Who wants to win something from 2NTM?

Oh yeah you read that correctly!!!! We have a challenge for you all....... A recipe off!!!

Do you have the best kept secret recipe in the whole wide world? Well here is your chance to share and possibly win a spice box from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop!!!

ENTRY RULES

We will be accepting 4 submissions for each category!
Categories are as follows:
Breakfast
Snacks
Dinners
Desserts

Submissions must be made to 2naturallytwistedmoms@gmail.com no later then Sunday April 1st @ 5pm

Your submission must be a full recipe and include a picture ( no more than 2 pictures please)  and in the subject line please put "Recipe contest: category" the category depends on your recipe if your recipe is a dessert it should look as follows : Recipe contest: Desserts

Please include your name, phone #, mailing address and email address in your emailed submission so we can ensure the winners get their prizes!!! ( We will only be posting your recipe name, your first name and your city and state with your recipe) Also please include a small photo of yourself!!!


All recipes will be posted on Tuesday, April 3rd.

Judging

Judging will be up to you and how many people you get to leave a comment with your recipe title and name on your recipe's category. (So tell everyone you know to get their vote in!!! and make sure they like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/2NaturallyTwistedMoms ) Voting will last until Friday April 5th at 12 midnight. Final tally of votes will be done on Saturday April 6th and winners will be posted that day around 5 pm.
This contest is not scientific!!!!
Winners will receive their prizes with in 2-4 weeks of close of contest.

Prizes

The winner from each category will receive a Spice box tailored to each category from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop. There is no prize for 2nd, 3rd or 4th places in each category. The winner will have a small bio written about them by 2NTM when the winner is announced!!!

PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR SUBMISSIONS QUICK AND EASY AND KID FRIENDLY, BECAUSE AFTER ALL THAT IS WHO EATS OUR COOKING RIGHT?!

PLEASE HAVE FUN AND LETS KEEP IT CLEAN AND BE GOOD SPORTS!!!! 

HAPPY COOKING ALL, BUENO APPETITO!!!

Whew! Having fun is hard work!

Good morning and happy Tuesday! It has been a chaotic but fun weekend around here and I think we spent Monday recovering from all of the fun! LOL. Last week our handsome little man turned 3….3!! (I still can’t believe that he is already 3 years old!) Well, since he is a Cars fanatic we had a Cars themed birthday party for him on Saturday. He was ecstatic! As soon as DH hung his “Happy Birthday” banner he was running all around the house saying “My birfday is here! My birfday is here!” I think that it was a huge success, we had a house full of people, a kitchen full of amazing food and AJ had a smile from ear to ear the entire day! (Now we just have to get the Thank You notes done! LOL).

The outside of the invite

And it pops up! (I wish I could take the credit for thinking this up, but I found it on another website...and now I can't remember which site it was. Once I do I will give credit where it is due =D).

The birthday boy and his gift from Mom, Dad and Sissy!

Sissy was due for a new bike too and Aj needed someone to ride with!

Some of the party go'ers and the DH!

On Sunday we thought it would be fun to take the kiddos to Disney on Ice. So, the entire family made a trip to the Event Center to enjoy a magical evening together. (The hubby, kids, me, my mom, brother, aunt, uncle and 4 of our wonderful cousins all came together for the event.) After watching it, I have to say that it is worth the price of the ticket and the effort of packing in two kiddos. They both watched in awe the entire time and at the end they were able to high five all of the characters as they skated off the ice! J even enrolled in ice skating lessons after watching it, she has decided that she wants to be a Figure Skater and work for Disney when she grows up. I think that it will be interesting to watch her go from beginner to pro (and knowing her, it won’t take her very long to get there!)

Mickey and Minnie on the Ice

Well, that was our excitement for the weekend! I hope that everyone enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful weather; I know that we did and we won’t be spending very much time inside this week. =D

Susan

Just as random as I am!!!!

I hope you all had an AMAZING Weekend!!!! The Renaud Tribe did, and Im pretty darn sure so did the Amen Clan!!!!!

1st of all The Renaud Tribe has a new family member we'd like you all to Welcome....... Say Hello to Kaluha Belle Renaud  aka LuluBelle lol

Kaluha was rescued by one of our friends from a kill shelter in Georgia, She came over to meet the girls and Shae Shae LaRay Renaud Yesterday and Everyone was in love!!!! We believe she is a Shiba Inu and terrier of some sort and roughly between 1 and 2 yrs old!!!!  We are absolutely smitten with her!!!

While Kaluha and Shae and the Double A's played and got acquainted, DH and I played around in the garden and got some things accomplished. DH built the box for our raised bed as well as hung my plant hanger for me while I planted some radishes and tended to the already planted herbs and veggies and watermelon we have growing!!!

So that was our Productive Sunday after a small gathering with good friends at our house friday night!!! Thanks for visiting My random post and HAPPY MONDAY!!!!!!!!

Smokey Avocado Alfredo...Oh Yess I soooo just totally did go there!!!!

Ok, so, Me being Italian I love me some pasta ( not stereotyping Italians)!!!! I Love Love Love Love me some GARLIC!!!! ( and I mean Love, Sometimes I wonder how DH sleeps next to me seeing how I literally ALWAYS smell like Garlic and Olive Oil) And I am also apart of AA ( Avocado's Anonymous) Teeheehee!!!

So after picking up the DD's from school yesterday I came home to an order from my all time fave Organic Veggie and Fruit Delivery company, Tampa Bay Organics!! ( www.TampaBayOrganics.com) On Friday I got my menu order but, with my crazy schedule didn't get to look at it and see what was coming on Tuesday... Well I opened it up to a huge surprise!!!

Here is my "bill of lading" lol

 DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?!?!!?
3 HASS AVOCADOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm in Heaven!!! ( although I may need an intervention soon when it comes to these Green Oval shaped little gems!!!)

So, Here I am Planning tonight's meal and Gee what a surprise, I am craving......Drum roll Please......... Yep You guessed it, Garlic Pasta and Avocado's!!!! Hmmmmmm How am I gonna make that work seeing how both DD's Despise Avocado's ( only for the way they look)

So It came to me, If its a sauce they will never know......So my quest began for Avocado sauce!!!!
I had Rotini in the cupboard and I knew I had a quick fix Alfredo sauce as well.....And Well there is ALWAYS at least 5 Garlic bulbs in my house at all times!!! So I look and look, I scoured all the sites I know, Nothing fit my fancy for the taste I have Imagined in my head all day!!!

So I dug in the fridge and combined some ingredients and recipes and well this is the concoction I came to and lets just say DH and Both DD's Gobbled it up!!! It was even proclaimed by both DD's "this is the best sauce ever Mama!!!" With clear plates and enthusiasm and even asking for more I had to believe them!!!

So here is my concoction and Please Bare with me as I am not good at writing recipes, But I will try!!!

You will need your Grill and Stove top! Food processor, Pots, water and a large serving bowl

3 Hass avocado (medium ripeness)
4 large garlic cloves ( you can use less for a milder flavor)
Sea Salt to taste
Cracked Black pepper to taste
Olive oil
I box of your choice pasta ( I used  Rotini)
1.5 cups Alfredo sauce
juice of a lemon
zest of a lemon
1 Roma tomato
Steamed Broccoli


1. Boil your water for your pasta per package directions, cook pasta to Al Dente while you continue through the following steps
            1a. Steam your Broccoli while your pasta cooks

2. Cut your avocados in half stem to stern and remove the pits. Brush flesh side with olive oil and place flesh side down on a warm grill until you have a good char or grill marks.
Remove from the grill and cool  and and peel skin off of flesh

3. Add salt and pepper to taste, garlic cloves lemon juice  to food processor and puree to a sauce like consistency ( it will be slightly thicker than a sauce more like a paste.)

4. Prepare your Alfredo sauce.

5. Add Avocado Mixture to 1.5 cups prepared Alfredo sauce and mix together. warm on the stove top on medium low until slowly bubbling stirring occasionally

6. Drain your Al dente Pasta.

7 Combine Pasta, Broccoli and sauce in a large bowl and mix until all Pasta is Coated.

8. Garnish with Lemon zest , Parsley, Cilantro Or Basil

Voila!!!! A Yummy not so Original way to do Alfredo!!!

Buon Appettito From My Kitchen to yours!!!! :) 

Let your leftovers and trash boost your gardens productivity

Spring is in the air!!!!! If you are anything like me all you want to do is be outside. I typically cannot keep a plant alive!!! BUT, I have a new found LOVE........Gardening! Who woulda thunk it?! Well being an "all natural/ Organic" mom, I decided to compost to ensure our veggies are truly organic!! So We started our compost project just a few weeks ago Here are a few tips and tricks I have found useful!!!

Keep a Tupperware container on the counter (make sure you have a lid on it to ensure you don't have flies roaming around your kitchen) As you make your meals or do your daily house chores instead of throwing things away put them in your Tupperware, at the end of the day you can add them to your compost bin outdoors. I tend to do this after dinner when I go out to water my plants.

 In Florida it is hard to get your compost to break down instead of rotting, We use a few cups of Lime (Garden Lime) in our bin every few days or as needed. We also add a few cups of Organic soil we have purchased at the local garden store once a week.

Make sure you have a place to put your compost bin ( we used a Rubbermaid storage box and drilled holes all the way around on every side/top/bottom) where isn't easily accessible by rodents!

Also make sure you keep it in the garden, this ensures when you are ready to use your compost in your soil that you wont have to move it!!!

Here is a list Ive found of great things to boost your compost:
1.  Dryer lint
2.  “Dust bunnies”
3.  The insides of a vacuum bag (just empty the bag into the compost bin)
4.  The contents of your dustpan (just use discretion)
5.  Coffee grounds
6.  Coffee filters
7.  Tea bags/loose leaf tea
8.  Soy/rice/almond/etc milk
9.  Nut shells (but not walnut, which may be toxic to plants)
10.  Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won’t grow)
11.  Avocado pits (chop them up so they won’t sprout)
12.  Pickles
13.  Stale tortilla chips/potato chips
14.  Stale crackers
15.  Crumbs (bread or other baked goods)
16.  Old breakfast cereal
17.  Bran (wheat or oat, etc)
18.  Seaweed/nori/kelp
19.  Tofu/tempeh
20.  Frozen fruits and vegetables
22.  Egg shells
23.  Old, moldy “soy dairy” and other dairy substitutes
24.  Stale Halloween candy and old nutrition/protein bars
25.  Popcorn kernels (post-popping, the ones that didn’t make it)
26.  Old herbs and spices
27.  Oatmeal
28.  Peanut shells
29.  Booze (beer and wine)
30.  Wine corks
31.  Egg cartons (not Styrofoam)
32.  Toothpicks
33.  Q-tips (not the plastic ones)
34.  Bamboo Skewers
35.  Matches
36.  Sawdust
37.  Pencil shavings
38..  Fireplace ash (fully extinguished and cooled)
39. Paper towels 40.  Paper napkins
41.  Paper table cloths
42.  Paper plates (non wax- or plastic-coated)
43.  Crepe paper streamers
44.  Holiday wreaths
45.  Old potpourri
46.  Dried flowers
47.  Fresh flowers
48.  Dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves)
49.  Human hair (from a home haircut or saved from the barber shop)
50.  Toenail clippings
51.  Trimmings from an electric razor
52.  Toilet paper and paper towel rolls (shredded first)
53.  Newspaper 54.  Junk mail
55.  Old business cards (not the glossy ones)
56.  Old masking tape

So happy Composting Enjoy the fruits and veggies of your labors!!! 

 

~Opal 

Post Inspired by

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/80-items-you-can-compost.html?page=3

Ready...Set...Garden!

Spring is finally here! It’s not as warm in Colorado as it is in Florida, but I’ll take this weather over the snow any day! We are already planning our garden, and we can’t wait until we can go out back and pick some fresh fruits and veggies. If you live in a colder climate that still has the potential of freezing (like we do) then starting your plants indoors is usually advised. For most they need to be started indoors 4-6 weeks before they are ready to be transplanted. A trip to Home Depot is all you need to get started; they have everything that you could ever need. We picked out our seeds and our indoor mini greenhouse. These greenhouses are the most practical way to go; they are easy on your budget and easy to use. (And since I usually have two helpers on hand at all times it makes it a lot easier when the mess or potential mess is contained). For smaller plants, such as herbs you can use egg cartons and potting soil to plant them in. (We are planting our herbs in smaller containers so that we can keep them indoors or outdoors). Just make sure that you poke holes in the bottom for drainage. Planting your own herbs is the best way to save money and always have them on hand while cooking, or dry them for later. If you are fortunate enough to live where the danger of freezing has already passed then you can plant them directly into the ground, the seed packs usually has a guide for when to plant each one. (Each plant varies). Hope this helps and happy gardening!

Here are our seeds that we picked to plant

Left rows do not have any water added, center rows have just the water added and the right rows have water and the seeds added.

All done! Now we wait patiently for everything to sprout!

Susan

Here I am! but there i went....

Hey there peeps, my name in Bruce Amen and I am Susan Amen's husband.  I wanted to bring a male prospective to the blog and be apart of Susan and Opal's blog.  Also have a place to share my life experiences, advice or seek other point of views.  I am 27 years old, have 2 little kiddos( another due in June) and work in the oilfield as a welder/custom fabricator.  I work a lot of hours with, spend time with the family and have a couple side hobbies/businesses.  I am a shade tree graphic designer and also make stickers, sign and banners.  I have also been tattooing for about a year and am pondering whether or not to continue it.  I love technology but I am uneasy about our dependance on it.  I love my gadgets, social media and all new types of technology but so many people in this age sit at home on Facebook on a Friday night to hang out with friends instead of physically spending time with each other.  My caution is to make sure to balance social media, internet and other technology.

I enjoy the wonders that my wonderful wife makes for crafts, food and party creations!  Susan and Opal are very creative, hard working mommies.  I think I can speak for Chris when I say they are both very talented women who we adore! (Hints why we married them so no one else get have them!)

I only use my Facebook for sharing family and work stuff to let people get an insight in our busy lives.  If you would like to check it out here is my link....https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1030399782

Hope to be posting something fun soon!

Thanks Susan and Opal for including me in the blog!

GREEN....YELLOW....RED!!!! STOP!!!!!

My Hubby and I both agree on a very structured, routined, parenting style. Us both being raised in the south taught us a thing or two about respecting our parents, grandparents, etc. and the rules that they laid down, otherwise there would be consequences i.e. spankings, groundings, and so-on. We lead a very strict but formidable household. Our routines and schedules however we do not waiver from. From the Double A's routines in the morning or when they get home from school to the family dinner time as well as baths and bed time.  We expect certain things out of our children mainly to be kind and  respectful both at home, in public and at school, Do your best at all things and never give up. Just to name a few Important things we stress. That being said Here is our latest dilemma with our DD, Aysia, 7 years old, 1st grade :

We all have days where we are a little more chattier than usual and TRUST me those days are more frequent than Id like to admit for myself, I'm a talker and that's no surprise to anyone that knows me. Also its no surprise that my 7 year old Darling Daughter Aysia takes after me in that respect. However, It looks as if she has been exercising her jaw a bit much when it should be shut and her ears should be open ( after all God gave us 2 ears and only 1 mouth for a reason, correct?) Aysia has always been a friendly popular energetic little girl, which is a beautiful thing to see. However She never understood the concept of zipping it and listening and doing as she is told. (at least not for me).In Aysia's class they have a behavior card system Green if they are good, Yellow If they have been spoken to a few times and Red if they have had to be spoken to A LOT. This system has been carried over from last year in kindergarten as well. Last year Aysia only turned her card to yellow ONE time in the course of the year. Up until 4 weeks ago this year she had not turned her card at all. Well then it all changed........

Rewind 4 weeks, Hubby was away for training for the week for work, Aysia had been fin e Monday and Tuesday then had a rough weds apparently, As she climbed in the truck instead of saying Hello to me and Little A, She burst into tears stating she had to turn her card to yellow for talking during independent learning time. Seeing how distraught she was and not really having a punishment in line I simply stated that she would write me 10 sentences when she got home that said " I will not talk during class." and she would be grounded from TV and Bike riding for the day. However if it happened a Second time the punishments were going to be as follows:

2nd time - 20 sentences, 3 days no bike or TV
3rd time- 40 sentences, 7 days no bike or TV, possibility to earn back one privilege after 5 days
4th time- 50 sentences, 10 days no bike or TV and NO possibility to earn back privileges

Well wouldn't ya know the next week, We had another yellow card sent home so she received the 2nd time punishment.

