Brain Cancer Month ~

May is brain cancer awareness month~
As you may or may not know, my beautiful mom, Rena, died from this horrible cancer in August of 2009.
I want to do anything possible to help in finding a cure for brain cancer.
When someone you love dies from something like this it makes you want to do something more, something to help prevent this from happening to other people. You feel like your hands are tied, you feel so helpless. So when this walk was brought to my attention I was very happy to know that there is something, even something small, that we can be a part of to help fight brain cancer.
There is a walk scheduled in Utah on Memorial Day, my family and friends and I will be walking that day in hopes to raise more awareness.
If you are able to walk with us that would be great~ If not, there is the option to donate to our team!
Our team name is Rena's Dragonflies~ If you click the link to sign up or to donate please be sure to donate to our team~ And together, hopefully we can help in this fight!
It is a devastating cancer that takes the lives of many people way to soon!
Thank you for your support! Please don't worry if you cannot donate, I just wanted to help get the word out about brain cancer and this walk. There are walks in other states as well if you would like to walk in another city. The website has other walks listed on the home page!

April foodie penpal...

I loved doing the foodie penpal last month so I signed up again for April. I may need to skip the next few months just because I am trying to watch my pennies. Though this really is an inexpensive and fun swap and you end up with things you use so it is awesome! :)
Brittany sent me these amazing things~

She did such a great job choosing things for me that I would use (And have used so much already)
Thank you Brittany!
I was paired with Stephanie and sent these things to her.

For more information on the swap, check out her blog! The foodie swap is hosted by The Lean Green Bean.

...the simple gifts...

I woke up early on Saturday morning and decided go for a bike ride.
It was such a beautiful morning. The light was gorgeous, the temperature was perfect and the scenery was simply beautiful~
I stopped to take a photo (with my phone) of these beautiful horses enjoying the sunshine and it made me think... that aside from fitness and health, there are so many simple gifts I give myself now that I have joined the world of being active ~

...A view of horses in the sun...
...The sound of frogs croaking so loudly as I ride past...
...60 minutes of solitude to think and ponder life...
...Watching beautiful black birds with bright red on their heads as they soar through the air...
...Being able to peel off the layers of excuses that use to weigh me down and now loving every minute of a run or a bike ride...
...Appreciating life...
...Feeling proud and strong...
...Being thankful for the health and ability to do the things I love...

...the simple gifts...

Quinoa....

"Quinoa (play /ˈkiːnwɑː/ or /kɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish: quinua, from Quechua: kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds."
It may not sound delicious but it is great for you and super tasty and versitile too! YUM!
The Quinoa cakes are my favorite new easy dinner!
If you have any Quinoa recipes to share I would love some new ideas!
This Quinoa recipe was found again on pinterest!
I add shredded carrot too, thanks to my friend Rachelle~

...on running...

It has been just over a year since I ran my first half marathon with my best friend, Heather.
We did not sign up this year, but we did sign up and have started training for....
RAGNAR!
It is a 200 mile race that you do with 12 runners splitting up the legs.
Over a 24 hour period you run 3 times, sleep in a van and eat...not sure where!
The race is in June ~ I will be running about 14 miles total in my 3 legs.
I am looking forward to continuing to train...
For having the challenge of the race...
And for sharing another amazing experience with Heather!

Dear clip in shoes....

You are new to me! I tried you on and fell the first 2 times I tried to stop~
I did ok the next few times! I went on my first ride with you on Sunday, 14 miles and did fine. I am glad that my awesome brother in law had you for me to use and the pedals too! (Thanks Kelly)
I am still nervous and hoping to get use to you soon so that I can ride more often and become more efficient!
Sincerely,
Still fearful of attaching myself to a bicycle :)

Brussels Sprouts... Who knew!

There were brussels sprouts (which I always thought was brussel sprouts, not brussels sprouts) in my Bountiful Baskets pick up. I had never really tried them before, let alone try cooking them. I found the idea from pinterest and thought it would be fun to try them out~ YUMALISH!!!
And the Garlic Aioli ~ Fantastic!
I love finding new vegetables to love! :)

And the winner is....

Jen, contact me and I will get your address and mail these to you! :) Congrats! I think you will love them both!

Tuesday giveaway!

I know I have posted about Millcreek Olive Oil before ~ But I cannot recommend this enough. I use the olive oil to cook with and I use the flavored vinegars on my salads every day. It is amazing and delicious!
You can order online so I highly recommend checking out his website.
I thought it would be fun to host a giveaway of one small olive oil and one small vinegar to share with the lucky winner.
Post a comment by Friday 04/20/12 at 8:00 and I will draw a winner that night.

Bountiful Baskets ~

My friends mom told me about this a few months ago and so I thought I would give it a try due to my love of fresh fruits and veggies.
It is called Bountiful Baskets and it seems like it is available all over the US.
You place an order on Monday and Saturday morning you pick up at your designated location.
It was $15.00 for what ended up being a laundry basket full of fruits and a laundry basket full of vegetables.
I have been juicing, drying fruit in my very old and rarely used dehydrator ~
And cooking a lot.
Here is the loot ~


Such a great deal for the price and everything you get.

A weekend in the desert...

I went to Moab last weekend with my good friend Rachelle. Her husbands family owns a condo there so we went down for the weekend.
Sometimes I forget how beautiful the entire state of Utah really is. Salt Lake City is surrounded by mountains and then just a few short hours away you are in such different landscape ~ Equally as beautiful.
Here are some photos from our trip.

A favorite snack!

Baked sweet potatoes! YUM!!
They are a great snack and also a wonderful addition to a salad~
After dusting off my food processor last summer (I don't think I had used it EVER and I have had it for 10-15 years) ~ It is a staple appliance in my kitchen now!
Peel sweet potatoes...

Slice thin with processor or knife... (Be careful with knives!) :)

Coat with olive oil and salt...

Spread on to a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 20 minutes then flip and bake 20 minutes more... (if they are thin keep an eye on them, they brown faster)


ENJOY!