Making Strawberries Last

How many times have you gotten some beautiful, juicy strawberries only to find that they spoil the next day?  It's frustrating and I hate the wasted money and fruit!  I recently received 10 lbs of fresh Florida strawberries!  YUM!  My kids love these so much they ate a pint the first day!  While some will be frozen, others will be used for baking, I want majority to munch on.  And that means I need them to last more than a  couple of days! 
 

Don't these look absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS!

 I was given a little tip by the woman selling these so I thought I'd share my helpful little nugget of information.  The key to having strawberries (or any berry really) last longer is to kill the mold spores.   This is super easy.  All  you need is white vinegar and water!  I used 2 cups white vinegar with 6 cups water. (Half this if you have a smaller amount of berries)   I put the mixture in my salad spinner (but a colander in the sink works as well) and added in the berries! 

I let them soak about 5 minutes, giving them a swirl or two with my hand.  Once they've had a good soak, I rinsed them off and set them out to dry!  You want to make sure they dry completely before you put them away.  If you plan on using the same container you bought them in, make sure you wash and dry that as well.    Enjoy your berries!   

Squeaky clean and ready to EAT!

Vinegar Bath Solution for Berries

1 C vinegar

3 C cold water

Berries

Combine all in sink or salad spinner.  Let soak for 5 minutes, rinse and dry. 

Why I can't accept the Body Acceptance Movement

The Body Acceptance Movement - There are so many articles about accepting ones self the way you are.  But I can't help but feel that this is less of a positive body image movement and more of an unhealthy acceptance of our unhealthy bodies.  As an overweight mom of two, there are things I love and accept about my body.  It's an amazing thing really.  My legs have carried me miles and miles of walking, hiking, and running with my children.  My belly has carried two healthy, very beautiful little boys.  My arms have provided hundreds upon hundreds of hugs that they so desperately needed.  My breasts have nourished their tiny little bodies and provided them the best food I could offer.  My lips have kissed ouchies, tear stained faces, and sleepy eyes.  My words have whispered "I love you's"    My eyes have seen them grow from infants to little boys exploring the big wide world we live in.   My ears have heard them love themselves and others.  My body is beautiful. But unhealthy.  And yes, it's what you can see.

I see my body - my thighs are large - no thigh gap there!  My belly protruding more than it needs to be.  My derriere more rotund than I'd like.  My arms have angle wings that could fly to the heavens.  I look unhealthy because I AM unhealthy.  I have come far - that's true - and I'm grateful my body is working with me.  But I am still unhealthy.  I cannot blame people when they see me and think I'm unhealthy.  After all, I got myself into this mess.  (Hey, I can't blame it ALL on the hypothyroidism)   But looking at myself in the mirror is a daily reminder of how unhealthy I am and how unhealthy I don't want to be.  I believe that my healthy lifestyle change (in progress) has helped me avoid some much harsher ailments that others in my situation may be facing.

When a person is overweight, they face the possibilities of sleep apnea, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased chance of stroke or heart attack, Metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, abnormal blood fats, increased risk of cancer, gallstones, reproductive problems, obesity hyperventilation syndrome,  increased chance for early death, and possibly worst of all, passing this to their children.  Why is this a good thing?  Why are people accepting this? 

I don't get it.   Being overweight does not make you ugly.  It does not make you a bad person.  It does not define you.  Let me say that last one again.  Being overweight DOES NOT DEFINE YOU.  Everyone of us has value and is valuable to someone else.  So why are we accepting overweight, unhealthy bodies?  People say "well if I worry about my weight to much, what is that teaching my children?" More important, what are we teaching our children by accepting our overweight, unhealthy bodies? 

I'm 32.  I'm 5 ft tall.  And according to the doctors chart - obese.  I get winded easily.  I'm not as strong as I once was.  I can't keep up with my kids crazy fast energy.  I find myself embarrassed to the point of tears as I struggle through another day of P90X.  I hate eating out in public, I hate shopping and I hate gyms.  I hate my unhealthy relationship with food.  And I battle all of this every. single. day.  Why?  Two reasons.  First, I don't want my kids to go through what I'm going through.  I don't want them to be at risk for health issues or struggle to do daily activities.  I want to provide my kids with the gift of health.  And the second reason, I love myself. 

Yup.  I sure do.  Despite the mess I got myself into, I love myself.  I love myself enough to take care of myself. I love myself enough to make the necessary changes to take care of my one and only body.  I love myself, but no, I do not accept my unhealthy body.   Underweight or overweight, do just settle.  Don't just accept.  Love yourself!  And damnit - love yourself enough to take care of yourself!  To give yourself the gift of health!  Don't let yourself become comfortable with being unhealthy.  Love  yourself.  Love your family.  Don't give up.  You can always be a better you.

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks

Cuties Play Date!

Recently I was given the opportunity to host a cuties Play date!  My kids love these little clementines so I couldn't turn it down.  They set me up with a nice package for each child attending.  Pretty sweet set isn't it?  It was very cold the day we hosted the party so all the kids loved their hats!  It was the perfect going home gift!

 I also received some coupons for some Cuties - can't have a Cuties play date without some Cuties!  Turns out, when you are reviewing a product, you notice a few things. Like the fact that they are GMO free!  This made for one happy momma!  I've been purchasing Cuties for quite some time now and this is the first time  I have noticed this little gem! 

 The kids were so excited for these! I was happy to see so many kids happy over something healthy and delicious.  One of my favorite things is how easy these are to peel.  My 4 your old can grab one of these when he's hungry and peel it himself.   We even had the kids do a Cutie curl!  They had trouble at first but they eventually caught on!

Want to try your own hand at the cutie curl?  Head on over to The Cutie Curl and get yours in - while your there - don't forget to vote for the cutest cutie curl!  

Overall it was a great success - kids had fun, loved the gifts and at the end of the party - that 5 lb box of Cuties was GONE!  I think my favorite thing was watching the kids have so much fun while eating healthy.  In a day in age where kids are inclined to grab processed junk, it was nice to see them excited about eating healthy. Kids are our next generation and we have to keep them healthy.  And speaking of eating healthy, stay tuned later this week - I'll be making a few recipes  using Cuties!