Happy Harper Day!

February 26, 2014

Yesterday, my sweet sweet boy, we celebrated your sixth year! Everyone you meet loves you and we do too!

Here are the things you really like right now.

Playing Disney Infinity
Asking LOTS and LOTS of questions. You want to know so much about everything and I love it! It is amazing how your brain works.
Reading. You are reading chapter books now and are so good at it. I still cannot believe you can read to me. You are so smart.
Fried shrimp. This one amazes me because you are very picky otherwise. But I love that you are trying new things.
Tee Ball. You hit and catch really well and I am so proud of you every time I watch.
You’ve just started golf lessons and you really like them.
Helping. You are such a great helper and are always willing to lend a hand.

Things you are not really into right now.

Being patience with your sister.
Eating any veggie other than green peas and broccoli. You also really don’t like to try too many new things.
Anything too scary. You still come visit me in the night when you have a nightmare (I am hoping you keep doing this as I don’t know what I will do when you are too old to need your Mommy).

You truly inspire us every day and it is wonderful to see the world through your eyes. We love you more than the sun, the moon and the universe.

Happy Friday

February 21, 2014

I love to read “Favorites” posts on other blogs. Being from the Orlando area I am a big fan of Heather’s blog and her Friday Favorite posts. I thought I would join in on the fun as this week has brought some new finds.

Iced Coffee

In my breakfasts post I mentioned this stuff. Califia Farms Double Espresso with Almond Milk. So good. I got mine at Whole Foods but I’ve also seen it at Fresh Market (which just opened up close to us). I hope to find the smaller size soon, I haven’t been able to find it yet but I think it would be better for on-the-go.

Florida Weather

This week has been absolutely beautiful weather-wise. I know most of the country has had a pretty rough winter but we’ve seemed to dodge most of the cool weather this season. This made me laugh.

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We were able to get in an afternoon walk one day and it was great. I can’t wait for the time change so we can do more in the evenings outside.

Iced Skinny Mocha

Finally these are my new favorite find. Where have I been on this? These are like grown-up chocolate milk. A Tall is the perfect size and only 70 calories!

These are my favorites for the week. Looking forward to the weekend. We get to celebrate this guy’s birthday. Hope you enjoy yours!

Breakfast Switch-Up

February 19, 2014

When it comes to breakfast, I tend to find something that works and stick to it. I think I spent a whole year eating overnight oats for breakfast Monday thru Friday. I have definitely been getting in that routine lately with smoothies. I’ve touted the benefits of throwing everything in the blender and being good to go. Another reason smoothies are good is that I usually eat breakfast while literally running out the door. This works great for convenience, but I must say sometimes I miss “eating” my breakfast during the week. I also noticed, that I tend to stay fuller longer when my breakfast consists of more than liquids.

So here are a few of my recent breakfast change-ups.

Overnight oats are showing a resurgence. I use the Basic version of this recipe. It is easy because it is just 1/3 cup of everything so I use one measuring cup and good to go. This one was in a Trader Joe’s Almond Butter jar. The almond butter was really hard at the bottom (I was having a hard time parting with it becauase we don’t have a Trader Joe’s here. So it may or may not have gotten extremely hard sitting in the fridge because I knew I wouldn’t be able to replace it anytime soon. #foodhoarder) but it did the trick. I added banana, strawberries and blueberries to the top. With iced coffee.

Overnight oats again. This time I topped with blueberries, half a banana, crumbled half of one of the oatmeal cookies I made the day before and almond butter. Again with the iced coffee.

Oatmeal made with almond milk, water and a mushed up banana. Topped with strawberries, blueberries, vanilla greek yogurt and almond butter.

This was just Chobani Vanilla yogurt topped with blueberries, bananas and Love Grown Foods Sweet Cranberry Pecan topped with almond butter and chia seeds. Iced coffee on the side.

Another overnight oats topped with strawberries, blueberries, half a banana, Love Grown Oats and this peanut butter. I have a slight addiction to this stuff. A Fresh Market JUST opened by us (we are so behind) and they were on special at the grand opening. So good, and I think I’m somewhat obsessed. I’m also late to this bandwagon but the Double Espresso flavor is soooo good! It is definitely a splurge considering I normally make my own iced coffee. But I am hooked.

So I am feeling like these breakfasts have made it a little easier to break out of my smoothie rut. Overnight oats are good too because a little prep the night before makes for a quick breakfast when I’m in a hurry (which is every day). As you can see I’m a fan of sweet breakfasts. If I’m going to consume sugar in the day I like to get it out of the way early-on. My workouts have been a little longer lately also, so I feel like the more substantial breakfasts are really helping.

What are your favorite go-to breakfasts?

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

February 13, 2014

We like cookies a lot in our little world. My kids tend to like sugar cookies. Sprinkles for the Princess, and plain for Little Man. I seem to veer towards cookies that have that salty/sweet thing going. My favorite chocolate chip cookies are saltier than sweet and always have semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate rather than milk. I also like cookies with “stuff” in them. I made this cookie once and I seriously thought I would die. So good.

I came across my Grandmother’s Oatmeal Cookie recipe and it has just the right amount of “stuff” in it. Her recipe calls for oats, and chopped nuts (there is actually a note on the top of her recipe card that says “good with nuts & raisins”). Where I would normally empty out the pantry/fridge to find things to put in cookies, when it comes to oatmeal cookies, I really only like oats. I know lots of people like raisins as well, but in our family we never really put them in. I really like the flavor of a buttery, sugary oatmeal cookie without the addition of nuts and/or raisins.

I actually found two recipes in her collection for Oatmeal Cookies. One called for butter and shortening and the other just shortening. I decided to use the one without butter as I like to think it is meant for my cousin Jessica who can’t have butter. Plus, I just like to think of Jessica because she is far away and I miss her and she is one of three people that read this. So this is for you. Tee hee.

Here is Grandmother’s recipe card.

Here is what I changed:

I used 3/4 cup of Coconut Oil instead of shortening, I also used 3/4 cup of maple syrup in place of the white sugar. Lastly, I substituted whole wheat flour for all purpose. Her recipe also called for Quick Oats and I used Old Fashioned.

I creamed the coconut oil and eggs then added the syrup as a liquid ingredient before the dry mix.

Then I added the oats and mixed by hand.

I used a parchment-lined baking sheet and my handy ice cream scooper to portion. It yielded just shy of 3 dozen (33 to be exact)

The verdict:

I really like the cookies. I think the substitutions work well for what I was trying to accomplish. A healthier version of the real thing. They aren’t as buttery as I REALLY like, but I am happy with the healthified version and maybe next time I will add something like applesauce for added moisture.

Here is my recipe. Hope you enjoy.

Oatmeal Cookies

2014-02-13 14:11:01

Yields 33

A healthy variation on the basic oatmeal cookie

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Ingredients

3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
11/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a stand-up mixer with paddle attachment, cream the coconut oil and brown sugar. Once combined, add eggs one at a time. Then add maple syrup and vanilla.
In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Add to the wet mixture in batches.
Stir in oats by hand.
Using a ice cream scoop, drop dough on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Notes

I recommend flattening the cookies with a fork just before baking.The recipe makes just shy of 3 dozen cookies.

Adapted from from Doris "Grandmother" Hand

Steph in Symmetry https://stephinsymmetry.com/

It’s a Virtue

February 11, 2014

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I used to watch John and Kate Plus 8. Not regularly, but if I came across it, I wouldn’t change the channel. I remember a particular episode where Kate was losing her patience-a lot. She was yelling-a lot. No judgy-mcjudgerson here, I mean seriously, she has EIGHT children. In the episode, the six little ones were just wobbling around. I can’t even. Holy-freakin-diapers! I didn’t have kids at the time but I could still understand how difficult it must be to take care of all those little ones. I just think it says something that my main takeaway from the episode was the severity of her frustration. Like she was going to implode.

I have never been patient. Never. I tend to move at one speed at all times-Mach 20. Anything that pumps the breaks on my momentum tends to feel the wrath. I figured that once I gave birth the patience gene would appear. I figured it was a chemical change that happens in your body once you become a mother. I mean, once you have a baby you HAVE to have patience right? Nah su much.

Recently, I find myself sounding like Kate-a lot. Losing my patience and becoming frustrated at these two little humans that are just trying to figure it all out. I try to get out of the house and my three year old says “I do it MYSELF” at least a dozen times. Which means when I look at her before leaving I see, her shirt on backwards, toothpaste all over her cheek, yogurt on her pants and her shoes on the wrong feet. Totally adorable, but the only thing on my mind is how late I will be now that I have to “fix” all these things. In that moment I should be recognizing the look of pride in her eyes because to her, she DID do it all herself. But all she hears are the groans and sighs and all she sees is the look of annoyance in my eyes. I hate to think what that does to her.

If my son wants to help in the kitchen, and I get frustrated because the egg shells are in the mix and the flour has gotten all over the floor that I just cleaned. I should be excited that he wants to help as he is such a picky eater that this may be the only way I can get him to try new things and be as excited about food as I am.

These moments will be gone in a flash. Does it really matter that I am going to be off my schedule by the 10 minutes it will take to help her? Will it kill me to fish out the eggshells and clean the floor again? Absolutely. Not. So…in staying with my resolution of trying to better myself, I MUST MUST MUST be more present and calm. I have got to find joy in these little moments. Take pleasure in the fact that this sweet little girl is going to be independent and determined and my support will help her do that. Remember how great it is that this amazing little boy is going to be interested, helpful, smart and caring and how I react to his engagement in different activities will help him grow.

