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Monday, July 30, 2012

Healthy Quick Blueberry Recipes

We used the last of the blueberries to make two quick and healthy blueberry recipes.   Luckily, we have a freezer full of blueberries for future blueberry recipes.

First up, I made this Watermelon Blueberry Mint Salad that I received from my friend Stacey Raymond.  Yes, this was featured in last year's blog but it's SUPER good and worth repeating.

Stacey's Watermelon Blueberry Salad
Bring 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
Remove from heat, add 3 mint sprigs and steep for 10 minutes.
Discard mint and add zest and juice from 1 lemon and a pinch of salt.
Toss with 3 cups of cubed watermelon and 2 cups of blueberries.
Let stand 15 minutes. Top with chopped mint.
Hmmm, Hmmm, good!

Watermelon Blueberry Mint Salad

And, finally I made some granola blueberry bars for a great breakfast treat.  Delicious!

Blueberry Granola


Here's the delicious recipe:  Blueberry Granola Bars

We checked more off our Summer 2012 Bucket List on our tent camping excursion.  Here's a cool picture of Chad jumping off the boat.

Chad takes a dip



And here's Greta and I trying to fall asleep in the tent.

Tenting It!



Up next, blackberries.  I need some inspiration, so let me know if you have any good blackberry recipes.

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Friday, July 27, 2012

Pickled: Garlic, Cucumbers and Beets

Cucumbers, garlic and beets are in season so we've been eating them fresh, but I also love to pickle veggies so we have a delicious, healthy snack later in the season. 

Who doesn't love garlic?  I seriously can not get enough of it and I've been stocking up at the local farmer's market.  For some reason, I haven't had good luck growing anything other than garlic scapes.

Here's the recipe I love for pickled garlic:  Pickled Garlic


Picled Garlic - YUM!

My cucumbers are going CRAZY this year.  Wowser!  My son Gus is the cucumber king - he eats them like apples right after they've been picked.  Anyway,we  LOVE my Grandma Evelyn's Refrigerator Pickle recipe.

Grandma Evelyn's Refrigerator Pickles

Thinly slice 7 cups of cucumbers and 1 sliced onion - add 2 tablespoon of salt. Let sit for 1 hour and rinse off salt and drain juice. Combine 1 cup of vinegar to 2 cups of sugar and add 2 tsp. of pickling seasoning and bring to a boil.  Add liquid to cucumbers, jar up and refrigerate.  These are fantastic!!

Grandma Evelyn's Refrigerator Pickles in her relish tray


After my running group today (Ski and Tea) I went to the garden and picked another 8 cucumbers (where do they come from so quickly?), so I chopped them all up and I'm going to pickle some in the regular fashion and I'm making "Parents Pickles" with garlic, jalapenos and red pepper flakes for a little variety.   I'll let you know how they turn out (thanks for the inspiration, Susan Buchman).  I wonder how many hours I've spent cutting cucumbers this week?  Ugh.  Let me know if you have an easier way that works.

And last but not least, my Grandma Evelyn's Pickled Beets Recipe - beets ALWAYS remind me of her and I love her recipe.

Grandma's Pickled Beets

Boil 16 beets for about 45 minutes until tender.

In a saucepan, boil 1 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of pickling spice.

Pour over beets and refrigerate overnight.

Yum, Pickled Beets


We're still been checking things off our summer bucket list.  Yesterday we had a play day at the KOA.  If you live in Hayward, have kids over the age of 5 and under the age of 13 - it's a MUST. For $14.00 the kids can swim, mini-golf, jump on their giant outdoor trampoline, take an old fashioned wagon ride, and play on their amazing playground.  Seriously, it's like a vacation for moms too. 

My camera was almost out of juice, so I didn't get the best pictures, but here's one:

Full on water gun fight at the KOA.  No one was exempt from getting sprayed and it was HILARIOUS.  Even my mild-mannered Greta got in on the action.
What are you pickling this weekend?  I'm kicking myself for not pickling asparagus in the Spring!  Oh well, there's always next year.

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

P.S.  I've been meaning to put a picture of my Grandma on my blog.  I still can't believe she's not here with us.

My Grandma and me before the Oprah show in 2009


Kristin















Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Summer Exercise Routine

My summer workout looks a whole lot different than my 2012 winter workout schedule.
And, as I said in my winter blog, I love to partner up with friends to workout, sign up for races so I push myself, and spend time outdoors connecting with nature.  This summer I signed up for the Firehouse 50, the Women's Cities Half Marathon, and the Birkie Trail 1/2 Marathon - similar to last year. 

My Firehouse Fifty Buddies


Here's this weeks workout schedule:

Wednesday:  7 mile run around the Seeley Pass / let me tell you, this is a SUPER hill challenge - that night I rode my bike 10 miles because the kids were gone and I could

Thursday:  Rest

Friday:  Ski and Tea Triathlon (swim, bike, run)

Saturday:  Rest

Sunday (today):  50 mile bike ride on the hilly Firehouse Drummond course. 

Monday:  5 mile run

Tuesday:  15 mile bike ride

Wednesday:  12 mile run along the hilly Birkie trail (Fish Hatchery to Double 00)

Seriously, before riding 50 miles today I was totally dreading it.  I thought, "please let me get a flat tire, run out of gas, get sick, anything so I don't have to do it" but I'm in training for the Firehouse 50 bike race and I can't let my team mates down.    Then while riding I got this huge rush of endorphins and I thought, "I love biking, being outside, and I love my team" and of course afterwards I was proud of my accomplishment, I felt physically great, and I had a lot of love and energy left over for my family.   For me, that's motiviation enough to keep plugging along towards my fitness goals.

I purchased a new pair of Brooks minimalist shoes this Spring and I can not stop RAVING about them.  Last year I had aches in pains in my calves, hips and knees and this year I am 100 % pain free.  Trust me, they are worth the price - love them.


Best. Shoes. Ever. 
Brooks TrueCadence Running Shoe


There's been many articles published lately about how bad goo, Gatorade (and the like), and energy blocks are for your average athlete and many professional athletes are shunning these products.  Right now, I'm loving the Sharkie's Organic Natural energy, but my goal is to figure out a way to refuel and add electrolytes with real food.  More to come on that subject.  But, here's an interesting article about the problem:  Nutrition Mistakes Athletes Make

On a different note, today I grilled some beets and they were FABULOUS:

Grilled Beets

Peel 3 beets and slice thin.  Marinade the beets for 20 minutes in balsamic vinegar, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.   Add to foil and grill for 20 minutes or until tender.  Delicious!!

Grilled Beets
What's your favorite summertime work-out?
Thanks for reading!
Kristin

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Drying Herbs - The Beginning

My oregano plant in my herb garden started to look sick this week despite my constant pruning and watering, so I thought it might be time to dry the oregano to use this winter in my soups and sauces.  To dry the oregano I cut it down to the stems and cooked it at 185 for about 3 hours.  After it cooled, I crumbled the leaves and presto - dried oregano!   Luckily, I have some fresh shoots of oregano coming in so I should have plenty of fresh oregano to get me through the summer.


Oregano!!


My plan is to continue drying all my herbs as they start to wilt with the exception of the cilantro which I do not like dried.  I can not tell you how much I love having an herb garden on my deck - thanks to my friend Patrice for sharing her herbs with me.    I use something from the herb garden every single daily. 

So, the 2012 garden is REALLY starting to produce - it's so fun to be able to go out and start seeing the fruits of our labor.







In this picture you can see the many varieties of heirloom tomatoes that my friend Susan Buchman started from seed and gave to me.  Here I have a speckled roman, a black cherry, a silvery fir tree, and a few regular old cherry tomatoes.  My tomatoes are on steroids this year - they are unbelievable!!

These two monkeys were laying on the garage floor cooling off, waiting for me to come back from the garden.
Gus lost a bottom tooth yesterday!



How's your garden?  Ever tried drying herbs?

Kristin

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Simple Blueberry Recipes

The kids and I took a road trip to Pine Haven Farms in Bayfield to pick blueberries this weekend and had a blast.  We've picked there in years past, but they only had a small section of organic blueberries (blueberries are on the dirty dozen list), but this year they went ALL ORGANIC!!   The kids and I went to town and had our buckets full in minutes.


Greta and I picking blueberries - we are totally into neon this year (can you say 80's flashback?)

On the way home, our neighbor friend (who was with us) said in her cute voice, "can you make me a blueberry pie?" so of course I had to deliver.  I used my Great Aunt Helen Myrhe's recipe (originator of the Norske Nook) and it was super delicious!  Her blueberry pie recipe is soupy but we like to serve it up in bowls and eat it with a spoon.

BLUEBERRY PIE

1 double crust
5 cups of blueberries
1/2 cup flour
2 cups of sugar and a little to sprinkle over
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons butter

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 and press the bottom crust into the bottom of the tin, and heap with blueberries.

2.  In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, and cornstarch together.  Sprinkle over the berries and dot with think slices of butter.

3.  Cover with slitted top crust and flute.

4.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake for one hour or until a knife stuck into a slit does not come out sugary.

Blueberry Pie - on my Grandma's table cloth
S for Sophie and G for Graham, Gus and Greta



Next up, I made some blueberry muffins and they were delicious also from my famous Great Aunt Helen.

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar plus a little more to sprinkle on top of batter
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, slightly beaten

1.  Preheat the oven to 400.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in the blueberries.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the milk, oil and egg, using a fork to mix well.

3.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the liquid all at once, stir quickly with a fork, just until the dry ingredients are moistened (do not over mix).

4.  Spoon the batter into a prepared muffin tin and sprinkle the top with a little sugar.

5.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Blueberry Muffins


We marked a few things off our summer bucket list 2012 like our Bayfield berry picking extravaganza and our visit to my favorite beach in Wisconsin - Friendly Valley Beach in Bayfield.  The beach is shallow, warm and the sand is as soft as feathers and stretches as long as the eye can see.

Friendly Valley Beach


And of course, we had to bury someone in the sand, guess who?

Sand Fun


Tonight, we're having BLT's or ALT's (avocado, lettuce, tomato) with tomatoes and lettuce from the garden with a side of garden green beans.  How cool is that??

What's your favorite blueberry dish?  We are going through the blueberries like mad and I'm also trying to fill up the freezer because blueberries are by far our favorite fruit :)   Do you have any favorite blueberry recipes? 


Kristin

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Blueberries and Raspberries - In Season!

Two of the tastiest fruits around are finally in season and we are loving it.  We're on our 12th pound of blueberries and 10th pint of raspberries, but the bad part is that I've been sick!  I had to visit the doctor for the first time in 4 years.  So, what do you do with blueberries and raspberries when you don't have a lot of energy?    Quick and easy smoothies of course!

Raspberry and Blueberry Smoothie

1 cup of raspberries
1 cup of blueberries
1 1/2 cup of vanilla kefir or vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed

Blend and enjoy!  My kids prefer this recipe when I use frozen berries because then it's more like ice cream, but I like it just fine with the fresh berries.


Raspberry Blueberry Smoothie


Here's an easy Blueberry Raspberry Cobbler  - this is super moist and delicious.  The kids LOVE this too.

2 cups fresh or blueberries
1/2 cup of raspberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons white sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pinch ground cinnamon


  1. Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries and raspberries into the baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spoon the batter over the blueberries. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.
  4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean - of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife. Let cool until just warm before serving. This can store in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Blueberry Raspberry Cobbler


Overnight Chia Blueberry Raspberry Pudding
Ingredients for one serving:
2 tbsp chia seeds
1.5 cups almond milk or vanilla soy milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup bluberries

1/2 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
1 banana (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix the chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, honey and milk in a bowl.
2. Stir in the blueberries and raspberries.
3. Let set in the fridge overnight.
4.In the morning, take the pudding out of the fridge, stir, and add more milk if desired.
5. Garnish with banana and enjoy!




Blueberry Raspberry Overnight Chia Pudding


There you have it, some of my simple blueberry raspberry recipes.  Delicious!


Despite my trip and the illness, we're still plugging away on the summer 2012 bucket list.  We had a great time tubing this week with some great friends.  We hope to get up to Bayfield for some berry picking and fun (also on the bucket list) but the berries won't be ready up there until 7/21 - pretty soon, though!.


Tubing down the Namekagon - limited cooperation on the picture :)


How are you coming on your summer bucket list?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Independence Day

Fourth of July is here!!   We've been busy making some red, white and blue fare while the boys have been entertaining us with fireworks in the air (ha ha, I can rhyme).  Seriously though, my boys are really into the fireworks.

I will start with my favorite Fourth of July blueberry and raspberry salad with the berries I picked up this week from Bashaw Valley.

Fourth of July Jello Salad

1 package of raspberry jello
1 package of blue berry berry jello
1 cup of whipping cream
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
6 tablespoons of sugar
1 envelope of plain gelatin (Knox)

First make raspberry jello and pour into the bottom of a glass or bowl.  Refrigerate for one hour.  In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of cold water with one package of gelatin.  Let sit for 1 minute.  After a minute, turn the stove on low and add whipping cream and sugar.  Stir and heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Take off from heat and let cool, then mix in sour cream and vanilla.  Add to bowl and let sit for an hour.  Next make the berry jello and pour on top of the cream mixture.   This is a refreshing treat on a super hot day.


Fourth of July Salad in my Grandma's trifle bowl and on her table cloth.
My Grandma would host great Fourth of July get togethers with root beer floats for dessert.





Fourth of July parfaits in my Grandma's dishes
Enjoyed with my Wednesday running friends


Fourth of July Trifle

Ingredients:

1 angel food cake
1 tub cool whip
2 packages of white chocolate pudding
1 pint of strawberries or raspberries
1 pint of blueberries or blackberries

Layer angel food cake, pudding, berries about 4 times until you run out of cake.  Top with the whip cream and add remaining berries on top.  Enjoy!

Fourth of July Trifle in my Grandma's Bowl


And last but not least, we made our annual Fourth of July cake.

Make a white cake.  Top with 1 tub of cool whip.  Make stars and stripes out of strawberries and blueberries.

Fourth of July Cake



We celebrated the Fourth of July on Sunday at the Greene's house and then we watched amazing fireworks over the Chippewa Flowage.  So fun!

Today, it's 97 degrees in our house (wish I were kidding), so to beat the heat we are going to the beach, going out to eat, going to the movie Brave at the theatre, and then home for a fireworks show courtesty of Graham and Gus.

What do you have planned for the Fourth?

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Kohlrabi, Bok Choy, and a Garden Update

One thing I LOVE about belonging to the Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) program is that I'm forced to try vegetables I normally wouldn't try.  This week my CSA bag was filled with lots of greens, bok-choy, and kohlrabi.  Both bok-choy and kohlrabi are new to me, so I considered it my personal challenge to find a way to make them good enough for the kids to eat.

This kohlrabi recipe is very good, but then again almost any vegetable cooked on the grill is pretty delicious.

Grilled Kohlrabi

Cut kohlrabi in 1/4 inch pieces (leaves and all).  Drizzle with olive oil and a little salt and grill for 10 minutes at 300.    Sprinkle fresh parmesan cheese on top.

DELISH!


Grilled Kohlabi - my grandma's vase and tablecloth


Next I made a stir-fry with bok-choy. 

Bok-choy stir fry

4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of ginger
1 bok choy
1 chicken breast (optional)
1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
Saute garlic and ginger in olive oil for a few minutes.  Add bok choy and cook until the leaves are reduced down (about 7 minutes).  Add broth if it gets dry.  Serve on top of quinoa - add soy for seasoning.  This was a little blah so I added crushed red pepper to give it some spice.
Bok Choy Stir Fry

We've also been eating lots of greens, and I just picked up 10 pounds of local organic blueberries and raspberries and they are DELICIOUS!

Our garden has never looked better.  You would not believe our tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, beans and zucchini - wowser.

