My first time in a float pod

If you have thought about floating, you should do it. If you haven't thought about floating, you should think about it. If you have never heard of floating, you should learn about it and think about getting your float on.

As a Christmas gift, I received a gift certificate for four float sessions at a local float spa in our town, Tooele, UT. I had been looking into it for a while and had even taken a little tour of the spa to see what it was all about. Float therapy is not new, however the fact that it is becoming more popular is new. The Golden State Warriors floated regularly throughout their season, many MMS fighters float before and after a fight, the list is getting longer of the many people who find it helpful to float.

I completely forgot to take any photos as I was preoccupied with excitement. I plan on snapping a few on my next float.

Here is a photo of the dream pod.

What is float therapy? There are many names for it. You might here float session, float pod, float tank, sensory deprivation tank, and so on. They use around 1,200 lbs of magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) dissolved in 200 gallons of water. You are in a zero gravity therapeutic environment with no distractions. The magnesium helps you to float and also absorbs into your body offering you a long list of health benefits. 

Some of the symptoms or ailments that floating can help with are:

Depression

Anxiety

Fibromyalgia

Stress 

Aid in the healing of injuries

Back pain

Joint pain

High blood pressure

Accident injuries

Trouble sleeping

and much more. 

Besides the physical benefits, imagine how healthy it would be for your mind and soul to be with yourself for an hour in a pod full of skin temperature water. The idea is that typically after 40 minutes in, your brain will release theta waives. Those are the waves we enjoy right before drifting off to sleep.

Here is a video full of the details.

I couldn't wait to get in that pod! I imagined a meditative state like never before. I imagined all the strange thoughts that would go in and out of my mind before I was able to shut it off and relax. I imagined that my body would feel wonderful after wards.

I figured I should wear my sweats, since you shower before and after entering the pod. May as well be cozy after wards, right? Then I felt like a bum, so I changed into jeans. I will NOT be doing this next time. You learn a lot from your first float. When you are done, you don't want to be tied down by restrictive clothing. It will be cozy clothes next float.

The owner gave me a run through of what do and when. He showed me the shower in my float room, I was to use soap and shampoo only, and put my ear plugs in before. Then I was to turn the lights off and step into the pod. Inside the pod, there is a soft light that changes color. You can choose to keep it on one color, let it change, or turn it off completely. He would be starting my float with relaxing music the first five minutes and then it would return the last five minutes. When the pump kicks on, that will be how I know my float is over and can shower and condition and meet over at the post float area for tea.

While listening to his instruction, I immediately became worried that I would not retain all the information he was giving me, which in fact I did not, because I was thinking about that instead of listening. 

I took one of the best showers ever under the 8 inch wide shower head lathered in silky soap. I was thinking in the shower what a great affect the ear plugs had just in the shower. It really makes you feel inside of yourself. 

Into the pod! It was the perfect temperature, matching my body. I pulled the lid shut and began to float. There is at least three feet I would say, of space about your head, so I did not feel confined or claustrophobic. I floated there, waiting for the music to start. I didn't know it then, but the delay in music was because I forgot to turn the lights off! I'd say for about what felt like 20 minutes in, I forgot about the lights. I even floated there thinking, "Wow, you sure would think they would make it a little darker in here" not realizing I had forgot that step, because I was too busy worrying that I would forget a step. When it finally occurred to me, I got out and shut the lights off.

Now lets get to those moments when you are just floating there, no music, no light, no sound. So many things went through my head. I actually tried to think about certain current stresses so that I could consciously push them out, but I just couldn't it. They had no affect on me in that pod. They came to mind and I had no feelings about them. I guess I just couldn't allow myself to waste precious pod time on stressful things. I thought about how my scalp was burning, a lot. 

I thought about how I was so naked but yet didn't feel naked at all. I thought about how wearing a swim suit would totally ruin it for me. Part of the goal was to not even be aware of your body any longer, and how could I do that with clothes clinging to me? If I'm getting into a pod to float, why not take it back to womb status? I wanted to be held in there while I grow! I thought about how I should have chosen the ocean music, because the music that was on felt a little anticipatory, like Native American drums, like something was about to happen. I thought about how I hoped I would fall asleep.  I thought about how I think I'm not a huge fan of Target. I like it, but I think I have tried to love it, and it just doesn't excite me all that much like it does so many other people. I have no issue with Target, I'm just not in love. Then I realized that is probably why I keep getting the cartwheel app and then deleting. I think I've had it like five times now. I thought about my burning scalp again (this did stoop after a while). I thought about how the light bothered me a little, but still took me forever to realize I had left the lights on in the room.

I floated. Slow and steady. One side of me or another would gently bump the side of the pod and then I float towards the opposite direction. Then it felt like I was floating in a river, going one direction, but I never bumped the side so I couldn't have been moving. Then everything became still. The water wasn't moving, I wasn't moving. I wasn't aware of the confines of the pod any longer. I wasn't even aware of my body. It felt as if I was floating out in the open universe. I felt nothing and it felt open and free. I wasn't my body and my body wasn't me. The body and mind were two different things, but the body wasn't even there! Then I was dreaming vividly about my son being a twin (which he is not) and both of him had a face full of hair, and then "SPLASH!". My hand must have flinched because the splash startled me awake. I felt pleased to have realized I had slept. I did not have a good perception of time in the pod, which is great. We have enough pressure and stress in relation to time, don't we? My phone was off, and the time was not for me to worry about. 

After that little nap I got a little antsy. I was still enjoying every moment, just had a harder time being so still. My knees started to feel stiff, like they needed to bend. I wanted my scarred leg to be immersed in the magnesium water so I bent my knee as high as I could to the side, then the other so that they were both pointing the same direction. This made me float in a slow circular motion. Not enough to make you feel sick, but it was noticeable. Then I tried the other direction. So I guess I started playing a little bit. One thing I noticed when I pulled my body to the side like that, was that it was as if my organs were shifting as I moved to the side. It reminded me of being eight months pregnant, feeling the baby shift with you as move onto your side. The rest of my body was so relaxed as if not even there. It really put the focus on my insides, the gut area. 

