big time four year old!

Amelia turned four on Friday! She had some celebrity guests come in from North Dakota (grandparents) to help celebrate. We made strawberry waffles for breakfast and baked pink fairy cupcakes. Amelia ate at Red Robin for lunch and Applebee's for dinner (you can do that on your birthday). We had her little friend birthday party on Saturday and those pictures will be coming shortly (fringe benefit of having a great friend that's also a photographer).

interview with a four year old:girl edition

It's time for the annual birthday interview!

1) best thing about being a four year old?  that I can dress myself!
2) favorite thing to do? play with my toys
3) favorite toy? strawberry shortcake doll (from McDonalds)
4) favorite color? pink and purple
5) favorite food? cupcakes
6) favorite thing to do with your family? play with them all day
7) what do you want to be when you grow up? a cupcake baker that puts ice cream inside the cupcake
8) what makes you happy? when someone cheers me up
9) what makes you sad? when people don't like me anymore
10) who's your teacher? Mrs.C and Mrs. T
11) favorite treat? candy
12) what do you think about before falling asleep? the tooth fairy

Amelia has a bike, a barbie bike. It made me cringe when we first got it but she loves it. It has a special spot for the barbie doll to sit and cruise with you. I didn't want Dale to put it on the bike at first. I noticed a few weeks ago the barbie seat had been attached. Today watching her cruise with her 'Jasmint' doll (don't try and tell Amelia it's 'Jasmine' it's a lost cause) it made me smile to embrace her girliness.

hoopin' it up

We had to get outside and enjoy the rain free day! Hula hoops were in order!

glazed chili pork with sweet potato hash

photo from Real Simple

I used this recipe out of this month's Real Simple magazine. 3 out of 4 people in our house liked it so I will make it again. 


Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 25m
Total Time: 25m

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1⁄4 pounds) (I used pork chops)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup ( I used pancake syrup)

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled

2 large shallots, chopped (green onions)

1 5-ounce package baby spinach, chopped

hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1.Heat broiler. Place the pork on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Rub with 1 teaspoon of the oil, the chili powder, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Broil, turning occasionally and basting with the maple syrup twice, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

2.Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the coarse grating disk, grate the sweet potatoes.

3.Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 7 to 9 minutes more. Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more.

4.Serve the pork and potatoes with the hot sauce, if desired
 

weigh in wednesday

down 3.4 pounds (this week was  a lil crazy so it's already Saturday but whatever) toal 6.6 and only 28.4 to go!

the tale of the pirate patch princess....

Once upon a time (Monday at 5pm) in a land far far away (actually in our kitchen) Amelia was 'helping' make dinner with the babysitter. Amelia picked up the hot metal pasta ladle and somehow 'hooked' it in her lower inside eyelid and pulled. It caused an awful commotion including an ambulance  to the house, an emergency room visit and a 2 and a half hour operation to repair the tear duct and inside laceration.  Amelia woke up very cranky from the anesthetic and everyone was holding down her lil arms so she wouldn't scratch her newly repaired eyelid. Unfortunately, she also was very itchy from the medication and she was trying to scratch anywhere not just her eye. When she was finally able to have some water she promptly threw it up. After vomiting we noticed her eye was more swollen and bleeding a little bit. The doctor didn't think any of the sutures had been broken so we headed home around 2 am. We had an appointment the next morning at 10am to check on her eye. The opthamologist wasn't entirely happy with her lower eyelid aligning together. We went to Seattle to see an occular plastic surgeon who felt the eye looked great and that she wouldn't need another surgery for about 3 months to remove the silicone stent that is acting as her tear duct until her body heals.  The End.  Amen.

pizza dough

Trying to eat healthier definitely becomes harder on the week ends when we associate fun foods and the week end. Pizza and movie night is a Friday tradition in our family but yesterday I needed it taste good and be healthy. This pizza dough is yummy and then we loaded it with veggies and lil shrimp and feta. We also made fruit smoothies and kale chips. (the kale chips didn't go over so well but the rest did so I think everyone definitely got 3-4 fruits and vegetables at this Friday night dinner)

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 degree)
1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
olive oil cooking spray
2 tbsp cornmeal (optional)

Pour yeast into large bowl, combine warm water and agave nectar, pour over yeast, let sit 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Meanwhile combine flours in a separate bowl.
Add olive oil and salt to yeast mixture, mix well, add 1 cup flour mixture using wooden spoon, stir until smooth, add a second cup of flour mixture and continue stirring until dough forms a soft and sticky mass and comes away from the sides of the bow.
Knead dough on counter with remaining flour until dough is smooth and elastic (Amelia loves doing this)
Shape dough into a ball, spray a large bowl with olive oil spray and place dough inside.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 min until double in size.
Punch down dough and return to work surface, divide into 2 balls, using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a thin crust pizza shape, transfer to a pizza stone or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
Add your favorite toppings and bake at 425 degree oven for 14 minutes.
* I am planning on doubling the recipe next time so we can put the extras in the freezer for a quicker pizza night

yummy roasted butternut squash, apple and pecans

or as Dale called them 'yummy nubbins' he thinks it's sweet potatoes and because he hates squash I just smiled and nodded.

2 pounds of peeled chopped butternut squash (Costco package, hello convenience)
2 chopped apples
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
cayenne pepper
cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped pecans

Toss squash and apples with olive oil, brown sugar, cayenne and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour bowl onto large baking sheet, cook in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Flip squash mixture with spatula and sprinkle pecans over top. Cook additional 10 minutes. Yum.

wednesday weigh in

Down 3.2 pounds only 31.8 to go!!!

cutest kiddo snack idea evah...

image from Bakerella

While blog cruising I came across the absolute cutest idea for snack time. These snowmen milk bottles are adorable. We bring snack to Amelia's preschool in a few weeks for her birthday and I'm thinking these (using premade donut holes and unopened milk will be acceptable for the no homemade rule) ! And, and... I could probably swing it for Aiden's class birthday in February (I don't think I'll get away with bringing birthday treats to school after second grade). So for now I will be stockpiling the Starbucks frappacino bottles if anyone has any extras...

wintertime at the cabin

This year we went to my parents cabin after Christmas. We have never gone in the winter but we were looking forward to seeing some snow and spending some time together as a family. There wasn't as much snow as expected but enough to snowmobile and the lake was frozen enough to walk (snowmobile) on. Being on the lake made me want to throw up the first day but I began to feel more comfortable the more time we spent out there. We also trekked out to chop down a Christmas tree. We made some popcorn garland and hung lights and ornaments. It made it feel like a little bit of Christmas at the cabin every time I looked out the window.

2011 to do list...

to do lists are my thing.. I seem to be able to accomplish something if it's on the 'to do' list...so this year instead of resolutions I have a to do list...

- grow my hair to my shoulders. ( I feel the need to do this once as an adult and I fear after 35 it might have too much grey!)
- get my American citizenship (this has more to do with financial/legal decisions than wanting to cut off any roots with the mother land)
- get my cardiovascular certification (it seems fancy to have more initials following my name)
- lose 35 pounds ( I thought it was 30 until I got on the scale today!! Wednesday weigh ins just got a little more exciting)