Money and Time Saving Tips for Healthy Cooking

So this post is mostly for little sister Rachel who wanted to know how I meal plan and cook. I'm not an expert, but I have come a long way from when I was first married 10 years ago. Here are a few things that have helped me save time and money with cooking while still trying to eat healthy.

1. Meal Plan: I've actually never really made specific meal plans until recently when I read a book on saving money on your grocery bills. The main point of the book is that meal planning is the best way to save money and time with your cooking. I've tried it and love it. We eat much better, have more variety in our meals, and I save time and money.

My Plan:

Breakfast Foods: Granola and baked oatmeal ingredients, Shredded Wheat, Grapenuts, Cheerios

Lunch Foods: Bread making supplies, tortillas, humus, peanut butter, jelly, honey, pita bread, green smoothie fruits and veggies

Snack Foods: Healthy crackers, chips, hummus, salsa, bagels, popcorn, nuts, etc.

Dinner Food: I write down main dishes for the first half of the month. I only cook dinner every other day and we eat the same thing twice so I usually only need 8 main dishes to start with. If you don't like to eat the same thing twice you can cook the same amount and just freeze half of it for later. Half way through the month I take an inventory of what food we still have that needs to be used up and plan the rest of my meals around that. Usually I only have to buy a few items half way through the month to restock. I also buy fruits and veggies for side dishes and ingredients for 1 or 2 easy meals for busy days.

Special Occasion Foods: holiday cake and cookie supplies if needed

Food Storage Items that need to be restocked

Household Items that need to be restocked (I add this to my shopping list because I usually buy most of my food and household items from Costco)

2. Only one major shopping trip a month, with 1 restock trip: You spend less the less frequently you shop. You also save time and money (on gas) by taking fewer trip. It also forces you to use up the food that you already have. I find it easier for me to stay on budget because I buy food for the whole month in one trip using up most of my budget, but saving about $50 for restock items half way through the month.

3. Double Recipes: This has been a major time saver for me, which I especially need when I'm homeschooling. I double a lot of recipes so we can eat it for two days. However I've learned from bad experience that it is best not to double a recipe the first time you try it. You may end up hating it and wasting a lot of food.

4. Saturday cooking sessions: I usually set aside 3 hours every other Saturday where I have a major cooking session. I make bread, granola, baked oatmeal, and muffins so that I'm stocked up for the next few weeks.

5. Discount Bakery: I recently visited the discount bakery and bought 7 loves of high quality whole wheat bread, 4 bags of whole wheat bagels, and 4 bags of whole wheat hamburger buns for just $16. I put it all in my deep freezer so I have them on hand when I don't have time to make bread, etc.

6. Take advantage of produce co-ops or stores: When I lived in Philly we had a Produce Market where we got large quantities of produce for cheap. My mom and my in-laws are part of Bountiful Baskets where they get lots of healthy produce for really cheap. Unfortunately we don't have anything like that around here although we do have great farmers markets during the summer/early fall. We are also able to buy boxes of apples for .64/lb from a farmer in the fall.

7. Look into you-pick options: We have peach orchards where we can pick our own fruit and pay per pound. You may have an elderly neighbor with an apricot tree. Offer to pick it for them if you can keep a box for yourself. One year a local apple orchard offered free apples for the picking--we ended up with 88 quarts of delicious applesauce!

8. Beans, beans, beans: They are healthy, cheap protein and it really does help save a lot of money. They are especially cheap if you buy them dried.

9. Toast large quantities of nuts/seeds and then freeze/save the extra: This makes it easy to add nuts/seeds to salads, veggies, rice, etc.

10. Double sauces/pesto and freeze: Jared and I are not big fans of frozen meals but frozen sauces and pesto usually don't taste too bad. I always double my pizza sauce recipe so I can easily put a homemade pizza together in about 20-30 min.

