Asian Chicken Salad

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Cheri

In the summer, I try to avoid using the oven as much as possible. We grill a LOT, but otherwise, it is always nice to have a heat-free dinner. This meal can either be done in the crockpot (which sometimes adds too much warmth to the house) or on the stove. On the stove, it takes only 10 minutes, which I can tolerate in the heat.

I love the crunch, the sweet, the tang, the different textures. And it's really pretty too! My little girls devoured it and my 5 year old asked for it for leftovers for 3 days. Can't beat that!

ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD--STOVE TOP

  • 2 lbs. chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 Tbs white sugar
  • 1/4 head red cabbage, slivered
  • 1/4 head white cabbage, slivered
  • 1 head green leaf lettuce, torn
  • Slivered almonds, toasted
  • Chinese Noodles
  • Canned mandarin oranges (drained)
  • Carrots, diced

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup vinegar (apple cider, white, or rice)
  • 1/4 cup oil

In a medium skillet, cook chicken, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 3 Tbs sugar over medium low heat until chicken is cooked thru. Remove from heat, drain and set aside (or chill). Make dressing and chill. Meanwhile, on a large platter, layer salad ingredients in the following order: lettuce, white cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, chicken, mandarin oranges, chinese noodles, and almonds. Serve with dressing.

CROCK POT DIRECTIONS

Follow the above recipe, but cook the chicken for 5-7 hours on low in a CrockPot in 1 cup soy sauce and 1 cup sugar.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Cheri, Food, Recipes, The Moms | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Lifetime of Service

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Kerri

A lifetime of service is accumulated from a million small acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity.


The story is told of a young man who left his known life to follow the California Gold Rush. After weeks of sifting through the river, his only reward was a growing pile of useless rocks. Discouraged and frustrated, the young man was resolved to quit his search when a more experienced prospector approached and noticed his large piles of rocks. "Why are you quitting?" he asked.
"There's nothing here", the young man replied."I must be too late, for there's no gold in this river."
The experienced man patted the young man on the bak and assured him, "There's a chance to find lots of gold in this river; you just have to know where to find it." With that, he picked up two rocks from the pile, cracked them together, revealing several flecks of gold shimmering in the sun. "See, you've already found quite a lot."
The young man was not comforted. Motioning to the bulging bag tied to the prospector's waist, he said, "But I'm not looking for little flecks. I'm here for the big gold nuggets like you've gathered in your bag."
The old prospector reached out his bag for the young man to look inside. He was stunned that he did not see any large nuggets, but instead, thousands of tiny flecks of gold, collected here and there.
"Son," he said, "it seems you have spent so much time looking for the big nuggets that you have missed the opportunities to collect these tiny flecks along the way. Sure, you can wait and hope to find one big nugget, but you will gain more wealth by the patient accumulation of tiny flecks every day."

There are 52 weeks in a year. 365 days. If I did one small act of service per day for someone else, I know I would grow to be more loving, compassionate, and selfless. Far more than if I waited for one big opportunity to come. I'm guilty, sometimes, of wishing to jump on board with the service opporutnity of a lifetime -- something big and grand -- when there is much needed service with the friends, families, and even strangers that live right here, nearby.

For example:

  • When my husband was out of town for days and weeks on end, friends offered to watch my kids at nights so that I could have a break, and run some errands without kids in tow.
  • When I had a miscarriage, my sisters came over with flowers, and breakfast -- just so I knew that they cared and would help pull me through.
  • When my son hit his head at a store, another mom I did not know immediately sprang to my aid to help with my other kids, carts, and strollers while I stopped the bleeding. She stayed by my side until we got things all straightened out...(ironically, this had happened to HER child two weeks prior. And even more ironically, two weeks AFTER my son's staples were removed from his head, I was at the park when the same thing happened to ANOTHER kid...so I could step in and be that angelic stranger for someone else in need.)
  • When I was sick with the flu, friends brought over dinners for my kids so that I didn't have to think of food. (bless them!)
  • When I was complaining to a friend that I had just put in a load of laundry to discover that my washing machine all of a sudden quit, she showed up at my house, laundry baskets in hand, to take home my clothes to finish my wash.
  • When Shayla (friend of a friend) found out her friend's kids were sick one night, she immediately jumped into action to help. Besides picking up quarters for them to wash all that soiled laundry, she also arrived at their doorstep with these thoughtful surprises: spare sheets for their new twin beds, Pedialite for the kids, gingerale to calm their tummies, new fun toothbrushes, a new movie to watch as they get better -- and she took home their dirty sheets and blankets to be ready for the next day.