There was one point where I felt scared, for no real reason. I felt like someone was coming, or something was in there with me and when I opened my eyes the light happened to be on red mode, which added to the fear factor. I knew it wasn't actual fear, but just a weird feeling that crept up being in a new place, being naked, and being closed in a small area. It didn't last long. I shut off the colored lights and closed my eyes again to get back to me. 

I found peace again and floated in the dark. I don't believe I fell asleep again, but I floated and was able to turn my mind off. The pumped kicked on and it was time to get out. I was curious as to how I would feel when I got out, but I was a little bummed that I actually had to get out. I felt hesitant. I didn't really want to leave my pod. It was warm and quiet in there! It wasn't going to be like this on the outside. I took my post float shower and conditioned my hair. As I was toweling my hair dry, my right ear plug came loose. It was like a rush of noise! It sounded like loud traffic or windy weather. It sounded like chaos and it made me want to jump back in the pod! It was actually the sound of the pump and the sound of it not being so peacefully quiet anymore. It sounded like or loud lives.

I got dressed, wishing I had my sweats to put on. I went to the post float area for my tea where the owner was talking to a man who had just finished floating. Something I loved was seeing so many different types of people who came in to float. Ripped gym-rats, men over 70 years old, country dudes who have a little twang in there spoke, so many types of people that float for so many different reasons. They all love it. 

I ended up getting two cups of tea deep while talking to the owner for a good hour in the post float area. Super great guy. When I left he walked me out and said "be safe". I'm sure he meant driving or for New Year's, but as soon as I stepped outside I felt like he was saying to be safe in the world, outside of the pod. It was cold and noisy and I had to cross a semi busy street with no crosswalk. I got to my car and just sat for a minute. I felt different. I felt lighter. My hip wasn't sore at all and it had been aching terribly for three days. I started driving towards home but I had a few stops to make. It felt strange to get out and go into stores, like I wasn't a pat of it. I did, however, feel balanced. Like when you get your tires rotated and it feels so smooth and balanced when you drive it right after wards. I felt calm and peaceful. I felt content. I felt like not much could frustrate me. 

I went home to my family and continued to feel this way. That night I had one of the best nights of sleep I have had in a long time. I still woke up several times, but I usually wake up with some sort of achy pain. Whatever I had been laying on aches when I wake up, whether it be a shoulder, a hip, some sort of pain. Any time I woke up I was pleased to find I had no pain. My pillows felt like clouds and my bed felt like a hug. I slept well. My hip hurt from the cold today, but not in the achy way it had the days before. It had been a deep ache and now it was only the area where the screws are.

The owner told me that the first float is usually the worst and that it gets better and better each time as you become more aware of how to relax deeper with each session. My float wasn't bad, but forgetting the lights and just it being new, I can already see ways it can improve. 

I would HIGHLY recommend trying a float spa near you. Whether it is to help with an issue, or just get some down time to relax, it can only help. 

Crystal Waters Float Spa was perfect. The owners and employees are fabulously friendly. There is a calmness about them that makes the whole experience even better. The little touches like serving tea and cookies afterwards makes it personal. They offer Chinese Cupping, waxing, facials, and more. They have a network of people for many spiritual and mental health needs in the homeopathic and alternative medicine realm. Wonderful spa!

I'm looking forward to float number two as I'm sure it will be even better.

All the love, 

Caffeine and Freckles

Almond Butter and Dark Chocolate Granola Bites

I've tried making similar "protein bites" in the past and they didn't turn out very well. They were thick and bland. These turned out great! They definitely made the A list since my husband and the kids. They are packed full of healthy protein and tasted great with my coffee.

I was planning on making granola bars and at the the last minute, decided to roll them into balls. I'm guessing these would work well in the freezer and then thaw before baking if you decided to make a huge batch.

I like to add as much healthy goodies to food as I can. I almost always add chia seeds, flax seed, and hemp seeds to my granola bars and oatmeal. I left the hemp out this time around as I was saving what I had left for my oatmeal. These are super versatile, you can omit or add a huge range of ingredients to your liking. I usually add coconut as well, but passed this time around.

Here is how it went down!

Here is how it went down:

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup apple sauce
drizzle of honey
1/3 package of dark chocolate chips (more if desired)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2-3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup milk of choice to moisten (give or take) I used almond milk creamer

Combined the oats, chia seed, and flax in a large mixing bowl and mix together.

Add gobs of apple sauce for some sweetness and fluffiness (I'm guessing about a half a cup) and drizzle your desired amount of honey.

Stir your chips in and liberally dash the cinnamon! Next time I may try using more chocolate chips, I used about a third of the bag so there seems to be about 1-3 chips in each ball.

Next I put in many gobs of almond butter, guessing to be about 3/4 of a cup and mixed it in.

At this point it was a little too dry and I was out of my staple milk, cashew milk. I really didn't want to add dairy, so I splashed in some of my almond milk creamer and mixed it all together.

With wet hands, roll your mixture into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls and place them on a greased dish. I used a 13x9 glass baking dish smeared with coconut oil.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Move each ball to a dish of your choice and enjoy!

This recipe made almost two batches.

There you have it. Yummy, healthy, protein-packed, simple bites that you can enjoy at home or on the go.

All the love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash wasn't introduced to me until the beginning of my 30's. It just wasn't a vegetable we had growing up. Actually, the variety of veggies I was introduced to as a child spanned from canned green beans to broccoli, with only corn in between. We were more of a fish sticks and macaroni household.

As I became older I was introduced to more veggies. As a teen, my aunt Kim showed me the wonders of artichokes and dipping the leaves in garlic butter to eventually get to the heart...I was wowed. I still remember sitting at her counter dipping one by one. It felt like we were participating in some ceremonial act together. When visiting my aunt Karen in Oregon when I was about 26 years old, she had served baked sweet potatoes with dinner. I was in love. The skin was perfectly crunchy and the inside melted in your mouth with just the right touch of butter and brown sugar. In my early thirties my dear friend, Melissa Zanni served roasted beets at a Labor Day BBQ...where had these been all of my life? She introduced me to juicing beets and to this day they are my absolute favorite to juice. At a mom's potluck event that was put on for Thanksgiving, Julie Gordon brought spaghetti squash. This really amazed me. I thought for sure I was eating noodles. It appeared to me that it was the same type of noodles used in the Philipino dish, pancit. When I found out it was squash I couldn't wait to try and make it myself to see if I could pass it off to my family as noodles.

I have baked the squash, cut in half, flat side down cut length-wise. I have slow cooked it cut in middle, face down with meatballs and pasta sauce after hearing about my dear friend, Theresa Rothstein's kid-approved dinner. Both were enjoyable. I was particularly impressed with the crock pot dinner. No one knew they weren't noodles! When it was brought up that the noodles seemed "weird", I simply offered a white lie, saying that they were rice noodles. :-) I have to do what I have to do to get my people to eat veggies. The reason they stood out so much was that there was so much moisture that they became mushy.

Today I tried preparing the spaghetti squash by roasting it. I have to say, this was so easy and made a big difference in the soggy factor. There wasn't one! There was enough moisture but not so much that it became mushy and clumped together. It's a little sad to fore go the crock pot, but it didn't take long at all, and you could have your sauce and meatballs simmering in the crock all day if you wanted to.

Here's the plan!

Preheat oven to 450 F

What you will need:

One spaghetti squash

4 Tbspn olive oil

2 Tbspn minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

Cut squash through the middle (not length-wise) and spoon out the seeds. 

Place both halves, flat side up in a baking dish. I used a glass casserole dish

Drizzle the insides and top with olive oil

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced garlic (or garlic powder)

Place your dish in the oven and bake for forty minutes. Mine was a small squash, so I  checked it at 20 minutes and let it roast another 15 minutes.

Scrape them clean directly into the baking dish.

I then added some more pepper and salt and sprinkles on some shredded Parmesan cheese.

In my bowl, I added some chopped jalapeno.

A small serving was perfect for lunch. Now I have the whole casserole dish full to incorporate into dinner tonight. It's so versatile. You can use it like pasta or eat it plain. You can dress it up for the main dish or use it as a side dish. I have Dairy Free Indian Butter Chicken going in the slow cooker now, I'm thinking about using it where I normally would use rice and pour our chicken and sauce over it for dinner. 

I should have taken more photos, when you pull them out of the oven, there will be some of the oil and moisture sitting in the bottom, just let it mix in when you shred it into the dish.

Let me know if you have any delicious and creative ways of preparing spaghetti squash!

Enjoy!

All the love, 

Caffeine and Freckles

Eight things I like about Utah so far.

I've been in Utah now for three months. Not long, but long enough to see some things I really like about being here. I thought I'd share some of the perks with you all.

1. You know those phone calls that you dread making? The calls that require you to painfully navigate through those horrible automated systems? The calls that almost guarantee a long wait time? Those calls that you promise yourself you will keep your cool about? The calls that help you find yourself on the phone with the most angry, repressed, resentful human being on the other end of the line? They sound miserable and scripted and they talk to you like you are a fucking idiot. Don't ask a question either, because now you're not just an idiot, you're a fucking moron. They are pissed about their job, pissed about answering your dumb ass questions, pissed about the shitty sandwich they brought for lunch, and probably still pissed about some childhood bullshit they haven't worked passed yet. Every once in a blue moon I would get a lovely person on the line that at least acted like they enjoyed helping me. Actually, it was more like they enjoyed their paycheck every Friday so they showed it in their phone manner. Usually though I got an angry, bored, epitome of rude type of person on the phone.

Since moving to Utah, every dreadful phone call I have had to make has been pleasant AS FUCK! At first it made me question things. Things like life and my own existence. Whey were these phone calls so easy? They were smooth like butter. The happy people on the other end of the line were not only nice, but helpful! They even offered extra information that I didn't even ask for, because I wouldn't know to ask, and they knew that! They had manners. Not the kind of phone manners where you have to be nice or you will get written up, like real manners. They are either super nice people, or they are con artists. Either way, it made my phone call experiences top notch. It restored some faith I had lost in people getting into human services to actually help humans. I had started to think it wasn't a thing anymore.

Why is it not like this in CA? Maybe it is the population factor? Higher population leads to higher call volumes leads to RUDE? Maybe they are mad that everything costs so much in CA and can't leave that bitterness at home, they bring that shit to work? Maybe it was me? Oh God, was it me? Maybe I was bitter and resentful and they fed off of my attitude. I couldn't say, but making phone calls out here is damn near like calling a friend. I can't wait to see what it will be like when I visit the DMV to get my UT license. I'm thinking if the wait gets to be too long they might offer me cucumber water and a lavender oil massage.

2. Coffee shops! So, in my smallish (35,000 pop.) town there is a fabulous, privately owned drive through coffee shop, Janna's Coffee. Great coffee, great people. They also have a kids menu where they have $1 and $2 drinks for the little barista babies. There are two other drive up coffee shops in town that I haven't tried yet but heard great things about, like Brookie-cookie telling me that one makes their own whipped cream. Of course there is also a Starbucks, because where is there not a Starbucks? I prefer to give my coffee money to a small business than a big banger, but sometimes I have to scratch an itch for a chai latte or green tea latte, and they make one of the best. I also recently heard from my beautiful neighbor friend (also a Brooke and something I like about UT) that if your dog is riding along with you, you can ask for a pup cup, a little whipped cream treat for Fido, how cute is that!? Why didn't I know that?

