more PRO- around here

Niall has always been a hard kid into which to get protein! He's pretty "vegetarian" in his tendencies (although he doesn't love vegetables), eating a varied "white" diet (with main protein sources of tofu, including raw tofu, cooked [hard-boiled or "cheesy scrambled" eggs, and variations of dairy including full-fat milk and yogurt).  He doesn't love commercial shakes, even though I've tried various chocolaty brands (Orgain, Premier, and Fairlife), but I recently found these high-protein fruit yogurt drinks at Safeway and I think we have a winner!   

We really have been watching his growth as he's very little including in weight/height (but growing, slowly), and I'm sure nutrition has a big role. While the rest of us eat meat (mostly chicken and beef, but sometimes pork, turkey and fish [except Iver, who boycotts seafood]), we always have to have a "non-meat" meal option for this kiddo.  I'm hoping the addition of these drinks in the morning will help fuel him during the day.  

I also found some higher-protein pancake/waffle mix which was a hit last week for "breakfast for dinner."

I have also been focusing a lot on protein intake during my midlife stage (goal around 1g/kg/day), both for maintaining muscle mass/bone (which are dwindling since my twenties it seems by the literature), and also managing my satiety and weight, the latter of which has been increasing despite my high amount of weekly exercise (10- 20 miles a week running!), which is kind of disheartening (but frustratingly apparently normal in my forties. I've also never been someone who regularly "lifts weights" but am trying to add this, too). I really do feel better on a diet high in protein and low in carbs (although I love me some morning carbs with coffee!), and have been doing a lot of morning smoothies (including almond milk, cashew butter, protein powder, collagen, and creatine), as well as overnight oats (similar to this recipe, with protein-rich yogurt, added protein powder, chia seeds, flaxseed, and fruit). I have a pretty good recipe for air-fried garbanzo beans for a savory snack, and I'm trying to eat a lot of seafood, tofu, and eggs as my dinner protein, allowing for some variety for the other family members' taste preferences, along with my usual high-fiber fruit and vegetables which are never hard for me to get.

My counter looks like this!

 If you have any other tasty high-protein meal ideas to share, send them my way! 

Noble IX

Kellie and I reached out to one another almost simultaneously to find a time to plan our annual family trip to Noble Blueberry farm. We went for the ninth time this year in July (previous trips documented in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, only missing the pandemic year in 2020). 

Our kids continue to like blueberries (as do I), and we again had sunny, warm weather in Fieldbrook (and were also joined by Karen, Joe and their kids). 

Growing kids on the scale

Kids climbing piles, after throwing around a football in the parking lot.

I've been making lots of high-protein smoothies, breakfast bowls, and even tried overnight oats with blueberries this week (and may freeze some of ours). Yum! The tradition continues!  Until next year... 

Homemade Root Beer

Iver got a root beer making kit from Santa for Christmas and he tried it out last week. We had to make a yeast-water mixture and a root beer-extract/water/sugar mixture, and then let it sit on the counter for a few days for carbonation.

I'm not quite sure what went wrong, but ours never got bubbly-- we have flat root beer in a milk jug.  I think we'll try again for round #2!  

Chocolate Delights

 

Kelvin was out of town last weekend at a conference. While the kids and I had a couple of outings (including out to eat, which is a rarity in these parts!), we had a lot of at-home, reading and cooking time (Niall is now into cooking as well).  I am a big mint fan and found a  recipe for homemade peppermint patties.

We had to make and then chill the balls/patties, before melting chocolate and dipping them. 

Like with most of my (our) baking projects, the results are not always pretty, but they are tasty! 

With the leftover chocolate, the kids also wanted to dip strawberries, which were eaten very quickly!

Homemade Peppermint Patties

• ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk

• 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 2 teaspoons shortening

• 
  

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. Combine condensed milk and peppermint extract in a large mixing bowl; beat in enough confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticky.

3. Form peppermint mixture into 1-inch balls and place on waxed paper; flatten with fingers to form patties. Let patties dry at room temperature for two hours, turning once.

4. Stir chocolate and shortening in a medium saucepan over low heat until melted; remove from heat. Dip patties, one at a time, into chocolate by laying them on the tines of a fork and lowering the fork into the chocolate mixture; tap the fork on the edge of the pan to shake off excess. Slide the patties back onto the waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator until set.

Noble VIII

I realized when August was approaching that our summertime weekends were dwindling rapidly!  Every year since 2016 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, excepting pandemic 2020), we have gone to Fieldbrook's Noble Blueberry Farm with Kellie, Mark, and their kids. We usually go in July but they were able to join us, and the blueberries were excellent on Saturday on this first weekend in August (the season is expected to last later into the fall this year). 

 Our photos were apparently very sparing, though. Our friend Peggy also came (no photo evidence), abut we did at least catch a classic one of the similarly-aged kids on the farm scale. 

Until next year! 

Neon in the New Year: Vus do Vegas

The main *destination* for our winter break week was Las Vegas, although I really enjoyed the nature detour to Joshua Tree. Las Vegas is extremely popular, hosting close to 40 million tourists per year from all over world, but (not surprisingly if you know me) I'm really not into Vegas. To me, Las Vegas includes lots of waiting, lines, crowds and noise, expensive (overpriced) food, copious alcohol, luxury shopping, expensive parking, gambling, being served, late nights/partying, extravagance and gluttony in excess, and general shenanigans, and I'm an extremely serious person by nature ("a fun stopper" is what Kelvin frequently calls me).  I do enjoy good food and shows (starting around 7 p.m. or earlier!), but I really worried about how we'd keep the kids entertained during our time in Sin City. 

Kelvin is a Hilton member and we stayed at the Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World, a newer hotel just at the end of the Strip. The check-in process was slow and the hotel had weird "digital keys" and a requirement of having a "key" for the floor you were trying to access, which was tricky because we were not all accommodated on the same floor. However, our suite room was lovely, with two bathrooms (! one plus a half-bath), amenities, and a nice view of the skyline and nearby hills (obscured only by the eyesore Trump building). 

"The Sphere" is a new, interactive exhibit in Vegas.

The kids really enjoyed walking around the hotel but mostly hanging out with cousins, aunts/uncle and grandparents (Kat and Theresa couldn't join us in Joshua Tree but flew in for ~48 hours in Vegas). 

Filling up the whole elevator! 

Pokemon is a passion

The fun aunts!

Who do' not like donuts?

Poring over the personalized book from auntie Vanessa.

We figured out on our last full day that the hotel also had two heated (like almost jacuzzi-temperature!) pools, which could be used in the outdoor, 50-degree weather. OF COURSE the kids (and the "fun" parents) were all over this, while I sat on a chaise in the sun wearing a puffy coat.

We took "family photos" one night. Getting four out of four boys to smile was no small feat (I was very surprised that Kingston and Niall, the more compliant and mild-mannered children, tended to be the "problem children" during this activity!).  

(the coordinating cousin plaid was unplanned!)

We exited our self-parking lot to spring for parking at the Bellagio one day. The Christmas decor (Nutcrackers in full roses!) was lovely.

Bellagio Foyer

Ceiling

We headed to nearby Caesar's Palace, a hotel I remembered from my first trip to Las Vegas with my family around age fourteen.

 

An overpriced latte at the Forum (but with my own stainless steel straw!)

Who needs to take the kids to Paris?

The highlight of the trip for me was an Escape room that “the siblings" went to one night, as grandparents were willing to individually hotel babysit sleeping munchkins. The Once Upon an Escape (K/my first such Escape experience!) was fairy-tale themed. In our game (Seven Dwarves), we were tasked to solve puzzles using logic and clues to open locks and doors to rescue Snow White's heart (a red gem) in the fourth room, with a goal of getting out in under one hour. We did require many additional "clues" from "Rumpelstiltskin" via a tiny tablet when we got stuck, but made it out with five minutes to spare! Phew! 

One afternoon, I took the "big kids" to the Adventuredome at nearby Circus Circus, where I tried (unsuccessfully) to get them to go on a bonafide rollercoaster with me (despite being pretty un-fun, I love rollercoasters!). 

We warmed up with the ferris wheel

I caught a rare spontaneous grin from Kingston (after two kids in the car next to us started trash-talking, calling the boys "shorties")! 

The kids liked the tame mini-coaster "Roadrunner."

Frog Hopper had a tame drop (they wouldn't go on "Spike" with me!).

We thankfully stayed away from "spinny" rides which make me motion-sick, except for this swing. 

Iver has loved carousels since he was a toddler! 

On our last evening, we saw a Disney on Ice show (Frozen/Encanto) at UNLV. 

It was really enchanting!

We enjoyed some great restaurants in Las Vegas. Each of the siblings "covered" a meal, and while the cost to take a group of twelve out to eat in Vegas is pretty jaw-dropping, the kids were (mostly) well behaved, and we had some wonderful food.

8 oz Korean Steakhouse, celebrating Kenn's birthday on the second.

The restaurant was named after the multiple cuts of eight ounces of meat (mostly beef but some pork belly), all grilled in front of us and accompanied by other banchan sides. The food was amazing and we were all stuffed. 

Katherine hosted dim sum lunch at Palette Tea Lounge.  Niall tried a too-spicy chicken piece, which ruined him for most of the meal, but the kids all ate some rice and meat (Iver "didn't hate it," which is an improvement!). 

Fun photos at Sunright Tea followed 

Klian is quite a hoot!

We weren't able to get reservations for Lotus of Siam, a recommended Thai place, even though we tried for early on a weekday, and were going to have a $700 minimum charge to be seated as a group of twelve (such strange rules places have in this town!), so we changed courses and tried Fogo de Chao, a nearby Brazilian steakhouse. It was a first for us (even having been to Brazil last summer!), and we enjoyed the salad bar, as well as being served meat carved in front of us at our acceptance!  (Note: it was not cheap, but it was a great experience).

I wasn't sure how our little vegetarian would like the steakhouse, but Niall loved eating fruit, veggies, bread and showing the "yes, more" card.

He even found some sausage that he liked!

Chicken hearts (a Kenn request)!

Another birthday (dessert) celebration for Kenn!

The kids (and apparently K’s parents) had a BLAST on this week away. I have to say that a lot of the trip was pretty stressful for me (traveling in groups with varying interests/energy levels/travel styles and all the coordinating that is required and the tendency to "wing it" by some parties is not comfortable for me. Full-time parenting on the road is also challenging). Las Vegas is not a location I would have ever selected for a "vacation," but there were some really fun parts of the trip. The family bonding time benefits (probably) outweighed the irritation I felt at bickering, whining children and the chaos of day-to-day and big-city navigation (with multiple plan changes) in a large family.  This fun-stopper is excited to head home to the peace, quiet, and routine that feels comfortable to me.  Until the next Vu family "vacation."