Monday, October 24, 2011

Paleo Candy Cookies

This is a paleo dessert recipe that I've tweaked.  My recipe comes from two recipes called "Paleo Candy Bars" and "Paleo No-Bake Cookies".  So I will call my recipe:

Paleo Candy Cookies (sounds yummy right?!)


Ingredients:
3 Heaping Spoonfuls of Coconut Oil
1 Heaping Spoonful of Raw Honey
1 Spoonful of Almond Butter
1/4 Cup of Cocoa Powder
1 Cup of Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/3 Cup (or more) of Chopped Almonds (or nut of choice like: walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts)

How to Make:
1. In a small-medium saucepan melt the coconut oil, raw honey, & almond butter.
2. Then add in the rest of the ingredients (cocoa, coconut, almonds) and stir well.
3. Then dump it out onto parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet.
4.  Spread it out, flattening it with a spatula.
5. Put it in the fridge or freezer to chill and harden.
6. If you want to, once it's hardened, cut it into bite-size pieces.  Enjoy!!!
(store in the fridge or freezer)

*I store mine in the freezer because, for some reason, I've always loved frozen chocolate (I think I have my mom to thank for that...)
And these are SO good that between my husband and I (...mostly I), it's all gone within two days.

*Here are the recipes for the treats that this recipe was born from:
No-Bake Cookies
Paleo Candy Bars

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Old Book Journal *** 4 Months!

A while back I got an idea off a blog (here) to make a journal out of an old book.  So James and I went to Recycled Books on the square and bought me an old book!
Then about a month later I actually got around to making my book journal!  Here's how I did it:

First I cut the binding with scissors, took the pages out, & separated the front and back covers:


(don't you just love the colorful drawings on the inside?!)

Then I trimmed the edges of the book covers, then I measured out 3 holes, where a typical 3-hole punch would go, and then I hammered a nail through each hole marking (we didn't have any blocks of wood, so I put the book on top of a cardboard box to hammer, but it would've been much easier if it was on a hard, stable surface):



Then I put rings through each hole (I bought mine at Wal-Mart)


Then I cut out some colorful paper to fit inside the book and 3-hole punched it and put it in!:



And there you go!! My New-Old Book Journal!!


I'm going to use this journal to write all about Aiven...his birth story, all his birthdays, milestones, accomplishments, heartbreaks, etc. and then give it to him when he's 21! I don't have to worry about running out of room because I can always add pages!

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Also, Aiven is 4 months old today!!  I can't believe how fast time goes by.  I remember thinking about him being here when I was pregnant, being sure that day would never come.  And then holding him in my arms in the hospital never imagining him to be 4 months old.  Yet here we are, he is here and he is 4 months old.  And I'm so thankful for that.  His life is in God's hands and really we were never promised that he would be born and were never promised that he'd make it to 4 months old - but he has and that's a gift.   And we pray for many more months and years!!  Happy 4 months little Aiven!!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Hearty Paleo Breakfast & a Dessert Smoothie!

This morning James and I had a GOOD breakfast!

Hearty Paleo Breakfast:
(for two)



Ingredients:
1 Small Sweet Potato (grated)
1/3 (or 1/2) Cup of Yellow Onions (chopped)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil (or coconut oil)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
4 Eggs (over-easy, med., or hard)
2 Slices of Bacon

How to Make:
1. Grate Sweet Potato
2. Chop Onions
3. Heat Oil in Large Skillet
4. Once heated, add onions
5. Cook onions till translucent or slight browned, then add sweet potatoes
6. Stir onions & sweet potato together and flatten through out the skillet
7. While this is cooking, microwave or cook bacon in a skillet until well done (enough to be able to crumble at the end)
8. Then fry the 4 eggs (easy, med, or hard - however you like it)
9. Then put the sweet potato hash on a plate, put 2 of the eggs on top, and then crumble the bacon on top of that - then do the same on another plate with the other 2 eggs!  and ENJOY!!

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Then this afternoon I really wanted something sweet.  We ate the rest of our ice cream yesterday (I know it's not paleo, but we're aloud to cheat sometimes, right??!!) so we didn't have any type of dessert.  So I made a Yummy Paleo Dessert Smoothie!!



