fresh. start.

December 31, 2017 4 Comments

Wow… 2018 is upon us. Damn that went fast 😳

Personally, I’m excited to bid 2017 farewell. Looking back it has been a year of extremes. The one pattern that I see over and over is love and loss.

So much love.

Unconditional love. That warm fuzzy feeling of excitement of big things to come.

Love that makes you want to take the pain of others and have it yourself so that you no longer need to see suffering

So much loss.

Loss of loved ones, loss of dignity, loss of self.

Throughout much of ’17, I felt much like the guy at the carnival, sitting on the ledge about water while others threw balls at the target trying to knock him down into the water.

And 99% of the time, I ended up in the drink (see what I did there?). Soaking wet.

Whelp… tonight at midnight starts a new chapter. I’m not much on the word ‘resolution’. It seems so final. So formal.

I’m using the word ‘plan’

I’m heading straight into the storm of 2018 with a plan. A plan and a safety net. And a safety net for my safety net.

Ive read that Japanese have a word for fixing what’s broke. Kintsugi. They take what’s broken and fix it with gold so that it is even more beautiful. The ‘scars’ so to speak remind you of how strong and beautiful an item can be, regardless of it’s past.

Sometimes the scars that hurt the worst are the ones that can’t be seen.

<<<<<
nger have the handle, nor the gold, but I see beauty in my broken mug ☺️

There are so many that I'd like to thank. You know who you are and you know what you did. And you are amazing. And I am one blessed lady.

Legend has it that if you burn a bayberry candle on new years' eve, it will bring abundance in the year to come

it’s not too late to get a bayberry candle to burn tonight…. 😉

My words for 2018 are gratitude and grace. Gratitude for all that has brought me to where I am today, and grace for learning that even stars can fall.

I’ve come a long way.. but I still have a ways to go. I’m ready. I’m prepared. I’m loved. I’m learning to love myself.💜

I wish anyone reading this a very happy and healthy 2018.

I’ll see you further down up the road.

With grace and gratitude 💕

-shel

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creamy citrus-hemp dressing

January 12, 2016 Leave a Comment

happy new year, y’all!  How’s 2016 treating you so far? Any resolutions? Made? Broken? Accomplished? 

Here’s mine

1- find a way to take in the arts about once a month. This can be anything from a play, to a museum, to a concert 😉😉😉

2-read a book a month.  ( die hard may disagree, but I’m including listening to audio books as well.  I’m current,y listening to Carly Simon’s ‘boys in the trees’. It’s her memoir and she is narrating it.  I’ve always been a huge Carly fan, but I have to say, listening to this has made me borderline obsessed. ) 

3-bullseye every damn day <—  failing epically at this so far 

Those are the ones I can  tell you about 😁😁😁

Sooo… My cousin was chatting about hemp seeds this morning on her Facebook page.  I mentioned a dressing that I used to make using hemp seeds as the base.  I went to find it on the blog and couldn’t.  So.. I threw a couple of ingredients together.

creamy citrus-hemp dressing  

  

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/2 shallot, roughly diced

2 clementines, peeled (you could sub approximate amount of other citrus if the spirit moves you) 

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and pepper 

Place hemp seeds and citrus In high -powered blender ( those single serving ninja-type shake makers will work too ) 

Pulse a few times to blend. Slowly add olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

That’s it, folks! 

  

This is crazy delisious. At first you get the sweetness from the clementine, then the creaminess from the hempseeds and the tang from the shallot.  It marries perfectly with greens.  I used baby spinach 

  

This dressing is also super- healthy! It’s loaded with vitamin C, protein and omega-3 fatty acids ( helps prevent heart disease and reduce inflammation) annnnnd… Since it’s made with all plant-based ingredients, it’s cholesterol-free!  And no guilt! 

Keep working on those resolutions,friends 😘

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snack stick review and GIVEAWAY!

July 30, 2015 10 Comments

hiya friends…  How’s yer summer treating you ?   It’s no secret that summer is my least favorite time of the year. But sometimes a little something extra can help push me through. 

Like last week.

  I have a good friend named Amy, and she and her husband Brian raise grass-fed beef, free range chicken, lamb and heritage pigs, raised drug-free, GMO-free, in a fresh-air pasture raised system in a small town in Kansas.

She and her hubby were frustrated with trying to find healthy, nourishing snacks for their family, so they decided to make snack sticks with their heritage pigs! 

