Things We Put In Salads

My eyes have been opened to the broadness of salads. I never get tired of them when you have this many options! Some ingredients we love using are:


GREENS:
Power greens (baby kale, collard greens, sometimes includes mustard greens)
Spinach
Spring Mix
Butter Lettuce
Romaine
Arugula


TOPPINGS/VEGETABLES -- where it gets interesting:
Fennel
Radishes
Watercress
Mint
Basil
Green Onions
Kale Chips (Crushed Up)
Snow Pea Shoots
Sunflower Sprouts
Alfalfa Sprouts
Radish Sprouts
Snow Peas
Tomatoes (Our Favorites Are Campari Tomatoes)
Avacado
Purple Cabbage
Mushrooms
Mini Cucumbers
Broccoli Slaw
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Baby Carrots
Sunflower Seeds
Sesame Sticks
Currants
Bruchetta
Green Olives
Pickled Bell Peppers
Beets
Beautiful, Bright, Fresh Bell Peppers
Carrots
Parsley
Cilantro
Lemon
Lime
Purple Onion


NUTS/SEEDS:
Flax Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Macadamia Nuts
Cashews
Almonds
Walnuts
Pumpkin seeds


FRUIT:
Strawberries
Oranges
Blueberries
Mango
Apple
Pear


FAVORITE DRESSINGS:
Annie's Naturals Green Goddess Dressing
Brianna's Artichoke Dressing (A Vinaigrette)
Homemade Balsamic
Poppyseed (Sweet Creamy Kind)
Poppyseed (Homemade)
Good BBQ Sauce




THE FAVORITE OF ALL:


Ingredients – Orange Peanut Dressing


 ½ cup orange juice
Two tablespoons peanut butter, unsalted (raw or organic)
Two tablespoons raw cashew butter, unsalted (or organic)
Two tablespoons rice vinegar (bought or infused self made)
One tablespoon “Bragg Liquid Aminos” or low salt soy sauce
¼ inch piece of fresh ginger peeled
¼ medium clove garlic, chopped fine


Ingredients -- Salad


15 ounces or 10 cups baby lettuce mix
1 avocado, sliced
1 orange, peeled, cut in half and sliced
½ small sweet onion, thinly sliced and cut in half
One tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted 4


Directions


Blend all dressing ingredients in high powered blender or food processor until smooth
To prepare salad, arrange avocado slices, onions, and orange ro9unds on top of lettuce.
Pour dressing over salad and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
One Serving Contains:
CALORIES 408.6; PROTEIN 11.8g; CARBOHYDRATE 40.0g; FAT 26.3g
SODIUM 91.8mg
From: http://www.fseeley.com/BASICRECIPESDrFuhrmanPhase4.pdf

Castle Fort -- the Beach!

Yesterday we took a little drive to the ocean! 

It is 7 miles away so it's easy to get to. 

We were wondering how many short Sunday trips we could do without doing the same one again...there are just so many places to go within 10 miles or so of our house! 

We walked along the boardwalk and to Castle Fort. 

It is a pentagonal fort that has been rebuilt 8 times. 

They wanted to name it Adams fort for Samuel Adams, but he thought it was the place where America's freedom began so it is now named Freedom Fort. 

It is where the British departed American soil. 

We were so sad we forgot Milah's stroller! So we wrapped her up in swaddling blankets to protect her from the sun. 

We found out the island is a great place to fly kites! 

We will be back :)

Dan found a Russian man fishing and talked to him for an hour or so. 

He has a really crazy amazing story about how he came to America. 

Songs for Babies

My dad often sends me his favorite songs and then I listen to them and love them.
His last idea was in Celine Dion's album, Miracle, she takes love songs and puts them in a different light -- motherhood.
My dad shared these songs with me; think of them in the same way, songs about babies.
I especially love "To Be with You." In my daughter's eyes totally makes me cry! It is so true -- you live for your little one :) It is amazing what they can teach you about love and sacrifice and yourself.

