Simply Norma – Page 30 – Living Simply

Spending Time with the Grandchildren

I don’t normally post pictures of our grandchildren because we don’t see them that often, but we were privileged to spend a whole weekend with them — no parents around either!

They are fun to be with and I had activities planned for while we were there.

Ages are 5, 4, 2 and 1. The 1 year old is a cousin who is being cared for by our daughter temporarily.

When we arrived Friday evening, the two older boys were waiting for us with grins on their faces. The first question out of Cooper’s mouth was “Did you bring your iPad?” The iPad is their favorite activity and they take turns using it. I set a timer for 15 minutes and when it goes off they hand the iPad off to the other brother. At one time, Miles, the oldest, asked me to set the timer for 20 minutes but after they tried that he said it was too long for him to wait to get the iPad so he asked I bring it down to 19 minutes. Crazy boy! He wouldn’t know how many minutes I set it for as they really play on it together.

Some of the apps I have on the iPad for them are:

The older boys like Talking Tom and Toca Kitchen the best. I’ve had most of these children’s apps on my iPad for the past 2 years and they never tire of them. Now that they are getting older I’ll be checking out some newer ones for them.

Another game they like to play that’s not on the iPad is Battle Ship. Â Do you remember that from when you were a kid?

One of the outdoor activities I had planned was teaching them how to fly a kite. Â Well, actually my husband was the one who was going to teach them. Â The first day we went out there was no wind so the kite flopped on the ground. The following day though we had a lot of wind and the kite flew way up in the sky. Â Success!

Here’s my husband teaching 2 year old Caroline how to fly a kite. She received encouragement from her brother along with claps because of her success. Â I bought two kites at a new store nearby called Cabela’s.

Here’s Cooper flying the kite. Â He really got into it!

We had little success with making water balloons. Â I bought a kit called Tie Not Water Balloons that makes tying the balloons a little easier but the balloons seemed a little bit fragile. You must get the right amount of water in them — not too much or they burst.

Here’s Miles guarding his water balloon.

The younger girls liked being on the swings. Higher and higher they wanted to go.

A late morning project was making cards for their father who had a birthday the following week. Â The kids were excited to find a place to hide the cards until the “right” time. It was a lot of fun and we used glue glitter and washable markers.

Here’s our paper supplier … (laughing).

Sunday night we got pumped up to watch the Blackhawks hockey team play the LA Kings. After the girls went to bed we huddled up on the sofa to watch the game. Â Their father had gotten tickets to the game so I had the kids watch carefully to see if they could spot their mother and father on TV. (They didn’t.)

Unfortunately, Cooper did not make it past the first half hour.

Miles was rarin’ to go though! Unfortunately, the Blackhawks lost the game and his sensitive heart couldn’t take it. He cried and we had a discussion about not being a sore loser. I pointed him to the Blackhawks players and how they congratulated the other team and no one was upset. That seemed to settle him down for the night.

Overall we had a great time. I was a little concerned that the kids might miss their folks so much that they would whine for them but that never happened.

We’re looking forward to seeing them again in a couple of weeks for a family reunion.

Making memories — priceless!

Spinach Turkey Frittata

This paleo recipe was adapted just a tad by replacing the ground beef with ground turkey. Otherwise, all else remained the same.

It was a little bland — even for non spicy me — so you might want to spice it up just a tad by adding red pepper flakes or tabasco or whatever floats your boat.

So — here are the main ingredients (yes, 10 eggs!).

You’ll be mixing the eggs, smoked paprika, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.

Mix eggs, paprika, salt and pepper together

You’ll need an iron cast skillet — or one that will go both on the stovetop and in the oven.

Next, the ground turkey will be going in the warmed up skillet and you’ll cook that all the way through. Â I did not oil the skillet as there was plenty of liquid from the turkey so it didn’t stick.

Prepare the onions and mushrooms while the turkey is cooking then add them to the skillet after the ground turkey is cooked.

While the ground turkey, mushrooms and onions are cooking through, put your frozen spinach in the microwave until and nuke it until it’s softened, allow it to cool (enough so you can handle it) then squeeze the liquid out of it.

This is what frozen spinach looks like out of the bag.

And this is what thawed frozen spinach looks like.

I started to remove the liquid from the spinach by just squishing it between my fingers but found that if I used a fork and a strainer it was less messy.

Now you’ll be adding the spinach to the skillet mixture.

Remember the egg and paprika mixture you made? You’ll be pouring this over the turkey mixture right into the skillet then adding sliced tomatoes on top.

Then you’ll be putting this into a 350Â° oven for about 20 minutes and whala! — this is what you’ll get. Â Quite beautiful!

And here’s what a slice of this beautiful frittata looks like …

Special thanks to Stupid Easy Paleo for this recipe. Click here for the recipe instructions.

