October Unprocessed: A Challenge

Lately I've been following the blog: 100 Days of Real Food. It's a family of {four} who have cut out all processed foods from their diet. Go ahead- react the same way as I did- "WHAT!? There's NO way!" That's what sparked me to {investigate} what they even eat if they don't eat processed foods and opened my eyes to the possibilities of eating clean, and liking it!

She posts recipes, tips, information about controversial products and her take on them. I've tried out a few recipes and have loved them so far! Stocking up "organic" in your home takes time, I wouldn't suggest going on a shopping frenzy to get all the ingredients- wait till you run out of something and instead of buying a generic brand... buy organic. That way it doesn't crunch your budget!

Organic food is more expensive than {processed} foods, but would you rather spend more in health bills and inconvinience yourself with doctor visits OR eat healthy and walk without getting winded at the age of 75?! I'll take the second option please. Re-routing life to no heart disease and obesity!

After I started reading all of her blog posts and reading the nutrition labels at our house, it made me sick how much sugar is actually in the American diet. Corn Syrup in just about everything from Ketchup & Mayo to our BREAD! Uhmm okay. GROSS!

I'm no expert on diet and nutrition however, so be sure to do the research for yourself & see what will work for your life. I was skeptical that {Baby Bella} would eat dark green veggies & my whole wheat muffins but unexpectidly she devoured them. Of course I don't give her raw spinach, it goes in an egg white omlet with Mushrooms, Red Peppers, and cheese. But she eats it! All of it!!

A little over a week ago I saw a post that 100 Days of Real Food had shared from another site, this time it was {Eating Rules}. They are hosting a Challenge: Not consuming processed foods for the whole month of October. A whole MONTH!? Hmm...

So of course I researched into his website: www.eatingrules.com and found even more information on healthy eating and cutting out processed foods! I decided to go ahead and {sign up} for the October Unprocessed challenge- and believe it or not I'm actually REALLY excited about it!! {I put a Woohoo! next to my name when I signed up... don't ask}

What actually inspired me to do this?! My family. I'm a mother of {one} hopefully more some day- and a {wife} to my amazing husband. I want to be on this earth for as long as I possibly can and riding snowcats till I'm 80. Eating what I eat now, I know I won't make it that long without problems. I feel good about myself when I know WHAT exactly I'm putting into my body. I have more energy and have developed a love for simplicity- No more than {five} ingredients on the label. My palate has changed in my little recipe test runs and I have found I no longer want soda && I don't even like it anymore. I don't want what everyone else eats because it's starting to cause medical problems.

Later on & with permission of course, I'll do a blog post about my sister Brielle. She was diagnosed with Chron's Disease at the age of 11- out of the blue with no family history attached- and had to take over {twelve} pills a day. My loving mother decided to overcome the medications and changed her diet to organic, no wheat, no dairy- aka S.C.D. The Specific Carb Diet. There's books written about it but it was a challenge. Today she is medication free and pain free {unless she fudges and eats something she's not supposed to}.

I have {two} days till the healthy eating 'officially' starts. Who's gonna join me!?

October Unprocessed Sign up! ;)

<3

I'm Baaaack!

After much personal debate about whether or not I should step back into the blogging world, here I am.

It's been over a year since my last blog post- terrible I know- but I realized how much I missed interacting with you all and sharing my little life with you. Much has changed in the past year, I'm now a married woman, Baby Bella is {2.5 years old}&& I adopted two pets. I am now part of a bigger family, with {four} new brothers and sisters, {five} amazing nieces, and {two}supportive parents.

My idea's & creativity have flourished more than ever in the past year and my small hobbie of {Bella 406} has evolved into a full fleged small business! WOOHOO! I've pinned over six-thousand pins on pinterest, taken countless new photos & have the knowledge to wire, insulate, sheetrock, tape, texture, prime, paint and lay wood flooring in a house. {Whoa} I've been a busy lady while I've been away. Life has turned my sails to a fresh new wind & I'm starting to pick up speed.

As many of you would like to hear from me on a daily basis, I've decided not to set my goal that high. You can, however, expect a couple blog posts a week from me including new pictures, products, and adventures. I hope you look forward to hearing from me more often than not & stay entertained by my crazy life experiences.

<3

Olive Oil Hair Treatment {A Tutorial}

We've all heard
{at some point}
of the benefits that
        Olive oil
has to offer.

Olive oil contains
       at least four antioxidents
which can neutralize
damaging free radicals,
{leading to skin aging
       & cancer}

It can be used as a
         lubricant for shaving,
lip balm, cuticle treatment,
          kitty groomer
& diet enhancement,
&& lastly,
     hair treatment.

