Chocolate Dipped Apples

 Last year we did Jolly Rancher candy apples and they were an absolute blast making and sharing with everyone. This year we made chocolate dipped apples and again, HUGE SUCCESS!

For me making these was so much more beneficial, because I was sharing them at a work party, and no one wants to eat an entire apple, when everything else is light small finger food, so slicing the apples made this apple snack a lot better for if you are hosting or are going to be feeding many. Also melting chocolate is a whole lot easier than melting candy, and it isn’t nearly as sticky. So without further jabbering done by me lets get down to how to make this super yummy treat!

First is rinsing the apples. So the FDA recently released that the skin on most fruits is not considered food, and so any chemical is aloud to touch it. Fortunately apples did not fall in that category, but things like lemons, limes, bananas, and melons did, so I am overly cautious when preparing my food. You can rinse with just plain water if you would like, but I like to use lemon and lime essential oils and a scrub brush, to really get as many of the chemicals off my food.

Next step is to get your chocolate started. If you have a double boiler, please feel free to use that for melting your chocolate, I still use the 2 pot method (fill the bottom of the first, larger pot up about 1-2 inches with water, then place second, smaller inside that pot, and add your chocolate). Let this sit on a low heat with the lid on, and lets get back to the apples.

This is the long part. You are slicing, and coring. You want to keep your slices thin enough that they stay a 1-2 bite kind of food, but not too thin that the chocolate will completely take over the food. I sliced my apples into about 8-10 slices each depending on the size.

Once you are done cutting your apples, check on your chocolate. It should have started to melt by now at least a little but, so go ahead and give it a good stir, and add some heat, then cover it up again and let it melt some more.

Getting the pan ready is super simple. You can use wax paper if that is your preference, however I was out of wax paper and this is a good alternative to any time you have run out of it. Line the pan with aluminum foil (side note, I am the only one who still regularly calls this tin foil) and spray it down with a butter spray, any non-stick spray you like to use. Yes this makes things a little more greasy, but if you are in a pinch it’s a trick I love to use.

Checking in on your chocolate again, I personally like to add either a little water or milk at this point in the melting stage, for this recipe I used water, about ½ cup and mixed it into the chocolate. If you want to use more and make the chocolate more runny feel free. I use the water to help the chocolate stick to the apple surface. If you have ever tried dipping apples, or anything else into chocolate for the chocolate covered effect, but cant seem to get the chocolate to actually stay on the food, try adding just a little bit of water here, it has really helped me with that issue.

Now we get to have fun!

Take your apple slices , dip one side into the chocolate sauce, then place on your wax paper / aluminum foil covered pan. You can leave as is with just chocolate, or you can be festive and add jimmies, or sprinkles. These apples were for a Halloween party and so black and orange jimmies, were used, but feel free to use whatever colors you want or get even more creative with your apples and then let me know what you did!

Sweet Citrus & Ginger Grilled Salmon

One of the best sources of protein is fish. Most fish is low in fat, and the exceptions usually have a good form of fat: omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s, which are found in salmon, herring, and other fatty fish, may help protect against heart disease and other chronic conditions.

Ingredients

1-1⁄2 lb. salmon fillet (skin intact)
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. olive oil 
2 Tbsp. ground ginger
1⁄3 cup orange juice or one drop of DōTERRA Wild Orange with 1/3 alkaline water (in the store)
1 Tbsp. DōTERRA lime oil (in the store) 

1. For marinade, whisk together honey, olive oil, ginger, orange or wild orange and lime oil and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
2. Arrange salmon fillets in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over fish. Cover and let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Lightly oil grill and preheat. (Note: Real wood charcoal tastes best, but gas works fine. Avoid instant-light briquettes as they make food taste like lighter fluid! Aim for medium heat – if your grill lid has a thermometer built into the lid, it should read about 350 degrees F.)
4. Transfer salmon to a platter. Reserve marinade.
5. Place marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cook for one minute. (Note: This will kill off any bacteria and make it safe to baste the salmon while it’s cooking.)
6. Place the salmon, skin side down, on grill.
7. Cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, basting every 5 minutes. (Note: To check for doneness, test the flesh with a fork. When done, it will begin to flake. If you cut into the salmon, meat should be opaque.)
8. Transfer fish to a platter and serve immediately.

How to ordre doTERRA Essential oils:

 http://mydoterra.com/colleenfaye

7/2/15 doTERRA oils blog https://healinghealthandwellness.wordpress.com/tag/doterra-oil/

Tomato Basil Chicken (cooking with essential oils)

4 chicken breasts

8 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 drop doTERRA Black Pepper eo / loads of ground pepper

2 drops doTERRA Basil eo / or 1 large handful or basil

Mix olive oil and doTERRA Black Pepper, and put 1/3 aside. Drizzle  the rest over each chicken.  Grill over medium-high heat on the outdoor grill or on your indoor grill pan 5-6 minutes each side.  Remove to serving platter.

In the bowl of your food processor, toss in tomatoes, garlic, basil eo, vinegar, and olive oil & doTERRA Black Pepper mix.  Pulse until your get a nice salsa consistency.  Taste and see if you need a pinch more salt and pepper.  Spoon over chicken.

That's it!  Super simple and delicious.  I forget there is a grilled chicken under all of that tomato goodness. 

Inspired by MIX AND MATCH MAMA http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2012/06/dinner-tonight-tomato-basil-chicken.html

Interested in additional benefits from olive oil: 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/26/health/five-things-olive-oil/ 

How to order doTERRA Essential oils:

 http://mydoterra.com/colleenfaye

Heart healthy benefits of Tomatoes:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/jared-bunch-rhythm-of-life/tomato-day-keeps-heart-doctor-away/

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=44

Belly Slimming Smoothies

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Smoothie

1.5 cups of coconut milk (or almond milk).

6-7 frozen strawberries (can use fresh, just add in ice cubes)

1/2 frozen banana

1.5 TB cocoa powder

Add a couple drops of liquid stevia. I used my chocolate raspberry stevia and it enhanced the chocolatiness!!

Optional add ins: free-range egg yolks, coconut oil, and ice cubes if you use fresh strawberries

Throw everything in a blender, except ice cubes, and blend till smooth. Take a peak and add in ice cubes to get it to the thickness you desire.

Enjoy!!! From The Paleo Mama http://thepaleomama.com/2012/03/chocolate-dipped-strawberry-smoothie/

Good Morning

1 handful spinach

1 handful kale

1 big spoonful of peanut butter

1 banana

1 handful of ice cubes

½ cup coffee

Optional a chocolate or chocolate peanut butter protein powder goes well with this if your coffee is cold.

Directions:

Throw everything in a blender, except ice cubes, and blend till smooth. Take a peak and add in ice cubes to get it to the thickness you desire.

Triple Berry Banana Yogurt Smoothie

8 ounces frozen mixed berries

2 small bananas, cut into 2-inch pieces and frozen

6 ounces vanilla yogurt, preferably whole milk

1 cup whole milk

1 to 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Add the berries, bananas, yogurt, milk and honey to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Dave Lieberman http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/triple-berry-banana-yogurt-smoothie-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 vine-ripened tomatoes

Salt

1/2 cup quinoa

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Cook quinoa as the box says (so for ½ cup quinoa you will boil 1 cup water).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice tomatoes in half horizontally and scoop out pulp and seeds. Salt insides and rest upside down on a sheet pan lined with a wire rack to extract juices, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together quinoa, garlic, basil, pepper, 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan and oil.

Stuff tomatoes with the filling, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, and bake until tomatoes are cooked through and tops are golden brown, about 30 minutes.

I use Jimmies for my candles…

I use Jimmies for my candles…

I do, seriously!

And no they’re not called sprinkles, they are called Jimmies! Hahaha!

So no I don’t light my candles with them or anything, but I do put them in my candles to make a pretty awesome gift for kids, or even adults.

I absolutely love candles! But my wallet does not like that amount of money I spend on them, so I decided that make them would be a better solution. My daughter and I wanted to make some fun party candles for her room one day, and this is what we came up with:

Things you will need: (made 2 candles this day, one is sleepy time, and one is a day time, I also made mine scented. The ingredients listed here are for one candle.)

1 10 oz container of Jimmies

½ lbs candle wax (you can use paraffin wax if you like as well, personally I think this works better for these candles that you want to see through a little bit more, unlike beeswax)

1 candle wick

1 mason jar

double boiler (or 2 pots)

essential oil (optional for fragrance)

Directions:

1. Start by melting your wax in either your double boiler or your two pots. If you are using 2 pots make sure one is slightly smaller than the other. Fill the larger one with about 1-2 in of water. Put your wax in the smaller pot and set in the bigger pot to melt.

2. While you wax is melting, take your wick and place with metal part at the base of the mason jar. Use the additional wick at the top of the jar to wrap around a straw or spoon or something to help hold it in place. Then sprinkle in some jimmies  in your jar.

3. Once your wax has melted, pour about ½ in of wax into jar and pour more jimmies into wax. Use a knife or spoon to spread the jimmies to the outside of the jar as much as possible. (This is when I like to add some essential oils for fragrance.  In this candle I used doTERRA Lemon, Purify, and Grapefruit)

4. Then set in the fridge or freezer for 30 seconds-1 min.

5. Remove from fridge or freezer, and pour 1” of wax into jar, add more jimmies, and more fragrance, and then put back in fridge/freezer. Continue to do this until you have filled the jar up as high as you would like. Then place jar in fridge and let sit 1 hour. (make sure you save a little wax)

6. In 1 hour take your jar out, and  top it off with the leftover wax, and set back in the fridge for about 10 more min.

7. In 10 min, take the jar out, cut the extra wick, light, and enjoy!!!

Talk about a holistic approach... lets break down everyday decisions to help the health of our economy and our bodies.

So many of you know that what I put in my body is important to me. I saw this today on Instagram by a lady I very much admire. She is  biochemist, a badASS yogi, and from what I have gathered is hoping to open a Holistic Wellness Center in Costa Rica in the future with her husband. Anyway, I saw this and very much wanted to share this with you all:

@casa_colibri

Organic or Conventional

GMO or nonGMO
Local or Commercial 
Disposable or Reusable
Grassfed or Cornfed
Humanely Raised or Feed Lot

You vote with your hard earned money every time you buy something at the grocery store or restaurant. You vote with your demand for a certain product quality...or your acceptance of its mediocrity. 
Not everyone can afford to buy Organic. Not everyone lives in an area with a local farmers market. Not everyone has access to information about what we put into our bodies and/or what it is doing to the Earth. 
But you know what?

We do what we can with what we have. 
Food is a big part of our lives, and it should be a large expense in our daily and monthly budget. We only have one body, and we only have one planet. Not to mention that spending more on food might mean saving more in other categories, like medical. 
If those of us who CAN, start making conscious decisions about where we are placing our vote surrounding food products, we have the power to raise demand in current "niche" markets. 
And if we know anything about Capitalism, it's that a rise in demand breeds competition, and competition means more competitive prices, which means more availability for people who currently CAN'T. 
A 2011 study showed that less than 1% of US farm and pastureland is certified Organic. I'm willing to bet it's gone up a bit since then, but the VAST majority remains Commerical. Is it any surprise that Organic costs more? (Not that Organic is the panacea because it's not, but that's a rant for another time). This doesn't mean you can never go out to dinner with friends again or refuse to touch those plastic grocery bags the one time you forgot your cloth ones. 
It is just an invitation. 
To be here, present in this moment, and to recognize that every dollar you spend is actually a vote. To think about what went into making the food on your plate, and if/how you would like to see that change in anyway. 
If you're a meat eater (I am), to recognize and honor every life that has been given to sustain yours. To ask questions, demand answers, and never stop fighting for a fair and honest food economy.

DIY: EARTH DAY 2016 BUTTERFLY GARDEN

EarthDay2016: Happy Earth Day!!!

So last year I put together a blog for Earth Day, and I would like to continue the Earth Day Blog tradition, because this is a pretty important day in my book. I mean without our earth, no other holidays would matter because we wouldn’t be here right?

So this year, instead of giving you tips on how to help the planet today, I am going to just focus on Composting. With the up coming moving date to our new house, my fiancé and I have been having many discussions about what we are going to be able to add to our house and garden, and one thing that we both agreed on was a compost pile. Growing up my parents had an open compost pile, which made it much easier to find additional soil for our huge garden.  So now we have decided on an open compost for the new house. We are going to use a tarp probably to help dampen them smell for the neighbors, but personally I never minded the smell.

Here is how we are making our open compost pile:

Materials:

• 7 lengths of 2 x 6 wood, each cut to 3'. Your lumberyard will make the cuts for you. Get exterior, rough, unplanned wood. The wood does not need to be treated with preservatives - untreated lumber will last many years. 


• Four lengths of 2 x 2 wood (or 4 x 4 ), each cut to 3' lengths.


• Galvanized common nails, 2 3/4" long. 28 nails. 

Putting it together:

• Sharpen one end of each 2 x 2 to act as stakes. This will keep your bin in place.

• Set stakes in place and drive them down into the ground with a sledge or heavy hammer.

• Nail the 3' boards to the 2 x 2's. Leave space between the boards to help aerate the pile. Pre-drilling the nail holes will make nailing easier and prevent the wood from splitting. This is where you can get creative and make your bin taller, or more air space) Make sure you keep the front low, so only nail one board on in the front so that you can easily dump into, scoop out of, and turn your pile as you need.

• Check your stakes, and drive them down to secure everything. 

What can you put in a compost pile? (From: http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm )

Paper napkins 


Freezer-burned vegetables 


Burlap coffee bags


Pet hair 


Potash rock 


Post-it notes 


Freezer-burned fruit 


Wood chips


Bee droppings 


Lint from behind refrigerator 


Hay 
Popcorn (unpopped, 'Old Maids,' too) 


Freezer-burned fish 


Old spices 


Pine needles 


Leaves 
Matches (paper or wood) 

Seaweed and kelp 


Hops 


Chicken manure 


Leather dust 


Old, dried up and faded herbs 


Bird cage cleanings 


Paper towels 


Brewery wastes 


Grass clippings 


Hoof and horn meal 


Molasses residue 


Potato peelings 


Unpaid bills 


Gin trash (wastes from cotton plants) 


Weeds 


Rabbit manure 


Hair clippings from the barber 


Stale bread 


Coffee grounds 


Wood ashes 


Sawdust 


Tea bags and grounds 


Shredded newspapers 


Egg shells 


Cow manure 


Alfalfa 


Winter rye 


Grapefruit rinds 


Pea vines 


Houseplant trimmings 


Old pasta 


Grape wastes 


Garden soil 


Powdered/ground phosphate rock 


Corncobs (takes a long time to decompose) 


Jell-o (gelatin)


Blood meal 


Winery wastes 


Spanish moss 


Limestone 


Fish meal


Aquarium plants 


Beet wastes 


Sunday comics 


Harbor mud 


Felt waste 


Wheat straw 


Peat moss 


Kleenex tissues 


Milk (in small amounts)


Soy milk 


Tree bark 


Starfish (dead ones!) 


Melted ice cream 


Flower petals 


Pumpkin seeds 


Q-tips (cotton swabs: cardboard, not plastic sticks) 


Expired flower arrangements 


Elmer's glue 


BBQ'd fish skin 


Citrus wastes 


Stale potato chips 


Rhubarb stems


Old leather gardening gloves 


Tobacco wastes 


Bird guano 


Hog manure 


Dried jellyfish 


Wheat bran 


Guinea pig cage cleanings 


Nut shells 


Cattail reeds 


Clover 


Granite dust 


Moldy cheese 


Greensand 


Straw 


Shredded cardboard 


Dolomite lime


Cover crops


Quail eggs (OK, I needed a 'Q' word)


Rapeseed meal 


Bat guano 


Fish scraps 


Tea bags (black and herbal) 


Apple cores 


Electric razor trimmings 


Kitchen wastes 


Outdated yogurt 


Toenail clippings 


Shrimp shells 


Crab shells 


Lobster shells 


Pie crust 


Leather wallets 


Onion skins 


Bagasse (sugar cane residue) 


Watermelon rinds 


Date pits 


Goat manure 


Olive pits 


Peanut shells 


Burned oatmeal (sorry, Mom) 


Lint from clothes dryer


Bread crusts 


Cooked rice 


River mud


Tofu (it's only soybeans, man!) 


Wine gone bad (what a waste!) 


Banana peels 
 


Chocolate cookies 


Wooden toothpicks 


Moss from last year's hanging baskets 

Stale breakfast cereal 


Pickles 


'Dust bunnies' from under the bed 


Pencil shavings 


Wool socks 


Artichoke leaves 


Leather watch bands 


Fruit salad 


Tossed salad (now THERE's tossing it!) 


Brown paper bags 


Soggy Cheerios 


Theater tickets 


Lees from making wine 


Burned toast 


Feathers 
and Animal fur 


Horse manure 


Vacuum cleaner bag contents 


Coconut hull fiber 


Old or outdated seeds 


Macaroni and cheese 


Liquid from canned vegetables 


Liquid from canned fruit 


Old beer 


Wedding bouquets 


Greeting card envelopes 


Snow 


Dead bees and flies 


Horse hair 


Peanut butter sandwiches 


Dirt from soles of shoes, boots 


Fish bones 
Ivory soap scraps 


Spoiled canned fruits and vegetables 


Produce trimmings from grocery store 
 

For some other ideas as to what you can do for earth day, check out The International Business Times 2015 Earth Day activities.

Bye Bye DTCC

For the past 2 1/2 years I have been in school non-stop. Summer semesters, spring breaks, internships, you name it. I have spent every waking minute of my life at Delaware Technical Community College working on becoming an Entrepreneur,  and before that a personal trainer. So with the ammount of time I spent there, I decided that it would be the perfect place to hold classes. Last Jan is when I started my YTT and it was suggested that I start teaching small groups so that I could get the hang of it, so I did. I started a volunteer program at my school where twice a week I would come early and hold a yoga class. Every Tuesday and Thursday for 4 semester now I have holding morning yoga classes from 7:45-8:30. 
I am so grateful to those students and faculty who have been there with me a incentives the brining of my yoga journey. Who put up with the terrible akostics of the racket ball courts where we practice. To those who took a chance with me and tried some of my other classes, even if the studios were way out of the way for you. Over this stretch of time I have taken many a photos of you all and your progress, and so I am compiling all of the pictures I still have so that I can share these wonderful memories you all have given me. That I will hold and cherish as I continue this journey. 

Lets get Class Started!!!

The Time that Step aerobics left out their steps from the night before and I was really debating weather or not to try to turn our class into step-yoga...

Walking in on Thursdays and seeing this meant today is going to be a good day.

When I set out on a mission to get everyone to try acro... starting with Connor

Spinal Twists are always great!

The times we had a really full classes, with new people...

And the times we had not so many.

Im serious Spinal twists are the best!

Savasana is my fave!!!

Drews first time doing Acro!!!

Hamstring Strength Building

This years Power Yoga Flyer

This years Restorative Yoga Flyer

The time we turned class into Meditation time

Tim and I used to practice Acro Yoga a lot!

Core Work

That time everyone got really mad at Utkatasana 

The time I got hot computer guy aka Peter parker aka his real name is Craig guys... to do some acro with me!!!

I am finally graduating and these classes will unfortunately be coming to an end as of Thursday, April 21. I will miss you all!

Yoga: Child's Pose Balasana

Thoughts for 4/11/16

Wow, we are almost ½ way through April. I seriously feel as though I have done nothing this entire month. The only things I can honestly remember doing this month are being really tired and thus taking a lot of naps. This bums me out though. It makes me feel like I am not doing my job right or that I am not cut out for what I do, so I decided to take a more serious look at what I have accomplished this month so that I can get a better idea as to how productive I have been so far.

1 Prepared and finalized 2016 first Quarter taxes

2 Finished my business plan or when I up and move everything to Media

3 Finished every project, assignment, and homework for every class up till graduation day (so all I have left is exams)

4 Programmed two 4 week workshops, and 1 workshop by myself, and I have one more in the works

5 Programmed an additional 2 workshops with friends, and have 2 more in the works

6 Branched my company out to a new product line and am now offering retail

7 Started my summer deals for personal training

8 I didn’t die

I always add the didn’t die, because with my anxiety, no matter how much I shut down those fears and know that my stress isn’t going to kill me, I’m always happy to say that I didn’t die as an accomplishment.  I was hoping to come up with a list of 10 accomplishments, and if I add the house parties, and mommy duties to that list I would have 10.

As someone who constantly looks at the situation with “what is the worst outcome possible” it is nice to look back sometimes and see that the worst did not happen, and that everything is still ok.

Forever Easter Eggs

Personally I like to keep mementos of holiday crafts from one year to the next and Easter eggs are the same. For years  I have spent teaching my friends about how to create ester eggs that wont spoil or go bad and that you can essentially keep forever, and now I would like to pass this on to everyone else I know. 

Things you will need:

-Something sharp (if you have a needle this is ideal) if you so not a small and sharp knife will do the trick.

- raw eggs (because I do these every year, I try to only make 2-3 that will last forever otherwise my house would become over run with eggs, but remember they are super fragile so if you are clumsy, make a few more)

Optional: markers, paints, dye, stickers, rubber bands, crayons,

Step 1: Holding the egg as it comes in the crate, create 1 large hole at one end of the egg and a slightly smaller hole at the other end

Step 2: Blow into the smaller hole pushing the yoke and white out of the larger hole (if this becomes difficult, try enlarging the bigger hole, or sticking the needle in further to break up the yoke) and into a bowl.

Step 3: Rinse your eggs under some water or try blowing water through them as well. Then let them dry.

Step 4: Paint!!! We use all the same techniques as we do with other eggs, like rubber bands, stickers, crayons, dye, markers, and paints. Be creative with these guys, they will last you a lifetime.

Here are some eggs we used crayons to write a message on or draw lines

Here is one we used rubber bands on (be careful with the rubber bands not to wrap them too tightly, because these eggs will break more easily than hard boiled ones)

Here are some we markered on.