Oatmeal raisin cranberry cookies...made with whole wheat

These are some great oatmeal cookies.  Remember..these are "clean" but they still contain sugar..so limit your intake of them and have them as a treat!!

Stawberry Spinach Salad

I just got some really good strawberries at Ingles..finally!! Strawberries aren't the best in winter, but they are starting to get better now.  You can add some chicken to this and make it a meal!! Remember, strawberries are on the dirty dozen so it is one of those that does matter to buy organic .

Eat Clean Chipolte Grill Cilantro Lime Brown Rice Recipe

I love Chipolte Grill. We don't have one close to us, but when we go out of town we like to go there. They have healthy fresh ingredients.  They are also "Green" restaurant and they support local farmers and ranchers. Chad loves Mexican so we have been doing mexican buffet in our family.  We take whole wheat tortillas and fix chicken and beef with onions and peppers and make our own chipolte grill.  We us black beans, this rice, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and more to make our own burritos or fajitas.  One of their key ingredients is there cilantro lime rice..they now have brown rice at most of their locations.  Here is the recipe to do it at home..

How to beat the Winter Blah's..Vitamin D and more

Well..what's that picture of you are thinking??? That's off my front porch today. Why did I take such a"blah" photo?? That's exactly what it looks like off my porch.  I didn't make it "blah" the tilt of the earth made it blah and gray.  If you are my friend or family, you know I dislike winter.  I don't like snow, I don't tolerate cold well, I don't like the gray skies and no leaves and no flowers in my view...and so I get..."blah"....So..beat it! Here are the reasons we feel bad in winter.  Some of us feel real bad, some of us suffer for seasonal affective disorder (SADS).  There are scientific reasons and ways to beat it. 

The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.
Ecclesiastes 11:7

Ways to Beat Winter
1. Get more D!

Sunshine releases vital chemicals in our brain which makes us feel alive, alert, confident and contented.  In the winter months the earth's axis is tilted away from the sun. We receive the best sunlight when the sun is more directly overhead because this provides the shortest travel of sunlight and ultraviolet photons through the atmosphere. However, in winter, the sun angle is much steeper. Therefore, sunlight has less intensity in winter and progressively less intensity as the distance from the equator increases. Sunshine on our skin causes our bodies to absorb Vitamin D from the sun.  What does Vitamin D do??

Vitamin D3

A partial list of disorders in which there is evidence that an appropriate level of Vitamin D is overwhelmingly useful:
Assists the immune system Assists with insulin secretion Lower risk of high blood pressure Reduced hypertension Lower risk of osteoporosis Fewer falls among the elderly Lower risk of alzheimer's disease Lower risk of cancers breast, prostrate, colon and other cancers	Lower risk of skin conditions Lower risk of multiple sclerosis Lower metals and toxins in the brain Lower triglicerides Lower death rates Lower cholesterol Lower hypertension Lower incidence of Depression Lower risk of types 1 and 2 diabetes

I take 5000u soft gel Vitamin D3 every day.

2. Get some Color!

What picture do you like better?? The first one of my porch or this sunny colorful one??  I love fashion BUT...fashion designers kill me! Why do you want us to wear more gray, black, and brown in the winter when everything else is gray, black and brown?? Oh..bring me down some more!

Maybe that's why I like Christmas decorations so well..lights and color in a drab environment.  Decorate your home with vibrant colors...wear some vibrant colors.  You can wear your black and gray..but pop it with some red, yellow, hot pink accents.  It can be done tastefully and will increase your mood.  In your home, set our colorful blankets, pillows.

 

Simply seeing the color red can enhance strength and quicken response time.

Exposure to red boosts recall and attention to detail, which can result in more accurate work.

Red increases enthusiasm.

That is probably why I love my new purse so much..

On sale at Dillard's New Year's Day..
Could be the reason I am trying to find me a pair of these: RED BOOTS!!

3.  Get Out and Get moving!

Personally, I would be happy sitting here on pinterest and not moving during the winter months. I hate cold air and snow touching my skin.  It hurts.  But..I feel much better if I don't sit inside and I get out and do exercise videos..walk when it's warmer outside. Some crazy people in Scandinavia go in a sauna and get all warm and then go jump in the snow or ice water to boost circulation and reinvigorate themselves.  You can get the same effect in the shower by alternating three-five minute intervals of hot water followed by a 3 second blast of cold water.  Go for it, if you so choose!

4. Light it up!

 Candles are a very warm welcoming environment and they smell really good.  Try lighting some around and see how it increases your mood..and makes your house smell all good.  I personally love coconut scents in the middle of winter.

5.Eat a Healthy Diet!

Don't tell me you didn't know that one was coming!! Diets full of processed foods and preservatives will bring you way down!!  These foods are not only devoid of the nutrients your body craves, but they zap your energy levels and can affect your mood—causing depression, lack of concentration, and mood swings. Try to incorporate more complex carbohydrates (whole wheat breads, brown rice, veggies, fruit) and get your daily 8 cups of water. These healthy foods provide your body (and mind) with nutrients, and stabilize your blood sugar and your energy levels.

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

I have a GREAT recipe for you!! This chicken tastes just like the good ole rotisserie chicken with out all the junk in it like artificial colors, chemicals I can't pronounce, ect. and IT"S SO EASY!!!

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

1 whole chicken

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 cloves of garlic

1 yellow onion quartered

If you get the chicken from the store..make sure to get the skinless or take the skin off and take the neck and other stuff out of it's cavity :D

In a bowl, combine all the dry spices.  Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, inside and out.  Plop the chicken, breast-side down into your slow cooker.

If desired, place the garlic and onion inside the body cavity.

DO NOT ADD WATER.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8 hours.  The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached your desired tenderness.  The longer you cook it the more tender the meat. 

If you are wimp, don't scroll down and look at my chicken pictures ha ha :D I got my big ole chicken from my favorite farm girl!  No antibiotics, no hormones, free range chickens....

My spices

My rub all in a bowl

Chicken cavity

Yep, I shoved garlic and onions in there..gives it lots of flavor

my chicken had to go in on it's side cause it was a big one

falling off the bone

I took this to my parent's and we all ate it for dinner. It was wonderful, just like the store bought kind..but clean and healthy