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mix Review

 
I was given the opportunity to host a Premama Mommy Party and, since my MOPS table this year is full of moms who are nursing or pregnant, I was excited to share this product with friends.  The long winter days here are making us all a little stir crazy, so this was the perfect excuse for a play date.  I set up the table with some healthy and easy snack foods including carrots with homemade hummus and apple and orange slices.  One of my friends brought some fresh strawberries and granola bars too.  Since the Premama mixes are best mixed with juice, I made some Kool Aid for all of us to drink with our snacks.  My daughter, of course, picked out the pink lemonade and, since we don't often have juice, the kids were excited to have a special treat. 

I've always had a hard time with prenatal vitamins making me sick.  When I was pregnant with Valerie, I just used Flintstone vitamins, because all the prenatal vitamins I tried would make me throw up.  When I was pregnant with Almanzo, a friend told me about New Chapter Perfect Prenatal vitamins.  Because they are made with whole food cultures, it was easier on my stomach.  The only other prenatal vitamins I've been able to handle are those in drink mix form, so I was excited to try Premama Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mixes.

I made the mistake of trying Premama in a plain glass of water the first time and it simply tasted like I was chewing on an actual vitamin.  Gross!  But, the moment I added it to my glass of Kool Aid, I had no idea there was even a vitamin mixed in with it.  My son even snuck a sip of it and didn't know the difference.  My friends also mentioned their own struggles with prenatal vitamins and were just as happy with the Premama drink mix.  Mommy Parties generously sent me enough boxes of Premama to send them each home with their own month supply.

Premama can be added to any juice, milk, or cold beverage, including smoothies.  I'm excited to try it with smoothies, because we love making smoothies in the summer for afternoon snacks.  Smoothies are a great energy boost when we're spending lots of time outdoors in the summer and we enjoy experimenting with different flavors.  I love that I can simply pour a Premama drink mix pouch into my smoothie and get my vitamins for the day at the same time.  I also love that they are gluten free, since I have a gluten sensitivity.  It's an easy to remember option for this busy mom and a great option for any mom looking for an easier to digest prenatal vitamin.  

You can find out more about Premama Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mix on their website and on Facebook.  They often share delicious smoothie and drink mix recipes on their Facebook page including a Cherry-Almond Smoothie and Kisses Chocolate Mousse.  You can find more recipes on their Pinterest page too.  Mommy Parties provided me with free supplies to host my own Premama Party in exchange for my honest review.

 

Gluten-Free, Dairy Free Living: Fruit Pizza Recipe

It's been over a year since I dove head first into this gluten-free, dairy-free life.  It's still a challenge, but I have no doubt it is what is best for my body.  I've been learning to adapt recipes we love and one recipe I was determined to remake was fruit pizza.  For my sister's baby shower, we planned a mostly brunch menu, so a fruit pizza was the perfect addition.  The challenge was in finding a good gluten free all purpose flour that would taste just as good to all the party guests and a topping other than cream cheese.  Baking gluten free remains one of my biggest challenges, but I recently discovered the best gluten free all purpose flour (which also happens to make amazing pancakes).    In lieu of cream cheese, I decided to use frosting and was excited to discover that most of the pre-made frosting mixes in the regular baking aisle were labeled gluten free and found one that was also dairy free.  I made two large fruit pizzas and they were almost completely gone.  I had several requests for the recipe and nobody had a clue it was gluten free.  So delicious!

Easy Peasy Fruit Pizza

1 recipe sugar cookies

1 jar frosting mix

fruit of your choice (I used blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and mandarin oranges)

Prepare sugar cookie recipe per your favorite recipe.  Spread on a pizza tray and cook.  Allow to cool while frosting mix sits out a room temperature.  Once cooled, spread the frosting on the sugar cookie pizza.  Top with your favorite fruit and enjoy!  

Note: This recipe is best prepared immediately before serving...and it really tastes better fresh, so eat it up!

***

Don't forget to check out my 75 (Facebook) Fan Giveaway for a copy of Angie Smith's What Women Fear.


 

November Simple Swap: Chicken & Lentil Bean Soup

We all want to live healthier, more intentional lives, but sometimes it seems overwhelming and daunting to take even small steps toward our ideals because there are so many steps before us.

Simple Swap was born out of a desire and passion to encourage other women on journeys toward living healthier, more inspired, intentional lifestyles through implementing one simple swap per month. 

Each swap will:
1. Take 30 minutes or less to accomplish
2. Be inexpensive to implement or boast overall, long-haul {health} savings 
3. Focus on improving health/eco-friendliness, being good stewards of our resources and/or fostering a creative and intentional life.

