Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Food Nanny

When I first heard about The Food Nanny in our Relief Society announcements at church, I thought, what the heck is The Food Nanny? I figured, okay..this must be about food storage and all that stuff that I'm totally not in to (even though I really REALLY should be...I'm trying.) I didn't give it a second thought until I found a little flyer stuck to our door yesterday that one of the members must have been passing out. Well, I figured since we were in a new ward and we actually really love our new ward (yay!), that I really wanted to participate and be active in all of the activities so... I decided I was going to go! Luckily my cousin Lynne (who is moving into our new ward too...yay!) decided she wanted to go too! Well we went to hear The Food Nanny speak and what an awesome speaker!! The Food Nanny had SO many incredible motivational stories and her whole focus was on...DINNER! I know...it seems so simple, but eating dinner as a family consistently and at least 5 times a week has profound effects on the strength and love of a family. We learn these things from our church leaders today but The Food Nanny has made this her focus and passion and she has written a book and even has her own show on BYUtv! She has really great resources on her website (www.thefoodnanny.org) that will help families-and it's never too late to start! She even focuses on being budget friendly and healthy! I'm so impressed by the things I learned tonight and was so glad that she demonstrated her easy homemade pizza crust (because I never thought it was that easy!). We sat and listened to her for an hour and a half...and I could have easily listened to her speak for another 5 hours. Ü I'm definitely motivated and I plan to start on the path she's laid out next week! I love cooking at home and I have been, but I know that consistency is definitely something we can work on (besides, eating out really does get expensive..yeesh!) Anything that will improve the love and bond we already have as a family is worth making a change for. :)

Here is some info from her website as well as the BYUtv website. All of this content is directly from www.thefoodnanny.org and www.byutv.org/foodnanny

Everyone across this vast world has one thing in common and that is dinnertime. I want to bring more families home for dinner!

When my husband and I were raising our children, our consistent family dinnertime was the glue that kept our family close. By sharing this meal together each night, we were able to form a united family that was loyal toward one another, that was aware of one another's needs, and that shared each other's joys and tears.

Through the years, I have been able to help neighbors and friends find their way to a consistent family dinnertime. Teaching others how to prepare a meaningful dinner meal became a passion for me and now, with my upcoming book, The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner, that help will be available to everyone!

Each person deserves a meaninful dinnertime - even if you're cooking only for yourself, the aromas of dinner coming from your kitchen can permeate your home every night. I believe this is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your family each day.
The Food Nanny Fundamentals
Nothing can replace family dinner. The Food Nanny philosophy is built around the idea that the most important thing you will do each day is cook dinner for your family and sit down together to eat. The smells and chemistry that permeate the home throughout the dinner hour are without substitute. Research has shown that kids who eat dinner with their parents are healthier, more advanced in literacy, and less likely to get involved in drugs and alcohol. You can make a more unified, happier family in just one hour a day.
The key to a successful family dinner all comes down to planning. My famous Nanny Plan liberates you from the hassle of last-minute meal planning. Never again will you be faced with inventing a meal at 5pm! Using my Theme Night system each week is the best method for success. Your family will have something to look forward to if you choose consistent weekly themes. My Nanny Plan will also simplify your shopping efforts and reduce trips to the store.
The proof is in the pudding. Or in the cinnamon rolls. Or in the pot roast. Whatever foods your family loves, I’ve got the recipes to put smiles on the faces of even the pickiest eaters. My recipes are easy to make and delicious to boot. You’ll get a sampling of them in the online Nanny Plan, but for a complete list of mouthwatering recipes, my book The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner is your best bet.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

30 Days of Thanksgiving

A few people started their first post yesterday for 30 things they were thankful for during this month of Thanksgiving and at first I didn't want to do it because it was only for Facebook...and then I decided, why not blog it? So here we go...30 things we are thankful for as a family:

1. We're thankful for our Father in Heaven and for His Son, Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. What a blessing it is to have the opportunity to be on this earth and to strive as we might, to be like Him and to know that if we choose the right and keep the covenants we have made...we can return to be with Him once more.

2. Eternal families. Ü
3. We're thankful that Heavenly Father gave us food and drinks and flowers. Ü -Madysen
4. Good health to support my family...to take care of them and provide for their needs. -Fred Ü

5. I'm thankful for my mommy and daddy for taking care of me. -Sariah Ü

6. Thankful for the gospel and the way it impacts our lives...the love, peace, strength and organization it brings to our family -Mr. & Mrs. Frost

7. So thankful for Temples. For the sacred work that is done within it's walls and for the ultimate feeling of peace I feel when I'm there.
8. For two little sweethearts who bring us laughter, joy, giggles, flowers, music and love every single day. -Daddy & Mommy

9. So incredibly grateful to live on this beautiful earth. To be alive. To wake up each morning whether it's raining, hot, snowy or sunny...and to love it!

10. Family Home Evening -Madysen

11. On this Veterans Day, we're thankful for all of the sacrifices that have been made on our behalf by those who have served our beautiful country!

12. For our new ward. :) -Fred

13. I'm thankful for the scriptures and how they tell us about Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ. It helps us to follow the commandments. -Sariah :)

14. For my Mama and Nana and for my aunties and uncles. I love Chloë, Aaliyah, Raelani and Hadyn and Riah too because I love everybody and I miss them. -Madysen Ü

15. Thankful for my mother. Thankful for the example she set for me as a loving person, as a friend, as a strong member of the church and as a caregiver. She worked hard to provide for our family as a single parent and I am forever grateful for the sacrifices she made. -Shenna
16. Thankful for my mom...for teaching me the true value of hard work, sacrifice, and frugality (which is something I'm still working lol) Love you mom! -Fred
17. Thankful for all of the necessities we have...for a roof over our head to shelter us from the cold, for our dependable cars and for food on the table!

18. Thankful for cousins to play with and aunties & uncles to help take care of us. -Sariah
19. Thankful for my sister, Sariah -Madysen
20. For good times spent in the company of good people. -Shenna

21. For my primary teachers! -Sariah

22. For our sister Sherilyn Ashley Manuma, who's birthday it is today! We love you Seli!
23. For a wonderful man to call my husband. For his hard work ethics, his strength, love, dedication, faith, humor and humility. He's an amazing person and an even better father. He's nurturing and kind and is always looking for opportunities to teach our girls values and life lessons. We just love him so much. Ü
24. A warm place to live in these cold times! -Fred

25. Thankful that our family (mom, Chrystel, Sherman, Hadyn & Sam) are here from CA to spend Thanksgiving with everyone!

26. For dinner and water and healthy things. Ü -Madysen
27. For things to do and places to see! For movies, Build & Grow, sports, going to the temple to see the lights, museums, helping our neighbor shovel his car out of the snow, family vacations and picnics. Ü-Shenna

28. For our blankets and pillows!-Madysen

29. I'm thankful I can go to school to learn and to make friends. -Sariah
30. Thankful for my wife for being the backbone of my business and our family. -Fred

Monday, November 1, 2010

Get-Togethers Ü

I LOVE get-togethers. Who wouldn't love hanging out with family and friends, laughing, eating, baking, creating, eating and laughing some more?! We had two get-togethers this past Halloween weekend. The first was with some of my besties and our families. We got together at my best friend's house and I brought my cupcakes along! Ü We baked sugar cookies for the kids to decorate and we did a potluck of soups for our 'soup in a bread bowl' dinner! Glo made some homemade chili and super yummy funeral potatoes! Seeing as I spent all my time with my cupcakes (because I'm an amateur and couldn't decorate them fast enough LOL) I got some soup from Costco (which was still delish Ü) Verona decided to go sans soup and made some zippy Lemon-Mayo Salmon instead. hehe It was good! I always miss my family and sister's in Ca when we have these fun get-togethers but I'm so glad they'll be visiting this month so we can finally have another get-together with everyone! Ü
We had our 2nd get-together this weekend pretty much by chance! :) It was Halloween night and with Fred working (booo :/) we didn't have any set plans yet. We were invited by our besties to go with them to Spanish Fork and Eagle Mountain, but we felt more like staying "around town" so, I sent a little text over to our Moea'i & Tuatagaloa Families to see what they had planned. We got together that night and went trick-or treating with the kids around their neighborhood...it was so super cold! (I was definitely missing our 7th Ward trunk-or-treat in Ca this year :/) The little ones got a bit cold after a few blocks so we headed home. Luckily they had enough candy so there wasn't much complaining about having to head back so early from the older kids. lol We ended the night with some warm hot chocolate with whipped cream which totally hit the spot after walking in the cold. Oh, and we filled our tummy's with spaghetti and garlic bread. Thank you Moea'i & Tutagaloa families for letting us join you! We've already planned our next together for the Thanksgiving holiday and we're so excited for more get-togethers to come. :0)

Not too bad if I do say so myself...

I got an 'itch' a few days ago to not only do some baking but to try my hand at decorating too...so I made cupcakes! Ü We had a cookie/potluck get-together that was coming up and I figured I would bring some cupcakes along as well. I searched online for some ideas on how to decorate cupcakes for Halloween and came across some great photos. The cupcakes turned out AWESOME! I tired to make them as uniform as possible but it was a bit hard to do since I was trying different techniques and piping tips with each one. Lol My favorites were the mummy, the eyeball and the one Frankenstein that actually turned out decent. Ü I didn't bake anything from scratch this time, but hopefully if I keep at it, I'll find some great cupcake recipes to really add a homemade touch to it. Ü Not too bad if I do say so myself! Ü

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Halloween Festivities!

Although Halloween hasn't yet arrived...we've already participated in several fun activities to get us ready for the spooky holiday! Ü Our good friends, the Afemata Family, invited us to their branch's Trunk-o-Treat activity this past Tuesday. Seeing as we had just moved wards and weren't familiar with anyone yet (and they weren't having a Halloween activity anyway...such a bummer) we were delighted to join them! Our girls were so excited to wear their costumes for the first time and they waited anxiously all day to start getting ready. Sariah was the perfect Cleopatra and Madysen was a lovely "big girl" ladybug. :)
As it would be...it started snowing just minutes before the activity was to start. :0/ Luckily they were able to relocate everyone indoors into the cultural hall. Everyone setup decorations around their chairs and the kids went around collecting their goodies. Our girls joined their costume parade...and they both won! But then again...who could resist an adorable ladybug and a stunningly beautiful Cleopatra (our opinion's a little bias though hehe) Oh...and thanks Nana for the costumes! Ü
On Wednesday we had planned to take our girls to the Cornbelly's Maze & Pumpkin Patch at Thanksgiving Point and what would you know...snow! We woke up that morning to a blanket of white everywhere! Why in the world is it snowing in October? (that's the grumpy part in me who's still use to California weather lol) Even as the morning hours passed, I still hung on to the hope that the sun would come out and beam it's rays of warmth to melt all the snow away and dry everything up by the afternoon. Didn't happen. We were definitely disappointed, but it's a good thing there's always a Plan B! We moved over our Thursday's plans and ended up taking our girls to the Dannon Trick or Treat Day at daddy's work! A little background info-Fred has been working at Dannon for a few months now and it's wonderful! Before we moved to Utah from CA, he worked in the dairy industry for Rex Creamery as a foreman & pasteurizer for over 5 years. After we made the big move we had hoped he could get something within the dairy field because of his experience and we were so grateful that he found something at D. Ü Anyhoo...we went over to his work Halloween party and the girls had a great time. They had fun Halloween crafts, cookie decorating, family portraits, games, and plenty of candy! Ü I was glad to meet so many of Fred's co-workers and their families as well.
After the Dannon Trick or Treat activity we got together with our Masuisui Family to carve pumpkins with the kids! We stopped by the Schmidt's Pumpkin Patch and the girls each picked out a pumpkin.Luckily for the kids, both Fred and his cousin Pearl are artists, so the majority of the pumpkin 'faces' were hand drawn. :0) Yay for artistic talent! Lol Funny how it started off with all the kids and the daddy's planning on what to carve but eventually ending with Fred and Pearl doing most of the work-drawing, cutting and gutting-while the kids danced and played (checking on the progress every now and then lol).





















And what a treat for us that Pearl's wife, Kara, was making her famous chocolate coconut macaroons...they were divine! Ü After all the carving, we stuck a few candles in the pumpkins so the kids could see them come to life! (and for some photo ops too Ü) The children were so proud of each of their pumpkins (with much credit given to some awesome daddy's too). Holidays always seem to bring about the best fun...but then again, so do families. Ü