sharing what's good!

So much of our parenting is focused on sharing. We have 4 children. Not every single person is going to get an individual snack, toy, book, etc. on every single occasion. It just cannot happen. So we work on it. A lot. Lemme just say that sharing comes easier to some than it does to others.

I, personally, love to share and typically think I do a good job. Well, unless we are talking about chocolate. Then I get a little stingy. Ahem. But actually, I've seen my heart recently over some little things and bigger things, and I've actually been bummed out. Convicted. Nothing we have is really ours. Not our house, not our money, not our children. The Lord owns it all! Why do I want to keep my things or people to myself? Why would I not want to share all that is good??

None of the below are things I've been trying to keep to myself, but I just wanted to share a little about the sharing talks we've been having in our home and in my heart!

I plan to have my 4th or 5th or whatever it is Things I'm Loving Now post soon, so I can share some of my favorite tangible items, but these posts and links are to a few articles that I have really enjoyed lately. If you like to read goodness, then take a few minutes, when you get a few minutes and read away! And I couldn't not include a new quinoa recipe. Gotta share the good!

It's Okay to Stop Trying to Fix Those Kids by Lori Harris via Lisa Jo Baker
--I just discovered Lori Harris and am struck by her keeping it real (something I truly admire) writing and her church plant struggles as she and her family walk with the Lord.

When Strangers Become Your People by Allison Hendrix via Ann Voskamp's Only the Good Stuff
--This was incredibly touching and I just sat crying while I was reading it. In the best way! My favorite read over the past week for sure!

Turning Back Darkness with Gratitude by Steve Nash, founder of Advance Memphis
--I've read the excerpt from Ann Voskamp before, but I love Steve's new found view on gratitude and the story leading up to it. Love his heart for inner-city Memphis and the Lord!

And now for our newest quinoa recipe. . .

Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad. . .

which I have renamed (gotta change it to something my kiddos remember). . .

Sweet Pepper and Black Bean Quinoa 

The dressing

5 Tbsps fresh lime juice

1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, finely minced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
⅓ cup olive oil
½ tsp freshly ground pepper

The salad
1 cup red quinoa (though you can use regular--just for appearance)
1 can (14oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 cup corn kernels, fresh (or I used frozen, it's what I had)
1 cup finely chopped colored bell peppers (think red, orange and yellow)
1 whole jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced (I didn't use)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup finely chopped green onions

Instructions

Prepare quinoa according to package. Let cool. Combine in a large mixing bowl the beans, corn, remaining vegetables, herbs, and cooled quinoa. Toss gently with the dressing. Can be prepared a day ahead for flavors to combine or served immediately. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 6 (or 3 of my 4 children once and Hubby and me twice). Because quinoa has so much protein in it, I don't add meat to it. We have meatless Mondays with a quinoa dish every week. No need for meat with this meal either!

And how did my family rate it? Our oldest 2 (9 and 6 years old) gave it a 2 thumbs up, I think Miles gave it a 1 thumb up and Hubby loved it! I'd say it's in my top 5 favorites and in the boys' top 3 favorites! Thanks to the Tasty Kitchen for the recipe!

what your breakfast needs | Day 27

Breakfast, especially on school mornings tends to be the easiest and quickest things we can get on a plate. Think cereal bar/yogurt, waffles and peanut butter, or raisin bread and peanut butter. Which in turn means, we have only a few items that we rotate through our week. Which in turn means, sometimes, breakfast gets boring. There's not a lot of time for bacon and eggs and my littles can be a smidge picky, so they aren't huge fans of smoothies or oatmeal or whatever it is the rest of the world eats.

But then comes Fall! I love being able to throw different items into our mix and Fall brings muffins! Like these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins! My sweet friend shared them with me years ago and they do not disappoint! Soooo delish! Maybe not technically light as in cooking light, but they certainly lighten our breakfast experience! My boys start asking about them as soon as they see the first pumpkin! Here's a little happy--a must have muffin--for your breakfast rotation!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

1 and 2/3 c. flour

1  c. sugar

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking powder

2 large eggs

1 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. melted butter

1 c. chocolate chips (I used a smidge less--shockingly)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat eggs, pumpkin, and butter. Add this to the large bowl of dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon mixture into greased muffin pan or use paper cups. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

cooking with quinoa | Day 2

Last summer I was introduced to the amazing. . .quinoa. Wow! This little grain or grain seed has provided lots of inspiration and health to our weekly meal planning! I first brought quinoa to the table in an effort to go meatless on Mondays. I put lots of different quinoa recipes in front of my family, which includes my hubby and 3 out of 4 little boy eaters (our youngest isn't quite into big people food yet). We've had fun ranking our quinoa favorites--this being one of my faves and this being one of my boys' favorites! And wouldn't you know, not everyone has the same favorites?!

