Thursday, September 13, 2012

Shrimp and Guacamole Tostadas

This was our clean eating dinner for tonight and it was sooo yummy! I got the original recipe here and modified it for our family.

I did not take a picture, although they were picture worthy. Ooops, sorry!

I prepared my own guacamole recipe that I got from a friend instead of the one in the recipe. I will share that recipe tomorrow. 

Coat 1 pound of shrimp with 1 Tbsp. Cumin, 1 1/2 Tbsp. Chili Seasoning and 1 tsp. onion powder. Saute in 1-2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil for 5 minutes.

Top tostada with guacamole (I smeared it on first underneath the cheese so my kids couldn't see it and guess what? They loved it :), cheese, cabbage. shrimp and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice on top and enjoy! So easy and yummy!

Happy Eating!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Free entry to Bingham Canyon Mine

Here is a great coupon to get you into the mine, kennecott, for free. They will even
donate to a local charity with every visit so get out and Enjoy!

Click HERE for your coupon.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Chore Chart

This is a chore chart that is simple to make and is very rewarding to the child.
Take a large white magnet board (I found one at IKEA for hardly anything). Next divide the board into sections for how many children you have. Use electrical tape to make your chart...it is easily adjusted and removable if you want to use the board for something else in the future. 

Each square represents a chore or behavior that the child accomplishes. Magnets are added each time one a pre-designated chore or behavior is fulfilled. Once the child gets to the bottom of the chart with magnets, they receive the money award (in this case $5) and it starts over again.

Important to note that once earned, squares CANNOT be taken away. They did the positive behavior and it cannot be taken away from them...otherwise they would lose the incentive to keep trying if every time they did, it was taken away.

I used a single magnet as well and just moved it along the squares. The first section is for my oldest (and I write the names above their section so there is no confusion), the next is for the next oldest and the last is for my baby :) 

This has been very effective in our home. I will randomly tell them to move a space if they are being extra kind or do something without me asking. They love when I do that!


Happy Parenting!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Labor Day Labor of Love Hike

I admit that I am always pushing my family to do big things. I mean, why hike 3 miles when we can hike 10? I have an "I can do it" attitude and figure that if I think I can do it, then everyone else can too:) I have always been this way. Just ask my high school friend Sharee about some of our bone breaking, deep snow hiking, steep hill rollerblading, and more recently geo-caching experiences. She may laugh a bit and then definitely confirm that it somehow always ends up harder than I say it will be. I truly believe that we can do hard things and that it is good for kids and myself to always be reminded of this. 

This hike came about because I was anxious to do a new hike. I wanted it to be hard and long and beautiful. I wasn't disappointed. 

This hike starts at Brighton and goes up through Alta and then back down to Silver Fork Lodge. It was about 8.25 miles and took us roughly 4 1/2 hours with a 6 year old. Make sure everyone is well equipped with water, food, sunblock and good hiking shoes...tennis shoes will not be enough for this hike....we found out the hard way with that one.
Looking down Silver Fork Canyon
We started at the Silver Lake boardwalk in Brighton Utah. We hiked to the left around the boardwalk until we came to the Solitude Lake Junction. Instead of continuing around the lake we continued straight towards Solitude Lake. In no time at all we came to the Twin Lakes junction. You can turn here, but with it being such a busy day, we continued another 1/2 mile or so until we came to an unmarked trail that headed to the left. It can be overlooked if you are not careful. Turn onto this trail...you won't be disappointed. We rarely run into anyone on this trail. It is secluded, serene and very beautiful. It will eventually merge with the Twin Lakes trail. Continue to Twin Lakes. 

Once at Twin Lakes, on the north side of the lake is a small utility shack. After taking in the scenery and a break if needed, hop onto the trail near the utility shack and continue up the mountain towards Solitude Ski Resort. 

At the saddle you will be able to either go right and head down into Solitude Lake or stay left on the trail. Stay left and follow this road. You will come to a trail that goes left...
Here is the road and the trail is right where the man is standing. I took the photo looking back.
...take this trail until you come to a ski run sign that has 3 blue runs and one black run on it. Just past this sign you will need to follow a faint trail to the left. This trail accesses the Wolverine Cirque as well Grizzly Gulch. 


Once on the trail be sure to look back at Twin Lakes...the view is amazing!



Once at the next saddle, 


View looking into grizzly gulch.
...follow what looks like a wider trail. 

Follow the wide trail to the right.
This is where it became a bit difficult for us to find our way. You are now at Alta in Grizzly Gulch. If you want, just follow the road until you see a trail that goes right and heads up the mountain to another saddle. If you are more adventurous, try to stay somewhat high so that you do not have to drop down just to climb back up.

We had our GPS just to make sure we were in Grizzly Gulch and that we were going to be dropping down the correct canyon to get to Silver Fork Lodge. We got up onto the trail and followed it towards the saddle until there was a split in the trail. Unsure of which way to go, we chose to take the high trail and it was a good choice! This trail splits again. If you want to summit take the high trail, 


...otherwise they meet up again so the lower trail is fine. 

At the end of the trail you will find some old mining equipment. We went to look around and my kids were so enthralled with the whole thing. 

Before you get to the mining equipment the trail splits again. Take the lower trail and follow it around and down the canyon. There was difficulty finding the correct trail here. It is very faint. We did mark the trail with a cairn, but I am not sure if it will still be standing. If you continue on the trail until you can see down the canyon with an unobstructed view you have gone about 300 feet too far. Backtrack and look for a faint trail. 

You will come across another area with mining equipment and then some really steep downhill was next on the docket. Make sure you have good footwear. You will come out at the trailhead in the homes of those living in Silver Fork. Look across the road and there is another trail. Hop on that and follow it down closer to the lodge.

We followed the trail down the canyon and came out at a parking lot on a road. Follow the road down until you come to the canyon road and the lodge is about .25 miles up the road. 


This hike is not for beginning hikers and you should leave plenty of time to get back before dark. We parked our car near the lodge before the hike or you could have someone pick you up.

Happy Hiking!

Yum! Chocolate "Moose"

 With all this clean eating that has been going on at our house, my boys thought they were so funny to 
find some chocolate "moose" to eat by the lake :)

 Open wide!




Thursday, September 6, 2012

Stress Relief Gift


My friend was telling me about all of the stress she was having and how it almost made her cry. I have been there and I am sure that most of you have been there at one time or another.
These are the type of opportunities that we should watch for. They give us an opportunity to serve someone else if only in a small way. And...serving others is good for the heart and the mind.

I decided to make a fun little gift to cheer her up. I went to the dollar store and bought some bubble wrap. I cut it into 6 inch strips and the rolled it up. I chose a pretty ribbon and tied a bow around the bubble wrap.


I used my silhouette machine to print and cut out a tag that says,
 "Stress Relief
Simply pop capsules every 4-6
hours as needed until symptoms 
are alleviated."
Then I attached the tag with string to the bow so that it would hang nicely.
I made a few extra for those unexpected times that someone needs a smile:)


I love how it turned out. I am off now to deliver this to her and hope it makes her laugh a little.
That's what friends are for...right?

Have a stress free day!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Ski Utah 5th Grade Passport

September is a great time of year here in Utah. The trees are beginning to change, the mountains are beautiful and it is time to think about ski season. Ski season is right around the corner. One of the best programs we participate in as a family is the 5th and 6th grade ski utah ski passports.

September is the earliest time to get them. It costs a mere $35 and gives your 5th grader 3 lift tickets to every resort here in Utah...that's right...3 to each resort! How great is that? For us it is fantastic. The 6th graders get 1 pass to every resort for the same price. By the time you hit 7th grade your kids will be hooked and unfortunately there are no more ski passports :)

Simply click here if you have a 5th grader. If you have a 6th grader click here. They will be available sometime this month so please keep checking back until the forms are up. You will need to submit a fairly recent photo of your child along with the money and the forms. It takes a few weeks to get the passport in the mail so plan appropriately. I always seem to put it off and put it off until I find it November and we are headed out to ski...without our passport. This year I am getting a jump on it.

Happy Skiing!!