CCR snack sticks ( click for more information) 

She sent me some to try and see what I thought.  They come in 2 flavors so far, jalapeño and bbq… With more flavors to come! 

  

Oh. 

My.

Gosh! 

These are absolutely fantastic!  Like incredibly. 

They are made with few ingredients, all of which you can recognize. ( you can’t say that about too much these days) 

Jalapeño-

Pork

Sea salt

Evaporated cane juice 

Jalapeño peppers

Encapsulated citric acid

Celery juice

Black pepper 

Red pepper 

Dehydrated garlic 

Coriander

In beef collagen casing



BBQ-

Pork

Evaporated cane juice 

Brown sugar

Sea salt 

Encapsulated citric acid 

Celery juice 

Ground mustard

Dehydrated garlic

Coriander 

In beef collagen casing 



Each stick is only 90 calories and has 5 grams of protein, and very low carb! ( jalapeño has 3, bbq has 1)

Just look how tasty! 

  

Friends..I have some good news! Amy was kind enough to send me enough to share! 

5 lucky winners will get one of each flavor to try! 

  

There are three ways you can enter

1- like CCR brand on Facebook

2- share this post 

3- share CCR brand’s Facebook page with your friends 

You can enter all 3 ways, you just have to comment on this post or my Facebook page ( so that I’m sure I get you in the drawing 😉) 

This contest is open  to everyone. Family members included, just pass the word on about these amazing snacks! 

Winners will be chosen at 6 pm MST this Saturday, August 1.

If you can’t wait that long ( and I promise  you, you really don’t…  You can order them  directly from their website ..

CCR Brand

$17 for 12, $5.95 shipping 

$30 for 24, $5.95 shipping 

$100 for 96, $11.95 shipping 

Personally, I’m replenishing my stock this afternoon! 

Good luck! Spread the word! 

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basic beef stock 

April 30, 2015 1 Comment

hiya, friends!  How’s your Thursday going? 

Sooooo… Remember earlier this year when I told y’all about my jawbone up24

Yeahhhhh.  It’s disappeared. Like off the face of the Earth. 

And I’m obsessed. Completely obsessed with finding it. 

I know the day and the time that I lost it.  And since it was the day of the NCAA men’s’ hockey semi-final, I even know what I was wearing ( YAY PC!)

But I cannot find it. And it’s frustrating.  

Ugh. 

Anyhooooooooo….

After a very long conversation with my eldest son last night about the benefits of Bone broth , I’ve decided to share my basic beef broth recipe. 

It’s quite similar to my Chicken stock recipe, but there are a few more steps. 

Start by getting some beef bones from your butcher.  I usually ask for them and the cut them for me.  I get a mixture of marrow and knuckle.  And they are really  inexpensive! 

***( I usually have him cut my an inch thick marrow to give to my pup as well) 

basic beef broth 

2-3 pounds of assorted beef bones from your butcher 

( optional.. Tomato paste) 

1 large onion

1 large carrot

A few celery stalks 

Tomato 

Garlic cloves 

Handful of fresh parsley,,,  stems and leaves 

Bay leaf 

Healthy splash of Apple cider vinegar 

Preheat oven to 375

Place bones, a carrot,onion and celery on a baking sheet , toss with salt and pepper and of you desire, tomato paste 

  

Roast for an hour or two until the bones get some color..  Color equals flavor! 

Remove from oven and let cool completely. 

Add everything from the pan including drippings and anything you can scrape to a large Dutch oven 

Add a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar ( it helps extract the minerals from the bones) 

  

Add bay leaf, fat handful of parsley Chopped tomato, garlic cloves ( no need to peel) celery stalks and ice cold water to the top of the pan 

Bring to boil over medium heat, skim any foam and Reduce to simmer. 

And wait.  Like a long time .  I usually start mine early in the morning and let it cook allllll day long. 

At the end of the day, remove from heat, let cool and refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning, this will look pretty gross.  Don’t be discouraged.  It’s all part of the process 

 

All of the fat will have floated to the top and congealed. Gross. 

Using a slotted spoon, remove as much fat as possible ( a little bit is ok…. You will be straining it a second time.  Don’t stress) 

 

 Return to heat and once again…  Cook over low heat all day. 

Pour through strainer, into a bowl, this time discarding all bones and veggies 

Cool completely. 

 

  Finish by straining through a fine mesh strainer ( I strain it into a large Pyrex measuring cup because the pourer- thing makes life easy ) 

Pour into jars and enjoy ! ( it will also freeze beautifully for up to 6 months) 

  

It may seem like an awful lot of work, but the flavor that you develop is insanely good! Like great!   And these two jars are half of what I made.   I froze the other half. 

Let me know if you make this! 

Have you ever lost something and drove  yourself crazy trying to find it? 


**** bone marrow and dogs.   I’ve done a lot of research,  you can give a dog a fresh marrow bone, and trust me, he/ she will love you.   But the bone HAS to be raw.   Any sort of cooked bone dries out and can cause slivers and shards and hurt your pup. 

Some dogs may have GI issues if you have a bone woth a lot of marrow (  from what I’ve read) 

My pup seems to do ok with it. 

  

 My favorite little old lady 💞

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lightened-up cabbage rolls

April 18, 2015 1 Comment

happy Saturday, friends! 

When I was a little girl my very favorite meal was galumpkies. ( stuffed cabbage rolls) 

It was my go to meal for each and every birthday and special occasion. 

I remember my mom standing in the kitchen hand rolling each one and thinking how special it was that she was making them for me!

 I decided this week to try my hand at them, but I wanted to lighten-up the recipe.  I played around a little and was very pleased with the end result! 

  

12 cabbage leaves

1 pound ground turkey breast 

1 cup whole grain rice 

1 cup frozen spinach ( no need to defrost) 

1 egg

1 egg white 

1 onion, finely chopped ( divided) 

1/4 cup tomato paste 

Splash of red wine

1/2 cup chicken broth 

1 large can of whole tomatoes 

Sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme 

Start by gently pulling the leaves off of your cabbage.   Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add sea salt and gently add the leaves and let them cook until they soften a bit ( 5-7 min) 

Remove from water, let cool.   When cool enough to handle, slice a small upside down v down by the base and remove center ridge ( make for easier rolling ) 

Meanwhile. Mix turkey breast, cooked rice, spinach ( not drained) tomato paste and 1/2 of the chopped onion together.  Season with salt and pepper. 

  

Divide mixture into 12 portions. 

Working one at a time, add turkey mixture to base of cabbage leaf, and gently roll. 

In a baking dish, add tomatoes, the rest of the onion, the chicken stock and the wine. Stir. 

Remove about 1/2 cup of tomatoes and set aside 

Place cabbage rolls seam side down in the tomato sauce.  Once they are all wedged in the dish, top woth reserved tomatoes, salt, pepper and thyme and  rosemary sprig. 

  

Cover and bake at 350 until the center of the rolls registers 165 (35-40 minutes) 

  

Serve with cooking sauce and enjoy! 

If you happen to be counting weight watchers points, one roll with sauce is 3 points, 2 is 7 points.

 Enjoy! 

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photo- fitness challenge

May 5, 2014 4 Comments

Last week I mentioned that my friend, Jackie, over at As my camera sees itWas starting a 12- week fitness challenge… With a twist. In case you missed… Here are the basics.

Starting today ( May 5th…. Happy cinco de mayo, btw) you set a goal for yourself. It can be small, it can be large.

It can be many goals.

State your goal here or over here and each Monday you post a picture that has something, anything to do with you goal and/or workout.

Jackie is working on getting prizes to be awarded to participating folks throughout this entire challenge.

Truly, this is a win-win. I know many of you love to take photos, we all want to be in better shape, and to have a community in which we motivate each other? Well, that’s simply awesome.

You do not need to live in Denver to participate. This is open to anyone who wants to make themselves better in the year 2014.

So, come on! Join us! The more the merrier!

Ok.. My challenge.

I actually have a few. Some I’m not sharing ( like my starting weight and measurements, plus some other silly stuff ) until later, but I have them written out and already to post.

Here we go… No going back now.

3 weeks from tomorrow is mine and Scott’s 25th wedding anniversary.

In honor of that I am challenging myself to log 527 miles in workouts between now and August 12!

I will update each Monday, as well as throughout the week with that little ticker up in the right-hand corner!

I am also going to run/walk/jog a 5k during this time and finish in under 45 minutes.

To some this sounds easy, but keep in mind, 2 months ago I was in a knee brace after ACL/ miniscus surgery!

Here’s my first photo. It’s me. Last Friday. Taking a well -deserved break while biking in Cherry Creek State Park.

20140505-180331.jpg

me at Cherry Creek state park at beginning of challenge. 5/2/14

So please, come join us!

Join our Facebookpage.

Connect with all of us who are challenging ourselves to be even more awesome than we already are!

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