Sur La Table

I have gotten out of the habbit of posting my dinner menu because being busy sometimes I don't know what we are having that night until I dig into the fridge. So, on another note, here is what is on the menu at our house this week.

Monday- Grilled Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Salad with roasted beets.

Tuesday- Black bean tacos with the works and Spanish Rice.

Wedensday- Speghetti, Ceasar Salad, and Garlic Bread.

Thursday- Homemade Mac and Cheese, with Grilled Cheese Sandwhiches.

Friday- Homemade Pizza with Cut Veggies and Ranch.

Saturday- BBQ Chicken (thighs and wings), Pasta Salad.

Sunday- Are usually a break for me, so it might be leftovers, breakfast, or dinner out. :)

Buon Appetito!! What is on the menu at your house.

Delicious Bean Salad

I am always looking for new things to make. I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, but that has somewhat gone downhill since my children. Everyone who has kids knows what I am talking about. I am lucking that my kids aren't too picky when it comes to food, but sometimes figuring out a dinner menu can be a challenge. I thought I would share this wonderful bean salad recipe. A couple weekends ago we entertained some friends with a BBQ and one of them brought this wonderful bean salad. It was so good, so healthy, and extremely easy to make, I thought I would share it.

Bean Salad-
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Large Tomato
1 Large Avocado
Half a bunch of Green Onions
Salt
Tomato Bullion
Cumin

Drain and rinse beans; let them sit awhile so they drain completely. Don't want any extra liquid in your salad. Chop tomato, avocado, and green onions, and add to beans. Season with the salt, tomato bullion (I know, I didn't know this existed either, but look where the chicken and beef bullion is and there is tomato. Who Knew), and the cumin. Let Sit, then enjoy. I told you it was easy.

Hot Air Balloons

HELLO 2:30 AM!!! Have any of you got up at 2:30 in the morning to see something, well this is the most beautiful site and is well worth the early morning, tons of coffee, and the drive to Reno. For the past three years Rob and I have taken the kids to the hot air balloon races in Reno, Nevada. The show starts before the sun even comes up. See why we have to get up so early. We left our house at 3:00am headed to Reno and set up sleeping bags, tons of blankets, and a thermos of coffee(hot chocolate for the kids) and watch the balloons light up the dark morning sky. There are usually only about seven balloons that take off when it is still dark outside, it is called the glow show.

Slowing the sun comes up and while still lying on the ground there are several balloons blowing up and getting ready to take off into the sky. It is truly a beautiful sight, because you are so close to them and when they take off you are able to look up right inside the balloon.

                                               Many different balloons. There was a soccer ball
                                               Darth Vader's helmet, stagecoach, strawberry,
                                               Pepsi can, and many different colored ones.
                                               Tucker's of course was Darth Vader. I couldn't
                                               get a good picture of it but it is the black one right
                                               behind this strawberry.

                                                     Mom and Sammi taking a picture opp in
                                                     front of the Pepsi can, my favorite.

                                                     This balloon with the face on it was Kemper's
                                                      favorite. He kept calling it the man balloon.

                                              Dad and Sammi enjoying the warm sun coming up.
                                           

                                              Rob and his brother-in-law Rob and his nephew
                                                Mitchell, only 3 weeks old.

                                                     Tucker loved all the balloons.
This is an amazing site to be seen. Every year at the wee hours of the morning we always ask ourselves why we get up this early just to see balloons, but then we get there and are reminded that it was well worth it.

First Camping Trip of the Summer

This was our very first camping trip for this summer. I absolutely love camping. There are some things in life that bring back great memories, ones that brings us great peace and joy, and now as a parent want to pass on those wonderful memories to my own kids. As a kid my family went camping at least twice a year. This trip was only Rob, myself, and the kids. It was a great time to relax and give our full focus on the kids. We decided to borrow my parents trailer, which was an absolute life saver. With three kids, including a 10 month old, it was nice to have a shower and good, warm bed for them to sleep. Thanks Dad and Mom!!!

                                     Taking a morning walk. There is something to be said about
                                                           a rock; kids just love them.

Of course there was a lot of bike riding. Tucker's bike had blown a huge hole in the tire right before we left for our camping trip, so he had to share his brother's motor cross bike.

                             Tucker wanted to be buried in the sand, and sister was loving it.

          Who said girls can't play with dump trucks. Sammy loves playing with her brother's.

Taking some time to teach a little baseball. Tucker started hitting the ball with the tee, but then Rob was throwing him the ball and after a few tries he finally got it.

Kemper is our little baseball player. He loves playing. I have never seen a kid, this age, so accurate with throwing and hitting a baseball. I was trying to take a picture of him hitting the ball, and he kept rotating so he could hit directly at me. I actually get scared when he hits or throws because I often underestimate his strength. And he is left handed!!! Look out Boston Redsox, you have your future pitcher!!! :)

What would camping be without some smore's. Tucker loved to roast them, but didn't like to eat them. So he would give them to me and just eat a marshmallow out of the bag. Silly Kid!

Kemper didn't want to but his marshmallow in the fire, so he would put the marshmallow on his stick and then eat that way.

                                                               Daddy and Sister!!
We ended up camping for two nights at Eagle Lake. It was real windy the first, but the next few days warmed up. Overall it was a nice family get a way. There will be a least one more camping trip this summer.

Some Great Fishing

This summer has been full of great times. One of our family outdoor adventures has been fishing. It all started with our local Susanville Fishing Derby. This was the first year that Tucker was able to participate in. He was extremely excited, and of course dad was too.

                                                      Tucker ready to go at 5:30 A.M.

                      My little fisherman. He caught two good sized fish. He was so proud.

Our next fishing trip was extremely fun. One Sunday we had decided to check out a reservoir about 45 mins. from town. It wasn't looking to be a real enjoyable trip; the road to the reservoir was extremely rough. I am talking the true dirt road, with boulders, and cliffs, and sounds that make you think your car is about to fall apart. And when we finally got there is was windy and cold. The moment we started fishing, the fish started biting, and the longer we fished the bigger the fish got. It was by far the best fishing of all times!!!!

                                                  Our catch of the day. Eight beautiful bass!!!

                            Rob and his brother-in-law Rob!!! Having the time of their lives.

For another family outdoor day; we heading to Antelope Lake for some fun in the sun, fishing, and playing in the dirt. I love these days. Being at the lake reminds me of my childhood, when we would go camping every summer with all the cousins; it truly was a great memory and I want it to be a great memory for my kids.

Kemper and Tucker taking a moment for a pictures. Not an easy thing to get them to do.

                                                      Rob helping Tucker catch a fish!!
This next trip was not a successful fishing trip, but it was a hiking one. We heading up to another small pound in the middle of nowhere.

                                                                Family photo opp

            Daddy with his baby girl. She already has him wrapped around her little finger.

Long Time No Blog

Told you all when I started this blog that I would be bad at it. Many things in life have kept me off this computer. One of the main and obvious reasons is due to the fact that our computer died, and just recently bought a new one. And of course being a mother of three little ones does not permit me to much alone time. When I do get those few moments I usually spend it with my husband, reading a few pages in a book, or sleeping.
Things here are going great. I am truly loving life. Summer is here and we spend all day outside. Over the past few years I have made my house into our home. Painting rooms, decorating, and landscaping. It is coming along quite nicely. The kids play on their jeep, ride their bikes, and run around being boys, while I dig in the dirt.
The kids are of course growing rapidly. Tucker is two months away from turning 5 and I am in the process of enrolling him in school. Every time I think of him going off to school I get a little teary eyed. I cannot believe this much time has gone by. I keep telling myself, that I am not old enough to have a kindergartner. Well, I am, and I am very proud of the boy he is turing out to be.
Kemper is turning 3 in just a few weeks. We almost share the same birthday. Kemper is July 2 and mine is July 3.  Everyday he is learning to talk more and more. Kemper is an independent boy with so much spark for life and so much attitude. I love watching him grow.
Sammi is 10 months and is now WALKING. She took her first few steps for good old Grandma. Of course Grandma likes to remind me everyday that she taught Sam how to walk. She loves following her brothers around and loves all the attention.
Rob is busy as usual during the summer. He gets up early in the moring, most of the time before everyone wakes up and doesn't come home until dark. I love this man. He works so hard, to ensure that his family is cared for and that I am able to stay at home with the kids.
Well now that you are all filled in, once I am able to figure out our new computer I will post pictures of all our summer adventures.
Love From the Bailey Household.

Week Two

EXERCISE
Well I have to admit I have not run in a week now. Of course when Mom and I decide to set a goal, it snows and I get sick! All this week has been either snowing or very cold. It wouldn't be that big of a deal for me to run in the cold, but considering I almost always have to bring the kids along, it gets quite chilly for them, especially little Sammi. So, instead of giving up for a week, I worked out in my own home. Having never been a runner (as in, when I run, I run fast and get it over with) I was thrilled. I exercised to this wonderful work out DVD that my sister-in-law gave me. It is one of the best videos that I have tried. Doesn't get you overly exhausted but you can definitely tell you work your muscle GOOD!! And the best part for me, being a parent, it is only 25 mins. long. Which is just about how long my little one will let me go without picking her up. Even then it is a challenge.

Give this a try if you are looking to get in shape without going to the gym. It has three different workouts ranging in difficulty, and all are 25 mins.

HEALTH:
As most of you know, my husband Rob is a self employed General Contractor and he quite literally works seven, sometimes six days a week and 14 hour days. I love him so much, he works so hard so I can stay home with our kids. Well, Tuesday we all woke up and it was snowing and VERY cold so we convinced him to stay home and have a vegg and movie day. So, I went to town got some snacks and movies.
Now you are probably wondering why I am telling you all of this in the Health portion of this blog, but when I say we had a vegg day, I made sure I had some good for you snacks.

While my kids and hubby had chips and dip with their favorite candy, I made air popped popcorn and had some good dark chocolate. Another health tip from Dr. Oz, is you should eat some good chocolate everyday. It has to be a least 80% cocoa. Cocoa is said to help lower blood pressure, soften skin, have many antioxidants, and boost your mood, Of course right!! And popcorn (has to been air popped) has many poly phenols in it that help fight cancer and prevent heart disease. I did add a little butter and salt.
See you can a vegg day and still feel good about what you eat.

Beauty

I have been a Pantene Pro V user for as long as I could wash my own hair, but after three kids I started to notice that my hair was falling out. And I am not talking about that little handfull at the end of your shower, I am talking gobs and gobs of my wonderful hair leaving my head. My hair was so dry and split end on literally every stand of hair. So, I decided it was time for a replacement. I had a coupon for John Frieda and decided to start there. I fell in love. My hair stopped falling out and my hair was thick and shinning and soft and wonderful and beautiful. Ok I will stop now. But, this stuff works. It may be a little bit more expense then Pantene but it actually evens out, due to the amount of conditioner I used to use. With John Frieda, my new and refurbished hair only requires a little bit and I have long hair. I love this stuff. Can I repeat I LOVE THIS STUFF. The other conditioner shown is Loreal, and this is good stuff too.

Well until next time. Have a great week!!!

SNOW IS HERE!!

We have finally got our first good snow! The boys loved it, and could not wait to get out to build a snowman, and eat some good snow. Rob was home was they got him to help build a snowman. I must say, his snowmen are very close to perfect.

At first Kemper didn't have any gloves on and about 5 mins. later the cold set in and he was not happy. After his hands warmed up, he got gloves on and was ready to go back outside. We also put snow clothes on Sammi and she loved being outisde while it was snowing.

Most kids when they come in from the snow, they ask for some hot chocolate with marshmellow. Well, that is not what my kids asked for. Tucker came in and said, "Mom you need to make me some eggs so I can warm up." Kids are so funny!! Love them so much!

Well, here is my first entry on my new found journey of health, beauty, and exercise. The first thing I did was go to Scheel's and buy some new running shoes. (Thank you to my husband for letting me use his gift card; what a truly good man he is). My feet thanked me too, seeing how I had my old shoes for going on five or six years. They weren't exactly supportive.


EXERCISE!!!

Sunday night Mom and I had decided to run Monday after she got off work. All day it was snowing and we got about 3 inches, so I called her up and in the end we decided to go ahead and run in the snow. Yes, it was cold and Mom was running in her dress coat, but it was worth it. The shoes worked Great!!!!Told Rob they would make me run better. HaHa! Now my Mom needs some new shoes!
We ran off and on for 3 miles; well on our way. It feels great to get outside and exercise even if it is snowing.

HEALTH!!!

These are the ingredients for my morning ritual; SMOOTHIES!!!! I get up in the morning do a 15 min yoga (great to stretch out after a night of getting up with kids and eventually having everyone in the same bed together; pretty tight space), then I have a least three glasses of water, and some coffee after that. This is a Dr. Oz tip; drink water before you drink your coffee in the morning; if you just drink coffee right when you wake up it actually makes you more tired because you are dehydrated and coffee drains what ever liquids you have left in your body. So, wake up drink some water then have your coffee.
After everyone is awake I make my liquid gold (don't want to wake the kids too early).

