As the Coop Turns

Like sands through the hourglass, these are the chickens of our lives.

When we last left our saga, five chickens had joined the household. They were small and adorable. They pooped a lot and we had no idea if they were hens or roosters.

As weeks went by the chickens doubled, then tripled in size. All, that is, but one. Ginger, the beloved runt of the litter, never gained the size or strength of the rest of the brood. She was beloved by the children because she was the most accessible and loving, allowing them to pet her while she made crazy crowing noises.

But one fated day, Ginger started limping, and seemed to lack control of her extremities. The other chickens knocked her over and she couldn't get up. Things looked bad. The children were worried.

Removed from the coop, Ginger took a turn for the worse. After some research on the chicken version of WebMD, a diagnosis was guessed: Chicken Polio. Ginger was not long for the world. Goodbyes were said, and a dramatic conclusion to poor Ginger's life was avoided by allowing her to go "back to nature" (AKA becoming coyote bait) at our land.

Tears were shed by the children, and the small girl wondered if we could get a new Ginger. No, that was not to be. But can we just re-name one of the other chickens Ginger? Yes, sounds good.

Back at the coop, it was becoming clear that 50% of the flock were roosters.

No bueno. There can be no crowing in the neighborhood! Although we were personally sad to see them go because the roosters had the most spunk and were hilarious to watch when they run-waddled after whomever was getting them food or water, they had to find a new home. A quick Craigslist search found a man willing to take "unwanted farm animals," and he swooped through and took them off of our hands.

Meanwhile, a man in Terrell had some Rhode Island Red hens of approximately the same age as our Leghorn hens, and so two new hens joined the flock, securing our position as the Warner Brothers cartoon of the neighborhood:

These new chickens were a different breed, and ruffled the feathers of the Leghorns. While the Leghorn hens were true biddies -- lazy, nosy, and averse to change -- these Reds were athletic and graceful. They evaded capture by racing around the yard a full 30 minutes before we were able to finally get them in the coop. While the Leghorn hens struggle to get up the ramp into the coop (causing the ramp to buckle under their weight), the Reds fly effortlessly up to the coop door and stroll in.

Like true "mean girls," the Leghorns are nasty to the Reds. They give them the business whenever the Reds (now christened Ginger #3 and Polly) try to get water or food. When they stroll outside the coop the Reds take a wide berth around the Leghorns (now christened Nadine and Roxie).

See the Leghorns playing defense of the food and water?

Now that the coop is rooster-free, the food and water consumption has gone way down, and the poop production seems to have abated. (Typical males!) Life in the coop seems to be normalizing as a pecking order is established. It seems that if only in their minds the Leghorns will be at the top of the order, but all the Reds have to do is fly three feet to get out of their way. Ginger #3 and Polly seem to be growing and thriving, and successfully ignoring Nadine and Roxie.

The next chapter: egg production. When will it happen? Will the hens share the nesting boxes? Will the eggs be brown or white? Will they be possessive and broody hens, or will they let us take the eggs with no problems? I, for one, will not miss an episode.

**********

Workout of the Day

P90X Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

Eggs in a pepper

The spring semester is always crazy at our house. Zach has baseball, softball, track, choir concerts, band concerts, awards ceremonies, banquets, prom, UIL events, and all other sorts of events to attend. So my weekly menu has to be somewhat flexible.

Earlier this week he had an event come up that caused a meal to be bumped later in the week, which left me to plan a dinner for myself on the fly (the kids got the standard breakfast burritos). I've been following a gal named Alyssia on Instagram who is doing a "100 Days of Clean Eating" challenge, and she posts some great recipes, and when I was wondering what I might have she posted a picture of an egg she baked in a pepper.

Since I have about eight peppers in my fridge from last week's co-op shop, I decided to try it out!

First I tried to cut the pepper in half down the center -- no dice. It wasn't a deep enough hole and I was sure the egg would fall out. So I threw that pepper in the broccoli/cauliflower container we keep in the fridge. I got out another pepper and just cut the top off. Perfect!

After salting and peppering the inside, I cracked the egg and slid it in the pepper. Looked good, but I thought I could fit another one in there, so I cracked another one.

I put the pepper in a pan and put a bit of water in the bottom to prevent scorching. Then I popped it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Here's what it looked like when it came out:

It was cool! I topped the pepper with salsa, feta cheese, and green onion. I cooked it just about right -- when I cut into it the pepper was tender and the egg was still a little runny, just how I like it. The taste was really good, although it was really watery from the pepper and the steam that had built up in the pepper. 

On the side I had some vegetable soup that I had whipped up to eat on for lunches this week, but this would be really good with some seasoned home fries. It's just a quick, easy meal that is nice and light! Try it!

