Eggy Toast

Thinking of things to make for your family can become really difficult, especially if you feel you are stuck in a rut.  Thinking of things that are healthy, tasty, easy AND cheap just adds to the degree of difficulty.  So what is a frazzled mom (or dad!) to do?

Well I was faced with that question last Friday night.  I didn't want to spend money and I didn't feel like heating up an already too toasty kitchen.  I opened my fridge and saw that I had plenty of eggs and bread and thought, "Hey..egg toast!"  Now, this is not a novel idea whatsoever but I was proud of myself for making a healthy, tasty dish in less than half an hour without going to the store for extra ingredients.  And this meal is versatile!  You can have it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dunch OR dinner.  

You are going to need:

4-8 eggs depending on the size of your family

loaf of bread (we use Ezekiel sprouted whole grain)

mayonnaise

mustard

salt

pepper

paprika

cheddar, muenster or mozzarella cheese

First Step:  Boil those eggs!

 

Step #2: Peel the eggs and place them in a medium sized bowl.  Scoop some mayo, mustard onto the eggs.  Sprinkle on some salt, pepper and paprika and then mash together!

Step #4:  Place slices of bread on a cookie sheet and then set your oven to broil.  Put the cookie sheet of bread under the broiler for a few minutes until the pieces start looking like toast.  Take the bread out!

Step #5: Scoop the egg mixture evenly onto the pieces of toast.  Sprinkle on some cheese and place the sheet back under the broiler.  Watch carefully and take out when the cheese is nice and melty! Yes melty is a word.  I don't care what automatic spell check tells me.

After step #5 you should have yummy slices of egg toast!  Now here is where you can get creative with your toppings.  Maybe a little hot sauce?  Slices of avocados or tomatoes?  Or how 'bout some delicious guacamole?  I happened to have some leftover and let me tell you it was DELICIOUS!

Seems like a stingy meal right?  Well my hubby, who is a hearty eater, was filled after about 2.5 slices but it was so tasty he went for more!  ;)  Enjoy!

Thankful Journals

If I'm not careful, I can be somewhat of a pessimist.  I'm a worrier, a fretter.  (Is that a word??) In spite of living a blessed, happy life, I sometimes only focus on the dark side of things, though I say that I just want to be prepared for whatever is thrown at me.  I hate disappointment, so I anticipate the worst.  

But, obviously, that's not the best of attitudes.  Not very hopeful, not very happy, not very grateful.    So I try to remember to think positively, to focus on the goodness of life.  

One thing that helps me do this is a thankful journal.  I have a little book, something like one of these, although these are much prettier:

I try to write in this book at night before I go to bed.  I simply jot down something about that day for which I am grateful.   It's not always super profound; often it's something simple.  But it really helps me focus on all the good that is in my life.  

Here's a little peek at one entry:

"March 17, 2010

I'm grateful for this BEAUTIFUL day.  The weather was warm and sunny; Ryan was home from work.  We went to the Plains Conservatory and the boys feed chickens and cows.  We got dinner and ate at the park.  The kids were happy and played hard.  They went to bed nicely.  I love them SO much.  They are so special to me.  I love Ryan and the incredible father he is."

See, nothing profound, but definitely positive.  I especially love that this habit helps me capture little moments with my kids.  All moms know how easy it is to get bogged down in all the feeding, bum wiping, crying, etc.  The thankful journal helps me remember why motherhood is also awesome. 

My motivation to start a thankful journal came from Elder Eyring, a leader in our church.  I'm thankful for his words and my little journal.  Life is good.  

Awesome Workout Songs

I. Love. Music. There’s no denying it. I love finding a new song that has the ability to make me lose myself in the lyrics and melody and forget about the world around me. Cheesy, but seriously, music is my anti-drug. So, I thought I would share a list of some energizing songs that will give you that extra push you need to get off your behind and workout. Some are older songs and others are more recent. I was going to only list 10, but I got a little carried away. Enjoy and happy sweating! :)

In no particular order:
1. "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera
I’ve always loved this song, but never thought of listening to it while
I workout until I was in a spin class at the gym and the instructor
played it. It totally pumped me up and made me feel like I could do anything!

