for breakfast

I have been eating this nearly everyday for breakfast for the last week or so. It's my go to comfort food. You see, a large portion of my childhood was spent living in Somis, California and we had avocado trees galore. I hated the food my mom made us eat back then, but now it's like a treat to me.

I've always heard that avocados are very high in fat, but it was the good kind of fat. Then I heard that since the avocado is shaped kind of like a uterus, that means that it is beneficial to the woman's reproductive system. Sounds good to me, but you can read this very informative website all about the health benefits of avocados if you are interested.

I might eat a grapefruit along with this if I feel like it, but this usually does the job. What's your go to breakfast?

Avocado on Toast with S&P

2 slices Whole-Grain bread, toasted (we like Dave's Killer Bread)

1/2 of a ripe avocado, pit removed and skin peeled off 

Salt & Pepper

juice from lemon (optional)

While bread is toasting, slice avocado down the center, lengthwise. The centers will pull apart by gently twisting the two halves opposite one another. Remove pit and skin from one of the halves. Refrigerate the unused portion immediately, up to 2 days. Some browing is normal. Slice avocado thinly, or mash in a small bowl. Place on top of toast and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. We use coarse ground pepper and sea salt. Sometimes I squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on top. You may or may not find that appalling. Enjoy!

Sweet Roasted Almonds

One of our family's all-time favorite snacks. Even the baby loves these. We usually just make them at Christmastime, but now we make them whenever anyone has the hankering for one. They are sooooo easy to make and I love that there are only three ingredients. Well four, if you count the almonds. We give them as gifts at Christmas and Thanksgiving and people always comment how much they taste like the almonds you get at the mall during the holiday season. Well I can tell you this for sure. They are not the same. The ones you buy at kiosks at the mall or at other stores are loaded with corn syrup and other ingredients. Although these are coated in raw sugar, you won't find the ingredients so complicated or so unhealthy. Enough talking. Here is the recipe.

2 cups raw almonds
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons butter (use coconut oil for a vegan treat)
1 cup organic or raw sugar

Spread almonds evenly on rimmed cookie sheet. Place in 350° oven and roast about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well roasted.

Meanwhile, on medium heat, heat honey and oil to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add almonds; simmer and stir for two minutes, until almonds are evenly coated.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer almonds to a lightly greased baking sheet, or sheet of wax paper and spread in a single layer. Cool slightly. Toss almonds with sugar until coated.

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, etc. Great as a compliment to fruit, cheese, and other dishes. Or on their own as we prefer them!

fun snacks for kids: apple smiles

Remember these? My mom made these for me occasionally when I was a little girl, but they had peanut butter spread on the apples instead of honey, like I used in the ones pictured above. We have a kid with a peanut allergy here, so I have to get creative sometimes.

These are super easy to make and pretty much self explanatory.

You will need:

• mini marshmallows
• apples (with red skins preferably)
• peanut butter (we used local raw honey-it was delicious!)

1. Cut and quarter an apple.
2. Cut each quarter into slices of desired thickness (depending on how big you want the lips)
3. Spread peanut butter or honey on one side of the apple wedge. Place your marshmallow teeth on top of the peanut butter.
4. Spread peanut butter on an "upper lip" slice and place on top of the row of marshmallows.
5. Enjoy!

I've been a bad blogger, but I did a guest post a couple of weeks ago over at my lavender ave. It's all about menu planning! Check it out and have a look around. She does a lot of fun things over there.

apple pie trail mix

 

This was so easy to make and it really did remind me of apple pie. The longer you store the mix, the softer the teddy grahams and granola become. I prefer it crunchy, but it was still enjoyable soft. I like how the teddy grahams have belly buttons. . .

This is one of those recipes that you sort of eyeball until it's to your liking, but I started out with a cup of each ingredient and then added more of one or another until it was to my liking.

1 cup Teddy Grahams

1 cup Granola

1 cup yogurt covered raisins

1 cup dried apples, cut into bite size pieces

Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight container. I put mine into tiny little one-serving containers so my kids and husband could snack on them conveniently. I ended up adding the whole bag of dried apples, and used my kitchen scissors to quickly cut them in the size of pieces I wanted. I also added another cup of granola and a shake more of both the teddy grahams and the raisins. Yeah, a shake. Not a perfectly healthy treat or snack, but not too bad either.

Blessings Mix

inside the bag

the tag

the final product: the template found here

This is a fairly new Thanksgiving tradition of ours. We make Blessings Mix. A friend of mine made it for us a couple years ago and we stole the idea. But apparently we are not alone. I had no idea that it was a widely known thing to do. It's all over the internets. This is what we will be giving to Daisy's teachers.

Blessings Mix
2 cups Bugles, original or Caramel
2 cups mini twisty pretzels
1 cup nuts or seeds (I used a combination of whole almonds, cashews, and peanuts)
1 cup dried fruit (I used dark raisins and craisins)
1 cup candy corn
1 cup m&ms
Hershey's Kisses (I also use hugs)

In a large bowl, gently mix together all ingredients except for Hershey's Kisses. Once thoroughly combined, put 1 cup into cellophane bag. Put a couple of kisses and/or hugs on top. Print out tag with Blessings Mix poem and loop onto ribbon or twist tie used to secure bag.

BLESSINGS MIX

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.

Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.

Candy Corn: The sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.

Nuts or Seeds: Promise of a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

Dried Fruits: Harvest gifts from our bountiful land.

m&ms: Memories of those who came before us to lead us into a blessed future.

Hershey's kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

edamame is soy crazy

My kids love eating edamame. And I had always heard that it is super good and nutritious for you. But then recently I heard that unfermented soy has high levels of estrogen which is really bad for you if you are a boy (rumor is that it will make a boy gay), an infant, or if you want to get pregnant. I know you can't believe everything that you read on the internet, but all the research I've done is that soy is either the best choice you can make nutritionally, or essentially soy is the devil. I know that ut is used a lot in Japan, Korea, and China, but apparently they use the "safe" kind. Basically, I don't know what to think about it now. We don't do soy milk or other soy products except for this, so I don't feel too worried, but I am curious what the truth is. Soy is all the rage, that's for sure. Not just soy milk either. If you buy any processed foods, you will notice the majority of the time that it will say in bold print something like; May Contain wheat, soy, and egg . Common sense tells me that it's best to just eat from scratch, or from what you grow. Or as Jillian from the biggest loser puts it, "If it doesn't come from the ground, or doesn't have a mother, then don't put it in your mouth" (or something like that-this is from the top of my head). But soy beans are from the ground. Maybe they're not meant to be eaten in this way, but prepared a certain way first.