Orzo, Arugula, Olive, and Pecan Salad

May 20, 2015May 20, 2015 | Megan

Let’s pretend these photos were taken in an Old World Italian kitchen, shall we? Then I don’t have to feel bad that I don’t know my camera settings well enough to realize they are off until I’m previewing the pictures on my computer! I should probably invest in a class from the community college here in town.

Well, here are the slightly grainy pictures, but still DELECTABLE salad offering for your Wednesday from The Scramble. You can bet I had a couple “test” bites of this salad after I made it, as we are having this meal real-time tonight for dinner! It was delicious! As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. I subbed pecans for the walnuts in the original recipe because I had them on hand. What are you cooking up tonight for dinner?!?

XX, Megan

Ingredients for Main Dish

3/4 cup orzo (use wheat/gluten-free if needed)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 – 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, preferably with a light flavor like orange or raspberry
6 oz. arugula, coarsely chopped, or use baby spinach (about 3 cups)
20 pitted kalamata or Italian olives, sliced into thirds
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted (about 6 minutes at 300 degrees, or 3-5 minutes on a skillet on the stovetop)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Side

Your favorite loaf of whole grain bread.

First, start the orzo boiling in salted water, cook according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet and toast the walnuts/pecans for 3-5 minutes, stirring as they heat. While the nuts are toasting, you can mix the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar in a large measuring cup. Set aside. Slice the olives in thirds. In a large serving bowl, combined the arugula, olives, and walnuts/pecans (after they’ve cooled).

Drain the orzo, allow to cool for a few minutes. Then add it to the salad mixture along with the dressing. Allow the entire salad to cool for a few more minutes and then add the parmesan. Alternatively, you can reserve the parmesan to add to the salad when serving! Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 2 days.

Boil

Boil the orzo on the stovetop according to the package directions.

Toast

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a small skillet for 3-5 minutes until they begin to smell fragrant.

Mix

Combine the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and whisk together.

Slice

Slice the olives in thirds, and combine all of the ingredients.

EAT!

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 5 weekly meals which means 5 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts. PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

17 Summer Activities for Kids

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015 | Megan

Summer is fast approaching! My kindergartener’s class is counting down the days till they are in 1st grade. 11 to go, I believe. That’s not much time to prep or at least think about what you want your summer to look like from a parenting perspective. What are some of your favorite summer activities?

XX, Megan

1. Horse Back Riding

This is not something we’ve done yet. However, I use this as an example to encourage you/us parents to plan some fun activities that your family maybe hasn’t ever been involved in. It is great to know your wheel house, to know the things you love to do together and to do them again and again. I’m a fan. But sometimes it’s also good to do things that challenge you in new ways!

2. Swimming

Water. Anything with water. Everything with water. Just add water. Celebrate your Birthday with water. Eat your cupcake in your snorkel gear for crying out loud. Cupcakes make everything better. Swimming makes all of summer that. much. better! 3. Hiking

Listen friends, you don’t have to send your progeny on a death march. Really, when it comes to hiking with kids, just find a long walk in a beautiful place and call it a hike. We love to go to Dutch Hollow. We also love Mirror Lake. It’s over an hour away, but the boys can both tromp around the entire little lake in an hour. Perfect mini-excursion. We have high hopes to hike Mt. Nebo and Mt. Timpanogos with our kids in a few summers. But for little ones, keep it simple and relatively short! 4. Biking

We do a lot of biking around here because our Daddy is a cyclist. (Mom is an avid amateur!) Biking is a great way to get kids out and active, and you can also make this a family affair. I have many, many friends who will stroller their toddler and then have their school-age child bike along as they go for a run. A great all round summer activity.

5. Museums

Sometimes the temperature is searing. Like if you live in Phoenix and daytime temps reach 120. WHOA nelly! Days like this are perfect for an indoor activity. Hit up a local children’s museum or play place. We have always had luck at Natural History museums because they house so many things my kiddos are interested in. The picture below is outside of the Utah Field House of Natural History in Vernal, Utah. While the museum is not really very near to anything, it is worth a trip. It’s probably best to plan two days to see the Field House in Vernal as well as the Dinosaur National Monument Quarry and Visitors Center in Jensen, UT on the Colorado/Utah border.

Are you children more into art? Why not opt for an exhibit at a local art museum. Last summer my kiddos and their cousins visited The Leonardo in downtown Salt Lake. The exhibits at The Leonardo are constantly changing, but it was a fantastic and interactive experience! Check out some of the local spots in your area. It’s never too early to start instilling public niceties and polite museum manners in our kids. Summer is a great time to start. 6. Old-school games

My mother-in-law has amassed an awesome collection of some of the games that she played as a kid. (Trust me, you played them as a kid too.) Old school tidily winks, marbles, pick-up-sticks, jacks, hop scotch, jump rope. There are lots and lots of new games on the market. We just purchased some magformers for our boys and they LOVE them! But there is also fun to be had in games that have been around the block (literally) time and again.

7. Slip and Slide

Our boys were gifted a Slip and Slide two years ago and never could I have imagined the joy, laughs, and endless slips down the slide it would bring us. Slip and Slide has become on of our go-to activities every summer. Looking forward to the day we can roll that puppy out on the lawn and let the good times roll. But my anticipation can in no way match my boys’ who have been asking about the Slip and Slide since February. Enough said.

8. Sprinkler

If you don’t have a Slip and Slide, or want to purchase one, don’t forget the sprinkler. Nothing new-fangled or fancy here. Just a hose and a sprinkler head and wha-la! A wonderful activity to engage children of all ages for hours! Don’t forget the sunscreen! 9. Picnic

The winter months put eating out-of-doors on the rocks. But a PICNIC is always a fun thing to do all summer long.

10. Playground

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel here. A few months ago an article circulated on the inter webs about the fact that “when we were small” our mothers and fathers turned us outside to play unattended and relatively unregulated day in and day our. In fact, I think the article mentioned something about the primary caregiver locking the door once the kids were out to pasture. While I have an open door policy ;), it’s true that you can get way too concerned with finding STUFF for your children to do. Don’t underestimate the importance of self-play!

11. Science Friday

I couldn’t help myself. I had to throw Science Friday, Refined + Rugged style, into this mix. Here’s why. Summer is the perfect time to institute Science Friday because, for some, fewer goings and comings mean that you can start up your practice without so many other obligations and alternative activities, i.e. SCHOOL. Without school cramping your schedule, think about jumping over to Kiwi Crate to the DIY Science Experiments and giving Science Friday a whirl. I promise you, and your littles, won’t be disappointed! 12. Yard Work/Chores

Let’s not leave work off of this list either. A friend of mine recently shared this article titled “Science Has Figured Out The Best Age To Start Giving Your Kids Chores”, from the blog Fatherly. She has done a fabulous job of setting her household up to include a very straightforward and consistent approach to chores for her three girls– 5, 3, and 1. I believe. (I’ll have to double check what the 1 year-old-contributes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were small tasks she was asked to complete.) Here’s the thing. Play is awesome. Fun is wonderful. Hanging out languidly on a lawn chair can be the bomb. So do all of those things. But don’t forget that your kids can contribute, even from an early age, to the maintenance and up-keep of the place you call home. There is nothing child labor, or untoward about it. Doing chores builds character as children learn a sense of responsibility and accomplishment that isn’t gained from recreating alone. This is probably one of my biggest summer goals. To establish age appropriate, consistent chores/tasks for my kids to participate in around our home and yard. Try it out! I’d love to hear your feedback!

13. Attrition Prevention

Before leaving the workplace for full-time parent status, my sister was a third grade teacher in Washington D.C. A few weeks ago I bemoaned to her the fact that I was SO OVER school. (I have tried to keep this attitude clear of my kids, but they are pretty perceptive individuals, so who knows.) Anyway, I am that mom who would like the cessation of school to coincide with April 30th. This May business is killing me!

My sister let me know that there are REAL reasons that we keep children in school as long as we do, and that there are curriculum in place to assist kids who have basically forgotten what they learned the previous year when they return to school. In her words, “Attrition is real.” So this Summer, why not add in some daily lessons to keep your children at pace with all of the knowledge they have hopefully gained this past school year. Reading, writing, and short mathematics lessons might do just the trick! 14. Eat popsicles

Okay, okay! I put this one on the list not only because it is my boys’ favorite thing to do. It is MY favorite pastime. Popsicles. YUM! I found some AWESOME watermelon popsicles. I am pretty sure they are POPSICLE brand. I tried to link them here but didn’t find them. Head to your local grocer’s freezer section and stock up now!

15. Camping

I am sure we have already established our love of camping for all readers of this blog! If you are interested in a good post about Camping with Kids, click here. If you are looking for a fabulous Summer activity the whole family can enjoy. Go camping! 16. Stargazing

This one is for the geek in all of us. My husband has dubbed the boys’ and me the Planeteers. I understand that stargazing with kids may be difficult depending on age. But all you really need is a dark, clear sky, and a star chart or star guide. There’s a printable version available HERE (this guide is updated monthly). Or you can order a simple plastic version for under $10.00 from Amazon, HERE. (Make sure you note the region of the world in which you live or you might end up with a guide to the sky over Brazil!) My little guys can already pick out Orion and sometimes the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). They are always curious as to the names of particular stars, and I don’t always have the answers.

This is really just an exercise in following your curiosity and seeing where it leads. Sometimes it’s to a discussion of the nubulea in Orion’s Belt, and sometimes it’s to endless pontification on the merits of moving to Mars or Jupiter (yes, our three-year-old has a desire to move off-planet. After he can drive, he’s pointed out!). Maybe this isn’t your realm and you want to debate the merits of mushrooms, or catalog trees, or start an epic rock collection. ANY and ALL of these would be awesome Summer pursuits.

17. Sports

Throw a ball, organize a neighborhood run, score a goal. You don’t have to register for organized sports to do or play any (or most) of them! Or maybe you do want your child to learn a particular sport. Enroll them in a class at your local Rec or gym. Above all, get out there and PLAY!

Mondays in May: Outside is Free

May 11, 2015May 12, 2015 | Megan

Continuing on with my Mondays in May, Get Moving series, today I wanted to talk about a mode of workout that is near and dear to my heart: OUTDOOR WORKOUTS.

I was lucky enough to grow up with parents who saw to it that we spent plenty of time outside. Camping, exploring, fishing, hiking, biking, running, and more. All were encouraged.

As I got older, I really got into my running game. I ran almost solely outside. A friend of mine and I recently compared notes, we both hit a wall on the treadmill at about 3 miles. Consequently, I hit the road.

This is not to say that I was EVER a high level runner. Never a pro. Never competitive. But I LOVED to RUN. I ran outside nearly every day.

A climbing accident my sophomore year of college put the brakes on my running for a couple of years. I shattered my fibula and cracked off the bottom of my tibia. After some extensive surgery and fancy titanium hardware, I now have a wonderfully reconstructed ankle.

After some intensive rehab, I continued running through my twenties. Completing one marathon and many, many 1/2 marathons, 10 milers, and more Saturday long runs than I can count. I logged countless miles with our Bob and double Bob strollers! (Truly wish I’d been better about using a pedometer just to have a record of the distance.)

I hit 30 and had to address the fact that my running days were over. I had a lot of pain associated with every step, and after longer runs my ankle would ache for up to a week. It simply wasn’t wise to keep pounding the pavement.

So the very same day my orthopedist told me that running probably wasn’t going to be my gig, my husband went to the local bike shop and picked out a sweet road bike for me.

Now let’s turn this toward the outside, shall we? The reason I touch on my running history here is that almost all of it was done OUTSIDE.

With the exception of a few aforementioned miles here and there on a treadmill in college when the weather was simply too frigid, icy, and snowy to run outside, I ran outdoors day in and day out.

Now that I cycle, I would say my ride time is split almost evenly between outside and the gym. I like it that way. I really love my gym classes, and the awesome workout they afford me.

But my heart was sold to the great wild long ago. I LOVE being outside to work, play, and live. (Don’t mistake. I also bless the name of indoor plumbing and hot showers.) One of the best parts of working out outside is that you can go wherever the wind takes you. Literally.

My friend Emily recently started hashtagging some of her outdoor workouts #outsideisfree. That’s “outside is free”, to the lay person. She really got me thinking about just how wonderful outdoor workouts can TRULY be! (Plus her pictures are fabulous, as well. Just makes me want to be running, riding, swimming right alongside her!)

Emily is an all-around athlete. She began her active career as a high school swim champ, but has since branched out into running, cycling, an all-around outdoors woman.

She’s always loved nature. I know that from our years as fellow graduate students. Her point is well taken. Gym time can be so needed, and really necessary for many climates. But if you want a great workout, look no further than that first step out your front door.

There is something so satisfying about escaping outside to get your sweat on. The wind in your face, the views for your eyes, the sound of your breathing and heart rate and hard work all happening en plein air. It is absolutely exhilarating.

So this Monday, rain or shine, heat or cold, wind or clam, I am challenging you to break out of your rut and hit the open road! Run, bike, swim, walk, skip, dance, saunter, jog, soft pedal– it doesn’t matter the pace you keep or the company.

Just go ahead and get outside. I think you will like what you see, how you feel, and look forward to the next time you hit the trail, street, byway, or thoroughfare!

Get out there!

XX, Megan

Science Friday: Geodes

May 8, 2015May 6, 2015 | Megan

My dad is a rock hound. Some of my earliest memories are of nature walks in the Uintah Mountains. Dad has brought home rocks for his “rock garden” for years. It comes as no surprise that he wants to share his love of rocks with his grandchildren!

I don’t remember the occasion for which he gifted our boys these geodes, but we have been delinquent in slicing them open and checking out the awesome insides until this week!

My wonderful hubs got out his dremel and a small hand grinder. Because we didn’t have enough protective eyewear for all of the kids, cousins, and neighbor friends, we made them stand back and watch from afar. This didn’t seem to dampen their excitement one bit!

A geode is a geological anomaly that has sometimes perplexed scientists as there is not ONE known way that geodes form. Additionally, geodes can be made up of sedimentary rock, igneous rock, or both! They are formed through a process of chemical precipitation whereby dissolved silicates and/or carbonates are deposited below the surface of a gas or lava bubble (in the case of igneous rock), or in a hollow chamber of sedimentary rock. The chamber fills with deposits from groundwater or hydrothermal solutions over time, allowing the crystals to form.

The bedrock containing these geodes eventually weathers and breaks down through erosion or other chemical decomposers and the geodes nodules are left for us to find! (That is obviously a VERY cursory description of the entire process, but you can read more about geodes and their formation and discovery HERE.)

After Perry cut the geodes open, the boys wanted to share their treasure with everyone. Perry took a hammer and chisel and broke the first geode into smaller pieces. Plus, there was another tiny geode on the back side of one part of the larger geode that he unattached and cut open individually.

The excited eyes and exclamations of surprise at seeing the crystals and banded interior of the geodes was absolutely grand! Leave it to children to make every experience 10 times better.

Thanks, Umpa for sharing your love of geology with us and our boys! Here’s to continuing the rock hunt all over the American West for years to come (with a leave it where it lays, policy for the most part, of course)!

I truly hope you have a wonderful Friday and a fabulous weekend all around! Go out there and create your own Science Friday!

XX, Megan

Mondays in May: Get Moving!

May 4, 2015May 5, 2015 | Megan

One part of my life that I haven’t touched on a lot here on the blog is my love of a good workout. I have wanted to do another set of content specific posts since we wrapped up the White Shirt Files in February. So I am dubbing all Monday posts this May GET MOVING MONDAYS!

I go through a workout doldrum about this time every year. For me, I don’t struggle to go to workout or eat right during the winter months. I don’t have a hard time eating a balanced diet during the major food Holidays of November and December. Instead, I feel as though I can steam through Thanksgiving, eat a delicious meal and stay on the clean eating wagon. I can eat a sweet here or there over Christmas, and still maintain a healthy weight and good attitude about hitting the gym.

For me the problem actually occurs AFTER the huge “return to the gym” movement of New Year’s Resolutioners in January. Around the beginning of February I am often so over winter. I’m tired of the darkness, the cold, and dragging myself out in said frigid conditions to get a good workout in (yes, even if this is only to jump in the car and head to the gym!).

I start to want to eat everything in sight! I don’t lean one way or the other in the carb vs. protein struggle. While I really like breads and pastas, I eat them in moderation and enjoy normal portions without trouble. But come February/March I start to want to pound a loaf of bread by myself in one sitting. I look at salads with disdain. I don’t do a great job of making sure I am adding veggies and fruits to every meal.

My morning breakfast of two eggs with salsa and wilted spinach devolves into two or three pieces of toast with bread and chocolate milk. Ask my trainer, she’s already informed me MANY times that this sort of meal is not only high in carbohydrates, it’s also super nutrient deficient.

Right about NOW I need a reset. I need a reason to propel me back to the gym. It is usually the start of Spring and the promise of a new outdoor cycling season that get me amped up to return to a more regular workout schedule.

I look to music, and enjoyable classes, and outdoor road rides with awesome friends to get me back into shape after my poor eating choices come end of winter.

The Fatboy Slim remix of the Beastie Boys song Body Movin’ (though one of the weirdest music videos EVER) always keeps me in the right mindset for a great workout!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WcnTxcqcNEE” target=”_blank”>

I have some major foot and ankle issues. I’m sure I’ll write about them at some point here. But for now I’ll share that where I used to be an avid runner. Taking my boys out for a run nearly EVERY DAY is now a thing of the past as I have had to shift gears in my 30s. Cycling, both indoor and outdoors has become my go-to cardio workout of choice.

Cycling is low impact, uses most of your major muscle groups, and is a great way to shape up.

Have you fallen into a workout rut? Are you trying to shake some winter weight that has been haunting your hips? Are you looking for more energy, better sleep patterns, and a transference of strength into everyday activities?

All I have to say to you is GET MOVING! It does not matter what mode or manner you choose. It does not matter if you are a walker, a runner, or a roller bladder. You do not need to devote inordinate amounts of time to each and every workout. But what you do need to do is get out there, get off of your proverbial couch, and get moving every. single. day.

Below is an example of an indoor cycling profile you can try in the gym, on the road, or in the comfort of your own home if you have a bike trainer or a stationary bike at home. Check it out and tell me what you think!

3 Minute Movers

Warm-up:

3 minute stretch

5 minute warm-up

3 minute pick-ups (30 seconds sprit, 30 second recovery, done 3 times)

Here comes the meat of the workout:

Pick a gear that mimics a flat on an outdoor cycling ride. (Just make sure that you aren’t free wheeling it, or have absolutely no gear on at all.

3 minute run on a flat. (Try to get a handle on a quick cadence. One that will keep your heart pumping and your legs moving.)

3 minute mid-hill climb. (Pick a medium gear on your bicycle. You can pretend that you are gaining elevation outside, just makes sure you don’t have too much gear here because your big hill comes next!)

3 minute HEAVY climb. (Pick a gear that feels almost like molasses. Your cadence will/should decrease dramatically here. You should feel as though you are pushing up a gnarly climb outside. Stay strong. Come in and out of the saddle as you see fit.)

3 minute pick-ups. (After your heavy hill, drop your gear back down to a flat. You should take a 30 second recovery. After 30 seconds, see if you can do a pick-up or a sprint for 30 seconds. Do 30 seconds on, 30 seconds recover 3 times.)

REPEAT!

You can repeat this 12 minute interval 2 or 3 times depending on the length of your workout.

Get out there and get your body movin’! Have a fabulous Monday!

XX, Megan