Happy March Madness!!!!

So many people are watching college basketball these days, myself included, and I think it is fun watching all of these young men working so hard to win.  As with most people, I love the underdog teams who take down the top teams!!!  It reminds me of David and Goliath. I wonder if these top seeded teams go into the game thinking that it will be easy only to have a 13 seeded team roll over them to victory!  How small we are, but with God we are bigger than Goliath!!!  I am not saying that the sports underdog is the one that God is watching out for or that God watches basketball, specifically.  (Of course, God watches everything)  I am saying that we need to be like David or like these underdog teams and give our 110% in everything that we do.  My motto is do our best and let God take the rest!!!  Know that God will be bringing the victory and we just need to obey His call and accept His help!!!

Imagine our father lifting us up to reach the places that we would never be able to reach on our own!  He is there not only to lift us up, but to protect us if we fall!  Aren't we so blessed to have such an amazing God!!!  Isaiah 40:31 says:

            Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but they that                 wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they               shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

As we continue watching college basketball's "March Madness", let's reflect on our own David and Goliath story.  What is it that you were supposed to lose, but God brought you through?  The announcers said you would fail or maybe the doctors said you were supposed to die.  When were you in a spot that you couldn't reach the goal without God lifting you up to it?

Oh, and just one more thing....do you know what comes after March Madness???  The celebration of the ultimate victory.  You know, the one that Christ won on Calvary!!!!  Happy March Madness everyone :)

New Year...New Reading

Happy New Year...Yes, I am late as usual, but better late than never, right?  I have been enjoying my God, my family, my friends, my food, my crafting and the weather a little more than writing and doing schoolwork...teeheehee!!! I can't believe we have been in Kansas for over a year now!!!  It has gone by so fast, but it has been one of the most amazing years of my life and I am so thankful that God has brought us here! I don't know what the next year will bring, but I am ready for God to do His Work in me and intend to show His love more than I have in the past.  

I have been catching up on reading lately and want to mention a "sweet read" that you may love:



I really enjoyed this book which consists of three different stories of Amish romance.

The first story is called "A Choice to Forgive" and follows a widow named Lydia who must try to forgive the man that she was supposed to marry so many years ago.  The man was her husband's brother and she struggles with forgiveness and feelings that she tries to stifle. 

The second story is called "A Change of Heart" and it is a great story about a young unmarried Amish woman, Leah, and her relationship with each member of her family.  She is not the typical "holly homemaker" type and would prefer to write stories all day long rather than participate in housework.  An Amish boy in town, Aaron, has feelings for Leah and they begin a friendship that takes everyone by surprise!

The Last story is called "Healing Hearts" and follows a husband and wife who have been separated for a year.  This story was probably my favorite because it dealt with the emotions that each family member had to go through in order to forgive their father/husband who had left. 

All of these stories take a big look at forgiveness and remind us that it is a choice to forgive and God will bless us when we do.  I recommend you take a look at it if you are interested in a sweet read about forgiveness.


      

New place to live!!!

I have taken about a week or so off the blog so that I could work on moving!!!  We moved to Kansas about a year ago and since we did not know much about the area we picked an apartment right across the street from my husband's school.  It was a neat experience because we met so many people and the hubby was able to just walk back and forth to school everyday, but it was too small for a family of six and there was no place for the kids to go play and run.  We decided to look for a bigger place and found (through the amazing grace of God) a wonderful townhouse with a yard!!! It has lots of space and we are all very happy!!!  It is not too far from my husband's school, but he must drive instead of walk.  Thankfully, he is only going about a mile and a half so it really is not much of a commute.  I have been working on getting settled in here, but it is funny how hard it can be to get back in our "groove"!!!  I am hoping the groove hits soon because we all have a lot of schoolwork, crafts, etc... to get back to. Right now I am laying on my bed in my new bedroom listening to the rain fall on the rooftop and thunder rumbling in the distance and thinking about how great it is that God brought us here :)

Two happy kiddos playing in their new yard!!!

