Well we are almost through week three of clean eating and it really isn't all that bad. The hardest part is cutting flour out of my diet completely. It is still there to a degree. I do however use rye flour most of the time, and grind my own flax and oats as a flour substitute. I bake almost daily for my kids so they will have healthyish, homemade snacks. I add good grains and some veggies to some of my baking, and even though I have to double every muffin recipe I never double the sugar quantity. They are starting to notice and rebel a bit. Today I added a minimal amount of sugar to peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins, that also contained wheat germ and partial rye flour. Lilli accused me of adding quinoa and gagged her muffin down through tears. It only took her an hour and a half, but, mean as I am, I made her eat it. I am sure they will adjust to the sugar cutback eventually. The most recent time I made granola I didn't add any sugar or honey, just molasses. Only Chris and I eat that though.
Another thing that Chris and I go without is salt. I use it occasionally when necessary in baking but otherwise we haven't owned a salt shaker like ever. I've found that I now notice salt heavily in everything, even cereal and boxed cookies. Now, with the clean eating, I do have little treats or it would be no fun at all. I eat a few chocolate chips or a mint truffle Hershey Kiss daily. It's a tiny bit of chocolate and I don't feel too guilty about it. What I have noticed most about eating clean is I don't get bloated nearly as much as I used to. I think that is due to cutting most of the gluten out of my diet. Last week when I ate the homemade pasta I got bloated and it made me realize how rare it happens these days. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time with me knows I can bloat to look 4 or 5 months pregnant. I've even convinced my kids of it a time or two. As well, my crazy inflammatory bowl disease hasn't acted up in awhile. So Chris and I, but mostly I, will continue on with clean eating. Oh yeah, and several weeks ago I made a huge batch of brownies and gave them away, and only kept a little one for myself. I put it in the freezer to save as a treat, but every time I think about it I can't bring myself to eat it. I imagine all that sugar going straight to my midsection.
 So on top of trying to eat well Chris and I have been trying to exercise more. It is really hard in this cold weather, especially for Chris. It is nearly impossible for him to ride his bike to work or run outside on his lunch break. He runs up and down the stairs in his building and does weights in the evening though. I am lucky enough to have a gym membership at a gym that offers lots of fun classes. I really do mean fun in a weird sort of way. The classes are so brutally hard but I am motivated being in a room full of like minded people. I like feeling capable and strongish. I'm getting there. I have never been athletic in the slightest and always felt scrawny and wimpy growing up. I feel better about myself when I exercise. There may be things about our appearances that we could only change through plastic surgery but being physically fit is something we can all do, and it feels good too. I've never heard anyone say "Boy, I wish I didn't go to the gym and work out today." Unless they did something they shouldn't have and injured themselves. Right now I am aiming for 5 days a week of working out. I know it's not perfect but as is I feel guilty going out all those evenings and leaving Chris to deal with the kids at their crankiest. He is very supportive though and if there is an evening when I can't go out I stay home and do a bit of yoga.
  Okay, new topic. I found this blog and fell in love with it: www.thefrugalgirl.com This woman has all these wonderful, frugal living ideas that have got me so inspired. One of my new years goals was to live on a better budget, and there are some great tips on her website. I'm doing meal planning for the week, and I've set up a grocery budget of about $125 or less a week. Eating less packaged and more whole foods will help I think. I have discovered how to make my own cleaning supplies, and laundry soap. Also better for the environment. She has a recipe for homemade yogurt that I am so excited to make. Cost is about $4 for a months worth and no additives. It is a good thing that I love to make and create. It is so satisfying to be self-reliant. And I can share all these ideas in my new calling at church. I've started making bread for the kids as well. They are having to adjust to that as well, and it is definitely time consuming without a bread maker. I really hope I can stick with this. I really think it will be good for us, and anyone really.

Miete and Lilli displaying their latest artwork.