 ***

With Thanksgiving coming so soon, this month's Simple Swap is to swap out an unhealthy fat for a healthier one and share a recipe.  Hyacynth suggests using coconut oil in place of butter.  I've never used coconut oil, but I do love a similar swap, grapeseed oil.  

 Here are just a few of the wonderful benefits of grapeseed oil: 

• There are NO preservatives such as TBHQ or BHT.
• It is NOT hydrogenated.
• There is NO sodium.
• NO trans fatty acids.
• NO cholesterol (it actually aids in cholesterol reduction).
• It has one of the lowest levels of saturated fats of all oils. 
• It is easily digestible 

 I've been using grapeseed oil for a few years already, which is one of the reasons I fell in love with Wildtree and decided to be a consultant.  

Another swap I've used for years is ground turkey or chicken in place of ground beef.  My mom taught me that swap, because it was a healthier and cheaper option for our big family.   

For this month's simple swap, I decided to try something new too: swapping beans in place of red meat.  My cousin, Stacy, made a delicious lentil bean soup when we visited her the last time and I decided to incorporate lentil beans in my own recipes.  

 

I combined my two favorite swaps, grapeseed oil and ground chicken, with the lentil beans to make a delicious soup recipe that our whole family could enjoy. 

Chicken & Lentil Bean Soup

1 cup Bob's Red Mill Lentil Beans

1 pound ground chicken cooked in 1/2 TBSP grapeseed oil

1 bag frozen veggies or fresh vegetables of your choice

1 container of chicken broth

salt and pepper to season

Add all plus water (depending on how much "broth" you want to have in your soup) into a large cooking pot.  Heat until boiling and then reduce heat and simmer with cover for about an hour.  I often get a soup cooking when my husband goes out for a bike ride and then we'll enjoy it when he comes home an hour to an hour and a half later.  Enjoy with your favorite bread or crackers and a hot cup of tea.

Don't forget to check out the two giveaways I put up over the weekend - a Courageous resolution print and Earth Mama Angel Baby organic liquid soap. 

Gluten Free Bread

After over 6 months of gluten free living, I finally found a homemade gluten free bread recipe that I love.  After many failed attempts to make my own bread, this is the first recipe that really worked.  Thank you to my husband's friend, Joe, for sharing it with us.

GF Bread

Measure Ingredients:

1 tbs Yeast

1 & 1/2 cup Brown rice flour

1 cup White rice flour

1/2 cup Teff flour

1/2 cup Quinoa flour

 3½ teaspoon Xanthan gum

¼ cup + 2 tsp sugar

1½ teaspoon Salt

2 large Eggs, well beaten

1¾ cup Warm Water

Instructions:

1. Warm water and 2 tsp to 100-110 to 100-110 degrees and gentle mix in yeast to activate.  Let sit and activate 5-10mins.
2.  Shift all dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl gradually pour in the yeast-water mixture, beaten eggs and mix well, use a rubber spatula to assist.  
3. Once well mixed pour into greased bread pan, cover and left rise until bread has risen to edge or pan. 
4. Bake at 350 for 55 mins.  If top browns too quickly cover with Alum foil.  After the baking cycle ends, remove from the pan and place on a wire rack, flip on side or up-side down to help prevent from falling and allow cooling.

TIP: If the bread starts to sound hollow and is pulling away from the edge of the pan it is pretty much done but this bread is really moist. 

Notes from our friend, Joe: 

Don’t be afraid to play around with other GF Flours like Amaranth, Buckwheat and Oat in place of Teff, White Rice or Brown Rice.

Don’t get frustrated, GF baking takes practice….not sure how many loafs did not turned out before I started to figure things out.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pea Shoot Pasta

We decided to join a CSA (community shared agriculture) this year, so every week we receive a box full of fresh, local produce.  This week's box contained green garlic, bok choi, pea tendrils, spring mix (lettuce), radishes, turnips, strawberries, and spinach.

So much deliciousness! 

I've never been a huge fan of radishes, but there was a recipe in this week's newsletter for Pea Shoot Pasta.  I decided to give it a try and it was better than I expected.  The best part is it can be eaten cold, so I'm going to pack the leftovers for tomorrow's bike race.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Gluten Free macaroni
• 1 cup sliced radishes
• 1 cup chopped pea tendrils
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 green garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup Vegenaise
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• salt/pepper
• 1 Tbsp dill 
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken

Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain and add peas, pea shoots, radishes, and meat.  In another bowl, combine Vegenaise, almond milk, dill, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and green garlic.  Mix well and pour over pasta and vegetables.  Chill and enjoy. 