"...But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!!!" -Joshua 24:15



Great blog I found and Love!!!

I have been enjoying a blog for the past week called: Simply Living...For Him.  It is a wonderful blog about living more simply and walking the Christian walk :)  They are currently gearing up to take an amazing roadtrip and will be available to speak at various events!!!  They are currently giving away a $25 Amazon giftcard to one of their readers!!! Pop on over there and it could be you!!!  I highly recommend this site because of the purity in the posts and I find it very encouraging when I need that reminder to let me know to slow down and relax.  I have posted the link to her recent blog post below and I know you will all enjoy it!!!

Simply Living...For Him

Caramelicious...

Today was a fun day for our Feingold following kiddos :)  I have been feeling bad about our kids not being able to eat wonderful apple filled items this fall so I decided to give them some special fall treats that are Feingold approved!!!  The first wonderful treat that I made was caramel popcorn!!!  I visited with a wonderful friend yesterday and she showed me how to make popcorn on the stovetop!!!  I don't know why I had never done it before, but I decided to make it with a wonderful carmel drizzle!!!  I found a wonderful recipe from Kelly the Kitchen Kop and adapted it to our own.  You can find Kelley the Kitchen Kop's recipe here. Enjoy!!!

Ann's Feingold Friendly Carmel Popcorn

Stovetop Popcorn:

• 1/4 c. butter (I use butter instead of oil, because it is better for you.)
• Enough popcorn to make the bottom of the pan one kernel deep
• Turn stove to Medium high, cover with lid and gently shake the pan until it is finished popping. (This can take a few minutes)
• Vent the lid to let the steam escape as necessary.  (I use a vented lid)
• When the kernels stop popping, dump the popcorn into a bowl.

Caramel Topping:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar or Sucanat (I prefer sucanat for the extra nutrients)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt
• Put all of the ingredients into a small saucepan and stir continuously on medium high heat.
• Once the syrup comes to a boil, continue stirring while it boils for an additional two minutes.
• Immediately drizzle the caramel over the popcorn and stir to cover as many kernels as possible.
• YUM!!!

The next treat I made was to replace the beloved caramel apples.  I found a wonderful deal on Bartlett Pears this week and made caramel pears!!! I found a recipe for caramel that did not use corn syrup and used it for our pears. I would post the recipe on my site, but I loved how she posted some videos along with the recipe and I didn't feel I could do it justice by simply putting a recipe on here :)  We used sucanat instead of brown sugar and used pears instead of apples.  It was a great treat, but one tip I wish I would have figured out was to grease the wax paper!!!  Enjoy the recipe link for the Caramel Apples, old timey style here.

"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so." -Genesis 1:11

Feingold Diet for our Family

One of the things that has been a struggle in our family was the realization that my son has been displaying some ADHD/Autistic behaviors. I have been nervous as any mother would be and did the first thing that I do when I have finished praying about a situation...I begin research! I looked up so many things on the Internet and came across information about the Feingold Program. The interesting thing is that I had taken a wonderful online class last October (I think) from Kelly the Kitchen Kop called Real Food For Rookies and during one of the classes was taught about the dangers of artificial food additives in our food. This was the first time I had heard about the Feingold Association, but I am glad it wasn't the last. Since our family moved only a couple months later, I let Feingold drift from my mind, but a couple weeks ago I was snapped back into reality! I called the association to find out some information and spoke with a wonderful lady by the name of Jane Hersey who has written several books about her family's experience with Feingold. She and I both agreed that my son was probably dealing with a chemical sensitivity and I was confident after the call that the days ahead would be different!!!

