Month: December 2015

 

Last week we weren’t monkey’n around, I went to the grocery twice to pick up bananas. This week I bought double and can you guess what happen..

 

 

 

Perfect time to blend a couple up in Mason’s oatmeal and make some muffins!

I wanted to make a recipe that didn’t include oil or white sugar. Replacing the oil with yogurt and banana and the the sugar with honey makes these muffins are pretty dense. If you like you can add chocolate chips or nuts to break up the texture. This can be made into muffins or into a bread.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour ( I use oat flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 medium very ripe bananas, peeled

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips or nuts ( optional )

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch metal loaf pan or your muffin pan.

In a bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, smash the bananas with a fork. Add the honey, yogurt, eggs and vanilla and beat with a spoon until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir just until blended. ( Add chips or nuts now if you choose)

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a spoon. If making muffins, I used a ice cream scoop to scoop the same amount for each muffin. Put the pan in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean but crummy, about 45 minutes ( 20-25 min for muffins). Set it on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Mason hated the banana oatmeal, do you like banana oatmeal?

Tomorrow starts my work week and I am kinda dreading it. Its not the act of working, it’s the three times a day I will be pumping in my car. These last two weeks have been a struggle with pumping at work.  Not only is it physically exhausting, emotionally draining and time consuming. I’m starting to loose the battle between Mase and I, pumping verse consumption. He’s winning. There is so much chatter about what I should/should not be doing. Strong opinions from the masses about what’s right and what’s wrong.  I need to remind myself, I am a woman who is feeding my child and he is perfect. (Well, right now he is chewing on a diaper cream bottle, eh). This week I am going to try and focus on relaxing. I am going to pack chocolate chip cookies and a sparkling water for my pump times. I have a new Real Simple Magazine and a shiny new notebook to write in. In other news,  look at these cute stockings I made with some leftover fabric…. I apologize for the crappy photo. Its late and past my bedtime.

 

I wonder why it took a little longer to sew than usual, but every moment worth it!

Shout out to my love for making the chocolate chip cookie batter. Baking fresh each morning makes it that much better!

What is your struggle this week?

 

I have a love/hate relationship with December. I love the season, the snow and Jesus. I hate how busy our lives and jobs get. We don’t get to see each other very often. We are lucky to have most of the year together, sitting on the same cushion of the couch. We are also lucky we love each other so madly. I need to keep reminding myself that December is only one month. I read somewhere that sea otters hold hands while they sleep to keep from drifting apart. Tonight I am going to hold my love’s hand and not let go until its January. This house, our family. I am in love.

Im often reminded of the good in people. The happiness they give off when the smallest thing is given to them.  When the gift of time is given to someone who thinks they’re too late. The small gesture of giving someone a hand when theirs are full. Every moment there is a opportunity to push yourself aside and put someone else at the head of the table. Then, when they are at the head of the table, feed them.

 

Beef Stroganoff by Martha but twisted by Manda’s Mom

Martha Stewart has a great recipe for a Classic Beef Stroganoff. My mother  does it a little different. We use a crock pot, wine and beef broth. First we browned the meat and onion in a hot pan. Then added it to the crock with about a cup of red wine and enough beef broth to cover the meat and onions. Cook on low for 8 hours. Then add your mushrooms to the hot broth. While your mushrooms are steeping, continue with step two on Martha’s directions.  There will be no picture of this because Beef Stroganoff looks like vomit when photographed.

Martha’s Beef Stroganoff

It is usually not that big of a deal when it’s Wednesday and you realize you left your cooler in the car over the weekend. It is a big deal when that cooler had three bottles of hardworking breastmilk in it! It’s a two cookie night for me.

While my sink is having breastmilk for dinner, we are having last nights chorizo mixture. I found some naan bread at Aldis and made us a flatbread for this evening.  Adding fresh ingredients like cherry tomatoes and spring mix lettuce makes this feel like a brand new meal. I topped the naan with garlic and olive oil. Then I put my chorizo mixture, feta and cherry tomatoes on top. I baked it in the oven for 10min at 400°. Then added the spring mix on top, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Yum!

How many cookies does it take until I forget about my dumb mistake?