Here's Greta from this morning eating a cherry tomato:

Greta at the garden - we were out biking (hence the helmut)




My tomato plants are happy


To view the garden one month earlier, click here:  Garden 2012

If you have a garden, how's it go doing?

Kristin

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Washington DC - Part Two

My last few days in DC were glorious -   I can't wait to bring my kids to this ahhh-mazing city.

Day three I attended conferences all day and that night I visited the Ford Theatre, the Spy Museum, and I went shopping in Chinatown.  By the time I stopped to eat at my favorite Cuban restuarant I was ravenous.  Here's the squash red pepper bake with fresh herbs on top - this was out of this world!

Cuban Squash Dish - Amesome!


The next morning I headed to the U.S. Supreme Court as the Affordable Care Act was being deliberated.  As the decision was handed down chaos ensued.  Wowser.  I have some video of people in suits laying on the ground reading bibles, people screaming, hollering, crying, cheering - peeps were WORKED UP. 



Outside the U.S. Supreme Court



Afterwards, I toured the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress (awesome), BUT I got locked into the Library of Congress because of a security threat.  A security guard helped me find one side door that was left open (whew).

Later that night (after more conferences), I decided to rent a bike and ride 16 miles into DC to check out the city via bike.  Nevermind the fact that it was almost 100 degrees and I didn't know where I was going.  Once I got into DC, I found myself in Georgetown, riding right in the streets of DC traffic with no helmet and I was beyond hot, so I quickly flagged down a bus with a bike rack and loaded not knowing or caring where I was going.    Eventually, I made it to Whole Foods at Foggy Bottom and took the subway back home.  It was an experience!

Biking the streets of DC

And the last day, I spent a total of 15 hours in airports.  What joy! 

What did I miss, have you ever toured anything cool in DC that I haven't seen yet?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Washington DC - Part One

Believe it or not, I was actually dreading my trip to DC, because Hayward, Wisconsin is such a magical place in the summer, but my sixth trip to our nation's capitol was by far the best.  Usually I'm in and out for work but this time I had 5 days with a little more free time built into the schedule.

Day one - I spent hours walking around Arlington Cemetry.  What an awesome place!  Next, I walked the National Mall which is even more extraordinary.  The Korean Memorial is one of my faves.


Korean Monument



The sun was perfect for picture taking.  And I have about 100 good pictures - just ask me sometime and I'd love to show them to you if you care or have the time.

Here's the White House garden with Mrs. Obama and a news crew following her. 
Disclaimer, I don't know for sure if it was her - but I like to think so.

The night ended at Whole Foods Market and I fell in love.  I visited 12 times in the time I was there, and I had to take a subway to get there.  It was so worth it.  Great quality food, local goods and produce all at reasonable prices and people waiting forever just to pay.  What a place.

This their organic yogurt selection -  ONLY organic yogurt.  Can you imagine?
I swear, I was in heaven.  I ordered sushi several times via computer and when the chef was done I received a text to pick it up.  They had these computers all over and you could order whatever your hearts desired.  Serious love.
The highlight of Day Two was the meeting of one of my heroes, Temple Grandin.  After I met with her and heard her speak I wrote 5 pages of notes - she had a lot to share.  She's an amazing, eccentric (her words), humble, funny human being.

Me and Temple Grandin


That night, I toured the Holocaust Museum (coolest museum ever), and then Air and Space Museum.  Next, I walked over to Georgetown for supper.  Yum!

Mushroom Tortellini with Roasted Red Peppers - yum!


I was way out of my league in Georgetown.  Lots of amazing homes, beautiful people, and Jaguars.  When I got myself lost, I asked for directions to a bus stop and no one had any idea how or where to take a bus.  Luckily, I figured it out on my own and the bus took me to the subway.

I'm stuck in Chicago (thunder storms), so I'm blogging about my trip. 

Part two is coming since now our plane is experiencing mechanical problems.  I hope I make it home tonight.   Have you ever been to DC?  What do you recommend seeing?  I'm sure there's a lot that I missed.


Click here if you want to read part two - trust me, it's short:  Washington DC - part two
Thanks for reading,

Kristin