This past weekend I gathered twelve of my closest girlfriends (my little women tribe) around my dinner table for a “Healthy Home Dinner Party”. I don’t know about all of you, but I am pretty sure I get invited to some kind of multi-level marketing party every other day. Don’t get me wrong I am all for helping out my friends make some extra money on the side, hello we live in CALIFORNIA, I just don’t have the time to go to all of them. But I want to support my friends that are working hard and promoting products that I truly believe in and use myself. If it’s anything to do with health, simplifying life, making life easier or helping others, I am all in.
Well that is how my Healthy Home idea was born and it was a way to have the perfect girls night in 
 I invited a few local ladies who’s businesses I truly support, to share their passions with my friends over a four course dinner. Cause everything is better with food and wine right?!
I invited my best friend Ginger with Crafted Gatherings @craftedgatherings to come over and do the fall tablescape for our dinner and once again she did a fabulous job! I feel like we could have had a wedding reception in my dining room. It was perfectly fall and welcoming, better than I could have ever imagined.
We started the evening with a little yoga in my garage lead by my beautiful friend Heidi that works at a local yoga studio in town. It was the perfect way to kick off the evening!
Then it was time to enjoy some food. I invited my friend Justine Campbell from @alowellness who is an R.D. and Holistic Nutritionists to help me prepare a four course healthy and delish dinner! It was so fun cooking with her in the kitchen and learning some fun new recipes. We paired each meal with a wine and everything tasted amazing.
As we sat around the table we played a few fun games to get to know each-other a little better, because it’s always fun to have prizes at a party! I found these two games on Pinterest.
In between courses we enjoyed a little very casual chat about oils from my friend Cynthia @kitchenblogger (go follow her on IG)Â and she was burning Young Living’s seasonal scent throughout the house the whole time and it made me want to curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee and just get cozy.
Lastly we heard from my friend and business partner Megan, @themegababe about Norwex cleaning supplies, if you haven’t heard about them you are missing out big time and they have changed my life!
We finished the evening talking around the table till 2am! It was truly a beautiful refreshing time of being still and chatting about all things LIFE and health. I couldn’t have pictured a more beautiful night and I am already planning our next Spring one!
Question: What is the last multi-level marketing party you went to?Â
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Another week of delicious meals!!
Just in case here is: Â week 1 and week 2
Monday
Rotini and Cheese
Tuesday
Crock Pot Apple Chicken Curry
Wednesday
Leftovers
Thursday
Friends over for a fun fall feast
Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon
Mashed Potatoes
Fall Salad (recipe to come soon)
Friday:
Date NIGHT!!!
Saturday:
Chicken Fingers
Alexis Sweet Potato Fries
Side Salad
Sunday
Leftovers
[print_this]Â Grocery List Week 3
Apple Chicken Curry
1 medium yellow onion
curry powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
small red potatoes
1 large tart cooking apple
golden raisins
sour cream or Greek yogurt
fresh cilantro
Rotini and Cheese
2 bacon slices
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Package of rotini
3/4 cup frozen green peas
Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon
(3 lb) boneless beef top sirloin steaks, 1/2 inch thick, trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 slices bacon, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
8 small red potatoes, cut into quarters
8 -10 mushrooms, sliced
20 -24 white pearl onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
2 1/2 cups Burgundy wine or 2 1/2 cups beef broth
Chicken Fingers with Spicy Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lower-sodium soy sauce
2 large eggs
3 cups whole-grain flake cereal (such as Kashi 7-Grain Flakes), finely crushed (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 pound chicken breast tenders Click to see savingsClick to see savings
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil[/print_this]
Update on The Great Thanksgiving Challenge!Â
So far we have spent $76.71 {Spreadsheet}
Remember our goal is  $150 on groceries from Nov. 1 through Thanksgiving Day!!Â
Were getting close!!! Going to try to only spend $50 this week, but doubt that will happen!!