I love homeschool. I have been given a hard time about it recently. I was told that the reason my girls struggle is because I am not doing as good a job teaching them as the public school system would. They were in it, and it was worse. Also that I am coddling them and not encouraging independence. I was told that it was my lack of faith in my children that was holding them back. I felt sick and upset about this conversation. It made me feel like a bad parent who wasn't making the best possible decision for my children. Nobody knows our children like we do and I do not believe I am stifling my children. I am doing what I feel is best for my children and I am not judging anyone else for their education choices. I really believe that there are different methods for different children and if your children can excel in the public school system then that is great. I don't want to doubt myself. i don't do this because I think it is superior or fun, I do it because my kids were lost and floundering in school. I have a daughter who faked sick daily and hid in the nurses room at lunch time so she wouldn't have to play alone, and another one who spent an excessive amount of time hiding in the bathroom. This is just one of the many issues my girls had at school. I don't have time to get into it, but I am trying to comfort and reassure myself. I get easily shaken and distraught, and I dwell on things that people say. I need to forget about it and move on.
Anyways, I need to go to the gym now, so that is the end of that.


And one more, so I don't leave anyone out.    

                                                                                 

More delicious recipes

At my church I was recently called to be the self reliant specialist in the women's group, called Relief Society. Initially I had no idea what this meant, but now that I have been told I am super excited. This duty, or calling as we say in our church was made for me. Two Sundays a month, and at Thursday activities I share with the women ideas to be more thrifty or frugal. Whether it is about canning, gardening, food storage or just some clever way to cook a healthy, cheap meal, or stretch our dollars a little further. Seriously this is what I love and do on a regular basis. I am excited to teach how you can make your own laundry soap that lasts for a really long time and saves you money, and how to make veggie scrap soup from your frozen veggie peels and ends. My friend Kristina showed me a blog with this idea on it. I love cheap, healthy recipes and have tons to share, and I am looking forward to researching and finding more clever ideas for encouraging self reliance.
Now for a few recipes: first is just basic roasted vegetables. This is something Chris and I eat at least every week. You can always change your vegetables and seasonings so it doesn't get boring. My favorite vegetable since I started growing it in the summer is beets. I love them and they are so good for you. Just packed with vitamins. If I use beets I steam them for a bit first because they take longer to cook then most other root vegetables. They are so good roasted. So last weekend I cooked a whole chicken to use throughout the week. I rarely cook whole chickens because I hate touching raw meat. It really grosses me out and we eat very little meat anyways. Anyhow, I decided to use some of my precooked chicken in with my roasted veggies. I was concerned about the meat drying out in the oven and I didn't want to use oil to roast my veggies either. I always keep a supply of unsweetened applesauce around to use as an oil substitute in baking. I decided to mix a half cup of applesauce or so in with my chicken and veggies. The vegetables consisted of carrots, yams, potatoes, and maybe celery, plus the chicken. I stirred the applesauce through to coat everything and added a few other seasonings, but NO SALT. Roasted with foil over, and then removed foil for last ten minutes. It turned out so good and the chicken stayed moist, plus it was completely oil and salt free. A very healthy and tasty meal.
Now I will try to explain how to make the homemade butternut squash ravioli, with vegetable pasta. It's a lot of work, but so worth it.
First you need to cook the veggies you want to add. Spinach works well, but I had kale and carrots so that is what I steamed. Cook until quite soft. I added some leftover broccoli and celery I had in the fridge. ( I hate to waste food) Puree vegetables in food processor or blender, then add 2 eggs and 1 tblsp of olive oil. Puree until smooth and well mixed. In a separate bowl combine 2 to 2 1/4 cups of flour and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the center and add the veggie and egg mixture. Mix thoroughly. You may need to add more flour to make less sticky and if it's too dry add a bit of water. (I forgot to mention to precook your butternut squash. I roast mine.) Once your dough is a nice ball knead it for about 5 minutes. Divide dough into separate parts and roll out. If you are lucky enough to have a pasta maker you can flatten it that way. Either way you'll use a fair bit of flour. Roll as thin as you can without it falling apart; this requires adding flour to both sides as it stretches out.
Back to your squash. When it is cooked and soft, mash it up and add your seasonings. I use a bit of garlic powder and rosemary. I also add a bit of light ricotta to my squash, but it's not necessary. You could add Parmesan if you have it. So once the pasta is rolled out into nice flat pieces I scoop spoonfuls of the squash mixture on it evenly, leaving spaces between.