There are opportunities for service every day. So often I'm stuck in a spot that I don't know what I can do for someone. And embarrassingly, sometimes as I wait for that great idea, I end up doing nothing. How often do we attest, though, that even a phone call or an email that says, "I'm thinking of you" helps buoy up our spirits to get through?

How true is it that you better understand what someone's going through if you have gone through it yourself! So the best thing you can do to help someone in need is to remember what you needed in that situation. Sympathy is strong, but empathy is stronger. Share your experiences with others. Let them live them with you, too. Accept people's service to you...you are helping them accumulate their flecks of gold.

A lifetime of service is accumulated from a million small acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity.

When you see someone in need -- a stranger, a friend, or a family member --

Don't just ask what you can do.
Do what you can do.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, For You, Goals, Kerri | Leave a comment

Slow Down

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Sunny

This is a reminder I need on a daily, perhaps hourly, basis. I'm sharing it in case you need the reminder, too.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Challenges, Children, Family, Finding a Balance, For You, Fun, Goals, Love, Relationships, Sunny | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beat the Heat Meals

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Janae

This post is for anyone who doesn't have air conditioning and live somewhere hot. We don't and our summers can get well into the 90s. Needless to say, my desire to turn on my oven in the summer time quickly melts to zero. And by the time dinner rolls around, I'm far too hot and exhausted to even want to think of cooking. But, last summer a good friend reminded me that I already owned the perfect solution:

Crockpots on the Patio

It was the perfect solution. I could make dinner in the morning when I still had energy and I didn't have to warm up my house in the process. Just make a crockpot meal and then plug in your crockpot in the backyard.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Cooking Tips and Tricks, Food, Janae, The Moms | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Stand up Paddle This Summer!

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Heidi

There's a fun new sport for your whole family to try this summer -- stand up paddling!

Chances are by now you have heard about stand up paddling. It seems to be the fad article in magazines, highlighting the celebrities who have taken up the sport. I'm no celebrity, but as a stand up paddle school owner, I am a big fan of the sport. I'll tell you, it's definitely worth your while to get out there and hop on a board. It is awesome how many people take a stand up paddle lesson and fall in love with it.

Don't live near the ocean? No problem.

Because of the nature of the sport, you do not have to live near the ocean to go stand up paddling. Any type of waterway will work, from rivers to lakes. Do you live near a river or a lake? Then there just may be a stand up paddle school or rental company near you! Check for locations near you online -- you just may be surprised. Now you can even get an inflatable board, making it easy for traveling (they roll up to the size of a sleeping bag)

Stand up paddling is so super fun for the whole family. One of my favorite things about stand up paddling is it is fun for mom and dad and the kids. Everyone has fun, and you can all do it at the same time. Unlike other sports that are more suitable for the parents, or more suitable for children, this is one sport that everyone can enjoy -- together. Young kids to grandpas are able to stand on a board and cruise. In fact, usually the kids have an easier time standing on a board than their parental counterparts! Our six and seven year old children paddle on their own, and our younger child hangs out on our boards for a free ride. Dog owners even take their dogs out for a ride!


Our oldest having fun on a stand up paddle board

I highly recommend proper instruction as you head out. You'll save yourself frustration and sore muscles from poor technique. If Hawaii is in your summer plans, be sure to look us up -- www.rainbowwatersports.com.

Another option is to buy the book on the sport --

The Stand Up Paddle Book: The Complete Stand Up Paddle Surf Guide from Window Shopping to Catching Your First Waves

However you choose to get out and paddle, if you find yourself near a body of water this summer, go stand up paddling!


If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Activities, Adventures, All Writers, For You, Fun, Getaways, Heidi, Hobbies, Life is Better With..., Me Time, Outdoor Activities, Summer Fun, The Moms | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Positive Parenting 101: The Power of Praise

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Cheri

The concept of praising our kids isn't a new one. And it probably isn't new to us either. I know my mom has often told us about how important it is to praise our kids. So why is it so hard sometimes?

I guess the biggest reason is because parenting itself is hard. It is a full time job from which you get very few breaks and very few thanks. It is work, work, work for a long time before it becomes rewards, rewards, rewards. My mom always said "Full hands now, full hearts later" but sometimes later feels very far away.

It can become exasperating, tiring, exhausting, demotivating, draining, and down right miserable sometimes to be a parent. I know we all know someone who would say "WHAT?! No it isn't!" But I bet we know way more people out there who are nodding their heads in agreement. None of us want to feel that way, but the truth is, sometimes we do.

And when we do, it is a lot easier to be frustrated and bothered by the little things. Pretty soon, though, you get into the habit of always seeing the little things that bother and our kids hear complaints, criticism, and correction from us all the time. Think about the last time you were only complained to, criticized, and corrected. Did it motivate you to improve? Be kinder? Be better? Be happier? Probably not.

Instead, think about the times you've been praised, thanked, recognized, and appreciated. Not only does it increase your happiness bubble in your heart (yes, I just named that feeling) but it also increases your desire and motivation to continue doing the thing that brought the praise. Or to seek out other ways to be great.

The same concept applies to our kids. I recently heard it said that you should praise your kids 10x as much as you correct them. Ten times as much!? Think about how many times you correct your child in a day. Some days, it may feel like everything out of your mouth is correction. And somedays, that may be true. Now, think about what might change in you, your child, and your home if you praised them (for something, anything) ten times more than you corrected them. Do you think you'd spend as much time correcting them? Probably not.

A lot of the time, the reason our kids need to be corrected is because they are seeking ways to either gain your attention or win your approval. The younger they are, the less they understand about what brings approval. Like my daughter who was so proud of herself for finding a special spot for her doll's blanket...by dumping out the bucket of 2000 perler beads onto our shag carpeted stairs. I didn't do a good job praising her creativity in finding a solution for her doll's blanket. Instead, I was so focused on the painstaking chore it was to clean up those beads!

When I did my "Change First Principle" experiment, I was amazed at how quickly I changed, my relationship with my husband changed, and the overall feeling in our home changed. And all I did was say "thank you" more. The concept is the same here.

Take the challenge and see if you can praise your kids ten times more than you correct them. If it's too hard to start there, then decide to give your child ten statements of praise a day and build up from there. You'll find it'll become easier and easier to find things to praise, and harder to find things to correct. And any correction that needs to be done will be done with greater love, appreciation, and patience because you've started to see your child for who they are and what joys they add to your life.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Challenges, Cheri, Children, Difficult Child, Discipline, Family, For You, Goals, Relationships, The Moms | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Father’s Day Gift: “Hand”made Tie

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Kerri

"There is no tie for best Dad! You win hands down!"

Looking for a perfect Father's Day gift for your kids to give?

We have LOVED this tradition! Paint up the kids hand and handprint a tie!

I couldn't find a white tie, so I simply purchased white broadcloth cotton fabric and hand stitched it around an old tie we had.

Then we added the handprints, and after they dried, I wrote the above slogan on the tie with a sharpie.

Plus the date. It's hard to remember the hands were that small once upon a time!

If you have too many kids for one tie, or your kids have grown, consider covering it with their thumb prints.

"Thumbs Up to the Best Dad around!"

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Children, Crafts, Family, Fun, Kerri, Marriage & Spouse, The Moms | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bread Heels and Bread Crumbs

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Sunny

Do you sometimes find nothing but the two heels when you go to get a piece of bread? No one in my family likes the heels of store bought bread, and though I'll eat them and try to hide them by putting the outside inside of a sandwich, two heels per loaf is still too many.

child eating bread leaving the heel, save heels for bread crumbs

Then I had a "duh" moment when one day I tried a new recipe that called for fresh bread crumbs, and I had to make them out of perfectly good center-of-the-loaf slices of bread. Now when I open a bag of bread and find a heel on top, I put it in a bag in the freezer. When I have a recipe that calls for bread crumbs, I've got plenty of heels that I run through the food processor. They're even healthier than buying bread crumbs, since we eat whole grain bread. If you want dry crumbs, do it ahead of time and let them dry out over night.

Now, any good recipes calling for bread crumbs?

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Cooking Tips and Tricks, Food, Sunny | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Summer Treats

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Janae

Kids LOVE treats. They also LOVE to help make creative treats. The following are my top 10 treats for summer partly because many of them cool you off on a hot summer day and partly because most of them are fun to make with the kids. Enjoy!

1. Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches. Pack your favorite ice cream between graham crackers for yummy ice cream sandwiches.

2. Homemade smoothies. Perfect for those hot summer days! Here's my basic recipe. I shake things up a bit by adding yogurt, different fruits, some spinach (yes, spinach) etc. Check out Sunny's previous post for a yummy smoothie with a healthy twist of veggies.

1 1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup water

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate

frozen fruit

3. Smoothie Popsicles. Did your kids not quite finish off the smoothie? Pour the leftovers in a popsicle form for the perfect cold treat.

