Keep yourself healthy!

Anyone who has kids knows how germy they can be. I can handle my kids' own germs, but when they come into contact with other kids who are germy or been exposed to germs, I want to protect them as much as possible. Luckily, my kids love to wash their hands. But I'm always looking for other healthy things I can incorporate into my family's every day life. For instance, we went sulfate free this summer. I worked with my doctor to pinpoint the cause of some skin issues and sulfates were what we isolated. I was amazed at how many products had SLS in them! Plus, I am a sucker for natural remedies and treatments.

Last year a friend of mine was talking about elderberry syrup and how she used it to help keep her family healthy. I didn't pay much attention at the time, but reading a blog article by my friend Cheryl reminded me about it. I did some research of my own and discovered elderberries have some pretty amazing benefits for us. From immunity boosting and diabetes to asthma and even weight loss, elderberries are more than just folk lore. I really wanted to give the elderberry syrup a shot with my family. Fortunately, I won a drawing and got a pound of elderberries as a prize. I made my first batch of elderberry syrup and was pleasantly surprised at how good it tastes! This is a supplement that I can get behind! My kids like it too.

For those of you who won't click on the link above to find out more about elderberries or check out my friend's blog, here are the basics. From herbwisdom.com:  Elderberry is used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, to improve vision, to boost the immune system, to improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsilitis. There have been studies showing elderberry treatment's effectiveness in treating the flu, specifically or colds in general. Simply take 1 tablespoon syrup per day as a preventative supplement. If you're starting to feel like the sickness is approaching, take a teaspoon every 2-3 hours for a faster recovery. Please note: elderberry syrup is made with honey, so it is not recommended for infants. Discuss with your physician or pediatrician when your child is old enough to have honey.

To make elderberry syrup, you need
2 oz dried elderberries
4 cups water
1-1/2 cups honey (raw, local, unprocessed if possible)
1-2 clean jars with tight fitting lids

Put the elderberries and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. This took about 40 minutes for me. Strain the liquid into a bowl and throw away the elderberries. Add the honey and stir until well dissolved. Let cool and pour into jars. You can store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. You can also use the syrup on pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

I feel very lucky to have friends who are knowledgable in areas I'm not. Try something a friend has recommended to you. It doesn't have to be the elderberry syrup, but trust in your friends and use their suggestion to fuel some research of your own. I'm glad I did *wink*

Easy-Peasy Pasties

I've taken a couple days off from my blog because I've been a reading fool. I was really into my book and wanted to finish it before I leave on my vacation so I don't have to lug as many books in my carry-on. I had about 450 pages left on Sunday and finished it last night about 11. I HAD to start the next book in the series too. Chances are, I'll get into this one and have to bring an additional book anyway. I've had a couple friends suggest a Kindle for this reason. Might need to go on my wish list....or how about an iPad or Xoom? :)

Anyway, today's recipe is a simple recipe for pasties (that's pass-teez not pay-steez). In Montana, when you talk about pasties, many people think of the mining and Butte/Anaconda area. I guess, historically, they were very popular with the miners for a good, healthy meal and easily transported. I found out from my sister-in-law Julie that in the midwest, they're associated with the UP. I have no idea if they're mining based up there, but also a regional treat.

I had never made them before, but wanted to find a quick way to make them up. I got a bonus because I had some extras that froze really well and just needed to be reheated and were a great quick lunch. Here's my easy-peasy recipe:

1 box of pie refrigerated pie crusts
1-2 sirloin steaks
3-4 potatoes (your choose the kind, I used baby reds)
1 onion (again choose the kind you like best)
butter
salt

pepper

oregano

Start by cubing your meat. I chose sirloin because it is inexpensive and has a decent flavor, plus when you're cubing it, it can be a little marbled and doesn't really matter. It would also work great with elk steak for all you hunting families out there. For all the ingredients, cube them on the smaller size (remember you'll be stuffing a pouch). Peel the potatoes and cube. Chop the onion. Works best if each ingredient is in its own bowl.

Roll out the pie crusts. Using a bowl as a template, cut the crusts into 6" circles. You can gather the dough and re-knead, re-roll and cut out additional circles. Obviously, you can make your own dough for the pouches, but I wanted to simplify this step.

Take each circle and add your meat, potatoes, onion across the center of the circle. Season it with salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Then put a couple pats of butter on the top of the filling.

