Recipe: Date Cocoa Balls

These are soooo yummy.

100% clean.

All natural.

Raw.

Full of energy.

Here are the ingredients:

1/2 almonds (raw or toasted)

3/4 c. pitted dates

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp vanilla extract

2.5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1.5 tbsp. water

Place all the dry ingredients in a food processor and grind until a fine, crumbly texture. About halfway through add the water.

It should look something like this.

It may look dry, but it has enough moisture to be able to form balls.

Scoop out handfuls and form into balls.

That's it!

Just chill and they will last up to a week!

These are very addicting....they taste like candy!

Please try them if you can!

P.S. I in no way invented these bad boys...they are all over the clean eating blog world, but I wanted to pass the recipe along and tweak it for a small food processor. My new one broke. : (

So I just have a little guy for now.

Meal Plan

If you don't do this already, I highly encourage a weekly meal plan.

I don't always do this, and when I don't, I noticed we tend to eat out way more than we should.

So here we go....

M- gyros

lamb, homemade yogurt sauce, homemade whole grain pitas

T- crockpot chicken, roasted sweet potatoes

W- Chicken pot pie

R- Chicken quesadillas

leftover chicken, cheese, homemade salsa, homemade whole grain tortillas

F- Leftovers

S- Birthday party

I will try to be better and update my recipes section.

I often find recipes on the Internet and tweak them to our taste and what we have on hand.

I need to be better about sharing my tweaked recipes.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a blessed week ahead!

Wanting to be two more steps down the road...

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

This has always been my struggle.

For as long as I can remember, I've struggled with contentment in being exactly where I am right now.

When I was single, I wanted a boyfriend.

When I had a boyfriend, I wanted to be engaged.

When I was engaged, I wanted to be married.

Now that I'm married, I want to be a mom.

When I was in high school, I wanted to be in college.

When I was in college, I wanted to be in my career.

Now that I'm in my career, I want to be retired (I kid...I kid....kinda.)

It's miserable living this way!

I can assure you that!

I read through my diary in high school and college the other day and it was just sad! Every entry was about how much I wanted to be married to Mr. Free. About how jealous I was of those around me getting married. It consumed me.

I didn't let God show me the blessings of living in that moment in time.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

Lately, I have really been struggling with motherhood. Seeing those around me with children or pregnant felt like being stabbed right in the heart.

I was bitterly jealous.

I had many conversations with God asking, "Why do they get such a blessing and not me?!"

I cried myself to sleep because I felt so empty.

Those stings of jealousy are still there, but I am placing our family's future in God's hands.

Though I truly do not understand this path He has created for us, I know it is for His glory.

If this is the best He has for me, why would I want to be anywhere else?

As I strive to live in the moment and not two more steps down the road, I am learning to stop, look around and see the blessings of right now.

Right now, I am married to my best friend.

Right now, we are both in the careers we love.

Right now, we have a roof over our head.

Right now, we are financially stable.

Right now, we have the cutest pets on the planet.

Right now, we have the blessing of so many godly brothers and sisters supporting us.

Right now, we have our families.

So, for right now, I am making goals for the me right now. Not the 'hopefully soon pregnant me' or the 'me with a newborn'. No, the me right now.

So Mr. Free and I are taking a step back to really enjoy the two of us.

We are trying to get our bodies as healthy as possible.

We are enjoying our time together.

We are planning our trip to Europe. Which we know wouldn't be feasible if we had kids.

Enjoying the blessings of the two of us.

Those of you who are reading and have a longing in your heart, understand that longings are good!

God is placing in your heart desires for your life!

But obsessing and dwelling on those things that aren't yet to be is not the best He has for you.

You are right where you are for a reason.

And I need that reminder every day.

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13

If you are struggling in this same area, I highly recommend reading through the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. They have been my source of wisdom as I struggle through this area in my life.

Frugal Tip: Whole Foods Bulk Bins

In my attempt to eat whole, nutritious, preferably organic food, I have found the Whole Foods bulk bins to be a lifesaver!

Though our closest Whole Foods is nearly 30 minutes away, I manage to venture out there once or twice a month to stock up on our necessities.

For the most part, the prices are wonderful. Especially since most of the products are organic.

You do need to check your prices though.

What do I buy?

Organic brown rice ($.99/lb.)

Organic steel cut oats ($1.35/lb.)

Organic whole wheat flour (regular and pastry flour)($.99/lb.)

Organic popcorn ($1.99/lb.)

Sea Salt ($.55/lb.)

Organic cane juice ($.99/lb.)