11. Make large quantities of muffins/bread/rolls and freeze the extra

12. Wash, chop and peel veggies so they are ready to eat: After my big shopping trip I will peel my carrots and slice my celery so they are ready to eat. I also wash/scrub my fruit so it's easy to grab. This makes it easy to grab a healthy snack and it saves time in meal preparation.

13. Store food in the right place/container: nuts and ginger root are best stored in the freezer, onions in a cool dry place, hanging in your nylons, herbs in a green save container, etc. Learning to store food in the right place has helped me waste less because of it going bad too fast.

14. Garden and can, freeze, or dry extra produce: By far the cheapest source for organic produce. We had a bumper crop of tomatoes and didn't have to buy any tomato products for 2 years!

15. Buy Produce in season: Okay so I'm stealing advice from the Word of Wisdom, but it is healthier and saves money too!

16. Eat no/less meat: Less cooking time and healthier

17. Time Saving Tools I Love: Apple peeler/slicer, Bosch mixer, Bosch food processor attachment(cuts the time to make a soup or salad in half), blender, rice cooker, crock pot, wheat grinder

18. Crock pot Meals for busy days and Fast Sundays: If you know you are going to have a busy afternoon/evening, just throw some stuff in at lunch time and your done

19. Have ingredients for 2-3 easy/quick meal on-hand: This saves you from the temptation to eat out on those busy days

20. Buy spices, nuts, and raisins in the bulk food section of WinCo

21. Buy staples (rice, flour, etc.) in large quantities and store in 5 gallon buckets

22. Make Food from Scratch: This doesn't really save time, but it's SO much healthier and it saves you money. It is unrealistic to expect to have enough time to make everything from scratch. Some labor intensive items I buy ready-made but I try to read the ingredients to make sure that what goes into it is healthy. Due to time I buy whole wheat pasta instead of making it. I tried making whole wheat tortillas but it was too labor intensive and used a lot of oil. I found that the whole wheat tortillas that I buy were actually healthier.

Do any of you have money or time saving tips for healthy cooks? Please share them.

More Meal Ideas

I'm posting these mostly for my sister who is trying a vegan diet to improve her cholesterol, but some of the rest of you may want to try some of these recipes too. Here are 3 vegan and 1 vegetarian meal that our family enjoys.
Meal 1: Gazpacho Soup with Whole Wheat Bread Sticks
Gazpacho (from Practical Cookery: Vegetarian)
1/2 small cucumber, grated
1/2 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled or 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 onion
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 TB olive oil
2 TB vinegar
1-2 TB lemon juice
2 TB tomato paste
2 cups tomato juice
salt and pepper to taste

Place grated cucumber and chopped green pepper in bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients then add to the bowl and stir together. Chill before serving.


Whole Wheat Bread Sticks (from Ciel Murry)

3-4 C. whole wheat flour

1T. yeast

1T. sugar

1t. salt

Mix these in mixer bowl.

Add 1 1/2 C. warm water and knead 7-8 min.

Add more flour if necessary (start with smaller amount and add from there)

Melt 2T. butter in 9x13" pan. Or double recipe and use a sheet pan.Roll or pat dough to fit. Cut with pizza cutter horizontally into 9 1" strips.Cut dough in half vertically. Sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese. Let rise 20 min. Bake 375. 18-20 minme of the rest of you might like to try them too.

Meal 2: Baked Potatoes with Mushroom sauce and Green beans

Baked Potatoes
Scrub and remove bad parts
Cover in Crisco and poke with fork
Bake in oven at 400 for 30 min to hour (depending on size--small red potatoes usually only take 30-40 min while Russets take longer)

Mushroom Sauce
1 lb of mushrooms washed and sliced (I like to use 1/2 lb white, 1/2 lb portobello)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups of vegetable broth
Season to taste (salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, Italian seasoning, etc.)
2 TB olive oil

In fry pan heat 2 TB olive oil. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Stir and cook 5-10 min. Add vegetable broth and heat thoroughly. Serve over potatoes.

Green Beans (modified from JoyAnn's recipe)
3/4 c pecans or almonds
3 TB butter or oil
2 TB maple syrup
2 shallots or green onions minced
2/3 tsp (or more) orange zest
2 tsp flour
1 1/2 lbs green beans
2/3 c vegetable broth
1/3 orange juice
salt and pepper
Toast nuts in oven. Put 1 TB oil/butter, syrup, and salt in fry pan. Get it hot and add the nuts. Stir until glossy (about 45 sec). Remove from skillet and set nuts aside for later. Heat 2 TB oil/butter and add shallots and orange zest. Stir in flour. Add vegetable broth and OJ. Turn heat to medium high. Add beans and cover for 5-10 min, then uncover and cook about 4 min. until tender. Stir in nuts, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Meal 3: Easy Crockpot Soup
This is a favorite for busy days when I know I won't have time to cook. It takes me 5-10 min. to throw this together at lunch time and then I'm set.

In crockpot:
5 cups vegetable broth
Add chopped onions, carrots, celery.
Add diced potatoes or whole wheat pasta
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp ground cumin and salt and pepper to taste
1 can of mushrooms or beans for protein
salt and pepper to taste

Put crock pot on high and this will be ready by dinnertime. Add chopped parsley right before serving to garnish. To make this into a more of a minestrone-type soup add tomatoes, spinach, sage, thyme and Italian seasonings. Serve with crackers, corn chips, bread sticks or garlic toast.

Meal 4: Vegetable Enchiladas (from Martha Stewart)

Vegetable Enchiladas
Get a freezable Mexican meal rolling in no time with a no-cook filling and a sauce made from pantry ingredients. Jack cheese and a combination of black beans and corn tortillas give this meatless dish complete protein.

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry --I used fresh and it was great!
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)
I like to add sliced olives as well

Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.

Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve garnished with scallion greens.

To Freeze:
Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.Bake frozen, thaw sauce overnight.heat oven to 400 degrees.Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, a bake till bubbly about 15 minutes more. Rest 5 min before serving.

I hope you enjoy these meal ideas. I have a few more really good looking recipes, but I'll wait until after I try them to share them with you.

January 2011 Update

January has been a busy month for us. Jared and I have been working on some new years goals to simplify, organize, exercise, and eat more healthy; and the kids have been busy keeping us busy. Jared finally finished the tile and it is really nice to not be "under construction" anymore. When he is not busy working or doing Elder's quorum he has been studying for the DAT and working on my never ending honey-do list. I was released as a R.S. teacher this month and was called to work with the young girls in Activity days. I like to read when I get any free time, and I had fun hosting book group this month. I've also been working hard to de-junk and organize, which is really difficult with three kids who are sentimentally attached to everything, including tiny scraps of paper. I finally had to resort to organizing while they sleep since they protest everything I want to throw away or give to Good Will--even then, they manage to salvage things from the garbage cans or Good Will boxes.

The kids are happy and busy. Abby loves kindergarten and homeschool. Maddy and Nathan enjoy Playgroup at the church and Storytime at the library. Maddy has been having a hard adjustment in Primary with her new teachers so we have been trying to help her develop more friendships with the girls in her class by having them come over to play. Nathan has discovered coloring and loves it. If I ever get on the computer while he's awake he wants me to print out coloring pictures of McQueen, Mater, or Bobder (that's how he says Bob the Builder).

Here are some random pictures from this month:

Cute picture of the kids all ready for bed on Saturday night.

Here's a picture of a doll I made for my little sister's birthday when I was just 4 years old. My mom saved it all these years because she was so impressed.

Nathan trying on Abby's roller skates.

The girls were super excited to finally get some snow this winter. Nathan wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but the girls were so excited he decided it must be a good thing. Abby was even more excited when they canceled school for 3 days.
Here's their snowman. For the next few days before it melted Nathan would look out the sliding glass door and wave and say "Hi snowman."
Abby has gotten to be a really good reader. Jared found her reading to Nathan and Maddy one day and couldn't resist taking this picture.
For FHE one night we made apple pie. The kids loved eating "apple snakes" (the peelings) and Jared made a CTR and a I love you hand on the crusts.

Changing the Way We Eat

In our almost 10 years of marriage Jared and I have undergone several changes in our eating habits.

When we were first married I was busy going to school and working and didn't really have much time or know how for cooking. We ended up eating a lot of cheese quesadillas, pasta, beans and rice, and easy cream of mushroom soup casserole-type dishes. After I finished school and was just working I graduated to making more soups and other dishes. We ate relatively healthy but we lacked a lot of variety mostly due to our poor student budget. I think this may be one reason why I was not able to get pregnant until we went to live with Neal and JoyAnn for the summer.

When I was pregnant with Abby, Jared and I read a wonderful book called The Culprit and the Cure by Steven Aldana, PhD. This motivated us to change our eating habits to be more healthy. We eliminated white rice, white flour tortillas, and pasta from our diet in favor of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, bread, tortillas, etc. When we were in PA school we ate relatively the same with the exception of more milk, eggs, cheese and juice due to the food that we got from the WIC program.

Recently our family has undergone a few other diet changes. The first is that we now drink a green smoothie everyday. Jared's parents gave us a powerful Blend-tec blender for Christmas which allows us to blend up whole fruits and veggies into a healthy smoothie. It is delicious and nutritious and even the kids love it. Everyday at lunch time Nathan comes to me and says, "Green smoozie, please." Here is the general recipe I follow, although you can adjust according to what fruits and veggies you have: (You likely won't be able to do this unless you have a Blend-tec, VitaMix, or other industrial strength blender capable of doubling as a wood chipper.)

2 1/2 c water

1/2 tsp honey or other sweetener

Juice from whole lime or 1/2 lemon

1-3 TB flax seed oil ( I just put in flax seeds)

Add to 5 C line: 3/4-1 lb raw washed greens (spinach, Romaine lettuce, kale, Swiss chard)--I also add carrots, celery, cilantro, or cucumber

1-2 bananas

1-2 frozen mixed berries

Any other fruit to taste (pears, apples, cantaloupes, apricots, oranges, pineapples, mangos)--I like the mixed tropical fruit from Costco

A couple of things that Jared and I have noticed since we have started drinking green smoothies everyday is that 1) We feel like we have more sustained energy throughout the day 2) We crave unhealthy food less. So far neither of us have lost any weight (not that Jared needs to), although I have a friend who just lost 20 lbs by drinking a green smoothie and walking 2 miles everyday for 2 months.

Jared and I also recently watched two movies recommended by my sister, Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives. These films helped us see the importance of eating a whole foods, plant-based diet that is less dependent on animal products and processed foods. We highly recommend watching them, especially Forks Over Knives. In summation, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc. can often be reversed by switching to a whole food, plant-based only diet. Also, there is a great deal of evidence that several different types of cancer are perpetuated/promoted/exacerbated by meat & milk diets. (Jared says this is well established in medical literature with respect to processed, grilled, & smoked meats especially.) Since watching these movies here are a few changes we have made to our diet: 1) We now eat meat only 1 or 2 times a month (usually chicken or fish) 2) We eat less yogurt and cheese--only a couple times a week 3) We eat fewer eggs (that are free range only) 4) The majority of our meals are vegan 5) We rely on mushrooms, nuts, seeds and beans for more of our protein.

Overall we feel better, and despite the cost of mushrooms, nuts, and fresh veggies we have saved money in our food budget. The hardest part for me was figuring out how to feed my family with this new diet so below are a few recipes that we enjoy. We hope you'll all watch the movies we recommended, and at the least try going meatless or even 100% plant based a few days a week. Salud!

Quinoa and Black Beans (from AllRecipes.com)

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 c vegetable broth (I use the Better than Bouillon vegetable base found in the spice section of Costco--cheap, organic, low sodium, and no MSG!)

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 c frozen corn kernels

2 (15 oz)cans black beans rinsed and drained

1/2c chopped fresh cilantro

Serve with: lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado, and lime juice

1.Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Stir frozen corn into saucepan and simmer 5 more minutes until heated through. Mix in black beans and cilantro.

Mushroom Orzo (From JoyAnn)

1 c uncooked orzo

2 TB butter

1 tsp minced garlic

lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 tsp dried thyme

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 c grated carrots

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c chopped parsley

1TB lemon juice

Handful of toasted almonds (optional)

Cook orzo, drain, rinse and set aside. In skillet melt butter over medium heat, add garlic, zest and thyme. Cook until garlic softens. Add mushrooms, carrots, salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms soften. Stir in orzo and heat through. In serving bowl combine orzo with parsley and juice.

We would love to find whole wheat orzo, so if anyone knows where to find it please let us know.

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad (from Our Best Bites)

8 oz Linguine Fini, cooked

4 C Shredded greens (combo of napa cabbage, romaine lettuce or spinach)

2 C Thinly sliced purple cabbage

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, julienned

1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced

1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced

2 C diced grilled chicken (substitute with extra peanuts if doing this vegan)

1/2 c honey roasted peanuts

Dressing:

1/2 c peanut butter

1 limes, juiced and zested

2 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 TB vinegar

2 TB soy sauce

3 TB honey

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 TB minced ginger

1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/4 tsp salt

2-4 TB water

1tsp siracha chili sauce

Lentil and Rice Casserole (from Practical Cookery: Vegetarian)

1 c dry lentils

1/2 c brown rice

5 c vegetable stock

1 leek, cut into chunks

2 garlic cloves, crushed

14 oz can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced

3 1/2 oz brocoli florets

8 baby corn on the cobs, halved lengthways

1 3/4oz green beans, halved

1 tsp shredded basil

salt and pepper

1. Put lentils, rice and vegetable stock in pot over low heat for 20 min.

2. Add remaining ingredients (minus basil) to the pot

3. Brink to boil, reduced heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 min. until vegetables are tender

4. Add basil and serve

Christmas 2011 Utah

Here are some pictures from our trip to Utah. Sorry some of the pictures look blue. I think I had the camera on the wrong setting.

We arrived in Provo the day after Christmas and the kids enjoyed Grandma's Christmas wonderland. Here is Nathan showing his baby doll the ice skaters spinning around.

Abby and Maddy enjoyed the Nativity set and little Christmas village.

We opened Christmas gifts that night. Nathan insisted on showing all his presents to Great-Grandpa Donaldson.

Nathan was super excited when he got Clifford for Christmas! The girls got some beautiful wind- up music dolls that they like to listen to as they go to sleep at night.

Jared holding our new nephew Haven who was born just a week before we arrived.

The kids had fun visiting the Bean Museum and watching the reptile show. Maddy and Nathan even touched the snake, turtle, and lizard.

We did a little shopping at the mall and the girls enjoyed the big tree house and the dinosaur skeleton jungle gym.

We celebrated by dad's birthday with a scrumptious shepherd's feast.

Dinner in the kid's room

After the feast the children acted out the Nativity. Abby and Maddy were angels and Nathan played Joseph and a shepherd. Nathan of course had to have his baby doll as baby Jesus.

The angels singing

After we finished the program the kids all went downstairs and got into Grandma's dress up and put on their own play. Here is Abby dressed as a mean witch who becomes nice.

We went to the children's museum in Salt Lake the next day.

Nathan loved the balls the best.

Maddy loved playing in the water.

Grandpa Donaldson with Abby and Claire.

Nathan enjoyed pretending he was Bob the Builder.

All the kids had fun sitting in a real helicopter.

Here is my dad in front of a company that he is part owner of. It does home theater installation and home automation. We had a lot of fun sitting in the big theater watching CARS and eating popcorn in giant comfy reclining chairs.

We were able to meet with our best friends from PA school and visit the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point.

Afterward we took the kids to temple square to see the visitor's center and the lights. The experience was especially enjoyable because the weather was unusually warm for December and we were able to enjoy the lights without freezing.

I was able to meet a few of high school friends for lunch that I hadn't seen in about 5 years. It was great to see them again and catch up on their lives.

We spent New Year's Eve at my parents' cabin having sushi and hot chocolate and playing games.

We were excited that we had so much time to spend with my Grandpa this trip. I got to spend a day in the car with him as we drove to and from my cousin Laura's mission homecoming in Logan. We also had him up for dinner a few nights and then he treated us to a nice lunch at Brick Oven.

The kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousins. Nathan even learned how to say Jacob and Mary's names. Mary was especially helpful in watching them so that we could have more time to visit with Sarah and Gordon.

A few things we did that I don't have pictures of: I met with Breeanne, my ASL rooommate. I met with Amanda, my former mission companion. I visited with my cousin Amy and her new husband. My mom watched the kids so Jared and I could go to the temple together. We met with my cousin Reed, his wife Charity, and their 6 kids. We also went to the Legacy center with Claire and my mom where the kids had fun swimming. The kids also enjoyed lots of snuggles and reading time with Grandma and rough housing with Grandpa. We all had a very enjoyable trip to Utah and Idaho and now we must get the kids on the more boring life routine away from family. We wish we lived closer, but are happy we were able to visit as much as we did.

Christmas 2011 Idaho

We planned to spend Christmas in Washington because Jared was on call but we found out at the last minute that he was free to leave. So we packed up in a few hours and arrived in Boise at about 8pm Christmas Eve. We were able to hear Eric perform some beautiful organ music and then the kids hung their stockings, set out cookies and milk for Santa, and went to bed.

Abby on Christmas morning.

Maddy opening her stocking.

A very happy little boy on Christmas morning. I think he was the most fun to watch this year because he is old enough to enjoy Christmas morning, but young enough that he didn't remember what to expect.

Nathan had fun playing cars and Legos with his boy cousins. It was a nice change for him after hanging out with his sisters all the time.

The girls jumping with Christmas excitement.

Grandma Collett with a delicious Christmas dinner.

The kid's table full of hungry kids ready to eat.

Abby performing Jingle bells and Angels We Have Heard on High.

We left Boise the day after Christmas but came back and spent a few more days with Jared's family on our way back from Utah. On our trip back we enjoyed ice skating with Kevin and Katie, a movie night at Eric's house, and Sunday dinner with the entire family followed by triva challenges. Jared also enjoyed visiting Bryan's shop and doing Saturday tinkering with his dad. What a great time.

Christmas 2011 Washington

Abby and Maddy visited Santa at the library. Nathan was too scared to get near him even when Santa offered him a candy cane. I guess it's good he won't take candy from strangers.

We took a family trip to Beaver Bark so the kids could see some real reindeer.

The loved going inside and seeing all the pretty decorations and the huge fish they had swimming in the indoor pool.

Abby and Maddy dressed up as angels and sang Christmas songs with the Primary at Richland Gardens (a retirement center in our ward). Maddy is usually very shy and rarely sings in Primary so I bribed her and Abby with icecream if they did a good job. Maddy surprised us by singing louder than everyone else.

The kids "helping" to decorate the gingerbread house.

Abby really wanted a Christmas tree in her room so she made one out of Duplos and then found some ribbon to make her room more festive.

People were encouraged to dressed up like Nephites for the ward Christmas party. Our kids had their own ideas on what they wanted to dress up like.

Here is a picture of the beautiful wooden spoons and spatula that Jared made as Christmas gifts this year.

The finished gingerbread house!