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pizza

Recently, I cut out dairy and gluten in my diet to help with several digestion problems I've had for a while.  It has helped tremendously (along with daily doses of probiotics), so my doctor and I have determined I have a gluten and dairy sensitivity.  I've discovered I can cheat a little bit with dairy, but not too much.  And I'm afraid to cheat with gluten, because I've been feeling so much better.  One thing I missed lately is homemade pizza.  After discovered a dairy free cheese alternative (made with tapioca flour) that actually tastes good, I decided to attempt a gluten-free, dairy-free pizza recipe.

Ingredients:
Daiya mozzarella shreds
Bob's Red Mill gluten free pizza crust mix
Muir Glen organic tomato sauce (I've found that organic tomato sauce doesn't bother me as much as the cheap stuff)
Wildtree spaghetti seasoning
shredded chicken (from a roasted chicken cooked the day before)
chopped onions
sliced mushrooms

After making the pizza crust, I spread it out on my Pampered Chef pizza stone (using water on my hands to keep the dough from sticking).  I added the spaghetti seasoning to the tomato sauce and spread it out on the crust.  Then, I added the mozzarella shreds and topped it off with the chicken, onions, and mushrooms.  I baked it for about 15-18 minutes at 425.

Oh my, it was SO good...and, the best part? I actually felt good after eating it!

Light Rye Bread

Oh My Deliciousness...

After feasting on homemade bread daily at my in-laws' over Christmas, I was inspired to begin making bread on a regular basis.  I have tried a few different recipes in the past week or two, but my favorite is a Light Rye Bread recipe I modified from a recipe in my bread machine recipe booklet.  And, since I have my own two little ones and another little one I babysit to take care of during the week, I use the Dough cycle of my bread machine and bake it in the oven.

Light Rye Bread

1 1/3 cup warm water

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar in the raw

1 1/2 cup rye flour

3 cups white bread flour

1/4 cup gluten or barley flour

2 tsp. active dry yeast

Step 1: Layer ingredients into bread machine pan in order given.

Step 2: Set bread machine to dough cycle.

Step 3:  When dough is ready, place in bread pan and allow to rise while oven preheats to 350.

Step 4:  Place bread pan in the oven.

Step 5:  Cook for 20-25 minutes.

Step 6: Enjoy some homemade bread goodness.

Now, excuse me while I go feast on this deliciousness...

Oh wait...before I do, I picked a name from everyone who commented on my Delurking post. And the winner is...

Congratulations Karabeth!  Email me your contact information and I'll bake another loaf of homemade bread goodness to send your way. 

Tastes & Smells of Christmas

I'm linking yup with my blogging friend, Joye, for another edition of the Five Senses of Christmas. This week, the theme is The Tastes & Smells of Christmas.

In an effort to give unique gifts with a handmade or homemade touch, I decided to make gifts in a jar for several of our friends.  One of the mixes I'm making is Breakfast Muffin in a Jar.

The first step to making this special gift is to gather your supplies:

Dried Fruit (I chose dried cranberries), Flour, Quick Cooking Oats, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Salt, Baking Powder

Large Jar (with lid), Ribbon, Rubber Band (not pictured), Fabric Square

Next, layer the ingredients like sand art:

1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup quick cooking oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup dried fruit

Now, add a festive touch by placing the fabric square on top.  Secure it with a rubber band and tie a ribbon around it to hide the rubber band:

You may want to trim the fabric a little so it's more rounded.

Finally, make a gift tag with the directions on how to make some delicious Breakfast Muffins:

I found this recipe here, but, as usual modified it to make it my own.  You can find more recipes here.  These make wonderful gifts, because they are homemade and delicious too!

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. ~Psalm 34:8

By the way, don't forget to enter my Blogiversary Giveaway and link up with my A Very Etsy Christmas post!

MckLinky Weekly Blog Hop: Favorite Recipes

This week the theme for the MckLinky Weekly Blog Hop is Favorite Recipe. Anyone who participates will receive a FREE recipe book! Go here for more information about this week's Blog Hop.

I've already posted a few of my favorite recipes, but here's one more that we LOVE:

Our Own Hummus
1 can pinto beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 garlic clove
1/2 - 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp paprika
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in blender until well blended. Eat with crackers, chips, or fresh veggies or serve on tortillas with avocado, spinach, and salsa for a delicious and healthy snack.

Our hummus recipe is one of Ted's favorites. I found a recipe for Hummus in my favorite cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, and modified it to make it our own. I don't eat it as much while I'm pregnant, but it really is delicious. We usually have to make a new batch every week, because we eat it so fast!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Here is one of my favorite quick dinner recipes - perfect for Sunday lunch...

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

~ 2 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast
~ 1/4 cup dried cranberries
~ 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
~ 1/4 yellow or white onion, diced
~ 2-3 serving spoonfuls of Helmann's mayo (the only kind we like!)
~ salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Boil the chicken breast until no longer pink. Chop with a food chopper into small pieces or shred once cooled.

2. Add all ingredients to medium sized mixing bowl and stir together. The amount of mayo and salt/pepper depends on your own preferences, so mix it to your desired consistency.

3. Serve on sandwich bread. Enjoy!

Meatloaf, Meatloaf, Double Beat-Loaf

One of my favorite recipes to make for dinner is homemade meatloaf. It's a recipe modified from one my aunt Michelle made for us while our Sweet Pea was in the NICU. My husband had told me before that he didn't like meatloaf...but when he tried this recipe he said I HAD to get the recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1 1/2 pounds hamburger

(I use the super lean and yummy ground beef courtesy of the cattle Ted's dad raises...I am seriously

spoiled!)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

(I usually use whatever kind of wheat/whole grain bread is in the fridge and set it out on the counter in

the morning so it crumbles better for dinner)

1/2 cup catsup

(but really I just squirt a bunch in until it looks right to me ;)

1/4 cup or so of chopped onion

1/2 to 1 Tbsp each of dried basil and oregano

(I love to use Pampered Chef's Italian seasoning instead because it's SUPER yummy!)

1. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. (Yes, you have to get your hands dirty for this recipe, but it's SO worth it!)

2. Place in bread pan and shape into a loaf shape.

3. Cook at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes depending on your oven. (You will have to just kind of guess when it looks done to you...I don't usually time things all that often...and it drives my hubby CRAZY when I ask him to cook!)

4. Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli/green beans or salad. Enjoy!

Can anyone guess the movie reference I used in the title for this post? It is one of my family's all time favorite movies...and I'm laughing just thinking of the scene.

***

Stay tuned tomorrow for some pictures of the sewing projects I've been working on...AND some new goodies for my Etsy shop!

National Nurses Week, Sloppy Joe Recipe, & An Outdoor Photo Shoot

I have three fun things to share with everyone today...and I'll try to be as short and sweet as possible...but you know me!

First of all, I just found out via MckMama's blog that it is National Nurses Week and I couldn't let it go by without saying some words of thanks. I am so thankful for nurses in more ways than one. When I was 5, I was diagnosed with asthma. Back then, asthma treatments weren't as good as they are today and I remember numerous visits to the ER for a breathing treatment. My mom is a nurse and was always my advocate for better care. I am so thankful for her medical knowledge and for how she taught me to care for my asthma on my own. Then, at age 12, I was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta, a heart defect that caused my blood pressure to sky rocket and my energy level to plummet. Amazingly, it hadn't caused problems until then and, even more amazingly, my doctor caught it during a routine physical. A year later I had heart surgery to repair it and spent 5 days at Children's Hospital. I had so many wonderful nurses during my stay. One nurse washed and braided my hair for me; another nurse brought videos other than little kid videos from another floor for me to watch. (And I'll never forget how hard I laughed while watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off!)

Less than a year ago, our Sweet Pea spent 10 days in the NICU of the Children's Hospital following an infection that caused seizures. I will never forget the love the nurses showed our daughter. They worked 12 hour shifts and were assigned to the same baby on consecutive work days. This meant the nurses really got to know her case and we got to see familiar faces. The nurses went far beyond there job description too, because they showed through their actions that they genuinely cared for our daughter. They were also a huge support to me as I recovered from labor and delivery.

So, to ALL the nurses out there...I don't think the words thank you can say enough how much I appreciate you...but for lack of anything else to say to express my gratitude...THANK YOU!

***

Secondly, I wanted to share a fun recipe I tried this week. I found it while watching Fox 11's Living with Amy and it is DELICIOUS! (Note: As usual, I will put my modifications in italics...but for starters the original was a huge batch and I only made 1/4 of it.)

Homemade Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef
(we use extra lean beef from my inlaw's cattle, but you can also use ground turkey for a healthier option)

1/2 tsp garlic salt
(or a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of garlic powder)

1/4 tsp black pepper

8 oz ketchup

(this can vary based on your taste preferences)

1/4 large onion, diced

1/2 stalk celery, diced

(optional, I didn't have any so I went without)

5/8 cups water

1/4 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/16 cup brown sugar

(I just added about 1 Tbsp or so of brown sugar)

1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar

(I only had red wine vinegar, which is just as good)

1/4 Tbsp mustard
(or just guess like I do a lot ;)

Brown the ground beef and season with salt/pepper. Cook until no longer pink and drain well. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid absorbs. If mixture gets too dry, add more water. You can keep warm in a slow cooker. Serve on buns. Enjoy.

Makes about 6 sandwiches.

***

The last two days were BEAUTIFUL sunny days, so I let Valerie have her first fun crawling in the grass and playing in her little inflatable pool. She wasn't too sure about either adventure at first, but I was able to capture some cute pictures of our Sweet Pea. Enjoy!

Cranberry Walnut Muffins

At one of the ladies' retreats I went to years ago, I attended a session on baking. The speaker (who I can't quite remember) handed out some basic recipes for cookies, muffins, scones, etc. Using the basic recipe, you can add ingredients to make it your own. I dug out the basic muffin recipe last week and used it for the first time. Here's the basic muffin recipe with my modifications (in italics) for making Cranberry Walnut Muffins:


Wet Ingredients -

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/2 cup mashed banana

(the original recipe had several options for the first two ingredients, but this is what I liked best)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients -

1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

(The original recipe calls for only all purpose flour, but I like to use wheat flour whenever possible.)

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground sea salt

(I like to use ground sea salt instead of regular table salt whenever possible. I don't usually measure it exactly either, just grind a little right into the mixing bowl.)

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped walnuts

(The original recipe calls for 2 cups total of nuts, dried fruit, flavor chips, fresh fruit, frozen fruit, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or 350 degrees if you're going to use mini muffin pans). Lightly butter or coat muffin pan or line with paper baking cups. (I avoid paper baking cups as much as possible, because I they just get thrown away anyways.)

2. Whisk wet ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. (I LOVE using my KitchenAid Mixer for this with the wire whisk attachment.)

3. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add wet ingredients all at once and fold until evenly moistened. Do not over mix. (I just add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients in my KitchenAid Mixer and use the flat beater attachment on a low speed.)

4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing from pan.

Makes 12 medium muffins or about 30 mini muffins.

Voila! Delicious Cranberry Walnut Mini Muffins!

Homemade Granola

As a stay-at-home mom, I realize I have a responsibility to maintain our home. Part of that means being wise with what I spend our money on, so I've been learning to be as frugal as possible. Here is one way I recently learned to be frugal - making homemade granola. We LOVE eating granola, but, let's face it, store-bought granola is expensive and full of preservatives. I've been wanting to make my own granola, but just didn't know where to start until I found this post at Tammy's Recipes. Since I'm not a fan of coconut, only had about 10 cups of oatmeal without opening a new container (and having to walk all the way downstairs - ha!), didn't have almonds, and basically was using what I had in my kitchen, here's how I modified it (approximately, because I don't really measure ingredients):

Homemade Granola

• 10 cups quick oats
• 2/3 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup honey
• a few pinches of salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp almond extract

Mix in a large bowl and spread out on two large baking sheets. Cook at 200 degrees for 4-6 hours, until it is nice and crunchy. When cooled, store in air-tight container. Serve with milk, yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, raisins, etc.

Notes:

I did have to cook it close to 6 hours before it was crunchy enough, but it is still not as crunchy as we're used to. Tammy suggests substituting some sugar for some of the honey to make it crunchier. I'll have to try that next time, though I think I might prefer the honey. Also, as she mentioned, I only added a little salt, so it wouldn't taste too salty. (The original calls for 1 Tbsp of salt.) I do love the almond extract flavoring though; it adds a sweet flavor to it.

Your kitchen will smell AMAZING when it's cooking. My sense of smell is extra strong with pregnancy and I LOVED being in the kitchen while the granola was cooking. We love to eat it in a bowl with milk, but today I added thawed raspberries to it - YUM!

PS - What do you think of my new blog design? I was messing around with learning some basic codes and finding backgrounds today. I want to do so much more, but I'm just starting to learn how to do my own blog design.

PSS - Please keep praying for baby Stellan. He's really had a rough week...poor baby!

PSSS - I'm ALMOST caught up on my bible reading, so stay tuned next week for the return of my weekly bible posts.