Through many ups and downs of  life on the Feingold program we can now say success!!!  The hardest part was trying to give my children foods that don't have tomatoes!  They love pizza and pasta and meatloaf and you name it...it has tomatoes :(  Well, I am happy to say that we found a solution to that just last week!  We decided to try Feingold's "untomato sauce" which has beets and carrots and some spices mixed together to make a scrumptious sauce!!!  I couldn't believe that it was good and the kids ate an entire jar of it in a week!    I made an accidental adjustment to the recipe and it turned out great so here is my version of the "untomato sauce":

Ann's Untomato Sauce

1 can sliced beets  (drained and not pickled)
1 can sliced carrots (drained)
1/2 cup celery juice
1 cup of water
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar (You could probably substitute honey, maple syrup, rapadura, or sucanat here, but I haven't tried them yet because it is such a tiny amount of sugar)

Mix all of the the ingredients in a food processor and puree until it is about the consistency of applesauce.  That is it, just put it in a jar and refrigerate or use immediately.   I used the sauce as a pizza sauce for tortilla shell pizzas and the kids went bonkers for it!!!  I tasted them and agreed with the kids!!!

Even if you are not on Feingold, beets are excellent for you as are carrots and this is a great way to add them to your diet!!!!  Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I forgot to take a picture of the sauce before making it. I will try to take some pictures of the other Feingold recipes I come up with :)

And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

1 Samuel 25:6

I Won an Award!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited!!!! I actually won an award for my blog!!! This AWESOME lady named Tracy who writes and AMAZING blog called, A Slice of Smith Life, enjoyed my blog and awarded me for it!!!! I get the opportunity now to give an award to others as a sort of "pay it forward" game!!!! So here is my list of 15 sites you MUST see, in no particular order!!!

1. Ruth at http://underneathhiswrapping.blogspot.com/
2. Liz at http://elizcross.blogspot.com/
3. Benson & Kristin at http://lukesexton.blogspot.com/
4. Jamie at http://www.sophistimom.com/
5. Amy at http://amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com/
6. Liz at http://lovingmom2boys.blogspot.com/
7. Kelli at http://the-wilson-world.blogspot.com/
8. Michelle at http://www.shelookethwell.blogspot.com/
9. Bradie at http://quiltcetera.wordpress.com/
10. Rachel at http://www.psiquilt.com/
11. Tiffany at http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/
12. The large family at http://ladyofvirtue.blogspot.com/
13. A wise woman at http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/
14. Emily Rose at http://www.simplyvintagegirl.com/blog/
15. Theresa at http://jborolandlady.wordpress.com/

So here are the rules for accepting this award...


1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.

3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.


What a fun activity for all you bloggers out there!!! Thanks so much, Tracy, for including me :)

The Boy Who Changed the World

I was blessed with a wonderful opportunity to receive a book that I thought would be interesting from Booksneeze, a book review website, in exchange for an honest review.  I don't have to like the book or dislike the book I just have to be honest. I don't get paid if you buy the book or anything like that.  I just get a free copy for my own personal use!!!! You can't beat that!!!


 My Review:

The Boy Who Changed the World

By Andy Andrew

Published by Thomas Nelson

Book Description from Booksneeze

Did you know that what you do today can change the world forever?

The Boy Who Changed the World opens with a young Norman Borlaug playing in his family’s cornfields with his sisters. One day, Norman would grow up and use his knowledge of agriculture to save the lives of two billion people. Two billion! Norman changed the world! Or was it Henry Wallace who changed the world? Or maybe it was George Washington Carver?

This engaging story reveals the incredible truth that everything we do matters! Based on The Butterfly Effect, Andy’s timeless tale shows children that even the smallest of our actions can affect all of humanity. The book is beautifully illustrated and shares the stories of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, Vice President Henry Wallace, Inventor George Washington Carver, and Farmer Moses Carver. Through the stories of each, a different butterfly will appear. The book will end with a flourish of butterflies and a charge to the child that they, too, can be the boy or girl who changes the world.

