Everything In Between...

Here is June...random picture style :)

yummy clean eats.  Greek Yogurt, fresh OJ, strawberries, vanilla...blend it up and freeze it out!

another favorite.  banana slices, topped with PB and a little dark choc frozen to perfection.  You only take out what you will eat....Bananas will go soggy as they thaw

and this is how we will spend our long summer days :)

yes, sir!  We love our pool!

Clean chocolate creamies...plain greek yogurt, cocoa powder, banana

I am still dreaming about this yummy alfredo sauce: cauliflower, garlic, herbs blended with a little chicken broth or water...eat it by the spoonfuls or over pasta, or quesadillas, or...pretty much anything!

fort night...movie night...sleep out!  Sure love these kids and how well they get along!

We reached 29 weeks of pregnancy and I am still bruning it up teaching Spin, Step, Toning, and Water classes.  Greg and I are teaching kids sports conditioning classes so on Monday and Wednesdays I am teaching double classes.  Loving it, and loving that my body can do it.  I have never felt this good pregnant!!  Too bad I didn't stay this fit (and my diet this clean) with all my other pregnancies :)

this is the kid that stopped taking naps in church before he was 1, but since finding out he had a baby sis or brother he snuggles with it every Sunday and falls asleep.  It is the sweetest thing in the world to feel the baby on the inside squirm over to where he is laying and snuggle in.  I LOVE it!  and can't wait for this little boy to be a big brother. 

summer grilling!  this is how we eat every night

Kirst and her kids came to play and we had a great time.  No pool because of course it cooled down just as they got here. 

sweet, fun kids!  Thanks for coming to play Kirst!

My New Favorite Gadget...

...seriously (I say that a lot!) this is the funnest tool I have in my kitchen and I foresee lots of use from it.  My mom, and 3 sisters went to a kitchen store while in Utah and I have wanted one of these for a while now and was so happy to find it, and I didn't have to fork over my life savings for it...SWEET!  The kids were super impressed as well.  I kid you not (yay no "seriously") we were giggling and down right giddy making dinner the other night.  We had Veggie Low Mien which was YUMM!

the ingredients for the veggies (we added 3 large chicken breasts too)  I noodle-ized the zucchini (see Colt's noodle below) and the carrots.  Chopped the cellery, cabbage (although I think I might be able to do this one), garlic and scallions.  Sauteed them, then added 1/2 cup 100% pure Orange Juice, 1 TSP ginger, salt and pepper.  The leftovers are even better!

check out that nutrition!  This is a POWER meal!

 Can't wait to use it again...don't worry I am sure I will blog about it :)

Food, Glorious Food...

I have had a couple of people ask for some of my recipes, so I thought I would share what a random day looked like... I do have to apologize because my measuring spoons and cups very rarely get used, so I am guessing on measurements, but most of it is to your preference.  If you like more add more, if you like less add less...this is how I cook!

Breakfast:

My yummy breakfast!  Plain Greek yogurt (love that stuff, use it for all kinds of substitutions) 1/2 banana, 8 (or so) raspberries, 8 almonds, drizzle of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Morning Snack:

morning snack...boring I know.  It is a frozen package of mixed veggies (be aware of your ingredients though)

Lunch:

I LOVE salad, as long as it is not just lettuce and dressing, gotta have the works.  This one was lettuce, pomegranates, red onion, cucumber, chicken, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, oil and balsamic vinegar...yum!  So sad pomegranate season is over!

Afternoon Snack:

my most frequent cravings...SOUR fruit, especially Kiwis they are helping so much with the sickies

Typically I try to limit my fruits to 1-2 servings a day, but this baby wants it ALL the TIME, so I satisfy it...it's fruit after all!

Here are a couple dinner options (no, I didn't eat them all in one day)

3 Chicken Breasts (not thin sliced) filleted and pounded flat

Combine the following:

2 heads (approx 3 cups) roccoli finely chopped and steamed (I used mostly the leafy parts and saved the stalks for soup)  

3/4 cup Greek yogurt (plain)

2T mayo

1 t  of the following:

Salt

Onion pow

Garlic pow

Italian seas

Lemon

Directions: 

Take your flat chicken breasts and add 1/3 the stuffing.  Roll up and secure with toothpicks (notice mine is spilling out...no worries!) 

Brown your chicken in a cast iron, baking safe pan for about 2 minutes no all sides

Finish baking at 350* for about 15 minutes 

Serve with rice, a salad, or nothing...

1 roll:

Calories:252

Fat: 8

   Sat: 2

   Poly: 4

   Mono: 1.7

Cholesterol (mg) 71.3

Sodium (mg) 187.3

Potassium: 453.1

Carbs: 11.3

   Fiber: 2.3

   Sugars: 3.7

Protein: 35.2

Vit A: 11.6

Vit c: 132.8

Calcium: 17.6

Iron: 8.6

Fish Tacos with pomegranate salsa and cucumber dressing...cook your fish (I like tilapia) for the salsa it is 1 pomegranate (again out of season :( sad!) 3 roma tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, cilantro, 1/2-1 jalapeno, lime juice and salt.  For the dressing 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 shredded cucumber, lime juice salt and pepper and a little dash of cayenne pepper.  (I blend this until smooth-and use it on everything!)

Finishing Off February...

...yes I realize that we are currently 19 days into March and this hasn't posted yet, but through the power of back dating it will :)

The day has come...this will be the style my kids look back and laugh about and their kids will look at them like THEY are crazy!!  mismatched shoes...they are sold this way...what?!  She loves them though and I am all about her having her own statement style...can I tell you how annoyed I was the day I went to buy ME some socks and could only find packs of mismatches...what I am still the person that has all mismatched socks in a baggie hoping that one day I will find all of their matches.

V-day was a success...not sure if it is my current status, or that I am getting old and boring, but we have scaled back our holiday madness BIG time.  I just can't compete and keep outdoing myself every year.  That said...the kids had fun at their school parties...well except Jacey who missed hers to go to a competition in Boise with her dad.  I just can't do car rides right now...blah!

sense a theme in our house this year?  Minions all the way across, even Colt insisted on me making him one.

We enjoyed some crazy, unseasonably warm days this month and took full advantage of them.  We got out and PLAYED we are both feeling a little cooped up. 

my new favorite snack...Greek yogurt, PB, honey and cinnamon with apples or bananas (I prefer the bananas, colt likes the apples) love my snacking buddy and LOVE our Wednesdays off!

and just like the warm days entered they left with a fierce storm...probably the worst of the year so far.  I had to stop a few times to bang ice/snow off my wipers in the 20 mile drive home from Burley.  It also took us close to an hour to get home. 

Ahhhh now this moment I am not sure I am ready for!  Jacey had her New Beginnings night, I am really excited for her, but seriously slow down time for this momma would ya?!

and that about sums up our February...

Just Hanging Out...

...with my favorite C4!!  This morning he came running into my room and said "mom!  Am I still C4?!"  So worried he had been sucked into Groundhog Day and it had all not happened. Cute kid, that somehow managed to milk his birthday for one more day.  He was so excited to go to the store and spend his money.  He bought 2 more transformers and now just about has the whole rescue bot squad.  Sooo cute!

I am so happy we get to spend so much time together, I only wish I could spend as much time with the others too!  Somedays, I won't lie, I am tempted to take them out of school just so we can hang out!  Maybe I will...

So since it has been a day or two since I last blogged (I feel guilt, trust me!) I have loads of food pictures I haven't shared but rather than going back through I will try to just make a point to do better from here on out...clean eating agrees with us all!

Tonight we had Chicken, Basil, Spinach, Tomatoes cooked in coconut oil with garlic and lemon juice.  Soooo easy and sooo tasty!  The kids ate it with linguine noodles.

(Watch for a few makeup posts coming as soon as it is my turn on the computer) 

Day 14...

...today I am not grateful for sickies but I am grateful my little boy will let me comfort him.  He kept saying "I not sick, I just want you to hold me!" alas he has the same thing Dax did last weekend...a slight fever and a headache. 

I am very grateful for food!  and seeing how I can't eat what ever I want anymore I am very grateful for ways to cook the food I like in a way that wont leave me in bed with a headache.  I have been craving chili and cinnamon rolls since the kids came home from school the other day and mentioned that is what they had for lunch.  When we first moved here I thought that was the weirdest combination, but it has grown on me.  Not sure I will ever be able to have cinnamon rolls without chili and vice-versus.  I am trying to be better about sharing my recipes too so here you go:
Pumpkin Chicken Chili: (don't turn your nose up, pumpkin is not just for desserts)
bonus just dump everything in the crock pot and enjoy 4-6 hours later.  If you are trying to eat clean please make sure you check your labels of your canned foods...not all canned foods are created equal!
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup diced onion
1 heaping TBS garlic
2 cups diced tomatoes (you can use canned)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can kidney beans (rinsed)
3-4 chicken breasts diced up to bite sized pieces (cooked or uncooked)
1/2 tsp cinnamon it is that "secret ingredient" that makes people go "hmmm"
1 TBS cumin
1 TBS chili powder
I like spicy but my kids/husband don't so I wont add my spicy until I dish my own up

Now the kicker...

