blah, blah, blah...

 

Just 'chicken' in to see how you are!

2/14: Knitting at The Coffee Shoppe on Valentine's Day

Juanita made this fabulous hat and matching cowl

for me for her 2015 'Pay It Forward'. Sweet!

 

 

2/15: Another Wildtree Class....awesome!

 

2/16: Water Walked this morning w/ Megan McKee...for an hour!
Afterwards, we had coffee at 'McKee's Coffee House' and then I came home.
Time to Knit and have some Tea!!!

 

2/16: No School tomorrow and I am free as well.
Looks like we'll ALL get to sleep in and do whatever we want. Pajama Day!

 

 

http://doterrablog.com/laundry-essentials-diy-natural-alternative-to-fabric-softener-and-dryer-sheets/

and.....
 

 What's for Supper?

 

Lentil Vegetable and Barley Soupby Lauren Zietsman

• 1/2 large onion or one small onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium summer squash (or zucchini), halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
• 1 C carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 C red lentils
• 1/2 C yellow split peas
• 1/2 C barley
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 C vegetable broth (or chicken or beef), plus ~2 C extra water
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1/4 t black pepper
• fresh or dried basil to top (optional)

 

Avocado Hummus...

 

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can chick peas, well drained
• 2 medium ripe avocados, cored and peeled (13 oz before cored and peeled)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving if desired
• 1 1/2 Tbsp tahini
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1 - 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves, for topping
• Red pepper flakes, for topping

Directions

• Pulse chick peas, olive oil, tahini, lime juice, and garlic in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I did a scant 1/2 tsp salt and about 1/8 tsp pepper), add cumin and avocados and pulse mixture until smooth and creamy, about 1 - 2 minutes longer.
• Serve topped with more olive oil if desired and sprinkle with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Serve with pita chips or tortilla chips.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Shelly's Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Shake...

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

Shelly's Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Shake (aka Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties™)

1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk (or Regular Milk)
1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Chocolate Torani Syrup
1 Tablespoon Peanut Flour (aka PB2, aka defatted Powdered Peanut Butter)
2-3 cubes of Ice

Whiz in blender till smooth. Top with a squirt Sugar Free Land o Lakes Whipped Cream and shaving of SF Chocolate, optional.

Chicken Soup...

Our plans to go out for sushi w/ the McKee's has been cancelled due to them being sick, so I will make Chicken Noodle Soup and Muffins for supper instead. Brig still has and cough and congestion, so this should help him feel better too.

~Chicken Noodle Soup~
(Recipe/Photo from 'See Mommy Cook')

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
4-6 med to large carrots peeled and sliced into coins
1-2 stalks celery chopped
1/2 cup minced onion
8 cups Chicken Stock (I prefer organic)
Cooked Chicken (I have boneless, skinless on hand)
1/2 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
4 bay leaves
1 pkg egg noodles
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
In a large stock pot, heat oil over med heat. Sauté garlic 2-3 minutes. Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until tender and slightly caramelized– 6-9 minutes. Meanwhile, remove chicken meat from the bone and chop or shred to desired size. Discard skin and bones. Add chicken stock to pot with bay leaves. Add chicken meat. Bring stock to a boil and add egg noodles and cook according to package directions. When noodles are tender, add parsley. Remove bay leaves and serve.
Interestingly enough, the garlic and pepper in the broth act as an anti inflammatory–thinning mucus and helping us to breathe. The carrots provide a vitamin boost, which can be increased by adding some dark greens or sweet potato chunks if you prefer.

The Month of December in a nutshell....

Making cowls for customers

Porter chilled in the window @ Barnes and Noble

 

 

 VAUHL Ornament Exchange:Lanette Lepper, Kylene Alvich, Courtney Reitzel, Nancy Flanagan, Stormie Henley, Peg Graham, Joan Gregory, Cat Slate, and
Donna Rae Barrow at -Flannel Jammies Farm.

 

My Ornaments

Holding Kylene's little boy

Mila's 2nd Christmas and Pretzels from Lala! Yum!

