All posts tagged Rachel Marie

Healthy Banana Bread Muffins

January 31, 2012 by   Rachel

I’m going to go bananas!

And not because I have too many bananas! We are super busy starting our business, plus I have to wear all my regular “hats” like being a mother, wife, blogger, etc. In the craziness of it all, I thought I’d share a healthy banana bread recipe.

What you need:
2 c gluten free flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t nutmeg
2 T cinnamon
1 T vanilla
1/4 t salt
3 overripe bananas
2 eggs
1/4 c unsweetened kefir or yogurt (not pictured)
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c coconut sugar (or any sweetener of your choice)
1 c chopped nuts
What to do:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Add wet ingredients in one bowl and dry in another, mix well
  3. Combine wet & dry ingredients into one large bowl
  4. Spoon batter into muffin tins/mini loaf pan(s)
  5. Place in oven for about 15 minutes (longer for mini loaf pans)
  6. Remove and place on cooling rack
  7. Enjoy!

If you’re going bananas too, remember to take a breath & remember how blessed you are!

What’s your favorite way to enjoy bananas?

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3 Things Every Mother Needs

December 17, 2011 by   Rachel

By Rachel Marie, Contributing Writer

If you’re a mother you know your job is never done! There is always housework, clothes to fold, meals to make, kids to tend to, and so much more. Our check list is never completed.

Although all of us are super busy, we need to make sure we are taking care of ourselves! This is actually something I am working on because life is happening and I feel as though I can’t keep up so after pondering about this, I can up with this list.

Here are a few things I believe ever mother needs to function properly:

A Break

Right now this is number one on my list. You can easily get drained from everyday chores and demands. But you can never ever just throw up your hand and say “I am done!” Your children need you, your husband needs you, it seems as if everyone needs mom. Well, mom needs some time for herself too.

This not only important for metal health but physical and spiritual health. You need to take time to take a break, to relax to do what you want to do instead of always caring for everyone else but yourself!

Flying Colors Ltd/ Getty Images

Ideas for taking a break:

  • You have to schedule it! Work out a time with your husband that you can get our of the house by yourself. You can go to a Mom’s Night Out activity, grab your lap top and to a coffee shop to browse the web without any kids tugging at you, grocery shopping… by YOURSELF, (now that’s an idea) there are so many things you could do
  • Make a list of goals for yourself and write down ways to get them done
  • Take a class and learn something new
  • Make time to read the Bible and pray
  • Finish up that craft you have been working on for months years.
  • If you will need a babysitter, instead of paying someone, find a friend who you can swap caring for each other’s kids so that you both can have a break at different times

How can you expect to care for your family if you don’t take some time to care for yourself?

A Balanced Diet

Nutrition is very important! It can make or break you, the foods you eat can effect how you feel. I am not only talking about a balanced diet for pregnant or nursing moms but moms in general. To be able to handle all of the days demand you need to eat foods that will give you energy and that will also give you all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Good nutrition also boosts your immune system and lowers risk for illness.

photo credit

Tips for eating a balanced diet:

  • Eat 6 (or more if you can) serving of fruits and vegetables
  • Keep yourself hydrated- water is necessary to transport nutrients in your body
  • Eat breakfast
  • Reduce sugar
  • Plan healthy meals (and make it fun for your family)
  • Include real foods like: fruits & veggies, beans & lentils, nuts & seeds, meats & raw dairy (and/or probiotic dairy), sprouted whole grains and healthy fats

Exercise

Being a busy mom, I can often find myself putting exercise on the back burner. Either I don’t have enough time or I simply do not feel like it. The Center for Disease Control states that two out of three Americans get little to no exercise and with the rise of obesity we know that exercise is extremely important. Exercise helps you to maintain your weight, reduces high blood pressure, reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, you gain lean muscle and you really do feel better about yourself.

photo credit

Tips for finding time to exercise:

  • Make it fun! Choose activities you enjoy
  • Make time to play with your kids outside (when the weather is nice of course) Set an example!
  • If you have a gym membership, USE it! You will get a “break” for your kids while doing something good for yourself.
  • Be opportunistic: park far away of the entrance when going to the grocery store, take the stairs instead of the elevator. (I am a mom too so I understand that this cannot happen all of the time, try to do this when you go by yourself)
  • Make it fast: I try to do burst training a couple times a week. Burst training is high intensity training for a short period of time, only 12 minutes!

I hope you (and I) and make time to get our needs met so that we can be the best mom we can be!

What do you think every mother needs?

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Super Easy Breakfast Quesadilla

November 29, 2011 by   Rachel

By Rachel Marie, Contributing Writer

Sometimes breakfast can be boring. Do you ever think so?

I’m trying to be better about eating breakfast myself, especially since it helps boost my metabolism and my immune system. My kids have the same old breakfast foods: cereal, yogurt with granola, oatmeal or an organic bar (for convenience…sometimes) over and over and never complain about it.

I should make eggs more since they are super healthy!

Well, I recently came across a neat idea to incorporate something my kids love… quesadillas and to give them a breakfast twist!

 

What you need:

 

  • 2 whole wheat tortillas homemade or store bought
  • 1/2 apple, chopped -1/2 pear, chopped (not pictured)
  • craisins, raisins or dried fruit of your choice
  • 1+ tablespoon honey (raw would be best)
  • 1+ tablespoon nut butter (cashew butter pictured)
  • cinnamon
  • coconut oil

 

 

 

What to Do: Once you have all ingredients ready, spread the nut butter onto one of the tortillas, then add fruit and dried fruit. Drizzle honey onto the other tortilla (and spread if you would like to) and sprinkle with cinnamon. Turn burner to medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to pan. Place tortillas on top of each other like a sandwich then into pan. Cook until both side are crisp. Cut with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

What do you like to serve your kids for breakfast?

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Celebrating Halloween as a Christian

October 29, 2011 by   Rachel

By Rachel Marie, Contributing Writer

It seems there is a lot of debate as to whether or not we should “celebrate” Halloween, at least in the blog-o-sphere. Some bloggers, more times than not, say we shouldn’t and have lots of Biblical backings. I grew up getting dressed up in fancy costumes my Mom and Nana made. We spent the night carving pumpkins, trick or treating and having loads of fun. Never in my childhood did I ever think it was a “bad” holiday.

Picture of my cousins, couldn’t find any of mine
(side note: we weren’t allowed to be anything scary)

I think it matters where your heart is! You can invite all kinds of things in this world into your home, mind, and life. Blogging for instance can become more important than your relationship with Christ, being more tuned into your kids than Christ, or spending more time on Facebook than building personal relationships, etc. If we allow anything to be more important to us than Christ, our heart belongs to that and that’s where sin creeps in. In my heart, I think it is okay to “celebrate” Halloween.

My kids love getting dressed up all year long so getting to go out in the public dressed up is very fun for them. Trick or Treating is a chance for me to fellowship with friends and be a non-judgmental person in the body of Christ. The world is filled with good and bad. Frankenstein, goblins, vampires aren’t real, and could be very scary and bad when we watch on a big screen in a Hollywood movie. We are called to love and pray for all since He loves us all, even the ones who dress up ugly or scary and the sweet little girls that want to be princesses.

Our son Lincoln dressed up as a pirate last year
Hubby bringing daughter Julia also a pirate Trick or Treating

When we celebrate Halloween, we aren’t celebrating the evil spirits or bad people in this world, my family is celebrating the fact that we are spending time together, acting silly and having fun. Yes, the origins of Halloween are dark. Watch the Origins of Halloween on the History Channel and you will learn all you need to know. We simply do it because it is fun to us.

If we stay home, behind closed doors are we really being the light to the world? Matthew 5: 14-16 says “You are the light to the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither to people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead the put it on its stand, and it give light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let you light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” As far as carving pumpkins goes…

Last year on Halloween

We do that as well! It’s all about the fun to us! I came across this wonderful book called The Pumpkin Patch Parable written by Lizz Curtis Higgs. This is a  book to teach the young and old alike about how the Lord is like the farmer and we are the little pumpkins, and that He makes us clean and He is the light in us. We’re going to add reading this book to our fun this year!

 

  • Where’s your heart at? However your family feels convicted, whether to “celebrate” Halloween or not to celebrate just remember to be joyful! We are all blessed! Celebrate your life and your family!
  • Let your light shine! My little pumpkins are going to be a cowboy and a cowgirl this year. My Mom, their Mamaw made their costumes.

 

How do you “celebrate” Halloween? If not, do you have an alternative you & your family does?

Rachel is a city girl who went to college in Eastern Tennessee and found herself in love with a “country” boy just about 10 years ago. She married him and a few years later became a wife to a Doctor of Chiropractic. She is a stay at home mom to 2 preschoolers who teach her new things daily… especially patients! Her passions are faith, family and health. Rachel believes the Lord’s plans are far better than she could ever think or desire for herself and her family. She supports her husband in helping to change the way people look at their health and uses her blog as a tool to do that. You can find her writing about her family adventures and inspiring you to make healthier choices for your family and more at day2day joys or Facebook.

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