Healthy Recipes, Snacks and Tips

I thought I would add a few ideas and recipes for you on the family challenge or just doing healthier stuff on your own. I know some of these save me for sure. Please add your ideas as well.

Honey is an all natural type sweetener, use honey or agave syrup to sweeten things instead of sugar, they also have health benefits. Use it as syrup on whole wheat waffles or pancakes, in smoothies, cookies, etc. Use your imagination. These are just a few recipe ideas that I love, especially when I'm feeling a certain sweet craving or something. Please add any recipes that you have tried or that think might be helpful, add them here or on the facebook group or email me and I'll add them.

Go to Snack Ideas or Helpers

*Crystal Light or Sugar Free Koolaid

*Sugar Free Gum

*String Cheese

*Snackable Fruit and Veggies, baby carrots, apple slices, etc.

*Nuts

*Trail Mix, no m&m's :)

*Sugar Free jello or pudding w/ sugar cool whip

*Pirates booty - I want someone to go to costco and get me some :)

*Plain non-fat greek yogurt topped with nuts, fresh fruit and honey

*sugar free popsicles or fudgesicles

*Air Popped popcorn, no butter, butter spray is okay. See how I do healthy microwave popcorn HERE. Microwave popcorn has a lot of unhealthy chemicals and added calories, even if it's light. My way is healthier and cheaper too.

*Celery or apples w/ Peanut Butter (try all natural PB, if it has 3 g or sugar or less, it's okay....in moderation of course)

Healthy Icecream

1 banana frozen (slice and put in ziplock and freeze)

• Peel your bananas first. • Cut them into small pieces. • Freeze for just 1-2 hours on a plate or in a ziplock in the freezer • Blend, blend, blend or put in a food processor - scraping down the bowl when they stick. • Enjoy the magic moment when they turn into ice cream!

Can add 1 tbs of Peanut Butter and Cocoa, or a little honey and cinnamon, or berries like the Banana Berry below shows. Whatever your little heart desires. Banana ice cream is actually pretty good. Try it, you'll be surprised and it's healthy! Yay!

Banana Berry

1 banana frozen in slices or chunks, 1/2 cup frozen berries, milk and a splash of vanilla. Blend to consistency of soft serve ice cream. Works great in a food processor. Can also use a blender.

Ranch Chicken Salad

Can or bottle of chicken, non fat greek yogurt, celery, grapes, packet of ranch seasoning.

Great on a bed of lettuce for a salad, whole wheat bread for a sandwich or whole wheat tortilla for a wrap. Also great with whole wheat crackers like Triscuit for a great snack.

Lighten Up Peanut Butter Cookies

1 Cup All-Natural Peanut Butter (creamy)

3/4 Cup Agave Syrup

2 egg whites

1 tsp. natural Vanilla extract

3/4 Cup All-Natural flour (whole wheat or gluten-free)

3/4 Cup Oats

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix peanut butter, egg whites, agave and vanilla together in a small mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine flour, oats and baking soda. Mix the contents of the two bowls together and stir thoroughly. Let the batter chill for about half an hour before placing small amount of the batter evenly on a cooking sheet. Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 10 minutes or until your cookies are lightly browned.

No bake cookies

1/2-3/4 C honey

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter (use Smart Balance or other healthier type butters)

2 1/2 C. oatmeal

Combine honey, cocoa, vanilla, milk,salt,and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over med. heat and boil approximately 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper. Allow to cool.

You can go here on my blog for a few more Healthified recipes, including Chicken Nuggets and Mac n cheese and more http://www.sparklesandbugs.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthier%20Food

Family Fitness Challenge: Because We Love YOU!

This challenge will be for 8 weeks. If you follow this it can help create an all around better you! We want to do this together, so we can all help each other and be there for each other and strive for better health. We want everybody around for as long as possible and believe it or not your health habits have a HUGE influence on that.

If any part of this challenge is holding you back, please tell us, we don't want anybody too intimidated, but we do still want it to be challenging. We can adjust it a little if we need to.

