This recipe will change your life

Our freezer was running low on meat and I was running low on dinner ideas. Luckily, I found some frozen sirloin. I let it thaw in the fridge for a day and then used it in THIS RECIPE. Do it. I made some delicious red skin mashed potatoes to eat on the side of the beef. It was melt-in-your-mouth good.

*Also I substituted chicken bouillon and water for the beef broth.

Week 5; Day 5

Behind. Sorry. Running and sugar-free has been a struggle for the past couple of weeks. We have maintained about 2-3 runs each week but we haven't been meeting our goal of increasing a mile every 1-2 weeks. Boo. We're supposed to be at 6 miles tomorrow. I don't think that will happen. We haven't been able to run together at night for the past few days and I'm not sure if I want to do the long run by myself. We'll see.

My little brother Quin is marrying the fantastic Barbara Hansen in two weeks. I was hoping to be at 8 miles by the wedding, but I think 6 miles will be more accurate. I WILL BE AT 6 MILES BY THEN. I must. So check back to see my progress. :)

Week 4; Day 6

Todd and I ran 5 miles on Saturday! We found a new route and it was glorious!

Week 4; Day 3

What an interesting past few runs I've had.

My wonderful husband decided that he wanted to join me in my quest. So, he joined me on my 4 mile run Saturday, 3 mile run Monday, and my 4 mile run yesterday. I am pretty impressed with him. It is nice to spend that time in the evenings together.

Sugar Free Week 5

I've done great this week minus the 4th of July binge. I couldn't help it! There was such fried gloriousness at the San Diego County Fair.

Don't worry. I ran 2 miles that morning. :)

Week 4; Day 5

I ran three times so far this week. Not too shabby, but still shy of my target. I'll be sure to make it four runs tomorrow.

I ran 2.6 miles this morning. I got up at 5:30 since it was unbearably hot and the babe was still sleeping. I ran 1.75 of those miles up hill. Thus, I was okay with ending my run .4 short of 3 miles.

I'm Back

Making and keeping habits/goals is hard.

Sorry for the wait. I have been avoiding blogging since I don't have much to report on.

Last week was a big struggle with running. Not much to report.

But, this week I got back on the wagon (slowly), and am ready to jump back in! I am adding an extra two weeks to my training. I have the time since the 1/2 marathon isn't until November. So, I don't need to be at 5 miles until next Saturday. I know that to many of you 5 miles isn't a big deal.

To me, 5 miles is a HUGE deal. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Sugar Free Week 3

Sugar Free for Week 3 is a complete FAIL.

Don't worry though. Since I'm on vacation the calories don't count.

Week 3; Day 6

I made it 4 miles yesterday! So far, I've been really good at meeting my Saturday long run goals. I hope this continues. I'm in Rexburg right now and the area where my parents live is pretty flat. That might have contributed to my success, since in San Diego I go up and down hills. Oh well. 4 miles is 4 miles hills or not! My little brother went along and kept me moving. Little brothers are good for that. :)

Roadblock

Sickness moved in to Becket and Mom's body this week. Congestion, migraines, all nighters, etc. Thus, running hasn't happened since Monday morning. Boo. We'll see if tonight or tomorrow morning we can break out of this funk. I hope so.

Beck and I are flying to Idaho tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a good flight. I apologize to my fellow passengers ahead of time.

Squash and Carrot Casserole

We have tons of yellow crook-necked squash coming out of the garden, not to mention a bunch of other veggie goodies. Not everyone can eat steamed squash each night, so I found this fabulous recipe for squash casserole on foodnetwork.com. Love it! The best part of it was that it didn't have the gross cream of chicken/mushroom stuff. I didn't have any cheddar cheese so I put in some Havarti and Parmesan. I also used olive oil instead of butter. Do your own thing. It's delicious. Everyone loved it, even Becket enjoyed it once it was ground up.

*Tip: Always read the reviews of online recipes at the bottom of the directions. There are always some good ways to tweak it and make it your own.

