Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

healthy living, recipes

(Photo credit Chris Burton)
 

We eat a lot of bananas in this house. In fact, yesterday, there were 14 bananas, and today there are only 3 left. I’m not sure how it happens, but they disappear. Fast. On occasion, one gets left behind. And as it browns, we choose to eat the ones with less spots. And the lonely banana browns some more. Then, it gets mushy (and lets face it, no one wants to eat a mushy banana). To me, it’s a glorious day when there is an over-ripe banana left on the counter top. …

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Fluffy Pancakes

healthy living, recipes

When I was pregnant I went through a phase where I loved pancakes. I don’t mean the kind of love like you eat it every week, I’m talking more like eating pancakes every day, sometimes twice a day. This obviously wasn’t good due to the fact that 1) pancakes generally aren’t good for you 2) my body was already in weight gain mode and 3) being pregnant can sometimes cause you to lose the ability to make good judgment in portion size. The combination = bad news! The good news is that when you’re pregnant, you can also go from wanting to marry a certain food to despising it. Such was the case with pancakes for me. …

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Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

recipes

This soup is really quick and easy to make – it only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish – and what it lacks in time it makes up for in flavor! That’s my kind of soup….

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Chemicals, Parabens, Fragrance – Oh My!

healthy living

Have you ever wondered what’s in a product you use everyday? To be honest, the thought never really crossed my mind. I mean, I’ve tried to use products that are marketed as “Natural” or “Organic” but never really took the time to sift through ingredient lists and find out what is actually in the products that I use EVERYDAY….

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The Truth About Cloth

parenting

When I was pregnant, the only two things I knew for sure was that I was going to breastfeed, and use cloth diapers. And to be honest, I was genuinely excited about both. I wanted only the very best for my growing babe. …

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Roasted Vegetables

recipes

I love vegetables. This recipe is so simple, and the veggies come out so tasty (especially if you use sweet potatoes)….

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipes

Yum! After attempting several recipes, all of which were disgusting at best, I was hesitant to try these cookies. I was especially wary because they are supposed to be crunchy, and solid enough for ice cream sandwiches. In my opinion, that description makes the cookies sound dry, and not really something I want to snack on. I decided to give it a try anyway and I’m so glad that I did! I didn’t bake them as long as the original recipe suggested, and they came out flat, but chewy. Did I mention they are delicious?!
My mom, sister, brother-in-law, and hubby gobbled them up! …

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Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipes

This recipe is taken from Kim Boyce’s “Good To The Grain.”

I fell in love with this recipe the minute the dough touched my lips! It tastes just like regular cookie dough, with a nutty twist. The first time I made this recipe the cookies turned out perfect. The second time around they were a little too flat, but I measured very quickly, and I’m assuming the balance of flour/butter must have been off. Most times cookies have some flexibility, but I would recommend being careful with measurements for this recipe.

3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4- and 1/2-inch piece

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

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Don’t Let Comparison Steal Your Joy

healthy living, parenting

I’ve found that much of my life has revolved around comparison. Some of this includes what I want, what I eat, how I think I should look, the way I parent, how I view my relationships and the list goes on. The list is quite extensive, at best. But, I recently stumbled upon a photo on Pinterest. Who would’ve thought something on Pinterest could give me so much insight and wisdom. It was just a statement…

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