3/25/2012

What I Am Eating For Breakfast...

For the past couple of months my breakfast routine has been basically the same: quick oats with 1% milk, honey, cinnamon, and flax seeds.

A few weeks ago, I moved out of my parent's home and into a house in Gilbert with roommates. Needless to say, I don't have as many baking materials as I would like anymore! I am steadily rebuilding my supply so I can keep up on the blog, and doing what I love! Slowly but surely, I will have a hefty stash like parent's established pantry... But for now, I will work with what I have.

So back to breakfast...

On my last Walmart trip, I decided to add some spice to my usual breakfast regime. In my life, food really does make me happy. That is a simple statement, but it is SO TRUE! I get excited for food, I plan and look forward to everything I get to prepare and eat, and I love sharing my foodly joy :) Adding some new breakfast variety to my days would only parallel me moving out of my house - new house, new breakfast! It only makes sense.. Obviously..

It makes me happy.

Here's the facts about my most recent breakfast. I'll tell you exactly how I have it. I love it this breakfast! A new fave and "go-to" breakfast for me for sure.




Cereal:
Nature's Path Organic Flax Plus Mulitbran Flakes. $3 a box at Walmart.110 calories per 3/4 cup. Tasty and filling but doesn't weigh heavy in your stomach after eating it.

Flaxseeds:
Can be bought at Walmart or any health foods store. I bought mine at Sprouts. Approximately 3/4 tsp. They are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, vitamin B and other minerals, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Very good for you! Eat up. The cereal already has flaxseed in it, but I wanted more in my diet. Really, flax is fantastic.

Almond Milk:
I purchased one at Walmart for around $3 and had only 60 calories per cup. Almond milk is lactose and cholesterol free, and has more calcium than regular milk.

Honey:
60 calories per tablespoon. I put about 1/3 T with my cereal. Agave would also be great.

Vanilla:
Since I bought the NON vanilla almond milk because it was more expensive, I decided to invest in quality vanilla. I will use it in the future anyways. I added one drop to my bowl of cereal and it was PERFECT! There is nothing like the essence vanilla brings to a dish.

Cinnamon:
I added a few quick shakes from my bottle of ground cinnamon. The health benefits of cinnamon are also great - it has an anti clogging effect on blood and can help lower LDL levels.

Strawberries:
On sale at Walmart for $1.94 :) Yum. Packed with nutrients and antioxidants like vitamin C.

3/21/2012

Peanut Butter Sheetcake

I come across a lot of recipes on Pinterest, and this one I just HAD to try. And let me tell you.... I'm glad I did.

This recipe comes from www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com. It's an awesome site, and obviously I need to try more of these recipes if they're going to turn out anywhere near as satisfying as this PB sheetcake! On the website, it's lxisted under "How peanut butter can help you get pregnant... Peanut Butter Sheet Cake". She talks about how here sister and her husband have a difficult time getting pregnant so her doctor told her that she needed to consume A LOT of calories. Wish my doctor had a good reason to tell me that! Ha.

But seriously. If you love peanut butter, or even like it just a little bit, make this sheet cake!! I am willing to bet my bottom dollar that this is the most tasty peanut butter cake I have ever had. By far.


Recipe (copied from her website):

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
by Nina Jones

Mix in pan and bring to a boil:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter

Mix together the following and add to the above mixture:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda

Mix and add to the above mixture:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Stir well and pour into greased or parchment lined cookie sheet pan (jellyroll pan). Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Frosting
Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
3/4 cup butter
6 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 cup peanut butter
Take off stove and add:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Pour over warm cake.




3/15/2012

St Patricks Banner

Since GREEN is my favorite color and we are (some part) Irish...
I do love St Patrick's Day!
This banner took 5 minutes - which is my kind of crafting these days. I used bits of scrapbook paper left overs, small doileys, tulle, and sticker letters :) Super fancy, I know.
The finished product!
P.S. My husband Justin made this bench
(from an old headboard) for his mom for Christmas this year - he did awesome!!
one of his many "First St Patricks Day" Pictures