Micah and Kai are HOME

We are finally home! My baby boys are such a joy to me! Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Here is Kai enjoying some of mommy's healthy foods. He loves my "Faux" Oatmeal for breakfast with coconut flour. They fed him a rice cereal at the orphanage and this has a consistency that he likes. Click HERE to find why rice cereal is not a healthy option for babies.



This photo is of Thanksgiving morning. We flew in late on Wednesday night so Thanksgiving dinner was anything but traditional. Micah is 28 months and has to hold my hand at all times! This makes cooking interesting! But I love every second!

Craig and I stayed with the boys in May (in Ethiopia) for 1 week. During that time Micah and I bonded so much. He wanted me to hold him at all times. The longer the wait became without seeing him, I prayed and prayed that he would remember me at least a little. My prayers were answered! This video shows me the power of love.

Reunion from Craig Emmerich on Vimeo.

ADOPTION Update and NEW COLOR COOKBOOK

After years of waiting for my family to grow, Craig and I are on our way to pick up our boys; Baby Kai and Micah. There are no words to describe this feeling...

Thank you to all who have prayed for us along this journey!

On another happy note, my new COLOR dessert cookbook is now available. For those of you who are frustrated with how to convert almond flour to coconut flour and erythritol to Just Like Sugar, here is your answer! I have all the conversions along with WHY I use certain ingredients.

This book is gluten free and also gives dairy free options for the recipes. Click HERE to order!

This isn't JUST an "eye-candy" cookbook (although it does have beautiful photos), it also has health facts; such as how stop cancer from growing, what acid blockers do to our body and how to heal the intestines naturally, how to calm detrimental menopausal symptoms, cholesterol facts, thyroid boosting foods, how to heal a 'tired toxic liver', and so many other tips. This book is meant to read like a magazine; quick fun facts with color photos and recipes with nutritional comparisons (calories, fat, protein, carbs and fiber). Below is a sneak peak of what the inside looks like...

This is the first in a series of color cookbooks I plan to write. The next will be a SAVORY cookbook, then a BABY and KIDS cookbook, and a HOLIDAY book. The title says it all, we all NEED to eat, but to eat HEALTHY is an Art!

I will be holding a Christmas Tasting Party and Book Signing at my home on Saturday December 10th starting at 5pm and it will go until all the samples are gone! I know the ingredients aren't cheap and this way you can sample some of the desserts to decide on which ones you would like to make.

I want to give a special thank you to Rebecca Oberle. She helped me so much on this book and she did it all for a few baked treats from my kitchen. What an amazing woman she is! (She also donated breastmilk for Baby Kai!). I also want to thank Jamie Schultz for the cover photo.

REECES PB TWINKIES

No wonder Hostess Twinkies can sit in a pantry for years and never mold!

Hostess Twinkies Ingredients: Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Reduced Iron, B Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1)Riboflavin (B2)Folic Acid)Corn Syrup, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable and/or Animal Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed and/or Canola Oil, Beef Fat)Whole Eggs, Dextrose. contains 2% or Less of: Modified Corn Starch, Glucose, Leavenings (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate)Sweet Dairy Whey, Soy Protein Isolate, Calcium and Sodium Caseinate, Salt, Mono and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Soy Lecithin, Soy Flour, Cornstarch, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sorbic Acid (to Retain Freshness)Yellow 5, Red 40.

The Twinkie was created during the Depression and contains 39 ingredients! One of those ingredients is a preservative, sorbic acid. Sorbic acid actually comes from natural gas. AND...5 ingredients come from rocks.

If that isn’t gross enough, ingredients like cellulose gum, Polysorbate 60, and calcium sulfate are also used in sheet rock, shampoo, and rocket fuel. Oh, and...what make these treats so "light and fluffy?" It is limestone! And the creamy filling? What is that? It's not cream, it is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil...TRANS-FAT. So instead of pumping our kids with junk that NEVER gets moldy, try this adaptation instead.



2 cups peanut flour
1/2 cup Just Like Sugar (or erythritol)
1 tsp stevia glycerite
3 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups vanilla or chocolate almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 extra large eggs (or 4 medium eggs)
OPTIONAL for Chocolate Twinkie: 1/4 cup cocoa powder
FILLING:
1 cup heavy cream OR coconut cream (if diary allergy)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup Just Like Sugar (or Truvia)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease Twinkie pans with coconut oil or butter. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds while scraping bowl. Mix at high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl every minute.

