Hey Gorgeous, Enjoy it all!

Want to move into the gorgeous life and have a little raw kale, butterflies fluttering on your head kind of fun? Of course you do!

Each Sunday I will be posting a new Hey Gorgeous tip that is simple and fun. I am a believer that what we put out we attract and I am looking for some simple and some fun. I want my tribe to feel sexy and gorgeous and inspired. I want you to pay-it-forward when you feel inspired by a tid-bit and create the ripple that the joy of loving yourself up, healthy style brings. Yes, that means we might have to share this with the guys (*wink* at the guys who are here already)!

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Those eggs white mixtures in the cartons and the people tossing out of perfectly healthy yolks just make me frown. But are those eggs healthy? If they come from a Farmer you trust they are. Your regular supermarket style egg is not where you want to look for nutrition and you can skip those eggs altogether.

It is all about the chicken gorgeous. A healthy, well fed, well loved chicken that roams around in the grass, with sunlight for the taking, lays the most beautiful orange colored yolks you can imagine. Think you know what eggs taste like? Not if you are eating the knock offs. Not only are those eggs not nutritionally sound because of what the chicken are eating, but those birds are given no sunlight, no love, no joy, no hope. That is what you are eating when you bite into your egg salad from suffering birds. Make a difference in this world, in your life, in an animal's life.

Eating eggs for nutrition means starting with the best source you can find. You will save money because you are getting more nutrition in one of those happy eggs than you ever will find in a carton of the sad ones. Being gorgeous means understanding our food, where it comes from, how it is raised and grown. Our gorgeous is part of this world's gorgeous.

Nutritionally, a healthy, happy egg, is a powerhouse. No need to worry about it raising your cholesterol for goodness sakes. High quality eggs are rich in vitamins A and D and choline. (All really amazing things for you!) When you scramble or fry them use coconut oil and give yourself a power packed, good-for-you fat content meal. The smell is incredible and put a little salsa and avocado on those scrambled eggs, wow!

Make a choice in your gorgeous and sparkling life. Eat the good ones, yolk and all.

Eggplant Fritters and Layered Salad

Having made these fritters a couple of times, they have become a favorite breakfast food of mine. Full of protein and easy to heat up and lay over a salad, this is a lovely start to the day. I have started to keep a nice round glass container full of a layered salad in the fridge. I take some help from the store with baby spinach, shredded cabbage and pea shoots. All the work involved was taking the things out of their packages and putting them in the bowl. When it's time for a little nourishment, I just grab a handful or two out of the container and onto the plate.

Sitting here in a snowstorm I'm thinking that brownies are in my future today, I will share the recipe with you this week. For now we have fritters to top all of your layered salads.

Here is your step by step starting with the roasted eggplant. The recipe makes about 22 fritters.

Dice one large eggplant and lay onto a baking sheet. Cover it generously with olive oil. Add half of an onion, diced and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool.

Give the eggplant a quick chop, this will be about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of eggplant.

Add eggplant to a mixing bowl with one beaten egg.

Add in 2 tablespoons of capers.

One cup of Romano cheese, grated, goes into the mix.

One cup of finely chopped kale leaves (about two kale leaves) and

gently mix it together adding in 2 cloves of garlic, chopped and 1 1/2 cups of almond meal (or flour).

Place generous tablespoon sized balls onto a greased piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Press down slightly on each ball. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool. Serve warm or room temperature. These are great topped with a yummy dressing and over salad.

More Cake

This is how to multi-task on your birthday. Whisk your cake, receive birthday calls and become part of a photo shoot. The joy of being two!

This is what coconut flour looks like, very white and fluffy, full of protein and hearty so it fills your belly. You use it in combination with many eggs, 6 in this recipe. I store it in a large jar in the fridge as recipes only call for 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

This is my favorite moment. Before the lasagna comes out of the oven, or the wine is opened. Before the messes start and the salad is dressed. That moment of knowing all the effort and thoughtfulness has deep meaning. That this moment will be inside of you as you wash the dishes and plan the next celebration.

This is the way we like to eat. Garden fresh cucumbers, collards and tomatoes mixed with olives and basil. This is the food we love to share and serve and look at. This is the salad the two year old won't eat yet, but loves to help mix and chop.

This is when you know, at the age of two, that something great is about to happen. That when you blow out each candle, as though you had been doing it your whole life (yes, the two years of it) you are now something new. You are special and loved and important, today and always.

