Tasties on Toast

I don't know about you, but I am not a huge jelly or jam fan. I do enjoy a fresh homemade batch, but not enough to buy the really good and expensive stuff.
When Emery was still on baby food, sometimes she needed assistance going to the potty if ya know what I mean. So I bought a box of prunes. Not only were they a great teether, but they were healthy and naturally sweet. It gave me the idea to add a new tasty treat to her morning breakfast.

Instead of giving your child the overly processed jelly with a lot of added sugar, try spreading some prunes on some toast. Not only is it healthy, but it is sweet enough to replace the regular stuff. It also helps digest the rest of their foods. I also spread applesauce with cinnamon or spread fresh  fruit (the mushy ones like berries or bananas) over the top  of a warm piece of toast which makes a jelly like sauce.

All you have to do is cut up the prunes or berries ( I usually toss em quickly through our blender) and spread it on some toast. Yum! A great breakfast or snack!

Cucumber Cure All

Who says that diamonds are really a girl's best friend? Come on, most of us don't have tons of money and tons of diamonds. The only things they do are make you want more diamonds and make you lose your money!


Now, cucumbers, they are a girl's real best friend!  The best thing about em is that they only cause you to lose  WRINKLES and DARK EYE CIRCLES! Hello! It's one of the best one dollar bills a girl could ever spend!


It's not a new discovery, but sometimes I think we can over complicate how easy it can be to find time to relax and still manage some beauty rest.

If you're having a long day at work or a restless day with the kids, hop in the tub or just lay back and place some sliced cucumbers over your eyes!

After a week or so, those overly tired, puffy eyes will be back to full bloom! Its almost an instant stress reliever too. The fresh smell just has a way of rejuvenating your body, but keeps you calm and relaxed too.



It only takes a minute to slice a cucumber, plop em on your eyes, and lay back for some R&R.  It's amazing how God created such a simple yet complex food that is cheap (straight from the garden!), healthy-packed with nutrients, and has no harsh chemicals added! Thanks God :)

I was happily reminded of this old trick when my daughter climbed up onto a chair towards the counter and snagged my sliced cucumber snacks! If I had only remembered this trick when I spend long nights awake nursing or calming a crying baby!

changin my blog layout :)

So my original background isn't showing up so now its got me wanting to redo my blog! new colors, background, etc. !  Super excited, but it will probably keep changing until I can decide which one I like :)

My Picture Window Nook

the reading nook

I have had a gift card from Tyler to use at my favorite store in Missouri and I finally used it and bought a picture window and an old farm crate. It wasn't until we moved to Iowa that I decided to hang some of my findings!

I knew that I needed some storage space for some books and DVDs, but I also wanted a space to read. I decided to create my little reading nook.

I found this chair at a thrift store for only 10 bucks! Tyler talked em down from 20! I got a painted bookcase to use for storage and placing my tea cup on. I also got a picture window and decided to put pictures in it! So now, it actually IS a picture window. I added some greenery and threaded together some vintage looking  seed packets.

I added a reading light and my farm crate.  Inside I added 3 tea canisters for storage that I found from Good Will. One is for pens, one is for kleenex, and one is for the remote or misc. items :)  A few family photos, coasters, and a plant finish my space. TaDa! My little nook! Now, I just need a cup o' tea :)

picture window close up

Lettuce Cups

Recently, Tyler and I went with the other leadership couples to IKEA near the Mall of America to purchase some more children's ministry items such as furniture for the new church plant that we are a part of here in Iowa. We decided that we wanted to go to Cheesecake Factory, yum!! I looked at their huge menu and got the sudden craving to have their amazing lettuce wraps! After much deliberation I didn't end up getting them because then I wouldn't have had room for a piece of cheese cake :)

That is how I got the idea of making a new recipe for a light meal at home. If you are into vegetarian meals or light, healthy meals, these are pretty much like a vegetarian taco that are fun to try. You can make them with or without meat and with a variety of toppings. You can put a Mexican flair to it by using salsa, black beans, tortilla strips, & corn, or an oriental flair with Asian slaw, wonton strips, and  some dipping sauces.

All I did was buy ground chicken, a mini head of lettuce and made fried rice with some left over white rice I had in the fridge. I combined the fried rice and chicken with some garlic and teriyaki sauces. Ground turkey or grilled chicken strips work well too.  I also had left over brown rice so I added that to the mix. I threw some potstickers in some boiling water and that was it!  I felt like I was eating out at a fun, healthy restaurant, but not spending the money!! That is my kinda meal :)   Emery liked it too!

"Homemade" Juice Idea

I am not sure if you drink a lot of bottled juice or give it to your kids to drink, but we have never given Emery juice except orange juice. The organic juice seems to expensive for us and does not seem to last long in our house.

We also do not like all of the sugar added to the regular shelved juices. We have seen too many kids given sugary juices, pop, cookies, & candy that they never seem to want to go back to healthy eating unless forced to do so.



Although we give emery juice as a treat or snack once in a long while, we have been wanting it back in our diet (the fruit side of things). After all, Tyler and I love drinking it because it is so delicious and sweet! We just don't want Emery getting hooked on all of the added sugar and empty calories from it. Obviously this post is not  "freshly squeezed or juiced" juice! (I will save that for another time when I hopefully get to buy a juicer)   I am talking about canned juices, either organic or regular that have natural sugars (no added sugars) and combining them together.

Although juice boxes work great for traveling and school lunches, they can get expensive for the amount you buy if you find a good brand. So, I decided to look at an organic juice label, one flavor that I liked, and mix all of the ingredients together myself rather than paying for it already made.

All I did was buy pineapple juice (not from concentrate), nectarine juice, apple juice, carrot juice (carrot is so amazing!), a berry juice, and then mixed it all together. It tasted amazing and was just like the little store bought bottle, but I had TONS of it! It finally lasted in my fridge! It also had amazing vitamins in it! The pineapple and nectarine juice alone had TONS of vitamines A, E, & C.

If you don't have a ton of money to spend at the store on little bottles of healthy juices, try to buy one that is worth the money and then add it to a pineapple or another fruit juice.It is much healthier, lasts longer, and it can be "custom" made to you and your wee one's taste buds :) Yum

Hummus Spread & Snack Dip

Hummus Spread & Snack Dip

Our new favorite snack and spread is Hummus!!
We love it because you can make it with almost any ingredients and eat it anyway you like. We like it as a dip with veggies, breads, spreads on sandwiches, or even dipped in dinosaur chicken nuggets!

I know there are lots of different ways to make hummus, but I try to make it as fresh, quick and simple as possible.


Ingredients:

• 1 can of organic chic peas/ garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
• fresh garlic cloves- depending on how much garlic you like to taste
• garlic powder, salt, crushed black  pepper to taste
• small can of black sliced olives (1/2 can can be used instead)
• 1-3 tablespoons of lemon juice to taste
• 1 roasted red pepper ( use the kind out of the jar with olive oil juice)
• olive oil 
• Parmesan cheese or feta (you don't need to add these, but we like it in ours)

Directions:
 Drain and rinse your can of garbanzo beans. Crush/dice the garlic cloves. Chop the roasted red pepper. Add peppers, olives, and garlic to blender. Blend ingredients together. A few quick pulses will work. Add your garbanzo beans and the rest of the ingredients. Slowly keep adding the olive oil until the hummus is no longer dry, but has a wet pasty look. Taste to see if you need to add more of something. Refrigerate and eat! Yummy.  Hope you like it just as much as we do!