love the little ones

here is an organization i am interested in learning more about {love the little ones}.  love the little ones is a 501c3 non-profit organization who provide birthday parties for kids who have been abandoned by their family.  they are based out of concord, nc.   gotta yoga is hosting a holiday fundraiser for love the little ones on november 30th from 6-9p. this will be a fun night that includes candlelight slow flow yoga and an auction.  then wine, chocolate and connecting with amazing people.  for more on this event and this great organization, please visit their facebook page www.facebook.com/gottayogauniversity or www.gottayogastudio.com or www.lovethelittleones.org.

Teal Masquerade

Teal Masquerade Halloween Party & Charity Event

The Blake Hotel │ 555 S. McDowell St. │ Charlotte │ 28204

October 26th │9pm until 2 am

Open to the public

 

 

This Halloween, a Local Non-Profit is Unmasking a Killer

 

Join Teal Diva at The Blake Hotel on Friday, October 26th from 9pm until 2am for a Teal Masquerade Halloween party for charity. We are exposing a killer among women. It’s a party you won’t want to miss. We will be accepting donations at the door and throughout the night.

 

Teal Diva is a Charlotte based 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate the life of survivors and the sisters we have lost to gynecologic cancers. Breast Cancer Awareness month is a great time to remind everyone to be aware of the symptoms of all women’s cancers. If there is a family history of breast cancer, there can be a higher risk for developing ovarian cancer. There is currently not an accurate screening test in place for ovarian cancer. If caught in an early stage, the cure rate increases by 90%. Sadly, the symptoms are often ‘masked’ by what, we as women, face on a monthly basis making it hard to detect and has given it the nickname, Silent Killer. The primary beneficiary of our fundraising efforts goes towards research in finding an accurate screening test much like what the Pap smear provides for cervical cancer.

 

We chose the theme of a Masquerade because let’s face it; no one likes to talk about ovaries…not in public, anyway. Unlike the breasts, they are not visible; they can be a personal and/or embarrassing topic. We thought an event like a Masquerade would create a fun atmosphere to get people talking about ovaries and create an opportunity to learn the symptoms associated with the disease.

 

No one likes to face the reality that it could happen to you. Until a screening test is in place for ovarian cancer, it is up to all of us to know the symptoms and ask questions. Because the reality is: it could happen to your mother, your grandmother, your sister, your aunt, your wife, your daughter, your neighbor, your friend or it could happen to you! It’s time to break the silence.

 

Facts about Ovarian Cancer

• 1 in 71 women will develop ovarian cancer in her lifetime
• 22,000 new cases diagnosed each year
• 15,500 women will die each year, 1 in 95 women will die from ovarian cancer
• 9th most common cancer
• 5th cause of cancer-related death in women
• 1st cause of gynecologic cancer deaths
• 93% of women diagnosed in early stages survive five years; fewer than 20% of cases are diagnosed early

 

Costumes are welcome and a prize will be given to the best masquerade mask. There will also be a 50/50 Raffle. We look forward to seeing everyone dressed up.

 

a healthy alternative

jj eats sandwiches just about every day.  so when we decided to switch up our food to include more organic foods, we needed to plan for his lunches.  there just so happens to be a new neighborhood produce place that we love {noda produce market}.  we bought homemade bread from them and they even sliced it for us. we then bought a turkey breast and seasoned it with a dry rub.  we fired up our green egg, through in a few apple chips and smoked it for a few hours.

while the turkey was smoking, we made a batch of mayonaise.  although, this recipe needs some tweaking...it is not perfected quite yet.  lucky jj got to go back to using duke's for the rest of the week.

here is our turkey all sliced and ready for sandwiches.

look at these yummy sandwiches!!

yard sale treasures

my friend, sharon who is also a cancer survivor, has a non-profit {fighting cancer inc} who gives a bag of goodies {sunshine box project} to first time chemo patients.  i remember that day as being one of the scariest days of my life.  and i remember walking off of the elevator seeing sharon & illeana waiting to deliver a sunshine box to me.  i felt so special and cried.  such a simple thing brought me so much comfort.  i have since become friends with sharon.  the primary fundraiser for fighting cancer inc is an annual yard sale.  the yard sale was this past weekend.  i signed up to help with my neice.  as we were organizing tables, i kept seeing wonderufl things and thinking of ways i could use all of them.  here are photos of a few things i picked up. 

i can not wait to unleash my creativity on this chair.

this caught my eye the moment it was set out.  i loved it.  to me, it was so eye catching.  when we were about to leave, it was still there, so i added it to my collection.  i have no idea what i am going to do with it, but i had to have it.

this pitcher was so beautiful.  i added it to my collection.  i really love antiques and this was a perfect day for me to add to my collection and support a great cause.

to learn more about fighting cancer inc and the sunshine project, visit www.fightingcancerinc.org.

meatballs and spaghetti squash

not so sure this photo really does this meal justice.  this was really a delicious meal and our 1st time {ever} trying anything like this.  we have now been introduced to meatballs & spaghetti squash.  i think we were both a little nervous to try it, but it turned out so delish.

basically take a large bowl & add 1 lb beef, pork or ground turkey {we chose beef} or i think you can do a combo of all three.  in addition, chop 1/2 an onion, 8 oz white mushrooms chopped, an egg, oregano, basil and mix together.  then form into 16 balls and place on baking sheet.  bake at 360 for 25 minutes.  while that is cooking, slice mushrooms and saute with olive oil.  when the meatballs are done, add them to your sauce.  then add 1/4 cup red wine and thyme, salt and pepper.  take your spaghetti squash, cut it in half and seed it.  cook rind side up in the microwave for 6-8 minutes.  add your meatballs, sauce and mushrooms to the spaghetti squash.  as you eat the spaghetti squash, it will be stringy.  this is a really filling meal.

Oh my goodness, we were so very happy with the way this turned out.

if you interested in the exact recipe, message me and i will send it to you.  

Shrimp and Andouille Sausage w/ Roasted Tomatoes and Basil

Here is a little dish I have kind of created and really love.  You can modify to meet your taste. Take roma tomatoes and quarter them. Drizzle a little olive oil on a pan and rub it across the pan to coat (not too much, just enough to create a thin layer on the pan). Cut up fresh basil and sprinkle over top of the tomatoes along with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper (just lightly sprinkle over top so that each tomato has a little). Then roast the tomatoes at 400 for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes look done.

While the tomatoes are roasting, saute shrimp (any amount you want, we typically do 1/2 pound to a 1 lb). Add about a tablespoon of butter, 2 teaspoons of freshly chopped basil, a little garlic powder and a little cayenne pepper. Saute on low until shrimp are no longer transparent. For a variety, you can add smoked or andouille sausage with the shrimp...just cube it or cut however you like.

While the shrimp are cooking and tomatoes are roasting, take about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, juice from a lemon, a pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper to taste and mix with a whisk

Boil yourself some noodles. Once the noodles are done, mix all ingredients together. Drizzle the dressing over top of the pasta and enjoy, mix so the pasta is coated in the dressing!!! We try to judge our portions so that we each have a bowl.

update

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we have updated our blog and hope you enjoy the new look.  jj and i will soon be changing our eating habits as we know it.  we will share with you our trials and tribulations as we work on our new bodies.  we will be cutting out processed foods as much as we possibly can.  we pray God will help us on our journey!