DIY Advent Calendar Made of BEER!!!!!!!

No one loves Christmas more than my husband.  He literally put the tree up November 1st and was listening to Christmas music before Halloween. He also has our house dripping in decorations. So, as an early 30th birthday present my girlfriend MADE him a Beer Advent Calendar.  Isn't that the cutest idea??? His two favorite things; Christmas and beer :) He LOVED it!

She decorated two liquor boxes with wrapping paper and numbered the beers 1-24.

Here are the beer that she includes; she got them all at the BC liquor store and they are singles.  So, he gets a different beer every day :)

The jumbo beer at the end is for the 24th!

ADORABLE!

"Power Balls"- great healthy snack! Perfect for new parents!

One of the very best things you can bring a new parent when you visit is food! Especially in those first few weeks .  If you are breast feeding you are STARVING! I found it almost impossible to find time to cook or eat in the first few weeks in between feedings, diapers and all the visitors.  My best girlfriend since high-school (who is also a nutritionist) showed up with these little gems.  Bless her heart that she did! I practically survived on these for a month.  Plus they are super healthy and have lots of protein and healthy fats for breast feeding :) But, these are by no means just for mommy's! Daddy loves them too.  And, only take a few minutes to make.  Yippeeeeee

"Power Balls"


4-5 finely chopped dates
1/2 cup or so of nut butter (I use almond because you can get it at Costco cheap)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp cocoa
2-3 tbsp honey
pinch of sea salt if you nut butter was unsalted
unsweetened shredded coconut

Mix the first seven ingredients together then roll into table spoon sized balls.  Roll the balls in coconut and store in the fridge.  Simple :)  (if the nut butter is sticking to your hands, spray your hands with a touch of cooking spray.)

The little balls will firm up some in the fridge.

You can substitute in any seeds you like or even add oats. 

Enjoy!!

Aunty Pat's Sourdough Bread Stuffing with Fresh Herbs, Pistachios and Dried Fruit

   
   I come from a family with some seriously good cooks.  My Aunty makes amazing food.  This is her stuffing recipe and I'm obsessed with it.  She started making it when my cousin went through a "vegetarian phase" and it stuck! My aunt is so sweet; she always makes enough stuffing to bring me some for our family get together Christmas Eve.  So, I have my own little bread stuffing for Christmas dinner :) I'm making some to take to Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's house tonight! This recipe can totally be made the day before and reheated in a covered oven safe dish for turkey dinner.  YUMMOOOO.

Aunty Pat's Sourdough Bread Stuffing with Fresh Herbs, Pistachios and Dried Fruit


1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dries blueberries
12 cups (1 round loaf) 1/2 inch sourdough bread cubes (use day old bread)
1 cup pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 tablespoons warm water

Soak cranberries and blueberries for three minutes in enough boiling water to cover. Drain well. Place in a large bowl with bread cubes and nuts. (This will look like the largest batch of stuffing ever, but I promise it shrinks! I have to use my large stock pot to stir it because it's the only container large enough.) 

In medium fry pan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery; sauté for three minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley, sage, thyme, salt and pepper: cook for one minute. Pour over bread mixture and stir to mix, Sprinkle with water, one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition.



This stuffing is AMAZING!

Makes about 12 cups (3L), enough for a 16-pound (7.25 kg) turkey
157 calories, 3.4 g protein, 7.7 g fat 19.4 g carbohydrate

Butternut Squash, Quinoa and Chicken Stew

This was very good! A hearty comfort food without the usual guilt that comes along with comfort food! This is so healthy! And, my best friend who is a Holistic Nutritionist gave it two thumbs up and requested it be posted on my blog so she can have the recipe :)  (I made a large batch and she got sent home with some leftovers!)  Adapted from http://www.cookincanuck.com/2011/11/hearty-chicken-stew-with-butternut-squash-quinoa-recipe/

Note: leftovers will freeze well for future easy/healthy dinner :) 

Butternut Squash, Quinoa and Chicken Stew

(serves 6)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa 
• 1/3 cup dried mixed beans
• 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives
• Juice of one freshly squeezed lemon
• Franks red hot sauce, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside
3. Preheat a large sauce pan to medium heat. Add olive oil.
4. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Add minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
6. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
7. Stir in chicken broth, quinoa and dried beans. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent and beans are soft; about 30 minutes.
8. Stir the chicken, olives, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
9. Stir in parsley and serve.

Baby Girl Nursery on a Budget: under $1000 total

Here are some pictures of our nursery :) Now, all we need is the baby! She is "due" today.  And, I figured there would be NO time for this post after she comes!

My husband and I had lots of fun decorating this room and were able to complete the entire project for under $1000.  If you are willing to tackle some DIY's it's very "do-able."  My biggest tip is "get creative with what you have."  And, shop around!.  I carried paint colors and fabric samples around in my purse where ever we went so if we found a "deal;" we could jump on it without having to worry about returns if it didn't match when we got home. 

 

Wall Paint: Sherwin Williams-"Potentially Purple" SW 6821.  Purchased when it was on sale at 40% off.  It was $39.64 for the most expensive low fume baby friendly paint. 

Crib- $260 from Craigslist!! Including the high end mattress.  It is literally in perfect condition because it was never used (the previous little girl that it was purchased for would only "co-sleep.")  The crib alone is over $500 new without the mattress.   Just make sure that the crib isn't recalled if you are going to go second hand. 

Dresser and Side Table- inherited from my Great Aunt and painted by my lovely and patient husband following this tutorial http://icreatewithlove.blogspot.ca/2012/01/my-new-green-storage-solution.html .  We color-matched the white of the crib and again used Sherwin Williams paint purchased at 40 % off in high gloss.  We got the recommended primer from the tutorial from Home Depot. We did learn, however, that some sanding was required with the very old shiny dresser; both before starting and lightly in between coats to get the very shiny white appearance we wanted.  Total cost for primer, paint and supplies about $150 including an electric sander to keep hubby's sanity.  (do this in the garage because the primer is smelly and not for pregnant women to be around.) 

China Chandelier- Inherited again from my Great Aunt- needed a good clean and my electrician brother to help figure out the ancient wiring and to install dimmer :) Dimmer was under $20 from home depot.

Wall Decal- $144.99 including shipping from Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/couturedecals?ref=seller_info This seller was very easy to work with; she was willing to customize the colors for us and even make an electronic preview with our back ground color to make sure we were happy with how it all looked.  It wasn't very hard to put up if you followed the directions :) Took maybe 45 minutes to put up but is a two person job for the large parts at least.  And, they are removable and movable without damaging the walls!

Glider- Free from Craigslist! We were having a hard time finding a white glider.  I am lucky to have a mother that is great at sewing! So, Nana to the rescue and she made us new cushions.  Total cost for foam and ultra-suede fabric $115 (Fabric from "Fabricana," foam from "The Foam Shop.")

Pink Lamp- $19 on clearance from Homesense

Mirror- $39 from Homesense

Organic Cotton Mattress Pad and Sheet- $26 together from Homesense

Purple Laundry Basket- $12 Homesense

Purple Circle Rugs- $12 each Homesense

Crib Skirt and Valance- Made by Nana again and the material and pattern was $60 from Fabric Land when they were having a 40% off sale. 

Double Curtain Rod and Sheers- $50 from Wallmart

Change pad and cover- Free! It was a hand-me-down :)

All the other little decorations, stuffies, blankets etc were gifts from excited friends and family!

So, there you have it! Under a $1000 by my quick calculations!  

I hope you enjoyed looking at our baby girl's room.  We had lots of fun creating it.  :)

Donna`s Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos- slow cooker

Donna's Slow Cooked Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken Tacos!

These are easy and SO yummy.  And healthy...so there's no excuse.  You should make them.
Thank`s Donna for the awesome recipe! Rumor has it these tacos go GREAT with beer and a sports game!

  
Put 4-5 chicken breasts in the slow cooker and add a package of taco seasoning, a few shakes of hot sauce, one cup chopped cilantro, juice of one lime, and two cups of fresh salsa.  You can buy the fresh salsa or make your own.  (you could use bottled, but this recipe is WAY better if you use fresh salsa.)

I like to make my own salsa; diced seeded ripe roma tomatoes, seeded finely diced jalapeno, diced sweet onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, bit of sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  I make a BIG batch then there is lots for the tacos after they are all cooked. 
  
Cook in slow cooker on "low" for 6 hours.  Lift lid and "pull" (shred) chicken with fork until it's all shredded. Serve in warmed mini soft tortillas with sour cream, guacamole, fresh salsa, grated cheese and shredded lettuce.  YUM!