List of Other Paleo Recipes

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

This Martha Stewart recipe is paleo, easy and delicious. The only comment my husband made when he brought these in from the grill was “I should have dried them off a little more as they are charred.” Â Actually, they tasted fine but I understand what he means.

For the marinade, you’ll need lemon, oregano (I used dried), olive oil, salt and pepper.

The chicken breasts will go into 2 sealed bags along with the marinade for about 30 minutes so they can absorb the juices.

Put marinade and chicken in a sealed bag

Here’s what they look like when taken out of the bags —

Then you’ll be ready to grill them up! Â Ready to see the recipe?

Ingredients

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper (to your taste)
4 chicken breasts
2-4 lemons, halved crosswise (optional, see note below)
Oregano sprigs (optional)

Directions

Put all ingredients except for the chicken breasts and oregano sprigs (if using) in a small bowl then whisk it together to make the marinade.
Divide the marinade in half then add it to 2 plastic resealable bags.
Add 2 chicken breasts to each bag and allow to marinade at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
When ready to grill, remove the chicken breasts and pat them dry with paper towels.
Place chicken skin side up on grill then cook for approximately 20 minutes.
Turn the chicken over and cook until its well browned and cooked — another 15-25 minutes. (Note: use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked through. I use a wooden skewer to poke the meat and if the juices run clear then I know it’s ready.)

Martha Stewart placed lemon halves on the grill (cut side down) and charred them after she removed the chicken. Â We decided to skip that step. The oregano sprigs are for decoration so we skipped that step also.

Served with steamed carrots and roasted sweet potatoes, I must say, it was quite good!

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Oregano (Martha Stewart)

List of Other Paleo Recipes

Trees

Pollen Allergy Alert – The App

For whatever reason, this has been a really bad allergy season for both me and my husband. From itchy eyes to sneezing, sneezing and more sneezing it feels like the allergy season will not go away. There is a little relief when it rains but who wants it to rain all the time? Not I.

Last year, I came across an app called Pollen Allergy Alert that gives the pollen count in whatever city I’m in and also gives a scale of how severe it will be along with what is “in the air” on that particular day.

Here’s a sample of what I see on my iPhone.

How do I use this information? Well, since I spend a lot of time outdoors weeding and picking up dead branches on our acre of land, I can decide to take an allergy pill before I start getting all the symptoms. Â Just this morning, I failed to check the pollen count and had to head inside to clear my nose a couple of times.

Another way I use the Pollen app is to determine whether I even want to work outside.

If you’ll notice, the app tells you what the predominant pollen is — on this particular day it was Oak, Mulberry and Walnut.

One tree the app didn’t mention is the cottonwood which has been in bloom for quite a while. Billowy cotton type seeds blow through the air and cling to our screened in porch causing a mess — not to mention the effect its pollen has on us sufferers.

The app has an Allergy Diary that can help you target what you are specifically allergic to.

Below is a screen shot of the page where you can set your location, visit the website and sign up for email alerts.

Here’s a view of how to sign up for Allergy Alerts. Â Notice there are ads both at the top and side of this app. Â They aren’t very noticeable to me — but, I tend to be able to ignore ads.

The Pollen Allergy Alert app is currently free — free is good, right? Give it a try and see what you think.

Pollen.com’s Allergy Alert – IMS Health, Inc.

Mosquito Virus — In the News

Just yesterday, while listening to the news, I heard a report about a new virus that’s spreading in the Caribbean and possibly coming to North America.

The virus is calledÂ chikungunya and mosquitoes are infected then passing it along to us humans.

At least 17 countries in the Caribbean have reported cases of this virus.

Don’t forget to protect yourself against mosquito bites if you travel to the Caribbean and here on the mainland. The major symptoms are fever and joint pain. Â Additional symptoms includeÂ headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. There is currently no vaccine or medicine to prevent chikungunya.Â

The CDC articleÂ listsÂ ways you can protect yourself. I would also include buying a ThermaCell Mosquito Appliance just because it works for me when I’m out working in the yard.

Take care out there!

Other news: Â A New Mosquito Repellant

A New Mosquito Repellant

Mosquito (Image from Office Free Images) — Mosquito (Image Courtesy of Office Free Images)

I recently came across an article that told about a new bug repellant that can “save lives.”

According to the article, the repellant works not just for mosquitoes but for other insects like ants, flies and moths andÂ works the opposite of the way DEET does —

“We decided to take a more aggressive approach and, rather than turn off the mosquito’s olfactory system, we could look for something that would turn it too far on, to see if we could design a new generation of insect repellents based on overloading their smell system,” Zweibel said.”

The researchers were funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The repellant isn’t on the market yet and there is some debate over whether mosquitoes are “good” for the environment — (I believe you all know how I feel about that!).

For now, I continue to use the ThermaCell cartridges that work pretty well to ward off any mosquitoes that head my way. It doesn’t work for ticks though which I assume are on my property although I have yet to see one in the three years I’ve lived here.

The Kite Patch, thatÂ uses a patent-pending formulation that blocks mosquitoesâ€™ ability to track humans for up to a day, is also not on the market yet. It is supposed to be used in Uganda to help decrease the spread of malaria and once they get the kinks out they hope to offer it worldwide. This is one project that I helped to fund as anything that wards off mosquitoes has my attention.

Below, I have a link to the article I read on the new mosquito repellant that is being worked on. Happy reading!

A Bug Repellant That Could Save Lives

Other News: Â Mosquito virus hits the Caribbean and possibly heading to the U.S.Â

The Oakdale Nature Preserve

On a warm yet muggy day, my husband and I decided to take a walk through the Oakdale Nature Preserve which is located in Oakdale, Minnesota. The Preserve has a Discovery Center that was closed when we were there.

Discover Center - Oakdale, Minnesota — Discovery Center – Oakdale, Minnesota

The paved pathways are easy to walk on — thankfully!

P1090504 — Path at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

A lone duck sits in this rain-made pond. Can you see him over on the right sitting on the log?

P1090505 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090506 — Oakdale Nature Preserver – Oakdale, Minnesota

Wooded benches with names of people who donated them or for whom they are in memoriam are scattered throughout the Preserve.

P1090507 — Benches at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Throughout the Preserve, wooden birdhouses can be seen — some are attached to trees and others are on long poles.

P1090508 — Bird house at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

There was a section of the park where they had set aside an area to grow vegetables. I’m not sure how that will work since deer frequent this park.

P1090510 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090511 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090512 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090513 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090514 — Oakdale Nature Preservec – Oakdale, Minnesota

The Oakdale Nature Preserve is 220 acres. We saw people jogging, walking their dogs and enjoying the quiet of the area.

P1090517 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Since moving to Minnesota, I haven’t seen very many lilac trees. Â This tree was in full bloom but did not “smell” like a lilac tree.

P1090520 — Lilac Tree at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090519 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

I want to get a few birdhouses for our property like the one below. Â They are nice and tall and squirrels are not able to climb up the poles.

P1090532 — Bird house at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Since we had a late spring, the cherry trees are just now blooming.

P1090534 — Cherry Tree at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

This handmade wooden bench gave me inspiration to make something similar to use on our property. It won’t be quite as fancy but I’m sure it will work fine. Shhhh … it’s going to be a project for my husband. Â (laughing)

P1090536 — Wood Bench at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

I have always enjoyed walking through or past groves of trees and this day was no exception. The appearance of “camaraderie” among trees makes me feel as if I’m one with nature. I would have taken a nice deep breath but for the cottonwood trees that were also in full bloom (achoo!).

Discovery Center - Oakdale, Minnesota — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Further down one of the trails we saw a playground.

P1090523 — Playground at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

The preserve is well taken care of and there were areas where piles of branches were lain waiting to be picked up.

P1090524 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

Continuing on our walk, we saw tennis courts. Hmmm … I wonder if my husband would entertain the idea of playing tennis. Knowing him, he’d entertain the idea but that would be the extent of it.

P1090525 — Tennis Court at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

The evergreens appear like sticks of wood topped by greenery.

P1090526 — Grove of Evergreen Trees at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090527 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

P1090529 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

A small creek ran through part of the trail we were on.

P1090530 — Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

There is a picnic area next to the Discovery Center.

Picnic Area at the Discovery Center - Oakdale, Minnesota — Picnic Area at the Oakdale Nature Preserve – Oakdale, Minnesota

The Preserve is peaceful and lends itself to absorbing oneself in ones thoughts.

Oakdale Nature Preserve

Sauteed Yellow Squash

This quick and easy paleo side dish adds a burst of color and a good boost of potassium and Vitamin C to the diet.

I used 2 yellow summer squash, cleaned and sliced them, added them to a bowl along with some rosemary and a little bit of olive oil and salt.

Mix all ingredents — Mix all ingredients

Mix everything up and add to a skillet on medium low then cook through until the squash are fork tender. Easy, yes?

Ingredients

2 medium yellow summer squash
1-2 tablespoons of rosemary (you could also use thyme)
Salt (to your taste)
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

I served this with a Bison with Apple Burger dish.

Quite delicious! Enjoy!

List of Other Paleo Recipes

Bison with Apple Burgers

These Apple Bison Burgers were absolutely delicious! We did not serve them with buns but had them with burger fixings, guacamole, sweet potato fries and roasted squash. This makes for a great summer meal.

Let’s look at the ingredients, shall we?

I believe the apple really helped to keep the burger moist. It was a great combination!

You’ll be tossing all the ingredients together (in the correct measurements – of course).

Then you’ll be putting them on a skillet to cook them. Â I used a little bit of olive oil on the bottom of the skillet just to get things going. Once you see that they are turning brown on the bottom, flip them over and cook them on the other side.