Mediterranean Spice and Herbs Rice Mix Packets

Mediterranean Spice and Herbs Rice Mix

2 cups par-boiled rice (I used brown minute rice)

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

½ tsp parsley

½ tsp thyme

¼ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground pepper

1/8 to ¼ tsp chili powder

1/8 to ¼ tsp cumin

optional:

1/2 to 1 tsp salt (use less if using broth instead of water)

Mix all ingredients in a ziplock bag.  Add salt or wait to season to taste after cooking.  Write the following directions on the bag: Bring 2 cups water or broth to boil.  Stir in rice mix and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.  Pull off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste if not included in mix. 

(picture isn't mine)

Creole Cod and Creamy Millet-Delicious!

Creole Cod-Adapted from Weight Watcher's Microwave Creole Cod

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp creole or Cajun seasoning (i.e. Tony Chachere's)
8 oz tomato sauce
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/4 Ibs cod, tilapia, or trout

Preheat oven to broil. Combine bell pepper, onion, garlic, and Cajun seasoning in a microwavable bowl.  Cover and microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Stir and microwave 2 1/2 minutes.  Drain any liquid.  Add tomato sauce and chopped tomato.  Microwave until heated through, about 3 minutes. 

While vegetables are cooking, place cod on an a sprayed baking dish.  Broil for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Don't overcook the fish.    Serve vegetable salsa over fish.

Note: You can cook the cod in the microwave also, for about 3 to 4 minutes until it flakes easily.  I chose to do it in the oven since the salsa was cooking in the microwave.  That way the meal gets done sooner and it's all warm at the same time.


Shay's Creamy Millet

2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (Swanson's Natural Goodness, reduced sodium)
3/4 cup millet
2 TBS lemon juice
salt, for sprinkling in boiling water
dill weed to taste
garlic salt to taste

Combine broth, millet, lemon juice, and a few shakes of salt in a pot with a lid.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, until small bubbles are forming.  Cook covered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring two or three times.  Let the millet rest uncovered for another 10 minutes.  Stir in some dill and garlic salt to taste.

Freakin' yummy and healthy bruschetta and garden alfredo pasta!

Had this tonight:

(stole the picture, but you get the idea)

 

along with this:

 

 



Chicken Garden Medley Pasta

(another stolen picture from tasteofhome.com)

 

The bruschetta was so yummy (recipe below)! I was all out of balsamic vinegar so I just used red wine vinegar.  For the pasta, we used lite coconut milk instead of cream, left out the chicken, used Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti, and kept the parmesan cheese as an optional topping to add at the end.  I did have to add a little more flour to thicken the sauce, needed a little more salt than called for, and added some fresh chopped basil from the garden.  This meal could've been full fledged vegan if I would've used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.  I could be a vegan if every meal tasted this good! Seriously!!!! Ok, so maybe not...I'd miss my meat.  But hey, it sure makes our weekly or biweekly vegetarian/vegan night at our house not only doable, but enjoyable!!! And, Brady ate the EXACT SAME FOOD AS WE DID!!! I only cooked one dinner tonight, not two.  I can count on one hand the times that has happened since that kid started eating solid food.

 

Bruschetta Recipe-from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen Cookbook,

(I can tell I'll love this cookbook already!)

¾ pound ripe tomatoes, preferably vine-ripened, and finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon balsamic or sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar this time)

Salt,  to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 slices of Italian bread (or whole wheat sandwich bread)

1 large clove garlic, halved (I just used store-bought minced)

Place the tomatoes, chopped basil, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; toss well to combine. Set aside for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Broil the bread in the oven until just slightly toasted.  Watch it close; like a hawk (I set my timer in 1 minute increments so I don't get side tracked and forget).  Rub the toasted side of the bread with the flat sides of the garlic halves (I just put a few small pieces of minced garlic on the tip of a spoon and rubbed it into the bread really well.) Top each slice evenly with the tomato mixture, using about 2 tablespoons per piece.  Serve at room temperature.

