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Raspberry & Basil Smoothie

August 5, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 4 Comments

It's no secret that berry season is a favorite of mine! I love wandering through the farmer's markets eyeing all the berries and picking out whatever speaks to me. Every spring, I wait impatiently, anticipating the first of the berries hitting the shelves of the stores and the stalls of the farmer's markets. It seems like that's usually the strawberry - such a beautiful, classic berry.

We're blessed to live in a part of the country where such a variety of berries grow so well. During the summer months, we buy beautiful berries at our local supermarkets, at every farmer's market, and at local berry farms. The berries in this smoothie were picked and purchased at our local family-owned Albeke Farms, a favorite of ours for quite a few years.

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Tuesday's Tidings for August 4, 2015

August 4, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. My mother-in-love shared this video on her Facebook page. If you have kids or even if you don't, you will die laughing! Seriously, Sunday night, Josh and I were laying in bed watching this video trying to muffle our laughter and not wake the kids. ***DISCLAIMER*** There is is one tiny bad word in it. But the rest of it is squeaky clean.

2. I've kind of gotten into the habit of sharing some sort of animal video link or a post about animals. Well, I came across this little creepy/cute gem last week and I kind of just gotta share it with you. [Read more...]

Weekly Menu Aug 3-Aug 6

August 3, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

It's August and that means we have like 6 weeks left of summer. Can you believe it? How was your weekend? We spent the weekend spreading bark dust around our front and back yard. Well, correction- I did not help at all. I sat there and watched Josh and his brothers and friend do it for me, lol! I did however, make some yummy granola bars for them to enjoy.

In the past few weeks, Catz has had a lot of new subscribers. So hi, how you all doing? I'm glad you're here. If you aren't following us on our Facebook page yet, you can Like us here, Pin with me on Pinterest here, Follow me on Instagram here, and if you are on Twitter, you can follow our Tweets here. [Read more...]

Hawaiian Radicchio Wraps

July 31, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

Josh just got back from being out of town the other day and he's leaving again soon. Let me tell you...a few days alone with three kiddos and without any help and I'm immediately having a ton of respect for single parents.

Being outnumbered is not easy at all! Thank goodness I have the help of my oldest daughter, Grace. That girl is my right hand...man. I would be so lost without her. And I actually was for one of the days Josh was gone.

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Tuesday's Tidings for July 28, 2015

July 28, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. We got this AT&T Digital Life security system installed over the weekend and like many things that I feel are 10 times more complicated than they really, this system is actually pretty easy to understand. It helps that everything is super customizable and easy to use through my phone or the app. Of course, until I've played with it 50 times, I probably won't be use to it anytime soon. I'm scared I'm going to press a button that does something bad! #scaredycat #learningnewthingsfreaksmeout

2. Okay, this you guys is super cute. Have you seen the video of the Beluga whale teasing these little kids at an aquarium? It is downright adorable. [Read more...]

Weekly Menu July 27-Aug 2

July 27, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Here we are in the last week of July. Um, where did July go again? One minute I'm celebrating the 4th of July and the next I'm waving goodbye to July and saying,"hello" to August.

So this week's menu is running on the easy side for me this week. Josh is traveling to Chicago for work this week. Which means, It's just me and it is a bummer. But the kids and I will have fun. Or at least the girls will. They've been playing with friends for the past 4 days straight! But my best friend is gone! What will I do?

Bake, I guess. I've got several zucchinis just begging for me to make some of my Chocolate Zucchini Bread. #nomnom [Read more...]

Grilled Margarita Chicken

July 24, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 3 Comments

Have some leftover margarita mix in the fridge? Use it up with this easy, quick, and family-friendly recipe for margarita chicken!

Back when I first started blogging in 2010, I found a recipe for margarita chicken that used a store bought margarita mix. The final product was so-so . It was really sweet and the margarita mix we had on hand was red...which made the chicken kind of pink, which certainly didn't look appetizing!

I remember not really being too impressed with the meal. Aside from the unsavory pinkish chicken, the dish was really sweet and kind of acidic. Needless to say, I never made it again. [Read more...]

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

July 22, 2015 By Joshua Rief 1 Comment

Quinoa. Apparently it is (or was) trendy, healthy, and, God forbid, perhaps even a bit faddy (fads are the worst, generally speaking...). I think Chels and I started eating quinoa about the same time everybody (and I do mean everybody) else did, sometime in 2011 or 2012. I honestly can't recall what encouraged us to try it - we like to eat healthy, but we aren't big on healthy kicks or fads, so I doubt that was it. More likely, we saw it in a recipe we liked, bought it, cooked it, and thought, hey, this stuff is pretty good! That's almost always how new foods enter the Rief household!

Apparently 2013 was the International Year of the Quinoa. Wow. How'd we miss that? Anyway, just in case someone isn't familiar, quinoa is often used as a substitute for rice that's higher in protein, but it's actually a grain crop close to the cereal family, apparently originating in the Andes in South America thousands of years ago. Wikipedia tells me its closely related to the tumbleweed, which is fascinating, but there's no reference listed for that tidbit, so you never know...

In addition to being interesting and yummy, there are a number of surprising health benefits to quinoa - it's high in fiber and gluten-free, for example!

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Tuesday's Tidings for July 21, 2015

July 21, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. Okay, aside from Fabletics, VS, Old Navy, and Target...tell me your favorite places to buy workout clothes that aren't too spendy.

2. So WHO watched The Next Food Network Star on Sunday! WE DID!!! I gotta say, I respect Michelle a lot for her decision to leave the competition. As a fellow foodie/mom/blogger I totally get where she is coming from. Her dream may very well be to have her own show, but as a parent our kids need our mom and in the end, is the time spent away from those moments and memories with your kid worth the fame? That's why being a blogger is so great. You are right there with your kids and they are right there with you every step of the way. #winwin

3. This past weekend, we went to the Farmer's Market (twice in the same day). We got our breakfast there, we bought almost all of our grocery produce there and we just really love the one we go to because of how small it is. Do you have a Farmer's Market in your area you like to go to? [Read more...]