Spoon batter into tin until they are 2/3 full (click HERE to find a Twinkie pan on amazon.com). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans then move to wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Filling: Whip the cream until fluffy, add in the cocoa powder and sweetener. Fill the Twinkies with chocolate whipped cream using the piping tool. Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Hostess Twinkies = 150 calories, 5g fat, 1g protein, 25 carbs, 0 fiber
"Healthified" Twinkie = 113 calories, 7g fat, 8g protein, 6 carbs, 3g fiber

Spice Cake for Micah's 2nd Birthday

Today is Micah's 2nd birthday. I made these in honor of him, he loves spicy food!

Dear Micah, Happy Birthday Sweetheart...I wish I could be with you today. I miss you SO much.


CAKE:
3/4 cup coconut oil or butter, softened
1 cup coconut flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups erythritol (or Truvia)
1.5 tsp stevia glycerite
8 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
FROSTING:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (or coconut cream if dairy allergy)
3/4 cup butter or coconut oil, softened
2-3 TBS vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup erythritol (or Truvia)
1 tsp stevia glycerite



Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease cake pans or line cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, mix coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. In another bowl (or food processor...see photo), beat together butter and sweetener with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in sour cream and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add coconut flour mixture and blend until batter is just smooth. Spoon batter evenly into pans (or cupcake liners) to about 2/3 full. Bake until pale golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edge of pans, then invert racks over pans and reinvert cakes onto racks to cool completely.

Make frosting: Beat together cream cheese, butter, and almond milk in a bowl with clean beaters at medium-high speed until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in sweetener and beat at medium-high speed until frosting is smooth.

Assemble and frost cake: Halve each cake layer horizontally with a long serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion. Put 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake stand or large plate and spread with about 3/4 cup frosting. Stack remaining cake layers, spreading about 3/4 cup frosting on each layer and ending with top cake layer cut side down. Spread top and side of cake with remaining frosting. Serves 24.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Spice Cake = 325 calories, 20.6 carbs, trace fiber, 4.7 g protein
"Healthified" Spice Cake = 248 calories, 1.7 carbs, trace fiber, 4.1 g protein

ADOPTION: FIRST VIDEO OF OUR FAMILY

I have been waiting for years to experience this moment. All of my dreams lately have been consumed by my boys. Craig and I made the trip to Ethiopia on May 16th. We are back (with the flu!...the boys were sick, but still so sweet!) My favorite parts of the video is when Micah says "Momme-se" which is 'mommy' in his native language, and when he is playing with some children and when I walk in the room he starts to cry and hold his arms out to me; once I pick him up he immediately stops crying! What a little 'mommy's boy!'

Micah is 22 months old.
Kai is 5 months old.

ADOPTION UPDATE from Craig Emmerich on Vimeo.

Thank you to all of you who have made this possible. When Craig lost his job, we decided to put together a few of my favorite recipes into a cookbook to help keep the dream of adopting alive. It is all of you who have made this dream a reality for us. I can't believe the support we have received. You all are amazing! AND it makes us happy that you all have the desire to keep your families healthy too!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

ADOPTION UPDATE

This week was awesome...we finally got a court date! We travel mid May to meet our boys for the first time. Words can't describe how we are feeling.

Micah is now 22 months old and Kai is 4 months old. We often get photos and updates of the boys, which we can't share until they are legally ours, but they are very healthy and SUPER cute!

We were placed with Micah and a baby boy late in October. We would have gotten the boys in January (or sometime around then), but on December 5th, we were given terrible news...the baby died of Malaria. We had everything ready, two cribs, two car seats, baby clothes, diapers,...I even had a chest freezer filled with breast-milk (thanks Rebecca). So when the agency asked if we wanted to be placed with another baby, we said "of course!" We were sent a photo of a new baby within 5 minutes which made us realize just how many children need homes. But with that decision, it made Micah's wait that much longer. So we closed the door to the boys' room and tried not to think about the long wait...which is impossible!

This is the longest marathon I have ever been in. Our journey started in August 2008, we had so many bumps in the road; including a job loss of my husband for 12 months (which is why I started writing books...so I wouldn't lose the dream of adoption). But the finish line is in the horizon. I can't wait to snuggle with the boys and my husband early on a Sunday morning.

Thank you to all of you who have supported us on this journey. All of my book sales go towards the adoption (and probably another one in the future:).

NUTRITIOUS and DELICIOUS!

Are you looking for a Valentine’s Day present for you mother? Daughter? Best friend? Well, who wouldn’t love a cookbook with great tasting recipes that also help you lose weight?

Being on a diet can make anyone miserable AND create SEROTONIN AND DOPAMINE DEFICIENCIES! But this book changes everything. NUTRITIOUS and DELICIOUS has great ideas for enjoying your favorite foods from “pasta” to “Oreo Cookies” without the extra guilt. Find secret ways lower calories and carbohydrates and still indulge in decadent foods like “macaroni and cheese”.

All the proceeds go towards bringing Micah and Kai home…hopefully sooner rather than later! We are still waiting for our court date!

Click HERE to order.

Or go to my website at: http://www.marianutrition.com/index.html

Cream Filled Crepes and ADOPTION UPDATE

I get a lot of questions on when the boys are coming so I wanted to keep you all posted. The baby we were originally placed with died of malaria the first week of December. We were devastated. But then a wise child told me, "I bet Kai is having a great time in Heaven." Wow, children know exactly what to say in tough times!

We asked to be placed with another baby, so that is delaying everything a bit. It is hard knowing that Micah is getting older, but my husband is great at calming my anxiety around the unknown. The agency is helping us speed things along, but we are still waiting on the paperwork with the new baby. Thank you for all your support and prayers!



Crepes are wafer-thin French pancakes often made with light sauces and fillings. The batter for crepes is VERY thin, not like a traditional pancake. The trick is to spread the batter as thin as possible and still being able to flip it!

Filling:
1 TBS cream cheese or coconut cream
2 TBS ricotta cheese or more coconut cream
1 packet Truvia (or a drop of stevia glycerite)
Batter:
1 TBS unsweetened almond milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla egg white or whey protein
1 tsp coconut oil

In a food processor, blend ricotta cheese, cream cheese, and sweetener until very smooth. Set aside. In another bowl beat egg, almond milk and protein powder into smooth batter. Lightly grease bottom of a pan with coconut oil. Pour in batter and roll to cover bottom of pan. Watch batter solidify. Gently turn with spatula. Cook till golden. Place on plate. Spread cheese filling and roll crepe-style. I added a a square ChocoPerfection bar (melted with 1 TBS almond milk) to add a little more "yum" factor! Makes 1 serving.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Crepes = 229 calories, 22 carbs, 0 fiber
"Healthified" Crepes = 180 calories, 1 carb, 0 fiber

Secrets to Controlling Your Weight, Cravings and Mood

NEW BOOK!
Secrets to Controlling Your Weight, Cravings and Mood

Before my passion for nutrition came along, I had a passion for donuts. I was an athlete and thought I could get away with eating what I wanted, as long as I worked out. NOT TRUE. Even though I ate enough calories, I was starving myself, specifically, I was starving my brain. My stomach was filled with “substance” but my brain kept telling me to eat; our bodies are smart, they make us crave certain nutrients we need.

For 90% of dieters, a deficiency in one of four essential brain chemicals can cause weight gain, fatigue, and stress. The solution to losing weight doesn’t lie in deprivation diets; it lies in balancing our neurotransmitters.
1. Serotonin influences appetite.
2. GABA curbs emotional eating
3. Acetylcholine regulates fat storage
4. Dopamine controls metabolism
When these brain chemicals are balanced, our bodies are more able to lose those extra pounds. Not only does this book cover how to find out which brain chemical you may be lacking, but directs you towards which foods will increase them, what supplements would be best for your body AND recipes that taste great and will keep all the brain chemicals happy! (Thanks to Jamie Schultz for designing my beautiful cover)

For delivery before Christmas, go to: http://www.marianutrition.com/

Adoption Update

I get a lot of questions on how the adoption is going, so I wanted to keep you all up to date. As of April 15th, our paperwork has been in Ethiopia (our official start date was September 1st 2008!)

So now, we just wait for God to place us with a child. When Craig lost his job and we were devastated about waiting even longer, my mom said to me, "Oh, Maria, she just wasn't born yet." What a cool mom. Whenever I get anxious about the wait, I just think of those comforting thoughts.

We hope that it will be this August (or sooner:). In 2008, families that worked with our agency were getting referrals in 24 hours! Can you imagine! As for 2010, the average wait for a referral is 4 months.

So THANK YOU everyone for supporting this adoption with the books and cookbooks. The proceeds go towards this adoption and I can't explain my gratitude in words. You all have made this possible!

Thank You
Maria and Craig

PHOTOS:
-Craig filling out a pile of paperwork back in Sept. 2008
-A "surprise" baby shower that my family did for us...that was the best Christmas ever
-O'Hana, our puppy, who helped us smile through the tough times:)