Family recipe - Dinner-in-a-Dish

This weekend I made one of my all time favorite family recipes and thought "I should share the yummy goodness". This one comes from my grandma and is healthy (lots of fresh vegies) and delicious! Hint: I don't really use exact measurements...I just eyeball it.

Dinner-in-a-Dish

4 Tbls. butter/shortening
2 medium onions, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
2 green peppers, chopped
2 cups fresh corn, cut off the cob
1 lb. ground beef (or you could use ground turkey)
4 medium tomatoes, sliced thick
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Saute green peppers & onion in butter/shortening, add meat. Add seasonings & remove from heat. Stir in eggs & mix well. In 9" x 13" baking dish, layer corn, meat mixure, tomatoes (repeat). Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes.

Enjoy! And, if you decide to try it out, let me know what you think.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family and friends, but I'd like to take today to recognize my mom. Here are just a few of the things I am thankful for about my mom:
- the way we continue to draw closer to one another, even with 3000 miles between us;
- my mom's loving and wonderful heart
- the love my mom feels for her children and how I know she would give her eye teeth for every one of us, including those that she's "adopted"
- her honesty
- her gentle prodding during my formative years, yet letting me find my own direction in life
- her health...I've been too close to losing her two too many times before
- her faults...because, after all, that's part of what gives us character right?


I found a poem that stated very well what is in my heart today and every day. So here it is:

You Were There
You were there when we took our first steps,
And went unsteadily across the floor.
You pushed and prodded: encouraged and guided,
Until our steps took us out the door...
You worry now "Are they ok?"
Is there more you could have done?
As we walk the paths of our unknown
You wonder"Where have my children gone?"
Where we are is where you have led us,
With your special love you showed us a way,
To believe in ourselves and the decisions we make.
Taking on the challenge of life day-to-day.
And where we go you can be sure,
In spirit you shall never be alone.
For where you are is what matters most to us,
Because to us that will always be home...
- Author Unknown.

So, Mom, I hope you enjoy your birthday. I love you and wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but know that I will be celebrating with you in spirit!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Relay for Life

On July 26-27, 2008, my mom, brother, future sister-in-law, and family friend will all be walking in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, in Milwaukie Oregon as part of the Curves for the Cure Too team. Relay for Life raises money to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer. It honors cancer survivors and remembers those who have lost their lives to cancer.

I don't think there is one person whose life hasn't been touched by cancer. My family has experienced the emotional and physical challenges with two members of our family having fought the battle. My grandma lost her fight after a long, hard battle when I was only 7 years old. My brother never got the opportunity to know her. My mom will be honoring her with a Luminaria candle.

But cancer hit me the hardest when my brother Matt was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the young age of 8. I was 17 yrs old when he was diagnosed and it completely shook my world (as it did everyone in my family). When asked what the worst day of my life was, there is no question in my mind...I remember it vividly like it was yesterday. Shortly after finding out that his tumor was malignant, my brother was admitted to the hospital for testing. His tumor was in his throat and, since they couldn't start chemo until they finished testing, the tumor continued to grow until it nearly blocked Matt's airway. I will never forget one day toward the end of his stay shortly before they would begin chemo, my mom had gone down for coffee and I sat in the room alone on a counter. I was watching that little tiny boy with his "ET finger" on (the pulse-oximeter). In his sleep he would gasp for air, then hold his breath and I would just wait to hear him breathe out. That is probably the most scared I've ever been in my life. I truly thought I would lose my brother.

Now, when people ask me the best day of my life, I can also remember that day like it was yesterday. About 6 months after his chemo started, my brother's treatments were done. He had gone through the post-treatment testing and we were waiting to hear the results. My brother stayed with the next door neighbor after school and I would always come home after school, then go get my brother. This particular day, I went home and checked the answering machine. I'll never forget the voice of the doctor as she told how Matt was better, no sign of cancer anywhere! So when I went to pick Matt up at the neighbor's house, I was able to tell Matt that he was all better. Well, Matt is now a healthy 26-year old and has been clear of cancer for 18 years! His recovery was largely because of the new medicines, protocols and diagnostic techniques resulting from cancer research. If we had faced his Lymphoma 10 years earlier, he would not be here with us today.

Finally, my future sister-in-law I'm sure will be walking in honor of her dad, who lost his fight in the recent years. We all have family, friends, co-workers or acquaintances who are dealing with or have dealt with cancer in one way or another. There is so much work left to be done. The Relay for Life is a great way to participate physically and/or financially. All money raised is used to support research locally for all types of cancer and important patient oriented programs.

I am asking that you consider supporting this worthwhile cause. Either in prayer, by participating in a local Relay for Life, or by sponsoring one of my family members who is participating in this event this weekend. The donation is tax-deductible and can easily be made by clicking on the link provided above. Your contribution, large or small, will be greatly appreciated and benefit this very worthy cause.

If you would like to sponsor one of my family members participating in the event this weekend, please click on the link above before August 10, 2008 the click on one of the following names on team Curves for the Cure Too page and it will direct you to the individual sites where you can make your donation:
Ann Nodurft
Matt Arneson
Esther Duggan
Jeanne Lang

Thank you for your support.

Prayers for Tricia please

Please keep Nate, Tricia and family in your prayers today and for the many weeks to come. I have been following their story since April, when Tricia received her new lungs. Nate and Tricia have graciously shared their story with the world through all their ups and downs, but they have continuously put their lives in God's hands and will. This new development is just a reminder that it is important not to take any day for granted...every day is a gift from God.

"Green" with envy

I can't wait to have a house of my own so I can have a garden. I've been hearing from Dirkey and my mom about how beautiful their gardens are this year and then I see pictures and I'm "green" with envy (not really, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to throw in a terrible pun).

Starting in my high school years and thereafter, we always had a garden. Then I had to go and move 3000 miles away so now I cannot enjoy the spoils. Leave it to my mom to make me homesick:) Although I didn't fully appreciate at the time all the benefits of having a garden (maybe it was the incessant weeding, canning, etc...hmmm). But now that I'm older, I am looking forward to having one of my very own. Not sure about the canning, though...jury's still out on that one.

Check out Dirkey's blog to see pic of her beautiful garden and first harvest. And here are some pics of my mom's garden:

My brother put the stone wall up...talented, huh?

And check out the green beans...

Weekly Weigh In

I'm a little bummed that I didn't lose anything more this week. I still have 9 lbs to go to meet my goal of 10 by June 15. My weekly update is about the same as last week (except no cookie binge this week), so I really need to work on those areas I'm struggling with, which are:

1. Exercise abs and arms 6 days a week: I only did this once this week. I WILL do better next week!!!
2. Resistence exercises at least 2 days a week: I have a program that has worked fabulously in the past, but I've been struggling to be motivated to exercise in the evenings (long work days and all!) I think if I could get into this habit, I will see the best results.
3. No more than one bite sized candy per day: I caved on this a bit this week...lots of chocolate cravings, so I think I had ~2-3 a day. Need...to...have...self...control!!!

I'm still doing great in the following areas:

1. Walk (briskly) at least 3 days/wk (total of at least 2-1/2 hrs/wk): Exceeded this goal this week, despite having a few rainy days, like today (yuck!).
2. Eat more fruits and vegies: I'm still eating LOTS more fruits and vegies. Ate salad for lunch all but one day this week but, I gotta say...I'm getting tired of salad. I need to get creative in how to get my raw vegies in without eating a salad. Any suggestions?

I'm hoping for some better results next week and am committed to meet more than just 2 of my weekly goals.

Keeping it Simple - new recipe

I stumbled on a recipe this week and, in the process of making it created my own. The recipe was for Salmon with potatoes, peas, and tarragon. Well, I didn't have any tarragon in the house (can't remember ever cooking with it) and I reduced the amounts, but didn't keep track so the potatoes and peas turned out a little funky. Still working on that recipe and will post once I have it perfected.

However, I decided to use the seasoning for the potato/pea combination and put it on the salmon, substituting dill for the tarragon. All I can say is...YUMM-EE!!! Best salmon I've ever made! So here's what I did...measurements will depend on # of fillets you cook.

Ingredients:
6 oz salmon fillets
minced garlic cloves (~ 1/fillet)
lemon zest
dill weed (fresh or dried)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Mince lemon zest and combine in a bowl with garlic and dill. Salt and pepper the salmon to taste. Pat the lemon/dill seasoning on the salmon.

3. Put olive oil in a stove top AND oven-safe skillet or dish. Heat oil on high until nearly smoking hot. Put seasoned salmon in the skillet and sear on both sides.

4. Put the salmon in the preheated oven and bake until cooked through (6-10 minutes, depending on # of fillets).

This is an incredibly quick and easy recipe that is scrumptious and healthy! Doesn't get much better than this.

1 down, 9 to go

I've lost 1 lb since Friday, May 2nd. It's not much but it is one step closer to my goal to lose 10 lbs (or 1 dress size) by mid-June. So how did I do on the weekly goals? Here's the tally:

The good:

• Walked 4 days for total of 2 hrs, 40 minutes
• Ate LOTS more fruits and vegies, vegies being a huge feat for me. I ate salads for lunch M-F and kept it interesting by varying the kind of salad.
• Only ate a couple bite-sized candies through the entire week, but see the "ugly" below.

The bad:

• Only did abs and arms 2x this week (yikes)
• Didn't do any resistance exercises (double yikes)

The ugly:

• Even though I did well with the bite sized candies, I ate 3 homemade chocalate chip cookies today...bad, bad, bad!!!! I had no self-control, they just looked too good.

All in all, with the exception of the cookie-fest today, I have exercised more self-control, will power, and improved eating habits than in most of my life. If I can keep this up and improve on the resistance and toning exercises I think I'll be in line to meet my goal.

Hopping on the bandwagon

My close friends KittenMom and Dirkey have both been working on trimming up. With a short vacation to Florida coming up in June, I've decided to hop on the bandwagon. I'll be weighing in on Fridays, along with the others, with the goal to lose 10 pounds (from my weight on May 2) or 1 dress size by June 15th. That may seem like a small amount but the pounds don't just melt off me, even when I'm doing everything right. So, I'm going to be tracking myself against the following weekly goals:

1. Walk (briskly) at least 3 days a week for a total of at least 2-1/2 hours per week.
2. Exercise abs and arms 6 days a week.
3. Resistence exercises at least 2 days a week.
4. Eat more fruits and vegies.
5. No more than one bite sized candy per day.

If I follow the above diligently, hopefully I'll be successful in meeting my goal.