However, this week, I tried out a new quinoa recipe that had everyone wanting more! Our boys even wanted seconds! And the best part about it in my opinion? It's healthy, full of protein, veggie-packed and light! So quick--if you've been wanting a new recipe, or to try quinoa, or to introduce your littles to quinoa, write this recipe down!! It was a two-thumbs up in our family!

Thai Veggie Quinoa

(slightly adapted from Avacado Pesto)

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa--cooked according to package directions. Make sure to rinse first!

3/4 small red onion, diced

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 cup broccoli, coarsely chopped

couple of handfuls of cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup of grated carrots

 4 Tbsp of peanuts (I used lightly salted), chopped

Dressing

2 Tbsp of sesame oil

2 Tbsp of rice vinegar

2 Tbsp of tamari (similar to soy sauce and often gluten free)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 limes, zest and juice

Directions

1. Prepare quinoa according to package. Let cool while preparing other ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, toss cooked quinoa, red onions, green onions, broccoli, cilantro, carrots and peanuts into a big bowl.

3. In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients.

4. Pour dressing over quinoa and veggies and mix until combined. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Serves 4-6

Why Morning Glories? (purpose + recipe)

When I switched my blog name a few years ago, I knew there was a Morning Glory flower. But, I had no idea there were Morning Glory muffins! Recently I discovered them and these muffins, so unusual, were delightful! I decided I must have the recipe and make them, since after all, my blog name is Morning Glories. However, upon searching for a Morning Glory muffin recipe, I found 5,976 recipes and they were all different! Okay, maybe not that many, but I didn't find a single recipe that was the same.

So, I improvised, or mixed and matched what I liked best and crossed my fingers! Turns out, these muffins were delightful too! A hit in our house, means surely a success in yours! So I'm going to share it with you!

But before you go thinking I'm a food blogger (that's really my sister, Mary), I wanted to share a little about why this blog is called Morning Glories. Like I said before, I changed this blog to Morning Glories a few years ago. I was just in the mood for a change and wanted to take our family name out of the blog title and web address or url or whatever it's called. So I thought long and hard about why I was blogging and what my purpose was. I even had blog name rankings with Hubby! Finally, I came up with a title that just fit. I wrote about it when I first changed the blog to Morning Glories, and this explains it all . . .

Why Morning Glories?

When I was little, not even that little, my mom would always come in and wake us up in the mornings. She would, in a very sing-song voice come into my room, open the blinds right beside my bed and say, "Rise and Shine, Morning Glory!" Occasionally, on my grumpier mornings, this would annoy me. But, more often than not, I loved being her Morning Glory. It wasn't about the name she called me, but it was that she had a name for me (one of many) and more importantly, that she loved me--I always knew it and I still do. The care she took to greet my sister and me with cheerfulness and sunshine in the morning was not lost on me. So, Morning Glories is a tribute to my mom and that place of love she created for me!

It's in that same way, that Chad and I want to raise our children--to grow them up (not as flowers, but like flowers grow). We have been blessed to both be raised in love and to love the Lord. We want our children to know our love for each other in our marriage and our love for them, and we are confident they already do. And just as importantly, we want our boys to know of our love for the Lord. Our purpose in our marriage, in our family and in our lives is to glorify the Lord. The word, glory, means adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving. And, while life is not about glorifying the Lord only in the mornings, starting our day giving glory to Him is what our family is striving for.

A recipe for your morning

I've written down this recipe, because it was successful and delicious, but there are so many ways to make these muffins. See what you think!

Morning Glory muffins

Ingredients
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs + (1 Tbsp of ground flax seed and 3 Tbsp of water = 1 egg), so I used 2 eggs and this substitute for an egg
3/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 -8oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup golden raisins
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a different bowl, combine the eggs, oil, vanilla and pineapple. Stir this into the dry ingredients. Add the coconut, raisins, carrots and pecans and stir to combine. Fill lightly greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes!

Enjoy! And thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy that too!

I massaged a salad. . .a Kale-Quinoa salad!

Way and I had lunch downtown today with my Biffer, aka, Aunt Mary! So fun to just sneak away and grab lunch just the three of us! Turns out my meal came with a side of quinoa salad, which reminded me that I had not yet shared my new favorite quinoa recipe. . .

Thanks for a fun lunch date, Biff!

So, it's been a few months since I've posted a quinoa recipe. Some of you are new around here. Some of you have never tried quinoa. Some of you need a new recipe. And I'm guessing, ALL of you like yummy food, right??

Well, stop what you are doing. Go grab the ingredients. And then, prepare yourselves for a healthy and delicious meal! Plus--easy peasy to make. What could be better??
Oh, and you get to massage a salad. Fancy stuff.

A friend of mine sent me the Kale-Quinoa recipe, but I made a few changes. . .

Kale-Quinoa Salad

Ingredients
1 bunch kale--torn into bite size pieces (you can add more or less)
1 cup cooked quinoa (don't forget to rinse the dry quinoa first)
shredded carrots
dried cranberries
pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
walnuts/almonds, etc.
You really can use any fruits, veggies or nuts here

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp honey
juice of 2 lemons

Directions
Whisk together dressing and then massage onto kale, add quinoa and stir well. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and then add the other ingredients!

Now for the kiddo rating. Let me preface this by saying Luke does NOT like olive oil, which is why I cut back the olive oil a bit, you can actually use a touch more. He noticed the dressing right away. He's also not a fan of Craisins. So that being said, it wasn't his favorite. Charlie did well with it, finished his and Miles did too. Luke ended up finishing his after being bribed with a piece of chocolate. Because that's how we roll sometimes! Chocolate makes everything worth it. Should be a hashtag! Hubby and I devoured it, and lucky me had leftovers the next day! I'd put this quinoa recipe right up there at the top of the list with my Lemon-Cilantro Quinoa recipe. So, what are you waiting for? Go try it! Let me know if this tops your list too!

FYI Friday--physical AND emotional health remedies and a recipe!

So as much as we love fall, we all know that October officially starts the cold and flu season. Yuck! We also all know that washing our hands is the #1 way to prevent yourself and your children from getting sick! Getting sleep (which I've been terrible at lately) is close behind!

But, did you know there are a few other things than can help prevent you getting sick or help aid your recovery if you are? And, they are just beneficial to your health anyway! Just call me Dr. Jackson and I'll accept your co-pay later! ;)

I'll save you the nitty-gritty details, but you can look them up if you doubt me!

1. We've heard (and this is the only one I've not researched) that grape juice can help prevent the tummy bug! With my fear of throwing up, or having anyone in our family throw up, you can guess why we drink it on blind faith. Why not? Grape juice is healthy for you anyway!! BUT--I did read that you should drink the 100% juice--not the concentrate kind. Harder to find, and usually we use Welch's, but we found this brand for now! A couple of glasses a day, keep the throw ups away!? At least we're believing it!

2. Our doctor's office swears by Culturelle. They've told us to put it in yogurt or to buy the yogurt with the probiotics in it anyway, when the children are on antibiotics. Hmmmm, now that I'm typing that, I see "biotic" relationship there. Guess it takes some of us longer. Anyway, it's supposed to help with the upset tummy that antibiotics cause, but our nurse tells us it helps prevent tummy bugs too. Again, whatever I can do!!!

3. I have chronic sinus infections. I think I've cut them down to 2 a year, but Hubby still says I'm at 3-4 a year. I can't keep them straight, but they make me feel miserable!! This past Spring I read that apple cider vinegar works wonders in cutting and thinning out all the goop in your nose and head. I despise the word mucus, so I'm calling it goop, but I just typed that other word, so oh well. Anyway, I tried it and this past Spring was the first time I "cured" a sinus infection without having to be on an antibiotic!!! Hooray for apple cider vinegar! Additionally, there are so many other health benefits of vinegar. You should look it up. But, I add a teaspoon or two to a glass of water and drink it down a couple of times a day when I feel a cold coming on. I actually like the taste, but that's just me!