I really enjoyed reading, The Boy Who Changed the World, with my children. The book flows very well from start to finish and leaves you feeling like you have just journeyed through history. It is a great resource for a Charlotte Mason type class where you can make history come alive!!! When the book parallels the boys' stories with the butterfly effect my children went wild!! They found it so interesting that one butterfly flapping its wings can make such a difference. This gave them a little bit of science in a history class!!! We homeschool and so it is great to have an opportunity to get a little history, a little reading, and a little science all wrapped up in one book!!!! Oh, and the artwork was lovely throughout the entire book!! All in all, I would recommend, The Boy Who Changed the World, to anyone with kids or without!!! I, too, enjoyed learning about history through this children’s book!!!

One Con:
I am not a big fan of the use of artificial means (super seeds) to grow food for myself, but it was a big part of our history and it does have the potential to help many others who would die of starvation otherwise.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful today for my freedom!!! I am thankful that I live in a country where I can choose to homeschool, go to church, read the Bible, go to the doctor I choose, etc... 

I find it very discouraging when I see how many rights the government is trying to take away from us and hope that we as citizens fight this to the end!!!

Think of our freedom today as you go through the pictures & read

The Pledge of Allegiance that we, as citizens, have all agreed to!!!!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

 and to the republic for which it stands, one nation UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sacred Sunday - John 14

John 14

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.


2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.


3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.


4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?


6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.


7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.


8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.


9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?


10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.


12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.


13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.


14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.


15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;


17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.


18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.


19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.


20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.


22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.


24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.


25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.


26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.


28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.


29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.


31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

Sacred Sunday - Psalm 139

 

Psalm 139

                                              For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1  O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.


2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.


3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.


5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.


6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.


7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.


9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;


10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.


11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.


12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.


14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.


15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.


17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!


18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.


20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.


21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?


22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:


24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Counting My Birthday Blessings...

I had such a wonderful birthday!!! Like I said yesterday, I counted my blessings on this birthday!!!  I am sure that there are blessings I have received that have not made it into the count, but I really started realizing I am rich in blessings!!! Here they are in no particular order...


How I was blessed today:


1. My family & friends - I woke up this morning to a ton of emails from my family and friends wishing me a happy birthday.  It made me feel so special!!!


2. My husband & children - No one in my household remembered my birthday until my husband saw the emails and said, "Is it your birthday???" He said he couldn't believe he had written the 11th on so many papers the yesterday at work and it didn't register.  I found it hilarious!!! I am used to my husband being forgetful. When we first met, I asked him when his birthday was and he said April 3rd.  I have been known to have a pretty good memory and so later in our relationship I mentioned some famous people who were born on April 3rd and he proceeded to tell me, "My birthday is not April 3rd it's April 6th."  After this, I became thrilled if he remembered my name...just kidding :) Of course, my husband and children proceeded to shower me with love and then came my next blessing...

3. Lunch & Treat - After my husband's faux pas, he decided to go eat a special lunch.  We drove an hour to get to one of our favorite Cincinnati fast food places (my birthday meant naughty food...TeeHeeHee) Frishes Big Boy has always been a favorite place.  You see, I grew up in Cincinnati and miss the food since we live about 4 hours away.  Thankfully, some of our favorite Cincinnati restaurants are in Kentucky, hence the shorter drive. I know a lot of you would think special fast food lunch is an oxymoron, but you must understand that it was extremely hot and we have three children still in carseats so we do a lot of eating in the minivan :) After lunch, my husband bought me a very YUMMY peanut butter cup cupcake!!!

4. Special Visitor - When we got home I noticed a butterfly had attached itself to my shirt and came in the house.  What a cool experience!!!! We gave him some strawberries and watched as he drank the juice with his straw-like mouth.  It was neat to watch him coil it up, too.  I had to get some pictures, of course!!!

5. Mail - Remember as kids how much you desperately wanted mail, but it was only for you on your birthday? I felt like a kid again!!! I was so excited to see a card from my AMAZING grandparents and also one from my dad who I have not seen or talked to in a couple years.  We are not angry with one another we just write each other on certain occasions. My parents divorced when I was 7 yrs and he has never been consistent about seeing us. He had some issues he needed to fix and did not start to do that until recently. He got himself in some trouble some years back and is serving time for it. This was the first time in 31 years he remembered my birthday without anyone telling him and he even remembered how old I turned!!! I cried like a baby when I read his kind words.

6. My Lord & Savior - I have to end on perfect number seven with my perfect blessing.  I have had a personal relationship with Jesus for many years now, but I only in the past year and a half began to make a complete submission to Him in all areas of my life.  It has been a wonderful journey, though, it is not over yet!!! So my final blessing is that the Lord breathed life into my 31 yrs and 9 mos ago (I believe in life at conception) and He has blessed me ever since!!!

One Year Since Tragedy Struck...

This is my dear young cousin Carly.  She was beautiful and very sweet.  One year ago today she passed away.  I miss her very much and couldn't stop thinking about her all day today. She truly has been unforgetable.  My family had never experienced death outside of elderly family members.  Carly had just celebrated her 24th birthday the evening prior to her death and left behind two beautiful baby boys.  Aren't they precious?  I know that they will always be told about their mother, but it is heartbreaking to think of babies not having their mother to love and guide them through the years. 

I saw Carly last at another cousin's wedding and before that at her baby shower for her older son. At the wedding we kept talking about how we needed to get together, but that never happened.  (I live a few hours away from my hometown)  For the longest time I beat myself up over this, but ultimately this is what happens to us.  We never know whose funeral will be the next which we attend and it could even be our own. It's so important to tie up loose ends.  Say and do all that you feel you need to before you do not get the opportunity.  I am so grateful to have known and loved my dear cousin.  I wish that I hadn't taken her for granted.  I had so many opportunities to pop her an email and never did. Today is a wonderful opportunity to just pop a "hello" email to those loved ones that you always seem to put on the back burner.  You'll be happy that you did!!!

That's me & Carly when life was still so innocent!!!

The Wonderful World of Coconuts

A couple weeks ago my husband had a "blonde" moment as he asked me, "What does a coconut look like?" I gave a brief description and later went shopping. While at the store, I decided to buy a coconut. I have always loved coconut so I knew we could find some use for this. We had done some research about coconuts and found out that the juice inside is water & not milk which I kept calling it. The water is very high in electrolytes and has been even known to be put in IVs for people needing fluids!!! Wow, God's Gatorade!!! We used a drill to get the water out & then a big scary knife to crack it open. Then we made coconut milk (in the Vitamix, of course)!!! What a fun experiment!!! There are some amazing sites out there with recipes for making your own coconut milk, but here is what I did.

       Coconut Milk

• I took all of the coconut meat & peeled the brown stuff off. 
• Then I chopped it into about 1 inch pieces & put them in the Vitamix. 
• Next, I poured about two cups of warm water in & turned it on.
• After everything was blended well, I took my juicer & put the mixture in it. 

I was able to use & reuse the coconut puree a few times & got about 1 liter of coconut milk!!! I did have to mix it with cow's milk to get the kids aquainted with it., but now they are enjoying coconut milk in their oatmeal every morning!!! Here is their morning recipe:

Coconut Raisin Oatmeal:
(sorry, but I didn't get around to taking a pic of the oats)

• 1 packet instant regular oatmeal
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 small box of raisins (or dried fruit of choice)

1. Put the oatmeal in a bowl
2. Pour in the milk
3. Mix in the raisins
4. Microwave for about 20-30 seconds (or more if you prefer it hotter)
5. Enjoy!!!

The Diva enjoying some yummy coconut milk!!!

Coconut Oil

Another thing that we found out about coconuts is that the oil is AMAZING for you!!!! I have a genetic disorder called Carnitine Uptake Deficiency which basically makes it so that my fat is not burned for energy. