Chicken Salad

Chicken salad with pineapple-lime dressing

1 teaspoon lime zest

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons minced shallots

1 ½ teaspoons honey

¾ to 1 teaspoons minced habanera chile

6 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped pineapple

1 bunch watercress, thick ends trimmed (or arugula)

5 ounces baby spinach

1/3 cup toasted cashews

¾  pound cooked chicken, shredded

Salt and pepper

In a large bowl which together lime zest and juice, shallot, honey and chile.  Add oil and whisk until combined.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in pineapple.  Add watercress, spinach, cashews, and chicken: toss until greens are coated with dressing

375 Calories

28g Fat

21g Protein

12g Carbohydrates

2g Fiber

Greek Salad

Greek Salad with Chickpeas

½ cup red onion

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cucumber

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ cup Kalamata olives

½ cup fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

In a large bowl combine onion, lemon juice and oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss well to combine and let sit 5 minutes.  Add cucumber, tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, olives, and parsley; seson with salt and pepper and toss to combine.  Serves 4

306 calories

16g fat

9g protein

34g carb

6g fiber

Coconut-Lime Berry Cake

Coconut-Lime Berry Cake

¾ cup unsalted butter

1 ¾ cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons lime zest

2 tablespoons lime juice

3 cups mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries}

3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9x13 pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cup flour, baking powder, salt and coconut.  In another bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar on high, scraping down the bowl as needed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes.  Add egg, one at a time and beat until combined.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions buttermilk, and beat until combined.  Stir in lime zest and juice.  Pour batter into dish.

In a medium bowl, toss together 1 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, berries and orange juice.  Scatter berry mixture over batter.  Bake until cake is golden at edges and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

332 Calories

16g Fat

5g Protein

43g Carbohydrates

2g Fiber

hair cut.

Bodie had his first hair cut today - 13 weeks old.  I didn't like all the long wispy baby hairs so I trimmed them down to be the same length as his new hair that is growing in!

girls camp.

This is where I am all week...

 ...with these cute girls.

bodie has a name.

Today Gregg blessed Bodie at church.  He did a really nice job and Bodie was good too {you know, no crying during the prayer}!  We had some family and friends come to support.

Grandpa Simons

Chris, Tara, Presley and Stella McGown

Brad and Amber Simons

Becka and Lincoln Cragun

Grandpa and Grandma Quinn

McKay Quinn

Aaron, Tiffany, Addie, Quinn, Enoch, Jean and Anna Hopkinson

Jake, April, Dallin and Mackenzine Trent

Tessa Dahl {one of my high school friends}

Brandon, Tami, Gabrielle and Tabitha Fife

Scott, Kristi, Tyler, Reese and Annabelle Phillips

And Dave McMaster from our bishopric also stood in the circle.

Bodie's middle name is Robert after his Grandpa Simons {Robert Keith Simons}.  We hope he will have a close relationship with his grandpa and follow his example of righteous living {Robert happens to also be Gregg's middle name and my dad's middle name}.

Thanks Tara for taking our family photo - Truman was already out of his Sunday clothes - he's two, can you blame him!  Bodie is concentrating on the poopy diaper he has on in this photo :)

Addie's Baptism.

Adelaide Hopkinson was baptized today.  It was a very nice occasion!
It kind of made me feel old.  Addie was born while I was on my mission and I missed my little brother McKay's baptism because he was baptized while I was on my mission.  I am old.

Addie, Aaron and Tiffany.

We looked and looked and looked for a picture of Tiffany on her baptism day but we can not find it.  I wanted to compare.  I think Addie looks like a little Tiff - except Tiff had an awesome 80's mullet that I was totally jealous of!

Congratulations Addie - thanks for setting a great example to all the little cousins - Truman idolizes you and could not stop talking about Addie "going all the way under the water and blowing bubbles"

famous.

Yes - this is me and my siblings on my brother Nathans' wedding day + one.

The photographer Brody Dezember was commenting on how we needed one more sibling so our picture was symmetrical so he jumped in the photo and his assistant took this photo.

It is now on the front page of his web site :)

{Brody, Dallin, me, Nathan, Tiffany, McKay and Anthony}

PS- when Gregg saw this photo he said, "where am I?"

ER.

We had our first trip to the ER for stitches last night.  I am sure with two boys it will not be our last.

We were outside grilling some dinner when Truman decided he wanted to go to the golf course.  With his green golf club and a ball in hand he started to wounder down our landscaping rocks toward the golf course.  I had just stepped inside to get some stuff and Gregg was standing at the grill - Truman fell about 5 feet down some large landscaping rocks and landed on his back.  He didn't cry that much considering the fall - and his head did not bleed that bad - but - after a second opinion from aunt Tara we decided to take him in to the doctor.

Waiting in the ER.  Truman was hiding under his blanket from the other patrons.

 Waiting for the numbing cream to work its magic - watching a movie on the iPad {the iPad is great for so many things!}

 Ouch! {these are all cell phone pictures so the quality is not great}

The worst part was when Gregg and I had to told Truman down on the table so the doctor could stitch him up.  Four stitches and $175 later we were on our way to McDonald's for some fries.

This is what his head looks like this morning.  He keeps complaining that it hurts.

And, a bonus random picture that was on my cell phone - Truman taking a nap in uncle McKay's bed!

Big, Bigger, BEST!

For mutual tonight we played big, bigger, BEST.

The kids broke into teams and each got a toothpick - they had 40 minutes to go around the community and trade their toothpick for something bigger and better.

One team came back with a dog.

Most teams got between 10-15 trades

The winners - an old fridge. 

The prizes ranged from miniture Reese all the way up to King size Reese for the winners

{just a note if you do this for your mutual - I found 6 different sizes of Reese's for prizes..big, bigger, best!}

katie.

One of my best friends and her family came to visit today.  Katie and I were neighbors and really good friends while at Rick's college.  She is now expecting her fourth girl!  It was so fun to catch up.  I think it had been three years since we had seen each other.

Here are some crazy pictures of us in college.  

Camille, Ann, Katie 

Apparently we liked to dress up like fools!

Katie, Camille and Dave.

This is a picture Katie sent me while I was on my mission.  She got married and had her first girl while I was on my mission {my mom and my sister went to her wedding in my place since I could not be there}.

Katie at my wedding {pregnant with #2 and sick!}

We had such a tight group of friends at Rick's College - my college years are some of my most favorite years with some of the best memories. I am still best friends with some of the people I rubber shoulders with in Rexburg.  Good Times.

jean & anna.

Picture overload time...

We had my sisters two youngest girls today for a few hours.  Jean and Truman {26 months} are the same age and so are Anna and Bodie {3 months}.  I got up early and left a house full of sleeping people to go walking with my girlfriends - when I got home Gregg was holding down the fort - four kids under the age of two!  The first thing he said to me was "we have three poopy diapers." After changing three poopy diapers two of them decided to poop again.  So within about eight minutes of being home I had changed five poopy diapers.  Phew.

Of course I wanted a cute picture of Truman and Jean sitting by each other, maybe even giving each other a hug.  I got this instead...it will do!  It shows their personalities a lot better!

The Hopkinson kids have the best eyes in the world to photograph!

They sure love each other - when Truman got up from his nap today and Jean was gone he kept asking "where Jean?"

 Oh Anna - we love you even though you had a tough morning.  Tiff said she wanted to photograph her kids in all their expressions well, here you go...Anna mad at Aunt Millie for trying to take pictures!

Typical Anna face - it's almost like she is saying "how dare you take my binky from me"

 Like I said, the Hopkinsons have the best eyes.  I thought Bodie had blue eyes...not compared to these!

 'Hungry Bird'

 Bodie {11 weeks old}

 Is that a smile?!