tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33248776216819230212024-03-12T21:05:42.362-07:00Adventures in ParentingStephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.comBlogger156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-70511718029459868652012-07-23T22:49:00.003-07:002012-07-23T22:49:49.278-07:00Book Review: MoonbloodMoonblood is a book about a kingdom that has been attacked by dragons and is now rebuilding, the dragon has left the kingdom, but the Prince left when the dragon was there, so now the people of the kingdom don't trust in him. In an attempt to regain their confidence Lionheart banishes Rose Red (a girl who has been his best friend, but all the towns people think she brings evil into the kingdom). Rose Red is now held captive by her evil father. Lionheart regrets banishing Rose Red and goes into the woods in search of her, encountering strange things along the way.<br /><br />The author ( Anne Elisabeth Stengl) has a great imagination, but there are so many different story lines going on, I found it a chore to concentrate on who is who. I didn't realize how the stories were all connected until I was 100+ pages into the book. It is easier to understand as you get deeper into the book, but there are times when the story becomes a little too complex.<br /><br />Perhaps for people who are more passionate about Fantasy books, the book will be more enjoyable. I like to read all sorts of genres, but fantasy isn't my favorite (although I love A Wrinkle in Time).<br /><br />Lastly, this is a christian book, but the christian principals do not jump out at you at all. You really have to be looking for them, and they are pretty basic "Do good" principles. <br /><br />I received this book complimentary from Bethany House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-78130669918671880532012-06-15T12:22:00.001-07:002012-06-15T12:22:51.725-07:00Last minute baby shower gift<div><p>I made 3 burp cloths, a reversible bib, and a taggie with 3 receiving blankets. I still have a lot of fabric left over so I will make baby blocks if I have enough time and stuffing!</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUU4R2ubRbCVO9eTFpeIwmASZG9I3U4pmxj3B_vy_wzYISMIJv8CBJ_7bqT5nv7YSYk_AnTJtsl5lkBATRyBvS-023cjwWkzGYE9P8uKcztLpIpApcMlTUpQ9itfZugY_65c2AgO_BKT4/' /></div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-59378265386343951572012-06-01T12:48:00.002-07:002012-06-01T12:48:44.629-07:00Book Review: Chasing The SunI recently finished reading Tracie Peterson's book "Chasing the Sun." It is a historical fiction, set in the time of the Civil War. I enjoyed reading the book, and had a hard time putting it down. It is a story of a young woman (Hannah) who moves with her father and half siblings from Mississippi to Texas. Hannah doesn't want to move, but she is a good Christian girl who obeys her father's wishes and loves her younger siblings. <br />
As the story progresses, we learn that Hannah and her family have been given land that belongs to a young man (William), who left to fight for the North. William didn't want to fight either, but obeyed his father's wishes. <br />
There are many twists and turns in the story and just enough of a love interest to keep me turning pages. Lies are told, there is a murder that is revealed, true friends and allies turn up in very unexpected places. Hannah is a very interesting character--she is strong willed, honest, and open-minded to see people for who they are (not for what others say they are). William, too, is a very likeable character. He is hard-working, honest, and respectful. <br />
If you are looking for a light book that will keep the pages turning and leave you feeling good about humanity, then I recommend this book. The romance in the book is subdued and very appropriate for the era.Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-7306509960466232892012-05-12T08:19:00.001-07:002012-05-12T08:19:10.846-07:00Alice Hansen Family Fund<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.honeybearlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Church-0741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.honeybearlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Church-0741.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Please take a moment to <a href="http://www.honeybearlane.com/2012/05/the-alice-hansen-family-fund.html#comment-9925" target="_blank">read this blog entry</a>. It breaks make heart to think of the pain this family is going through.<br />
<br />Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-60786547303601611562012-05-04T19:48:00.001-07:002012-05-04T19:48:26.777-07:00Try Insanity For Free<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://theinsaneworkoutprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/shaun-t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://theinsaneworkoutprogram.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/shaun-t1.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"And I'm smilin because I love it!" -Shaun T.</div>
<br />
As many of you know, Bryan and I have been doing P90X for the last month and a half. We are having such a good time doing it and are looking forward to a trying a new program in a little over a month. I am thinking TurboFire and then Insanity. If you are curious about Insanity but don't want to spend the money, this link is for you! But, the Beachbody programs are worth what you pay. You aren't getting just one workout--you get probably an average of 10 workouts with each program! There is no getting bored! <br />
<br />
Thanks to my good friend, Jenn, who found this from Self magazine!<br />
<br />
If you are curious and want to try INSANITY, here's 20 minute: 6 moves- (Double Diamond, Stance Jacks, Hit the Floor, Power
Jump, The Heisman, Switch Kick) from the INSANITY DVD craze. (from SELF magazine) All of the moves are explained in detail on the website.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2012/02/insanity-workout-slideshow#slide=1">http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2012/02/insanity-workout-slideshow#slide=1</a> </div>
<br />
<br />
Once you fall in
love, order the INSANITY DVDs for yourself and commit to a 60-day
program, you'll see amazing results. You can order INSANITY from me: it
comes with free bonus workout, 100% money back guarantee, & a free
coach - ME. Order INSANITY here - <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://beachbodycoach.com/skrohn">beachbodycoach.com/skrohn</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Click on SHOP, then you'll see Fitness Programs - click INSANITY
</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-51117296061807962422012-05-03T06:59:00.001-07:002012-05-03T07:34:26.785-07:00Breakfast muffins and kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblW9IpuWLwsaRkk0txA1stzNufwUmKI1IwT9jKTQB6eDrJBngTizrEQuvSHYFr2EHk0lsJgCA6n4odbN7k8a9T06_1t99jLBkXnpANNbMTrur_qP8oTA0VCCxgnZM2tZLvoqUVm-nN1M/" /> </div>
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I thought I should post a picture of two of the kids. This first
picture is Jack and another boy in the homeschool group at our monthly
meeting. They were playing a Mexican jumping bean game.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey washing her carrot </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpIsh3tzQ7RmbrR2G_nZfkBKQ-bDMH2SQGe8WkndK6mJmfNQ8GZBVCYfo09StHp8cn9cCiW009Lm0EmRuVg3SwSCJ-Mzbz4_fAEXGGFOcSZRJv1yz98VqEPc-muS6FY9Pyw6vb1j56Fo/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpIsh3tzQ7RmbrR2G_nZfkBKQ-bDMH2SQGe8WkndK6mJmfNQ8GZBVCYfo09StHp8cn9cCiW009Lm0EmRuVg3SwSCJ-Mzbz4_fAEXGGFOcSZRJv1yz98VqEPc-muS6FY9Pyw6vb1j56Fo/" /></a></div>
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Ayden was checking the garden. He, like the other two, loves to be outside. He loves to eat the cherry tomatoes too!<br />
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And I will end the post with a recipe. . . I made these <a href="http://annies-eats.com/2009/05/09/oatmeal-blueberry-applesauce-muffins/" target="_blank">Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins from "Annie Eats."</a> They are a pretty healthy breakfast muffin: whole wheat flour, oats, applesauce, low fat buttermilk, 1 egg, and only 2 TBS of canola oil. (hmmm, next time I think I will use the coconut oil instead.) If you want the recipe, click on the link above. For some reason, I had to cook mine for much longer, just looking at them, they seem to need more oats. I used a jumbo muffin tin, so I expected to have to cook it longer but not THAT much longer. If you make these, just cook them for the recommended time and then use a toothpick to check if they are done. If not, keep adding 3 min at a time. Ours were pretty gooey but they were cooked and delicious. The kids gobbled them up!<br />
<br />
I used spark people's nutrition calculator, <br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 273px;"><tbody>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 255px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="3"><div align="center">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular; font-size: small;">Nutrition Facts
</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular; font-size: small;">
</span></b><div align="left">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular; font-size: small;">
<span style="color: #5a5ab5; font-size: x-small;">User Entered Recipe</span>
</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular; font-size: small;">
</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 12 Servings<br />
<br />
</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="5">
<td bgcolor="black" colspan="3" height="5" nowrap="nowrap"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="30">
<td colspan="3" height="30" nowrap="nowrap">
<div align="center">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Amount Per Serving<br />
</b></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#faffdc" height="3">
<td bgcolor="black" colspan="3" height="3" nowrap="nowrap"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Calories</b></span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">148.1</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Total Fat</b></span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" width="16"> </td>
<td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Saturated Fat</span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" width="16"> </td>
<td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Polyunsaturated Fat</span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.2</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" width="16"> </td>
<td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Monounsaturated Fat</span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Cholesterol</b></span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">15.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Sodium</b></span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">162.4</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Potassium</b></span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">135.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Total Carbohydrate</b></span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">35.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" width="16"> </td>
<td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Dietary Fiber</span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" width="16"> </td>
<td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Sugars</span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">14.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Protein</b></span></td>
<td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 273px;"><tbody>
<tr height="3">
<td bgcolor="black" colspan="2" height="3" nowrap="nowrap"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin A</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="33" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin B-12</span></td>
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin B-6</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin C</span></td>
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin D</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin E</span></td>
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Calcium</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Copper</span></td>
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Folate</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Iron</span></td>
<td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Magnesium</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8.3</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Manganese</span></td>
<td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">42.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Niacin</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.2</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Pantothenic Acid </span></td>
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Phosphorus </span></td>
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Riboflavin</span></td>
<td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.4</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Selenium</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Thiamin</span></td>
<td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="1">
<td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="35">
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Zinc</span></td>
<td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="33" nowrap="nowrap"><br /></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><br /></td></tr>
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</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-92011663833604458922012-05-02T22:34:00.001-07:002012-05-02T22:34:27.452-07:00Healthy Habits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBExPTnV8J1_XjSud5mI_7ZN2LrLw68ARZ-eklribBfYoZ3CmO3O2O9kDYlQ5qJoLv_nUwpU7FCS9OdFGYxyt2s3o47-tM5GMTOxbAD0vDgyDJz55RCsmRfrOUchyELOfLiNF4Sz7V_Bg/s1600/IMAG1726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBExPTnV8J1_XjSud5mI_7ZN2LrLw68ARZ-eklribBfYoZ3CmO3O2O9kDYlQ5qJoLv_nUwpU7FCS9OdFGYxyt2s3o47-tM5GMTOxbAD0vDgyDJz55RCsmRfrOUchyELOfLiNF4Sz7V_Bg/s320/IMAG1726.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
As many of you know, my husband and I have dedicated ourselves to a healthier lifestyle. We have been working out every day for the last 45 days, and we intend to keep going till we can go no more! I have also decreased the number of Pioneer Woman recipes that I prepare and increased the healthier recipes. I love love love PW, but I am not a rancher, so I probably shouldn't eat like one every day :o) <br />
<br />
I have also become a <a href="http://beachbodycoach/skrohn" target="_blank">beachbody coach</a>. I love being surrounded by so many positive and encouraging people. Working out and living healthy has changed our lives so much already, and I want to spread that knowledge and help other people live healthier lives.<br />
<br />
How have we changed? Besides the obvious. . . losing weight (although I haven't lost much since I didn't have a lot to lose). 1. We have more energy. Neither of us have that afternoon crash where you just want to take a nap. 2. Our moods are much better. 3. I have lost 11 inches all over my body (not quite sure how many Bryan has lost) 4. Bryan was diagnosed with degenerative disc and had a herniated disc in his lower back--this has disappeared! And I have scoliosis in my lower back from birth and lost my cervical neck curve from a car accident, when I have back pain, the stretching in the workouts gets rid of the pain.<br />
<br />
Now many people have been asking for help with healthy meals and snacks. I have been posting my healthy dinners. But I haven't touched on other meals.<br />
<br />
Breakfast: we like to mix it up. Eggs, cold cereal, oatmeal, yogurt and granola, pancakes or waffles, english muffins. . . and we usually have some fruit.<br />
<br />
Lunch: usually leftovers or sandwiches. Sometimes I will make chicken nuggets or fish sticks or hot dogs or homemade mac and cheese. I know that these aren't exactly healthy, but in moderation they can't be that bad. I make sure that the kids are getting an appropriate serving. Lunches get a veggie and a fruit: raw carrots, celery, cooked green beans, corn, or broccoli; apples, grapes, bananas, mangoes, raisens. . .<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gzlIih7iD061otvD32OuaH19SvRECLvDr95LNwxOdYSyzqwbJvdnPjYjZmXxQ1kfeqxJWUUP2H5BCSqeEB8MbmW_UWWi9C4T_w_wf-_1KQBXSPpbXKASh4VmytIPns1JBk2_JJtNNCg/s1600/IMAG1772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gzlIih7iD061otvD32OuaH19SvRECLvDr95LNwxOdYSyzqwbJvdnPjYjZmXxQ1kfeqxJWUUP2H5BCSqeEB8MbmW_UWWi9C4T_w_wf-_1KQBXSPpbXKASh4VmytIPns1JBk2_JJtNNCg/s320/IMAG1772.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade fat free sugar free yogurt with Homemade sugar free strawberry preserves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Snacks: smoothies are a big hit in our house (I use yogurt, fruit (preferably frozen), and a liquid) if the fruit isn't frozen then you need some ice.<br />
The general rule of thumb with snacks is to keep them small and to combine food groups. For instance, you could have pineapple and pistachios, (Read the label and find out what 1 serving of each is!!!) or apricots and almonds or raisins and peanuts.<br />
Another good combination is cheese (string cheese, cottage cheese, laughing cow wedge) and apples<br />
Whole wheat crackers and cheese or peanut butter<br />
Sliced veggies and hummus, or low fat ranch, or a yogurt based dip. Or celery with peanut butter<br />
Hard boiled eggs<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd_is3uIz4-1m_E-ZAGIcVcdPkrU626-oC6KbH8F9NuO9jkFmHjU-_AcusFI1ZKORJsBWcM2g86t-b3_uysbzRlMNJihb2sQXDV8vQv3qM8EWd9M3LjMqPwxJE9iyBsTFoOUEIdBMRZI/s1600/DSCF1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd_is3uIz4-1m_E-ZAGIcVcdPkrU626-oC6KbH8F9NuO9jkFmHjU-_AcusFI1ZKORJsBWcM2g86t-b3_uysbzRlMNJihb2sQXDV8vQv3qM8EWd9M3LjMqPwxJE9iyBsTFoOUEIdBMRZI/s320/DSCF1608.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Last but definitely not least, <a href="http://beachbodycoach/skrohn" target="_blank">Shakeology</a>. This is a powerhouse of goodness! <br />
<br />
Final thoughts: <br />
1. Always check the portion size.<br />
2. When you buy fresh produce, wash it and cut it up as soon as you get home from the store.<br />
3. Only buy the amount of fresh produce that you will eat in a week--the rest will go bad!<br />
4. Keep track of your calories if healthy eating is new to you. <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/" target="_blank">My Fitness Pal</a> is a great resource!<br />
<br />
Do you have any great tips? Anything I am missing?? I love to hear what everyone else is doing!Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-50501750308947495382012-04-30T18:29:00.002-07:002012-04-30T18:29:35.338-07:00Pork Chops with Dijon Herb Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OjYO-gkxrbjwYornBml6GinF6x-IVJ4cqKWSxAdRtjFWrJqfENIgZJB9FHNhKB7XuDSkN9K83QfbYj-DhkXSShT6CWipTOsV51KNJVtWuXNglAMKmPBE9i87SKUj_2uR04Tex34qWeg/s1600/IMAG1835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OjYO-gkxrbjwYornBml6GinF6x-IVJ4cqKWSxAdRtjFWrJqfENIgZJB9FHNhKB7XuDSkN9K83QfbYj-DhkXSShT6CWipTOsV51KNJVtWuXNglAMKmPBE9i87SKUj_2uR04Tex34qWeg/s320/IMAG1835.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Oh. My. Goodness!!!! These were delicious--I can't believe I have had two pork recipes in a row that I have actually enjoyed!! The sauce calls for "herbs." I happened to have parsley and chives in the garden, so that is what I used. <br />
<br />
I served them over a bed of buttered whole wheat egg noodles. I just tossed the noodles with a tablespoon of butter, a splash of chicken broth, salt, pepper, and some left over diced asparagus. <br />
<br />
If you eat pork, I definitely recommend heading over to <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/06/pork-chops-with-dijon-herb-sauce-525-ww.html" target="_blank">Skinny Taste</a> and trying out this quick, easy, and delicious meal!Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-29701669347257499142012-04-30T17:41:00.000-07:002012-04-30T17:41:25.214-07:00Lotion Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4H3Z2VDinxM_wkDBlWo1rz9nTgEZSaAVCEoXvItN_dSJeAIKQfXIF7r9srpHLsLqjH_nmZLsI_8ErfJNssesuMtoAmQYPncC2QkMufopq9bZ_8__FJ6SABtfI0010Nd8gTv6WnJLrrk/s1600/IMAG1787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4H3Z2VDinxM_wkDBlWo1rz9nTgEZSaAVCEoXvItN_dSJeAIKQfXIF7r9srpHLsLqjH_nmZLsI_8ErfJNssesuMtoAmQYPncC2QkMufopq9bZ_8__FJ6SABtfI0010Nd8gTv6WnJLrrk/s320/IMAG1787.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I recently saw <a href="http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/04/make-your-own-lotion-bars.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+onegoodthingbyjillee%2FzBBd+%28%22One+Good+Thing%22+by+Jillee%29" target="_blank">a recipe for making my own lotion bars</a>. I thought they sounded like a really nice and fast gift. I ordered all of my ingredients from amazon (surprise surprise). All you need is beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil. My only advice is to get the beeswax in small enough pieces. I ordered small bars of beeswax (1 oz each) that I roughly chopped before melting. Jillee used pellets, which melt much quicker. <br />
<br />
I already had these cute molds (I also have the flower mold) from making bird seed favors for my sister's bridal shower.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bars-100%25-ORGANIC-Poured-Beeswax/dp/B00455IWK6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335832467&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Beeswax</a> $6.80<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/African-Shea-Butter-Cream-100%25/dp/B0009MHJE4/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335832620&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Shea Butter</a> $3.00<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Organic-Virgin-Coconut/dp/B003B3OOPA/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335832673&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Coconut Oil</a> $1.90 (Subscribe and Save price)<br />
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Total: 11.70 for 6 bars ($1.95 a bar)Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-6313553258718043152012-04-26T23:18:00.001-07:002012-04-26T23:18:17.355-07:00Audrey's New Swimsuit!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't tell you how easy this swimsuit was to put together!!! I have been looking at many tutorials for swimsuits, <a href="http://zaaberry.blogspot.com/2012/03/girls-swimsuit-tutorial.html" target="_blank">but this one seemed to make the most sense to me</a>. That particular post is just the directions to assemble the suit. She also did a <a href="http://www.zaaberry.blogspot.com/2012/03/swimsuit-tutorial-part-2-making-your.html" target="_blank">blog on how to create your own pattern</a>; which is what I did. I just took Audrey's swim suit from last year and added 2 inches to the middle so that her new suit would be 2 inches longer than last year's suit. She is so skinny that I didn't need to add to the width.<br />
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The bathing suit probably only took me about an hour to complete and I love the final product!Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-5690706796125866432012-04-26T23:04:00.001-07:002012-04-26T23:18:49.297-07:00Meal Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday, we had <a href="http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/04/make-your-own-lotion-bars.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+onegoodthingbyjillee%2FzBBd+%28%22One+Good+Thing%22+by+Jillee%29" target="_blank">Greek Turkey Meatballs </a>and a Greek Tomato Salad. I also made the Skinny tzatziki. I followed her recipe to a T and it was delicious. The tzatziki has to sit for a while so I recommend making this in the morning or even a day ahead. I didn't have to strain my yogurt out since I used my home made yogurt that I had already strained to "yogurt cheese" consistency.<br />
