Healthy Eating

Well for those of you who have not joined Pinterest, let me warn you- it's a time waster and an amazing resource all at the same time.  I wanted to share my latest obsession without Pinterest attached for those of you who are rightfully resisting (Lace).

Healthy Recipes!!

I have fallen in love with creative healthy recipes and I think it will be a long love affair.  I wanted to share some of my favorites.  The list is ever growing so keep tuned.  (Click on the words for the recipes - just a little help for my soon-to-be techie readers)

• Wonderful replacement for chocolate peanut butter ice cream/ milkshake
• Super yummy stew
• Great main dish with spaghetti squash
• Looking for a salty snack?  Try Kale Chips or homemade Salt and Vinegar Chips
• Another snack from one of my favorite blogs:  Cauliflower Poppers

Let me know if you try and like them.  Feel free to share with me your finds!

P.S.  I'm wearing my Snuggy right now.  Don't judge!  It's perfect when you're typing, watching the Grammy's and need a little more warmth!

Snowboarding in the East

That's right I said East...

Now lets start with what I'm use to:

• 8 resorts within an hour drive
• powdery wonderful snowy whiteness everywhere as you drive up
• powdery wonderful snow to snowboard on
• crisp mountain air phenomenal scenery. 

Before I describe what I got, let me say it was an awesomely fun weekend, and I am going to try to go again this season.  I find the following description so funny:

• 1 resort = 3 hours of driving (with an awesome girl, Val, in her awesome new car)
• brown brushes, trees, and fallen brown leaves everywhere as you drive up...though there there green hills with horses and cows closer to the city
• man made snow that was okay to snowboard on
• nice mountain air and good scenery

This is Val.  We went hiking the first day we were at the resort.  It was odd to go hiking one day and snowboarding the next.  Val is the best kind of friend- not only is she kind, giving and fun; she's willing to do whatever my crazy mind comes up with- even hike in January.  She doesn't really love the outdoors, but she still has fun.  

(p.s. this was my Christmas present from her- the 2 day stay, the lift tickets, yeah for discounts from Val's job and her generosity).  

Okay, here's the some of the resort.  I KNOW!!  Brown, and strips of snow where they were making it.  

Dear snowboarding boots, I'm sorry you touched dirt, I promise when you go back to the West you won't have to do that again.

Going though the snowmakers was a new experience.  You're trying to make your way through other people, get lots of turns and fun spins in, and then WHAM!  Your misted.  I used my face guard more than I ever have before!

All in all, it was a really fun day of snowboarding.  Val tried really hard and ended her day with a pulled muscle.  :(  She's a tough one though.  I took a bad spill on a blue run (they are more icy than the green runs).  My lift mates kept saying I could do the black, but by the time I got up my courage, I was tired and scared I'd hurt myself. Maybe next time.  

Yeah for snowboarding, even if it isn't in my beautiful Utah.

Resolutions for 2012

I've read that the more you tell others your goals, the more likely you are to stick with them, so I'm subjecting everyone who reads my blog (probably about 5 people ;) to my goals for 2012.
AND since we're half way through Jan. I can tell you how I'm doing on all of them.  Good accountability right?

General Resolutions

Eat out less - replace eating out with friends with activities with friends 
          I'm doing great with this.  Tennis instead of breakfast; making dinner instead of going out.
Get to my goal weight
          With support from some great girls, this is coming right along  :)
Respond to service requests, i.e. There's a service opportunity, call this person to chip in 
           I haven't noticed any requests yet, but I'm on the look out.
Ultimately organize room
           Oh this is SO happening.  I've already cleared out 4 totes, and my room my closet is looking         
           fine, fine, fine.

Daily Goals

Read scriptures and pray more
           I think I'm getting better at praying the morning.  Working on the rest...
Play my guitar 20 minutes or more per day
           Doing pretty well at this.  Beginning guitar done, Intermediate guitar class started, and awesome
Watch less TV
           Hum...I have been watching less TV, but less is more, so I'll keep trying
Be more kind
           The metro is my focus of this right now.  I've been smiling and letting people go in front of me, 
           etc. just like I did when I first moved here.  (still watching my wallet of course)

Weekly

Take pictures
           I'm reading my camera manual still, so I have taken some, but more to come.  I'm trying to       
          decide how to share them.  Any suggestions?

Monthly Goals

Work on Family History

          Good thing it's still January...

Find a regular service opportunity

          Again, I still have half a month to figure this out

Go on a date once a month - even if I ask him

          January's date just called me back.  No pressure, just a nice guy.

Go to the temple

          See 1 and 2 of this section...

My Cute Family

I just love pictures.  As, I'm sure you can see by the fact that I have pictures in almost every post I make.  I need to start writing down the things I'm thinking about when I think, oh, I should blog about that.  That will result not only in more blog postings, but also less pictures.

BUT, until then... my cute family in pictures.

Here's Dennis (step-dad) and Maynard out hiking.  Maynard was given to the family by a dear friend who has departed this life just over a year after our dear Dottie Dog also passed.  I think it's a wonderful fit.

Mom and Dennis cutting their Christmas tree.  How cute are they looking at each other?

I can't even give this a caption. Hahaha.

I was able to go to a Seahawks game with my brother's girlfriend Ashley.  Sad he wasn't there, but honestly we had a really good time!  She's a really sincere kind interesting person and we all know how big of a football fan I am...it was nice to have someone there who also didn't know what was going on all the time.

From left to right:  Ashley, Jake (little brother), me, Shawn (older brother).  Shawn got the tickets for the game, and it was a great time.  I didn't know how much he and Jake new about football and how passionate they were.  I'm glad they let the girls come ;)  

So ends the Christmas picture post.  I guess I should have take more, but maybe that's a sign of a busy fun holiday.

Grandma Recipe Try #1 Beer Batter

Well, first, I must have typed the recipe wrong.  Pg. 100 for those of you who have the same book- it's not 1 & 3/4 c. CORNSTARCH and 3/4 c. flour, it's 1 & 3/4 c. FLOUR and 3/4 c. cornstarch.  Do you know what happens when you put 1 3/4 c. cornstarch with a little bit of liquid- haha, not good.  Yes I now can demonstrate suspension, but that doesn't really taste good.


Just in case you were wondering in child terms:
A mixture of cornstarch and water make what is known as a suspension.  When you squeeze a Cornstarch Suspension it really feels like a solid because its molecules line up.  But it looks like a liquid and acts like a liquid when no one is pressing on it because the molecules relax.  This is another state of matter, called a suspension (It can act like a liquid, or, when pressed like a solid.).


I tried again and the batter turned out- well, turned out with lots more liquid then the recipe called for.  I'm not quite sure what happened to the recipe to be honest.  


Next, turns out, I don't love grease covered food that much.  Now sugar, of course, but grease- not so much.  I think it was good if you liked fried food...


So, success?  Not so much, but fun, yes :)


PLUS, I called Aunt Trudy to get help and that's always fun.