Today I took on the crazy back to school crowd and took Hannah and Liam shopping for supplies and some new clothes.

I think back to school time is almost as bad as shopping around Christmas time.

The only difference is that during Christmas there are less children running through the aisles.  Even though we had to fight the crowd we were very successful and found some really good deals.



One of the positives about shopping this time of the years is that there are so many sales and discounts.  I school folders for the kids that were only $0.10! And they were “the cool ones” according to Hannah and Liam.  I earned some mommy brownie points for that find.

Once we did the “boring” school supplies shopping we went to the mall to find some new school clothes.  Liam and Hannah have grown so much over the summer their clothes look like they have been shrunk.  Not to mention they look like someone washed them with mud.  They thought their entire closet could be their soccer clothing…oh you have to love them.

I was actually surprised how much Liam enjoyed shopping for school clothes.  He picked out some really good new shirts and a few new pairs of pants.  No surprise to me, Hannah wanted everything that WAS NOT ON SALE. She compromised with me and agreed to only get one shirt that was full price.  She can be such a little diva some times.

Hannah and Liam both needed a new pair of gym shoes for school.  They put quite a few miles on them this summer.  Good gym shoes are one of the things I don’t have a problem splurging a little.  I think that a good pair of shoes that fit correctly and are good for my kiddos feet are well worth the price.  Liam found a really cool pair that are black and red and Hannah of course found ones with purple and cheetah print on them.  They were both so excited about their shoes.

School shopping can be stressful but I always feel so much better when I’m done.  I can finally sit back and take a deep breath before they start school on Monday.  I think all the shopping we did in morning calls for an afternoon movie!  Liam and Hannah are picking one out now, it already has been a productive day it is time for a little relaxation.

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

It's nearly school time again! We have checked almost everything off their “to do list” and I think they need some time to relax.  Liam and Hannah have been running around crazy this summer with friends and other organized activities.  And with their activities they have me running as well. 

After a long day running around and working at the restaurant, I don’t have much energy to cook at all.  Luckily for me, my kids love easy food; especially grilled cheeses.  I mean, who doesn’t like a good grilled cheese sandwich now and again.  Lately Liam has been “amping” his sandwiches up with all sorts of veggies, spices and everything you can think of.  It inspired me to get creative making them grilled cheese lunches.

Here are a few creations Liam helped me come up with.

•    The overstuffed chilled cheese- with special ingredients of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, parmesan, artichoke, tomato, and spinach.  There are a lot of flavors somehow this sandwich tastes incredible.

•    Tomato soup in a grilled cheese- This creation is everything you would expect it to be and more.  It is a tomato soup within a grilled cheese, no need for dipping anymore!  All you have to do is spread tomato soup concentrate to cover the inside of each slice of bread.  Add the cheese, form the sandwich and grill until golden brown!

•    The ultimate Mexican grilled cheese- Liam came up with this one night he wanted tacos but we didn’t have any taco shells; very good improvisation in my book.  We just added taco seasoning, avocado, Mexican cheese, refried beans, queso fresco cheese, and chili powder to the sandwich.  Trust me, you will not be hungry after this big one.

•    Mac and cheese grilled cheese- Yes, you can probably guess who created this one, Liam and Hannah.  We made normal mac and cheese for lunch then they got the idea to put it in bread into the Panini maker.  How they come up with these ideas, I have no idea.  But I will give it to them, it was very tasty if you are in the mood for a carb overload.

•    Garlic grilled cheese- This was one of my boring ideas, but the kids liked the little zest it gave to a “boring grilled cheese.”  I just simply added some finely chopped garlic on top of the cheese within the bread and voila!

Although these sandwiches don’t have that much nutritional value, they are good every once in a while.  The kids love them so much I have to keep them from making a new version every day for lunch. 

Have you made any epic grilled cheese sandwiches?  I need ideas to wow Liam and Hannah, instead of the other way around.

Go green and stay keen,

Julie

This week we were in charge of bringing post-game snacks at both Liam and Hannah’s soccer games.  I think that it is great that the families of the players take turns bringing a small snack and drink for the kids at the end of a game.  It is rewarding to them whether they win or lose, they know there’ll be snacks to lift their spirits or keep them going.

Some of the families bring homemade goods and other have brought store bought snacks, either one it is clear that the kids do not mind what it is, they just want it.  For my snack I wasn’t sure if I would have time to make two different snacks but it turned out that the restaurant was pretty calm on Monday and I was able to come up with some great refreshing summer snacks. Here is what I came up with…

Apple Dippers-

Ingredients-
• 6 Apples, cut into wedges
• Toothpicks
• Nut butter
• Peanuts, almonds, or mini chocolate chips


Instructions-

• Stick a toothpick into each wedge and dip in nut butter then into the peanuts, almonds, or chocolate chips.  They were a big hit at the soccer game!

Frozen Fruit Kabobs-

Ingredients-

• Apple
• Wooden skewers
• Grapes
• Watermelon
• Melon
• Melted Chocolate

Instructions-

• Skewer all the fruit and drizzle with the melted chocolate.  Freeze on a baking sheet for about 1-2 hours or until frozen.  Enjoy!  (photo before the drizzle )

Party Pinwheels-

Ingredients-
• 2, 8 oz. packages of softened cream cheese
• 1, 1 oz. package of ranch dressing mix
• 2 green onions, minced
• 4, 12 in. tortillas
• ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• 1, 2 oz. can sliced black olives
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese



Instructions-

• In a mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and green onions.  Mix thoroughly and spread on tortillas and sprinkle the red pepper, celery, black olives, and cheese on the mixture and roll the tortillas and wrap in tinfoil.
• Chill for at least 2 hours and slice the rolls into slices.

Enjoy!

Both Liam and Hannah’s teams really like the snacks.  The kids kept asking Liam and Hannah if I would bring snacks again before the season was over.  I had to laugh at Liam boasting that he gets to eat delicious food all the time.  It made me proud that he felt like bragging about how great my baking and cooking is.  I am looking forward to the next time I bring snacks for the team, I just hope I have enough time to live up to the standards now.

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

This past weekend a few of my old friends were in town and were able to catch up and have a lovely weekend.  It is difficult to see friends from your younger years when life has taken you in different directions and moved away.  Although we hadn’t seen each other in probably two years, it felt like we hadn’t skipped a beat.  It was really great seeing how far we have come and how we have grown.

I met up with them at a local coffee shop on Saturday morning where we spent most of the day reminiscing and laughing about the “glory years.” It was such wonderful day, the café has the cutest outdoor patio that made it perfect to take in the vitamin D and the breeze.  The outdoor seating area it almost makes you feel like you are transported to a little café in Europe.  It is one of my favorites.



After getting coffee I took them to my much loved farmers market.  They were amazed at how wonderful it was and how many vendors there were.  It makes me happy to be able to take people to the farmers market and show them how great it really is.  They got a few snacky fruits and veggies before they met up with their client they came to see late in the afternoon.


After they were done with the “work” part of their trip, we met back up at my restaurant for a delicious dinner.  Of course I had to show them what I have been doing and how wonderful the food is.  They are both vegetarian, so they absolutely loved it.  My staff was incredible as always, and made a great impression on my friends.

It was so great to see my long lost friends again and show them all the things I have done since I moved out here many years ago.  They left early Sunday morning to head back to Colorado but it was great day to catch up and show them around.


Everyone has those friends that no matter the distance or how often you talk, the moment you get back together it is like you never left.  I am very thankful and treasure friendships like that.

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

HAPPY EARTH DAY!  

One of the best days of the year to take care of the planet that takes such good care of us, the earth. 

Earth Day is celebrated in over 192 countries around the world.  I love this day because general society becomes aware of natural disturbances and does something about it like planting trees, cleaning up roadways, search for renewable energy sources, and so much more.

This Earth Day we are going to plant our annual tree in our backyard.  It is one of my favorite Earth Day activities we do as a family.  By each tree we plant we put a little marker saying what year we planted it.  Liam and Hannah like beating which years will grow faster.

This year we are also switched the rest of our house to LED lights.  LED lights minimize your houses carbon footprint and end up saving you lots of money on the electric bill.  We had switched a good portion of our house to LED lights over the past couple years when lights went out, but today we are physically changing all of them to LED.

