Treats for Teachers

This year my husbands teachers all brought in a sweet home made treat of some sort to give to the rest of the staff.  I mean everyone did this.  We had home made yeast rolls (AMAZING), jam, banana bread, and on and on.  So, of course, my husband said, what can you make for me to take in?  To which I said, "Really?"  I am so not the bandwagon type, and this felt an awful lot like a band wagon everyone was jumping on.  Everything in me wanted to resist.  Then I realized, this is one of the things we love about this school.  Everyone is like family and sharing their love at Christmas with one another.  So I decided, I'd keep it simple and not try to compete with the yummy home baked goods that were filling my kitchen.  Instead, I did my two favorite Christmas treats: Candy Coated Pretzels (not pictured) and Peppermint Kiss Pretzel Wreaths (shown below). 

All the ingredients you need.  Simple.  

Ready to go in the oven.  250 degrees until soft.

Peppermint Pretzel Wreaths cooling.

This is about as crafty as I get.  Treat bags. Ribbon.  Done. 

Sugar & Spice Hand Scrub

This fall my friend Becca & I tried our hands at a hand made gift.  A sweet and simple sugar scrub.  It turned out lovely and I am hooked at trying different recipes.  But here is what we did this time.

Sugar & Spice Hand Scrub

Our Ingredients

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup White Sugar

3/4 - 1 cup Olive Oil

2tsp of each spice 

(Cinnamon / Cloves / Ginger / Nutmeg)

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 

The amount of oil will vary depending on your preference of consistency with you hand scrub.  

 .

Our Finished Product

A breakfast to be thankful for

Yesterday while the Broncos played - and beat - the Raiders, I kept myself busy with cheering, knitting, and preparing breakfast for the week.  A little bag of wholesome goodness simmering on my pot!

Titus & I had forgotten all about the steel cut oats that were sitting in our cupboard.  But with an effort to continue to make whole food choices, I pulled out the bag and cooked them up yesterday.  Here's what I did:


I used a 3-1 ratio of water to oats:
2 cups Steel Cut oats
6 cups water 


Bring the water to a boil.  Add the steel cut oats and simmer.  My oats took about 35 mins simmering to absorb the water and soften.  I then let them sit until cooled and transferred them to a container to store in the refrigerator.

This morning, I spooned out two bowls full of oatmeal, added some soy milk and reheated in the microwave.  I then added a drizzle of agave nectar and it was just the perfect amount of sweetness.



The best part is that with the steel cut oats being processed less than rolled oats or instant oats, they take longer for our systems to process and the call for insulin is less.  That keeps our blood sugar level longer and the morning munchies stay at bay.  So excited to try mixing in fresh blue berries this week also!  

Thankful for No Bake Granola Bars

I've been on a quest to make more wholesome snacks for our family.  I read labels on everything I buy, and am amazed how much sugar is in everything.  I don't want to avoid sugar altogether, but I do want to make smarter choices when it comes to how much and what types of sweeteners we use.  While we are on a tight budget (both being in full-time ministry and all) it is tempting to go for the cheaper, processed foods.  But I am really making efforts to still make better choices for our family.

I am thankful that I live in a town with lots of options for healthier choices and a husband who supports these choices.

I have started making my own No Bake Granola bars.  It is a basic recipe I have varied based upon what I have available in my home at the time.  This is the variation I have used the most as it is a basic bar we can grab on our way out the door.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 cup Almond Butter
1/2 cup Agave Nectar
3 cups Oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped nuts
muffin tin - sprayed with canola oil

WHAT I DID:
On the stove - in a pot - over medium heat:
Heat almond butter and Agave Nectar until smooth.  Remove from heat and mix in the oatmeal and nuts.  Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, spoon into the muffin tin and use the bottom side of the measuring cup to press into the muffin tin mold.  Place the muffin tin in the fridge to allow the bars to cool completely.  Once cool, remove from the tin and store in an air tight container.  I packaged mine into plastic baggies and put them in the fridge.  Now, each morning, I grab one on my way out the door and I have a wholesome breakfast I can eat on my way into work.

VARIATIONS:
When you add the oatmeal you can also add a handful of raisins, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, or dried fruit.  While I think regular peanut butter is too sweet after eating natural almond butter, I did have some on left over from another treat I made to take to a football party and made a batch using that as well.  If you choose to use corn syrup, honey, or maple syrup, you may want to increase to 1 cup.  The agave nectar is sweeter, so you need less. This is a great base recipe that you can make your own each time with what you have on hand.

Thankful for knitting

I learned how to knit one night this past winter.  It was at a Crafty Night event when we were still in Bridgeport.  My awesome friend Susan taught a whole group of us.  While I haven't taken off with it and knit a closet full of items, I am glad that I know how to knit and that I have something to stretch me creatively when the mood strikes.

Mostly, though, I am thankful for the time I spent with my Knit Witz girl friends last spring as we met to knit, talk, enjoy snacks, and mostly laugh with one another.  I miss you all, my dear friends!

pool side project

washcloth for my sister

beanie hat for my new nephew

Pizza Soup: A Family Winner

I found a recipe for Pizza Soup and thought I'd give it a try.  I didn't follow it exactly as I didn't have the recipe at home with me, but it was wonderful.  The leftovers were quickly eaten the next day for lunch with no complaints.  We all decided this will become a staple in our Friday night dinner rotation.  Here's what I did:

- 1 can spaghetti sauce (it is what I had on hand)
- 2 cans water (i will do three next time)
- italian sausage sliced and quartered
- pkg. of pepperoni quartered
- 1/4 onion diced
- seasoned with oregano, basil, and Italian seaonings

Cooked on low all day while I was at work.  Then when we were about 20-30 mins away from eating supper I put in 1/2 box of whole wheat elbow macaroni and turned the soup up to high.  Once the noodles were soft I turned it off, and served it up.  We topped it with mozzarella cheese.

In the future, I think I will add green peppers and garnish with black olives as well as the cheese.

My latest obsession

I get on these kicks, you know, where I get obsessed about something and all the research I can on a topic until I get bored and move on to the next one.

For a while it was poached eggs on toast, every day, until I felt I perfected the technique.  But just a few months later, I'd forgotten all the tips and tricks I learned.  

Then it was researching dog food to see what would be best for our new dog.  I think she has decided that dragging dead rabbits to the yard is her preferred meal, and who am I to argue?

Now it is creating simple (and simply delicious) meals out of what is already in my freezer and cupboard.  My husband & I are not difficult creatures to please when it comes to food.  We pretty much just enjoy food anytime.  But we are on yet another quest to eat healthier as we are convinced that we have to remain healthy for the sake of ourselves and our families.  And to that end I have again been scouring every magazine, book, and blog I can to find something healthy and simple that I can fit into our lives.  And if it can be done in a crock pot - all the better!

I found these granola bars at the Smitten Kitchen blog site the other day when looking for a recipe for a breakfast cookie that I could make with almond butter, oatmeal, nuts, etc.  I'm trying to find something basic that I can tweak with what is available and this fit the bill.  They were a bit crumbly, but I didn't measure the almond butter and think I just need some more next time.  However, they were the most scrumptious I've had in a LONG time, and my hubby even asked for some of mine once he had a taste.  I will be keeping these in rotation for sure!