The best darn sweetner!

My favorite sweetener these days is Agave Nectar. I thought everyone had heard of it but apparently that is not the case, so I have to share it. A girlfriend was telling me that she saw her ND and he wants her to take her kids off of all dairy, wheat and sugar. They are suppose to be doing a cleanse and re-introducing things that are hard to digest after their system has had a break. Anyhoo, so she was really concerned how she was going to feed the kids plan soy milk, plain oats etc without any sugar. I mentioned Agave and she had never heard of it. She went out and got some that day and she loves it and the kids love it. My kids will eat it on crackers if they get a chance. It is a little like honey, but taste slightly lighter. You can put it in your lemonade, your oatmeal, you tea. The best part of agave is that it has a lower glycemic index than honey or sugar.
A little about glycemic index:
This is a relatively new concept which can be important from a metabolic standpoint, especially to diabetics, along with athletes and grossly overweight individuals. The index is an indicator as to how much your blood sugar increases in 2-3 hours after specific food consumption. Most if not all carbohydrates are normally metabolized into the simple carbohydrate glucose, which in the glycemic index concept is arbitrarily assigned a value of 100. As a result, the higher a glycemic index food number is, the faster it raises your blood sugar level. Foods or ingredients with glycemic index numbers close to or above 100 present some significant health issues to diabetics, and in general, sweeteners of all kinds should be avoided by diabetics. Nonetheless, for those diabetics who choose to consume certain amounts of carbohydrates, Agave Nectar, it should be noted has a lower glycemic index than honey. Agave Nectar was found to have a glycemic index of 32. In contrast, honey has a reported glycemic index of 58, due to its higher ratio of glucose to fructose, as compared to the ratio of glucose to fructose in Agave Nectar.
So, try the Agave, it is really tasty and you can put it in/on almost anything that you would use sugar or honey and it is a little bit better for you.

What's the cocktail of the week?

It's a Peach Martini. I love peaches. REALLY LOVE THEM! I keep trying to think of things to do with Apeach Vodka. My usual is a little boring it just Apeach and diet 7-up. So my favorite bartender, John, has taught me a new cocktail that I have made at home and it is easy. First you need Apeach Absolut, Peach Schnapps, Orange Juice and Grenadine. I have been doing slightly more vodka than schnapps and just a little bit (maybe a few tablespoons per martini glass) of OJ and then splash in the grenadine. Shake with ice and serve. This is pretty refreshing and so yummy. It is almost like a dessert. While this sounds like I am drinking all the time, not really, but at some point during the week I get together with my girlfriends and we do cocktail. My new goal is to try something new each week and share if it's good and can be made at home. Stay tuned for pomegranate margarita's made with pomegranate molasses.

Quinoa, O- How I Love Thee

I have recently found a love for quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) that I have been wanting to share with everyone. Quinoa is a grain, it is wheat free and gluten free (two things that I think are hard for me to digest), it is easy to prepare, can be eaten hot or cold, and is yummy no matter what you add to it. Additional it is low in calories and fat, has more protein than any other grain and is a complete protein grain providing all the essential amino acids in a balanced pattern. So what can one do with this super food? Almost anything, which is why I love it. Mostly I add mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and tomatoes then put a good amount of balsamic vinegar on it with a small amount of olive oil. My husband loves this as well and says it is super filling. I have a girlfriend who puts different dressing on it like pomegranate chipotle as well as the previously mentioned ingredients. This same girlfriend put feta, fresh spinach, olives and dates with it and sprinkled it with olive oil, also yummy! But I have also put a little milk and agave nectar on it for breakfast. My boys love it just plain and will just grab a container out of the fridge. The possibilities are endless. Here are some photos, if you try it you will be addicted too.

This is uncooked, I get the pre washed, no rinse type.

This is cooked and plain.

This is what we eat, the stuff that looks like tofu is mozzarella,

but tofu would be yummy too.

More Than A Mommy

I think that I am more than just a Mommy, even though I am so happy that I am a Mommy to three lovely children, but I actually do a lot more. Along with most people's usual roles, wife friend, daughter etc. I am also a full time student. I am crafty and I cook (actually baking is what I do best, but it is never healthy so I have to cut back on that) and a whole bunch of other things. When a girlfriend recommended I start blogging I just didn't get it. I barely have time to do all the things I want to in real life. When she got to the part where people will bind your blogs into books it was on. I thought that would be a great way to save memories of what my children are doing. I like to write in the blog but some of the things that I really want to write about are not always appropriate for a book about the kids and some of it is just information that is fun to share, so I decided a second blog was in order. This one will be more about the other side of being a mom, which includes hanging out with mom friends and cooking and miscellaneous other things that I thought did not need to be shared in a blog about the littles. So it begins.
Tonight I went out with my one of my girlfriends to a local restaurant/bar Sushi Hai in our o-so trendy hood. The restaurant is actually a super cool place with several levels and two huge bar areas and the bartender on tonight, John, was great. The drink special was so tasty that it is worth sharing. First muddle two lime wedges and add that to cherry vodka, lemonade, 7-up and club soda, it is super refreshing. I have been all about the flavored vodka lately. My current favorite is the Absolut Apeach, their website sucks so I am not including any type of link to it. Try it with just diet 7-Up and if you are a fan of peach you will love it. John also made a martini with the peach vodka and that was so awesome too, in addition to the vodka it had peach schnapps, grenadine and a splash of orange juice, it may be may new personal favorite. I am planning on making one of these two drinks for block party this weekend, let me know what you would like on a warm block party day?