A few of the weekend sales that I pick!

I'm not a fan at all of going out and shopping on Black Friday! I would much rather spend time with loved ones and maybe putting up the Christmas tree.

Honestly I don't really love shopping much at anytime let alone when it's super noisy and crowded. I'm sure it's the introvert in me. I have made a habit though of watching my email and looking for some of the great sales that happens every year on this particular weekend.

There isn't usually a lot and I try to already have most of my gifts bought by now but I thought that I would share some of the sales that I have noticed and I am interested in taking advantage of. Also there are the things I have noticed that will be on sale that I already have and love and want to share.

Here they are in no particular order!


Vintage Remedies is having a sale on all their courses! Save $20-$200 depending on the course you choose. If I were getting myself a gift for Christmas It would be one or maybe all of these courses but I'm kind of a geeky when it comes to learning about herbs and natural remedies. ;) No coupon code needed prices are already marked down. Sale ends December 2nd.

Nina over at Shalom Mama is offering 50% off her ebooks DIY Natural Remedies and Simple Natural Health which I have and love.... maybe because I love all things DIY natural remedies. She also has discounted her new item the DIY Wellness Collection! She combined the two books above, plus her short guide, DIY Personal Care Products, into one discounted bundle. The bundle includes both the PDF and Kindle (.mobi) downloads. Any or all can be bought at 50% off using code--
BLACK50

Kristin over at Live Simply is giving away her Holiday Celebrations ebook with the purchase of The Real Food Planning Challenge. I enjoy the simple beauty and practicality of her ebooks. Check it out no code needed--offer ends December 31st.















The Blendtec Total Blender is my most used all time favorite small kitchen appliance. I use it at LEAST once every day. It has made my healthy living lifestyle so much more quick and convenient. I didn't want to spend the money for years....I just didn't think it would be worth it. Boy was I wrong It was worth every penny in fact I now own 2 I love it that much and I paid full price for both of them. I would for sure take advantage of this sale if I were you!  Again no code needed sale ends Monday!





I don't use my Excalibur Dehydrator near as much as my blender but I would not want to be without it. I used it this week to dry bread crumbs for stuffing. I have also been drying my almond meal from making almond milk and then I blend it into flour.... super cheap way to get almond flour! I use it almost nonstop during harvest season and it comes in handy when I forgot to get the tortillas out of the freezer and it's time to eat.  Remember this crunchy mama has no microwave. ;) Save 10% plus free shipping. Use code--
PREHOLIDAY




If you get dry winter skin or know someone who does you will want to check out MadeOn. Details of the sale are below. I "heart" hard lotion bars!

Here's what is going on at the store:

1. New! U-Pick Lip Balm. Choose any 10 lip balms for $40. That's a savings of up to $15!
2. New! Cocoa Butter Wafers. Whip up your favorite chocolate body mousse with easy-to-weigh cocoa butter wafers
3. New! The DIY kit now gives you the option to choose cocoa butter wafers instead of shea butter. You can replace the shea for cocoa in your skin care recipes with no change in amount. Perfect for the chocolate lover in your life.

Free Gifts!*

1. Free Peppermint Lip Balm with any purchase. Just add to cart on Friday, November 28th, and it's free.
2. Free 5 Pack of Natural Lip Balms on orders over $50. When your cart reaches $50, add a 5 pack to your cart, and they're free.
3. Free 5 Pack of Beesilk pocket size bars on orders over $100. When your cart reaches $100, add a 5 pack to cart, and they're free.

Then on Cyber Monday.... You can enjoy Free Shipping. So choose your shopping day, or go for both.





Of course there is nothing like the gift of a healthy mouth! Ora Wellness is offering 10% off your order and with every bottle of Heal Thy Mouth Blend you get a free Bass Toothbrush! Again I have both and love how clean and healthy my mouth feels. Perfect healthy stocking stuffer I'd say. Get free toothbrush automatically with order through December 15th. The 10% off is good now through cyber Monday! Just use coupon code--
HOLIDAY2014

And last but not least EVERYTHING in my shop is 50% off! I have never offered half off my ebooks before especially the bundles.....so if you have been wanting one, some or all of my recipe ebooks NOW would probably be a good time. When clicking on the add to cart button be sure to click on the blue part not the pinterest button that pops up.....sorry I'll fix it one day or maybe even higher someone more techy than myself. ;) Sale ends Monday night! Just use coupon code--
THANKFUL50















I'm sure there are many other sales going on throughout the internet this weekend but I chose just a few of my favorites because I figure you are already overwhelmed enough! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of healthy....ish food, loved ones all around and much gratefulness for all our blessings!

My Weekly Meal Plan

Some of you may have noticed that no meal plan was posted last week. I didn't forget we just had a lot going on and I just didn't get time to sit down and get it typed out.

It's been a very fun and productive couple of weeks though! Some of our very dearest friends spent about 24 hours with us.....it was too short as always but so wonderful to see them! I wish we could figure out how to not let too much time go by in between visits. We did manage to get Ryan home from work before dark so Kenzi could do some family photos for us.

It's that time of year when there seems to be multiple things that fill the calendar all at the same time. I'm always trying to slow down and savor the season yet make fun memories and enjoy happy times and celebration together with friends and family. I try to choose wisely and I think I do pretty well but a lot of times I choose too much and end up overwhelmed. That's when I like to take a deep breath and turn off the lights and sit in a dimly lit warm room while the cold and hustle goes on outside. Usually with a good book and a loved one or three or more! ;)

We had an early get together last Monday with the Olive family and it was so great to see all the crew......sure love our crazy family......speaking of crazy we are looking forward to getting together with all of the Nelson family this week. So many wonderful people in our lives to be Thankful for!

Taking apart

Some exciting news around my kitchen is that Ryan finally convinced me to let him redo my pantry. I have put it off since it was brand new but it just wasn't as functional as I needed it to be which made making meals take longer than needed and not very fun. So a week ago Saturday he went to get a few needed supplies while I emptied the pantry.

Almost finished getting it all back together

Then in just a few hours he had it all tore out and new shelves up. It was late evening by then so we postponed caulking and painting it until later.....hopefully sooner than later but for sure not this week ;). It's already nicer to cook from though and I'll be sure to give you a tour when we finish or maybe before if I get the hankering. It will for sure LOOK nicer when it's all finished but it's just as functional now and I don't like trying to function with my pantry apart for days at a time so waiting to have it look nice is worth waiting for.

This past Thursday, Grandma and Grandpa Nelson got their mission call. It's a different kind of mission they actually will be living at home they were asking for a couple from every stake who could devote full time to helping with missionary work in their stake. We are all excited they get to serve like they have been wanting to and we still get to have them close by!

Alright menu plan......of course it will look a bit different this week with Thanksgiving and all and I'm sure it will get changed up a bit depending on my mood but here is the plan!

My Weekly Meal Plan

Monday:
Stuffed Acorn Squash

Tuesday:
Minestrone Soup

Wednesday:
Orange Veggie Stir Fry

Thursday:
Thanksgiving Dinner

Friday:
Leftovers

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday:
Lentil Soup

Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

These are a super simple super healthy snack that the entire family loves. Pumpkin seeds are a super food in my mind they are high in  zinc that can sometimes be hard to get enough of. They are also anti-parasitic, cleansing and great for prostate health for men. And that's just off the top of my head. Search their many health benefits and you will see what I mean.

Since they are such a healthy little seed I like to find ways that we will want to eat them. I like to add them to granola whenever I can but I found that Charly didn't really like eating granola with pumpkin seeds. For some reason she doesn't like their flavor in granola (although I do give it a try) but she loves pumpkin seeds when I flavor them this way.

