Thursday, May 31, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
some words of wisdom...
I invited Sexy Jessie to post some of her diet tips on our blog. Here she is now!!!!
....... Well, while we are waiting for her, here are some ideas/tips I've heard or learned:
1) Fill up at breakfast! This should be a fairly big meal but your dinner should be light.
2) Water Water everywhere! We should be drinking lots of water. Anything else should be slim to none with the second most common drink being low fat or fat free milk.
3) exercise most days (I always aim for 6 days; I think a minimum of 3 and a max of 6 is good.)
4) Varying my workouts seemed to bring in the most weight loss; I lost quite a bit before I got pregnant with Violet and I was doing a fair amount of biking, jogging, kickboxing/or tae bo and dance aerobics. Like you mentioned Susie, the 'muscle confusion' thing might have been what helped here.
5) Exercise first thing!! This has not been my strong point the last 18 months or so but it helped a lot after Violet was born....or at least exercising at the same time - making it the routine.
Theres my 5 cents. :)
....... Well, while we are waiting for her, here are some ideas/tips I've heard or learned:
1) Fill up at breakfast! This should be a fairly big meal but your dinner should be light.
2) Water Water everywhere! We should be drinking lots of water. Anything else should be slim to none with the second most common drink being low fat or fat free milk.
3) exercise most days (I always aim for 6 days; I think a minimum of 3 and a max of 6 is good.)
4) Varying my workouts seemed to bring in the most weight loss; I lost quite a bit before I got pregnant with Violet and I was doing a fair amount of biking, jogging, kickboxing/or tae bo and dance aerobics. Like you mentioned Susie, the 'muscle confusion' thing might have been what helped here.
5) Exercise first thing!! This has not been my strong point the last 18 months or so but it helped a lot after Violet was born....or at least exercising at the same time - making it the routine.
Theres my 5 cents. :)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Hey babe!
I would like to do some crafts with the kids that actually end up being something we each take part in but look good in the end. Any thoughts? You'd think by now I'd have some fun ideas but I think Bryana is probably much more full of them than I. My kiddos like glueing things and doing watercolor but they get old after awhile. I"m going to do a search right now and check out whats out there for the preschool crowd.
OK here's some stuff:
This is just a really simple looking book about your family.
http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/2333/my-family-and-me-book-activity/
FreePreschoolCrafts.com
Sunday crafts: http://www.ehow.com/info_8001107_sunday-school-crafts-preschool-children.html
OK here's some stuff:
This is just a really simple looking book about your family.
http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/2333/my-family-and-me-book-activity/
FreePreschoolCrafts.com
Sunday crafts: http://www.ehow.com/info_8001107_sunday-school-crafts-preschool-children.html
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
BYU Mint Brownies!
Normally, I do not care for mint-flavored treats. But I remember that these brownies were quite good :) I intend to make them this week for St. Patrick's Day
BYU MINT BROWNIES
Yields one 9 x 13 pan of brownies
1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts = um, no. Who in their right mind destroys a brownie with nuts anyways?
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own recipe or purchase chocolate frosting)
MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well {add nuts}. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.
BYU MINT BROWNIES
Yields one 9 x 13 pan of brownies
1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts = um, no. Who in their right mind destroys a brownie with nuts anyways?
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own recipe or purchase chocolate frosting)
MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well {add nuts}. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
How to Make Sonic's Cheesecake Bites!
Like the McGriddles, this is a recipe I really want to try making at home but have not made the attempt yet :)
INGREDIENTS:
1 frozen cheesecake (which we can safely guess is the standard 'New York style')
4 cups buttermilk
1 box graham cracker crumbs, crushed
peanut oil (try seasame oil if peanut is not available; do NOT use vegetable oil as it will not taste good)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Defrost cheesecake slightly and cut into bite size pieces
2. Pour buttermilk into a large bowl and dip the bite size pieces individually in buttermilk. Shake off excess milk and coat with cracker crumbs.
3. Place on plate or tray and re-freeze for 1-3 hours
4. Heat oil to 325'F and drop the cheesecake bites into hot oil a few at a time. Pull them out about one minute later (when they start to float). Place on paper towels to drain excess oil and cool slightly.
5. Serve warm (ideally, with a strawberry dipping sauce)
Monday, January 30, 2012
to my favorite twin
Hey there sexy woman! I just want to make a toast to you, my totally awesome twin sister, a toast to a year of better communication between us via our new blog! Oh yeah! We rock. Remember that T shirt idea we had maybe 6 years back? "Born to kill, love to maim, live to die" Oh, we are just so cute! I thought that it would be a nice theme for the blog, but, I really like the pink background and all that you've chosen. We'll probably have more people visit it without skull and crossbones and such. Except Klare, 'cause she's a pirate, and Dani, who, well, is into all things dark and deadly. I'm excited for us to do this together. :)
For my first recipe post, I wanted to share something that I've made many times. We'll get into new and exotic stuff later...
