Friday, 31 May 2013

Favorite Photos Friday



~ Happy Friday ~

I hope you have had a wonderful week so far.  I’ve decided to start sharing my favorite photos from my week every Friday.  I find there's so many beautiful moments throughout the day and I hope to capture some of them to share with you. 

What do you have planned for the weekend?


Meet "Bella" - Little Love's Wee One.  Little Love goes to a public Waldorf school.  Wee One's are delivered to the kids by their classroom gnome Dusty in her kindergarten class.  It's pretty special for the kids.  The get so excited when they hear that Dusty has brought a Wee One, they all quietly sit in a circle, anticipating who the Wee One is for.  They get to sew/make a blanket, pillow and mattress for their Wee One.  


Ah, Cherry Mint Lemonade ... so delicious on a hot day.


Little Love had her 1st swimming lesson.  She loved it and did so good.  It was so much fun getting to watch her and see the joy in her face.  I'm so proud of her. 


Big Love (aka Daddy) and Tiny Love.


My sweet Tiny Love, she's 4 1/2 months old now.


Grain-Free Lemon Raspberry Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling ... mmmm so good, but I need to play around with the recipe a bit more before sharing.  


My Little Love's beautiful watercolor art that she's been working on at school.


Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend.
Love and light ~ emily

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Cherry Mint Lemonade {Honey Sweetened}



Spring is here!!!  This means cherries are in season!  

This gorgeous pink Cherry Mint Lemonade was so much fun to make.  Little Love requested we make homemade lemonade, and I was craving cherries ... so of course we had to make some. 

Organic Cherries + Mint + Raw Local Honey + Organic Lemons = EPIC Lemonade    



I’m super excited to be guest posting today for The Spring Dish {PLANT POWER} blog series at With Food + Love

I was so honored when Sherrie at With Food + Love asked me to do a guest post for this awesome series.  Sherrie is a Board Certified Holistic Health Coach "specializing in helping women and families eat clean, cook well and feel good."  Her blog is filled with beautiful photography, delicious recipes and healthy living tips.    

For the entire month of May, With Food + Love is hosting The Spring Dish {PLANT POWER} blog series, featuring delicious, seasonally fresh, healthy, plant-based recipes brought to you by the fabulous women behind With Food + LoveIn the Kitchen, Keepin' It Real, Live Nourished, The Clever Carrot, GirlMakesFood, Tasty Yummies, and yours truly.  A special thanks to Sherrie for coming up with this wonderful idea and for hosting this blog series. xo

Please make sure to visit With Food + Love to check out Sherrie's awesome blog.  And while you're there, make sure to check out these fabulous recipes already posted: Spring Onion Farinata, {Chilled} Golden Beet Soup, {Warm} Watermelon Radish Salad, and Strawberry Mache Salad with Tamari Roasted Pepitas

So off you go ... ENJOY!  

Get the RECIPE HERE.





Little Love straining the Cherry Mint Simple Syrup






Get the RECIPE HERE.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simple Sugar and Gluten Free, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ Laura's Gluten Free Pantry, Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Simple Lives Thursday @ My Humble Kitchen, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, and Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes for Father's Day


Imagine the flavor of a root beer float.
The fizzy bite of the root beer, mixed with the creamy vanilla ice cream...
that's exactly what you get with these Root Beer Float Cupcakes,
and they are delicious!


The cupcakes are covered with a glaze that delivers intense root beer flavor
and the frosting is made with melted vanilla ice cream.
Yummy!!


Is your dad or husband a root beer fan?
Wrap up these cupcakes with some bottles of Dad's Root Beer and you have
a fabulous Father's Day gift idea!



Root Beer Float Cupcakes
Ingredients
Root Beer Cupcakes
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons root beer extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups root beer
Root Beer Glaze
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 cup root beer
  • 1 tablespoon root beer extract
  • 1 tablespoon oil
Vanilla Ice Cream Frosting
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup melted vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Root Beer Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
In a large bowl, beat the butter for one minute. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the root beer extract and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the root beer to the batter, ending with the flour mixture.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 with batter and bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Root Beer Glaze
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; mix until smooth.

Vanilla Ice Cream Frosting
In a large bowl, beat the butter for one minute. Add the melted ice cream and vanilla, mixing until well combined. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, mixing until smooth. Keep covered.
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Spread about a teaspoon of glaze on the top of each cooled cupcake.
Top with a swirl of frosting and a root beer barrel candy.


 Enjoy!
...and share a few with Dad. :)

I share my recipes and tutorials at these fun link parties.

Another Father's Day cupcake recipe...

Salted Caramel Buttercream with a Mustache
 

Sunday, 26 May 2013

Nettle Cinnamon Herbal Tea Infusion (Iron + Vitamin C Tea)



Herbal tea infusions are awesome.  They’re nourishing, hydrating (they count towards your daily water intake) and they’re loaded with readily available vitamins and minerals. 

I started making this iron-rich herbal tea infusion during my 3rdtrimester when I was pregnant with Tiny Love.  I was close to being anemic at that point and I wanted to boost my iron intake with herbs and food (instead of taking a iron supplement).  Luckily, this did the job.

The stars of this infusion:

Nettle + Rose Hips + Cinnamon

Nettle: Highly usable vitamin K, high in minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium, potassium and zinc.  Amazing herb, promotes kidney function, excellent for pregnancy (should be in a pregnant woman’s daily diet), helps prevent anemia and boosts milk supply in breastfeeding moms.

 Rose Hips: Very high in vitamin C.  Also contains vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc.  They have a wonderful sweet taste.

Cinnamon: Has medicinal properties, is known for it's warming effect and aids in digestion.  It adds a wonderful sweet and spicy flavor to teas.


Nettle Cinnamon Herbal Tea Infusion (Iron + Vitamin C Tea)

{Affiliate links included help support this blog}

Iron is best absorbed when combined with vitamin C, so the addition of rose hips is perfect for this tea. 

Equipment:Medium-Size Saucepan w/ Lid (or steeping teapot), Medium-Size Mixing Bowl, Airtight Glass Jar/Container w/ Lid, Fine Mesh Strainer

·      2 parts nettle (buy nettle here)
·      2 parts rose hips (buy rose hips here)
·      1 part cinnamon chips (buy cinnamon chips here)
·      4 cups filtered water
·      Ice (optional)
·      Raw honey or fresh fruit juice (optional)


1.    Combine all dried herbs in a medium-size mixing bowl, store herb mixture in airtight glass container.



2.   Boil water in medium-size saucepan or in a steeping teapot.  Remove from heat once boiling. 

3.   Add 4 tablespoons of herb mixture to water (1 tablespoon per 1 cup of water). COVER, this ensures that you receive all of the nutritional benefits from the herbs.

4.   Steep 30 minutes to 4 hours for maximum benefit.  The longer you steep, the stronger the flavor will be.  If you don’t care for a stronger flavor, reduce the steeping time to 30 minutes. 

5.    Strain tea. 

6.   Sweeten with small amount of honey or fresh fruit juice if desired.  If you want to retain some of the beneficial properties of raw honey or fresh juice, add after tea has cooled some.

7.   Store extra tea in the refrigerator up to a week. 

Enjoy iced or hot.


Dosage: Drink 1 to 4 cups daily. 

Storage:Store herbs in an airtight glass jar with lid for up to a year. 

Where to Buy Bulk Herbs & Spices: I buy all of my dried spices and herbs in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Disclaimer: ALL information you read on Recipes to Nourishis purely for informational and educational purposes only.  I love to share and share with love, but I am not a health care practitioner.  This information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.  If you have questions about food, diet, nutrition, natural remedies or holistic health, please do your own research and consult with your health care practitioner. 

This post is part of Wildcrafting Wednesday @ Mind Body and Sole, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free, Hearth & Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Allergy Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS, Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, and Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage.