Ginnyblogs!

Dear Mindful Organics Loyal Blog Followers:

To streamline our social media efforts as we continue to grow- I hope you please check out our my new blog and follow me there, if you haven't already!


I so appreciate and value your ears and eyes. Thank you for lending them to my thoughts, opinions, struggles and successes and advice- over the past year and half. Time has flown!


www.ginnyblogs.com.

xo ginny

Life is a Beautiful Journey

I am sitting here in NC as my mom is healing from back surgery. The boys, my husband and the lovely Miss Bear have come to keep her company. 

We come in and out heading for exercising, retreating back in to sit around the table, gathering around to talk and eat.

My parents -I should include are suffering a bit at meals, they don't know what to make of all these vegetables, strange grains and lots of fish. My mother has announced she needs real food. She wants a piece of meat attached to a bone to gnaw on. Me- I just don't get how they have made no move towards eating well and exercising. It is hard to watch their bodies deteriorate, knowing it is not the way it needs to be. I have learned though to say little, it is not going to change.

I just am so grateful my sons are so into their health. At the moment they are watching the cross fit competitions while eating bowls of quinoa my son Michael cooked up. Yesterday my son Kevin and I were running and he is asking me whether Caesar salad dressing is too high in fat, and what I thought about steal cut vs rolled oat oatmeal. I am so in awe of how well they get it.

I am on the porch of my folks house reading the NY Times, there is an article on the restaurant Delancey, which is opening in Seattle. The owner Molly Wizenberg is under contract to write about her experiences in opening the restaurant. It gave me an idea to start telling my ginnybakes story. Who knows where it will lead, but it has been quite the ride so far. 

I want to tell my experiences and write them as they go, so I never forget. 

ginnybakes began as a journey, a continuation on a path of proving to myself I can stay a course while following a passion. Have I had my moments where I have felt so lost-absolutely. Have I giggled with such joy and pride in others, absolutely. I have lost 7 pounds from stress, gained another 10 from stress and having to taste test ginnybakes products all the time. I have  had great bouts of acne like those I had as a kid. I now have a permanent Wednesday 4 pm appointment with Dr Dan Nevel, ( my acupuncturist) who has been a saving grace to my physical and mental well being. He straightened out the digestion issues, has me sleeping again, and in balance.

Am I happier than I was before this all began. Sometimes...depends whether my yoga practice, acupuncture, and exercise are in place. I know the minute that goes stress comes tearing back in, and my world as I know it, is not running the way it should. If my life is in balance I am so filled with gratitude at the journey I am following.

I have so much to share with you.   

xo ginny

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Staying in tonight? Why don't you make it a baking night! Call your friends over and indulge into these sinful delights while you chitchat!

All you need is :
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped
2(11 ounce) jars caramel sauce

Putting it all together could not be any easier!

step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
step 2. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
step 3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.
step 4. Add melted butter into the bottom of baking pan.
step 5. Bake for 10 minutes.
step 6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts.
step 7. Drizzle caramel sauce over top and crumble remaining oat mixture evenly on top, patting down lightly.
step 8. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden; cool before cutting into bars.

Indulge on these sinful treats!

xo ginny

Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream and Surprises!

Hello Everyone!
We've been a little slower to the blogging recently because we are making some changes! I don't want to give away too much, but soon you can expect to see a very exciting "facelift" to our blog. We've all done so much growing over the last few months and it's time for our little blog to grow too!
In the meantime, I wanted to post a yummy recipe for ice cream (since it is Summer!!!). Enjoy!
xo ginny

PEANUT BUTTER COCONUT ICE CREAM

A heavy-duty blender (such as a Vita-Mix) makes quick work of this frozen treat, but a regular blender will get the job done if you just keep turning it off and pushing down the ice cubes. Or you can simply blend all the ingredients, chill, and process in an ice cream maker.

Ingredient List

Serves 6

• 1 13.5-oz. can light coconut milk (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup Organic maple syrup
• 1/2 cup Organic crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. Fair Trade vanilla extract
• 1 cup French vanilla soy creamer, divided

Directions

1. Purée coconut milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla in blender until smooth. Pour mixture into 2 ice cube trays, and freeze solid. Transfer to resealable plastic bags if storing for more than 2 days.
2. Place half of ice cream cubes and 1/2 cup soy creamer in blender, and process until smooth and creamy. Repeat with second tray of cubes and remaining ½ cup soy creamer.

an en Famille Friday night dinner

(Here is the continuation of "The Wedding Dress" post. Enjoy!)

So the dress was bought and I asked Jenna and Mitch to meet up with us for dinner.
We then of course told  Benji, our nephew, to meet us too, and happily he was available as well. Looking for company and food. (what 18 year old isn't)

Our 4 boys are all in town together at the moment, the joy overwhelming. Our oldest Scott had his friend Katherine with him. (adore this girl, and promised her mom, I would be there for anything she might need-extra great feeling she was there as well).

Life was simple and beautiful sitting under the steamy, starry So Florida night, tropical breezes making it so comfortable. We were having at least 5 conversations at once, I looked around at this table of loved ones and felt like the matriarch of this crew,  surrogate to some, fill in for others.  It felt like I was the lucky one. It made growing older seem something so beautiful instead of fraught with concern.

It hit me growing old with grace is something so powerful. Xo ginny

The Wedding Dress...

 It is funny, this blog has become such an outlet for me, I feel like you are part of my life. On Friday I had a day I will never forget and couldn't wait to put it here into words, in print so I can carry the day with me always, and hopefully you could relate in some way or another.

My niece Jenna is my sister Audrey's oldest child, her only daughter.  Audrey passed away from breast cancer 4 years ago this past April.

Jenna got engaged about 6 weeks ago to her very long term boyfriend Mitch.
Was it a surprise this engagement?- absolutely not, but the joy and excitement was beyond measure.

This past Wednesday I got an excited call from Jenna they have moved the wedding up drastically. They want to get married in December. Action was needed, within 2 minutes my dear friend Lauren Halpern was brought in as the party planner.

Thursday evening, another call came from Jenna, she had walked into Ever After in Coconut Grove and thought she might have found the dress of her dreams. Could I hurry and come the next day. You better believe I could. So there I found myself, alone with my niece as we planned, and dreamed together of her big day.

Was the dress perfect...so perfect. Was the moment beautiful, yes beyond. Surreal too as I am the mother of 4 sons buying a wedding dress. Such an honor and privilege for me, to be the one she called on to say- Aunt Ginny-I need you now. I was worried about stepping on the toes of her step mom and future mother-in-law. I followed her lead and she honored me so.
I got in my car alone after, and let the tears stream, life has it's moments of pure joy, tinged with just hints of sadness that make the sweet moments sweeter.

Now of course there is no holding me back, a wedding to plan!!! The tears are flowing, the sentiment is raw. And once again I utter the words I always do in times of gratitude "from my mouth to G-d's ears, I know I am so lucky to be living the life I am"
Xo  ginny

It's Friday!

It's finally here...Friday. I'm hoping that means you will be spending some quality time with the ones you love this weekend. I wanted to share this recipe for GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA DOUGH. Everyone needs a pizza night from time to time :). So gather up the troops, make a fresh pizza, and maybe watch a good movie. Enjoy! xo ginny

GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA DOUGH

Makes two 12-inch pizza crusts

2 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup warm water (about 100-degrees F)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus an extra tablespoon or two for drizzling)
1 In a medium-size bowl or the bowl of your food processor, place the flour, xanthan gum, yeast, sugar, and salt and stir to combine.
2 To the flour mixture, add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the water in a steady stream, either pulsing in a food processor or mixing with a spoon or fork to combine. If you are using a food processor, pulse while streaming in the water, until a ball begins to form. Otherwise, stir constantly while streaming in the water and continue stirring until the mixture begins to come together. If the dough is very sticky, add some more flour a tablespoon at a time, and stir or pulse to combine. Press the dough into a disk.
3 Place the dough in another medium-size bowl and drizzle it with olive oil. Turn the dough it to coat with oil. This will prevent a crust from forming on the dough while it is rising. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm, draft-free area to rise until doubled in volume (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
4 After the dough has risen, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before rolling out.