 

PER SERVING Calories 111 · Protein 3g · Total Fat 3g · Saturated Fat 1g · Cholesterol 0mg · Carbohydrate 18g . Dietary Fiber 2g . Sodium 170mg

Now I can pin this.  Take that, pinterest!

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup

Since cantaloupes all vary in size, I put this recipe in more of a ratio format.

Puree your cantaloupe in a blender until smooth.
For every cup of pureed cantaloupe, add the following:
1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/2 TBS fresh lime juice
1 pinch of cinnamon
mint leaves for garnish
Optional: a little bit of sugar/sweetener to taste.

Before adding the mint leaves, release some of the mint juices by clapping the mint leaves between your hands until the leaves tear a little. Stir the mint into the soup.Chill the cantaloupe soup in the fridge or even place it in the freezer for 20 or 30 minutes.  Serve it very cold. 

I haven't posted in forever.

This blog sure has taken a backseat over the last year and a half.  Don't get your hopes up, it still probably will take a back seat.  Life has too many other priorities going on.  Right now I just a tool to let me store/organize recipes that are healthy for Brady (with all his allergies) and for us.  And, pinterest doesn't work if you don't have a picture to pin on the site you want to pin, or if you created something yourself without a picture.  So I'll be posting lot's of pictures I've googled that match what I need so I can get our recipes pinned.  But atleast I will change the background so I don't have to wait a whole more year for it to be in season like we did last year. :)  If you want ideas for whole food recipes without a lot of common allergens, keep checking out our posts or swing by the pinterest board.

Brady loved this recipe and I was so impressed as well!


Gluten and Allergen Free, Whole Grain Crepes, with Raspberries and Vanilla "Yogurt"
1 batch of crepes (recipe below)
raspberries
coconut milk vanilla yogurt

Wrap the raspberries and yogurt inside the crepes and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Gluten Free Crepes

(I will edit this next time so the cup measurements are included, not the gram measurements. Most good gluten-free sites use weights instead of cup measurements.  I usually convert recipes after I use my kitchen scales to see what the amounts are.)

85 g buckwheat flour
50 g quinoa flour
50 g sorghum flour
20 g tapioca starch
20 g potato starch
½ tsp salt
3 large eggs or egg substitute
1 ¾ to 2 cups water

Heat a skillet on medium to medium high heat.  Blend all ingredients until smooth in a blender.  Spray skillet with nonstick spray.  Fill a ¼ cup scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup about three quarters full and dump the batter onto the skillet.  Work quickly to smooth the batter out thinly in a circle.  Once the batter starts to bubble, flip it to the other side.  Crepes should cook about 30 seconds per side.  Store the cooked crepes on a plate inside a ziplock bag until all the crepe batter has been cooked, so they don’t dry out before you are ready to serve them.

 

3 month old pics from Nov 19th through Dec 19th

playing shepherd with dad

 

thinks he's so big

taking pics with mommy

 riding mommy's shoulders

 facebook profile worthy?

 first time in his bumbo, just before Thanksgiving

I left Brady on the lovesac to go heat his bottle, a few minutes was all it took to come back to this!  He was so content too!  Did I mention this kid loves to chew on cloth of any kind?



A Post A Day To Try and Catch Up #3-A Name And A Blessing

Ok, this post is a little out of order, since I am catching up from most recent to least recent....but I was so excited to post it!

October 30, 2011... little boy, this is the second important date of your life (including your birthdate) that will be recorded in the books for eternity! :) 

Special Memories of this Day:

• Uncle Kalen got to be in the prayer circle.  This was his first time participating in a blessing and using his new Priesthood gift. :)
• Great Grandpa Brady was in the circle.  He had a stroke a few years ago and his left hand doesn't work like it used to, so Uncle Kalen helped him hold his left hand under you to support you in the circle.  More :)
• We used my blessing blanket to wrap you. I wish I thought to take a picture of you with it
• People in your circle (they will always be in your "circle" little man!): Colton Dye (Dad), Shane Brady (Grandpa), Lorain Brady (Great Grandpa), Jon Woodland (Uncle), Kalen Brady (Uncle), Kyle Dye (Great Uncle), Waye Holgreen (Great Uncle), Norville Glines (Great Uncle), Jayson Jones (Cousin), Dustin Glines (Cousin), Dave Ursem (Cousin)

A Post a Day to Try and Catch Up-Brady's 4 month old stats

Brady hit 4 months old on December19th.  I took him into the doctor to check a few things on the 15th but they wouldn't let us do his official 4 month checkup/immunizations a few days early.   We ended up having to schedule and re-schedule again so finally he got in yesterday(30th). Colton ended up taking him and forgot the pacifier and bottle but Brady did so well and only cried for a few seconds after his shots.  Lucky for daddy!

Yesterday:
Weight-15 Ibs. 11 oz. 50% (on the 15th, 4 days shy of 4 months he weighed 15 Ibs. on the $$$)
Length-26 1/4 in. 90%
Head Circumference-44.3 cm. 90%

His head circumference has earned him the nickname, "Chief Little Big Head." :)  And he is definitely the chief around here!

He also has several other nicknames...the child with many names:
-Dill Pickle (when he is ornery I ask him, "What's the deal, dill pickle?"
-Crabby Patty (also when he is pitchin' a fit)
-Chicken Nugget
-Baby Bird
-lil' muggle
and anything with "stink" attached to the end of it.  Heaven forbid we should call him Brady!

He is chattering, squeeling, smiling, using his fingers to grab things and pull them to his mouth, sits up with help but not alone quite yet, starts to arch his back when laying on the floor, and he used to roll from belly to back.  He did that at 9 weeks but he can't do it anymore.  My guess, his head is too big now! :)   He is so long (always 90th %) and flirts with the 70th percentile for weight...lot's of people have told me bigger babies sit up, roll over, crawl a little later since they have so much mass to try and move.  I love his little guts and keep begging him to stop getting so big, so I really am ok with his average development. It doesn't bother this momma in the slightest!

A Post a Day to Try 'n' Catch up-Brady's Christmas

Yes, we actually had a son. He really is here...you don't believe me?  I promise!  But wouldn't I post him on my blog if we really indeed had him???? hehehe...this little man is rockin' my world!  But he is getting better, thank goodness.  "They" always tell you it will get better, but you never believe them.  And then it does.

this round little head fits perfectly in this cute little hat! I love this round face!

another cute hat! our angry birdie!

This giraffe rattle is Brady's favorite toy.  Grandma called it his "raffy".  I think the name is sticking.  We bought him a play mat with toys hanging over head for Christmas, since just after Thanksgiving he figured out how to grab stuff.  The only problem is he can't pull the hanging toys to his mouth and they get stuck.  He gets mad and it is cute!  But his raffy he can suck on.  And boy does he knaw the nose of that raffy!  This boy LOVES to suck/chew/gum blankies, toys, burp rags, clothes, your shoulder, etc.

this is how Brady hangs out with dad and the uncles....gamin'!

uncle Kalen

uncle Kanden

and being so big with uncle Kaulan

This is our baby marshmellow.  Each year, our little family gets our hot chocolate on!  We take our warm beverage of choice, get bundled up, and go in search of a Christmas ornament that represents us/our year.  That way decades from now, our tree will tell our story.  We try to find someplace with lot's of lights and little shops and if we are lucky, Christmas music playing over some speakers.  This year we went to Gardner Village again.  Brady LOVED looking at the lights!  The Christmas Shoppe was open year round and had more ornaments than I have ever seen.  It was the best place to find an ornament, but it closed down :(.  We had fun though! It is such a neat place, I recommend you go there!

