Homemade Soft Pretzels

So, when I find a website that interests me I tend to spend some time snooping around. I bet you can't guess where I found this recipe...... yep! You're smart :-) The Confessions of a Homeschooler blog I bragged about yesterday had a recipe section I had to check out. Found a super easy looking recipe for soft pretzels. Had to try it. Made it today. LOVED it! Seriously, they tasted like the ones from the mall, but I know what's in these! They were, in fact, super easy. I'm still trying to figure out the climate here, so I had forgotten that sometimes I have to use way less flour than the minimum a recipe calls for. I was getting a little worried that they wouldn't turn out as the dough was a bit dry, but they were great anyway! I can't wait to try them with garlic/parmesan and dipped in marinara! ***As a side note: I ran out of wheat flour so mine were half white half wheat.***

Oh My! Homeschooling Activities for Littles!

I just stumbled onto confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com... oh my, oh my! I'm in love! My ultimate goals for learning with my kids is that things are fun for them so that they're always wanting to love and explore new things and that we grow closer together as a family. What better way to do that then by playing! I specifically looked at her letter learning stuff, yah... click on this and tell me that you don't want make just about everything on the page! My kids will LOVE these ideas.... and since I'm pretty lame when it comes to imaginative things, I'm especially excited that everything is all laid out! Have fun!

Homemade Granola Bars (and other good eats)!

I just finished my first batch of homemade granola bars. It's seriously so easy! I used the recipe found on www.joyfulabode.com I'm sure some of you clever people out there can make them even healthier, but I had fun! I didn't use peanuts, just made the granola base with oats, sunflower seeds and wheat germ ******Just as a side note, if you do decide to make these and use peanuts PLEASE don't take them to church or pretty much anywhere else with you! So many people have severe peanut allergies and it's upsetting to me that I have friends who at least once a month have to leave church and are in bed for hours trying to get over an allergic reaction. Not cool! Leave anything containing peanuts at home, if you MUST take food with you to church or in public try to choose a more benign food****** I mixed in dried cranberries and pressed almonds into the top. I'm waiting for them to dry now and am very excited!

Food Networks Alton Brown has one here that looks good too. It's similar, but requires oven time whereas the one above (after toasting the base ingredients) does not.

I'll have to keep looking for the other one that I stumbled on and wanted to try.

Anyway, I've also found myself very much addicted to banana chips, but as I like to have a little more control over my food and I hate paying for preservatives, I went searching for recipe and found this. Simple, I know, but I often have to see what other people did to make it work for me.

Lastly, if you're looking for healthy snacks to make, my Living on a Dime newsletter had a link to a free 40 healthy snack recipe e-book. I found this fun and am excited to try the baked version of fried zucchini, gummy candy, and a trail mix that uses banana chips, hazelnuts, and has vanilla flavor via vanilla pudding.

Okay, no really, this one is the last thing I'll post. I really enjoy going to eatbetteramerica.com. They have lots of "healthified" foods and give you a nutritional rundown too. Gotta love that!

Happy eating!

Running Info...

Why yes! I did in fact thoroughly enjoy my run today, thanks for asking! I even got that treadmill up to 6 point something and had a grand ol' time! I won't be competitively running anytime soon, or perhaps ever, but it's fun to test what I can do. Makes me happy! Anywho, I stumbled on MarathonRookie.com and wanted to make sure that I shared it with you. It has plans and information for any type of running (5K's, 10 K's, half marathons, etc), plus weight training and nutrition info, it really is an AMAZING site. Check it out!

Tri Week 3

I'm pretty glad this week is over! It seems like the first and fourth weeks of my husband being gone are especially hard, and that kind of runs into my training.... but I'm still happy to be training! It's harder to get going and a bit on the mentally grueling side to get through since I'm super tired, but I've been plugging along :-). I only missed one day (which I shouldn't have), I excused myself since I wasn't feeling so great, but I'm sure if it was a run and not a bike I would have found a little more strength to muddle through. It is what it is! Here's this weeks' schedule:

Day 1: 20 minute run

Day 2: rest

Day 3: 45 minute bike

Day 4: 24 minute run

Day 5: 20 minute bike (that I didn't do)

Day 6: Sunday Rest

Day 7: 45 minute bike

I'm excited that tomorrow is another run day! My runs are longer than what the schedule requires... I always add at least a 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down... sometimes I just run a little extra for funsies :-) Who knew I'd like running so much? My new best friend Courtney that just moved here (and homeschools and wants to do an Ironman too!), has run a marathon and has a friend trying to talk her into doing one in Idaho next June. Barring being pregnant (and even then, depending on how far along), I'm totally thinking about making a road trip to run it too!

Here's to week 4! .... Feel free to join me.... I don't just post my schedule for me :-)

Jorgensen-ville

Well, specific pictures of the kiddies doing activities and whatnot are located on our private blog.... you'll have to contact me to see those.... but here are the chicken's we play with! We've had them since they were 2 week old balls of fluff, they're quite the ladies now. We have a Silver laced Wyandotte (Lacey), a Golden Sex-link (Goldie), and a Dark Cornish, who has yet to be named... sad, I know, but it took me a while to even think of ones for the others and they aren't even that original!

Here's our garden too. I had a nice zucchini on the plant closest to you, seems to have miraculously disappeared and no one knows where it went despite all the broken leaves laying around it! *laugh* Oh well, things are growing well otherwise and I'm impressed by how things have taken off! They had a shakey start, but with good pruning and lots of water everyday I'm surprised by the growth. This was our first garden, so it's been more of an experiment. Next year we start seeds in plastic cups earlier than this year, we make sure to lay out top soil and moisture control soil onto the area before tilling, and if dad isn't deployed he'll be taking leave so that I don't have to hurriedly get things into the ground while baby and others are crying, oh! And we fence everything in! I had some awesome corn growing in the back area behind the tomatoes... turns out the chickens thought they were awesome too!

And lastly there's Nigel, resident feline, who just came back home last week, after living with my parents over the last

year whilst I moved twice, lived in 3 different states, and traveled through 9 states with 3 kids and then pregnant, I know.... you wish you could be me :-D

Water, water everywhere, and you need more to drink!

Okay, side note, you know your kid is a military kid when he walks up to you and says "Mommy, I need to hydrate." Which also brings me to the point, which you're welcome to use as well, that my child speaks other languages.... he speaks Latter-day Saint, homeschooler, and military. So there you go, my kid is a linguist and yours probably is too!

Anyway! I can pretty much bet that you're dehydrated! I know I am. I broke down and bought a scale this week. I just wanted to get a cheap one to track my weight for funsies, but I ended up buying one that measures your body fat and hydration level. I thought it was important to know those extra numbers and worth $10 more than a basic one. Once home I got to wondering what level of hydration I should be shooting for and how much I should be drinking each day. I try to be conscious of my water intake, but let's face it, most days it's a struggle for me to remember to eat. I try for an 8 glass minimum, but know I need more. Well, I found an awesome article that breaks things down the way a nerd like me likes to see things:

A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. If you exercise you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink eight ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another two servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can add up to quite a lot.

Twenty percent of your water need will come from the foods you eat. The rest of your water need should come from the beverages you drink. Water is the best choice. Sodas have a lot of sugar in them, so if you drink sodas, you may take in more calories than you need. Herbal teas that aren't diuretic are fine. Sports drinks contain electrolytes and may be beneficial, just look out for added sugar and calories that you don't need. Juices are good because they have vitamins and nutrients.

Caffeinated beverages will also add to your daily water need. Even though caffeine is a diuretic, if you regularly consume caffeine, your body will regulate itself to that diuretic effect.

I think it's also pretty safe to say that if you're nursing you should be adding more to that number as well. Interesting huh? Like everything else, each person needs a different amount, so I hope you know what you need now and will do your best to achieve it! Water is so important to our bodies! It seriously regulates every part of us and a lack of it can cause some major issues within us. Happy Watering!

Tri Week 2

We'll pretend that I didn't have people over for dinner last night and ate my share of a homemade carrot cake furnished by Satan, I mean a good friend :-)

This week went well! I usually do a bit more varied physical things on top of the 'requirements' but since I write this on day 7 sometimes I forget what isn't written on the huge white board that dictates my life. In any case, week 2's schedule, according to my board, went as follows:

Day 1: 20 minute run

Day 2: rest

Day 3: 40 minute bike, 10 minute run

Day 4: 22 minute run

Day 5: mom's into fitness weeks 3&4

Day 6: Sunday rest

Day 7: 40 minute bike

This week was the first brick! It was kind of thrilling actually. In case you're wondering, it is very aptly named... however, ironically you could also call this workout (going from a long bike straight into a run), jelly! It was a slow start for me to get my bearings (3.0), but by the end I was running at 4.7 and wishing it wasn't over. I'm excited for week 3!

I'll make another post about other activities that I do because it's mainly participation in the kids physical fitness, and that deserves an explanation. Oh, and I have some thoughts about water to throw out, so I know you're excited to look for that! *laugh*

As for eating.... we aren't big meat eaters around Jorgensen Manor, shocking I know! We probably would eat a little bit more if we could track the source and diet of the animals, but we haven't gotten that far yet. So, protein is a little more thought out here especially because I'm a nursing mom, who's also exercising hard, and taking care of the family solo. I CRAVE protein! My solution is a mixture of things. High on my list is peanut butter, I LOVE Maranatha organic peanut butter, we've tried lots of peanut butter and are just concerned with what's in it... well, I gave this one a shot because it was the only one at the commissary one day and I will never buy anything else if I can help it, it's that good! (Nathan also really likes the Dark Chocolate Almond stuff... this site has things pricey, but our commissary is way cheaper than what's advertised, and we pick up the chocolate stuff at Walmart). Anyway, I like a tablespoon of that after workouts as well as during the day when I find myself needing some energy. I also like a glass of organic milk. Beans and rice are nice. And fish suits my fancy... well, unless it's farmed, then I kind of gag it down if at all. Cottage cheese is a lovely addition to every fridge. And no one can beat the incredible edible egg and it's many different disguises. Hardboiled and scrambled work well around here.

I'm also a big fan of smoothies. We have one just about everyday. Seriously, I can't think of an easier way to add a bunch of different fruits and veggies, yogurt, probiotics, flax seed, wheat germ and whatever else you want, into your diet. We buy a bunch of frozen fruit, and thanks to a friends advice buy and freeze our own when it makes sense, and in about 2 seconds we have a fabulous drink/snack/meal.

I'll also post some recipe's that I like to make. Food is a necessary part of life, but I don't like having to think about it quite so much! Do you have any favorite quick go to meals that are simple and healthy?

Making Fitness Work For Mom!

As I conquered (yes, conquered) my workout this morning I began thinking of my 5 readers out there who may benefit from my journey! It seems like my intensity and endurance for beating myself up, I mean exercising, gets amped with each passing year... read "each pregnancy." Kids take a lot out of you and leave you with extra pounds and fatigue in exchange... it's a good thing they're cute!

My husband has always been supportive of me, but let's face it, having little kids at home, especially unpredictable nursing babies, or being pregnant and only having hubby home and available to tend kids at the hour I can barely take a step with wanting to toss my cookies, doesn't help the fitness level that much! Anyway, as I am also often a single mom for long periods of time I had to figure out how I was going to get my body back and better after each baby with no help from anyone else.

While I have a state of the art gym at my disposal to use for free, I also have a 15 week old, a 2 year old. a 3 year old and a 4 year :-)

As for tri training I rely heavily on my road bike set up on a fluid wind trainer

so that I ca

n train indoors at any hour of the day. I often set it up in the living room, turn on Biggest Loser and go for a spin! This is usually in the morning and the kids, on their own, do sit-ups, jumping jacks, run in place or stretch while I'm riding. I also use a treadmill that I was able to borrow from a friend. It's crowing my room, but worth every inch of space that's lost. I'm working on making our garage into gym, but until then, my room serves that function. Which works out because the only tv in our home is in my room (without tv channels), but is connected to the internet so I can watch netflix or movies.... that tv will travel to garage when everything is set up as well.

My other trick is that I have an AWESOME collection of workout videos. I had to buckle down and realize that my dream of spending an hour or more in the gym was only going to end with

infrequent, if done at all, workouts. I.e. I was gaining fat and not doing so hot in the carido department because I was waiting to go to the gym. So, I took matters in my own hands and purchased some treasures that I've done before kids get up, while they're up, right after they go to bed, whenever! The idea here is that I can be consistent, get a great workout, and not have to rely on anyone but myself.

-Mom's into fitness I found to shake up my pregnancy workout. I love that these are broken down by trimester, so I looked forward to a whole new workout each 3 months as opposed to doing the same

video for the whole 9 months (which is what I was doing before). The

one I bought also included a postnatal boot camp DVD which I was very eager to get to and LOVE. Lindsay Brin's commentary can be annoying (sorry if you ever read this Lindsay, it's not personal!), but the workouts are WONDERFUL. The Boot Camp disk that I'm on right now allows you to customize your workout and are fairly short and to the point while leaving you sweating and feeling accomplished. Her mantra is that you can get in better shape after having kids then before, and I believe that with all my heart! She's also very focused on your core health and wants to build your ab wall before addressing

the superficial... read fat that we all want to be rid of. That's the way to do it! Her videos are great for everyone, check her out! These also add in strength training/weight workouts.

-10 Minute Solutions: I picked these up last year and love to do them, but have feelings of disgust and hatred while I'm doing them. *laugh* I know, that really makes you want to pick them up now huh! The workouts are just that good... you trudge through them wanting to kill the woman on the screen, but at the end you want to give yourself and her a great big

hug! These are both customizable, do one 10 minute workout, 3 of your choice, or the whole thing. Each 10 minute segment is a full workout complete with warm up and cool down.

10 Minute Solution: Quick Tummy Toners

10 Minute Solution: Hot Body Boot Camp (I hate and love her the most)

More to come later on this subject I'm sure! I just wanted to give you some idea of how fitness with children can work. It's SO important for us to be healthy and strong.... we have a VERY demanding job and have to be ready for anything. We want more kids so it's important for me to make sure that my body is able to handle doing that, taking care of my current kids, and being hot for my husband. Okay, the last one is a little vain, but in the end it's just going to be me and him and while he loves who I am as a person it doesn't hurt to give him something nice to look at too! He deserves it!

LOVED this!

Click to make bigger, and enjoy :-)

Tri Week 1

Week 1 is over and has been sprinkled with success... and failure :-). I had myself all geared up and ready to start strong and then realized that I was going to AZ for the weekend. No problem, I'll just move my rest days (which should be days 2 & 6) to the weekend and bike the day I leave and the day I get home. And I should mention that I already tweaked my schedule so that those rests days fall on Tuesday and Sunday, since I don't train on Sunday's.

Success: Ate really well, even kept a food journal, for the first part of the week and

exercised everyday... even looked forward to it! I pushed through the fatigue of the day and looked excitedly at my treadmill every time I passed it knowing that the two of us had a date!

Failure: Come Friday I was so tired that doing a 20 minute bike was not going to happen,

I just wanted to get in the car and get the drive over with. Then the weekend I ate out (fairly healthily, but still), had

a bunch of sugar, needed Pepsi to keep myself up on the drives, you get the picture! I felt TERRIBLE! Talk about being sick to your stomach. I'm so happy to be home and am not going any

where anytime soon! As for exercise I was supposed to do a 35 minute ride last night, and that didn't happen... so, time to detox from the junk in my body and start week #2!

Week 1's schedule:

Monday: Mom's into fitness Boot Camp workout weeks 3&4.

Tuesday: 20 minute run, ab work

Wednesday: 35 minute bike

Thursday: 20 minute run

Friday: [should have been 20 minute bike]

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

Monday: [should have been 35 minute bike]