Easter & Strawberry Cake

Easter is a beautiful day rain or shine....
God our Father,
by raising Christ your Son
you conquered the power of death
and opened for us the way to eternal life.
Let our celebration today raise us up
and renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL)

Our first holiday as a family!

Mom, Dad and the grandkids (Emmerson, Peyton, and Trey)

Trey (2 months) lookin' good

the Easter bunny came for the kids....

and the adults!

Enjoying an Easter honeyham from Honey Sweet Foods in Valley Junction

I was in charge of dessert so decided to put to use only the best in-season produce....strawberries!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

recipe from Ivy's Bake Shoppe Cookbook (bake shoppe in Burlington, Iowa)

Ingredients:
1 white cake mix

3 T flour

1 (3oz) box of strawberry gelatin

4 eggs

1/2 C water

1 C canola oil (or you could try half applesauce)

1 C sliced strawberries

Frosting:

1 1/3C powdered sugar

1 stick cold butter (Yes, this is definitely "Paula Deen" cooking as I like to call it :)

1/2 C sliced strawberries

Instructions:

Beat all of the cake ingredients, except strawberry slices, together in an electric mixer for 4 minutes. Stir in strawberries. Grease and paper (optional) two 9-inch round cake pans. Divide batter and pour into each pan. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.

In the meantime, make frosting. Combine the sugar and butter together and beat for 3 minutes. Add strawberries on low speed, and beat until thoroughly mixed. Do not over beat. The frosting is more like a ganache. Frost middle and top of cake, but not sides. Drizzle with chocolate or garnish with fresh strawberries on top. makes 12 servings.

Enjoy this fresh taste of Spring!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Drake Relays!

The Drake Relays have been a part of my life ever since I was a middle schooler. It just took me a little longer to finally hit my stride. Twice I got beat out and missed the oppurtunity to run in the shuttle relay that they conduct on the infield of the big blue oval. Having been beat by a hair and vowing never to be an "alternate" again my luck soon turned around.

Middle School... that was one thing, High School I never had to be an alternate again. I was blessed to have very successful races and relays from freshman year to senior year. The blessings continued into college as I got to "come home" to run on the big blue oval for ISU!

I hope everyone has a great Drake Realys weekend!

Here is just one of many reasons I love the sport: Inspiring Run

Good luck to all the runners, jumpers and throwers and let's play track!

Until next time...

look good, do good, feel good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Throw Together Pasta Salad

My mom is the queen of making something out of nothing (she could probably make a 9 course meal out of peanut butter, cottage cheese, and apples) so taking some inspiration from her I threw together a cold pasta salad with the leftover goulash noodles, whatever veggies I had on hand, and a few basic condiments.

Throw Together Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

cooked whole wheat noodles

green beans

fresh or canned diced tomatoes

red onion

honey mustard

olive oil

sea salt

ground black pepper

other seasoning suggestions: garlic, dill, Italian dressing

Instructions:

A little of this and a little of that....mix it together :)

Just remember FASS when putting together a recipe....

do you have a fat, acid, sweetener, spice?

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Kids Say the Darnest Things

This email from a client, friend, and fellow Des Moines crossfitter, Katie, shares one of the many reasons I do what I do:

"So I had the greatest experience yesterday with my four-year old (Brady), and I had to share! At preschool yesterday, they traced themselves on a giant piece of paper and then cut out pictures from magazines of their FAVORITE foods. My sweet, sweet child had these things on his poster: bananas, apples, oranges, celery, a turkey sandwich (he calls it a 'salad' b/c he loves salad, and it had lettuce on it), and pancakes :) It was so reaffirming as a parent to see that the good food choices Michael and I are trying to model are carrying through- yipee! So thanks for all you've done for our family!!!! We, of course, hung it up on the kitchen wall.

Later this week we're going to go through "Mommy's cooking magazines" to find more food that we love :)"

Spend some time with your families this week sharing your love of healthy foods and the benefits they have on your health , just as Katie has modeled.

Encourage them to try to "eat the rainbow!"

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Boston Marathon Reflection

As the 115th Boston Marathon kicks off this morning, I reflect on my amazing experience last year.....

Boston part 1: coming to terms with my injury

Boston part 2: the race and God's grace

Boston part 3: Rocket Fuel

Boston part 4: The sites, the sounds, the food

For all those struggling through their next race from injury or exhaustion, I hope you can find inspiration and motivation from my incredible Boston Marathon experience!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

J's World Famous Goulash

After a crazy weekend of packing and moving from Iowa City...(sad and tired sigh)...J and I were definitely in the mood to put on our comfies and make some comfort food.

The beautiful spring weather allowed us to eat outside on my parents porch....did I mention J, Trey, and I moved in with the rents till our new house is complete....life is crazy but blessed! With 3 older siblings who at some point have all moved back home, my parents are starting to wonder if you ever truly do move out :)

so back to that comfy food....

J's World Famous (at least household) Goulash

Ingredients: Use two or three of the following protein options: 1lb ground grass fed beef, 1lb turkey breast, 16oz black beans (if using canned, be sure to rinse and drain)

16 oz corn (if using canned, be sure to rinse and drain to help lower sodium)

1 diced red bell pepper (choose organic)

1 diced green bell pepper (choose organic)

1 can diced tomato or a few fresh if you have on hand

1-2 cans of tomato soup

1 package of whole wheat noodles

2% shredded or sliced cheese

Italian seasonings

Instructions:

Boil noodles till al dente and drain, set aside. Brown meat and add Italian spices. Mix remaining ingredients together in large bowl. Add noodles and meat. Place in casserole dish or pan. Top with cheese and bake at 200F till cheese is melted. Enjoy!

I apologize for the weird formatting my blog is doing....I am in the midst of debuting a new blog and website!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Appetite for Health

Today I share a much appreciated post from my fellow RD's, Julie Upton and Katherine Brooking from Appetite for Health. They are two inspiring dietitians who do a fabulous job at spreading the word about health, nutrition, and fitness. They truly have an "appetite for health.

As the tri season and road race season approaches enjoy the article on Eating for Endurance.

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

The Dirty Dozen

I found this bright and cheery Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen list on another foodies blog and thought I would share!

I feel a little bad for the crying fruit and veggies :( Remember....the dirty dozen are common fruits and veggies that we should choose to purchase organic as they have higher amounts of pesticides and fertilizers (GROSS). The clean fifteen are common fruits and veggies that we do not need to worry about purchasing organic and can save a buck or two. Until next time... look good, feel good, do good http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Chia Seeds

Check out my article about Chia Seeds in this months issue of Iowa Momentum Magazine!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com