Lounging Around Summer

 Milah with her favorite little friends :) Lounging around on a summer day. 

She is a great sleeper through the night...just wakes up to feed once each night and she and I both fall asleep right away. But she got over tired a day or two ago and slept like 1 hr total for 2 days in a row. Yesterday between 6:30am and 5:00pm when I woke her up, she slept all but 1 or 2 hours! The same thing is happening today! She's woken up to eat twice and that's it! I wouldn't care but the 2 days without sleep she was so darn tired and just couldn't sleep well so she would cry and cry and cry herself to sleep. It was also the days she had a cold so she looked miserable! Poor thing.

Her very favorite place to sleep is in the Boppy Pillow -- even if i set her there when she's awake. If I set her down in her bed, she cries and cries. I think she is like me and just doesn't want to miss out on any of the action going on.

We bought a box fan yesterday and it is heaven! It's still 93 degrees right now but with the air moving it's heavenly! Whoever invented fans...you are a genius!

Yesterday and today I've cleaned the whole house, done the dishes, paid bills, worked out, errands/grocery shopped, spent time with friends, wrote thank yous, visited the library, and worked a lot on Cogneti today.

When she wakes up she is all smiles :)

Public Transportation

Yesterday I jogged 4.5 miles -- yay!
Walked
Drove
Rode a bus
and took the train
(I didn't bike yesterday)

And I decided I love public transportation!

I think Dan and I are people of extremes and variety.
We talked about last night how we enjoy the city.
the diversity,
variety of food (e.g. you can have food from borneo for Tuesday night dinner),
there is always something to do,
you can move from downtown feel to city to suburbs to ocean to walden pond...get the picture?
there are tons of friends
hustle and bustle
great opportunities (last night Bro. Christiensen -- THE Brother Christiensen's son -- invited us over for dinner)
opportunities for missionary work

I love how there are so many people of different ethnicities here.
Yesterday we rode home on the bus with a girl from Nepal. She lives near Kathmandu and is studying the English language.
Lots of African Americans
Lots of Hispanics
Lots of homeless (yesterday a guy was sitting on the sidewalk totally drunk and he had a beard and ragged clothes and missing teeth and a big grin; overall his whole demeanor reminded me of the Pirates of the Carribean ride)
Lots of punks (the guy on the other side of us on the bus had pink hair and a nose ring and was wearing all black...update...Dan says it wasn't a guy, it was a lesbian with her girlfriend.)

Anyway, it's pretty exciting to say the least.

And we contribute to this excitement. A young couple Dan in his work clothes, carrying his lunch and briefcase and my diaperbag. Me with Milah and the box fan we just bought at the CVS/pharmacy (they don't have wal mart!). We are mormon and not afraid to show it (Dan gave out a pass along card yesterday -- go Danny boy!). That is an unusual site itself :)

And yes, I decided I love public transport. It's easy and has A/C (unlike Paris that has like 16 lines or Russia in 99 degree humid weather where it was SO hot in the subways and smelled bad, yesterday it was 99 and felt refreshing to go down there for our little rides).
As long as the trains aren't broken down you go down to the subway and one comes in less than 5 minutes .
Just don't miss the bus. Milah and I have done that twice this week ;)

I like city life; then my parents sent pictures of Veedawoo "spirit rocks" in Wyoming mountains and Dan and I decided we just love diversity. Hopefully someday we will own a bunch of land, plant a garden etc. but for now we are in the city and we love it!

Milah's Favorite Song

Somewhere Out There from Fival Goes West has been Milah's favorite song from the time she was 1 1/2 months old!
Every time I sing this song to Milah, I sing it slow, (not in spanish as the subtitles are :)) mouthing the words. She moves her mouth and tries to sing too!
She can not make the gurgle "ah" from her throat and go "aghghghghghooo" with the rattle in her throat.
Every time I sing her this song she gives me big grins -- without fail!
I love to see her learn and grow and to make her happy!
It's what we do all day :)

What We Eat.....aka greens :)

I wrote this as a journal entry but decided to post it on my blog. Its really honest, long, and mostly for me to keep a record of my eating progression. I hope that by posting it I dont sound too extreme or offend anyone but here it goes....




