Sweet Pork Sauce- minus the pork

So I've been experimenting with a lot of beans and rice recipes lately. But I recently discovered the absolute best way to eat any kind of bean, and so Alex and I have bean quesadillas just about every day for lunch. I've been telling everyone about it, so here it is.......

Kristen's Awesome Quesadillas

First you get the cook at home tortillas that you can find at Costco or Walmart. They are simple to cook up and so delicious. Then you top the cooked tortilla with cheese (still in the pan) and whatever kind of bean you want (i like using Kidney beans or black beans), then you pour a bit of this magic sauce on (see below), top with another (pre cooked) tortilla, let the cheese melt, and it is like you are eating a pork burreto from Cafe Rio, in less than 3 minutes, in your own kitchen.

I just took a sauce recipe from Cafe Rio pork I found on the internet and tweaked it a bit to my liking, I can't even remember the exact measurements, just add or subtract according to your tastes......

1 can Coke

1/4 cup brown sugar

dash garlic salt

1/4 cup. water

1 can sliced green chilies

1 can Red enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso, medium spiciness)

Add all ingredients in a blender and mix until you have a nice smooth sauce, bring to a boil and then let simmer until you have the desired consistency. I think I used a bit less sugar, and coke, just adding until it looked like a sauce instead of a soup. The sauce is just great and it only takes a little bit to add a wonderful kick to a bowl of beans or a yummy quesadilla. I pour it into little tupperware containers, freeze it and then when I run out grab a new one from the freezer and I'm set to go! I love it because it takes about 10 hours less than doing the whole "mock Cafe Rio pork salad" thing, tastes just as good, and you don't even need the pork.

Everyone should seriously try this, it is great and healthy and addictive (or maybe it's just those tortillas)!

The duck story

It was a nice day and Alex and I had been stuck inside, so we decided to make Tyler go visit the ducks with us.

Alex LOVED feeding the ducks.

But soon she discovered that she could also eat the bread. In fact, she decided this was a better alternative to throwing it all away.

Soon, Alex wasn't sharing any of her bread, and the ducks did not like this.

What started out as 4 ducks soon turned into a mob of 22 ducks, all interested in the pieces of bread Alex was stuffing in her own mouth instead of theirs.

Alex was still enjoying the show, oblivious to what was about to go down.

Suddenly, they attacked.

(Just so you don't think I'm a bad parent, Tyler took these next 3 shots in about 2 seconds time, I didn't even know what had happened until I looked at the pictures later)

The ducks stole both pieces of bread from both hands, and then went back for more.....

Yes, those are her fingers in the ducks mouth.

Alex was not very pleased that the ducks had taken such an aggressive approach, not even asked if they could have her bread, and then tried to eat her fingers!

Mommy was not very happy with those ducks either, and bribed the small boy on the bike to chase them all away.

Now when Alex sees ducks, or pictures of ducks, she talks about how the ducks bit her fingers with their mouths! It is very cute, and although the experience was a bit traumatic, It does not seem as though she has developed any unnatural fear of ducks.

The hair dance

Alex is finally letting me put stuff in her hair, and keeping it there for minutes instead of seconds. This is my attempt at getting her to put her hands down, so I could get a cute picture of her with a flower in her hair.

"Alex, touch your ears for me"

"Alex, touch your knees for me"

"come on, with both hands"

"Ok, stand up!"

and finally, the successful... "Alex, touch your belly!"