I have included a picture, but since I am writing this from my iPhone I'm not sure how to place the pictures. Hope it works. I put a bit of water between the dough so it will stick together. Get a separate piece of flattened dough and place it over the piece of dough with the squash on it. Seal around each individual lump of squash. When it is all nicely sealed you can either cut into squares or use a circular cutter. When they are all cut out, toss them in a pot of boiling water with a smidgen of oil to prevent sticking. They cook very fast. About 5 to 10 minutes. You can do what you like for the sauce. I had spaghetti sauce which I toned down with plain yogurt. I have a sensitivity to tomato sauce. It's an acidity thing. I added artichoke hearts and avocado to my sauce. I topped it with toasted pumpkin seeds. It is a relatively healthy meal if you don't count the flour. I really try to eat very little flour as it turns to sugar and totally bloats me. It was a little treat though, and I worked hard Saturday so I could enjoy it, and boy did I. I hope my instructions make sense and some of you will try this because it is so worth the effort. If you are feeding more then four people you should double the recipe.

Happy cooking.

And here's my beautiful 9 year old looking incredibly stylish for church. 

I wasn't going to blog tonight but as I have nothing else to do, here I am. It was another beautiful, sunny day here in Calgary, with a temp around 3 or 4 degrees. Not too bad at all. I started my day off with my favorite class at the gym, kickboxing. I then cycled for 30 minutes, came home, cleaned up and walked up to the park with 3/4 of my children. Kelly and Holden came with us.
  I should mention that Kelly, and her family moved here at the beginning of this month. She is my sister in law, married to my brother Andrew. I think Leif must have prayed them here. When we lived in B.C they were our neighbors in our complex. We shared a wall. Our boys lived at each others houses and were very close. Moving here was particularly heartbreaking for Leif. He used to ask me to go back to B.C and get Theo and Holden and bring them back to live with us. Every night when he said his prayers he prayed that they could come to Calgary too. Well, it only took 4 months of diligent prayers to get them to Calgary. My brother Andrew got a mechanic job out here, and they decided to head this way. I don't know if it ever would have happened had we not moved out here first. I am so glad they are here though. Kelly is one of my closest friends and we love their family. Bonus that I found them a place only three km away from us.

Lilli and Leif wiped out at exactly the same time. They were having too much fun to get upset though

 Anyways, back to today. We played at the park for an hour and then skidded around on the melting ice by our community center. Out here there are make-shift ice rinks in every community. I still need to get skates for Chris, Leif and Violet. They may be the only three people in Calgary who have never skated before. I think it's kind of a thing here. The rest of the day was spent wrestling, playing hide and seek with the kids, making cookies, and of corse the usual fights and drama in between. It was a nice family day though, and it felt good for me to participate in the fun and games. Usually I am cooking, or cleaning, or napping while Chris entertains the children. I forgot how fun it can be to play games with my kids. It makes them so happy, and it's a great way to stay active.

There are a lot of things I love about living in Calgary. It is always sunny here. The sunsets are spectacular, the sky is so big and the moon always seems closer. I love how open it is. However I miss living in a community. Everything here is Calgary. I miss going to the Superstore and always seeing someone I know. Everywhere was closer in B.C, although the shopping here is 50 times better. I miss my mom heaps. I hate that my parents are getting older and I am not there to help out and eventually take care of them. I want to be able to help care for them and I can't do that this far away. It would be terrible if anything should ever happen to them and I couldn't be there. I am going to miss watching my cute new baby niece grow. 

Here Sariah is just a few days old. Violet was so in love with her

One of the things I miss the most about B.C is being close to music. I know there is lots of fun and activity here, but I have already missed seeing several of my favorite bands, and there are several more that I'm going to miss in the spring. Maybe it is worldly of me, but we all have our things and mine is music. I love music, and I love going to live shows, and very few good bands come to Calgary. We are just to out of the way here. It sounds so shallow, I know. But when I hear about these great shows that I am missing it drives me crazy. I also miss green, moss covered trees, and I know by summer I will miss my ocean and going to the lake with my kids. My best memories with my children are days spent at White Rock and the many local lakes. I know we will make new, great memories here. I don't miss the dark, gloomy B.C winters and the endless rain. I would take sun and cold over dark and rainy any day. We have wonderful Chinooks here, and I love those. It's such a treat after a few days of -20 weather for it to warm up to 9 or even 3 degrees. However, my kids miss their cousins like crazy and Lilli's kindred spirit and soulmate is back in B.C. I miss our old homeschool program as well. There were more activities for our kids to do and all the same kids at activities, so they actually had homeschool friends and familiarity. There are great kids from church here though. Miete has a real sweet group of girls her age that she fits in with here. She never had a place among the girls in Maple Ridge. They were always kind to her, she just didn't click with them or feel like she belonged. She was always sitting on the outside. Here she is among others, who are happy to see her, and give her a friendly hug when they meet up . I love seeing her have friends, and that is worth more than my loneliness. I do have Kelly now, and am slowly making a few other friends. I just wish my mom and all my sisters could be here. I love my family dearly and have always been so close to my sisters and sisters in law. They are my best friends.

 Anyways, I just had to get that out. That is the extremely edited version. Tomorrow I am going to add some recipes that are mostly healthy, and mostly easy, and super delicious.

Having a most fantastic Saturday. Went to a Kickboxing class at 9:15 this morning, after getting up at 8:45. I opted for eating a banana and throwing some make up on my face rather then flattening my bed head. Still barely made it to the incredibly packed class in time to find a spot on the floor. For anyone who is interested in trying out kickboxing I highly recommend it. It is the most fun of any class that I attend at the gym. I am incredibly uncoordinated and struggle with doing multiple moves at the same time, but I figure I will get it eventually. In a class full of women of all different shapes and ages it's not that intimidating. I haven't accidentally kicked or hit anyone yet. After the class I hopped on a treadmill for 3km. I just wanted to burn an extra couple hundred calories. ( I drank a large root beer soda at the movies last night) I'm also trying to up my pace and it's a bit easier to work on that on the treadmill, then outside in 1degree weather.
 Came home and cleaned my bathrooms. I love having clean bathrooms. Then helped Chris put the girls bunk beds back together. Before we moved here they always begged to have them apart. Seems they always want the opposite. Well now they are together and their room is much more spacious. Let's see how long it lasts.
 I found a recipe several days ago for healthy, homemade granola, so I bought all the ingredients and have been waiting to find the time to make it. It is in the oven right now. I completely revamped the recipe to make it more healthy and more tasty. Now you can buy healthy granola at the grocery store but chances are it will have twice as much sugar, less flavor and fun ingredients like mono-glycerides, modified milk ingredients, calcium carbonate, and ground soy cotyledon. Maybe some of these ingredients are good for you but I don't know their purpose so I don't need them in my granola. So here is a delicious recipe for healthy granola. It makes a heap and will taste better then anything that comes in a box.

4 cups oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup water desired amount of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup raisins

You can omit anything you don't like, or add anything you do. Mix all the nuts, grains, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and seeds together. Add salt, oil, honey, molasses, water and vanilla. Stir until completely coated but not too lumpy. Put on two parchment covered baking sheets and bake at 300 for 40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes and at the halfway point switch pans. I accidentally overcooked mine a bit but it still tastes awesome. When it comes out of the oven and cools a bit you can add your raisins and cranberries. I actually added mine before I put it in the oven and it still looks and tastes divine. This recipe is high in fiber, omegas and has all sorts of other good for you things like calcium and magnesium.

Doesn't that look delish. I'm going to have some with yogurt tonight for dessert. I promise it will be the best, and healthiest granola you will ever eat!

I just want to add on a side note that everyone should be including flax in their daily diet. It is cheap and can be purchased in bulk. It's high in fiber, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, low in carbohydrates, high in most B vitamins, magnesium and manganese. For more detail check it out on About.com. We add flax to oatmeal, ground in chili, or spaghetti squash sauce, ground or whole in muffins and cookies. You can really add it to everything. Amanda, you could even add it to your cookie recipe. You will get the most benefit from grinding it though, but don't buy it already ground. It loses nutritional value quickly once it is ground, so buy a coffee grinder, if you don't already have one and grind it yourself.

Thinking of Amanda and her days of gratitude is encouraging me, and I'm sure others who read her blog, to think of what we are grateful  for. Today I am grateful that I have an app on my phone for The Peak. The Peak is a Vancouver radio station that I love. I haven't found a great station here in Calgary, so I am happy to have my little piece of Vancouver here with me. Today I heard two songs that I listened to frequently when I was 17 or 18. Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm, and Big Audio Dynamite - Rush. I loved those songs back in the day. Totally took me back. If you are looking for a unique, non pop radio station try The Peak. I have been introduced to so many good bands through that station.

A evening of sledding in mid December, with our friend Riley. She moved to Australia and we miss her already. BTW it hasn't snowed since, and I am ready for some more.

I am very sad to write that in an effort to be more frugal and catch up, Christopher and I have decided to cancel our weekend getaway to Banff. Yes, for our 10 year anniversary Chris had surprised me with a weekend getaway for the 20th of January. It's wasn't a trip to Mexico, but it would have been a lovely little break none the less. Breaks are nice things. I am not complaining about my life. I love my little family, but I really think mini vacations make life more pleasant. Anyway, it is not to be so I will put it behind me and forget about it. We did get to go to B.C and see family at least. I am grateful for that.

 Okay, I just have a couple clean, exceptionally healthy recipes that I am going to share, in case anyone would like to try them. I was looking online for a recipe for wasa crackers. I love them. They are made of rye I think and very low calorie. I came across a recipe for something called Knekkebrod, with a slash through the o. It's a Scandinavian crispbread. I adapted the recipe and made some today. They are incredibly easy to make, and I'm sure you could add applesauce or mashed banana to substitute some of the water if you wanted them to be sweeter. The original recipe also called for two cups of wheat flour. I am trying to omit wheat flour from my diet so I adjusted that part of it. Next time I am going to try and make it with rye flour as well.

                                                           
 1 cup whole wheat flour
 1/2 cup finely ground steal cut oats  (these 2 ingredients I substitute
 1/2 cup finely ground flax seed          for whole wheat flour)                
 2 cups large oats
 1/2 cup sesame seeds
 1/2 cup flaxseed
 1tsp salt
3 1/3 cups water

 Mix all ingredients into a thick paste like substance. Pour onto 2 parchment covered baking sheets, and spread evenly around to cover sheet. Use a pizza cutter or knife to gently cut dough into equal serving sizes. Oven should be set at 335. Put one tray on the top rack and one on the bottom rack and set timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes, switch the pans and set for an other 30 minutes. when the timer goes make sure your crispbread is crispy enough. I set mine for an additional 10 minutes I think.

 I should also add that I use a coffee grinder to grind my flax and oats. Works great. This is yummy with peanut butter, or homemade Hummus and cucumbers. My girls pretended to like it for a picture, but weren't to interested. I love it though, and will not be sharing it with the birds, unless it goes stale before I get through it.

 Okay here is an other quick recipe for Hummus.
     A can of chickpeas with the liquid, mashed or pureed in food processor
     A sprinkle of lemon or lime juice. (I use lime because it's what I have)
     A touch of garlic powder for me, but if you like more, add more, or the fresh kind chopped finely.
     I like a bit of cumin in mine as well, but leave out the salt. You don't need it!
And there you have it. A delicious Hummus spread for your Knekkebrod! I hope you will try these recipes out and let me know what you think.

I'm one of those people who makes New years resolutions. I always have, and I do manage to follow through with some of them. Generally I slip back into old habits pretty quickly though with the more lofty goals, ie -not yelling at my children, being patient. Maybe it's because they are to general. I just reviewed last years goals, and they do seem to be imprecise for the most part, except for my fitness goals. I want to make goals this year that I can accomplish.

 Is it to high-minded of me to have dreams of Etsy? Christopher calls me a crafting predator as I can get so focussed on projects, and just finish one to begin another. I love making stuff. I am not incredibly artistic but I do get inspired by other peoples creativity. I've been trying to come up with some ideas over the last several months. I can make really great wreathes, and I see those all over etsy selling in the $40 range. Supplies are not cheap though and shipping them could be challenging.

Plus there are tons on Etsy already. I can make all kinds of little girls hair clips as well, but I imagine there are alot of those on there as well. So I have most recently been thinking in the jam range. People do sell jam on Etsy so I am sure there are ways to ship it, and I make amazing, creative jam flavors, like strawberry/lime, ginger/peach, spiced pear, pumpkin butter as well as all the classic berry flavors. I could come up with creative names and labels. I will attempt that I think, unless I come up with a better idea.

 Other ambitions for this year include growing a bigger garden then last year and canning my own food. I want to can beets, and salsa, and peaches and tomatoes, and whatever else I can. How pretty all those brightly colored jars will be on my pantry shelf. I'll just have to see what grows well in the dry Alberta soil. That is something I can happily accomplish.

 Christopher and I have already started clean eating, and I hope to maintain eating this way indefinitely. Clean eating is eating the way our ancestors did, less preservatives, more produce. Trying to only buy packaged goods with 5 ingredients or less, as well as understanding the names of those ingredients, and avoiding sugar. Combining lean proteins and complex carbs, eating smaller portions, more frequently. Eating more flax, wheat germ, and oats. At this point it is still novel and fun. Hopefully it continues to be an enjoyable process. I love to cook, so that helps. I am hoping this well help us to get in better shape as well as help with my many digestive system issues.

 I would like to be more frugal. I am constantly attempting to do this but I am a worldly girl who gets tempted by unnecessary, but fun 'things'. Myself, Christopher and my kids have to many clothes, and the kids have toys that don't get played with. I can certainly cut back on my grocery bill as I eliminate all the garbage cereal and snacks. Staying out of malls and other shopping areas will also help me avoid the temptation to spend. Plus I've looked up how to make my own laundry soap, and fabric softener, and I am learning to sew. Those things should help me to save money.

 I want to learn to crochet or knit. Crocheting seems less complicated so probably that. If I had that talent I could make gifts for everyone and create cute things to sell on Etsy. When I was on my mission years ago a sweet, elderly lady that was nearly blind attempted to teach me to crochet. I wasn't very good at it. I want to try again though. I would never have to feel guilty about watching t.v and I would always have busy hands. I hate sitting idly, with nothing to do.

 I want to learn to take better pictures. I have a good camera, that I just don't know how to use very well. I have found some good how to photography sites that I need to utilize. If I could learn to take good pictures then I wouldn't have to spend a fortune on a photographer for my kids. In Alberta it is very expensive to get pictures done. Something that only the wealthy can afford. Maybe I will even take a coarse.

 Regular fitness goals. Last summer I ran a 2:14 half marathon and I'm sure I could run a 2:10 one this year. I would also like to run a full marathon in the fall, if Christopher can stand me taking all that time to train. I would like to run an easy 7 on the treadmill. I don't even know what that means but right now I can only run a 7 on the treadmill for short bits of time with an extremely elevated heart rate. Also get my 10km time below the current 59min. I really want to do one of those races where you run through mud, and have an obstacle coarse to go through. Those look like so much fun.

 A much more intimidating goal that I have is to become a personal trainer. I feel as if people might laugh at this because I am not in that great of shape. I love to exercise though. It really makes me happy. I want the people that I love to find joy in fitness as well. My hope is that by my training I can motivate family members and friends to take better care of themselves, and I can help others reach their goals. Obviously I have a long way to go, but by reaching this goal I will also bring a second income into our home and that is much needed. I will be able to work around Chris's work schedule and the kids school schedule, with some flexibility I am sure. Having this goal really pushes me to eat better and work out more. Yay!

I will continue attempting to speak kindly to my children and be more aware of my actions and words. I will try to do my part to bring a spirit of peace and harmony into my home. I'm not going to go to into detail here or I may trap myself. Aren't we all, constantly trying to be better parents anyway. I have a long way to go.

I am going to enjoy the company of my husband more. Wink, wink.

I am going to blog more. At least twice monthly, if not more. They don't have to be long entries, just more frequent. I do think about blogging all the time, but it is hard to make the time, and alot of what I want to write about is to personal, and I'm not sure how to make things less personal.

 Anyways that is it for now. Not to exciting, just the usual stuff. I may come up with more.