What I haven't tapped into yet is all the awesome looking coffee shops I see when I browse Yelp, in Salt Lake City. Yes! I need to go! First on my list is The Rose Establishment. It looks to be right up my decaffeinated alley, the food...mmm. I was thrilled to see so many shops that seemed to have the whole Portland or Venice Beach vibe. I attended a writer's group that meets at Watch Tower Cafe, also in SLC. This place was great. Comic book themed, specialty drinks, comic book swaps, board games to play and tons of seating. My daughter tried the Hello Kitty, a specialty strawberry soda they whip together and top off with whipped cream and pink sprinkles. They drew a pink kitty on the cup and my girl felt like a million bucks. I had my own intimate moments with the hummus plate. The perfect serving size of hummus that leaves some left over after you've dipped all the veggies and pita. So whatever item is left you, cover every inch in the last of the hummus, you're not going to waste it are you? I would eat it with a spoon if I was certain no one was watching.

My youngest doesn't attend kindergarten until the afternoon so, I'm thinking him and I need to go on a weekly date to check out a new coffee shop each week. He can critique the hot cocoa while I get lost in my love of matcha. Quality time with the boy.

3. Blue Lemon. I'm so happy this establishment is a part of my life now. It's casual dining, but a higher end. It's obviously more expensive than fast food and there's a reason, real food, real nutrition, real good. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, kids, girlfriends, solo meal, whatever. Plenty of proteins and greens. Everything on the menu includes nutrient rich foods. Nothing fried, nothing nuked. Fresh, quality ingredients, and plenty of taste bud-flirting flavors. Mindful eating. I visited the Lehi location for dinner and had the coconut curry chicken breast. If I could type food noises I would. I really liked the portion size too, it was enough to leave you feeling satisfied rather than leave you in that guilt ridden, over indulging zone. I also stole a few bites of the kid's chicken tenders. Delicious. Crispy, juicy, white meat. I am not a soda drinker, but I drink theirs! They carry Stubborn Soda, an all natural, real sugar soda. The cream soda is like a light dessert. They also had a lemon acia berry, I believe, tasty!

At the SLC location, the husband and I had stopped for a little dessert. We had the peanut butter brownie. I usually stay away from dairy and sweets, but I ravaged that little sweetheart like a flesh eating zombie. A little latte on the side and it was the perfect treat.

4. Family and kid friendly. We all know that Utah is full of large families. This makes it a great place to raise kids. I still can't believe how much inexpensive or free activities and events there are for the kids, or the whole family for that matter. I was blown away by Halloween, there was some sort of event or activity every weekend of the month leading up to the day! There are splash pads, beautiful parks with lakes and walking trails, plenty of places to hike and picnic, moto sports access EVERYWHERE, all kinds of events and shows, impressive museums, tons of community events for the kids to take part in, library events, you name it. Tons to do and so much to see. I can't wait to see all the fun in store for Christmas time.

5. I feel like there is a lot more availability when it comes to organic and alternative foods. This is most likely due to where I lived in CA. The central valley has come a long way and is continuing to do its part, but has not quite caught up to the Bay Area or L.A. area when it comes to organic and natural foods. I was delighted to find such a large selection of organic and local produce in our grocery store here in town. Lot's of wheat free alternatives as well. In a thirty mile radius, there are tons of natural food stores. I visited a Natural Grocers in Sugar House (my favorite area of SLC so far). I was walking around there with my boy, feeling like a bride to be in a bridal boutique. I felt at peace. Yes, those are organic candy canes.

6. IKEA isn't far. How did I never make it to an IKEA? It's only about 40 minutes away from me here. OK, that isn't really something to like about UT, but I just finally went and I love it, so I'm happy about it and still have excitement about it after a few weeks, so it made the list. Let's just talk about IKEA for a minute. It's huge and overwhelming, but it's simple and the simplicity is calming. It's like a building of contradiction, I view myself in a similar fashion. It was just great and I can't wait to go back when I have more time to walk around and really take it all in. The kids loved it to, although I plan to ditch them the next time I go. Sorry, momma loves you.

7. I don't want to prematurely say that I love snow. I have literally had one day of it. Technically it snowed at night and they day was covered in already fallen snow. I am a snow virgin. I went to Tahoe as a kid and made snow angels and then about 11 years ago I went with my Janet to take our babies sledding not far from her house. This is the extent of my experience with snow. Oh wait! Also 11 years ago I was driving to OR with my cousin, Lauren. When driving in OR, there were some snow flakes falling, nothing on the ground though. That is IT. So watching it snow the other night and seeing everything magically turn into a winter wonderland was pretty exciting. I'm open to the fact that I may grumble about it after months in a row or having to drive in it, or shovel it, but for now it is magical, it may even stay magical. It feels right. It feels correct that it be cold and there be snow on the ground as the holidays approach. Everyone slows down a little. Kids are in the front yard sliding down the slope of their lawn and parents and throwing snow balls at their kids. It's a nice, freezing little reminder to slow down and enjoy the special time of year. It feels how it should be. At this moment, for now, I like it. A lot.

8. I love how everyone is all about the college teams! Everywhere you look is U of U or BYU. Flags outside of homes, sweatshirts, car decals, slippers, t-shirts, pajama pants, hair bows, coffee mugs. The husband got a free pair of skull candy headphones with Utah University on the side. I love all the pride for the college teams, it creates a sense of unity and encouragment.

Some things that I am struggling with is that fact that the ocean is so far away from me and that they don't paint the word  "STOP" on the ground next to the stop sign. I never knew how much I relied on that white paint! I have almost ran many a stop sign out here! I see the sign, it's red, it's there, but it just doesn't fully register with me. I need those words on the asphalt to scream at me at the same time I notice the red sign. I am feeling like more of a safe driver again now that I'm adjusting, but it was getting scary there for a while. Now in my neighborhood I find myself stopping where there is no stop. The same intersections, every day. Why can't I get it? It's a trust issue. I trusted the asphalt to tell me to stop and it didn't. Now I don't trust the sign to tell me whats up either. If it looks like a possible stop, I find myself "California stopping", just to make sure I don't need to lock up the breaks.
The sign and I will come to terms soon enough, but the ocean will never be closer.

After a while I can write what I miss about CA. I miss people, but I don't actually miss CA yet, it hasn't been long enough. I'm still in the honeymoon stage of a new place and loving change. I started to freak out a few weeks ago, realizing there weren't many trees around me. What had I done? How could I have put myself somewhere with no trees? They are a vital part of my everything! That's when I ventured out of my town and found a lovely area full of trees, natural grocery stores, and lots of brick buildings. I felt back in touch with myself.

Stay tuned for more random writings and recipes.

All the love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Fall Apart Beef n' Gravy Slow Cooker Meal

Tonight is pumpkin carving night at the Augerlavoie-Stinnett home. This is new in our house. As crazy as it sounds, we have only carved pumpkins once. So really it was just my oldest, one year, one time. Unless I'm forgetting maybe once more we did it. It's not that I dislike it, I was just never one to feel obligated to do all these festive things every single year. Sometimes we put up Christmas lights, sometimes we don't. One year I didn't even buy a tree! Some years we dye eggs for Easter, other years we don't. We have visited a pumpkin patch a handful of times. It's all fun and now that we have so much change around us with the moving and new schools I plan on doing more of this fun stuff, especially realizing that our youngest baby is almost six years old. Hey, my kids survived and still enjoy the holidays so we are all good.

Anyway, enough about my sporadic lack of holiday cheer, back to crock pot business. I'm trying a recipe that I originally found here that I altered just a bit. I needed something that could slow cook all day saving me time for blogging and homework. I have to squeeze in the reading and a quiz for a history class tonight. Oh, and I have become somewhat of a procrastinator. We went out looking for pumpkins today. One store was all out but luckily we found some at another store in town.

The recipe I read called for sirloin tips. I ended up going with stew meat. They were discounted to about $4.22 for over a pound. I bought 3 packs. Also, Walmart has organic bone broth! For more information about the benefits of bone broth, here is an article by Louise Hay. If you are not familiar with Louise Hay, I highly suggest you get to know her work. She is lovely, powerful, and inspirational.

I have a passionate love-hate relationship with Walmart but I am definitely impressed with all the organic products they keep adding to their inventory.

Here is what you will need!

3 lbs stew meat
splash of olive oil (or oil of your choice)
black pepper
2 cups of beef broth (bone broth is best!)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, diced
3-4 tbsp garlic, minced or chopped
1.5 tsp italian seasoning
salt to taste
2tbsp gluten free flour (or other flour or cornstarch)
3 tbsp water

I'm going to cook rice to serve under the beef and gravy, but noodles would work too.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add half of your meat to the skillet with some black pepper just for a few minutes to sear the meat, do not cook all the way through. Put seared meat into slow cooker and heat the remaining meat the same.

Once all meat is added to the slow cooker, add your chopped onion, minced garlic, italian seasoning, and beef broth. Stir ingredients together and cover. Cook on low for 6 hours.

I know the 2 cups of broth doesn't look like much. Trust me, it will be enough. Here is a peak at what it looks like after 3 hours on low. Plenty of broth for gravy making!

Once your meat is done it's time to turn the broth into a gravy. Heat the water and mix in your gluten free flour or whatever thickener makes you happy, until it becomes thick. Stir into the crockpot and let heat another 10-15 minutes.

Now you can serve your beef and gravy over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, toast, polenta, whatever your beef and gravy making heart desires .

I served mine over organic rice and had broccoli with turmeric on the side. I did need to add some more salt to the meat. The meat fell apart in your mouth and the gravy was on the thin side, which I like with the rice. The whole family enjoyed it, even the two kids that don't care much for meat.

Let me know if you try it and how you liked it, or if you made some changes!

Tons of love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Polenta Snacks

Polenta! I love me some polenta. It's gluten free, it's vegetarian and vegan, it's easy and it's delicious.

I've been playing around with it a bit lately. It's not homemade (stay tuned for that), I've been buying pre-made, organic polenta and slicing it into rounds. Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite toppings. These are great for a snack and perfect as an h'orderve when you have guests. You can dress up the rounds as sweet or savory to touch on all those lovely parts of your pallet.

Another idea is to get the kids involved. Let them each pick out a topping or two and have them top a few rounds. If you make enough, it can easily be a creative dinner that they took part in making, which typically means they are more likely to eat it. Not always the case at my house but it's worth a try.

I've used polenta I bought at Trader Joe's and today I'm using Freida's, which I found at Albertsons. Both are organic. This is so simple and cheater-like, you will want to make them regularly.

You can plan out what toppings you like. Last time around I topped a few with pesto and a few with some cheese (for the husband). Next time around I'd like to add some mushroom and olive, yum!

Here was today's polenta adventure.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Start by slicing up your polenta roll. My slices are probably a little over 1/4 inch thick, but it really doesn't matter.

You will want to start by coating them with an oil of your choice. I chose olive oil today. I literally poured some olive oil on my hands and gave each round a little rub down. My dry hands could use the olive oil love anyway.

Lay your rounds out on your baking sheet and get ready to top those babies with your yummy additions.

My first tried and true topping was artichoke antipasto with a little black pepper. Some of you may not like artichoke, I feel bad for you.

Next topping, also tried and true was salsa. Salsa and corn seem to take on a natural love affair. What I tried this time that I hadn't before, was green chili salsa. I can't wait to taste it!

Now that we have some savory and some spice, let's move on to the sweet! I really enjoyed these last time around so I'm including them again. I used organic apricot jam with a sprinkle of cinnamon. They come out like an easy going, mellow dessert.

Do you see that little guy there? I just poured some honey on him and called it a day.

Time to bake these little pretties. They take about 15 minutes, but I tend to bake mine longer for two reasons. One is because I refrigerate my polenta to leave more room in my fridge so they start off cold. Second is because I like my polenta rounds a tiny bit crispy on the edges. I'd rather save the soft polenta for a creamy dish.

You can do just about anything with these. I'm dairy free, but if I wasn't, I would be dabbing on the goat cheese with rosemary or ricotta with basil. The combinations are limitless!

If you're a meat eater you can easily add meat the the show. How about some seasoned beef or ground turkey with cheese and lettuce? Little polenta tacos!

Let me know if you try your own polenta round snacks and which one's were your favorite.

Tons of love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Freezer and Slow Cooker Friendly! Healthier version of Indian Butterchicken.

Hi guys! 

Are you ready for some more freezer meal ideas?

In my last blog post I had made mention of my Indian Butter Chicken Recipe as part of my freezer meal stash. It's one of my favorites. Easy to make, easy to freeze, delicious to eat. So I'm sharing!

This recipe is dairy free, using coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and simple enough to add veggies. I added sweet potatoes to the last batch I froze. Besides the taste, I love this recipe because it is so easy to throw together in the morning and slow cook all day. It also freezes well so you can toss all the ingredients in a freezer bag or container and you have a meal ready to throw into the slow cooker without prepping freezer meals all day. You can also control the heat. The more spices you add, the richer the spice and flavor. You can back it off some by just putting enough to get the flavor in there. Either way it is simple and inexpensive. The only thing that can get pricey is buying the spices if you don't have them already. I always have these particular spices on hand because I use them so much. Walmart has a good deal on their organic brand of spices.

I usually use boneless skinless chicken thighs but this last time I used boneless skinless breasts. Whether you are dumping this recipe into the slow cooker, or dumping it into a freezer bag, it is just everything all together...dump it.

You can make this recipe smaller or double it. Once I had made some in the slow cooker, not previously frozen, and ended up with a ton of the sauce left over so once it was cooled, I poured it into a freezer bag and added more frozen chicken. Then I had a whole meal in the freezer for another night.

Let's get started!

1.5 lbs Chicken Thighs or Breasts, tenderloins are good too (boneless and skinless)

1 can of Coconut Milk

1 can of Tomato Sauce

3 T Garam Masala

1 T Curry Powder

2 t Corriander

1 t Turmeric

1/2  t Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper to taste

(Remember, I don't measure my spices, so this is my estimate. Don't be scared to play around and add more or less. I just take a sniff of mine and test out a finger dip to see if it is where I like it)

Pot of rice to serve over

Use organic if you can!

Place chicken in your slow cooker. About half of the typical 2.5-3 lb bag from the grocery store. 

In a large bowl, stir together cans of coconut milk and tomato sauce.

Add all spices and mix together gently.

Pour mixture over chicken and cook on low for 8 hours.

Chicken will pull apart easily with a fork when done. Serve chunks of chicken and your sauce over basmati rice (or any other rice). Sweet potatoes and squash would be a great addition to this, or even broccoli and potatoes. 

You can make big batches to feed company or smaller batches if you are a smaller family. I would suggest to just double the recipe. You can use the whole bag of chicken and you just need an extra can of coconut milk and tomato sauce plus the extra spices. You will be happy you did when you freeze one and have dinner ready for a busy day next week. I love that you can freeze it after cooking or before and it is faithfully there waiting for you on a busy or just lazy weeknight.

Look at these gorgeous left overs! Tender chicken, beautifully rich sauce.

Simple, delicious, dairy free.

Let me know if you try it!

Weekly salad and juicing prep in less than an hour, plus some other tips!

This post is a mix of things, but it is all things food prep related. We have some lunches, some dinners, some sauces, and some stashes of veggie scraps for later use.

This morning I was able to prepare 4 days of salads for lunch, along with 4 days of juicing while the kids were getting dressed and ready for school. I'm gonna say it took about 35 minutes. I only did 4 days due to it being Wednesday already. I can start over on Sunday with something new.

Meal prep really saves me in more than one way. When I don't do it, I always wish that I had. I typically prep lunches like salads, quinoa and sauteed veggies, or a spicy veggie soup. The obvious reason is that it saves time. You don't have to make those particular meals that day, it is already done for you. You either pull it out of the fridge and enjoy, or heat and eat! The other benefit for me is that it makes it easier to eat better. If I already have a healthy meal or juice ready to enjoy, I'm not going to pull out a frozen burrito and eat it while I wade around in the waters of food guilt. Plus, you feel organized, which for me brings a little spark into my day.

Let's start with this week's lunch. It all started when I was preparing make ahead freezer meals yesterday.

I spent a few hours cooking a few meals to freeze. Keep in mind, I am a veggie loving fool, but the rest of my family won't eat them! My oldest son will eat most veggies, but when I make wonderfully healthy and delicious meals, they are usually just for me. So dinners are usually pretty plain. Any recipe I share you can easily add veggies too, if you're lucky enough to live with veggie lovers. I made 2 nights of Ground Turkey Chili, 2 nights of Indian Butter Chicken, and a night of Enchilada Casserole with homemade Enchilada Sauce. When the time comes, all I will have to do it pull it out in the morning to defrost and heat later. I can make cornbread waffles for the chili and make rice to accompany the butter chicken. The Enchilada Casserole is great with beans which are easy in the crock pot. Here's a little peek at how the freezer stash is coming along.

This is 3 nights worth of butter chicken (which I will share in another post). You simply thaw on the counter and dump the bag into your crockpot. Serve over rice and add some naan bread and you have a delicious Indian cuisine. This time I added large pieces of sweet potato to the bag, it should be a healthy, taste of sweet added to the recipe.

I have 2 bags of chili where I used half ground turkey and half organice grass fed beef. I have a bag of white chicken chili and a bag of enchilada casserole.

Here I have some things I regularly freeze so that I can either salvage them before they go bad or I've made extra of something.

I like to grate zucchini and freeze it. Remember I told you that my family won't eat veggies? Grated zucchini is perfect for hiding in meals. I use a peeler first to get rid of the dark green color, I swear to you that they will see it and it will blow my cover. I grate it like cheese and freeze it flat in a baggie. These baby bella mushrooms I got at Costco are delicious but I could not use them all in time when it's mostly just me eating them. So I cut up what I had left and tossed them in the freezer. These can be hidden well too if you dice them up small enough, they can blend in with meat and sauce. Then we have the hummus, also bought at Costco, too much for just me, so I took half of the container and froze it for later. The enchilada sauce I had made with a dinner one night and had doubled the batch. Now I have sauce ready to rock if I want to make enchiladas. Little by little the freezer will fill up.

In the midst of the cooking the freezer meals, I decided to put on a pot of lentils. I figured I could add some of them to the chili I was making and save the rest for other meals during the week (like lunch).
Lentils are easy, they just simmer. I added some chili powder and cumin, salt and pepper and the tiniest bit of ground ginger. They are a healthy and versatile addition to any meal. If you don't use all of them in the week, you can always freeze those too!

On to lunch!
I cut up some romaine, topped it with left over ground turkey (yes, we use a lot of that) that I had seasoned with lemon, garlic, and pepper, and topped it with green onions and the lentils. I stuck a wedge of lemon in the container so that I can squeeze it on the salad when it's time to eat. I kept the lentils on top of the ground turkey to avoid the greens from getting soggy. There you have it, 4 days of healthy lunches and it took about 10 minutes or less to throw together due to cooking the lentils a day before and utilitzing the left over turkey from last night's taco dinner.

Juicing! 

I love juicing and I can feel the difference when I fall off the wagon. It can get expensive when you start buying all the extra produce for juicing on top of the produce you already buy for eating. Just keep it simple. People often ask me to share juicing recipes. I'm not sure I have ever followed a juice recipe. I've always enjoyed just throwing together a few veggies and a fruit or two. I always add lemon, and I love to throw in some ginger root and turmeric root when I have it. I don't typically mix root veggies besides those too. For example, If I juice beets, I don't use carrots. It's one or the other, but this is not a rule, this is my taste buds. If you haven't tried juicing I would highly reccomend it. Contrary to what some poeple think, it is nothing like making a smoothie. For me it feels like drinking liquid vitamins. It's almost an instant high, but a healthy one.

So this morning I cut up these bad boys.

Beets, celery, green apple, and lemon. Don't toss your beet stems and leaves! You can juice those too! I kept the leaves separate, because my baggies were getting full, but I cut up the stems and they are included in the prep bag. When it's time to juice, I can throw in a leave or two along with some spinach or kale to green it up. Be careful with the beets, they will stain anything they come in contact with, including your hands, so rinse everything right away. Celery will add a little spice to your juice, so the apple is nice to put some sweetness back in. Don't be scared, cut some shit up and juice it! You will probably like it. I suggest using an apple or orange along with whatever veggies you juice to add a little sweet sauce.

I have one more tip to share. Whenever I am cutting veggies, I always save the scrap pieces. The ends of zucchini, tops of bell peppers, ends of green onion, lemon peel, the butt of a romaine heart, etc. I keep them all in a gallon freezer baggie. I just add scraps to the freezer as I cut them. Once the bag is full, it is this wonderful bag of veggie pieces wating for you to make broth out of it. Perfect and custom veggie broth, or add it to a pot of chicken broth you might be making.

It may take you months to fill up the bag, but they are frozen so they will patiently wait for you.

Meal prep doesn't have to entail a month's worth of meals and hundreds of dollars in supplies. I would love to take a stab at prepping a whole month's worth of meals and when I do I will definately share it here. A week's worth makes a huge difference though. With dinners I like to cook a double batch of whatever I'm making when I can so that I can freeze one. Or when you find something on sale you grab it and throw together a recipe to freeze. There are lots of ways to squeeze freezer meals into your week little by litte and end up with a nice stock pile of ready to go meals.

Thanks for reading about this week's meal prep!

I'll be over here staying caffeinated and freckled!

We made the move! CA to UT

Well, we did it. We made the move. We lifted our born and raised roots from California and planted them in Utah soil.

This is more like a journal entry, so if you want to hear me ramble on about my experience so far, keep reading. :)

I have to say I would have never in a million years thought I would end up in Utah. I worried a little that I was a pinch too liberal for Utah. What if I found myself drowning in heavy duty conservative sauce? (I love everyone, I am just not always so conservative when it comes to my beliefs) Was there going to be creative outlets for me that are a little "different"? Was it going to be culturally diverse enough? This is important to me. I grew up surrounded by diversity, it gifted me tolerance and openness, along with a thirst and appreciation for learning about other cultures and I want the same gift for my children.

Our first week here in our new home was giddy. I love the house, I love the yard, and I love the neighborhood. There is usually something romantic (in an organizational way, if you're into that) about unpacking a house. You either love it or hate it. I found joy in it. A week of deciding what would go where, what I no longer had room for, what I could use differently, and so on. There is still some excitement left in that area as I still need to buy a desk and a few dressers. I had welcoming family members and a dear friend, (we will call her Cookie) nearby. I was full of energy and smiles.

The second week morphed into something completely different. It started off exciting, Beeb started at her new elementary school and Bub started at his new Junior High School. They both had a great first week and made friends and I still had a week of little man Booski home with me before he started kindergarten. I was so happy for them that they were adjusting so well and jumping right in, so what was my problem? I felt lethargic. When I say lethargic, I mean I felt like I absolutely HAD to lie down every day. It was as if my legs were dragging behind me. If I didn't have the change in altitude to blame, I would have thought there was something seriously wrong with me. This lasted for almost two weeks! I felt exhausted, I felt down and depressed, and I felt lonely. It's not that I wanted to be around anyone either, I wanted to be alone because I felt lonely and shitty. I know and trust my feelings enough to know it was just my way of adjusting to a big change. It was confusing at first, why would I feel like shit when the change was my choice and I felt so positive about it? I had to remind myself that change is change. Good or bad, change can be rough. It can be ugly. A butterfly goes through a mess of shit before changing into such a beautiful creature.

