I have a post today that will make your stomach, menu plan, and Pinterest boards (follow mine here) happy! These are the most viewed recipes from 2014, and there are some good ones including my favorite breakfast dish, a go to 20 minute meal (can’t go wrong with butter, cheese, and cream), my easy way of making yogurt, and the broccoli pasta we are actually having for dinner tonight!
Have you made any of these? If you blog, what were your most viewed recipes?
The whirlwind time of year is here! Our third craft show of the year was Saturday and was the best one! It definitely helped make a long day more worth it. We had a prime location and some new products that sold really well. The craft shows really have been a lot of fun, but they are tiring, especially juggling the kids during the day. They did quite well though, until the very end. Sunday afternoon was spent picking up the house and grocery shopping, both or which desperately needed to happen.
I had no intentions of making sugar cookies this year, but when my daughter said she want to make “sock cookies like on Curious George’s Christmas” I decided to go for it. She helped mix up half a batch of dough and learned how to roll and cut out the cookies. The decorating she did all on her own and I attempted to keep brother from destroying everything. 🙂
This week and next are going to be busy ones once again. I think things will maybe slow down the actual week of Christmas. (But I probably shouldn’t say that too loudly or that won’t even happen.) I talked about this some on my Facebook page last week. Why does everything have to happen in the month of December? Can’t we have fall parties or New Year’s parties instead of Christmas ones? I, for one, would find those much more enjoyable! This time of year ends up being so busy that there isn’t time to slow down and truly enjoy it.
Homemade vanilla ice cream with Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce! It turned out yummy. The sauce recipe will be getting posted soon.
Breakfasts:
Eggs
Smoothies
Pancakes from freezer
Granola
Lunches:
Baked Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes with carrots and pineapple
Pancakes from freezer
Or leftovers
Suppers:
Small Groups – Italian theme – brought bread sticks and dessert
Tomato Soup/Ladies’ Bible Study
Leftovers x 2 (or more) Our small group leaders sent us home with noodles, sauce, and bread that will make at least two meals!
Snack supper
Goals:
Etsy shop. . . Yep, didn’t happen again last week.
Get ready for a mini trip
Write two more posts (life was crazy last week and only 1 happened)
Put away craft show items
18 month check up (he’s not a baby anymore)
Sleep. I’m at that point of exhaustion where I feel like I’m practically sleep walking. I can’t control whether the kids sleep through the night, but I can’t control what time I go to sleep at. Getting to bed earlier often means leaving more things undone on my list than I would like. Even a couple nights in bed early would help, I think! But my list of things that have to get done is too long so we’ll see. . .What’s on your menu this week? Any Christmas events going on?
Making your own stovetop popcorn is easy. Not only, that it’s super tasty and this recipe is the bomb. My kids (and husband) love movie nights that involve a giant bowl of this stuff.. CCoconut oil is the secret ingredient, skip the canola or vegetable oil and go straight to the good stuff. I buy my coconut oil in 54 ounce tubs, but if you will only be using it for popcorn it’s still worth buying a small container! (Check out Amazon and Vitacost for a good selection. If you sign up using my Vitacost referral link, you’ll get $10 off.)
You might wonder, why not just pull out the microwave stuff. It’s a staple in so many homes. Easy and good movie night snack, right? Hold that thought. The synthetic butter flavoring is diacytel and may cause lung problems and most of the bags are lined with perfluorooctanoic acid, a carcinogen.
Don’t worry! There’s another option. Homemade is the way to go.
If you are looking to simplify homemade popcorn even more, check out a Whirley-Pop Popper. This is the gadget we normally use, and it’s even easier. Today, though, I put my kernels in a good old pot and shook it around the old fashioned way to show you it can be done. 🙂 The bonus of using a heavy bottomed pot is that you get a little extra arm workout.
I’d say, if popcorn is something you just make once a month or a couple times a year, go with the pot method. If you make it weekly (or more – I’m telling you, it’s that good and easy. I love a snack I can give my kids in minutes.), investing in a Whirley-Pop Popper is something you might want to do – and it’s not even that expensive.
Put 2 tablespoons in the bottom of a pot with a lid and add 3 popcorn kernels. Put the lid on and turn heat to medium (if you are using a thick bottom pot, turn it up a touch more.)
Let pan sit on stove until the 3 kernels pop. Remove lid and add ½ cup of kernels. Replace lid. In the beginning shake pan every 20 or so seconds. As the corn begins popping, shake every 10 seconds.
When the popping has stopped, pour popcorn into a bowl.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. drizzle half of if over the popcorn and sprinkle with a little salt. Toss. Drizzle with the remaining butter. Toss. Add more butter and salt to taste.
This time of year is always busy. Add to that getting ready for our second craft show this coming weekend and things are hopping. My dining room table is once again covered with product (finishing up the final project) and my computer has been taken over with designing signs for the table. Next up is a mock set-up of the table to make sure everything goes smoothly on Friday. I’m curious to see how this show goes, being close to Christmas.
Making a snow angel was the first thing she wanted to do!
We had our first snow of the year yesterday! It wasn’t much but my daughter loved it. She went a little crazy when she spotted it coming down as we got in the car for church. My son, on the other hand, started off excited and quickly grew tired when he had to get bundled up. I guess looking like a marshmallow isn’t much fun.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse (sweetened with maple syrup and stevia). A friend came over for a movie and we had this for dessert
The menu and goals this week are pretty simple as we get ready for the show. Nothing gourmet happening in our house. 🙂
I love all things pumpkin. Well, except for pumpkin pie. But everything else, bring it on!
I have a Pinterest board all things pumpkin that I occasionally like to drool over. There are even some healthy recipes on it. For the most part, though, when pumpkin recipes come along they are loaded with sugar and not exactly health food. Those are good for desserts or a special occasion breakfast, but day to day, I hate to admit it, they probably shouldn’t be a part of my diet. (So sad.)
In an effort to get pumpkin into my day (and have a make ahead meal for breakfast) I put together these yummy oat flour pumpkin muffins with cranberries and chocolate chips.
That’s right, there’s no wheat in them at all and they have unrefined sweeteners (and not too much of it). I suppose, if you really wanted to, you could leave out the chocolate chips (or cranberries if you are my daughter. She thinks she doesn’t like them. Good thing my boy will eat them for her.) and they’ll be even healthier. Do so at your own risk. The chocolate is a yummy addition.
These can be made gluten and dairy free is you use appropriate milk, chocolate chips, and oats!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for a dark coated pan)
Combine oat flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices in a small bowls
In another bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, oil, honey, coconut sugar, and milk. Mix well until smooth.
Gently stir oat mixture into the wet ingredients.
Fold in chocolate chips and cranberries.
Put batter into 12 greased muffin tins.
Bake for 18 minutes.
Notes
- I make my own oat flour using old fashioned rolled oats and blend them in the blender until a powder. - If you omit the chocolate chips, increase sweeteners. - I cut the amount of both sweeteners in half when making for our family! - Can use 2½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead of the spices.
is the secret ingredient, skip the canola or vegetable oil and go straight to the good stuff. I buy my 
