Healthy Mornings

This is my healthy trick,

the ONLY way I get my kids to eat veggies.

While they are watching morning cartoons, I sneakily blend together...

almond milk
raspberries
strawberries
bananas
blueberries
kale
spinach
ice

They have no idea.

Shhhh.

Weekend Away

This weekend, we escaped the 110° heat of the desert for some cool mountain air.

The kids played the day away swaying on the log swing, playing soccer with some neighbor cabin kids, and collecting wild flowers and pine cones.

I spent two days reading, crafting, baking chocolate chip cookies, and catching the House marathon on late-night TV.

It was a perfectly relaxing weekend.

Happy Father's Day

We are lucky to have you, Dad!

Summer

Lance and I spent a few days in the mountains doing

absolutely nothing...

and it was wonderful.

Sunkissed

Summers in the desert aren't so bad when you spend them here.

The kids are spending the summer waking up bright and early,
packing snacks and drinks and heading to the pool,
and swimming until they are all

sunkissed and pruney.

Summer Must-Haves

Now that summer is here,

a few things I can't live without...

Smells so good

Braids and buns to stay cool

I've used this for yearsMyPowerBalance wrist band

Keeps me hydrated

I'm addicted to these...yum

Mossimo white ribbed tanks from Target


Summer reading list

Mango Tartlets

I am seeing organic mangoes everywhere right now and these are too good to pass up.

I found this great recipe from one of my favorite magazines, Everyday Food.

Upside-down Mango Tartlets

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into six 3in. circle3s to fit in jumbo muffin pan

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 T. dark rum

coarse salt

3 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 in dice

Preheat 400°. Place puff pastry circles in refrigerator.

In small saucepan, combine brown sugar, rum and pinch of salt.

Bring to boil over med.-high heat. Boil 1 minute, then add butter and stir until completely melted. In a jumbo muffin pan, divide sugar mixture among the cups, about 4 tsp. each. Divide mango among cups and top with pastry. Bake until pastry is golden brown, puffed, and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.

Let cool on a wire rack, 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of pastries to loosen. Place a rimmed baking sheet over pan and quickly invert to release tartlets. Serve warm.

A Lesson Learned

This is what happens when you refuse to listen to your body.

I am stubborn and I hate to give up. This can lead to some bad decisions.

For the last two months I have turned a deaf ear to my poor legs. They have been begging for reprieve and I refused to listen.

And...as a result, today I came to terms with the fact that I can't run the marathon.

This realization came with great disappointment and a few tears.

As any marathoner can tell you, the training is the hardest part and I've done it all~ the 2 & 3 hour runs, the early bedtimes and 4am wake-up calls, the ice, foam rolling, and carb-conscious eating. All of it. And, I did it on some very injured legs.

I learned a big lesson.

Don't run through it.

So, now it is time for some rest and time to take a break from running. I'm going to redirect my focus. I've got a wedding to plan and October is just around the corner.