With winter coming on
my hair gets terribly dried out.
& highlighting it doesn't help either
            :)

I decided that conditioners
leave my hair greasy,
& only last temporaritly.
I wanted a deeper treatment.

I....
1) coated my hair in
         Olive oil,
2) used a comb to brush it evenly,
3) twirled it into a ballerina bun,
4) completed chores around the house
& 5) 120 minutes later
            washed it all out.

I didn't get pictures of this process
since my hands got all oily,
but it's pretty self explainatory.

The end result?
My hair is super soft,
& the ends aren't so dried out.
         {It's even shinier}

Knowing I
        always have
olive oil in my cupboard
it's safe {for my hair} to say:
        Bring on Winter!
           
Although
I'd still love some
       sunshine

Fire-Woman

I went to pick
       Baby Bella up from daycare
& was informed that
they made a field trip to
                the fire department.

The young-in's
aka Baby Bellas class
      stayed in back
so they wouldn't get scared
        of the big equipment
   & men in fire suits.

Apparently
my little Baby Bella
was sooo excited
she was fighting the teacher
to get a closer look at the
     Firemen.

As always,
they got fire hats
& I think my baby girl
rocked hers the best
            :)

{She's gonna start more fires
      than she puts out... }

"THE" Playdate

I'm always talking to other moms
     about how
 we should get together
                 {soon}
& let the kiddo's have a
      playdate.

Of course,
being a busy Mom and all
it's hard to get together
      with everyone,
                all the time.

That's why I decided to host
ONE BIG PLAYDATE
                      at my house.

Yes,
I knew what I was
getting myself into.

& Yes,
I knew it would be
a huge mess.

However,

Keeping in mind all the kids
would have SO much fun together
& all the Moms can also
have a quality conversation

ruled out any and all uncertainty
I had about {hosting}
        a playdate of this magnitude.

Unfortunately...
there were cases of
      sickness. sleepiness.
             & calls from work
that kept about
       half of the mom's
who were invited
               from coming.

But among those Moms,
were {four} brave soles
that attempted
        & conquered
the feat of showing up
      & not just showing up...
but bringing absolutely delicious food
                     with them!

I understand how hard it is
to get your kid(s) out the door,
fully clothed, cleaned up,
& committed to getting in the car.

So I want to
thank all those Moms
               who made it.
&& for those of you who didn't,
let me fill you in.

We took pictures,
        played with toys,
ate,
    laughed,
          played with toys,
gossiped,
       played with more toys,
            laughed,
        shared stories,

&

laughed some more.

We also decided

this {large} playdate

needs to be arranged

once a month.

I believe I can speak for

all the Mom's who came

when I say...

We all grew from the

experience, gained friends
& attained reassurance that
   {we're not in this alone}

Playdate 
               =
                         Success.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

It tastes as good as it looks...

Just ask {four} wonderful Mom's
& myself.

I would suggest using
Mini Nilla Wafers
     to eat with this dip.
They were wonderful
& bite sized.
       {making me feel less guilty
                        if I ate more...}

INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 cup Butter
* 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
* 3/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
* 1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese
* 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
* 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

STEP ONE:
Melt the butter & sugar together in a small sauce pan.

This step can also be done in the microwave,
in 30 second sections of time
    {or else it will bubble over}

Stir constantly till mixed.

STEP TWO:
Add vanilla
& set mixture aside to cool.

STEP THREE:
Beat the cream cheese
& powdered sugar in a bowl
       for approx 1 minute.

STEP FOUR:
Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture
and mix again for
           another minute.

STEP FIVE:
Stir in Chocolate Chips
        {MMM....}

STEP SIX:
Pour into a serving bowl
          & refrigerate.

STEP SEVEN:
Garnish with chocolate chips
            or other goodies.

CAUTION:
This dip is highly addicting
& may cause you to
hide it from all other guests
defeating your inital purpose of
             making a yummy dip for your company.
                    :)

Late Night Motivation.

Running.
Running.
& more Running.

I love it,
don't get me wrong...

but my pants are getting tighter,

scale numbers increasing,

& I'm craving more food.

No seriously.

Statistics said
       {running could make you gain}

not lose

          weight..

They were right!

UGH.

This is such a personal battle

to look good

& to be physically fit.

So tonight

I needed a little motivation

        to keep a stricter diet

& push myself {THAT} much harder.

Pinterest, you saved me.

&& along with {retail therapy} at
                    Nike.com

I'm inspired...

to kick ass.

to get the body I've always wanted.

to eat healthy.

to earn every ounce of muscle.

to achieve my goal.

& finally...

to look and feel 

     how I've always dreamt.

The following images are

          just a little taste

of what I browsed through tonight...

                     <3

For my love of Fitness.

Motivation.

Determination.

Sweat.

Inspiration.

Desire.

Strength.

Do you have it?