Eat your greens a delicious way! Spinach Pesto Pasta

Tired of salads? Make sauces or dips with greens instead!

Tonight we made a delicious spinach pesto pasta. We don't really follow a recipe, Darrell just makes it up as he goes, he's a genius! :) Here's a rough recipe for what he put in it tonight.

Spinach Pesto Pasta
10 oz fresh spinach
2-3 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt
plain yogurt (couple of spoonfuls)
dried basil

Mix ingredients in food processor, then toss with cooked pasta. Yum!

Trashy idea

Someday when we redo our kitchen, I'd love to put in this cool trash receptacle.

It's a good use of a corner cabinet. There are three sections, I'd use them for: 1- Trash 2-Compost 3-Recycle

http://www.amazon.com/Rotary-Recycling-Center-Hardware-White/dp/B0006NIFNK/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1CLW0QB9J12PI&colid=2A5WBR73LIEHE

Heather - Simpsons style

Here is what I'd look like if I were in a Simpson's episode...


This may be old news to you since the Simpsons movie has been out for a while, but I finally visited the website. :)
http://simpsonizeme.com/

Someone's been sleeping at my house

We had unexpected visitors from the park sleeping on our lawn...

We woke up this morning to find a duck couple camped out on our front lawn. The boys loved looking out the window at them. They're still there, taking a nap. Pretty fun!

Revolution Money Exchange - Just like PayPal but Free

Yeah for free money! :)

I have been made aware of a PayPal competitor called Revolution Money Exchange. It's just like PayPal but doesn't have any fees. I went ahead and signed up since they are doing a promotion right now until May 15. If you sign up by May 15, you'll get $25. Sounds good to me! :)

I added a button on this blog, click through that to sign up if you'd like, or click the link below:
Revolution Money Exchange

Revolution Money Exchange was started by AOL founder Steve Case to compete with Paypal. They're offering a $25 bonus when you register before May 15th!

MoneyExchange is the new way to send and receive money online between MoneyExchange accountholders. It's a great way to exchange money with friends, colleagues, or online sellers. Share restaurant, travel, or household expenses. It's easy, secure and, best of all, it's FREE to register and FREE to send and receive money between MoneyExchange accountholders.

It's a quick and easy sign up, and the $25 credit is applied to your account INSTANTLY. They ask for the same information you would need when you open a bank account, including a SSN. If you've done any online banking, you're probably pretty comfortable with the security of online banking systems.

Account issued by First Bank & Trust, Brookings, SD, Member FDIC and part of the Fishback Financial Corporation

Happiness is... Part IV

Happiness is...
* dropping your make-up and finding that nothing broke!
* listening to Salem sing his cowboy song that he learned at school (to the tune of "I'm a little teapot.")
* being able to email my midwife about anything! :)
* the lint in Darrell's belly button, it's so cute!
* Darrell bringing home the bacon (literally) and other items.
* a vase full of fresh flowers on the table
* apples n' peanut butter (and watching Oaklen do the sign for them)
* coming home to lots of happy phone messages on my birthday
* Firefox and their new spell check feature (it's a web browser)
* an empty kitchen sink
* listening to Salem make up words then saying "Mom, that's how you say [dog] in Spanish."
* watching Oaklen do his mischievous face...the one that says "I'm cute, so I can get away with it!"

A checkered daze

Today was a daze for me and my family. We're all sick. Darrell stayed home from work and slept most of the day. Both boys threw up last night. I've got a cough, the sneezes and runny nose, but couldn't rest since I needed to take care of the rest of them. We stayed home all day and finally went out on the porch in the evening to blow bubbles and get rid of our cabin fever.

Salem stayed in his PJ's the whole day. I think that has been the first time for that. He is getting more interested in playing board games. We played "Guess Who?" and Checkers. Playing those games brought back some childhood memories of my sister, Holly, and I playing.

For the Guess Who game, Holly and I arranged all the people with similar features to be together so it was easier to find them. Then we figured out the best way to ask a question to get more people eliminated, like "Does your person have facial hair?" instead of "Does your person have a mustache?"

When we used to play Checkers, Holly would get so mad that I would never move my back row. :) Then finally we'd have a face off between her last king and my last king. We'd both go to a corner and just move back and forth and never go out on the playing field. We were both so stubborn! Speaking of stubborn, it was really difficult for me to play with Salem and not be as competitive as I would have liked. It killed me to let him jump me when I knew it could have been prevented. But, I guess that's what every parent goes through. I'm sure you've read a sappy Hallmark card, or listened to a high school graduation speech that says "Mom, thank you for letting me win at checkers when I was a kid and making me believe that I really did win." I'll have to ask my mom or brother if they ever "let" me win (probably.)

Since it was Monday we did a quick family home evening. Salem went downstairs to get the FHE tree (chart telling you who does what.) Salem and Oaklen pretty much did the whole thing and Darrell and I just laid there on the futon and listened between coughs and sneezes. Oaklen chose the Sunbeam song, of course. He loves to jump and say the word "beam" and "him" at the appropriate times. Salem's lesson was on eating healthy food. He thought that it was a good topic since we were sick. He said "Heavenly Father told me that I'll get better today if I eat lots of feel good food." For the activity we played "doctor" with our medical kit. It's actually fun since you can really hear your "heartbeep" (as Salem says) in the toy stethoscope. My brother always liked to listen to mine to hear my little heart murmur. Bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum, SSSS, bum-bum...

We had air popped popcorn for the snack and knowing from my previous post, Oaklen dumped almost the whole jar of popcorn kernels on the floor. What a turkey! :) I always think about my friend Kristy when I make popcorn. She gave me the blue glass canister that I use to store the popcorn kernels.

Now they're all in bed and it's time for me to do the same. I couldn't go to bed without writing this blog post, otherwise I would have been thinking about it all night. It seems like I always have a blog post going in my head. It's actually fun to have a narrative of my life. Sometimes I'm able to write them down, other times they'll just be stored away into Heather's memory. Speaking of memory...I remember Kathleen in Jr. High told me that I was an elephant. I didn't quite understand, then she explained that I have a memory like an elephant.

Popcorn not popping

Sing this to the tune of the primary song "Popcorn popping"

I looked in the kitchen and what did I see
Popcorn on the floor in front of me
Oaklen had brought me such a nice surprise
Popcorn that spilled to my demise
I can take a broomful and make a sweep
A popcorn pile that is so deep
It was really so, and we truly found
Popcorn spilling all over the ground.

The Wonderful World of Flax

Here is another nutrition lesson, flax seed! I eat flax seed every morning. I grind it in my coffee grinder and sprinkle it on my cereal (hot or cold.) I give it to Salem & Oaklen too.

I buy it in bulk either at Whole Foods Market (~ $1.29 lb), or Smith's Market Place (~ $.99 lb.) You can get it at almost any store (packaged, by the cereal) but it's cheaper to buy at the above mentioned places in bulk. It's better to buy the whole seed and grind it since the nutrients go rancid quickly. If you do end up buying ground flaxseed, store in the fridge or freezer.

Here are some benefits:
* Flax seed has a binding agent so it makes the oatmeal or other food stick together, that way it's less messy for babies or kids to eat.
* For babies learning how to pick up finger food, sprinkle some ground flax seeds on the food so it's not so slippery.
* One tablespoon of ground flax seeds and three tablespoons of water may serve as a replacement for one egg in baking by binding the other ingredients together.
* Flax seed owes its nutritional benefits to lignans and omega-3 essential fatty acids. It'll help you stay smarter! :)

Below is more information that I got from good ol' Dr. Sears. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041700.asp

In addition to nutritious fats, flax seeds contain other nutrients which make eating the whole seed superior to consuming just the extracted oil:

• Flax seeds contain a high quality protein.
• Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber. The combination of the oil and the fiber makes flaxseeds an ideal laxative.
• Flax seeds contain vitamins B-1, B-2, C, E, and carotene. These seeds also contain iron, zinc, and trace amounts of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin E and carotene, two nutrients which aid the metabolism of the oil.
• Flax seeds contain over a hundred times more of a phytonutrient, known as lignin, than any of its closest competitors, such as wheat bran, buckwheat, rye, millet, oats, and soybeans. Lignins have received a lot of attention lately because of possible anti-cancer properties, especially in relation to breast and colon cancer. Lignins seem to flush excess estrogen out of the body, thereby reducing the incidence of estrogen-linked cancers, such as breast cancer. Besides anti-tumor properties, lignins also seem to have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

Flax seeds, because they contain some protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and lignins, are more nutritious than their oil. Yet, for practical purposes, most consumers prefer simply using the oil for its omega-3 fatty acids and not having to bother with grinding the seeds. But nutritionally speaking, it's worth the trouble to grind fresh flax seeds (say, in a coffee grinder) and sprinkle them as a seasoning on salads or cereals, or mix them into muffins. When buying seeds, be sure they are whole, not split; splitting exposes the inner seed to light and heat and decreases the nutritional value. Or, buy pre-ground flax seeds, available as flaxseed meal. One ounce of flaxseed meal (approximately 4 tbsp.) will yield about 6 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber.

7 HEALTH-PROMOTING PROPERTIES OF FLAX

Flax oil, flax seeds, and the omega-3 fatty acids they contain are good for your health. Here are some of the ways flax helps your body.

1. Flax promotes cardiovascular health. The ultra-high levels of omega-3 fatty acids lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Fish oils and algae are also good sources of essential fatty acids.

2. Flax promotes colon health. It has anti-cancer properties and, as a natural lubricant and a rich fiber source, it lowers the risk of constipation.

3. Flax supplements can boost immunity. One study showed that school children supplemented with less than a teaspoon of flax oil a day had fewer and less severe respiratory infections than children not supplemented with flax oil.

4. Flax provides fats that are precursors for brain building. This is especially important at the stage of life when a child's brain grows the fastest, in utero and during infancy. A prudent mom should consider supplementing her diet with a daily tablespoon of flax oil during her pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

5. Flax promotes healthy skin. I have used flax oil as a dietary supplement in my patients who seem to have dry skin or eczema, or whose skin is particularly sun-sensitive.

6. Flax may lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels.

7. Flax fat can be slimming. Fats high in essential fatty acids, such as flax, increase the body's metabolic rate, helping to burn the excess, unhealthy fats in the body. Eating the right kind of fat gives you a better fighting chance of your body storing the right amount of fats. This is called thermogenesis , a process in which specialized fat cells throughout the body (called brown fat) click into high gear and burn more fat when activated by essential fatty acids, especially gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). I have personally noticed that I crave less fat overall when I get enough of the healthy fats. A daily supplement of omega 3 fatty acids may be an important part of weight control programs.

It Is You

When Darrell and I were dating, I made up a poem one day while I was in the car commuting to the U. I-15 was under construction so I had at least a 1/2 hour drive. I made up this poem in my head then quickly went to a computer lab to type it up. I emailed it to him that day, then later decided to post it on lovepoetry.com so I'd always have a copy.

http://www.lovepoetry.com/poem.asp?x_id=42921

It is you
by Heather Ravnikar

It is you who makes me happy;
It is you who makes me smile;
It is you, when I am with you,
Makes every bit worth while.

It is you who makes me laugh;
It is you who makes me cry;
It is you who treats me royally;
It is you who makes me fly.

It is you who waits so patiently;
It is you with love so tender;
It is you who is so thoughtful;
It is you to whom I'll surrender.

28 and OK

Today is my birthday and I'm "OK." The finger counting way to do 28 in binary is shown above, it's the same as the OK sign. :)

My family always talks about binary on birthdays because we often do the candles that way. It's a good way of saving candles and fire hazards! :) Yesterday we celebrated with many people at my house. I think I had all 28 candles on my cake, but I blew them out all with one blow.

If you're curious, 28 in binary is 00111. (If you were to do the candles in binary, you put 5 candles on the cake but only light the last three.)
1 2 4 8 16
0 0 1 1 1

(16 + 8 + 4 = 28)

20 years later

When I went to Mt. Vernon in February I had to get a picture while sitting on those green chairs on the back porch overlooking the Potomac River. I remembered, when I was 8, that I sat there and had a picture taken. It was in July and VERY hot! Here's a little photoshop magic to show how much I've aged! :)

Salem's Imagination

Salem has quite the imagination. There are many days that he has to dress up as a certain character or other noun. He has been the following:
Peter Pan, a duck, Joseph Smith, Santa Claus, Spiderman, A snowflake, Bob the Builder, a pirate, a leprechaun, Clifford the big red dog, a farmer, Mr. Incredible, and more.

He has an imaginary friend named "8A" (pronounced aay-tah.) He came up with the name on his own, then later I asked him how to spell it and he said "an 8 and then an A."

He is always telling me stories about 8A and their adventures together. 8A has been many different ages, one day he is 5, the next day he is 27. 8A has also lived in many different places, one time it he lived in Delta, UT, another time he lived at our house. Salem always likes to tell me that 8A gets to do certain things that he can't do. "Well 8A's mom lets him jump on his bed..." etc etc etc.

When we're traveling in the car, Salem will talk my ear off about the things that he and 8A have been doing. I've never heard Salem have a conversation with 8A but he just likes to tell stories. A few times I've asked Salem questions about 8A and he responds and says "No silly, he's imaginary!" So, it's all for fun.

He'll be a great author someday...

High Fructose Corn Syrup - Avoid it!

I love to learn about nutrition. I've always said that if I were to go back to school, that I'd like to major in nutrition. I'm of course not the perfect eater (I don't think anyone is) but I try to eat "feel-good" food as I've taught my family.

A friend said to me a few weeks ago "What is your food mantra?" I didn't really know how to answer that but I started telling her about the ingredients that I try to avoid. I'll mention one ingredient that I avoid today and later I'll try to do more posts about other ingredients.

Today's topic is High Fructose Corn Syrup. I'm sure you've heard of it, it's in almost everything! This is a very concentrated sugar that was introduced in the 70's (man-made.) It's sweeter and cheaper so the food industry "ate" it all up (pun intended.) Now it's in most processed food, condiments, soft drinks, and even bread! HFCS prohibits your stomach from releasing Leptin which tells your body that it is full. So that's why some days you eat and eat and eat yet still feel hungry. I've done my best to cut HFCS out of our diet and I've noticed now that when I or my family has it that day, we are by far more hungry.
********
Here are more facts that I've dug up from the internet:

High-fructose corn syrup is a sweetener containing 40 to 90 percent fructose and a carbohydrate extract from corn. This is a popular and inexpensive sweetener in cereals and sodas.
***
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a form of corn syrup which has undergone enzymatic processing in order to increase its fructose content.

The production process of HFCS was developed first by Japanese researchers in the 1970s. HFCS was rapidly introduced in many processed foods and soda drinks in the US over the period of about 1975–1985.

The process for making the sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) out of corn was developed in the 1970s. Use of HFCS grew rapidly, from less than three million short tons in 1980 to almost 8 million short tons in 1995. During the late 1990s, use of sugar actually declined as it was eclipsed by HFCS. Today Americans consume more HFCS than sugar.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. It all sounds rather simple--white cornstarch is turned into crystal clear syrup. However, the process is actually very complicated. Three different enzymes are needed to break down cornstarch, which is composed of chains of glucose molecules of almost infinite length, into the simple sugars glucose and fructose.

Ordinary corn syrup contains dextrose sugar which is about three-quarters as sweet as the sucrose sugar in cane or beet sugar. In many sweetener applications this is an advantage because it does not overpower the other flavors in the food. Howev-. er, in some applications, such as soft drinks, a sweeter taste is desired. To improve the sweetness of ordinary corn syrup, it undergoes a further process called enzyme conversion. In this process, the dextrose sugars in the syrup are converted into sweeter fructose sugars by the action of an enzyme in a series of steps under carefully controlled temperatures, pressures, and acidity. This produces a high fructose corn syrup with a 42% fructose content. It is used in canned fruits and condiments.
***

High Fructose Corn Syrup {HFCS) is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods.. It is cheap to produce, sweet, and easy to store. Its used in everything from bread to pasta sauces to bacon to beer. Its even used in "health products" like protein/energy bars and "natural" sodas. You sort of get the idea that you are eating something good for you.

HFCS is great for the manufacturers. It retains moisture, resists drying out, controls crystallization, prevents microbiological growth and blends easily with sweeteners, acids, and flavorings. Best of all for manufacturers, it makes sugar drinks taste better and is cheaper than sugar.

From the point of view of soda makers, HFCS is a revolutionary advance in food science.

Generally, baked products made with HFCS will be softer than those made with sucrose. This means if these products are "steamed" they may get gummy. Thus, if there is a fast-food hamburger place that precooks and wraps their product, they may prefer the firmer product (sugar); If you doubt that they use sugar at fast food restaurants, ask for their nutritional publications. They all have them available. You might be surprised.

Barefoot and...

Barefoot and...carpet! We had the carpet installed in our room downstairs that we've been working on. It's actually been done and ready for carpet for a while now, and today was the happy day to get carpet! :) Right after the carpet guy left, Salem, Oaklen and I took our shoes & socks off and "snuggled" on the new carpet to read books, it was great!


Now we just need to put the furniture back in there. It'll be a spare room/bedroom.

Happiness is... Part III

Happiness is...

* watching the sunset with my boys out of Salem's bedroom window
* showing my sons how to blow bubbles with their hands using soap & water in the tub
* playing the ABC game with Darrell
* talking to my mom on the phone
* watching Salem "dance" the soap on his body while taking a bath
* getting to know people through blogs
* getting some Spring cleaning done
* seeing Oaklen use sign language to tell me he wants something or needs his diaper changed
* playing with your childhood toys, with your own children
* dinner time conversation..."What is something that made you happy today? Sad? Grateful?"
* watching Oaklen's face when he tries to use the squirt bottle
* being able to renew that library book or DVD one more time
* discovering that my children unraveled the entire toilet paper roll, yet not getting mad at them (although I told them it was the first and last time!)

South America & Caramel Smudges

Like mother like sons...I passed my birthmark trait onto my sons. Their birthmarks are more like caramel smudges, and they're cute! Mine is shaped like a pirate's hat if you're looking at it from my angle as I sit cross-legged, or if I'm standing and you're looking from behind it looks like an upside-down South America.

I found Salem's birthmark one day as I was changing his diaper as a baby. The mark is in the same place as mine, the upper right thigh. It's a cute smudged line, I looked a few days ago and it's starting to fade so I wonder if it will stay.

I found Oaklen's birthmark as I was washing his back (after a diaper explosion of course) and couldn't get that mark off!

(Okay, now I've given you the answer to my foolish truth post. I fooled all of you, even my hubby & mom. I was pretty tricky...he he he.)

Lou's Rolls

My Aunt Loueine is famous for her rolls. She came to town years ago and made them for us. Like all good cooks, she didn't really measure or have a recipe, but I wrote down a recipe as best I could. I missed a few details so I've filled in the gaps from doing research on other recipes, but here goes...

Lou's Rolls

2 cups milk, scalded
2T yeast dissolved in 3/4 cups warm water with 1t sugar
4 beaten eggs
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups oil
2t salt
7 + cups flour (she used all-purpose flour)

1. Scald milk in microwave for 2 1/2 minutes
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water & 1t sugar (Warm water can come from the tap, it's about the same as "cool" bath water.)
3. Beat 4 eggs.
4. Pour milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, salt, oil, and yeast mixture, mixing after each addition.
5. Add beaten eggs.
6. Add flour, stirring after each cup (the dough should be sticky.)
7. Put flour on flat surface to knead and add additional flour until dough is soft but not sticky.
8. Put in greased bowl, oil top of dough and cover with a towel.
9. Let dough rise until double in bulk, then punch down and let rise again.
10. Shape the dough into rolls.
11. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.
Delicious!
Makes 3-4 dozen rolls

Weekend Highlights

Our weekend highlights...

Emptying of the Piggy Banks - My boy's piggy banks were getting full so we went to the credit union and put their change in the machine, they thought it was so much fun! We then opened up a dedicated savings account for each of them so it earns higher interest. I was proud of Salem for the amount of money he saved, it was a lot!

The Home Depot - Discover card is doing a cashback bonus promotion for home improvement stores that started in April. We've already been there four times! :)

Darrell's 10 mile run - Darrell has been running every morning for a long time and now did his first "race" on Saturday morning. He has actually ran longer distances than this race before, but it was fun for him to be with people (including his brother Ryan) and have a finish line. We figured out the approximate time that he'd arrive so I planned on being there with the kids at the finish line, well...I was putting on my coat to leave the house and he called and said that he was already finished! I was glad that his parents and brother's family were there, but I was sad that I wasn't there. I met him afterward and snapped a few pictures. I'm thankful for such an easy-going husband.
UPDATE 4/9/08: Here is a picture that my sis-in-law, Christa, took that shows Darrell at the finish line.


Rotating 72 Hr Kits - I've been getting in the habit of rotating our food and other items in the 72 hour kits every 6 months, around conference time. Salem gets quite excited to eat the food that I don't buy too often.

Mending - I've also made a habit of mending while I watch the Saturday sessions of conference. I mended tears on clothes and sewed on buttons. I felt like such a mom! :)

General Conference - My favorite was Elder Ballard's talk. He talked about Mothers and he even talked to the children! Listen to it here.

Foolish Truth

Since it's April Fool's day I'll play a game with you. All of the following statements are true except for one. You need to figure out which one.

1 I was born on a Monday
2 I have a birthmark on my upper left thigh
3 I've thrown up in Boston
4 I've never been to North Dakota
5 My skirt fell off when I was performing in Disneyworld
6 I only got two A-'s in high school, the rest were A's
7 I never "sluffed" a day of school
8 I enjoy reading self help books
9 I fear spiders
10 I got married on groundhog day
11 Currently, my favorite color is pink
12 I have a habit of picking my nails
13 I've only lived in three different houses
14 I've never been ice fishing
15 I used to play the violin
16 I got lost at Lagoon when I was little and said my name was George Burns
17 My family nickname is Rooney
18 My left leg is shorter than the right leg
19 I used to be a sample lady at grocery stores
20 I know the Thriller dance
21 I told my dentist that my name was Barclay
22 I was a girl scout
23 I went skiing when I was pregnant
24 I wrote a letter to President George Bush Sr. about broccoli
25 I enjoy math
26 I fainted while giving a talk in church
27 I cut my hand on a tuna fish can lid when I was a baby
28 I've never broken a bone
29 I won the 100-yard dash and the 50-yard dash the same day in elementary school
30 I cried when I watched Dylan's last episode on 90210