She even asked if I would be sure to make them this past Halloween to go with dinner! Quick and easy to make and they are great to just munch on, to add to a salad or top soups or stir fry and I'm sure other things I haven't thought of! ;)

Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

3 cups raw pumpkin seeds (without hulls)
a few splashes of coconut aminos or lime juice (for chili lime flavor) just enough to lightly coat the seeds and make them damp
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pumpkin seed in bowl, add the coconut aminos or lime juice. Stir to coat the seeds. Add the seasonings stir well to coat again being sure all the seeds have a good amount of seasoning on them. Spread out on a single layer on a cookie sheet (may use parchment paper if desired) bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the seeds are dry, kind of puffed up and toasty. Be sure to stir about every 10 minutes while baking.

Roasted Roots

On Saturday, Ryan harvested most of the carrots and all of the beets and the few onions that where hiding. ;)

We had some nice looking beets even though it seemed like they were not doing all that well there are enough nice ones to make pickled beets with. But there were also quite a few little tiny beets that are not worth taking the time to try to peel when pickling them.

Ryan said, "I wonder what they would be like if we roasted them with some of the little potatoes that my Dad gave us from his garden." I told him that heck yes they would be good especially with some of those carrots and onions he had picked.

The best part is I knew that it would work to just wash them up and not worry about peeling them!

We also still have some chard hanging on in the garden so we cut up a bunch and I quickly sauteed it to go with dinner along with cooking some Quinoa. I have not cooked chard that way before but it was super quick and yummy so I added the recipe below too.

Just so you know picture quality for me always goes down in the winter because it is dark at dinner time.  Sorry I will try my best but artificial lighting just doesn't make as nice of pictures. ;) But it's still better than no picture I think!

Roasted Roots

3 pounds little round potatoes (we used gold ones but red or even russets would be good too)
1-2 pounds small beets (or you can just quarter some larger ones, same with the potatoes)
6-8 large carrots, cut into large chunks
2 large onions, cut into large chunks
2-4 Heaping Tablespoons coconut oil
Kosher Real Salt
Rosemary or herbs of choice (optional)

Place the veggies into two large bakers or cake pans or you could even use a cookie sheet. Blob the coconut oil on top of the veggies. Sprinkle the kosher salt (to taste) about 1/2 Tablespoon per pan. Sprinkle with as much herbs as you want we used just a nice little sprinkling of rosemary.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes as 400 degrees. Stir once or twice during cook time. Once the veggies started to turn golden brown I turned of the broiler and let them get a little crunchy on top just watch close so they don't burn I did 5-10 minutes.

Sauteed Chard

6-8 large leaves of chard, cut into thick ribbons stems removed
1-2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Lemon juice to taste
Real Salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan (I love my cast iron one) melt coconut oil and saute the garlic then add the chard stir quickly while it sizzles and a few splashes of lemon juice and cook until just wilted and dark green. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve!

My Weekly Meal Plan

So the only pictures I took last week where pictures of food, I always feel like my priorities are a bit off when there aren't any pictures of other things......or of the best things that aren't even things....I swear I can see my kids growing I better be sure to take some pictures so I can remember this time in our life! Just thinking out loud here and making a note to myself.

The good news about only having food pictures is that I am having a fun creative time in the kitchen and that always means more yummy recipes to post and share!

Last week Curt spent a few days with his Grandparents and went to Thanksgiving point, the Aquarium and some other fun things. Grandpa did get some good pictures and videos of that time so we will have to get some of those from him.

In other news my computer bit the dust.....luckily I am able to get in on safe mode and transfer anything everything onto an external hard drive. That's going to take some time.....we have had that computer for over 10 years so it has A LOT of stuff on it. I'm not looking forward at all to the task. Then we aren't sure if we are going to try to fix it or upgrade.  I have been having to use the family laptop but hey it's better than nothing we just have to share.....it's all good!

Anyway.....we have all but a few more rows of carrots in the garden and some chard and kale that is still hanging in there. We harvested most of the beets and carrots.....well we meaning Ryan.....and I'm excited to make another batch or two of pickled beets and more carrot butter and also just enjoy the veggies raw and roasted. YUM!

My Weekly Meal Plan

Monday:
Stir Fry with Garlic Sauce (I think this is going to be the time when we say, "Write that down this recipe is a keeper!")

