Sweets for the Sweet

Over the last six months, we've taken great pains to switch our diet from eating everything on the planet ...

to eating primarily vegetarian and organic or raw foods.

This has included removing all chemicals, food dyes, refined & processed foods, and foods with any ingredient that a 3rd grader cannot easily pronounce.

It's been rather painful ... especially for the younger children in our blended family ... and loud.
Really, really loud.
Because every single child has had to "suffer" as a result of not being allowed to eat those yummy, packaged candies, cookies, and snack cakes found along the check-out aisles at the grocery store.  They have been lured into believing that these brightly colored confections wrapped in shiny packaging ... only 3 for $1.00, Mom ... HAVE TO BE GOOD FOR YOU!!!

So ... after countless hours of research ... and buckets of tears shed by the children over not being allowed to eat those pre-packaged lovelies ... I discovered an alternative to HFCS, Red 40, Blue Lake 5, refined sugar, and bleached flour.

Organic Chocolate Cake

Yep, that's right ... cake.

You see ... our bodies actually NEED sugar in order to create the saturated fats that our cell walls need to survive.  And if you remove the sugars, our bodies may suffer as a result.  Same thing goes for other ingredients like eggs and flour.

And while there's just as many vegetarian cookbooks out there as there are vegetarians, I discovered that, with a little research and the switching of a few ingredients, I could turn ANY recipe into a vegetarian or organic one.

Now, THAT'S cool  =)

And because I cannot share the yumminess of the actual cake with you ... I have decided to share with you the recipe conversion  =)

RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE            
prep:  45 minutes + cooling time               baking time:  40-45 min

2 c. organic oat or rice flour
1 c. raw, organic cocoa
2 tsp. organic baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Mediterranean sea salt
1 c. melted coconut oil
2 c. organic, turbinado sugar
4 large free range, organic eggs
2 tsp. organic vanilla
1 1/3 c. organic whole milk [whole milk is not homogenized and therefore, healthier for you]
organic powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Grease & flour 13"x9" baking pan [or three 8" round cake pans, or 36 lined 2 1/2" cupcake tins].
2.  In a small bowl, place jar of coconut oil in boiling water until the coconut oil has melted.  Measure 1 c. of the melted oil and pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add sugar and blend with a mixer at low speed for approximately 1 minute, switch to high speed and beat for 5 more minutes, until smooth.
3.  Add baking powder, soda, and vanilla to sugar mixture and blend.  Add cocoa and mix on medium speed until well blended [no signs of dry cocoa].  Mixture will appear grainy.
4.  Add eggs and mix on medium-low speed until smooth.  Add flour and milk, mix on high speed, scraping sides of bowl with spatula until batter is smooth.
5.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes for 13"x9" cake [30 minutes for 8" layers, or 25 minutes for pans of cupcakes].
6.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.  Once cooled, you may frost as desired or simply sprinkle organic powdered sugar on the top.  I opted for powdered sugar since I didn't think the kids needed the added sugar bump from chocolate frosting.

Makes 20 servings.

The old recipe with the refined sugar, butter, all-purpose flour, and regular cocoa contained 285 calories, 4g protein, 43g carbohydrate, 12g total fat [7g saturated], 70mg cholesterol, & 291mg sodium.

With the substitution of healthy ingredients, I'm not exactly sure what the breakdown would be ... I do know that every last ingredient in this recipe is actually GOOD for you ... and with that being the case, the numbers really don't matter.  I do know that substituting oat or rice flour for the all-purpose flour results in a cake that is gluten-free.  And using raw, organic ingredients means that chemicals are being kept OUT of our bodies ... which is even better.

And what it all boils down to is that eating healthy shouldn't be cause for sacrifice ...

you can have your cake AND eat it too!!!

Enjoy!

Organic Cocoa Brownies ... a Breakfast Delight!

Lately, we've been noticing an increase in our childrens' sugar cravings.  Since our diet is primarily vegetarian [pescatarian, actually] ... a little research unearthed a little known fact that diets low in saturated fats will lead to high cravings for sugar ... sugar converts into saturated fats which is needed by our bodies on the cellular level.

Searching the cupboards brings to my attention cocoa, agave, eggs, and oat flour.  Looks like the Universe is suggesting that I make brownies for breakfast ... pure ingredients & an organic sweetener will satisfy both needs in our house.

A little more research leads to the discovery that not a single one of my cookbooks contains a recipe for vegetarian or organic brownies.

Oh well ... Mother Nature improvises all of the time ... I may as well follow suit  =)

Organic Ingredients - using certified organic ingredients will ensure a healthy eating experience without all the guilt attached to eating brownies for breakfast <3

1/2 c. organic oat or rice flour, Bob's Red Mill is an excellent brand

1/2 c. organic cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt, fine grind

boiling water

1/2 c. organic coconut oil, melted

2/3 c. blue agave nectar, light or dark ... it doesn't matter

2 large organic, range free eggs

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts [optional]

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Grease 9" square glass baking pan.  Glass not only conducts heat better, but it's healthier.  Metal or teflon pans release toxins into the food ... making them not so good for you.

2.  In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

3.  Pour boiling water into a separate bowl and set the jar of coconut oil in the boiling water to melt the oil.  Once melted, measure oil and add to dry ingredients.

4.  Add agave nectar, vanilla, and eggs.  Stir until well blended.  Stir in nuts, if using.

5.  Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

6.  Bake in pre-heated oven until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean ... about 25 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

7.  Cut into squares or simply grab a fork and enjoy.

Jumping Off the High Board ... and into the Design Pool

In January, we received notification that we were accepted as the only children's clothing designer for Baltimore Fashion Week.

As a small-town, creative person ... the news was exciting and scary
all at the same time
'cuz we've never really looked at ourselves
as anything more than a Small Town Creative Person.


Considering that this is the coolest thing to happen to our biz,
we decided to jump in ... with both feet.


We have been fortunate enough to have a sponsor.

Riley Blake Designs has been generous enough to provide us with an incredible amount of fabric to be used in our clothing & accessory designs for Baltimore Fashion Week.

Cottons and cotton laminates will be paired with organic cotton, bamboo, and soy knits in an incredible combination of style, color & texture.
Personally, I just LOVE their fabrics ... the brightness of the colors, the fun prints, the lovely hand the fabrics have ... it makes the designing and the putting together of the designs fun!


Finally ... we're at a point to begin creating!

Spring Pixie #1 - hooded dress with leggings


I think ric-rac has become my trim of choice ... pockets, too!


Our intent with this blog is to keep you posted on our progress
from start to finish ... through every stage of the design process.


Thank you for being an amazing part of our Greatest Adventure yet!

My Thoughts for Today ...

A friend of mine shared his perspective this morning regarding the many changes happening in the World around us, as those changes in people relate to his spiritual persona.  I read it with my coffee this morning; many of his words resonating deeply within my psyche.  Resonating so very deeply in fact, that this compilation of topics led to a very deep conversation between myself and fiance.

Within the last 4 days, we have been exploring and releasing some very deep-seated fears from both sides of the fence ... many of those, I do not feel compelled to share with the rest of the Universe. However, what resonates the strongest within aligns very well with some of my friend's observations.

❤ After many years of searching, I am in love with Me first ... every miniscule aspect of Me.  I love the man with whom I am intimate and until such a time that commitment and monogamy no longer equate to control of one person over another, a time when people can experience Unconditional Trust as well as Unconditional Love, without detriment or damage to the people involved, I have no immediate desire to share that level of intimacy with any other female.

❤ I love companionship as much as I love being alone ... I do not relish being lonely.  There is a difference.  And I recognize that I can do without the latter.

❤ I incarnated upon this planet.  I believe that I have lived many lifetimes, also upon this planet ... some good ... some not so good.  When the time comes and the world ascends into a 5D Reality, I intend to remain with this planet, in all of her wondrous and glorious states of Paradise.  I resonate with the idea that I am of the original inhabitants of Earth; I do not look up into the night sky with the longing to return to a home lost somewhere out in the Universe, beyond the Milky Way.

❤ I do however, wish to have the ability to wander the cosmos, playing among the stars ... following whatever fancy happens to strike.  If I wish to wander barefoot through the streets of Rome on Tuesday, fingering fine cloths and sampling the local fare, and swim naked in some tranquil off-world sea, under a brilliant Cerulean sky, on Wednesday, I hope to do that in the blink of an eye.

❤ I am working on my manifestation skills and truly enjoying every aspect of them ... speeding them up in linear time.  Manifestation Now would be lovely ... but I do not wish to give up entirely the act of Creation.  Watching flowers grow from from seed to bloom is an amazing sight.

❤ I wish to explore my Greatest Excitement, along the mountains and valleys, shadows and sunlit glades of my soul, to its very completion ... until such a time that I am captured by my next Greatest Excitement ... to do it all over again.  I wish to be free to do so and to have a companionship with whom to share all aspects and wonders of the exploration.

❤ I do not meditate.  Have never been able to sit still long enough to do so ... there's so much that I would rather do otherwise. I have instead learned to be in constant communication with my subconscious; my thoughts traveling back and forth between both hemispheres of my brain as easily as one crosses a room.  Does that make me any less "Zen" than the man who sits on a mountaintop for 6 months, listening to nothing more than the distant chatter of singing birds and gently ringing Tibetian bells, while exploring all aspects of Who He Is?  I don't think so.  I would hope not.

❤ And ... I would hope that my desire for hand-crafted, organic chocolates and really good red wine does not fade away with the increase of consciousness and the demise of the conditioned mentality.

Regardless of how we each approach the evolution of our planet ... of our people ... Zen is not a destination, it's a state of Be-ing; fluid enough to bend and shift with the ever-changing You; in such abundance that others may take away from it, a piece as their own, without taking away from the Whole.

and I believe that there is plenty of Zen left in the World ... so much that each of us is able to share our interpretation of it with others.

❤❤❤

Some Where ... Some Time ... Some One is Getting Married

There's quite a bit of excitement going on around here ...

I mean ... seriously ... The Dress is absolutely incredible

such intricate details

and every last inch of this fashion confection is hand-crafted
by a lovely Gem of a woman in the United Kingdom.

Of course, since it's February right now ... and more than a little chilly

in the out of doors ...

it needs an equally fashionable coat to complement.

With something this wonderful to be arriving soon in the post,

who wouldn't be excited?

xoxo