FAT FREE ZESTY ITALIAN DRESSING

Need to add more green veggies to your diet? Try this:

1 cup frozen string beans
2 TBSP fat free zesty italian dressing

Pan fry until hot.
*Seriously, this is so simple and sooooo yummy. I love the Trader Joe's frozen string beans, but if you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, Costco's are just as good. My sister Candice was the one who told me to do it like this.... Thank you Candice!

Zesty Chicken

chicken breasts
fat free zesty italian dressing
3 juiced lemons
salt & pepper

Marinade over night. Grill. Enjoy every bite.
*This is another one from Candice. I always do this when I make shish-ka-bobs.... not sure why, I just love it with the veggies.

Life Is Good

Nothing in particular to update with... so I am going to ramble.

January was a good month. I am used to January being so depressing... you know... the month after Christmas, freezing cold UT weather, ready for spring. But living in California makes January not so shabby. We have been spending a lot of our days outside... the pool, parks, disneyland... the usual.

I started a lot of new things this month, I guess you could call them goals, although I have never been much of a goal setter, mainly because I never follow through. A few of my changes:
- Make a lunch for Scott to take to school
- Iron Scotts clothes for school
- Make dinner... consistently
- Work out hard. Hard is a key word for me, I tend to get lazy :)
- Eat smaller portions.
- Cut out candy, cake, cookies, ice cream.... all the good sugary treats.
- Enjoy being a mom.
- Be a happy mom in the A.M.
- Read scriptures with the kids.
- FHE lessons
- Date night/quality time with hubby.

I am proud to say that the changes have been made, and stayed consistent through the month of January. I have made Scott a lunch everyday and always make sure is clothes are ironed the night before, it has saved him so much time in the morning. I have been pretty good at making dinner and have tried a lot of new recipes!

My workout. I have always enjoyed working out, but I get tired, and lazy... not gonna lie. Sometimes I get to the gym and only spend 30 min. And that 30 min consists of walking on the treadmill or walking through the weights trying to pick and choose what I feel like doing... not kidding! This month has been great! I have been pushing myself harder than I ever have, and seriously it feels amazing! I am also training for the So Cal Ragnar... ahhh... I am nervous. I am also trying to eat smaller portions, I love the full feeling... like, I need to unbutton my pants feeling, but it's a work in progress :). I am proud to say that I am currently sugar free for 4 weeks! Yay Me!

Motherhood... don't get me wrong I love being a mom. But I tend to let the little things get in the way of really enjoying it. I want my house clean, I need to run errands, I want my kids to stop winning, when is Clara's nap, when is Scott coming home, etc. I just wanted to slow down and enjoy the little things, rain or shine. We went through a week of Clara being sick, it started with a cold/cough and then turned into the flu. I can honestly say that I enjoyed it. We sat and watched movie after movie and just cuddled, it was a nice break from the daily grind. Mornings? Yeah... I am not the best morning person. But, I learned something new... if I can get to bed 10:30... waking up at 7 am... is not so bad. Why did it take me so long to figure that one out?

Scripture reading has been a success. Jackson is obsessed. Really I have him to thank for following through. Sometimes we read 2x in one day because he is so anxious for the next story. FHE... we have always been good at finding an activity to do together, but not so great at the lessons. My mom recently gave all us kids her FHE lessons, they are already put together with activities, displays and everything. They have made doing a lesson so easy! Thank you mom!

Date night... ahhh... date night. Until this month, Scott and I had not been out on one date since we moved here. Pathetic, right! Well... I talked to a few other couples out here and we started a group date night! Every Friday night we take turns with all the kids. One couple stays home with all the kids, and the other couples go out and spend some quality time together! Thank you to my sister Melissa for giving me the idea!

LIFE IS GOOD.

Clara update.

A little about our Clara Rose Randall

- She is 2 1/2 Years Old.
- She still sucks her middle two fingers. But also sniffs her blanket while sucking her fingers. It's totally weird.
- As I sit here and type this, she sits next to me and eats Beef Jerky. Each time it gets stuck in her teeth she makes me pick it out with my fingers.
- She loves her mom. And its weird - but she picks me over Scott 95% of the time. And to be honest, I love it!
- She is a movie-holic. She could easily spend all day in front of the TV as long as one of her favorites is on repeat... Monsters vs. Aliens (she has an obsession with Derek?), Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs, or Tinkerbell The Great Rescue.
- She is always undressing.
- She has an obsession with flushing the toilet... if you flush it without offering her the chance first, prepare yourself for a meltdown.
- She hates when I do her hair... brush it, comb it, wash it, play with it... I guess she prefers the "homeless, nobody loves me" look.
- When Jackson does something she doesn't like, she says, "Jackson, I am serious!" I must say that a lot.
- She can't say her "r's". And I love it.
- Her blanket "Dottie" comes EVERYWHERE with us. It's really starting to bug me.
- She gets scared very easily. If we tell her an elephant is at the door, she runs and hides. If you tell her an alligator is on the ground and will get her toes, she will start to cry. She hates the dark, and refusing to go into a room unless the light is on.
- The first things she says every morning when she comes into the room is, "Mommy, need pink milk". It's a very desperate tone... I have never made her wait long, but I think she literally might die if she didn't get it ASAP.
- She is a cuddler. I love it.
- If she is eating something that breaks in half... it becomes "broken"... and seems as though the world has come to an end.
- When she concentrates hard on something that she is trying to say, she squints her eyes and usually stutters a few times before the word or phrase actually comes out.

I love this girl. I love everything about her. I love her even when she is tired and practically impossible to deal with - because even then - she is the cutest 2 1/2 year old I have ever seen.

Martin Luther Holiday

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was a beautiful day! Scott had a test the following day so he was MIA. But I didn't let that stop me from having fun with the kids. We headed over to the pool. The water was FREEZING! But it didn't take long before Jackson & Clara were swimming around like fishes... totally insane, but they loved it!

Today I was grateful to live in BEAUTIFUL Southern California. The weather here is perfect.

Favorite Salads

I have been trying to get back in the habit of my "1 salad a day" rule. And I have 2 new favorites that I have to share!

The first is from my friends sister-in-law. She originally made it for me a few months ago, and since then, I have made it maybe a dozen times... not kidding!

Salad de Provence
From: Lou's Kitchen

I have tried a few things from her blog... and so far... all of it has been DELICIOUS! Try the salad first... and then go from there!

NEXT SALAD is from a south beach diet. I originally tried it because it reminded me of a salad that my neighbor in UT made for me. It is so simple, and sooooo good!

Chicken & Avocado Salad

Prep Time: 20 min.
Tangy Lime, aromatic cilantro, and creamy avocado give this refreshing salad a light mexican flavor; chicken turns it into a satisfying one-dish meal for lunch or dinner.

3 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1 (1-pound) head romaine lettuce, chopped (8 cups)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, sliced
1 pound cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, & sliced
   freshly ground black pepper

1. Whisk together oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and a pinch or two of pepper in a small mixing bowl.
2. Combine lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber in a large mixing bowl. Toss with half of the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper; divide among 4 plates.
3. Toss chicken with 1 tbsp of the remaining dressing and divide among salads. Top with avocado slices, drizzle with remaining dressing, and serve.

Makes 4 (3-cup) servings
Per serving: 380 calories, 21 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 38 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 5 g dietary fiber, 240 mg sodium.

CLEAN & ORGANIZED

When we moved out here, we got rid of ALOT of toys. So when Christmas came around, we felt like it was okay to spoil the kids a bit with some new things. Along with all the new toys that came... we needed a place to put it all! But, don't forget, we live in a somewhat small 2 bedroom apartment. The kids share a room, not just with each other, but with their toys as well.

So this week, we put some time into organizing and re-arranging. This is what we came up with. And I am completely surprised at how well it works out.

Clara is still in her crib. I know I could change her over.... but I'm just not ready to say goodbye to that part that still makes her my "baby girl".

P.S. The little shelf with buckets that holds toys is on sale at target for $33. You save over $20 dollars.

And I have to add a few pics from today. The weather hit 70! It was a beautiful day. Sadly Clara has a cold and desperately needed a nap and so we had to get home, but we will take what we can get!

Cable Air Show

Parachuters started off the show. They jumped out and as they descended one of the guys let out the American Flag and the National Anthem was sung. It was amazing.

One of the plans that was in the show.

Scotts dream plane.... dream on sweetie. :)

One of the parachuters let Jackson try on his backpack and helmet. Jackson was so excited!

Clara loved it... as long as she had a snack in her hand.

There were hardly and kids there.... which meant Jackson got spoiled. People were constantly giving him things and asking if he wanted to try something out. This plane was one that was in the sky earlier... he had a sheet listed with all his tricks and his ipod hooked in. Can't you picture it.... the driver jamming out while doing flips through the sky! 

I remember going to an Air Show when I was younger. I loved it! So when I met a couple in our ward that works at the Cable Airport, the first thing I asked was if they did an air show, when they said yes... I promised them to call me before the next show so that I could take the kids! My friend Holly called me on Friday to let me know it was that weekend, and I was soooo excited! Unfortunately the weather was FREEZING, and it was super cloudy. But we still had an awesome time. We stayed for 3 hours, and despite the cold temps, the kids did not want to leave. 

We are already planning on going to the next one... but we are keeping our fingers crossed for warmer weather, and blue sky's!