4. Maybe you know about this last one. Honey is also supposed to be good for colds. Yes, put some honey in your hot tea when you have a sore throat! BUT, eating/swallowing a spoonful of honey or two a day, is also supposed to lessen the effects of or prevent colds. They key, though? RAW honey! Not the honey bear you get at the grocery store, but the kind you get at a health store. I have just beaten another cold, and I think it's because I went to Whole Foods after learning about RAW honey and have been having 2 spoonfuls a day! Good stuff!

NOW---physical health aside, there's also something to be said for emotional health. And I believe chocolate is my #1 way to ensure my emotional health is stable! :) I kid. A little. This is one of my fave treats! I discovered it last year, when I tried my first-ever salted caramel mocha from Starbucks. I had to find a recipe to actually eat and not drink that combined these flavors!! So, here's the recipe!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Crunch

12 oz. of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 bag of mini pretzels
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 cup or 2 sticks of unsalted butter
sea salt

How to make. . .

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then line a cookie sheet with foil. It's good to make sure your foil covers all of the cookie sheet, so you may just want a smidge extra foil to fold over the sides. Next spread out pretzels over the foil. Do your best to have them in a flat layer--though since they won't all fit perfectly some can overlap!

Next melt your butter in a saucepan. Once butter is melted, then add the sugar. This makes the caramel. Stir frequently. It will bubble and simmer, but don't let it boil. Once the color turns a little brown and more bubbly (about 3-5 minutes), then pour the caramel over the pretzels. You may want to start at one end of the cookie sheet and pour from end to end, back and forth. The caramel may not cover or spread over every pretzel when you pour it on, so take a spatula or spoon and spread it out. It hardens fairly quickly, so just be on top of it! Ideally, every pretzel gets some caramel on it! Then pop it in the oven for 6 or 7 minutes. You can keep an eye on it and you will see it bubbling in the oven.

Once that's in the oven, pour the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl. Wait until the pretzels are almost ready to come out of the oven and then pop the chocolate chips in the microwave for about a minute. You don't want them to be completely melted, but enough so they can be spread out over the pretzels.

Take the pretzels out of the oven and spoon the somewhat melted chocolate chips over the pretzels. Smooth them across the pretzels with a spatula. If the chips are still in full form, they will quickly melt over the pretzels, so no worries! Sprinkle the sea salt over the top and then put them in the fridge and chill for an hour or so (if you can wait that long). When you take them out, the foil should peel right off and you can crumble the mixture into the most delicious bites you will ever pop into your mouth! 

Happy Physical Health!

Happy Emotional Health!

Happy Friday!!

 

FYI Friday--pumpkin quinoa dish fail and a call for help!

**We made it back from Disney last night--just shy of this morning. And like I predicted, lots of babies to cuddle and encourage and heap grace upon and already they've had to give me grace too. So I'll plan on being back fresh next week.

But, 2 things in the mean time ( I had this post already worked up--planned on posting before we left, but it didn't happen). . .First, I mentioned last week that I am now a monthly contributor over at One Fun Mom. Well this week, Christy has been posting the contributors information, (my info is up today) so you can get to know them better. I'm excited to get to know them as well!!
Second, hopefully you know I try to keep it real here. I've been super thrilled with several of my quinoa dishes lately--well all of them so far. . .(have you tried any of them?) until now. I tried this dish last week with my family and it did not work. So I need your help. . .all of us need your help. Who doesn't want a delicious pumpkin quinoa recipe in October??

Y'all, this pumpkin quinoa just didn't work for us. I didn't follow the recipe exactly (hmmm, maybe that's the problem) because I had to triple the recipe in order to feed us, so I may not have used enough pumpkin or almond milk. However, it was just bland. Hubby was encouraging and said it wasn't a disaster, and I ate it, sort of, but we didn't even have our boys finish it. Just bleck. I lined our bowls with pita chips and apples, and when we dipped the pita chips and apples into the quinoa, that helped. In fact, that's how I ate as much as I did. Chad attempted to spice his up with pepper flakes and green onions---which definitely helped as well. Also, ours wasn't warm when served, contrary to what the recipe told me to do. Soooooo, that may be some of the problem. But I know there are some of you reading out there who might be able to salvage this recipe. Wanna try? Here's what I sorta followed. . .

Pumpkin Quinoa (that needs your help)

Ingredients:
--1 cup canned pumpkin
--1 cup cooked quinoa
--1/2 cup Almond Breeze (unsweetened)
--Sea salt and pepper to taste
--Shredded coconut to garnish

Mix together. Heat and serve warm.