As a participant you will have the opportunity to earn points every day by following our list of requirements:

1-Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day

2-Exercise for 30 minutes per day

3-Eat 2 fruits per day

4-Eat 2 veggies per day

5-Get at least 7 hours of sleep per night (if you don't, get a nap to get in all your hours)

6-No Sugar (eliminating sugary foods and snacks in your diet, you could also eliminate white flour which turns into sugar if you really want more bang for your buck, you can make that call)

7-No Soda, Junk food or fast food- learn how to make your favorite foods, healthier, for example pizza: Make a whole wheat crust, use low fat cheese, turkey pepporoni..it's actually really good, You may have to be creative in this area, but I promise you it's do able and you will find yourself even more full from better fueling and filling foods

8-No eating after 8 pm (unless you didn't eat dinner then you can get it in...of course it will have to be healthy :)

9-Get at least 15 minutes per day of Scripture study or other uplifting reading

10-Write in your journal everyday you could use a blog or personal journal, even if it's a sentence or two. It counts! At least you are trying.

These 10 things allow you to earn 10 points per day. You will get ONE FREE DAY per week ALLOWING YOU THE FULL 10 POINTS FOR THAT FREE DAY. You must take a free day for all of the things in the day with the exception of exercise. For example, if you want to not excercise on Sunday, but take your free day for everything else on Saturday that's okay. The only exception is the exercise part, everything else must be on the same day. Make sense?

Each week you can earn a total of 70 points. I will create a google doc or something where we can input our points each week to see how each other is doing. You can also use our Family Facebook group here to talk about it, let us know how you are doing, give each other ideas for snacks, etc.

What do you say!? I'm way excited. I know a lot of you always talk about getting healthy and maybe even work at it. This would be something so fun AND so rewarding especially doing it together as a Family!

The reward? Of course a better you all around, you'll feel better, you'll be more spiritually uplifted, we'll be closer as a family. If we need something else to motivate us, this is where I would like your input. An idea is that we can all put $10 in a pot or paypal account. The winner with the most points will get it all. If there are multiple winners they will split it. We could have runner ups who get other prizes too? We could have some sort of prizes each week or every other week? Not sure what though. Or if we can't do the money thing what else can you think of that would be a great reward at the end. Please input! Thanks! I hope you all are ready to join us, Erica and I for sure are! We will start Monday, February 13th (don't worry you can take Valentines as your free day if you need to that week :)

Are you ready? Is it too soon! Do we need to give you another week? I hate not knowing what's going on in your minds, please share! Thanks!

Alley's Baptism

So Proud of Alley!  She is way excited! 

We will have treats afterwards at our house. We hope you can come.

Please let us know for sure!

Alley's Baptism

I haven't quite got invitations made for Alley's Baptism since I am laid up with just getting my tonsils out. :( So I thought I better post something about it so you all can put it on your calendar.  We would love everybody there that can make it.

Saturday, August 6th
5 pm- Mesquite Stake Center
{we will probably have a small get together afterwards for dessert at our house.}
Let us know if you will be coming :)

Who's in....Who's out :)

Hello Everyone!

Just a friendly reminder that the Kanab 10K is coming up in a few weeks. We are trying to get a head count as to who is coming/running and who is not. We need to know who is planning on staying the night as well so we can make the appropriate accommodations. If you are not running, make this a fun family day and come support those in the family who are running. If you are running then it would be wise to sign up before April 30th to avoid an extra 5 dollar charge. Sign up HERE or HERE if you haven't already. And if you just had your tonsils out and can't decide if you are running... we'll it sucks!

Here is some info about the race:

The Kanab 10K

Registration

20.00 before April 30th

25.00 after April 30th

The Kanab 10K starts north of Kanab at Moqui Cave on Highway 89 and finishes at the Kanab City Park. You will enjoy beautiful views of the vermillion cliffs during the entire course. A feast of post race refreshments for all participants will be available, compliments of Glazier’s Food Town.

*Absolutely no support vehicles, strollers, bikes, or dogs will be allowed on the race course.*

 

Packet Pick-Up: We encourage all runners to pre-register and obtain their packets between 5 & 8 pm the day before the race at Adobe Fitness Center (163 S. 100 E.). Packets can also be picked up between 6:00 and 6:30 on race day at the city park.

Location: All participants will need to be at the Kanab City Park (100 E. 500 N.) between 6:00-6:45 am to catch a bus to the starting line. Last ride leaves at 7:00! No exceptions! The race must begin at 7:30 am.

(probably won't have to take the bus, we can all ride up in a car together. We can have a non runner driver)

Awards: Custom made trophies by Western Hills will be awarded three deep for all running divisions (Age Brackets) and for the top male and female finishers. Top male and female finishers will also receive an additional prize valued at $1000. Also, all participants who finish are eligible for the drawing where cash and merchandise

will be given away. You must be present to win in the drawing held after the awards ceremony.

So who's in? Leave a comment and let us know your plans. ASAP

More FYI ... Lyndsey and Emilie have a dance recital at the High School the night before the race (Friday May 6th) at 7:00 p.m. and Desiree is having a baby shower Saturday after the races at 3:00 AZ time I believe. Everyone is invited to it all if interested!

Easter Plans??

Just wondering what is happening this weekend? We usually do something together on Saturday.  Does anybody have plans? What should we do? Who will be in town?

Fun Times!!

I've had so much fun the last month or so and just wanted to share the pictures with all the family!! I ran my first 5K and Hiked in Zions. It has been fun to get away, experience some new things, have girl time, see the beauty that we live so near too and not worry about the stresses of everyday life.  I can't wait to see everybody for some more fun events in a couple weeks with our family! Yay!
You can check the pictures out Here and Here

We should make plans.

Okay, Brother's and Sister's, I think we need to plan a date to do new pictures and possibly include our parents. I also think we should get a grand kids one since I think all of us kids are finished having kids and then a big group one including our the married and all.


My vote is that we do it somewhere up by Erica's where it's beautiful, so maybe it everyone feels the same we should shoot for a time in the fall like Labor Day Week-end or Halloween but we also got to look at when Walter kids will be around... and try to get all family members there. If we plan now we might be able to make it work. 



What Ya Think?

Baby Blessing

Lydia Sharon Johnson


will be given a name and a blessing on


March 27, 2011

(dress made by Grandma Laub)

Time: 11:00pm

Place: Cedar City University Stake Center

520 S. 1100 W. (West Chapel)

CCU 6th Ward

I know this is such short notice! I'm sorry for not giving more advanced notice. Jared and I finally sat down this weekend to decide when we were going to do the blessing and we realized that this is the only weekend that we have available unless we wait until June. Which we can't do because then her dress will not fit her. (Yes, I'm so set on her wearing this dress that we plan around it :) We completely understand if you can't make it because of the short notice. However we would love for all family and friends to come if you can. We are so excited for this event to take place in our daughters life. Lydia is such a blessing in our lives and we love this little girl so much. We are excited to share this special day to celebrate her life with our family and friends so please come if you can.

Family Stories

I just read Angela's post, and it's funny I've been working on Family stuff. I just finished typing stories that Aunt Cleo wrote on a blog I made for my Grandparents.

I've got one for the Laub"s and also the Leavitt's, If anyone has stories or pictures to add I would love to do it for them, or add them to the blog so they can.

Here are the blog sites

Lee and Melba Laub

http://oliverlealandlaub.blogspot.com/

I've put everything on here that I have, Just need to add the one picture that I have, If anyone has more I would love to see it. Need to go visit some Aunts and copy more of what they have.

Dutch and Ethel Leavitt

http://ethelleavitt.blogspot.com/

 again, this one is mostly on grandma and when I video taped her one week asking questions. Still have a lot of work to do on this one. If anyone wants to help work on this blog let me know.

Angela has also added links off to the right hand side under "Our Heritage" thanks Ang

Kimberly kimberly.l.thurston@gamil.com

*FaMiLy*

Today in YW we talked about the importance of Extended Family Relationships so I just thought I would share.

"We ought to encourage our children to know their relatives.  We need to talk to them, make effort to correspond with them, visit them, join family organizations, etc." - President Spencer W. Kimball.

I know sometimes we just get going on our own busy schedules and lives and it's so hard to even think about other things.  I know I'm that way...it's like "what else can we fit in??"  But, I hope we can remember the importance of family relationships and create more bonds and memories together.  I often feel disconnected and out of the loop and I'm sure others do as well.  What are ways we can become closer as a family? 

Who's In???

A few of us have been talking about the Kanab 10K, so who wants to do it? Let us know if you are in.  Not to be finishing 1st or anything like that :), I think most of us are just going to be happy to finish, even if we have to walk!!  (And Erica do you care if we come stay??) I think this can be a fun family event that we should make a tradition even to just come and support any who want to run it! What do you think?


Here is some info about the Kanab 10K that Andrea gave me:

Date of Race: May 7, 2011 - Time: 7:30am - Fee: $20-10K; $5-Kids’ 1K
Location: Kanab City Park, Kanab, UT
Contact: Megan Smith (435-899-0364) - Website:www.adobefitness.com
Mother’s Day weekend. Kanab 10K starts at 7:30 am (6 am
shuttle) in Kanab, UT. Course begins north of town, meanders
alongside Kanab Creek and Vermilion Cliffs and finishes at the
City Park. Enjoy a refreshment feast at the awards ceremony.
Custom made trophies are awarded to the top finishers in each
age division. Top male and female finishers receive a river
trip valued at $1,000. After the 10K, a Kid’s 1K will take place
around the park.

http://www.sgcity.org/recreation/races/assets/pdf/2011_race_brochure.pdf

I'm just looking forward to finishing!  It will be fun and rewarding!

Baby Alyvia is Here!

Nicholas and Kelli had Baby Alyvia Lyn today around 8:20 or so. She is 6 pounds 13 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long. We are all so excited. Mom and baby are doing well I believe. Grandma and Grandpa Bartlett are on their way. Here is a pic for you all to see. We will try to get more up soon.

A New Year to *Challenge Yourself*

A new year is coming up and you may have heard about the last challenge I did, "8 weeks to a better you." I really liked the good habits it was helping me form, including reading scriptures, doing more service, journal writing and of course eating more fruits and veggies & overall being healthier. It was a fun challenge and super rewarding! You will love the way you feel! It has a few new things added this time and a new challenge starts January 3rd.


Anybody wanna join in and see if they can get a cash prize? There are also weekly prizes and I think it's totally fun! I even made some new friendships. An 8 year old boy even did it last time.  It's a cool family thing to do! It got hard towards the middle last time for me, but I was still in the running for the runners up drawing. But this time I'm going to try my best to stick it out and hopefully get perfect points. I want that cash prize dangit & I love the way I feel when I'm doing it all!! I think it would be so fun if any family want to join in, we could check on each other to see how we are doing and maybe all of us can get a cash prize and of course you will definitely feel better! I'm trying to talk Artie into it! =) Perfect time to start for the New Year! What do ya think?  Check it all out Here, click on "The Deal" to see details.

Laub Family Christmas Party

Hey Everyone, Just wanted to let you know that we have now decided on a time for the party...it will be at 6:00 p.m. UTAH TIME on Tuesday the 21st. You are welcome to show up whenever that day, but the actual eating and party will start at six. Please have your food at the house/prepared by six. 

Also there has been a lot of talk about the ornament exchange...most people would like to drop the idea and do something else. But its seems some have already purchased their ornaments. So we will do it this year and maybe mix it up a bit and then find something else for next year. So control your desires to go and buy ornaments 6 months in advance because as for 2011, its over. 

Moving on....Here is a list of the assignments people signed up for just as a reminder.

Ham -  Erica

Potatoes - Andrea

Vegetables - Kim

Dessert - Angela

Dessert - Dianne

Rolls - Brittnee

Drinks - Nicholas

(I just assigned you this....just bring some lemonade or something to mix in an igloo, that would be fine.)

Napkins and Utensils - Grandma

Plates & Cups - Marsha

Feel free to bring whatever your little heart desires. hint: kims caramels... or some hard candy, molasses or taffy that grandma leavitt used to make. yum... mostly the molasses... any other requests, lol.

Ok, I think that is it for now. Should be a lot of fun. If you have any questions, just ask and if you don't...see ya there.

-Andrea, yet again.

(By way of my non blogging mom... Erica)

Bartletts Thanksgiving

This is the first year that we have broke away from the family and had our own thanksgiving. You all were missed but we had a great time. We cooked our turkey on a rotisserie and it turned out good. Our pomegranates went moldy so we didn't get to eat salad which was extremely missed. But everything went good and we had a great weekend. Just thought we would share it all with you.

 Yes, Nicholas is being a dork...as always.

Now its time for the rest of the family to post about your thanksgiving.

see ya

-Erica.....

by way of Andrea...lol

Christmas Party

The Christmas Party is fast approaching!  It will be at Erica & Nick's House in Kanab on Tuesday, December 21.  I guess a few things we need to discuss is the Time, if we need to bring anything "food wise" and if we are doing the ornament exchange. Cousin present exchange and brothers/sisters exchange lists have been e-mailed out.  Anything else we need to know or that needs to be discussed??  Leave a comment here.

Ammon's B-day

Adler's 1st Birthday!

Adler turned ONE! 

see more on our blog: The Shaner Family

Adlers B-day Party!

You are all Invited to Adlers 1st Birthday Party! Please let us know if you are planning on coming so we know how much food to prepare!