CLEAN Cinnamon Rolls! (who would have thought it possible?)

I found the idea for this HERE-thegraciouspantry (one of my most favorite sites for ideas and recipes) and I followed her dough recipe, cooking directions and times to a tee with the exception of using coconut milk instead of almond milk.

my filling was different though and quite a bit LESS messy, yet still amazingly yummy!
Filling:

• 1/2 cup honey (maybe a little more)
• 1/8 cup real maple syrup
• 1 TBS oat flour
• 1 TBS cinnamon

(trust me there was oodles of gooeyness-I am afraid her's would have been over the top)

Frosting: she just drizzles honey, but DANG the frosting is the best part...so I had to have some or I wasn't going to make them.  So I did
1 tsp coconut oil (melted)
1 scoop (clean) vanilla protein powder
just enough vanilla coconut milk to make it frosting like...

Viola! Cinnamon rolls I can eat...don't get me wrong, they are still loaded with calories and should only be consumed in moderation (they will not make you skinny, and they will spike the blood sugar) BUT they are clean, and decidedly  better for you than cinnabon and the likes.

Notes for the next time I make them:
layer walnuts on the bottom of the pan and then invert the rolls to a plate the nuts will be on top and the ooey-gooey will ooze back down the rolls.  THEN frost them as you eat them, not all at once.  The frosting lost it's fluff and shine the longer it sat.  These are lots better warm than cold too!

Day 4...

...today I am grateful for family dinners, and fresh, clean food in general, and seasonal food specifically.
I was recently asked to provide recipes with my food dishes, which I thought would be super simple, but then I sat down to write it and this is what I came up with:
Tomato sauce
seasonings to taste-my go to seasonings are cumin, chili, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika and maybe a little cayenne pepper (in very small doses)
chicken (in the amount of leftovers)
black beans (2 cups)
corn (2 cups)
cooking fresh whole ingredients is easy, but writing a recipe is not so easy...it is all done by taste for me.  I will try to be better for you all though. 

I love seasonal foods, they always taste so heavenly that first time you eat it...and then only slightly less heavenly every time after that.  I was introduced to pomegranates a couple of years ago, but did you know it is one of the oldest fruits recorded in historical writings...I didn't!  So the first time I bought one I had no idea how to eat it, and it didn't cross my mind to google it, and so I told myself it was WAY too much work and didn't buy another one for a very long time.  Then late last winter I tried this salsa and was introduced to a food I am sure is served in heaven.  It was AH-MAZING!  The next weekend I sent Greg on a hunt for some pomegranates and after 3 stores he came home empty handed...we had missed the season.  So I have craved this salsa since then.  It is one I will make numerous times this season...enough to tie me over until next season.
So here is my "recipe" but really it is salsa...just throw it all in a bowl and balance out the flavors
1 pomegranate (youtube a video of getting the seeds out...it will change your life!)
4ish roma tomaotes
4 slices red onion diced
2 avocados
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded) 
juice of 1 lime
salt
yup...heavenly...and so pretty too.  I am GRATEFUL!

so back to the family dinners..I am so happy that despite a busy schedule we can all sit down and eat together more often than not.  We have such interesting conversations that I would be truly sad to miss out on. 

Oh My Pumpkin Love...

WARNING:

• You may never try another pumpkin anything again which could result in less time on pinterest-ha yeah right, we can now just pin crafts we may or may not ever make :) 
•  It has addictive qualities...I mean tonight was our third batch in 2 weeks (and one of those batches was a double batch-hey I had to test it to make sure it worked for your sake) 
• They are more healthy than not-if you mention this to certain people it can be to your advantage

the awesome ingredients you will need...not pictured and optional 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder and the darkest chocolate you can find...that is tolerable.

How I make my "oat flour"...pretty much the only good use of this little contraption.  Am I the only one that has a "can't even blend a banana in a smoothie" problem? pre-measure your oats and grind one cup at a time.  please also note my dirty wall...we might eat clean but I am still the messiest cook ever!

my most favorite oil ever...since you wont be pinning pumpkin recipes after this one, start pinning uses for coconut oil and be sure to read the study about Alzheimer.  Amazing stuff!  I grease my pans with my hands and then I rub the extra in as lotion, especially in my cuticles...is that gross?

mix your wet and dry ingredients separately...I don't know why...just do it!  I can't guarantee greatness unless you do.

I fold in the dry ingredients until they are moist...don't over mix...this is not about working out, this is about quickly getting it to the pan to bake so you can eat!

the results: a moist cake you don't have to feel guilty about...well unless you eat the entire pan, then perhaps you should feel guilty for not sharing the love! all the cute writing/embellishments was done with Rhonnadesigns one of my most favorite aps!

Optional ingredient (not listed) would be 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder.  The bellow stats was generated with it.   cute scrap paper by shabbyprincess

yup, this recipe, according to caloriecount (have you ever used that site?  super fun!) scores an A but my kids score it an A+++ this is for 1/8 of the pan...that is a HUGE serving as a dessert, but as breakfast it is just right!

This recipe can be made into muffins, mini muffins, bread, and I am thinking probably even pancakes...maybe that will be this weeks variation.


so the above was Wednesday's batch (and I did double it and cooked it in a 9x13 instead of my 9x9)...tonight the kids wanted me to make a chocolate cake...so I did...and I made it exactly the same way just elliminated the spices (although they would probably be fine left in) and added 2/3 cups cocoa powder.  The results YUMMINESS times TWO!  Dibs on the middle piece where all the chocolate chips congregated!
Oh ps) don't add those chips until the last 5ish minutes of baking or they will burn. 

All Detoxed...

The results:
*headaches 80% gone...I had 1 migraine in the 21 days, but it was cycle related.  I also had the residual cluster headaches for 3 days after (also cycle related)
*I lost 8.5 inches and 8.2 lbs
*I feel amazing!
*I am craving FRUIT big time and a sweet potato...yay it is not sugar or even bread (I craved french bread by the loaf for the first few days)
*I have created good habits that should be pretty easy to carry on

had a big ah-ha moment when I read this...as someone that knows weight can be lost by restricting calories this was very refreshing!

because a lot of my food this last half was repeat of the first I thought I would show you where I get my GRIT on!  That guy has NOTHING on my coaches!

I am a fan of fun socks!

break through for the kids moment...I made chicken "noodle-less" soup and every single one of them turned their nose up at it.  Colt ended up eating thirds, Skye had seconds and Jacey and Dax cleaned their bigger servings with no problem once they ate that first bite.  Colt loved the "noodles" aka cabbage  After they ate it we talked about eating habits, and how it is important to try new things often.  They agreed to be on board with cleaner eating and I agreed to have treats once a week...they will just be cleaner, but YUMMY

We love Smith's and Clarks!  Studies show that kids that help pick and help prepare foods are more likely to try new/healthier foods, it also encourages important conversations and reduces bad decisions (not just with food) when mom is not around...just be sure to stick to the produce section...on this day I let Colt fill his cart with what ever he wanted. 

I could seriously eat 3 zucchinis by myself when cooked this way.  thinly sliced, and broiled 

happy day for me!  this isn't exactly a result of the detox as I have slowly been loosing the weight since June but I was WAY excited!  I still can't wear it because any inflammation in my fingers cuts off circulation still.

On Saturday (10/12/13) I got to participate in a Tour De Pink-2 hour Spin ride to raise money for breast cancer.  It was an amazingly, inspiring ride!

restaurant quality food right there! (tomato sauce from below) mashed cauliflower and steak...yeah be jealous!

Multipurpose roasted red pepper tomato sauce...tonight we used it as spaghetti sauce with our meatballs and spaghetti squash.  Cut your veggies (tomatoes, onion, lots of garlic, lots of basil, red pepper) in chunks and bake until your house smells INSANELY good!  Puree and serve (I will refer to this sauce in another post coming up soon...so don't forget it!)

I am in heaven with spinach these days...LOVE the freshness of it

colorful, flavorful food ROCKS!

tuna sandwiches on zucchini bun...

alright, seriously I felt soooo guilty drinking this...and then I remembered I didn't have to be!  HOT water, vanilla protein and a little dash of spice...so much better than hot chocolate!

Another...be jealous...meal! Who wouldn't want to eat like this all the time?!

yup...that's me!  I was actually on my way to an "opportunity" interview...not a job because Mini-Cassia Search and Rescue workers work for free :) It wasn't the right time for me, and honestly I knew it to be true when I left, but one day it will become a reality.  It was good to interview and I left there with new motivation to make Oakley QRU a stronger unit...starting by finishing my Instructor Course so I can teach all of you to be EMTs with me :)