tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37128558439146470522024-03-14T02:05:23.759-06:00My life in foodkrysta macgray steamboat springs krystaslifeinfood krystasfoodblog mylifeinfoodKrystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.comBlogger397125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-81534777453075482302018-08-11T16:32:00.000-06:002018-08-11T16:34:22.119-06:00Oh, Heyyy! I Have a New Blog!!Hi Friends!<br />
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Surprised to hear from me? The last time we met, I told you I was moving my blog, but I didn't know where yet. THEN I got locked out of my blogger account and couldn't tell you where I'd gone.<br />
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Years have passed. I'm so sorry. But now I've found you! It's a Christmas miracle in August!<br />
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You can find me at my new blog, "Feels Like Home" here: <a href="http://www.krystamacgray.com/">www.krystamacgray.com</a><br />
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I've been blogging there for about a year and a half and I'd love to have you follow along. I also have a Facebook page under "Feels Like Home" and that's where I share new posts.<br />
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I hope you all are having a fabulous summer!<br />
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Here's a little of what I've been up to since I last posted!<br />
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Nevermind. I can't get other pictures to post besides this one and it's small. I'm still me, you guys. :)<br />
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Hope to see you over at the new blog!<br />
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<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-42771592737301101272014-08-25T11:15:00.002-06:002018-08-16T07:45:56.014-06:00My Life in Food Is Moving<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/15033300602/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="375"></iframe><br />
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UPDATE: I've moved here: www.krystamacgray.com<br />
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Hi Friends,<br />
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Long time no talk, I know. Guess what? The kids head back to school tomorrow and for the first time in forever, I'll only have one baby at home all day! This means more time for blogging. This post is just a heads up that I'm planning on writing at a new blog this year. I'll still write about food and recipes, but I'm expanding in that it'll be more my personal blog/lifestyle site. I want to talk to you all about so many things, not just food. I don't have a lot of time here since all four kids are still home with me today, but be looking for an update soon.<br />
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I'll just warn you, it could be a couple weeks. I really truly suck at technology and setting up a new website is like, really techy, so grace please!<br />
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I'll leave you with some more scenes from summer.<br />
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Talk soon,<br />
Krysta<br />
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figuring out the 7th grade school lockers<br />
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Rockies/Dodgers game<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/14847076240/in/photostream/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/15033724745/in/photostream/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe>Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-19011607075247658772014-05-16T10:35:00.005-06:002014-05-16T20:40:48.098-06:00Ginger-Miso Baby Bok Choy<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/14196184051/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;">Oh, hello there. I'm writing here again so soon! With all the time off I've taken lately this is shocking and wonderful to me. I sat down at the computer today and I actually wanted to blog. Not write, which I do all the time and save on desktop files because they have zero to do with food or recipes and I have no other place to publish this sort of thing, so I just keep it to myself, which is probably for the best because honestly? I don't know anything.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I'm a thinker and slow processor, so when life happens which is all the freaking time, writing helps me process what exactly life just did. Sometimes, I'm completely unaware of what I actually felt and went through until I start writing. I mean, I'll intuitively know, but writing forces framework which gives shape and clarity which is so neat because before that it was just all jumbled up in my head. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">It's safe to say I've been in an accelerated learning time. It's thrilling and confusing all at the same time. I'm in a place where things make complete sense in my head but the second I go and try to put it on paper it gets all jacked up and comes out wrong. I've heard it said that you don't really understand something unless you can simply and successfully explain it to a 6 year old. So, I assume I'm in a gathering phase and just don't understand it all yet. Learning and soaking up but not yet ready to share. It doesn't make for the best writing.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Random picture time, because my husband doesn't read long text without the visual break up of pictures. Maybe you don't either? Please note this has nothing to do with my topic today but it just a tool of manipulation to keep you reading...Look at my cute babies!</i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;">The only thing I seem to not be confused about is the certainty that every single person I know is confused too. You know that story about the car accident? If a car accident happened in front of you, you'll see it totally different from where you are standing than the person across the street. It's possible that you can watch the very same accident and walk away with differing opinions on what happened or whose fault it was. I can't even tell you how many times this sort of thing has been demonstrated to me the past few months. Its like the universe has gone completely out of its way to show me this. The car accident thing is a metaphor--of course, for real life. I've been wrestling with this mostly because our minds are conditioned to see situations and people as either "right" or "wrong", but the problem is this is not the most beneficial way to see the world. In fact, we go around all our lives blending both facts and assumptions with downright falsities to get to place where we can be justified-or right, just so that we can live with ourselves. Sometimes we down right lie to ourselves so we can be free to believe what we want. The easiest person to fool is always ourselves. Just knowing this makes things easier and harder. I don't want to see non black and white issues as "right" or "wrong". I just want to have grace and leave space for understanding-or not understanding- it doesn't matter as long as there is space instead of walls. There's always another story, another perspective that also has value and merit. This may come a a shock to you but I am rarely, if ever, 100% right. :) It seems we're always a little bit right and a little bit wrong. And sometimes we don't even know what we are. We're just confused and trying to do the best we can. And that's okay too. But It's holy complicated Batman! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So you see, I don't know anything. I'm leaving space (because it's my new thing-space) for the lessons to come into focus before I open my mouth in half formed ideas and theories. I do like the process though. I'm finding that for me, embracing questions instead of trying to find absolute answers is the way to go. I'm a tad leery of people with answers. Even well formed, thought out ones. Only because I've come to believe theres no one right answer for everybody. Some may identify with your answers. They may hear what you have to say and think "Yes! me too!" and it means you've found some common ground and connected and you all are likeminded. They are "your people" if you will. I think this is good and fine, just so long as its coupled with humbleness and recognized that your answer is most likely not the golden ticket -THE ANSWER- for someone else. And this, in turn, does not make them wrong. It makes them different. We can leave space for different, can't we? We can agree to disagree without thinking the other is ill-informed, undereducated, crazy or wrong. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18px;">There is absolute truth, however, which is different. Truth can't be subject. Truth is absolute whether you agree or not. However, I think that people who have come to intimately know truth, not just believe in it, but a deep KNOWING of it by experience can see how it becomes simple and recognizable where it wasn't before. You have eyes to see. You know that you know and it doesn't need defending. Truth never does. Once you live in truth you are free to express it without worry for how it is received/perceived by anyone else. I just heard that today. This is real freedom, and since there is no need to convince other people of its existence you can relax. Everyone looking will find truth eventually. This is how I think you can live in the tension of relaxing into holding space, living in peace with our fellow man and all that hippie-ish jazz, but also holding on to yourself and beliefs solidly and being able to voice them- not shying away. I think people receive ideas when we're not pushing them or asserting that they are "better" or "superior" anyway. If they are better or superior, or what I like even better is, if they make more sense or bring peace and clarity, well then, <i>they just will</i>. You don't need to do anything else. The irony is we need to try so hard to find truth but once we have, it seems we need to only stop trying so hard. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">But excluding absolute truth, there is only perspective. And I can hold space for differing ones. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sorry, is this vague? My whole life is pretty vague so at least it's appropriate. I'm not talking about anything specific, just a season in life. Just my thoughts. Remember, I don't know anything really.</span><br />
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Oh and food! Yes, the food. I've never really known what to do with bok choy. It's one of those vegetables you read about and think "I should really eat that" but then you don't because, lets be honest, you don't make stir-fry that often and thats the only way you think of using it. Oh, but this way is so much better. Our Natural Grocers has been stocking the most beautiful baby bok choy and one day I just couldn't resist it anymore. I resolved to buy some and at least get it home. Only then would I worry about how I was going to prepare it. I scoured the far corners of the internets when I landed on this, the miso-butter-ginger-lime one. Because, I mean, <i>really</i>. Okay, so this is more of a method than a recipe. Exact quantities will vary depending on how many or how big your bok choy is. So it goes like this:</span><br />
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<b>Ginger-Miso Baby Bok Choy</b><br />
serves 2-4<br />
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<b>4 baby bok choy, rinsed and cut once horizontally down the center</b><br />
<b>1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about a tablespoon)</b><br />
<b>2 garlic cloves, minced</b><br />
<b>3 tablespoons butter</b><br />
<b>3 tablespoons yellow miso</b><br />
<b>salt</b><br />
<b>water</b><br />
<b>fresh limes for serving</b><br />
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<b>I never measure when I make this. If you are a non measurer type of gal, just think this: Equal parts miso to butter, and add some garlic and ginger. </b><br />
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<b>Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy, cut side down. Add miso (it'll remain in a clump and not mix in right away- this is okay, just let it melt with the heat of the pan) and a few tablespoons of water. Let it heat up a few minutes, then cover with a lid and let everything steam together until bok choy is tender, about 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle bok choy with a tiny pinch of salt (miso is salty already) and spread miso around the pan to combine and coat bok choy. Serve hot with lime wedges.</b><br />
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Don't mind this duplicate picture. Let me tell you how lame I am. I have to upload this picture from Photobucket instead of Flickr, which I've used above becuase i can't share my photos or blog to my Facebook page or Pinterest if I don't. my Flickr account won't let me share my photos and I have no idea why. I've tried all the techy things. I don't know. So for now I have to add a picture from Photobucket, which I won;t use exclusively because it washes out my pictures and makes food look anemic. Blogging has gotten hard and time consuming. Yuck.<br />
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Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-44523611610059550802014-05-13T14:24:00.000-06:002014-05-13T14:46:18.286-06:00Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_6140.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_6140.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_6140.jpg" /></a><br />
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Happy day after day after Mother's Day! I hope you all feel celebrated and honored. I'm sad to report it was a downright snowstorm here in Steamboat on Sunday. Ah, such is life in the mountains. It's okay. My hopes of sitting out in the sun all afternoon with a crisp sauvignon blanc was replaced by a cozy early breakfast with my family, followed by a planter pot full of herbs since we are renting and I don't currently have a garden of my own, and a bouquet that was made more special since my kids picked out different random flowers and had the florist make an arrangement out of it. Jeremiah picked the bluebell looking ones and pink rose. Isabella picked sunflowers and tulips.<br />
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I was also presented with a giant handmade poster from Isabella that said "Happy Mother's Day, <strike>We</strike> I love you" with stickers all over that said "Happy Birthday!" and two balloons that said "Happy Birthday Princess!" because, you know, it's the sentiment that really matters, not what you are actually saying. Everyone know that.<br />
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We took my mom out to lunch on Friday to celebrate with her. Kaylee and I had just gotten back from a run up Spring Creek in preparation for our 5k coming up. My lungs bled, I'm pretty sure, so to document the moment we snapped a selfie. Don't let the smile deceive you. My lungs are BLEEDING.<br />
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Then we came back to the house and rehydrated with a green juice.<br />
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In other mother related news, mine has started experimenting with actually styling her hair. My mom has never changed her hair style. Ever. Also, she never blow dry's or puts any product in (except for special occasions) Here, I'll prove it.<br />
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2008<br />
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2006<br />
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1981<br />
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even 1971, for goodness sake (on the right)<br />
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Same length, same bangs. I can tell you this-she curled her hair in the 1981 picture and used a blow dryer for the 2008 one ONLY because she knew she would be taking pictures. You get the idea though.<br />
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But she started to rethink her hair situation after she decided to buy a wig. She hoped it would look like real hair. My mom is crazy. I did the cry/laugh for 40 minutes as she told me the story of watching the home shopping channel where the hosts all wore the wigs raving about how real they looked. It should be noted that my mom might have a small home shopping addiction. At first she was skeptical. She could tell the host was wearing a wig. But she couldn't decide if it was because she knew she was wearing one since that's what they were selling. Perhaps if they weren't selling wigs she wouldn't have even noticed? Curiosity peaked she decided to watch some more. Then she ordered one.<br />
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When she came over she announced <i>"I ordered a wig. Just to see what it would be like. Because I mean, if it looks real, what an easy way to do it. I could look good everyday."</i><br />
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My laugh/cry begins when I realize she isn't joking.<br />
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<i>"Plus"</i> she continues <i>"If I ever got cancer and went through chemo...I'd have it" </i>Please note, she says this seriously like it's actually a plus.<br />
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The tears start rolling and my cheeks already hurt.<br />
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She tells me her plan is to just wear it one day when Dave (my stepdad) gets home from work and just see his reaction. She wonders if she can get away with it looking real. She wonders if he'll just think it's her actual hair. Like, will he even notice? I assure her he will definitely notice. For the first time in forever her hair will be sleek, blown out, perfectly cut, poofy and shiny. My mom naturally has very wavy horse-like hair. Oh, he's going to notice. Who did she think she was going to fool? I beg her to take a picture of her in it when it arrives. This is just the best thing to happen all year. I've got to see it. I promise her I won't post it to Facebook or anything. But I don't promise I won't blog about it.<br />
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She says what finally got her to make the purchase was that she had been watching the home shopping channel for <i>a while</i> when she heard they were selling out of some of the styles. She knew she had better get on the phone and order the cut she wanted first. She knew she wouldn't get what she really wanted if she didn't hurry. My mom is the prime target audience for home shopping channels. <i>"Wait"</i> I say through tears <i>"You mean to tell me you ordered a wig you didn't even really want just because they were selling out?" </i>She looks at me like <i>ummm, yes, are you even listening? That's exactly why. </i>Also, she says the seller lady announced she planned to wear the wig to an upcoming wedding. <i>Oh</i>, my mom thought, <i>dang, if she can wear it to a wedding it must look good! </i>She is not very ashamed about this. It's awesome. She's slightly embarrassed though and expects it to not look very real. Although holding out hope, she believes she'll have to return it. But she just has to make sure first. Try it on. Take it for a spin. She imagines all sorts of scenarios. Like will she have to work out at the gym with it on? What if people know its a wig and they wonder why in the world she would wear a wig to the gym? Who wears a wig to the gym? But then if she doesn't wear the wig all the time, then someone who sees her real hair at the gym might see her later that day in the grocery store with her hair all done, slightly a different shade of brown and then they'd know for sure she's wearing a wig. If she was going to do it, she'd have t commit to wearing it pretty full time. If not, if people started to catch on, then they'd wonder...Laurie has a full head of hair, why is she wearing a wig? My mother lives in a very small town. She sees the same people over and over. I told her she could just decide to not care what people think. She assured me she doesn't normally, but having people wonder if she was wearing a wig or not was a little too weird. She couldn't have people thinking she was crazy, or worse, be the laughing stock. One doesn't usually wear a daily wig just for the hell of it.<br />
<br />
<i>"Only thing is, I wonder if I wear a wig, if my hair will start to fall out?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
You guys. At this point, I start to get maniacal. Why in the world would she think her hair might fall out?<br />
<br />
<i>"Well, you know, from covering it up from the sun and air all the time?"</i><br />
<br />
My side is aching. I'm bent over. I'm gasping for breath between fits of laughter. This sounds like logic my dad would use (he has legitimate brain damage though). It reminds me of the period of time my dad would only use Garnier Frutctis shampoo because he believed the plant extracts from the fruit (Fructis, ya'll) would stimulate his hair to grow in thicker. Then, every day he would sit in the sun and pour Fiji water over his head like he was watering a garden or something. It had to be Fiji brand because it came from tropical waterfalls, you know, and had mysterious powers that other normal water didn't. Still I think it can't be coincidence that two adults in my life would think this way. Do people with hair issues fall into this line of thinking? Is there any legitimacy to this? I have no idea. I just know it sounds like lunacy. And I haven't laughed this hard in years. My mom is dying too. We can't even talk to each other for five minutes.<br />
<br />
It was probably the best day ever.<br />
<br />
A few days later the wig came. She tried in on in her bathroom and snapped a few selfies. She sent me one. Are you ready?<br />
<br />
Let's compare, shall we?<br />
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<b>fake</b> (wig):<br />
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<br />
<b>real:</b><br />
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<br />
WILL DAVE NOTICE? Bwahahahahaha.<br />
<br />
She never worked up the courage to wear it out. She said it took her 20 minutes just to get her real hair pinned up and secured and for the wig to get on her head right. It was then she had a lightbulb moment. <b>If it takes 20 minutes to get this fake hair on my head and I'm doing it just so my hair can look styled, why wouldn't I just spend 20 minutes styling my own hair? </b>Yeah I know, you probably asked this question to yourself way back when this whole story started, but we're slow processors in my family. SO this is how it came to be that my mother showed up at my doorstep the other day with her hair done. I decided to take pictures of the occasion. She was a willing model.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>*We don't need to call attention to her highlight situation. Don't worry, she knows*</i><br />
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<br />
Should we get a pensive one? She asked. No mom, you look too cute for serious shots. You can't tell as well in the pics, but you guys...she styled her bangs TO THE SIDE. This is new. This is Laurie, unprecedented. And it all came about from some wig antics. I'm so glad my mother isn't boring.<br />
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Ah, crap. I did the thing where I wrote about something else instead of food on the food blog again. This happens a lot. I think this fall when Olivia starts school and I gain a bit more free time I'll start another blog for this sort of thing. Hey, at least I'm writing.<br />
<br />
I am genuinely excited to talk to you about these turkey burgers. Rumor has it Oprah asked for this recipe after interviewing Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. She says they were the best turkey burgers she had even eaten. I have to agree. It's the combination of the burger with the special sauce that makes it great. Topped with a melty slice of sharp cheddar cheese, these are heaven. Just make sure to prepare in advance. After you shape the meat into patties, they'll need to sit in the fridge to firm up enough to be grilled which takes a few hours. I just make these around lunchtime and place the patties on a baking sheet lined with foil and stick it into the fridge until dinner time. It works great. The secret ingredient in these burgers is mango chutney. Although I left it out when my sister was visiting because she was on a no added sugar diet and she didn't seem to mind. I mixed it into our patties though because I really do think it makes them special.<br />
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<br />
<b>Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers</b><br />
<i>adapted from Bread and Wine, by Shauna Niequist</i><br />
makes 12 burgers<br />
<br />
Burgers:<br />
<b>1/4 cup scallions</b><br />
<b>1/2 cup celery, finely chopped</b><br />
<b>3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced</b><br />
<b>Olive oil</b><br />
<b>4 pounds ground turkey breast</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon salt</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon black pepper</b><br />
<b>2 teaspoons Tabasco</b><br />
<b>juice of 1 lemon</b><br />
<b>1/2 bunch parsley, chopped</b><br />
<b>1/4 cup mango chutney</b><br />
<br />
Special Sauce:<br />
<b>1/2 cup mango chutney</b><br />
<b>1/2 cup mayonnaise</b><br />
<b>1/2 cup ketchup</b><br />
<b>2 dashes Tabasco, or to taste</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>(optional: melt a thick piece of sharp cheddar over the burgers. Serve in buns with the special sauce, avocado, tomato, and lettuce)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Saute scallions, celery, and apples in olive oil until tender. Let cool.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>While the mixture is cooling, make special sauce. Mix chutney, mayonnaise, ketchup, and tabasco. Adjust for heat and then refrigerate until serving time.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into 12 burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or longer if needed.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill set to medium-high heat. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is throughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.</b><br />
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<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-36719137848294666012014-04-30T14:23:00.001-06:002014-04-30T14:24:50.661-06:00Springtime Miso Soup<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_6118.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Springtime Miso Soup photo IMG_6118.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_6118.jpg" /></a><br />
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It's been a month since I last published a post. At Starbucks, a friend asked about this little space. She wondered if she'd missed something since I haven't blogged in a while. I'm grateful she brought it up otherwise I'd be reading again instead of writing here which I've wanted to do for a while now. Things lately have been busy. I don't mean running around like a chicken with my head cut off "busy", but just very full. It's been great, but free time is next to nada. When I have it, I want to read because it takes no effort. Writing on the other hand is work. You expend energy when writing even while really enjoying it. This is why writing is a <i>real job</i> that people get paid for. I don't get paid so I let it slide this month. I feel pressured by all sorts of things in life but keeping up my blog isn't one of them. I do forget sometimes that there are all you wonderful people out there who actually read and may wonder where I am. So, Hi. I'm here. I'm alive. My days are broken up in naps and feedings and baby schedules and homework, dinner, family time, and lately my 5K"training". It's not hard, it's just very preoccupying. Lets just say I don't get bored much.<br />
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On that note, I have received a few emails from people asking me questions regarding the blog and I had the best of intentions about getting back to you, but then a day went by and I didn't, and then 112 more emails came in the next day and eventually I had to accept that It just isn't a good time. I'm so sorry! This was hard because I always try to get back to people in a timely manner. It's only polite. I've needed to learn this past year to let some (less important) things go and manage my time better so I can focus on other more pressing matters. Letting go of answering emails was kind of a biggie last week because I always need help to let go of what people may think of me. If I don't get back to this person they will think I'm ignoring them or worse, that I'm a rude slacker who doesn't get back to people. But the thing is I usually do get back to people. We were just really sick last week. I decided to give myself some grace considering the circumstances. One of my favorite bloggers, Glennon Doyle Melton once told a story about how she wasn't a good cook and hated food and thinking about it. Pot lucks made her literally panic. When she admitted this to a friend, the friend said something like "You're right G, you don't bring good food. But I always want you at my potlucks because you are the best listener of anybody I know. People love talking to you." So Glennon, upon realizing and accepting this of herself (and deciding that there were other more important areas to grow that were more pressing and valuable than this) responded to all future invitations for potlucks with "I won't bring food, but I CAN bring my spectacular listening ears!" People who loved her were fine and got a kick out of it, and people who didn't stopped inviting her to things. She says it was a WIN-WIN! I loved it because she actually didn't concern herself with what anyone thought of her, even if it was bad. She knew you can't please everybody even if you tried. It's a fools errand. This is what I've been practicing lately. And, it's a practice, lemme tell ya. My people pleasing and "Polly Politeness" vein runs deep. I've decided that because of this I never want to be famous. Famous people get asked and pitched about ALL THE THINGS, every single day. Can you imagine? Everyone wants piece of you. If you got back to everyone on every little thing you literally couldn't do it. Tim Ferriss says that well known bloggers and speakers get 10-20x the emails you think they do. Thousands everyday. Think about <i>real</i> famous people then. Sheesh!<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_6112.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Springtime Miso Soup photo IMG_6112.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_6112.jpg" /></a><br />
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Okay, onto the food. I recently ordered the Miso soup at True Foods Kitchen and when it came out there was a garnish of very thinly sliced snow peas on top. It was the perfect little hint of spring green and brought a fresh element. I loved it. So much in fact that I decided I needed to make it at home. Miso soup can be more involved, using seaweed and bonito flakes to flavor the broth, but I have found that this quick method (using just miso and water) tastes just as good for a quick lunch with a salad. My favorite for this is yellow miso, or Hawaiian miso. White miso is mild and sweeter and red miso is bolder, so pick which ever one you want.<br />
<br />
Add cubed tofu if desired.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Springtime Miso Soup</b><br />
makes 1 small serving<br />
<br />
<b>2 teaspoons light yellow miso</b><br />
<b>1 cup water</b><br />
<b>3-4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin</b><br />
<b>4 snow peas, sliced thinly on an angle</b><br />
<b>1 green onion, sliced, green part only</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Bring water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add miso the mushrooms and turn heat down to low. Let simmer very gently for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Add miso and stir just to combine (you don't want to boil miso). Pour broth and mushrooms into a bowl. Add the thin slices of peas and green onion on top. The heat from the liquid will just barely soften them. Enjoy!</b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-41525683849407608102014-03-19T10:09:00.002-06:002014-03-19T10:09:31.911-06:00Moms Restaurant Style Salsa<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5725.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5725.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5725.jpg" /></a><br />
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My mother is the queen of salsa. Every time she makes a batch its a little bit different because she forever tweaks the recipe here or there. She's an intuitive cook and not a recipe follower. Sometimes this is infuriating. For example, I swear she used to use lime for tomato salsa (lime for salsa, lemon for guacamole) but she tells me no, it's always been lemon. I'm not so sure. I think either would work well here.<br />
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The baby helped on our big salsa making day<br />
<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5728.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5728.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5728.jpg" /></a><br />
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She's roasted tomatoes and added a touch of cinnamon and spicy reconstituted smokey peppers and a squeeze of orange and dash of clove for a salsa made specifically for pairing with easter ham. That was delicious. She sometimes adds more or less of a certain ingredient, but one precaution she always takes is to sample the jalapeno alone (she straight up cuts a piece off and pops it into her mouth) to see how hot they are. Jalapenos are really unpredictable. Some are not spicy at all, like a bell pepper and some will really burn. If a pepper is particularly hot, she might not include the white parts or seeds in the salsa. My mom likes things hot though, so this doesn't usually happen. Also, sometimes she'll use serrano pepper instead of jalapeno. Play around and have fun.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5732.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5732.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5732.jpg" /></a><br />
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I started my "training" for my 5k this spring. Woo-hoo! The weather is warming up and the clouds are giving way to sun. Salsa, it seems will start to be mandatory in these parts really soon.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5736.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5736.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5736.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5735.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5735.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5735.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Moms Restaurant Style Salsa</b><br />
makes about 4 cups<br />
<br />
<b>10 roma tomatoes</b><br />
<b>1/2 small yellow onion, sliced (or 1/4 of a larger onion)</b><br />
<b>1/2- 1 jalapeno, chopped in big chunks (test a piece plain to see how hot your are before adding)</b><br />
<b>1 fat garlic clove</b><br />
<b>1/2 head of cilantro</b><br />
<b>1/4 lemon</b><br />
<b>1 teaspoon oregano</b><br />
<b>2 teaspoons sea salt</b><br />
<b>1/2 teaspoon cumin</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Boil whole tomatoes, onion, and chopped jalapenos and simmer until tomatoes skin starts to burst, about 5 minutes. Transfer it all into a food processor and add 1/2 head of cilantro, garlic, juice from 1/4 a lemon, and spices. Pulse until blended and taste. Salsas final flavor will very depending on your ingredients so add more salt of jalapeno or lemon if desired.</b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-49740228559837825492014-03-04T09:47:00.001-07:002014-03-04T09:47:44.163-07:00Chocolate Avocado Smoothie<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5622.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Chocolate Avocado Smoothie photo IMG_5622.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5622.jpg" /></a><br />
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My sister is going to kill me for this post. I made her this smoothie last time she was over and lets just say she wasn't a fan. Not because its not awesome, but because she's completely sick of avocados. Normally I would tell you that you can't taste the avocado in this smoothie but it's not true. See, the way this smoothie ends up tasting has everything to do with the kind of avocado you start with. A perfectly ripe, green flesh, soft but still firm avocado will be the best option. However, avocados have such a short life and cycle through their stages so quickly you don't always have this option. Bottom line is if you use an over ripe, florally avocado then you will indeed pick up those tastes in the smoothie. Similarly, if you use a very green underripe avocado, you'll taste it. Now that being said, it's not a bad thing unless you happen to hate avocados. But I'm guessing if you hate them this recipe won't be on your "must make list" anytime soon.<br />
<br />
<b>The case for avocado smoothies</b>- When this smoothie is good, it's REALLY good. The avocado makes the smoothie thick and silky, not unlike a pudding consistency, and it actually tastes a lot like chocolate pudding. I love that. Other times, when the avocado is less than stellar, it still has that thick consistency but will have a slight aftertaste. This doesn't bother me in the least but it's something to consider.<br />
<br />
The texture wins me over every time. I love it. Feel free to play around and add more sweetener if desired to get your desired outcome.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5625.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Chocolate Avocado Smoothie photo IMG_5625.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5625.jpg" /></a><br />
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I drink this for breakfast. that way I can use raw cacao powder without a problem. Raw cacao tends to keep me up at night so if I make it then, I'll use regular cocoa powder. Nowhere near as good for the body, but when you want a chocolate smoothie, you want a chocolate smoothie.<br />
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This drink is loaded with minerals and antioxidants from the cacao, sugar free since stevia is used, contains healthy fats from the avocado and supplies a healthy dose of calcium in the form of coconut milk. It's sure to keep you full. Cheers!<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate Avocado Smoothie</b><br />
<i>serves 1</i><br />
<br />
<b>1/2 a medium avocado (sometimes I use a whole avocado)</b><br />
<b>2 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder </b><br />
<b>1/2 cup water</b><br />
<b>1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk</b><br />
<b>1/4 teaspoon stevia</b><br />
<b>handful of ice</b><br />
<b>splash of vanilla</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Blend all until silky and smooth. Drink right away</b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-50016884557633185802014-02-21T14:40:00.000-07:002014-02-21T14:46:40.996-07:004-Ingredient Crockpot Chicken Chili Verde <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" nbsp="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/12683439603/player/87286c7bc4" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
The first time a friend got into my car on our first "becoming friends" date, I had "La Donna E Mobile" by The Three Tenors playing on my CD player. She was 18, I was 21. We were in a 1992, tan Aerostar van. Completely normal, right? I thought so, but her, not so much. Maybe I should have been slightly embarrassed but I wasn't. I was one classy and sophisticated single mom who lived with her grandparents and listened to Opera and Frank Sinatra in her car. Dang, I'm surprised Jeremy waited as long as he did to ask me out and marry me.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5778.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5778.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5778.jpg" /></a><br />
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I know some of my readers will be asking a lot of questions right about now. I've never disclosed that I was a single mom for a hot minute. Yes, It's true. Long story short, I fell for a boy named Jaz (why, yes, that is his real name, and no, he was not a stripper). He didn't fall for me as hard (I know, weird, right?) I had my little daughter Isabella Victoria, and promptly up and moved from Southern California, my home for more than 20 years, to Colorado where my grandparents lived. I went to college and church and that's it. I met my friend in my college Art History class and I met Jeremy at church. So, that explains a lot.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" nbsp="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/12683293125/player/37e6ed0962" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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I haven't been keeping secrets or anything. The other day I mentioned something about having been a single mom, and a new friend who has been following my blog for a while was shocked. She had no idea! Apparently, I don't talk about this. Not for any other reason than I probably don't think about it much. Just like I don't think about my song choice before inviting new friends into my car.<br />
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So anyway, for reasons that have nothing to do with anything I just said above, I'd like to talk to you about this incredible and easy chicken chili verde I made the other day. Everything is placed in a crockpot and then hours later the chicken is fall apart tender and shreds perfectly. Oh recipe, how I love thee. Let me count the ways:<br />
<br />
1) Since this recipe calls for only four ingredients it requires no prep<br />
2) One of those ingredients is a jar of salsa verde. This means all the onions, cilantro and lime flavor is already built into the chili and doesn't need adding.<br />
3) This served hot with melty jack cheese and avocado is heaven in a bowl. Especially if you add chips to the mix!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" nbsp="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/12683765794/player/072c82184c" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>4-Ingredient Crockpot Chicken Chili Verde</b><br />
<i>adapted from Bread and Wine, by Shauna Niequist</i><br />
serves 4-6<br />
<br />
<b>3-4 chicken breasts</b><br />
<b>1-16oz container of green tomatillo salsa (or red salsa for a non-verde version) preferably fresh</b><br />
<b>4 cans white beans (black beans can be used too)</b><br />
<b>4 cups chicken broth</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours or up to 8 hours. Before serving, shred the chicken with two forks. Serve with jack or cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, avocado and sour cream.</b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-51317631523492084312014-02-04T11:11:00.001-07:002014-02-04T11:38:32.853-07:00Hawaiian Chicken Chili<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5489.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Hawaiian Chicken Chili photo IMG_5489.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5489.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Brrrrr. It's cold out! And if the weather report is to be believed we have snow and temperatures in the teens and twenties for the next 7 days. I shouldn't be mad since it's still winter and all, but I'd be lying if I told you my mind doesn't drift to sandy beaches, warm sun and surf 10 times a day. For my sister and brother-in-law this is an awesome reality. In three days she will take off on a jet plane, Bahamas bound, and do all sorts of tropical like things. Eat fried fresh fish, drink a pina colada, smell that clear salt water, and lay in the sun. Pat, my brother-in-law is there for work (he's the chef at a hunting ranch here in Colorado, but the owners also have a fishing resort on their private island called <a href="http://www.deepwatercay.com/">Deep Water Cay</a>. Pat is helping to revamp the menu, inspire some cocktails, and get things in order) so he gets less downtime, although it may be just what's coming to him after the shenanigan he pulled this weekend.<br />
<br />
Over the weekend Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow indicating a longer winter, and our team, the Bronocs, got pummeled in the Superbowl. We had a party made up of six Broncos fans, two Seahawk fans, and two undecided and kids. My sister Kaylee and I are originally from southern California. She is a Raiders fan for life. I guess the Raiders and Bronocs don't get along, or so I'm told, so even though she's lived in Colorado for a while she doesn't route for us. Adding to this, she and Pat had called Seattle home for a few years and apparently she now loves the Seahawks too. This was news to me. Pat on the other hand didn't grow up in California, but rather split his time between Colorado and Louisiana, so he declared that he was going to route for the Broncos. Kaylee started posting things to social media like "house divided!" and when my mom acted surprised that Kaylee would not route for Denver, didn't she want to win?! Kaylee responded with "We'll see you at the Superbowl, Mom!" <br />
<br />
It was on.<br />
<br />
<i>Mom and Kaylee square off</i><br />
<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/Facebook/iOS%20Photos/1780046_10202406231809454_1778374244_o.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="The jalape?o poppers are in the oven, and the rivalries are starting. Can't wait to see Shawn Fieldings face when he realizes he's attending a Super Bowl party with Seahawks fans! photo 1780046_10202406231809454_1778374244_o.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/Facebook/iOS%20Photos/1780046_10202406231809454_1778374244_o.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<i>Looks like Kaylee is already talking smack...</i><br />
<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5763.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5763.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5763.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Come game day, Kaylee painted her face blue for the Seahawks and wore her <b>Mariners</b> jersey. Pathetic right? She kept shouting "It's still Seattle!"<br />
<br />
Pat painted his face orange and blue for Broncos and wore an orange and blue flannel shirt to represent.<br />
<br />
Then, the game happened.<br />
<br />
After it was all over and the Seahawks were clearly the champs, Pat did this...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5772.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5772.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5772.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5773.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5773.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5773.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
People gasped. I took pictures. "Traitor!" was being yelled. People said Pat was the VERY REASON the Broncos had failed. And Pat, after seeing the pictures, laughed and said "Oh man, I could get killed for something like that." But it was all in jest and made the evening. For me anyway. Nicely played Pat. You're lucky you can make delicious fried hot wings to order and made friends early.<br />
<br />
<i>Kaylee gloating over her win saying things like "You mad, bro?!" (Sherman rant reference) and Pat like "What the, woman? I got my bases covered. Chill the hell out"--For the record he didn't actually say that but then again, he didn't have to. </i><br />
<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5775.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5775.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5775.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Anyway, Pat will be paying his dues, working away in the Bahamas while Kaylee lives it up. Hopefully he'll get some down time too.<br />
<br />
As for me, I'll be looking at their pictures feeling super happy for them but probably needing some island flair somewhere in my life. I mean, I'm only human. But since we're waist deep in snow and grilling shrimp on the barbie is not going to happen, this Hawaiian chicken chili will be just the thing to tide me over.<br />
<br />
I've never even heard of a chili like this before. It's savory with hints of tropical pineapple- sweet but tangy. And I've had great success cooking raw chicken breasts in the crockpot like this. When done, the chicken is moist and shreds perfectly. Barbecue sauce is added to tie in the flavors of onion, bell pepper and beans because, this is a chili after all. I always use organic ingredients, but in this case, I wouldn't use organic barbecue sauce. I used Annies brand the second time I made this and while I absolutely love their brand, something was off in the chili. I think it's much less sweet and a tad spicier than other brands. Use regular old barbecue, whatever is your favorite and you'll be good to go.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5493.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Hawaiian Chicken Chili photo IMG_5493.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5493.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Hawaiian Chicken Chili</i></b><br />
<i>adapted from <a href="http://www.heatherlikesfood.com/crock-pot-hawaiian-chicken-chili/">Heather Likes Food</a></i><br />
serves 4-6<br />
<br />
<ul id="zlrecipe-ingredients-list" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style: none; margin: 1em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2.4em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-0" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-1" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1/2 tsp kosher salt</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-2" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1/4 tsp black pepper</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-3" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2 tbsp olive oil</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-4" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 C onion, diced</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-5" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 C green pepper, diced</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-6" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2 cloves garlic, minced</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-7" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained w/ juice reserved</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-8" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel Tomatoes, or diced tomatoes w/ green chiles</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-9" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-10" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 (14. oz) can kidney beans, drained</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-11" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-12" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 C prepared BBQ sauce</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-13" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>3 tbsp chili powder</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-14" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1 tbsp cumin</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-15" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1/2 tsp ground ginger</b></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<ol class="instructions" id="zlrecipe-instructions-list" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="instruction" id="zlrecipe-instruction-0" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil just until they have some color but are not cooked through.</b></span></li>
<li class="instruction" id="zlrecipe-instruction-1" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Place chicken in crock pot and top with onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, beans, BBQ sauce, and 3/4 C of the reserved pineapple juice.</b></span></li>
<li class="instruction" id="zlrecipe-instruction-2" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Stir chili powder, cumin, and ginger into the chili and set crock pot to cook on LOW for 6- 8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4.</b></span></li>
<li class="instruction" id="zlrecipe-instruction-3" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Remove chicken from chili and shred into bite-sized pieces. Return to chili and stir in pineapple chunks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.</b></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-77201565277207921832014-01-27T09:48:00.002-07:002014-01-27T09:48:40.363-07:00Berry-Spinach Smoothie Freezer Packs<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5745.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Berry Spinach Freezer Packs photo IMG_5745.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5745.jpg" /></a><br />
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This is not a "recipe", but since learning that my friend Stephanie makes her smoothie packs ahead of time -complete with fresh spinach- and freezes them, I have not been able to stop doing the same. I'd never thought about freezing fresh spinach before, but doing it this way means you never worry whether the spinach is going bad or won't last the whole week. Plus, freezing fresh vegetables when packaged right doesn't lose much, if any of the nutritional value. Now, when I need a quick breakfast I just add the contents of my freezer bag to the blender with a cup of coconut milk and a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt. Really, you can add anything you want but I like to keep it simple.<br />
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I've been watching my sugar intake in an effort to lose a few remaining baby pounds so I only do mixed berries for the fruit part of the smoothie. Berries are lower in sugar than other typical smoothie fruits such as banana or oranges and also have a higher nutritional profile, so this is a fantastic option for me. I go heavy on raspberries and blackberries and lighter on the sweeter blueberries and strawberries, but I still always include all four. I also add 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of stevia to my bag of frozen berries and spinach to help sweeten everything up so I won't need to add other sugary fruits.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5519.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Berry Spinach Freezer Packs photo IMG_5519.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5519.jpg" /></a><br />
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I can't tell you how convenient this is. I underestimated how much time this actually saves. Plus, having them ready to go like this means I choose smoothies more often, which is always a good thing.<br />
<br />
I reuse the ziplock freezer bags too. Since theres no real residue, its easy to dry them out and fill again for my next smoothie round.<br />
<br />
These are the kind of ideas I love. So simple it's genius. And like I've said before, I like to incorporate more simple in my life.<br />
<br />
Oh, and this baby? She started clapping yesterday! 6 months 2 weeks old.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5686.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5686.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5686.jpg" /></a><br />
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Clapping, but not sleeping on her own yet. My friend Beth and I have been talking about our babies who don't sleep -she is in newborn stage and has it worse- it's amazing how talking with someone who actually gets it and is in the trenches with you can help. Am I off topic again? Gah, well while I'm here I might as well tell you that the second I sign off here I will begin to sing "Just Give Me A Reason" by P!nk...passionately in my kitchen...Anyone else catch her Grammy performance last night? Loved it!<br />
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And, back to the topic at hand...<br />
<br />
<b>Berry-Spinach Smoothie Freezer Packs</b><br />
makes one pack (but you'll want to make several packs at one time)<br />
<br />
<b>1 cup lightly packed fresh baby spinach</b><br />
<b>1 cup mixed berries</b> (I do half raspberries, then fill in with a mix of blueberries and blackberries plus 2 strawberries per pack)<br />
<b>1/8-1/4 teaspoon stevia</b><br />
<br />
Place ingredients into a freezer ziplock bag, squeeze as much air out as possible and freeze. When you are ready to make your smoothie add the frozen contents of the bag into a blender and add <b>1 cup coconut milk </b>(sometimes you may need more to get it blended up well) and <b>a tablespoon of plain greek yogurt. </b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-54067055833605350602014-01-19T14:46:00.001-07:002014-01-19T15:00:43.072-07:00Quinoa, Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bowl<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5545.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5545.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5545.jpg" /></a><br />
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Do you know what's kept me from blogging for so long? Pinterest and Flickr and Facebook. Seriously. We switched from Safari to Chrome and I no longer have a "pin it" button on my computer. Never mind that it would take me all of five minutes to install another. I didn't. And then theres Flickr. I don't know how I feel about it. Thats where I upload all of my photos, but it takes forever and lately, they don't post on Pinterest as well. I'd switch to Photobucket but alas, my photos are not that great and Photobucket makes them larger than life. You'd see every blur and flaw. Then, when I use my app at the bottom of bloggers page to post to Facebook, no picture pops up like it used to. Most people follow my blog through FB so this is a problem indeed. None of these things have anything to do with the actual blogging, but it shouldn't take me so long to put a post together. Its getting a tad ridiculous, so I've been rebelling. So, there you have it. Rebellious Krysta refuses to post new content because there must be a better way. I guess I've calmed a bit because here I am posting and haven't figured it out as of yet.<br />
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I have been reading a lot in the absence of blogging though. It's Jan. 19th and I've finished two books this year. I ripped through both "Traveling Mercies" and "Bread & Wine", by Anne Lamott and Shauna Niequist, respectfully, and today I find myself a quarter through "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. It's much more insightful and fascinating than it sounds. It's also not really <i>about introverts</i>, but rather how our culture came to shape and value different modes of being but are all unique and good. Its a smart read and I'm gobbling it up. Bread & Wine was awesome if you love rich, descriptive writing. It's pages are littered with sentences like:<br />
<br />
<i>"Our table had a whole fish roasted with wheels of lemon and swaths of herbs, carved tableside, and handmade lobster ravioli, the fresh lobster meat so sweet that it almost tasted like there was sugar in it. What moved me though--and what the restaurant is famous for beyond the lemon tree canopy--were the antipasti and sweet buffets: two huge wood tables piled heavily with platters wedged in like puzzle pieces. One table held cheeses and pastas and grilled, marinated vegetables; the other, plates of every imaginable fruit, cake, and tart. At the center of that lovely table, a bowl of fat blackberries, almost as big as plums, and a bowl of whipped cream, decadent and simple at once. I can still taste my glass of limoncello they served at the end of the meal, and I can still recall the hint of coolness in the air as we drove back down the winding roads to the marina, feeling like the world was so beautiful I almost couldn't stand it, so thankful for those trees and those lanterns and those huge round tables and that bowl of blackberries."</i><br />
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Positively dreamy if you ask me. Its a book about food with recipes, but its heavily laced with Christianity and faithful insights. I found it wise and delightful, an indulgent treat for my senses and imagination.<br />
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<a href="http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/kmacgray/media/IMG_5543.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_5543.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/kmacgray/IMG_5543.jpg" /></a><br />
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I found the recipe for this unassuming quinoa breakfast bowl in Bread & Wine's pages. I was drawn to it because I'd never though of quinoa as a breakfast food or paired it with sweet sausages, like a chicken apple gouda. Then the thought of the sautéed onions and that perfectly fat fried egg sitting on top slayed me. Just knowing that golden yolk would drip down and mingle with the quinoa and spread its love all over that bowl made my mouth water. I ran to the kitchen. It was heaven. I'd eat this for breakfast each and every day. And then again for lunch and dinner. I did add some wilted spinach, something the recipe didn't originally include but I wanted something fresh. Some sautéed red bell peppers would have been good too.<br />
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Shauna says this isn't really a recipe, but more a glimpse into her kitchen. The recipe is written to serve 4, although when she makes it for only herself, she divides the quinoa, sausages and onion into separate bowls and covers. Then, you have breakfast waiting for you for the next 3 days--all you have to do is warm the bowl and fry an egg.<br />
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<b>Quinoa, Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bowl</b><br />
<i>adapted from Bread & Wine, by Shauna Niequist</i><br />
serves 4<br />
<br />
<b>1 tablespoon olive oil</b><br />
<b>1 large or 2 small onions</b><br />
<b>4 links chicken apple sausage (or chicken apple gouda)</b><br />
<b>2 cups quinoa</b><br />
<b>4 cups water</b><br />
<b>4 eggs</b><br />
<b>Salt and Pepper to taste</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Slice and soften and onion in olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. While that's cooking, slice the sausage and add it to the same pan. Pour the quinoa and water into a small pot. Bring it to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and let cool for 5 minutes.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Scoop quinoa into 4 bowls and then stir a scoop of onions and sausage slices into each one.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>In the onion pan, fry the eggs to over easy, about two minutes over medium heat, and then slide one egg on top of the quinoa mixture in each bowl. Add salt and freshly ground pepper.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>If you'd rather scramble the eggs, beat them and then pour them into the onion pan and begin to cook them over low heat, running a wooden spoon through them as they thicken. Scoop loosely scrambled eggs into each bowl and top with a small handful of goat cheese. Add a sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper.</b><br />
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Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-27997357359570924552013-12-31T08:36:00.000-07:002013-12-31T08:39:27.637-07:00Spinach Artichoke Wonderpot<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" nbsp="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11669169334/player/b8848c7642" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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Christmas down, New Years to go! Today I have a great, no-brainer recipe for you to try. Its not spectacular or super special but its tasty, unique, and oh-so-easy. So I guess you could say it's perfect for this lull in the next few days. And who doesn't love spinach artichoke anything?<br />
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How was your Christmas? Ours was full! We started opening presents at 7am, and was making our annual Christmas breakfast by 9am. We have the same thing every year - Mimosas, Eggs Benedict except with Welsh rarebit sauce (beer cheese sauce) instead of Hollandaise with tomato slices, orange rolls, cinnamon rolls, and a big bowl of fruit salad. This year we added in some apple cinnamon sausage compliments of my husband. Family and friends lingered and a mix of Christmas music and The Hunger Games played in the background. Not the most traditional Christmas movie ever, but you know, c'est la vie.<br />
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By 4pm we were at Mambos, our restaurant, for a Christmas dinner. Lobster Fra Diavolo for me and prosciutto wrapped tenderloin for Jeremy. Cannoli and chocolate hazelnut panna cotta for dessert. Not bad at all. Kids opted for regular bow tie pasta with meatballs. My sister, brother-in-law, and niece joined us this year and between us, ridiculous things were said.<br />
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Right before we left the restaurant Kaylee, my sister, let out a defeated <i>Oh-no... I look...like... a... whore. </i>It was shocking because my sister doesn't usually use words like "whore" and also because of the sincerity and seriousness in which she said it. Turns out she had a run in her stocking. I laughed, then took a picture.<br />
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And that's not all. Other ridiculous things were said. Things like <i>I think I might train for a half marathon </i>and<i> do you want to join me? </i>To be clear, that came out of my sisters mouth. I said <i>A HALF MARATHON? Crazy. Why not start with a 5K? I mean, we don't even run...like at all. </i>Then the real ridiculousness started when I responded with <i>I would train for a 5K with you...</i></div>
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Don't laugh. I realize a 5K is only 3 miles, but I have never run a mile before. I jogged two miles really, really, s-l-o-w-l-y two years ago. I probably could have speed walked faster than I jogged. But that's about all the experience I have going for me. I listened to Mumford and Sons "I Will Wait" and Katy Perry's "Firework", and "You Ain't Never Had A Friend Like Me" from Aladdin while I did it. I remember. I was on the bike path by the river way down where it starts on the west end of town. It was cold, but not quite enough to deter me. </div>
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End random memories.</div>
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Christmas night was spent reliving our childhoods while my two oldest kids played Super Mario Bros for the first time on the Wii they got for Christmas. Up until now I have banned video game playing from my house. I hate it. But I used to play Mario Bros and was feeling nostalgic and I knew the kids would flip so I said yes. That music came right back to me. My sister and Pat were throwing out names I had long forgotten like <i>Bowzers castle</i> and <i>Princess Peach</i> and <i>Yoshi</i>. I forgot that a flag pole signaled the end of the level and Mario would slide down in victory. Pat looked up some video online of a kid playing elaborate piano to all the Mario theme songs. It was awesome.<br />
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<i>Uncle Pat showing the kids how it's played</i><br />
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<i>I caught this one morning around 5:45am. My son was just beholding the tree, sitting still and waking up. It's my favorite.</i><br />
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End Christmas re-cap.<br />
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So back to this wonderpot. The genius of the wonderpot recipes is that the pasta and all ingredients are cooked together for a specified amount of time and when it's done the remaining liquid, thickened by the starch in the noodles, becomes the sauce itself. Just stir and eat. Fun, right? The only thing to be wary of is cooking too long. You must eat this when it's ready. If allowed to sit, the liquid will keep absorbing into the noodles and become overcooked and thick. Make sure you season to taste with salt as well. This dish needs a hefty dose to make all the flavors shine through. I may even add a dusting of Parmesan to the top of my bowl next time.<br />
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Happy New Year, friends!<br />
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<b>Spinach Artichoke Wonderpot</b><br />
<i>adapted from <a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/10/spinach-artichoke-wonderpot/">budgetbytes</a></i><br />
serves 4-6<br />
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8 oz. mushrooms<br />
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts<br />
5 cloves garlic<br />
1 medium yellow onion<br />
5 cups vegetable broth<br />
2 Tbsp olive oil<br />
12 oz. fettuccine (I used whole wheat)<br />
1 tsp dried oregano<br />
½ tsp dried thyme<br />
freshly cracked pepper<br />
4 oz. frozen cut spinach<br />
Parmesan for topping<br />
kosher salt<br />
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<b>*I adapted this recipe to make a whole box of pasta, serving 6. I used 1 lb fettuccine and 6 1/2 cups of vegetable broth and added some extra salt, oregano, thyme and artichoke hearts but kept everything else the same. It turned out well.</b><br />
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Rinse the mushrooms to remove any dirt or debris. Slice the mushrooms thinly. Drain the can of artichoke hearts and roughly chop them into bite sized pieces. Thinly slice the onion and garlic (you can mince the garlic if you don't want large slices). Place the vegetable broth, olive oil, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions, and garlic in a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half and add it to the pot along with the oregano, thyme, a few hearty pinches of salt and some freshly cracked pepper. Push the ingredients down under the broth as much as possible. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a rolling boil over high heat.<br />
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As soon as it reaches a boil, stir the pot to evenly distribute the ingredients and prevent the pasta from<br />
sticking. Turn the heat down to low so that the pot is just simmering. Allow the pot to simmer, with the lid on, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Give the pot a stir every few minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking.<br />
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Once the pasta is cooked through, add the frozen spinach. Allow the heat from the pasta to thaw the<br />
spinach. Stir the pot to help break up the clumps of spinach as they melt. Taste for seasonings. You'll probably need salt to prevent a bland finish. Serve hot with some grated parmesan on top.</div>
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Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-40037956694804955762013-12-23T10:50:00.001-07:002013-12-23T10:54:33.791-07:00Rotisserie Style Chicken and Merry Christmas!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="334" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" nbsp="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11517554783/player/9ee01f8bac" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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Merry Christmas! This was our Christmas card photo. No updates on how we're doing. Just simple. I need to choose more simple in my life.<br />
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Our christmas tree shopping was simple too. Four kids, five minutes and a picture later we were done. It was also really, really fun, so just goes to show.<br />
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This blog is called "My Life In Food". I chose this name because while I always include a recipe (the food part) it's also about my life. Sometimes I wrote mostly about the food. Other times, it's mostly about my family. This is my personal scrapbook of sorts. I write for me and it doesn't always make the most sense and its not always eloquent. It's alright. I have enough self awareness to know I'm not going huge with my blog. At least, I don't think I am. It's not the goal, anyway, even though I love sharing with every single one of you who reads. Since this is my personal scrapbook, I end up talking about myself a lot. This is one of those days, BUT I want to share it all with you. Keep reading.<br />
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I am an inspiration hunter. However, I don't start the day with the thought "I'm going to hunt for inspiration today". I just search for things that catch my interest, challenge me in good ways, make me think, or make me happy. I read a lot of articles. I shop and add things I love to my cart. I find gift ideas for other people. I hear a great song. Somebody's else's words will move me. A colorful magazine cover will draw me in. I collect it all and it's like fuel to my soul. I don't mind saying I love beautiful things, interesting things, smart marketing, good packaging. I appreciate the whole of things. I become intrigued with things or ideas, then inspiration just naturally follows. This is something that happens to me most everyday. These are some of the things I've found particularly interesting, thought provoking and life giving lately. I wish I had cool fonts and colors in which to present these to you...to do the very things I've been talking about, to draw you in, catch your interest, stop and make you say hmmmm. But I'm not tech savvy and I don't have the slightest idea how to deliver this info in pretty packaging on a blog as much as I'd LOVE to. Seriously, if I could, I'd spend hours designing something with style for you. But for now, I'll lay it out simply without flair. The quality content is still there.<br />
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<b>-If you need a bit of motivation to JUMP and get started, whether it's achieving your goals, dreaming bigger, starting over, or not waiting around for your life to begin, read these two articles:</b><br />
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<a href="http://momastery.com/blog/2013/12/19/jump/">JUMP </a>- By Glennon Doyle Melton<br />
and<br />
<a href="http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/12/20/why-im-leaving-radio-forever/#comments">Why I'm leaving radio forever</a>- By Matt Walsh<br />
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I select these because they're not written in the "five steps" fashion. Rather, they are stories/thought/ideas/concepts which inspire you to take what you want from them, whether it's a little nugget of wisdom or the whole dang message and run with it. I adore writers who inspire me to think for myself and give me the tools to do so without telling me what to do. This is especially helpful if you tend to understand things intuitively like I do.<br />
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<b>-If your heart hurts this Christmas, read this:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/12/what-to-do-with-a-hurting-heart-this-christmas/"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/12/what-to-do-with-a-hurting-heart-this-christmas/">What to do with a hurting heart this Christmas</a>- By Ann Voskamp<br />
and<br />
<a href="http://momastery.com/blog/2013/12/18/sad/">I am sad</a>- By Glennon Doyle Melton<br />
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Ann is pretty unique and artsy with her writing. Some find her hard to read while others didn't understand anything until she said it. Glennon is real, raw and honest. She also leaves you feeling better about humanity and life after you leave her site.<br />
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<b>-If you have been trying hard this Christmas season to be peaceful and focused on the reason for the season, but find yourself still stressed and maxed. When your expectations for the holiday don't measure up to your ideal...read this:</b><br />
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<a href="http://addiezierman.com/2013/12/19/cobbled-together-christmas/">Cobbled Together Christmas</a>- by Addie Zierman<br />
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Really, this can be applied at any time of the year.<br />
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<b>-If you want to understand God's love. Like actually GET IT. Or if you are having trouble with relationships. If you want your eyes opened, read this and then read it again and again to everyone you know.</b><br />
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<a href="http://momastery.com/blog/2013/12/04/little-drummer-girl-3/">Little Drummer Girl</a>- by Glennon Doyle Melton<br />
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You may have noticed I seem to be a bit infatuated with Glennon. Its true, she's my penultimate right now and I can't even pretend to not favor her. She speaks to me like no one else has. She reaches the inner parts of me and I'm changed. I don't one hundred percent agree with the whole of her theology sometimes, but for the most part? She does an excellent job of pointing back to Jesus and spreading light and hope and love wherever she goes. Truth be told, I think its a dose of what everyone in the world <i>really</i> needs. This is my most favorite piece I've read all year. ALL DAMN YEAR.<br />
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<b>-If you want something awesome and simple to cook: Rotisserie Style Chicken</b><br />
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This tastes just like what you get at the store and only requires a regular oven, no rotisserie necessary. The method is awesome. Try it, you'll like it.<br />
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<b>Rotisserie Style Chicken</b><br />
<i>adapted from My Fathers Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow</i><br />
serves 4<br />
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span class="quantity" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 1/2</span> <span class="unit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">tablespoons</span> <span class="text" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;">unsalted butter, at room temperature</span></b></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span class="quantity" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3/4</span> <span class="unit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">teaspoon</span> <span class="text" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;">garlic salt</span></b></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span class="quantity" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3/4</span> <span class="unit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">teaspoon</span> <span class="text" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;">sweet paprika</span></b></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span class="quantity" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1/4</span> <span class="unit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">teaspoon</span> <span class="text" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;">freshly ground black pepper</span></b></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span class="quantity" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Large</span> <span class="unit" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pinch</span> <span class="text" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;">coarse sea salt</span></b></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span class="quantity" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span> <span class="text" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;">whole roasting chicken (3–4 lb; preferably organic), neck and giblets discarded</span></b></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="text" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.3em; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Twine</b></span></li>
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<b>Heat oven to 400°. Mix butter, garlic salt, paprika, pepper and salt in a bowl. Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry. Insert fingers between skin and breast to separate the two. Rub seasoned butter over chicken and under skin. Tuck wings underneath bird and tie together with a piece of twine. Tie legs together with another piece of twine. Place chicken on its side in a heavy roasting pan and roast 25 minutes. Turn onto its other side and sprinkle with several tbsp water; roast 25 minutes more. Turn chicken on its back; roast 10 minutes more. Turn on its breast; roast until skin is crispy and chicken is golden brown, 10 minutes more. Remove from pan and let rest, breast side down, 15 minutes, before carving.</b></div>
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<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-81118516788292218932013-12-17T10:08:00.001-07:002013-12-17T10:08:38.212-07:00Roasted Sausage with Grapes<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11421774904/" title="Roasted Sausages and Grapes by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Roasted Sausages and Grapes" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/11421774904_5a903812fa.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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So, my sister Kaylee and brother-in-law, Patrick, left for a three day trip to San Francisco last week and I watched my niece, Paisley, while they were gone. So I had Olivia, who is five and can't walk or talk but is obsessed with pushing Paisley down. When Paisley gets pushed down, she cries, naturally. Paisley, who just turned one, enjoys opening all cabinets, eating dog food, pulling lamps down off tables, furniture diving onto her head and toddling over to Olivia to be pushed. Then theres Ellie who is now five months and likes to be nursed in the absolute quiet with no distractions and held for a major part of the day. I was alone with these three for almost 2 hours of the 3 1/2 day trip when I decided I'd be fine. Sure, it was going to be hard, but I vowed to keep calm and not loose my shit. Sorry. That's exactly what I thought though. So far so good i thought, but then again, it was nap time. When wake ups happened, they all ate lunch in shifts. And since I had to feed all four of us manually, it was just about time for another round of naps by the time I got done.<br />
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<i>Olivia getting ready to hit Ellie and Paisley getting ready to eat something disgusting off the floor</i><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11421776176/" title="Roasted Sausages and Grapes by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Roasted Sausages and Grapes" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3811/11421776176_1a984f2e6e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I found the grove somewhere towards the middle of day two, and it got better. Thats always how it is.<br />
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<i>Aunt Krysta, I like this drawer</i><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11421753015/" title="Roasted Sausages and Grapes by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Roasted Sausages and Grapes" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3781/11421753015_42569b6d45.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The night before they left, my brother-in-law made us all gumbo for dinner. It was my request and he was so sweet to make it. It was incredibly swoon worthy. He's a chef so it was bound to be, but he's also a native of Louisiana so you could say he knows a thing or two about gumbo. My husband happened to bring home some special cheeses last night on a whim, so we also had quite an appetizer spread. And wine. And beer for the gumbo. Then, when we got done it was decided we should whip up an apple crisp quick. But while it was baking I made the heartbreaking discovery that we didn't have any vanilla ice cream. Chef brother to the rescue was like <i>do you have cream? </i>As a matter of fact I did. <i>How about eggs and vanilla? </i>Yes! Yes, we did. And he happened to have just picked milk up for Paisley earlier in the day. It was a Christmas miracle. He said <i>okay, well I'll just whip up some ice cream then. I make it in 10 minutes flat all the time. </i>It was probably one of my favorite nights ever.<br />
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Kaylee and Pat were also here for a couple days last month. On their last night I made them this quick roasted sausage and grapes dish. It was really easy and different. An excellent December menu item, for sure. The grapes and sausages get spiked with a bit of red wine and balsamic vinegar and its that delicious balance of sour, salt and sweet. This is perfect for company because it requires minimal effort, comes together super fast, but still retains a wow factor. I paired this with some celery root puree, but good ole mashed potatoes work very well to bring this dish together. Salad on the side and you've got a very well balanced dinner. You can also just serve this with some bread for mopping up the juices and call it a night! Make it and tell me what you think. It's so good!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11421911803/" title="Roasted Sausages and Grapes by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Roasted Sausages and Grapes" height="333" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/11421911803_d04c330039.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Roasted Sausage and Grapes</b><br />
<i>adapted from Ina Garten</i><br />
serves 5-6<br />
<br />
<b>1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian pork sausage</b><br />
<b>1 1/2 pounds hot Italian pork sausage</b><br />
<b>3 tablespoons unsalted butter</b><br />
<b>2 1/2 pounds green or red grapes, removed from stems (about 5 cups)</b><br />
<b>5 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar</b><br />
<b>4-5 tablespoons red wine, such as Chianti</b><br />
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<b>Preheat the oven to 500 degrees</b><br />
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<b>Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add sausages and simmer for 8 minutes to remove some of the fat. Remove to a plate.</b><br />
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<b>Melt butter in a large (12 x 15-inch) roasting pan on top of the stove. Add the grapes and toss them to coat with the butter. Over moderately high heat add the wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Transfer the sausages to the roasting pan with tongs, nestling them down in the grapes in one layer. Place in the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the sausages once, until they're browned and grapes are tender.</b><br />
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<b>Transfer the sausages and grapes to a serving platter with tongs and a slotted spoon and cover with aluminum foil to keep them hot. Keep all juices in the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the balsamic vinegar to the roasting pan and cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute until it reduces slightly. Pour all juices over the grapes and sausages and serve hot.</b><br />
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Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-22386032200174020442013-12-09T15:55:00.003-07:002013-12-09T15:57:09.535-07:00Burnt Caramel Custards<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11241155613/" title="Burnt Caramel Custards by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Burnt Caramel Custards" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/11241155613_9e01b5f99f.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Phew! What a week it's been. Craig and Sally, two of our favorite people, flew in from Dallas to spend Thanksgiving and my birthday with us. One of my very favorite things about them is how easy to be around they are. Theres no pressure to do this or that or all be together, we just move fluidly in and out of lunches, dinners, meetings, workouts and down time, talking or reading or sharing. Everyone is just themselves and accepted and loved as such. Plus their daughter, Evey and our son were basically inseparable the whole time. It twas awesome. I'm so sad to see them go. Sniff sniff.<br />
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Sal<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11297934854/" title="IMG_5290 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5290" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7435/11297934854_b499fc28f3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Jeremiah and Evey pulling the wishbone<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11297869135/" title="IMG_5291 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5291" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/11297869135_740dfaa298.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Also, on klove the other day (the Christian radio station) I heard one of the hosts say something about a story they read about someday being able to put a computer chip under our skin to use for credit cards or something like that. Then she followed up with <i>wouldn't that be cool?</i> What she did NOT say was <i>EVERYONE FREAK OUT BECAUSE THIS IS DEFINITELY THE MARK OF THE BEAST!!!!!!!!!</i><br />
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You guys, don't look at me like that. I can't be the only little girl who was warned about this mark of the beast computer chip thing. Its burned into my fear memory. This information was presented to me as hard fact. Then, when I got married and told Jeremy all about it he rolled his eyes and said <i>well, they were certain credit cards were the mark of the beast before the computer chip thing, and it was something else before that...maybe checks?</i> Jeremy grew up in the church and his dad and grandpa were pastors, so I considered him the utmost authority about such matters. Jeremy didn't seem alarmed and I learned to relax a little.<br />
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If you're still staring, confused about all this "mark of the beast" stuff, you needn't worry. You might be like, <i>well, thanks Krysta, but generally when we're talking about BEASTS I will worry. </i><br />
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And I'll have to be like, <i>good point, friend, but do you know how many religious leaders predicted end of the world stuff and were wrong? And do you know how many people believe different things about this beast business? And do you even want to spend your time worrying about beasts anyway? I mean, it's Christmas...</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11241156293/" title="Burnt Caramel Custards by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Burnt Caramel Custards" height="333" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2806/11241156293_84de0a5951.jpg" width="500" /></a></i><br />
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It IS Christmas, dontchaknow, and I'd bet since you are the type of person to read food blogs, you'd also be the type of person to throw a big ole Christmas dinner. If this is sounding right, then I have the perfect dessert for you this holiday! And I do mean perfect. One recipe makes 8 servings, it can be made up to a day ahead of time or morning of since its served cold, and its decadent and different. Also its easy and fast to make. There are a few steps, and I will ask you to bake these in a water bath but DON'T FREAK. Even if you don't know what a "water bath" is, much like the mark of the beast drama, it's not going to matter right now. It's going to be just fine. I'll walk you through it. The end result will be a creme brulee-ish custard without the hard top but it will taste like a soft vanilla caramel. These are rich, but so so lovely.<br />
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<b>Burnt Caramel Custards</b><br />
<i>adapted from Bon Appetit, Oct. 2013</i><br />
serves 8<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">1 quart heavy cream</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">3/4 cup plus 4 Tablespoons sugar, divided</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">6 large egg yolks, room temperature</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">pinch of kosher salt</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">Whipped cream (for serving; optional)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place cream in a medium saucepan; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add pod. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; set aside.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">Bring 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 Tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar (don't over-stir). Make sure sugar is completely dissolved and then raise heat to medium-high. Boil, swirling pan occasionally and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush ( I don't do this unless its obviously collecting at the sides of the pan), until mixture turns a deep amber color, about 4 mints; remove from heat.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">Remove vanilla pod from cream; discard. Slowly add cream to caramel (mixture will bubble vigorously). Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until smooth, about 2 minutes.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;">Whisk egg yolks, kosher salt, and remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Slowly pour in caramel cream, whisking constantly. Divide custard among eight 6-ounce ramekins or oven-proof bowls, and place in a large baking dish or roasting pan. If you need two pans to fit all the ramekins, thats okay too. Fill pan with water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Don't freak out. It'll look like this:</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/11241081574/" title="Burnt Caramel Custards by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Burnt Caramel Custards" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/11241081574_657a839fdf.jpg" width="500" /></a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.1875px;"> Bake until custard is just set but still jiggly in the center, 60-70 minutes. Remove ramekins from baking dish; place on a wire rack and let cool. Chill custards, uncovered, at least 3 hours.</span></b></span>Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-71245640313564595132013-11-19T13:06:00.001-07:002013-11-19T13:08:08.638-07:00Broccoli Potato Leek Soup<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10949307935/" title="Broccoli Potato Leek Soup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Broccoli Potato Leek Soup" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/10949307935_b0bd0bf685.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Hi friends. It's been a little bit since the last post. Sorry bout that. We've been busy lately but all good things like hosting dinners for friends, visits from my sister, more sleep training for baby, and reading, reading, reading! I've never considered myself a book worm but lands alive, I go through books like crazy without even realizing it. The other day I counted four books read since Eleanor's been born (4 1/2 months) which may not sound like a lot, but for a sleep deprived mom, it surprised me.<br />
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Sister and Eleanor<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10949644373/" title="IMG_5233 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5233" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/10949644373_a603ff1009.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Uncle Pat and Jeremiah<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10949557734/" title="IMG_5234 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5234" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7307/10949557734_d8f0bc8192.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Need some good reads? Check out: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carry-Warrior-Thoughts-Life-Unarmed/dp/1451697244/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384890304&sr=1-1&keywords=carry+on+warrior">Carry On, Warrior. Thoughts on Life Unarmed</a> (memoir-ish), and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-Flowers-A-Novel/dp/0345525558">The Language of Flowers</a> (novel). Both make it into "the best books I've ever read" category.<br />
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And then buy some fun new tea to read with from here: <a href="http://www.espemporium.com/">esp emporium</a><br />
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A friend came for tea last week. I provided chocolate croissants and she brought the tea. So glad she did because while I would have offered her the standard sleeptime or apple cinnamon, she brought exotic teas like pina colada, roasted almond and sweet melissa. It was loose leaf and I learned how to brew it - easy- 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons loose leaf in a strainer for each cup. Just pour the boiling water over. This was good quality tea too. I wouldn't recommend it otherwise. Nothing was fake tasting and you could see pineapple chunks and coconut shavings or apple slices throughout. If I were you, I'd do some Christmas shopping on their site...Unless you know me. Because if you know me, chances are you're getting tea for Christmas so you shouldn't shop there. And books. Don't get the books either.<br />
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-Spoiler alert- Too late?<br />
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Actually I only know like three tea drinkers. Bummer. The site makes you want to buy bags and bags of tea. And sometimes I wonder if it's cruel to force books on people. I mean, the only reason I'm so excited about them is because I've already read them and know the recipient would really like it too. But they don't know this, so it's kind of like when your Aunt gets you socks and she's all excited because she owns these same socks and they fit like a glove and are warm and the BEST SOCKS EVER, but you are looking at the box like...<i>she got me socks</i>. <i>Thanks?</i> The appreciation comes later. Whatev- I wouldn't get non book people books anyway. I know a lot of non book people. Isn't that just the luck? I don't get it. My one friend, Kel, doesn't read books or drink tea or coffee or cocktails. She doesn't really dine out, or eat "gluten" most of the time. She loves working out and is super chatty and I'm always like <i>do we even have anything in common!? What do I get you?!?!?! </i>So I go to Anthropologie and it always works out.<br />
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The holidays are laden with these sorts of contemplations which is why I like to keep the food simple on non-celebratory nights. This soup has been made eleventy million times in my house this winter so far. Okay, so it was more like three times, but I don't make anything three times in a season so it's basically the same thing. The reason we love it is because it's both comforting and healthy at the same time. What potato soup do you know where its main ingredient is broccoli? What broccoli soup do you know that has blended creamy potato throughout? And which of either of these soups do you know that is tied together with not onion, but the sexy, sexy leek? It's dreamy. Sometimes we add a little raw cheddar cheese on top. Shhh. It doesn't need it but it's dang good.<br />
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This also happened. First solids!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10949560044/" title="IMG_5229 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5229" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3815/10949560044_93a3ce7e82.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And here is what she thought about it!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10949402595/" title="IMG_5226 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5226" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/10949402595_b66156c6eb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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eh, you can't win them all. Onto the soup!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10949365036/" title="Broccoli Potato Leek Soup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Broccoli Potato Leek Soup" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/10949365036_e3f57f9106.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Broccoli Potato Leek Soup</b><br />
<i>adapted from Bethenny Frankel</i><br />
serves 4<br />
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<b>2 tablespoons olive oil</b><br />
<b>3 cups sliced leeks, white and pale-green parts only</b><br />
<b>4 garlic cloves, minced</b><br />
<b>2 medium rusett potatoes, peeled and cubed</b><br />
<b>8-9 cups broccoli florets (about three heads) I measure 8 overflowing cups</b><br />
<b>6 cups vegetable stock</b><br />
<b>1 teaspoon Kosher salt</b><br />
<b>1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper</b><br />
<b>cheddar cheese for serving, optional</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add potato cubes and broccoli; cook, stirring, until potatos begin to soften, another 3-4 minutes.</b><br />
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<b>Pour in stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until broccoli is tender, about 25 minutes. If you need to add more stock to the vegetables, go ahead. The liquid should come right up to the top of the vegetables. It's okay if not completely covered. Once cooked through, puree in the pot with an immersion blender, or in batches using a regular blender. Add salt and pepper, then return to pot and warm through. Taste and add more salt if needed. If it's bland at all, add more salt. It won't be. Serve warm. </b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-4629856334983659832013-11-01T12:13:00.001-06:002013-11-01T12:15:26.455-06:00Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas with Easy Homemade Sauce and Halloween Recap<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597503103/" title="Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/10597503103_6038856538.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I'm officially sulking over here today because I didn't get to take my kids trick-or-treating on Halloween. It was snowing and cold and I couldn't take young Eleanor out in the elements even though she had the cutest costume in history. Say hello to baby Rosie the Riveter!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597289086/" title="IMG_5150 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5150" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/10597289086_3babf8a14b.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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I know, right? Swoon. It's pretty funny. My cousin commented that there was something so right yet so wrong about lipstick on a baby. But my question is have you ever tried applying lipstick on a baby?! Theres no way it doesn't turn out looking like a hot mess. Also, the headband inspired the costume, not the other way around. I purchased it because I thought it was so cute - way chic and retro and cooler than those huge flower headbands -<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10612926636/" title="IMG_5106 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5106" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/10612926636_daedfde23f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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But when I tried it on my husband and friend laughed. I admit it was a bit Aunt Jemima-ish. I googled Aunt Jemina, but to my dismay she didn't wear a headband. Who was it she was reminding me of? That's right peeps. Rosie the Riveter. Once I made that connection I couldn't go back. Buy your headband <a href="http://littlehipsqueaks.com/">here</a>.<br />
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Livy stayed home as well since she hates being cold and already did the neighborhood trick-or-treat last weekend. I struggled with this because she loves the people and commotion downtown, but it really was too cold for her to enjoy. She got to wear her costume again to school, so she got a few wears out of it. Here's my beautiful snow fairy queen!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10613157323/" title="IMG_5158 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5158" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/10613157323_06b653b972.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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She loved this dress. Liv loves all things girly even though she's a spice rod. If Ellie is sugar, then Olivia is cinnamon spice- that's what we've decided. She's a spirited, possessive little thing, but also so sweet and cuddly- unless you try to move in on whoever she's cuddling with- then she'll hit you. Like at night she demands daddy to herself. She'll even get your attention to brag and tell you that she's cuddling daddy and you are not.<br />
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And guys? She's obsessed - OBSESSED - with Eleanor. She scoots right up to her whenever she's in her mini swing or on her play mat. Somehow, someway, Ellie always ends up "accidentally" hurt. So, I put her in the swing on top of our table to get her away, but undeterred, Liv just stood right up next to her pushing the swing higher than I'd like, refusing to just leave her be. SEE?!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597340594/" title="IMG_5039 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5039" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/10597340594_deb2e063f3.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597266284/" title="IMG_5040 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5040" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/10597266284_af03e1122e.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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I'm like <i>get away you relentless little stalker!</i> I think she's a bit jealous. That mini swing used to be hers. We call it the "luxury swing". Don't ask.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597508373/" title="IMG_4765 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4765" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/10597508373_73740bea8c.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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But see, she broke Eleanor's other swing because she's like the hulk and destroys absolutely everything, so it's her own fault. Speaking of the hulk, as a side note, I'd like to add that I really wanted the family to dress as Marvel's The Avengers this halloween. Jeremiah would be Captain America, Isabella would be Ironman (If you knew her, you'd know she would. She was Spiderman when she was 3.) Olivia would be Hulk (with a purple tutu to pretty it up), Jeremy would be Thor, I'd be Black widow, and Ellie would be Loki or Samuel L. Jackson's eye patch character because that's just bad ass. Unfortunately, my family lacks my keen and brilliant vision and wanted to pick their own costumes. <i>Wah-Wah! </i>I also suggested that my sister and I be Kourtney and Kim Kardashian and my brother-in-law could be Khloe. Patrick would make an excellent Khloe.<br />
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I'm happy to report that Jeremiah and Isabella made it to the trick-or-treat, so we're only 50% horrible parents. They rocked their bumblebee and Spiderman costumes, respectively.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597252396/" title="IMG_5125 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5125" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/10597252396_8fe988d467.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Cutest kids on the planet. But then again, I'm biased.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597256216/" title="IMBlack Bean and Spinach EnchiladasG_5074 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMBlack Bean and Spinach EnchiladasG_5074" height="333" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2807/10597256216_6b62341f34.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10597254966/" title="Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/10597254966_488c589d25.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I'm also really excited to tell you guys about this sweet little enchilada recipe I found. I didn't know how flavorful spinach and black beans would be for an enchilada filling, but trust me, it's delicious. I suppose it may have something to do with the three cups of cheese called for, but we used raw cheddar so it wasn't <i>so</i> bad. Also, you could cut this down to two cups without losing much flavor. I went ahead and used all three because it was only a small block of cheese and it was divided between our family of five so it really wasn't that bad. I wolf down much more on a cheese platter. The flavor is also punched up by corn, green onions, cilantro, and cumin in the filling. But what really makes this stand out is the homemade enchilada sauce. Please, don't skip this step. It's so flavorful and easy made from scratch. As it bakes, the sauce softens the tortillas (I used whole wheat) and makes them chewy and almost doughy. I recommend getting good quality tortillas for this. I bought mine from Bamboo market where someone brings them in fresh everyday, made without preservatives. This meal was a winner and the kids chowed. Plus, If I ever make other enchiladas, I have a new go-to sauce. No more cans. Yay for that!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas with Homemade Sauce</span></b><br />
<i>adapted from Martha Stewart</i><br />
<i>serves 4-6</i><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">{For the sauce}</i><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">3 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1/4 cup tomato paste</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1/4 cup all purpose flour</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">2 Tbsp. olive oil</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">2 tsp. cumin</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1/4 tsp. garlic powder</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1/4 tsp. onion powder</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1/4 tsp. chili powder</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Salt/pepper</span></b><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">{For the enchiladas}</i><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">6 oz. fresh baby spinach</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">6 green onions, thinly sliced</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1/3 cup cilantro, chopped</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">1 1/2 tsp. cumin</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Kosher salt<br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">3 cups shredded 3 cheese blend (or pepper jack, raw cheddar etc.)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">8 whole wheat or flour tortillas</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Make the sauce: in a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, 2 tsp. cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking. Whisk in broth, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened about 8 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste, and set aside.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Saute the spinach in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">In a large bowl, combine beans, 2 cups cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, 2 tsp. cumin, and cilantro. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish, and pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Bake about 20 minutes, and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions (optional).</span></b></span><br />
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<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-82853523620576874682013-10-30T14:37:00.000-06:002013-11-05T08:53:37.064-07:00Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10577498646/" title="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/10577498646_62bb744485.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Whoa. My <a href="http://www.krystaslifeinfood.com/2013/10/all-purpose-brown-garlic-stir-fry-sauce.html">last post</a> was super popular. Either there are other sleep deprived parents searching for baby cat nap answers (hallelujah! We are not alone!) or you guys <i>really</i> have a thing for stir fry...<br />
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O- to the -M- to the- G. You guys, I haven't been getting your emails. A friend recently told me that she had written me and email through my "contact" tab here on the blog. Odd, I thought, never got it. And then BAM! I remembered several other people had told me the same thing. You see, I'm not getting those emails. If you've written me and I didn't get back to you, know that I'm not ignoring you! I do get my comments but I'm needing to fix the email issue. For now if you need to get a hold of me you can drop me a line at kmacgray44@hotmail.com.<br />
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Other than this revelation we have been preparing for winter up in these parts. Winter here means cold and snow and soup and stew. We've had a few snowstorms already, most recently one that dropped 12" of snow in 24 hours. It was wet snow. Perfect for snowman building, which happened...in a huge way...in Carhart overalls, a santa hat and nothing else...in October.<br />
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<i>That</i> would be my husband and it might be why I love him.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10577500196/" title="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/10577500196_a9d5a0c82e.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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And this would be the snowman (snow giant?) that was built<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10577499306/" title="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/10577499306_e1f657fed1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Halloween is this week and almost as if on cue another snowstorm is due. It always snows on Halloween here. It's like a rule or something. The newest soup on the menu for such a time as this is vegetarian posole. I love it. My mom and step-dad used to make this growing up. My step dad is Mexican so he knows how to make a good pot of posole. Only thing is, it's supposed to be made with pork or chicken which is delicious but not gonna fly in my house all the time. My mother reminded me though that the star of posole is <i>in fact</i>, the posole (or hominy) and the toppings add all the charm- crunchy, fresh shredded cabbage, cilantro, radish, and a squirt of lemon all add brightness to the hot soup. I questioned my mom on the lemon. Didn't she mean lime? She balked. No. Lemon it is. The soup is awesome on its own but the toppings bring it to life. The cabbage wilts ever so slightly upon hitting the hot soup and the lime and cilantro tie in perfectly to the cumin scented tomato broth. The key here is to use frozen hominy, not the canned stuff. It's just not the same. The frozen variety comes raw and you cook it into the broth and it becomes something more in the pot than just another ingredient. Also, the texture can't even be compared. I love to bite down on my hominy and feel that satisfying chew, like an al dente pasta. That's why you need to go the extra mile and find the frozen hominy. It's actually a common ingredient in grocery stores. It's usually kept in the Mexican section of the freezer aisle. Look for where the frozen burritos are and you'll be close.<br />
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It looks like this: Posole and "Duck Sauce"<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10577456825/" title="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/10577456825_9b7c7c7c3c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Another ingredient you may not be familiar with is something we refer to as "duck sauce" because it has a picture of a duck on the can...not sure why... (?) but it's actually just Mexican tomato sauce and again, I promise you it's an easy to find ingredient in the Mexican section of the grocery stores where the dried chili's are and such. This product right here is what defines your broth. It gives it a little spicy edge, and flavors everything with tomato and chile. If you really can't find it, my mom says to add jalapeño to the onions in the soup. But really, don't let it come to that. Just find the sauce.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10577456095/" title="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3699/10577456095_f7c0ec968a.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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You can make this in a crockpot too, if you'd rather- double points! And, it's sure to warm you through on a snowy night. Think of us on Halloween while those of you in warmer climates are running around in sleeveless glory, my kids will be layering. At least snow fairies can have long sleeves, Spiderman already has long sleeves, bumblebees can have black cardigans, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:We_Can_Do_It!.jpg">Rosie the Riveter</a> can wear a jean jacket instead of shirt. Pic's in the next post.<br />
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<b>Mom and Dave's Mexican Posole Soup</b><br />
serves 4-6<br />
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<i>*Use frozen posole for this soup, not the canned stuff. See note above.</i><br />
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<i>*You can make this with chicken or pork as well. Cook it seperately, then add it in. Use shredded boiled chicken, like you would for chicken and dumplings.</i><br />
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<b>1 large yellow onion, chopped</b><br />
<b>4 garlic cloves, chopped</b><br />
<b>2 tbsp olive oil</b><br />
<b>1 (28-oz) can of diced tomatoes</b><br />
<b>1/2-1 can of El Pato brand "duck sauce" or "Mexican tomato sauce"</b><br />
<b>8 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock</b><br />
<b>1/2 a bag of frozen hominy (about 3 cups)</b><br />
<b>1 large zucchini, chopped</b><br />
<b>1 head of cilantro, chopped</b><br />
<b>1 1/2 teaspoons cumin</b><br />
<b>Kosher salt</b><br />
<b>black pepper</b><br />
<b>Shredded green cabbage, for topping</b><br />
<b>Lemon wedges, for serving</b><br />
<b>Slivered radishes, for serving</b><br />
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<b>In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for five minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the can of tomatoes, chicken stock, zucchini, frozen hominy (I just put the whole frozen chunk in the pot and let it break apart as the broth heats) half the cilantro (reserve the other half for topping), cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2-1 can of the duck sauce.</b> I use a whole can. A 1/2 can is fine if you don't like a little kick. It's not very spicy-it's just right in my opinion. <b>Bring soup to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the hominy is tender. Taste for salt and adjust seasonings. Serve soup with the cabbage, lemon, reserved cilantro and radishes.</b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-29992011560208791102013-10-21T10:23:00.000-06:002013-10-30T16:08:19.072-06:00All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce and How To Beat The Baby Cat Nap<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10405469084/" title="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/10405469084_00dbdef9c5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<i>Disclaimer: If you don't have a baby and could care less about naps/sleep issues, just scroll to the bottom for the recipe. However if you are interested, I'm going to tell you how we got our three month old successfully napping in her own bed...for longer than 40 minutes! This is some exciting stuff for sleep deprived parents, lemme tell ya. And Maya Angelou says when you learn, you should teach. I don't know about teaching, but I'm all about sharing.</i><br />
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<i>A note to consider: I have what The Baby Whisperer classifies as a "touchy baby" which means she's extra sensitive and needs more help in certain areas, like sleeping on her own and staying asleep. Not sure which type of baby you have? Take the test <a href="http://figur8.net/baby/2007/05/28/whats-your-babys-personality/">here </a>and find out. </i><br />
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Dudes! <i>And ladies</i>. I was gonna blog here and be all THE BABY DOESN'T NAP LONGER THAN 40 MINUTES EVER blahblahblahblahblah losingmyfreakingmind blahblah nosleep blahblahblah blah.<br />
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But today I'm here to tell you that after some hard work we have come out on the other end finally victorious in various areas, namely conquering the cat nap!<br />
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<b>What is a cat nap?</b> a short nap that last anywhere from 20-45 minutes. This is sometimes called "the 40 minute intruder" because it does just that- It intrudes on a nap. It's rude, really.<br />
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<b>Why it's a problem-</b> because babies need more sleep than 30-40 minutes at a given time. They should get at least an hour to an hour-and-a-half to be sufficiently rested so they are happy upon waking and not cranky until their next nap time.<br />
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Some babies need their parents help teach them the skill of going <i>and staying </i>asleep. When babies wake early from naps, they get tired again a short time later so instead of the optimal wake/eat/sleep cycle, it looks more like wake/eat/sleep/wake/cranky/sleep (but not too long because, surprise! It's already time to eat again!) In other words, they are chronically tired and it affects EVERYTHING from mood, to nighttime sleep to feeds. Basically, if you want to conquer this beast I'm told you need a consistent schedule. A good place to start is to wake your baby up at the same time each day and put them to bed at the same time every night.<br />
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But the problem is that my baby wakes up at different times each morning regardless of the bedtime, so it's hard to get the same routine happening at the same time every day. Sometimes she'll wake up at 5:00am and be up for the day. Like, happy and babbling even. As in, definitely not going back to sleep. Boo! I was NOT about to set a 5:00am wake-up time. We were in a vicious cycle. Something had to change, especially since she is still waking up three times a night to eat. After thinking through it multiple times, I decided if I could get her napping figured out and get her the day rest she needs, it would help the rest fall into place. I always hear <i>good sleep begets good sleep.</i><br />
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<b>A plan. She won't go to sleep without me!- </b>Usually, we would walk Ellie around the house to get her to fall asleep. This worked for a while, until she got too heavy and needed to be walked for longer stretches of time before settling down. You could not sit. Walking only. Another problem was the walking wasn't working all that well anymore. She'd get overtired and fussy and would take forever to nod off. Then, you'd have to hold her for her entire nap or else she'd wake up early. Now I have her successfully going down for every nap in her crib upstairs.<br />
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The only way she would sleep! Holding her...Do you see how big she is?!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10405472924/" title="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/10405472924_38035b0b20.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<b>What I did- </b> I started small since there were a few issues to deal with, which were getting to sleep without my help, AND staying asleep without my help. So, I started placing her in her swing when I saw she was getting tired (eye rubbing, yawns) when I'd usually start walking her. She fussed at first since she was used to the walking. Some times she would straight up cry when I put her in. But since I was in the living room with her, I just kept talking to her and telling her it was okay and to go to sleep. I would also play classical music on Pandora softly and run a box fan for white noise, but I <i>didn't</i> pick her up. She would fall asleep after 10 minutes or so. Victory! But even then she kept waking after 40 minutes. So I'd let her fuss/cry for a few minutes and see if she'd self soothe back to sleep. The first few times, she didn't. She just got revved up and mad, so I'd pick her up and let her be up a while, then hold her to sleep when she got tired again before the next feed. I figured the sleep was more important than how she was getting there at this point. I only focused on getting her to fall asleep without me, which was working. Then, each time she woke up early I'd let her fuss just to see if she'd self soothe back to sleep. I always gave her the chance. After 4-5 days of this, she did it. She woke up after 35 minutes, fussed for five minutes (which seems like 30 minutes- but it's not-look at the clock. You'll always think it's longer than it has been) and the FELL BACK TO SLEEP FOR ANOTHER 40 minutes!<br />
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So, this is what we did for another week. For every nap. Consistency is key I've been told.<br />
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After a week of consistent swing naps she got so used to it that the second I placed her in, she would close her eyes and immediately nap. Sometimes she'd fuss for 30 seconds or so but that was it. So, I decided since she didn't need parental contact to help get her to sleep anymore (all the walking), I'd start setting her in the crib upstairs instead of the swing with a mobile that played SOOTHING, quiet classical music since that what she was used to downstairs already, and a box fan for noise. I hoped she'd make a sleep association to it. All the sleep books will tell you to put your baby in their bed sleepy but awake so they learn to fall asleep on their own. This was crucial. But this was not working for us...yet. She cried like mad and wouldn't calm down even though I was standing in the room with her, reassuring her. She just wasn't tired or calm enough.<br />
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So, I stretched out her awake time from 1 1/2 hours, to 2 hours (she is three months old, so this is appropriate) so she was good and tired when I set her down. I figured she needed to be tired enough to get her past that 40 minute mark and get back to sleep. This is supposed to be a no-no. Overtired babies are harder to settle. I agree, mine will melt down when overtired, but I kept her up past the fussy overtired faze and I waited until she was <i>really, really </i>sleepy before setting her down. I got the idea from <a href="http://www.modgblog.com/2013/05/17/after-2-years-2-kids-200-cat-naps-i-finally-beat-the-cat-nap-take-that-cats/">this blog</a> and it made sense to me and our situation. Guess what? IT WORKED! I also extended the period in which we get ready for sleep with a longer routine (more settling). After she was really, really, tired we would go upstairs, turn on her fan, and I'd get her into her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Merlins-Magic-Sleepsuit-months/dp/B0095YY7RY">Merlin's magic sleep suit</a>, gently, (more on that below) then pick her up and walk her silently and slowly for 2 minutes around the room. Then I whispered that it was nap time, set her in the crib and turned on the mobile. After watching the mobile for 30 seconds she started to cry, but within 20 seconds it turned more into a fuss, so I waited and let her work it out. Guys. Five minutes later she was asleep! She woke up again 40 minutes later and fussed/cried but I waited to go in until I heard distressed crying. I never heard it. Again, five minutes later she had put herself back to sleep! The very first time! HOLLA!<br />
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I don't think it would have worked prior to the three-month old mark. And some babies won't be ready for this until 5-6 months. It just depends on how good their self soothing skills are. Sometimes you have to wait it out.<br />
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<i>*The Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit is a swaddle transitioner and even though the babies look like they are in ridiculous giant marshmallow space suits, I'll be damned if it didn't do just the trick. She could move her hands about, but it muffled any jerky reflexes she had and made her feel secure and snug. She much prefers it to the swaddle. I know this because she sleeps better and longer in the sleep suit. I was skeptical but like I said, you never know unless you try. It's scary trying new things, but so worth it when it works! </i><br />
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<b>What changed-</b> Because I stretched Ellie's awake time to two hours, and she'd nap for 1 1/2 hours (sometimes only one hour, and sometimes 2 hours), it bumped our schedule from a 3 hour routine to a 3 1/2 hour (and sometimes 4 hour) routine which worked better for my baby. I wouldn't have guessed it, but it did work better. I guess you don't know until you try. She was hungrier for her feeds and ate more, which sustained her for longer periods of time, and helped with the napping. It all works together, you see. It also helped get us on a three nap a day schedule instead of 5-6 cat naps. One thing though- I ALWAYS WAKE HER UP if she is still sleeping at the two hour mark. And, I don't let her sleep longer than a two hour nap once a day. I wake her to keep her on the schedule so she doesn't skip a feed. I've also read that if a baby sleeps longer than a two hour stretch during the day, it'll rob them of night sleep. She usually sleeps 1 1/2 hours for her morning nap, 1 1/2-2 hours for afternoon nap, and 1 hour for her early evening nap. Now her bedtime is earlier (between 8pm and 8:30pm) and I swear it's helped her sleep better at night! So strange how it all works.<br />
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<b>How good naps have changed night sleep-</b> I wake her up before I go to bed around 9:30pm or 10:00pm to give her a dream feed. Sometimes she wakes up for this on her own, sometimes not. Either way, she eats and goes right back to sleep. She still wakes up every three hours to eat throughout the night, BUT she goes back to sleep easier and now if she fusses when I set her back in her bed, she puts herself back to sleep after a few minutes since she's used to it during the day. I used to pick her back up and hold or nurse her again until she was in deep sleep, or I'd hold her in bed with me and let her sleep there. I was exhausted! It is leaps and bounds better this way!<br />
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I should say, this might not work for you. I'm just sharing what my experience was and what worked for me. And honestly, I don't have it all figured out. This kid leaves us guessing daily. But this napping in the crib for longer than 40 minutes thing is huge. Huge, I tell you. If the Momma's are anything like me out there, they are googling all sorts of things and reading about all the ways they can get some much needed rest without neglecting the needs of your littles. I get it. I so get it. I read and re-read and took what I felt in my gut might work and what made the most sense to me and our situation.<br />
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<i>* Update- This post has been so popular that I decided to share more information and update. First off, an excellent source for baby sleep drama is <a href="http://www.troublesometots.com/">Troublesome Tots</a>. She goes over everything from when and how to do cry-it-out, to helping you figure out exactly what in your routine is tripping you up and not leading you down the road to blissful sleep. Check out <a href="http://www.troublesometots.com/when-baby-sleep-training-doesnt-work/">"Why Sleep Training Didn't Work"</a> and <a href="http://www.troublesometots.com/baby-sleep-what-is-normal/">"Baby sleep, what is normal?"</a> to get started. </i><br />
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<i>As for us, we are still napping great in this house! She now is almost 4 months and gets 3 long naps a day (morning, early afternoon and late afternoon) plus a catnap (20-30 minutes) before bed. Bedtime is between 7pm and 8pm each night depending on when her last nap was. I try and keep her up two hours before bedtime and manage naps to hit bedtime around 7:30pm each night. I still watch her sleepy cues instead of the clock though, which is why it varies from night to night. She had five night stretch recently where she'd wake up every hour or so and cry at night and I'd go to her. I was getting super frusterated until I learned about a common 4 month sleep regression. I think that's what it was because she is back to her normal pattern of sleeping and waking every three hours to eat, then right back to sleep. We also learned that since our baby is so sensitive she really needed MORE soothing before and AT bedtime to get her to settle down for a long stretch and not wake up an hour after going to bed. So now we do a 30 minutes routine every single night that consists of kids in the other room (to make it quiet), feeding session, then bath, jammies, sleep suit, and the same routine upstairs I mentioned above except without the mobile being on. I found she falls asleep with it on, then gets mad when she wakes up and it's off. So I just stopped turning it on. She still likes to look at it. </i><br />
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Phew! <b>Onto the food!</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10405648383/" title="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/10405648383_857023746b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10405470564/" title="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/10405470564_95aca44453.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I have been successful in other areas besides nap time. I have conquered Chinese food! Can I just be honest for a second and say I'm not that good at Chinese food? Because I'm not. I have had a couple dishes turn out really well for me, but mostly I just eat Chinese when I'm out. Stir fry is one of those things people make on busy week nights. I don't quite get this because chopping all the vegetables takes some time, not to mention making a good sauce to go with it. Then I realized most people don't make a sauce, which is why I have thought homemade stir fry pretty much sucks for most of my life. My mom used to make stir fry. It was nothing more than some veggies sautéed in garlic with some soy sauce. I tried this once, but I added the soy sauce to the vegetables in the hot pan and it burned. Burned soy sauce is disgusting. I decided stir fry was just something better left to the experts and restauranteurs. But then I saw this recipe for basic brown garlic stir fry sauce and it got me thinking...every time you order Chinese food it comes drenched in a sauce. Beef and broccoli is slick with a brown glaze. Sweet and sour chicken has a tangy sweet sauce coating. Shanghai eggplant comes with a sweet and smokey hoisen style sauce. I never thought about it before, but the sauce is what makes it good. Duh.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10405649623/" title="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/10405649623_9bef99cec3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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If I made a proper stir fry sauce and added it to my vegetables at the end, I would have a delicious satisfying meal; one plain soy sauce just can't touch. I jumped in, and I'm so glad I did. Guys, this sauce is amazing. It's basic and would go with any Chinese vegetable stir fry combination you can think of. Add chicken or beef if you want and it'll be amazing. This is a basic brown garlic sauce with a hint of ginger. Thick and delicious, it coats all stir fried vegetables just so. It isn't too heavy nor too thin. It's right on the money.<br />
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<b>Some vegetables and protein to consider using in any combination with this sauce are:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>sliced bok choy</b><br />
<b>carrots</b><br />
<b>broccoli</b><br />
<b>snow peas</b><br />
<b>Shiitake mushrooms</b><br />
<b>bamboo shoots</b><br />
<b>water chesnuts</b><br />
<b>baby corn</b><br />
<b>onions</b><br />
<b>beef</b><br />
<b>chicken</b><br />
<b>tofu</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Who's ready for some good Chinese food at home?<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10405469084/" title="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/10405469084_00dbdef9c5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>All Purpose Brown Garlic Stir Fry Sauce</b><br />
<i>adapted from Chinese Cooking For Dummies By Martin Yan</i><br />
makes enough for 2 woks full of vegetables, serves 8<br />
<br />
*note: This is a larger batch recipe. You can half the recipe to serve 4. That's what I did.<br />
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<b>1/3 cup soy sauce</b><br />
<b>1/3 cup water</b><br />
<b>1/2 cup chicken broth</b><br />
<b>1/3 cup rice wine (mirin)</b><br />
<b>3 1/2 tablespoons sugar</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon sesame oil</b><br />
<b>1/4 teaspoon white pepper</b><br />
<b>2 tablespoons cooking oil</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon minced garlic</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon minced ginger (I used a scant tablespoon)</b><br />
<b>2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch</b><br />
<b>1/4 cup water (for cornstarch)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>In a bowl, combine soy sauce, broth, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, 1/3 cup water and white pepper. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup water. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Heat a pan over medium-high heat; add the cooking oil, swirling to coat; add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 15 seconds.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Set sauce aside at room temperature until ready to use. Add the sauce to your cooked vegetables and allow to heat through. Serve immediately.</b><br />
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<b>The key for stir fry:</b> Cook vegetables in a <b>hot</b> wok (or skillet) in a bit of oil. The key is to have the skillet hot and to keep stirring and flipping the vegetables around so they don't burn. Cook the heartier vegetables first, such as broccoli and carrots and add the rest in stages based on how long they'll take to cook (if using meat, cook that first, then add the broccoli and carrots). I'll add a few tablespoons of chicken stock to the skillet with the vegetables every now and then to help cook them further with the help of the steam. Cooking all the vegetables shouldn't take longer than 5-7 minutes, start to finish.<br />
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Add stir fry sauce when vegetables have finished cooking and allow to just heat through. Serve immediately over rice.<br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-24312534295462673632013-10-09T13:40:00.000-06:002013-10-09T18:55:03.581-06:00Balsamic-Lime Bean and Veggie Stew<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10088191876/" title="Balsamic-Lime Bean and veggie stew by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Balsamic-Lime Bean and veggie stew" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3771/10088191876_55ec124369.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I am slowly emerging from my newborn baby centered world back into real life. Some days I am already there and others I struggle for any kind of normalcy. Had one of those two days ago. They are the <i>worst!</i> Making dinner has been a central part of feeling normal for me. Every day the kids get off the bus at 4pm and I sit with my Jeremiah and help him do his first grade homework. I like this, mostly because I can understand first grade math. I listen to him read me a book about what sort of jobs dogs can have or something like that and then we do a math sheet. Isabella never needs homework help. I like that since I mostly DO NOT understand sixth grade math -wipe that there smirk off yer face- After, I set the baby down, tidy up the kitchen and start my dinner prep. Its methodical and calming most nights provided I'm not rushed. <i>I hate being rushed. </i>Red wine helps too. I've decided I'm cool with a glass of red wine most nights, considering I usually only have more than that if people are over. Oh, and we're having people over again! Slowly, but surely. Real life has made it's re-entrance and It's sweet. I even got a little 10 min hot tub "date" with Jeremy a few nights ago. Ten minutes is about all my hubby can last in a pool of hot water. His stomach starts to hurt. He's weird. I've gotten used to it.<br />
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Along with real life, I've been enjoying comforting, simple pleasures. I'm starting to care about what I'm putting into my body again. Not that I ever stop caring, but you know...<br />
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Balsamic Beans is what my sister-in-law calls this dish. Actually, I think Isabella dubbed it that, but since the lime is so prevalent, I changed the name. Also, there's a fair share of vegetables up in this pot, so I couldn't let beans get all the glory. This is a goulash of sorts, but stew sounds tastier so lets go with that, hmmm? It's simple, satisfying, and versatile since you can throw most any vegetables you have on hand into this thing. My favorite combination is the red or yellow bell peppers, roasted sweet potatoes and spinach so that's what I'm sharing. I've had it with carrots and no spinach, and one time she forgot the sweet potatoes and it was still awesome. Although, the sweet potatoes are a must in my book. Don't ask why. I just love them here. This dish definitely fits the bill for my simple but comforting meals lately.<br />
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<i>See? I'm paying more attention! I'm actually eating breakfast this morning within an hour of rising! And look at how balanced it is! Ezekiel sprouted english muffins with avocado, garlic flakes and sea salt on one side, and coconut oil and raw honey on the other. Minerals and good fats galore. Black tea with a smidge of raw milk and strawberries. I ate more than three. Bonus points. Oh, and I also had a green juice FOR THE WIN!</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10088254013/" title="IMG_4808 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4808" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/10088254013_4caaac4413.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i><br /></i>
This stew is more saucy than it looks in these pictures since you don't drain the beans before adding them. The juice from the cans thickens everything up and carries the flavors over to the other vegetables. We eat these with sweet potato chips, but beanito's (black bean chips) work too. We mostly eat eat bite with chips, like a chips and dip, but obviously you can eat it with a spoon too.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10171882396/" title="Balsamic Bean and Veggie Stew by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Balsamic Bean and Veggie Stew" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/10171882396_e81f7f0e96.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Balsamic-Lime Beans and Veggie Stew</b><br />
serves 4<br />
<br />
<b>1 medium sweet potato, not peeled and cubed into bite sized pieces</b><br />
<b>2 cans black beans (or any beans for that matter) undrained</b><br />
<b>1 can of kidney beans, undrained</b><br />
<b>1 large red bell pepper, chopped</b><br />
<b>1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped</b><br />
<b>1 5oz. container of baby spinach</b><br />
<b>olive oil</b><br />
<b>Sea Salt</b><br />
<b>1 teaspoon dried garlic flakes (spice aisle- or substitute with 3 cloves fresh garlic and sauté with the vegetables)</b><br />
<b>2-4 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar (the quality you use makes a difference in taste)</b><br />
<b>1 lime, cut in half</b><br />
<b>sweet potato chips, beanitos or corn chips, for serving</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Preheat your oven to 375.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Toss sweet potato chunks in a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>In a large soup pot, saute the bell peppers until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans with all their juice and spinach and wait for it to wilt down (it will all but disappear!) about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic flakes and salt (you need quite a bit of salt. Start with a teaspoon and go from there). Add the roasted sweet potato into the pot, then add the balsamic vinegar. <i>I use close to four tablespoons of vinegar, you may need less or more depending on the quality.</i> Just taste and add more if desired. Simmer everything together for 5 minutes, stirring. Taste for salt and add more if need. Add half on the lime juice to the pot and stir. Serve in shallow bowls with the chips for dipping, and more lime on the side for squeezing. </b>Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-2534433674719924372013-10-03T10:26:00.000-06:002013-10-03T13:06:56.647-06:00London Fog Tea<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10071361124/" title="London Fog Tea by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="London Fog Tea" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/10071361124_10210ffcde.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I seem to only be managing one post a week here lately. I was feeling like a slacker until I had a pep talk with myself. I wondered why it's been so hard to get new material on here when I love writing and cooking and blogging. Blogging is my number two hobby (behind cooking). It's my 'me' time. So why then, for the love, has it been so hard? I mean, it's not like I have a newborn BABY or anything. It's not like I haven't slept through the night in three months, or been able to actually <i>put the baby down in a crib</i> for naps. It's not like I hold her 75% of my life or anything. It's not like she just got vaccinations yesterday or anything...or that choosing to get those vaccinations kept me up <b>even more</b> at night because I actually read about side effects and educate myself about links to autism and Guillian Barre Syndrome and Intussusception. It's not like I don't freak myself out that they want to put all that aluminum into her little body with each injection, even if it does happen to protect her from also dying of pertussis. It's not like I've been trying to sleep-train the baby or get her on a schedule or anything. It's also not like I have three other little kids who need me, or the sweetest little handicapped daughter who has decided she will no longer nap, but instead has made it her mission in life to yell and wake her baby sister ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY. It's not like the family actually depends on me to make dinner at night or keep the laundry going. It's not like Eleanor just had a two-day hospital stay, or that the day we got home I had to take the damn dog to the vet for an ear infection. Nope. Not here, ya'll. I wonder why it's been so dang HARD?<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10071361814/" title="London Fog Tea by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="London Fog Tea" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2825/10071361814_ff92482a8a.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Namaste. I wish I did yoga. I think it would help relax me.<br />
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Don't ask me why after revealing my recent time-suck "hardships" I thought to say "the divine light in me recognizes the divine light in you"---because if you didn't already know, that's totally what namaste means.<br />
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I've been reading a lot of <a href="http://momastery.com/blog/">Glennon</a>'s stuff while I hold the baby. It's been good. That's her book on the arm of the chair. The pretty rainbow one. The other stuff is Baby Whisperer, vaccine info, and Brene Browns book "Daring Greatly" because a girl needs a little variety.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/10071439486/" title="London Fog Tea by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="London Fog Tea" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3824/10071439486_0d8269b66c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I've also been drinking lots of black tea with raw honey and raw milk and a smidge of vanilla because, well, why wouldn't I? No one needs yoga with that stuff around.<br />
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<b>London Fog Tea</b><br />
<i>adapted from From Scratch, by Shaye Elliott</i><br />
<br />
<b>1 Earl Grey or Black English Breakfast Tea Bag</b><br />
<b>1 teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup (sometimes I use a little less)</b><br />
<b>4 tablespoons raw milk, or unsweetened nut milk (or more if desired)</b><br />
<b>1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</b><br />
<b>boiling water</b><br />
<br />
<b>Place tea bag, honey, milk, and vanilla extract in the bottom of a mug. Pour hot water over. Stir, and wait a few minutes for the tea to brew into a delicious sweet tea nectar. </b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-44059320185898691372013-09-23T13:22:00.000-06:002013-09-23T13:41:30.936-06:00Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9902408773/" title="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3829/9902408773_858bc28e3e.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Greetings from the deep, dark depths of the nasty cold/cough household, which we shall be called henceforth until we are all healed. Three days back into the school year and Jeremiah caught it. Then a few days later on my Mom's fiftieth birthday over Moscow Mules, I caught it. The next day Olivia caught it. Three days later Isabella succumbed. My sister was visiting and both her and my niece came down with it. And it finally caught up to Jeremy a few days ago. You know it's a strong one when every single person goes down one by one.<br />
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It's been a blast and half up in here for the past 16 days. What with all the not sleeping at night due to having a newborn and not being able to take cold medicine because of the nursing, and trying desperately not to infect Ellie. At least the weather has been cooperating. It's been raining and thundering for days and days. Perfect curl-up-in-a-blanket-and-drink-tea-and-eat-soup-weather. I had it the worst - I'm still coughing and on day 12- and not being able to take anything to relieve symptoms was really sad until I remembered this raw honey and lemon cold syrup I had made last Spring for such a time as this. Yes, last Spring. It keeps a long time in the door of the refrigerator which is super convenient. Take five minutes, make this now, and you'll have it whenever you need it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9902215515/" title="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/9902215515_bc6a33bb26.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Raw honey is excellent for sore throats and coughs because it contains anti-viral and anti-microbial properties. If a sore throat is caused by a virus, the honey will actually help rid any bacteria that may be lurking making it truly healing in and of itself. Raw honey is actually nutritious! Just make sure you buy real raw honey. That processed stuff you buy in most grocery stores won't have the same healing properties because it's heated to such a degree in processing that it kills off many of the beneficial components. Raw buckwheat honey is especially healing if you can find it. It's also gloriously dark and molasses looking. Honey also calms a cough by coating the throat and acting as a suppressant. Lemon and its juice contain vitamin C and help to boost the immune system. Together, this team can't be beat.<br />
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Make sure to use organic lemons since we use the skin in this recipe as well. You don't want toxic chemicals on the lemons because that would defeat our purpose, now wouldn't it?<br />
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I make the basic syrup and leave it in a glass mason jar in my refrigerator until I'm ready to make tea with it. Just add about a tablespoon of the lemon and liquid in the bottom of a mug and pour piping hot water over. Inhale the steam and drink the tea! Voila!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9902216375/" title="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/9902216375_6fc55a947a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<br />
There's lots of ways to adapt this too. Try adding to your cup:<br />
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"></span>
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">+a few shavings of fresh ginger root, or a few shakes from your spice shelf.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ea9999;">+a shot of Crown Royale or whiskey for your own version of NyQuil- this is old timey.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f6b26b;">+a tablespoon of raw coconut oil - it's immune boosting, anti-viral and especially comforting to a sore throat.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #76a5af;">+A teeny tiny pinch of cayenne pepper to help open nasal passages</span><br />
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<br />
You may also take this by the spoonful instead, although hot liquids are super beneficial for colds so you may prefer to make the tea.<br />
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This tea helped me out tremendously while taking care of my little honey baby, Eleanor:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9902387376/" title="Eleanor- Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Eleanor- Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/9902387376_1cd62fc77e.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9902336945/" title="Eleanor- Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Eleanor- Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7333/9902336945_fa8818d3ab.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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I love the way my mason jar looks filled with thick golden honey and lemon slices. It makes me want to dive in and use right away, but I know I need to be patient. It'll be a couple of days before the honey and lemon juice get acquainted, thin out, and turn into a pulpy, rich marmalade of sorts. It should keep well in the refrigerator for 3 months.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9902408773/" title="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3829/9902408773_858bc28e3e.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Raw Honey + Lemon Cold Syrup</b><br />
<br />
<b>1 mason jar (Any size, although I used a smaller one)</b><br />
<b>organic lemons, cut into small slices</b><br />
<b>Raw honey- buckwheat honey if you can find it</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Fill your jar to the top with lemon slices. Pour honey into the jar until it reaches the top and covers lemons. Seal tightly and store in the refrigerator. Let it sit for a few days before using. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.</b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-58606113455636858192013-09-12T14:51:00.003-06:002013-09-12T15:32:52.622-06:00Ranch Style Chicken<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9734500016/" title="Ranch Style Chicken by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Ranch Style Chicken" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/9734500016_21a1dc6fa3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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So, I watch the E! show <a href="http://www.eonline.com/shows/total_divas">"Total Divas"</a> now. I decided to just say it and get it out there since this is...how shall I put it? Oh yeah, very, very embarrassing. Last week I made the mistake of telling my sister that I liked this show. She laughed at me. My own sister, who watches "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom" actually laughed at me upon learning this news. Then, she started referring to it as "my show"<br />
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As in: <i>Krysta, your show is on. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I'll admit, it's strange that I like this show. I'm not a WWE fan, but I admit I've succumbed to watching The Bachelor in recent years, and I do occasionally keep up with the Kardashians - although mostly because it comes on before E News and my exposure to that little five minutes towards the end was enough to eventually get me to watch a full episode without shame. Or maybe we watched a whole episode because Jeremy had so many questions about Bruce Jenner. Like, has he had a stroke? Or what happened to his face? Had he been burned in a fire? I promise these were legitimate questions we had. My sister laughed when I asked her those things too. <i>Hard</i>. Mostly because I was serious and concerned. When I learned the truth, that he had done this to himself, I googled <a href="http://www.nndb.com/people/610/000023541/">what Bruce used to look like</a> before plastic surgery. And then I got sad which involved me even more. And then I watched another episode. Hook, line and sinker.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9734500342/" title="Ranch Style Chicken by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Ranch Style Chicken" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/9734500342_70e1783f8b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I don't watch every episode of these reality shows because I don't like to be addicted to such things. I like to keep my distance if you will. Trash in - Trash out, you know? Up till now it's never really been a problem. But I'll be damned if I am not jonesing to watch this Divas show every single time it's on. It's so strange. I almost missed out on it too. I had been nursing the baby to sleep and unable to reach the remote control for three nights in a row when "Total Divas" aired. I was forced to watch and was so bummed the first two times it happened. I rolled my eyes and pouted in my head but had no choice. I was not going to jeopardize the baby waking up just to change the channel. After I got to know the characters by the third viewing, it was all over. I was hooked. I told Jeremy and guess what? He laughed at me too! It so doesn't seem like a show I would watch. Now he makes fun of me, calling it my "favorite show"<br />
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As in: <i>Krysta, your favorite show is on</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I'm sort of mortified.<br />
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If watching Total Divas is a guilty pleasure, this Ranch Style Chicken is definitely one of them too. Every so often, we eat meat in this house. Organic, grass-fed meat, that is. This chicken is top notch, the bacon is nitrate free, and when it's marinated and grilled in a honey mustard-esque sauce and topped with melty good quality cheddar it's awesomesauce. I used an aged cheddar and loved the tangy flavor. If you use mild cheddar the cheese might get lost to the robust, sweet chicken which would be a shame. If you're going to eat this way make sure the food you are using is top quality, that's my advice anyway. I mean, how could you go wrong? It may not qualify as health food but it sure is good. Everything in moderation, right?<br />
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<br /></div>
So, I guess that means I can't watch the Bella Twins in my "favorite show" tonight since I've watched at least an episode a day for the last week and that would <i>not</i> be moderate. That's it, I'm officially cut off. Unless the remote "accidentally" gets left on the other side of the room during nursing time tonight...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9734499706/" title="Ranch Style Chicken by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Ranch Style Chicken" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/9734499706_2906a9cb17.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<br />
<b>Ranch Style Chicken</b><br />
<i>adapted by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond</i><br />
serves 6<br />
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<b>1/2 cup Dijon or county/grainy mustard</b><br />
<b>1/2 cup honey</b><br />
<b>The juice from 1/2 a lemon</b><br />
<b>1/2 teaspoon paprika</b><br />
<b>1/2 teaspoon salt</b><br />
<b>Crushed red pepper</b><br />
<b>6 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts</b><br />
<b>1 pound thick cut bacon</b><br />
<b>Sharp cheddar cheese, to taste</b><br />
<b>Olive oil</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>To begin, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together the Dijon with the honey, juice of half a lemon, paprika and salt and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like things a little spicy. Set aside.</b><br />
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<b>Next, rinse the chicken breasts, place between two sheets of wax paper (or in a clear ziplock bag) and pound to around 1/2 inch thick with a mallet. Next, add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.</b><br />
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<b>While the chicken marinates, fry up some bacon. When finished cooking, reserve 1/4 cup pf the bacon grease and clean out the skillet.</b><br />
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<b>When chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pour off excess marinade. heat half the reserved bacon grease with an equal quantity of olive oil in the clean skillet over medium-high heat. (I only needed the bacon grease for this. It cooked nicely and didn't burn). When the grease is nice and hot add two or three pieces of chicken to it. Cook until brownish/blackish, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a large baking sheet.</b><br />
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<b>Lay a few pieces of bacon over each chicken breast. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken as generously as you like. Place pan in the oven for five minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling. Serve immediately.</b><br />
<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-40534165017999502902013-09-06T14:10:00.001-06:002013-09-07T15:04:47.608-06:00Mayan Black Thunder Chocolate Shake (The Healthiest, Yummiest Thing Ever)<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9686307335/" title="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/9686307335_3ceb6c824c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Plus<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9686306941/" title="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/9686306941_31937c0315.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
Equals the BEST most HEALTHY Chocolate shake around. Guaranteed.<br />
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The thing about having a new baby is it makes you question EVERYTHING. Is my baby getting enough milk? Should I pump? How can I keep up my milk supply when she'll only eat for five minutes before konking out for another hour at which point she'll wake up hungry but...you can't feed her because your trying to keep her on a 2 1/2 to 3 hour schedule so she'll actually eat a decent amount when it's time, thus keeping your milk supply in check, thus ensuring she's getting enough, thus ensuring she is satisfied for another three hours. Did that even makes sense? Can I google that? Is the sky blue? etc, etc. The problem is the baby doesn't ever cooperate with keeping a schedule even if it's for their own good and the doctor wants them up to her original birth weight by the next time you see them and the pressure is on. Babies don't yield to pressure. It was all on me. <i>Thanks a lot, Eleanor. </i>Luckily, she did get up to her birth weight and then some by the time she needed to. She is very advanced, you see. And also, very plump.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9686372977/" title="IMG_4712 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4712" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/9686372977_5765ed905c.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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You can tell these two are my daughters. The baby because she looks like me (glory be!) And the one on the left because of her pose.<i> Sheesh.</i><br />
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I read an <a href="http://deadspin.com/5911089/the-dadspin-guide-to-feeding-a-baby">article on DadSpin</a> that made me laugh out loud. Concerning newborns, the new dad writes about how a baby's life consists of only sleeping and eating, but they can be shockingly inefficient at both. It's worth the read, if only to laugh out loud. By yourself. And then read the entire thing again to your spouse, because like I said, it's that funny.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9689544602/" title="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/9689544602_e039e9f467.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Now that we've almost reached the two month mark, these questions, as annoying as they were to ponder seven times a day with each feeding, was less stressful this time around. I knew there would be a learning curve and it might be frustrating at times as I get to know my babys needs the first few weeks. But at the end of the day? I feel more chill about it. The baby is fed and happy. I am not stressed about a to-the-minute schedule, yet I'm willing to sacrifice the comforts of snack feeding for now to keep her on track since it will be mutually benefitting for both of us in the end. I've found all my babies and myself have thrived with some kind of scheduleing. Now to tackle the nap schedule...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9689545604/" title="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/9689545604_00c369638b.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Ellie is a sweet little thing with a great disposition. Still, girl likes to eat, and regardless of my easygoing attitude towards feeding, I do have to make sure I keep my milk supply up since it's been a bit of a struggle in the past. So, I've been mindful to drink plenty of water and eat nutrient dense food (and the blueberry muffins that my neighbor bought me because, obviously). One of the things I'm mindful of is my trace minerals. Cacao is an awesome source of trace minerals plus one of the best sources of antioxidants there is, so I've been making our Mayan Black Thunder Chocolate Shake as often as possible since I've been home. It's an awful name, but it's become a bit of a joke in our family so we keep calling it that. In all reality, it's the healthiest chocolate drink I know, packed with healthy fats, including coconut oil (which makes your metabolism burn extra hot), antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, with no added sugar. Plus, it's delicious. It even sneaks in some roughage from kale leaves which you cannot taste at all- so yeah, I guess you could say this shake is utterly amazing. A rockstar in the health department, if you will. I'd call it a smoothie because every single ingredient is stellar for your body and makes you feel amazing, but it really is more of a shake. Icy, chocolatey, milky goodness in a glass. Sometimes I add fresh mint or mint extract for a twist. We've been smitten with this drink for over a year. I have no idea why I haven't blogged about it until now. I love it for breakfast or lunch. I avoid it as an after dinner dessert even though it's a shake because the cacao tends to keep me up at night.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9689544242/" title="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="Mayan Black Thunder Healthy Chocolate Shake" height="333" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2806/9689544242_cff1ceaef2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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One thing? You'll probably notice as you look through the list of ingredients that this drink packs quite a few calories, but hark! Every calorie does your body good, and keeps you full and focused throughout the day. If it's still concerning, you can always split one recipe between two people. It's a BIG shake. Me? I like the whole thing, baby. I feel like I could take on the world after drinking this thing. So yeah, If I can do that, I can certainly handle three kids, a baby, and endless milk supply questions. Cake, I tell you. Do you think If I keep saying it, it'll be true?<br />
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<b>Mayan Black Thunder Shake</b><br />
<i>adapted from Jai Seed Cookbook, by Rich Roll and Julie Piatt</i><br />
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serves 1-2<br />
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<b>1 banana</b><br />
<b>1 large kale leaf</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon black chia seeds</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon coconut oil</b><br />
<b>1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</b><br />
<b>1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes</b><br />
<b> 1 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder</b><br />
<b>1 tablespoon cacao nibs</b><br />
<b>3/4 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk</b><br />
<b>3/4 cup coconut water</b><br />
<b>2 cups ice</b><br />
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<b>Blend all ingredients EXCEPT ICE in a powerful blender such as the vita mix on high until blended. Add ice and blend until just incorporated. (If you add ice right away it won't blend up right). </b><br />
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<b>If you are using a regular blender instead of a vita-mix, you'll need to add less ice. Add 1 cup at first and more as needed to get the slush you want. </b><br />
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Cheers y'all!<br />
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<br />Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712855843914647052.post-47804443491234159002013-08-26T08:10:00.000-06:002013-08-26T10:29:44.305-06:00Jeremy's Healthy Breakfast Bowl + A Birth Story<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9570391455/" title="KEL_6463 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6463" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7347/9570391455_4d298c9e57.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<i>That was...rough</i><br />
Facebook status. 9:58pm, July 7th<br />
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-Rewind-<br />
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<b>7:25pm</b>:<b> Eleanor Hope MacGray</b> is born<br />
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<b>7:15-ish</b>: I look at Jeremy between contractions and tell him pushing feels different this time. It's harder. It's taking a longer time. <i>She must be big like they thought,</i> I say. I'm very aware which was my goal, but I'm not sure I like it.<br />
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-Rewind-<br />
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<b>4:50pm</b>- Leave the house for the hospital. Contractions are anywhere from 1-4 minutes apart. Some come within 30-40 seconds of each other. On others a few minutes pass, but they are getting much more intense.<br />
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<b>4:25pm</b>: I pack my hospital bag because I haven't yet. <i>I like to live dangerously</i>.<br />
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<b>5:00pm</b>: Checking into the hospital. Does your stomach get bigger if your baby is bigger? That's my theory because, never, never, has it been *this* ginormous before. <i>Hello!</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9570441003/" title="IMG_2420 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2420" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/9570441003_121bacc8d3.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<b>5:30-ish</b> pm: 5cm dilated<br />
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<b>6:20pm</b>: Jeremy tells me I've been in the tub for 45 minutes. I am shocked. It feels like 10 minutes. Again, I have no concept of time.<br />
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<b>6:40pm</b>: I am unable to talk much between contractions. I lay my forehead in my arms over the tub. I haven't needed to throw up yet (sorry) which worries me a bit since I have during transition during my other labors which, in my mind, is 7cm. Was I not there yet? How could I not be at 7? I am silently dreading each contraction and telling Jeremy how it's not restful between them even in the absence of pain. I can't articulate why that is. I am hot. I need cool wash cloths draped over my shoulders and sips of ice water every few minutes.<br />
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<b>7:00pm</b>: Sitting in the hospital tub telling Jeremy to get the nurse. Feeling lots of pressure.<br />
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<b>7:06pm</b>: 9cm dilated and my water just broke. I'm back in the bed, having transferred from the tub. Everything is intense. They tell me I'm close and that it's all happening so quickly. I am shocked. It feels like an eternity, not quick. They tell me I've only been out of the tub for 5 minutes. I have no concept of time. I notice the doctor dressing for delivery. <i>Seriously? Is this happening now?</i> They check me again. <i>Paper thin</i> I hear. I think I hear <i>complete</i>. They say I can push with the next contraction. With each subsequent contraction and push I think and say "<i>oh, no." </i><br />
<i>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</i><br />
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At 1:00pm that day I sent Jeremy on a 2hr mountain bike ride. I had contractions but didn't say anything to him becuase I wasn't sure if they would slow down and stop or keep progressing. Plus, I knew that either way we'd have time. Earlier that day my sister sent me a text asking me if she should stay in town where she had been visiting just in case I went onto labor that day, or make the 2 1/2 hour drive back home. I sent her off, assuring her I felt fine and was convinced this baby had no intention of coming. Then, around 11:30am our little family left the house to get the car washed and purchase our diaper bag. Good thing to purchase since I had three contractions on our 10 minute drive home. I needed to start paying attention. Truth be told, I had my first contraction while eating Jeremy's breakfast bowl around 10am but didn't know it was the start of labor. Later, when I realized I was indeed in labor and that she'd be coming that day, I was super excited. I felt good.<br />
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Jeremy's Breakfast Bowl - My last meal before baby<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9570373529/" title="IMG_4369 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4369" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/9570373529_8d0e83aaeb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I started to time my contractions at 2:10pm while I edited my last blog post on<a href="http://www.krystaslifeinfood.com/2013/07/why-i-want-drug-free-natural-birth.html"> why I want to have a drug-free natural delivery.</a> It's intimidating to edit such a post while you suspect you are in labor and about to face everything you've written about. Although, it did help get my head in the game. From 2:10pm to 3:00pm, contractions went from ten minutes apart to six minutes apart.<br />
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Like I said, it was rough. Fast and furious, but rough. It took hours for my body to really get going, but once it did, it kicked into high gear. I tried my best to keep up. I knew it would be this way, as it has been for all my labors, but this one was quicker still towards the end. I checked into the hospital at the perfect time. I was still perky enough to walk in and change from my black Lulu Lemon ruffle skirt and aqua blue workout top (I had "big plans" for walking that day) into my hospital gown. Then I answered all of my nurses questions, greeted the doctor, and got my IV, all with smiles, stopping only briefly to quiet down and breathe with each contraction which by now, were progressively getting worse. I didn't know from that point it would only be two hours until I had myself a baby.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573170148/" title="KEL_6456 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6456" height="334" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/9573170148_5acca6ddea.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And you guys? I did it. Drug-free and natural, just like I hoped! I was also pretty present throughout the experience which made time move at a strange, inconceivable pace and everything seem just a bit more surreal. I was very, very aware. This was my goal and I was completely resolved to taking it one contraction at a time, but it was getting tough. I had to keep refocusing on the present and getting through the contraction at hand and not think about what was next. When the time came for pushing, I didn't want to, which caught me off guard. I had wanted to with Jeremiah. But this time, It didn't bring relief. It felt unnatural even though there was immense pressure and the need to do it, all which bothered me. Something about pushing was harder this time. I told Jeremy that something didn't feel right, and it was very hard work, so "she must be big." Ellie was big, with a big head to boot, but she was also POS (face up) which makes pushing much harder. They told me this after she was born, but I knew something was up. I was just so...<i>there</i>. I can't say I liked it. And since I've been saying so, people have been responding with "but at least it was really quick." This, I've decided, doesn't mean anything. Had it not been as quick, it would also not have been so intense. Quick doesn't equal easy, lets just get that straight. Mmmmkay?<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573186106/" title="KEL_6486 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6486" height="334" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3828/9573186106_68b1ecd906.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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After she was born they placed her on my chest. They kept remarking on how big she was, but she looked itty bitty to me...until later when she suddenly looked gigantic and I wondered how in the world she had fit in my belly to begin with. You know the part after you have the baby and you think all is good until, like, two minutes later when all the cramping, stitches, teeth chattering shakiness, cold, soreness and flu like symptoms rush in? Well, being my fourth baby, they were all supremely heightened this time. I know these after effects notoriously get worse with each child a woman has, but still, I was quite in shock over the intensity of it. I had to keep asking if it was normal. I also was losing a bit more blood than expected and when they got me up to switch rooms I almost passed out twice. I guess you could say my body was ready to rest and recover already. I slept like it was my job that night...after pizza. My husband totally went out at 10pm and got us pizza from our restaurant.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573236788/" title="KEL_6584 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6584" height="334" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7348/9573236788_a4fee8db96.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573187546/" title="KEL_6472 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6472" height="334" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9573187546_f3d2ff60ce.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573167648/" title="KEL_6543 copy by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6543 copy" height="334" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3801/9573167648_b8ee5ecb03.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Big brother and sisters coming to see the baby for the first time<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573164952/" title="KEL_6651 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6651" height="334" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/9573164952_41e4c1c325.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573163542/" title="KEL_6655 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6655" height="334" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/9573163542_8622716405.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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So did I like natural childbirth? No. I didn't like or enjoy natural childbirth. But then again, I didn't expect to. Childbirth is -hard.freaking.work.- It's hands down the hardest thing I've ever done. I knew I wouldn't "like" it. <b>I wanted to embrace it</b>. And I did. That's what changes everything. I was able to embrace and face something that was taxing and brutal, with intentional boldness-battling my fears along the way, and came out victorious. Childbirth like this is the most exhilarating and terrible thing I've ever experienced. Although, ask me about it the same night and I'll tell you it was only terrible. :) Overall, I was much stronger and in control this time around than with Jeremiah's natural birth. I had a sense of- <i>you got this-</i> in my head. I did have to battle my fear of being able to handle the pain with each contraction, and not get too far ahead with the what if's -<i>What if I can't take the pain thirty minutes from now? What if it gets worse?- </i>And that<i> </i>was my biggest mental hurdle.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573158428/" title="IMG_2430 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2430" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/9573158428_a301e38f57.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">Eleanor<span style="color: #4a4a4a;"> </span>Hope MacGray</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"> was born at 7:25pm, on July 7th 2013, weighing 8lbs 7oz, measuring 20" long, and screaming. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Eleanor: Shining Light</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
Hope: "Hope" is the thing with feathers -</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b> That perches in the soul-</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b> And sings the tune without the words-</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b> And never stops--at all-</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b><i> Emily Dickinson</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573159818/" title="KEL_0555 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_0555" height="334" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3748/9573159818_427b4ea7a0.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573159012/" title="KEL_0586 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_0586" height="334" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/9573159012_c2e519cd86.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Ellie didn't settle down for quite a while. I was worried I had a cryer on my hands. I was even more worried an hour later when she still hadn't stopped. She's still so new and tiny but I can already tell she is the sweetest thing I've ever laid my eyes on. I think she's an old soul. She's very alert and listens intently when you talk to her. She has me completely smitten. I quickly declared she was my "plump chicken" which sounds weird if you don't already know that I call each of my kids some sort of animal (Isabella's my lamb, Jeremiah -much to his dismay- is my pig, and Olivia is my dove. Although, most recently she gets called "dragon" for her guttural yells, plus she sleeps "in the dungeon" which is really just dramatic speak for "downstairs." It's a loving name, I swear.)</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573237820/" title="KEL_6565 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6565" height="334" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/9573237820_3279eccd75.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The kids came to see their sister about an hour after she was born but only stayed a few minutes since she was still crying at that point and I needed to feed her. Jeremiah was especially attentive to her, wondering aloud about her, gushing with pride. Olivia, surprisingly, seemed to know exactly what was going on and who the baby was, like she had been expecting her. She remains curious about Eleanor and wants to be right up next to her wherever she is. For the most part she knows to be gentle which is amazing. Livy seems older to me now. Isabella held her right away and couldn't wait to celebrate her arrival. In typical Isabella fashion, she walked right up to me in my hospital bed, eyes wide with anticipation, a sly smile on her face and asked rather excidedly and bluntly "so, did it hurt?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Um...yeah, I guess you could say that.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jeremiah, in his typical fashion, was more compassionately concerned about me. He made sure to check on me a few times during his brief visit to make sure I was okay. I smiled and assured him I was. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573162518/" title="KEL_6676 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_6676" height="334" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/9573162518_aa553e8dcb.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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My Grandma, me, my Mom, and Grandpa</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9570361501/" title="IMG_2443 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2443" height="375" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/9570361501_0a0fcd39f4.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In my last post I wondered what change I might see in myself for having chosen this process. I have no doubt the revelations will keep coming, but I've already noticed a instilling of one of life's greatest lessons. I knew and understood this logically before but now I can feel it as well. I <i>know </i>it. In a nutshell? This life is hard. And in this life we will have trouble. Somedays can feel like a marathon to get through, and other times I feel like a complete failure. --Hold up people, I'm about to get deep-- During my contractions I found myself singing this song in my head. It goes like this :<i>"Lord I need you, oh, I need you. Every hour I need you" </i>Then I would get annoyed and angry at the lyrics and think to heck with that! E<i>very minute, every second, I need you</i> in this particular case. The same is true in my everyday life. Sometimes you are not rescued from the storm. Rather, you are made strong enough to weather it. It's in how you handle these times that count. I will not always be rescued from the woes of my life. But I will be met in them. I don't have it all figured out, by any means, and I still fail at times - epically- but I have learned to find some amount of comfortableness by just sitting in the midst of the hard stuff and being able to take it in, feel it's weight, and fight the temptation for a "quick fix" in lieu of the "real fix." I've learned to take it one second, one minute, one hour (one contraction) at a time and wait for clarity or strength in the midst because I trust it will come. I can also battle any anxiety about the future when I'm able to just meet each moment as it comes and learn to trust that I am always a work in progress, but have faith that I'm working towards something good. I don't think it's about being able to "like" or "enjoy" natural childbirth or any pain for that matter, but rather, for me, it's about being able to be vulnerable enough to be taught and changed by it even though that often hurts. I don't need to run from the hard stuff. With help, <i><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/276478864596894492/">I got this</a>. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Coming home from the hospital</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573157552/" title="IMG_4380 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4380" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/9573157552_dd39e6f6cb.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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First family picture</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573201016/" title="IMG_4396 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4396" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/9573201016_130c5e0c82.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Big daddy, little baby</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573178832/" title="IMG_4484 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4484" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/9573178832_3366de62d6.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573180286/" title="KEL_0573 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_0573" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/9573180286_ac7bac269a.jpg" width="334" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9570364743/" title="KEL_0518 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="KEL_0518" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/9570364743_d6e30a90e1.jpg" width="334" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573156652/" title="IMG_4492 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4492" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/9573156652_46cb6ae812.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9570381207/" title="HP 052 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="HP 052" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/9570381207_e6c348450f.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And? The wisdom tooth surgery I've been putting off for years because I'm too scared about being put under (I've never had surgery). Yeah. That's gonna be cake now. And, honestly? Like magic, I'm...wait for it----------not. even. scared. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Boom!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I just blew my own mind.</span><br />
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My friend <a href="http://kelelwood.com/">Kel </a> came to the hospital and <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">took a lot of these pictures for us. She's the best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey, w</span><span style="background-color: white;">anna have what I had the morning Ellie Hope was born? Let me answer that for you, because it is so, so good. Yes, you want what I had.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9570374377/" title="IMG_4365 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4365" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/9570374377_79692a91bf.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58178045@N03/9573238324/" title="IMG_4359 by Krystaslifeinfood.com, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4359" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/9573238324_efcdf39904.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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This is Jeremy's Healthy Breakfast Bowl. We decided to name it that since it reminded me of the polar opposite of <a href="http://www.redbookmag.com/recipes-home/tips-advice/trisha-yearwood-recipes">Garth Brook's Breakfast Bowl</a>, which consists of bacon, eggs, sausage, cheddar, tater tots, and cheese tortollini, and is probably the worst possible thing to fuel up on in the morning, at least to me. In contrast, Jeremy's breakfast bowl consists of a fried egg, refried beans, fresh salsa or tomatos, a sliced avocado half, sautéed spinach with onion and garlic, and a dollop of Greek Yogurt. A squirt of lemon, a sprinkling of garlic flakes and sea salt, and it's heaven! I love savory breakfasts and this one fills you up with tons of vitamins and minerals, fiber and protein. Sometimes Jeremy sprinkles some diced pickled jalapeño over his bowl to spice it up. Any way you do it, it's delicious. We even found a way to only dirty one pan and one bowl for the whole process. First you sauté the onions and spinach in a pan, then remove it to a bowl until you need it. In the same pan, fry your eggs and move them to the side when done (or into your serving dishes. Next, warm the beans through in the same pan while you slice your avocado and lemon. By the way? You need the lemon and garlic flakes (we use McCormick brand) and sea salt. It's not optional since it brings all the flavors together.<br />
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<b>Jeremy's Healthy Breakfast Bowl</b><br />
serves 4<br />
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<b>1 5oz package of baby spinach, or one big bunch or regular spinach</b><br />
<b>1 yellow onion, chopped</b><br />
<b>4 garlic cloves, chopped</b><br />
<b>olive oil</b><br />
<b>butter, for frying eggs</b><br />
<b>4-8 eggs</b> (I like one per person, but you may like two per person)<br />
<b>2 avocados, sliced</b><br />
<b>1 can Amy's refried black beans</b> (this brand tastes so much better than others)<br />
<b>fresh salsa, like pico de gallo or chopped fresh tomatoes</b><br />
<b>Greek yogurt</b><br />
<b>lemon wedges, for serving</b><br />
<b>dried garlic flakes </b>(spice isle)<br />
<b>sea salt</b><br />
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<b>In a large saute pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic cloves and sauté another minute. Add the spinach and cover with a lid until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and transfer to another bowl.</b><br />
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<b>In the same saute pan, fry your eggs over medium heat in a bit of butter until done to your liking. I like them over medium. Transfer your eggs to individual serving dishes. </b><br />
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<b>Warm the beans through in the same skillet used to cook spinach and eggs over low heat. While beans are warming, slice your avocados and divide them up between bowls. When beans are warmed, divide a scoop between the bowls. Next, add a dollop of Greek yogurt and scoop of salsa to each bowl. Squeeze lemon wedges over the spinach, avocado and yogurt. Sprinkle the entire dish with garlic flakes and sea salt. </b><br />
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<b>I try and get a little taste of everything in each bite.</b></div>
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Krystahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08548798168368797466noreply@blogger.com17