Prepping for winter.

Yep. I'm looking forward to winter already. I always do this...wish away the current season in hopes of the next one. While I'm enjoying all the iced coffee and reading outside in the warm mornings, I'm making the most of my baking and fresh produce from my bountiful basket to stock up some food for the winter. I have a feeling I'm going to be even more homebound than usual with a baby on the brink of crawling/walking.  

 

 

I made some molasses bread today, one for B to have during my upcoming trip to Colorado. (I'm attempting to bake some extra food for him to have on hand that week so he doesn't eat like a bachelor.)

 

 

 

I'm storing one for much later to break out and toast with some winter soup this year. This stuff is so easy to make, it's healthy, smells delicious when it's baking, and I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand.

 

 

I'm using my grapes fro this last basket to make a grape salad for a birthday party Ari and I are attending tonight.

 

 

I really feel like I let tons of food go to waste last year when I was getting my baskets because I didn't make myself get creative enough with my cooking. This year I plan on using every last piece of those fruits and veggies! Pear muffins for winter. Leek and potato soup all around. Every sort of veggie pasta you can think of. Pumpkin bread out of our ears! It's also going to make some great baby food for Ari bug. It really is a great deal, but not when I get lazy and reach for premade food first. Maybe I'll have to share some of the crazy recipes I come up with. ;)

 

My grandparents are in town and we are having a blast. This is the first great-grandchild on both sides of our family. It's been fun to watch the different generations interact. So they will be here for the next two weeks, and then Ari and I are off to Colorado with them to see my parents for a week. B is so, so busy these days. I'm sad that he won't get to go with us, but God's got some stuff in the works for him here. :)

 

 

Ari always steals a few kisses before daddy heads to work. :) I love these two boys.

 

xoxo

 

P.S. I got to be a guest blogger over at The Breastfeeding Cafe today! Check out everything Ari and I have learned so far on our adventures with breastfeeding! ;) haha And please ignore all the grammar mistakes. That's the downside to not being able to get back in to the dashboard to edit, and the downside of having mom-brain all the time. ;) haha

 



Quinoa veggie wraps

I can't stop eating these!! Literally, every day for lunch for the last...I don't know how long. Two, three weeks now? They are soooo good and I always have stuff on hand to make them. I first had them at a friend's house a few weeks ago while our husbands were rock climbing. Here's how she made them:

- Extra large tortilla wraps
- Spread some hummus in the middle (I've found this helps everything stick when you're eating it, so they don't fall apart)
- A few spoonfulls of quinoa (I've just been cooking a bunch at once and keeping it ready in the fridge for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...I've also heard you can freeze it)
- Cucumbers
- Red peppers (I've found a new love for red peppers!!)
- Lettuce
- Cheese
- Avocado
- Pink Himalayan Salt (I swear, this stuff takes this wrap from being bland and full of veggies, to being so tasty and full of flavor!)
- Freshly ground black pepper

Oh yeah! I'm eating one as I type this. ;) You really can add whatever veggies you like or have on hand, this is just my favorite combo.

I've been trying, and quite often failing, to eat clean the last week or so. I've heard it helps balanace post-partum hormones. Crazy hormones or no crazy hormones, this wrap is delicious!! My other favorite clean eating recipe that I've found, which is also a sweet desert, are these Blonde Macaroons. Oh my!! Those didn't stick around for too long!! ;)

Happy eating! ;)

xoxo

A breakfast I think Edith Schaeffer would appreciate.

B got to stay home with me again this morning for breakfast. Since I'm on Spring Break and have nothing other than tons of cleaning and organizing to get done this week, you better believe I took the opportunity to make this super easy Dutch Baby Pancake. I love this recipe because it truly was so easy, and you could add any fruit or topping you have. I also used half whole wheat to boost the protein. I was so happy when I opened the oven to see the tall wall of Dutch pancake that I unknowingly created. I forgot how beautiful it would look once cooked!

While cooking it I was thinking about Edith Schaeffer. Specifically, I was thinking about the few recipes she shared in one of her books that were just as easy as this one.

I've talked about Mrs. Schaeffer and all her wonderfully creative books before. She truly is one of those Proverbs 31 women I look up to as a young wife and soon to be mom. It's amazing to me how many times I've actually been made fun of by brothers and sisters in Christ for absolutely loving being so homeward focused (while still working part time) and serving my husband. Yes, I do iron his clothes for him every Sunday night, even if it doesn't look like it by the time he gets to worship practice in the morning, and I do because God has given me a heart that finds joy in serving and helping my husband. One of the best gifts my husband can ever given to me is when I hear him sigh when he comes home from work or a long day of meetings and say, "I love being home." Mrs. Schaeffer greatly encouraged me in finding my God-given role as a homemaker through her writing. One topic I could go on and on about is art and Christianity, and she writes about that often as well, as the while keeping Jesus at the center of everything. That is so, so important, and she manages to do it, and do it well. So well that the Lord gave her 98 year to serve Him and others through her giftings on this earth!! I was so happy to see that number 98 pop up on the article announcing her death. 98 full years her on this earth, and I know she's dancing right alongside her husband right now in heaven for our King Jesus.

I could go on and anaylze her books like the English major that I am, complete with quotes, citations, and lengthy footnotes, but I'll leave that for another time. (Maybe I should start reviewing books on here?) I do want to share one of the things God has impressed on my heart over the two short years of being married from reading her books.

We are a ministry family. God's called us to that. As of right now we are praying about the specific things God has called us to as a family in the realms of church planting. But being in ministry as a young wife for the last (almost) two years now, I have had a few of those experiences where some hungry and hurting friend shows up at your door and you need to cook up some lunch for them, or you have to figure out how to accomodate space for 30 or more people in your tiny dollhouse sized home, as well as dinners, and oh yeah, where will the children play? :) It's always chaotic, but these times are looked back upon as fond memories where we did watch Jesus move. I don't remember the stress of the moment, or some ingredient I may have forgotten to ruin the entire dinner.

That being said, God really impressed a specific term ( I guess you could call it that?) upon my heart through Mrs. Scheffer's writings. It's not a term she ever used, it's just something God has called me to cultivate in my home, family, and in ministry. That term or calling He has been teaching me about through my journaling, reading, and many notes that I've taken over the last two years is creating a Jesus culture. I really felt God saying that's what takes places when you open your home for ministry to happen. You are welcoming a group of people from many different cultures and backgrounds to partake in a common thing, that common thing hopefully being a relationship with Jesus. It was my second to last semester in college when I first picked up her books and I really felt God asking me to be open and okay with many different cultures and backgrounds in my life. I'm still not sure what this means today, but God has again and again asked me that. He has also shared with me that I'm not simply opening up a room made out of paint and wood, but a place that needs to be inviting and welcoming for people to want to spend time there and share their hearts. More very recently God spoke to me again about this Jesus culture He is calling me to cultivate, and I took down another note about what He was telling me in my commonplace. Here it is:

"2/15: Jesus culture: creating a culture where people are able to grow, confess sin, repent, and be broken totally without fear of fear or judgment."

Due to lessons learned in my own life, God was showing me how desperately important it is to not be judgemental of people so they feel accepted and able to confess and repent sin. Acceptance was the word God was really placing on my heart. So, today all I know is Jesus is calling me to help encourage this creative culture through art, ministry, homemaking, and openly accepting and loving others in my home. Still not sure what this means for the future, but God is slowly revealing it to me. (I hope this made sense to someone out there.)

How does this relate to Mrs. Schaeffer? Well, she was really all about that. She is all about flowers at the table, for no other show but to display thought and love you put in to the preparation and meal for the people you are breaking bread with. She is all about encouraging loud laughter from little boys as they run around the house banging on pots and pans. Who knows, maybe God blessed you with a little psalmist from your womb and this is his way of glorifying Jesus with music from a young age. Just think about that: walking in to a colorful home where music is constantly playing, goodies are hot from the oven, and you are always, always welcome to come over and share some thoughts and tea. Who wouldn't want to hang out there? :)

So ladies, I highly encourage you to pick up one of her books. :) See what gifts God has given you to cultivate in your family for His glory. For more reading about Mrs. Schaeffer, these are two articles I've loved reading this week: my favorite being I Owe My Home to Edith Schaeffer and then Challies' article.

I also wanted to share this article on being married young. I married at 19, my husband was 20, and we're about to have our first little boy at 21 and 22. I'm learning how truly crazy we are for doing this, but God is so good and He is the one that sustains any marriage, young or old. Believe me, God is asking me to trust Him over and over again each day that it truly is better for me to walk this life beside my husband, than it would be for me to walk it alone (Genesis 2:18). Happy reading, friends!

xoxo

All natural beauty: things I've experimented with this pregnancy.

There we go! One day shy of 30 weeks! I really wish I could live in skirts these days, and I would but I'm slightly clumsy and I find myself tripping in them a lot. haha And a pregnant lady who trips all the time really is hazardous.

Since it's been warmer I realized my dull, white legs will be showing soon. ;) As usual, I've been on my pinterest boards looking through all natural beauty tricks for fun. I've used this trick twice now, and I really like it. Although, I did just finish cleaning our bathroom and found all the coconut and olive oil very tricky to get off. Any suggestions? Haha It's quite comical to watch me and my belly curve around the toilet to clean behind it, and get in the tub to scrub, scrub, scrub.

About two weeks ago I noticed my cheeks finally started to become very, very dry. I've used half apple cider vinegar and half water as a toner through most of my pregnancy. My skin freaked out a bit as I entered into my second trimester, but this stuff seriously cleared it right up. I think after allllll these weeks of using it with really no moisturizer (shhh...I know that's probably terrible for my skin, but I really do drink tons and tons of water and the skin on my face doesn't seem to need much else most of the year) it may have started to dry me out a bit, but I found this moisturizing facial cleanser last week and I really, really love it!! I was super worried it would make my face extra oily, but it didn't at all!! I love using all natural beauty recipes that only have a few ingredients because I remember how to do them easier, making it so that I actually use them. I started looking for a new cleanser because I recently read that they are trying to get rid of all exfoliants with plastic scrubbies in them (something about fish and landfills?), and since I've used the same one for literally years, I started looking for natural alternatives when mine goes off the market. I love that the baking soda actually makes your face feel scrubbed and cleaned, and it really does get all your make up off. I switched to using the ACV toner only once a day or so, and I've really noticed a difference. I swear, the day after I used the coconut and baking soda mixture, my cheeks were already brighter and rosy.

My other favorite natural winter skin repair that I started about this time last year was mixing one egg white with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. You make the paste and let it sit as a mask on your skin for about 20 minutes. The protein from the egg helps rebuild your chapped winter skin. I ONLY use real lemon juice because you just never know what's in the store bought, prepackaged kind, and I don't what who-knows-what sitting on my skin.

At first I started doing these weird experiments when B wasn't home, but I don't care anymore. He knows I'm a weirdo. haha I don't think he was home the one time I experimented with tumeric, turning my face orange. (It was a good thing I try these at night, or else I would have had to go out looking like an Oompa Loompa.) Honey is the ONLY natural ingredient that doesn't work well with my skin. Any other thing I've put on my skin has really done fine, some things just work better than others for me.

I really want to try this all-natural mascara sometime. I've used the same Clinique one for ages because I'm allergic to all other ones. I used to use mineral veil, but it's just too expensive for me to keep buying, so I want to try to make this one sometime. I could go on, and on... ;) I really find this stuff interesting and it's always a fun challenge to try something new, especially if it saves money. The one product I do buy and haven't been able to bring myself to experiment with making on my own is my foundation. I have again used the same thing for years. It's Naked Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation. My mom is an esthetician and actually sold this stuff back when I was in junior high I think. I like it because it's not a powder. With powder you seem to waste more than you actually use. It also doesn't make my face oily. Other loose or even pressed mineral foundations I've tried make my face oily very quickly. They've done all sorts of fancy tests with this stuff that I can't remember right now (thank you pregnancy brain). I do remember they tested being able to sleep in this stuff and it doesn't harm your skin. Also, there was something about being able to put it in an open wound (not that you would really want to, right?) and it didn't cause any extra harm. Being a pre-school teacher means the people I spend the most time with during the day don't really give a hoot what I look like, as long as I know how to put the puzzle back together. But my basic beauty routine that I stick to most days includes this foundation and a tiny bit of mascara, if I even get that far. haha Anyways, enough about Naked Minerals. I love the stuff. :)

Sidenote: Any things you guys did around the house that were very helpful for when you came home with a new baby? I actually have time to be home today and get caught up on cleaning and organizing, which is ALWAYS energizing to me for some reason, so I sat down and made a very, very basic grocery list in case anyone has to do that for us while we're in the hospital. I figured it's nicer to have a stocked fridge when you first come home so you don't have to figure out who has more energy to go out and grab the basics to get by for that first week. Any other suggestions? The only other thing (besides trying this natural carpet cleaner today) that I really want to have done before baby gets here is getting my blinds cleaned. I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE doing this. I always did as a kid, and I STILL do. That's why they are dusty pretty much all the time. I don't know how to do it well, and they are white plantation shutter type blinds, so they show dust, and the black streaks from cleaning the dust. Sigh Anyways, again...what other things were helpful to you to have done at home when baby came home? :)

xoxo

Spring green.

I love it when an avocado looks that good. Lime green and muted yellow. They're finally in season! And that means it's finally getting a little warmer and sunnier! (Knock on wood...it's only March, so it's bound to snow some more.) This perfect little avocado was the icing on the cake today. I spent an hour outside with my students, and came home to make this yummy dinner. It called for some guac, so I got my avocado on! :) I'm so thankful for the 60's weather today brought. B and I are heading to SLC tomorrow afternoon to walk around the city a bit and get to know the place more. I can't wait to put on some capris and get some exercise in the warmth. Maybe I will be able to break out those marternity shorts! ;)

10 weeks left! Oh wow!! I'm not sure B and I realize just how soon that is. ;) We're taking our Childbirth Prep class this Saturday. Maybe then reality will set in a bit more? B said he had a dream he got to hang out with our little baby. I can't remember much of what he said about the dream, but I thought it was adorable. He knew our little guy had to go back in my tummy to finish out his time, but I guess he had fun hanging out with him. I still haven't dreamt about him. I was feeling bummed about how uncomfortable sleeping at night is with the extra tummy weight, and I ended up having a dream that I had to carry around a dalmatian instead of the baby. By the end of the dream I was so exhausted from carrying around the little black and white bum that I was begging for the baby weight to come back. haha So weird!

Anyways, the dinner timer just went off! Time to chow down with my babe!

xoxo

Over a week, and here's why...

I can't breathe. Ok, really, I can obviously breathe since I'm alive and blogging, but I have to concentrate really hard to simply SIT and BREATHE most days. Baby is NOT hanging low anymore. He's climbed up my rib cage and is squishing my lungs. Anyways, this leaves me quite exhausted. Want to pray for me? I could really use some extra energy to get through my work days. I'm supposed to be (and hopefully will be) working up until  my due date, but seriously....who would have thought bending over multiple times a day to clean up all the toys in a classroom could knock someone out for the week. That's how I've been feeling. It makes me physically tired, but its also been making my tummy upset. Maybe because everything is being squished together so I can grab one toy here, another toy there. haha I haven't had energy for much else besides focusing on work and home. So no blogging for the last week.

Anyways, besides that...I drove past Wendy's and Burger King today, all before 11 a.m. and all I could think about were the chocolate frostys they have!! So I had to rush home and make myself a healthier version that I'm quite pleased with. :)

1 banana (not frozen, but I usually use frozen)
a squirt of agave
1 tablespoon coacoa powder
about half a tray of ice cubes (depends on how thick you like yours)
almond milk
leftover coffee from this morning
three strawberries

It's so yummy!! And not too bad for you, and I took care of that sweet craving while filling up my tummy with good fruits. :) When I worked at Starbucks I LOVED making smoothies for my meals with all sorts of weird things in them: I always had spinach in mine, Greek yogurt, almonds, chia seeds, wheat germ, whatever fruits I had on hand, one packet of honey, some dark chocolate chips...I promise, promise, promise you don't taste the spinach. Yes, it looks weird and gross, but they're really sooooo good for you, and quite filling too. Enough about my random smoothies.

I'm at 29 weeks tomorrow. I have some time this afternoon, so I'm going to pack our hospital bag. Advice? What things were you glad you had on hand? What was useless? Some things I've been reading from around the web say its nice to have little gifts for the nurses, as well as mints or something to suck on during labor (since you can't eat...still not sure how I feel about that?), ohh...I can't remember what else. It's still a bit early to think we need to head to the hospital, but you never know I guess. I was planning on doing this last week while B was out of town, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It just seemed way too real that this is all happening. I can't even describe it now that I'm thinking about it. haha

While continuing to think and pray about what God wants this baby's birth to look like, I found this blog post to be very helpful. A friend shared it with me and it's seriously one of the most encouraging things I've read yet. In thinking about diets, natural birth, birth orders, epidurals, essential oils, being vegan, Hypnobirthing, blah, blah, blah....the list could go on, God's continued to put a passage from 1 Timothy on my heart.

"As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge any persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussions..." 1 Timothy 1:3-6

God really showed me a few weeks back that I was wandering into vain discussions with myself on learning and reading about natural birth. All of the things I listed above really are just myths, things we can never, ever truly be certain about. I will never know for sure if an essential oil can cure my cold. I will never know for sure if I will make it all natural this time. I will never know for sure if an epidural would be perfectly fine for me and my baby. I will never know if I will live longer of this diet or that diet. Only if it's God's will would any of these things happen. I was, and continue, to get caught up in things like these, placing my faith in these things instead of in Christ. Trusting in those other things instead of Him was and is sin (Romans 14:23). His Word is one of the only absolutes I can stand on in faith, and I knew all of my anxiety was coming from trusting in these things I was never meant to trust in. There's been quite a release since He gently showed me that. I've also come to the conclusion that I'm honestly not going to make a decision and stick to it when it comes to this whole giving birth thing because the only person who knows how its going to turn out already has the whole thing planned out for me, and I want to rest in His plan.

Well, off I go to back our hospital bag! :)

xoxo

More thoughts on pregnancy: anticipation & diet

Yep, it's here. All my days and lots of my thoughts are filled with anticipation of this little guy getting here. I finished registering with a friend on Saturday, and I'm sooo thankful I did that! As a first time mom I had NO CLUE about all the little gadgets that you need for breast pumps/feeding, little tricks for having diapers ready in the car, etc. It was very helpful! (Thanks Stac!) After that, I attended a baby shower yesterday. All this combined with the cold weather is really causing much impatience on my part for May to get here, and secondly, summer!!

Summer means gardening. Actually, summer means your garden better have been in a few months ago with plenty of time to start soaking up the sun. I was planning my garden online through Smart Gardener. It's a sweet tool that help you literally plan out each square in your garden (I have a raised square foot garden box), but it also tells you what grows well in your area according to your zip code. Super easy! One of my favorite parts is that based off of your zip, it can tell you which plants are ready to be planted each week of the year, if any at all. I learned there is a lot more that can be planted in the cold months in Utah than I thought.

After looking over my calendar, I realized the bulk of what we like to eat and that is plantable needs to be in the ground right around week 38 of my pregnancy!! Can you imagine? I'm having visions of going in to labor with dirt up to my elbows....

It's either that, or I just go for it as soon as baby is born. (No...no...no...) I may recruit the help of many of my gardening friends this year. My herb garden will all come back on its own, I just need to get those veggies in! I think gardening will be fine with a new born, since my bed is literally right outside our front door. I can lay baby down for a nap, leave the screen door open, and soak up some rays while pulling weeds. :) And for when I want to hang outside with my little guy, I registered for this super cool portable activity seat.

I can set it up next to me while I garden, put a hat on my little man, and hopefully garden away. Since our condo is kinda small (I'm not complaining, I love my little dollhouse) we love to spend time outside in the cool of the morning or evening. I prefer reading and studying in the morning...now that I think about it....we prefer reading in the evenings too. ;) haha (We literally sat on the couch reading from about 3 in the afternoon until 9 at night yesterday. Sundays...are exhausting, so we really try to Sabbath in the afternoons.)

So much gibber gabber today.

I'm really trying to cut out white sugar and flour in this last part of my pregnancy. I've been reading and hearing from lots of people that it really helps prevent tearing and cuts down on blood loss during labor, as well as after birth. Since I've developed this crazy, untamable sweet tooth the last few weeks I've really been searching for some healthier sweet treats to make. I'm turning to one of our favorite vegan desserts which is an upside down fruit cake. I love it because you really can use whatever fruits you have on hand, or that are in season. Since strawberries have been such a good deal these last few weeks, I'll be using those up, along with the banana a day I'm trying to consume to help these ridiculously scary charley horses that attack at of nowhere. (I'm scared to go to bed at night for fear accientally pointing a toe and causing a charley horse.)

It looks like the blog I got it from doesn't really exist anymore, but I search some more on pinterest and found the recipe in a comment under the picture of the dessert, so here it is for ya'll:

"8 dates 1/2 cup shredded coconut- in processor till thick paste. Slice a banana and line bottom and sides of small container. Spread half of paste smoothly. Layer the fruit-3 layers and spread rest of crust over the top, so it all looks pretty. Refrigerate overight. Carefuly remove from container."

