THE SMITTY'S: April 2009

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Fun times

Urban started playing T-ball. Its way cute

The kids are so little.

Good hit buddy!!

Tanks favorite Toy

Lilly and Uncle Kev

Lilly

Us at Kev's parents

Last Saturday some of my family went downtown to run in the Salt Lake Half and the 5k. My sister in law Jen and brother in law Ian both ran in the half and did really good. My dad and I ran the 5k. It was such a fun run. My dad was 4th place in his age group, which was awesome!The weather was beautiful, it was such a nice day!! The race ended at the Gateway mall for the marathon, half and 5k. There was a TON of people there. It ended up being a really good start to the day.

My dad in the blue about to cross the finish line

That's me running super fast to the finish line.

Ian is in the red. (we didn't get a picture of Jen because we thought she was wearing a yellow jacket and she was actually wearing pink.) We missed her at the finish line

All of us at the end

My dad and I

Friday, April 17, 2009

CHIA SEEDS

A nurse at my work and my brother have been telling me about chia seeds and how healthy they are for you. Which is the same grain used to make Chia Pets—though you obviously shouldn't eat a Chia Pet. I have been researching it little bit and taking about 1-2 tablespoons of the seed a day. Here is some info from Dr. Oz and a yummy recipe for pumpkin chia-seed muffins.

What are the benefits of Chia Seeds?

High In Omega-3 Acids. Chia seed has higher levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) than flax seed. ALA is an essential acid because it is not produced by the body. In fact, chia seeds have the highest known whole-food source levels of Omega-3 acids, as measured by percent of weight.

Chia is a great natural source of antioxidants, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, myricetin, quercetin and flavonols.Full of Important Nutrients. Chia is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, iron, zinc and copper.

Chia contains six times more iron than spinach.Low In Sodium and Cholesterol-Free. Chia contains less than half the sodium of flax seed, per serving. This is important to those with high blood pressure and concerned about sodium intake. As a plant-based source of Omega-3, Chia is cholesterol-free.

Promotes Hydration.Chia soaks up water and this promotes hydration and electrolytes retention.

Helps in Weight Loss. Chia is very filling. As more Chia is eaten, there's less room for fattening foods.

Builds Endurance.The Mayan word for Chia is “strength.” Chia builds stamina and endurance because it steadily releases slow-burning glucose into the bloodstream Gluten-Free.The protein in chia seed is gluten free.Stays Fresh.Unlike flax seed, chia seed stays fresh for extended periods of time.

Dr. Oz's from the Oprah show has chia seed on his Anti-Aging Checklist:

Chia is as chockfull of fiber as other whole grains, but it packs in even more vitamins. [One of these muffins] has more magnesium than about 10 of those heads of broccoli, and it's got as much calcium in it as a couple cups of milk," Dr. Oz says. "It adds one other thing, too, by the way. It's very rich in the next big category, which are omega-3 fatty acids."

Taste-wise, chia seeds have a nutty flavour, and are a healthful addition to the diet sprinkled on cereals, yogurt or salads. You can also eat them whole or mix them into flour when baking bread, muffins or other baked goods.

These muffins are delicious, easy to make and great for you. Enjoy them hot out of the oven and keep extra for lunchtime snacks for the kids (or you) during the week. Pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health. Current studies link diets rich in foods with beta-carotene to reducing the risk of certain types of cancer and protection against heart disease. Chia seeds can be found at some health food stores.

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp. chia seeds, ground (use a coffee or spice grinder)
1 cup whole wheat or whole grain flour
1/2 cup white unbleached flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. can organic pumpkin (make sure there is only pumpkin listed on the ingredient list)
2 eggs
1?4 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil
1 cup pure maple syrup (or 1?2 cup agave nectar or a combination of the two)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Salt and pepper to taste Pre-heat oven to 350°. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients (fold in nuts now if you are using them) into the dry ingredients and spoon into paper-lined muffin or greased muffin tins. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Store completely cooled muffins in sealable plastic bags in the freezer.

Easter 2009

We had an awesome Easter this year, it was a beautiful sunny morning and we headed off to church. Then we went over to Kevin's parents and the Easter bunny came to visit us there and brought us all sorts of goodies (Lots of candy, fruit snacks, Salt, Ketchup, brownie mix, re fried beans and all the goods) Then we went to my sisters house for dinner. We had a yummy ham dinner, and just visited with the family. All the little kids put on a Cinderella play and it was hilarious!! They did an awesome job. Although I did forget to take pictures. Also my sister is getting married May 16th so we are busy helping her with wedding plans. We had a great weekend.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

PHOTO SHOOT

Friday night we went downtown and our friend Stephanie took some pictures for us. Here a a few that she took. She does a really good job and has such a unique style. I LOVE it! Check out her blog at http://blackbirdbeauty.blogspot.com/ Thanks Steph, you are amazing and I love how they turned out.

Date Night

This was us last Friday night after we got our pictures done downtown we went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for the LAST SUPPER before we start our cleanse. We are doing isagenix 9 day cleanse. We try to do it like once or twice a year to cleanse out our system and get a jump start to eating healthy. Kevin and I are trying to eat healthy and exercise a lot to get into shape before we go on our trip to Mexico. We had a fun date!