Paleo Breakfast

Stir-fried kale & bacon

 This morning I had the most delicious breakfast of stir-fried kale and bacon (recipe from Nom Nom Paleo), some avocado slices, and my usual morning beverage of hot Bengal Spice tea with coconut milk. It was so good that I felt inspires to share! :-)

Why am I eating greens for breakfast?

Starting January first (a very good place to start, right?) I embarked on a paleo diet in hopes of:

1) losing at least a portion of the spare tire around my middle,

2) finding out if I am eating anything that is causing me to have an allergic reaction like poor digestion, joint pain, etc., and

3) clearing up my skin - I have been battling rosacea for almost a year and I also have a lot of brown splotches on my face (and the rest of my body for that matter...).

After almost two weeks of eating this way I am starting to really get the hang of it and enjoy eating this way. 

My diet plan includes NO

• grains
• legumes (beans, peanuts, etc.)
• sugar or other sweeteners
• nightshades (common allergens; tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, etc.)
• eggs (common allergen)
• caffeine

I am also limiting nuts and seeds to one serving or less a day (some diets recommend excluding them altogether, but I am afraid I will be too hungry!) and fruit to 3 or fewer servings a day so my fructose level won't be too high.  

Here are some more paleo breakfasts that I have enjoyed:

• fish stir-fried with an assortment of vegetables (you could use meat instead of fish, too)
• sliced banana or berries with coconut milk and toasted coconut - very yummy!
• dinner leftovers (this chicken stew made an especially good breakfast the next day)

Are you on or have you tried a paleo diet? What was your favorite breakfast?

Bengal Spice Tea

Related posts:

• Book Review: Wheat Belly by William Davis
• What Exactly is Real Food?

Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe

The best pumpkin pie I have tasted was made with fresh pumpkin - instead of canned. It is a little bit more work, since you have to cook the pumpkin, but it is so worth it!


Actually, the hardest part is scraping the seeds out. After that it is pretty easy. Basically, you just:

1. Cut the pumpkin in half (use a small pie pumpkin - I don't know if all pumpkins are good for baking)
2. Scrape the seeds and membrane out
3. Put both halves upside down in a baking dish with 1/2 cup or so of water (to keep it from drying out) and 
4. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until you can poke a fork into it (through the skin)
5. Let it cool a little and scrape the pumpkin out of the skin

But that is not what I wanted to talk about. Now that that is out of the way here is the good part! The PIE RECIPE! :-D

Oh, and also - since I can't eat gluten - it had a gluten free crust - which was AWESOME! 

What you need:
FILLING

• 2 cups cooked fresh pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 cup milk 

CRUST

• 5 Tbs butter
• 8 oz. gluten free cookies or graham crackers - I used Trader Joe's Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

DIRECTIONS

Start with the crust:

Turn the oven on to 300 and melt the butter in a pie pan.

Crush the cookies.  I used the whole bag and crushed then right in the bag. You can put them in a food processor to make them finer if you want.

Swish the melted butter around in the pie pan to coat it and then pour it into a bowl and mix it with the crushed cookies.

Press the cookie mixture into the pie pan to form the crust. Put it in the refrigerator to set while you make the pie filling.

Pie Filling:

Heat the oven to 425.

Beat all the filling ingredients together until smooth (I burned out my mixer a couple of weeks ago, so I used the blender. It worked fine.)

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared crust and bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temp to 350 and continue to bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until the filling is set (stick a table knife into the middle - if it comes out clean, it is ready).

Take it out and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Top with whipped cream. Share with your friends and/or family and be prepared to be praised for your culinary prowess! :-D

Small Business Saturday Sale

In celebration of Small Business Saturday (Saturday, November 24, this year) I am offering 25% off of everything at Holly&Sage!

This is an unprecedented discount - if you have been eying one of my items or are searching for a unique holiday gift, don't miss this opportunity to get a great deal!

If you have never shopped at Holly&Sage before, here are a few of the unique offerings you will find there:

Mommy Necklaces

"Mommy Necklace" is my name for my line of a type of necklace commonly called a 'nursing necklace'. Nursing necklaces can be worn by anyone, but are especially useful for mothers or other care-givers that spend a lot of time holding babies or toddlers. Young children are attracted to jewelry and like to yank on necklaces. Most necklaces are too fragile to withstand their strong little hands, but not nursing necklaces! Designed to be sturdy, they are made with simple stones on natural fiber cords (usually cotton or hemp). They can withstand pulling and the stones won't harm baby if they find their way into little mouths.

Recycled Button Jewelry

 

My most popular jewelry items are my recycled button jewelry. I got the idea a couple of years ago to make bracelets from the large stash of buttons that I had collected over the years. I love the casual versatility of these bracelets! You can wear just one or stack them up for a really cool and funky look! They are not delicate like a lot of jewelry is, so you can wear them to the beach, etc. and if they get dirty, no worries - just throw them in the wash!

and my latest passion is -

Recycled T-shirt & Sweater Scarves

This eco-friendly idea was sparked from a Pinterest board and I am having so much fun with it! Instead of throwing old t-shirts away they can be used to make wonderfully soft and colorful scarves. I only have a couple of scarves listed now, but expect to see a lot more very soon. 

