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Real Food That’s Real Easy: Sweet Potato Cakes

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Sweet Potato Latkes

Sweet Potato Latkes

This picture was posted on Instagram today, and I wanted to share the recipe with you guys since it’s so stinkin easy! Real food info: Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, B6, and Vit A. Here’s the basics: peel and grate a sweet potato, add an egg and a Tablespoon or 2 of coconut flour (another great fiber source) and salt to taste. Make patties, then fry in ghee, butter, coconut oil, or stable oil of choice, on med high heat, and flip to cook both sides of course, until golden brown. Google sweet potato latkes recipes to see if you can use regular flour or almond meal if you would rather use those. I would think they should work fine. This is #realfood that is #realeasy! If you want to find it on Instagram, you can follow OrganicEater there, or look for the hashtag I just created called #realfoodrecipes, and look for the picture of my sweet potato cakes above. Comment here or on Instagram and let me know if you like them.

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

Thanks to  homemademommy.net where I originally found this recipe.

5 Things I’m doing to De-stress the Holidays (and they’re working!)

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“I do everything for Christmas around here!!!!!!!” Ever announced that to your family while you’re putting up the tree and wrapping the gifts, with “I Wish You a Merry Christmas” playing in the background, of course?!   I am embarrassed to admit that I have, but after talking to some dear friends whom I consider to be good parents/spouses, I am not alone in this holiday stress. It’s taken me 45 years to get this “down”, so I would like to share this with you, and hopefully some of my younger readers will benefit from this wisdom earlier than I did! And if you’re “old” like me, well, there’s a few weeks left of THIS season, and next year you can start anew. Here are 5 things I am intentionally doing to make a difference in the stress levels of myself and my family this year. I may not need to do them every year, but this is where I’m starting, and we’ll see how it progresses next year. Stress definitely affects health, so it’s important to do what you can to de-stress where possible.

1. NO TREE I know that sounds too harsh for some of you, but it was a “must go” for me. Every year I was decorating our tree with little help from the kids and none from the hubs. It just didn’t matter to them as much as it did to me. But every year I was stressing out over all of it instead of enjoying it. You see, my Home Ec degree concentrated in Interior Design, and  I work part-time for a designer here in Charlotte. I am a designer at heart. I can’t just hang balls on a tree. It’s got to be done at a “professional level” or not at all. So this year I opted for “not at all”, and it’s made me very happy. It will make me much happier come January when I’m not the one taking it all down and putting it back into the attic. I still decorated the house, but at a limited level (some of you would never think it was “limited”, but it was FOR ME). And I let the kids do their own rooms. WIN for me, and I’m loving it. May keep this one around. Oh, and we do have a little ceramic tree in the dining room, so there is a “tree” in the house:)

2. LIMITED EXERCISE I know there are some people who need to de-stress with exercise and they love it, like this crazy woman does! I cannot relate to that feeling in any way. Having  exercise as part of my to-do list stresses me out, and makes me feel like the other important stuff isn’t getting done. Now, I normally do it anyway because I have disciplined myself to do what’s best for my health, even though most days I really don’t want to do it. Sorry Lindsay, I know you cannot understand that! So, my de-stress for Christmas is that I am cutting my exercise down to 3 times per week, and if they’re all walk/runs on the treadmill, while I watch a Netflix doc about healthy food, that’s ok. With some kettle-bell swings in there too! I think I can discipline myself to get right back into 5xweek with weights and HIITs after the holidays. I may take this into January though, because January is another very stressful month for me.  Ok, that’s my last one, really. You see, all my family birthdays are in December and January. ALL of them. 7 close family birthdays in January alone. 9 months before January must have been some great times for this family!;) You can expect a few out-to-eat pics that month if you’re following on Instagram or Twitter:)

3. NO PARTY HERE Just decided I wasn’t going to throw a Christmas Party here this year.  I know they’re fun and I’ll miss seeing everyone, but this is another one that definitely de-stressed my holidays. I even had extra time to do a blog post today about it! In all honesty, my husband’s job had many additional responsibilities this year, so to be fair, this was also a choice for both of us, and may change next year. We had to get through this first year of new responsibilities at work to make sure we could get through his busy season and keep our sanity. Additionally, we now have a very social “teen” who is going to parties this Christmas, so we are making adjustments for the whole family!

4. SHOP ON LINE Do I need to explain the glory of internet shopping to anyone here?!! Seriously, this one is never going back. Click and have it shipped to my front door. Enough said. De-stressed.

