Chocolate Berry Protein Shake

Dieting...ugh even the word DIET stinks. I've been on the very slow process of "lifestyle change" for a good 7 years now.

I'm getting a little personal because I think reading a REAL story is more motivating.

Before my little munchkins I was a gym-going, kickboxing class loving powerhouse, but I still ate crappy food. With the excuse of course that I just burned 800 calories at the gym. This worked for awhile, I got down to my smallest weight, probably a year before I met my hubby. Which for me was a comfortable size 14.

After two kiddos, a galbladder surgery and other "bumps in the road" I've moved back up to a size 18.

My family and I have been on a natural and organic path for a long time. With the except of eating out or delivery pizza, our cabinets remain pretty healthy. My kiddos are on a much stricter organic food lifestyle than myself and hubby but it was time that I lived up to my own rules for them, for myself...

Now, am I ever going to get Mr. J to not have some tacos or pizza? NO am I ever going to give up tacos or pizza? probably not.. But we can make 99.9% of our eating choices healthy with the occasional splurge not throwing me off track.

I don't eat salad, Its gross to me, the texture, the wetness I'm not a rabbit. Sorry. So the salad "dieting" thing just doesn't work for me. But REAL food that I can enjoy cooking and enjoy eating does work. If I don't know what an ingredient is, I don't buy it or eat it. I also really try to  avoid GM ingredients. Almost impossible if you go to a restaurant but easy enough to accomplish if you do some research, know the foods and ingredients to avoid and make most meals yourself.

I wanted to share just a super simple, filling smoothie recipe that has really come in handy for me. Its 100% natural really helps me avoid "snacking" between meals.

Protein shakes are a tricky subject. Pre-made mixes are usually packed with sugar and chemicals.Its hard not to get caught up in THINKING you are drinking something healthy when indeed you are not. A friend recently told me about Jillian Michael's protein blend and I was SHOCKED at the ingredients..

I highlighted the ones that were the most shocking:
Nutrition Information. Proprietary Protein Blend 19G, %Daily Value Not Established: Whey Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate). Bcaa Blend (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine). Ingredients: Proprietary Protein Blend ((Whey Protein Blend (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate), Bcaa Blend (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine)), Buttermilk Powder, Inulin, Oat Fiber, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Fructose, Xanthan Gum, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Stevia Extract (Stevia Rebaudiana) (Leaf). Contains Milk And Soy Ingredients. Contains Small Amounts Of Soy Lecithin To Improve Mixability. Typical Amino Acid Profile (Milligrams Per 27 G Scoop****): Essential Amino Acids: Histidine 309 Mg, Isoleucine 952 Mg, Leucine 1,744 Mg, Lysine, 1,262 Mg, Methionine 302 Mg, Phenylalanine 463 Mg, Threonine 1,086 Mg, Tryptophan***** 232 Mg, Valine 915 Mg. Nonessential Amino Acids: Alanine 624 Mg, Arginine 418 Mg, Aspartic Acid 1,586 Mg, Cysteine 294 Mg, Glutamic Acid 2,005 Mg, Glycine 263 Mg, Proline 812 Mg, Serine 806 Mg, Tyrosine 423 Mg. ***Daily Value Not Established For Sugars. ****Approximate Values. *****L-Tryptophan Is Naturally Occurring, Not Added.

so this "health" food is #1 being sweetened TWICE, and #2 they aren't telling you the value of the sugar added? I know there are mixed thoughts on Stevia, but it is a danger to your health..For more info on Stevia, check this 100Days Of Real Food

I also wanted to add that, soy lechitin isn't the worst ingredient but if it's not organic its pretty much guaranteed to be derived from GM-soy. 

OK.. enough of my babbling.. I hope you guys share this journey with me and enjoy my take on a filling, yummy protein smoothie :)

You need:
1 scoop RAW protein powder.(chocolate is my favorite) PLEASE splurge and get this one 
1/2 cup almond milk (Silk is non GM and if you buy the sweetened vanilla version its sweetened with cane juice, not refined sugar)
1 Tablespoon ground organic flax
1 cup frozen organic berries. I've used strawberries, cherries, raspberries all yummy :)
1/4 cup organic yogurt
ICE

I used up my fresh cherries in this recipe & strawberries so it actually came to 1 and 1/4 cup of fruit. I also want to add that brewer's yeast is actually included in the RAW protein blend, but if you choose a different organic protein blend that does not contain it, its a great benefit, JAM packed with B vitamins.

You can use a smoothie shaker, like this one ( mine was free when I bought the protein ) I used the NINJA Euro Pro. I really like it so far but only time will really tell, it does crush ice and frozen fruit with ease, and even minced the cherry skins fine enough where they just blended right into the smoothie.

If you use a shaker cup, i suggest just cutting up and mashing fresh fruit instead of using the frozen berries :)

I decided to label my recipes on Myfitnesspal.com as "House Of J" and then the title of the recipe. If you are looking to track your calories/carbs/sugars its a good tool to use and I've enjoyed it in the past as well as recently. The only thing I noticed is that my brand of strawberries (wild harvest organic) was REALLY high in carbs, almost double of some other brands.. So be mindful of the frozen fruit you select. I also use Full Fat dairy products because of their health benefits and also because low fat dairy usually contains sugar that is NOT on the label.

Enjoy :)

Roasted Peach Iced Chai

I know I've been on a preachy kick lately about GM ingredients but it is a really important issue to me. My Facebook friends must be so sick of my horror story GMO posts but I just want to keep spreading the word and make my family, friends and readers all aware of whats going on with our food these days.



 I've had a super busy season so far. Between the little munchkins, everyday housewife duties and running my small business,I've just been swamped. I was asked to try out some goodies that were organic and GM free and thank goodness I did because they were such a life saver during such a hectic few weeks. I've posted before on my love of Chai tea but the one Davidson's sent me was out of this world! I roasted some fresh organic peaches with a little cane sugar and blended my tea with some roasted peach puree.

Chai is usually super high in caffeine so a caffeine free version was just what I needed. I LOVE LOVE LOVE chai. but after a morning coffee and an afternoon protein smoothie, sometimes you can feel like you are on caffeine overload. I am thrilled I can now have some afternoon Chai without the caffeine!

I was also sent some AMAZING GM-Free fig bars in a bunch of flavors. My favorite by far was the vanilla, but the blueberry was delicious also. This is a healthy treat that I feel comfortable feeding my 3 year old. And they were such a life saver to have in the diaper bag for myself & my hubby on the run.

 They were also dairy free for those of us who are intolerant or are nursing dairy sensitive kiddos..My one recommendation to Nature's Bakery is to remove the caramel color. I think us mama's are ok with  a fig bar not being visually appealing if that means there are less additives and unnecessary ingredients for our families.

I've even seen these guys at Costco! If you are a member and can get the box of these yummies at a bulk price I wouldn't pass it up. 

For an on the run,yummy dessert like treat with half the calories, sugar and preservatives as your leading grocery store "healthy bars" natures bakery for sure takes the cake.. Or should I say fig!

Recipe For Roasted Peach Iced Chai

4 fresh organic peaches quartered

1/4 cup pure cane sugar

5 bags of Davidson's Organic Spiced Chai

1 qt boiling water

1 qt cold water

lots and lots of ice!

Cut peaches in half and then in half again and sprinkle with sugar

In a 415 degree oven roast your peaches for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are carmelized and gooey and they slide right off the skin with a fork. 

Steep your tea bags in boiling water for 8 minutes (I find this is the perfect strength for iced)

Puree your peaches with an emulsion blender, food processor  and then strain any of the larger pieces out.

Add puree too your cold water and then pour the brewed tea right over.

Add ice to your pitcher and enjoy!!!

House Of J was sent these products gratis to review but the views and opinions expressed are 100% my own. House Of J is not paid in exchange for advertising.

Chevron Toy Story Double Birthday Celebration

It finally happened...

Our double Toy Story birthday celebration was a hit! It took months of planning, but working with some really awesome small business vendors from all over the web and seeing my little munchkins having a blast made it all worth it...

Our photographer Lucas was great. He showed up early and hung out for most of the day just capturing some really great moments. And of course the GOODIES!!

If your a long time follower of House Of J you know that I LOVE "The Pioneer Woman". For the second year in a row I used her "Tres Leches" cake recipe. It is just one of those rich, delicious cakes that you just can't go wrong using.

I doubled the recipe, used only organic ingredients and decorated it to look like the Toy Story opening scene of Andy's sky & cloud painted bedroom wall. Using only completely natural & chemical free color and flavor for the whipped cream frosting.

Instead of handwriting my little munchkins names (which never looks as perfect as a bakery cake)I called on my friend over at Pegged By Grace. She hand painted this adorable trio of Woody, Buzz & Jessie. These went perfectly with my simple design and really made their cake extra special. Especially because they now get to play with them!

Of course...I had made a cute little Julia & Jacob bunting but completely forgot about it...Mama brain strikes again.

The dessert table was so fun. We used little pails and some odd shaped vases and filled them with homemade organic gum drops, sixlets (definitely not chemical free, but it IS a party after all) and some licorice as "lassos". My love of chevron really came together so well and the chevron ribbon and little chalkboard stick signs really added something special. I especially love the touch of simple bakers twine around the vases.

I also really wanted to incorporate the edible ice cream cone tea cups that have been popping up all over pinterest lately. What better way than to fill them with homemade chocolate mousse and name them Mrs. Nesbit's Teacups! I used organic ice cream cones, organic vanilla wafers and the chocolate mousse was made with local Colorado farm eggs! Martha Stewart's Mousse recipe is fool proof, just swap out the sugars, eggs and cream with all organic ingredients and you've got yourself a pretty amazing treat! Along side my little tea cups where some home made French macarons with mocha ganache filling. 

And I of course had to include my signature cold brewed iced coffee with Tres Leches creamer.

What really gave our desert table that extra WOW factor was all of the awesome props. The center pieces on this table were made from CScutecrafts and she really went above and beyond, wrapping them with ribbon and even made a lawn sized Woody, which made my lil cowgirl shriek with joy.

The Happy Birthday signs were made by LoveLaughterCrafter and her centerpieces where used on the beverage table as well as the back drop. Jenn, from Love Laughter Crafter was a doll and her Happy Birthday Signs really made our photos that much more exciting. The paper cake stand liner really helped my macarons stand out. It was made by PetitePommeDesign.

For you crafty party planning mamas out there. Here are some fabulous resources for some great crafty party ideas. 

I used my bakers twine and these adorable little wooden utensils with a chevron stamp. I chose my colors at a local craft store and stamped each piece by hand. set them in some colored napkins and wrapped with twine. I absolutely adore them, and even saved a few :) 

For even more chevron I also ordered little treat bags and created labels with the kiddos names on them for our little guests to fill up as favors. I made the dark and white chocolate Mr. Potato head mustaches using paper chevron straws too! Eco friendly AND fashionable!

For non dessert related favors we had little sheriff's badges, labelled water bottles and these adorable little crayon rolls made by Crafts By Nancy that were made so beautifully, and went with our colors and theme to a T. 

A party wouldn't be complete without a little bit of art work! I had two fabulous artists create some great pieces for our side table & sliding doors. Entropy Trading Co sent me this great minimalist movie poster. Julia always talks about her Woody's boot that says Andy. She really loves it, it decorated our beverage table and now decorates her room! Our "to infinity and beyond" Vinyl decal by Grabers Graphics was the perfect introduction to our party abyss. I still have it on my sliding doors, it's just perfect for our summer fun in our backyard.

It was an amazing day with great new friends, beautiful weather and happy kids all around. I cannot wait to find out what my munchkins will be into for their next birthday celebration!

Resources:

wooden pegs-http://peggedbygrace.blogspot.com/

photograpy-https://www.facebook.com/pages/Through-the-Glass-Photography/208524772629761

dessert table center pieces and Woody lawn sign- https://www.etsy.com/shop/CSCuteCrafts

Toy Story crayon rolls-https://www.etsy.com/shop/valenti557

Side table/beverage table center pieces and Happy Birthday backdrop signs-https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveLaughterCrafter

Toy Story movie poster-https://www.etsy.com/shop/EntropyTradingCo

Window "To Infinity" vinyl decal-https://www.etsy.com/shop/GrabersGraphics

Honorable mentions:
Pick Your Plum- bakers twine, wooden utensils, chevron treat bags, chevron table runner
kidspartykreations-invitation
KidsLabelKreations-water bottle label design
Plaid Barn-Chalk board signs & chevron ribbon
Petite Pomme Design-cake stand liner



These images are owned by House of J and cannot be altered or edited in any way. Failure to comply could result in legal action.
A few of these party supplies were supplied to House Of J gratis. All opinions however are my own and I have not been compensated for advertising.

Banana Muffins with Almond Butter and Coconut Oil

Lets talk for a moment about brown sugar...http://grist.org/industrial-agriculture/feds-to-farmers-grow-gmo-beets-or-face-a-sugar-shortage/

It's delicious. If you buy generic brown sugar its pretty much guaranteed to be GMO beet sugar. Pesticides, Highly processed and refined.

We use only 100% organic pure cane sugar for everything that needs sugar here at House Of J. Organic pure cane brown sugar is... EXPENSIVE 1 lb of brown sugar is $5.00 compared to regular super market sugar @ $1.75 per pound!! 

Another reason why it's so hard for many of us to keep a 100% GMO free and organic diet. It costs so much..

Well here is an amazing alternative to A. eating junk sugar or B. going broke

Make your own!

Buy your fabulous organic pure cane sugar and a jar of organic unsulpured molasses  The result is a more fluffy version of regular old brown sugar, and no worrying about it drying out or hardening. 

I will show you a great recipe where brown sugar is needed but instead I use this method!

Banana Muffins!

You need:

3 very ripe bananas (so ripe even that your hubby says, oh wow what are you going to make with those bananas, hint hint hint)

1 cup organic pure cane sugar

1 tablespoon organic molasses

1 egg

1.5 cup flour (make sure GM free/Organic)

1/2 cup almond butter (make sure it's not cut with canola or soy in any way) PURE almond butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

preheat oven to 350

Combine bananas and sugar in the bowl of your mixer and beat until it forms a gooey paste. Add in the molasses and beat until completely incorporated then add in your egg.

Combine flour baking powder/soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. 

Using a large microwave safe measuring cup heat up your coconut oil for 20-30 seconds. Add in the almond butter (to the measuring cup) and stir until smooth. 

Take turns adding in dry ingredients and your oil/almond butter mixture until smooth.

Pour into a greased muffin pan or liners and bake for 18-20 minutes. I use the eco recycled liners, 75 liners for $1.75!

They are so moist and airy. Sweet enough for desert and perfect for breakfast :) 

Blueberry vanilla 100% natural & organic smash cake!

My little momma's boy turned 1!! I just cannot believe that SO MUCH time as passed since our doctor stuck his tiny little preemie baby body on my chest and I snuggled him so tight.

He will always be a little munchkin to us, but he is growing so fast.

Our double brother/sister birthday bash is coming up but we still needed to celebrate the big ONE with a yummy cake and balloons and presents from big sister :)

I am sure you've seen the news, and read the articles about yellow #5 and all the other terrible colorants that we put into our children's birthday cakes to make them look pretty...(they are linked to ADHD and behavioral issues in trouble a long with a list of other complications)

Well I was determined to create a cake for my little munchkin with no chemical additives and only organic and GM (genetically modified)free ingredients.

I know for most of you the jury is still out on GM foods and their safety, but for my family... We've decide to completely cut them out of our home cooking, baking and day to day living..For special occasion dinners etc at restaurants this will be hard to determine but if we can cut our chemical intake by 90-95% I'd say we are pretty successful.

The kids have always ate mostly organic from day #1 but the hubby and I are probably ridden with chemicals.

On to the recipe!

11 tablespoons of butter, soft (organic)
1.5 cups organic pure cane sugar
3 Eggs (organic)
2 1/4 cups flour (organic or GMO-free)
2 tablespoons+1 teaspoon organic Tapioca starch
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon organic vanilla bean paste
1 cup milk
India tree all natural chemical free colorants.

preheat oven to 375

In the bowl of your electric mixer add in butter and sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add in your eggs and vanila and whisk for about 2-3 minutes

sift your flour, baking powder and tapioca in a bowl and set it off to the side.

slowly pour in 1/4 cup of milk and then your dry ingredients and continue to alternate until all combined.

Separate your batter into 3 bowls, leave one white... add a small amount of all natural blue food coloring to another bowl and a larger amount into the next bowl.

Using 2 butter coated spring form 4in round pans, put your white batter in one and your blue batters in another, making large layers going about 3/4 the way up the pan.

cook for 25 minutes, release and cool for about another 25 minutes

For the Icing I used a basic cream cheese recipe but with some adjustments....