Well then the 3rd week on weds she not only received a Yellow card, but also FORGED a green check and LIED to me about it ( which i sniffed out before we had even left school property in the car line) Needless to say she received the 3rd time punishment as well as a Pretty hefty spanking and talking to about lying and forging etc. I also sent a note to Big A's Teacher, as it looked like we had a pattern evolving and I was determined to break the pattern,  and we agreed that she would be re-arranging the class room as she felt the same, Although Big A was at fault for her actions and she would have to pay the consequences for said actions, Teacher believed Big A was being influenced on the lying/forging end by another student (this student Big A continuously blamed for her Yellows)

Well that was last week and here we are on Tuesday and Guess what my DD has come home with ?????????????????? Yup You guessed it a YELLOW For the 4TH week in a Row. Ive had it!!!!
So Hubs and I have communicated ( via text so she cannot hear the convo until he gets home and we can dish the punishment out together as a united front) But Poor Aysia is gonna be BORED for the next 14 Days. No Bike. No TV. Extra credit for school, and a ton of reading for March's reading log. and NO WAIVERING FROM THIS PUNISHMENT ( Caps so I tell myself that)

My Question to you: How would you handle this situation? What is your punishment style (i.e. spanking, grounding, etc)? Do you agree with our punishments? How would you break this pattern? Please Comment and feel free to leave your tips and tricks of the trade of child rearing

Hope you all have a wonderful week!!! Stay tuned for Susan's Gardening Post and My Composting tips :)

Thanks for Reading and I urge you all to be respectful and nice when posting your comments :)
Opal
Florida's half of 2NTM 

Hello from Colorado!!

Good evening from beautiful Colorado! It is finally getting warm here and we are definitely ready for summer! Welcome to Naturally Twisted Moms, I hope that you enjoy all (or at least most) of what we have to share. My name is Susan and I live with my hubby, Bruce, our two wonderful kiddos (Jasmine, 7 and Alex, 3) and our old man beagle. I am a SAHM of two wonderful kids that keep me on my toes and we are expecting our third here in a few short months. I am really excited to be a part of 2NTM and my hope is that we can benefit others with our information and hopefully save others time!

I am loud and sometimes a little out of control, I love with everything I have and try to be compassionate of others. I try to live by the golden rule and treat others as I would want to be treated although there are times that my emotions (and sometimes my hormones) get in the way of that. I think that Opal’s post pretty much covered it all, we are a lot alike and often share the same opinion. I look forward to sharing more and hope ya’ll enjoy!!

Susan

Hi from the Florida half of the Naturally Twisted Moms

Welcome to the Organic/All Natural Mommy Nut farm : D Teeheehee

I am just one half of the Naturally Twisted Moms :) 

We are Bi-Coastal Best Friends  (BCBF) who are both SAHM or WAHM .
 My name is Opal and I live in the Sunny Beautiful Beachy West Coast of Central Florida with My hubby, Chris, My two darling angel daughters (ok thats a stretch but I love them) Aysia (7) and Addyson (Addy,5) (I will refer to my girls as the Double A's although they lovingly deserve the title of a 6 gel cell car battery at times) and our Overzealous 13 yr old Jack Russell, Shae (who thinks she is still a Puppy). I am a native (31 yrs) Floridian. I am also your resident All Natural/Organic Foodie!!!

 You should know just a few things about me before you read ahead....Im Loud and obnoxious and Annoying, I know I know everything!!!! I am a drama queen and an overbearing B*%tch at times :) But, Im also Loving, passionate, caring, Whimsical at times and a Little Nutty  ( who am I kidding ALOT Nutty!!!) I overuse (!!!!!) Alot. My Opinions are just that, MY OPINIONS, If you agree Great, If not by all means leave me a comment and I will either adjust my opinions or we can agree to disagree, But please be nice :)

Susan and I decided to start this blog as a resource for time strained moms who love organic/all natural foods and alternatives for their family, but need to see it done in a time/cost effective method. We also will use this as an avenue to rant and rave normally :D

Stay Tuned for Susan's Intro Post :)  Coming Soon to 2NTM