5. COUNT MY BLESSINGS Trying to be much more intentional, writing down if I need to, all the many blessings in my life. I tag many of my Instagram posts with #blessed and #thankful because I am, and if I read it and say it, it reminds me to be more so! After my husband went to Uganda, Africa for the first time earlier this year, our family is often reminded of how GOOD we have it here, just living here with infrastructure and an able-bodied democracy (even though it has its faults for sure). And then to have all of our needs met, and even more than that, to have extra, to be able to give, to never worry about where water or food is coming from. We are soooo blessed beyond measure. God has blessed me with more than I can count. It definitely helps and blesses me to constantly remind myself of how blessed I am, and I believe “good and positive thoughts” contribute to my health and wellbeing! Prayer, quiet time, meditation and all the spiritual disciplines are incorporated into this one. Trying to keep “Jesus is the reason for the season” at the forefront of our family this year.

My last two de-stressors have actually been happening over the last several years, but it has definitely helped. We don’t exchange gifts with extended family members except for 2. Trying to buy for all the siblings and their children just got crizazy and we have eliminated that stress for everyone! Best decision we ever made. We get together and have a wonderful time, but only the grandparents (who have a lot more discretionary income) buy gifts for all the grandchildren. That has been a process, and takes mutual family agreement for it to work, but it has worked for us. Thank God. The other one I started a few years ago, when I quit sending out the Family update and Christmas card picture to 200 people. It was a huge expense of time and money, and hey, everyone was on Facebook by then anyway! So, thank you Facebook, for letting me post my Christmas “card” for everyone, and if they want to know what we’re up to, they can just click on my feed. ha!

So, those are my  De-stressors. So far, they’re working very well and I’m happy I have incorporated each one! They may not work for you, but they’ve worked beautifully for me and my family’s needs.  I’d love to know what yours are!!

Encouraging Health at the Holidays,

Organic Eater

Clean Eats = Clean Teeth (and my favorite oral products)

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Surprisingly, cutting down (way down) on sugar and grains in my diet, as well as eating real & nutritious whole foods,  has made a HUGE difference in how clean my teeth and mouth feel! My teeth don’t get those little “teeth sweaters” you start to get around 6 months after your last cleaning, and I have barely ANY plaque buildup. It has been a drastic and unexpected benefit of my #lowcrapdiet lifestyle, and just one more reason I’ll never go back to eating the old way again! I LOVE my clean teeth!! Because of dental insurance changes, I have not been to my dentist for over a year, and I promise my teeth still feel like they were just cleaned. No joke. It’s crazy! Another part of this “clean feeling” is because I found the greatest toothbrush a few months ago at Expo East. We bought 2 at the expo, for hubs and son, then the company contacted me and sent me 2 more to try. Before mine arrived, I asked my 8 year old son what he thought about his new toothbrush he had been using since we got back from the Expo. I promise you this was his honest-to-God reply: “it feels like when you get your teeth cleaned at the dentist”. I was shocked, and anxious for mine to get here! And when it did, I had the exact same reaction, and so did my 14 year old daughter. We all flipped over our toothbrushes!:) Hubs liked his too, he just didn’t think it was quite as “amazing” as the other 3 did. So, 3 out of 4 for amazing is pretty good, eh?! It’s not electric, or anything fancy. I can’t explain the science behind it, but I know it works. And I appreciate the silver infused bristles, because we were already using silver for antimicrobial benefits around our house.  I am really excited to share this great find with you, and I think everyone should try it!

toothbrush

You can find these at www.mouthwatchers.net and they’re only $4.99! They’re also on Amazon and in some Whole Foods and other retailers (website has locations). On that website, there are video testimonials from lots of other people who feel the same way we do about this amazing little brush!

And another favorite, is this Spry dental floss. I may do a post later, but for now just know it cleans between teeth like nothing else. I can’t explain why or how, I just know I love it!  We have also been using this toothpaste, so if anyone wants a review of this very unusual stuff, comment below and I’ll reply.

In my many hours of researching healthy and natural approaches to taking care of my family, I have come across some pretty shocking information. Did you know cavities can be reversed?! And did you know coconut oil can be used to detox your mouth? Crazy, I know, but keep an open mind and read for yourself! Here is a link to an unusual method for cleaning your teeth and detoxing your mouth, called “oil pulling”.  There is also much more information on natural oral care, and the dangers of fluoride, so go check it out. Now for that cavity thing, we are currently working on re-mineralizing my son’s tooth that has a cavity in it. So far, I can see white coming back around the brown spot, but I think it’s too soon to “call it” just yet. I am going to add oil pulling to his oral health routine and I will let you know if we get rid of the cavity. Here is a link at Wellness Mama all about healing cavities and making home-made tooth powder, if you want to know more before I post my own story. I have been amazed at all I have learned about healing teeth, and how nutrition plays a humongous role in keeping cavities away in the first place. I don’t remember a dentist (I’ve only had 2 my whole life) ever telling me how important food was in keeping my teeth healthy and nourished. Has your dentist ever told you? And has anyone tried oil pulling or any other “natural” oral health care practices? I’d love to hear what you may be doing in your family!

