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

Cabo Paradiso

If you read the previous post, you’ll understand why my 31st birthday was the most important one of my life. Well, I suppose my very first one was pretty critical to making sure I could have any future birthdays ... but we’ll ignore that little point and move on.

To recap, my 31st birthday was the day of my final weight loss goal that I had been working toward for that past 14 months. A day I thought about every single day as I stepped onto that scale. And when I stepped on on that fateful birthday of mine last week, I had done it. I stepped off the scale and (no, not literally) stepped off of a place in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. My older brother and his wife knew how important that day/goal was to me and secretly bought Holly and me a surprise trip to Mexico to celebrate! Wow, what great family. 

Cabo is a very fun and cool destination. I’m sure the experience is always heightened when you have kids and get to go somewhere without them. They’re missed, but the ability to relax and not worry about feeding the incessant needs of young children every moment is quite a beautiful thing.

Holly was a beautiful little pregnant lady, and fortunately is past the morning sickness period, so all she had to worry about was how she looked in a maternity bathing suit. P.S.: She looked great.

The hotels that were booked for us are partly what made the experience so amazingly blissful. They were stellar! They were right on the beach and way beyond our income bracket – so we were livin’ it up as posers :)

The food was fantastic and it was whale migration season, so we saw countless whales right off the shore every single day while we were down there. And to try and get a better view, we went on a whale watching tour ... but to be honest, it really wasn’t much better than watching them from the beach.

We did some snorkeling and street market shopping, but mostly just unwound by the ocean and at some countless amazing hotel pools and just soaked up some golden, euphoric, childless relaxation.

A few photos below. 

Recipe of the Week 

This is very simple one we had on our trip and really enjoyed. Since we didn’t make it, we don’t know proportions, but look at the photo below for an idea.

Todos Santos Fruit Salad

Shredded Lettuce (as a base)

Almonds Whole

Raisins Large

Peanuts Whole

Pineapple Chopped

Banana Chopped

Orange Chopped

Apple Chopped

Honey

Curry Yellow

The Recipe Dish.

A Decade of Losing

I’ve spent the last decade trying to find the solution to my weight loss. While living in Italy ten years ago, I was at a street market and found a soccer jersey of a famous Italian player. It was an XL, and I figured if I lost a few pounds, I’d be able to squeeze into it. When I arrived home, I pulled it out and looped my arms in, and as I stretched it over my head, I realized that it had been mislabeled. I couldn’t even fit it onto my body. At that point, I made it my goal to lose the weight that would allow that jersey to fit me loosely. 

That was nearly ten years ago to The Day. I capitalize “The Day” because it was a day I have been thinking about every single day for the last 14 months. 

That day is today. 

This day was either going to serve me the greatest accomplishment of my life, or one disgustingly massive loaf of depression and defeat. No one is happier to announce that it is the former. I lost 102 lbs in the past 14 months and hit the final goal of a series of weight loss goals all leading up to this day.  See the jersey photo below taken today :)

I was fat for 22 years since the age of 8, when my dad died of an aggressive brain tumor. Emotional eating was my best friend and worst enemy. 

Maintaining this new lifestyle will not be without resistance. But I’m committed to it and the countless people in my family and community that I have inspired now rely on me as a shining example of a healthy lifestyle. 

I’ve decided that I need to share what I’ve learned and my story with everyone interested on a continual basis. So I’m launching a blog called TheSmartLoser.com that will act as a personal and public support system and resource for those looking to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle the right way. No yo-yo diets or fads, just good old nutrition the way Mother Nature intended. Keep your eyes out for that. 

And as a final note, I don’t post this to gloat about my accomplishment. I do it to demonstrate that overcoming major obstacles in life is doable. It may take a decade, but every failure only gets you closer to success. With persistence, success is inevitable. 

And if you didn't see the video I did for a contest (which I was not chosen for ... but was glad it got me to make this) for Prevention Magazine, it gives you a better idea of why I gained the weight in the first place. And gives you some fun pics to blackmail me with. And I was told to be very happy and energetic in the video ... heh.  View the video.

Mountains, Whirlwinds & Bumps

Hey, if every week had amazing and exciting events to report ... those amazing and exciting events would become the norm, and thus we'd have a more and more difficult time keeping you readers satisfied ... right?

Ok, maybe it's just a poor excuse for not having too much to report on this week. But there were a few points of interest worth mentioning.

1. Banff Mountain Film Festival
If you've never been to Banff, I'm really not sure how you can call yourself a contributing member to society. Ok, maybe that was a bit harsh ... but you've got to get there next year. It's always at the Kent Concert Hall in Logan, or 299 other cities worldwide. The focus is on mountain cultures, sports, or the like. Usually there are several extreme sports films that blow your mind, as well as socially conscious messages in other films. A great festival. You can YouTube (yes, now a verb like "to Google") it and find plenty of cool videos. Here is the trailer:



2. Chaos Night
Every saturday night for 3 hours, we are either the most relaxed or the most stressed in the week. We do a babysitting swap with 4 other couples. So for 4 weeks we get a free date night, but that fifth week is a chaotic night of 10-12 kids running crazy around the house. It's worth it. In fact, I'm exaggerating, I suppose. Especially when you see the images below that make it look like we actually have things under control. They're good kids...generally :)  Last night was quite the whirlwind. Unfortunately we failed to take any photos, so here are a few from last year.

3. 6 Months and Change
Holly's pregnancy was quite rough in the first trimester. But now as we push into the third (28 weeks), things are going pretty well. That's much easier for me to say, of course. For the sake of documentation and those living abroad, here is a quick photo of the current ... breadth. She looks great!

She asked me to mention she's embarassed about these pics :)

And finally, the recipe of the week. I love this one.

All Natural Whole Wheat (Blender) Waffles (or pancakes) serves 5-6

1 cup whole wheat
1 1/2 cups milk

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons honey (or agave syrup)
1 teaspoon salt

Blend 1 c. milk with the wheat on high for 2-3 minutes. Then add remaining milk and blend 2-3 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend appx 1 minute. Cook on hot pan or waffle maker.

If you want to top it with all natural ingredients, try apple sauce, honey/banana/walnuts or all natural jam. There is all natural maple syrup if you go the traditional route. Yum!

Black Market Hippie Food, Pies Galore, and the Alpine Wonderland

On Saturday we picked up our first ever local pickup of an order of fresh, organic, “black market” produce trucked straight from Cali, Arizona, N. Mexico. Well, not really black market, but it’s ripened on the vine and no herbicides or pesticides are used on them and you pre-order it online and pick it up on Saturdays at Merlin Olsen Park. We were testing it out this month, but now that we’ve seen and tasted it, we are soooo sold! It tastes like we just picked it from our garden. Take a look at the stash!

We had a Valentine retreat this weekend, but not one like you’d expect. Adam’s cousin Sueanne (famed creator of the Pie of the Month Club: www.pieofthemonthclub.org) was visiting from Scotland, so we went and stayed with Sam (Adam’s brother) and Kristen in Alpine from Saturday to Monday, hence the day-late entry. At the family gathering on Sunday we sampled some seriously delicious pies! Yum.

Hanging with Sam and Kristen was fun, as usual. How could it not be fun when they have something close to an amusement park in their basement? Olivia and Ruby had a blast on the climbing wall, the rings, the ladder, the swings (three of them), drawing on the chalkboard wall, the giant beanbag, and playing with toys…and that was just the basement. We loved their company and are grateful for their hospitality. It was really great to get away for a while to reconnect with family and enter slightly warmer temperatures.

Adam ran 13.5 miles today. He wants to make sure he is ready for the half-marathon race in 6 weeks. Looks like he is. He picked a random spot appx 7 miles from Sam’s house and took off. Turned out the exact turn-around point was a random running store called 26.2 mile Running Store. He said he was just pondering whether he’d run a full marathon this fall. Hmm.

