My eco-friendly endeavors {with The Honest Company }

I grew up with mostly everything organic and eco-friendly. Why? Because ALL our food came from my grandma's garden, the meat, dairy and eggs all came from her animals - a couple of cows, where we got a lot of the dairy, chickens for meat and eggs, ducks, turkeys, pigs, sheep (best feta in the world anyone?) and even a goat that in the summers was my responsibility to care for. I remember those days with so much nostalgia and appreciation for all my grandparents' hard work. We knew that every Thursday we could go to the bus that came from my grandma's village to the city and that there would be a big bag filled with freshest foods for us. Grandma always made sure she also added some home-made treats for us, such us yummy jams, or freshly baked rolls. Most of time, the bread was still warm when we got our hands on it. There's even a story my parents like to tell of me being little and how after a whole summer spend in the country, when I came home in the fall, I kept crying and saying that I don't want pig bread (somehow in my 4 year old mind I though that store bought bread was meant for pigs, not humans). 

Fast forward many a few years, and I am here in the US, finding it a big challenge to provide such a healthy life-style for my own family. I don't remember my parents having to baby proof their cleaning supplies cabinet, because there was nothing dangerous about them. Today, I feel like everything around us is filled with chemicals and dangers for my family. I am not the paranoid type, but I have something to compare it to and I cannot accept the reality that everything will have chemicals and that there's nothing I can do.My eco-friendly upbringing is also the source for all the creative projects here on the blog - my mom made all my clothes, did all the home projects and I learned it all from my mom and grandma. I seek to bring the same sense of responsibility to my own family, including the home design. What says more conscious home decor than thrifting, recycling and reusing? -  all very important parts of my life and this blog!

So, when I came upon The Honest Company, I was really excited to explore their eco-friendly products.The video below gave me a pretty good idea what this company is all about. It's very short, so I recommend you watch it. Plus, it has Jessica Alba and her cute kids in it.




I love getting letters and stuff in the mail in general (probably goes back to those Thursday when we got a bag full of love from my grandma's), so when I got my package from The Honest Company, I literally squealed with joy!



The box was super cute and you all know that sometimes I like the packaging better than the actual contents. The box included a trial size Family Essentials bundle, which you can get when you sign up on the website.



I tried a few of the items, and it just made me smile: the healing lotion worked wonders on my baby's hands and mine. Colorado weather can really dry up skin really fast, and although I love my beautifully fragrant lotions I get at Christmas every year, I have to say this one actually did its job.

The Honest Company was started by a mom and a dad who, like many modern parents, were increasingly worried about products made with questionable chemical ingredients. But the alternatives they found were often expensive, inaccessible, bland, or ineffective. In response to this clear need for something better, they created The Honest Company to ensure that parents (or anyone for that matter!) could easily find natural and non-toxic eco-friendly products that are beautiful, effective, and affordable. From customized product bundles to diapers and wipes to an ever-expanding line of cleaning and personal care products, you can find everything you need at Honest.com and have it delivered directly to your front door.


Give it a try! Click here to become a member of The Honest Company community and start your free trial today.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Honest Company. The opinions and text are all mine. Find all disclosure information here.






Hugs,

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Menu Plan Monday - week 1

I have been trying to be more frugal about my grocery spending, and I have found that the only way to do that is to make a menu, grocery shop under budget, and stick to the menu. So, in the spirit of frugality, organization and accountability, I am starting a Menu Plan Monday, drawing inspiration from I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here is the commencement of week one!

Monday 

I didn't do any grocery shopping last week, as I wanted to use up everything I have in my fridge and freezer. Now my fridge is almost empty and I won't be grocery shopping till much later (going to the Museum of Nature and Science). I have one huge butternut squash, so I am trying something new I pinned on Pinterest.

Gluten Free Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa

                                            Source: cookincanuck.com via Iuliana on Pinterest

Tuesday


We have our Farmer's Market on Tuesday, so I'll be buying tons of veggies.

Zucchini and Chicken Rice Pilaf {Gluten Free}

Wednesday - 4th of July

We'll be having barbecue with the family in the evening, but during the day, I'll make a few pinterest inspired goodies.

                                      Source: bedifferentactnormal.com via Iuliana on Pinterest

                              Source: kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com via Iuliana on Pinterest

Thursday

Crock-pot Santa Fe Chicken

                                     Source: chef-n-training.blogspot.com via Iuliana on Pinterest

Friday

Moldovan Stuffed Peppers

Saturday


Leftovers and a salad

Sunday

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

                                         Source: mamalovesfood.com via Iuliana on Pinterest

Wish me luck! I will let you know before the next Menu Plan Monday how my first week went. I will be linking up to Menu Plan Monday over at orgjunkie.com

Hugs,

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How to make Stuffed Peppers {Recipe and Tutorial}

Ladies and gentlemen...I give you my favorite meal ever - stuffed peppers!!! Growing up, as soon as we spotted some bell peppers in the garden, this is the meal we'd make. 

They are packed with veggies, rice, and meat.

Recipe passed down from my great-grandma to my grandmother to my mother, to me....and now to you.

