Yummy!!!

I have been hearing a lot about black rice and decided to give it a try. I made some earlier in the week and put the leftovers in the fridge. Today for lunch I fried the rice in a little olive oil. Added some broccoli, a sprinkle of onion salt, and a little garlic powder. I also made Schwan's spicy chicken. Doesn't it look pretty!

And the end result; oh so yummy!!!!

Some info. on black rice-

Black rice, like brown rice, retains the bran cover that is removed to make white rice. That means the grain is packed with nutritional benefits, including being rich in iron and fiber.

Like many other dark red, purple, or blue foods, black rice contains great levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin, which in addition to being a stand up cancer-fighter also plays a role in preventing heart disease and improving memory.

A study earlier this year found that a spoonful of black rice bran contains more anthorcyanin than blueberries but less sugar. In fact, this noir-colored food has a higher concentration of anthocyanins than any other food! In addition, the anthocyanin's water-solubility means that antioxidants can reach more places in the body than the oil-soluble antioxidants in other foods like brown rice.

A Great Friday!

The kids have been working really hard this week. With just about everything finished we had some "free time" this morning. The boys have both been studying the human body in science (an awesome coincidence). So they took on a project together; they made life-sized people out of paper with movable joints and "muscles"(yarn that can be pulled and cause the arms to move).

I love doing school with Elliana. Here she is reading sentences and matching them with the correct pictures.

She is so adorable :)

She's Reading!

There are a lot of reasons to love homeschooling; teaching your kids to read is at the top of that list. I love watching the words come alive as they sound out each word and suddenly realize what they just said (C-A-T....cat!). This week it all just clicked and she is reading!

A Day Off??? No Way!

It's 3:53pm on Columbus Day and my boys are copying excerpts from Oliver Twist and Call of the Wild. We are ending a regular school day.

I was lucky; they didn't realize that all the other kids in our neighborhood had the day off until just before lunch time. Joshua asked why our neighbors were outside screaming.... "hmmm....guess their home.."

He grabbed his ipod and looked at the calender. He then walked into Asher's room, where I was helping his brother work on school, and exclaimed "It's Columbus Day!"

I promptly told him "That's great, we don't celebrate that holiday at this school". He complained for a minute and went back to work.

Why don't we take the day off? Why should we? It's rather ridiculous to take an entire day of school off for Columbus.

It would be cool if schools did a day long unit around Columbus. In math they could do math problems related to his voyage (how far away was he from America!). In geography they could study the places he actually discovered. In writing they could pretend to be sailors on the ships writing to their loved ones explaining what sea life was like. In history they could study...hmmm..history!

Get your family pictures taken for a GREAT cause!

My friend Gail and her son Waite are running in the Chicago half marathon for As Our Own. She has come up with an awesome way to raise money; she wants to take your family pictures! Gail took our family picture and it was a great time. Check out her website!!!

Orphan 5K Results

Aaron ran his very first 5K on Saturday. This was also the very first time we have ever run together. With three kids to raise we take turns working out. I had no idea how fast he ran 3 miles; only that he could do it without walking.

We chose to run the "5K for the Fold" because it supports a local organization that helps orphans. As you all know, Aaron and I have a huge heart for orphans; and we desire to follow the Lords command to care for them in any way we can.

I was so excited to run with Aaron! I assumed that since he had just started running he would be a lot slower than me. That was irrelevant to me because I was running with him regardless of pace; I would have walked the whole time if he wanted. Time alone with my husband is priceless!

Anyway, back to the race details. When the race started Aaron took off. I was wearing my Garmin and our pace was 8 for the first 1.6 miles! I was shocked! We ended up finishing the race at 29 minutes and some seconds. That is awesome!!! The best part- Aaron wants to do another 5K! WooHoo!

5K for the Fold

Aaron has been bitten by the running bug! Tomorrow we will be running a 5K together :) This race supports a local organization that helps orphans.

A quick reminder that I am still raising money for As Our Own!!

Healthy and Yummy Lunch

This is one of my favorite meals for lunch. The spicy chicken is from Schwann's; it has no sugar and only one serving of carbs. The broccoli doesn't count as sugar or carbs :) It makes the perfect healthy meal!

I also have a favorite treat to share. I have always been a fan of dark chocolate. But I am now a fan of REALLY dark chocolate.

Ghirardelli 60% cacao is good; each square contains 4 grams of sugar and1 serving of carbs.

Ghirardelli 86% cacao is even better (in my opinion); each square contains about 1.25 grams of sugar and no carbs (negligible).

Dark chocolate = less sugar and carbs :) These are great for a little treat. Of course when real chocolate is needed you must visit Dairy Queen and get a chocolate shake (like we did last night!).

Homemade Pretzels!

I come from a long line of GREAT cooks. These are cooks that can walk into the kitchen without a recipe and whip up an amazing meal. My Aunt Jenny passed along this awesome pretzel recipe. My kids love these warm, soft, delicious pretzels. :)

Homemade Pretzels

Ingredients-

1 cup water

2 tablespoons oil

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

3 teaspoons yeast.

Directions

1. Put ingredients in bread machine and choose the dough cycle.

2. When dough cycle is complete, divide the dough into about 8 equal pieces. Shape the dough into pretzel shapes.

3. Let rise 20 minutes.

4. Bring 10 cups water and 2 1/2 tablespoons baking soda to a boil.

5. Boil each pretzel 20 seconds on each side.

6. Shake Kosher salt on each one.

7. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

ENJOY!!