They also offer fresh ground peanut butter and local honey on tap, which I purchase both.

I then bring them home and place them in glass jars in our pantry.

This method is much cheaper than pre-packaged goods.

I will say though, in a few months when our Trader Joe's comes in, this could be a complete change.

I do know that almond meal is a fraction of the price at Trader Joe's versus Whole Foods bulk bins.

Luckily I have a huge stash in the basement pantry from Trader Joe's. (I put almond meal in everything!)

So, do you utilize Whole Foods bulk bins?

My Cleaning Weapon for Mass Destruction

I don't remember how I found out about this great product, but I'm sure glad I did!

Bar Keepers Friend works on just about anything.

Bathtubs, sinks, countertops, stainless steel, glass cooktops, etc.

We use it in the kitchen and bathroom all the time.

Want to see how it works?

Here's our composite granite sink with a few stains and just overall a bit yucky.

Just wet it down, then sprinkle on the Bar Keepers Friend

Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe down and rinse.

The Barkeepers Friend is abrasive so it will help scrub away those stains!

Voila!

MUCH BETTER!!!

It really helps cut down on the elbow grease!

You can find Bar Keepers Friend at most Walmart, Target and grocery stores.

It is in the cleaning aisle usually on the bottom shelf and retails for less than $2.

Have you ever used Bar Keepers Friend? What's your secret cleaning weapon?

Clean Eating Pantry

I've always favored from scratch cooking vs. convenient processed semi-homemade cooking.

This past week I finally got around to organizing our kitchen cabinets, so that from scratch cooking will be a little bit easier.

I'll show you what cooking essentials I have on hand to make clean, from scratch foods.

From the top:

Rolled oats, organic steel cut oats, organic popcorn, wheat germ, bread crumbs, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil

Bottom shelf:

Salt, pepper, fresh ground peanut butter, cooking spray, local raw honey, organic brown rice, organic whole wheat pastry flour, organic whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, almond meal, chocolate whey protein powder.

From the top:

Powdered sugar (not clean), brown sugar (not clean), chocolate chips (not clean), walnuts, dried unsweetened coconut, and organic cane sugar

Bottom row:

Spices and extracts

If you've been paying attention, you've noticed my labels are wrong. I need to change them as they were from a previous organizational time period. : )

I used mason jars and thrift store glass jars to organize the food. I think it gives it a much nicer appearance than excess packaging stuffed into the cabinets.

Since our kitchen is so small, we do have a pantry in the basement for our overflow and rarely used items.

So there you have it!

Nothing 'instant', but real, wholesome ingredients.

Clean eating has been a challenge, but with a well-stocked pantry it has made the process much easier!!!

P.S. It's our first snow day of the year!!! Yay!!!

101 Check-in

Over the last couple of weeks I was able to knock a few things off my '101 in 1001' list.

I thought I'd share them with you!

Here's what I've accomplished:

3. Get my a1c below 7

I got my latest blood work done, and my a1c has been at 5.7 since August! This is the lowest its ever been! And I'm feeling good! Woohoo!

40. Buy some black boots that are flattering

Mr. Free was suprised I like them. He said they look like motorcycle boots.

*shrug*

I do like them.

41. Tip 50%

That felt good.

43. Eat at a Waffle House

Mmmmmm.....

73. Make homemade laundry detergent

I blogged about it here.

So far, it has worked wonderfully! And it so cost-efficient!

78. Create a gift wrapping station

I blogged about this here, and was featured on 2 other blogs with it!

I was flattered!

79. Get a food processor

Thanks in-laws!!! So far I am LOVING it!!!!

80. Get a kitchenaid stand mixer

This goes to Mr. Free and standing in the freezing cold on Black Friday.

I love it!

83. Plan our trip to England/ Europe

We are in the very beginning stages of this planning. We are trying to see if we can swing it to go this summer. It would be the trip of a lifetime! I'll keep ya posted on all the details...

And that's it so far....still quite a ways to go!

I haven't really made any 'resolutions' for 2011, but I figure this list is a great way to keep me focused and productive!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

P.S. If you want to keep track of my progress, I regularly update my original 101 in 1001 post, which you can access on the right of the blog under 'catagories'. Just an FYI.

Bear with me....

This blog covers a wide array of topics that deal with homemaking.

Often I get overwhelmed with what to write about!

Should I share a new recipe?

A frugal tip I picked up?

A craft project?

Show pictures of our home?

Talk about our family?

And then I get stuck!

So I thought for my own sanity, I'm now going to give each day a 'theme'.