I recommend using 1 8oz package organic cream cheese, 4 tablespoons butter (both softened.
4 cups pure cane sugar ( you can buy this as icing sugar or grind it in a food processor very easily)
1/2 cup blueberry juice
1/2 cup fresh blackberries

mix butter, cream cheese and sugar until pasty and add black berries and blueberry juice until desired consistency.

crumb coat your cakes and refrigerate  You can wait a few hours or over night then frost again and add sprinkles :)

And yes.. Organic chemical free sprinkles

Enjoy :)

House Of J got PEGGED!

My little munchkins double birthday is around the corner. I AM SO EXCITED!

To commemorate Earth Day, being green, sustainable and all around carbon foot print reduction, we've been doing our best to accumulate party supplies that are better for Mother Earth.

We'll be doing wooden utensils and paper straws and the adorable toppers for our cake will not be made of plastic.

They will be these amazing little wooden dolls that my little ones will get to play with for many years to come.

My new friend Marie over at Pegged By Grace created this sweet little trio for our cake! Woody, Jesse and Buzz.. My Daughter has NO IDEA!

I've been keeping them hidden for awhile now and luckily it's been easier because I was also sent a little Batman peg(yes my daughter loves batman) to keep her little paws off the ones for her cake!

She's been walking around with her little Batman for a few weeks and just loves to hold him and make him talk to her little brother. The detail is just amazing. I cannot rave enough about how special the hand painting is on every doll. Her little Batman has been bitten on,dropped, stepped on, and just all around beat up... She is going to be 3 after all. and Toddlers are hard on their toys. There is not a chip on a scratch on him! Super hero of SUPER high quality.

Wooden toys are so popular right now. From instruments to pull along toys. They are everywhere. What I love so much about these little peg dolls is that they will be on their birthday cake to honor their first ever combination party and then be reused over and over again as play things.

They are hand painted so detailed that even Jesse's braid is spot on!

PEGGED by Grace also does completely custom orders. When I asked what she loved most about her work she said that she loves when a family orders a custom peg family to look like your favorite family photo! How special would that be, a peg doll collection of your loved ones.

Please show another fellow momma owned and operated small business some love and support by liking her face book page, checking out her shop and spreading the word!

Check her out here :)
Peggedbygrace.blogspot.com

Etsy.com/shop/peggedbygrace

Facebook.com/peggedbygrace

And the secret word for the  Birthday surprise giveaway is PEG!

Keep checking the blog and our facebook page to see when the giveaway begins.

xoxo-J

Organic Country Gravy

I used to LOVE using bouillon to season gravies, soups and anything else I could think of...until I realized that there was a plethora of disturbing chemicals inside. I've actually discontinued using it until I stumbled upon Gobio Organics.

I was so excited when Gobio Organics sent me a generous little sample of some of their cubes. Everything about them is different, the color is more natural there is no artificial ingredients or color.

The flavor was way more intense as well. Check out their ingredient list!

Ingredients: Sea Salt, Corn Starch*, Yeast Extract, Non-Hydrogenated Palm Oil*, Chicken Fat*, Dehydrated Chicken Powder*, Celery*, Onions*, Lovage*, Parsley*, Garlic*, Turmeric*, Pepper*, Natural Rosemary Flavourig.
*certified organic

Gluten-Free

 √ Organic Free-Range Chicken

The flavor was so intense that I barely had to season my gravy. Just a bit of lemon pepper seasoning was a perfect addition.

I always use a mix of beef both and chicken in my gravies for a well rounded flavor.
For my country gravy you need:

1 Chicken Bouillon Cube (GoBIOfood.com)
1/2 cup water
1 Cup Beef Broth
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
2 Tablespoons GMO free flour

In a small sauce pan, melt your butter and add in flour. mix until it forms a paste and turns light yellow in color. Add in your beef broth and simmer until it starts to boil.

Break up a bullion cube in 1/2 cup warm water and slowly incorporate it to your gravy.
Season with lemon pepper!

SEE! it's so simple and easy, no chemicals from those gravy packets!

Enjoy with grilled pork chops, chicken, chicken fried steak, and especially my lightened up wheat biscuits..found here