The salad was the best part of the meal. I used Creole Tomatoes from my garden, cucumbers from my garden, olives, and feta cheese. Then I tossed it lightly with salt, pepper, and Wishbone Greek Vinaigrette dressing.<br />
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Everyone enjoyed this meal. Audrey really loved dipping the meatballs in the tzatziki. <br />
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Tonight we had <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/bangin-good-shrimp.html" target="_blank">Bangin Good Shrimp</a>. This recipe, I did change up quite a bit, as the original sounded a little bland. This meal is so quick and easy! Just put greens on your plate (I had romaine and green cabbage). Lightly drizzle the greens with Newman's Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger dressing. In a medium sized bowl, put 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, 1 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tsp minced onion, and fresh ground pepper. (I don't actually measure my spices, so those are all guesstimates.) Toss 1 lb of peeled/ deveined shrimp in the cornstarch. Heat 1 tsp canola oil in a fry pan. When the pan is hot, toss the shrimp in and cook until the shrimp are pink (about 3 -5 minutes). Keep your pan hot to get a good sear! Put the shrimp on top of greens and top with scallions. (I forgot them)<br />
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This was delicious! Everyone except Audrey liked it. She kept telling me it was too hot. I think it was a little spicy for her. The dressing has a little kick to it and the cayenne on the shrimp might have been a bit much.</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-20131462833645161972012-04-26T22:47:00.004-07:002012-04-26T23:18:34.121-07:00Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves<div>
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Somehow this week really got away from me. I have had all this pictures in my camera but I haven't uploaded them. </div>
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On Monday, I took the kids to pick strawberries. (Which, by the way, wasn't cheaper than buying them in the store, but they are delicious and we had a lot of fun.) I came home with a flat of strawberries and decided to make preserves. But I didn't want any sugar in them. I couldn't find a recipe online for truly sugar-free jelly/jam/preserves so I just did my own thing.<br />
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Step 1: Wash and hull your berries. I used a straw to hull. Just push the straw through the berry from the bottom to the top. All of the leaves should come right off. <br />
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Step 2: Mash the strawberries so that you have roughly 4 cups. I left mine with big chunks because I like it that way. If you wanted it smooth, I guess you could use your blender or food processor. </div>
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Step 3: Put the strawberries in a saucepan, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Add honey to taste and 1 packet of unflavored gelatin.<br />
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Step 4: Put the strawberries into a sterilized canning jar, put the lid on and immediately turn it upside down for 5 min. Flip it right side up and cool completely. The top is sealed if the center is sucked down (you can't push it up and down).<br />
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Enjoy!! Since I didn't use pectin, it didn't really gel up. I don't know if it would gel better if I used 2 packets of gelatin. My next batch, I will cave and use pectin.<br />
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Mmmmm, homemade strawberry preserves on top of homemade yogurt!</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-74932151698204012312012-04-22T21:49:00.002-07:002012-04-22T21:49:30.556-07:00What is on the menu this week?It is late and I am tired. Maybe I will come back tomorrow and fix this. We'll see. <br />
This week I included a traditional German meal for my German husband: rouladen. Rouladen is basically a little beef roll-up. It is a very thin piece of top round with onions, pickles, and bacon rolled inside. The rolls are cooked in a sauce of carrots, onions, and tomatoes. I will post a recipe for it later.<br />
I will also be making cheese ravioli in a mushroom ragout. This is a crockpot meal and it is vegetarian.<br />
As for my healthy meals, I will be making <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/08/greek-turkey-meatballs.html" target="_blank">Greek Turkey Meatballs</a>, served with a greek salad (hopefully I will have enough garden tomatoes for it), Chicken Piccata, served with rice and steamed broccoli, and <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/bangin-good-shrimp.html" target="_blank">Bangin Good Shrimp</a>, served with rice.<br />
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We are off to pick strawberries tomorrow! So hopefully I will have some cute pictures and lots of yummy strawberries. I am hoping to make strawberry preserves.<br />
<br />Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-64616712713926550752012-04-22T21:19:00.000-07:002012-04-23T17:43:32.417-07:00Why I Blog. . .Just some quick thoughts to share with all of my friends and family. I really enjoy taking care of myself and my family, and I want you all to be able to do the same. So often, we get caught up in life and think that it is just easier to rely on convenience items. With a little research and a little time, though, you can make products at home that are cheaper, healthier, and better for the environment! Most people don't have time for step 1 (research), so they don't go any further. I have taken the time to do the research and share my results with you. I am so thankful that my dear husband works so hard and I am able to stay home and really take care of my family.<br />
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Some topics that I write about on my blog:<br />
1. Home Organization. I have all sorts of systems that streamline my day and help our household run smoother, including cleaning, bills, meal planning, and general organization.<br />
2. Cooking. I love love love comfort food (especially The Pioneer Woman!), but I am not a rancher, so I should not eat such calorie dense foods every day. I am constantly searching for healthy foods that taste good to mix in with my not-so-healthy foods. When I blog about food, I like to tell you if I made any modifications and what my family members thought of the meal.<br />
3. Sewing. I also love to create. You name the craft, I have probably done it. Right now, I am loving my sewing machines. I am still becoming comfortable with creating my own patterns, so most of my creations are inspired by other bloggers. If it was my creation, I will attempt to create a tutorial. If I "borrowed" the idea, I will link to the original blogger's post.<br />
4. My kids. Since we live so far away from family, I also like to include pictures of my kids and stories about the crazy things that they do.<br />
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I am no one special. I don't have any special talents. But I am passionate. I set my mind on doing something and I do it. I hope that I will inspire other people to try to do something new. If you have any questions, please ask! As an educator, I want to teach others. If there is something you want to learn how to do, find the time to dedicate to it, and have fun learning new skills!Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-37837140039455416152012-04-20T22:21:00.000-07:002012-04-20T22:21:25.149-07:00Spinach Lasagna Rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html" target="_blank">This recipe for Spinach Lasagna Rolls</a> was quick and easy to make. We all really enjoyed it except Jack because he doesn't like ricotta cheese. I knew he wouldn't like it so I made him a side of plain pasta with sauce. <br />
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When I make a traditional lasagna, I do not precook the noodles. I just make my sauce a little runny (usually add 1 can of water). The lasagna noodles will cook when the lasagna is covered with foil, and they will be delicious bc they really absorb the sauce. <br />
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These rolls are not submerged in sauce when they cooked so I had to precook them. All I did was put the noodles in the lasagna dish, cover them with boiling water, and cover the dish with plastic wrap. They cooked while I mixed the spinach filling.<br />
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As for servings, one roll is a serving. I thought I would eat 2 rolls, but I was quite satisfied after just one roll. You could serve the lasagna with a salad and easily eat the 1 roll serving. I thought Bryan would eat 3 rolls, but he was satisfied with 2.Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-63177989846222959802012-04-18T19:47:00.002-07:002012-04-18T21:42:56.189-07:00Home Made Greek Yogurt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have always been curious about making yogurt. I used to make "yogurt cheese" which I would spread on toast or use as a substitute for sour cream. Making yogurt cheese is super easy. All you do is buy a container of plain 'ol yogurt, line a colander with cheese cloth, or a tea towel, or a coffee filter, put the colander over a bowl, dump the yogurt into the colander, put plastic wrap on top, and put it in the fridge overnight. The longer you leave it, the thicker it will get. Leave it for just a couple hours and you get greek yogurt. Leave it 8+ hours and get cheese.<br />
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Recently, I found a recipe for "<a href="http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/04/crockpot-greek-yogurt.html" target="_blank">crock pot yogurt.</a>" All you need to make yogurt is milk (ANY kind of milk), and a small amount of yogurt. My neighbor gets commodities, so she gave me a TON of powdered milk. So that is what I used to make this yogurt. So this batch of yogurt cost me 48 cents!!! And it made a large container of greek style yogurt, plus I left some in the colander draining to make yogurt cheese.<br />
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Now, when you strain yogurt, you get a lot of whey. I used to just throw that away, but I found a recipe for <a href="http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2010/02/lacto-fermented-mayonnaise.html" target="_blank">lacto-fermented mayonaise</a> that I am going to make with some of the whey and I will use the rest of the whey to make my own <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Great-Ricotta-Cheese-From-Whey/" target="_blank">ricotta cheese</a>. How cool is that??? I also read that you could put it in your garden to fertilize your plants. Anyway, I am getting a lot of product out of 48 cents. <br />
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As for taste. . . I like the yogurt mixed with some honey and maybe a splash of vanilla. But the kids like things a little sweeter. This yogurt is mixed with Blackberry All-Fruit Preserves. Audrey kept asking for more :o)</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-27282902597292981862012-04-18T10:42:00.003-07:002012-04-18T10:42:50.524-07:00Salmon Cakes and Roasted Cauliflower<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/recipes/SALMON_FISH_CAKES" target="_blank">This recipe for Salmon Cakes</a> was pretty good. I will add more seasonings the next time I make it, but if I alternated bites with the vegetables, it was pretty tasty. <br />
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Also, this recipe took a bit of time to make, but I learned a neat way to cook the salmon. I used my large spaghetti pot with the steamer basket in the top. I put water in the pot and cooked my potatoes in the water, and placed the salmon into the steamer basket. If you don't want to go through the fuss of cooking your own salmon, you can always use canned salmon. The potato was mashed and used as the binder in the crab cakes. You could always substitute bread crumbs or panko. Oh, and when I worked them into paties, they were really went (because these are almost all salmon, hardly any filler), but as you can see from my final product, they held together fine in the pan.<br />
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This recipe made 4 very large salmon cakes, plus one small bonus cake. <br />
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The <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/09/oven-roasted-cauliflower.html" target="_blank">roasted cauliflower</a> was easy and delicious! You just have to remember that it takes nearly 30 minutes to bake, so take that into account when you make it. It was sweet and kind of nutty. We didn't even put the cheese on top. Everyone loved the meal except Jack. Oh, and when I cut up my head of cauliflower, I noticed that it was kind of small, so I sauteed up some spinach with evoo and garlic to supplement the cauliflower.Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-77864159426365755122012-04-16T21:16:00.001-07:002012-04-16T21:17:02.970-07:00Turkey, White Bean, & Pumpkin Chili<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEMr7wlQrzSEkzc59c_kz-p1G4tnjRLbQRQWugbCdNmQPGQUMUSKIVygIad8o8bzxKXIhpI5vZ_RwF-uWPYI4gFoFjrXU0ULvJE9hi_y1NcAYQGNODo2c4JjViAc01H5piZE-ONAeu7E/s1600/IMAG1536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEMr7wlQrzSEkzc59c_kz-p1G4tnjRLbQRQWugbCdNmQPGQUMUSKIVygIad8o8bzxKXIhpI5vZ_RwF-uWPYI4gFoFjrXU0ULvJE9hi_y1NcAYQGNODo2c4JjViAc01H5piZE-ONAeu7E/s320/IMAG1536.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This evening's healthy meal was a <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/crockpot-turkey-white-bean-pumpkin.html" target="_blank">Turkey, White Bean, & Pumpkin Chili</a>. It was super easy to make, and I used the crock pot so it didn't heat up the house. The pumpkin gave it a creamy texture, and a slight nutty flavor, although Bryan said he wouldn't have know there was pumpkin in it if I hadn't told him. It was quite different from a tradition chili, but I think it makes a great summer chili. The only modification that I made to the recipe was using Tabasco chipolte instead of cumin. We just really like the flavor of the chipolte. Everyone devoured it, there is actually just enough left over for Bryan to take for lunch tomorrow!<br />
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As for the nutrition, it is based on 1 cup of chili. I think the only person who had 1 cup was Ayden. Jack and I ate roughly a cup and a half. Bryan ate closer to 2 1/2 cups. (Oh, and Audrey probably ate a heaping cup.) Even at those larger servings, this is still a pretty good calorie/fat-wise meal. 182.6 calories per cup and 2.3 grams of fat per cup. Anyone interested in the math: that would be 273 calories and 3.4 grams of fat for me and Jack, and 456.5 calories and 5.75 grams of fat for Bryan. The only other thing we ate with it was a piece of rye bread lightly dipped in EVOO and fresh herbs.Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-40078464447056817342012-04-16T08:09:00.001-07:002012-04-16T10:13:56.419-07:00Homemade Dishwasher Detergent<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1eW-KCRprnorcVGMR-C6mQg4Zqv-7dw2Qy84gr8kbv5LnFSLXGyQdGD6wjsY9DLBXdTXC9hyAbINUBCHvijE7e11qAXcBCJoPGN5L_21e1VsXeI_TYYtnG6tl88yPUBJELH3ejPdttE/s1600/IMAG1530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1eW-KCRprnorcVGMR-C6mQg4Zqv-7dw2Qy84gr8kbv5LnFSLXGyQdGD6wjsY9DLBXdTXC9hyAbINUBCHvijE7e11qAXcBCJoPGN5L_21e1VsXeI_TYYtnG6tl88yPUBJELH3ejPdttE/s320/IMAG1530.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am so stinkin excited! I flipped the casserole dish over so you could see how clean it is. I cooked baked oatmeal in it this am and put it in the dishwasher with all the crud still stuck to it!</td></tr>
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Making homemade cleaning products is really addicting. It is fun to see how clean you can get stuff with a few simple, nontoxic products. Best of all, I feel like a real supermom, by saving sooo much money!<br />
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I have been using my homemade laundry detergent for quite a while now and still have a little over half a gallon left. Since I made the laundry detergent, I already had almost all of the ingredients for the dishwasher detergent.<br />
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I found the recipe for dishwasher detergent at <a href="http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-revised.html#comment-12999" target="_blank">One Good Thing by Jillee</a>. If you haven't checked her blog out yet, you might want to find a couple good hours to read through her awesome ideas. Feel free to click on the link above to read all of her great background info on the detergent. I am just going to give you a quick recipe for it here.<br />
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1 cup of Washing Soda (or baking soda) <i>If you made the laundry detergent, you already have this!</i><br />
1 cup of Borax <i>Once again, used in the laundry detergent</i><br />
1/2 cup of Kosher Salt<br />
1/2 cup of citric acid or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jarden-24100-Fruit-Fresh-Produce-Protector/dp/B000KOSP6M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334588376&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Fruit Fresh</a> <i>Fruit Fresh is used in canning, so you can usually find it in the baking aisle or the area of your store where you will find canning jars</i><br />
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Mix all of the ingredients together. I put mine in a gallon ziplock bag.<br />
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When you are ready to wash your dishes:<br />
Put 1-2 TBS of the powder AND 2-3 drops of liquid dish soap (like Dawn or whatever you have on hand) into the detergent well.<br />
Dump 1/2 cup-1cup of white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher (Or you could fill the little jet dry compartment with vinegar.)<br />
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Wash! And enjoy living the homemade/frugal life with me!<br />
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I used 2 TBS of powder, 2 drops of liquid soap, and 1/2 cup of vinegar. <br />
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<br />Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-62866434165814682982012-04-15T23:57:00.001-07:002012-04-15T23:57:14.529-07:00Healthy meal review: Pork Chops and Salad<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/12/pork-chops-with-mushrooms-and-shallots.html" target="_blank">Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Shallots</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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This is the one meal that I really wasn't looking forward to. But it was fabulous for 2 reasons. 1--Bryan cooked! 2--It was delicious (this coming from a non-pork lover). The key to this recipe, I think was the delicate mushroom/shallot sauce. Mmmmmmm delicious!!! Jack has never liked mushrooms, but we somehow got him to take a bite of one of these and now he is hooked! Guess I am going to have to double the portions of sauteed mushrooms now.<br />
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I was going to serve the pork chops with the roasted cauliflower but since Bryan cooked, he didn't realize that the cauliflower would take longer to cook and he didn't start it early. Sooo, I served it with salad. I used some romaine lettuce from the fridge, fresh salad greens from the garden, carrots from the garden, and fresh herbs from the garden. I was really sad that I didn't have a couple more ripe tomatoes.<br />
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If you like pork, I definitely recommend this recipe. One pork chop has only 180 calories and 9.5 grams of fat. I am used to eating the thin pork chops, so I could only eat half of one of these. If you don't eat pork, I recommend just making the shallots and mushrooms since that was my favorite part anyway. :o)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRYGUHFwmPSSTEmtjYi3r9_zTMGNz0L3IbeyH0GeEWD5bA_u_FgMVa5Kb7wpbxeYJTcPE1kyq2VurWxoOQ72bU8CnlG5OIXCu4emZ_RpoNPJfDheQ3UrHBWp0EBqa-jB25le_9aFfPIo/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what was up with the settings on my phone's camera, wouldn't it be nice to have a DSLR???</td></tr>
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</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-88115224639432052612012-04-15T14:42:00.001-07:002012-04-15T14:42:32.432-07:00Garden update<div>
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Yesterday, we started eating out of the garden. It wasn't much, but we ate!!! These are my bean plants. We harvested 2 beans yesterday :o)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5O0qbkAgMS_SuaF3rcsQ1mDr8KpUke3sXKwYUFSSt6yvkdcI7OAO3qTJK9wFEAxs8p75NdMnPJGFT_6YxlpI1k47YHpeEDa73KOuUTvW5_GybrM6W4YHUCNBUcUJi4PebzBqjKya-Lpk/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5O0qbkAgMS_SuaF3rcsQ1mDr8KpUke3sXKwYUFSSt6yvkdcI7OAO3qTJK9wFEAxs8p75NdMnPJGFT_6YxlpI1k47YHpeEDa73KOuUTvW5_GybrM6W4YHUCNBUcUJi4PebzBqjKya-Lpk/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can see, the cucumber plant is filled with flowers. We have a couple cucumbers growing already.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXo_Twr8BHtXwP2bmDJdUU3IjRWjrj_PMb9Y65oOnbhAMVB73_Gagnh4PaziQQiKTsYNbZkN7o8KtNbCIuIG_CxqshO06Uh2YQCm5vN_AL6kivarpYd_bdatBJuTm2UNbMrPgfwuZQ3dU/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry tomatoes. Bryan and I each ate a tomato. They were warm, sweet, and oh so juicy. I can't wait for more to rippen!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack was so excited to eat a carrot. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04jOUDTKe7VeCg1wbGG9-BJY892WCZEr9OFGTvHnsTlnD3_0u_qGnV4k-9OmtbeAJedQxS5E5FJH5Lzo84lv9hySH-YX4nGlEy5_4Pd_0Cr_I2Okij-KYNiWAk2f-Us-X9Xcjfybo3Wc/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey lucked out with a pretty large carrot. Aren't they beautiful?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB11KkD2xAYC35RZv6oPY0N2zPQmAMVDyp9tV0bs8TICPB5jzEE3lh9uVLXBjIkWcJnSgsLPFVTfdAuGDm9NrMVCnUEln0rOIl74g8EgZ6hOdSqmEX_LpLuN5S8NXky1-e6RrmlLzfqXc/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creole tomato is turning orange. That is going to make a yummy blt (at least that is what Jack is looking forward to). We should be able to use that lettuce in the lower garden. The mound of dirt is the potatoes. And that huge bush of marigolds grew from three tiny seeds. God is amazing isn't He?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPChVORcg2zOkza3-8FGIq1iafe_QOiaE48Tv5OPY_SGiANRUEII8k2i85DsGPpZFhlDZpsZlJFs3ND5rxT6B7aGTVgIZXQc7U5CKsF0K-FlAuFaPT0xi-wpmUg116WmeUYrwPxVsUYM/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey enjoying her carrot.</td></tr>
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</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-71763220993195749652012-04-09T10:31:00.000-07:002012-04-09T10:31:06.589-07:00Healthy Recipes to Try This WeekIn an effort to make some more healthy recipes, I am going to try some recipes from Skinny Taste. The first one that caught my eye was the spinach lasagna rolls. I love lasagna in any form and these look delish! Too bad Jack hates lasagna (he doesn't like cheese), I will have to find some alternative for him.<br />
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html">Spinach Lasagna Rolls</a><br />
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Next, I found a pork chop recipe. I, personally, don't really care for pork, but Bryan loves it. This one has mushrooms, which I love, so I will tolerate the meal. I will also serve it with the roasted cauliflower as suggested on the page.<br />
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/12/pork-chops-with-mushrooms-and-shallots.html" target="_blank">Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Shallots</a><br />
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This next one has me really intrigued! Turkey Pumpkin Chili!! We all love chili, and I love meals that use my crock pot when the weather heats up here in southern Louisiana.<br />
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/crockpot-turkey-white-bean-pumpkin.html" target="_blank">Crock Pot Turkey White Bean and Pumpkin Chili</a><br />
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I am also going to try some of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Recipes. Since it is hot here, I like to utilize the grill outside as much as possible. I am going to get Bryan going on his grill with Jamie's Grilled Chicken. I think it will go great with a salad. I have lettuce in my garden that needs to be harvested. Too bad my tomatoes are still green and my broccoli and carrots aren't ready to be harvested yet :-(<br />
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<a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/recipes/BARBECUED_CHICKEN" target="_blank">Jamie Oliver's Barbecued Chicken</a><br />
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And meal #5 for the week will be Jamie's Salmon Cakes served with steamed broccoli. <br />
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<a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/recipes/SALMON_FISH_CAKES" target="_blank">Jamie Oliver's Salmon Cakes</a><br />
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That about covers all of MY bases. Those are pretty healthy meals for my family: 1 pasta, 1 turkey, 1 pork, 1 chicken, and 1 seafood. I know that this menu wouldn't work for all of my vegetarian friends, but for us omnivores, I think this is pretty balanced. . . and there isn't any red meat this week. <br />
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By the way, even though we eat meat, I try to incorporate 1 meatless meal a week. If you have any really yummy vegetarian meals that you think my meat loving husband would like, please share!Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-59627647329234686052012-04-05T15:46:00.001-07:002012-04-05T16:05:49.228-07:00Audrey's Easter Dress<div>
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I saw this <a href="http://shwinandshwin.blogspot.com/2012/03/easter-sunday-dress.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Shwinshwin+%28Shwin%26amp%3BShwin%29" target="_blank">adorable dress on Shwin and Shwin's blog</a> and loved it so much that I wanted to make one for Audrey. I made some modifications, so now it is definitely a "Krohn Kreation!" <br />
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I have been dying to try piping in a project, so I made a scoop neckline and put piping in the front and back of the neckline.<br />
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Also, so many of these little girl dresses use buttons. Buttons and Audrey don't exactly mix because she doesn't hold still for long so I needed to make the dressing process quicker, so I put a zipper in instead of buttons.<br />
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Lastly, Shwin and Shwin only put the ribbon on the front of the dress. I like the wrap around look, but as you can see, I had some issues getting the ribbon to lay flat in the back.</div>
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I followed the <a href="http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/2011/01/party-dress-printable-pattern-and.html" target="_blank">Cottage Mama's template</a> and steps for the top, which I love because all of the seams are fully encased. The dress looks very high quality. And since the dress is made from seersucker (which is pretty thin), I also lined the skirt.<br />
</div>Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-70750005103257846582012-03-30T15:26:00.001-07:002012-03-30T15:26:03.058-07:002012 Garden--Help Me Get Rid of Tomato Worms!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My garden is growing quite well so far! a lot of this stuff was planted from seed, so I am super excited that it is doing so well. The tomatoes are the only thing that I planted as plants. <br />
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In the back/higher garden I have: cherry tomatoes, carrots, garlic, cucumber, onion, potatoes, and a creole tomato.<br />
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In the front/lower garden I have: green beans, strawberries, broccoli, lettuce, thyme, marjoram, bell pepper, and a TON of basil that reseeded itself from last year. <br />
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I also have huge bushes of parsley and rosemary from last year. The only thing that doesn't seem to be growing very well are my hot peppers, so I will probably go out and buy a plant.<br />
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My only problem is tomato worms. I have always been able to deter tomato worms by planting marigolds in the vegetable bed, but it doesn't seem to be working this year. I have been finding worms on my cherry tomato almost everyday. Today, I found 5!!! I have been thinning the tomato plants down (removing stems with just leaves/no blossoms on them) so that I can find the tomato worms better. Does anyone have any advice?<br />
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Oh so happy!!! There is fruit and flowers on so many of the plants already! A couple close ups of my maters.<br /><br />Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324877621681923021.post-38176305093122661502012-03-30T12:48:00.004-07:002012-03-30T13:01:25.116-07:00Tutorial--Make Your Own Shorts/Pants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As my sewing skills and confidences grow, I would like to start sharing my knowledge with others. This is the first time I am trying to write a a tutorial. Hopefully someone will want to try and out and let me know how it worked for them!<br />
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Making your own shorts or pants without a pattern definitely isn't a new thing. I have no idea where I learned how to do it--I read so many amazing blogs that have helped hone the skills that my mother taught me. All you need is a pair of shorts/pants that fit well, some paper (I use a roll of kids craft paper), fabric, elastic, and a sewing machine and thread. For Ayden's shorts, I used a little less than half a yard of fabric.<br />
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The first thing you need to do, is turn the pants inside out and tuck one leg into the other. Try to get the piece as flat as possible so you can see all of the side seams. These shorts did not want to lay flat, so I drew the left side out to where they should have lain flat.<br />
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Lay the shorts on the paper and trace around them, about 1/2 inch away from the seam to account for seam allowances. The bottom and top edges are about an inch and a half below the seam, to allow for a 1 inch cuff and a 1 inch waist band.<br />
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The front and back pieces of your clothes are not identical, so you need to trace both the front half of the shorts and the back half. Make sure you label your pattern pieces! And if you would like to make the shorts again, you might want to label the size.<br />
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Cut out your pattern pieces. <br />
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You will need 2 front pieces and 2 back pieces, so I fold my fabric in half and pin my pattern pieces on top.<br />
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Cut the pieces out.<br />
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To ensure that I don't mess up my front and back pieces, I labeled my front pieces with an "F." Note that I use a pencil that will disappear when it is washed.<br />
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Now the sewing begins!!! <br />
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Pin 1 front and 1 back piece together, with the right sides facing each other. (You will only see the wrong side of the fabric.)<br />
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Sew up the long, straight side, using a 1/2 seam allowance. This is the side seam of your pants.<br />
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Repeat for the other two pieces.<br />
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Open the pieces up and iron flat. You will have 2 pieces that look like this.<br />
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As a side note, I do not have a serger. . . (yet) so I like to make french seams because they look more professional. If you would like to make a french seam, all you have to do is (1) put the pieces together with wrong sides together (2) sew a narrow (3) open and iron flat, trim extra fabric (4) press the fabric with right sides facing each other (your seam will be smooshed between the 2 layers) (5) sew 1/4 seam. <br />
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Ok, back to the normal tutorial.<br />
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If you don't want a cuff, skip to the next image. <br />
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To make the contrasting cuff, I made a narrow hem on my polka dot fabric. To make a narrow hem, place fabric on the ironing board right side down and press 1/2 inch of fabric over twice.<br />
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I pinned this fabric to the pant leg, lining up the unfinished (bottom) edges. The rolled hem that I just made is at the top where the pins are.<br />
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Sew a straight line down the pins. (I remove pins as I go, to avoid possibly breaking a needle.)<br />
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Repeat for the other leg.<br />
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Another "professional" touch that I added, was sewing 2 parallel lines here. <br />
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Next, place the two legs together, ride sides facing each other.<br />
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Pin up the J shaped curves on either side. These seams will be the waist to crotch and waist to butt seams.<br />
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Sew where you have pinned with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.<br />
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Open up the shorts so that the seams lay flat. I have a pin in the picture above so you can see the seam that we just sewed. Your fabric should look more like shorts now!<br />
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Now I have flipped my shorts around. Pin the inseam. This area is shaped like a U. That middle seam is the seam that you sewed in the previous step. Since I made a cuff, I was careful to match up the cuffs on the front and back pieces.<br />
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Sew, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.<br />
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If the clothes are going to get a good bit of wear, you might want to reinforce the crotch inseam. Come back and add a line of stitches at the crotch on the outside of the seam that you just sewed.<br />
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At this point, I like to try the clothes on just to make sure nothing needs to be adjusted before I hem up the bottoms and create the waist. <br />
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To make a cuff, make sure the pants are inside out. Flip over 1/2 inch of fabric and press it flat. Next flip over 1 inch of fabric and press flat again. You will not see any of the raw edge.<br />
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Sew the cuff down. I life to line my presser foot up with the top edge of the cuff.<br />
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Repeat for the other leg.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlHCb8x6g3MqS8jiaiLHpCNaIgOOKvMb5-Dmb1Ue-xf9E9CFV9W3VkRhwnW_Hl7LKtBkkpRHBKt3m050vv9PP-_4zhnyuGL9J-pWZ2Aqs8H4kokhf1k0sJWSvTSaNle97oij0mSzIn7I/s1600/IMAG1408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlHCb8x6g3MqS8jiaiLHpCNaIgOOKvMb5-Dmb1Ue-xf9E9CFV9W3VkRhwnW_Hl7LKtBkkpRHBKt3m050vv9PP-_4zhnyuGL9J-pWZ2Aqs8H4kokhf1k0sJWSvTSaNle97oij0mSzIn7I/s320/IMAG1408.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Since I already had a line of stitching on the cuff, I flipped my pants around so they were right side out to sew the cuff down. I then sewed right on my upper line of stitching and carefully removed each pin before I got to it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-VSKPzXvcB7kTFPbbqporstJrWq9pao7qW7_qXMcagcm5TunVaJH3uGbuZnYKKRtgN7T7_hUx1Dl1KY14w7X-_YTaQtJMMkfvXzEzaivq8pifNJegl2hpcHxDLcwpVWiJIG9AI2YHmE/s1600/IMAG1409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-VSKPzXvcB7kTFPbbqporstJrWq9pao7qW7_qXMcagcm5TunVaJH3uGbuZnYKKRtgN7T7_hUx1Dl1KY14w7X-_YTaQtJMMkfvXzEzaivq8pifNJegl2hpcHxDLcwpVWiJIG9AI2YHmE/s320/IMAG1409.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Lastly, you need to make the waistband! Just like the cuffs, with the shorts inside out, fold over 1/2 inch, press, fold over 1 inch, press again. At this point, I like to make a little tag. I just use my pinking shears to cut a square of fabric and insert it into the center back waistband.<br />
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Pin the waistband down. You are going to need to leave about an inch and a half open so that you can insert the elastic. To mark the open spot, I use 2 pins on either side.<br />
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Stitch around the waist, using about 1/4 inch allowance. Start at one set of double pins, and end at the other set. Note, too, that my opening is in the back. This is just in case I get a little pucker, mistakes aren't as noticeable in the back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14oItx9Um9PgK8CPTWzzkjSRsknpzJXtrhwDSGhLlgGSaYzAgoR1hGIyOVPiMpUHaC2IgZWVlTeIZzegZla4siQb8vg8g1lNBK4R83o5eceXjjXn8DkkWTJdZGtQe59joWHbuai63Xk4/s1600/IMAG1411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14oItx9Um9PgK8CPTWzzkjSRsknpzJXtrhwDSGhLlgGSaYzAgoR1hGIyOVPiMpUHaC2IgZWVlTeIZzegZla4siQb8vg8g1lNBK4R83o5eceXjjXn8DkkWTJdZGtQe59joWHbuai63Xk4/s320/IMAG1411.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Put your elastic around the wearer's waist (not stretched) and mark where you need to cut. (This is 3/4 inch elastic.) I usually cut the elastic just a tad shorter than the person's waist circumference.<br />
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To thread the elastic through, use a safety pin. Be careful to keep the elastic from twisting.<br />
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It also helps to use "non-roll" elastic. My store was out of the non-roll, so I am making due with standard elastic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_QuEqXWdW5WRMddz9DoZkTBmESwCNvOeHycWwibCDLKUyYFgNRV5ZlexUCNed4NoQY7DkWBJLH8NNeyIQpYRqOiEnSUuQqYfHlUCH7sr6UJweUhnwSv68h1CxQ5-WsEVwXzb3tBE83E/s1600/IMAG1412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_QuEqXWdW5WRMddz9DoZkTBmESwCNvOeHycWwibCDLKUyYFgNRV5ZlexUCNed4NoQY7DkWBJLH8NNeyIQpYRqOiEnSUuQqYfHlUCH7sr6UJweUhnwSv68h1CxQ5-WsEVwXzb3tBE83E/s320/IMAG1412.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Overlap the ends, and stitch, using a zigzag stitch. I go back and forth a couple times to make it strong. <br />
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Distribute the elastic evenly through the band. If you want to make sure they fit well, you might want to try them on before you close up this seam.<br />
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Sew the seam closed, doing your best to line up your stitching with the other ends.<br />
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Congrats! You just made a pair of pants! Enjoy!<br />
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One last thought. Anyone can sew. All you need is patience, a good iron, and lots of pins. It is like carpentry, take your time, measure twice, and mark your patterns well and you, too, can create whatever your mind can think up!Stephanie Krohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560634309420166204noreply@blogger.com2