Almond Crunch Granola Cereal

This is a great way to start your day and it is ohhhh so good! It will keep your feeling full for a very long time. Have this with some ALMOND MILK (my new favorite) and you have a new fabulous meal. LOVE IT!
10 Cups regular rolled Oates, or 10 cups 6-way rolled grains
2 cups sliced raw almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup unhulled sesame seeds
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon or more to taste
5 tsp vanilla
Mix all ingredients together. Spread thinly on 2 large cookie sheets, which have been sprayed lightly with non-stick spray. Bake 35 minutes at 325 degrees or until lightly browned. Stir one time when first out of the oven. Cool. Put in air tight container (I keep it in the freezer, but you don't have to).

ABOUT TARA'S POST (BELOW) WITH THE PONY CAKE, SHE THOUGHT OF THAT ALL ON HER OWN. NOT FROM A BLOG ETC. CREATIVITY AT ITS BEST :)

Creative Birthday Cakes

This year I decided to make Taryns birthday cake. Well if I am being completely honest It was the night before Taryns birthday and there was no cake. I normally would have just gotten one from the store but this year Taryn had a special request. She wanted a cake that had a castle with princesses riding horses and mermaids in the water. At first I was going to give up on the whole idea of a fancy cake how could I fill that request but I wanted to give her a special cake for her birthday. So I used what I had in my kitchen and house it seemed to have worked out pretty well even though it wasn't everything that she wanted.
Here's what I had
1.)Strawberry flavored cake mix
2.)Chocolate frosting recipe
3.)Coconut/green dye
4.)Blue frosting
5.)Marshmallows ( like the kind that are in hot chocolate packets)
6.)my little pony figurine
I fallowed the cake recipe and once it cooled I cut it and layered it on to my cake. Then I frosted it with chocolate frosting that I made. After that I put my coconut into a bowl (about to hand fulls) with about 3 drops of green colored food dye. I mixed it around with a spoon until all the coconut was green then I put it on my cake for the grass. After that was done I took the blue frosting and made my river. The frosting that I had was in a can and had tips that I could squirt it out with. It worked great. Way better then in a bag. I had found this in the baking isle of my grocery store. Once that was done I then added the marshmallows and the pony figurines. What is great about this cake is that one, it really is easy and two, the possibilities are endless. Just change up the figurines or the color you dye the coconut. For example if you wanted a jungle theme you could put animal figurines on. Or if you wanted to do an ocean theme you could just dye the coconut blue and put your ocean figurines.
I hope this helps anyone who is trying to come up with a last minute birthday cake.

Don't Worry BE Happy

I have realized recently how difficult it can be to just relax and count your many blessings. EVERYONE is facing different trials. Perhaps it's illness, the economy, your marriage, parenting, loss of a love one etc. Everyone has a story to tell. Do you let yours have a happy ending? Sometimes I do, other times I have a hard time focusing on anything but me, me, me... It can be a hard habit to break. Here is one of my favorite quotes:
"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is just like an old time rail journey... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."
"Life is to be enjoyed, not endured"
-Gordon B. Hinckley
My moments of bliss:
-sun in my window
-a happy husband
-hearing my children laugh together
-watching them sleep
-walking into a warm home
-delicious food
-seeing Gods hand in my life
-an uplifting conversation with a dear friend
-sisters
My ride is a lot more thrilling then I realized :)
I was inspired to write this post after reading my friends blog who had this quote:
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
-Charles R. Swindoll
We all can think of someone who seems to see the good in everything. I hope to be more like them :)

What are some of your moments of bliss? Please share!!!

Test Your Brain

I got this as a forward. I had fun, thought you might enjoy.

How alert is your Brain? ... Read The Problem Carefully

Test Your Brain

1. Why are 2010 dollar bills worth more than 2009 dollar bills?

2. Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April.
The second child was named May. What was the third child's name?

3. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall and
he wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?

4. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest
mountain in the world?

5. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet
by three feet by four feet?

6. What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly?

7. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the
summer.
How is this possible?

8. In California, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg.
Why not?

9. What was the President's Name in 1975?

10. If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place,
what place would you be in now?

11. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white" or
"The yolk of the egg is white"?

12. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4
haystacks in the other field, how many haystacks would
he have if he combined them all in another field?




Here are the Answers…

1. It's one dollar more.

2. Johnny of course.

3. Meat.

4. Mt. Everest ; it just wasn't discovered yet.

5. There is no dirt in a hole.

6. The word is Incorrectly.

7. Bill y lives in the Southern Hemisphere.

8. You can't take pictures with a wooden leg.
You need a camera to take pictures.

9. Same as is it now - Barack Obama.

10. You would be in 2nd. Well, you passed the person in second place,
not first.

11. Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow.

12. One. If he combines all of his haystacks, they all become one big
stack.

Just a fun brain exercise. I love Sudoko as well. Do you have any brain games you like to play?

Moooooo

Warning: this first part my cause unnecessary stress but I have a solution to the problem so keep reading. Here is the scenario, you are out of milk, hubby is gone, not worth getting a sitter and you have a few darling little tag alongs. A trip to the store isn't just a quick errand when you have your children come along. I would consider this normal, you go leave which means the kids are screaming because they want the milk, shoes to find, shoes to put on, buggers to wipe, shoes to put back on, you go to buckle them in but the strap is twisted, untwist, catch the other, and so the story goes, we haven't gotten to the store yet. Now breath.
Any how back to the milk, here is a way to lessen those trips to the store, save money and a more healthy solution, use instant dry milk when you are COOKING. I wouldn't suggest having a big glass of instant milk with a cookie, yuck but do subsitute it for the real deal when making something that calls for milk. You wont notice I promise. Your "real" milk will last longer and you always have instant milke on hand, it last at least a year. Another idea but a bit more expensive is to buy vanilla soy milk. You keep it in your fridge and it last several months. I use Vanilla Soy Milk when I cook sweet things that require milk. For instance french toast, pancakes etc. It gives it a nice flavor. Here is a favorite recipe I use to cook pancakes, it works with regular milk, dry milk, and soy:



Blueberry Pancakes:
1 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup of Vanilla Soy milk (I add in a Tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit to make butter milk)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 egg
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
I drop some frozen blueberries while they are on the griddle. It is so yummy and healthy.
I guess I have learned there is no reason for pancake mix. It is way to easy, cheap, and healthy to make your own. Hope you enjoy!

Four ingredient, gourmet meal!

I swear by this delicious product that is as healthy as butter can get. It is made from free range cows. It tastes so delicious that people will want to know how you made whatever it is that you made with this product. It can be purchased at health food stores.
If you want to make a gourmet meal, use this product with salt and pepper. Buy a quality piece of salmon, I buy mine from costco in the refrigerated section. The large fillet from Costco will feed around four to five people. Be sure to purchase the fresh fillet without the skin.
Place the salmon in foil.
Sprinkle sea salt and fresh ground black pepper on fillet.
Cut off pieces of the butter and place on salmon about 3 inches apart.
Seal and close the foil as tightly as possible.
Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

As sides I serve brown rice and a salad.

Salad recipe
Spinach mixed with broccoli sprouts. (broccoli sprouts are even more healthy than the broccoli itself)
Sliced tomatoes
Avocados
Sunflower seeds
Feta cheese
Use with dressing of your choice!

Home - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros Acoustic Cover (Jorge & Alex...

I am in love with this video!!! Thought I would share. If anything it will make you smile I promise :)

Why didn't I know this?

Ok Random picture, but this picture serves a great purpose. I always have fresh green onion and chives. You buy the bundle at the store (for under a dollar) stick it in a cup with a little water and wah-la it just keeps growing. I snip it with scissors and throw it in/on whatever we are eating for extra flavor. Soup, salad, sandwiches etc. Works great and last as long as you want it to.

Party Food

This is a family favorite. Super easy and your kids can make it with you. It involves three ingredients and no bake (my can of appetizer).

Peperoni
Cream Cheese
Olives

You spread the cream cheese on the peperoni (I sniped some of my green onion on the cream cheese) roll it and stuff it in the olive. Yup, your done and your kids a party food they can enjoy.

Ants on a Rock

My kids and I have really enjoyed this snack. Very feeling, easy, and healthy. I am pretty sure the picture tells all.
Sliced Apples
Peanut Butter
Raisens

Enjoy :)