Week 3; Day 1

3.1 miles again today! The hill almost killed me though. I think my lungs are now adjusting, but my legs are having a hard time keeping up. My shins and calves were killing me .5 miles into the run. Push through the pain baby! I need to be at 4 miles on Saturday. I think I can do it.

Sugar Free Week 2; Day 1

Sugar Free and Soda Free is going well. I must clarify...if something is homemade like bread, it has sugar in it but I still eat it. Pretty hard to get bread to rise without the sugar stimulating the yeast. So to be completely honest, I should be doing Sugary Sweets Free Weeks.

Yesterday was Father's Day which is a holiday. I bought my main man the All-American Chocolate Cake from Costco. He always sneaks that cake on to our Costco lists but it still isn't ever purchased. I figured Father's Day would be a great occasion to break the streak. Husband was happily surprised. We have given half of the cake away but there is still a little over a quarter left (easily 6 slices or more). Oh well. Others must eat it.

Next holiday...Todd's mom's birthday on Thursday. :) Technically my little brother Sawyer's birthday is tomorrow. However, we won't be in the same state to celebrate with him. So, no sugar.

Week 2; Day 6

I did it! 3.1 miles last Saturday morning. I wasn't fast, but I did it. The best part was that I know I could have kept going, but the 3.1 mile loop ended right next to my house. It should be pretty easy adding on until I'm at 4 miles on Saturday. At least, I hope it's easy. :)

Sugar Free Week 1; Day 2

Sugar Free is going really well. Here's a fantastic recipe for peanut butter cookies that are sugar free! These can also be made with real sugar...but they're delicious without it!

Not-Completely-Guilt-Free Peanut Butter Cookies:

1 1/4 c, flour (wheat or white)

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c. Xylitol

1/2 c. Splenda brown sugar substitute

1/2 c. chunky peanut butter

1/2 c. butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375

Combine the first three ingredients and set aside.

Mix Xylitol, Splenda, peanut butter, and butter until creamed

Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated

Add vanilla and mix.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until well moistened.

Roll into 1 inch balls and put on ungreased cookie sheet (place 2 inches between each one)

Refrigerate for 10 minutes

Pull out of the refrigerator and criss cross each ball with a fork.

Bake for approx. 10 minutes.*

Cool on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

*every good baker knows that ovens and altitudes vary. I would start to check on my cookies at around 8 minutes but leave them in the oven no longer than 12 minutes.

Italian Chicken and Honey Roasted Red Potatoes

Healthy, easy, and delicious. Just up my alley.

Chicken:

4 boneless chicken breast halves

1 cup. Italian dressing

4 pieces Havarti cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Marinate chicken in Italian dressing for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Place chicken in a glass 13x9 pan.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Place 1 piece of Havarti cheese on top of each piece of chicken,

Put chicken back in the oven for 5 more minutes,

Serve!

Potatoes:

6-8 medium sized red potatoes (quartered)

1/2 c. chopped yellow onion

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1 Tbsp. honey

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place potatoes on a cookie sheet that has been covered in foil.

Sprinkle onions over the potatoes.

Mix remaining ingredients and using a pastry brush, coat potatoes and onions.

Bake for 35-45 minutes until fork tender.

Serve hot.

Week 2;Day 2

2.25 miles in 28 minutes! No stopping and TWO huge hills! I'll definitely be at 3.1 by Saturday.

Sugar Free Week 1; Day 1

Since I want to run a 1/2 marathon in approx. 13 weeks, I need to do more than just run. My diet is in serious need of revamping. So, I'm going to do the next 13 weeks with no sugar or soda. The only exceptions will be holidays (birthdays, weddings). Other than that, I am going to continue cooking with the Xylitol since it tastes just as good as sugar! Wish me luck.

The whole soda thing is interesting. I can go without it for a while, but sometimes when I've been up all night with Becks or had a particularly bad day soda is the answer. Not anymore. I have already been on only diet sodas (minus 2 slip ups :) since the beginning of March. No soda at all, will just be a step up. Who wants to join me in my challenge?

Week 2; Day 1

Today was great! I ran 2 miles with hills while pushing Becket in the stroller. I'm pretty sure that if I had gone alone, I could have done 2.5. I think miles by Saturday will be doable.

Week 1; Day 5

Doing great this week with running/walking, just not so great about updating the blog.

Anyways, week one will be over tomorrow with and then I will start Week 2 on Monday. That means that I need to be up to 3 miles no stopping by a week from tomorrow. I think I can do it, but I'm glad I have a week to build up to it. :)

Week 1; Day 1

For the first day of the training, I began with a 2 mile run that included 2 small hills. It went well, and I completed it with the warm-up and cool-down in about 20 minutes. I'm not going for better times though, just consistency and endurance building. Wish me luck for tomorrow.

1/2 Marathon training

I'm training for a 1/2 marathon which is pretty humorous. Most of the training programs for beginners usually are 12 week plans. I opted for my own 14-15 week version so I can get to regularly running a 5k 3-4 times a week before I start adding more miles. I'll let you know on my progress. I'd love it if my followers started running too! Makes for more motivation!

If you'd like to view the schedule that I'm using you can click here.

I altered the days to have my rest days on Thursdays and Sundays.

I won't be starting this schedule until I complete a week of running 3 miles for at least 4 of my runs each week.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Fruit pies are my new specialty. We have strawberries coming out of the garden like crazy, so I figure a pie is the best way to utilize them. I have mixed and matched different recipes until I found the perfect one. I will have to add pictures once we get a new camera charger.

Crust: (can be used for savory or sweet pies --this is my go-to crust for chicken pot pie as well as fruit pies)

3 1/2 c. white flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/3 c. butter, cubed(salted or unsalted)

about 3/4 c. ice cold water

Mix the first four ingredients in a food processor until the mixture forms little "pea" shaped dough.

Add the ice cold water gradually to the dough while mixing in the food processor. Do not add too much water or the dough will be sticky.

Once the dough starts to take shape, mix it by hand until all of the flour is mixed in.

Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hr.

After refrigerating, roll out the dough onto a floured surface. Once evenly rolled to the width of your preference, gently roll the dough onto (around) the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie crust. Then you can make the crust as pretty as you want to.

*Note: If making a no-bake pie; you must cook the pie crust by itself for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling:

4 c. strawberries (I have used frozen ones that were thawed, but fresh is best)

4 Tbsp. corn starch

1/2 c. sugar or sugar substitute (we use Xylitol in our house and it tastes great!)

pinch of salt

Mix all of the ingredients together.

Pour into the pie crust.

Form a lattice pattern with remaining dough if desired.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes; then at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Let the pie cool and set for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Becket, the interactive baby

My goal of running the length of a 5k 5-6 days a week is going pretty well. However, I only can run in the evenings after Becks goes to bed or during his nap time. I tried on the treadmill on Friday morning but only made it 2 miles before I heard stirring in the other room. Most moms could solve this problem quickly by bringing the baby to play on the floor next to them while they run. However, Becks is a very hands-on baby and prefers 100% attention most of the time. I obviously can't and don't always provide that, but it really isn't fun to run while listening to a screaming 7 month old. So I had to stop and fall short of my goal this week.

Parents of little ones, or parents of old ones that used to be little ones:

Suggestions on getting Becket to like individual playtime?

For you chocolate lovers out there

One of my favorite blogs is from The Pioneer Woman. She has fantastic recipes. I made The Best Chocolate Cake from her blog and it was fantastic. Try it out. She talks about using milk + vinegar in place of buttermilk. I couldn't find any plain vinegar on hand, but I usually use milk + lemon juice. It worked out great. Next time I make this I think I'll add chocolate chips on top. To make it more kid-friendly (at least most kids I know aren't really pro-nut) you could use marshmallows or candy bars. Try it out!

Background

In our church whenever you move into a new ward (the unit of church members in a certain geographical area that attend the same meetings together) it is often customary that you speak in Sacrament meeting to sort of introduce your family to everyone. We moved here a little over two months ago and have lucked out so far. I did think it might be appropriate to introduce my family to this blog to sort of give a background.

Whitney the Wife:

I lived in several different cities as a child, but the majority of my growing up years were done in Lehi, Utah. I graduated from Lehi High School and then moved down to Provo, Utah to attend Brigham Young University. I graduated with my B.A. in 2008 and finished my M.Ed at the University of Utah earlier this month. I am not particularly athletic but I do enjoy sports. I do not play any instruments, but I did sing in a few choirs in my youth. I have never been a 'runner' but have tried on and off for the past six years to become one. I'm hoping that since I'm done with school that now is the time for the runner in me to finally emerge.

Todd the Husband:

Todd was born and raised in San Diego County. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Sao Paolo, Brazil. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 2010 and is just beginning his Master's degree. He plays the trombone and sings extremely well, though he would never volunteer that information. Todd loves to read and watch/play sports. He is the best.

Becket the Little Man:

Becket was born October 7, 2010. He is a feisty little boy with lots of personality. While just learning to sleep through the night, he has always been a pretty good napper. Becket's current interests are ceiling fans, kitty cats, and picture books.

How to mend a baby's broken heart

I hurt Becket's feelings today. Obviously, I didn't mean to. Todd has done it before (when making a horrified face at the sight of a dirty diaper), but I believe this is one of the first times that I inflicted such emotional pain on my child. We were sitting on the couch just talking like only a mother and a 7 month old can talk. Then Beck decided to grab a fist full of my skin, right underneath my collar bone. I wouldn't call it just a pinch, but what does one call it when all five fingers are pinching the same little area at the same time? Oh well. So I cried out in a bit of surprise and pain. Those big blue eyes looked up at me and welled with tears. I knew the wailing would come right after he stuck his bottom lip out and buried his head into my chest. It took twenty minutes to calm him down. With both of our hearts broken, we cuddled on the bed together until exhaustion from crying induced a much needed nap.

A dream is a wish your heart makes

Goals not written down are just wishes. Well, I do wish an awful lot then. However, to kick of this new blog, I thought that I might as well write down the goals that I have for myself and the timetable for their completion (if applicable of course). Making this public is a little bit like allowing the entire world wide web to watch as I weigh myself on the scale.

Daily:

Read my scriptures

Say my personal prayers

Hold family prayer and scripture study

Read the babe 3 books (at least one before bedtime)

Do 1-2 loads of laundry

Run/Walk 3.1 miles (5-6x per week)

Shower (for those of you moms -new and old- this is aiming pretty high)

Weekly:

Create something new (a sewing project, a piece or artwork, etc.)

Try out two new recipes

Finish 1 book

Improve in my church callings

Update family blog

Update The Homemade Wife blog

By June 5th:

Run a 5k in less than 40 minutes

Lose 3 lbs.

Now that I've not only written them down, but held them high for all to see, my goals will be backed up by motivation.

What are your goals?

And so it begins

I spent my entire teenage years trying to avoid learning any domestic skills. I wanted nothing to do with the molding of a future Mormon housewife. Now, a decade or so later, I'm trying to mold myself into a current Mormon housewife. Who would have thought that it would be a lot harder learning to sew and bake with a 7 month old on your hip? Thankfully my parents didn't let me get away with not doing my share of the housework or cooking an occasional meal. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I also had fantastic church leaders that taught me (mostly through osmosis) basic homemaking skills. Those lovely women were smart enough to know that I would really want those skills later on in my life. Well it is now 'later' and I am kicking myself for not perking up my ears a little more!

I am starting this blog to chronicle my household triumphs and disasters. I want to learn from this journal of sorts that I'm keeping. By making it public, I hope to hold myself accountable to continuous improvement. Yes, this will be a journal...but not the 'woe is me' type of blog or the trendy 'political protest' blog. I hope to be upbeat with most entries but keep it real. I somehow thought that a switch would turn on when I was married with children and suddenly domestic skills would be second nature. That's funny. Hopefully my future readers will also learn from my errors with cooking, mending, and the likes.

I don't want this blog to be about rainbows and butterflies and the perfect life I supposedly lead. I'm a real person. I probably will be more real in this blog than I am in my personal family blog that I update for close relatives and friends. I just hope that as I read past entries in this blog I will be inspired to keep going. Join me in my journey?