Here’s one more link to a (somewhat controversial) book that many are using to heal teeth naturally.

Encouraging Oral Health,

Organic Eater

Related articles

How To Store Fruits and Vegetables to Keep them From Spoiling

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I just found this helpful (and printable) resource, that I think can help all of you Organic Eaters! How To Store Fruits and Vegetables to Keep them From Spoiling | My Thirty Spot.

 

Real-Food Resource: Recipes and Ideas for Thanksgiving

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The Grove Park Inn Thanksgiving 2011

I have it really good at Thanksgiving. I mean REALLY good. It may surprise some of you to know that I don’t LOVE cooking. I intentionally named the blog Organic EATER, not “Organic Cook”. I love the eating part, but the cooking part, not so much. I do it because I’ve disciplined myself to do what I know is right and best for my family, the exact same way I’ve been exercising and all of my other disciplines. This whole “real food, low sugar, low grain, #lowcrapdiet” thing is only a couple of years old in my world, and it has not caused me to miraculously start loving the cooking process unfortunately. So, having it “good” at Thanksgiving means I don’t cook, but it’s still awesome food!  My in-laws have either taken us to the beach (and a fabulous restaurant) or to The Grove Park Inn for the past several years during the week of Thanksgiving. Before those trips, they cooked the traditional turkey meal at their home and invited us over, and my mother in law is a fantastic cook!  With my husband’s job requirements now, we can’t travel during Thanksgiving week, so we are going back to the Traditional Turkey meal at their house again. I will bring a gluten-free cranberry apple dish (with oats) that is delicious and pretty easy. Oh, and I may bring the iced tea. That’s it. Oh, Happy Day!! And the best part is that my husband and I have convinced them to buy an ORGANIC turkey this year! Hooray! That was the only “missing link” for me to have spectacular Thanksgiving eating this week. BUT….

For those who do have to cook this week, I am going to list some of my favorite recipe blogs for you to check out. NO guarantees of only organic, but I will try to include only REAL FOOD links, and you make it organic if you can find the organic ingredients.  It is a holiday, so I wouldn’t fret over whether or not it’s organic if someone else is cooking for you. Let’s be polite guests, right? But I WOULD take a small portion (or none), if I knew GMO ingredients were used in the making of something I’m getting ready to eat. But that’s just my preference, and you guys need to figure that out for your own family’s situations, depending on how much stress and discomfort that may add to your holiday. If you are a parent or spouse, it’s probably best to have a discussion with your kids/spouse BEFORE you get to the holiday house. So here are my real food recipe resources for you:

Cheeseslave has a LONG list of Thanksgiving recipe links organized by food type

The Wellness Mama has an ENTIRE Real Food Thanksgiving menu, recipe for each item, and the shopping list you need to prepare all of it! This makes it super easy! I’m making the cranberry relish for left-over turkey sandwiches on Friday.

Food Renegade has a list of 11 Breakfast ideas for Thanksgiving Day, and a grain free menu for lunch/dinner. 

Whole New Mom has LOTS of contributing bloggers post recipes, specifically for allergy free needs

This Bruce Bradley post was my favorite because it not only has links to recipes, but it explains WHY you don’t want to eat those specific processed food items!  Mr. Bradley is a former corporate food marketer, so I think he knows what he’s talking about!

If you want to go “all organic at Thanksgiving” here’s a link at iVillage to show you how.

Two thoughts I leave with you: once you’re finished eating your holiday meals, and maybe one round of leftovers, get back to the good life of eating the food that really makes you feel great! Enjoy your family and your traditions, then back on track with eating and exercise. Don’t wait until January 2, 2013! Secondly, this is Thanksgiving, so let’s be thankful no matter what we eat. For some Americans, they don’t even have a table to sit at this year because it was washed away in a storm or blown away in a tornado. Many have been without jobs for months or years and are thankful for the kindness of someone’s generosity towards them, even if it is “processed” food. Many are eating in a shelter and thankful just to have anything to eat on Thursday. If we’re able to read a blog and make some choices about what and how we eat this Thanksgiving, let’s be EXTRA grateful for that!! 

Encouraging Health, and praying you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Organic Eater

Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

Tell me what you’ll be doing this week, and what choices/compromises you may have to make to “keep the peace” in your families. Or if you’re going all “real food” or “all organic” this year, I’d love to know that too! Also, if you have a great recipe or link you wanna share in these last couple days of shopping for food, share it with us!!!