Gardner Village, lightin', lookin', ornament huntin', hot cocoain' :)

Brady's first tree and our first tree in our first owned home! Pretty special! My dad cut this down and brought this to us over Thanksgiving Break. He came to visit us all by himself, so he could visit Brady and have him all to himself and not have to share him with anyone! That ol' man is getting softer and softer!

Brady really started giggling and squealing on a consistant basis during my dad's visit.  This picture melts my heart.

who needs presents under the tree?

Dear Brady,

This Christmas rocked!  I have never enjoyed a Christmas so much as I have this year. It is more special with you here. Your dad and I just spent evenings playing with you, giving you baths, cuddling you to sleep, and then we would watch sappy Hallmark videos with pillows and blankets on the floor while you were upstairs sleeping.  We kept saying how we can't wait until you are a few years older and can watch them with us, all cuddled up next to us.  It will be a family sleepover holiday tradition for sure!  Having you as my baby helped me understand the story of the Nativity in a whole new way! Ahhhh man! Christmas is so much more fun with a kid!  I can't wait until you know and understand what all this fuss is about!  Next year, baby son, next year!

Spinal Muscular Atrophy-Colton's cousin baby Noah

Family and Friends...we have a cousin on Colton's side who's little boy has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Their little man just turned age 1 and must have a wheel chair in order to get around. He is the cutest thing and we love him to death! His first chair costs around $3000 or $4000 and then he will need a different one at age 2 that will cost roughly $35,000! Please donate to our little Noah. Any amount helps! To read more about their journey, see their blog http://oursmajourney.blogspot.com/. It also has a new video of Noah in his demo chair. They have to send back the demo in two weeks, so lets help get this little guy a permanent chair!  The donation site is http://www.everribbon.com/ribbon/view/1880

to read more about SMA, visit http://www.smafoundation.org/about-sma

This is Noah! I hope his mummy & daddy don't mind me stealing a picture of their cutie to share with all of you.


Cute Noah at the hospital for his surgery to have a feeding tube put in. :(

Correction on the slideshow!

So  the password is 0819bradydye on bellababyphotography.com .  I put 0809 in the last post...which is my birthday not his! Silly me!  But in my  defense, here is what our Augusts now look like...

3rd-day we met AND day Colton proposed (a year later mind you!)
6th-our anniversary (again, another year after the proposal, just to clarify)
9th-my birthday
19th-our son's birthday
24th-my parent's anniversary
25th-my brother's birthday

!!!!!!

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY! BRADY LEE DYE

Pictures are comin!  Until then, go to bellababyphotography.com and enter 0809bradydye as the password.  This is a SWEET little slideshow/photoshoot put to music at the hospital to debut this little guy! Hurry fast, it’s only up for 10 more days!  A BIG shoot out THANK YOU to Megan and Colten Bracken for the Utes blanket!  It came two days before the pictures and was the most perfect prop for our Utah Man sir!

Our lil' man was born on Friday, August 19, 2011! What an awesome day! He weighed 7 Ibs. 8 oz. and was 20.5 inches long (just like his mom on height, I think lol). I was started on pitocin at 12:20 and my water was broken around 1:00 pm. The contractions hit hard and fast, coming about every 1 1/2 minutes. By the time I requested my epidural, I was on a waiting list behind several other laboring mothers. The ode to mother nature was not fun! An hour and a half later I finally got some relief. Then I was stuck dilated at 9 1/2 cm for about 4 hours and that was the pits! I started pushing around 9:20 pm and had him at 11:21 pm.  I started to fatigue toward the end of pushing and my pushes were getting weaker and weaker.  I was severely swollen from all the pushing and had to have an episiotomy but that hasn't been too bad.  It was such a weird feeling when he came out!  Like he just suddenly slid out all slippery and was here! Lil' man hardly cried and was very alert and looking around at everyone right after his birth and for a long time! I've never seen his daddy look happier. :)

UTAH FIGHT SONG! for our sweet lil' Utah Man!
VERSE
I am a Utah man, sir, and I live across the green.
Our gang, it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star.
Our yell, you hear it ringing through the mountains near and far.
CHORUS
Who am I, sir? A Utah man am I A Utah man, sir, and will be till I die; Ki!Yi!
We're up to snuff; we never bluff,
We're game for any fuss,
No other gang of college men
dare meet us in the muss.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and
shout it to the sky,
We'll fight for dear old Crimson,
for a Utah man am I.
VERSE
And when we prom the avenue, all lined up in a row,
And arm in arm and step in time as down the street we go.
No matter if a freshman green, or in a senior's gown,
The people all admit we are the warmest gang in town.
CHORUS
VERSE
We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere,
But while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer,
And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh,
With parting breath we'll sing that song:
"A Utah Man Am I".

You're INVITED to a baby shower!

Just thought I'd post this here to catch anyone who's email I don't have or doesn't have a facebook account.

Come celebrate Shay & Colton's lil' guy with us!

Hosted by GRANDMA BRADY & AUNT SUMMER

Open house style @ Shay's new house!
Saturday July 30th
2:00 to 4:00 pm
72 Montrose Lane
Saratoga Springs, UT 84043
Call or text if you get lost! It's easy to do around these parts! (970) 629-1417

The new parents are registered at babys r us and walmart, a money tree will be provided.

*If you received this and you are a guy, it is for your wife/significant female other! :) pass it along!

Colton's Birthday, helicopters, and rad birthday cake

Colton turned 27 this year!  I took him on a surprise helicopter ride at the Eagle Mountain Pony Express days.  This was after his big 6 hour long CFA exam the day before his birthday.  We got lost trying to find where to go and he was kinda ornery after the exam...on top of starving.  He thought I was taking him to the Clint Black concert, which I would've loved but this boy HATES country music.  After last year's cool birthday surprise (sailing, which I still haven't posted yet!) I'm surprised he doubted me!  Hope I don't run out of fun surprises any time soon!

 front seat of his birthday ride

 the carnival below

 Eagle Mountain community

 the carnival again

 Utah lake

 our helicopter for the evening

 birthday cake I made Colton, and a glimpse of my belly poking out at the bottom, oops!  I was pretty proud of this cake!

 Jett and Taelyn were very excited about Colton's birthday cake...he even let them blow out his candles for him!

The Birthday boy!  We had a BBQ for his birthday.  He chose bratwursts for his birthday dinner and toasted butter pecan cake for dessert.  We were joined by the Jones', the Woodlands, the Millers (minus Sam), and Natalie (VanTassle) and Thane ? (don't know last name).

27 Things About Colton (idea stolen from my friend Holly):
1. Miracle whip is probably his favorite food.  He eats it on bread with dinner frequently, like bread and butter only bread and miracle whip...lots and lots of miracle whip.
2. His favorite things are probably eating and sleeping.
3. He LOVES all football of any kind.
4. His #1 school is of course the University of Utah...thus, the reason behind the cake decorations.
5. He was a BIG baby, almost 10 pounds!  Sure hope our son is more like his mother in this department!
6. He liked cowboy stuff when he was little.  Which is surprising to me because he's pretty anti-cowboy these days!
7. He drools in his sleep.
8. He sings in the car, but only if it's just him and I.  Infact, knows the words to a Moulan Rouge song, it's even on one of his CDs not mine, and now I must learn the girl part of the song so I can't be outdone by my hubby!
9.One of his favorite disney movies is Sleeping Beauty.
10. He loves to debate/argue just for fun.
11. He hates vienna sausages...the only food I can think of that he strongly dislikes!
12. He drove all the way to Atlanta, Georgia without trading anyone and without stopping to sleep or rest!
13. He has worked on an oil rig twice now.
14. Bears were the thing he feared most as a little boy and he had "nightmares" about them. Now they are just called "dreams" because he beats them up! ;)
15. He eats very fast and is well known for his "Colton bites."  He doesn't chew his food very well still it just all goes down almost whole.
16. He loves kids and especially getting them into trouble and making them do stuff to anger their parents.
17.  His favorite pop is sprite.
18. He has a huge scar on his back from a wreck on a scooter when he was younger.
19. He doesn't like baseball and stopped playing when he was younger once the pitchers were throwing too fast and it made him nervous of getting hit.
20. He can do back flips while snowboarding.
21. (Are we to 27 yet? This is why I couldn't put this off for a later birthday, 27 things is tough!) He likes to watch Godzilla (the newer one) when he can't sleep at night.
22.  Some of his favorite movies are The Count of Monte Cristo, X-Men, Transformers, and Ironman.
23. He swam as a part of a team triathlon before.
24. He has invested/traded millions of dollars for his company already at 1 year of working for them.
25. He can change the brakes on my car now! Yippee for not paying mechanic fees!
26. He is a crazy sleeper! He gets all tangled in the covers! He used to flail and accidentally hit me in his sleep but somehow he's trained not to do that anymore! :)
27. He is the luckiest person I know! Especially when it comes to guessing answers on test/trivia questions.

