Parley Ray Boutique giveaway!

I'm excited to announce a giveaway to Parley Ray Boutique! My talented sister (and mother of eight!) makes the most adorable baby bloomers/diaper covers and coordinating tops. These are perfect for summer and make the BEST photo props for photographing baby girls. See below for just a few of my favorite and enter to win a $35 gift certificate to Parley Ray Boutique!

Enter below to win a $35 gift certificate to Parley Ray Boutique!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to rock a ponytail

I had originally planned this post the week I was in Houston, but something happened on my phone and the entire thing was deleted. It's taken me this long to sit down and type it again. Hope it works this time!

I don't know about you, but since I've become a mom I have a lot less time to get myself prettied up for the day. But one thing I've learned is that if I show up at the store by myself with three little boys in tow wearing gym clothes and a ponytail I'm probably not going to get friendly or sympathetic looks from fellow shoppers. Instead, I'll probably get those looks that say things like "are they all hers?" "does she know about birth control?" and "can she shut that kid up?"

HOWEVER...if I go out in public with makeup, jewelry and cute hair, I get the exact opposite reaction. People will come up and say "wow, you have your hands full!" "are you going to try for a girl?" and "can I help you to your car?" And those that don't comment are giving sympathetic smiles rather than dirty looks. The difference is amazing. And kinda sad.

I have gotten my routine down where I can shower, blow dry, make up and dress in 30 minutes, but I still don't want to do that every day. So on those off days I throw it in a pony tail, add one of these cute little clips and voila- no longer schlumpy frumpy mom. This look says I  chose to put my hair in a pony tail and I like it that way. 

You can buy fabulous clips like this at Whippy Cake, however you can also make your own at home and it's super easy. There are dozens of tutorials out there, but I thought I'd share how I make mine.

Supplies:

3 coordinating fabrics (I buy the smallest yardage they let you- usually 1/4 yard)

3 decorative buttons (fabric store or ebay)

1 pinch clip (sally's)

Felt (I use white or grey)

Glue gun or needle & thread

Start with three coordinating strips of fabric about 2-3 inches wide and at least 6 inches long. I like to snip the fabric and then rip it lengthwise to create frayed edges. The wider and longer the fabric, the bigger the flower.

Fold the inside corner in half and start to roll to create the center of the flower.

As you roll, twist the fabric. The tighter the twist the flatter the flower will be. Experiment with looser and tighter twists to determine the style you prefer.

Keep twisting until you reach the end of your fabric.

Tuck the end under the flower and either hand sew through all layers of the flower to keep them together, or use hot glue to secure the layers together (you can also hot glue as you roll- to make sure every twist is secured).

Sew or hot glue a button to the top of the flower (ebay is the best place to find decorative buttons).

Repeat with each additional flower.

Attach the flowers together by hand sewing or using hot glue. Then cut a piece of coordinating felt in the shape of the back of the flower (hides the underneath and makes it look more professional).

Hand sew- or hot glue this to the back of the flowers.

Cut another piece of felt large enough to cover the clip. Clip the felt and put hot glue all over the clip and the felt cover.

Attach to the back of the flower- making sure the clip is positioned so that the flower faces the direction you want it to.

Place in your hair, on a cardigan or bag for a stylish way to add a pop of color and accessorize your outfit.

So go ahead, rock that ponytail!

p.s. these clips also look fab attached to a cardigan- adds a fun pop of color to any outfit. And for some super cute hair ideas, check out these sites:

Easy up twist with Whippy Cake

30 Days of Hair Romance

30 Hairstyles in 30 Days

Hair tips from I heart Naptime

Happy Easter

While we participate in egg hunts with our family and enjoy the beauty of spring, we also take time to remember the real reason we celebrate Easter.



Visit http://mormon.org/easter for more information about Jesus Christ. Because Christ was resurrected we too will live again!

Real Foods: Last minute meals

I don't know about you, but when I don't get home until around 4:30 or 5:00 after a long day with kids, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking. Usually I love to cook, but I don't like to be rushed and there are those days when I just don't feel it. I've been trying to compile a list of healthy meals for those days when time is short and appetites are growing and a list of ingredients that I must have in my house at all times just so I can whip up an "emergency meal". Here are a few ideas I've been using...

Burritos: I have to admit that this is my #1 go-to meal. It's healthy, quick and easy. And those days that I don't feel like making the tortillas, I can just serve beans over rice/barley, or make cilantro lime rice and eat it as a meal. I usually keep a can of refried beans on hand just in case, but with my new pressure cooker it only takes 20 minutes to cook up a batch of beans and another 6 minutes to cook rice. I usually season with some s&p, cumin, garlic and chili powder (onions if I'm going to re-fry them, here's a black refried bean recipe). Serve with green onions, tomatoes and avocado.

