Oatmeal Raisin Protein Snack Bars

I did something yesterday that left me leaping for joy!!! Not literally, but I was definately excited about my creation in the kitchen! It is going to save me money, and offer a healthy snack and breakfast option for on-the-go mornings.

My oldest little handsome likes to eat the Enjoy Life granola bars. I buy them for him on occasion, because sometimes we just need some allergy friendly "grab and go" foods (which is hard to find). However, at $4 for five bars, I try to limit my purchases. 

Then comes my cooking yesterday. I have been cooking like a mad woman this week! We just got back late Sunday night from a much needed fun-in-the-sun vacation, and the garden yielded bag fulls of zucchini and squash. So I'm sure you can guess what we've been eating this week! Now, these bars do not have zucchini or squash in them, but they were the one thing I've made all week that didn't!! We've had apple and zucchini muffins, chocolate zucchini brownie cake, summer soup, homemade pizza with zucchini and squash toppings. I think I just needed a cooking adventure that didn't include my garden veggies!

Well, my husband received his father's day gift a little early this year. Our oldest little handsome and I picked out one of his gifts together while relaxing and reading before bed. (We kind of have a cute little habit of reading magazine before bed now, in addition to his books, and I love it! The chef-in-training loves looking at recipes, and offers his expertise on how we could make it 'safe' for our cooking.) One day last week, he spotted this book in a circular from Lifeway Christian Bookstore.

                           

source

My husband really enjoys being outdoors, fishing and hunting, and I knew that this would be a book he would read.

After a trip to Lifeway to pick it up, my son could not wait to give it to his daddy! No, we could not wait until next weekend, or even next week! We had to give it right then! In his excitement, our oldest quickly wrote out "Happy Father's Day" on his own little homemade card, and we all presented Daddy with his gift. I also got him a nice 'summery' button down from Lands End Canvas to add with the book. (He can always use a new shirt!)

He loved it!!--book, shirt, and the handmade spellings from our little handsome. Hugs and kisses were also given out with a "Thanks for being a great father" just to top it all off. :)

He was able to read the first story today while waiting for me at an appointment. And he filled me in on all the details...with excitement in his voice. From his reaction, I think my son did a great job picking out a book for his dad! (If you are in need of a book for your outdoors man father, check this one out! He sure seems to like what he's read thus far, and....it's on sale this week at Lifeway for $5.99.)

I will still try to do a little something special for him on Father's Day!

Bird eggs and Mother's Day

Had this post I was going to do for Mother's day, but the time just got away from me. Sorry it's a little late. ;)

Two springs in a row, our house has been a home to mother birds and their eggs. Last year, purple martins built two nest under our deck.

The boys had a blast looking at the eggs every morning, and then loved looking at the tiny baby birds after they hatched.

They would run to the deck first thing in the morning to check up on them!

Fudge Cream

Fudge pops bring back a wonderful memory of a childhood treat. It wasn't something we had all the time, but when we did, I loved it! As to this day, I still love chocolate! And so do my little handsome boys! And we love to cook and bake all kinds of wonderful treats together. So fudge pops was on my list of things to fix!

As the name implies, fudge pops are meant to be eaten like a Popsicle. However, I have no Popsicle molds. I know, don't judge..how could a mom of little ones not have Popsicle molds?!? Well, to be honest, I did have some, but they got lost somewhere in our packing and moving a couple years ago. But did that stop us! No, sirree! We made fudge cream...poured into a loaf pan to resemble a carton of ice cream. And it did not disappoint. I actually like it better because it doesn't drip everywhere while the little handsomes are eating.

I found a recipe for fudge pops and decided to make it allergy friendly for us. This is a super easy way to fix some creamy chocolate fudge-y ice cream for a hot summer day. That's exactly why I had to fix more for our Memorial Day weekend. The last time I saw the weather, they were predicting record heat in the 90s, with heat index 100-105 degrees. That's hot, and this is sure to be a cool treat for my boys and their cousin that is visiting.

We enjoyed a little today!

Night time routine

Our nighttime routine has always been the same: washing up/pjs, teeth, read, pray, and rock (while singing!!).

this is an older picture, but still captures the fun in our little routine

The rocking part is the cuddle time I have with them before bed; not rocking them to sleep, just holding and loving on them. Now that there are no longer the sides of the crib to keep the baby in, both of our little guys like to extend the nighttime routine. Yes, some nights it can get a little late, and everyone is tired and starting to get a bit cranky. But then there are other nights, you would love for it to last forever, just holding and loving on the most precious gifts ever given!

I have always love the singing part, partly because I just love to sing, and then too, because it seems soothing to my little ones! My oldest is beyond the years you would normally think of rocking, but he was my cuddle bug!! I could hold him every time he slept, and as he got older and accustomed to our little habit, it continued for quite some time. There is even the occasional night he comes to me, climbs in my lap, and wants me to sing to him. Just melts a momma's heart! And then there's my baby, who really isn't a baby anymore. He has to have his singing at just the right volume for his cuddle time. "Not too loud" he says with a snarled nose. So I sing softer, right. To which he says "louder" as he nods his head. Ahhh, I love those boys!

But as I sang and rocked to both last night, I thought about the songs that each loved to hear, and how special the songs have become to us. I don't wanna forget these!! So, here's a list of the most memorable songs we sang, and still sing today (and you have to remember that children like familiar things, so often times, it the same songs over and over!...thus the reason for feeling they've become so special)

These are just the naptime/bedtime songs, because sometimes we just sing all day around here! :)

My oldest:

• Jesus Love Me
• Jesus Loves the Little Children
• Somewhere over the Rainbow
• Nana's song (as he calls it. It is a song my mom used to always sing in church, so when I told him that, it just became "Nana's song". But the actual title is Talk to my Father)
• Pa Jody's song (another situation as above...New Kid in Town). This became a favorite during Christmas seasons, and then stuck around for a while)
• Raindrops on Roses (from the Sound of Music)
• I am a Promise (children's song I sang when I was a child, and now sing to my boys. And both love this one)

The baby:

• Jesus Loves Me
• Jesus Love the Little Children (as you can see, I love these classic children's Bible songs for them!)
• You are so Beautiful
• I am a Promise
• Somewhere over the Rainbow
• Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (which is actually called the Christmas Song, I think??? But you can see this one developed during the Christmas season)
• Deep and Wide
• B-I-B-L-E

and I almost forgot, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star! That was/is a frequent song on the playlist for both.

There were and are many others that we sing too, but these are the favorites that have been sang countless times.

(sighing and smiling) It makes my heart smile to think about these precious moments we have spent together!

-Cindy

Chocolate Chip banana cookies

I wanted to have a sweet treat after lunch today. So on the inspiration of a cookie I made a long time ago that used banana as the base, I whipped these up. Very good for a healthy cookie. My oldest said they were the 'best ever' after he reached for his third cookie! (good thing they were small) Ha!

If you know me and my cooking, I put a sprinkle of this, a tad of that, and a dash of this. But these are pretty much spot on to what I think I added. I wanted to write it down so that I can make my measurements more precise and include in it my normal cookie baking.

So here it is. My healthy(ier) chocolate chip banana cookies! (by the way, this is a very small serving. Made about 9 small cookies.)

 Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

1 ripe banana (mashed)
2/3 cups of oats
1/3 cup raisins
1/8 cup mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy life brand to keep them allergy safe for my family)
1 TBSP oil
1-2 Tsp pure maple syrup
sprinkle of cinnamon
pinch of salt

Stir together all ingredients. Scoop in tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min, or until slightly golden brown.

Then enjoy your healthier alternative to a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie!

-Cindy

Leap Day

Luke 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. (KJV)

Happy Leap Day! Today has been a stormy weather kind of day, tornado warnings and all. I had planned all kinds of leap day fun with my little handsomes, but some of that time was interrupted for time spent in the basement. Not that we still didn't try to find fun things to do! I started working on a baby shower gift. Then we sorted through some warmer season clothes hoping to find some things for the littlest handsome to use for upcoming months. And then of course, we had out the play dough and all kinds of toys.

Our leap day craft still made it into our afternoon! I cut out some shapes and let the boys glue them to their papers into a frog. After faces were drawn, we wrote out this Bible verse. I even joined them for some frog leaping race fun! Haha! Loved every minute of that, even if I looked a little silly. 

(please excuse the pic quality, as my camera is currently at my parents)

I think this passage of scripture reminds us that no matter what storms of life may come our way--if we are poor or hungry, weeping or sad, or looked down upon--we are actually rich if we know HIM! So rejoice, and leap for joy!

Have a blessed LEAP day, and remember to rejoice in the Lord always!
-Cindy

Who wants pancakes?

Cooked pancakes for my little handsomes! We ate A LOT, and there is still plenty to go around! Guess that's what happens when I make a double batch and it's only us eating them. Our bellies were full, and the food was yummy!

These are great pancakes!!!! (And vegan...although no one would know if you didn't tell.) I have tried tons of recipes, but always go back to these. I just alter this plain, traditional pancake recipe to what I want. I have made them with whole wheat (substititing half of plain flour for WW), blueberry, apple cinnamon, chocolate chip, and even adding flax. My most recent adventure was to leave big pieces/slices of apples for a fritter taste.(I ate most of those, so you can't see them in the picture.) And again, I thought they were a success.

Try them! I think you will agree.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups rice milk (also have used soy)  
• ¼ cup applesauce (or 1 TBSP ground flax with 3 TBSP water mixture)
• 3 tablespoons oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, applesauce (or flax) and oil; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

 -Cindy

Love

Happy Valentine's Day! I feel so blessed to have married a wonderful man, and share our lives together, and for our beautiful children. I love them very much! And my wonderful and loving family as well!

My thought for today would be 'Who do we love? How do we show our love? Are we a light of love to those around us?'

John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Matthew 22:34-40 (NKJV)

 

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b] 40} On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Have a blessed Valentine's Day!

Dino Valentines

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly! My oldest little handsome and I just finished his Valentine's cards today. We weren't really in a hurry to do them, and even more importantly, he wasn't ready to make his final selection of the keep vs give pile. But we were excited to work on them today!...just in time I might add!

You see, several weeks ago, we took a quick trip to the dollar store. A certain bag of toys caught his little eyes--dinosaurs. He loves animals of all kinds, and is now getting into the dinosaur phase of his animal loving. Well, he wanted the dinosaurs so badly. And usually, we just go on about our shopping, and I remind he we will stop by another time to see the particular toy when we return to the store.

This time, however, I thought I would let him get some. Valentine treats and cards were making their way into stores, and I had the idea to let him use these for his valentines. He loved the idea, so we bought a couple bags. Today was the day that he was ready to choose which he wanted to give and which he was keeping for him and his brother. I typed out a Valentine message onto a paper background from Sassy-designs, printed, cut, and placed them in rows for personalization of names and dinosaurs.

He helped read all the names off our list, then added a special heart stamp to each card for the Valentine effect. Then came the decision time. All dinosaurs came out, and he carefully placed one on each card, making sure to see who was getting what.

We punched a few holes for our yarn, tied them on, and layed them out for him to see. He approved!

And now they are all waiting in a little bag that he placed by the door, ready to go!

Enjoyed this time with him today! We had fun!
-Cindy

Pork Tenderloin and Sauerkraut

I love easy meals that I can fix up and let cook all day. So when I saw this idea for a crock pot dinner of pork, sauerkraut, sweet potatoes, and apples, I thought I needed to try it! What a great sounding comfort food for cooler days!

I have to admit, I very rarely use my crock pot, but my dutch oven, well that's a different story! I use it every week for soups, chicken, etc. So out came my trusty kitchen pot and in went the food. I didn't follow the original recipe exactly, but instead used it as inspiration.

Pork Tenderloin and Sauerkraut

one boneless pork tenderloin

3 large sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks

1 large apple, peeled and cut

2 small cans sauerkraut (probably 15oz cans, or somewhere in that area...I can't remember exactly)

1 cup baby carrots

1/2 onion, largely chopped 

garlic

salt

pepper

olive oil

Lightly brown tenderloin in drizzle of olive oil. Place remaining ingredients in dutch oven and season to taste. Pour approx one cup of water in pan to cover potatoes and carrots. Cover, then place in preheated oven at 350 for 2-3hrs.

Enjoy!! If you want to have more of a stew-like meal, you can add additional water prior to baking.

You can see what my meal looked like after combining all ingredients. However, I didn't manage to get a picture after it came out of the oven! Straight to our bellies it went! :)

-Cindy

Personalize the mantel

Personalized items are always fun! I have been seeing monogram letters used for everything, from wreaths to dinnerware. Last year I made 'our letter' to personalize the mantel even more. I hadn't seen any wrapped with twine, but I thought it was a grand idea to sit along side the family blocks and vase I made for our mantel.

I bought a cardboard letter from hobby lobby and covered in twine. Then embellished it with removable flowers for different seasons.

(Made an R for my sister too)

Lots of things you can do with simple block letters! ;)

-Cindy

time off

Thank you all for being understanding of my lack of blog post this month. I used this time to spend with my little handsomes and our family. But I will be back soon! :)

In the meantime, here's a glipse of one thing we've been up to around here....

-Cindy