Fold over one side of the circle to enclose the ingredients. Dip your finger in water and lightly moisten the bottom edge of the dough on the pouch. Use a fork to seal the edges together. Then cut 2-3 slits on the top of the pouch to vent.

Bake them in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. As you can see from the picture, I chose to line my pan with parchment. It really helps them brown without burning and they lift easily off the sheet. It's pretty forgiving, so if I'm in a hurry, I'll bump it up to 400 degrees and decrease the time to 20 minutes. Let cool slighly before eating!

As I mentioned, these are a great prepare and freeze meal. Be sure to let them cool all the way before wrapping in plastic wrap and then sealing in a freezer zipper bag. You can pop them in the microwave and reheat for an easy lunch.

These pasties were so good. Using the pie crusts saved me some time and it was still delicious. Give them a shot. You'll like them I'm sure! Stay tuned. I'm trying a new recipe in the crock pot using a pork roast. The aroma is mouth-watering. I'll let you know!

Happy Halloween!

This is my favorite holiday. I have loved Halloween since I can remember. Because we live in Montana, it's usually cold. Growing up, we always had to have our costumes fit over our winter coats. I can remember the first time (5th grade) my mom let me trick or treat with my friends. SO COOL. I remember the Halloween fun night/school dances in junior high. I remember when I "graduated" from trick or treating to being the chaperone taking my younger brothers door to door. I remember my first Halloween at Cornell, carving pumpkins with my BFF Jaime in the Bowman-Carter kitchen. Every Halloween at Cornell had some highlights, but I won't bore you with the details. I had some pretty spectacular costumes as an adult, too. Going incognito with my BFF Amie the first year we were roommates. Several group costumes were the results of some creative nights with my girlfriends.

Now, I'm a mom and I get to live each Halloween through the eyes of my kids. The first Halloween as a parent was fun for the novelty of dressing up my infant daughter. But the following year was really amazing. That's when my little girl figured out what trick-or-treating really was. Seeing her light up and RUN from house to house is something I'll never forget. This year my youngest is old enough to figure out what trick-or-treating is. I really can't wait to see their grins.

We put out the Halloween decorations right before the 1st of October. We've made Halloween crafts all month long. We've chosen costumes. We carved pumpkins. We went to a Halloween costume party. We've even eaten a little Halloween candy early. It makes me a little sad to think about putting all this festive-ness away tomorrow. :(

In celebration of this AWESOME holiday, I'm going to share some photos from Halloweens past. Enjoy. I hope you have a fun night. I hope you get as much joy from your children as I do. And pray this darn rain stops. Trick or Treat!!

Carlee's 1st Halloween

Carlee's 2nd Halloween

Lia's 1st Halloween

Carlee's 3rd Halloween

 Carlee's 4th Halloween

Lia's 2nd Halloween

Craft Stick Flowers

Here's another craft from my archives (meaning one I took pictures for months ago but haven't posted). I get all sorts of magazines and catalogs in the mail. I look through them to get inspiration for projects for the kids. If I see something I like, I try to manipulate it so I can make it using the supplies I have at home (instead of buying more). This was one of those projects. I have a big box of the large popsicle sticks. We use them onesie-twosie for masks, but this was the first project where they were the primary craft supply. Depending on the ages of your children, they might need very little help from an adult. Mine was about half and half. There is a lot of down time for drying on this craft, so it's a good one that keeps kids occupied throughout the day. Here's what you need:

8 popsicle sticks (more if you use the small kind)
paint
2 pipe cleaners
craft glue (or hot glue with adult)

First, paint 6 popsicle sticks the color(s) you want your flower to be and the other 2 the color(s) of the stem. Let dry.

Glue the flower sticks into a pinwheel. Glue the stem sticks into one long piece. Let dry.

Wind one pipe cleaner in a little spiral. Glue to center of pinwheel flower.

Glue the stem to the back of the flower. Twist the pipe cleaner around the stem to make leaves. See? Super simple and VERY cute!

To nap or not to nap, that is the question

We're going through some transition at our house right now. Both my daughters are working through a new nap schedule. It's not been fun. There are times of complete meltdown, mostly in the evenings. I would guess most parents have gone through this in the early parenting years. Any advice is certainly appreciated.