Ingredients: (there are no measurements b/c I just guess when making smoothies)
Coconut Milk
Small Spoonful of Coconut Oil
Small Spoonful of Almond Butter
Squirt of Agave Nectar (put more if you want it really sweet)
Dash of Vanilla
1/2 Frozen Banana (i always try to keep frozen bananas handy in the freezer!)
Spoonful of Cocoa Powder (optional) (use more if you want it really chocolaty - or add chunks of dark chocolate!)
Ice
*And you could add pretty much any other type of fruit to this smoothie &/or cinnamon too!


How to:
Put all ingredients in a blender and...blend!!  Pour into a cup & serve with a straw!
Drinking a smoothie with a straw always makes it better!

This smoothie is paleo (healthy), not too sweet, very filling, and energizing!!

Friday, October 21, 2011

content...even at 3 AM

Aiven will be 4 months old on Sunday - I can't believe it!  I've loved every most of the past four months.  It does mean that it's been 4 months (well longer since I had to get up to pee every few hours while I was pregnant) since I've have a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  Of course it's gotten better as the weeks passed.  

When he was first born I was only sleeping maybe 2 hours at a time.  As rough as that sounds, I wasn't as tired as I should have been because I knew he needed it.  And also for the first month at least I wouldn't let him sleep longer than 4 or 5 hours (which didn't really happen anyways) because of breastfeeding and wanting to keep a good milk supply.  But after that first month or so he started sleeping a little longer and then eventually he only would wake up twice a night and then down to once a night.  

So really, from what I hear from other mom's, I've had it pretty good.  And in the past few weeks about once a week he'll sleep the whole night, about 7-8 1/2 hours.  When this happens I get this little glimmer of hope and pray hard that it continues every night from then on...which it still has yet to do.  This it was makes it hard.  I get a full night's sleep, now knowing that he is capable of sleeping the whole night, only to get woken up the following night at 3 am.  This has been frustrating to me.  I've been praying, and have other people praying as well, that he starts to sleep all night every night.  

However, I have been thinking about this and have realized that I need to be praying about my heart and the way I react & feel when he cries to be fed in the middle of the night.  I need to be joyful and content as I hear that cry of hunger, even if it's woken me up at 3 in the morning.  I've realized that I need to cherish this time because he won't need me like this forever.  I need to enjoy the time alone with my baby, giving him what he needs.  So I pray tonight I awake with a joyful heart as I stumble to the crib to comfort my baby....

"...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11






Thursday, October 20, 2011

a gain & a loss

Today was an interesting day....

I watched my friend's 6-month-old baby boy today while she went to school. It was fun and challenging. Having 2 little humans that can't do anything for themselves and cry when they need something is, at times, a difficult thing to handle. But they did have fun together when they were awake, full, and happy!














And I didn't do it alone for the whole day because...my hubby got laid off.

It's interesting when you get news like this. For a second your world stops, then fear and worry want so badly to take over you. But then I remember the Lord. He is in control, He was not taken by surprise, He knew this would happen, and He will take care of us.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today & tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith?
Matthew 6:28-30

"...the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Job 1:21

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

And it's in times like these that I'm reminded so much of why I married my husband. He is so calm and collected in times where some (not all) men would freak out or get depressed. A few weeks ago I found our wedding video and watched it. One of our officiants (who was also our friend) had asked each of us before the wedding what the ingredients were that made the other person and why we wanted to marry them. One of the things I said about James was his stability and trust in the Lord. And when things like this happen I am so thankful for this attribute!!

Laughter is good for the soul too. We have often found ourselves making jokes about the situation. However, this is not to say that we're just sitting back, laughing, and doing nothing. As soon as James got home, he started updating his resume and applying for jobs online (and picking up one of the two unsatisfied babies...). I'm also brainstorming ways to make money, yet to continue staying at home with my little booger!!

All in all this was not a typical day - a day with a gain (little Broden) and a loss (our only income...)

Will keep you posted on our search for a job!!