Slow cooked Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken Tacos
4-5 chicken breasts
1 pkg taco seasoning
few shakes hot sauce (I use Franks)
1 cup fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime 
two cups of fresh salsa (plus some for tacos once cooked)


Cook on Low for 6-7 hours.  Lift lid and shred chicken with fork until all shredded.  

Warm your tortillas wrapped in tinfoil in the oven at 200 degrees for a few minutes while you shred chicken and prepare all your condiments.  


Serve with more fresh salsa, sour cream, guacamole, grated cheese and shredded lettuce.  


ENJOY!

Felted Dryer Ball Tutorial- the natural alternative

Felted Dryer Ball Tutorial

I have been meaning to do a tutorial on how to make these great dryer balls for months.  Why are felted dryer balls so great??? Where do I begin!?

Dryer sheets are actually bad for your dryer; some dryer warranty's are void if you use dryer sheets.  They are also full of terrible chemicals that are bad for you and certainly not safe for babies/ small children.  I excitedly bought dryer sheets when I first moved out (Mom said they were bad for us and wouldn't let us use them when I lived at home.)  And, I broke out with a TERRIBLE full body rash that took almost 5 months to go away with prescription cortisone creams, etc.  I also had to re-wash everything in my home several times to get the chemicals out.  (Turns out Mom actually knew what she was talking about, go figure!)

Those plastic dryer balls don't cut it in my opinion.  They bang around and are loud.  They aren't very heavy and I can't imagine the move the laundry around that much more.  They crack after a few months, don't reduce static, and don't smell nice.

Felted dryer balls are the bee's knees ;) They are heavier than the plastic ones so they help bang laundry around for good circulation and keep laundry soft.  But, they are soft wool, so they aren't loud in your dryer and never crack.  Plus, they actually heat up and steam hot air.  I find they dramatically reduce the drying time required (saving you $$$) and reduce static.  You can easily scent them with your favorite essential oils for natural and safe scent on your laundry.  Plus, they are completely safe on even babies clothes and ideal for cloth diapers.  The ones in the pic above are well loved; about a year old but still work great! Velcro will stick to these and make them a little fuzzy.  You could trim the fuzziness if you were worried; I'm not, they just go in the dryer :)

Want some!!!??? They are EASY to make!  

Here's how: 

First of all, you need to find wool appropriate for felting.  Look for wool that says "roving" or even says "for felting."  It needs to be 100% wool or very close to it.   The wool strand needs to be lose; not tightly wound to felt properly.  The BEST thing is buffalo wool if you can find it; I found bags and bags of it at a thrift store for a few bucks :) You need quite a bit of wool, so get whatever is cheapest or on sale. :)

To keep the cost down, you can "fill" the center of the ball with a piece of crumpled up fleece.  Then tightly wrap the wool around the fleece in all directions to create a ball of wool. (or just make a tightly wound ball of wool.)  You can also use up bits of leftover roving wool.  I make my dryer balls about the size of a baseball.  To finish off the ball, use the end of a small crochet hook or knitting needle to "stab" the end of the wool deep into the ball to prevent it from unraveling.

Then, tightly tie the balls individually in an old pair of nylons.  (it has to be tight or it won't work.) Then you wash them in the washing machine with HOT HOT wash (and a bit of laundry soap,) COLD rinse.  (I even run the hot water in the near by bathroom to get the hot water upstairs before turning the washing machine on to make sure it's HOT.)  Dry, then repeat the washing drying directions a second time.

If you are washing the dryer balls with other laundry, be careful as the dryer balls may run color at first if you used bright wool. They won't transfer color in use after being washed twice.  They may smell like a wet sheep at first but don't worry! Washing them twice reduces the smell.  Once they are dry, and only used in the dryer, they won't smell sheep-ish.

After washing and drying twice, you can cut open the nylons and peel out the dryer balls.  They might be really stuck in the nylons, but that's "OK."  It just means they felted well.  Scent each ball with a few drops of your favorite essential oil if desired and you're ready to go! They may need a drop of two of oil every 4-5 loads to keep the scent up.  I love lavender and vanilla oils.  I get mine at Sage. 

ENJOY! These make a great gift for a baby shower or a new mom :)