27 September 2016

CLOSED A Halloween GIVEAWAY With Sneek-a-Boos & The Shamba Foundation

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Meet Boo the bat. Boo is a mischievous little creature who pops up around the home bringing "tricks" or "treats" to your kids during the Halloween season. I'm always happy to embrace a new family tradition and this little sneak-a-boo is a perfect way to engage my children during the autumn months. Boo arrives in a whimsical vintage styled cottage; complete with his story on the back. Boo is made of soft plush material and totes bendable wire ears and wings for adorable positioning. Velcro on the edges of the wings, and small hooks on the feet allow Boo to do what bats do best… hang upside down! In fact, our Boo prefers to sleep right next to Jessica's bed, upside down of course!

Our family has been focusing on the concept of less is more and simplifying as much as possible. When we simplify, life is less complicated and cluttered. With Jessica's birthday around the corner I am reminded that we don't need more cheap, plastic trinkets to fill the house, but rather a few meaningful toys that are well appreciated and, preferably, give back in some way.

Sneek-a-Boos happen to give back to an incredible foundation; The SHAMBA Foundation. The SHAMBA Foundation was humbly started by Steven Kyalo, a member of the Akamba tribe in Kenya. Twenty years ago he single handedly began his quest to help homeless children. As he explains “I was touched by seeing orphaned kids in the slums of Nairobi begging for something to eat.” So I thought , “Let me take these children to my house so I would be able to stay with them and feed them.” This was the beginning of Steven’s one man orphanage.

After some time The SHAMBA foundation developed into a 501©3 non-profit which allowed Steven the ability to obtain the much needed funding to run his orphanage. With every purchase of a Sneek-a-Boo product, a donation will be made to this foundation. So in addition to creating lasting memories, lots of laughter and giggles, a few tricks and treats you are also helping children in need; a concept I can back 100%!

Now for the GIVEAWAY! Sneek-a-Boos would like to offer one Yellow Finch reader their very own little Boo to start a new Halloween tradition! To enter simply follow Yellow Finch on Instagram and leave a comment below OR on either of my Instgram accounts (@elizabethmjacob and @kickncrohns). That's it!

You can read more about the Sneek-a-Boos company and founder, Mindy Haering, over on their website, twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.
Head to Amazon to purchase your Boo.
For more info about The SHAMBA Foundation click here.

21 September 2016

How To Make Kale Powder

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"I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you."
Joyce Meyer


I have a serious love for kale. It manages to make its way into our meals on a weekly basis and I always incorporate it into breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whether it's in the form of a smoothie, kale chips, roasted kale, sautéed kale or a kale frittata, my family can guarantee kale is on the menu.

My friend recently gave me a jar of her homemade kale powder and I can't get enough of it! I've been adding it to our morning smoothies, sprinkling it over salads and casseroles, tossing it into eggs, and well, just about anything and everything. For the most part, this powder is tasteless and can easily be added to any dish to give you a healthy boost of vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin C. Kale is also a good source of vitamin B6, folate,thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E and several dietary minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. In other words, it's superfood that you should incorporate into your diet!

KALE POWDER
yield: depends on how much kale you use

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 bunches of fresh kale (it can be Curly, Lacinato, or Red Russian)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Thoroughly wash the kale and press between two clean towels to dry.
2. Remove any thick stems.
3. Lay out the kale on large cookie sheets if using an oven or line them on the tray of your dehydrator.
4. Dehydrate at around 120 degrees until crisp. I use the oven but you can just as easily use a dehydrating machine.
5. Once kale is dehydrated, place the leaves in a Vitamix or Ninja (you can use a blender or food processor as well) and pulse until desired texture. Try to get it to a powder consistency; this could take a few minutes.
6. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Fun fact:
Until the end of the Middle Ages, kale was one of the most common green vegetables in Europe. During World War II, the cultivation of kale in the U.K. was encouraged by the Dig for Victory campaign. The vegetable was easy to grow and provided important nutrients to supplement those missing from a normal diet because of rationing.
*source: Wikipedia.com

12 September 2016

Friday Harbor Summer of 2015

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“Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the Romance of the unusual.”
Ernest Hemingway

I seek enchantment through travel.
I find purpose in simple moments spent with loved ones.
I turn to nature for tranquility and peace.
My mind is full and my heart is filled with the unusual.
I see new ideas all around me.
I am bountiful with life.

These photos may be from last summer, but they are special memories and collected treasures that I wanted to share. I'm finally getting around to editing our vacation photos from this summer and thought I should share last summers first.

Click the link below to see our travels to San Juan Island last summer.

09 September 2016

A Berry Blast Breakfast Smoothie with EarthFare

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I'm slowly getting back into the routine of blogging and I'm excited to take this little space of mine in new directions. As you all know, food plays a large role in our life and I credit much of Jonas' health to clean eating and the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) diet. Since so much of our time and day revolves around food, it only makes sense that I start sharing our meals here on my website.

In addition to those exciting changes, I'm thrilled to announce that I'm guest writing over on EarthFare's website and blog, The Vine, a couple times a month. You can check out my most recent post here.

Here's a recipe I shared over on EarthFare a couple weeks ago. Smoothies are our go-to breakfast food because they are simple to make, can be taken on the road when in a hurry and they are packed full of nutrients to fuel and heal the body.

Berry Blast Smoothie Bowl
Yield: 1 serving

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium banana
1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup frozen cranberries
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp. flax seeds
1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp. coconut butter
1 tbsp. cashew butter
1 scoop powder collagen, optional

TOPPINGS:
1 tbsp. cacoa seeds
1 tsp. chia seeds
2 tsp. goji berries
1 tbsp coconut flakes

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mix all ingredients, except toppings, in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle toppings generously over the smoothie.
3. Enjoy!

**Omit the following ingredients to make SCD legal: flax seeds, use homemade almond milk or organic apple juice, cacao seeds, chia seeds and goji berries. Add desired SCD legal toppings and enjoy.

02 September 2016

A Day in Photographs

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Josh
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A little glimpse into our day through the eyes of my camera.

1. A growing, now healthy, puppy.
2. Working on name recognition.
3. Asking for treats. Piper, not Jess.
4. Simple space around my desk.
5. Reading in the sunshine.
6. Jumping on a newly made bed. Also, I really need to get some artwork for the bedroom. Suggestions??
7. Building up the confidence to ride down the driveway.
8. My little biker.
9. This expression! She was so worried she was going to run into me, haha.
10. Watering day.
11. My cactus; the only indoor plant I can manage to keep alive.
12. Lazy nights, a sick plant and the Rubik cube.
13. A sleepy puppy with a big belly.
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