Pasta: A simple whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce and cheese makes a quick and delicious meal. Or a vegetable rotini is also easy, add a bunch of chopped veggies to the sauce, stir in cooked spiral noodles, top the pan with cheese and cover until melted.

Quick Salads: A garden salad topped with raisins and nuts is always an easy meal. My favorite quick salad though is Black Bean Salad (Cowboy Caviar). I make this all the time in the summer. It is so yummy and fresh, requires no heating of an oven or stove  and can be done in about 15 minutes (I usually cook my black beans in advance, but even if I forget, they can be pressure cooked in 20 minutes while I chop the veggies). Another favorite is garden pasta salad. It only takes a few minutes and I love how it tastes with cold vegetables and warm noodles. Another great summertime dish.

Breakfast: I love breakfast for dinner! Whip up a batch of waffles, pancakes or eggs, bacon and potatoes and you will have happy children any day of the week.

Soup: You might think that soup requires a lot of time, but I have a few soup recipes that are really simple, as long as you have some homemade chicken stock and avocados on hand. Cuban Black Bean Soup might not look very appetizing, but trust me, it is delicious. Black Bean Veggie Chili is also very simple- just add whatever veggies you have on hand and heat it up. And, my other favorite, Chicken Tortilla Soup. I've even made it without the chicken before (not on purpose- just slipped my mind) and it still tastes great. Of course, if you have homemade chicken stock on hand- Chicken Noodle Soup is probably your easiest and quickest soup. Simply chop up some carrots, celery and other veggies and stir in some pre-cooked noodles.

Stir Fry: I try to keep a bag of frozen pre-chopped veggies in the freezer for emergencies. Perfect for whipping up a stir fry. Cook the rice/barley and saute the veggies and you have quick, healthy meal.

Roasted vegetables: This is a super easy meal, just chop a bunch of your favorite veggies (potatoes, carrots, green beans, asparagus, finely chopped onions, etc...) toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and favorite spices, then bake in a 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are browned and crunchy. My favorites are Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts, Sweet Buttered Carrots and Roasted Potatoes.

And here is my "must have on hand at all times" list:

• Chicken broth (I try to freeze leftovers so I will always have some on hand)
• Chicken (I always have a can or two of shredded chicken just in case)
• Lemons & limes
• Avocado
• Tomatoes (keep a few cans of diced tomatoes for emergencies)
• Cilantro
• Carrots
• Black beans (I always keep a can or two for emergencies)
• Frozen veggies
• Eggs
• Onions (and I re-grow my green onions so I always have them on hand)
• Potatoes

What are your favorite go-to meals?

Draper, Utah LDS Temple Artwork

For the last 9 years I have been more than an hour from the nearest temple. I feel so fortunate to be only 5 minutes away from the Draper temple and 15 minutes away from two other temples. I love that we can see temples no matter where we are in the valley. I'm going to miss that when it's time for us to leave. You can download free pictures of the Draper temple on my free temple pictures website http://www.freeldstemplepictures.com/

Rotten mommy

My little angel has gone from this:

To this:

At two and a half I thought we might actually skip over the terrible two phase, but apparently not. In the past few weeks he has:

• scribbled on the wall with crayon
• dumped out every toy bin we own
• shredded into tiny pieces the two loaves of whole wheat bread I made using a combination of his hands and an ice cream scoop
• climbed on the counter and cut up his finger with my knife (superficial wound, thank goodness)
• food flinging at mealtimes
• smooshed banana all over my bed. and the carpet.
• ran around in the middle of the boys' taekwondo class, then through the doors and out into the street
• and, I'm sure there were a few other things that I've blocked from memory

Whenever I try to prevent one of these little incidents from occuring he yells "rotten mommy!" over and over. It's kind of funny. and a bit cute. but totally naughty.

Last meal...

If I had one last meal in this life, this would totally be it. It might not look like much, but the combination of lemon, bacon and butter is to die for. Seriously. Try it: Lemon Chicken with bacon, potatoes and roasted asparagus.

Real food: eliminating sugar

I thought that eliminating processed sugar would be the biggest challenge for me. I love my sweets (as you can tell from my food blog). You wouldn't think so, but travelling actually helped with this one. I wasn't home so I couldn't bake. The only sweets I eat are home made sweets. I just don't like the taste of "fake" sweets. So I went a full 5 weeks and only had 3 sweet treats if you can believe it. After coming home and starting to live my "real foods" pledge it was amazing, my sugar cravings were gone (and are still gone). Completely gone!