AVP

 AVP = Alien vs. Predator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_vs._Predator_%28film%29

I have mentioned this movie a lot since we have been having ultra sounds and since my stomach never seems to stop growling/girgling.  Colton is really the one who mentions it in reference to our sweet little baby to be.  In case you don't have a clue about this totally boy movie, these predator dudes (robot-like things) hunt these alien guys as a rite of passage and all of humankind is stuck in the middle.  The plot is sub-par, the mucous/slobbers/green goo are a little (or a lot) over the top, the acting is horrible; but hey, it's got "decent graphics and fighting", or so I hear from the hubby.  Maybe it's just something us girls will never understand.

 L to R: Alien, Predator, and of course, lot's of saliva...

How does this relate to our little guy?  The predators hunt the aliens for a rite of passage/for fun, as was mentioned.  The predators need a nice little hunting ground, a.k.a. earth, to raise their "ultimate" alien prey to hunt.  But where do humans come in? Well, you see, the queen Alien produces eggs.   The humans must be a host to propogate the alien species of course!  When these alien eggs hatch, they become these little alien "face huggers," second stage of development or something to that affect.  What face huggers do, is attach to human faces and insert future alien posterity down the mouths and into the stomachs of the humans.  The humans act as hosts to the species and don't know what is parasitically growing inside of them until......the aliens develop into the "chestburster" stage (third stage of alien development)...you can only image what that entails.  The aliens burst out of the humans, leaving them dead....quite graphic....quite boy movie.  Back to our child... Colton thinks this:

looks like a "chestburster."

Colton  thinks this:

 sounds like an alien

Colton thinks this:

looked like it was about to burst out of my human cavity last night! 

And I couldn't agree with him more!  For the last week Colton has been able to feel the baby move, but only when I cue him to when the kicks are happening.  Last night, we could SEE my belly moving and Colton didn't need any help feeling those kicks.  Even under a blanket my belly was wiggling all over the place!  It sure does feel like I have a little alien in there and it sure did look like it last night too!  Hopefully minus the goo/saliva and all the sacrificing of human life and such!

our lil person is a lil............Mr.!!!!!!!

It's a boy! I am SO glad we found out!  It feels so much more personal and real to me now than it did before.  I secretly knew it would be a boy from a passed experience but you're always afraid to trust those kind of experiences and instincts.  Here is our little boy's first debute!

 His hand was by his face the whole time, sometimes both of them blocked his face.  I wonder if he will sleep with his hands by his face like mom....

The ultra-sound tech asked us what we thought we were having.  Before she told us, when Colton saw this screen, he thought, "It's definitely a boy!"

hands by his face again

Dad's smiley/chubby cheeks?! We will have to wait and see!

This little hand (the one not permanently by his face) waived to us a lot!

This one is my other little boy's favorite....Colton made yet another Alien vs. Predator comment when he saw this. :) silly boy!