Halloween 2010

This week was a lot of fun. It started with an early Halloween party at the USU Field House for the kids. Then the girls also got to head to “Nana’s” (Grandma Linda) house for some holiday fun like decorating a candy haunted house, painting pumpkins, and eating pumpkin cookies. Later in the week carved pumpkins at our house. And after carving a traditional Jack-o-lantern for Ru, Adam broke out the power drill and made a polka-dot-pumpkin for Viv. It was a big hit.

On Friday, we went to Advent Creative’s 4^th annual Halloween party. The costume contest was intense, as usual. I’m always impressed that people go all out. Adam and I went as H.I. McDunnah, Edwina, and Nathan Jr. from Raising Arizona. Bailee, our babysitter, asked if people would recognize who we were. I thought that it would be terribly obvious, but when we got to the party, less than half of the people there had ever seen the movie. Boo. I guess we are getting old and Raising Arizona is a generational show that has past its prime. Too bad. Oh well, I still thought our costumes were funny.

We spent the holiday cleaning out the garage and house and trying to keep the kids at bay as they waited patiently for the moment of trick-or-treating. Olivia chose to be a "Vampire Princess" for Halloween and did her face make-up all by herself (she was so proud). Ruby wanted to be a "Princess Unicorn". The blended costumes were adorable, and the girls felt so cool. Sonoma and I weren’t feeling well, so we stayed back while Adam took the girls around to the Morse’s, Kidd’s, and a few houses in our neighborhood. We finished the evening at my mother’s house where she had prepared a Halloween feast. It was a great day.

I splurged this week after being completely sold on a product. It will be my birthday and Christmas present and a few other things as well, but I was sold. It is a Blendtec. You can check out some of their viral marketing youtube videos by searching “Will it blend” (they blend things like marbles, an iphone, etc.). It is insane. So far, we have LOVED using it. It makes hot soups, icecream, peanutbutter, juice, smoothies, grinds wheat, etc. The clean up is incredibly simple as well. I am a big fan. It really helps if you are serious about eating a lot of produce, raw food, and “real” food...which we are. This morning (while I stayed in bed sick) Adam made 6 loaves of banana bread, and an amazing “Fall Harvest Vegetarian Risotto” (See photo above and recipe below). It was delicious!

Fall Harvest Vegetarian Risotto

1 cup hot water

1 small can tomato paste

6-8 roma tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic

1 red onion

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 green pepper (whole)

¼ cup chives

2 large carrots (cut into chunks)

¼ cup pepper jack cheese

6-8 cups cooked rice

3 cups black beans (warm)

In a powerful blender, combine everything but the rice and beans. Blend until smooth. Pour over rice and beans in a pot and heat (unless you have a Blendtec, in which case, it will already be hot!). Garnish with chives and grated cheese. Can be served with tortilla chips. (The blended ingredients will be mostly raw). Enjoy!

Island Park ... not too tropical

This week we took an Olsen family vacation up to Island Park, Idaho. When you hear Island Park, you may think of water sports and splish-splashety fun. Well, you'd be sorely disappointed ... yes, even in mid-June. The temperature averaged at about 55 degrees and it rained half of the time. And now that I've set the scene, I should mention that it was uber fun! We brought our mountain bikes up, and apart from my stupid bruised shin caused by my inherent try-stupid-tricks personality, it was a great ride.

 Island Park is very close to Yellowstone, so we spent one day driving into the park to see Old Faithful and a few other sights. That old geyser should have been called Old Rainful that day! It was raining the whole while as we waiting, but just as it was time to see it erupt, it started pouring. And since we're on that note, Ruby wet her pants in the car just minutes before, and all her clothes became contaminated ... a separate geyser story we probably don't want to get into right now. But at the end of the day, it was a great tour of a beautiful part of the world.

The World Cup started while we were up there and we just happened to be at a super-nice cabin (thanks Herm and Norma!) that had satellite TV, so we gathered to watch the US vs. England yesterday and were pretty happy to see us tie the game ... especially since the one US goal was partially due to a foolish error on the side of the English team. Wahoo!

