Lactation Cookies

Many of my friends know from when we had our first baby that I had issues with milk supply when trying to breast-feed our little girl.  We ended up having to use mostly formula, and I would breast-feed whatever my body could supply.  Though not the way I'd hoped things would go for us, it was the way things went; and I learned to live with it and be grateful for the blessing of being able to feed my child, even if it wasn't the way I'd always imagined it being.

Fast-forward a couple years and we have just had our baby boy!  Knowing it was highly likely I still wouldn't produce enough milk to sustain my baby's life without supplementing with formula, we were more prepared this time.  But still, I have decided to try a variety of things to increase my milk supply.  A friend of mine told me about lactation cookies, so I went and looked them up!  And then I made some -- with the help of THRIVE!

These cookies are actually not too bad, but the brewer's yeast certainly has a taste that cannot be completely masked.  I'm not sure if they are officially working, but I have been eating them anyway :).  And since I used my THRIVE ingredients to make them, I thought I'd share them here!  This is where I got the original recipe, but below is the recipe as I made it.

LACTATION COOKIES

2 Tbsp. flaxseed
4 Tbsp. water
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 THRIVE eggs (2 tablespoons THRIVE Whole Eggs + 4 tablespoons water)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. Brewer’s Yeast
3 cups THRIVE quick oats
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

 

Cream together the butter and sugars.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well.  Add flaxseed and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, Brewer's Yeast, and oats.  Add to the butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time.

Once the dough is mixed together well, add chocolate chips.  Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes (mine took 8). sdfasd

Throw & Go Vegetable Beef Soup

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  one of my favorite things about THRIVE Life is how it helps me save time -- or have a good, healthy meal easily when I don't have any time.  Or when I have very little motivation to make dinner :).  (And I accept that as the way it is when I could deliver a baby any day!)

Well, Tuesday was one of those days.  I'd had a doctor's appointment, hit up Costco, the bank and Target, washed some laundry, took care of a toddler, took the toddler to the library to get new books...  And by dinner-time, I didn't have any meat thawed, and I really didn't feel like doing anything much.  It was quite tempting to go through a drive-thru while out at the library!

But I knew that wasn't the best option for us.  And so I convinced myself to come home and figure out something fast and easy with all my delicious THRIVE!

And I came up with this "Throw & Go Vegetable Beef Soup!"  And I liked it!  The THRIVE Ground Beef may be my new favorite item!!!

Seriously, I just threw a bunch of stuff in a pot, brought it to a boil, reduced to simmer and let it simmer 15 minutes.  I thawed out some french bread I'd made and frozen earlier.  And dinner was done!  Here's how I did it (but just realize you can adapt to your likes and preferences with THRIVE Life!)

THROW AND GO VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons THRIVE Celery
3 tablespoons THRIVE Carrot Dices
1/4 cup THRIVE Green Peas
1/4 cup THRIVE Mushrooms
1/4 cup THRIVE Asparagus
1 teaspoon THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce*
1 14-ounce can chicken broth*
2 cups water
1/2 cup THRIVE Ground Beef

Heat oil in a saucepan/pot over medium heat.  Add onion and saute 30 seconds.  Pour in tomato sauce, broth, water.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook 15 minutes. 

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

I enjoyed the flavor in this soup and I could really taste the beef flavor, even after only 15 minutes!  I thought this was awesome for a no-plan meal :).  And I loved that I got all my veggies in and in such variety!  The only thing I'll do differently in the future is add either some macaroni or potato chunks.  But that'll be just as simple with THRIVE Life :)!

I love my home store!

Product Highlight: THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices

Happy June y'all!  It's a new month!  Which means there's a new Q-Pon item -- and a lot of other great new specials out this month!  And I'm super-excited about several of them, including the new THRIVE Summer Limeade and the return of the THRIVE Summer Lemonade!  Those two drink mixes do not have added sweeteners, meaning you can add the sweetener of your choice in the amount of your choice!  How fabulous is that!?!

But today I wanted to focus on the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices, because I think they are a phenomenal item -- and I want to share why!

1.  I love, love, love when I can avoid handling raw chicken.  Especially when I'm pregnant, as it is highly recommended that pregnant women don't handle raw meats without gloves.  And let's be serious... how annoying is it to have to stop what I'm doing to don a pair of gloves so I can handle raw chicken!?!  Talk about adding time to my meal prep!  Ugh!  THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices are pre-cooked and freeze-dried, so they are ready for me to use quickly and without having to handle raw meat!

2.  Because they come pre-cooked and ready to use, and because they are a high-quality product, they already have the fat trimmed off!  I am obsessive about cutting the fat off my chicken (which is why it takes me extra time to use raw chicken), so this is a huge bonus for me!

3.  As mentioned a bit in both previous points, this saves me time!  The chicken is already cooked!  It needs to be re-hydrated, but that can be done while I'm prepping other ingredients and requires almost no hands-on time from me!

And you don't just have to take my word for the awesomeness of this product!  Here's what one of my customers had to say about how THRIVE Chicken Slices came through for her!

"I forgot to thaw chicken for the recipe I was planning to make for dinner tonight...  But then I remembered my THRIVE Chicken Slices and dinner was saved!" -- Julie S.

Those are good moments -- when I see how THRIVE Life has helped others the way it helps me!

Here's some information on the THRIVE Chicken Slices:

The Chicken Slices are seasoned, so they do have additional ingredients to chicken.  The ingredients include:  chicken, sodium phosphate, salt and carrageenan.   

Unopened, a can of THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices will store for 1 year and maintain its nutrients!

Once opened, it is recommended you use the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices within one year (at 6 to 9 months is optimal for freshness).

Here are a few posts with recipes in which I used the Seasoned Chicken Slices to offer you ideas for using yours!
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Chicken Asparagus Pasta
Chicken, Broccoli, Macaroni, and Cheese Skillet Meal
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

It occurs to me that all of those recipes are pasta recipes!  Too funny!  But our family likes pasta a lot, so that's not really surprising to me.  However, I have also used these chicken strips in a crock pot white chicken chili (unfortunately I was not on top of taking pictures and documenting it that day...) and some BBQ Sliders -- which I totally documented and will be posting later this month! 

With the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices as the June 2015 Q-Pon item, it's a great time to stock up!  The #10 can has a retail value of $58.99, but during June, you can get them for $44.29!  If you are a Q Club member, you can simply add your THRIVE Chicken Slices to your Q for June!  If you aren't a Q Club member, you can contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com and I'll help you place your order!  You really don't want to miss out on this great price!

Happy THRIVEing!

Hiking Snacks!

Summer is coming in!  We have enjoyed several beautiful days here in Western Washington.

True, they've also been warm days -- and I'm not entirely fond of those ;).  But they have still been beautiful blue-sky days.  Great for soaking up the Vitamin D!

With this time of year come many opportunities to go hiking, back-packing, and camping!  And guess what!?!  THRIVE Life is awesome for those activities!  The foods are light-weight and so convenient!  So today I thought I'd share a couple of great hiking snack recipes using lots of THRIVE Life goodies!  These are especially great, because in addition to being light-weight, they are packed with great nutrients and protein -- the stuff to keep you going on those hikes!

MOUNTAIN MAN MIX

Mix equal parts:
THRIVE Sausage Crumbles
THRIVE Green Peas
THRIVE Sweet Corn
THRIVE Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Optional:  Sprinkle with THRIVE Chef's Choice Seasoning Blend to taste. (We opted out of the seasoning blend and it was still delicious!)

It's recommended you put all this in a bowl or container with a lid and shake, shake, shake (especially if you choose to use the seasoning blend).  

The other recipe is one I made up.  I call it Tropical Trail Mix.  Full of tropical fruits along with granola and nuts (and, of course, some chocolate!), it's a yummy little trail treat!

TROPICAL TRAIL MIX

2 cups Granola of your choice
¼ cup white chocolate chips

¼ cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup shredded coconut

2 ¼ cups THRIVE Mango

1 cup THRIVE Pineapple Chunks

1 cup THRIVE Banana Slices, broken

1 cup roasted salted cashews

½ cup THRIVE Passionfruit Yogurt Bites

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until well-mixed.  Enjoy!

I'm pretty excited about these hiking snacks!  They aren't just for hiking, of course :).  They are great for snacking anytime!  A great way to get some fruits and veggies.  I just think they are phenomenal for back-packing and hiking, because they do have the ingredients to really boost energy levels and provide great nutrition while doing so!

Are you a hiker or back-packer?  Would you love having great home-made and healthy trail snacks?  I can help you with that!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla!

Happy THRIVEing!

Prepping for Baby!

As part of preparing for the arrival of our little bundle of joy, I knew I wanted to have several meals on-hand.  Over time, I decided I didn't just want dinner meals readily available, but also breakfast (since I have a hungry toddler to feed in the mornings :)). 

Once again, THRIVE Life has helped me!  And I can't say how much I love how versatile the product is.  It has helped me in so many ways with shaving time off meal prep, reducing waste, and offering my family healthier options (and easy ways to get veggies!).  And now it's helped me prepare for a baby!  So loving it!

So now I have dinners and breakfasts, all thanks to THRIVE Life! 

Here's what I now have on hand (in addition to several freezer meals that THRIVE also helped me with!):

Oatmeals (this is the basic recipe I followed, but changed up the fruit and some of the spices for some of them!)
Sausage Zuppa Toscana
Sloppy Joes (I haven't posted this as a jar meal specifically, yet, but plan to eventually.  The recipe is there, though, and I'll just add a can of tomato sauce since I don't have tomato powder on hand at the moment!)

I know it'll be so wonderful to have these on-hand when we have a newborn and sleep is hard to come by -- and time is a little crazy for a while :).  I love THRIVE, and I love my home store!

Would you love to do jar meals or learn more about them?  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!  We do jar meal classes periodically and are planning to do one in July for the sloppy joes!

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: Ground Beef (May 2015): Sloppy Joes

It's nearing the end of May and time is running out to take advantage of the great deal on THRIVE Ground Beef!  I have loved having this ground beef on hand, because it has made coming up with dinner in a pinch a cinch ;).  I didn't have to thaw any meat!  Or brown it, for that matter :).

In addition to the meatballs we made a few nights ago, we also tried out the ground beef in sloppy joes!  Love this recipe, which I found here.  And I love even more that it can be a jar meal!  Look for a great picture of that soon -- and a date to come make a jar of your own to take home at our next Jar Meal Event! 

We halved this recipe at my house and it still made plenty for my family!  The recipe as we made it (and as is shared below) would easily make 8 sloppy joes.  (For my family, that means it would feed 4; since my husband ate 3 of them!!!).  The recipe below is the way I made it with a few adaptations (for example, I didn't have tomato powder on hand, so I used a can of tomato sauce).

SLOPPY JOES
1 cup THRIVE Ground Beef (it's the Q-Pon item this month!!)
1/4 cup THRIVE Diced Tomatoes
3 tablespoons THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers
2 tablespoons THRIVE Celery
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onion
1 tablespoon THRIVE Green Chilies
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce*
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt*
1/4 teaspoon pepper*
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

In a skillet, bring 2 cups water to a boil.  Turn off heat and add dry ingredients to skillet.  Stir to combine.  Let rest 15 minutes.

Mix Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, tomato sauce and red wine vinegar in a small bowl until combined.  Add sauce to ingredients in skillet.

Turn stove to medium and bring to simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce is desired thickness, stirring occasionally.  Serve on hamburger buns.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

This recipe was awesome-sauce!  In fact, I'm jar-mealing it to have on hand for when baby comes (which could be any day now!!!).  It's a great recipe for summer, so now's the time to stock up on the THRIVE Ground Beef so you can have some :)!  It's great served with home-fries and veggies!

Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla to place your order!  Remember, if you're a Q member, you have access to the Q-Pon item by simply logging in.  If you're not a Q member, you can still get the great deal by contacting me!

Happy THRIVEing!

Chef Todd's Salsa... Sort Of

I had a get-together the other evening when I hosted a doTERRA Class for my sister-in-law.  (If you're interested in Essential Oils, you should totally check out her website here.)  Being the foodie that I am, I can't not serve food at an event!

So I made salsa.  One of the reasons for this was because I could "showcase" the edible uses of a couple of the Essential Oils (cilantro and lime).

The other reason was because I knew my THRIVE foods would come through for me and I could throw together a salsa in a snap!  Which was particularly awesome when that day turned out to be a harder one that I'd originally anticipated.  I needed easy like you can't imagine that day...

This salsa knocked my socks off for a couple reasons.  1.  It tasted great.  2.  My husband really liked it.  3. It was literally done in 5 minutes and was in the fridge mingling flavors.  No chopping or washing of anything (except the dishes later one).  It was amazing.  I may never make any other fresh salsa again, now that I know I can be spoiled with my THRIVE!

I halved the recipe (which can be found in its original form here) and made it as follows:

CHEF TODD'S SALSA... SORT OF
2 cups THRIVE Tomato Dices
2 tablespoons THRIVE Green Chilies
1 tablespoon THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 tablespoon THRIVE Cilantro
1/8 teaspoon THRIVE Chef's Choice seasoning blend
1 drop doTERRA Lime Essential Oil
a smidge (try not to use a full drop -- it's potent!) doTERRA Cilantro Essential Oil
3/4 cup water

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add the lime and cilantro oils to the water and stir.  Pour the oil-infused water into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Cover and chill at least 2 hours.  Serve with chips.

See?  I told you this was easy.

Would you love to enjoy fresh salsa made in minutes?  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website at www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla to place an order for these awesome ingredients!

Happy THRIVEing!