Platanos

A main incentive in pursuing a healthier lifestyle is lowering my cholesterol. My doctor strongly advised me to. So after my blood results came back and I got a letter from my doctor I googled "Foods to lower  cholesterol" and to my surprise, plantains were on the list! I grew up eating plantains and they have always been a favorite {usually sprinkled with sugar on top,  now I'll just have to omit the glittery goodness} 

FACTS ABOUT PLANTAINS : 

• They contain more vitamin A and C than bananas.
• Rich source of B-complex vitamins, particularly B6.
• DO NOT eat them raw..yucky...Unlike bananas, plantains must be cooked before you eat them.
• They can be baked, broiled, or fried. {I use a bit of coconut oil to fry them}

This is the way my momma taught me to cook plantains. Peel the plantain and be sure to save the peel {These will later be used to soak up the excess oil from the fried plantains instead of using paper towels} #GoGreen #NoPaperTowels.

Heat coconut oil,  and place the plantains once oil is nice and hot. Fry them until golden brown, approx. 5 minutes per side. 

Place the cooked plantains on the reserved peel to soak up excess oil, and voila! Ready to eat!

PALETAS

Our blog is back in business!!! 
I will soon be embarking on a journey into the world of Healthy Eating, and I will be posting recipes, pictures of food, findings, struggles {and hopefully some before and after pictures} 
A lot has happened in our lives since my last post back in 2012. Things like; having a baby, moving back to the states, getting to be a stay- at- home- mom, Ben working 2 jobs (so that I could be a Stay -at-home-mom), finding a new church, having a second baby, getting a teaching job (since my mom got the calling to be a stay-at-home-grandma and quit work to care for my babies), along with many experiences, new friendships and things to be oh so thankful for! 

I'm starting this blog again as a way to keep myself accountable during the journey.
I want to get back into pre-wedding shape, which sounds daunting and possibly impossible but I will try nonetheless. We've enjoyed 7 years of being an "unhealthy family", our freezer is always stocked up with ice cream, our pantry always filled with Oreos and/or chips. And besides it being time to shed some weight, I also want Ben and I to be healthy and active to give Harold and Lucy a healthy and active life lifestyle. ( I will, however, start after summer is officially over, I don't want to set myself up for failure, I am determined to lose weight slow and steady) 
Here's one of my best discoveries that has quickly become a Camp family favorite.

GREEN{ish} smoothies and posicles: {a.k.a. paletas or as Lucy calls them "poCsicles"

Ingredients 

• 2 cups of leafy greens {I use a spinach and kale mix}
• 2 cups of some sort of liquid  {I use the juice of 3 large oranges} no added sugar whatsoever.{Thanks to my cool Ninja Blender I can just peel the orange and throw the whole thing in there, seeds and all}
• 3 cups of fruit, your choice. Some of our favorites around here are frozen strawberries, mango, pineapple, and peaches. 

                  Simply blend the ingredients until desired consistency.

My adorable little assistant {in yet another pair of Christmas jammies}

Love all the pretty and bright colors

The recipe above makes enough for 2  servings in smoothie form and 6 kid friendly "poCsicles". 

• Harold and Lucy LOVE these things. I often use the popsicles to bribe them (We are a bribe friendly household) Harold has always been a picky eater, these things are a treat to him. And they are packed with fresh fruits and veggies, that's all, pure yummy healthy goodness. 
• Lucy has pounded 5 popsicles in 1 day. She also asks for popsicles for breakfastm which is totally fine with me since it's basically a healthy green smoothie. 
• Ben and I like the smoothies a lot. They're pretty yummy. I mean let's be honest, it's not Caramel- Frappucino -with -extra -caramel -yummy, but they do taste delicious. The mango and pineapple one is one of my favorites, it's so tropical and perfect for hot summer mornings!  {I must add, while I love the smoothies, the popsicles just don't tickle my fancy, they don't taste as good to me. Which is okay I guess, so there is more for the kids} 

Tiny hands. I love these tiny hands! 

~Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts~

~Diana

Us

Summer 2001- I saw Ben at summer camp and thought to myself "That white boy is cute, I wonder what his name is."

 Summer 2003- Received a phone call from the cute white boy asking if I wanted to go out for a burger and fries.

 Fall 2003- Officially became Ben Camp's girlfriend

 Summer 2008- Ben asked me if I wanted to be his wife and I said "Yes!"

 Summer 2009- I wore a beautiful white dress, Ben wore a nice fancy suit (along with a rat tail); and in front of our family and friends we became husband and wife :)

 April 10th 2012 -The newest addition to the Camp family was born. The most beautiful and sweetest baby boy my eyes have ever seen, Harold Paul Camp Romero.

January 2012

Pumpkins, spice and everything nice!

Meet 6 D

Ben recently brought to my attention that after completing this school year, I will have taught every single age group:
I have taught high school (in Watts, CA), preschool (Garden Grove, CA), elementary school (Teguz, HN) and now middle school. Pretty cool to realize that! I can honestly say I have enjoyed every single one (my dislike of high school had nothing to do with the age group, but rather with the location), I guess all that's left for me to try is teaching college, now lets just hope the State of California gets their stuff together and allows young competent professionals, such as myself, to get a job.

I have not been very good this year about taking pictures of my students, but I finally had the chance to do so a few weeks ago when we celebrated "Fiesta Catracha" a day to celebrate Honduras.

I am also posying some pictures of my 6th graders and the atoms they built using edible items . Enjoy!

~Diana

World Without an End

Every now and again, I come back to this song. And I just LOVE it!!
It is one of those things that is just soooo deep I can't even really comprehend, but then again who can really comprehend the love of Christ !

I leave you with the lyrics ( maybe I'll figure out how to post the video)

For all the deepest thought compiled,philosophy
to laws of physics,
no one's ever heard or seen,
a more beautiful thing,
than this love that saved us.

Chorus:
In the soundless awe and wonder,
words fall short to hope again.
How beautiful,
how vast your love is,
new forever,
world without an end.

The very spark that burns the stars,
drew near to me today,
the God of everything that is,
whispered in my ear that His love is boundless.

I want to comprehend this.

~Diana Camp (Happy Friday everyone)