Creating & Remembering

Grandma's house just brings back memories. 

You know what I'm talking about? You sit inside Grandma and Grandpa's house and memories just come flooding in: swinging on the bar chairs at the island, downing glasses and glasses of raspberry lemonade, running around in the basement and coloring on the cement floors...ahh. I love these memories. What's even better is that I get to share these memories with my husband and then hang on to them as my kids make their own memories. 

These past two weeks we made some more memories in our own way: with little to no money and a lot of fun :)

1. Coconut Banana Bread

We love banana bread, and my grandma has passed down a really delicious recipe. We just add a little bit of coconut extract to the mix and top it with a delicious coconut glaze and voila! Coconut banana bread. Yum!

2. Try a New Restaurant

We had a little laugh when we tried out this Chinese restaurant with Kaleb's family. It's called Four Seasons Hot Pot & Dumplings and the food is really delicious, but if you've never been there before, you will look really dumb when ordering. Just like a mongolian grill, you fill up a bowl of raw food and take the bowl back to your table where there is a large pot over a burner. You dump your food into the pot of boiling broth and wait until it's cooked through. I suggest trying out this place, though. It's fun :)

3. Finish a Puzzle

Since Kaleb's parents are packing up and getting rid of things in preparation for moving, we have been the lucky recipients of many great things. But one of our favorite things to do is put together puzzles. Sometimes it's nice to just sit and enjoy each other's company while you exercise your mind. 

This particular puzzle is of Jerusalem and it is so, so cool to look at. All over the puzzle are various stories about Christ as told in the New Testament. It is such a cool puzzle to put together and remember the Bible stories.

4. Homemade Strawberry-Lemon Sorbet

Since we've acquired an ice cream maker, another one of our favorite things is making ice creams and sorbets. This one is a definite winner and we have enjoyed eating this one. ONLY THREE INGREDIENTS: Strawberries, Sugar, and Lemons. Done. That's it. So the ingredient list is totally do-able and you get a delicious sorbet without breaking the bank.

5. Easy Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Another super easy recipe that is this cinnamon french toast stick recipe. We used our homemade batter bread recipe for this breakfast, but any regular store bought or homemade white bread will work just fine (just make sure the cuts are thick!). We were totally filled and enjoyed making it.

6. Go to the Zoo

Now, normally the zoo is pretty expensive, at least the ones in our area. However, my dad was able to snag a few free tickets to the Oakland Zoo due to a service project that he was engaged in earlier. So My mom, brother, sister, husband, and I went to the zoo and enjoyed the day in the heat of the day with the animals :)

7. Ice Cream

We spent a little bit of extra money and treated ourselves to some Fenton's ice cream after our trip to the zoo. However, ice cream is totally affordable from the grocery store and is such a wonderful treat on those hot Summer days. I'm surprised we didn't get stomach aches from this amount of ice cream, though! 

8. Go to a Sporting Event

Local sporting events are usually totally affordable. We lucked out and went with my family to a SF Giants game during our visit. Not only did we witness a Grand Slam, but we enjoyed getting bundled up and cheering for a local team :)

I love spending time with my family and have been especially blessed to spend a few days with my In-laws and then an entire week with my family in California. When we all get together, we have a blast and I really married into a great family. I am so blessed! So here is to another two weeks of pregnancy (29 weeks!), creating memories, and loving life with my growing family.

Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

We love Breakfast. And we love it at any time of the day.

French toast is probably one of our favorites, so making these french toast sticks was fun, and even better to eat!

This recipe is super easy and totally worth that extra preparation time in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

Our Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

• 12 slices thick-cut bread (we used our homemade batter bread recipe, but you can use any bread, as long as the cuts are thick)
• 4 eggs
• 1 C heavy cream
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 C butter, sliced in Tablespoons (after each "round" of sticks, make sure to add more butter, so it could actually require up to 1/2 C)
• Maple syrup for serving

Instructions:

1. Cut each slice of bread into 3-4 sticks and set aside
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla. Dip each bread stick into the egg mixture, making sure to completely coat. Place coated bread on another plate.
3. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp butter. Once butter is melted, place several sticks in skillet in a single layer. Cook each side of the sticks until golden brown.
4. Serve with maple syrup for dipping!