Hippy recipe of the week:

Orange-Almond-Vanilla Grawnola  (http://goneraw.com/recipe/orange-almond-vanilla-grawnola

A combination of orange, vanilla, almond, cinnamon with a batch of sprouted buckwheat makes this grawnola a yummy breakfast treat. I am a big fan of grawnola, although I don't make it as much as I'd like to. Buckwheat is such a nice and light grain, especially when sprouted, and the orange-vanilla combination really highlights the overall flavours of the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup sprouted buckwheat (soaked overnight, sprouted for 1-2 days)
juice of 1 orange
leftover orange pulp can also be used, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond pulp (leftover from almond mylk)
1 tbsp agave syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
handful of sliced almonds

Preparation: 

Combine ingredients in a bowl and dehydrate for 4-5 hours. Serve with nut mylk of choice or as a topping for banana soft serve (I served mine with some sumptuous blueberries).

Here are a few photos from the week:

4 Generations of Olsen Ladies

From the bear and wolf museum/zoo in W. Yellowstone. 

Waiting ... waiting ... waiting ...

The past two weeks have been filled with one big, fat, painful, never-ending, fill-in-the-blank WAIT! Holly is due any day and we've tried to just keep killing time as we wait for the little pup to be ready. To make matters worse, Holly is a never-wait-until-Christmas-to-open-her-presents type of girl ... so she's trying reeeeeallllly hard to be patient.

In the meantime, we'll just post some photos from the past two weeks.

And we can't forget the recipe of the week–from sis-in-law Amber Olsen:

VEGGIE-STUFFED MUSHROOMS

20 large (1 ½ to 2-inch diameter) mushrooms (about 1 pound)
½ cup broccoli, finely chopped
¼ cup carrot, finely chopped
1 TBL onion, finely chopped
1 cup seasoned croutons, crushed (about ½ cup)
½ cup (2 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp salt
2 TBL butter or margarine, melted

Carefully cut out stem end of each mushroom. Reserve enough stems for ¼ cup chopped mushrooms. Place hollowed out mushroom caps onto glass pie dish or (small) casserole dish.

Croutons is where you need to be careful. I toasted some homemade wheat bread and crumpled it up with garlic salt and a little olive oil, then broiled briefly in the oven.

With reserved chopped mushrooms, add the remaining ingredients. Spoon mixture into caps and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden. Serve warm.

Chillin' on the tramp on a sunny (finally!) day.

Carnival games with the tots.

One is a basketball ... hard to tell.

Holly with some of her students from USU on the last day of class.

Happiest mom around on Mother's day... not the most comfortable, perhaps, but very happy.

Six days from the due date.

Olivia has a green thumb under that mud. She's a princess, but doesn't mind getting dirty!

Olivia's soccer team.

Remembering Drew: The LA Half-Marathon

This week was a pretty big deal. It was the grand finale of my weight loss journey – the half marathon in Los Angeles. This was the race that my little brother Drew was training for when his heart failed and he collapsed and died four years ago this month – an event that contributed greatly to my obesity/emotional eating issue. Thus, I had made this event the final goal following my weight loss milestones.

We piled in the car on Wednesday and took off for Holly’s sister’s house in North Hollywood. The drive in our “new” car made the trip 43 times better than our usual trips in the cramped Corolla ... especially when Holly is due in 7 weeks and needs some extra sprawl-space. 

We had an awesome time with Mandy (Holly’s sister) and Bryan. Check out the pics below. Mandy took us to Griffith Park and the girls got to take a mini train ride and enjoy the biggest park they’ve ever experienced. 

The next day we drove up to Laura (my sister) and Sugata’s place just 45 minutes north. Drew was living with them when he died and Sugata and Drew were training for the half-marathon together when he died. So they’ve both ran the race every year since he died – in his memory. I’m planning on making this a tradition for the rest of my life. We ran down to the race headquarters to get our bibs and registration swag. There were tons of vendors selling race gear and Sugata convinced me to get some compression pants/tights to run in. They allegedly help delay muscle fatigue and help with blood flow. Oh, and they’re tights ... something I NEVER thought I’d ever put on my body, let alone go out in PUBLIC wearing them. Nonetheless, I did and there are pics to prove it below. Keep the comments to yourself :)

We carbo-loaded on an awesome dinner of pasta and bread and hummus. We woke up at 5am to get to the race in time. There were 10 minutes before it started, so I ran over to the bathroom for a final ... emptying. As I was jogging up the steep hill to the starting line, suddenly the race started and the 1000+ people starting pouring down the hill in my direction. I had to sprint up to the top and turn around quickly to join Sugata and Laura. What a tiring start to a 13 mile race!

The race has a reputation for being a very difficult half-marathon as it climbs way up a pretty steep mountain and then comes down the other side. Fortunately, my training included a lot of inclines. And since, thanks to me, got a late start in the crowd, Sugata and I  spent most of the race passing people. It may be a good confidence builder ... to start at the back of the line so you’re constantly passing people by. I managed really well up the mountain, passing by other runners all the way up. But then came the downhill. The tiny bird-like runners did really well downhill. The taller/bigger people struggled more. I was the latter. And to add to the pain, that monster carb dinner from the night before came back with a vengeance! I was suddenly praying for a bathroom stop very soon. I ran in pretty severe stomach pain for several miles before finally deciding it was me and the field or me and my pants (TMI!). I chose the field. The rest of the race was much less painful and I finished pretty strong. 

Approximately one mile before the finish line, I started thinking about Drew and started crying ... but quickly realized that crying and running in exhaustion REALLY don’t mix. I was choking for breath. I had to delay the tears until the finish line. But once I crossed that line, the tears returned uncontrollably. It was four years of delayed grief combined with the elation and absolute relief that I was finally not the fat, self-conscious person that I had been for 22 years of my life. I hugged Holly for a long time in tears as all these feelings flooded my being and then flowed out of me in pure liberation. My long journey of healing and health had been realized and a new odyssey was beginning – as a new person who now knows that anything is possible with sufficient perseverance and patience. 

Sugata had finished a few minutes before I had ... thanks to my encounter with the field. Laura had told us to go ahead early in the race. At about mile 6 she fell and gashed her knee open. But she’s one uber-tough cookie and got a quick bandage on it and ran the rest of the race. Sam (my brother) and his family were there waiting and we celebrated the race with a great lunch together. It was a fantastic weekend with the people we love, remembering a brother we love and miss greatly.

Recipe of the Week | Honey Granola 

• 8 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup assorted nuts (your choice)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup whole millet
• 3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cup -hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Recipe from this site. View the complete recipe.

Happy St. Patrick's Day... and a bunch of other stuff!

Every year my family does a special St. Patrick's Day dinner with a few friends. This year I was asked to make the "Trifle" dessert - which I had never done before. Luckily, Olivia was around to help out! It turned out well and the evening was a lot of fun, as always. It's a great tradition.

This week Adam has been working a TON to prepare to leave on Thursday to L.A. where he will run the ½ marathon that his brother Drew was training for when he suddenly died of a heart attack four years ago. It will be a monumental occasion for our family. He has been training for this culminating event to his weight loss goal for quite some time. I’m so excited to go and witness it. The drive will be long with a 2 and a 4 year old, but I’m sure we’ll survive!

The great news this week is that the Multicultural Center has agreed to accept our donation of Union Preschool and will take over management of it as soon as the current session is over (at the end of May). This is a big relief for me with a new baby on the way, and with my sister, Kristen (who has been running the school with me) moving in the fall.

In other exciting news, the snow is melting and it finally feels like spring!! There is still some snow on the ground, but that didn’t stop us from heading to the park the other day. And Adam even put up the trampoline. There is new life in us as the weather turns, and my girls are loving every minute of it – as am I! Also Olivia started a tumbling class this week and LOVED it! It was so fun to watch her.

Also, our Toyota Corolla sold (woo-hoo!), so we scrambled to buy a replacement for it so that we'd actually have a vehicle in which to drive to CA. We didn't have much time, but there happened to be the car we were hoping for - a 7 passenger Volvo XC 70 (2 rear-facing seats) in a used car lot. We purchased it and are SOOO excited to take it to CA. I'm excited to be able to recline a little! My favorite feature (I'm a mom of young children) is the fact that the center row of seats has two built-in booster seats! Woo-hoo! Is that pathetic? Oh well. Here is how it looks, but ours is not black, it's a dark bluish-green color. We love it.

Recipe of the Week:

I LOVE these chocolates! They honestly taste better than a lot of the junk you get in the stores. I recommend omitting the hemp seed protein for a more sweet, milk chocolate flavor. The hemp seed tends to make them more bitter, dark-tasting.

Superfood Chocolate Candy
http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-food-recipes/desserts/superfood-chocolate-candy.html

1 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup organic raw almond butter
1/4 cup almond meal
4 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup hemp seed protein (OPTIONAL)
½ tsp liquid Stevia or 3 tsp powdered Stevia (6 packets)
1 tbsp organic vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup raw chocolate cacao powder (may substitute Chatfield's roasted carob powder)
1/3 cup goji berries *optional

Directions:

1. Spray an ice cube tray with nonstick spray and set aside or use mini cup cake tins and papers.
   
2. Melt coconut oil under hot water or spoon into saucepan and melt over low flame. When coconut
   oil turns to a liquid, pour oil into medium bowl.
   
3. Slowly whisk in almond butter, cinnamon, Stevia, and agave nectar one at a time.
   
4. Next, whisk in vanilla.
   
5. Then slowly stir in cacao (or carob), almond meal, coconut, and hemp seed protein one at a time,
   sprinkling evenly as you go.
   
6. Batter should run off of spoon. Spoon into ice cube tray, or cup cake papers and chill in freezer for
   15 minutes.
   
7. Sprinkle goji berries of the top. *optional

Kindergarten & Everything for Sale

One of the girls' favorite things: dress-ups (with cousins this time)


Ruby at preschool playing "house"


Olivia feeling beautiful with new curlers and dress-ups.

This week was a big one for Olivia. She registered for kindergarten and got kindergarten shots. The whole process was a bit traumatic for her. She is full of nervous energy about it, even though it won’t start until the fall. She doesn’t really want to go to kindergarten, but then again, that’s where big kids go, and she wants to be a big kid… so her brain is having a tough time working out where she wants to be. I’m still in denial that she is old enough to go, but then again, she’s been in preschool for a while, so I guess it’s time. We are still hoping that she gets put into one of the charter schools in the valley (she’s on waiting lists), but if not, then we’ll see where she ends up going, because our house is back up for sale!

Yes, our house is for sale – again (www.lundstrom1.com). Hopefully we’ll have better luck selling it this time. It’s by owner for now, but we’ll probably list it officially soon. We’ve worked hard this week to de-clutter and organize to help it look more appealing (assuming anyone comes to look). Either way, it always feels good to de-clutter. We are selling because we really want to downsize (we are successfully living in half of our house right now - about 1200 of the 2400 square feet). We'd like to move somewhere in Logan that has potential to rent should we move abroad again - which we hope is in the near-ish future.

While we’re at it, our cars are for sale! The truth is we need a larger vehicle to make room for baby #3, so we are on the look-out for our latest dream car: a CNG SUV. We are generally opposed to gas guzzlers, so the CNG (compressed natural gas) option is really appealing – not to mention more affordable at the pump!

I met with the board of the Multicultural Center of Cache Valley (http://www.mccutah.org/) this week to present them with the gift of our preschool (www.unionpreschool.com). My sister Kristen and I have been running if for the last couple of years, but have decided it’s time to hand off the ropes to a more appropriate group. Kristen and her husband are moving to go to law school this fall, and I’m about to have another baby (in May), so I’m in no position to run the school on my own. We’d hate to see it fizzle away, so we hope they accept the gift (it would entail some work on their part). We’ll find out tomorrow what the final decision is – keep your fingers crossed!



Recipe of the week: Quinoa stuffed peppers

2 green peppers, halved through the stem ends
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 small bunch spinach, leaves torn into small pieces
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp (or more) parmesan cheese

Place peppers cut side down in a small baking dish. Bake at 400 until tender (about 40 min). While peppers are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, saute garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper for a minute or two, until they're very fragrant. Then add spinach, toss well, and cook until spinach is tender (about 5 min). Add tomatoes and salt and cook for another minute or so. Stir the cooked quinoa into the spinach and tomatoes, and then flip the squash over and stuff it with this mixture. Top each half with 1 Tbsp cheese and then bake at 350 until the cheese melts (5-10 min). Serves 2-3.

*Modified from the original recipe found here: http://fortunavirilis.blogspot.com/2009/10/quinoa-tomato-kale-and-garlic-stuffed.html