Eating Animals

In the last month I have become a great deal more educated on some issues that directly affect my families health. Mainly food.
I can't remember where this started, probably talking in church about food storage which led to an obsession with wheat. I then watched "Food Inc." followed by "King Corn", and then I started reading nutrition labels and shopping to avoid things like corn syrup and aspartame. I read Doctrine and Covenants section 89. And finally, the nail in the coffin, Tyler bought me "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer, for Valentines day.
I've been dying to post about this book and my experience for a couple weeks now, but I still haven't figured out how to do it without offending or sounding preachy. I want to shout on the rooftops for all to read this book and join me, but I know that each person has to make, and come to these types of decisions on their own.
I have come to the conclusion that all I can do is strongly recommend, that if you are no longer satisfied with not knowing about where your food comes from, or what is being put into it, then you should do some research and find out. You may be shocked as I was about everything from corn to aspartame and mostly meat.
It is frustrating to say that when I have tried to share my new found knowledge, it seems my words are generally brushed off as though I have adopted a fanatical hippy lifestyle which will be tolerated, but still condemned. Perhaps it is the manner with which I speak, which is why I have decided to try and write my feelings down to better convey my message.
Here are my basic conclusions...
1. Religiously- D&C 89: 12-13, 15 states "Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.... and these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger." By reading this I came to the conclusion that although I grew up eating meat quite frequently, and have over my life become content and accustomed to a mainly meat diet, animals are to be eaten as the exception, in hard and hungary times when other nourishment is hard to come by.
2. Ethically- While I believe animals were given to man to use, I do not believe that the ways we are now raising and slaughtering them, are kind or benevolent or virtuous in any way. I grew up on a farm and I have no problem raising and eating farm raised animals, who get to fulfill the measure of their creation and enjoy their life. I have a BIG problem, however, that as a country and a world, we are mathematically calculating how cramped, miserable, and sick we can make these animals before we horribly slaughter each one, so as to yield the greatest amount of meat and, therefore profit. I have no desire to eat tortured flesh.
3- Physically- After reading "Eating Animals" and being taken through the straightforward account of the life and death of factory farmed animals (which is what we buy in supermarkets), I have come to the conclusion that even if I set my religious and ethical beliefs aside, I have absolutely no desire to eat the meat that is available in grocery stores. These animals are pumped full of antibiotics and slaughtered with tumors and other illnesses and yet still somehow pass inspection and make it to our dinner table. They have been genetically altered to become fast growing mutants to fill our ever hungry bellies, and when their miserable lives are over they are slowly killed in filthy conditions that further contaminate their flesh just before being packaged and sent to the store.

I feel that each of these points is reason enough to change my eating lifestyle, and when put all together it is a pretty strong argument. Therefore, my family (Tyler is slowly joining the bandwagon) has decided first of all to GREATLY reduce the amount of meat we are eating, and furthermore, not to purchase our protein from the grocery store. I know that our small absence may not be noticed by those getting rich off of feeding America so poorly, and people may be rolling their eyes as they read this. But I feel very strongly that not only is it healthier to eat vegetables and grains for the majority of our nutrients and calories, but ethically it is also a better choice.
I can happily report that since I made this decision 2-3 weeks ago we have had a remarkably successful experience. At about this same time I decided to cut out as much of the prepackaged, full of preservatives and additives foods that I could. I have discovered a store nearby where grass fed, beef and pasture raised chicken is sold, as well as vegetables grown without the use of pesticides. I think we have eaten meat like once in this time period, and the rest of our meals have been full of rice with beans, salad, veggies, fruit and whole grains. I honestly feel better, healthier, and have started to crave sugar a LOT less than when we were eating prepackaged junk and frozen foods. Our grocery bills have been cut in half (even though we are buying the more expensive pesticide free veggies and meat), as well as time spent at the grocery store (being pregnant with a 2 year old, this alone is a HUGE blessing). I am very happy with our decision to change our lifestyle. I get a rush out of seeing Alex eat a entire grapefruit instead of a package of fruit snacks, or watching her enjoy beans and rice more than she ever did chicken nuggets. It is sort of gross to look back on how I ate 3 months ago and see all the ways I was polluting my body out of convenience, or desire. I feel like the Lord is blessing me and my family for having the desire to change, by making it easy for us, helping us find delicious alternatives, and showing us almost immediately how much better we feel. I hope that if any of you are sitting on the fence, maybe my experience will help give you the desire to make some changes or do some research. I can honestly say that I see this as one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.
I do want to end by saying that I am in no way judging anyone who does not agree with me! I respect every person's free will. Eat meat every meal if you wish, just respect my choice to abstain!

Etsy Shop Sales and updates

Awhile back I think I posted that Kate and I had started an etsy shop. Well, now that the crazyness of the holidays is over we are recommited to our shop. I have just updated a few pictures to show things a bit better, and we are actually having a clearence sale, so go and check it out!!!! We have plans to add more listings by the end of the week so keep checking back!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kandyapplekrafts

HINT: (for those of you who go to the etsy site and then try to find our page, it helps if when searching "sellers", you type kandyapplekrafts as 1 word, otherwise you will never find us)!

February

For Family Home Evening this week we all wrote letters to my brother Stephen who is serving a mission for the LDS church in Sao Paulo Brazil. Alex opted to draw a picture instead, and it was very cute.

Here is my 29 weeks pregnant shot.

Alex quite enjoying coloring a masterpiece for Stephen.

For part of our Valentines Day celebrations we tagged along with Grandma and Grandpa on a drive around the dike by Utah Lake to take pictures. Alex loved dropping rocks in the water.

If you ignore the trash in the lake, it's sort of a pretty area.

I love it when Tyler gets Alex dressed. He has given up even remotely trying to match her socks, so when he dresses her she ALWAYS is mismatched. I just thought she looked so cute here. This is also the first time she was able to get a coat on by herself. It was upside-down, but she didn't care.

Last week Kate, Tyler, the kids and I, all had spring fever, so we decided to have a picnic at the park.

We took the dog and Tyler taught the kids how to walk her.

We had some good snacks.

The reason the kids look like they are freezing, is because it happened to start snowing about 5 minutes after we got there. We decided to stick it out though and I'm glad we did, it was so much fun.

Earlier in the week we had walked to another park, this time Kara came along as well. Alex's new favorite park activity is trying to balance on the tiny retaining walls. It was cute.

She just loves spending anytime she can with her daddy.

I can't believe my little baby is big enough to swing by herself!

Kara snagged a great family portrait for us. "Great" in reference to pictures these days is a relative term which means that at least 2 of the 3 of us looks mostly good.

Kara is such a great Aunt, and was so cute with the little kids at the park. Alex loved the extra attention.

This is a shot of how most of our playground dates have ended this winter. Alex and Archie will play and play until they absolutely can not stand another second of cold fingers anymore and then they bawl the entire way home. This was that moment. (and yes we take gloves, which they refuse to wear).

Alex smiling for the camera.

Alex and Daddy on the slide in the back yard.

January

I had all these random things I wanted to post about, that never got written before our trip, so here is the last month in summary.......

Kate and I decided that for Susan (our mother in law)'s birthday, we would make a felt fort for her grandkids. It was a labor of love and was pretty fun to make although it took about the entire month of January to get it done. Now that her birthday is come and gone I can finally post the pictures of the final project!

I had bought double of all the fabric so I could make one for my kids, but I think I'm going to need a few months break before I start that project again.

Before our trip to Montana, Alex and I had the treat of a few great weeks of seeing Tyler all the time. We made sure to have lots of fun while we could. One of the first things we did was go and visit the L. Bean Museum here in Provo. Alex enjoyed it and I enjoyed watching her and Tyler play around.

I love this picture! Other than the slightly creepy animal heads watching them, it just shows how cute of a dad Tyler is, and how whimsical Alex is. I love my family SO much!!!

Another cute one, because Alex is clinging to Tyler.

Another day we got to visit Temple Square and eat at this really great Italian Pizza place in SLC. It is the closest thing to authentic Italian pizza I have ever found in the USA, and it was fantastic!! Alex wasn't quite herself all day, and that night she was up all night burning with a high fever, but even so it was a great day.

So one day I was able to get Alex to hold still long enough to braid her hair. This was the best picture she would let me get.

And finally, the day we were set to leave for Montana, it dumped snow like crazy everywhere. We had to wait the roads out, but in the meantime we set out to have some fun and Tyler made the coolest snowman ever. He eventually took the creepy bug arms out even though I wanted them to stay (he said the neighbors would think we were really weird).

I am secretly jealous at how amazingly photogenic Archie is. Perhaps Alex will grow back into it.

Here was the beautiful view out of my in laws living room window one Saturday morning.