There have been several changes in our family:
Ryan and April welcomed a new son, Turner Maxwell, into their family March 8, 2012.
He is darling and a great addition. Camden is going to be a great big brother (smothering Turner with kisses).
John got engaged in March to Kelsey Smith. They were married May 25, 2012 in the
Logan, Utah temple. A beautiful, fun reception was held in their honor in Idaho Falls, Idaho on May 26th. A great time was had by all who came. 
It was wonderful to have all of our children home for the wedding. We were able to get some family pictures (in the pouring rain). Hopefully we will be able to post some of those pictures soon. We appreciate all the time and effort everyone put in to support John and Kelsey on this great event in their lives. We want to welcome Kelsey to the family.
Brain and Kasey are expecting a new addition to their family in November. Brinley wants a little sister, but she will adjust to either a little sister or a little brother. They are excited and looking forward to the birth of another child. 

Not the best pictures :) that's how it goes when you have a camera that lags and a baby that is always moving!
beach day--maybe he was contemplating eating a mouthful of sand
Devan's friend Aniyah let us borrow her rocking horse.  It's name is 'Cow'.  :)
My cute little blondie with curls. He's getting so big!

few things i've been make'n

Been a while since posting  :-)

Just wanted to put a few recipes on here.  It's an easy way for me to 'save' recipes because sometimes they get lost in my email or bokmarks on my computer.

All of these are taste tested by Doug and myself.  ;-)  Very yum-o! All gluten free-our diet as of the past several months.  And the deserts are raw and healthy-ish  :)  Seriously, SO good!    I/we LOVE coconut so if you don't you may not be a fan of the bars and fingers.  The coconut fingers are the perfect little bite of sweetness and the protein bars are delish and hearty.  The chicken is 'zesty' as Doug said, Devan ate it up too.  :-)

Baked Mustard Lime Chicken

printer friendly

• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

1. Combine lime juice, cilantro, mustard, olive oil, chili, salt and pepper in a food processor
2. Pulse until ingredients are well combined
3. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and place in a 7x11 inch Pyrex baking dish
4. Pour marinade over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 6 hours
5. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes uncovered, or until an instant read thermometer reads 165°
6. Serve with extra sauce spooned over top

Serves 4

Coconut Fingers (makes ~20)
6 dates, pited
1/2 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract
2 Tblsp creamed organic honey
3 Tblsp organic coconut oil
1 1/4 cups flaked organic coconut

In a food processor, blend together the dates, vanilla and honey. In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil. Add in flaked coconut and mix together. Once combined, add coconut mixture to dates in food processor and pulse until blended, scraping sides as needed. Line a bread pan with parchment paper and press mixture into pan evenly until condensed and firm. Place in freezer for 30 minutes and then remove and cut into "finger" sized portions.

Nourishing Protein Bars

2 cups almonds, I soaked my almonds-makes them more digestible.
1/4 cup flax seeds, chia seeds or pumpkin seeds (ground in a coffee grinder or blender) – I used chia and flax with delicious results!
1/2 cup dried prunes, dates or raisins (we used prunes!)
½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
½ cup unsalted almond butter (or you could use peanut butter, but I didn’t have that!)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup coconut oil (melted)
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey (we used honey!)
2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
a few squares dark chocolate, less than half a bar needed for thin layer (optional) – or you can  melt about 1/4 bag of chocolate chips in a small saucepan for the topping

Place almonds, flax meal/seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, almond/peanut butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse briefly for about 10 seconds.In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir sweeteners and vanilla into oil. Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously. Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve. Makes about 12-15 bars. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later enjoyment!