Technology-Less Tuesday: Travel talk

 Technology-Less Tuesday, Travel
Apr 162013
 

Tonight’s Technology-Less Tuesday theme is all about travel.

I absolutely love traveling, and I always thought I’d end up a missionary’s wife. Not because I feel called to spread the gospel far and wide, but simply because I wanted to travel. Don’t hate. It seemed like a good plan. And for some it is.

But alas, I married a guy who is nerdy (as in, loves technology) and chose to build a career in the good old northwest, where tech is booming and he gets his daily technology fix whilst sitting in a cube, surrounded by other geeked out nerds (no offense, I used to be one too).

Okay, so really, he’s not *that* nerdy. He’s pretty hot and funny to boot.

Enough about him, and more about tonight.

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My youngest daughter and I went to the library today, and after a lovely toddler time filled with singing and circle-time, we armed ourselves with books. She got books about bunnies. I got books about traveling to France.

I’ve never been to France, but that will change this coming Fall {if all goes as planned}. And I’m OH. SO. EXCITED!

I pulled the 2 travel books we own off the bookshelf, along with some old maps from a trip my husband took in 2001, and set everything in a pile in our living room in prep for tonight’s TLT. With this pile-o-books, I hope to generate quite the travel conversation. Where the night will take us, nobody knows…. But I have a feeling my travel bug is only going to grow after talking about all of the places we’d like to visit! italy_ 781

So whether you have a trip in mind, or simply want to dream together about future plans, tonight is the night to spend time talking about your travel desires. And if you don’t like to travel, you should probably talk about that too. No sense traveling if you don’t like it!

I hope you all have a great night!! And if you have kids, I wish you the best of luck in getting them to bed on time and without too many issues. Our girls share a room and boy oh boy, they’ve been quite chatty at bedtime lately. It makes for a hard time getting our TLT started at a reasonable hour – wish us luck!

Note: The picture above was taken during our trip to Italy in 2009 (traveling with a 7 month old! See: Tips & tricks for traveling with infants)

Connect with your partner – questions to ask

 Technology-Less Tuesday
Apr 092013
 

Sometimes, it’s fun to spice up Technology-Less Tuesday. And by spice it up, I mean we sometimes get all crazy and pull out a board game. ;-P  We’ve played Boggle, Yahtzee, Payday, and even Monopoly on various occasions. My husband doesn’t even like playing games all that much, but we have made some awesome memories together by sitting down for a few hours, playing games and in turn, talking about everything under the sun.

Randomly, one of us will surprise the other with a new TLT activity. Like that one time my husband found a list of questions that was supposed to help us identify our own unique abilities. Some of the best bonding happened after we went over that list of questions!

We are always surprised when we learn something new about each other.fixed_christmas

That is why tonight we will be answering some random questions to get the ball rolling. We might not make it through all of the questions tonight, but that’s okay! We will save whatever is left for next week.  The point of the questions is to help generate conversation, talk about old things and new, and to reflect and build on your relationship.

 

Here are the questions:

If tomorrow was you’re last day on earth, how would you like to spend it?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Do you like dancing? Why?

What’s on your bucket list?

What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

What’s your favorite animal? Why?

What’s your favorite childhood memory?

What’s one of your favorite memories from the early days of our relationship?

What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

How do you describe me to other people?

How would you describe my personality?

What is your idea of a romantic date?

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Well, what do you think? Will you give TLT a try? I’d love to hear from you below. And if you have ideas for future TLT’s, please include them in your comment. :-)

Technology-Less Tuesday: Connect with your partner

 Technology-Less Tuesday
Apr 092013
 

Have you dated your spouse lately? Are you always connected to technology? Do you pick up your phone whenever you have a spare moment and browse facebook/pinterest/instagram?

I’m guilty. SO guilty.

This, my friends, is why we have a weekly ritual in our house, called Technology-Less Tuesday (TLT for short). Every Tuesday (or at least we intend to do this every Tuesday!) my husband and I put the kids to bed and then spend the next few hours together – without technology. That means no phones (we turn them on silent and leave them in a room we won’t be in), no TV, no computers – just the two of us, face to face for some dedicated bonding time. We do this to keep the fire in our marriage burning.

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We usually end up sitting in our living room, and for the most part, we simply TALK to each other.

Sounds like such a normal thing, doesn’t it? Talking. But answer this, when was the last time you really focused on a conversation with your partner?

Sure, I talk to my husband every day, morning and night, and often times, throughout the day (lunch time phone calls are not uncommon). But these short conversations are usually filled with talk about kids activities, bills that are due, projects that are underway, and happenings at work. And if I’m being honest, those short conversations are often filled with a bunch of loud background noise and plenty of interruptions from the kids.

In the evening, the hubby’s phone is usually in his pocket, and I have been known to play Candy Crush during moments of down time (isn’t that game so addicting!?).

So once a week, we make it a point to put all of the technology aside and we focus on each other. We even turn down other invites, because we are intentional about dating each other on Tuesdays.

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I know, it sounds so simple, right? But can you remember the last time you spent a weeknight with your spouse and really focused on connecting?

 

So I challenge you this - join us for Technology-Less Tuesday! Keep the romance alive, join us tonight.

 

Check back later today for post containing a list of questions you can print off and use as a guide for TLT.

Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Beets

 Gluten-Free, Recipes
Apr 052013
 

I used to think that beets tasted like dirt. My opinion has changed, thanks in part to learning how to cook them in the most delicious (and simple) way. When paired with sweet potatoes, beets are like candy.

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I am a fan of quick and easy dishes in the kitchen, so this is one of my favorite go-to side dishes. I made these for Easter, and everyone approved – even the kids!

I use organic sweet potatoes (I buy the orange ones, known as yams) and red beets (I don’t think the flavor is near as good when using the yellow beets). I always use different amounts and sizes of beets and sweet potatoes, so I adjust the ingredients up or down depending on how many I’m using. I also don’t use measuring spoons. Fewer utensils = less time cleaning up the kitchen! It’s hard to go wrong with this recipe.

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1. Peel sweet potatoes and beets (save the beet greens for juicing, they are excellent!). NOTE: You might want to wear some gloves, as beets do stain hands. I remove beet juice from my butcher block by spritzing Vinegar on and wiping the surface clean with a sponge.
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2. Chop into bite size pieces and toss into a bowl. Cut the sweet potato chunks slightly larger than the beets as beets tend to take a little longer to cook – cutting the beets smaller will even out the baking times so you don’t have to worry about starting beets before the sweet potatoes. pic 0313 028-001

3. Drizzle Olive Oil onto the beets and sweets – use enough to lightly coat every piece. I used about 1.5 TBSP for the amount prepared.

4. Sprinkle in some Garlic or Onion Powder. I have used both garlic and onion powder. I prefer the onion powder as it produces a sweeter taste in the end, but they are both good, so experiment! I used about 1/2 tsp for the amount prepared as I don’t want to have garlic breath when my husband gets home from work!

5. Grind in Salt and Pepper

6. Stir it up and spread the sweets and beets on a rimmed baking pan

7. Bake at 425 for ~30-45 minutes (stirring once). The larger the chunks are, the longer it will take to cook. They are done when the beets can be easily pierced with a fork.pic 0313 039-001

Enjoy!

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Warning: Beets will cause you to stare into the toilet in shock – don’t be alarmed, pink poop and pee is to be expected after eating beets. Your kids might think it’s cool…

Do you like beets? If you don’t think you do, I challenge you to make this – give beets a second chance! Also, I’d love to hear the popular vote – what do you prefer, onion or garlic powder on your sweets and beets??

What we eat: Gluten-Free

 Gluten-Free
Mar 292013
 

When I first eliminated gluten from my diet, I felt deprived. Like utterly and totally deprived of all *good* food in the world. Oh how I loved that soft and fluffy french bread dipped in olive oil w/balsamic vinaigrette… Fly me to Italy and you may see me shed a tear (or 500!) as my husband and I pretty much survived on bread and cheese (and wine, oh my!) when we were there in 2009 (aka before going gluten-free).

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Oh the memories…

When others find out that we are a gluten-free household, I’m often met with the response, “What on earth do you eat?!”

I felt the same way in the beginning.

The transition to a gluten-free lifestyle was not easy. It was a journey and it was a journey that I didn’t enjoy {like, at all}. I would look at food in the grocery store and say, ”I can’t have this, I can’t have that…” as I stumbled my way through the aisles.

Now, having been gluten-free for over 2 years, I have a totally different perspective! Now I eat real food, and for the most part, I don’t find myself questioning the possibility that something I ate had gluten in it {unless I’m eating outside of my own kitchen}.

I’m going to give you a quick run down of what we eat, on a regular basis.

The usual breakfast options:

  • oatmeal (Trader Joe’s GF) – I like to use unsweetened coconut milk (also from TJ’s) or almond milk instead of milk or water. I also add cinnamon and raisins, the kids love it.
  • eggs (scrambled, omelettes, hard-boiled) – I like to throw in some peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and cheese when I do scrambled eggs or omelettes. I cut the vegetables up nice and small so the kids don’t complain too much. ;)
  • protein shake – currently using SFH’s chocolate whey protein powder. I use Zico coconut water as a base, add a frozen banana, lots of spinach and sometimes almond butter. There are a gazillion ways to spice up the vanilla or chocolate powders, I like to experiment.
  • pancakes or waffles (The Cravings Place All Purpose Pancake & Waffle Mix) – we only do pancakes/waffles if we’re having eggs and the kids only get the pancakes if they eat their eggs. ;) I like this GF mix because it’s so simple to make, and the pancakes taste great! I usually add some unsweetened apple sauce to the mix with water, unsweetened coconut milk, or almond milk. I don’t measure, I just add liquid until I get the right consistency. Sometimes I add a little vanilla and cinnamon. The pancakes/waffles have the perfect texture – just like those gluten filled ones we used to enjoy.

The typical lunch (note: we usually have fruit and vegetables paired with one of the following items at lunch time):

  • Quinoa – we eat a lot of quinoa. I usually make a quinoa salad with black beans, garbanzo beans, red/orange/yellow peppers and artichokes all mixed in. Our girls love it.
  • Salmon patties (purchased from Costco – WARNING: read the packages, some salmon patties have gluten in them!) – I use my cast iron pan to quickly grill up salmon patties for my kids. Dip a bite of  salmon patty in mayonnaise, and it’s even more delicious. We usually pair the salmon with a green vegi (typically steamed broccoli)
  • Sandwiches (Udi’s bread is THE best store bought bread) – on days I need to make something quick, my fall back is a good old fashioned PB&J, grilled cheese sandwich or a meat n’cheese sandwich (sometimes I sub hummus for mayonnaise – yum). I love panini’s so I usually grill our sandwiches (I have a Cuisinart Griddler – absolutely LOVE it!).

The last-minute dinner:

  • Meat and vegi’s. Seriously. We eat a lot of meat and vegetables for dinner. Whether it’s shrimp, steak, fish or chicken (my least favorite), we eat it with a vegetable (the usual stuff in our refrigerator: asparagus, broccoli, sweet potatoes, beets, rutabaga, turnips, zucchini, peppers, and whatever else is in season).

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This is a quick last-minute kind of meal at our house. I simply cut up a steak or two (or chicken), mix it with a ton of cut up vegi’s, drop some olive oil in the bowl, sprinkle on some of Trader Joe’s every day seasoning (great way to spice things up!), mix it up then spread everything on a rimmed baking tray. Bake for ~15 minutes with the temp somewhere around 400-425 degrees (stirring once), and enjoy!blog0313 059SO SIMPLE! 

When I’m being a planner, I like to use meal planning services (my go-to GF menu planning site is gfreecuisine.com). I love that they provide menus that follow seasonally available produce. They also have monthly freezer meals which are quick and easy to prepare, and taste great!

So there you have it. A quick look into a typical day of eating in our gluten-free household.

I will be including more recipes and a deeper look into our food choices in future posts. Also, I will provide a list of our favorite gluten-free snacks {isn’t it CrAzY how often kids want snacks???}. And if you want some tips for getting your kids to eat their food (including vegetables!), stay tuned. Dinner time doesn’t have to be a war…

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