• Pomegranate Juice (great juice lots of antioxidants; if you don't want to use that green tea is good too).
• Frozen berries (mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
• Flax Seed ( This is the best type of grain for you; You have to grind them up to release their nutrients).
• Spinach
• Greek Yogurt ( Gives it a creamy texture and has lots of protein in it).
• Ice

This smoothie is so good; it gives me so much energy. Great way to start my day!!!

BEAUTY!!!!

Being winter and all it is definitely hard to get some good sun on your skin, and forget about your legs. This is the best sunless tanning lotion I have tried. You can tell a difference right away and doesn't leave a yellow and orange on your skin. I like using this in the winter because just like a little black dress makes you look skinny, having tan legs makes you looks trimmer. By the way it is Loreal; the picture makes it hard to see.

Hope you enjoyed the first post!!!!! Tune in next week!! Or whenever I have something fun!!:)

Sammi is seven months!!!

Our baby girl is such a wonderful addition to our family. Her two brothers love her so much and she enjoys watching them play, of course wishing she could run around with them. Sam has such a personality already, if you are not paying attention to her she lets an upset scream to get you to look at her, she loves being apart of the crowd; if we are sitting at the table for dinner without her she gets quite upset, and she love to smile and laugh. Some of her milestones are:

• Weight: Around 16 pounds
• Not sure what her height is, but definetly shorter than her two brothers where at this age.
• Size 2 shoes, 6-9 month sleepers, and 6 months clothes.
• Has her two bottom teeth!!
• Absolutely no hair, poor baby, I'm sorry Sissy, I think that comes from my side.
• She has been sitting up by herself for around two months now, so she has that down pat.



• She is starting to wiggle her way around the floor and trying her legs out at crawling. She has made a few inches on her hands and knees attempting the crawling motion, but hasn't taken off yet.

Health Food, Exercise, and Beauty!!

I have finally found something to blog about other than my wonderful family. I have been on a health kick these past few months and thanks to my new addictive show "Dr. Oz," I am learning more about health and beauty each day and are eager to try some of these things. So, I thought why not take you on this wonderful journey with me, so you could try them yourselves, or just laugh at me and how crazy I sound! :)

• For food I am going to try new healthy versions of our family favorites, new low calorie recipes, and favorite health drinks. Since my kids LOVE pancakes ( and when I say love, I mean they could quite possibly eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), I thought I would begin with vegan pancakes!! I will post later the recipe, pictures, and how the taste testers rate this new favorite. Because after all I do not want to post anything that does not have my approval, and most importantly the approval of my kids (including my husband).
• Next, there are so many beauty items out there, from trying to look younger, moisturizers, and many others, that sometimes I get lost and don't know where to begin. Now, I know I am only 27 and hardly need a anti-aging serum, but there are others that will benefit my younger skin and I am eager to try them.

• And last but not least, the thing that a lot of you dread. Me being one of them, exercise is quite hard to get motivated to do, seeing how I have three kids, five times the laundry, a house to clean that never is clean, and a homemade meal every night to cook. But, believe it or not getting past the initial get up off my butt and move, I feel more motivated and more energized than ever. Today I actually ran with my mom, which probably has never happened in my whole life, and we have decided to set a goal!!! Yeh!!! At the end of May there is a benefit run in Chico, Ca. and we are going to run a 5K. It might not sound like much to some of you, but it is a good start for us. I am going to post you on how we do each week and reveal our big day when it comes.

So, embark with me on this life changing journey, that I am so eager to share with you, and my family is unfortunately forced to go along with. But, they will thank me later you'll see!! Can't wait to share with you all of our adventures! Beginning with vegan pancakes tomorrow morning!!!

Veggi Chili? What??! Yes Pure Goodness!!

As most of you know I LOVE to cook. It is my relaxing time, sound weird, yes I know, but I love getting into the kitchen and making new things. I am NOT a big fan of chili, but lately I am looking for good eats that the husband will approve of and I will not gain a million pounds. So this veggie chili is so hearty and scrumptious, with a little bit of a kick and full of wonderful spice. The best thing about it is that it only has 240calories for two heaping ladles and a whopping 8grams of fiber. I know I am a little bit of a health nut lately, but I feel great and have more energy to keep up with my three energizer bunnies. Give this a try, you will love it and those meat lovers out there, you might miss the meat, but it is very good without.