**So, maybe this dish isn't making you want to run out and try to fix it. Or, maybe it is. I'd truly love to hear if you have ideas, OR if you actually make the dish and think it's great. After all, it is Fall y'all and a pumpkin quinoa dish that tastes flavorful would be awesome for all of us!!!

Happy Friday!!

FYI Friday--favorite quinoa recipe yet!

Lately, around dinner time (oh who am I kidding, the instant) the littles walk in from school, they want to know if we are having a "recipe." It makes me laugh every time they ask! It sure sounds like I hardly ever cook a meal, doesn't it? Well, what they meant by "recipe" early on, was "something we've never had." But now, "recipe" means a new quinoa dish!
Yes, quinoa has been all the talk around our house! We're pretty exciting! But actually, what was exciting this week, were the rave reviews received from our latest quinoa experience!

And yet again, I've just shortened the original name, because you just can't fit every ingredient into a recipe name and have people ask for that dish by name. And, after thoroughly enjoying this amazing meal the other night, our little boys, in fact, have been requesting. . .

Lemon-Cilantro Quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans--drained and rinsed)

2 cups of chopped spinach

1 bunch of cilantro

1/4 cup sweet onion (purple or white work)

2 small cloves garlic (I used already diced garlic from a jar)

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

2 avocados, diced

The dressing

juice of 2 lemons

zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sugar

dash of salt and pepper

Directions

1.Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and add quinoa. Bring back to a boil and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid. 

2. Remove from heat and spread quinoa out on a cookie sheet ( to help cool faster). 

3. In a food processor, add the spinach and cilantro. Process until they are finely diced. Add the mixture to a bowl, and set aside.

4. Finely dice the onion and add onion and garlic to the greens mixture.

5. Add the chickpeas and stir until everything is combined and nicely coated.

6. After the quinoa is cooled, add it to the chickpea mixture.

7. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pour over salad and mix until combined.

8. Add in tomatoes and avocado and mix.

9. Put in fridge for 15 minutes before serving to set the flavors.

10. Enjoy!!!

**Per usual, a couple of things. This recipe should be fairly quick to make. I, had issues with my food processor, so it took longer than expected. Next time, that won't happen. BUT--you can do some of the dicing ahead, as well as the dressing, so when the cooking time comes, it's done in a flash! 

**And, all 3 of our table-food eating boys, gave it 2 thumbs up! They want to have this "recipe" again! Hubby and I loved it too! Our favorite quinoa dish so far! Let me know if you try it!!

Happy Friday and Happy Eating!

FYI Friday--fun facts for your summer's end

The season of Summer is ending, though technically there's a month left. It seems that most are ready to welcome Fall at this point. I'm ready (always have been a Fall and Winter girl), now that school has started. Summer isn't really summer to me once school is back in session. So bring on Fall!

But, before we leave summer. . .I thought I'd share just what I learned this summer. Emily shares what she's learned at the end of each month, but I thought I'd just cover the summer for my first "go" at it. . .

A Few Things I've Learned This Summer

 (the Important to the Trivial and Everything In-Between)

1. Every full moon has a name. I learned this from my friend Sarah and thought this was such a fun fact and tid-bit to have tucked away! Apparently this dates back to the Native Americans, when they named full moons to keep track of the seasons. You can check out more details on the Farmers Almanac, but here are the names in the meantime.

January: Wolf Moon

February: Snow Moon

March: Worm Moon

April: Pink Moon

May: Flower Moon

June: Strawberry Moon

July: Thunder Moon

August: Green Corn Moon

September: Harvest Moon

October: Hunter's Moon

November: Frost Moon

December: Long Night's Moon

2. You need to have a fine mesh strainer to make quinoa. I tried my first quinoa recipe this summer, but found out that a fine mesh strainer make the preparation LOTS easier! No big deal--just run to Target and pick one up! There's no quinoa recipe from me this week, due to a 2 hour doctor appointment that ran until 5:45 last night, but I'll be back with another next week! In the meantime, my sister @ cookingonthebrightside comes through with this quinoa dish. . .

3. An okapi can clean its ears with its tongue. Cool! What is an okapi you ask? It's this. . .

And we are getting some of these in our amazing zoo next year! But I learned this info while reading Ranger Rick Jr. with my Charlie--we even tried to clean our ears with our own tongues. Didn't work. :) His bigger bro reads Ranger Rick, but both are awesome magazine subscriptions we receive! If you want a fun, gift that keeps on giving, for boys and girls, then check out these magazines, chock full of info and stories all about animals!

