Change

I haven't blogged in a long time- sorry about that. Life has been insanely busy and a lot of things have changed. Starting with selling the house and moving back to California. Moving has been a tough transition- I love California, it will always be home to me. However, I lived in Minnesota for so long, trudged through an intense 8+ years of schooling and made a life, lifelong friends, and even had a Minnesota accent (so I've been told...). Minnesota also became home too. The transition relocating hasn't just been tough on me :) The only one this transition HAS been easy on is the darn dog. He loves California, just misses his play mate Cletus. 

I will start blogging recipes and crafts again

I'll start my blog with the top 10 GREAT things about living in California

10. The ocean (too bad it doesn't help with the drought)
9.   The ethnic diversity..... MN was land of Scandinavians (which trust me I'm into that...) but there really isn't much diversity. California is like the melting pot of cultures and it's great!
8.   The food- fresh seafood, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Italian--- all 100% authentic food whenever you want it. I learned that I am addicted to Pho soup.
7. Laura- No other words other than I missed the heck out of this girl living in the Midwest for so long.
6. The weather- 95 during the day, 60 at night and perfect at around 4 pm every single day.
5. The hospitals- Some of the greatest hospitals are right here in the Bay Area
4. The lay of the land-- Ocean to the West, Redwoods to the North, Desert to the south, and Yosemite and Tahoe to the East.
3.  New friends I've made- I've met some cool ladies since I moved here!
2. No snow ruining my commute
1. My FAMILY ~*~ Kristen

Paper Flower Tutorial Part 1 (Tissue Paper Flowers)

Hi Guys, I had this tutorial on here a long time ago and somehow it along with the youtube video were accidentally deleted when I updated my blogger address. I'm doing the paper flower tutorial in 3 parts. Part 1 for how to make a tissue paper flower is below. To make tissue paper flowers you need: Tissue paper (any color)-- I made these for a friends wedding and I use light pink and cream color. Floral Wire (I bought the long ones from The Hobby Lobby and cut them in half) $2.99 for like 40 of them. Steps: 1. Cut a square of tissue paper. You need at least 6 pieces of tissue paper so I usually just cut 1 square chunk out of the tissue paper. The larger your square, the larger your flower will be. 2. Fold your square of tissue paper accordion style. 3. Fold your accordion in half and in the middle point cut two tiny slits on both sides 4. Wrap the floral wire around the area you just made a slit. 5. Cut the edge of the tissue paper in the shape you want (Round, pointy etc) 6. Fan the flower out 7. Pull up the individual layers of tissue paper Yep it's really that simple :) You can make the flowers pointy or round, and I've even done variations where I used different colors of tissue paper within each flower (switch up the colors in between layers of tissue paper before you fold it). Have fun!

What's in a Vitamin?

I spend a fair amount of money between GNC and the Vitamin Shoppe every month. I try not to buy a bunch of weird supplements, and I'd say most of what I'm buying ends up being some form of vitamin or mineral supplement. So why take all these vitamins? Well because the human body requires 13 essential vitamins and amino acids to function, growth, and for metabolic processes. Vitamins are broken up into 2 categories:

Fat Soluble Vitamins: Stored in your fatty tissue, and are typically absorbed by the foods we eat such (dietary fats, vegetables, fruits etc). Fat soluble vitamins are stored in the body and therefore are not needed as often as water soluble vitamins. Over consumption of fat soluble vitamins can lead to toxicity.
A- Necessary for vision, bone growth, and a healthy immune system. This is normally found from animal derivatives (milk, egg, butter) as well as a beta- carotene precursor. The body is able to convert the beta-carotene precursor to a usable form of vitamin A from dark green vegetables, squash (pumpkin, sweet potato, summer squash), and from fruits such as oranges, apricots, and melon.
D-- Necessary for calcium absorption necessary for bone health. Found in milk, cheese etc. In the presence of sunlight the body's skin is also able to synthesize vitamin D.
E -- Necessary for healthy cells. It's found in plant oils, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds.
K-- Necessary for clotting factors. Your liver utilizes vitamin K to make clotting proteins in your blood. Ever taken care of someone who takes coumadin (warfarin) and they are cautious about consuming too many OR too little green/leafy vegetables? That's because green veggies are rich in vitamin K. Coumadin works against vitamin K by preventing your liver from its ability to use vitamin K to synthesize clotting factors. If you are on anticoagulant therapy make sure you work with your provider and coumadin clinic and keep a consistent amount of vitamin K in your diet. This vitamin is also produced in the intestinal tract by bacteria.

Water Soluble Vitamins: These are vitamins that can dissolve in water. Water-soluble vitamins travel to the body's tissues but are not stored in the body and excess amounts of vitamin are excreted by the kidneys. The body needs water soluble vitamins in frequent and small doses, and because these vitamins are not stored in our fat, there is a lower risk for toxicity. This doesn't mean that water soluble vitamins are a free for all; toxicity can still occur with. Water soluble vitamins are found in plant and animal foods or dietary supplements and must be taken in daily. Vitamin C and members of the vitamin B complex are water-soluble. Most people obtain these vitamins directly from foods they eat each day (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Vitamin C etc..). However, some individuals (elderly, those with absorption issues, pregnant women, those on certain diuretics/medications, vegetarians) may need to use supplements to obtain enough of the required vitamins. If you start out on a new vitamin go slow and always make sure you let your provider know what supplements/complementary alternative therapy you're taking.

Here's what I take each day:
Multi Vitamin (1), Omega 3-6-9 (2), Apple Cider Vinegar (1), and CLA (2).
If you take a vitamin and your urine is turning green or some other weird color-- guess what-- you're excreting vitamin and whatever you're taking isn't needed by your body. The guy at GNC tried to tell me to take 2 horse pill vitamins each day and I explained to him that I was wasting them if I did that. I suppose that's how they make their money.

Happy Saturday,
Kris

Eeek sorry for not posting

Hey guys,
Life has been insane lately, so sorry for not posting since November. My days are spent working/in the hospital 24/7 (or so it seems), but hopefully I'll have some time to update soon. It's felt like the worlds longest winter ever and I can't wait for summer, sunshine, and BBQs.

I promise to update soon
~K

DIY mug

Looking for something easy/fun to personalize as a gift for a co-worker, neighbor, kids teacher etc? These mugs are super easy and fun to make. You can buy mugs from the dollar store... Make your design with a sharpie permanent marker, and then bake at 250 for 30 minutes.

Gumbo

Out of no where I got this cold...sore throat, achy body.....runny nose. My sister offered to fly from CA to MN to make me chicken noodle soup (which she make the best...) but I ended up making some Gumbo. This recipe is pretty easy to make, and prep time is ~ 30 minutes.

Here's what you need:

1 lb of italian or spicy italian sausage
Andouille Sausage
1 lb of fresh shrimp (uncooked)
1 green bell pepper
1 red or yellow bell pepper
6 cups of chicken broth
2 cans of diced tomato
1 TBSB creole or cajun seasoning
1 yellow onion
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen okra
1/2 cup of uncooked rice

A mini step by step below:


I make this recipe in a dutch oven- I'd love to get one from Le Cruset, but I actually got this one from Ikea for $19.99 and it's been pretty great!





Cook your italian sausage and andouille sausage



Chop your onion (and remember not to chop the "butt of the onion off" or you'll be crying...and add to the sausage as it's cooking. Also chop your 2 bell peppers and add.



Here's what the cooked sausage, onion, and peppers look like.




Add your 2 cans of diced tomato + your 6 cups of Chicken broth and simmer on low




Add your creole or cajun seasoning. If your seasoning has salt in it, go easy on it. I also added 1 TBSP of red pepper flakes to add a little heat.




When the soup has simmered on low for 45 minutes add your uncooked shrimp, 1/2 cup of rice, and your fresh or frozen Okra. cook another 30 minutes.

 ~*~ Kris

5:30 am crockpot beef

I made this half awake on my way out. Let it cook on low for 12 hours. It was really good. I felt bad that poor Koda had to sit at home and smell this cooking all day. He never drools and when I came home he actually was drooling :-)

Total prep time- 10 minutes

Roast

1/2 bag of baby carrots

6-8 baby red potatos washed and halved

1 packet of Lipton's Beefy Onion Soup Mix

Garlic powder/thyme/Sage seasoning

Put the roast on the bottom of your crockpot and season with garlic powder, thyme and sage. Cover your roast with 1 packet of beefy onion soup mix. Surround the roast with your baby red potatoes, and lastly add your carrots to the top. You put the carrots on top because they don't take as long to cook, and if they are near the bottom they'll be too soft. Add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water over everything. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

~*~ Kris