Tuesday:
Chickpea Tacos (another recipe work in progress)

Wednesday:
Sweet Potato Soup

Thursday:
Roasted Beets, Carrots, Potatoes with Sauteed Swiss Chard (posting recipe ASAP)

Friday:
Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday:
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Pecans & Cranberries

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Pecans and Cranberries

We grew a few kinds of squash in our garden this year.....the butternut didn't do well, that is until the rains came but by then it was too late to have them ripen before the frost.  We determined that we did not have enough water getting to them for them to grow the way they are supposed to. We will remember better next year!

We also grew another kind that did pretty well even despite the squash bugs.....I don't even remember what it was called it is round and scalloped with a grayish color. We have had small ones that looked like it that you don't have to peel that are super tasty.....but these where not those. They had a very thick skin and got quite large and have a pretty much tasteless meat on the inside.  We may or may not try them again. ;)

In the past our acorn squash haven't done all that well and we have only gotten a few.....but we really like them. So we tried yet again and this year our plant was happy and produced lots of lovely acorn squash. So of course we had to come up with a fun stuffed acorn squash recipe. We love the flavors and just found this to be all around yummy. We still have more squash so we will for sure be making it again this fall!

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Pecans and Cranberries

5-8 acorn squash, cut in half the long way
4-6 cups cooked brown rice, wild rice blend and or quinoa
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 small purple onion, chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable broth powder
1 teaspoon Real Salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large apple, diced
4 large leaves of chard or kale, sliced into thin ribbons, stems removed
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 stalk celery, sliced (optional)
1 Tablespoon Shoyu or Coconut Aminos
Small drizzle of honey
2 leaves chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon rubbed
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, cut the acorn squash in half the long way and remove seeds with a spoon. Rub with a little coconut oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Place and a cookie sheet and put in the oven to partially bake while making the filling.

In large frying pan melt the coconut oil and add the onion and garlic and lightly saute. Add the rice, celery and seasonings and stir fry until the rice is warn, add the pecans, cranberries and chard and cook just until the chard is wilted. Taste and add more seasoning if needed (this is what makes a good cook in my mind especially when cooking with real food)

Pull the squash out of the oven and stuff each half place back in the oven until the stuffing just starts to brown a little on top and the squash is nice and tender. ENJOY!

Check out my most favorite kitchen appliance of all time!!! The one I can honestly say I use at LEAST once a day usually a whole lot more. This is a GREAT price I spent more on the classic one then the designer one is going for. Looks like a perfect time to get yours! If I could choose to have only one small appliance in my kitchen......This would be it!

My Weekly Meal Plan

We had a very fun week and it turned off nice and cold for the weekend we even got a little snow. I finally broke down and turned on the heat. We haven't run the A/C or heater for about 2 months.....I have loved our nice long fall and the many days of perfect weather.

With the cold I always move to making lots more warm comforting soups and using my oven more. You will very quickly see that change in my weekly menu.

We tried out our Thai Curry Soup in a Pumpkin idea on Friday......and I think it went over pretty well. I felt like it needs a few tweaks but it made me want to get some more pumpkins to try again. I liked that it made adding pumpkin to the curry very simple! ;) We could just scrape out the amount we wanted.

The younger kids enjoyed dressing up and handing out some organic suckers to the few trick-or-treaters we had and the older kids decided to go to a party with their friends after we stopped by for a short visit to grandma's. Charly didn't remember seeing The Wizard of Oz so we just relaxed with the younger kids and enjoyed that great classic!

My Weekly Meal Plan

Monday:
Taco Soup

Tuesday:
Sweet Potato and Mango Tacos

Wednesday:
Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad

Thursday:
Fettuccine Alfredo

Friday:
Broccoli Cheese Soup

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday:
Mexican Pizza

Check out my most favorite kitchen appliance of all time!!! The one I can honestly say I use at LEAST once a day usually a whole lot more. This is a GREAT price I spent more on the classic one then the designer one is going for. Looks like a perfect time to get yours! If I could choose to have only one small appliance in my kitchen......This would be it!