It’s been awhile since we’ve posted. After a vacation, colds and getting back into our routine, we’re ready to share a quick, easy dinner.

Turkey meatballs are a great way to add some extra protein to a pasta dinner. Typically, we make more vegetarian meals so it’s a welcome change every so often.

Turkey meatballs are great because veggies can easily be added! We also try and serve veggies alongside our dinners so they’re at least offered to our toddler. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

1/2 lb ground turkey, light meat 

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped 

1/4 cup carrot, finely grated

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/8th Red onion, diced 

1 egg 

1/4 cup almond flour 

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce  

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

4 large sage leaves, finely chopped 

salt 

pepper 

paprika 

oregano

red pepper flakes

banza chick pea pasta

tomato sauce, canned

To make:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 

2. Mix with your hands. Use seasonings to your liking. I don’t usually measure mine. 

3. Form into half dollar size spheres. 

4. Heat coconut oil in a large, cast iron pan on low to medium heat. I started out too warm and adjusted.

5. Cook throughly by rotating spheres. 

6. Boil water for pasta. Try a gluten free option like banza chickpea pasta. 

7. Use a jarred sauce or make your own. I used plain tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper. I try and avoid extra oils or sugars that can be found in some jarred sauce. 

8. Steam some broccoli as a side and enjoy a healthy meal. 

Servings: 

16-20 meatballs 

4, 2oz servings of dry pasta

 

I’ve been using Weleda skincare for about 6 years. I started with skinfood for my extremely dry winter skin. It’s perfect for a hand cream, eczema spots or even wind burn. It’s a great, multi functional product!

Weleda products are made in Germany from plant derived sources. These are truly some of the best products I’ve ever used.

This line up is all of our current favorites. I’ve tried a lot of their other products over the years. There’s a great arnica oil I use for sore muscles (not pictured).

I believe spending a little more on everyday products we put on our skin is very important. I’ve been pregnant or breastfeeding since fall 2015 so I’ve really been careful with the products I use.

There are so many toxic ingredients in many skin care brands. I like to use the think dirty app to see how the product ranks in an ingredient rating system. This helps me decide what’s safe for our family to use. Products can be marketed as ‘safe’ or ‘natural’ when truthfully they do not contain clean ingredients.

Weleda also makes a great line of baby products! There’s a white mallow diaper cream which is probably my favorite product for my kids as well as calendula body wash, shampoo and lotion.

Another favorite for kids is a fluoride free tooth gel. It’s a great beginner toothpaste!

Right now, Weleda is offering 15% off + a free gift with a purchase of $50 or more.

Weleda products can be found in natural food stores and even target stores. For the best variety of products, I order from Weleda directly.

I love these products because they’re safe and can be used by our whole family.

What are your family’s favorite products or brands?

Nicole & Carly

I love making hummus! It’s a nice snack option that helps us eat more veggies! This is also a great, healthy option for Valentine’s Day! There might be someone in your life not eating sugar, alcohol, carbs, etc.

I used the minimalist baker recipe which was pretty simple!

You might have a lot of these items on hand.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 15 oz can organic garbanzo beans, drained

1 medium roasted beet, peeled and quartered

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 heaping tablespoons tahini

1 large lemon, zested

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

I had my son help with this recipe! He loves using the food processor 🙂

To make:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor except the olive oil.
2. As the ingredients are blending add in the olive oil.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve with veggies or crackers.

For those who aren’t huge fans of beets, they don’t come through in the hummus!

If you try this recipe, let us know what you think!

Nicole & Carly

A very nostalgic meal for me is nachos. My mom used to make them on a rectangular pizza stone when I was a kid.

They were so good! It’s a recipe I keep meaning to make, but never get around to.

Growing up, these would have included ground beef. It’s been years since I’ve eaten beef so I subbed in refried pinto beans.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Organic, non gmo corn chips

Eden foods organic refried pinto beans

Organic Red & orange bell peppers

Organic onion

Dairy free cheese

Organic spinach

Organic tomato

Organic sweet potato, steamed and diced

Organic cilantro

Avocado

To make:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
3. Add chips, cheese, refried pinto beans, onions and bell peppers
4. bake for 10 minutes
5. remove from oven and top with spinach, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cilantro and avocado

I served deconstructed nachos to my 6 month old and nachos to my 2.5 year old who didn’t want anything to do with them. Below is how I made this meal baby led weaning friendly.

-Spoonfuls of refried beans

-tomato spears

-sweet potato spears

-avocado wedge

What are your favorite childhood meals?

Nicole & Carly

I love starting the day with a filling breakfast! Oatmeal is a great option for a quick, lasting breakfast that will stay with you until your next snack or meal.

Oatmeal is packed with fiber and protein! I used to think oatmeal was a plain, boring breakfast, but you can flavor and top your bowl with lots of different options.

Fruits, nut butters, seeds, yogurts, etc! Tons of options to give you a nice variety.

My son used to eat oatmeal without any issue. Now he’s a little pickier and doesn’t love the texture. I try to throw it in a food processor with fruit and almond milk.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1/2 cup organic, sprouted oats

Organic raspberries

Organic blackberries

1/4 cup almond milk

1 heaping tablespoon almond butter

1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon

1 teaspoon organic chia seeds

1 teaspoon organic coconut shreds

To make:

1. Cook oatmeal per instructions. I usually make 1/2 -3/4 cups of oats.
2. Add toppings and almond milk

For kids that may not like the texture you could mash the fruit or put everything in a blender or food processor to make the texture smooth with almond milk.

What are your favorite go to breakfasts?

Nicole & Carly

I’m starting baby led weaning with my 6 month old and needed some recipes with whole ingredients I could serve him.

