Nothing says summer like the sweet juiciness of a ripe, sweet strawberry, and no strawberry could be sweeter than the one that comes from your own backyard!
I got an email from a company that sells some awesome fruit trees, that are very mature so you don't have to wait years to harvest fruit.
You can never have too many strawberry plants when you're growing your own, so when I got word of a great deal they are having, I had to pass it on to you!You can get 12 plants for only $1.99 each, 24 plants for $1.49 each, or 48 plants for only$0 .99 each!
I saw this video on Dr. Mercola's website, and had to share with you all- with spring coming it is the perfect time to plan a garden! Even if you decide that your family's garden will consist of some lovely summer tomatoes and herbs, you will benefit from food as local as you can get! (And organic if you grow it right!)
Enjoy the video!
Also, check out my series on growing your own organic garden for some great tips to get started.
I am always in need of good recipes, and lately- particularly ones tailor made for the slow cooker. (I use my slow cooker every day now!) So when my Mom raved about a new recipe she had for a tamale pie with cornbread on top, I couldn't wait to give it a try. Once I finally tried it last week, we all enjoyed it so much that I had to share it with you!
This recipe is awesome because it only took me 30 minutes of preparation before putting in the slow cooker, and it easily fed our family for 3 nights! And we still have some leftover!
If you make this recipe, please come back and let me know how your family enjoyed it. I'll post it below, and also give you the link to my Mom's website so you can see the original recipe.
Slow Cooker Tamale Pie
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 lbs ground beef
1 15 oz corn
2 15 oz cans of black beans (I used about 2 1/2 cups of cooked black beans)
2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 - 3/4 cup salsa
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 - 3 cups of grated cheese (cheddar or jalepeno pepper jack)
Place olive oil, onion, celery, garlic & ground beef in a large skillet, Brown the beef and drain off any excess grease (if you use grass fed beef you won’t have much).
In a 6 quart slow cooker, pour in the corn, beans, tomatoes, salsa, jalapeno, spices and most of the cheese. Stir in browned ground beef mixture, top with the last of the cheese. Mix it well because once you add the cornbread batter, you won’t be able stir it again.
Top with the cornbread batter and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Spoon up onto your plate, top with sour cream and salsa & dig in! My family also loved adding corn tortilla chips.
Did you know that a widely used sugar substitute, found in diet sodas (among other places) can cause strokes, cancer, Alzheimer's, and even premature labor?It's called aspartame, and it's marketed as a "healthy" alternative to sugar- but it is incredibly toxic!
Check out this great article from Dr. Mercola explaining the dangers of aspartame, particularly relating to its use in diet sodas- based on a new study finding increased risk of strokes with those consuming diet sodas regularly.
Did you know that depending on your body's nutritional and metabolic type, you can eat foods that you may like, but that make you gain weight or stay unhealthy?
I was recently introduced to this revolutionary information, and had to encourage you to find out what your nutritional type is!
When our first son was born, some close friends of our family offered to give us a beautiful bassinet that they had purchased for their twins. It was a gorgeous bassinet, but since we planned to use a crib I had my heart set on, we turned them down.
Once Nathaniel was born, and I saw just how small a newborn was, and how his crib seemed to engulf him, I regretted my decision to turn down such a generous offer! I still do to this day!
With baby #3 coming in only 3 weeks, I've been looking into organic bassinets again (there are not many options) and have added one to my wish list. It's technically a Moses Basket, by a company called Wendy Anne, and they are just so gorgeous I had to show them to you!Aren't they beautiful?!Look at all the lovely patterns!I'm smitten. And all made from organic cotton! The mattress pad is made from organic cotton as well, and the Moses basket is hand woven in the USA.
They also sell stands to hold the baskets: Be still my beating organic heart!
If I am able to get my hands on one, I promise you will get to hear all about it and see pictures of my sweet newborn sleeping in their cozy organic nest!
I have a whole bunch of bananas that are turning WAY too quickly sitting on top of my fridge, and so I thought I'd share my favorite banana preserving tip with you: if your bananas are turning brown too quickly, and you find yourself avoiding eating them (but don't want to throw them out) just take the peels off, put them in a bag and freeze them.
The frozen bananas are simply lovely to add to smoothies, like my favorite protein lover's chocolate smoothie. They give a wonderful texture!
What about you? What is your favorite use for your overripe bananas?