 Almost all my life I've been a not-too-strict vegetarian (and even pretty vegan-ish) with a little hiatus during my four years at BYU. 
When I was 5 years old I decided I didn't really want to eat meat, and we didn't have much at my home anyway so it wasn't a huge deal. I think I just never developed a taste for it. Plus the thought -- that it was animal flesh really bothered me. I was introduced to this idea by my great friend Brandy who was a lover of animals (she had 9 cats and 7 dogs at her little mobile home in WY) and also vegetarian though we had different reasons. I have to say as a 5 year old I was even more obstinate than now and I just wouldn't eat it (I think though hot dogs and bacon held out till I was 6 :)). 
I developed even more resolved when I saw a PBS special about how they slaughter cows -- all the blood dripping off carcases really threw me for a loop!
(as a side note...I wasn't too strict. My mom makes dang good teriyaki chicken and I always loved gravy on my potatoes).


Lately, I have learned something though; you can be vegetarian or vegan but still not healthy.


In January this year, I made all sorts of new year's resolutions, and didn't put eating more healthy as one of them...but secretly I wanted to. And you know, I've spent all year researching into it! I've read the China Study and about 20 other well-researched health books, Dan and I have watched countless food documentaries, I researched all about pregnancy and food etc. We acquired a juicer, blender, and water filter to have clean water (thanks Moms and Dads :)) and I even tried raw for a while.


Just a few months ago my eating habits really changed.


Milah was born with all sorts of food allergies. She screamed for days on end when I ate dairy or beans, MSG bothers her etc. We have learned to do weekend trips with packing a ton of fruit and raw green bars and salads etc. so she isn't in pain.


A few months ago, my mom bought me a book called Eat to Live and it changed the way I think about food. I have very different motives behind eating now; sure I still don't love the taste of steak, but it is the idea of
GET THE MOST NUTRIENTS FOR EACH CALORIE.
I love love LOVE this idea! It is all about being healthy!


In my life, this idea results in me living what Dr. Fuhrman "prescribes" -- eat 1 lb of fresh vegetables a day and 1 lb cooked or raw; being 2 lbs total. And guess what? I do it almost every day without thinking about it.


Because I love the taste of greens! I love how they make me feel.


I love eating spinach, and kale, and collards, and baby bok choy, and arugula, and broccoli, and purple, white, and green asparagus, and shitake mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms, and snow pea shoots, and radish sprouts, and sunflower sprouts, and brussels sprouts, and fennel, and watercress. And I'm excited to try mustard greens and celery root and more!


I've heard people say that they eat until their nutrient needs are met rather than until they are full, and I'm starting to experience it!


So....
I wake up in the morning and drink green lemonade. Sounds good? It is! I juice a head of kale, a head of romaine, 2 apples, and a lemon. Every single day it tastes different. The sizes of each are always different so one drink is sweet, and another tart; the kale is sourced from somewhere different and the romaine is always different bitter-ness.


(If I feel like I need an extra boost I drink two of these).


And then I eat a salad with anything I want to throw into it.




I eat it in a big mixing bowl like this:





Then I'll have "Anti-Cancer Soup" a blend of greens, or a wrap, or some grain with a vegetable, stir fry vegetables, or leftovers.


Then we make a fun, fancy recipe for dinner most every night so we keep things interesting. We've especially been loving paninis lately. And we eat that with another BIG salad in a mixing bowl.


This is what we're trying tonight for our Friday night date :)

Then we always have some little dessert like an 80% cocoa chocolate bar.




I am excited to start trying  blended salads (stick your salad in a blender) because salads take forever to chew until you break down the cells, and your body can't break down the food at a cellular level so it is very important to chew your food. I think I'll just eat Milah's homemade babyfood with her when she gets to that point. She can drink a juice with me in the morning, and I'll blend her salads :)


I like eating some cooked food because it makes certain vitamins and minerals accessible that aren't otherwise. One of my favorite recipes is Dr. Fuhrman's Anti-Cancer Soup because it takes all sorts of greens and you simmer them in carrot juice so you don't have to dump out the nutrients like you do if you steam the food. And then you blend 1/2 the soup so it's easier to break down. Its super yummy!




Results?...




I love not complaining to Dan and relatives all the time about how I have so many uncomfortable little things and I've been able to avoid big health issues too.


For instance, over a month ago my Dr. said I had a uterus infection and to take 3 antibiotics etc. These are bad for Milah -- they wipe out all her good flora and are passed through the breast milk. My mom pointed out that it takes over a year for your flora to return to normal after antibiotics (I had them in Jan, April, and was prescribed them again in May...what?!?!?!). I didn't want this for Milah or for myself, so I've been on a health crusade since then and I think I really am getting better!


This week we all got colds -- Milah included -- and they lasted only for 2 days!

Hot hot heat

Today is 99 degrees and super humid! 

 How we spend these hot days without any A/C. We had better get us a bigger fan, and fast!

Milah got her some serious rolls! 

Look at that cutie lip!

Play with Mee-lah :)

Bowser

Our dear Bowser passed away last week. 
We will miss him! 

Our last visit with Bowser before he died -- little Milah and Bowser look so cute together!

Getting Chubby!

Happy Fathers Day,
Love your chubby daughter!

Soccer Game!

We got to go see the Revs play soccer Saturday night.
It was really fun!
We were all bundled up with the chilly weather...but this week it will be in the mid-90s!

Milah looked ADORABLE all wrapped up in her blankets.

Milah loves to learn!

Tonight we were playing with Milah and she had a rattle on her right hand. (I, Danny, usually try to do both hands, or even favor the left a little bit to try and encourage her to think differently. :)  Any way, Alyssa saw her do a little experiment where she had both of her hands in front of her chest.  She extended the left arm and jerkily moved it a bit and heard no rattle.  She put her left hand back in front of her chest and concentrated to move the right hand out and shake it around.  When she heard a rattle she started moving it as much as she could in jerky, uneven moves. 

We switched the rattle to her left wrist and she did the same thing, focusing on trying to move her left arm and make it rattle.  We were so happy to see her progress and her love of exploring and learning.  I started chanting "MIT! MIT!" and Alyssa covered my mouth and said "BYU! BYU!". :)

We have a wonderful baby who makes parenthood the highest form of living.

Tribute to the best Dad in the World

Danny, thanks for being such a great dad!

I love that you have helped out with Milah from day one. As I write this you are changing her diaper and cleaning up her spit-up (a common occurrence).


Milah will always be close to you because of all the moments you spend with her; especially when they are not the most glamorous.

 Like Daddy, like daughter :)

I love that you love traveling and having fun with Milah! 

I am grateful that you take fatherhood seriously and work so hard to provide for us!

Thank you for your righteous priesthood that leads Milah to Heavenly Father. 

I love that your greatest delight is seeing her smile.

Two Months Already!

Milah, time with you has flown by! We are the best of friends :)


We sure do love your smiles that begun a week and a half ago. I love seeing what will make you smile next...sometimes it is a bath, sometimes the paintings that are high-contrast, sometimes your toys that make noise when you hit them.

I love giving you a bath each day - I think it is one of your favorite activities :)

I love that you are such a good eater! After eating is a little rough because your digestion has not yet developed. You have a hard time digesting LOTS of things. I sometimes eat them and your face would be the saddest thing! I don't mind so much seeing you fussy-cry but it is SO hard to see you cry in pain. Especially when that pain lasts for days :(
The up-side? You keep me healthy eating pretty much fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and grains. It is super hard to eat out so we took food for a whole NYC weekend and ate out only once!

I love seeing you progress from your black and white flashcards you used to love to seeing color. You used to get distracted when you were nursing by my high-contrast shirts, but now you also stare at my shirts that are only one bright color. I can tell you are learning to see color!

Our friends from downstairs let us use their mobile and you sure do love it! I love how I can almost see the neurons firing in your brain. You process that you have control of your hand and that you can move it to make the toys make noise.

I love hoe you breathe like bunny when you are hungry

When we show you the mirror, you look at us still rather than yourself....I wonder why?

You initiate the tongue game now :)

Walks still put you right to sleep ;)

You have been to 9 states in the first 2 months of life! Great start to the 50 state goal!

We sure love you little Milah and are excited to see what you do this next month!!!

BYE!

I have a few interesting things to share about Boston. 

Last night our friends told us that everyone's lease ends Sept 1. This results in everyone moving in and out. There are so many one-way streets and then you pack them with moving trucks. Our friends' moving truck got towed and driven to the other side of the bridge we live right next to (like the bridges over the roads in Cheyenne). He tried to take the truck back over the bridge and it took him an hour!!! That is like .2 miles for the entire trip. He said basically the whole city is in a grid-lock that day. Also, you know how there is tons of trash when people move in Provo; it overflows dumpsters etc? Well here that trash lines the sidewalks with couches and other old stuff people don't want! Then they send big garbage crews to pick it up. 

Another interesting thing about Boston; when you are driving on the interstate, the interstate goes right under downtown Boston! They have built a green space above it. 

Also there is a hotel that is over the freeway -- pretty crazy! Someone owned the air space rights; still, I wouldn't think land is worth that much here! 

Well there was a big project to fix the problem of over-congestion in Boston :) 

This "big dig" is the most expensive highway project EVER in the US! 

"The project was scheduled to be completed in 1998^[5] at an estimated cost of $2.8 billion (in 1982 dollars, US$6.0 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2006).^[6] The project was not completed, however, until December 2007, at a cost of over $14.6 billion ($8.08 billion in 1982 dollars)^[6]as of 2006." And they didn't even finish what they had set out to do, they cut it short! 

One month

WE DON'T WANT TO FORGET....

The wrinkles in your newborn skin

 Your tiny fingers

   and toes    

 Your grandpa hair

and fuzzy face

 How we wrap you up so small

We don't want to forget how you've brought us together - closer. How I did what I was so scared to do; a C-section was the hardest thing for me except for losing a loved one. And I was the most scared I'd been in my life; yet I felt peace. I knew it was right. The Lord gave me incredible peace through the procedure. 

I cried and cried for joy when I saw you for the first time. I pledged I would do anything for you -- and I had just one my anything.

The first time I tried to walk, I felt like I could never be the same again; walk the same, run the same. But I didn't fully comprehend how I would never be the same again because I felt Heavenly Father's love for you. It is a celestial feeling; one like I had never felt before. 

I am grateful for the C-section because it helped Daddy become close with you. There were things I could not do for you. I couldn't lift you out of bed, I couldn't change your diaper. Daddy did those and I had my special role too; I nursed you. And you have been an expert nurser from the very beginning. You were sucking on your way down from the nursery to see me for the first time!

I love all the tininess about you and it sure didn't last! Milah, you are growing up so fast!

OUR PROMISES AND BELIEFS

We will work together as equal partners to raise Milah with a love of Jesus Christ and a knowledge that Heavenly Father is literally her spirit father in heaven. We have covenanted in the temple of our God to be loyal to each other for all our lives. We believe this sacred promise and that the discharge of these obligations is our solemn responsibility. We welcome you Milah into our home where you will be loved immensely. We thank Heavenly Father for the gift of YOU!

THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. 

IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

 

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

 THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. 

WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

 

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.

Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.

Thanksgiving Point Excursion

The family at Thanksgiving Point

 We found lots of unique and beautiful little areas

The blown glass exhibit was especially fun. The one on the right reminds me of Willy Wonka :)