Make Ahead Snacks!

I think that it is probably safe to say that most of us want to make healthy choices about the foods that we eat.  Yes, we love our treats, sweets, salts, crunchies, and krispies... but for the most part, we all want to feel good and in order to feel good we need to EAT good.  Life is hectic and busy and when you are a mother chasing after your little ones the thought of having to plan and prepare 5 healthy meals on top of the other required daily tasks falls nothing short of torture.  I have been working on a solution to this and here is a recent experiment of mine...

 

I dedicated one day of my week to preparing meals and snacks ahead of time so that they can be pulled out of the refrigerator and be ready to go when I am.

Sweet Potato Chips

 

 

 

Yams or Sweet Potatoes

Coconut Oil

Sea Salt

 

1.)  Thinly slice yams, spread out on a cookie sheet and drizzle with coconut oil. Then sprinkle sea salt over the slices.

2.)  Broil in the oven for about 8 minutes then flip the chips over.

3.)  Continue this process until they reach desired crispness.  Add salt to taste.

 





Broccoli Coleslaw

 

 

1 head of broccoli

1 head of cauliflower

3 carrots shredded

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 Tbs sunflower seeds

1/4 cup poppy seed dressing

 

1.)  Chop the broccoli and cauliflower up into bite-size pieces.  Toss all ingredients together.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

 

Cold Chicken Salad

 

 

4 chicken breasts (boiled)

1 cup chopped grapes

1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise

 

1.)  Chop and shred chicken into small pieces.  Mix all ingredients together.  More grapes, bacon, and celery can be added to desired taste. 

2.)  Salt and pepper as desired.  Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

 

I designed these snacks to be something quick, tasty, and healthy that my husband and children could go into the kitchen and grab in a hurry.  I also boiled 12 eggs and baked some peanut butter protein muffins (recipe in future post) on my food prep day as well. 

 

 

Love you like crazy,

 

Amazeber

 



 



What my Crazies Have Taught Me...

The other day I was singing a little song to my four-year-old son as I was tucking him into bed.  I hugged him and kissed him, told him that he was important and that I loved him.  When I exited his room I bumped right into my nine-year-old daughter who looked up at me with big beautiful eyes filled with crocodile tears.  When I asked her what was wrong she smiled and said:  "I remember when you used to sing that to me."

This is my Sophia.  This picture was taken when she was only five and had just started kindergarten.  The night this picture was taken I was not at my best.  The kids had been fighting all day, the house was loud, and I was just... DONE.  I wanted them in bed so I could catch my breath.  Sophia kept calling for me to "come and see."  I finally stormed over to find her holding this sign and smiling. (obviously very pleased with her new-found ability to write)  Of all the words that she could have shared with me, these are the ones she chose. 

 

We are charged with the responsibility to raise these little people with love, kindness, and wisdom.  I wonder sometimes though... who is teaching who?

 

Here are some things my crazies have taught me:

 

1.)   My worth is great.

2.)   They ARE listening.

3.)   The little things matter (far more than the big things).

4.)   Red kool-aid smiles take about two days to wash off.

5.)   To FORGIVE... always.

6.)   To laugh at life.

7.)   To Slow down. 

8.)   Crayons melt in the bottom of a purse.

9.)   Raising toddlers requires patience, but raising teenagers requires wisdom.

10.) The past doesn't define us, we control who we become. I became a mother...

11.)  We all need a cheerleader in our corner.

12.)  To stay consistent and decisive.

13.)  How we view ourselves will teach them how to view themselves.

 

 

 

Love you like Crazy,

Amazeber

 

 

It's Okay to say YES

When exactly did we adults become broken?  When we were children we weren't afraid of the world.  A child will happily chat with the stranger in line behind them at the grocery store.  A child can make a best friend in only a matter of moments.  Kids don't hold back, they don't hide who they are, and they don't pretend to be something else just to please you.  Children are raw, pure, and unspoiled.  So... what happens to change all of that once we grow up and take on adulthood?  Who decided that since you are a grown-up now that you can't dress up for Halloween?  When did it become an odd (and terrifying) gesture to speak to a stranger?  What took away our spontaneous nature and replaced it with procedure, discipline, and order? 