I would hate for my kids to look back at their childhood and think Mommy was always so mad or frustrated. I want them to think of these times as happy ones. I want them to remember the expression on my face as smiling, not frowning. Because this is definitely the happiest time of my life and they are the reason.

Here are a few things from the internet I found that really hit home for me on this topic.

I like this Mom’s advice.

I am seriously thinking of this. I’ve been wanting to try for a while.

This post makes my heart stop a little. I can totally relate.

Have you had luck in becoming more patient in motherhood? I need details!

Sunday Funday

February 10, 2014

I love days that turn into fun adventures that aren’t planned. We had an exceptionally fun Sunday. Normally Sundays consist of cleaning, laundry, meal planning, kids staying in their pajamas too long, laundry, me staying in my pajamas too long, grocery shopping and did I mention laundry? When we woke up to a beautiful day on Sunday (after a gross, gray, rainy day Saturday) we were itching for some outdoor fun. So we ditched the dreaded laundry and headed to the coast.

I love where we live. We can hop in the vehicle and be breathing salt air in 45 minutes (40 if you ask my husband). So a quick car trip (just enough time for a much needed nap for the kiddos) and we were there. We watched the boats from the deck while we waited for our table at the restaurant. It was breezy, but so beautiful. Just being near the water makes me happy.

Out the window

We ate lunch (which I didn’t take pictures of because it was really dark in the restaurant). We wanted to eat outside but the kids were famished and the first-come-first-served diners outside were enjoying the day too and no one seemed in any hurry to get up. A nice man at the table next to ours came over and asked if he could take our picture. This was really nice, because I never ask anyone to take our picture although I always want more family pictures of us! He was a sweet man who had 20+ grandchildren! Maybe seeing our two crazies make him miss his 🙂

After lunch we headed to the beach! We let the kids run around and step in the water. Eventually Adeline soaked her dress in the waves and we had to run to the store to buy her a shirt. I had only packed her a change of pants (the joys of potty training).

How tall is he? Ugh, time flies.

I mean she can’t like her cheek to be pinched like that. Brothers!

Making sure he isn’t too far away

Then we headed to the pier to watch the fishermen. No one seemed to be catching any fish except for this guy. He was a pro. He would dive down and catch a fish every time! We watched him catch at least 5.

Stalking his prey

Harper wanted a turn with the camera.

Love them.

After a great day we headed home and I was lucky enough to get another nap out of these two on the drive. Here’s to awesome unplanned fun family days. Now back to reality and laundry.

Resolutions

January 6, 2014

I love the promise a new year brings. A fresh start filled with opportunity. For me, this year is all about trying new things and trying to become better at each and every thing I do. I will try to be a better Mom, wife, friend, worker, sister, daughter…the list goes on. Today, bettering my health is my focus. That started with 30 minutes on the Arc machine.

Breakfast was a smoothie. This seems to be my go-to lately. This one had blueberry Greek yogurt, coconut almond milk, handful of spinach, a frozen banana and half a scoop of Designer Whey chocolate protein powder. Hit the spot.

The holidays were crazy when it came to eating. I seriously need some vegetables in my life. Lunch had a little of this and a little of that. Spicy hummus, carrots and cukes, an apple and honey dijon almonds (I am a little obsessed with these), a cheese stick and a Fiber One bar for a snack.

Hoping all goes well today. The temperatures are supposed to drop here tonight. But nothing even close to what’s going on in other parts of the country. Stay warm!

Thursday Adventures

December 13, 2013

Today started like any other day. Patter of little feet at 6:00 in the morning. A whirlwind of breakfast making, lunch packing, coffee drinking, Dora dressing, Elf on the Shelf conversation, and about 100 other things that fit in the span of one hour before we head out the door for the day. A pretty typical Thursday.

The day did include lunch at a new place. My husband and I have driven by this Greek restaurant several times and finally decided to give it a try. We were the only ones there. We shared a Trio of Dips with Hummus, Feta Dip and Taramosalata (caviar spread). My husband was a fan of the caviar spread. The other two dips were a bit salty for me, but still tasty.

We also ordered the Dolmades and they were by far the best part of the meal. They were warm with lots of meat and rice packed in and the leaves had a really nice minty taste.

We also shared Greek Salads with gyro meat. I am a huge gyro fan but prefer when the meat is shaved off one of those huge rotisserie cones of lamb. This resembled more of a Steak-Um. Not my favorite. Tomatoes were mushy also, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

Overall, meh on the place but it was nice to have a grown-up lunch date.

The rest of the day was pretty typical. Work, car lines, more work, putting screaming kids in car seats, trying to check off all the things on my to-do list (I was not successful). I will just be back at it for a Friday and hope to get more things checked off that list!