Those of you who joined us how are you doing??Â
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Here are the rules:
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know theyâ€
ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
SOME random things about me:
“On this day in 1893: Colorado women are granted the right to vote.”
For a while now I have being thinking about doing a little quote about history on my blog now. I know that my blog is mostly about health, and exercise but it also is about things I love and experience. Seeing that I was a history major I find historical moments enlightening. So I think I shall post one on my blog each day. It will be my “thing”….
It’s time to step into her shoes….
I wore a lot of them last night, between school, kickboxing, and yoga! Last night was a long night, full of exercising and THAI food. I tried a Japa yoga at my new gym last night, it was wonderful. I have done lots of yoga practices, but I have only been doing yoga for about a year now so by all means I am a beginner. The class was dark which I like because it helps me relax more, the instructor was experienced and led the class well. It is a flow type of yoga, so you are not holding positions for too long. I think the main difference between other yoga’s that I have done and Japa is the breathing. You are constantly being told my the instructor to breath in certain ways. I know breathing is a focus in a lot of yoga classes, but this kind of breathing was different more intentional. Here is the best part, as you are in a position the instructor would come around the class and lead you in deeper. It was weird at first, not used to a stranger touching me, but it was very therapeutic, and got me where I needed to be. ,What’s your favorite yoga class? Has anyone ever tried Japa?
I am so glad that I went to yoga last night because after a 5am spin class, and 5:30 pm kickboxing, I WAS SORE! Yoga to me is a personal massage, and I knew my body would be thanking me for it. When I got done with yoga, hubby and I went out for Thai food, which is my favorite. No pics of dinner but it was fabulous as always. I had pineapple curry, and a glass of Pinot Noir. I finished it off with a little coconut ice cream, I figured I probably burned a million calories and needed the fuel 
This morning I skipped the run, because I could tell my body needed the rest. I plan on doing the run later this afternoon. This evening I am also going to a hot yoga class, which is my favorite kind of yoga. I love that you are warm so you can get into poses easier and deeper. There are a lot of people who hate the sweating part, but I love it! It feels like you are getting a workout out.
Breakfast this morning was no fun, I wasn’t in the mood to cook anything up so I just had plain old cereal. I mixed Kashi Almond and Flax with some peanut butter granola. On top I cut up half a banana and poured in some skim milk(which would have been better with hempmilk). Oh and I did throw in a scoop full of Zap Pb.
Battle of the Yogurts part III!
Yesterday I tried Stoneyfield Farms Organic Yogurt, black berry flavored. I liked that is was thicker then the last two, and the nutrition is pretty good as well. There are 140 calories, O fat of course, 7 grams of protein, but NO FIBER! The taste was nothing different then a lot of other yogurts I have had in the past. I like the fact that all the ingredients are natural and organic, but so are all the other yogurts I have been trying. Not sure what sets them apart??
To conclude this blog I wanted to talk a little about the The Great Thanksgiving Challenge. Our family is taking part in Kath’s challenge to spend less this month on groceries, to express thanks for the food we do eat as well as increase awareness of hunger in the world. Well I know Kath is donating 26% of what they do spend to Heifer International, which is wonderful, but I wanted to be a bit more personal. I have been to places across the world where I fed the poor, and helped the needy. I have also been to other states where I got to serve the homeless, and send food to shelters. But even more then that, I have been in my own home town, in my own backyard and have seen the hungry and such great poverty. This topic breaks my heart, as a country we are so blessed with more then we could even ask for and yet there are still people that live to the left and right of us that go without everyday. Hubby and I have decided to donate 25% of what we do spend this month to my brother. My brother has three kids, and works his butt off to raise them, and yet I know they are struggling. He is an amazing father, and wants so much for his family but at only 25 he is faced with a lot of challenges. I want nothing more then to give to him all that I can. I leave you with this, are there people in your life, in your own family that need your help? Have we ignored our own backyards to feed the hungry far away?
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