***********

Workout of the Day

Les Mills Combat 60

We are in the recovery week of month one for P90X. We substitute Les Mills Combat for Kenpo because Combat is WAY cooler than Kenpo. 

The House of Mouse

Did I tell you guys about the time we planned a trip to Disney World and hid it from the kids until the day we were leaving?

We totally did.

Last year I had a goal of earning "Success Club" each month with Team Beachbody. If I did that, then I would be eligible to earn a trip (and a lot of money while on the trip) to Disney World. In December I met that goal.

Disney World is not someplace Zach and I really ever considered going, because it is really, really expensive, and really, really....Commercial. While we do watch Disney movies, we don't have the channel and don't really make a big deal out of Mickey Mouse or princesses. I'd much rather my kids watch PBS. But since Disney characters and Disney World/Land is pretty ubiquitous in our culture, our kids had a vague idea of what it was when we told them at breakfast that we were getting on a plane to go there.

I just keep seeing their little faces in utter disbelief in my head. I love how Kate said a very quiet "yes" real quick after we asked the question as if we might take it back if we got no response. I also love that the kids seemed to be more excited about seeing Shaun T than Mickey and Minnie. Clearly they see Shaun T more than they do Mickey Mouse at our house.

As we left on the trip I have to say that I wasn't necessarily super excited for it. I mean, I was super excited for the kids, but I had a little bit of dread in that I knew there would be tons of people there, and it would be CRAZY expensive to buy food (hence 1/3 of our bags were stocked with food), and I just had a bit of apprehension.

But y'all, we had a lot of fun. Yes, there were lots of people. Yes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cost $5.75. But seeing the look on my son's face after he went on Space Mountain for the first time was priceless. (For the record, that look registered terror and dismay. But darn if that kid didn't get right back on another roller coaster mere hours later, as did his sister. I was so proud!)

The kids were complete troopers the whole time. We had them up at 6am so that we could work out at Epcot with Shaun T. It was cold!

We had them out late at Downtown Disney so we could find something to eat.

Drew even showed his greatest patience with the Disney photographers who requested some "quick" shots with a dad and his kids for an upcoming Disney Cruise Line commercial.

We were told it would be quick. It wasn't.
We thought we might get some Disney bucks from it. We didn't.

We made it to Hollywood Studios early and rode "Star Tours" three times in a row.

Kate was ready to swim at the drop of a hat, even if the temperature was 75 degrees (a good 15 degrees from proper pool weather, in my opinion).

Like any event hosted by Team Beachbody, it was a fantastic time. On the closing night, they had a huge dinner and had the characters come to take pictures.

After the dinner, we all retired to a private area at Epcot where we could eat cookies and cupcakes and watch the fireworks show, complete with 3D glasses that made each sparkle from the fireworks look like a Beachbody logo.

It was truly a magical trip.

It meant so much to me to be able to earn this trip for my family. This has been a difficult year so far, and this trip was a bright spot. It's something we will all remember for many years to come. I'm so thankful for Team Beachbody and the opportunities it has afforded me -- the opportunity to earn some money while being home for my kids, the opportunity to take a trip that we would never dream of taking on our own.

It was incredible.

***********

Workout of the Day
We are in week three of a brand new round of P90X. We haven't done a complete round in a couple of years, at least. Here's the news: IT'S STILL HARD! Holy cow, Chest and Back kills me. Plyometrics still has me doubled over by the end. Hands down P90X was the best $120 we ever spent. Think about it: we've been using these DVDs for 5 years. That's a mere $24 a year!

Meatless Monday: Rip's Roasted Salad

I've been noticing lately how very few of the salads that we eat actually look like "salad." You know..."salad" as in mostly lettuce leaves and a few colorful veggies on top.

It turns out that salad can mean all sort of things. Yes, it usually means tons of veggies, but sometimes those veggies are ones you'd never think of adding to a salad.

Last week we had "Rip's Roasted Salad" from the Engine 2 cookbook, and it was tremendous. Despite the number of ingredients, it was really easy to fix, too. The combination of roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, onions, and potatoes was so hearty, and it all mixed so well with the raw fresh red peppers, corn, and oranges. And just for fun there was a little bed of Romaine lettuce on the bottom, even though you can't really see it. Delicious! Try it soon.

Rip's Roasted Salad
Ingredients:
12 Brussels sprouts, cut in half
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
8 ounces new potatoes
1 onion, sliced into rounds
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 can corn, rinsed (I prefer frozen or fresh)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can mandarin oranges
Salad dressing of your choice

Directions:
For Roasting Vegetables:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower florets, potato halves and onion slices face down on one or more large sprayed baking sheets. Broil the vegetables until they are soft (15-20 minutes). Check frequently for burning. Allow the vegetables to cool to room temp.

For Assembling Salad:
Put the romaine lettuce pieces in a large bowl. Cover with the roasted vegetables. Top with the corn, bell pepper and mandarin oranges. Toss thoroughly with salad dressing of your choice.

***********

Workout of the Day

P90X Chest and Back

Kicking it old school! Zach and I decided to do a round of P90X since we haven't done a complete 3-month round of it in ages and ages. Chest and Back is still a killer workout, and my arms are feeling it!

Teaching kids about money

“Mom, can I use my own money to buy Angry Birds Star Wars?”

I froze. It was a simple question, but it threw me into one of those parenting existential crises where you realize that not only do we have to feed and clothe these people who live in our house, but we also have to help them learn things that will help them be productive members of both society and their own homes.

Thus far in our parenting lives, teaching about money has consisted mostly of showing the kids the piggy bank slot whenever they get birthday money or find pennies on the ground.

I wasn’t sure Drew even knew about the plug on that pig’s belly that allowed money to come out to be spent, but our wise (guy) son had figured that what goes in must somehow come out. 

Thriftiness is in my DNA, and despite my math deficiencies I realized early on that I ought not spend more than I made. And I definitely should not run up the 15 credit cards I applied for in college in order to get a free T-shirt. But I knew many, many people who did, and ended up paying for it long after those shirts had holes in the armpits. On the off chance that the thriftiness gene skips a generation, I felt like I needed to take action. I don’t want my kids to be stupid with money.

“How much is it?” I asked.

We sat down together and found the price, then I showed him where he could read the game’s reviews and find out if Angry Birds Star Wars would be a “good buy.” We found out that even if you buy the game, it asks for more money to unlock certain levels. After reading the good, bad, and ugly, Drew elected to use his piggy bank money to buy the game, and he paid his Dad to download the game.

“We need to teach Drew and Kate about money,” I said to Zach later that night. He agreed, so we devised a plan.

Several months ago I read about the concept of setting up three separate banks for your kids to teach them about money. One is labeled “Spend,” one “Save,” and one “Give.” Each bank holds a percentage of money in order to teach the concept that you shouldn’t spend every penny you make on Angry Birds Star Wars.

I bought some Mason jars and stickers to decorate the kids’ elementary bank accounts. Then we sat down and emptied the piggies.

We told Drew the plan.

In the Save jar we would put 60% of his money, while the Save and Spend jars would get 20% each. Any money received from here on out would be broken into these percentages and placed in the jars.

We told him that the spend jar was to be spent on things that he wanted to buy for himself and others (like presents), the save jar was for emergencies, and the give jar was to give to others who are in need or to church.

Then we gave Drew an old check register to keep track of his money. Zach showed him how to record an initial deposit for each account, and a little later he found some change on the floor that he had dropped, so he was able to enter another deposit and balance was recorded. (“I didn’t learn how to do this till high school!” I told Drew.)

Then we sat him down for the big announcement.

“Drew, having a savings account is really important,” Zach told him. “You need to make sure you have some money in savings in case you ever lose your job or have an emergency you need to take care of.”

“When you put your money in a savings account in a bank, they give you what’s called interest. It’s like free money that they give you for letting them use your money.” Free money? Drew’s eyes got big. For a second he looked a little like Alex P. Keaton.

“Since your money isn’t with a bank yet, Mom and I will match what you put in savings. Twice a year, we’ll look at your balance and put in 50% of what you have saved. You’ll keep that money in your savings jar until you need it for something big – like maybe a car when you’re 16.”

Drew looked like the cat who ate the canary. Mom and Dad were going to give him money just for saving money? Ding, ding, ding…I think we have a saver on our hands.

Of course this is just the beginning, as I’m sure there will be plenty of discussions about how the money in the Spend jar ought to be spent. I also told him that the "matching" amount was subject to market fluctuations. But it’s better to learn these lessons when you’re dealing with $6 and not $6,000. I’m hoping this small-scale, fully visual “bank” will help both the kids realize the value of setting money aside for hard times, giving to others who aren’t as fortunate, and spending the money you have left wisely to live a happy, healthy life.

******

Workout of the Day

Insanity the Asylum Vol. 2: Upper Elite

Last week of this program! It has been great...and completely exhausting. Kind of glad it's only four weeks long!

Pear Oatmeal

I like to cook elaborate dinners, but breakfasts and lunches around here are pretty simple and repetitive. I generally have one of three things for breakfast: Shakeology, kale and eggs with toast, or oatmeal.

My oatmeal flavors vary depending on the season; summer sees a lot of fresh fruit and I like canned pumpkin all year long. Lately my favorite has been pear oatmeal. Do you eat many pears? I feel like I forgot about them for a few years, and then someone gave us a gift basket that included a few and I remembered how great they are.

Here is how I fix my super quick, super delicious pear oatmeal.

I start with regular rolled oats. The generic kind, as the brand with the crazy looking dude on the front is double the cost, for some reason.

Note that I use the regular old-fashioned oats, not the quick-cooking kind. The quick-cooking oats are just rolled oats that have been cut into smaller size, which in my opinion makes them have the consistency of paste. Yuck.

So, I take 1/2 cup of oats, and add 1 cup of water. Then I chop up half a pear (Zach gets the other half), and sprinkle about a tablespoon of flax on top.

Pop in the microwave for 2 minutes. When it comes out, I stir in a squeeze of honey (that's the technical term -- a squeeze), some raisins, and some skim or almond milk. At this point I have a choice to put either chopped walnuts (if available and if I feel like chopping nuts, which isn't often on both accounts) or some Grape Nuts on top. I love having something crunchy in my oatmeal, and we have been crazy for Grape Nuts ever since Rip Esselstyn endorsed them in the E2 cookbook.

Ocassionally I will also stir in 1/4 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder if I know I'm going to have a light protein day.

So yummy!

With a breakfast this quick, cheap, and delicious, there is really no excuse not to take 10 minutes for breakfast in the morning. It will keep you going all morning long!

***********

Workout of the Day

Asylum 2: X Trainer

Week 3. Is it possible that this workout is getting harder? Today we tried something new with our agility ladders, creating a ladder out of tape directly on our mat. Is this cheating a little bit in that you don't trip over your ladder? Yes. However, it also ensures that you don't waste precious time adjusting your ladder when you mess it up. You can go harder and faster, and I felt that this morning. Big time!

Shaun T is not messing around!

Clean popcorn

I am always on the lookout for healthy snacks for my kids. Like most kids, they are famished when they get home from school and need something small before dinner. Usually they split an apple and some raisins, or sometimes they split a Shakeology.

They love popcorn, but I have been hesitant about getting it for them a lot because even though popcorn is healthy, all that other goo they put inside is not.

The other day at the grocery store I used Fooducate to scan the bar code on Orville Redenbacher's "Natural" microwave popcorn, and here is what it said:

A C+! Too much saturated fat.

Next to all the microwave popcorn on the shelf, I saw plain old kernels in a jar. I scanned that, too:

Wow, an A-! Low in saturated fat, low in cholesterol, and more than 24% of your daily fiber. Plus it got high marks for being minimally processed.

Whoopee! But, um, how the heck do I cook popcorn if it doesn't come in a microwavable bag?

I'm getting on in years, but I guess I'm not so old that I remember how people popped popcorn before the handy invention of the microwavable bag. I had a vague idea that it could be popped in a pot on the stove, but I wasn't really sure how to go about it. Acquiring a popcorn popping gadget was out of the question, as I am running out of space for gadgets.

After scouring the Internet for 30 seconds (that's all the scouring it takes, apparently), I found out that you can use a plain brown paper sack to pop your own corn in the microwave. However, I saw several comments that they set the bag on fire using this method. I'd like to avoid that.

Other people commented, "Hey, why don't you just use a pot like the old days?" Sounded good to me.

All you need is a good size soup pot with a lid. Something like this:

It's cool if the lid is clear so you can watch the kernels explode, but it's not necessary.

I didn't get too scientific or anything...I just melted about a tablespoon of coconut oil in the bottom of the pan, threw in 1/3 cup of kernels, put the lid on slightly askew as per the Internet's instructions, and the three of us sat back to wait. It took about 5 minutes for the kernels to pop on the strove instead of the two minutes it usually takes in the microwave, but the time investment is worth it to shed the chemicals and goo.

In the interest of full disclosure, I melted a bit of butter and put it on top along with some salt. Truth be told I'd rather give my kids straight up butter than "buttery spread product"...at least I know it's cream and salt and that's it. Used sparingly, I don't think a bit of butter is going to put them on the road to obesity.

They thought the popcorn was great and watching the kernels pop was even better. I think it's a keeper.

**********

Chicken Update

The chickens are now outside full-time. They have figured out how to go down the plank to get outside, but not to get back up. 

Yesterday Kate ran breathlessly inside to declare that "NADINE HAS DIARRHEA!" I'm not sure how she knows which one is Nadine, but I'm glad she's concerned about her welfare. 

***********

Workout of the Day

Asylum 2: X Trainer