(You don't NEED to refrigerate over night, as long as you make it early enough in the day to set. I better hurry up and finish here so I can go do that!!)

This is what it looks like so you know how to layer it. I use my little ramekins or small containers that I usually store leftovers in. So yummy and healthy! :)

xoxo

Tonight, around my table.

While the husband's away...working and providing like he does so well....the wifey is home, working. And catching up on some reading. :)

Yes, there it is, the much controversial Hypnobirthing book.

I will say two things: First, I enjoy reading and learning. That's just who God made me. I read almost everything I can get my hands on. I know for a fact I would research Hypnobirthing on my own time even if I wasn't pregnant because I find it interesting. Just because I have this book, and am reading it, doesn't mean I'm doing hypnobirthing (at this point, I still have no clue what it means), but just because I'm saying that doesn't mean I may not incorporate it or go with some of their exercises, if I choose to go that route.

Second, I could care less about a "birth plan." Now that it's actually coming down to it, I care so much less about how this baby gets out of me, as long as it's healthy and breathing, than I thought I ever would. I'm much more worried about a life plan of raising with little boy in the Lord beside my hubby than I am about the first few moments of how it entered this world. I'm seeing my weaknesses and insufficiencies in myself, as well as my absolute need to depend on Christ more and more to raise this child in a God honoring way.

So, epidural, no epidural, all natural-smatchual...I trust God will provide wisdom through my doctor and my husband to help me make these decisions. But in my down time, I am choosing to read up and educate myself. And, like I said before, I truly enjoy learning about this stuff.

Paired with my reading tonight is a cup of hot mint tea. I'm really trying to avoid peppermint since reading this, but I diffused some rose oil in my humidifier tonight and it really made my tummy upset, so I'm hoping the mint will settle it. I'm also snacking on this delicious strawberry yogurt cake. I found a rockin' deal on strawberries this week (1.48 per pound!) and I couldn't pass them up!

Alrighty, well I'm out! I hope you guys have fun catching up on your reading and nightly activities as well! :)

Currently:

I'm staying quite busy this week between work, life, and workshops and School of Ministry really kicking off tomorrow. (Yay!) That means lots of random writing projects and tying up lose ends for projects.

Here are a few things I'm currently interested in, doing, learning about, excited about, supporting, etc:

Creating yearbooks for my students. Since we're a small private school we don't do the normal yearbooks. I like what we do even better! Each month we make one craft as a class that incorporates the student's picture and put them all together in a book that literally keeps track of the student's growth and crafts or the year. I think it's such a clever way to preserve the art that would otherwise be easily lost.

Reading this blog. It's amazing to me how open and encouraging Bekah is about post-baby bodies. (Something I may or may not have been thinking about a bit these days....;) haha)

Craving cinnamon rolls!! B keeps encouraging me to make them too, despite a lack of time to bake this week, but I did find this recipe that I really want to try, and these ones which B has already tried and said were delicious!

Liking Doterra Essential Oils. I've recently been a skeptic of lots of things all natural since reading this book (which I highly suggest to anyone getting in to alternative medicines, very helpful for pros and cons), but I've been doing my research on this locally based company, and they seem pretty legit! I went to a class this week to learn more about them, purchased a book on pregnancy and essential oils to see if I could use them during labor in any way (since I guess I should start thinking about this stuff), and planned a class that I'm hosting at my house (if anyone if interested in coming, let me know!)  I got the Wild Orange oil at the class, and I'm interested in trying it in my natural cleaning supplies.

Watching this beautiful and moving video. Cry not to cry while watching!

So happy this is my Friday! I'm going to curl up with a book for the rest of the evening and hopefully see my hubby at some point. ;) Thursday are the busiest day of our week, and I honestly hate them, but I'm learning to find ways to keep myself busy during Thursday nights. Tonight that included working out and putting together yearbooks. God's providing lots of grace and energy to stay caught up on work during this second half of my pregnancy. I'm very thankful for productivity. :)

xoxo

Quick Stove Top Granola: No Oven Required

If you're anything like me, you always end up burning the granola that needs to be baked in the oven. There is that tiny window of time that consists of mere seconds were it goes from being just crunchy enough, to black and smelly. I don't think I have ever NOT burned a granola recipe, and I've tried many. I LOVE granola. After some experimenting and much taste testing on B's part, here is my solution: Stove Top Granola. It's so, so quick. I can make about one batch in ten to fifteen minutes.

Quick Granola: No Oven Required 

This recipe makes a little less than two cups of granola, which is all I like to keep around for lack of storage space in our kitchen.  

1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil

1 ¼ cup quick cooking oats

¼ tablespoon group cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter (use vegan butter if you have some on hand)

1/8 cup honey

1 tablespoon maple syrup (add extra honey if you don’t have this one hand)

1/8 cup brown sugar

½ sliced almonds

¼ craisins (any dried fruit you have on hand would work)

 

Heat oil in pan on stove top and add oats and cinnamon. Keep on medium heat for about ten minutes or so, stirring constantly so you don’t burn them. You want them slightly toasted (this is where you can go very, very wrong and end up with that burned taste in all of the granola). I’d even say it’s better not to get them toasted at all than to over toast. So when you’re ready, transfer this oat mixture to another plate. Now add butter, honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar in the pan. Once mixture looks caramelized, reduce heat and add the oats back in the pan. You want to keep the heat on low so it doesn’t harden too quickly and you can still stir the mixture around while adding the rest of the ingredients. You may now add the almonds and dried fruit. I ALWAYS have craisins on hand, but some other things I like to add include flax seeds, wheat germ, coconut, and chia seeds. The seeds don’t always stay in the mixture very well and end up being quite messy, so I didn’t add them this time. Once mixed well, move granola to cookie sheet or large plate to allow to cool. Enjoy with some yogurt!!

I recently read in a magazine than cranberry juice and yogurt help keep high blood pressure down. These are two things I have as part of my breakfast routine almost every single day. I love mixing this granola with any yogurt for some extra protein and crunch! Yum yum! What are some things you guys like to try in your granola?

Happy cooking!

Snow Day: Round Two

Even though the sun is out and it looks beautiful outside, I don't have the energy just yet to bundle up and go push all the snow off my car. So I'm staying inside for yet another day. 

 

 

 

 

I'm very particular about my morning routine. Coffee with half and half, Bible, notebook, prayer journal, bagel, cream cheese, prenatal vitamin, water, and Greek yogurt with chia seeds. Every morning. I love breakfast. :) Anyways, after all that is done, this is usually the pile of books and notebooks left on the table between B and I. I love this routine soooo much that I would rather have to get up two hours earlier if I have somewhere to be in the morning, and not feel rushed through my routine, than have to skip it.

 

 

What else do you do on a snow day? My mom and I were talking yesterday about how never in the seven or so years that I have lived here has there been a snow day. And never when we lived in Alaska and walked to school in the 20 below temps, along side moose (yes, this is true) did we ever have a snow day. And never in the harsh Pennsylvania winters did we have snow days. But now I've had two in a row, and I'm starting to not know what to do with myself.

 

 

So here is my list of things I've decided to do on this snowy day (after my morning routine, of course):

 

Pregnant Pilates: Ha! I have loooved these! A friend told me she did them through her whole pregnancy, and I figured I may as well do something to keep me in shape. I am so not good at working out, and I've honestly worked out more being pregnant than I have in a few years. But still, I don't do it as much as I should. Today, however, I did!

 

Clean the stove top: Boring housewife things like this usually include lots of white vinegar and baking soda to scrub off that boiled over alfredo sauce from last night.

 

Make Vegan Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies: I don't like carrot cake, but B does. So I wanted to make him a healthy, vegan snack. He isn't home yet, so I still don't know what the verdict is. ;) I did brave making my own ground flax for the first time for these though. Cleaning my coffee grinder to do it always seemed like such a hassle, but after trying at failing at grinding the flax seed in the food processor, I had to clean it. It actually wasn't too bad.



 

 

 

Once B gets home from work I'm going to see if he'll take me out to one of my favorite coffee shops in Ogden, Kaffe Mercantile. A littel birdy told me they are doing free scones with all their drinks this month, so I guesssss I could bundle up in a giant sweater for that. I also plan to get two nonsense pages (I'll explain these more later) written, and hopefully a poem will develop out of that. Then I plan to come home, light some candles, and cook up some dinner for us and some friends!  

 

 

I hope everyone else out there is enjoying their Saturday! :)