Posts by Kerry Weisser
Zoodles and Roasted Veggies
I have such a wonderful support system for healthy eating and you will be learning all about some fun ways to find creative and healthy meals to try in the next few weeks. I love staying in touch with friends who like to cook and are willing to try creative vegetarian meals. Suzanne is one of those girls that is always looking for new ways to creative delicious and nutritious meals. She is on our team for the Summer Sizzle 60 day challenge and she shared this recipe with me. I am adding my own flair and a few more vegetables but the basic recipe was shared with me by Suzanne.
Ingredients
5 Roma tomatoes
1 large head cauliflower
1 bunch zucchini
2-3 cloves garlic smashed
3-4 large zucchini
2 Tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 teaspoons liquid aminos (about 8-10 sprays)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1-2 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1-2 teaspoon thyme
1-2 teaspoon rosemary
1-2 teaspoon basil
1-2 cups cooked quinoa
Preheat oven to 400. Slice tomatoes ¼ inch thick and spread slices on a large baking sheet covered with foil. season with salt, pepper, thyme, basil and rosemary. Cut cauliflower into small pieces, wash and spread in a single layer on a separate cookie sheet covered with foil. Spray with liquid amines and season with garlic salt, seasoned pepper and some thyme, basil and rosemary. Roast the tomatoes for 25 minutes until starting to look dry. Roast the cauliflower for 30 minutes until a bit brown and fork tender. 
Wash and cut asparagus into bite sized pieces and set aside. Spiralize the zucchini into noodles using a special peeler or spiralizer. Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic. Add asparagus and sauté until just barely tender. Remove from pan and …
Getting our Kitchen Ready for the Summer Sizzle-Creative Casserole Idea
Our Summer Sizzle 60 day challenge begins today. I decided to get my kitchen ready to support our family goals and the first step was to take inventory of what I have in my refrigerator…
1) Toss out all expired sauces, dressings, condiments, yogurts etc.
2) Give away or put into the freezer any foods that do not support your fitness and health goals.
3) Make a list of all the foods you need/want in your refrigerator and pantry and head out to your favorite store (Trader Joe’s for me) to stock your shelves.
4) Wash and cut up vegetables for quick snacks.
5) Wash, cut up and roast any vegetables you will be using in recipes for the week-so much easier to do ahead of time for quicker meal prep in the evenings.
6) Wash and dry all greens and store in an airtight container for easy add-ins for shakes or for salads.
7) You can also make Green Cubes if you have trouble keeping your greens from wilting and spoiling.
Stock up on frozen fruits and fresh fruits for snacks and smoothies.
8) Plan some healthy main dishes that can be made ahead in case you have a busy day full of summer fun.
9) The last thing I did was try to make sure I was not wasting any of the left-overs I had from the weekend so I got creative and put together a healthy Mexican casserole that can feed us for a few meals this week.
Here is what I had on hand that need to be used up: LOTS of homemade salsa, BBQ corn, browned and seasoned ground turkey, shredded chicken, fajita vegetables, tortillas and grated cheese. So instead of serving up a make your own burrito bar as I had done 2 nights …
Read MoreCowboy Caviar with a Twist
Memorial Day BBQ’s are the BEST when everyone brings one of their favorite dishes to share. Yesterday my mom brought some Cowboy Caviar and it was SCRUMPTIOUS. She added a special ingredient that made it better than ever! Set a bowl of this fun appetizer out and it will be gobbled up.
Ingredients
2 tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 small bunch of green onions chopped
⅔ cups cilantro chopped
1 can corn drained and rinsed (2-3 ears of bbq corn cut off cob)
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed (most recipes call for pinto beans but we like the garbanzo beans for a new twist)
2 avocados chopped
Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic smashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon sugar
Mix all dressing ingredients and let dressing sit until all vegetables and beans are chopped and mixed together. Toss dressing over bowl of vegetables and salad. Place in a serving dish and serve with tortilla chips. This can also be a wonderful side dish for a mexican dinner-enchilladas, burritos, fajitas. You can use leftovers the next day rolled in a tortilla that has been warmed with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top. Enjoy!
- 2 tomatoes seeded and chopped
- 1 small bunch of green onions chopped
- ⅔ cups cilantro chopped
- 1 can corn drained and rinsed (2-3 ears of bbq corn cut
Staying Connected with your Grandkids
I am blessed beyond measure with 8 (soon to be 9) wonderful grandchildren. My oldest grandchild, who is in kindergarten, invited me to participate in a school project called Visiting Silhouette. He started his project by having his body silhouette traced onto a big piece of butcher paper. Then he colored his body silhouette to make a self portrait. My part was to take the silhouette with me to all of my activities for about two weeks. I took pictures of all the activities my grandson’s silhouette and I did together. For me, i was focused and reminded of my sweet grandson each day as his silhouette and I participated together in our activities.
We played in our playroom with a Little People farm. We set up the Corn Hole game and got our back yard ready for a BBQ. On a sunny day this weekend we got the swimming pool ready for Memorial Day. 
We went on a walk and the Silhouette rode in a wagon. We played on the train and went on the slide. My husband took the Silhouette and pushed him on the swings. We met one of my friends and her daughter at the park and she took a picture with the silhouette.
We made a lot of food together for the BBQ. and had a wonderful surprise….Jorde, my grandson came to town because his uncle was getting married so he and his Silhouette came to the BBQ.
I had the Silhouette help me water my vegetable garden where I am growing tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash. When the weather is as hot as it has been, I have had to water more often. I would have loved to send the Silhouette to work with my husband, Jorde’s Poppa.
So if you have grandkids that …
Read MoreSalsa a Family Favorite for Memorial Day BBQ
Memorial Day is this coming weekend and I know that many people are already planning their Memorial Day BBQs. We have 2 BBQs coming up this weekend and I am definitely going to whip up a batch of this fantastic salsa. Whether you are having Mexican food, BBQ chicken, ribs or burgers, this salsa is delicious as a side appetizer or condiment for whatever you are grilling.
Salsa Recipe
1-28 oz can Hunt’s tomato sauce
1-3 oz can El Pato tomatillo sauce
4-5 large tomatoes chopped
1-2 large red onions chopped
2 cups chopped cilantro
Depending on how chunky you want your salsa will determine whether you want to chop the vegetables by hand or chop them in the cuisinart. If you want a moderately chunky style salsa, chop the tomatoes and onions and cilantro by hand and stir together with the tomato sauce and tomatillo sauce. Let sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator and serve with tortilla chips, or cut up vegetables.
This recipe was shared with me years ago when I took my youngest daughter on an overnight camping field trip to the 49er’s Gold Country with her 4th grade class. The young adults that ran the 49er’s campground did all the cooking on outdoor grills and they served this fantastic salsa at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were willing to share their basic recipe and through the years our family has made this recipe (with a variety of modifications) for all sorts of family events. It has become an all time favorite!
…
Kindness-Making a Lasting Impact
Amy Golding Photography-Recap of her Passion Perspective and Announcing Giveaway Winner
Our Growing Weisser family is PASSIONATE about every aspect of family life! Family is about having a servant’s heart, helping when you see a need, sharing when you know it is the right thing to do and giving and serving when you don’t really feel like it. Submitting our will, our wants, our needs to the greater needs of the family is part of the package deal when you are part of a growing and thriving family.
Amy Golding’s photography business has grown out of her passion for design and artistry, her skills as a photographer and her passion for capturing intimate moments to preserve memories of families in action.
We hope you have enjoyed her story and we hope that you will check out her website and will follow her on facebook and instagram. Part of growing her business is marketing through word of mouth referrals and she would be blessed by having you as our followers share her story and her website.
The winner of our fantastic giveaway is a surprise……stay tuned for a blog post in the future featuring pictures from the mini session
Congratulations. Amy will be contacting you. Thanks to Amy for sharing her passion for families and photography.…
Read MorePassion Perspective Day 3- The Blessings and Challenges of Pursuing your Passion
Her work captures the activities of daily living that will preserve memories for years to come. 
So much of Amy’s work is personalized for each client. She pours her heart and soul, her passion and commitment to family into her work. But as a devoted mom herself this presents some challenges to her. So we asked her to be vulnerable and share about how this journey has challenged and blessed her life.
How have you grown emotionally and spiritually as a part of this journey? With regard to her challenges-expected and unexpected, she responded, “It’s been difficult learning how to juggle running a small business with still being a present parent and giving my kids 100% of me. One thing that has been helpful for me has been establishing priorities, work hours and boundaries for myself, to keep myself in-check. Another challenge I have faced was just having the bravery to put my work out there. It’s hard to put your soul out on the web and hope that others will be kind and appreciative to what you do.
When we asked her about the blessings-expected and unexpected that she has experienced she stated, “In putting my work out there though, the positive response I have received has honestly helped increase my confidence and self-worth. I think it’s important as someone who does devote their being to motherhood, to have a creative outlet, or some way to give yourself a sense of self-worth outside of your own motherhood. And I love, love, LOVE that mine relates directly to motherhood and parenthood.
We asked Amy about the wisdom she has gained in the process of turning her passion into her dream career and here are some of her specific answers.
Tips you would want to share with others:”The biggest …
Read MorePassion Perspective Day 2-Amy’s Photography Business
We asked Amy to take us on the journey of how she developed her passion into her thriving photography business and these were her responses…..
What was your original passion and how did your passion for what you are doing now start? How and when did it begin?
My passion began when I was actually in high school. I was awarded the Sterling Scholar Award for Art for my high school and received several scholarships because of it. Circumstances arose in my life that lead me to chose another career path- and funny enough, I have never used my actual degree. A few years ago, my father-in-law, who is a publisher, asked me to become the editor of a community directory he owns. I said yes, and delved into redesigning the entire book. A huge part of the directory is photography, and after one year of relying completely on other amazingly talented photographers, I decided to take the images myself. Afterwards, friends and family began asking me to take their family pictures and my passion for art was reignited.
What steps did you take to make your dream a reality?
“One of the biggest steps I took was to build a website. It can be pretty scary putting yourself out there for the world to judge. There are so many incredible photographers out there. For me, it took a lot of bravery to say, “Look everyone, this is what I love, and where I’m headed.” There are times that feel incredibly rewarding- when a client posts a photo online for everyone to see, or they tell me, “Wow, you really captured our family!” Those moments make me grateful I had the courage to start my business and the bravery to put it out there.”
What sets your photography business apart? …
Read MorePassion Perspective Day 1-Let’s Meet Amy Golding
Amy Golding is a passionate mom and incredibly gifted photographer. We are featuring her on our Passion Perspective this week. Rachel first met Amy at Miss Lana’s Dance Academy, where their children take dance lessons. We will begin our passion Perspective week with “getting to Know Amy Golding”
Here is how she introduced herself in her Growing Weisser Passion Perspective Interview: “Hello! I’m so thrilled to be featured by such an inspiring blog! A little about me- I’m Amy and I have lived in Murrieta, California for the past 7 years! I’m married to a man with the most amazing heart and I have two sweet kids, ages almost 4 and 8. They are my whole world. I have a degree in Microbiology- but my passion is photography. I love photographing the family. Motherhood can be grueling but also the most joyous experience all rolled into one. I believe the grind is what makes it so sweet. Photography is how I document the story of my family, so I can remember the joy and the love we share. It’s so my kids can see for themselves someday how amazing my experience as a mother has been- particularly THEIR mother- and that being a parent is SO incredibly worth every second of worry, pain and heartache that undoubtably happens. The joy and love of family is real and attainable. In the rush and also the drag of the days, it can be hard for other mothers to see the beauty of their life. My goal in my photography is to capture that joy, so you can remember it always, and cherish it. “ Amy met Rachel and her daughters at dance class and she was “instantly drawn to their sweet personalities and the light and goodness they radiate.”
Just reading her …
Read More