For this dish, I roasted carrots and sweet potatoes that I cut into strips. The need for spear shaped foods is changing up how I’d normally cook which is a fun change of pace!

This dish was pretty easy to throw together. Here’s what you’ll need:

1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, halved

2 medium carrots, cut into spears

1 medium sweet potato, cut into spears

Avocado oil to coat veggies in

1 cup of couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon tahini

Directions:

1. Roast cut veggies in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Coat veggies and toss in an oil with a high smoke point. Flip veggies at 15 minutes so they’ll evenly roast.
2. Prepare couscous following the package instructions. I used Far East brand.
3. Prepare the sauce. Combine 1 tablespoon tahini, 1/4 of a lemon, juiced and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a bowl and whisk together.
4. Assemble bowls with couscous, veggies and top with the sauce.

What are your favorite meals to prepare for a family?

Nicole and Carly

Our Friday night dinners are usually pretty basic. My husband and I are tired from a long week and want a simple dinner with an easy clean up.

I’m also trying to clear out our fridge to use anything we hadn’t gotten to.

Here’s what you’ll need:

3/4 – 1 lb ground turkey (mix of light and dark meat)

1/2 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 organic red pepper, chopped

15 oz can diced, fire roasted organic tomatoes

15 oz can organic cannellini beans

15 oz can organic pinto beans

1/2 organic avocado

Cilantro

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

To make:

1. Sautee onions and garlic on medium heat in a little avocado oil until translucent.
2. Add ground turkey. Cook on medium heat until browned. Add seasoning. Stirring as needed.
3. Add bell pepper, tomatoes and beans. Do not drain cans.
4. Bring to a low boil on medium high. Once boiling, reduce to low.
5. Serve with diced avocado and chopped cilantro.

What are your favorite easy, end of the week meals?

Nicole & Carly

By Thursday night we’re trying to clear out our fridge and use up any remaining produce.

I love stir frys and noodle bowls because you can add what you have on hand! You can’t really go wrong!

I will say I wanted the tofu to be crispy, but I didn’t press the tofu long enough to remove the water. I also could have baked it in the oven then pan fried it.

It turned out just fine, but next time I’d make the extra effort!

Here’s what you’ll need:

8 oz or half a package of udon noodles

1/2 block extra firm organic, non-gmo tofu

1 organic, yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/2 organic, yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 handfuls, organic spinach

gochujang sauce

Tamari soy sauce

Sesame seeds

Avocado or coconut oil (any oil with a high smoke point)

To make:

1. Dice tofu into 1” cubes. Set on a plate with a tea towel or paper towel and set a heavy pan on top of the tofu.
2. Once pressed, set tofu in a bowl and pour gochujang and tamari soy sauce enough to coat and stir. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
3. Fill a sauce pan 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil. Add udon noodles. Cook for 7-8 minutes. Then drain and place noodles in bowls.
4. Heat coconut oil or avocado oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Stir and let cook until fragrant.
5. Add bell pepper and spinach. Cook until soft.
6. Transfer veggies to bowl.
7. Using the same pan, add more coconut oil or avocado oil set heat to medium high.
8. Add tofu. Rotating cubes as needed to crisp. Add more oil if tofu sticks.

I would suggest pressing the water out of the tofu before marinating. Some people use a tofu press. I used a tea towel and a heavy frying pan set on top of the tofu.

You could also bake the tofu in the oven to remove some of the liquid before marinating.

Alternately, you could bake the tofu after marinating and finish it by pan frying in oil.

I think crispy tofu would make this dish amazing!

Let us know what you think? What’s your favorite way to prepare tofu?

Nicole & Carly

Dreaming of warm weather? This chia seed pudding will make you feel like you’ve transported someplace tropical! Wishful thinking, but it’s currently 5 degrees out. Yikes!

I don’t usually make this during the winter months. It’s something I like as a summertime dessert or snack.

It’s tart and refreshing. The lime and mango are an amazing combination!

I like this as a source of calcium and fiber for my son. It’s also a great replacement for yogurt. He often asks for two containers in one day so this is a nice substitution.

You’ll need:

3/4 cup almond milk

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1 mango

1/2 lime

To make:

1. Pour almond milk into a jar with a lid. Fill with chia seeds.
2. Cover and refrigerate. Let solidify for a couple hours.
3. Peel and dice mango. Place in blender. Add the juice of half a lime. Blend until smooth.
4. Layer the purée and chia seed pudding into a bowl or jar.
5. Top with fresh mango or shredded coconut.

Let us know what you think? What are some of your favorite warm weather treats?

I recently began being more conscious about what I put on my skin. My previous post about organic skincare shares a little about my new quest to replace my ‘dirty’ products with new, clean skincare and makeup products. I went onto Etsy and started skimming through the reviews and I found a winner!

The shop on Etsy is called, ‘Pure Lips’. Its all vegan, organic and cruelty free makeup and skincare made by a women based in Indiana. This shop has over 4k positive reviews, so I decided to grab three products to try out. I ordered the skin foundation serum, the vitamin c moisturizer and finally a s’mores scented lip balm.

The foundation serum was my favorite! Its a very innovative, fast drying foundation loaded with vitamin c. This gave me a medium coverage and lasted 8+ hours without fading. It has a matte to natural finish. I also was so impressed with the vitamin c and shea moisturizer for my face which came in a very convenient pump bottle. Its a great daytime moisturizer, and isn’t too heavy for under makeup. I loved the lip balm and reach for it daily! Its a coconut oil based product in travel friendly twist up tube.

I had no idea such a wonderful shop existed with such a wide range of vegan products. I will definitely be trying more from this shop and Etsy!

What’s your favorite Etsy shop?

Nicole & Carly