Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Pumpkin Crunch Muffins


I found this recipe quite awhile ago at KSL.
In the original recipe, the crunch is made by topping
the unbaked muffins with about one tablespoon of brown sugar each.
I have never had success with using brown sugar like that.
When I try it, the brown sugar usually melts and looks kinda gross!
The main body of these muffins is delicious,
so I adjusted the crunch topping by adding butter, oats and flour
to the brown sugar.
The results were delicious!

Use the recipe found at KSL,
and add this topping to the top of the unbaked muffins:

1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oats
1/4 c. flour
Mix with a fork until crumbly, and sprinkle on muffins.
Bake muffins for about 20 minutes.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Blizzard That Wasn't and Gratitude

It looked threatening enough.

Looking even more threatening....

The flakes begin to fall.

When it started, it snowed and blew pretty hard...

but it didn't last for long.
Oh well, the tree looks pretty cool anyway.

Gratitude

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and there's so much I'm grateful for!
My husband (the best!), my kids (awesome!),
our families, the gospel of Jesus Christ, wonderful friends,
a good roof over my head, Christmas music, scented candles,
my sisters, cars that run, food to eat, warmth,
electricity, exercise making me stronger, health and strength,
Cream of Wheat, dark chocolate. (Not necessarily in that order).
This is just a few because the list would be way too long!


Happy Thanksgiving!!!


Monday, November 8, 2010

Lasagna Soup

I found this recipe today over at Real Mom Kitchen.
I changed it up a little by using no green pepper,
adding a little olive oil, an extra tablespoon of brown sugar,
extra pasta and an extra garlic clove.
It really does taste like lasagna.
Give it a try and you won't be sorry!

Here's my version:

Lasagna Soup

1 lb. ground beef
a small handful of dry minced onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. thyme
2 T. brown sugar
4 c. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
3/4 t. sea salt
2 1/2 c. uncooked rotini pasta
3/4 c. grated parmesan
shredded mozzarella
garlic croutons

In a large pot, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic in olive oil.
Cook until ground beef is brown.
Stir in thyme, brown sugar, water, bouillon, tomatoes, sauce, seasonings and salt.
Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta until just underdone.
Stir pasta and cheese into soup.
Continue simmering for another 3-4 minutes.
Serve topped with shredded mozzarella and croutons.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

(The Day Before) Halloween 2010

Dinner in a pumpkin.
Not something I'd wanna have all the time,
but fun for Halloween.

This video shows you Jared's latest creation.
He decided he wanted to be a transformer,
so he designed this costume and made it himself with
a little measuring and cutting help from Dad.
Awesome job, Jared!!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Pumpkin Swirl Cookies

The real name for these cookies is
Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Cookies.
But I think "Pumpkin Swirl Cookies"
is MUCH easier to say.
Especially when you have your mouth full of them. :)
You can find the recipe here.

Nicole came home today and she did the honors
of making these cookies.
They look cute and they taste great!!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Pumpkin Bundt

(Forgive the bad lighting!)

Here's another of my own creations.
It's very moist with good flavor.

Pumpkin Bundt

1 Duncan Hines spice cake mix
2 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. buttermilk
3 eggs
1 t. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in electric mixer
for 2 minutes on medium speed.
Pour into well greased bundt pan.
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes
or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frost with cinnamon buttercream:
3 T. melted butter
1/2 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. milk
add powdered sugar to desired consistency.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Got this recipe in one of my newspaper inserts.
You can find it here. So yummy!
I made a few adjustments, such as
swapping some of the oats for steel cut oats,
using whole wheat flour,
and changing the corn syrup to agave nectar.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The big 1-6

My birthday boy likes white cake.
So I baked up this creation.
Our Best Bites' Easy White Cake. Go here for the recipe.
There's a link in the recipe for White Vanilla Frosting,
and it starts with milk and flour.
Yep, you got that right!
It's very light, fluffy, and not too sweet.
Seriously good!

Here's the big birthday boy.
He's legal now, for driving, dating, all that good stuff.
He does want to drive, but I don't think he's too
concerned about the dating part.
I might have to change that, but then again, I might not.
At least, not yet.

Birthday Party!

I had my birthday on 9/11,
and Jake's is 9/16.
We celebrated together on 9/12.
Happy Birthday to us!!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

My recent, current and future reads






If you know me, you know that I MUST
have a book to read
at all times.
I LOVE BOOKS!!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Blueberry Peach Ice Cream

Tonight's dessert/Family Home Evening treat!
It's my own creation
and turned out pretty good.
~~~~~~~~~
Blueberry Peach Ice Cream
~~~~~~~~~
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 medium peaches
3 T. sugar
3 T. lemon juice

Peel the peaches and crush the berries.
Combine with the sugar & lemon juice
and let it sit for 30 minutes to macerate.
After 30 minutes,
puree the fruit.
Put in a large bowl and add:
1 cup fat free half & half
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 c. milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 t. lemon extract
2 T. vanilla

Stir together well
and then pour into your ice cream maker.
Freeze according to manufacturers' directions.
Enjoy!!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Thoughts on Day 19

(At this point, this is pretty much how I feel)

So Day 19 passed yesterday,
and I am still doing it.
On vacation, my knee (which has arthritis)
started to bother me.
I didn't know if it was the 30 Day Shred
or the all the hours riding in the car
(which that knee has never liked).
We've been home a week and for the last few workouts,
I actually did them barefoot.
My knee was not bothered at all,
which I'm really happy about!
I did not want arthritis
to derail my plans for my bod!
Anyway, I'm down 5 lbs according to the scale,
which is good.
Clothes fit differently
and I'm sure I've lost inches
in a lot of places.
Problem is, I didn't think to measure myself
when I started!
The best part is, I now feel a drive to exercise--
my body needs it.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Another healthy breakfast treat

This is Yoplait Greek Yogurt (plain flavor),
drizzled with a teaspoon of agave nectar
and then topped with 1/3 cup of Bear Naked Fit Vanilla Almond granola
and 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries.
So good!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Vacation Pics, part one





Our vacay took us to Moab, then to Durango Colorado,
and then back to Moab for more fun in the sun.
These pics show the beautiful red rocks of Moab,
and some shots of us on our Hummer Slickrock tour.
It was the most awesome fun!!

We're Back!


We went on vacation for a week, and it was a blast. Pics will be coming soon!

In the meantime, here's another recipe for you, courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.
16-Minute Beef and Bean Burritos, which I made for dinner tonight.
I did a couple things different from the recipe.
Instead of warming them in the microwave,
I laid them all out on a cookie sheet as I rolled them,
and then put them in the oven at 325 for about 10 minutes.
It was a hit because everyone in the house liked them.
That's a feat in itself!!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Thoughts on Day 9

(Editor's Note:
I don't have this book, but I want it).

My thoughts on Day 9 of Jillian Michaels:

1. That woman is tough, but she has a heart. I now watch "Losing it with Jillian" every Tuesday.
2. I want abs! I want arms! I want long hair, too. Maybe Jillian's hair is why I've been obsessing about long hair lately....
3. Abs, arms, hair...That's why I keep doing this.
4. I do like exercise more now. I used to HATE it!
5. I feel stronger. And tougher. That's also why I keep doing this.
6. The scale hasn't moved that much, but I keep reminding myself that I'm building muscle.
7. A couple of days ago, I could SWEAR my arm had more definition.
8. Today I tried level 2 and I went back to feeling like I was going to die. Except I didn't feel that way as long.
That's good, right?
9. I'm using only dark chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth. Ghirardelli 72% to be exact.
10. I'm taking Jillian (and Ghirardelli) along on my vacation. I'm afraid NOT to!

Monday, June 28, 2010

An open letter to Jared

Dear Joj,
You're off to Camp Bartlett this week!
Have fun, buddy!
And take good care of yourself!
Love,
Mom

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Gimme a 5 and a 3!!

5 is for Day 5 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred.

And 3 is for the pounds I am down since I started!!

Whoo-hoo!!! It's working!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Jillian: 1, Me: 1

Monday I started doing this.
And Monday, I thought I was going to DIE.
And I mean DIE!
The rest of the day my legs were complete rubber.
Today I did day 2,
and I don't know what the difference was,
but I feel FANTASTIC!
I'm not saying I'm not sore,
because I most certainly am.
But I feel great! I feel stronger already.
Jillian motivates me.
But I do have muscles that I never knew I had.
Like the muscles right in front of your armpits.
Those KILL whenever I wash my hands
for crying out loud! :)
And the muscles between your shoulder blades?
They are there also.
And the muscles in my thighs?
They SCREAM whenever I walk down the stairs!
I'm not complaining though
because all this means one thing:
I am going to be the fittest in my life!

5 Grain Banana Muffins

This is my own creation
and they turned out great!
Here's the recipe.

1 c. Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain Rolled cereal, dry
1 c. flour (you could use either whole wheat or all purpose)
3 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
1 egg
1/2 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with Pam.
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.
Make a well in the center and add the mashed banana,
the egg, and the buttermilk.
Using a fork, mix together until just combined.
Be careful not to over mix.
Divide batter evenly between the muffin cups.
Bake for about 12 mins, until golden brown
and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack.

Nutrition information:
There are 104 calories per muffin, less than one gram of fat,
21 grams of carbohydrate (with 7 grams from sugar),
2 grams of fiber (with all purpose flour),
and 3 grams of protein.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Father's Day breakfast

This is an Omelet wrap...it's healthy and delicious!
It's what I made for Jeff for his
Father's Day breakfast. I also made one for me. :)
The original recipe came from
the Eat Clean diet by Tosca Reno.
I've adapted it a little to fit my tastes.
Here's my version:

Omelet Wrap
~~~~~
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 T. milk
sea salt & pepper to taste
1 t. olive oil
1 whole wheat tortilla
1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge
about 1 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Spray a small frying pan with Pam and then add the oil.
Heat the pan over medium high heat.
Beat the egg, egg white, and milk together.
Add salt and pepper to your taste.
When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture.
Cook til almost set on top,
then turn over and cook for about 1-2 minutes more.
During cook time,
warm the tortilla in the microwave for 12 seconds.
Spread warmed tortilla with the cheese.
Sprinkle with the fresh cilantro.
Lay the omelet on top & roll up.
Let sit for a minute, then cut in half.
Enjoy!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Rock-a-bye baby

This is Mia and Grandpa Sedlacek's doggie, Otie.
Otie is supposedly a Shiitzu,
but he's really just a big baby.
He'll cuddle like one forever!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Homemade Belgian Waffles

Classic Belgian Waffles.
Yum!
They take a little time
since you have to whip the egg whites,
but it's worth it!
These turned out so good...
crispy on the outside,
soft on the inside.
Here's the recipe.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Sarah the Seafarer

Seafarer blue, that is.
We made over Sarah's room!

Crushed silk curtains.
I actually found these at Walmart for all of $9.
Add some ribbon that exactly matches the paint,
and Voila!!

Sarah's just humoring me here.
Can you tell?

Wall appliques are awesome!
So easy, and Sarah can move them around if she wants.

Nicole did all the painting.
She is the BEST!