happy earth day

here's a fun little downloadable coloring/activity book i found online that you could do with your kids tomorrow.

beautiful days

i just can't get myself to stay indoors these days. the recent weather has been about as close to perfect as we get around here. the kids and i biked our second 3 mile ride of the week yesterday (which pit-stopped at captain sundae), and we have taken numerous walks. today we went to the library and then plopped down in the backyard with a pile of books. we have also enjoyed our first picnic lunches of the year. these are our first picked flowers of the season --almost too tiny for the vase. :) the daffodils are in full bloom in our backyard. welcome spring!!

crockpot favorites

Spring doesn’t exactly seem the season for crockpot recipes, but then again, they can always come in handy. Just thought I’d share a few of my favorites – partly because they’re tasty, but mostly because they’re easy!

I’m not great in the kitchen, but when you are responsible for three meals a day for five people, you start to figure some things out. :) One of the tricks I have learned with the crockpot is, when possible, to add extra meat to use for a later meal. I do that with both of these recipes.

BEEF ROAST / STROGANOFF

When I make a beef roast in the crockpot, I try to use an extra large cut or two smaller ones (at least 3 lbs. total), so that I have enough to take out after it’s cooked and use later to make Mom Dietsche’s beef stroganoff – mmmm!

For the roast, I usually add an envelope of dry onion soup mix while it cooks. Sometimes I also add in chunks of potatoes & carrots to cook with the meat, but a lower fat version is to toss them with olive oil and whatever spices you want and broil them in the oven to serve with the roast.

Another good reason to cook the veggies separately is that it makes it easier to take out the extra meat before serving. And here is the stroganoff recipe:

1 ½ cups beef broth

1 tsp salt

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped (I use ½ tsp minced garlic)

3 cups (8 oz) fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped

a splash or two of cooking sherry

3 Tbs flour

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Reserve 1/3 cup of the broth. Stir remaining broth into a skillet with the garlic, onion, mushrooms, salt, sherry, and the cooked & shredded beef. Cover and simmer until onion is tender.

Shake reserved broth and flour in tightly covered container; gradually stir into beef mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute, then reduce heat to low.

Stir in sour cream or plain yogurt, cook until hot, and serve over noodles or rice. (We prefer rice.) This is one of our favorites!

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

I add maybe a cup of water to the chicken breasts (2-3 packages) before cooking so that I have broth when it's finished cooking (more or less depending on how soupy you like your chili). After the chicken is cooked, I take out some of it to freeze or use in another recipe. (or, I make double of the chicken chili and freeze half of it for later.) To the chicken, I add the following (amounts are approximate -- I go mostly by what looks right):

Great northern beans, 2 or 3 small cans, undrained

Black beans, 1 small can, drained & rinsed

Canned diced tomates, small or large can, depending on how much you like tomatoes (I usually drain most but not all of the juice first)

1 McCormick white chicken chili seasoning packet

It's great served just with tortilla chips, or you could also add shredded cheese and sour cream if you want.

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL

I finally learned what the difference is between rolled oats, quick-cooking oats, and steel cut oats. Steel cut are the most nutritious because they are the whole oat groats that have just been sliced. Both rolled and quick-cooking oats are oat groats that have been steamed, rolled, and flaked for easier cooking. I was so happy to find this recipe online that is very nutritious and very little work!

2 cups steel cut oats

6 to 8 cups water

(additions if you want)

The rule of thumb is to use 6 cups of water if it will cook for less than 8 hours, and use 8 cups of water if it will cook for more than 8 hours. Cook on the lowest setting (for me, that’s “warm”) overnight, and serve in the morning. (If I make the amount called for here, we have leftovers for another morning.)

There is so much experimenting you could do with add-ins with this. So far we have stuck mostly to adding a little milk, brown sugar, and lots of blueberries. We add them in the morning, but you could probably also add it the night before. Let me know if you try it and come up with a great combination!

exercise

Well, my three month gym membership expired at the end of March. Somehow I managed to actually put on a couple of pounds during that time. My well-meaning friends assure me it is probably muscle (yeah, right). It was, however, a good experience and helped me hang on through the winter blahs.

I started out going mostly to aerobics classes – anything to avoid the treadmill. But with about a month left on my membership, I strategized that if I could actually convert myself into at least somewhat of a runner, then I could continue doing that outdoors (for FREE) when the end of the March rolled around. Besides, the step aerobics I was doing was starting to take a toll on my knees. The dreaded treadmill was calling my name. By the end of the month, this non-runner was able to jog a consecutive 15-20 minutes. Not too impressive, I know, but more than I have done since college.

Tonight I tried jogging outdoors and it was much harder for some reason. My marathon runner friend, Rachel, tells me that sidewalks are the most unforgiving surface to run on and that I should really invest in new shoes (mine are pretty bad right now). Treadmills, at least the ones at my gym, actually have quite a bit of give in them. I have had painful hip issues on and off since high school, which is partly why I have always shyed away from jogging. Last year I finally decided to do something about it and learned from my physical therapist that I have a ligament that has been damaged for so long that it is now like a stretched-out rubber band. Since those treatments, which helped tremendously, I have been able to do specific exercises to keep the muscles around that area strong and more supportive (when I remember to do them).

So, perhaps some new running shoes are in my future, and maybe even a used treadmill... but probably no marathons. :)

dreaming of warmer weather

(i meant to post this a couple of weeks ago...)

i didn't put them up to this. i love watching their creativity in all of its various forms.

new cards

I have added two new tulip card sets to my collection! One is in bright colors and one is in black & white. Each set contains 8 blank note cards and envelopes made from 100% recycled paper and includes two of each photo. You can view these new sets at my website, www.waterlilyphoto.com. We have also expanded the print gallery at the website with a handful of new photos, so check those out, as well! I am also always open to doing custom cards/card sets if you see photos there you prefer over those in the sets I have already made up.

They will be for sale along with my others at Treehouse Books (downtown Holland), or from me directly for a bit less than they sell for in the store.

A huge thank you to my dear husband, who sacrificed an entire evening to getting these additional images on the website! I could never do this without him.

I am currently in process of deciding where to branch out next in terms of my photography... stay tuned. :)

arctic april

i wish today's temperature was an april fool's joke!