Black Bean Lasagna
9 Lasagna Noodles (8 oz.)
2, 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
(I sometimes use 2 cans of chili, a can or so of black beans and then don't add any ground beef or turkey; also I like to add freshly cooked or leftover rice or quinoa - they're good fillers; not sure how much, maybe 1 1/2 cups?)
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped green sweet pepper (we usually don't add this just 'cause we rarely buy it and I've used carrots or green beans instead)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2, 15 oz. cans tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes (really whatever version of canned tomatoes you want)
1/2 - 1 lb. ground beef or turkey, if not using chili
1/4 C snipped fresh cilantro (YUM!)
1, 12 oz. container cottage cheese
1, 8 oz. pkg. Neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese)
1/4 C light sour cream
*for the last 3 ingredients, you can change the ratios a bit - we often use more sour cream simply because we want more of the cheese mixture. And you can go low fat with all 3 - its still great!)
tomato slices and cilantro leaves, optional
1. Start cooking rice or quinoa, if desired. (I use my rice cooker). Cook meat, if desired. Cook noodles according to pkg.; drain. Mash one can of black beans.
2. Coat a skillet with cooking spray; add onion, green sweet pepper/carrots and garlic. Cook n' stir over med. heat until tender but not brown. Add mashed beans, unmashed beans, tomato sauce and snipped cilantro. Add cooked meat and/or rice or quinoa. Heat through.
3. In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Set aside. Spray a 3 quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick coating. Arrange 3 of the noodles in the dish. Top with 1/3 of the bean mixture. Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. twice but don't add the last 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
4. Bake, covered @ 350 deg. 40-45 minutes. Dollop with reserved cheese mixture. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with tomato slices and cilantro, if desired. Makes 8 ish servings.
I think this is a good recipe for adding vegetables, esp. ones you don't really like to eat because you add so much yummy stuff to it.
Make ahead: Refrigerate unbaked lasagna, covered, up to 1 day and bake as directed. Or, freeze up to 1 month; thaw frozen lasagna in fridge overnight and bake 40-45 mins. or until heated through. Basic recipe from Better Homes and Garden, 2003. But with several Janelle additions!
For my first recipe post, I wanted to share something that I've made many times. We'll get into new and exotic stuff later...
Black Bean Lasagna
9 Lasagna Noodles (8 oz.)
2, 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
(I sometimes use 2 cans of chili, a can or so of black beans and then don't add any ground beef or turkey; also I like to add freshly cooked or leftover rice or quinoa - they're good fillers; not sure how much, maybe 1 1/2 cups?)
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped green sweet pepper (we usually don't add this just 'cause we rarely buy it and I've used carrots or green beans instead)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2, 15 oz. cans tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes (really whatever version of canned tomatoes you want)
1/2 - 1 lb. ground beef or turkey, if not using chili
1/4 C snipped fresh cilantro (YUM!)
1, 12 oz. container cottage cheese
1, 8 oz. pkg. Neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese)
1/4 C light sour cream
*for the last 3 ingredients, you can change the ratios a bit - we often use more sour cream simply because we want more of the cheese mixture. And you can go low fat with all 3 - its still great!)
tomato slices and cilantro leaves, optional
1. Start cooking rice or quinoa, if desired. (I use my rice cooker). Cook meat, if desired. Cook noodles according to pkg.; drain. Mash one can of black beans.
2. Coat a skillet with cooking spray; add onion, green sweet pepper/carrots and garlic. Cook n' stir over med. heat until tender but not brown. Add mashed beans, unmashed beans, tomato sauce and snipped cilantro. Add cooked meat and/or rice or quinoa. Heat through.
3. In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Set aside. Spray a 3 quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick coating. Arrange 3 of the noodles in the dish. Top with 1/3 of the bean mixture. Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. twice but don't add the last 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
4. Bake, covered @ 350 deg. 40-45 minutes. Dollop with reserved cheese mixture. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with tomato slices and cilantro, if desired. Makes 8 ish servings.
I think this is a good recipe for adding vegetables, esp. ones you don't really like to eat because you add so much yummy stuff to it.
Make ahead: Refrigerate unbaked lasagna, covered, up to 1 day and bake as directed. Or, freeze up to 1 month; thaw frozen lasagna in fridge overnight and bake 40-45 mins. or until heated through. Basic recipe from Better Homes and Garden, 2003. But with several Janelle additions!
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