Yummy Tenderloin

I just ordered another cookbook that I had been very anxious to get my hands on.  It's called Our Best Bites and I've been following their blog for awhile now.  My first recipe from the cookbook is also one they have online, but I'll post it here anyway.

Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

2-3lb pork tenderloin (2 small-med pork loins)
1 1/2 C chopped parsley
1 1/2 C chopped cilantro
1/2 C loosely packed oregano leaves
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T red wine vinegar
3 T chopped garlic (6-7 cloves)
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 t kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped.  

Transfer to a bowl and throw in some red pepper flakes.  And then stir in the extra virgin olive oil by hand. Don’t put the olive oil in the food processor because you run the risk of turning the entire sauce bitter.  

Take about 1/2-3/4 C chimichurri and place in a ziplock bag with the pork. Cover the remaining chimichurri and set both aside for about an hour.  

When ready to cook, preheat grill (or indoor grill pan). Remove tenderloins from bag and let excess marinade drip off. Place on grill and cook for about 5-8 minutes before flipping to the other side. You want the internal temp to be about 160 degrees, so check with a thermometer and take it off the grill when it reaches 155-158 since it will continue to cook a bit as it sits.  Remove from grill and let stand 5 minutes before cutting. 

Slice and serve with remaining chimichurri drizzled on top.  

Oh my word, was this delicious!  I am so glad we have extras because I can't wait to eat some again!  It's pretty simple to make and it's totally going into my Family Favorites recipe book!

Deceptively Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Can cookies be healthy?  Well, maybe they can be healthier.  Tonight I attempted Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  But I changed one thing.  I used grain sweetened chocolate chips.  Never heard of them?  Me neither until today.  The ingredient list on the bag is as follows:  whole grain malted barley and corn, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and vanilla.  They taste more like a dark chocolate (which is fine by me!).  They are a little more expensive than regular chocolate chips, but not more than organic chips.  I highly recommend them if you find them in your store.

Here's the recipe:

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 c. butter (she suggested trans-fat free margarine, but I prefer organic butter)

2 lg. egg whites

2 tsp. vanilla

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips (or grain sweetened)

2 c. flour

1/2 c. oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat sugar and butter at medium speed until smooth.  Beat in egg whites and vanilla, then add chickpeas and chocolate chips.  Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and mix on low until a thick dough forms.

Drop onto cookie sheets with tablespoon (I use a melon baller because they make smaller, child-sized cookies).  Press with a fork to flatten.  Bake until golden brown, 11-13 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Cool on rack.  

Andy and I taste tested them tonight and they are pretty good.  Not the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever eaten, but a good cookie overall.  I didn't really flatten mine and that's one thing I'll try to remember to do next time around.  I think this yielded around 6 dozen of the small size cookies.  I'm going to end up freezing a bunch of them for future use.  We'll see if they pass the real test tomorrow morning when the kids get up!  BTW - a little trick I learned is to save some of the chips and put them on top before you put them in the oven.  I wanted them to look more like chocolate chip cookies...but I would recommend not putting just one chip on the top of each cookie.  They will look reminiscent of a part of the female anatomy.  Ha!  Enjoy!

Our Summer Experiment

Some of you may not know, but as this year has passed, Riley's teacher and I have witnessed a decline in his ability to focus on tasks (especially those of little interest to him).  He can sit and work on building things with Legos easily for a hour, but if I ask him to upstairs and get a pair of socks, it will take him 3 attempts to successfully accomplish that simple task.  I have been asking him to repeat instructions back to me and when he does, the success rate goes through the roof.  He struggles to stay focused, forgets to complete parts of worksheets, etc.

I also know from past history with my brother, that certain foods can make it more difficult for some kids with attention issues to focus.  I was reading an article last night that I posted on FB and got lots of comments regarding the issue of ingredients in our foods.  The article can be found HERE.  It's from NPR and it's about a possible FDA study of the link of food dyes to the behavior of children.  Red dye has always been in question in relationship to kids' behavior.  I know there were certain food triggers that would set my brother off and if by chance he consumed all of those triggers in one day, the fire would be ablaze in no time.

