Meet Max

We went and did the crazy...we got a puppy! Max is a Shih-Tzu Yorkie mix, otherwise known as a Shorkie. He will get to be only 9, maybe 10 lbs. and he doesn't shed. The other great thing is we are getting our fence in this next week. We had a dog about 2 years into our marriage, a black lab; but ended up giving him to another family because we felt like we weren't giving him a lot of attention with both of us in work and Chris in school. We didn't have a fence either and he was a really hyper dog! So, we decided to try round two, now that I stay home full time and we have a fence in. It also helps that he is a smaller dog too...I think I will be able to handle him better! Dawson absolutely loves him, I will hear him giggling like crazy and find him playing with Max. That melts my heart enough!

Tasty Tuesday

Since summer is finally here this is one of my favorite springtime/summer recipes. It's light and cool and so so tasty! Every time I have served it I have gotten great reviews. I would consider it on the healthier side because there is chicken and a lot of fruit in this salad, and the dressing is pretty light as well. I hope you enjoy! PS I usually only do half and it still makes a big bowl full!


Chicken Cashew Pasta Salad
(I got this one from my friend Brandy)

2 bags 12 oz macaroni (I use bowtie), cooked, cooled and drained
4 chicken breasts, boiled, cooled, and cubed
1 large can of pineapple tidbits, juiced drained and reserved for dressing
2 cups chopped celery
3 cups red grapes, halved
2 large apples, cubed with skins on
2 cans salted cashew halves

Dressing:
1 1/2 cups mayo
3 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
reserved pineapple juice

Mix all salad ingredients together in large bowl. In smaller bowl, mix dressing ingredients together, putting in pineapple juice to desired consistency and taste. Add dressing, toss with salad and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

I like to served this with rolls and a green salad.

Old MacDonald...

...had a farm, e-i-e-i-o. On on that farm he had a Dawson, e-i-e-i-o. Dawson loves making animal noises when we ask him and has gotten pretty good recently. He doesn't perform well on camera, but I think I got the jist of it for you all. My favorite is the fish.

Tasty Tuesday

For this weeks Tasty Tuesday segment, I thought I would highlight wheat germ. For a long time I had heard how wheat germ is so good for you and you can put it in lots of stuff for a vitamin boost, BUT I was always a bit too intimidated to buy it...not being sure how I would actually use it and if I would. Finally, I decided to buy it after I read all the ways I could use it from Missy Chase Lapine's book The Sneaky Chef. She has two great ways to use it; one in a flour blend the other in a better breading blend.
Flour Blend
Missy Chase Lapine
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ

Combine the flours and wheat germ. Store in sealed bag for months!
Use in: cookies, brownies, cupcakes, muffins, donuts, cakes, breads, etc.

Better Breading
Missy Chase Lapine
1 cup bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
1 cup almonds, slivered
1 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt

Pulse almonds in food processor, then combine with bread crumbs, wheat germ, and salt. Keep refrigerated in sealed bag for up to 2 weeks.
Use for: chicken tenders, chicken parmesan, fish, pork chops, on top of mac and cheese, etc.

Other uses for wheat germ: Sprinkled on cereal or fruit, mixed in sauces like marinara, I even have mixed it in Dawson's baby food!

Now, why wheat germ? Wheat germ is high in vitamin E and folic acid, which can help maintain your vitality and promote cardiovascular health. It's a powerhouse of nutrients, also offering an excellent source of iron, protein, and B vitamins. It's also one of the best food sources of zinc, magnesium, manganese, and chromium. B vitamins nourish the whole nervous system, and can help prevent fatigue and migraine headaches!

Hope you enjoyed this weeks Tasty Tuesday, now go out and buy some wheat germ!

Hubby Tag!

The Hubby Tag
What is his full name? Christopher
How long have you been married? 5 1/2 years
How long did you date? Ok ready for this? Technically 3 weeks, but I say a month cause it sounds a little better...
How did you meet? He actually baptized me on his mission. A year later I came out west to go to BYU-I, but I was flying into Salt Lake City and had no way to get there. I remembered he lived out that way so I called and asked him if he knew a bus or anyone I could pretty much hitch a ride with up to Idaho. He offered to drive me, so I came out, stayed a couple days with his family, and the rest was history.
Who eats more sweets? Him...he will eat peanut butter cups with chocolate milk...he says the best thing with chocolate is more chocolate. But I do love sweets too!
Who said "I love you" first? He did!
How old is he? 27
Who is taller? He is
Who is smarter? Well, he is definitely school wise and book smart...also scripture smart. I am 98% of the time the one who is right though!
Who does the laundry? We both do...my hubby is so good to help me out...I definitely do more of it though!
Who pays the bills? I do
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does
Who mows the lawn? He does...I hate to admit I have never mowed a lawn before!
Who drives? He does
Who is more stubborn? Me!
Who kissed who first? He kissed me first.
Who has more siblings? I do. I have 4 he has 2.
Who wears the pants? He wears the pants, but I tell him which ones to wear!!!!! (Thanks Kim, what a perfect way to put it....hehe!)
I now tag Andrea, Brandy, Holly, and Ashley

Here are a couple more pictures of my cute husband...he is such a kid at heart!

Rumbly Tummy

Hmmm....what can I eat???

Tasty Tuesday

So lately I have been trying to have our family eat more vegetables, more well balanced meals...just over all more healthy. I think having a child now changes how you view food because I really want to put good stuff in him and also make sure he is a healthy strong boy who is getting the vitamins he needs. So I have made a couple changes to our diet. First, we have started including some organic foods to our diet. I have heard that meat and dairy is the best to switch to 0rganic first, so we decided to start there and see how it goes, because we couldn't afford to change everything at first to organic being it's expensive. The other thing I did was about a month ago I purchased the book The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. I have the hardest time including a good rainbow of veggies in our diets and this book does it by giving you recipes for veggie purees that you can mix into sauces and recipes. I LOVE it! I just set aside time one day made three different ones, divided them into 1/4 cup bag portions and froze them. Now all I have to do it pull one out of the freezer and add it to whatever I am making. I really tried to tell if I could notice the taste of whatever vegetable puree I added but you can't.

So what is the purpose of this whole post? Well I have decided to make each Tuesday be a "Tasty Tuesday" entry with a recipe for a puree, some food info tidbit, a recipe, or something fun to do with food. I love to cook and try new things so I thought it would be fun. I hope you enjoy!

Orange Puree
By Missy Chase Lapine

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks
3-4 tablespoons water

In a pot boil sweet potatoes and carrots until very tender. Drain water and put veggies into a food processor with 2 tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth, stopping occasionally to push down chunks to bottom. Add more water if necessary. Yields 2 cups. Stores in fridge up to 3 days or freeze into portions in plastic bags.

Add to spaghetti sauces, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, meat loaf, taco soup, tomato soup, pizza sauce, etc.

Here are some of the benefits carrots and sweet potatoes provide:
Carrots are known as the "king of vegetables" due to being rich in carotenes and antioxidants. They are high in fiber, boost immunity, strengthen the heart, and protect against most cancers. Sweet potatoes are packed with antioxidants, vitamins C and E, carotenes, calcium, potassium, and iron. They are also a good source of B vitamins and folate, which strengthen and protect the heart and have been proven to boost brain power.

18 Month Milestone

Dawson is 18 months today...which means he is half way to his second birthday...which also means I am wondering where the time has gone! He is such a little person now, no longer a baby. I love this stage though....where he can run up to me and give me a great big hug, let me know if he wants a snack, can run all around, and make me laugh. In honor of it here is a little "survey" all about him!

Likes: His sippy with milk, body slamming and cuddling our cat, making people laugh (if he knows he has you going he keeps on doing whatever is funny), buckles (he will do up the buckle on his high chair and proceed to whine until I undo it so he can do it again), playing outside, helping out Mom and Dad with whatever they are doing, Toy Story, Elmo, playing with his blocks, wagon rides, our neighbor boy Parker who is 6 (he idolizes him I believe), animals, baths, and wrestling with Daddy or Uncle Jeremy.

Dislikes: Getting his diaper changed, getting dressed, when Mom or Dad says no, having to sit still, and when Mom is cooking dinner and not paying attention to him.

Favorite Foods: Strawberries, fruit snacks, vanilla wafers, sweet potatoes, milk, yogurt, cheese, graham crackers, and anything he can dip into ranch dressing.

Vocab: No while shaking his head back and forth, all done, kitty, uh oh, DaDa, Mom, There it is, dog, ball, yeah, go, and sometimes "pease" aka please.

Silly Stuff: He has his little "tricks" he does...I know, I know, he sounds like a dog. But if we ask he will do "cheesy grin" where he gives us a big toothy grin with his eyes squinted up, "professor walk" where he walks around the house with his arms behind his back, "tap dance" where he quickly stomps his feet on the ground, "scare me" where he growls at you, and various other little things like folding his arms for prayers, "washing" his hair, "combing" his hair, he puts his clothes in the laundry basket, raising his arms and saying "tah dah" which means touchdown, and loves to hand you silver wear when you put away dishes.

Mom's Favorites: I love that he can now just come up to me and cuddle with me. I love that he gives hugs and kisses. I love making him laugh and when he makes me laugh. I think it's so neat to see him discover new things and love (and sometimes fear) that he will try new things. I guess in general I just love to see him grow and learn new things everyday and that I get to stay at home and raise him.

Dad's Favorites: Hugs and kisses, wrestling and goofing around with him, seeing him light up when he gets home from work, and having a little helper outside in the yard.

Disneyland- Part 2

Ok, here is part two of Disney...more snippets and pictures for you to enjoy!
How crazy is this...6 families from our church ward were all in Disney at the same time! We just had to pose for a group picture!
I had Dawson watch Toy Story a bunch before we left. He loves that movie, even though he usually doesn't make it through the whole thing. So when we saw Buzz he lit up and knew who he was, it was so cute. As you can see, he wouldn't stop touching him! He was the one character he just adored cause he knew who he was. He was high fiving him, playing with him, etc. I wanted to purchase everything Buzz in the park after that!
So I didn't purchase everything Buzz, but he got a toy and this balloon. He would not let go of that balloon. The kid fell asleep with the ribbon in his tight little fist.
Me and Jen decided to let these boys out based on the charming good looks :)
The Tower of Terror! So much fun! And we are still alive!
Us three in Tarzan's Treehouse

We had so much fun in Disney, we decided we need to make sure we regularly go back each year. I has so much fun myself, but I also really enjoyed seeing Dawson take everything in and love everything...Disney is definitely magical!

Disneyland-Part 1

We had a great time on our vacation to Disneyland. We left at 3am so Dawson slept half the trip and the other half he watched movies on the portable DVD player...the most genius invention that saved us from one bored toddler! Our first day we got there we went to Downtown Disney and walked around and ate dinner at ESPN Zone where the boys played video games after. The next three days were Disney/California Adventures and then our last day there was the beach. We went with Christopher's sister Jen and her hubby Jeremy, and we all had a great time! I was surprised how many rides Dawson was able to go on and with the ones he couldn't ride they had a rider switch pass so Jen and Jer could ride then me and Chris could go up the exit and get right on the ride...fabulous! Anyways, here are some pictures and highlights from the trip:
Boys being Pirates
The gang with Mickey
Me and Jen being Princesses
The character breakfast...I highly recommend it! it's pricey, but it's a buffet and all the characters come around to your table (much easier then tracking them down then waiting in line to get a picture with them!)
My favorite picture from the bunch! Dawson needed a push to go up to him but as soon as he did he wouldn't let go! he kept hugging Winnie the Pooh.

Check back in the next couple of days for part two of Disney with more pictures and highlights!