This is the cake after the singing, after the candles, after the wish. Chloe says, "half of that cake was eaten by me." That is why we love homemade, this is why we spend days preparing for our celebrations. I haven't quite mastered this recipe, mine never has that light, airy appearance, but it's a tasty treat. It's the kind of food you can feel good about.

This is the day after the celebration, waking up without the excitement of presents and cake. Starting the day slowly, gently and getting back to the routine of every day. This is the day where presents are unwrapped and can be discovered and enjoyed. This is nice.

This Is How I Eat

As much as I love high quality healthy food, I don't always get to the Farmer's Market, or have time to prepare lavish meals. I eat simply. My kids eat simply. When food is fresh and whole, it doesn't need the attack from other outside sources. A little olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper go a long way to turning a food into a sensory explosion! I went to the store this morning, I was out of eggs (if you read my blog, my love affair with eggs is no secret, nor my desire to have my own chicken) and needed a few items for the next couple of days. It's 50/50 with me on the olive oil. I like to buy organic, sometimes I save the money and get the cheaper stuff. Today mangoes were on sale and ripe, I bought four of them and will transform them for dessert night tomorrow into mango pudding using soaked cashews and only 2 or 3 other ingredients. Tonight we are having falafel, the chick peas are soaking as I write this. Steamed artichokes with warm butter (or olive oil for me) with lemon and salt for dipping. Baba Ghannouj and sprouts are for my lunch with a couple of hard boiled eggs. And the kombucha is my treat!

This was Eli and Lucas' lunch the other day. Popcorn with coconut oil, raw cheddar cheese, pear and carrots. I put out big bowls and trays and they can help themselves as they get hungry. I keep it out until it empties which with little boys can take hours! Please note, I have 2 dishes to wash rather than multiple ones, no macaroni pots to scrub! I don't make them sit still at every meal. Eli just can't do it. He takes a bite and then needs to move. So I have breakfast and dinner as the still meals and lunch on the "go" for him. A friend and reader has requested kid friendly meal ideas, so watch the blog and the newsletter for more on how I feed the kiddos! (Thanks for the suggestion Lara!)

I have set a strong intention of feeling like the picture above with my children, rather than worrying about the house being clean (much more on that to come) or preparing a fancy meal or feeling guilty about anything. It is taking much focus, discipline and deep breaths. A mantra that is working for me is "My life is as it should be. I am full, focused and loved."

Real Mama Eats Eggs For Breakfast

Chloe and I have been taking pictures of ourselves together since she was little.

I was inspired by a post on a beautiful blog I read almost every day. She asked for a bit of a conversation to help with her situation of her daughter wanting some privacy and not wanting to be written about on her blog. I thought it was a good time for her to focus more on sharing herself. So I am taking my own advise a bit (not that my kids mind being blogged about for now) and I will try to add more of myself to the blog.

I have been feeling a bit selfish lately. Starting to have some real work time has filled me deeply inside. I love going to the office, meeting with my amazing clients and getting lots and lots accomplished. I struggle when I am home with the feelings of "things" never being over. I sweep, the floor is instantly dirty. I pick up the toys, they are all over the house again. I remove the toys and my kitchen drawers get ransacked and become creative play. I love all this as it means I have a busy and fun family but sometimes it exhausts me. My work on myself has been trying to find my calm amidst the chaos. More often than not I do.

I am curious as to why when I feel this way I define it as selfish?

In my work with my clients we figure out what needs to be focused on and then we set goals. I know that I need to include the kids in daily maintenance of the house. Part of that means that I must be more consistent with them. I crave more rituals in our house and daily life. I am looking for a rhythm we can all feel satisfied with.

This was Thanksgiving day and Eli had an arrow drawn on his head. (photo and arrow art work by Chloe)

One thing that is consistent in my life is my three eggs for breakfast or brunch over greens. I eat pastured eggs which means that the chicken have been out eating grass and bugs and that the nutritional content of the eggs is perfect. It is my dream to have my own chicken. These eggs over greens will not harm my cholesterol or make me fat. These eggs give me energy and protein to nurse my little guy, drive kids to school, cook meals, walk dogs, work, play...nourish!

Three Eggs Over Garlic and Ginger Greens

Cook eggs in olive or coconut oil until the whites are firm and the inside runny!

Greens of any kind, chopped 1/4 cup water 1 TB olive oil 1 clove minced garlic 1 TB minced ginger 2 t tamari soy 1 t honey pinch of cayenne fresh squeezed lemon

Add all of the ingredients into a pan and water saute until the greens are soft. Serve eggs over the top.