Another dear friend, my "bosom buddy", reminded me that I can look at this change as a brand new start. I could do anything. I could be excited about it! She was right, I have an opportunity right now to do what I want with my time, to an extent. I have a few hours to myself during the day (2 hours and 45 minutes to be exact) while little Booski is in school, my classes haven't started up yet, so besides the regular busy-ness of day to day errand running, cleaning, yelling at dogs, cooking and all that fine stuff, I could start new and do new things with my time. I miss my breakfast with the bosom buddy, I miss coffee dates and walks, I have to start over and do things for me, with me. I also knew I needed to get active to help this lethargic state. I want to get in shape and lose weight and I want to have my energy back and there is no excuse not to.

First things first is trying new things. Here I was worried that I wouldn't find my kind of "things" out here. I live only 30 minutes from Salt Lake City, there is everything! There is diversity, there is natural food stores, there are meditation groups, kundalini yoga classes, there are groups that meditate and eat vegetarian dinners in the park, there are kick ass coffee shops, and brilliant restaurants. I want to try it all! These are some of the things that I wanted in California, but being in the central valley, some of these things and ideas were a distance away making it difficult to be a part of it. All of this goodness right at my fingertips!

Here's what I did first. I signed up at the gym. I'm not really a gym-girl. It easily feels intimidating, or testosterone-y. Plus my hip is still partially fractured so I'm not always sure what my limits are. The gym in town though, has a few things I thougtht I could really benefit from. First, daycare. I can leave Booski to play while I do something for myself. Second, classes. They have a ton of classes. I have craving a new sense of community, especially in the health area. So far I've done the yoga class, Pilate's, step, and I plan on trying kickboxing and zumba. It turns out the step class was advanced. When I left there, I felt like I had just done crossfit. Crazy intense, not what I expected. I plan on going every Friday and letting it kick my ass. Third, a sauna. Come on, a sauna. Tons of beautiful moist heat wrapped around your tired muscles. Love. Love. Love. There is a pool and a hot tub, and a steam room too but I mostly dig the sauna. Anyway, I'm becoming an exercise class junky and it has fixed my lethargic ways this last week. Now when I'm tired it is because I worked out, not because I'm depressed and in a higher elevation. It lifts my mood, my energy, and my motivation. Utah's slogan is "Utah, life elevated." It certainly is elevated, the inside of my nose is dry and bloody and I have to use my inhaler more often, but I will take that slogan and run with it on a more personal level, as if the inside of my nose wasn't personal enough for you.

Next I signed up for a meditation class in SLC. I have been meditating at home for a few years but I have always wanted to try a group meditation. This was a particular type, Sahaja Meditation. Anything to help awake the kundalini sounds worth a try to me. I invited Cookie to come along and check it out. It was more instructional than I had hoped for, was looking for more meditation than instruction but I did learn a lot more about the chakras and the history of Sahaja and how it relates to yoga and unity. The group setting is definitely a great addition to my practice. I already found some other meditation classes Cookie, so get ready!

I've set aside time for my kundalini yoga practice at home, my sacred cup of coffee with a side of mountain views, a gym class a few days a week, and quality time with Booski before he goes to afternoon kindergarten. By the end of week three I was feeling more balanced. I've been back to making freezer meals to make life easier. There is something about looking in the garage freezer and seeing meals ready to thaw and cook that makes me fill up with joy. It makes me feel like I have my shit together or something, I'm prepared, I'm ready, and I don't really have to cook.

The more I browsed around on Meetup, the more I could see that while being a conservative state (there are plenty of conservative things about me, just not as a whole) there are a multitude of groups and activities to get involved in. I felt less alone already.

Let's talk about the white people.

Were my children going to be constantly surrounded by white people and forget about how beautiful it is that the world is full of different poeple and history and cultures? It started to weigh on me much heavier than I thought it would. At the end of my second week here, as I was leaving Costco in Salt Lake City, I heard a woman speaking to her children in Spanish. My eyes immediatly filled with tears. It felt like the woman was hugging me. One of those deep, cleansing hugs that only some poeple know how to give. I felt like I was at home, hearing a Mexian woman speak to her children in Spanish. It may sound silly but it meant the world to me. I talked to my best friend since 7th grade (we will call her "my Janet") on my drive home. She reassured me that it was normal, that she went through similar feelings when she moved from our hometown to an area that was pridominently white. 

During week three I got out a lot more. Trips to Salt Lake City and errands in town showed me that there was more diversity than I had first thought. It made me feel more at peace with the whole thing. It makes me realize just how diverse and differnt California can be. A piece of my heart will always be there in CA, but I am embracing Utah with open arms and as of week 4, with more normal energy levels and motivation.

So here we are at one month after moving in. After a roller coaster of feelings I feel the balancing taking place. I feel like I am exploring and settling in. I feel happy about everything there is to offer here. All of the outdoor fun, the classes, the education, the family and sense of community. It's all here.

I have to say that our family here is amazingly supportive and loving. They regularly show that they want to help and support us, they want to spend time and make memories with us, and that they love us and our children. It's absolutly heart warming. It makes a big change that much easier.

What ever change you are going through, remember to be paitent with it. It could be big lifestyle changes, moving, a new job, starting school or even small changes. Small changes can affect you more than you think. Grief stricken changes like death are probably the most challenging, but you will get through it. You will not be the same afterwards, but you will get through it and figure out the new you. Allow yourself to feel like shit, really. As long as you are aware of what is going on with you, you will be able to move past it and take something with you. Just about everything can involve self discovery. Through the good and the bad, keep doing you.