In the works

I haven't been keeping up with posting lately because I've been busy doing laundry. Literally. Just laundry...all....day.....long. And so far I have never gotten to the end. I thought today would be the day but the kids just had baths while the last load was washing which means I now have another full load to do. Boo. You know those people that post on facebook all the things they accomplished that day. It goes something like this..."All laundry completed...check! Dinners for the next five days prepared and freezer ready...check! Ran nine miles...check! Climbed Mt. Everest....check! Taught my kid a second language...check!  Grew my own nonGMO corn...check! Solved world hunger...check!  Now it is time to make lunch!" As much as I want to be that person I kind of loath that person too. My facebook post would read like this..."Still alive." But honestly I've got more going on than just laundry. I may not be teaching my kids a foreign language and the only mountain I'm climbing is the dirty clothes pile but I do have a few projects in the works at the moment and even though nothing is final on any of them I wanted to share what is running through this grey matter of mine. I can pretty much write a huge long list of projects I would like to accomplish ranging from redoing my girl’s bathroom, finally putting in landscaping after almost 9 years of living in our home, painting my toenails etc. I’ll be honest, I think about those things a lot but they have not quite made it to the top of my list. I need to do some list rearranging soon because it is time for open toe shoes and unmanicured toenails are just not attractive.

Very high on my list of priorities is something I feel very passionately about…my son’s school which also happens to be the same school I attended all the way through graduation. I am very fond of this school and I am overjoyed that I can send my kids to an environment where they are loved, valued, and the biblical values taught in our home are reinforced and interwoven throughout all school lessons and activities. The issue that I’m about to discuss really is not related to just our school. In no way do I want to point fingers at one particular establishment. It just happens that this is just where God has put this overly health conscience momma.

I don’t know about you but I feel like I am ALWAYS having to fight for my children’s health. There is always a bake sale with sugar-filled treats, food coloring covered bags of Cheetos, fast food hot lunches, and fundraisers selling soft drinks and deserts. More often than not I have to be the bad guy and tell my little dude that he cannot participate in the bake sale or that he can only take part in one of the four days of hot lunches. Of course he tells me that EVERYONE ALWAYS gets to participate in EVERYTHING except for him. I know this isn’t true but I also know that it probably feels that way to him because I am always saying no. Don’t get me wrong, I think this is important lesson for my son to learn. He needs to not only know that sometimes we miss out on things because they are not good for us but also that he doesn’t always get everything he wants. But I think there is room for improvement on the school’s part too. I don’t think bake sales and hot lunches need to go but I have some ideas of how things could be tweaked so that the kids who have nutrition conscience parents can still participate by being given healthier options.

I have spent a lot of time creating lists, spreadsheets, calling health minded businesses, researching fundraising options, creating cost effective alternatives and praying that this passion I have is not my insanity but has been put there by God for a reason. I have gone to the sports administrator and the headmaster and was given the green light to get a group of parents together who would be willing to jump on this little health bandwagon of mine and start making some small changes such as a day of hot lunch that consists of REAL food with REAL ingredients and switching out chips for baby carrots or apples. But here is my delimma...I am starting to wonder if I am all alone in this mission. Am I just a crazy health nut who is trying to push my ideals on everyone else? Does anyone else care? I am a little nervous to find out. My biggest fear in all of this is that I am the only one that cares enough to make an effort and therefore I am going to be killing myself trying to do a healthy hot lunch by myself when I could just stick to making my kids healthy homemade meals instead of worrying about everyone else's children. But I honestly believe that teaching children to care for their bodies is biblical. Our bodies are the greatest resources we have to do God's work and we are to be good stewards of the resources He has provided. So I'm pushing forward. I'm going to make my team and maybe someday I'll have those kids eating kale and Brussels sprouts. I'll be happy with green beans and carrots though too!

Another passion of mine is my health food store. It is growing like crazy which is awesome but we are busting at the seams in our little location. But God hasn’t given us a definite direction or push to move quite yet so we are just going to make our tiny 600 square feet work for now. I have wanted to bring in organic produce for a while now but could not make it work with the space we have available and meet the minimum required to order. But a new opportunity has presented itself that I am so ready to jump on. At the end of April, Sunshine Shoppe will be offering 10 lb. and 20 lb. boxes of organic fruits and/or veggies. I will be able to advertise what produce will be in the boxes a week in advance so there are no surprises. Customers can then order whatever size box they want by Saturday and pick up their organic produce on Wednesday any time during working hours. How cool is that! The planner in me just loves this because I will be able to plan my meals according to the veggies I know are coming in my box. Plus you can choose all fruit, all veggies, or 50/50. Another cool thing is that each farm that contributed to the box is listed and my supplier buys locally as much as possible.

The last big project I’ve been bouncing around is hosting my very first paleo workshop. Typing this paragraph is my first step into moving forward with this. I have lots and lots of people tell me they are interested in paleo but they just don’t know how to get started and they don’t want to read a book about it. I’ve created a paleo quick start packet for customers to pick up and read but I have found that people, myself included, do better when they can put their hands on the paleo products and see what a paleo meal looks and taste like. So this is what I’m thinking…I’ve got 5 spots available for my first workshop. We will make several paleo recipes together in my kitchen while I introduce paleo concepts, products, and helpful tips. I don’t have a date scheduled because I wanted to see if I had any feedback or preferences from those that are interested. I can even provide child care from our background checked, CPR certified nanny. If you have been considering paleo but don’t know where to start, or maybe you aren’t ready to actually do paleo but want some healthy meal options, or you know a friend or family member that would be interested, or you just want to hang out with me then contact me either through leaving a comment, facebook, or email (which you can find at www.thesunshineshoppe.com  ). I know I am still learning about paleo and probably always will but I know that God has provided me the resources and the passion to pass on what little bit I have figured out to others.

I made my first recipe-type meal since the arrival of our new littles. It was a HUGE hit despite the fact that it turned out nothing like the picture. We are starting to look at beach houses for our summer vacation and it put me in the mood for something tropical and Melissa Joulwan’s Bora Bora Fireballs definitely hit the target. I left out the jalapeno and cayenne pepper to make it more kid and husband friendly but you can make it as spicy as you like.

Bora Bora Fireballs

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups shredded coconut

½ tsp. plus ½ tsp. salt

1 can crushed pineapple, packed in own juice (I used fresh pineapple chopped very fine)

2 TBSP coconut aminos

1 ½ tsp. dried ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

¾ scallions, white and green, very thinly sliced (1/4 cup) (I used 1 shallot because that is what I had)

½ fresh jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced (I didn’t use)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 pounds ground pork

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the coconut. Toast, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. (It took mine longer…about 8 to 10) Remove from the heat and sprinkle with ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. cayenne pepper. Set aside to cool. (Do not taste unless you plan make extra because you will want to keep eating it while you are cooking. Love toasted coconut!)

Drain the can of pineapple in a sieve placed over a bowl to catch the juice. Save your juice for later. Press the pineapple pulp against the sieve with a wooden spoon to extract the excess moisture. Place 1 cup of the drained pineapple in a large mixing bowl.

To the pineapple, add ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cayenne, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, scallions, jalapeno, and eggs. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined. With your hands, crumble the pork into the bowl and knead until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Arrange the bowls of pineapple juice, spiced coconut, and season pork for easy access. Measure a level tablespoon of pork to make a meatball. Lightly douse it in the pineapple juice, then roll it in the coconut, pressing the coconut shreds into the meat by lightly rolling the ball between your palms. This is a rare case in which more isn’t better so don’t go cuckoo with the coconut (Melissa’s words, not mine). Line up the meatballs on the baking sheet, about ½ inch apart.

Slide the meatballs into the oven and back for 25-30 minutes, until sizzling and golden brown.

 

(NOTES: Our Bora Bora balls turned out more like Bora Bora patties but they still tasted lovely. Next time I will probably make the balls ahead and stick in the fridge for a bit and see if that helps them hold their shape. I would love for them to turn out all ball shaped and perfect because they would be great for packed lunches. )

Serve with Sunshine Sauce. We also had with our meatballs with sweet potato chips and guacamole.

Sunshine Sauce

Ingredients:

2 TBSP lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 TBSP coconut aminos

½ tsp powdered ginger

½ tsp rice vinegar

¼ cup Sunbutter

Dash ground cayenne pepper (I leave this out)

¼ cup coconut milk

Place all the ingredients except for the coconut milk in a food processor and whirl until well blended. Scrape down the sides of bowl and then add coconut milk. Process until well blended.

Enjoying this meal will have you dreaming of salty air, ocean waves, and sandy beaches. Man, I really need to get my toenails painted!