meet your meat???

i know, i know.... soon i will post about something real. hopefully. a little while back i decided i was going to start blogging a lot more so i could make a book out of my blog....and it seems like as soon as i decided to do that, i stopped blogging. interesting how that happens. anyway, this post is probably not interesting to most of you so feel free to stop reading, i just wanted to get some feed back on this subject.

a few days ago i was blog browsing and somehow ended up on this website
http://venividiveganed.blogspot.com/ . its a vegan cooking blog. she is lds. it sparked my interest bc a while back i was a vegetarian for like 6 months. i read a book about it, it grossed me out and i couldn't eat meat. then summer sales started for bj and due the the lack of cooking during those months, i slowly started eating meat again. now i eat meat fine. in fact last night i had a red robin hamburger. yum. from time to time i will remember the gross details in the book and will go a week or so without eating it or something. but nothing consistent.

in addition to that though, what about the word of wisdom??? "eat meat sparingly". i know my sister in laws and i have talked about this subject before and we never really came to a solid conclusion on what it means. or at least in my head its still kinda cloudy. does it mean sparingly in comparison to what general population eats? bc over 50% of our nation is obese. or what about "in winter or famine only"....hmmm again, if 50% of our nation is obese, I'm pretty sure there is no famine going on in my neighborhood. or yours. is that part of the word of wisdom more important than what we give it credit for, but sometimes we don't give it a second thought because consuming meat is so much a part of our cultures diet??? red meat and processed lunch meats are the leading causes of colon cancer, at least according to Dr. Oz :-). coincidence???

these are some of the quotes she put on her blog

*John A. Widtsoe, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wrote in a book on the Word of Wisdom, "It was shown in the history of plant science that plants contain all the necessary food substances: proteins, fats, starches and the carbohydrates, minerals...water [and] vitamins. The Great builder of the earth provided well for the physical needs of His children. Countless varieties of edible plants, vegetables, cereals, fruits and nuts are yielded by Mother Nature for man's daily food. If one uses meat it must be used sparingly and in winter or famine only.... They who wish to be well and gain the promised reward stated in the Word of Wisdom must obey all of the law, not just part of it as suits their whim or their appetite, or their notion of its meaning." (The Word of Wisdom, a Modern Interpretation, 1950)

*Elder Benson "To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours.... We need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the 'kings meat' ---and whose countenances show it." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson pp. 476-7) His reference, of course, is to the biblical Daniel who, as a student in the Babylonian royal court, opted for simple vegetarian food and whose superior health quickly became visible to others. See Daniel, Chapter 1 in the Old Testament or the wonderful account in Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus, Book 10, Chapter 10, verses 1-2 for details." -quoted from Jim Catano

*"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" (D&C 89:12-13

*"Blood shall not be shed, only for meat, to save your lives; and the blood of every beast will I require at your hands" (JST Gen. 9:11).

she also had this video on there....its pretty gross. interesting though.



lately i've just been thinking about this topic in general. i am not saying one way or the other is right or wrong. just curious and trying to figure out how i feel about the subject. bj pointed out that unless we look it up, we don't know the exact context of those quotes , so it doesn't necessarily mean they are directed to us right now. with the video too, the makers of the video obviously have a strong opinion about what they are sharing so they are using evidence that supports their opinion. that doesn't mean its the norm in the industry or that there isn't a flip side to what they are showing.

anyway, insights? opinions? thoughts??? anyone out there know the right answer??? do tell.

ps-pretty good timing with thanksgiving right around the corner, eh?? my bad.

off white

conversation yesterday morning:

kat: i think we are supposed to be there at 12:30 to get our class ready for the primary program. right?
bj: yea i dont know. i think so. your shirt looks dirty and dingy.
kat: oh okay. wait, what?
bj: nothing.
kat: did you say my shirt looks dirty and dingy?
bj: um. yes. and it does. those white shirts of yours get dirty so fast
kat: bj my shirt is off white.
bj: we should really buy you some more of those white undershirts you use so often
kat: i said my shirt is OFF white bj. its cream. its supposed to look like this.
bj:. oh. well its kinda ugly.


lol....gotta appreciate the boys honesty ;-).

*and yes, shortly after this conversation i changed into my actual white shirt. not because i agreed, but because i didn't want the whole ward to think i was wearing a dirty shirt when in fact my shirt was just off white. OFF WHITE.

girls weekend

ashley, heather and virg came down from utah to visit us this weekend. it was SO much fun! we talked, laughed a lot, shopped, ate, played games, and talked some more. it was the first time i have stayed up past 1:00 am in a looonnng time. the only bummer part about the weekend was that it was HOT. i have been/am trying to convince heather and nick to come to medical school here, and this weekends 104 degree weather didn't really help my case. and of course, the day after she goes back to utah the amazing weather decides to come back.

it was such a fun weekend and i cant wait to see those 3 girls again, hopefully soon!

fall dip

this weekend i made this yummy dip. its perfect for this time of year and was sooo easy to make. i have only had it with apples but it would be good on bread, ginger bread cookies, gram cracks or other fruit too. actually anything. its delicious.

yummy pumpkin dip

1 package of cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling

1 tsp vanilla

mix until creamy and smooth. enjoy!

bragging rights

excuse me for a second but im going brag about some of the talented people im related to. my wonderful sister (basically) heather took some pictures of my beautiful sister virg. they turned out amazing. they are so fun, creative and TOTALLY fit virg.

so if you are in the utah area and are looking for an amazing photographer go to

http://heatherannettephotography.blogspot.com/

she has such good prices, takes great pictures AND will have you laughing the whole time! you cant beat that really.

also if you are in the utah area and are lookin for a single hottie call 940-595-......juuuust kidding virg! haha. but for real she is on my blog list.... just sayin :-)

anyway, here they are! hot dang, im related to some very talented and beautiful people!

these are a few of my favorite things....

lately i've been loving....

1. my magic bullet! it helps me make yummy healthy smoothies every morning, without the clean up of a normal blender. yuck.

2. roasted red pepper hummus. with sliced up cucumber or peppers it makes a perfect healthy snack. yum.

3. mayday parade. they are a band that ashley recently introduced me to and i really like them. i guess they have been around for a while but i am just finding out about them. i tend to not find out about "cool" stuff until years after it comes out. so if anyone out there further outside the loop than i, here is a great "new" band you will like.

4. my pink kitchen aid mixer. oh wait...i don't have this. yet. christmas is coming up. what a coincidence. hint, hint beej ;-). 5. my swivel sweeper. truly heaven sent. it makes cleaning up so much easier. if you don't have one, you should.

5. duke. i love this little guy. what a smart, sweet, quiet, lovable puppy.

and uuuhh...not so much moose. for obvious reasons. anyone want a dog? he is for sale. pure bred chocolate lab. slightly special. ill take $50 or your best offer.... and i have zero offers, so try me. i beg of you.

yum.

a friend gave me this recipe and it has become one of our favorites. super quick and easy. try it out, you wont regret it, i promise :-)


Spicy Broccoli and Sausage Pasta

12oz small pasta (farfalle or penne. i use farfalle)
3 tbsp olive oil
1lb ground sweet chicken sausage (can be found at any local health food store)
3 garlic cloves minced
1 pinch dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 TSP pepper
3 heads of broccoli

In large pot bring salted water to boil. Add broccoli and cook 2 min. Remove broccoli, set aside. Cook pasta in same water. Drain and save 1 cup of liquid. In large pan brown sausage in oil. Add garlic and red pepper, saute 30 seconds. Add broccoli, pasta and 1/4 cup liquid, or more as needed. Stir in cheese and salt to taste. Enjoy!

i serve it with garlic bread it and bj loves it. this recipe makes a ton but it makes really great left overs too.

