Recipes that you'll all love

I hate using my stove or oven when it's super hot outside! Here are just a couple of the no cook recipes my family enjoy.

The first is a recipe for a snack the whole family loves and I love my kids eating because of the health benefits.

Power Balls:
1 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. ground flax seed
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. honey
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. vanilla extract

combine all the above in a bowl. Let it chill in the fridge for 30 mins then form into 1 inch balls.


The next recipe is for an easy ready to take breakfast:

Overnight fridge oatmeal:
1/4 c. uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. vanilla yogurt
1 and 1/2 tsp chia seeds (I add extra since I love chia)
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 c. blueberries

Mix ingredients in a small jar, secure the lid and shake until well mixed. Place in the fridge overnight and your yummy breakfast is ready for you first thing in the morning.

Time to clear up space in the garage

Our garage used to serve one purpose, that was store and hold our junk. Boxes full of stuff that never got unpacked from our move, bins full of old holiday decorations, bags full of clothes meant for goodwill, you name it and it was in there. After enduring a hot summer and cold winter I was sick of getting in a hot car that was showing sun bleaching, and scraping ice and snow from my car. 

We decided to tackle the garage and organize so I could park the car inside. It took a few days to go through everything and clear out the junk. Things were made much easier by making a plan first. A bin to haul off the old junk, plastic bins to store and organize the stuff we were keeping, shelves and hooks to store everything. One thing we had to do was to make sure we only kept stuff we knew for sure would be needed and used often. It's very easy to get sentimental about stuff but usually if it's sat collecting dust it may not be that important, or if it is it should be stored away properly in an airtight sturdy bin. 

Give us a call if you need help hauling away your junk, and enjoy your clean garage. 

Summer time and fire pits just make sense

One of my favorite memories is sitting around the fire pit with my family sharing laughs and yummy s'mores. A lot of people think a fire pit is a huge expense and a lot of money. However, this doesn't have to be the case. All is takes is a little internet research and you can easily find the right style that fits your yard and your budget.

If you want to get creative you can design your own pit. Just keep in mind safety and airflow and the rest can be up to you design. The two main styles of fire pits is above ground and below ground, both have pros and cons but for safety reasons most people prefer an above ground pit.

Some people may not be ready to commit to built in fire pit so a portable pit may be perfect for you. There are plenty of options to buy ready made pits for your yard but its always so much more fun and satisfying to build your own. I found tons of design options online that fit different budgets and needs.

I hope you enjoy planning your next backyard project, as always feel free to give us a call if you need some waste removed.

Yard cleanup made easy

Spring is here and now is the perfect time to get out in the yard and start cleaning up and prepping for any new projects. Yard waste can quickly build up. Especially if you are hauling away dirt and rocks which weigh more than you'd think. Don't do damage to your truck, give us a call and we will help you pick the right size bin for your project and budget.

Bring The Spring

Bring the spring

Every spring I start my to do list for outside chores. Before I put in any garden I ask my self a few questions to make sure I buy the right plants and supplies that will work best in my yard.

I learned the hard way that just going out and buying whatever plants and flowers I like best usually results in dead gardens that never really grow as I imagined. What I figured was that I needed to get to know my yard a little better. Here is my list of questions for a successful garden.

First- Where do I want my garden? I like to sketch a drawing of my yard, so I can visualize where it will look best.

Second- I plan to spend all day outside so I can write down how much sun each spot gets. This way when I pick the plants I can make sure each plant will be getting the right amount of sun.

Third- How much water does each spot get? Some plants are drought tolerant and others need frequent watering. If I know how much each spot gets I can pick the right plants or gets supplies to provide adequate water for that area.

Fourth- Do I need to get plants that are kid or pet friendly? Things I might avoid if I have curious kids or pets is thorny bushes, or toxic plants.

Fifth- What is my soil like? Some soils are nutrient rich on their own, but others may be missing a key nutrient for plant success. Your local ag. Department usually has a soil test kit for free or you can purchase one for cheap.

Now that you are more acquainted with your yard you will be able to plant gardens you know will do well.  Give us a call if you need to rent an affordable residential friendly bin to haul off your waste.

Clean and easy pasta dish.

Clean and easy pasta dish.

Who doesn’t love a tasty and simple recipe. As the days start warming up I tend to want meals that don’t require me to stand in front of a hot stove for very long. One of my all-time favorite foods is pasta, it’s super easy to play with and create tasty dishes with very little work. This dish is one of my family’s favorites, it was created out of hunger and the lack of desire to got to the store. While rummaging through the kitchen to figure out what ingredients I could put together that would make anything remotely tasty we stumbled on a dish we would continue making for years to come.

Whenever I make pasta my first instinct is grab veggies. At the time all I had was a yellow and orange bell pepper, a handful of fresh mushrooms, a tub of cherry tomatoes, and a small onion. Bell peppers are a great healthy veggie that kids love for their sweet flavor and bright colors. I boiled some penne, sliced my peppers julienne style, thickly sliced the mushrooms and cut the tomatoes in half. Personally, I don’t like heavy sauce with fresh veggies, so I just sautéed the veggies in an excellent quality olive oil with salt and pepper, only for a few minutes so they were still crispy. The mushrooms cooked separate, so I could sauté them in butter which is my all-time favorite way to cook mushrooms. Once the pasta was al dente I put them in the pan with all the veggies and tossed in more olive oil to coat the pasta and salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle some Parmesan on top and you have a super fresh and tasty pasta dish the whole family will love!

Check out the other blogs on our website for more simple recipes. Enjoy

Great Outdoors

The great outdoors.

Its that time of year that we all can’t wait to get outside. Next month The Ultimate Home and Outdoor Expo will be in Farmington UT on April 27^th – 28^th.  This is a fun event the whole family can enjoy with demonstrations on Dutch oven cooking, camping, animal shows and more. Go and get some great ideas on home and outdoors.

Here is the website for more details

http://www.theultimateoutdoorexpo.com/

The Dutch oven cooking classes is a huge hit where you can get tips from experts on all sorts of recipes and cooking techniques. The Dutch oven pit in our background gets used as much as we can, it’s one of our favorite ways to cook outdoors!

If you come home with a list of projects, make sure to give us a call so we can help you plan for the right size bin for your job.