Dairy free hot chocolate!!!

Almost since the day I abandoned dairy, I have been hankering after a nice hot cup of cocoa! Especially these last few weeks of really cold weather.

Pretty much every recipe I found, especially for chocolate mix, called for some form of dairy (in the mix it was powdered milk).

So I adapted this recipe and came up with the following, which you can use water for!

Single serving dairy free hot cocoa :)

1.5 T baking cocoa
2 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 t oil (I used canola. You might be able to use a little less)

1 C hot water

Stir together cocoa and sugar in a mug; add vanilla and oil. Stir until combined. Add hot water, stir thoroughly, and voila! Hot cocoa is served!

Dairy-free beef stroganoff

A couple months ago, I noticed that my newest baby had a  rash that wouldn't go away no matter how frequently I changed his diaper or put diaper rash cream on him. I had heard of that happening to babies with dairy intolerance, so I decided to try cutting dairy out of my diet. I did, and voila! no more rash. However, that meant that I couldn't go back to eating dairy. I've had to do some experimenting to get that creamy deliciousness back in a way that the whole family will enjoy. Here's one that was a success!

12-16 oz fettuccine or linguine noodles

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

*1 t Worcestershire sauce

*1 t vinegar

1/2 t sugar (optional)

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

*1 T mayonnaise

12 oz thin sliced beef steak (it should end up ~1" long, 1/2" wide, 1/8" or less thick. I cooked long, thin slices first and then cut them smaller. Beef can be chewy, so slice against the grain whenever possible to help with the texture)

*1-2 T oil

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, cook beef steak in some of the oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic. When finished, stir fry (aka cook on VERY high heat while stirring frequently) cabbage in drippings and remaining oil, seasoning with more salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar. Stir fry the cabbage until the thicker pieces start to become translucent.

Combine cooked cabbage with pasta and mayonnaise; top with beef. Enjoy!

*I'm not certain of the quantities. Use enough oil that the cabbage doesn't burn. Use enough mayonnaise to coat the noodles, but no more.

Intangible gifts I want to give to my children

-healthy eating habits
-love of being fit
-love of outdoors
-social dexterity
-love of reading
-happiness
-high emotional intelligence
-love of self
-love for others
-how to keep a clean living space

And of course, most importantly, a love for Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ.

My Bucket List

Travel outside of the country to see something interesting (Machu Picchu? Mexican pyramids?)

Bike 20 miles at a time (or more!)

Go on a cruise

Become a temple worker

Get another college degree, possibly teach college

Find new information on Callie Nolan (ancestor)

See Providence Canyon; hike and take pictures!

Hike with kids in at least 5 different parks

See the Aurora Borealis

Vacation in Hawaii

Go to Yellowstone National Park and see Old Faithful

Visit Mesa Verde and tour the cliff dwellings

I ran a 5k!

So, waaaaaay back in October, Austin and I ran a 5k! When it was done, I kept bragging to myself that I'd done it. It's still kind of weird to think of myself as the kind of person who would run 5 kilometers without having a really urgent, possibly dangerous reason to do so.

Here I am with the fam before the race!

And this is right before the finish line:

It might not look like it, but it was really cold and even by the end of the race, I was eager to get back to a heated area.

I ran the 5k in 36 minutes, running the whole way, finishing 177th out of 392 :). Some people who had passed me at the beginning were walking closer to the end and I was able to pass them.

________________________________

It all started back in July or so, when Austin asked if I wanted to try a couch to 5k program with him. We had casually tried several other health programs, so I didn't think that it would go very far, but I agreed anyway. Amazingly, we took off!

It was very slow at the beginning, and I think that was the key to helping us stay with it; it wasn't too hard. The program we did had us alternate running with walking and slowly worked us up to running longer and longer, until we were running the whole 5k. It was actually incredibly easy at the beginning.

Other perks were getting to know the area around my house better and listening to General Conference and podcasts while running (with no interruptions from kids!!!). Also also! I didn't change my diet at all and lost 15 lbs, going from a size 10 to a size 6 (or smaller. Women's sizes are pretty inconsistent...) I had to get new clothes because my old ones were too big. I went from being borderline overweight to being comfortably in the normal range with some wiggle room. Yay! I weigh even less than I did when Austin and I got married!

Austin and I traded off with the kids--I usually went running soon after he got home from work while he stayed with the kids, and then he'd go running after I got back. It worked out really well until Daylight Savings Time ended... then it was too dark for me to feel comfortable running around outside, even though we live in a safe area.

Anyway, it was a really great experience and helped me to get into shape. I recommend couch to 5k to anyone who's wanting to get started with exercise but doesn't want to go overboard.