I highly suggest changing your house light bulbs to LED if you haven’t already.  When they first came out, many people were hesitant because they were more expensive, but they have been continually been getting cheaper.  If you are thinking about switching, here are a few benefits that will help persuade you to switch-

1. LED lights are much more efficient than incandescent light bulbs.
2. LED lights are less likely to start fires or burn because they do not get as hot as incandescent lights.
3. And my favorite, LED lights last much longer than traditional light bulbs saving you from getting the ladder out as often.

Don’t know what to do this earth day?  

Try using reusable shopping bags, buying local food and products, reuse products and containers in your home, or ride your bike or walk, there are so many ways to make an impact this Earth Day!

What are you going to do this Earth Day?

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

It is almost Easter!  

Although it is not one of our favorite holidays it is a sure sign that spring is coming and I couldn’t be more excited.

A few days ago we all decorated the house with bright colors and eggs; it is amazing how bright decorations can really bring a sense of cheerfulness into a home.



Today Liam and Hannah decorated some eater eggs and made “Easter Bunny Bait” so that the Easter Bunny will bring them their baskets tomorrow.

I found this recipe years ago and use it all the time because it is so easy and delicious.  If you need to entice the Easter Bunny to hop to your house, here is the recipe for Easter Bunny Bait.
Ingredients- (the M&M’s, peanuts, pretzels and sprinkles can be changed to other candies or have more of one than the other depending on your sweet tooth preference)

• 1 package white candy melts
• 10 cups air popped popcorn or 2 packages of micro-wave popcorn
• 1 ½ cup pastel M&M’s
• 1 ½ cup salted peanuts
• 1 ½ cup twig style pretzels, I break them in half or thirds to have more
• Multi-colored sprinkles


Instructions-
• In a large bowl mix the popcorn, M&M’s, peanuts, and pretzels.
• In a glass measuring cup microwave the candy melts, checking and stirring every 30 seconds until it is fully melted.
• Pour the melts over the popcorn mix and immediately stir coating the mixture.  Add the sprinkles and continue to mix.  Dump mixture on a flax surfaced covered with wax paper and let cool and harden.  Your Easter Bunny will like your bait!

Liam and Hannah has so much fun making the bait, although they did eat a good portion of it while mixing…
I think they had more fun getting messy and painting eggs.  We always wait until the day before the dye eggs and I always realize on that day it is a bad idea; the kids have dyed hands for Easter.  It makes for interesting photos.

Hannah, as always, got really creative using jewels, stickers and sparkles to decorate her eggs.  They were beautiful.  Liam on the other hand was dipping them and painting them with all the colors…they turned out “delightfully Liam beautiful.”  I have to laugh when they do crafts together, they are so opposite.

Hope you had fun decorating and getting ready for Easter!


Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

At the restaurant last night I was chatting with a wonderful couple from Iowa that fairly recently choose to change their eating habits and become vegetarians.  The shocking part of me was that they were farmers, not animal farmers but growers. 

They had such great ideas and perspectives into buying local and being sustainable.  They suggested a documentary called, FRESH.  This morning I had a chance to watch it, and I would highly, highly recommend it.



Although it is an older documentary, made in 2009, there are still many relevant ideas about ways to product healthy organic food instead of growing everything in factories with GMO’s sprayed on everything.

Country farmers, urban farmers, and business people explain how changes by consumers can change the way the market acts and re-invent our food system.  People from all walks of life including supermarket owners, consumers and entrepreneurs weigh in on how to challenge the Wal-Mart dominating economy.

The slogan, “new thinking about what we’re eating” really hit home for me.  I always try buying local and growing my own fruits and vegetables to reduce the need for big factory farms and “super super markets.”  Having fresh food on every plate is nearly normal in today’s society, but how much of that fresh food is actually fresh and not genetically modified?

FRESH uses its platform to educate and raise awareness of more sustainable and healthier food from local growers.  I believe in sustainable food and the impact it can make on a community in a health aspect and economically.  I stand by FRESH in taking back our food system.

I encourage you to take the time to watch this incredible and innovative documentary that became a massive grassroots success.  If you do not have time to watch the entire documentary now, please watch the trailer and take action on their website found here.


Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie