Runner in Waiting

We just got back from our camping trip with Chad's family to Panguitch Lake, and while I'm excited to post about it, I am buried under mounds of laundry.  You know the mounds I'm talking about after a camping trip. Not only do you have your regular laundry that is unusually smelly and dirty from all the campfire smoke and dust, but you also have blankets, sleeping bags, and an alarming number of hoodies and jackets that reek in the same manner and must also be laundered.  Not only that, but we are wading through a very messy house and our fridge is devoid of anything edible.

So while I get caught up enough to blog, I thought I would share this little video with you.  The kids went downstairs this morning and randomly turned on the stereo.  Chad went to check on them and discovered little Lydia getting a workout and this little treasure of a video is the result (without any encouragement from us).  I think someone has been watching her mama.......



I especially love the part where she gets a "drink" and goes into super speed mode before wiping her brow and calling it good.  What a woman!

A Little Boy and His Backyard

So I looked through the pictures that we took at the ranch, and they weren't terrifically blog-worthy.  But I thought these were cute of Russell.  What little boy doesn't love playing outside? 

 A boy, his blanket, and his binky.  I really should do something about that binky but.....

And this is our newly planted garden.  He is pretty good to just dig around the edges.

I love that my kids are now old enough to play outside by themselves for awhile.  They play relatively well out there (with the occasional fight over the car), and I can happily see them through the kitchen and office windows or bask in some sun myself and sit on our patio while they play.  Having a backyard is the best thing about owning a house.  I told Chad that if we ever, for whatever reason, had to move back into an apartment, I would cry.  And this outdoor fun is the thing we would miss most!

My excuse

The other night my sister texted me the following: Someone has been neglecting her blog.  That would be me.  Only a few months in from my "frequent blogger" goal and I've already fallen off the wagon.  I keep thinking that I don't have anything to blog about, and yet I have been so BUSY!  I just got a new calling (1st counselor in the primary presidency) which is going to keep me very busy, we went to the ranch over Easter (which was really fun and way better than last year), I've been training my butt off getting ready for my races this summer, and other things that have kept me running around.

I am also really lazy about downloading my pictures onto the computer.  I don't know why.  It is really easy, but I don't like to do it.

And the last excuse I will offer is that when I get only one or two comments on my posts, I feel like no one really reads them or cares so my motivation decreases.  My sister is one of those who NEVER leaves a comment so that was my main rebuttal to her text.  She says she doesn't know how.  Sister, click on the tiny little "comments" link below this post and follow the instructions.  I have faith in you!

And when I get to those pictures, I'll be back!

Waffles

You know how life ebbs and flows?  Well, I am definitely ebbing right now.  But instead of write another woeful post or compromise my new frequent blogging goal, I'd thought I would share a recipe.  I'm thinking I may actually share recipes often because cooking and food have become a hobby of mine over the last few years.  When I find a good recipe, I really do get excited to share it.  For me a good recipe is easy to make, mostly healthy for you, and tasty.  You won't see me sharing or even trying recipes that call for a stick of butter, a stick of cream cheese, a can of Campbell's condensed, and then topped with cheese.  No sir.  That is not dinner--that is more junk on your trunk!! (Note: those rules do NOT apply to dessert recipes.)

So that segues perfectly into this next recipe.  The other night I wanted to make waffles for dinner, but I wanted them to be a little more substantial so I started hunting for a new one.  I was appalled that almost every recipe I found had an entire stick of butter!  Um, hello.  Don't we also top waffles with butter, syrups, jams, and creams of every kind?  I really don't think we need that much butter in the batter as well.

How happy was I when I found this recipe for whole grain waffles on allrecipes.com.  And how awesome did I feel when I had flax meal and wheat germ on hand?  Pretty awesome!  Now don't be scared.  If you don't have flax or wheat germ, I highly recommend getting some, but you could use quick oats instead too.  I promise these waffles are still very tasty and I love the crunch the flax adds to it.  My kids ate them up too, and I froze a bunch to pop in the toaster for a quick breakfast later.

I didn't take a picture of the waffles I made because I wanted to eat them and because I'm not sure how to photograph food.  Just take my word for it that they are good!

Whole Grain Waffles


2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.  Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.  Preheat waffle iron and coat with cooking spray.  Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

I've since played around with reducing the oil and the white flour and still tasty so give them a whirl and see what you think!