Dessert or Breakfast - BOTH!

I am trying to find new ways for breakfast (and healthy too) and mixed this up - it was so good I had to share.

Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt (1 Cup = 110 cals, 0 fat) AWESOME!
4 strawberries cut
handful of blackberries (Costco for $3.99 18 oz)
1/2 banana sliced

optional for the chocolate lovers-
1 T MINI chocolate chips

YUMMY!

Best Pancakes I have ever made

Blue Ribbon Pancakes

2 large eggs
2 T unsalted butter - melted (I used nonstick pan and didn't use)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 cups vanilla low-fat yogurt (I ran out and used plain yogurt and added vanilla extract to taste)
3/4 whole milk (I added skim)
maple syrup

1. Place the eggs in a small bowl and add hot tap water to cover.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk and eggs and whisk until blended. Heat up skillet over med heat.
3. Measure out pancakes to size you like (we like silver dollar size) Let cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Serve with Real Maple syrup

So YUMMY! I am not a pancake person (Matthew loves them) and I tried these and I ate tons -couldn't get enough. I also froze the cooked leftovers and ate them for breakfast the next few days. I found this from 'real food for healthy kids'

Bugs and more bugs

Okay so I am DONE! Done with bugs! We have tried to spray ourselves and it isn't working. We have never had problems with cockroaches and this year it is bad. They are huge too. So my breaking point was when I found one on the toilet and it hid behind where I couldn't find it and kill it. So I couldn't sit and I really had to go! YUCKY BUGS! So if anyone has a trusted bug guy please share their info - I am ready to kill me some bugs!

Pictures from Ashlee

We had Ashlee take some pics of the kids and they turned out so well. It was so hard to choose which ones to print. Here are a few of my favorites.

Izzie is 10 1/2 months.

Matthew is 3 years.

Tips of the Day!

I am doing research on how to go more basic. I have found a great tip on Laundry or cleaning, cooking -everything)! Who knew distilled white vinegar did it ALL. I have very sensitive skin and I am sure my kids will too. I have bought fabric softener after fabric softener - yea the smells are nice but they don't last long - and they are sooo expensive. So I read this about distilled white vinegar instead of using fabric softener and it WORKS!!! It makes your laundry smell just like your soap and feels good and has tons of benefits. I still can't believe that distilled white vinegar does SO MUCH and it is CHEAP - I just bought 1.35 gallons for $3.19 at Smart and Final. (I didn't look around so that could be high price - but I have no clue) So try it and you WILL BE AMAZED!! Try it on towels first in case you are nervous -I put mine in my Downy Ball about 1/4 cup worth.

Here is a sample of what it does:

Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.

Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full-strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

To remove a label, decal, or price tag, cover with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave the cloth on overnight and the label should slide off.

To keep eggs from cracking when boiling add a tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar to water.

Here is the website to look at all the benefits -http://www.vinegartips.com/


I also would love to garden. I first would have to get rid of my rocks, second keep Matthew from destroying and third learn not to kill everything (I do well with cactus). But I found this tip from a blog I like to follow and thought how smart - especially if you deal with this problem!

Tomato Plants:

Hang red Christmas ornaments on your tomato plants early in the season. Apparently, the birds will tire of the hard bulbs by the time the real tomatoes grow. Brilliant! This tip is in the current issue of Real Simple magazine. This one is a try.

More recipes

Now that my parents are back in Oregon and I have to cook - here are a few of my newly tries.

We had this cake for Easter - it looked like a big Easter egg!

Almond Topped Orange Cake

Serves 8; 1 slice per serving

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 T all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cup cake flour
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1 T grated orange zest
1 ¼ cups fresh orange juice
1 large egg
2 T canola oil

Garish with:
2 T sliced almonds
Sliced bananas
Sliced oranges

Heat oven to 350 degrees F
Spray 8 in round pan and sprinkle the all-purpose flour on bottom shake out excess flour.

Large bowl stir together – cake flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.

In Medium bowl – stir together orange zest, juice, egg and oil. Pour into dry ingredients then mix on high speed for 2 minutes. Pour in pan and arrange the almond slices on top – I did flower design.

Bake for 40 minutes (I only need to cook for 33 -35 minutes in Vegas) Cool in pan for 10 then remove and let cool completely. Serve with garnishes.

Cals -311 Total fat g -5.5

Very light and good!


Tuesday's Meal - I needed something different. This is very healthy and fulling!

Egg salad sandwich

4 large eggs (I removed one yolk to save some fat)
2 ½ T plain yogurt or light mayo (I used Yogurt)
½ t whole grain mustard or your favorite kind
Pepper
1/3 cup bacon (I used turkey bacon – crisped in Microwave and bam done in 1.5 mins)
Lettuce
Bread (I used whole wheat)

Hard cook eggs: place eggs in single layer in small saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to boil. Cover with lid for 13 minutes. Pour off water and cover with cold then ice cold water and sit for 3 minutes.

Peel eggs, smash with fork and add all ingredients from above besides last two.

Put leftovers in fridge.

Let me know if you try it!

Tagged

Let's play tag.

Thanks to Merry Lynn my friend/former co-worker from CCFA (Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America) tagged me - so here we go. Let you know I am an open book and don't have much hidden to share...hmmm let me think......

First let's discuss the rules...

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Share 7 things that people may not know about you.
3. Tag 7 people to share 7 things and link to them.
4. Let them know they have been tagged.


1) I have known all my nieces and nephews 'gender' before they were born (just my side of the family). I have 11 biological and 5 adopted (didn't know the adopted ones-sorry). Plus I knew Matthew was a boy and Izzie was a girl. Don't ask me how, but I knew. I found out my paternal grandma had the same gift.

2) I was turned down 3 times for Ricks College. I bugged them so much they changed their answer to yes. I am now an Alumni and I donate to the Admission program.

3) I hated dogs in the house and when I got married, my sweet husband said, "Let's get a dog." A big fat "NO" was my answer. He told me to go look at some maltese's. That is all it took - a tiny white fluffy puppy crawling all on you. We spent our life savings and bought one. Two days later all he did was cry and pee all over our house, we tried to return him. No such luck and now Piper is 5 and can't image our house without him.

4) My favorite job was Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. I found it through a temp agency and was adopted. It really taught me how to work and to love all kinds of people. My co-workers were some of the very best people. I do hope they find a cure!

5) I am a picker - I love to pick at hairs, zits anything that needs to be fixed.

6) One day I would like to go back to school and learn about all sorts of things, photography, cooking, crafts, history, sewing, authors, and etc....

7) I am really bad at grammar and spelling. It is a good thing I married a genius.

Now...I tag:

1. sara B.

2. jenna H.

3. lu lu S.

4. jenny G.

5. julie H.

6. kate H.

7. kari W.

You lucky bunch!