Minions were up early!
Merry Christmas!

 

 

Homemade Sugar Cookies...
made several HUGE trays!

 Miss Sophie

 

 1 Box of Spice Cake Mix
4 over ripe bananas
2 eggs...
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix, bake 30-40 minutes at 350.

 

The girls are hanging out on the deck
while the boys move their house.

 

 

New Year's Eve 2014,
going into 2015

 

10/29...

Healthy High Protein Foods
 

3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

peanut butter - 1 cup

honey - 1 cup...
old fashioned oatmeal - 3 cups

Instructions:

Put peanut butter and honey in a heavy saucepan and heat on low until thoroughly combined and becomes a liquid consistency. Mix in oats and stir. Press into a 9 x 9 inch pan.

Cover and let set overnight.

*for gluten free, use gluten free oats

*for clean eating, use raw honey

 

C is for COOKIE....

Brig is going to be making these MONSTER COOKIES today. The recipe makes 18 HUGE cookies. I'll just have to enjoy smelling them as the cookie scent wafts in the house...

I can smell 'em....just can't eat 'em.
============================

MONSTER COOKIES
by Laura Ames

Ingredients
• 2 cups of flour
• 2¼ Teaspoons of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup peanut butter chips
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 1 bag Reese's Pieces mini candy

Instructions
1. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients mixing until just combined. Stir in oats, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pour reese's pieces onto a plate or a shallow, flat bowl.
5. Using a large scoop, drop cookie dough into the candies.
6. Gently use your hand to flatten the dough down into the candies flattening into a disc.Then transfer to prepared cookie sheet.
7. Bake 6 at a time 12-15 minutes or until edges turn brown.
8. Allow to cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack. If you skip this step, they might break up.

Protein Snack...

Found Sugar Free Chocolate Chips...decided to try this snack, yummy!

Craft Fair...

Energy Bites or Bars...

Homemade All Natural Protein Energy Bar Bites

3 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (make into flour in blender)

8 oz. Dried Dates

4 oz. Chopped Pecans

3.4 oz. coconut

6 oz. Dried Cranberries

1/3 of a 40 oz. Jar All Natural Peanut Butter

Honey (about a cup, until it sticks together)

Mix and either press into sprayed pan and slice into bars 

or roll into balls and let dry a little. 

No baking needed.

Got the recipe off Pinterest:

Tips from a Typical Mom

Spicy Mayo...on Salmon

Need I say more?

IT'S WHAT'S FOR supper!

Pumpkin Protein Bar Recipe...

Downloading Healthy Protein packed recipes! Going to make Jamie Eason's Protein Pumpkin Bars tomorrow, after I pick up some Xylitol first. Hoping they freeze well, because I can't eat them yet....


Jamie Eason’s Pumpkin Protein Bars

Nutrition (without walnuts): 1 square = 47 calories, .7 g fat, 8 g carbs, 3.7 g protein
Nutrition (with walnuts): 1 square = 63 calories, 2.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 4 g protein




½ C Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend (Ideal)
1 - 4 oz. jar baby food applesauce
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground clove
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1 - 15 oz. can of raw pumpkin
2 C oat flour
2 scoops vanilla whey protein
½ cup almond milk
½ C chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
1.      Preheat the oven to 350.
2.      Spray a 9 X 13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.
3.      Combine first 11 ingredients and mix well.
4.      Add the final 3 ingredients (4, if adding walnuts), and mix until incorporated. Spread batter into the Pyrex dish and bake for 30 min.
5.      Makes 24 squares.

8/1-8/7....

Getting Supplies...

 

Happy Man. Did Manly stuff!

Porter hangs out with Daddy as he works on the coop.

Mini Bird Cage for Treats for the Chicks....
Sophie, hanging out

Chicks...

Love to see Cameron draw.

Lala looks like Elsa from FROZEN, eh?

Made Chicken Pot Pie Stew for the family

Frogged my Hitchhiker Scarf....
too many mistakes drove me CRAZY!

Other Stuff....