My oldest is 3. She goes to preschool 2 mornings a week. On those days, especially, she gets tired. Getting her to nap is usually a struggle but when she does sleep, she'll sleep for 2-3 hours. If I wake her up before her body thinks it's time to get up, she's a grouch. If she doesn't nap, she's a grouch in the evening. If she does nap, she's up until 10 at night. We can try to put her down earlier, but then she spends the time difference getting up, going potty, singing in her bed (and subsequently waking her sister). We may as well have waited until 10 anyway. Upon the advice of my friend Lauren, I stopped pushing the naps. She has to have quiet time, and I admit, I let her watch some PBS kids. She's been resting for about 2 hours and then getting back up to play. She hits a wall about dinner time and still has a grouchy time, but we have been able to get her to bed earlier (and enjoy some peace and quiet with just my husband and I). It's the evening time that is killing us right now. Everything is a struggle. It's the only time my hubby gets to spend with the kids, so he gets frustrated when they're crabby.

My youngest is 18 mos. She is moving from two to one nap a day. She's always been a good sleeper, but is just getting to the point where she doesn't need that second nap. She'd actually prefer to sleep from 10:30-12:30 or 1, but that really screws up the day because I have to either reheat her lunch, or make a second lunch and then she's up when others are sleeping/resting (and let's face it, mama needs some quiet time too). I usually push her through her morning slump and put her down after lunch. She'll still sleep for 2-3 hours, but she also gets crabby in the evenings. Her time is after dinner and there have been some meltdowns as of late. I put her down at 645 the other night (usual bedtime 8) and she slept until 730 the next morning.

We're working on this new napping. It's the nighttime attitudes that are the hardest and most frustrating. I'm hoping we'll get it worked out soon. Of course the time change is coming, so it could all be in vain. *sigh* I also want to move my youngest into the toddler bed, but I think there might be too much happening right now. Sometimes having all the change at once is an easier transition because we're not prolonging the transition part. Then I wonder if that's selfish reasoning. Where's that parenting answers handbook when you need it??

Sea Salt Caramels

I've had several people ask me for this recipe, so thought I'd indulge all of you with my sea salt caramel recipe. This recipe is nearly fool-proof as long as you have a candy thermometer and some patience. I usually make these at Christmas time and put in my cookie and candy tins for friends. They're always a crowd pleaser. You don't have to add the sea salt, but it makes it so much better. Here's what you need:

2 cups white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup evaporated milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 cup butter (do not substitute margarine)
1 1/4 t vanilla extract (do not use imitation)
1/4 c (approx) sea salt (optional)

Line a 12x15 cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Trust me when I recommend the parchment. It makes removing the caramels SO much easier than simply greasing the pan. In a medium sized saucepan over med-high heat, combine all ingredients except vanilla and salt. Mix it well and monitor the heat with a candy thermometer. Stir frequently. The temperature will rise quickly to 200-220 degrees and then rise slowly. Continue to stir and monitor until it reaches 250 degrees. This will take 45-60 minutes total time. Be patient! When the caramel mixture has reached 250, remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Pour the caramel into your prepped pan. Sprinkle the sea salt over the top of the caramel to desired saltiness. You must do this while the caramel is warm and soft. Let the caramels cool fully. Cut into small squares and wrap in wax paper.

I don't have any pictures for these because it's been since last December since I've made them. Although writing this blog makes me want to make some.....Yum!

Play with your food: Hot dog monsters!

Kids and food. They like it. They hate it. They eat everything (my kids). They eat nothing. Regardless, they all like to play with it. I know there are lots of moms who have done the train, plane, car trying to get their baby to eat a bite. I know there are lots of moms who disguise healthy foods so their kids will eat it. Here's a fun and easy little tip to make meals more fun.

You need raw hot dogs and uncooked spaghetti noodles. Break the spaghetti noodles in half. I prefer actual spaghetti because it's thick enough to go through the hot dog, but uniformly shaped. I'm a symmetry girl. Poke the spaghetti through the hot dog so part sticks out on either side. You can put as many (or few) as you want (think ant vs. millipede). Pop them in the boiling water and let them cook. As the pasta cooks it will get soft and noodle-y. Makes a great monster! My kids are still young enough that I cut the hot dogs for them to eat, so be sure to show off the monster before cutting. It loses its effect when it's in pieces. Have fun!!