4. And finally, Ann Voskamp has written a new book! Yep, she just shared that information today! It's called The Greatest Gift and it's something she's been alluding to all week! And since I just ordered it, here's how Amazon is describing her book. . .  

Beginning with Jesse, the father of David, The Greatest Gift retraces the epic pageantry of mankind, from Adam to the Messiah, with each day's profound reading pointing to the coming promise of Christ, so that come Christmas morning you find that the season hasn't blurred past you but your heart's fully unwrapped the greatest gift you've always yearned for. 

I just love Ann and her writing and Christmas and Jesus and just cannot wait to start the holiday season with this book!

That's it!

Happy College Football Weekend to you!!

FYI Friday--food for the weekend

Happy Friday!

Lemme just get right to it! I'm so excited about the quinoa recipes I've been making! They are yummy and healthy and different! I found this recipe in a Bible study book I've been doing. I changed a smidge of the recipe, and put it below, but basically, it's the same. Once again, hubby and I loved it! But this time, Luke ate it ALL up and declared he really liked it---the best so far! Miles ate it too, but it wasn't Charlie's fave (mainly because it has corn in it, and he doesn't like corn. What??) He still votes for the Cashew Quinoa as the best. And since I added an avocado to the recipe, Baby Way had his first bite too (of avocado, that is)! Success! The recipe was originally named Tasty Quinoa, but that didn't cut it for us. Wouldn't tell anyone what it was like, or what it had in it, ya know? Instead, our family voted on names, and decided Southwestern Quinoa was our new name for the recipe! And, without further delay, here's the recipe for. . .

Southwestern Quinoa

Ingredients
1 tsp of Canola oil
1 onion, chopped (I used a tad less)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (I use the already chopped in a jar)
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1.5 cups of chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans (or 2)
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado (not necessary, but super yummy addition)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Rinse quinoa according to package directions. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir frozen corn into saucepan and continue to simmer about 5 minutes. Mix in the black beans and cilantro. Add avocado on top if desired!

Serve with chips and salsa as a nice bonus!

Thumbs up in our house!

Have a great weekend!

food for thought Friday

For the last full week of October, you need to make these!! I was given this recipe 5 years ago, made it once (did something wrong---don't know how) and never made them again until last week. Oooooh how we've been missing out! These chocolate chip pumpkin muffins are delish!!! We devoured them and Luke has been asking for more everyday. I'm making another batch today. So, so yummy!

Start with the dry ingredients first.

Then mix together the pumpkin, eggs and butter.

Combine both bowls and add the chocolate chips. Then put some cute Halloween or pumpkin cupcake liners in your muffin tray.

Fill the muffin cups up and bake!

In about 20-25 minutes these bites of heaven are ready!

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

1 and 2/3 c. flour

1  c. sugar

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking powder

2 large eggs

1 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. melted butter

1 c. chocolate chips (I used a smidge less--shockingly)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat eggs, pumpkin, and butter. Add this to the large bowl of dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon mixture into greased muffin pan or use paper cups. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. I filled the muffin cups all the way to the top because my recipe said they don't rise much---and that left me with 11 muffins. However, they rose more than I thought, so you can fill them up almost to the top and get 12 muffins!

cake pops --so fun, so cute, so yummy!

The super cute cake pops caught my eye a couple of years back when MckMama debuted them on her blog! I was definitely more interested in making them for photography purposes rather than eating them. After all, they are very pretty. Eye candy to me! However, after having my very first cake pop at Starbucks recently, I've fallen in love with them and have been dying to make them ever since!

Since my sister has also been eager to make them, we declared a girls' night (to be had after the boys were in bed) and convinced my mom to join us in the festivities! I'm going to share how I/we made them, though they are very similar to MckMama's recipe, and thus Bakerella's recipe. I will make a couple of adjustments the next go around, but overall, they received good reviews (you know, from my mom, my sister and me)!

I decided to get started prior to my sister and mom coming over, since the cake balls need to be refrigerated for a bit. So I attempted this after school, while all 3 boys were awake/playing/crawling into everything. That would be my first edit for next time. **Do not attempt to make cake balls while you have a crawling baby who has just learned to crawl up stairs, likes to play in toilets or your dogs' food bowl. The cake balls are a messy endeavor and I found myself calling to my almost 6 year old many times for help!! Next time, I will make them after kids are in bed and chill them overnight!

But I digress, here's how you start. . .
First, you bake a cake. Simple, right? Sure, though this was my first time to bake a cake. Ever. So, when it called for 3 egg whites, I was thrown for a loop. I called my friend and said, "What the heck?" and she told me to just throw in 3 eggs. Forget the separating. So I did. And, about 32 minutes later, the cake was done! Awesome and made our house smell delicious! Then, I let the cake cool--took maybe 15 minutes. Next, I started chopping up the cake with a spoon (our food processor wouldn't come on). Luke asked me why I was stabbing the cake! Ha! Basically, you just need to get the cake to very small pieces almost mealy looking. Then I started adding cream cheese frosting. Just scooped some in and stirred it around in the chopped up cake. ***This is my next edit. We decided I added a tad too much. I used about 3/4 of a can of cream cheese frosting. I think on my next go around I will use about half a can of frosting. However, you need enough to roll the dough balls. My recommendation would be to start slow.  You can always add more, but it's impossible to take away. Once it's stirred together, I dug in. Literally. My hands were sticky and messy, but it's worth it! I made little balls about 1 inch in diameter. Some were bigger. Both worked fine. It took about 45 minutes to do so, although once my hands were goopey, was when all of my littles were needing something from me, of course! So, it may have taken less time if I wasn't stopping to help somebody with their craft, etc. After all the cake balls (at least 50 from one cake mix) were made, I chilled them in the freezer for 3 hours. They need to be chilled to keep their shape when you dip them in chocolate.

Then the party began! Mom and Mary arrived and we began melting the chocolate in a double boiler while we put the lollipop sticks into the cake balls. **Be careful not to melt the chocolate too quickly. We had a pretty green color to use for some of the cake pops, but the chocolate got too hot too fast and turned to putty. It just didn't work. So, we melted the white and chocolate chocolate and began dipping the cake pops and having fun! We went crazy with sprinkles and designs and we even created a little town of cake pop people! Our cake peeps!

Yes, we were a little delirious, my sister does that to me! She is hilarious and a nut case. See below.

 It was a great time and we are thrilled with our cake pops! For the first time around, we think we did a good job. And, with the edits I mentioned, maybe your first time around will be perfect!

Cake pop recipe
1 box cake mix (I used white cake---but any kind can be used)
1/2 can cream cheese frosting (again, think any flavor will work?)
lollipop sticks
candy/chocolate melts (1 or 2 bags should work per cake)

As I explained in greater length above, bake the cake according to box, crumbled up the cake, stir in the frosting, form the cake balls with your hands, chill them for a few hours, put in the lollipop sticks, dip into chocolate and decorate! Sooooo fun! Pretty to look at and yummy to eat! Have any of you made these? Any comments or suggestions to add?

healthiest foods

Around our house lately, Lukey has been obsessed with all things healthy. His mission: to become the fastest person in the whole world. Every food that crosses our table or his mind must be labeled and/or evaluated by its degree of healthiness. In fact, the other day he turned down a snack because it had sugar in it and replied "sugar isn't the healthiest thing for us Mommy!" Ummm, okay. That's my 5 year old telling his mommy that. Now before you go thinking he's the healthiest eater ever and that we've taken the fun out of his life by denying him sugar, we haven't. He knows all about moderation and just yesterday was begging us to eat lunch at a place with hotdogs---his still all time favorite food. The nutritional value of hotdogs have been fully disclosed to him, so his healthy habits kick in only on his own time-table.

I bring this up because I started perusing my new Real Simple magazine yesterday and there was a list of the 30 healthiest foods determined by dieticians and nutritionists across the country. Luke was thrilled to hear the list and we all sat around our den while I read aloud the list--we should have had a drum roll, but we didn't. Anyway, as I read the list, we came across many of our favorites. Blueberries, oranges, broccoli, avacados, almonds, spinach, kiwi, etc. BUT, there were several things on the list that we have never had or don't cook with. I'm wondering if you eat these. And, if you do, how? How do you prepare them or add them to your meals? Do your kids eat them? Here's the list that doesn't exist in our house. . .barley, quinoa, lentils, bulgur, kale, and chard. Sardines are also on the list, but even if you said you ate them, I just can't. So do tell me. . .!!