 

Hmmm... maybe We are the culprits.  Maybe we are breaking our kids right now.  Maybe we are rooting out their spontaneity by saying "No."  "No, it's too cold outside."  "Not right now."  "Ssshhh!" 

 

Of course there is a need for order, discipline, and procedure. However the presence of those things should not mean the absence of others.  Let's find joy in the little things again.  Let's celebrate small accomplishments in a big way.  Why don't we say YES?  

 

This week here is your challenge:  See how many times you can say YES!

 

 

 

 

Say yes to weekday living room campouts, yes to riding on the sunroof down the driveway, yes to inside-out undies and rubber boots in the mud.  Say yes to "selfies" with your teen, yes to drinking out of the bottle, yes to life, yes to fun!

 

So, perhaps we can't completely rescue our children from the broken mindset of adulthood, but maybe we CAN preserve some of their pure, spontaneous, and happy natures.  I don't know, maybe they will grow up to pass on the power of the word YES to their own little crazies one day!

Love you like crazy

 

Amazeber

Amber's No Fail Banana Bread

It just doesn't feel like the weekend if I don't bake a little something for my crazies.  Today I whipped up some chocolate banana bread muffins.  For years I used the same ol' banana bread recipe.  I got very tired of it being a little too dry, not quite sweet enough, and simply... less than awesome.  So, one day I tried something a little different and LOVED the outcome.  I tweaked it another time or two until I came up with what I now call my "No Fail Banana Bread."  This bread will be sweet, moist, and delicious. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3 or 4 soft bananas mashed
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1.)  Mix the butter and sugar together until it is smooth,  add vanilla and eggs and mix again until smooth.

 

2.)  In a separate bowl blend the flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Blend the dry mixture in with the wet. 

 

3.)  Once the flour mixture is mostly incorporated into the batter add the sour cream and mashed bananas.  Once it is well blended together stir in the chocolate chips.

 

4.)  Bake at 350 degrees in a glass bread pan for about 40 minutes or as muffins for about 20 minutes.

This recipe produces a VERY moist bread but my family prefers the muffins because they seem to go farther and make for a wonderful breakfast treat!  I like to double the recipe.  (with four kids enough is never enough)

The next time you have a few bananas that are past their prime, try out this recipe... you won't regret it, and I'm willing to bet that the crazies in your life will LOVE you for it!

Love you like crazy,

 

Amazeber

Nutella is the new Calgon...

 

Being a mom is a gift and a blessing.  It requires patience, love, a gentle hand, calm mind, and years of selfless service.  Um... yeah.  That's sweet. (and true) But let's be real.  Being a mom is HARD.  It's awesome, but it's hard too!  Everything we do is for our kids, with our kids, because of our kids, in spite of our kids, and for the sake of our kids.  We are NEVER alone.  There is never a quiet moment.  When we crave a special "mommy treat" we hide in the corner of the kitchen and shove that brownie down our throat as quickly as we can before one of our little crazies can come around the corner and claim that they smell chocolate! 

 

 

 

 

So ladies, if that old commercial where the tired woman relaxes in a tub full of bubbles at the end the day makes you wonder what you are doing wrong I am here to tell you that you aren't alone.  There is no "Calgon take me away." But that's okay! So, we may not get long quiet baths,  so what!  We do get moments of relief in little spurts throughout the day.  For me it's a spoonful of Nutella while I try to read a paragraph or two of a book over lunch.  Yes, my kids are there too and ask me an endless stream of questions about the book. I don't mind so much... Grab what moments you can, smile because you can, and love those little crazies in your life because one day all too soon you'll have nothing but quiet baths and clean houses...

 

 

Love you like crazy!

 

 

Amazeber