(yes, i know it's summer and we are a long ways from the holidays, but please, read on...)
it's always a pretty good indication that i need to get cooking again when i open the fridge and have a hard time finding anything that a good meal can consist of... oh the life of ridding oneself of convenience foods... (i think it's about time i schedule a cooking day so this doesn't happen to me every.single.week, ha!)
well, speaking of ridding our home of convenience foods, there's actually room in the freezer now! but that's not all... this means i can actually SEE what all is in there too!! double excitement. ESPECIALLY when i set eyes on my cranberries, that i bought at ungodly low prices after the holidays, and froze for use at such a time like this. Mmmmmm!
"cranberries in the summertime?", you might say. and i say, "YES! absolutely!!". in my opinion, there is nothing quite so refreshing and invigorating as a bowl of good 'ol momma's holiday cranberry sauce in the dead of summer. if you can find them, that is. (i ran into that predicament last year about this time so this year i'm prepared.) if you can't find any that are fresh, sometimes grocery stores will sell them in the freezer section. happy hunting! if nothing else, this is an AWESOME go-to recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
enough babbling (can you tell i'm excited?), here goes...
Ingredients:
1 bag (12oz) cranberries
1 large seedless Orange
honey or other sweetener of choice
Directions:
Put cranberries in a food processor and chop into small peanut-size pieces. Remove cranberries and then put the whole orange (you can cut into pieces, as shown, but use the rind too!) in and process until rind is chopped up nicely and incorporated.
Combine the cranberries and orange in a bowl and mix in honey to taste. I use 1-2Tb but I do LOVE sour things so you may prefer a bit more. The point is to decrease the sourness from the cranberries but it is supposed to have a tangy flavor. It's like natural, healthy Sour Patch Kids!! haha.
TaDa!!! YUMMY! (i sprinkled some walnuts on top since i had some already chopped up to make some more breakfast cookies)
a few months ago it was brought to my attention how HORRIBLE boxed cereal is for our bodies! take a look:
"Boxed breakfast cereals are some of the most toxic, unhealthy foods you can possibly buy at the grocery store. Believe it or not, organic brands are the absoluteworst!
The reason is that the violent processing required to make boxed cereal (called extrusion) is so high in temperature and pressure that the proteins in the grains are completely denatured and rendered toxic from the ordeal. Organic boxed cereal is the most toxic of all because it is whole grain and therefore higher in protein!
Toxic foods are frequently the most addictive (think MSG and aspartame/nutrasweet), so even though it is difficult, you simply must eliminate these foods from your pantry for good!"
so since reading this and doing some research myself, i've been on the lookout for homemade cereal that doesn't take a lot of time to make and actually tastes GOOD. in addition to yesterday's Slow Cooker Fruit and Nut Granola this is another recipe that i've actually been making about weekly for the past 2months. not that i'm addicted or anything... ha.
i originally found this recipe (from this blog) in the form of Energy Bites. i have found, though, that it lasts longer for me if i eat it like cereal and i actually like i better that way too. ever since i became pregnant i'm a much bigger fan of milk than i used to be- and that's added protein anyways- so this is how i eat it. MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT. that's just how good it is! haha. below is my version of the recipe- i make about 50% more at a time- with my normal decreased amount of sugar and inclusion of additional grains...
Ingredients:
1 1/4c oats
3/4c oat bran
2/3c coconut
1c ground flaxseed
3/4c peanut butter
1/2c chocolate chips
1/4c honey
1tsp vanilla
Directions: Stir all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed and chill in the refrigerator.
i believe i'm in the middle of a love affair with my Crock Pot.
while i've been very much enjoying making my own snacks, staples and pantry items instead of relying on preservative/chemical filled foods from the grocery store, one thing i do NOT enjoy is a hot house during the Summertime! to avoid this uncomfortable affect of baking during the heat waves of Florida's summer i normally just prep everything during the day and then put it in the oven at night after the sun goes down. yes, this is a bit inconvenient and requires some planning ahead. ENTER: the CROCK POT. the miracle mini-oven. i LOVE that it takes such little energy and everything can be cooked right there in that tiny (compared to an oven) space of a pot.
VOILA! Dinner!!
OR... BRRRREAKFAST!!!yes, that's right... Breakfast in a Crock Pot!
Ingredients: 5c oats 1c nuts, chopped (i used walnuts) 1c dried fruit 3/8c sweetener (i used 1/8c honey + 1/4c agave nectar ) 1/2c seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.) 4 Tb butter (next time i'm going to try coconut oil... of course) 1/4c coconut 2 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Place all ingredients in slow cooker and set to high for 2-3 hours. Place a chopstick or other utensil under the lid so it doesn’t close all the way. Check and stir the granola around every 30 minutes, or when it becomes fragrant. Once it looks a bit browned and toasted, it’s ready to go. Turn off slow cooker, let granola cool, then store in airtight bag in fridge.
*This recipe makes cereal-like granola – if you like really clumpy, trail-mix granola, and aren't so concerned with fat and sugar content, add more sweetener and butter.
SO when every two weeks you end up with a laundry basket FULL of produce (courtesy of the fruit/veggie co-op i'm a part of), some of it is just bound to go bad... or almost. i've searched high and low for a GOOD, healthy way to use up overly ripe bananas and have FINALLY found it! (recipe adapted from this blog)
(ps- one day i had 2 of these and they tied me over until 2pm! well, ok, i also had some of my green smoothie with the first one and was pretty darn ready for another meal by 2 o'clock but still, i think that's pretty good for a cookie ;) GREAT wholesome option for on-the-go snacking if you get my drift!)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats 1/4 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 cup coconut flakes 1/2 cup mixed nuts, finely chopped 1 cup dried fruit
Directions:Preheat oven to 350*F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, ground flax seed, almond meal, salt, allspice and cinnamon.
2. Add in nuts, coconut and dried fruit and stir until well and evenly mixed. Make sure the dried fruit do not stick together in big batches.
(i had some leftover "trail mix" i'd made up of almonds, dates and cranberries so just chopped them all up together in my food processor before adding them into the cookie mix)
3. In another bowl, combine coconut oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract.
(i do things the hard way so mashed my bananas after putting everything together in the bowl)
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
5. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
~VOILA!!!!~ a NO-CARB added solution for those bananas! YUMMY!!!
Note: although i used almonds because that's what i had on hand- and needed to use up- they were AMAZING in these cookies! after being baked in the oven they had a "toasted" almond taste and aroma... mmmmm!
do you ever have those days when you KNOW all your body needs is a salad but NOTHING in you really wants one??? that just happened to me. and guess what i'm eating?! a SALAD! ha. how did that happen? it's this thing called reverse psychology that went a little like this:
need lunch... open fridge (nope, nope, nope, nope- nothing looks good)
go to cabinet... pull out chips- YUM! hmmm, cheese sounds good with these and i bet i could eat a salad too.
5mins later i've got a HUGE salad in my hands w/cheese on top and my chips on the side! self-trickery... that's what i call it!
(ps- the chips are "clean". LOVE Trader Joe's!!!)
~
haha. really though... i was just talking to my friend about this concept the other day. about how allowing yourself to "cheat" often takes away the desire to really actually do it. the conversation we had was more about getting our weekly workouts in and i expressed how i was feeling REALLY exhausted and was gonna give myself a pass again- for the third day in a row. after we got off the phone i was thinking to myself, "hey, you know, i really kinda want to workout now! even if it's just 10minutes." the result? i ended up working out for 18minutes!! same thing as the salad- by not pressuring myself, making myself feel obligated, i still made the RIGHT CHOICE and was HAPPY about it. if i pressure myself into doing the right thing then i usually end up hating every minute of it. self-love and tenderness is SUCH a better way to go!!!
now, granted, this concept can be taken to an extreme, as in just being lazy, but that is where self-awareness and being willing to be honest with yourself comes in. it takes a little practice in being able to discern if you are just making excuses or if you really do need to insert a little self-acceptance WITHOUT that salad or workout. BUT it's SOOO important to be able to disconnect your identity or self-esteem by what you DO. being proud of your accomplishments is one thing, but finding your whole being in them is another!
you must know that i have not gotten to this place over night. just take a look at the first year or two of posts on this blog and you can follow the journey i have taken on my quest for balance. it's POWERFUL! i look back at those posts and see really how far i've come. i was in a VERY unhealthy state at that point in my life but what progress has taken place over the past couple years! it is time-consuming and tough but SO worth it! i'm VERY thankful that i have taken the opportunity to invest time and energy into this area of health for myself. we as women so often spend our days always caring for those around us- making their world go round and stay in one piece- that we forget to invest in caring for ourselves and our world on top of all of it.
food for thought. i hope that you will decide to do this for yourself as well. you are worth it. just the way you are, right now. if a good starting point for you is reading some of my earlier posts to see how i've come to this point then i'd be SO happy that my story and struggles and victories could help make a difference in someone else's life. there's enough hate in the world already and we should NOT be hating ourselves, the way we look, the goals we haven't met, etc. (and, yes, it is hard to admit that self-hate is really the issue but sometimes- like in my life- that is the reality and it needs to be admitted before it can be overcome.) i am so passionate about this because i struggled for SOO long and i KNOW the insanity that can take place in the mind, soul, and being because of all the pressures to be "beautiful", "perfect", "ideal" that are put on us as women. it doesn't need to be that way and it CAN change! i am proof!!
"Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, And I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.
I do not sit with deceitful men, Nor will I go with pretenders. I hate the assembly of evildoers, And I will not sit with the wicked.
I shall wash my hands in innocence, And I will go about Your altar, O LORD, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders.
O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house And the place where Your glory dwells.
Do not take my soul away along with sinners, Nor my life with men of bloodshed, In whose hands is a wicked scheme, And whose right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; Redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on a level place; In the congregations I shall bless the LORD.
- Psa 26:1-12 NASB
~
6.05.2012
i heard this song in the car today and immediately thought of 4 friends who are going through particularly trying times in their lives right now.
i first heard this song when my mom told me about it last year during a very trying time in my life.
the one common denominator of these struggles? marriage.
interesting, isn't it?
never before in my life have i understood so well the reality of Satan's rule of this world than since the day i said
"I Do". take a look at these words:
"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ... So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, ... This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church." - Eph 5:22-25, 28-29, 32 NASB
do you see a correlation here??! marriage is a DIRECTrepresentation of Christ's relationship with us, lived out in OUR lives. of COURSE Satan is going to attack those who are living God's grace and mercy out in their lives and honoring Him through their marriage relationships.
i find it very unnerving how there isn't more support for marriages within the church. the difficulties and disappointments are not spoken of- it ought to be taught from a young age that to be in a Christ-centered marriage is to be ready for battle! and we wonder why divorce is just as prevalent within the walls of our places of worship as it is outside of them? when will people step up to the plate and teach reality?! it hurts my heart SO much to see my friends struggling so. it ANGERS me to see the Enemy crushing their spirits and hopes telling them that they are failing, not good enough, made a mistake, not able to carry out their vows. LIES!
and yet, there IS hope! one of the most valuable things i have learned over the past couple years is that having a "good" marriage is no accomplishment but that STAYING married IS! not just for the sake of living up to other people's expectations or doing it because it's right but really understanding that marriage is not the point at all. but rather, our sanctification. we, as married partners being refined, changed, made more like Christ. in my experience, marriage is one big, fat chance to exemplify grace over and over and over and over and over... and over again. people that are married for 30, 40, 50+ years do not reach that point because they have been lucky and ended up in a good marriage. they are the warriors, the fighters, the persevering. that kind of milestone can ONLY be reached through a COMPLETEinvestment of heart and soul and strength and humility. and PRAYER. it does NOT just happen! it is blood, sweat, and tears to the hilt! it is not for the faint of heart or for those seeking a "feeling".
i'll bet that Christ sure didn't "feel" like going to the Cross to show His love for us!
in fact, i KNOW He didn't...
"And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." ... He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." ... And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more." - Mat 26:39, 42, 44 NASB
and He was PERFECT.
that just gives you a little glimpse of what this is all about. everything within Christ did not want to die but what He did want was to be obedient to God's divine plan so that we would have an example of what TRUE LOVEis! THAT kind of love is what marriage is intended to reflect. and we CAN live out that kind of love in our lives- a love so great that Hollywood can't even touch with a pinpoint...
"what if Your blessings come through raindrops,
what if Your healing comes through tears,
and what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
...the pain reminds our heart that this is not our home."
Ingredients:
3 1/4c rolled oats
1/2c almond meal (flour)
1/4c coconut
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2c coconut oil
1/4c +2Tb honey
1/2c mini chocolate chips or raisins
1/4c dried cranberries (or other add-in)
Directions:
1. Mix ingredients together
2. Press into a greased 8x8 pan.
3. Bake at 325*F for 20-25min. When timer goes off, turn off oven but leave pan in for 15minutes as oven cools down. Granola bars should be nicely browned to a golden color on top. LET COOL completely before cutting and removing for best results. Makes 12 bars.
Note: This recipe was adapted from one I found on Pinterest that did not have a link attached. I omitted 1/4c brown sugar, subbed almond meal for regular flour (to "up" the protein/healthy fat content and get rid of unneeded carbs), and 1/2c coconut oil for 1/3c melted butter. I also added in some coconut for texture.
**If you are like me and rarely make a recipe the same twice, depending on what you decide to use for your "ad-ins" (ie: chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, dried fruit, coconut, etc.), you may have to tweak your amounts of honey and coconut oil since these are your "adhesives" to hold it all together. You basically just want it to be sticky enough so that it combines and meshes well as you press it into the pan.
Mmmmmm... SO much better for you than those bars you can buy at the grocery store! i dare you to look at the ingredients in THOSE ;)
1 large orange (give or take- I ended up using 3/4 of one), peeled and segmented
1 banana, cut into chunks
14 frozen strawberries
4 cups spinach
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Chobani 0%)
1 cup hot water
2 Tb honey
directions:
1. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.
here's what i started with:
eh, i think i'll add in some more spinach...
Note: experiment with this one! of course there are TONS of great smoothie recipes out there but I really love this one so am going to stick with it until I need something new... I have put carrots in it as well- a little different tasting but, hey, they needed to be used up and hubby even approved too.
I made a double recipe adapted from one I found on Pinterest from this blog. My strawberries were frozen, hence, the hot water- the blender I have now isn't strong enough otherwise... RIP VitaMix :( I had a couple really nice large bunches of spinach from Co-op on Saturday so I quadrupled the amount meaning I put 2x as much in since I'm doubling the recipe. It's still VERY surprising to me how it doesn't taste bad at ALL with so much "veggie" in a smoothie! **WONDERFUL** The greek yogurt makes it a little tart but I actually like it that way and I'm all about getting a good dose of protein so that ingredient I tripled from the original recipe. The added honey is for good measure, ha.
WOW.
WHAT a week! my husband is out of town for 9 days, out West, on a motorcycle trip with a friend of ours from college. i was SO excited to have some time to get caught up on some projects i've had brewing in my head for months now, but guess what? that has not happened at ALL! i always try to keep my schedule pretty full while he's gone, so that i make sure to stay occupied, and evidently i have mastered that skill quite well.
and then a 21 hour day on saturday was about the last straw... though it was all for good reason... essentially.
it all started getting up at 4am to head out to the Farmer's Market for the veggie/fruit co-op i'm a part of- who's brilliant idea was it to schedule me to shop the weekend my husband was gone? oh yeah, that was me. great thinking... mommy-brain at it finest, woohoo. an AMAZING (obviously) friend of mine agreed to come stay with little guy so he could sleep the remaining half of the night. geez, where do i get these ideas?anyways, this AMAZING friend of mine is my workout partner so of course we had to get that in while she was in my neck of the woods (we live 30min apart) so by 10am i had a stocked fridge (in theory because the produce still needed washing), 25min workout under my belt, was showered and ready for the day except that my body thought it'd be great timing to get a nap. oh yeah, sleep. so i happened to be able to get a couple hours of nap in but i kinda had a lot on my mind and was trying desperately to tie up some loose ends- food that was going bad, cloth diapers that needed washing, something like that- before it was too late.
well, since hubby is out of town why don't i catch up with all my little munchkins i've nannied?! yes, that was saturday night. i took little guy 45min north to watch "the boys", so their parents could have a date night, which meant not getting home until 11:30pm and not getting to sleep myself until 1am. are you getting a glimpse of the brilliance yet??
Sunday. little guy wakes up at 9am meaning if i were honest i could make it to the 11am church service (which is also across town by 35mins), if i really felt like it. i did. in the meantime, while nursing, i realize dog really needs a bath BAD, oh yeah, baby needs a bath BAD, and heck i sure could use one too. time to rev the engines...
so basically, by 5pm yesterday ALL i had accomplished was bathing and feeding everyone, going to church, and getting in a nap. but seriously, there was not so much food to eat in a pinch (which if you're getting the hint is quite necessary around here on a daily basis). ok, well, since it's summer in FL i certainly try to not use the oven until the late evening so the AC unit doesn't get burned out. guess i'll start with a smoothie...
that was the easy part.
by the time the night was done i'd also whipped up some homemade granola bars, breakfast cookies, cereal, and a loaf of bread. believe me, the kitchen was SCARY!
and stayed that way until about 4 hours ago. remember my little munchkins? i've got another- one of "the girls"- sleeping in the spare room right now... thankfully they don't really know the difference when your life is in shambles and you're scrambling to keep up with it all. and all i've really wanted to do is blog. but i promise, i will catch up over the next few days... can't wait to share these recipes!
well, as many of you who are moms know, time flies by at just rapid speeds as the years progress- a fact of life that is made all too evident when children come into the picture.
i can't quite believe little guy is already 4 1/2 months old <sigh>. i feel like he has tripled his size and just completely morphed into his own little being. it's so amazing to me how someone of his extremely young age can already have such a specific personality! at this stage i can't help but feel like his little babyisms just continue to slip through my fingers like raindrops one after the other each day but then i'm blessed to have an amazingly sweet, good-mannered, agreeable child- so maybe this is not the norm for everyone. it is SO fun to watch him change, develop, and grow but in a way i really hate it. i KNOW this is the best time (as the parent) of his life right now and that scares me. my years of experience nannying all ages of children has given me a pretty good bank of knowledge to know what is coming in the years ahead. and in this case i don't think the statement "knowledge is power" rings true because, let's be honest, there's nothing I can do to avoid the inevitable. perhaps for the first time i'm really understanding why mothers have such a hard time letting their children grow older, detach. and keep the "baby" a baby as long as they can. it's such a sweet time of motherhood and, frankly, i don't want it to change. in my opinion it feels a little more like "knowledge is fear".
perhaps motherhood is the bravest position in life...
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