Category Archives: Uncategorized

We Experienced a Kitchen Fire!

Posted on by
29

This was not the way I wanted to start my Saturday morning before Easter…….

but I am thankful because it could have been so much worse.

My family is unharmed and our house suffered minimal damage…..however, the fire chief stated that 3 more minutes and we would have lost the back side of our house.

The events are unbelievable and I hesitate to even try to explain because it doesn’t make sense-the firemen and fire chief were completely baffled as well.

It was Saturday morning, I was the first one up.  I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to check my emails.  My children woke up and sat on the couch to watch cartoons, my husband woke up and went into the bathroom to take his shower.  I started to prepare some tea on our stove and then walked over to my counter.  As I approached the counter I felt heat….I thought it was from the stove so I turned around to check but the stove was fine.  I moved my hands around the spot I felt heat and it was HOT..I opened the cupboard where our sink is and flames jumped out at me.  I panicked, I screamed for my husband to help, my kids came in to see what I was screaming about and when they saw the fire they started crying, the house started filling with smoke within seconds.  Our smoke alarms started going off, I was still screaming for my husband to help and I couldn’t remember where our fire extinguisher was.  I grabbed the phone and dialed 911 as I rushed my children out of the house.

Meanwhile, my husband had grabbed the sprayer to our sink which had already started to  melt and he just started spraying the fire.  Also, the fire had melted the water line hose and water was spraying out from there as well.  I was outside screaming for my husband to get out because the smoke was so bad, but he wouldn’t listen.  He opened the windows and turned on fans and then ran out.  We stood there waiting for the fire truck watching smoke billow out of our upstairs windows.  I had no idea what the damage was at this point, and I was scared.  I texted all of my good friends asking for them to pray.

The firemen arrived and went into the house.  There was no fire at this point but lots of smoke.  I don’t know what they did in the house but I am assuming they looked around and checked everything.  They noticed that water was pouring down into the basement and dripping onto my husbands computer and they moved that away from the wall.  The wall was soaked with water.

One of the firemen came out and and asked me about some unmarked white liquid that I had in a water jug…..I tried to explain that it was my homemade liquid handsoap…I don’t know if he believed me though.  I also had my citrus cleaner sitting out but they didn’t question me about that….probably because they could see orange peels floating in the liquid.  The worst though is when they saw my kombucha scoby in a glass mason jar.  This thing looks like an alien in a jar….I stumbled my way through explaining that it is a health drink that I make.  LUCKILY, none of these items were burned or were part of the fire!!

As they pulled out the burnt, wet mess of items under my sink we found the fire extinguisher…it had been behind the fire….

Can you see it back there?  Tucked away in the corner out of reach from my children, but also out of reach when we needed it!  NOTE: find a better place for the extinguisher!

Look at that mess!

The fire chief was stumped after investigating the cause of the fire….it started on the outside corner of my husbands lunch box….it had been sitting on some dry kitchen towels.    From what he could tell his only speculation was that the pressure from the lunchbox sitting on top of the towels caused enough heat to cause a fire…..?????????????????

Even he said that is almost impossible and that this scenario couldn’t ever be replicated even in one of the training labs.  It was a freak thing.

The electrical boxes were on the other side of the cupboard and didn’t receive any damage, there was 1 bottle of Green Works cleaner that was close by and the fire chief was sure that it hadn’t been the cause.  No other chemicals were by the fire.  However, I did have a gelled fuel container sitting directly on the other side of the cupboard wall touching the fire but it wasn’t burned..thank God because it is extremely combustible!

So here is what we were left with when all the fire men left…..

The fire chief was baffled that there were plastic bags sitting next to the fire that didn’t burn…..

All of our bottom cabinets will have to replaced, the counter top and sink were burned, the faucet, water line, and hose were all burned, the basement wall needs to be repaired and painted, and of course we will have to replace my husband’s beloved lunch box and I will need some new kitchen towels.  We bought some volcanc rocks to place throughout our house that are supposed to soak up the smoke smell.  That smell is the worst….it is like smelling burnt popcorn and it still hasn’t gone away.  I also had to wash all of our bedding before we used it to sleep with.  I will have to clean all of my silverware, dishes, and appliances once the sink is fixed because everything is covered in soot.  Overall, I would say not that big of a deal though!  I am very thankful!

The worst part about this whole event is the fear that came when it was time to go to bed…..my children were frightened to sleep and my husband and I were hesitant to close our eyes, not knowing what started the fire…….

I believe in miracles though, and I believe that God takes care of His children……

John 16:33 ”I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I do not choose to view this as something bad that has happened to our family, I choose to believe that God took care of us in every circumstance that occured.  The “what if’s” in this situation are endless….but I refuse to dwell on them!

Have you ever had to deal with a house fire???

Chocolate Dipped Fruit!

Posted on by
12

Chocolate and fruit………….yes, please!

My family attends a bi-monthly church small group and all families bring a snack to pass.

Some of the snacks I have brought include: cut up fruit, fresh strawberries with coconut cream dip, air popped popcorn, fresh homemade bread with seasoned dipping oil, homemade green juice, and chips and guacomole…….

this time I wanted something really special and I had seen this idea from another blogger on Pinterest so I decided to make my own version!!

I started with non dairy chocolate chips (so my son could enjoy this too!) and melted them over a double broiler….

Then I took pineapple chunks and dunked them in the chocolate and placed them on a teflex sheet to harden.

I also took some bananas and sliced them into rounds.  I added some sunflower seed butter to the center and topped with another banana slice….like this:

Next, I placed a toothpick in each one and dipped them in the chocolate!

I placed these all in the freezer to harden them quickly!

Did I mention these were a HIT at our small group??

I had some melted chocolate leftover and I didn’t want to waste it so I decided to whip up a few non peanut butter cups!!

I poured the extra chocolate into these molds and froze for 5 minutes

Once the chocolate was solid I added a scoop of sunflower seed butter to the center…..

and then poured more chocolate on top!

It only took 5 minutes of sitting in the freezer and look what we had!!

These didn’t make it to the small group……in fact they almost didn’t make it into the picture! :)

Want to see another idea I got from Pinterest??  I saw this idea HERE…..and that inspired me to fancy up my own fruit salad for small group on another night!

Here is my version….

It was just organic strawberries and organic pinepapple cut up with an ice cream scoop added in for fun!

This was a hit too!!!

Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!

Easter Pops!!!

Posted on by
16

I love this idea and I think it turned out super cute!

Even though these wouldn’t last in an Easter basket, they still make a great Easter treat!  Plus, they are healthy and contain good fats for those little growing bodies!

Easter Pops

2-16 oz. cans of organic coconut milk (light or full fat)

4 tbsp. agave, honey, or maple syrup

Freeze dried raspberries, tangerines, blueberries (I found these at Trader Joe’s)

For the green coconut “GRASS” see this post.

Place coconut milk in blender or use a whisk and incorporate the sweetener.  Divide coconut milk mixture into 3 small bowls and set aside.

For the dyes: dried raspberries for pink, dried tangerines for orange, and dried blueberries for purple……..if you cannot find freeze-dried fruit you may use fresh fruit as well…..

the freeze-dried fruit comes in a package like this:

To make the dye for the coconut milk place dried fruit (separately for each color) into a coffee grinder or food processor

Use this powder to dye the coconut milk.  The more you use the better the color will be.  Do the same for each color.  Grind the dried fruit and add it to the bowl of coconut milk.

Pour the first color into cupcake liners…

Place Saran wrap over cupcake tray and poke holes with sucker sticks or popsicle sticks. The plastic wrap will hold the sticks in place until frozen.

Place in freezer for 1/2 hour.  These do not have to be completely hardened just firm enough to pour the next color.  Once you have poured the second color place back into freezer.  Again, allow about 1/2 hour to firm up the coconut milk.  Pour the third layer and freeze again.  This last freeze should be 3-4 hours or let them sit overnight. Remove wrapper before eating.

Look at how cute these turned out!!

How cute would these be for a girlie princess party too????!!!!

Want some other ideas for Easter??

How about some Homemade Fruit Lollies??

Or Non Dairy Chocolate Sunbutter Cups.…..

or Non Dairy Caramels…..

What are you putting in your kids baskets??

Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!

DIY: Homemade Laundry Soap

Posted on by
21

Did you see my recent blog post? It shows all of the really cool ideas I have gotten from Pinterest and how they have turned out…..read it  HERE!

Here is another Pinterest inspired idea I have tried…..first I got the recipe for the laundry soap HERE…..and then I got the idea of storing it from here….

this is so fun!!

Making the laundry soap was super easy, first I grated a bar of all natural soap and melted it in 4 cups of boiling water.  Next, I placed 4 gallons of water into a 5 gallon bucket and added in 1 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup of Borax.  Then I added in the melted soapy water and mixed everything together!  This process was fairly quick and the laundry soap gelled very quickly.  Next I needed a container to store it in!

I had an old water jug that we weren’t using for water anymore so I attached a little hook to the side and hung an old 1/3 measuring cup on it.  I also wrote out the recipe on card stock and attached it to the side.

Lastly, I poured in the laundry soap!

When I do a load of laundry I just take the little cup and place it under the spout and measure out 1/3 cup and add into my load of laundry!

EASY PEASY!

Have you ever made homemade laundry soap?

What do you store yours in?

Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!

Healthy Fruit Lollies

Posted on by
22

Healthy fruit lollies??

Yes, and these are amazing for kids!!!

Remember my recipe for rainbow fruit leather?

Healthy fruit lollies are the same concept only in a sucker shaped form!!

This post is going to be loaded with pictures because I took so many of my proud creation….so bare with me and all of my pictures!!

I started with red, orange and yellow colors for the suckers.

RED: 1 banana, 3 oz. raspberries, and 1 tbsp. agave (blend and place in bowl and set aside)

ORANGE: use 1/2 of the red mixture and 1/2 of the yellow mixture to form the orange color

YELLOW: 1 banana, 8 slices of frozen peaches (thawed), 1 tbsp. agave (blend and place in bowl and set aside) or 1 banana, 1 mango, 1 tbsp. agave (blend and place in bowl and set aside)

Working with 1 color at a time place the blended fruit puree into a sandwich baggie and snip off a very tiny corner piece.  Use this like a piping bag to pipe circles onto parchment paper, or a non stick surface placed onto a baking sheet.  Place sucker sticks into the center of the circles and cover with more puree.

 

do the same with each color…..

The orange looks like pink but once dehydrated it takes on a more orangish color.

Set your oven to the lowest setting…. around 170 and place your suckers in the oven and keep the door open to make the actual cooking temperature lower than 170…..these will dehydrate for 1-3 hours depending on how thick you make the suckers.  I even noticed that some dehydrated quicker than others so just keep checking on them.

Here is what they will look like in the end.  When they are finally dehydrated like a fruit leather they will be pliable.  Let them cool down and sit and soon they will harden to a more sucker consistency.

Remember the chalkboard art center I posted about awhile back?

I used this to hold the suckers!

Now, let’s move onto some more colors!!

GREEN: 1 banana, 1 handful of spinach, 1 tbsp. agave (blend and place in bowl and set aside)

BLUE: 1 banana, 3 oz. blueberries, 1 tbsp. agave (blend and place in bowl and set aside)

PURPLE: 1 banana, 3 oz. blackberries, 1 tbsp. agave (blend and place in bowl and set aside)

Place these in the oven and dehydrate.  The colors will change as they dry out.

These taste like fruit leathers and even though the colors are not as vibrant as a dyed sucker the novelty is the same!

I passed these out to my neighbors, my niece and nephew, and my own kids….they obviously could tell these were not real suckers just by looking at them but the idea of a sucker was all it took to make them all try it!  Plus, they all asked if they could have more!!

This could be a cute idea for Easter baskets too!!!

Would you make your own fruit lollies??
Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!

Homemade Almond Butter

Posted on by
28

Homemade almond butter…………..

and a lesson in patience………….

yes, a two for one post!

Almond butter is so delicious and it is even easy to make, however, it takes patience and a lot of it.

Are you ready? Here we go!

First, start with some raw almonds…..

I use 3 cups…………….

place them into a food processor

ready? Here comes the hard part…………..

turn your food processor on! Yep, that’s it!

Now, are you ready for your lesson in patience?

We all need to work on our character traits and this is a great activity to do so…I promise this will stretch you in the patience area!!

Here we go…………

1 minute of processing almonds…………

5 minutes of processing almonds…….

10 minutes of processing almonds……………

at this point you will start to have your lesson in patience…..

yes, I promise you will….

even I started questioning myself at this point even though I have made this before!

Here is what will go through your head:

maybe I did something wrong…..

maybe I should add some oil, it looks a little dry……..

maybe my food processor doesn’t work right……….

just keep blending, just keep blending (I am saying this in my Dory voice from the movie “Nemo”…..remember she said, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming”?

15 minutes of processing almonds………….

at this point your food processor will start smoking……….it is starting to get hot…….the  friction of the almonds processing will cause steam to come out of your machine…..or it may be the motor….if that is the case then give your food processor a short break!

YAY!

We have almond butter!

Oh, wait…..no we don’t………just keep blending, just keep blending……….

20 minutes of blending………look it is almost there!!  The oils are starting to be released from the almonds!  Keep blending!!!!!!  Patience my friend!!

LOOK!! We have a ball!!!  Are we done?????? NO!  Remember?! PATIENCE!

Keep blending!!!

Now, we have almond butter………….

At this point add in a sprinkle of sea salt, a dash of vanilla and a tablespoon of raw honey to flavor it, but you can keep it plain if you like.

Place into a nifty little container and label it ALMOND BUTTER….you deserve to have it in a fun little container with a cute little label, after all you did spend 25 minutes making this stuff!

Open the jar back up and take out a spoonful for your mouth!

So good!!!!

Now you have fresh homemade almond butter so make this recipe……..

Start with a tortilla….this is an Ezekial sprouted grain tortilla…..

spread almond butter on the tortilla, add sliced bananas, fresh raspberries, dried blueberries, and sprinkle with a few cacao nibs (or chocolate chips!)

you might call this dessert……………

I called it dinner…………

and you’re welcome for the lesson in patience!
Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!

Pinterest……Oh, How I Love Thee………..

Posted on by
26

Pinterest is an amazing place………….

it is a world full of ideas and inspiration………..

a place where everything is possible………….

let me show you what I mean!

This is homemade liquid handsoap!!  It cost me $1.50 to make all of this!!

I started with 1 bar of all natural soap….

These were on sale 2 for $3.00….I used the white bar and grated it with a cheese grater.

Actually, my kids wanted to do it….don’t worry-I watched them carefully with that grater!!

We grated the whole bar of soap…..

Next, I boiled 10 cups of water….once it was boiling I added in the soap shaving and stirred it around.  The soap melted and it became a white murky water.  I blended it up with my beaters and then let it sit to cool.

It sat overnight and the next morning it had thickened too much so I had to add more water and blend to a liquid soap consistency.

I poured some into my soap dispenser and poured the rest into glass jars!  It made so much!!!  If you google homemade liquid hand soap, you can find all kinds of recipes for doing this!!

I also found a recipe for a citrus enzymatic cleaner!  Check this out!! ”Garbage Enzyme” is first introduced by Dr. Rosukon Poompanvong who is the founder of Organic Agriculture Association of Thailand.  Garbage enzyme is a complex solution produced by fermentation of fresh kitchen waste, sugar and water.

This is a mixture that sits for 3 months and ferments….after the 3 months it turns into a concentrated citrus cleaner!  It is actually known as Garbage Enzyme Cleaner-you can read about the science of it here…pretty interesting!!!

Start with an empty jug and add 4 cups of water and 7 tbsp. of brown sugar.

Next, take 2 cups of orange and lemon rinds and add them in….

It didn’t make much so I added in some more water and more brown sugar!

I also made a second batch using pineapple rinds, mango peels, lemon and orange rinds!

Make sure to unscrew the lid every day to let out the built up gases!  My jug with pineapple rind in it started fermenting right away and the entire jug expanded!

Also, make sure to let sit for 3 months and once it is ready strain out liquid and pour and store in bottles.  It is a concentrated cleaner so dilute it to use!  Click here for usage and dosages!!

I also made BEET BLUSH!!!!! I saw it first here!

This one is so cool!!  I sliced some beets with my mandolin slicer….

 
and dehydrated them until they were crispy!
Then I ground the pieces in my coffee grinder…….
and voila!!  Beet Blush!!!  Super cool!!!
I also learned how to make fresh artisian breads!!!  My family is thankful for this one!
Seriously, look at this! It is beautiful!!!
It was so delicious straight out of the oven!
I believe that this recipe originated from here but I also read about it here…..
The recipe could not be simpler:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (I use organic)
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups water
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a dough mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 – 18 hours.    Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a crock pot insert with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes-you can also use a Dutch Oven.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
EASY PEASY!!!
Plus, you can make different flavor combinations!!!  What about sundried tomato and basil?  Or garlic rosemary???  Oh, the possibilities are endless!!!
Look at that stash!!!
These were made for a family party….
I stored them and wrapped them in a cloth and tied them with a pretty orange ribbon….so super fun!!
What kinds of fun things have you found and done from Pinterest??

Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!

Don’t Miss Out!

Posted on by
14

I am sure most of you know that you can find me on Facebook……and on Twitter……and on Pinterest…..

but, did you know that I sometimes post different ideas, tips, pictures, recipes, etc. on each one?

I don’t do it to be sneaky….

I’m not springing bunny ears behind your back……it’s more of a technical issue.

It’s easier to post a picture of a meal on Pinterest or a picture of an idea on Facebook than it is to write up an entire post about it.

I mean a lot goes into one post:

It starts with an idea ….then I need to gather ingredients, write a recipe, prepare the recipe, taste the recipe, set up a photo shoot with lights, fabrics, utensils, etc.

Next, I have to actually take the pictures,  upload them to my computer, upload them to an editing site, edit each picture, and then write the blog post with the pictures and recipe. Finally, I have to spend time trying to spread the word about my blog post on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest……whew!

I’m not sharing this information with you to complain….I actually like doing this!

I am sharing so you don’t miss out!!! :)

This idea was posted on my Facebook page…..Kiwi served with corn holders!!!  The kids have a ton of fun with this one!

This one was also posted on facebook…it was what I served my children for lunch one day with a list of everything on their trays!

Here is a picture of some orange slushies that I served my kids on a hot March day!!!  This was fresh squeezed orange juice blended with lots of ice!

I also post special sales on my ebooks,  giveaways, or bonuses on FACEBOOK!!

I have a giveaway going on now for Bare Fruit Snacks!! Enter to win a case!!!

This picture of a vegetarain meal was uploaded to Pinterest and pinned on my board Dinner.

This is the produce I used to make a fresh juice for the family….you can find more pictures like this with all ingredients listed on my board called…….Juicing

Here are some dried fruit butterflies…..posted to my board….Fruit and Veggie Ideas

I love Pinterest and pin new things EVERYDAY!!!!

So, you see -I’m not being sneaky with my information.

I am guilty of being sneaky with ingredients though……………..tomatos hidden in chocolate???  You will have to trust me on this one-it’s coming soon!

DON’T MISS OUT!

Sign up for my newsletters and blog posts!

Like my page on Facebook!

Follow me on Pinterest!

Follow me on Twitter!

Oh, and don’t ever be too shy to leave a comment!!  I LOVE reading comments!

 

Please check out my ebooks too!!

Bare Fruit Review and Giveaway

Posted on by
50

****CONTEST CLOSED****

Ever hear of Bare Fruit?

These are amazing and the bag is HUGE!!

My favorite facts about Bare Fruits:

***These are 100% Organic – Bare Fruit dried apple chips and fruit snacks are made from Certified 100% Organic Fruit, ensuring that you are getting healthy pesticide free snacks for you and your family. Even the cinnamon we use in our cinnamon apple chips is 100% organic.

***They are Baked, Not Fried – Bare Fruit is cored, sliced and baked in wood-burning ovens for over 10 hours, at a very low
temperature, to preserve nutrients, freshness, and taste.

***Free of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). The fruit that we use in our dried fruit snacks comes from trees and plants from the original seed stock and not from scientifically engineered plants.

My kids wanted me to open the package as soon as it arrived and I was happy to do so!  They loved them!

These say they have a 1 year shelf life, but honestly I do not know how they could sit around for a year and not be eaten!!!

Bare Fruit is also having a Summer Game Sweepstakes going on right now and the grand prize winner will receive a trip with 1 guest to London, England and 2 tickets to the Summer Games, it includes airfare and accommodations!  It is a $10,000 value!!

Want to WIN some Bare Fruit Snacks for your kids??  Bare Fruit is giving away a free case of product to one lucky reader!!

This is an AWESOME giveaway so make sure you enter!!

Each step completed gives you one entry into the drawing.

Please leave a seperate comment for each one completed:

#1. Visit Bare Fruit on Facebook and like their page, leave a comment telling me you did.

#2. Leave a comment on Bare Fruit Facebook page telling them Color Wheel Meals sent you and then leave a comment here telling me you did.

#3. Enter to win Bare Fruits Summer Games Sweepstakes and then leave a comment here telling me you did.

#4. Tweet about this contest and leave me a comment with your Twitter name.

#5. Share this contest on your facebook page and then leave a comment here telling me you did.

#6. Like Color Wheel Meals on facebook and then leave a comment here telling me you did.

#7. Follow Color Wheel Meals on Twitter and then leave a comment here telling me you did.

#8. Sign up to receive my blog posts and newsletters and then leave a comment here telling me you did.

Contest ends at Midnight March 25, 2012.  Winner will be chosen on March 26th.

Winner will be randomly selected using Random.org

Winner is comment #1!! Congrats!!

 

 

I liked them.

 Winner will have 72 hours to email me to claim their prize!!!

*THIS PRODUCT WAS PROVIDED TO ME IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. I WAS NOT COMPENSATED BY THIS COMPANY AND ALL OF THE OPINIONS PROVIDED ON THE BLOG ARE 100% MY OWN.

Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!

Kale Crispies

Posted on by
8

Have you ever tasted kale? Have you ever tasted a Kale Chip??

Let me tell you kale is a staple in my household…..it is super yummy and yes, my kids LOVE it!!!

They will eat plain kale but their absolute favorite is kale salad.

I love kale salad but my absolute favorite are Kale Chips!

Crispy, salty, melt in your mouth health food!!

Kale chips are super easy to make too, I am going to show you how to make a cheezy salt and vinegar tasting kale chip but really there are so many different varieties that can be made!  I am working on a BBQ recipe along with a few others and hopefully I will post about those soon!!

Kale Crispies

1 bunch organic kale, de stemmed and washed, then cut into shredds

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1-2 teaspoons sea salt

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

Place kale pieces in a bowl.  Add olive oil and salt and massage into leaves.  Add in vinegar and nutritional yeast and toss until well coated.  Place on a cookie sheet and place in oven set at the lowest temperature. My oven goes to 170 degrees and I bake them until crispy.  The kale needs to crisp up slowly so it does not burn, so watch them carefully!

We did the same thing with the rainbow fruit leather.

Here they are before placing in the oven:

Here they are after they came out of the oven:

You must make these!  I bet you will become a kale addict just like me. :)

What flavor ideas do you think would be yummy on kale chips??
Follow Me on Pinterest

Please check out my ebooks too!!