Festive Traditions: A book review, AMAZING food and a GIVEAWAY!!!

I love the sounds and smells of Christmas time. I also love the food. Really LOVE the food. But as we are becoming more and more aware of what we eat and promote real food living in our lives, holiday festivities and food become stressful. Now there's Festive Traditions.

 Jill Marks, an incredible blogger and the editor of Modern Alternative Kitchen, forged the effort to create a Real Food holiday ebook this year.There are some great contributors from MAM and MAK.  My mouth waters just as I look through the table of contents. Nuts, soups, salads, desserts! I can't wait to try them all! Here's a look to get your taste buds excited:

Appetizers and Drinks

• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Spicy Nuts
• Pumpkin Pie Nuts
• Marinated Goat Cheese
• Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
• Bacon Wrapped Figs
• Coconut Hot Chocolate
• Pastured Eggnog
• Christmas Punch

Main Dishes

• Roasted Turkey
• Salmon with Probiotic Dill Sauce
• Chicken and Rice Soup
• Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger Cream
• Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Side Dishes

• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Green Bean Casserole
• Cheesy Potatoes
• Autumn Stuffed Squash
• Cranberry Sauce
• Christmas Salad

Desserts

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• Crock Pot Stuffed Apples
• Chocolate Creme Pie
• Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce
• Traditional Buckeyes

Breakfast

• Gingerbread Muffins
• Potato-Crusted Quiche
• Soaked Oatmeal Pecan Waffles
• Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
• Lemon-Poppy Seed Biscuits

Yesterday, Miss Moo and I took a stab at making Chicken and Rice Soup. I got us started by dicing and slicing up the carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, and chicken to get things going. ( I love having Moo's assistance but knives for things that easily roll we haven't graduated to yet ;) ) Moo helped me place all the fresh ingredients in the dutch oven and stir it to cook. Who doesn't love the smell of fresh goodness cooking up in some REAL butter?? Then we measured out all of the dry spices - thyme, tarragon, salt, pepper -and added those with some chicken broth.  Mmmnnn -  it started to smell like Christmas! I whipped up the milk and arrowroot  to create a little cream concoction to slightly thicken the base and add just the right about of creaminess. All these flavors blended with the wild rice to make a soup fit for a King. We all enjoyed it for lunch - Miss Roo had 3, that's right 3, bowls!!

I can't wait to try the other recipes in this book for our holiday. This book isn't one I've bought, downloaded, and glanced at once. I keep coming back for ideas, meal, planning and holiday preparation. I am so thankful this year especially as I manage the girls, a pregnancy, and daily life to have this book as a reliable and genuine way to cook festive, real food for my family.The recipes are all well written and simple to follow. Ingredient lists are concise and clear, processes are uncomplicated for those of us still on a learning curve, and all the recipes are clearly marked to indicate what allergens are not present. For our Gluten Free household, that feature is a lifesaver! I know before I read the recipe if I am going to have to adapt anything. I can't say enough good things about this book.

I have good news for you! From now until Thursday, December 18th, you can get you very own copy of Festive Traditions at a special rate! My readers can save 25% by using the code EVOLVE25 at checkout!

Now I have GREAT news for you - we're having a giveaway! That's right - you can win your own copy of Festive Traditions! Through Thursday, December 14th, you have the opportunity to win your own copy! Simply do one (or more) of the following!

• Leave a comment on this post saying what recipe you'd like to try and why.
• Like Tryin' to Evolve on Facebook.
• Share the giveaway on Facebook ad post on my wall letting me know!

I will select a winner with random.org after midnight on the 15th and post the winner on Thursday's post.

Enter away, like some pages I've mentioned, and enjoy some REAL food this holiday!

We're Bringing Birth Home

 My previous two pregnancies and birth experiences were completely different. Miss Moo was born in a birth center attached to a hospital in Northern Virginia and Miss Roo was born on the L&D of a local hospital. They were completely different and both attended by midwives. I wouldn't change the outcomes of either of my births - two healthy girls delivered vaginally with no complications.

This time around, however, I wanted more control. I wanted discussion, options, support, and peace. We began our pregnancy at the free standing birth center here. The midwives there are great and the staff is exceptional. But I still felt that something was missing.

Friday I met with a fantastic midwife and her assistant. We talked birth, testing, options. We discussed what I wanted birth to look like and what their role is during labor and birth. We spoke about Doulas, placentas, and time. And I felt peace wash over me.

My third child, my son, will be born at home. I can't think of a better place for him to come into my arms and  into our family. I'm grateful to have the opportunity, support, and love to begin this journey and I can't wait to see where it ends at the crossroads to the next.

Meal Plan : Week of December 10-16

Getting back to normal means getting back to planning! Here's our plan for the week.

Monday:
"Thanksgiving"
Turkey
Green beans
Stuffing
Cranberries
Gravy
Mashed potatoes

Tuesday:

Hoppin' John Soup
Spinach Salad with champagne honey vinaigrette


Wednesday:
GF baked spaghetti
Spinach Salad
Homemade bread?!?!

Thursday:
local, grass fed steak
green beans with garlic
carrots
fruit salad

Friday:
Italian sausages on GF rolls with sauteed onions and peppers
French fries
Peas

Saturday:
I don't have to cook! Either Andrew will or we'll go to our local good food place :)

Sunday:
Pork chops
broccoli with cheese
baked apples
GF mac and cheese

Our Little Announcement....

Just when we think we have parenting figured out, God throws us a curve ball.

We can't wait to welcome our son in the spring!

So, I've been MIA...

It's true. I have had NO time to devote to myself or blogging. Or myself. And, honestly, I'm starting to go a little nuts. I've been busy with holidays, a pregnancy, a house, and a family. And, somehow, I've kept it all together - except for the me part.

So, I've decided I AM taking time for myself each day to write. I find myself settling down at night to slip into a brief slumber (before I'm up for the first time to pee) and things/articles/posts start running through my head and I wish that I would just get up and write. Perhaps I need to get a little tape recorder to sit by the bed so I can capture my thoughts in those moments.

But I digress. I'm back and I'll try to get some stuff up today. Thanks for checking back in....

A Little Announcement....

Estimated arrival April 2013.

Modern Alternative Health - October 2012

It’s Flu Season And We DON’T Hand Sanitize

October 17, 2012 By   Malissa   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments: 2

Image by iEatYanYans‘.

Prior to Miss Moo’s birth, I thoroughly stocked our then town house with hand sanitizer. She was born during the H1N1 flu season and the hospital attached to our birth center had managed to terrify us about that strain of flu beyond belief. As the flu season carried on and no one we knew got sick, I began to relax about the plastic bottles stationed around the house and pondered exactly what slathering my hands with their contents was doing to us.

So, What’s In The Stuff Anyway?

Most hand sanitizers are essentially hand soap diluted in a large amount of alcohol – somewhere between 60 and 90 percent depending on the brand and size of the bottle. An alcohol content that large can lead to serious health hazards, particularly for children; levels that high can easily cause alcohol poisoning. Small children are at greater risk due to their size and propensity to place toys and their hands in their mouths.

Having the bottles accessible to children also pose threats. Many are  brightly colored and scented to please the user and in turn, interested little hands grab them to use in play. Using hand sanitizers frequently with children may mean they have no fear of it as a chemical and feel they can responsibly use it in correct amounts. Amounts over the size of a pea could lead to alcohol poisoning  in young children. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning can include nausea, dizziness, and headaches. Alcohol poisoning is a serious condition that must be treated to immediately to avoid long term health effects.

 To read the rest, head on over!