TIP: it seems odd to cook meat in oil right? or at least it did to me. the chicken sausage produces almost zero oil when you cook it, and the olive oil its cooked in has tons of flavor once the meat is cooked and the garlic and red pepper are sauteed in. along with 1/4 cup of liquid, the oil serves as the sauce when you add the broccoli and noodles to it. ALSO, if you don't feel like going to a health food store to get chicken sausage, you can buy sweet turkey sausage at any store and it works fine. its a tad bit greasier and i have found it usually doesn't come ground up already, but it will work fine in the end.

happy happy birthday!

happy 24th beej! i am so glad that today your little 4 lb body came into this world and survived! youre the best and i love you!!!!

we started the day off with a long bike ride, we watched a lot of football and then bjs family came over for dinner. bj got an iphone for his birthday and is LOVING it.

i forgot to buy candles...so here he is blowing out his lone candle.

i had to put this picture up bc bj just looks unbelievably handsome in it. oh wait, no he does not...i had to put it up bc im hoping if i put enough bad pictures up of bj he will stop trying to ruin every picture i take of him. turd ;-)

GOGIRL!!!!!

bj is ALWAYS talking about little little inventions that would make life easier or little contraptions he wants to have that don't currently exist. one time we watched a thing on tv about a woman who invented some stupid cake slice holder thing and now she is a millionaire. so anyway, when bj starts telling me about some invention he has in his head, for me its fun to hear bc most of the time the concepts are good and its fun to hear how his mind works.

there is a story about bj that his whole family laughs at- when bj was younger he would always say camping would be amazing if there were air conditioners you could take with you into a tent. so he decided to try it and make his own version of this invention...i don't remember the details of what happened next but i think it involved a cooler, a fan, dry ice...and maybe a few other things. and yes, it cooled the tent...while also being toxic to the person in the tent. or something like that. needless to say, that idea wasn't exactly a money maker ;-)

the last time we went camping bj and his cousin jeremy talked (for hours) about " a funnel type thing" that they were going to invent for girls to make going pee while your standing/squatting easier. they said it would be mainly for camping but that girls could really take it anywhere if they wanted. they talked about how simple the actual product would have to be it would be to make and how unbelievability use full it would be for women who have to go when here is no bathroom around. it would be disposable and EVERYONE would buy it bc it would make camping for girls so much easier! ally and i laughed and thought it was a good idea, but maybe not that good.

i was on my lunch break at work the other day when a clip on this new product was featured.

http://www.go-girl.com/

the same exact product. whoever owns the company just started marketing it. they are calling it a "new spin on an old idea". the news caster guy said "its all the rage in Europe and overseas".

uhhh....ooopsie. there goes our millions.

i think next time ill try to be a little more supportive of bjs "silly ideas" :-)

freezer jam

i made homemade jam for the first time the other day and it was so easy! i expected it to be long and complicated but it was so far from that. it tastes so much better than store bought and is good for short term food storage.

i tried out two recipes and they both turned out DELISH. with the first recipe i made only strawberry. with the seond i made strawberry, blackberry and peach and they all turned out so yummy! as far as the recipes go i prefer the second, but only because it uses less sugar and is a little thicker. make both and decide for yourself!

1. recipe from http://just-cook-already.blogspot.com/ (thanks jenna :-)! )

*2 cups pureed strawberries
*4 cups sugar
*2 TBSP lemon juice
*1 package powdered pectin
*3/4 cup water

In a large bowl, combine strawberries, sugar & lemon juice. Let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a small sauce pan- bring water to a boil. Add pectin. Bring back to a boil. Cook at hard boil for 1 minute. Pour pectin mixture into strawberries. Stir until sugar is all dissolved. (i usually feel it between my fingers till it is no longer grainy) Pour into washed & dried containers, either glass or plastic, store in the freezer up to 1 year or in the fridge for 1 month.

2. recipe off back of "Ball" brand fruit pectin box

*1 package of ball brand fruit pectin
*your favorite fresh or frozen fruit to yield 4 cups crushed
*1 and 1/2 cup sugar

stir sugar and contents of fruit pectin package in a bowl until well blended. stir in 4 cups crushed fruit. stir 3 minutes longer. ladle jam into clean jars. let stand 30 min to thicken. store in freezer up to a year or the fridge for 1 month.

aloha and mahalo.