So I'm going to experiment with some different types of foods this summer.  I typically buy organic or healthier versions of things when possible.  Kendall is going to go into withdraw when I stop buying fruit snacks.  They things have little to no nutritional value and are loaded with color!  I try to comfort myself with the fact that I buy the kind with no hydrogenated oil, which means no princesses, Nemo, etc. for my kids.  Wonder if there is a homemade alternative?

I am going to try to make as much of the snacks that the kids eat as possible.  I am baking some granola bars right now.  My hope is to find a recipe that will replace the need to purchase them.  We buy organic bars, which of course is more expensive, but if I can make them myself, they will still be organic and be a cheaper option.  I used the following recipe and they were well received by my kids.  They don't "look" the same as regular granola bars and were lacking the sweetness of the chocolate chips that their Cascadian Farms ones usually have, but a nice alternative.

Homemade granola bars

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 9x13 pan.  Mix oats, brown sugar, wheat germ (I used part wheat bran and flax seed meal because I didn't have wheat germ on hand), cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt into a large bowl.  Make a well and add remaining ingredients and mix with hands. Pat flat into baking dish and bake for 30-36 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes then cut or they will be too hard to cut if you let them cool entirely.

My guess is that these may freeze well so potentially you could make a huge batch and freeze them so you would have enough for lunches or snacks at school.

The biggest item to replace will be the Goldfish crackers.  Riley would live on them if he could.  I found a cheese cracker recipe online that I may attempt this week since our goldfish box is now empty.

I want to try to reduce the amount of processed, pre-made, pre-packaged food that we consume.  If I am making most of it from scratch and the rest is as much organic as I can find, the artificial colors and flavorings should be greatly reduced in our diets.  I can my own jelly every summer and buy organic peanut butter for lunches.  We even make our own popsicles over the summer too.

The kids don't get juice unless it's packed in a lunch to go somewhere.  I have been giving the kids flavored water so there is less sugar, but now I'm rethinking that since I discovered there was Splenda in it.  I think a reusable water bottle will be going into lunch boxes next year.

The plan is to try this over the summer and see how it goes...will it help Riley to focus better?  Who knows?  But it certainly won't hurt any of us to consume less processed foods and watch how much sugar and artificial color/flavor is in our diet.  My new, big Kitchen Aide food processor just arrived today so I dug out my Deceptively Delicious cookbook and can't wait to try some of the recipes.  Sneaking extra veggies into their food won't hurt them (or me) one bit!  Side Note:  Riley thinks the Deceptively Delicious idea is great!  He can't wait to "trick" his sister into eating more veggies!

Wine Club Tasting

I really do have some incredible friends here in Utah.  Last year, we attempted a "knitting club" where each month someone hosted and served appetizers and the rest of us brought wine and our knitting stuff.  Andy always asked me why we bothered to disguise what we were doing and just call it what it was...wine club, not knitting club!  Well, I'm happy to say that is exactly what we have been doing.  Wine club has been up and running for the past two months and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to explore new wines and share the company of some wonderful women.

Last month we tried Malbec, which was already one of my favorites.  This month was Viognier.  We do a blind taste test of each bottle, paired with some food, and then discuss what we like/dislike about each one.  At the end, we try to come up with a winner.

Here are some of my favorite women in Utah at Wine Club:

There are always a few missing - illnesses, lack of babysitters, vacations, etc.  There are about 12 of us total - one to host each month of the year.

Going back for seconds (notice my wicked farmer's tan from last week?  Ugh!)

I also have a few friends through Riley's school that have also started a rotating wine/beer tasting.  The nice thing about that group is it is family and husband friendly.  Thankfully there are a range of ages with the kids so that they all have someone to play with and they all get along.  Last night we all brought wine that had some type of funny/silly label.  I found of a bottle of syrah that was called "Box Car."  Of course, I had to take that regardless of what it tasted like (but thankfully it was pretty good!)  

Andy and I feel so blessed to have made such wonderful friends here in Utah, which can be a pretty lonely place if you don't find someone to take you under their wing.

If You Hang It, They Will Come

We made a rather quick attempt at getting the flower beds and veggie garden ready this past weekend.  On Monday, Kendall and I were picking up some extra flowers I needed for my pots on the back patio and we decided that our backyard was in need of a bird feeder.  So after we got home from school, the kids helped me fill it up with bird food and hang it.  Riley couldn't wait for the birds to come eat from our new feeder.  I warned him that it might take some time for them to realize it's here.  Every day he asks if I saw a bird eating while he's at school.  Well, today we finally did!  Kendall noticed them first so I had to grab my camera so I could show Riley the proof that the birds now know where to find food.

There are two dining at our feeder

Wonder if they will bring their friends?

I love being able to expose the kids to nature - to bring it to our house and have them learn to appreciate it.  Just like with our garden.  They learn how plants grow, how we get our food, how to take care of it, and of course, how  much better organic veggies and fruit taste fresh from your garden!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

I don't know about you, but I sure am missing spring this year!  I can count the total number of spring-like days on my two hands!  We've had rain/sleet/snow/clouds/cold nasty weather for the past 2 months!  I'm so over it by now!  The Cottonwood canyons got 2 feet of snow yesterday!  Anyone want to ski at Snowbird with me this weekend?

Today was the first day in WEEKS that Kendall and I stayed home and went no where while Riley is in school.  I've been so busy with Easter, prepping for company, having company, Riley's birthday and party, Andy's birthday, Jog-A-Thon, teaching PE classes, being at lunch on the days I wasn't teaching at school, running to karate, scouts, Little Gym, dance class, MOPS, play dates, counting JAT money until late into the evening, awarding prizes, you name it, we've done it.  Kendall and I are beat!

Today is yet again another yucky, cold, rainy day.  We were supposed to go to see the Sleeping Beauty ballet today with the first and second graders but it got rained out since it was supposed to be held at the local amphitheater.  Bummer, but since we now had no plans, we played games, painted lots of pictures, watched an episode of Dora, ate lunch together and now (dare I say it?) Kendall is in her bed for a much overdue nap!  Here's to hoping miracles happen!

Earlier today we took advantage of the rain and I let her go outside to play in her rain boots, rain coat and umbrella.  Who would have ever thought I'd need these items living in the middle of a "desert?"

Here's the little princess having fun splashing in puddles:

She's totally Disney today...Ariel umbrella (chosen because of Mikaeli's influence), princess boots and Riley's old Lion King rain coat!

Looking for puddles

Wanna come play in the rain Mom?

What do you do to keep boredom from overwhelming you after weeks of rain and cold?

 

D-D-D-Dora!

In honor of Cinco De Mayo, some of my girlfriends and I decided to celebrate with our little ones.  We had a Dora party.  What fun for the girls and for us!  Here are a few snapshots of the party:

Stacy made us cute pink Dora cupcakes for the occasion

Kim painted the girls toenails

Paigey loved the cupcakes

On the lookout for Swiper!

Pin the tail on Swiper

Miss Stacy had to help Kendall

Adorable little Sylvia hanging out while the big girls played

Up to no good, I'm sure!

Paigey and Kendall in deep thought...

Kendall's turn at the pinata, but she acted as if she didn't know what to do.

Love Natalie's facial expressions!

No one had to tell Caitlyn what to do to the pinata!

Paigey trying to bust open the butterfly

Kendall and her little friends all standing on the pinata while hugging...so adorable!

My contribution was to make the girls Dora bracelets.  I love that I could find a blue flower bead for the party!

Kendall is so fortunate to have such sweet little friends and I am so lucky that the moms of her little friends are my good friends too!  That makes it so nice to have play dates with girls her age and the moms are all great friends.  I feel so lucky to be in this situation.

Riley Meets A Superstar!

That's Riley with Supercross/Motorcross star Kevin Windham!  If you aren't familiar with the sport, K Dub is one of the best!  He turned pro in 1994 and hasn't looked back!  Andy and I saw him ride at Broome-Tioga many moons ago along with Jeremy McGrath and Jeff Emig.  The fact that K Dub is just a few years younger than me and still at the top of his game is just amazing!  He's competing against much younger riders and can still hang with the best of them.  Riley was so excited to meet Kevin at the Honda shop the night before the Supercross in Salt Lake last month.  What a great birthday surprise for a my little Honda lover!

2011 Jog-A-Thon Wrap Up

So the Jog-A-Thon stress has finally come to pass...Thankfully!  Whew, I'm still tired!  The PE classes were a blast to teach.  I was sad that these kids were never taught some of the basic fundamentals of fitness, but I guess that's what happens when you don't have a qualified teacher nor a well designed curriculum to follow.  (see an opportunity for more volunteer hours?  Although, I had accumulated enough before I even started working on JAT stuff!)

The response from the students was wonderful!  They are such sweet kids and rather well mannered compared to public school kids!  I think the event was a success in all areas - teaching, training, and fundraising!

We learned how to calculate our target heart rates then played some DDR to get our heart rates up:

Here are some pics from our pylometric circuit lesson:

You may be wondering what I did with Kendall while I was busy teaching those lessons...She watched movies, played with her friend Roman (thankfully between my friend Vanessa and her college aged daughter, I was able to spend time in classes with few interruptions from Kendall).

We began the JAT day $1000 short of our $13,000 goal.  Thankfully by the end of the day, we exceeded the goal by $99!  We were blessed with a very generous donation from the step brother of two of our students.  He is in his second year playing for the Denver Broncos and came through big time for us!  We were begging and pleading with parents to grab their checkbooks, credit cards and loose change from their cars as they came to cheer on their children while they were running.

There is some great video and photos of our kids on the school website: Grace Lutheran School  Kendall can be seen running with the Preschool 3 class in the We Did It video!  So adorable!

Here are a few pics of Riley and his classmates running:

If you didn't catch the video off of the school's website (there are two, one of the the kids running and one of them practicing DDR), here's the link directly to the event video:   JAT video

Thanks to all of you who supported our school's efforts through monetary donations, listening to me complain over the amount of work or how exhausted I was, and for your words of encouragement.

Grace Lutheran School Mythbusters raised $13,099 in just two weeks!  Whoo Hoo!  Now everyone who turned in money will get a free dress week during the last week of school!  What a great reward for kids who must wear uniforms every day of every week of school!

Inspiring People

So on Facebook, people are posting pictures of their moms in honor of Mother's Day.  That's the very least I could do to honor my mom.  My mom is one of the most incredible women you will ever encounter.  She's a rock.  She's (thankfully) a survivor.  She's a sounding board.  She's sensitive.  She's a confidant.  She's a mentor.  She's a leader.  She's a teacher.  She's a listener.  She's a cheerleader.  She's an inspiration.  She's a fighter.  She's a mediator.  She's a fantastic cook.  She's a bluegrass music lover.  She's not afraid to try new things.  She's a painter.  She's a Nanny (although she wishes my kids would call her something else because she thinks it sounds old - which she is NOT!).  She's a best friend.  And most importantly, she's my mom!

If I can be half the mom that my mom is, I will feel satisfied.  She's faced difficult challenges in her life and somehow has always managed to conquered them head on with a glass half full attitude.  I know I wasn't always the easiest child to raise, especially during those teenage years, but I hope that Kendall and I can be as close someday as I am with my own mom.  I talk to her almost daily and miss our conversations when we are busy.  I love being able to spend vacations with my mom, shopping together, cooking together, watching chick flicks on t.v., sharing the latest great read and then discussing it over the phone, discussing the contestant voted off of American Idol together, etc.

I wish everyone could have a mom like mine and I feel sad for those friends of mine who don't have a good relationship with their moms.  I don't know how I'd get through life without her.  I depend on her so much even from 2000 miles away.  I know she's always there for me and will tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.

Kendall loves my mom almost as much as I do.  Just another example of how children love her and women want to be more like her.

Thanks isn't nearly enough to express how much she means to me and how grateful I am for her.  I love you Mom!  Happy 38th Mother's Day!  

Back In The Saddle

So today was my first day out of retirement...That's right, I went back into teaching.  Well, sort of.  I am teaching 4 days of PE to the students at my son's school.  I'm teaching K-8 for these next two weeks.  I really loved teaching and miss it from my life, so this is a great compromise.  Riley was in Heaven having me teaching his class.  He jumped up and said, she's MY mom!  What joy that brought to my heart!

Kendall got to eat lunch with her big brother and spent the rest of the day playing with one of her favorite little (boy)friends!  She was so tired by the end of the day that she crashed hard in the car and slept there for over an hour after we got home!

I can't wait to go back on Thursday to do it all over again!