Slow-Melt Mini Popsicles

are a good thing.

Fun with Grandma

Wearing Grandma's glasses

Grandma loves to braid, twist, and curl hair into fancy up-do's!

Eating watermelon with Grandma

Grandma Marsha (Tim's mom) visited last week. She stayed with the gals while Tim and I went to Utah for the wedding of my cousin/his former roommate, Wes Cardall. They had a fun time, and Grandma wore them out with excursions to the park, walks, shopping, watching movies with popcorn, reading...Despite all the activities, Eden woke up during the nights and poor Grandma ended up sleeping with her. Eden had been completely sleep-trained before our last trip to Utah over the 4th of July; ever since, she's been sleeping in my bed because she's figured out how to climb out of her crib. We tried having her sleep in London's bed, which helped, but she's still waking up every night. She's got this major separation anxiety and just wants to sleep next to another body. I'll let you know how that goes. Pics from the wedding in the next post (I wasn't the hired photographer, but I got some shots).

She came. She saw. She conquered.

(I love how Eden is trying to side-shoot)

Cardall Family Reunion

Under no other circumstances could you get a shot like the one above. We spent last week in Provo for with my Dad's side of the family. We haven't done that since 1992, and I hope we don't let another decade and a half go by before we do it again. We celebrated many traditions from my grandparents, starting with a Swedish pancake supper (grandma's recipe).



We ate at Chuck-a-Rama, planning to arrive at 4:30 to pay lunch prices but eat dinner meats.


We took many pictures, including a group shot of EVERYONE!
We decorated the graves of my grandparents, uncle, and niece for Independence Day.
We loved on each other.
We played military-grade laser tag while wearing official reunion T-shirts (neon green in honor of Grandma's travel suit). We also had a family talent show, family slide show, had a family fun run, and, being the awesome family we are, ended the whole thing with fireworks! Special thanks to Aunt Megan and Uncle Matt, who babysat for us a couple of times on the trip:

Silly Girls

Posting 2 days in a row now...on a roll! So this post documents an evening that started out as me playing with my camera flash while getting the girls ready for bed, and then just turned into total silliness, which is very typical of the getting-ready-for-bed process, so I just kept taking pictures. Above is London, still looking beautiful whilst holding a baby wipe. Below is Eden, waiting her turn to get her diaper changed.

Some jumping on the bed followed by...
More silliness on the changing table.
And more silliness in the crib.
Same old jokes. (I didn't stage this one--she actually pulled the nightie over her own head. I'm telling you, this girl is a total crack-up)
Their version of crack the egg--Eden lays there while London jumps.
Is it a hug or a tackle? Whatever it is, Eden is trying to get away.
A nice shot of London helping her sister get her sleeve back on. (aaaaaah)
Eden saying "Go!" This is the sign language for "go;" One of the reasons she might be right-handed--can't quite get the pointer out on the left hand!
A little too much rough and tumble inevitably results in some tears.
But she's not down for long--

What does a Dietitian eat?

I realized I haven't posted in awhile! Not that anyone checks here very regularly, but I should be a better blogger than journal writer, at least! As for the photo contest, I got second runner up, and so I guess I didn't slip Russell enough. Or have enough friends on facebook. But thanks to everyone who did vote for me!

I've been meaning to post these food pics that I took for a mini-class I taught at my church women's group enrichment night a couple weeks ago. When people find out that I'm a registered dietitian, they usually say something like, "Oh, so you must eat really healthy." I just sort of shrug, because while I probably take more time and effort into planning and preparing balanced meals than many, I like to do it and I like to eat that way, so it doesn't seem dreary to me the way it does to some. Having said that, I would also describe my eating as very "normal." I admit that there are nights when we stayed at the park too late to prepare anything and end up with grilled cheese sandwiches or other quickies. And there is nothing I simply won't eat just because it's "unhealthy" if I like the way it tastes. I trust my body to let me know what, how much, and when to eat.

Anyway, the topic I chose to present on was how to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our diets. So I decided to photograph meals that I actually make for my family to show people that "healthy" doesn't necessarily mean boring or dreary or unrealistic. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun photographing my food. London had her first lessons in using a tripod as well! And please note, I don't really endorse the idea of blending up vegetables and hiding them in food. I think showcasing them in beautiful and delicious ways yields greater consumption and a genuine taste for vegetables. Not that my kids eat everything they are served; but they presented with it and I have faith that with continued exposure they will develop a palate for them, as I have. Now I'll post the slides I used to illustrate 10 concepts:
I already posted about this dish, but the concept here is that growing your own produce will make you more inclined to eat it.

Smoothies--the possibilities are endless. I was very proud of myself because last week I was pinching pennies to last me until our newly established monthly budget reset, so i ended up making great use of not-so-fresh tasting milk and strawberries I'd bought in bulk and frozen. The whole budget thing probably deserves a post all it's own...
Above: carrot-zucchini-potato latkes served with garlic mint sauce and sweet jalapeno jelly. Instead of just using potatos as in the traditional recipe, I added other veggies to add a wider variety of nutrients. Same with the fruit--mixing the melon and berries. (I bought the garlic mint sauce and jelly from a middle-eastern vendor at the farmer's market and use them in a variety of applications).
Again, greater variety give a greater nutrient profile. Each color represents different vitamins and phytochemicals, so besides looking quite appetizing, colorful meals are more nutritious! This is a grilled chicken salad with fenel, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives in a tangerine dressing served with whole wheat garlic pita crisps.
Add fruit to a green salad. Whenever I do this, Tim elects to not even add dressing because it would detract from the taste of the fresh fruit. A salad like this one is almost dessert!
No reason not to add a couple of servings of fruit or veggies to breakfast, no matter what you have: slice a banana and sandwich it with bread and PB; make a berry topping for your pancakes; throw some raisins in your oatmeal; slap some spinach into your omelet...
Soup is a great way to use whatever veggies you've got. Above is zucchini, onions, and spinach sauteed and pureed with some spices and a little whole milk for body. I topped it with some cheese and chicken sausage.
Here is Eden polishing off her serving of the zucchini soup, above. She loved it! The point is, make your veggies taste good, and you AND your kids will eat them!
Fruit doesn't have to be reserved for sweet applications. The above salad included strawberries, cucumbers, and basil in a balsalmic vinaigarette. Other savory applications for fruit: salsas/chutneys to serve over grilled proteins; dried fruit mixed in a pilaf; dried plums or apricots in a tangine; and one of my all-time favorite combos, canadian bacon-and-pineapple pizza.
I never had Brussels sprouts as a kid, but if I did, I'm sure they would have been the boiled, soggy, unappetizing beasts that everyone else grew up with. Don't pigeon-hole perfectly good produce. Brussels sprouts don't HAVE to be boiled--how about roasting them up with olive oil and coarse salt? Crispy and caramelized, they're actually quite tasty. Sweet potatoes don't HAVE to be in a casserole with marshmallows on Thanksgiving. Mash them up with curry spices for a new take on mashed potatoes. If you don't enjoy a certain fruit/vegetable, maybe you should just prepare it a different way.

So now you have a better idea of how a dietitian eats!

Photo contest

I entered this photo in the Shade clothing photo contest. We'll see if I win the grand prize $50 gift card...