4. Chocolate Pudding Pops. Avoid that trip to the store for these yummy treats. Make your own at home. I got this recipe from FamilyFun magazine (Thanks, Heidi for your great promo on this magazine...definitely worth it!). With a wire whisk, blend together 1 package of instant chocolate pudding, 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup cream, and 1/2 cup sugar. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds. (No molds? No problem. Pour into small plastic cups, cover with tin foil, and insert a craft stick through the foil). Freeze and eat.

5. Homemade ice cream. Here's a great recipe from familyfun.com

Ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup salt (The bigger the granules, the better. Kosher or rock salt works best, but table salt is fine.)
Ice cubes (enough to fill each gallon-size bag about half full)
1 pint-size ziplock bag
1 gallon-size ziplock bag
Instructions
Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.
Place the salt and ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag. Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to determine when it's done.
Take the smaller bag out of the larger one, add mix-ins, and eat the ice cream right out of the bag. Easy cleanup too! Serves 1

6. Frozen Gogurts. Okay, these aren't fun to make, but they're a terrific, cold, quick, healthy snack. Just throw them in the freezer when you get home from the store and you've got the perfect snack on the go.

7. Pigs in a Blankets. Wrap L'il Smokies in strips of crescent roll dough and cook according to roll package directions. They're fun and simple.

8. Frozen Bananas. Halve the bananas, leaving the skin intact. Slide a popsicle stick into each one and remove the skin. Freeze the bananas until hard (about 1 hour). Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 10-20 second intervals until smooth, stirring each time. Dip the bananas in the chocolate. For added fun, dip in chopped nuts, granola, cherrios, crushed pretzels, you name it!

9. Homemade Corn Dogs. Inserts skewers or popsicle sticks into the end of each hot dog. Wrap hot dog in Cornbread dough (or any kind of refrigerated roll dough). Bake according to directions on roll package. For added flavor, add cheese, ketchup, mustard or relish before rolling up the hot dog.

10. Pinwheel Wraps. Ingredients: Tortillas, cream cheese or hummus, deli meats, cheese, lettuce or fresh spinach, any veggies your kids love! Lay out tortilla and spread it with cream cheese or hummus. Add meats, cheese and veggies in a uniform layer, leaving one edge open. Roll up tortilla towards that edge and use that edge to seal it shut. Then cut into pinwheels. A yummy, healthy treat the kids will love to make.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Food, Fun, Janae, Recipes, Summer Fun, The Moms | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What?!? Another Bad Fat?!?

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Heidi

It seems that the scare and recent guidelines concerning trans fats have opened many peoples' eyes to this dangerous fat snuck into many foods found at the grocery store under the name of "partially hydrogenated oil". Being an ingredient label reader, I have eliminated these out of my diet -- and I can tell you that my overall being is much healthier -- I notice I am less fatigued and more alert. Many family members have said the same thing. (Recently I received boxes of food from a friend who was moving away. I threw out about 3/4 of the food due to the trans fat ingredient - wow! If you haven't already been informed, go to www.bantransfats.com)


But because of this partial ban on trans fats, the industry has turned to another fat to extend the shelf life of food: interesterified fat. Never heard of it? Neither have I until now, and thanks to OnFitness magazine, I am now watching for it on ingredient labels.

Perhaps you have heard of its disguise names:

-- stearic acid (found also in health supplements)

-- monodiglycerides (bye bye, Wheat Thins)

-- fully hydrogenated oil

What is interesterified fat? It is a processed fat that makes fat solid at room temperature by a rearrangement of the fat molecules.

What makes interesterified fat so dangerous? Because according to Nutrition and Metalbolism (Jan 2007), interesterified fat lowers good cholesterol while at the same time raises bad cholesterol. According to studies in Malaysia and with Brandeis University, it also raises glucose levels in the blood while decreasing insulin levels (more diabetes patients, please!)

Where will you find interesterified fat? Probably the same foods that we are currently praising for cutting out trans fats. More and more companies are catching on to this cheap fat with an extremely long shelf life, so you will find it more and more in the food you purchase at the store. The most popular hide-outs right now are peanut butter, tortillas, crackers and dressings. But without any regulation on this fat, this list is sure to grow. Watch your labels, and you'll be safe -- mostly. (Check out this label from Skippy Peanut Butter!)

Why "mostly"? Because - get this: - companies are not required to list this fat on their labels in the first place! If you really want to steer clear of this fat, ask the company itself if they use "interesterified fat". Or even better, eat raw and unprocessed foods.

What is going on in our food industry?!? Is it any coincidence that, although perhaps not intentioned, interesterified fats has "terrified" in its name?

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Cooking Tips and Tricks, Food, Heidi | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments