We are Amy and Gail Shingler, sisters-in-law and friends!

We are passionate about living authentic and intentional lives!

We are enthusiastic about healthy eating!

We created a space to share our favorite recipes & the life philosophies from which they stem!

Our desire is to inspire,

may you be edified by what you read here!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

you count


















i used to think and say, "my vote doesn't count."
that whether i vote or not,
my vote will not make a difference,
it might have been true, and it may be true today...
i don't know enough about the inner workings of politics 
to know if it is true or not...
when i believed that my vote didn't make a difference
 i was also believing and saying,
"i don't make a difference!"
and while i don't know a lot about politics,
there is something i do know for sure...
anytime we say, 
"my vote doesn't count"  
we perpetuate the idea that many of us live with daily, 
that WE don't count,
that what we think, feel, believe, and say, doesn't count,
that we don't matter, that our being here does not make a difference,
and these are just more phrases and thoughts
that add to many we say and think
that tell those around us and fill space in our heads
with the horrible and WRONG idea that
WE DON'T COUNT! 
OF COURSE WE DO!
EXPONENTIALLY!
so, i'm asking you to go out and vote
even if you don't want to, even if you think your vote doesn't count
or matter or is going to make a difference regarding who fills offices- 
make the effort to VOTE
if for no other reason than to say
to yourself and to others
"I MATTER!  I COUNT! IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD THAT
I AM HERE!"
we have to fill our minds and spirits 
with these kinds of words and actions
in order to leave no room for words and actions 
that keep us from realizing our absolute value,
our birthright, THE TRUTH,
that...
WE BELONG HERE...WE MATTER...WE COUNT!


Monday, October 29, 2012

i love mondays


if we took a poll on any day at any time, and asked the question, "do you like mondays?" i'd place my bet on "no" winning by a landslide...but i LOVE mondays...let me tell you why...today was a perfect example...

the morning began with my waking at 4:30...i can't explain that one, and i don't believe waking that early is anything to love...i knew absolutely that it would be going against all right, proper and healthy laws of nature to actually get out of bed at that time, even tho' i felt very rested (it's actually VERY healthy, but i don't LIVE in that knowledge yet!)...5 AM rolled around and it still felt wrong to get up, the world was black outside, and everything was too still to interrupt...feeling even MORE rested than i had a half hour ago, i had the thought that if i DID get up i could have a whole hour and a half to myself in that blackness and stillness before having to see or speak to another human being...(i really LIKE the other human beings in my house, but as homeschoolers with my spouse working from home, as well, i sometimes feel "never alone"...my spirit gravitates toward quiet and stillness...the opportunity seemed too good to pass up...

i was greeted by our new cat OZZY who rubbed his face against my ankles while i stood at the stove waiting for the kettle to bubble, intending to grab it off the burner before the whistle threatened the silence...i filled my cup and sat on a couch in my little kitchen, in the darkness, with OZZY now rubbing his silky fur of a face on the back of my neck before settling back into his window seat cushion and leaving me be...he "got it"...our dog MIDNIGHT stuck his face up to the window by my seat on the couch and i waved to him...he wagged his tail in expectation of more than a wave, but when nothing more came from me, he returned to his cozy doghouse...he "got it," too...i wasn't ready to involve anyone else in my day quite yet...our other dog ABBY was satisfied to watch MIDNIGHT make the attempt to get attention and breakfast for the two of them, her head raised only until it was clear he had been unsuccessful, she returned her face to the little pillow she made with her paws...

i simply sat...and relished...and savored...

6:30 seemed a good time to get dressed for a walk on the beach with the dogs...the 4 of us piled into the car...i cringed as we drove past elementary and middle schoolers making their way to having their young minds expanded or molded, depending on their teachers, i'm sure...it seemed as ungodly to me that they were out walking in the 6 o' clock hour as it had been to me that i was simply awake in the 5 o' clock hour...as my husband and i drove toward the coast, smoky blue and lilac clouds rested above hills and houses capped with sunrise...

as many places as i go to enjoy nature or other peaceful or rejuvenating environments like the beach here in san diego, and as many different times of day as i go to these places, early morning, late morning, afternoon, evening, i am always amazed at how deserted these 'escapes' are...SO many people in this little-big city, where IS everyone?  sometimes i am the ONLY person out!  everyone can't be at work or on the computer or at the gym or taking care of responsibilities at the same time, can they?!  i'm getting to my point, which is, the beach was quiet, a handful of lone surfers, a few barefoot, coffee-drinking, hand holding couples, a couple joggers, and us...the wave foam a stark contrast to the color of the glassy, slowly ebbing and flowing water...














we walked and talked and laughed and snapped photos with my rinky-dink phone (they didn't turn out 1/2 bad considering the phone is the freebie that comes with the verizon plan!)  a brisk walk that was really only sparsely interrupted with a smile of greeting or wave to a passerby, a pause to snap a photo of the sunrise hitting the water or lighting up the dogs' pretty faces, and 6 or so porpoise drifting along so closely i could have easily swum out to them!  i couldn't snap a photo because that rinky dink phone is the kind that, had i tried, and had it been able to talk, would have said, "don't push your luck!  i can only do so much!"  i had to use the old fashioned way of creating a keepsake of something so incredible, i just stood there and took it all in through my peepers, and if i close my eyes, i can see them now...i'm sure someday there will be a way to upload our mind's images to i-photo!

by the time we were making our way home the cars were more than sprinkling the streets, i could feel their urgency and was grateful they did not impose their 'drive' on my lack of urgency!  i was planning breakfast in my mind and it looked scrumptious!

i was greeted by gentle hugs and kisses when the front door opened FOR me, as well as help in the kitchen to bring my imagination to life and satisfy my hunger!



in the last 4 hours i have had multiple conversations with my 4 favorite people, created delicious food, overseen a craft paper replica of a volcano, and laughed and laughed and laughed, one laugh the result of watching MIDNIGHT try to eat cat poop out of the new kitty's litterbox, it was a cringing "ewwwwww" laugh, but a laugh just the same, and all has been in a calm and peaceful environment...it is october and in the 80's, lap-swimming goggles are calling from the backyard, and i will set a book down at water's edge in which to indulge after i swim...















this isn't my life because i am independently wealthy or have a trust fund or a sugar daddy or a nanny, or because i'm just terribly lucky (something i've been accused of many times)...this is my life because i have created it...i have let go of much that people think one can't live without, turns out one CAN!  but that list of "sacrifices" is a whole 'nother blog post...i encourage you to find things in your life to which you can say "goodbye," in order to make space for SPACE, and TIME for beaches and hikes or books and movies, for LAUGHTER, for PEACE OF MIND and for GRATITUDE to settle in and be noticed...

i love mondays...


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Great Quote...

My daughter and I saw this quote today and we pondered on it.
"Love like you've never been hurt."  
This is a really tough thing for me.  It is not about keeping a record of wrongs or building up walls that only separate us from people who need to see love in action.  I know I need to see it!  I have a tendency to want to keep some people at an arms distance because of the discomfort they bring me (or my own petty insecurities).  I desire more than anything to leave a fingerprint on this world that revolves around love, no, screams LOVE IN ACTION!  This is a journey for me.  Some days it is two steps forward and then the next it is one step back, but I hope I am always growing into the person that will reflect that pure love.  Any ideas?

facets of an intentional life













please click on the link below to view a website i have just discovered, 1) it's beautiful to look at, and 2) it calls me to pay attention and make choices that ADD to the world, so that i become part of the solution to the world's problems and not a part of the problems themselves!  warning...it's REAL WORK taking to heart what sites like this are calling us to do and be!  BUT SO WORTH IT!  take a baby step and change something, one little thing, in your life that doesn't honor ALL life on the planet...i promise it gets easier and easier and easier, and tho' it may SEEM expensive, our hard work now will save so much money, time, energy, and suffering in the future...you have our support and encouragement here at 2sistersshare!  the link below is a post, and it's a good one, go to their home page for a better overview and current additions!

http://rageagainsttheminivan.com/2012/10/the-inconvenient-truth-about-your.html#IDComment472204727

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Recipe correction

Sorry, in my haste I forgot to tell you that I put 3 packets of Stevia in the chocolate almond milk, or you could just add a few more dates until you reach your desired sweetness.  Have a great day!  But while I have your attention, let me confess my latest indulgence.  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
2+ cups chocolate almond milk
1 ripe banana
1 heaping TBSP peanut butter
1 cup ice
1-2 cups of spinach
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (optional)

Blend and enjoy.  I mean really enjoy!  Not too fast because you don't want brain freeze.  :)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Got Almond Milk?