2. "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf

3. "I Don’t Care" by Fall Out Boy
Great beat and it gives me a sense of empowerment.

4. "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz
I love this song. It automatically puts me in a great mood and it
practically forces me to get up and start moving.

5. "How You Love Me Now" by Hey Monday

6. "When I Grow Up" by Pussycat Dolls

7. "Bring Me Under" by Evanescence

8. "Dollhouse" by Priscilla Renea

9. "OMG" by Usher feat. will.i.am

10. "Bulletproof" by La Roux
Most of you probably already have this on your workout playlist. It is
very popular, but for me, it never gets old.

11. "Crushcrushcrush" by Paramore

12. "La la La" by LMFAO

13. "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson

14. "Shooting Star" by David Rush feat. LMFAO, Pitbull, and Kevin Rudolf

15. "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
This is also a very popular workout song. I love the beat and it’s long
so it’ll keep you goin’.

16. "TiK ToK" by Ke$ha
I know, I know. This is probably one of the most overplayed songs ever,
but it is still one of my favorites. It pumps me up and hey, maybe some
of you haven’t heard of it. That is, if you’ve been living under a rock
for the past year. ;)

17. "Womanizer" by Britney Spears

18. "Black & Blue" by Miike Snow
"Black & Blue" is great for a jog. The lead singer has a cool and
unique voice that I could listen to forever!

19. "Daylight" by Matt & Kim

20. "Blame it on the Girls" by Mika

21. "Animal" by Neon Trees

22. "1901" by Phoenix

23. "Dr. Feel Good" by Travie McCoy
This is a fast paced song with lots of energy.

24. "(If You’re Wondering if I want you to) I want you to" by Weezer
I can't help but move when I listen to this one!

Interior Design Blogs

Interior design is a slight hobby of mine.  I say slight because if you've seen the state of my own home right now, you would be skeptical that I had any interest in it at all.  But I blame that on being young, poor newlyweds who are in a state of residence-limbo.  Someday far, far in the future when we own our own house and are planning on staying there for more than a few months at a time, I will make our little nest comfortable and cozy and just the way I like it.  But for now, I satisfy my growing interest in good home design by peeking at the blogs listed below, drooling over the beautiful homes and bookmarking things I want to try someday.  

Now, I realize that there are a lot of design blogs out there, and these are only a few of the ones I actually peruse often.  I also realize that these blogs may be highly suited to my specific taste, and some things that I may love, others may find less than appealing.  But, I like these particular blogs because while there may be an overall theme and style to the decor, there are lots of ideas that can be used and molded to fit into any style of design.  

design*sponge

http://www.designspongeonline.com/

I don't think any discussion of interior design blogs would be complete without talking about Design*Sponge.  What started off as the simple musings of interior design enthusiast Grace Bonney, has grown into a hugely popular design forum.  While the over-arching theme is interior design, the blog posts several times daily during the week, with columns on everything from design, food, travel-guides, and do-it-yourself ideas.  My favorite days are Mondays, when they showcase "sneak peeks"; basically home tours.  (See one of my favorites here.  Oh, someday I will have white wood floors and dark wood doors in my house and it will not be weird.)  I also love Wednesdays, when they post DIY ideas, and Thursdays, when they post before and afters sent in by readers.  Some people are so clever!

 
Little Green Notebook

http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/

Run by an interior designer based on the east coast, LGN is a treasure trove of good ideas and just plain good design.  I want to live in every room she does, with all the amazing fabrics she uses.  And the best part is, a lot of the projects she does are do-it-yourself that teach you how to get a certain look  inexpensively and include a lot of revamping stuff found on craigslist.  Added bonus, she's LDS. :)

 
Lonny Mag

http://www.lonnymag.com/Home.html

Oh, Lonny.  Lonny Mag isn't technically a blog, but an online magazine.  Back in 2008 when the economy was in the dumps, my favorite design magazine, Domino, closed shop.  That was a sad, sad day for me.  But thankfully, last year, a few former editors of Domino started up Lonny, an online magazine full of stuff that made Domino so great.  I still miss actually having paper in my hands to read, but Lonny has lots of great resources and lots of pretty pictures.  





Centsational Girl
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/


I like CG because it just started out as the blog of a woman in northern California who liked interior design and happened to be good at it, and has only recently gained a lot of followers.  She has great country french style, and almost everything she does is DIY.  She redoes a lot of stuff found on Craigslist, and while she may be tad heavy-handed with the white spray paint for my taste, her rooms always turn out beautifully.  I would love to have her home office for myself.  You know, because I have so many things to get done that require a home office...





Apartment Therapy
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/


And of course, Apartment Therapy. AT is not my favorite because it seems a bit more impersonal than the others (probably because they have a million people working on their blog from different cities), plus the fact that it tends to focus on more modern and minimalist design.  However, AT is still great for inspiration and it's cool that each big city has their own separate page.  




So there you have it.  Like I said, there are tons of websites and blogs dedicated to this stuff, and these are only a few.  But some of these I especially like, in particular LGN, CG, and design*sponge, because they show ways in which you don't have to break the bank to make your house look good.  There is a lot you can do with inspiration, paint, and elbow grease.  

Best Flat Irons

According to me of course!

So I have a lot of hair. Tons and TONS of hair. Like it takes me 20 minutes just to comb it after taking a shower. With a wide tooth comb. It's ridiculous.

And not only do I have a ton of hair but it's very coarse and frizzy and curly/wavy. A lethal combination. Most days my hair is thrown under a hat. I have to contain it somehow and I don't have the time to wrestle with it everyday.

On the weekends, however I have more time to make myself presentable so I embrace my natural waves and flat iron my hair. Er....I mean....never mind.


I have purhcased all my flat irons at Folica.com. They have amazing customer service and many items come with free shipping! Can't beat that! Well maybe you could beat it if the actual item was free but I digress.

So...I have found four awesome flat irons that are SO WORTH the money. And if they work on my hair they will do wonders for everybody else!









SOLIA


The Solia is my favorite. It doesn't pull or pinch and the ceramic plates just glide through the hair. It heats up to 400* and it makes my hair so smooth and soft! I have had my Solia for several years now and it works just as great as the day I received it! It fits great in your hand and the cord doesn't twist as easily as other flat iron brands (which is a good thing!)

SEDU


I also own the Sedu which was top rated on Folica.com for quite sometime. I actually like the Solia better but I think it's because the Sedu's plates are too wide. The Sedu tends to pinch my hair a bit but all-in-all it's a great flat iron and it too made my hair very soft and smooth. The Sedu also heats up to 400* and it too has ceramic plating.

HairArt




HairArt flat irons were some of my first investments and they are still awesome! They are quite similar to the Solia but I notice they are a bit harder to handle. The cord tends to contort and twist into knots very easily and it's annoying to have to untangle.

Chi

Now I don't actually OWN a Chi but I have used them several times and I know they are quite popular. The reason I don't own it is because they have a fixed heat. Meaning I can't change the temperature. And most Chi's only heat up to 370* which crazily enough isn't hot enough to get my hair straight on the first pull through. But my hair isn't like most others and I'm sure 370* is certainly hot enough for the average Josephina's hair. And perhaps for the average Joe as well, including his boyfriend.

So there ya go! Enjoy your flat iron shopping and frying your hair!

Buying Guides

Need help deciding which product or tool is right for you?

• Choosing the Right Flat Iron
• Choosing the Right Hair Dryer
• Choosing the Right Curling Tool
• Choosing the Right Shampoo
• Choosing the Right Conditioner
• Choosing the Right Styling Products

More Hair 101

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Make Your Own Granola Bars...and My Soapbox on Kids' Snacks

Get ready people.  This blog is about to take off.  We are going to wow you with our amazing ideas, incredible wit and juicy secrets in our upcoming posts.

Okay, well, I'll leave that for you to judge.  But we'll try hard.  No pressure, my dear sisters.

Today I've got another recipe for you.  But before I share it, let me tell you something I've found a bit confusing since I entered parenthood.  First of all, kids need snacks.  No, that's not the confusing part.  What's confusing to me is the type of snacks that are marketed as "healthy"--and that parents actually give these snacks to their kids, thinking it's a good idea.

Exhibit A:

Fruit snacks

Let's look at the ingredient list on these babies: CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, APPLE PUREE CONCENTRATE, WATER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, GELATIN, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CITRIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, COLOR ADDED, COCONUT OIL, CARNAUBA WAX, YELLOW #5, RED #40, SODIUM CITRATE, BLUE #1.

Does that sound like something that will fill your kid up with some good energy? At least apple puree concentrate is on there.  But corn syrup is the first ingredient?  Gross.  Now, I'm not totally opposed to fruit snacks.  I let my kids have them just as much as I let them have gummy bears, or Skittles.  Which I do, but they're not something I grab if we're going to the park and I know they'll get hungry.  Fruit snacks (unless they're an all-fruit variety) are not food--they're candy!

Exhibit B:

Granola bars

Okay, so granola bars are a little better than fruit snacks.  Almost all varieties have some whole grains.  But look at exactly what else this popular variety has:

GRANOLA (WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, BROWN SUGAR, CRISP RICE [RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT], WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED WHEAT, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTONSEED OILS* WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL WITH NATURAL TOCOPHEROL ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS, DRIED COCONUT, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOY LECITHIN, CARAMEL COLOR, NONFAT DRY MILK), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT), CORN SYRUP, CRISP RICE (RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, BARLEY MALT, SALT), INVERT SUGAR, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, GLYCERIN, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL*. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SORBITOL, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, WATER, SOY LECITHIN, MOLASSES, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BHT (PRESERVATIVE), CITRIC ACID.

I'm seeing partially hydrogenated oils on there one too many times.  Now there are several organic, healthier versions out there.  But they're expensive.  And they don't always taste that great.  I figured out in the past couple years or so that I could make my own granola bars that taste delish, are cheap and not loaded with artificial junk.  My kids love them.  I just need to figure out a way to keep myself from eating them so that I have them on hand a little longer!

I've tried a few different recipes:

Granola Bars from Super Healthy Kids --this one is pretty good.  It has flour in it, and I've decided the non-flour versions are closer to the granola bars I'm used to.

Homemade Granola Bars from Kitchen Stewardship --I also like this one.  It involves toasting the oatmeal in the oven, mixing everything on the stove and then pressing into a pan.  It was tasty, but the last few times I made it, they came out thinner than I like.

And finally, the most recent one I've tried is my favorite so far.  I adapted it every so slightly.

Chewy Granola Bars (from Make and Takes) (with slight adaptations)

2 1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. crispy brown rice cereal

1/4 c. coconut

1/2 c. white chocolate chips

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Add all of the ingredients and mix together until combined. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars. 

They were a hit in my household!  And this recipe is very adaptable.  If you don't like coconut (ahem, Carly), leave it out.  Add some regular chocolate chips if you like.  (I like white because they're less messy.)  Or maybe some peanut butter.  Or even pumpkin.  Lots of stuff you can do.  

Try 'em out!  And if you have kids you have to share with, good luck saving some for them!

Lentils

So since we are all on the same page with trying to eat three healthy meals a day I thought we could give each other some inspiration. Cue the lentils:

Sadly I have never cooked with lentils in my life. But apparently they are one of the "superfoods."

After picking up some pre cooked lentils from Trader Joe's I decided I needed to do something with them. They had just been sitting in my fridge. You can also buy them dried; they cook pretty quickly.

So I decided to use them in place of taco meat (turkey, beef). I dumped them in a pan, heated them up and added some salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder and some shredded Mexican Cheese. I made some homemade tortillas to go along with it and you guys, this dinner was DELISH! Lentils are really flavorful and when cooked they are tender and add a great texture. I put some tomatoes, bit of cilantro, avocado and spinach leaves in the "burritos" and it was yummy. Definitely going to be buying those lentils again!