Coconut Banana Bread

Everything Grandma makes just seems to come out better...

Ever since I was a little girl, I looked forward to the food (and the playing around) at Grandma's house. Though it wasn't really that different from what my mom cooked, I felt like it just tasted so much better at Grandma's because we were at Grandma's house :) This is one of my very favorite recipes that my mom got from my grandma; a family favorite for sure. 

The basic banana bread recipe is my grandma's and then I have thrown in my coconut twist to create this coconut banana bread version. Both are delicious!

Grandma's Banana Bread (with my Coconut Twist)

Ingredients:

Our Coconut Banana Bread

• 2 eggs
• 3 medium-ripe bananas, sliced
• 2/3 C sugar
• 1/3 C vegetable oil (or coconut oil for a healthier version)
• 1 3/4 C flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp coconut extract (divided)
• 3/4 C powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp heavy cream
• 3/4 C shredded coconut

Instructions for Baking Perfection:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Break eggs into medium bowl and beat until well-blended.
3. Add sliced bananas to eggs and mix well. Add sugar, oil, and 1 tsp coconut extract and mix until combined.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and add to egg mixture. 
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan (wax paper or cooking spray work just fine) and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until golden brown and baked all the way through. Let the bread cool for 15-20 minutes.
6. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp of the heavy cream, and the coconut extract. Whisk until it comes together. If it is too thick, add more cream (2 Tbsp was perfect for ours). 
7. Drizzle the glaze over the bread and toss the shredded coconut over the top. 
8. Cut and enjoy! It is truly delicious :)

A Little bit of Everything

This week has been...Well... A real doozy of a week. That probably explains my lack of writing any posts this week. However, I have so much that I want to share!

Our budget is tight, but we still love to cook, play, and craft. So here are 5 activities that we have had to pleasure of enjoying over the past week.

1. Homemade Play-Doh

Kaleb and I have been looking into cheap, but fun activities that we can do with our kids later and we found a perfect one: Homemade Play-doh. This stuff is super easy to make, requiring only about 5 minutes of your time for each color of dough you decide to make.

     

Homemade Play-Doh

2. Chicken Fajitas on Rice (or a Tortilla)

I love fajitas. Now, I don't claim to be a savant at cooking or anything, but this was delicious! My feet were killing me and and I was exhausted, so Kaleb took over the kitchen for this one. He did an excellent job (I married well ;) and we enjoyed this exceptionally easy recipe :)

Chicken Fajitas on Rice

3. Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pie Pockets

These are basically Hot Pockets on steroids. They are SO  delicious and they are good for lunch or dinner. Your kids will love them as well as your husband (and you can sneak in some extra green veggies into their diets!) This one is definitely one of our favorites now :)

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pie Pockets

4. Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole

This is a definite winner in our cookbook. This recipe does a few things: 1.) It provides us (a family of two) with 4 meals, 2.) It is super  easy to make and we had most of the ingredients already, and 3.) This casserole is delicious. Totally a keeper and one that you really should try.

Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole

5. Enjoy Life as it Happens

It is so easy to get caught up with the unfinished things on your "To-Do" list. Although life gets hectic and there are probably more things to worry about, I try to enjoy everything as it happens. I find that I am so much happier! And also, take pictures of those moments, because you may think that you'll remember, but you won't. And some things are worth treasuring and capturing in picture form ;)

Smoothie Mustaches and Pregnant Bellies

Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole

Baked Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole

So yummy and so, so easy. Just what a mom needs :)

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. Ground Turkey
• 1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs (fresh or packaged)
• 1 Tbsp Milk (we used skim milk)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 Cup Yellow Onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh, chopped Parsley
• 1 Egg

Casserole:

• 12oz Spaghetti Noodles (we used whole-wheat, but regular also work well)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp fresh, chopped Parsley
• 28oz Pasta Sauce (we used Prego)

Casserole Construction:

1. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all meatball ingredients and form into 1-inch balls.
3. Place meatballs on foil-lined pan and bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees.
4. Boil pasta until just softening. Drain and pour in large bowl. Toss with olive oil.
5. Stir together egg, parsley, pepper, 1 Cup mozzarella cheese, and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta and then place in casserole dish.
6. Top with meatballs and pasta sauce. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove foil, top with 1 1/2 Cups mozzarella cheese and continue to bake until cheese is melted and browned.

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pie Pockets

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pie Pockets

The best "Hot Pocket" you'll ever have. Plus, it sneaks a little bit of green veggies into your diet ;)

Ingredients (Makes 4 Pie Pockets):

• 8oz. Cream Cheese
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups cooked and shredded Chicken Breast
• 1 1/2 Cups chopped Broccoli
• 1/2 Cup frozen Corn
• 1 Box (2 count) Refrigerated Pie Crust (or, you can use my homemade pie crust recipe below :)

My Homemade Pie Crust (Makes 2 full pie crusts):

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Cups Flour
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 3/4 Cup Shortening
• 10 Tbsp Ice Cold Water

Instructions:

1. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Gently cut in shortening until shortening makes pea-sized clumps.
2. Sprinkle 6 Tbsp of the cold water over the flour mixture and toss lightly with a fork.
3. Add remaining water, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork, pressing the sides to the bowl until everything is moistened.
4. Divide dough in half and gently pat into 2 lightly-flattened balls. Cover with plastic wrap and set in fridge until ready to use.

Pie Pocket Instructions:

1. In a large, microwavable bowl, combine cream cheese and butter and microwave at 15-second intervals until able to stir smoothly.
2. Add onion powder and garlic salt to mixture, stir.
3. Add cooked, shredded chicken, broccoli, and corn, and stir until well-combined.
4. Roll out pie crusts on a floured surface and cut into quarters.
5. Spoon 1/4 of broccoli mixture into 4 of the crust quarters (about 3/4 to 1 Cup) and top with another crust quarter. Crimp or roll edges.
6. Cut 3 slits on the top of each pocket and place on non-stick (or greased) baking sheet.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes**, or until tops are golden brown.

**If using the homemade crust recipe, it took more like 25 minutes, and it won't turn golden brown. But it is done and will be delicious!

Chicken Fajitas on Rice

Chicken Fajitas on Rice

This recipe is delicious AND it was a recipe that my husband really enjoyed making. I give all the credit to him and express my gratitude for a husband who loves to cook as much as I do :)

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Fajita Seasoning (recipe ingredients below)
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• Salt
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced
• 3 Large Bell Peppers, seeds and ribs removed, sliced
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 4 Cups White Rice, Cooked
• 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/3 C Cilantro, chopped (and a little extra for topping)
• ground black pepper
• 2 Avocados, halved and sliced
• 2 Green Onions, chopped

Fajita Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat each side of the chicken with the fajita seasoning mixture and season with salt. Set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet (or even a wok) over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. Add onions and peppers and sauté for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Place in bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Increase temperature to med-high heat and add remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. Add chicken breasts and cook until browned on both sides. Place chicken in a baking dish and cook for 10 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.
5. While the chicken cooks, start cooking your white rice (unless you've already done that ahead of time). 
6. Remove Chicken and cover baking dish with foil. Set aside.
7. In skillet, add rice. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and place in medium bowl. Toss with cilantro and add lemon juice, a teaspoon as a time, to your liking.
8. Place rice into bowls and top with peppers and onions. Slice chicken and add to bowl. Garnish with avocado slices, extra cilantro, and green onions. 
9. Serve immediately and enjoy the fiesta in your mouth!

Homemade Play-Doh

Homemade Play-Doh

This stuff is great. It is super easy to make and it requires things that most of us have available in our kitchens already. Sweet! So I highly suggest you get the kids together and have them experiment with their colors, because we are making play-doh :)

Ingredients (for 1 regular-sized ball of play-doh):

• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Cup Warm Water
• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tbsp (1 1/2 tsp) Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
• Food Coloring (in liquid drop form)

The Play-Doh Construction:

1. In a small pot, add flour, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix well. Then add water and vegetable oil. Combine until there are no dry chunks.
2. Add food coloring to make whatever color you'd like. *The dough will be the exact color it is after adding the food coloring, so don't worry about the color fading or anything like that*
3. Cook the mixture on low heat and stir constantly with a rubber spatula. Keep it over the heat and keep stirring until the consistency is like play-doh!
4. Let dough cool on wax paper and then store in a mason jar or another airtight container in the fridge (yes, the fridge) so that it doesn't mold. 
5. Take it out and play with it whenever you'd like!! It stays soft!

It's Fun to be a Kid

I've hit the 26 week of pregnancy! Lilly is almost 2 pounds now and I am definitely feeling it. She is now big enough to make a significant impact on my bladder and I probably look really ridiculous to my supervisor and coworkers when I need to use the restroom 3 times in an hour...

26 Weeks!!

Kaleb planned our date night and we had a blast! We tried out this pizza place that we had been eyeing in Springville called Pier 49 Sourdough Pizza. We got a large barbecue chicken pizza and I am not even ashamed to admit that we ate the entire thing...and I ate 1/2 of it. Oops! 

But we got our exercise a little as we walked around downtown Springville and enjoyed the fantastic weather. We ended up discovering a store that we absolutely fell in love with and will definitely be returning to: Funfinity. This store is packed with toys, games, gadgets, trinkets, candy, books, stuffed animals, dress up, and even an array of supplies for baking (one of my favorite discoveries there). Kaleb loved finding this gigantic bar of chocolate that is used for melting and shaping into smaller chocolates. But he also loved the hand puppets that we found. So fun!

We hope to return to this store and maybe get a few things when we actually have a child to do all these things with. But we really had a blast being kids as we walked around the store playing with everything for like 45 minutes...

Truth is, though, that we love being kids. I hope we never lose this love to play and to laugh and joke as the years go by, because it gets even better when you have kids to be silly with :)

Parenting Contemplations

Me and Kaleb on our Wedding Day :)

I had a moment of contemplation as I thought about the kind of parent I want to be. With a baby on the way, I've developed an increasing interest in the ways that other people parent their children and what values they deem as "important" in their homes. Though I know that this is a major work in progress and my ideas will undoubtedly change throughout parenthood, these are 3 things that I am positive will not change and remain important in our home:

1. God's Love

I am totally understanding of the fact that I cannot hand over my testimony or force my children to believe what I believe to be true, however, I can show my children what God's love is and try my best to teach them the principles of the gospel, just as Christ taught. Although I am undoubtedly imperfect, I know the power of God and know what living His gospel can do to the lives of His children, so I hope that my children will also choose to follow His teachings.

2. Family

Again, I never want to force my children to do anything, but I want them to see what I value as important. Family is, in my book, definitely something I consider to be monumentally important. In my home, I hope to include family gatherings and family time that includes activities like Family Home Evening, family dinner, family scripture study, family support at sporting and other events, and family vacations. We may not live luxuriously, but we can live and enjoy our time together.

3. Mom & Dad's Love

I was lucky to have grown up in a home where my mom and dad were the leaders and examples. I knew that they loved each other and they showed their love in lots of various ways. This is the kind of impact I want to have on my own children. I saw a quote not too long ago that perfectly communicated my thoughts on this, "I want the kind of marriage that makes my kids want to get married." I want to be an example to my children and I am really happy that my husband and I have started out with such a great relationship already that will only get better as the years go by.

Most of my overall thoughts on parenting are influenced by my degree and experience in Elementary Education. I've learned through countless instances of trial and error that kids do not do well with force, and when given the choice, they will accept to face the consequences. Good or bad. This is how they learn. They need agency and love, lots of love. Oftentimes I found myself in a classroom where I could tell the child really struggled at home and just needed some extra love and care. Unlike these students, however, I can control how much love my own children receive and my actions and reactions to their behavior. I can only hope that I can be the type of example that they need to help them become even better than I am.

Peanut Butter Snacks

Can I just tell you for a minute how much I love treats, snacks, and really just food in general? I seriously go home and look for things to bake or cook. If my feet didn't hurt so bad all the time, even with my nice, supportive shoes, then I could probably stand to cook and bake more.

However, I made a delicious peanut butter treat that is perfect for an "after workout snack" since it is packed with the protein from the peanut butter. The recipe is super easy, too!! I'll share it with you :)

Peanut Butter Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 C creamy peanut butter (we used Skippy)
• 1 C honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 C old-fashioned oats

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F and get out two non-stick cookie sheets (if you don't have a non-stick sheet, line one with parchment paper).
2. Put the peanut butter and honey in a medium, microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir with rubber spatula until smooth.
3. Add vanilla, mix, then stir in the oats and stir until completely coated.
4. Spoon 1-Tablespoon sized chunks onto the cookie sheets (they don't spread, so you can pack them closely). Bake for 8 minutes and let them cool completely on the cookie sheet before removing.
5. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks!

Basically, these are easy and they are delicious. My husband really likes them for an after workout snack to keep his protein levels up. I like them after workouts as well...or any other time of the day.

Just thought I'd share one of these favorite snacks of mine :)

My Husband Must Really Love Me...

How many days are left until I'm done working? This is the question I continually find myself asking. Only 35 more days stand between me and rest...at least before this little baby comes. That will give me about 1 month to prepare and make sure everything is (at least sort of) set up for the first day we bring Lilly home. I am so excited!
She has been moving around all over the place lately. I feel kicks, punches, rolling, moving, and other crazy movements going on, which is probably why my stomach has been hurting. She must be stretching me out! My guess is that this little girl is going to be a mover once she gets on her two little feet.

It has been so hot lately that Kaleb has had to push his half marathon training later into the evening. But even at 7pm it's still blazing outside! I guess the sun is helping out our little potted plants, though...

It's been between 8 or 9 months since the last time Kaleb and I have tackled fish for dinner. Our last few experiences ended with smoke and burnt fish. Not good. So we let some time go by and decided to try our hand at cooking fish again.

Grilled Tilapia with Crunchy Corn Salsa

Dinner was grilled tilapia with crunchy corn salsa. Pretty good. However, I would want to alter the ratio of lime zest that we put into the salsa. Less zest, more juice. The best thing was, however, that we didn't burn the fish! In fact, it was delicious! The fish seasoning was perfect: 2 parts pepper, 2 parts salt, 1 part cayenne pepper. The only thing I wish was that we had a grill... but the skillet worked just fine and the fish tasted great :)

Kaleb Scrubbing my Feet

The evening brought a little surprise as Kaleb volunteered to give me a pedicure and massage my feet. My husband must really love me, because my feet aren't the prettiest, especially right now. But he concocted a foot soak solution (1 part Listerine, 1 part vinegar, 3 parts hot/warm water, and some Epsom salt), scrubbed my feet, took off the previous polish, and filed my nails. It felt so good! He is so good to me :)

You know, it really is the simple things in life, like not burning the fish for dinner and getting a foot massage, that really can turn a day around and put a smile on your face :)

A Marathon Sort of Day

You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and you have absolutely no desire to get up and start the inevitable in front of you? Yeah. That was this particular morning as I lay in bed contemplating my need to go to work and do all the other things that day required.
My boss and many of my supervisors are gone for this entire week due to training conferences, girls camps, and scout camps. I guess this what happens when you work in the summer. However, the lack of people has made my days go by very, very slow. But I made it through the work day and left to venture into the 90 degree Utah weather!

With the temperature being so hot lately, Kaleb and I have been furiously watering our little plants on our porch. Our poor bean plants caught a little disease, so those are on their way out, but we are excited about all the other little sprouting flowers that we are able to see growing :)

After spending the weekend in Idaho with family, it was time to restock the kitchen with food. So off to Costco and Walmart we went! We have both determined that shopping is one of our very favorite things to do together. In fact, I consider it a major stress reliever, and also great exercise! Of course, we do get treats whenever we go to Costco and check out the food sample tables ;)
There is nothing better than opening the fridge or pantry and actually seeing food inside! Overall, lots of joy in our little home :)

For family home evening we talked about the scripture Enos 1:27 and contemplating meeting the Savior for the first time. Then, in remembrance of our dear, recently passed Apostle, Elder L. Tom Perry, we learned a little bit more about his life and watched a brief video biography called, Remembering the Life of Elder L. Tom Perry. I highly recommend it! It is such a great summary of his life and the lessons and themes that he lived by.
After this sweet lesson, we made a Kjar family recipe of Chocolate Oat Chip Cookies. To die for! I admit that I ate about 5 cookies before going to bed...

Although the day started begrudgingly, I am so glad that I was able live the day as I did and spend my time with my sweet husband :)