1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Cup Corn (frozen or canned; frozen is better for you)
1/4 Cup Lentils ( love these little black beauties)
1 28 oz canned whole tomatoes
2 Cups Veggie Broth
1 Onion, diced
5 Cloves garlic
2 Bell Peppers ( Red and green go great together)
1 Heaping tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cocoa powder (weird, but adds a wonderful flavor; add it trust me)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne ( I wouldn't add more, you might overpower the whole dish)
dash of soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
Some pepper and Paprika to taste.

Saute onions, bells, and garlic; then add rest of ingredients and simmer for 30 mins. or until you are ready to eat.
Absolutely fab the next day!!! Sorry I didn't get a picture before we all chowed down. Give it a try you'll love it.

Six Months

It is hard to believe that my baby girl is already six months, but on the other hand it seems like she has been in this family for ever. She is now six months and growing fast. She is a very petite girl, not much to her, but her personality makes up for lack of weight. She absolutely loves her brothers and enjoys watching them play. She definitely wants to be part of the crowd. If we are eating dinner at the table and she is somewhere else she gets upset because she wants to be apart of the conversation. She rolls over both ways like a champ, and will sit up by herself for awhile until she gets excited about something and falls over. In the past week she is really trying to crawl. She gets quite frustrated when she can't get anywhere. I feel it won't be long before she takes off!!

Back on Track

After the holiday's everyone is eager to commit to a New Year's resolution and most of them will say, "Loose Weight." Well I have to say my first resolution was to see my brother's more. Unfortunately they do not live near me and seeing them twice a year is just not enough. I want them to be more apart of their lives and us apart of theirs. My other, yes, is to get healthier. So here is the menu for this week!!

Sunday- Oven chicken strips with roasted baby reds and broccoli.
Monday- Coffee rubbed steak with beet and apple salad and Grandma Gardner's bread.
Tuesday- Meatloaf with roasted brussel sprouts.
Wednesday- Chicken Fajitas with black beans and corn relish.
Thursday- Roman Style chicken with farro salad.
Friday- Spaghetti and Meatballs with salad.
Saturday- BBQ beef sammi with oven fries!!

Dessert for the week:  Oatmeal cookies!!!
Of course when I say I am eating healthier, all these meals are a healthier version of the traditional. So we will see how the family likes them.

Christmas With The Bailey's

Of course Christmas has to start by decorating and that includes finding a tree. I love decorating, it gets me in the holiday cheer!! Yes, I am one of those people that have to have Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving. Every year we go into the woods and cut our own tree; and anyone who knows me, just any old tree won't work, it has to be the perfect one. This year we convinced my mom and dad not to buy a tree, but to come with us into the woods, and like her daughter my mom also has to have the perfect tree. My mom did find her perfect tree, but I don't think it would have fit in their house. It was a little big.

Christmas Eve started with breakfast at the Bailey ranch to celebrate Rob's sister's birthday. Rob's sister and my brother have the same birthday, Christmas Eve. Happy Birthday Tyler and Diana!!!!

Christmas Eve night we went to Rob's aunt's for some good finger foods, drinks, and we even got a visit from Santa clause!! The kids we extremely excited! This is the first year that Tucker has been really into Santa, so it has been fun to see him get excited about seeing Santa and telling him what he would like for Christmas!!! Kemper however was not interested AT ALL. Didn't want to have anything to do with Santa or even the fact that he had a present for him.

Then it was back home to set out the stockings, a cookie and a glass of milk. I can't even explain the enthusiasm that Tucker had with all the festivities. Then it was to bed for the kids, and time for Mom and Dad to play Santa and set out the gifts.

This year Christmas was spent with Rob's family, while mine was in Grass Valley. As you can see, all three kids slept in the same bed Christmas and woke up not so early. That is fine with me, because I know the early mornings on Christmas are yet to come, so for now I will enjoy the sleeping in. They woke around 8:30 and we opened gifts from santa and gifts from Mom and Dad!! Tucker got a lot of Star Wars toys. This kid is extremely into Star Wars, he could tell you all about it. Kemper loves trains, so he got Thomas the Train set; very fun to put together. And Sammi, the only thing she is into is food, so that is what she got.

Then later that day we went to the Bailey ranch for dinner and of course more gift opening. Today was an especially exciting day, because my brother Tyler proposed to his girlfriend of two years. I am so excited for them both, and love my future sister-in-law, after all we named our baby girl after you!:) I have always wanted my brothers to find the same overwhelming joy that I have in my marriage, and I am so glad that Tyler found it. I love you both!!!