Tentatively, here's what I'm thinking:

M-Food (Recipes, food information, health, etc.)

T- Home (Home decor, decorating projects, organization, etc.)

W- Frugal (Tips, recent deals, budgeting info, etc.)

R- Inspiration (Devotional, inspiring projects, etc.)

F- Personal/ Random (About Mr. Free and I, or any other project or tip I want to share!)

If I blog on the weekend, it will just be random.

I'm hoping this will make this blog run a little smoother and help me from being overwhelmed!

There is a lot to running a home and I want to make sure to share a balanced view with you!

If you have any other ideas or tips, please share!

Clean Eating

As part of my 101 in 1001, I want to eat clean.

The actual tangible goal is to eat clean 90% of the time for one month.

Since my typical diabetic diet is 3 square meals plus 3 snacks, that would mean that basically I can have one unclean snack or meal every other day.

Yelp.

What is clean eating?

In a nutshell, it's eating whole foods, as natural as possible.

No processed food.

Minimal sugar.

No high fructose corn syrup.

Most clean eaters prefer their foods to be organic and non-GMO.

Which is definitely where I fall.

So basically, simple, natural foods.

Two of my other goals in my 101 were to lose 20 lbs. and to be able to wear a bikini.

I really hope clean eating helps get me there.

My spin on clean eating also includes eating organically and most importantly, locally.

Here's what my diet is consisting of...

Free-range, antibiotic-free local meat from our local family farm. (Pictured below).

Our monthly share includes beef, pork, chicken, lamb and eggs.

Plus we purchased an additional 1/8 of a cow to have plenty on hand in our freezer.

Parker Farms Meats

Home grown or Farmer's Market fruits and vegetables.

If it's the off season, then organic from the market.

Home canned fruits.


Homemade whole grains.
I'm making all our bread and tortillas, and they are made with whole wheat, flax seed and wheat germ.



Local Shatto dairy.
They produce milk, butter and cheese.
If I need dairy that they don't produce, then it will be organic.


For beverages, it will be water, juice (for low blood sugars) and milk.

The occassional soda and things will be treats.

And....our budget is $200/mo.

This includes toiletries and paper products!

Really, the money saving comes from making things from scratch.

Yes, it can be costly up front, but over time it saves SO much money!

And if you aren't buying snacky processed crap and soda, you can save a ton of $$$$.

Really....this new lifestyle makes sense for me.

It really is the right way to eat.

Processed food is not good for our bodies.

Plus, with tying in local and organic eating, it is good for our environment and local economies as well!

Such a great thing!

Eating this way does involve a bit of thought.

All of our food is homemade, and begins with as natural of state as possible.

This means making our own breads, and dinners are from scratch.

Now, I still love eating out and a good Starbucks Caramel Brulee, but those will now have to be saved for treats.

Here are two great resources if you are interested in clean eating:

Clean Eating Magazine

Clean Eating Machine Blog

Here's our meal plan:

On the weekends, I make a loaf of homemade whole wheat bread, thanks to borrowing my mother in law's bread machine.

If needed, I also make a batch of tortillas for the week.

I also get our weekly fruits, vegetables and dairy.

About once a month I stock up on any additional pantry supplies I need (grains, additional dairy like yogurt, etc.). Whole Foods has wonderful bulk bins that are priced very well.

The first Saturday of the month we also pick up our monthly share of meat and eggs.

On Sundays I make our meal plan for the week.

Most days I have hard boiled eggs, oatmeal or overnight oats for breakfast.

For lunch, I eat leftovers from the dinner the night before.

For dinner we will have a lean meat, a vegetable or two and maybe a fruit.

Snacks are where I struggle, so am going to aim to stick to yogurt, nuts or fruit for my snacks.

For anyone who is already a clean eater and has some tips, I would love to hear them!

If anyone is interested in clean eating or has any questions, I'd love to help!

I really feel this is such an important way of living that is best for our bodies and communities.

It just takes time.

It's definitely not a convenient way to eat.

But with some thought and well-planning it is very do-able for the modern working woman.

Here's to a healthy 2011!

What do YOU want to see in 2011?

As I'm gearing up for another year of blogging and with new goals to be a more efficient homemaker, I want to hear from you!

What do YOU want to see this year at Jenny Free Style?

More recipes?

Organizational projects?

Home decorating?

Our home?

More about our life?

Frugal living tips?

Devotionals?

Local eating?

Or anything else!

Just tell me what it is!

I have many exciting ideas for the new year, but please, tell me what you want to see!

Thanks!!!!

xoxo Jenny Free