Recipe of the week: Spaghettini with Checca Sauce

One of the few Italian recipies Adam didn’t learn during his glory days in Itay … but rather on the Food Network. It’s fantastic!

Ingredients

•                8 ounces spaghettini or angel hair pasta

•                4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped

•                3 garlic cloves, crushed

•                1 (12-ounce container) cherry tomatoes, halved

•                1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan, coarsely chopped

•                8 to 10 fresh basil leaves

•                Salt and freshly ground black pepper

•                3 tablespoons olive oil

•                4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

•                Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the next 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (do not puree).

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and fresh mozzarella in a large bowl. Add some of the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) if the sauce looks dry. Serve immediately.

Calzones, Bangkok, & Fatty-Pants Video

I am now 26 weeks pregnant, and facing the 3^rd trimester of this pregnancy head-on. It starts with a cold and a pinched nerve in my lower back. Bring it … or not.

This is a photo of Ruby dancing with one of her teachers at Union Bilingual Preschool on the day that some Dominican students came and taught them how to dance the Merengue! It was adorable!

Adam whipped out an old recipe from Italy this week: Calzones. (see recipe below) They were soooo delicious. We made them with fresh ground wheat instead of white flour, and it worked out very well.

I ALMOST had a husband in Bangkok today. He had an important client meeting set up and suddenly had to schedule a flight out with just a few days notice. It got postponed, however, until March, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. The closer I get to my due date, the more anxiety I feel when he’s gone.

New music anyone? Mumford and Sons is a band my brother was telling me about. Check out this music video and see if you dig it.

As many of you know, Adam (hesitantly) entered a contest in Prevention Magazine called “Picture of Health”. Don’t know if he made it as one of the finalists yet, but to enter, he had to write an essay and make a video explaining why he should win. The idea was to find people who have overcome major obstacles in life and now live an ideal lifestyle of health. Here is his video (that he was a bit resistant to let me show…but I find it VERY inspiring!):

Here is a drawing that Olivia made this week. She explained that the swirl on the forehead of this girl is a Bindi. She got to wear one last summer in a preschool session called “Around the World in 80 Days” when they visited India. I guess it made a strong impression on her, because she remembered and drew it all on her own.

Recipe of the Week: Calzones of Rimini (AKA Cassoni) - Makes appx 4-6 calzones

Dough:
3 cups of Whole wheat flour
2 TB Butter
1/2 c (or as needed) of warm water
1 TSP salt

Sauce:
1/2 to 1 cup of diced ham, sausage, or hamburger (or add zucchini if you want to go vegetarian)
2 bell peppers chopped
1 yellow chopped onion
6 cloves minced garlic
1 TB parsley (dried) or small handful of fresh
1/2 TSP red hot chili pepper
1/2 TSP ground pepper
3-4 TB olive oil
1/8 cup red wine
1 cup of tomato sauce (ideally not from a tin can, see reason number one here)
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Combine all the Sauce ingredients (except the tomato sauce) into a frying pan and cook on medium until the meat is browned and the veggies are softened. Then add the tomato sauce and let it simmer.

2. Hand-mix the dough ingredients until it hold together well, but isn't sticky. Break into racquetball sized balls and roll out into rectangles or circles until appx 1/8" thick.

3. Cover 1/2 of the rolled out dough with your desired amount of mozzarella cheese, leaving a 1/2" edge around the outside. Scoop appx 1/4 cup of sauce out of the pan and place onto the cheese area.

4. Fold the dough in half covering your sauce and cheese and seal the edges with a fork. (see photo)

5. Cover a frying pan with a thin layer of butter and place the prepared calzone onto the pan and cover with a lid (if available). Flip and cook other side. When both sides are slightly browned. If desired, additional sauce and cheese can be smothered atop to perfection. Enjoy!