Hawaii was a blast. in the months leading up to Ashley's wedding, i came to terms with the fact that i would not be attending. BUT a few weeks shy of the big day my sweet sweet husband surprised me with tickets to go!! what a gem he is :-).

in mixed up order, here are a ton of pictures from our trip:

all the bridesmaids

smirge and imom and pops coslett us with nick and heather, we love these guys!

we played tons of sand volleyball while we were there, so fun!

Ashley's beautiful dress

pretty kona temple

the newlyweds!

lava....we hiked through a lava rock field and were so close to the lava. scariest 2 hours of my life. for real.

waterfalls

black sand beaches

pretty cliffs

beej and ceej before our LONG day trip in the jeep. emphasis on long.

us before the wedding

virg ash and kat hanging out

our feet....and bjs awesome flip flop tan line if you look close enough. hah.

ooooohhhweeee hottie!

boo for ugly lava hike
hooray for pretty beaches the ugly lava led us to ! this beach is voted one of the prettiest in the world.

funny.

turtles!

at the airport on the way TO hawaii.

the wedding was beautiful and i am so happy for my Ashley. i loved getting to experience a whole new place and that we were able to be there with so many people we love. especially since virg was there. the cosletts were were such great hosts to us and cooked so many wonderful meals, including breakfast every morning. it was fabulous.

the cosletts are mine and virgs second family and it was so fun to be on vacation with them. for me, it was really neat to watch bj interact with their family, and especially with the coslett men (jerry nick and cj.). bj only met them a few times prior to the trip, but you never would have known! he was treated like family right away. there was none of that awkward "don't really know each other" bull with them. even though they are each so different, they all gelled with bj right away and i love that. i am sure it would have been like that with Ashley's new husband, lance, but we hardly saw those little love birds after their wedding day. hmmm... weird ;-).

it was a really great trip and i am so grateful for my hubs who knew just how important being at Ashley's wedding was to me :-). we cant wait to go back!

aloha!

funny.

So in my diversity in education class, i sit next to a girl named brianna who is 18 years old, fresh out of high school and is about to get engaged. she is really nice and is always chatting it up with me. she is LDS too by the way. today our convo went something like this:

brianna: oooh pretty ring
kat: thanks!
brianna: how long have you been married?
kat: a little over two years
brianna: wow! and your 23 right?
kat: yea i am

about 5 or 10 min pass as the teacher is lecturing. then i feel a tap on my shoulder.

brianna: sooo, i dont mean to pry but like do you guys want kids at all? or are you just never going to have them????
kat: no we do want them, we just took a while off school so we want to get a little closer to finishing school before we start trying
brianna: OH! okay. sheesh, i was worried about you for a minute.

haha! it turns out even people not related to us are worried we will never start having children ;-)

GOOD LUCK Virgilicious!!!!!!!!

today my beautiful sister virg runs her first marathon! i wish i could be there to cheer lead for her as she crosses the finish line...but since i cant, here is my best effort from afar :-)

go virg, go virg, go go go ....your going to do so great today! seriously. i envy your endurance and i am so proud of you for doing this, maybe next time ill join (or not) :-). good luck today, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Done and Done.

project of the day: paint this beast that's been staring at me for the past 6 months, the only part of our house left to paint.

it started out great...only fearing for my life a few times while on the tall ladder....and then came the part of cutting in the ceiling on the left wall, that has stairs under it...


.... hmmmm, what to do, what to do?....the stairs make it impossible use a ladder.....


....time to improvise.....

...the wise man built his house upon sand...no?


... i only feared for my life EVERY SINGLE SECOND of standing on the very top of that ladder .......while visions of the cooler, books, the ladder, the paint can and me tumbling down the stairs raced through my head...

....but alas, nothing tumbled and its all finished, hooray!!