Vegetable, rice and meat stuffed peppers

Difficulty: medium

Cooking time: 120 min

Prep time: 30 min

ingredients

Onions	2 pieces	you can also use leeks, or both
Carrots	2 pieces
Oil	3 tbsp	I use Sunflower Seed oil in all my cooking
Rice	1 1/2 cups	Not Minute Rice
Ground meat	1 lbs	I use mixed ground pork and ground beef
Bell Peppers	1 lbs	I used gypsy peppers, which are the closest to the ones I've had growing up
Fresh Tomatoes	2 pounds	To be used for the stuffing and the sauce the peppers will cook in. You can also use chopped canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Fresh dill	1 bunch
Dried Savory	0.5 tsp	I didn't use it, but my mother always did
Salt	1 tsp
Black Pepper	0.5 tsp

step by step

1
Peel, wash and chop the onions. Peel, wash and grate the carrots. Wash and remove the core and seeds of one of the peppers. Finely dice the pepper.
2 Wash the tomatoes. Cut them in half, and then remove the core. I usually cut the core in the shape of a 'V' so I don't waste too much of the tomato.
3 Put the tomatoes in the food processor in batches, to make a chunky juice.
4 Saute the onions, carrots and peppers until tender. Add some of the fresh tomato sauce and let it simmer for 5 minutes on medium to low heat.
5 In a different pan, brown the meat. Add the spices now. Keep breaking it up as to not create big chunks. Drain the fat at the end.
6 Put the cooked meat in a large bowl. Set aside. The biggest I had was this aluminum looking one and so you can see an upside down distorted reflection of me taking the picture :)
7 Add your tomato, onion, carrot, and pepper mixture on top. Add the uncooked rice and the chopped dill. Mix well. Make sure it's salted enough, as the rice will soak up a lot of the flavors. Since the meat is already cooked, I just try a little bit of this mixture, just to taste for salt, and then spit it out, since the rice is uncooked. Add more spices if needed.
8 Now let's prepare the peppers. Wash them, and then carefully remove the core, and seeds with a small knife. The smaller the hole, the better.
9 Now to the fun part - stuffing the peppers. Use a tea spoon and add the rice mixture. Make sure you  pack it in well, because when you boil the peppers, some of the stuffing will come out. Place them neatly in a large tall pot. Make sure they are standing up straight. Don't they look cute, all lined up like little soldiers? Make sure they are snug in there. If your pot is tall enough, you can lay some more on top, like so:
10 Pour your tomato juice on top. If it doesn't cover the peppers, add some water. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and let them simmer for an hour on low heat.
11 After they've cut, let them cool off for a bit. Serve warm with sour cream. Bon appetit! But wait....there's more! I always have extra stuffing, so I just put it in a ziploc back and freeze it. It's perfect for a risotto. Just defrost and simmer in a pot. Add more cooked veggies or just as is. Hugs,

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What to buy from the Farmer's Market

I went to the farmer's market in the morning. One hour and a fresh lemonade later, 

this is what I came home with:

Tomatoes, peppers, yellow beans, beaches, cucumbers. Ah...heaven!

 I bought the gypsy peppers and lots of tomatoes to make my most favorite meal - Stuffed peppers.

Would you like the recipe?

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How to make home-made bread {Recipe and tutorial}

Rustic/Moldovan Bread

This is a recipe for Moldovan bread that my mother and grand-mother used to make. It is a mix between rustic Italian and sour dough bread. It does take some time, but the results are amazing! I got this recipe from my grandmother, who used to make it in a wood oven, and enough for a couple of weeks for a large family. I had to to tweak the recipe to work for two loafs in a regular oven. You can add different kinds of flour, but for this recipe I used organic unbleached white flour. I also use sun-flower seed oil in all my recipes, but you can certainly use vegetable/canola oil.

Ingredients:

Warm Water	2 cups
Active Dry yeast	2 tbsp
Sugar	1 tbsp
Sun-flower seed oil	4 tbsp
Salt	1 tsp
Flour	5 cups

Step by step tutorial

1. In a large bowl mix the

 warm water, sugar, the yeast, 

and a cup of flour. 

Mix it with a spoon until smooth.

2. Leave it for about 15 minutes, so that the yeast starts doing its magic. It should start to bubble up.

3. Add the oil, salt and mix it well. 

Start adding flour little by little and mix it gently and it is all incorporated and it comes together.

4. Sprinkle some flour on a flat surface, take out the dough and start kneading until all the stickiness is gone. I usually do it for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

5. Place back in a large bowl. Make sure you rub in some oil (or butter) on the sides of the bowl to prevent the dough from sticking. Cover  it with some cling wrap and let it sit 30 to 40 min, until the dough has risen to almost double its size or to fill the bowl.

6. Knead the dough again, as it is super fluffy and let it rest for 15 minutes. Now to the fun part!

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape each third into a rope. Braid the dough making sure to tuck the ends under. 

7. Place the braid in a greased bread loaf pan and let it rise for another 15 min to fill the whole pan. 

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 C / 390 F for about 20 mins until the crust turns golden brown.

8. Remove from the oven and the pans, rub a little bit of oil all over your bread loafs, let cool for 15 minutes and Voila! - you've got some home-made, from scratch rustic bread.

~ Iuliana

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