Corn Chowder

It is officially Autumn now and the other day it actually felt a little like it here.  So to celebrate I made some soup.  I love soups.  Soup is my favorite comfort food.  In the dead of winter, it can warm my soul.  Okay, maybe that is a little over the top, but it does hit the spot.
Corn chowder is one of my favorite soups.  I used to love love love the corn chowder at Mimi's Cafe until I actually made some myself.  Don't get me wrong, I still love theirs, but I like that my version has less of corn-starchy texture.  I used a few recipes to come up with my own.  I would recommend serving it with the Brown Sugar Muffins I mentioned last week.  I hope you enjoy!

Corn Chowder

5 strips of bacon, diced
1/2 a large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more or less to taste)
1 large potato, diced
2-1/2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk


Cook bacon in a soup pot until browned.  In the meantime, blend celery with the chicken broth until smooth. (You don't have to do this, I just do to get a less chunky soup.  You could also blend the onion, especially if you are serving children).  In the same pot you cooked the bacon in, saute the onion and red pepper until soft (and celery if you choose not to blend it).  Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and cook 1 more minute.  Add the broth and celery mixture as well as the potatoes and corn.  Let simmer until the potatoes and corn are cooked all the way through, about 20-30 minutes.  Pour into bowls and top each serving with crumbled bacon.  Garnish with chopped cilantro if you have some on hand.  Enjoy!    

SMART Goals - Part 5

(This is Part 5 of a 5 part post on setting goals.)  Click here for Part 4.
 
When it comes to health, setting goals is very important.  However, it is easy to make goals and then slowly (or even quickly sometimes) watch them fizzle out.  Let's talk about how we can make more effective goals!

SMART

S- Specific
M- Measureable
A- Attainable
R- Realistic
T- Time-Oriented

Time-Oriented:  Last, but not least, it is important that your goals are time-oriented.  This will help you get focused rather than putting things off.  Make sure your deadline isn't too far in the future.  Or if you do have a big goal that will take a while, make smaller goals along the way to help you reach the big one, as I mentioned before.
With my example, my half marathon race was my deadline.  Races are a great way for me to stay committed to my goal.  I figure, if I pay for a race, I want to be prepared and do well.  Therefore, I have to stay on top of everything.  If races aren't your thing try these other ideas.

• simply make weekly or monthly goals, that way you have a strict amount of time that you have to accomplish things
• pick a special day to work toward; birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc.  I once had a client who wanted to reach her goal by the time her son came home from serving a mission

Remember, make sure your goals are SMART goals.  Seriously, do it.  I challenge you.  Make 1 SMART goal health related or not.  You can do it!  Feel free to ask me for any advice or suggestions, or to just share what you want to work on and when you succeed.  I would love it.  Good luck!

Farmer's Market

This past week I had the opportunity to go to a new farmer's market.  The purpose of it is to give students easy access to organic, locally grown produce.  I loved it because I was able to put my baby in the stroller and walk a few minutes to get delicious produce.  If you live in Provo, please take advantage of this great event!  It will continue the next three Thursdays from 2-7 p.m. in the LaVell Edwards football stadium parking lot.  Stock up on tomatoes, pumpkins, peaches, raspberries, honey, and even BYU Creamery ice cream.  I think if it is successful there is a better chance of it continuing.

SMART Goals - Part 4

(This is Part 4 of a 5 part post on setting goals.)  Click here for Part 3.
 
When it comes to health, setting goals is very important.  However, it is easy to make goals and then slowly (or even quickly sometimes) watch them fizzle out.  Let's talk about how we can make more effective goals!

SMART

S- Specific
M- Measureable
A- Attainable
R- Realistic
T- Time-Oriented

Realistic:  You may wonder, "what is the difference between attainable and realistic?"  Realistic goals are ones where you are both willing and able to work toward.  Let me use an example my husband shared that explains it well.  He said, "I could run a marathon if I wanted to, but I don't want to."  Therefore, he might be able to do it, but he is not willing to do it.

Again, in order to be realistic, you must be honest with yourself.  But be sure not to put yourself down, stretch yourself!  You can likely accomplish more than you might think.  Remember, make sure your goals are both attainable and realistic!

Brown Sugar Muffins

These muffins are delicious.  I got the original recipe from my sister.  They are simple and sweet and everyone who has ever tried them has loved them.  They are a great thing to take with a meal to a friend in need.  Try them out and I promise you will think they are wonderful.  Here is the recipe.

Brown Sugar Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour (try using 2 cups whole wheat flour, or 1 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat)
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar.  Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth.  Bake 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Makes 12 -15 muffins.

SMART Goals - Part 3

(This is Part 3 of a 5 part post on setting goals.)  Click here for part 2
 
When it comes to health, setting goals is very important.  However, it is easy to make goals and then slowly (or even quickly sometimes) watch them fizzle out.  Let's talk about how we can make more effective goals!

SMART

S- Specific
M- Measureable
A- Attainable
R- Realistic
T- Time-Oriented

Attainable:  If you plan your steps wisely, you can likely achieve any goal you set.

My example:  My main goal was to run a half marathon.  However, I had to make several goals to meet that big and lofty goal.  When I started, I was only running about 3 miles at a time.  I had to progress to 4 miles, 5 miles, 6... all the way 14.  (13.1 miles is a marathon, but I wanted to make sure I could do it before I actually ran the race.)

Another example might be if someone wanted to lose 30 pounds.  Losing that amount of weight is not a simple task.  But if you break it down by working on losing 5 pounds at a time, your goal will likely be more attainable.

If your goal is lofty, make sure to break it down into small steps to make it more attainable and SMART!

rock-a-bye baby

That is my mama's lovely rocking chair you see.  She rocked me as a baby and now I rock my baby in it.  However, we had to fix it up a bit before I could use it.

This is the back of the chair.  It is a weave called "caning."  The seat was like this as well, but with all the use this chair got, it wore out.  We called around to see if we could have it re-caned, but it was going to be a pretty pricey.  Instead, my dad helped me upholster a new seat so I could use it. 

Isn't it lovely?

In case you didn't get a good look.  My sister made that adorable pillow for me.

Aren't these photos great?  My husband took them.  The light was glowing perfectly through the window, so I asked him to take some photos while I fed the baby.

I love my chair and all of the warm fuzzy feelings I have already acquired by using it for my sweet girl.  I hope to use it as long as I can.