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zoodles

April 27, 2015

In efforts of continuing to try to eat healthy meals and snacks… i bought this gadget:
THE ORIGINAL ZOODLE SLICER to make Zoodles!
it’s easy and inexpensive and kind of even fun!

you just put the zucchini in the end of the Zoodle slicer and start spinning.
one end makes larger thin slices and the other cuts the zucchini into a spaghetti shape.
(please excuse this photo that makes me appear to have giant man hands)

pretty cool right?!
looks like a bowl of pasta… but it’s VEGGIES!

i just put the zoodles (this is two zucchinis) into a pan with coconut oil & some garlic and cooked it for less than 5 minutes.
stir or toss it as it heats up and as it changes and gets a little bit tender – it’s done.
if you over cook it it gets mushy.
it barley takes any time at all.

we were having spaghetti so i made these Zoodles for me instead of pasta.
i did switch our family over to gluten free pasta but i love the idea of using vegetables instead of pasta.
it’s fresh. it grew from the earth. it’s not processed. it’s a vegetable!

then i added meat marinara sauce on top and that was the meal!
of course i couldn’t get the kids to try it yet but i loved it!

i went on the hunt for more recipes to use Zucchini Noodles and these all look GOOD!

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Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

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Pad Thai Zoodles

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Zucchini Noodles in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
this one might be the first one i try! it is making my mouth water!

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Zucchini Shrimp Scampi (but if i make this i will use chicken…)

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Zucchini Noodles & Avocado Walnut Pesto

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Thai Chicken Zoodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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Pesto Zucchini Bacon Frittata

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Pumpkin Spice Sweet Potato Noodle Waffles
this one is obviously not made with Zucchini but it looked REALLY good and i was so intrigued but seeing her use sweet potato Noodles in a waffle iron?! Who knew that could be done?!

there are other kinds of spiraling gadgets… this one is popular on Amazon:

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iPerfect Kitchen Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiralizer

and there is even a whole cook book devoted to spiraling food!

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Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals

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the lady who wrote that cookbook has a great blog with all kinds of recipes using lots of different vegetables.
this Chicken Zucchini Noodle Soup recipe was on her site!

i hope i can get my kids to try zoodles someday. 🙂

but for now i am pretty impressed that even i am eating them.
five years ago… NO WAY.
this being a grown up thing isn’t so bad after all.

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four things.

April 23, 2015

1. prom

2. invisible fences

3. birthday cake

4. His Safe Haven

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scott went to prom last weekend!

it was cute to see him get dressed up and be nervous and then know that he a great time.
prom is such a fun night for all of them… they feel so grown up.

this is not scott’s car… but it was fun to sit in and take pictures.
there was a huge thunderstorm during what was supposed to be the outdoor “Promenade”
so the car part was kind of a bust… because it was POURING.
BUMMER.

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i have had some questions about our Invisible Fencing system we put in here at this house.

we bought the Innotek Basic In-Ground Pet Fencing System, SD-2000

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and since we have more than one dog we ordered the Extra Collar For Smart Dog

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our yard is bigger than the amount of wire that comes in the kit so we ordered additional wire to go around the whole yard.
PetSafe 500-foot Spool of 20-Gauge Boundary Wire

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my sons and craig put it in in a weekend and it was not difficult.
the dvd that comes with it shows easy instructions to do it yourself.
you put flags up all around the perimeter of the yard to alert the dogs to the boundary.
then you train them for a few weeks in several ways that are all taught on the dvd.
our dogs caught on really quickly.
the collar beeps when they get close to the border so they know to stop.
it also beeps when the battery is dying so you know to change it.
eventually they don’t even go near the edge to make it beep.

the only times our dogs have gotten out of the yard is when the battery has died in their collar.

even dogs blink when they get their photos taken.
HA!

i HIGHLY recommend this fence.
invisible fencing has changed my days!
walking a big dog was never pleasant for me… and with two or three dogs… forget about it!
and bathing them when they ran away to find every pond and puddle they could was not my favorite.
and worry about if they were going to come back.

this fence made my life easier and kept my dogs safer.
and i like that!

it doesn’t keep other dogs from coming into your yard but it keeps your own dogs from running away.
our dogs are friendly so if a dog happens to come in our yard it’s like they just met their new best friend!

now if only it would work on chickens…

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i made craig a birthday cake.
it was yummy and i wish i’d only made a half of a cake…. because it’s just sitting there… looking at me!
it’s calling to me from the kitchen!!!
i can see it right now!

i used this recipe from Javacaupcake for the cake.… yum.

(i could not find espresso powder so i left it out)

for the frosting i used:

1/2 cup room temperature butter
1 cup peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3- 6 T milk

Cream together the butter and peanut butter. Then add in powdered sugar slowly and add milk a little at a time until frosting is the consistency that you prefer.

i added chopped Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups to the top.
i like the minis because they come already unwrapped!
the trick… throw the bag of reese’s in the freezer and then when you are ready to chop them up it doesn’t get all messy and mushy. 🙂 🙂 🙂 trust me… i do my research on reeses! i’m no dummy.

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and saving the best for last…

These are some of the foster moms who care for the children of His Safe Haven.
do you remember a few months ago Talby raised money to give to HSH for their housing?
and SO MANY of you gave generously!!
she was able to raise enough for an entire year of housing for His Safe Haven!
THEN Christina sent this picture to Talby and said that with that money they were able to move all the moms to one location to live together!! How cool is that? Now they are a community of foster moms that can support each other! Can you imagine the joy it must bring to have women right next door to help you out… who understand the special needs of these kids? WOW!
God is doing great things with His Safe Haven!
thank you again for helping my Talby raise money for them!
i hope Talby gets to meet all these women someday. 🙂

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sweet potato & black bean chili

March 13, 2015

i rarely post recipes here any more… i think all the food blogs scare me away from it.
but i made this the other night by throwing things together and it was delish!
and of course chili is not your typical spring-is-coming recipe but i always just blog what is current and THIS is happening in my house right now… 70 degrees outside or not. 🙂 Like i am literally eating a bowl of this… in my pajamas at 2:17 in the afternoon right now.

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i had all of this in pantry so i threw it all together. 🙂

after you brown the ground beef you can add your onions to the beef to cook or just toss it all in one big pot.
all the ingredients.

i don’t think it’s possible to take a pretty picture of chili….
but i did clean my stove top just to take these pictures.

stir it up and let it come to a boil.
then turn down the heat to low, cover it and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes.
When the sweet potatoes are tender then it’s ready.
You can add more spice if you need it.
or more water if it’s too thick.
and if you have a packet of chili seasoning… you could use that instead.

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Of course you can top it with cheese, sour cream & chips if you’d like too.
but just avocados is so good too!

here is the recipe all rainbowed and pretty!

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trail mix, a playlist & crazy strong abs

March 10, 2015

three quick things today.

1. this is my trail mix i made up for when i want a little sweet and still be getting the good stuff.
i buy the Cranberry Delight trail mix at Dillons (Kroger) which is by the chips at our store.
and a bag of dark chocolate covered raisins.
i dump those two into a bowl or a ziploc and then i add some golden raisins too… not a lot.
sometimes i add unsweetened coconute flakes.
and as i eat it and the bowl emptys out… i add in more whole almonds.

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occasionally if the chocolate raisins are low i will throw in some dark chocolate chips if i have them.
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it’s super yummy… great little snack.
of course you shouldn’t eat much at a time… moderation and all that, you know.

i have been doing Les Mills Pump for 6 weeks now.

love it.
LOVE IT!!!
but with all dvds i get tired of the talking… how could one not get tired of the same words over and over??
so i turn on my music loud and mute them.
this is my playlist i have right now for PUMP:

no judging!
i like to jam.
i am not tech savvy enough to give you a playlist that actually plays…. i wish i was.
if someone knows how to do that… feel free to tell me how.

and then yesterday i came across this video of a core workout routine.
holy cows.
kind of looks like fun… wish i was 16 again so i could do this EASILY!
i would’ve loved it.
but even though i am 39… i am going to try it.
because why not?!
remember my word was ACTION.
this video is a lot of that.

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smoothies (and margaritas)

January 8, 2015

i got the Ninja Kitchen System Pulse for Christmas from my mother in law.
i asked for it because i thought it looked kind of cool.
i have wanted to try the cup system for our daily smoothies.
then…we didn’t use it over christmas break at all?!! (who are we?)
after school on monday annie got it out and OH. MY. GOODNESS!

we were totally amazed!
we geeked out completely.
it’s fast! it’s easy! it’s so super rad! it’s even fun to use!

then on tuesday i had her make a video to show the world how EASY it is to use!

how cute is my annie girl?!
no script even!
just preaching to the people about smoothie awesomeness.

this is what i got for christmas…
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Ninja Kitchen System Pulse

so i checked all around and it’s the same price at Target & Walmart as it is on Amazon.
i love amazon.
i love target too (of course!!!) but Amazon is so darn easy to navigate!
and the returns through amazon have gotten so ridiculously easy that it blows my mind!
you just ask them to come and pick it up… AND THEY DO!
you don’t even have to tape the box shut?! What the what?!
For reals.
Have you returned anything to them recently?
They are WINNING at customer service.

anyways… that was off topic.

back to the Niiiiiiiiinnn-jaaaaaa. (say it like oprah would)

I got the big mama Ninja blender for my birthday over a year ago.
it’s technically called the “Ninja Professional Blender 1000”
(they would probably sell more if they used my name…)
i didn’t know at the time that you could buy it with the cups… Ninja Professional Blender with Smoothie Cups
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had i known…. i would’ve gotten it all at once. 🙂

i’ve used that big ninja blender almost everyday for smoothies the past year and a half.
and I’ve loved it.
It’s so powerful!
it’s kind of a pain to clean every single day but i did it because it worked so well!

i still love the BIG ninja.

craig makes pancake batter in it almost every saturday.
you can click here to see him making them with tiny little annie & talby.
this is the recipe his mom used to make pancakes for him! pancakes1
it’s genius to mix it in the blender because then you can just pour the batter onto the griddle!
only one thing to wash!

my most favey-favorite use for the Big Ninja is making Margaritas.
🙂
this is what we serve at Craft Weekend to welcome our new friends to the Craft House.
always.
i got this recipe from my mom!
You need Tequila, Triple Sec, a can of frozen limeade mix and a beer.
and ice.
(oh yes i did just make margaritas on a thursday morning! who needs coffee?!)

*also i used a Gluten Free beer because i am {{{trying}}} to get the wheat out of my diet.
you can use ANY beer you prefer…. any brand, any style, whatevs..

Fill the blender 3/4 with ice.

pour in the limeade mix.
Use the empty limeade can and fill 2/3 full with tequila.
Pour it in the blender.

Using the same can fill it 1/3 full with Triple Sec.

Blend until it sounds like all the ice is chopped.

add the 12 oz. beer.
can we all just admire the label of this beer for a second… such great colors!
good job New Grist.

Use the pulse setting to mix it not the number settings because it “may” explode all over from the foam in the beer.and pour into margarita glasses (or any cup!)

if you want it more icy/frozen we put it in the freezer to set up a little more.
just like 10 – 20 minutes will work.
when we have these at home… craig & i don’t usually finish a whole Ninja blender of margaritas in an evening.
so i pour what’s left into cups with lids and stick that in the freezer until the next time we want them.
you can just pull it from the freezer and they thaw out to perfect slushy frozen yumminess in about an hour.

and obviously you can buy it ALL together and get everything….Ninja Mega Kitchen System
but i like to do things the hard way and build my collection slowly – HA!

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i love the smoothie cups!
they are EASY to use… easy to clean…. and FAST.

Now…. i know a bunch of you are going to say “i have a vita-mix and it’s even more powerful and amazing!”
and i believe you.
but this is 1/3 of the price.
so there is no vitamix in my future.
not happening.
(did you ever see the SNL skit about the vitamix… it’s awkward & uncomfortable & very dry humor – which i love)

OK.
info-mercial is over.

i will go drink my margarita.
and try to figure out where to hang pictures on my walls….

i am crazy for family photos obviously.
but seeing annie’s hand with the frog (and probably from watching old videos of her recently too)
i want to add in more of those “life moments” kinds of pictures on the wall too.
not just faces.
even though i love their faces so stinkin’ much.
i want to grab their kissy cheeks and squish each one of them.
there are about…. 1296 more pictures i want to put on my walls… this poses a problem for me.

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twenty years!

September 3, 2014

we started dating when i was a sophomore in high school.
actually… he was my first date i ever went on.
i remember it more than any of our other dates.
it was when i was a freshman… i was 14 years old. oh. my. word.
but i broke up with him after a month or two because i was young & wanted to date other boys.
all the boys.
that lasted… not too long.
by the next summer we were together… forever. 🙂
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we got married sooner than we would have planned but babies bring situations up a notch.
there we were… 18 & 20, married, baby on the way and moved to Illinois all by ourselves.
we knew no one but each other.
craig was a junior in college… full time student athlete at Northwestern.
i worked as a temp at the college until Lauren was born.
afterwards i went back to work and craig watched lauren by himself.
(student athletes cannot work during the school year – NCAA rules)

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we found a church right away.
and we think… THAT was a huge strength to a young couple.
i didn’t want to but he knew we should be a part of a church.
he found one and i remember i was at my parents visiting and he said over the phone “i went t a church today that i think you will like”
and we went from then on.
we met our friends that changed our lives there.
it was a special place to us.
and it happened slowly over the 10 years we were there.
but that place was safe and we grew in our faith, our marriage and as parents to our kids.

he graduated.
we moved to a “nice” apartment… oh boy we thought that place was awesome!!!
two bathrooms! two window AC units! a patio! an elevator to get to the second floor!
we loved that apartment.
he got a job in Illinois and we decided to stay & not move back to kansas like we had always said we would do.
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we bought a house and fixed it up room by room.
we had scott. then sean. then talby.
we had THE BEST time raising our kids in that little white house.
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we found out we were pregnant with annie the day after we came home from our 10 year anniversary trip.
we were in shock.
good news of course but 5 babies in 10 years was a lot.
our house was getting full.
we started looking for what was next.
it ended with moving back in kansas.
we knew that was God because we wanted to go someplace new.
God thought we should come back home…. so we did.
2 weeks after annie was born we moved to kansas.

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we bought a big 100 year old house that had space for 10 kids if we’d have had them.
we remodeled every room again just as we’d done in IL.
we enjoyed our time together working on the house too!
our kids grew.
and grew.
i started a blog and began writing about our everyday life.
after 7 years of loving that old beautiful home… we moved out.
we decided very quickly that we would move to the rental farm house so that we could be close to our kids new schools and run my business from the old house.
what an adventure!
it was crazy but it felt so right it wasn’t even funny.
god gave us complete peace about that decision.
we LOVED that farm house.

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we loved having so much family time just being together outside.
it was a great place to be.
we stayed there two years.
and then we moved again.
we bought a house in town… close to everything… something we owned… it was time.
and here we are.
20 years of marriage.
our daughter whose being essentially forced us to make a decision 20 years ago if we were in this or not… is a sophomore in college!
she is now older than we were when we got married and had her!
and she is awesome.
we are proud of her and how well she is doing at school.

twenty years is a lot.
but it feels like we just started… there is so much fun yet to be had!

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he is my best friend and he lets me know i am his.
he is so funny and he makes me feel like i am VERY funny.
he is patient, considerate and thorough.
he is the hardest worker.
he’s helpful & grateful.
he takes care of me and his family like an expert.
i am so proud to be his wife… i can’t believe i am so lucky.
He didn’t leave when he could have.
he has always been right here.