Beaker...I just love him!  This is a speed post but I HAD to tell you what I did. We go through Almond Milk well, like milk.  So I had been poking around the Internet looking for recipes to see if this would be doable for me to make at home.  I heard over and over again about using nut milk bags.  They used them to squeeze the pulp after they blended the almonds with water and other ingredients.  Can't you hear me thinking "I need quick and easy people!"  So imagine the scream of delight that escaped me when I found this recipe.  I quickly made a batch.  As soon as Chloe (my daughter) tried it she said...and I proudly quote, "This is definitely blog worthy, Mother!"  So friends, say good-bye to landfill junk called cartons and save the planet and make your own almond milk.  And, Yes, Gail you can use Hazelnuts in place of almonds.  :)

Awesome Almond Milk
5 cups filtered water
1/2 cup soaked almonds (just soak overnight in some water)
1/2 cup dates
1/2 vanilla bean (I didn't have a bean...who has these just laying around, I used a splash of van. extract)
Pinch Sea Salt

Blend for about 1-2 minutes until it looks all creamy and yummy.  Consume! This will keep in your fridge for 4 days, if it lasts that long.

But if you really want a crowd pleaser, I know you do, your giving me those scary glances.  It is this:

Chocolate Almond Milk
Same recipe as above just add 3 Tbsp. of Cocoa Power or Cocoa Nibs.  My kids drank it all up as soon as I made it, if I let them they would have put a straw in the blender.  

There you have it.  No sugar, whole foods, just plain old fashion yumminess.

Cheers!

superbly palatable powerfully potent pizza
















this was an accidental pizza...i tossed a bunch of strange things on a ready-to-bake round from the health food store, where, by the by, i can now buy RICE pizza rounds...but i digress...i'm glad i decided to take a picture pre-baking just in case it turned out well...because, it did!  here's what i put on it:

  • sauteed sweet onions, red bell peppers, mushrooms, purple onions
  • chopped spinach (you could also use kale and get its health benefits while its hidden under all the other flavors if you don't like kale yet!)
  • chopped up DATES!  ???!!!???!!!  just sprinkled them around...
  • DAIYA brand soy cheddar cheese...the pizza tasted amazing but i think i will use the DAIYA mozzarella next time so i get more of the flavors of the vegies...below is a picture of the three bags i try to keep on hand...they really do melt and are a great substitute for real cheese!
  • and before i put all that on, i spread the pizza round with a bit of lentil curry simmer sauce instead of red pizza sauce!  if you are a vegetarian and not a vegan you could use a creamy coconut curry sauce, found in the international foods section of most grocery stores...
the combination of these flavors was new, exciting, spectacular...i ate 1/2 of the last piece in the middle of the night and 1/2 for breakfast this morning!  i'm making another one today with just lots of onions and dates as well as the lentil curry sauce...
soy based, meltable "cheeses"
the pepper jack is great for quesadillas!






Monday, October 22, 2012

facts about folate


Folic acid in multivitamins is linked to breast cancer

Women who take conventional multivitamins may be 
endangering their health. A 9 year study in Sweden 
found that women who took multivitamins were actually 
more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Why? 
The researchers think that it could be the high dose of 
folic acid found in most multivitamins.1
Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, one of the B vitamins. 
Natural folate, abundant in green vegetables, 
is known for preventing neural tube defects during early pregnancy, 
and is also important for immune function, 
cardiovascular health, and cancer prevention. 
Taking synthetic folic acid is not the same as 
getting natural folate from plant foods.
The body processes folate and folic acid differently. 
Real folate from food is protective, 
fake folate from supplements may be dangerous:

A study compared breast cancer mortality rates
between women who took folic acid
during their pregnancy and those that did not.
Thirty years later those women who followed
the typical recommendations to take folic acid
were twice as likely to die from breast cancer.
2

A 10-year study on women taking multivitamins
concluded that those who took multivitamins
containing folic acid increased their breast cancer risk
by 20-30%.
3

A study investigating both food folate and synthetic folic acid
found that only supplemental folic acid increased breast cancer risk.
In other studies, women with low levels of food folate intake
were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
4,5
Not enough natural folate and too much folic acid both increase risk.


Not enough natural folate and too much folic acid both increase risk. 

Folic acid may disrupt the normal actions of natural folate, 
resulting in increased risk of several cancers, breast cancer included
 (and Americans are consuming more folic acid than ever before. Between conventional multivitamins and mandatory fortification of refined grain products (white rice, white flour, etc.), Americans are exposed to excessive amounts 
of folic acid on a daily basis. Many scientists have expressed concern that this excess folic acid poses serious risks of cancer to the population.6-9 
Most people (including most physicians) are completely unaware 
that these issues and risks exist; and this ignorance can be dangerous.

Learn more in Dr. Fuhrman's new Position Paper, Issue #45: Folate
References: 

1. Larsson SC, Akesson A, Bergkvist L, et al. Multivitamin use 
and breast cancer incidence in a prospective cohort of 
Swedish women. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91:1268-1272. 
2. Charles D, Ness AR, Campbell D, et al. Taking folate 
in pregnancy and risk of maternal breast cancer. BMJ 2004;329:1375-1376. 
3. Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, Chang SC, Leitzmann MF, et al. 
Folate intake, alcohol use, and postmenopausal breast cancer risk 
in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. 
Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:895-904. 
4. Sellers TA, Kushi LH, Cerhan JR, et al. Dietary folate intake, 
alcohol, and risk of breast cancer in a prospective study of 
postmenopausal women. Epidemiology 2001;12:420-428. 
5. Kim YI. Does a high folate intake increase the risk of breast cancer? 
Nutr Rev 2006;64:468-475. 
6. Smith AD, Kim YI, Refsum H. Is folic acid good for everyone? 
Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:517-533. 
7. Figueiredo JC, Grau MV, Haile RW, et al. Folic acid and risk 
of prostate cancer: results from a randomized clinical trial. 
J Natl Cancer Inst 2009;101:432-435. 
8. Kim YI. Will mandatory folic acid fortification 
prevent or promote cancer? Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:1123-1128. 
9. Mason JB. Folate, cancer risk, and the Greek god, Proteus: 
a tale of two chameleons. Nutr Rev 2009;67:206-212.

Friday, October 19, 2012

relax

may our weekends
be a time
we recognize
just breathing
is pure luxury

















shortcakes with blackberries, raspberries and whipped cashew cream
















i know it looks GOOPY, but it tastes heavenly!  my whipped cashew cream was thick and well formed before it hit the warm biscuits, then it 'melted' just like regular whipped cream would!  this recipe can be altered many different ways; you can change the kind of flour you use, you can add cinnamon to the cashew cream or to the berry mixture or to the shortcakes, sprinkle raw sugar on the top of the shortcakes before they go into the oven, or leave the sugar off, the list really does go on...it is simply a healthier version of strawberry shortcake and my kids would say a better-tasting version, and they, of course, are the final word because they are the toughest critics!


for the shortcakes: this recipe makes 9-12 biscuits depending on the size you make them

  • 3 cups flour (spelt, whole grain, gluten free, whatever you have works)
  • 1 TBS baking powder
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS sugar (raw, cane, sucanat, maple or date sugars)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 7 TBS Earth Balance butter or other vegie oil (i used safflower this time)
  • 1 cup plain unsweetened soy creamer (or nut milk, i used plain hazelnut)
for the berries:  remember this recipe makes 9-12 servings, cut it in half if you have fewer to feed!

  • 6 cups berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or tropical fruit; peaches, mangos, nectarines---you can buy frozen to make it easier!)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 TBS agave or honey
for the whipped cashew cream:

  • 1 cup whole raw cashews
  • 1/4 cup agave or honey or maple syrup or brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup coconut oil  
ASSEMBLY:

  • place berries in a sauce pan with salt, lemon juice and agave
  • heat on low until the berries break down and are soft


  • preheat oven to 425
  • mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in bowl (reserve the 2 extra tablespoons of sugar for sprinkling on top of biscuits) 
  • cut in Earth Balance butter (or if using oil, blend that in)
  • make a well in center of bowl and pour in creamer or milk
  • using hands or wooden spoon mix until a sticky dough forms
  • put the dough on floured work surface and cut rounds with biscuit cutter (i just flour my hands and form the biscuits right there in the mixing bowl!)
  • place on baking sheet or flat stone, sprinkle with sugar if you like
  • bake about 12 minutes


  • in blender place 1 cup cashews, add enough water to just cover them, add agave, vanilla and blend until smooth
  • heat 2/3 cup coconut oil, when liquid, with blender running, pour into cashew mixture until completely blended
  • chill this in fridge or freezer while you make the shortcakes and berries (i guess i should have put the instructions for this first!)
when everything is made, throw it all together any way you like!  slice the shortcakes in 1/2 and put everything inside before replacing the top or just pour berries over biscuits and drizzle or spoon cashew cream over all!  it tastes great either way!