In the past, I'd look at a yummy recipe on pinterest and would start drooling. I'd grab the bag of chocolate chips or my hidden stash of IKEA dark chocolate and indulge excessively while I waited for my cavity maker/heart attack dessert to bake. It seemed like I never felt satisfied- could never quite get enough sweets. Now, I can browse pinterest and am not phased at all by seeing an image of a dessert that previously would have made my mouth water. I feel like I have so much more self control and it feels great. I can indulge if I choose to, but I don't NEED to.

As I mentioned in my 100 Days of Real Food post, I eliminated all processed sugar from my diet. I purchased a large jar of honey and a bag of raw sugar (which it turns out the sugar is technically against the rules). I only used 1 teaspoon of sugar the entire first week. I used honey to sweeten plain yogurt, oatmeal and a batch of brown rice peanut butter balls. Other than that, I relied solely on fruits to provide my sugar.

So, if you're trying to reduce or eliminate sugar from your lifestyle, here are some tips I recommend starting with.

1. CLEAN HOUSE. Unless you can handle the temptation, toss out your brown, granulated and powdered sugars. Baking is a hobby of mine so I keep the sugar on hand for that, and I keep it in a separate cupboard. This way I don't see it every time I open my baking cupboard and am not tempted by it. Although so far I haven't been tempted to use it. If you typically keep a stash of storebought sweets (cookies, candy, soda, etc) those have to go. Get rid of them and don't replace them! Your family doesn't need the cavities or the calories.

2. CHECK THE LABEL. As a general rule, you should not eat anything with more than 8 grams of sugar (2 teaspoons) 3 times a day. If it has more than this, don't buy it. You can't eat what you don't buy!

3. SWEETEN NATURALLY. If you're used to eating a lot of fake sweets, your body needs to learn to appreciate the taste of real sugar. Artificial sweeteners are designed to leave you wanting more. Start by eating real fruits rather than artificially flavored fruit treats. Sweeten cereal, waffles, pancakes by topping with fresh fruit. If you must, use a little honey or a natural sweetener. Buy plain yogurt and sweeten yourself with honey, vanilla and fruit. In recipes, replace sugar with honey. Eat fruits for dessert. Anytime you get a sugar craving, grab some fruit and eat as much as you like until it goes away. Once you start eating more fruits and vegetables, your body will start to crave healthy foods rather than junk.

4. INDULGE IN MODERATION. If you just enjoy eating sweets, go ahead! Once you've purged your body of processed sugar and your cravings have gone away, go ahead and indulge in a small treat. Once a week. BUT, make it yourself if you can. This requires a lot more effort and I like to think I burn calories while baking ;) I think you'll find that the super sugary, unhealthy sweets aren't as appealing to you once you've rid yourself of the sugar addiction. Instead I tend to lean towards more fruit-based desserts (apple/cherry crisp) or those that are more rich in flavor rather (like cheesecake or dark chocolate) than those just filled with loads of unhealthy stuff (like cool whip and caramel topping). Here's a great recipe for oatmeal cookie bites- they totally satisfy and helps curb the desire for anything sweeter.

Zion's

The boys and I went down to Zion's canyon for the weekend. Ethan spent the entire week there with his grandparents hiking around (it was fabulous only having two kids for the week!) The weather was beautiful Friday & Saturday, sunny but not too hot.

We all hiked to the pools and the boys of course had to jump in the water and get all wet and then roll around in the red dirt turning themselves into muddy messes.

Sunday was my sister's baby blessing- you'd never guess that at 8 pounds little Lily is 4 months old! She was less than 3 pounds when she was born and is doing remarkably well.

We saw a little snow on our drive back, but fortunately it wasn't too bad. It was a nice little weekend getaway.

p.s. the adorable diaper cover comes from this store.

 

Birmingham, Alabama LDS Temple

Here are free pictures of the Birmingham, Alabama LDS Temple. Unfortunately, they were doing maintenance on the temple so there were sprinkler pipes sticking out everwhere and a big yellow truck right in front of the entrance. I did my best to photoshop the mess out but unfortunately I couldn't photoshop flowers in, sorry! You can download these free images of the Birmingham temple at http://www.freeldstemplepictures.com

That's the last of my road trip temples. Now I just need spring to hit Utah so I can start photographing the local temples here.

Getting started with Real Food

It can be overwhelming to overhaul your diet, especially if you are used to eating a lot of processed foods. There is so much conflicting information out there and labels can be really misleading and confusing. I recommend starting by watching Food Inc. reading Michael Pollan's food rules and visiting the 100 Days of Real Food website. I also recommend In Defense of Food. It's not an easy read, but it's an eye opener and really gets you thinking about why you should eat real food. And, remember, real food may be more expensive now, but it's certainly cheaper than future medical bills!

While most organic/natural/real foods will be more expensive, the biggest commitment for me isn't money. It's time. I have to take the time to cook, to prepare foods and be more involved in the whole eating process. (If you have more money than time, you can buy boxed organic foods and make your life easier.)

Here are 10 ideas to get you started:

1. Start Fresh: If you currently eat a lot of processed foods, begin slowly so as not to shock your system. Start by adding fresh fruits and vegetables. Pick up your Bountiful Basket or going to the grocery store and load up on the fruits & veggies (organic if possible- but any is better than none). Start adding fruit to your breakfast (on top of cereal or waffles or as a side to eggs), prepare a large container of sliced fruits and veggies (and/or a large fruit salad) for snacks twice a day in between meals. Include fruits and veggies at lunch- I love to use those sectioned trays (Target) that way I remember to fill them with fruits and veggies. Plan your main meal around a vegetable.
2. De-Junk: Evaluate your lifestyle and eliminate those things that are just plain bad (soda, coffee, chips, candy, processed sweets) and reduce the number of times you eat out. That should free up some extra money to put towards healthier choices (one night on the town for a family of five is equivalent to a weeks worth of groceries). Keep track of all the money you spend on food, you'll be surprised at how unplanned purchases add up. Check the labels of everything in your pantry. Donate anything with more than 8 grams of added sugar, contains high fructose corn syrup and anything else that you aren't familiar with or can't pronounce. The general rule is more than 5 items- however if those 5 items are real food items, then it's ok.

3. Make a plan: Plan out your meals in advance (see below for great recipes sites) and purchase a weeks worth of food. I use this free Grocery Planner to keep track of the food I need to buy and what meals I have planned for each day. I like to base my meals around my bountiful basket- this way meals are vegetable based (rather than meat based) and I don't have to buy as much. If you double the recipe then you can freeze some to save for later which also cuts down on preparation time.
4. Buy REAL food: Go shopping! Walmart and Costco do have a lot of organic food, but you have to search for them, even at the healthier stores you still need to read your labels. Shop at farmers markets and seek out local food providers. Check out these websites for local providers http://www.eatwellguide.org/  http://www.localharvest.org/ and http://www.eatwild.com/ If it's artificial, you can't pronounce an ingredient or don't know what an ingredient is, don't buy it! Do what you can with your budget. If you can't afford organic produce, it's ok, buy regular produce- but buy a lot of it and have that be the primary thing you eat (and wash well!).
• Upgrade your bread to 100% whole grain. Make sure there is no added sugar or processed "stuff" in your bread. This is my favorite whole wheat bread recipe I've been making for more than 6 years.
• Buy brown rice or barley instead of white rice, whole oats instead of processed oatmeal mixes, make your own granola instead of boxed cereals (there are some great organic brands- I love Kashi and Cascadian Farms cereals- but still check your labels!)
• Add beans to your diet. I have a lot of bean recipes on my food blog. I purchased this fabulous Fagor 3 in 1 multi-cooker and can pressure cook dried beans in 20 minutes. Add to a salad or put inside a whole wheat tortilla with tomatoes and avocado and it makes for a quick and healthy meal.
• Buy a large container of honey and use it to replace sugar. Here's a good list of what is considered a natural sweetener and what isn't- as you'll find out when you take your first shopping trip it's impossible to figure out by reading the package- they all say natural! I picked up some "raw sugar" which apparently to the uber natural people is still refined- so technically I shouldn't be using it... But like I said before, I'm flexible (and am not going to drive myself insane about it- woman cannot live on honey alone!)
• Eat meat in moderation, especially red meat. A piece of bacon isn't going to kill you, but a piece of bacon a day might. Rather than eating a big hunk of meat, try eating it as a side dish or only adding a small portion of meat and spreading it out over several meals. Try adding fish to your diet if you're not already eating it. This is a hard one for me because I wasn't raised on fish and don't particularly care for it, however I've found that if you buy high quality fish like halibut, salmon and tilapia, they don't really have much of a flavor as long as you don't overcook them. If you are addicted to meat, buying more expensive meats may help to curb that craving. Don't elminate meat completely- but rather than eating a huge chunk of it, use a small portion and spread it out over 2-3 meals. Buy the most natural things you can with the budget you have. I think you'll find that the more you load up on fruits and veggies the less room you have in your tummy for meats and dairy which are the most expensive items (and the most controversial).
• Check your milk to make sure it says NO artificial growth hormones and buy the freshest eggs and cheese you can find.
5. Table manners: Eat together as a family- at the table. No eating in front of the tv! Use this as a time to talk with your children and grow closer as a family. If your kids are older- involve them in the cooking and meal planning. Even little kids can understand the value of healthy eating. My five year old grabs a plate of veggies and says "I'm not going to get diabetes!"
• Eat a snack of fruits and vegetables in between meals. This prevents the hunger feeling which triggers the brain to seek the quickest, simplest carbohydrate.
• Use small plates and bowls. The larger the plate/bowl the more you'll eat. Smaller dishes give the appearance of more food, and since American's are trained to clean their plate- that's exactly what you'll do.
• Eat slowly, drink lots of water and stop eating before you are full. As you learn to listen to your body you will stop overeating and will be satisfied with less food. Drinking a large glass of water with a meal also helps you to feel more full. Eating empty calories never satisfies.
6. Buy some tools: I highly recommend purchasing a pressure cooker (the Fagor 3 in 1 multi-cooker is FABULOUS), dried beans and rice are much less expensive than canned beans and instant rice and with a pressure cooker only takes 20 minutes. Baking bread also saves me a ton of money. I also love my food processor (which you can also use to mix bread, tortillas, etc) and helps save on a lot of time consuming chopping and processing- perfect for making larabars. If you base your meals around vegetables, beans and grains you will actually save a ton of money over boxed/canned/frozen foods and that money you're saving can go towards purchasing healthier produce, dairy and meats (good quality meats are very expensive- another good reason to reduce your overall meat intake).
7. Plant a garden: Obviously I'd love to have a huge garden and grow all my own food, but that's not a possibility right now. But I can grow a few herbs and a potted tomato plant or two though. I can also re-grow green onions simply by putting them in a cup of water.
8. Experiment: Choose one new grain and learn to use it. Chef Brad has some fabulous videos about cooking with whole grains. A great grain is quinoa- it might take some getting used to the texture but it is a serious superfood (and a complete protein). Here's a great quinoa breakfast cereal.
   
   Experiment with modifying recipes (i.e. honey for sugar, butter/coconut oil for vegetable oils & shortenings, whole grains for white rice).
   
   Try new fruits and vegetables. Starfruit, artichokes, asparagus, kale, (just watch out for papaya- tastes like vomit to some people- I found that out the hard way!)
9. Exercise: You might think this has nothing to do with eating real food, but actually it does. I have found that when I am munching too many empty carbs I feel sluggish. When I eat healthy I suddenly get the urge to exercise, and when I exercise I have the urge to eat healthy. Even if it's just going for a walk around the block, try to get outside and move for a few minutes every day.
10. Be realistic: Don't stress too much. If your kids (or your husband) eat an oreo or if you swing by the drive through in a moment of toddler starvation they're not going to keel over. Just serve the healthiest food you can at home and don't worry about the rest!

Here are just a few websites I've found that offer great real food recipes (not every recipe is, as with all food- you must check the recipe and may need to make some substitutions):

Fabulous Foods (my recipe site that I will am updating): http://ldsbaker.blogspot.com/ click on Real Food
100 Days of Real Food: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/
Whole Foods: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/
Food Renegade http://www.foodrenegade.com/recipes/
Deliciously Organic: http://deliciouslyorganic.net/
Enlightened Cooking: http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/
The Joy of Clean Eating: http://thejoyofcleaneating.com/
Happy Healthy Mama: http://happyhealthymama.com/
Gluten Free Goddess: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/p/site-index.html
Kath Eats Real Food: http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods
The Clean Eating Mama: http://www.thecleaneatingmama.com/2009/06/recipes_01.html

America Jane Giveaway!

Have you heard of the scouting site America Jane? They are giving away a copy of Beginning Boy Scouts and a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate. Check out America Jane and enter to win today (hurry, ends Saturday)!

There are also some great resources for homeschoolers. Check out the Boy Scout friendly homeschool curriculum and Real art projects for kids.

Nashville, Tennessee LDS Temple Artwork

Click here to download free pictures of the Nashville, Tennessee LDS temple. Enjoy!