Come on over to Holly&Sage and see what you want to save on this Saturday!

Related posts:
Introducing My New Line of Button Jewelry
Custom Bracelets From Your Buttons

All My Links in One Place!

I am excited to have all my links together in one place now - at Flavors!

Holly&Sage Designs: My own boho style handmade artisan jewelry, recycled vintage button jewelry & Earth Mama Organic Mommy Nursing Necklaces

You can set up your own Flavors page HERE

Have fun!

Type 2 But Not Into a Lot of Accessories?

In a Dressing Your Truth video chat yesterday (Oct. 11) Carol Tuttle told one member that she was a type 4 instead of the T2 that the member - I think her name was Amy - thought she was. This was partly based on her lack of accessories. Amy was at home with 3 children and had on a simple shirt - like a t-shirt. I keep thinking that I don't wear accessories when I am at home, either, and my kids are grown - I certainly didn't when I had small kids climbing all over me.

If I understand correctly, Carol equates a lack of accessories as a sign of being a Type 4. So I have been questioning my certainty that I am a T2.

Apart from physical features, such as down turned  eyes and mouth, I believe I am a T2 because:

• I am a list maker. I have so many lists I can't keep up with them
• I NEED a plan. Without a plan I am lost (and I hate when the plan changes)
• I have always been detail minded
• In school I was constantly being told to "speak up"
• I am a slow and methodical worker

In my mind, I am less of a Type 4 than any other type. For one thing, I have never been sure of anything in my life! Well, not many things, anyway... I am not bold and striking.

I love the idea of accessories, but they usually seem to bother me. I need to be COMFORTABLE! I stay at home now, but even when I was working and wore bracelets and things to work (office work) the bracelets often came off before the end of the day. Some women take their bra off as soon as they get home - I take off my jewelry (and scarves, etc.)!

Are there any other T2s that can relate to this? Please tell me your feelings on it so I can understand!

Update:

After stressing and doing a lot more reading and researching, I dressed as a T4 today to post on the Dressing Your Truth forum for feedback. I got my first feedback from my husband when I asked him to take my picture. He said, "I don't know what you did, but you really highlighted all of your wrinkles!" He was right - when I saw my picture I realized I looked a LOT older - tired and washed out, too. That answered the question for me more readily than all that reading did! So, if you are wondering where you fit in, try a Type on and see how it feels!

Let me know what you think of my T4 look!

Learn to Let Your Beauty Shine by Living True to Your Nature

Be your most beautiful self by learning how to live true to your unique energy type!


Before I discovered Dressing Your Truth I often struggled to find styles of clothing and accessories that I felt good in and expressed who I really was. Part of the problem was that I didn't truly know who I truly was. Since I joined the Dressing Your Truth program I have discovered how easy it is to be ME. And you know what? It is so exciting!

Do you have things in your closet that you never seem to wear? You know that when you put them on they just don't feel right? Those things, no matter how beautiful or stylish they are, are most likely not suited to your type! The Dressing Your Truth course will help you to learn how to clear those things our of your wardrobe and replace them with great choices that will make you feel like your true beautiful self!

One of my favorite things about Dressing Your Truth is how much easier shopping is. Now that I know exactly what colors and styles to look for I can save a lot of time and frustration looking at (and possibly buying) things that are wrong for me.

Right now you can get the entire Dressing Your Truth course and access to all the great instructional videos and the supportive forums for only $99 when you use this link. You will also get a $20 gift card for the Dressing Your Truth online store (great clothing and accessories for your type) immediately and another $10 gift card after your first order.




Hurry! This offer ends Tuesday, October 9!






Related posts: Ready to be Your Most Beautiful Self?

Custom Bracelets From YOUR Special Buttons!

Now available from Holly&Sage - Custom Button Bracelets!

If you have a lot of buttons (or any) laying around and you like the idea of making jewelry, but you don't have the time (or the creativity or the desire) to make them yourself, send them to me and I will do it for you!

A friend of mine and the proprietor of Back Home, a quaint gift shop in Gold Hill, NC, had a lot of buttons that had been her mother's before she passed away. These were special reminders of her mother and she wanted to put them to use in a special way. Since she loves my button bracelets, she commissioned me to make some bracelets from her mother's buttons. They turned out great!




Aren't these pretty?
 
Thanks to Sandy's encouragement, I am now offering custom button bracelets from your buttons!

These make excellent heirloom gifts for family members: dig out Grandma's old buttons and have some made for aunts, nieces, sisters, cousins, etc. Think Grandma didn't have any buttons? Check that sewing sewing basket - I bet she did!

All you need is a selection of buttons - a 7-inch bracelet usually uses 10 - 12 buttons depending on how big the buttons are.
That's it! I will supply the cord, come up with a pleasing design, and put it all together for you!

See Holly&Sage for all the details.