All posts in NOURISH

NEST + CREATE + NOURISH … on this mother’s day weekend | inspiration by luli sanchez

by Julie on May 11, 2013 in CREATE, NEST, NOURISH with 4 Comments

mothers

lovely watercolor images by Luli Sanchez

Blessings to all of you lovely mothers this weekend!

NEST … by embracing your family and all of the special mothers in your life.

CREATE  … by taking a few moments to think creatively, maybe just looking at inspiration for a project or possibly beginning one that has been lingering in your mind. The images above are certainly inspiring me lately.

NOURISH … with (hopefully) some peaceful moments to yourself to rejuvenate and reflect on the goodness of motherhood.

Julie

Pin It

NOURISH + CREATE … inspired by the HALO foundation

by Julie on May 7, 2013 in CREATE, NOURISH with No comments

Save-the-Date-1-300x214

Take a look at this fantastic worldwide foundation based right here in Kansas City.  Halo stands for Helping Art Liberate Orphans. “Liberating through Art” how exciting!! They have a strong focus on providing art therapy for the children that they work with and in addition to helping children globally and across the US, they are helping at risk children right here at their headquarters in the West Bottoms of Kansas City.  My thesis in college was designing an Art Therapy Center for children and know first hand how powerful it can be for these children to express emotions through art. I worked closely with Raw Arts, a great Art Therapy program in Boston and it left me with a passionate heart for artistic therapy and how it can change lives.

I had the opportunity to meet the founder this past weekend and witness how incredibly passionate her whole team is about providing this supportive, nourishing, and creative network for children worldwide. Look here for ways to connect with Halo, learn about Club Halo and possibly host a fundraiser at your school for them.

Hope you are inspired by HALO and inspired to promote their creative spirit!

Julie

Pin It

NOURISH … with mini tostadas | inspired by naturally ella

by Julie on May 3, 2013 in NOURISH with 6 Comments

IMG_8525

IMG_8521

We’re planning to make more of these yummy tostadas with homemade tortillas this Cinco de Mayo weekend. We recently bought a tortilla press and  … IT IS FABULOUS … can’t believe I’ve waited this long! The kids all love to press them and especially these little mini ones. We use this recipe for homemade corn tortillas from Naturally Ella and they are ridiculously easy and taste SO fresh. For these mini tostadas I created a potato goat cheese topping but used her kale- cilantro chimichurri from this recipe for breakfast tacos, which are also so, so good!

IMG_8522

IMG_8519

MINI TOSTADAS

Homemade corn tortillas (naturally ella) For these mini tostadas we just made the tortilla balls 1/4 to 1/2 the size of hers.

INGREDIENTS

2 white potatoes sliced

2 small sweet potatoes sliced

1/2 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

olive oil for cooking potatoes

salt and pepper to taste

goat cheese for crumbling on top

microgreens (optional, only if you have them)

DIRECTIONS

Saute potatoes until cooked with chopped onion and garlic in olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place desired amount on warm tortillas and top with the chimichurri sauce from naturally ella (found above) and crumbled goat cheese, and micro greens, if you are using them.

Hope you enjoy a festive Cinco de Mayo weekend with your family !

Julie

Pin It

CREATE + NOURISH … with DIY mother’s day essential oil scents | by five and one

by Julie on April 26, 2013 in CREATE, NOURISH with 2 Comments

essential-oil-scents

Mother’s Day Essential Oil Scents |with Printable Gift Tag

Nourish the mothers in your life with these simple essential oil scents made by blending almond oil and natural, fragrant essential oils. After you make these as a gift you will want to experiment to create fragrant blends for you and your family. What is lovely about these roll on bottles is that you can lightly dab a little on the wrist and rub in for a soothing aromatic scent or simply inhale slowly to enjoy the aromatherapy benefits. Lately my daughter has had a tough time settling down at bedtime so I have used a night time blend with lavender and almond oil to rub on her chest and feet to ease relaxation. I have used essential oils for years and especially loved them while being pregnant.  Careful consideration should be taken with essential oils while pregnant since they are very potent, but some can work beautifully for relaxation.  A great reference book is Aromatherapy and Massage for Mother and Baby. Another great essential oil blend that I use often is this Rosemary Lavender Chest Rub. It works great for breathing easier and clearing up congestion.  The kids love chest and foot massages with this while they are feeling under the weather and it takes a very small pea size amount of oil for each massage. If a blend is ever too strong for you just add more of the carrier oil. I hope you enjoy this simple way of creating a unique scent for someone special or for yourself. For another Mother’s Day gift take a look at this Citrus + Herb Sea Salt DIY with free printable labels.

SUPPLIES

Assorted essential oils (I used Aura Cacia oils and these can be found online or at a natural health food store)

Almond oil (or another carrier oil such as jojoba oil)

Glass perfume bottles from Making Cosmetics (they have an amazing selection of items for making your own cosmetics)

DIRECTIONS 

Step 1  - fill glass container 1/4″ from the top with carrier oil

Step 2 –  add in one of the following blends

These are some favorite scents but feel free to smell samples and create a blend that works for you.

Lavender, Grapefruit | 3 drops lavender, 6-7 drops grapefruit

Rosemary, Grapefruit | 2 drops rosemary, 6-7 drops grapefruit

Rosemary, Orange, Clove | 2 drops rosemary, 6 drops orange, 1 drop clove

Rosemary, Sweet orange | 2 drops rosemary, 5-6 drops sweet orange

Bedtime blend | 1-2 drops of lavender

Step 3 – print out the following labels and attach with decorative washi tape.

Essential oil scent labels (Save labels to your desktop and print on clear 8 1/2″ x 11″ label paper ) The clear labels do not stay on the glass bottles by themselves but I like the added touch of the washi paper for decoration.  You could also use a white or kraft brown colored label sheet.

Enjoy experimenting and know that you are using a scent that is nourishing you and the environment.

If you already use essential oils, I would love to know you favorite blends.

Julie

Pin It

HAPPY EARTH DAY … and a reminder about the first family hike of the season.

by Julie on April 22, 2013 in CREATE, NEST, NOURISH with No comments

hikingozarks

Happy Earth Day my friends .. it is finally a beautiful day here in Kansas City and life is getting busier with the garden and other outside projects. We’re currently carving out a little spot for a strawberry patch to add to our growing list of fruits and berries in the backyard.

I wanted to remind you all of our first Spring Family Nature Hike coming up this Sunday at 3:30 at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. We usually meet at the front parking area, but take a look at the details here.  Also, the May hike has been cancelled but we will have another one in June and maybe a couple of hikes in the summer.  Look for details on a Five and One trip to Beanstalk Children’s Garden this summer.  It is a fantastic place to get inspired and we will be doing a tasting tour of some of the tasty fruits and veggies they have growing.  It is a great place to explore garden life and the five senses with children.

Enjoy this beautiful day connecting to nature with your family!

the photo above is one that I took of my family while we were exploring a trail with many caves in the Lake of the Ozarks.  

Julie

Pin It

NEST + NOURISH … celebrate earth day by planting a butterfly | wildflower garden

by Julie on April 19, 2013 in NEST, NOURISH with No comments

swallowtail

It’s so lovely to finally see the blooms of spring and our kale, swiss chard, and peas sprouting in the garden. I guess they don’t mind being covered in a foot + of snow! Last year by this time we were enjoying these lush blooms. It is taking a bit longer this spring, but love to see this new life begin. The photo above is a black swallowtail butterfly enjoying our wild bergamot last summer.

I recently read this article on the monarch butterfly and their decline sadly due, in large part, to genetically engineered crops and herbicides. We have slowly added in native shrubs and flowers to attract butterflies and it’s so great to see them around the background during the summer. Take a look at some of these beautiful wildflower palettes below by Landscape architect Piet Oudulf for a little inspiration on planting a butterfly garden or maybe just a few milkweeds. (view more images here on Scott Weber’s pinterest board).

Here is a great resource from the Missouri Department of Conservation for ideas on Native Plants for your landscape.

f6cbd526a5c08f0edca56e1dff1b8a23

West-Cork-1

This last image is the High Line in New York, where Oudulf designed native plantings for the public park built on the elevated historic freight line above Manhattan’s West Side. What a fantastic blend of nature within the city.

hi-line

If you would like to add more native grasses and wildflowers into your landscape a favorite local sale of mine for buying wildflowers and herbs is the John Wornall House annual herb/wildflower sale, coming up on April 27th. They have a great selection from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery. Also, the Prairie and Wetland Center is a fantastic resource for finding native plantings and seed mixes. Would you like to know more about why growing native plants is so important? Here is a great explanation. Also if you do not live in Kansas City, here is a great resource for finding native species to plant in your area.

Enjoy planting some natives with your children and provide a welcome habitat for birds and butterflies.

- Julie

 

Pin It

NOURISH … with a new breakfast favorite + unprocessed recipes from bona food magazine

by Julie on April 17, 2013 in NOURISH with No comments

I am posting a new favorite breakfast idea for a few dear friends that are taking processed foods out of their diets. The recipe link below is a basic chia seed pudding recipe that is great on its own and very satisfying, but can be enhanced in so many ways by adding one or more of the following ingredients…

 avocado, dates, nuts, chopped fruit, shredded coconut, or cocoa powder

Chia Seed Pudding | Food and Wine | cooking note : I replaced raw honey for the agave nectar in this recipe.

Making almond milk | Oh She Glows | store bought almond milk can be used in the recipe above, but if you would like simplified ingredients this homemade version is the ticket.

Also, Bona Food Magazine has some super tasty unprocessed food ideas and their current issue has some great breakfast recipes. Take a look at their current issue here. Be sure to browse their past e-magazines for more healthy recipe ideas.

Screen-Shot-2013-04-16-at-2.44.44-PM

bonafood

Below are images from a previous Issue of Bona Food Magazine with more great Breakfast recipes.

Screen-Shot-2013-04-16-at-5.08.19-PM

Hope you enjoy some of these refreshing ideas for starting your day and nourishing yourself and your family!!

Julie

Pin It

NOURISH … with local vegetable, herb, and wildflower transplant sales

by Julie on April 12, 2013 in NOURISH with 1 Comment

emmatomotoes

I don’t know about you but we are more than ready for these juicy tomatoes to grow in our garden again!! Below I have listed some favorite local Kansas City transplant sales that supply organic, or incredibly healthy and sustainable transplants to grow in your garden.

Gibbs Road Community Farm Transplant Sale | This Saturday, April 13th

The Bad Seed Market Transplant Sale | April 19th

John Wornall House Wildflower and  Herb Sale | April 27th | This is a favorite one for native plants and wildflowers.

Kansas City Food Circle | List of Markets with food grown using organic practices

Your Neighborhood Market KC | a new resource for finding farmers markets in your neighborhood

If you are on Facebook it is also a great idea to become a fan of pages like the KC Food Circle and Your Neighborhood Market KC to get updates on market schedules and great information about the local farmers that are working so hard to grow healthy food for us!

Please share any of your favorite places to buy your garden transplants and if you are not in Kansas City I encourage you to seek out your local farmers that work hard to get these transplants started for you. I have found that they are always more than willing to share growing tips with you too.

happy planting!

- julie

NOURISH … with fluffy gluten free pancakes | by five and one

by Julie on April 9, 2013 in NOURISH with No comments

pancakes

WE LOVE PANCAKES in our house and I really like to give the kids a nourishing breakfast before they head off to school.  This is a favorite pancake recipe of ours and I like to make extra and freeze them for quick, healthy options on crazy school mornings.

FLUFFY GLUTEN FREE PANCAKES  | adapted from this recipe from one perfect bite.

2 c. brown rice flour

1-1/2 c. almond meal or almond flour

1/2 c. tapioca starch

1 T. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

4 eggs separated

2 cups almond milk (or any other milk you have)

4 T. butter (melted)

4 T. coconut oil (softened)

1-1/2 t. orange extract (I have also used almond and vanilla)

1/4 c. honey

makes 20 – 3-4 inch pancakes | feel free to cut the recipe in half if you do not want to make this many. They do freeze well for quick breakfasts on school mornings.

DIRECTIONS

Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Separate eggs and mix the yolks, almond milk, butter, coconut oil, extract, and honey. Mix dry ingredients into the wet yolk mixture. Now mix the egg whites until fluffy and peaks are stiff (this is the important part for making your pancakes fluffy). Gently fold the egg whites into batter.

When making your pancakes keep them small, 3-4 inches for best results. I use a cast iron pan for ours with a little butter or coconut oil warmed on the pan.

Some favorite toppings for our pancakes are fruit jam, honey or maple syrup. Sometimes we add a little almond butter to the top for added protein.  For the pancakes pictured above we enjoyed our homemade blackberry ginger jam from our summer berry crop.

Enjoy!

- Julie

Pin It

NEST + NOURISH … have a lovely easter weekend with your families

by Julie on March 30, 2013 in NEST, NOURISH with No comments

photo-79

Hope everyone enjoys some peaceful family time over the weekend.  We kicked our Good Friday off with these Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns.

If you are decorating easter eggs this weekend take a look at the Five and One Easter Pinterest board for a little creative inspiration.

- julie

← Older Entries