Sunday, April 29, 2012

I Messy!

            We left the lid off the sand box last night.
            It rained this morning.
            I left Aubrey playing with sidewalk chalk to fix dinner.
            I found her like this.
       




Low-Carb Focaccia-Style Flax Bread

Starting in January, 2011, Wayne suggested we start a diet. He had been reading The Four Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss and asked that I read the diet chapters so I'd know what I needed to buy for us. I reluctantly skimmed a chapter about the diet. It reminded me a lot of the South Beach Diet that I had briefly tried in the past, only with less restrictions and a built-in cheat day. Basically avoid sugar/simple carbohydrates and instead eat beans, vegetables, meat, cheese, nuts, eggs... One day a week, take off to eat whatever you want (including the forbidden foods - pizza, ice cream, etc). I thought it couldn't hurt so I gave it a try.

The first three days (of sugar withdrawal, I'd guess) were pretty tough, but it definitely got better after the first month to the point that I don't think of it as a "diet," it's just the way I eat. Recently, I have also been trying to learn more about how to get more sources of Omega 3 fatty acids in my diet.

I'm probably late to the party, yet again, to discover that flax seeds are an excellent source of Omega 3s. Lucky for me they are also low-carb and high in fiber. Perfect! With just a little looking around, I found this recipe for low-carb flax bread. I'm excited about this "bread." I can have sandwiches again! Toast! And I'm always on the lookout for easy recipes to add variety to our food routine.

I wanted to share this recipe in case anyone else out there is trying to do something similar. And if you come across any other interesting low-carb recipes, please send them my way!



Slightly adapted from Laura Dolson, About.com Guide

Ingredients:
•2 cups flax seed meal
•1 Tablespoon baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 Tablespoon Truvia
•5 beaten eggs
•1/2 cup water
•1/3 cup oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 rimmed cookie sheet) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

1) Whisk eggs. Mix in water and oil.

2) Add dry ingredients, and stir until well combined. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.

3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)

4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).

5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.

6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; just cut it with a spatula.

* I keep my sliced bread in the freezer and pull out what I want to defrost or to toast. Otherwise, it will start to mold in a few days.


When I am Old With You





Thursday, April 26, 2012

Working on it...

There are so many projects we need to work on around here. One of those is the landscaping in the front of the house. Last fall, Wayne pulled out 3 overgrown bushes and this spring, he pulled out what remained of the stumps.

One of the new additions to the front will be a couple of chairs and table. One evening, Wayne was assembling the table and looked over to discover both kids wedged into the relatively small box. They thought it was pretty exciting. I guess boxes are fun - no matter what size they are.

(My children look a little crazy with their expressions alone. But if you notice something strange about their eyes in this picture - Tyler still had a little eye black under one eye from a birthday party that afternoon, and Aubrey had a scrape from falling down our front cement stairs).


Last weekend, we had the Jaberg's over. We ate dinner, the kids played for awhile, then we pulled out the fire pit and burned up the dried out bushes enjoyed a beautiful evening around the fire.




Aubrey busily stuffing leaves through the fence. (After apparently sitting in wet play sand).


Our "big" boys loved helping to keep the fire burning.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Tyler Torture

Easter

Easter, I didn't take many pictures. But, here are a few. The kids woke up to Easter baskets hanging on their doors and an indoor egg hunt.



Tyler thought it was "too easy." Though, I explained that the reason was so that Aubrey would have a chance to find eggs too.

There was no hurrying for Aubrey. Once she figured out that there was something IN the eggs, it was slow going. Open egg. Inspect contents carefully. Cautiously taste. Repeat.

For lunch, we had ham, hashbrown casserole, roasted green beans, deviled eggs, a cheese plate, and croissants.



We enjoyed spending the afternoon catching up with Ted and Sue. We even got in a board game and went out for ice cream.

It was a great weekend.

Botanica

Last Friday, I didn't have school (but Tyler did). My friend Michelle had her kids home from school that day too. So, that (cloudy cool) morning, we enjoyed walking around Botanica. (Wayne was there too - taking lots of pictures).



Very Hungry Caterpillar





With the busyness of everyday life these days, I am so thankful for time to spend with friends.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Disney - Spring Break

Tyler and my nephew Gabe were born within a month of one another. For a long time, my Mom has talked about wanting to take them to Disney World. Well, lucky us - we got to go along! During Spring break, my parents took us, my sister-in-law, Carrie, and 3 of her kids (Gabe, Israel and baby Layla) to Orlando. We maximized every day we had there.

We flew in at midnight on Sunday night. The next day, Wayne and Dad took the boys to the Animal Kingdom. We girls stayed back to do a little souvenir and grocery shopping and got settled into the condo.

Here are a few shots of our week:

Animal Kingdom 03/19/2012
If you look closely you can see Tyler and Wayne.

Expedition Everest

Waiting for our shuttle to Magic Kingdom on Day 2.


03-20-2012

Grandma with the boys, Israel (5), Tyler (7) and Gabriel (7).


Climbing the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse

The crew

Snack Time

Layla enjoying our ice cream break

Hands in the air for The Barnstormer

End of the day - brandishing Pirates of the Caribbean swords.

Our little ladies who helped hold down the fort.

Loving the balcony.

Epcot - and one of their amazing gardens.

Talking to the shark expert...for a looooong time!

Appreciating the tiny details in the butterfly garden.


More amazing gardens.

Aubrey kept climbing in empty cabinets and drawers...you'd often not see her at all or only a few fingers poking out.
Peek-a-boo

Enjoying the evening fireworks from the balcony.

Mini golf at the condo

One of the pools at the condo - and the running/walking path around the lake.

Our view the opposite direction.

Tyler and Grandpa in their KU shirts.
We had such a great week. It was exciting, relaxing and just wonderful to be together since we all live so far apart. What a wonderful gift they gave to us and our children.