Chicken Sausage Zitti Recipe

Sometimes we just need a quick healthy meal. 

 

Chicken Sausage Zitti
1 package of Organic Noodles
couple links of chicken sausage cooked and sliced
Home made tomato sauce, freezer
mozzarella cheese

This is a super-fast meal I can have made within a half hour, organic, nutritious, and delicious.  The chicken sausages are bought at either whole foods or Sprouts.  I love that they are all natural and no additives other than Spices. 

I boil the noodles until just cooked, don't let them get to soft. While noodles are boiling I heat the sausages in my toaster oven for 15 minutes and then slice and set aside. 
At this time noodles and sausages are done and ready.  The pasta sauce is pulled from the freezer the night before and thaws in the refrigerator through the day.  I then add pasta sauce, noodles, and chicken sausage together in a large oven safe dish.  Sprinkle some cheese and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted, usually 15 minutes. 


Serve with a side salad and a dark green vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts.

For the sneaky chef, add in shredded zucchini, carrots, spinach, or pretty much any vegetable to bulk up the vitamins in the dish. 


                                    

                    

Pet Happy Giveaway ends 5/24

Welcome to Pet Happy Giveaway!

Sponsored by

Prestige Pet Products

 

Our Pets are family.  Sometimes these little family members can make a big mess and Pet Happy has some great options for quick clean ups and great pet accessories. 

 

We will be giving away a Pet Happy Prize pack to one lucky reader.

PRIZE includes

1 bottle What Odor?

and 1 bottle What Stain?

And

a Dreamables Doggy Bone shaped feeder

Prestige Pet products manufactures numerous pet supplies ranging from treats and toys to stylish feeders and odor and stain eliminating solutions. Safe to use for all who live in your house!

You can read the review on Dreamables HERE and What Products Review HERE !

Just enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win these great products!

Giveaway ends May 24 at 11:59 EST!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Taking Care of Mom How I Take Care of Me

 

Welcome to the May 2013 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Taking Time for Mom. This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. Oftentimes, Moms are so busy taking care of their families that they forget to take care of themselves. This month our carnival participants have written posts about what they do just for themselves.

-------

It is actually really easy for me to forget about taking care of myself, because I stay so busy taking care of my family, my church, our elementary school, the community projects, and the list goes on.  I first want to say that I love being a mom.  It is everything I ever wanted and I am very blessed.  I also love to help others anytime a need comes up.  So what do I do to stay grounded and remember to take care of myself?

I think it is important to find something you love in addition to being a mom and do it.  I remember a year when my husband asked me, where you would like to go on a dream vacation and I could not answer him.  I had no idea.  I had become too wrapped around the idea of I had to stay home to take the kids to their activities, to cook, to check homework, and visualized that the house would fall apart if I went anywhere.  I take pride in all the things I do for the household, but I should have thought beyond that.  He asked me to think about it and get back to him.  I took my time thinking on where I wanted my once in a lifetime destination to be.  During that time I also attended a MOPS meeting and a question was asked; "Tell me about you".  I started telling about my kids, the pets, the places we have lived, my husband’s job, but not once did I mention something about just me.  This was a shocking eye opener for me because I think I should have been able to mention more personal interest along with my family.  

While my family and activities are important and loved, they should not be all that define who I am.    I decided that I needed to take time for myself and relax a little.  Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought you aged over night?  By taking a few steps to take time for myself, I have reversed the signs of aging, lost weight, and handled stress better.  With a few additions listed below I noticed I laughed more, balanced my schedule better, and was a better example for my kids.  They see everything we do, and I want them to know taking care of you is important; you just have to rearrange something's, make priorities, and don't sweat the small stuff.     

 

What are some things I changed to take time out for me?

·         RUNNING.  I started running and signing up for races.  I am blessed to have a very supportive family that encouraged me while I was taking this journey.  I cannot tell you how relaxing it is to head out and just run.  When I took the time to not just eat right, but get physically active I reduced my stress level.  I know it sounds like adding something to my schedule would be counter active, but it gave me time for myself and the activity made me feel better about me.

·         YOGA.  I started doing daily yoga.  Whether it was for 15 minutes or longer sessions I felt better, more relaxed, and stronger.  The breathing, balancing, and focus you do while doing a yoga exercise helps to forget about the things that need to be done and relaxes me.   It helps to clear my head and recharge my soul. 

·         EAT.  I know you are thinking that everyone does that, but I meant to eat right.  Are you the parent that grabs something and practically swallows it whole eating it as fast as you can while doing other things?  That use to be me, and I called it multitasking.  I was not doing my body justice by rushing.  Maybe you even skip meals saying there is not enough time, or you make sure the kids eat and you just chug down some coffee, but you are not helping yourself.  It is important to sit, yes I said sit, down and enjoy your food.  Make a conscious effort chew every bite completely and taste your food.  This simple step can reduce stress, anxiety, and indigestion.

·         READ.  I love to read books.  I can totally lose myself in a novel and this is my night time indulgence.  After I put the kids to bed, give kisses, and prayers, I am off to a faraway place to read for an hour. 

·         GET SLEEP.  I include this after my reading because I make sure to shut down my iPad and get in a good night sleep.  I could easily stay up all night long reading a good book, but sleep is the time our bodies rest and repair.  If I am up watching TV, reading, cleaning, on the computer I am adding stress to my body when it should be resting.  Make sure you give yourself a bedtime as well. 

·         GARDEN.  I love to plant seeds and watch my garden grow.  When I head outside to water I like to take deep breaths, listen to the birds, feel the textures of the plants, and get my hands dirty.  There is something very therapeutic about gardening that reconnects us to nature and the simplicity of life.  I also feel a personal accomplishment when I eat veggies and lettuces from my own garden. 

·         FRIENDS.  Make time for your friends.  I have been so busy that I looked back and thought it’s been months since I had coffee with a friend.  Your friends might actually need the time just as much as you.  One thing I can recommend is to mark your calendar and never schedule over it.  On Thursdays I blocked out time after my run that is there for a house visit, coffee, or quick shopping trip.  Make an area on your calendar that is for friends only, and use it.

·         LUNCH DATES.  I have four kids so getting a babysitter can be more expensive than the actual date.  For this reason my husband and I take a lunch outing.  Once a month I ask him to open his work calendar for us to meet for a lunch date.  This way the kids are in school and we can have adult conversation with out the distractions.  I noticed we get to sit together and actually hold hands.  We love our kids so much and found that on family outing we are holding the kid’s hands instead of our own, not to mention that at the table we are spaced between the kids never sitting by each other.  Making sure that I take this time as a couple enriched our marriage and keeps my spirits soring. 

I rescheduled my activities and made a point to take care of me along with my family.  I still like to put my family first, because I love being a mom, and now I add time for things that are beneficial for me too. I like to give the kids everything they need and tell myself that I don't need anything extra, but I think sometimes I do.  Simple things like listed above should be done normally, but can be left undone, so I make an effort to give myself that down time.

When making time for yourself, you want to reduce a few things that may cause you stress or over pack your schedule.  I volunteer at my children's school and there is always a function, event, or something to help with.  While I am usually available I have trained myself to say NO.  On Tuesday and Thursdays I take longer runs and cannot be at the school.  At the beginning of the year I accepted some tasking pushing my runs to the side and helping the school.  What happened was my body got more tired and I noticed I was moodier.  While helping brings me joy, I had to learn to pass on something's to make sure I took care of myself.  This is still a hard task, the word no tends to get stuck in my throat, but I am working on it.  When you commit yourself to YOU, then you need to make sure you meet that deadline.  You have to take care of yourself for your health and your family.  You are a better mom when you take that time to recharge, relax, eat right, and keep a healthy schedule.     

If you are wondering where I took my Anniversary Vacation is was 8 days in Scotland. 

I cherished every minute of it too. 

—–

Visit Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed:

Help Get Sentinel Peak Brewery Kickstarted!

Sentinel Peak Brewing Company trying to get their Brewery Kickstarted and we need your help!

"SPBC nano brewery is about providing a constant variety of exceptional hand-crafted beers in a casual setting with friends."

 

You can watch their fun KickStarter Video in the upper right hand corner of this blog. 

 

Type of Beers

• Monsoon Dunkel
• Classic 1811 Desert Blonde
• Salida del Sol Mexican Amber
• Seasonal Brews: Haboob IPA, Gullywasher Brown, Heat Wave Hefeweizen, Microburst Belgian White, Summer Swelter Citrus Ale, as well as a Chocolate-Coffee Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Pumpkin Ale, Oktoberfest, or Winter Porter.

I have had a few of Jeremy's Beers and I loved them, especially the dark beers!  I personally love the Monsoon Dunkel which was awarded a medal!!  Jeremy Hilderbrand, Matt Gordon, and Taylor Carter are local Tucsonans and Firefighters.  In January we tried a few varieties of the Sentinel Peak at a local gathering, my husband who has a great nose for beer knew these where not your ordinary home brewed beers.  Ever since then we have been very excited to know that the business was getting kick-started.  We have helped make a donation and ask that you do as well.  While you will be helping start a wonderful company you will get items in return for your donation. 

 

 

 

For a $10 pledge you will get "The Eddie LeBec”: SPBC Sticker and “Thank You” on SPBC website.

 

For $25 pledge you will get "The Robin Colcord" : same as $10 PLUS SPBC bottle opener/keychain.

 

For a $50 pledge you get “The Coach Ernie Pantuso”: The Same as $25, plus SPBC Growler and your name placed in some special way at SPBC.

 

For a $100 pledge you get "The Carla Tortelli”: Same as $50, plus SPBC t-shirt.

 

For a $200 pledge you get "The Woody Boyd”: SPBC Growler, SPBC t-shirt, 4 SPBC Pint Glasses, and your name placed in some special way at SPBC .

 

There are also pledges going up to $5000 that you can see each thank you item you would receive down the side of the right side here. 

 

These men are living the dream!  Jeremy uses a verity of grains and spices to make the right blends for each season.  He was on a radio show and explains why he started the business and his passion about making beer and his different combinations.  You can clearly hear the delight the men have while trying the darker beers.  You can hear more about this beer making process and his story on Sentinel Peak with Wake Up Tucson Radio show and the Sentinel Peak crew at the Frank Show.  I love that Sentinel Peak is big into community and making place to relax and enjoy a great beer.

Mission Statement

"To provide a constant variety of exceptional, hand-crafted beers in a casual setting where families, friends, and neighbors experience consistent quality and engage in worthwhile conversation.
Sentinel Peak Brewing Company is a 3 BBL (that’s 90 gallons at a time!) nanobrewery which will offer a rotating selection of craft beers along with a few house favorites. Our inspiration comes from many sources including, but not limited to, travels we’ve had and suggestions from friends. We look forward to sharing our brews with you soon!"~~SPBC

 

 

Sentinel Peak KickStarter Website

Sentinel Peak Website

Like Sentinel Peak on Facebook

Follow then on Twitter

 

 

I love the video the guys made for the kick-started, what did you think of it? Tell me below!



Protein Packed Parfait.

I have been making old dishes new with changing my Yogurt combination. 

I absolutely love this one!

 

 

Protein Packed Parfait                                                      
1/2 Organic Coconut Cliff Bar, cubed
1 tsp. Organic Coconut Flakes
1/4 cup Vanilla Stonyfield Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp. Organic Vanilla Granola (homemade)
2 Strawberries, diced

I like to layer my ingredients.  So a little yogurt, then granola, then dome fruit and coconut, then the protein bar.  Then add another layer until its all in and sprinkle the top with what is left.  Easy and Delicious. 

Hoping for Health: Working Out With a Broken Toe

It has been a couple weeks since I have updated my fitness routine and wanted to share some new links and workouts.  I have been focusing on resistance training and using what I have in the house.  It's been too hot for long runs, but I am really missing running. 

Last Sunday I had an unfortunate accident, I believe I broke my toe.  I very well could have jammed it or stub it, but it hurts more than any other toes injury I have had with inflammation, bruising, and it is a little curved now.  I have heard from other friends and family that with a broken toe it just needs to heal.  Last week was excruciating, and I could not even do any workouts other than crunches and leg lifts.  I am happy to say that while it still hurts and is healing, I am able to do a bit more with it.  Today I tried my hand with doing squats.  This was a test to my balance and staying off my outside toe.  I am happy to be still working out even though I am not able to jump, run, or anything that cause me to land hard on my toes. I have found there is still a lot I can do and throw the excuses out the window. 

 This weeks Routine Schedule

Tuesday: 20 setups, 8 crunches, 8 leg lifts, 12s planks, 55 Squats, 10 Superman Banana
Wednesday: 25 setups, 10 crunches, 10 leg lifts, 15s planks, 60 Squats, 10 Superman Banana
Thursday:  rest
Friday:  30 setups, 12 crunches, 12 leg lifts, 20s planks, 70 Squats, 12 Superman Banana
Sat:  35 setups, 15 crunches, 15 leg lifts, 25s planks, 75 Squats, 14 Superman Banana
Sun:  40 setups, 20 crunches, 20 leg lifts, 30s planks, 80 Squats, 14 Superman Banana

Tabata Boot Camp

For those that Can do some Cardio Running.  My friend over at Tabata Boot Camp with Skyla, posted a great 20 minute circuit routine that is sure to give you awesome results.
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of -
200 meter sprint
20 push ups
30 sit ups
40 squats!
Be sure to Like her page and get her workouts to do at home!  If you have questions you can also ask her on the page! 

Woman's Health Has 4 Moves to a Better Butt

These four moves are commonly used in yoga and can be easy to get into a daily routine.  Chair, Warrior III, Revolved Half Moon, and Side Leg Lift.  While the Side leg lift may take time to get, these moves work on balance, breathing, core, toning, and flexibility.  To see instruction go here.

What are you doing to MOVE this week?

Good Eatin' Recipe Hop 5/14

 

Welcome to the Good Eatin' Recipe Hop

hosted by

The 'Pitch List' Bloggers

Every Tuesday you can join us to share great recipes.........

There are no specific themes. 
Add your recipe of choice to the linky.

No Giveaways Please...all giveaways will be removed.

We Love Comments! Please Share!

 

 

Vermont House of Reps passed GMO Labeling Law

Great News! 

On "May 10th, 2013, the Vermont House of Representatives passed H.112, a GMO labeling law, by a vote of 99-42.  This is the furthest any GMO labeling bill has made it through the legislative process in the US."~~AboutGMO.com

Even if you don't live in Vermont this is something we all need to help support and talk about.  Why?  Companies that use GMO’s are not going to want to make labels for just Vermont.  It will create more work for production and shipping to have labels just for Vermont, especially when so many states have this in voting circles right now.  This is a wonderful step for Non GMO supporters, but it still needs to pass Senate, which will take place January 2014. 

We want to know what is in our food.  So many people are starting to really care about what they are eating and labels help us make conscious decisions.  Whether we are looking at sugars, fats, calories, gluten, we want to know what we are eating.  Many consumers are not going to care, and that is ok because Food is a freedom, but that freedom should come with the ability to know what's in the food we might be consuming. 

I think we need to have GMO's Labels, yes, but we also need to educate ourselves, friends, and family, on GMO's.  Labeling will help those with digestive sensitivities, allergies, lowered immune systems, along with other illness, to know if they can or can't have that item.  Still many people do not even know what Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are.  Start today to educate yourself to help make conscious decisions for your family and yourself. 

Help us to spread the word to everyone.  What is GMO? If you don't know please see this list of main GMO foods and the risk they take on your health. 
Additional Information Links.
Free Non GMO Shopping Guide for your phone.
10 Reasons to Avoid GMO's.

See more News, Videos, and Resources in my GMO NEWS tab.

See the Drs Video on GMO's here.  Although, I have to say I am totally aggravated by the "Wal-Mart Ad" that plays before the video.  Just see how they take you down the cereal isle where majority of every cereal you see contains the GMO's we are talking about.

Summer PayPal Giveaway ends 5/26

Summer is fast approaching and I know we all like to schedule some summer fun, right?  Well Got Giveaways is going to help make that possible for one lucky reader to win $100 for your paypal account.  What a great way to start off summer with a BBQ, summer shopping, or weekend get away!

Good luck!

Welcome to the $100 Paypal Giveaway!

Organized & Sponsored by: Got Giveaways?

Hosted by, Couponing for Freebies, B & V Savings, Blog Powered Media & Mom's Online Stuffs.

With the price of living going up we can all use a little extra cash. Well maybe not extra as there is no such thing.

Anyways Got Giveaways wanted to give one reader $100 Paypal cash!

Prize Package Includes: (1) $100 Paypal Gift Card or Paypal Deposit winners choice.

This giveaway will run 5/12 12am EST - 5/26 11:59pm EST.

It is Open to US Only and you must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: Kelley's Passion for Nutrition received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours. Kelley's Passion for Nutrition is not responsible for sponsor prize or shipment. Please contact crystal (a) gotgiveaways.com with questions or to see your business or blog featured on the next big event.

Chick-fil-A is Making Some New Salads Givaway #ad

(This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.)

Chick-fil-A is helping you make today Fresh Made, by giving you new menu options that you can feel good about! They are introducing 3 new salads and an improved wrap all under 430 calories!

I encourage you to check out the 3 new salad varieties below and tell me which one you are excited to try.  Also, be sure to enter to win  2 Chick-fil-A Salad Coupons in raffelcopter below.

Be sure to check out the Downloads with great ideas for fresh activities.  Let me know which is your favorite!
See their three new salads made fresh daily.

 

If you are eating out, try and make the best choice for your body.  Dark leafy greens, plenty of vegetables, and light dressing are better choices than most fast stops.  Remember to eat responsibly. 

Win It
I have 2 Chick-fil-A salad coupons to give out to my readers.  The giveaway starts now and ends 5/24.  Just enter the simple rafflecopter below.  Winner will be contacted by email and have 24 hours to respond with shipping information, no PO Boxes.  US ONLY.  No Purchase necessary. 

 Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway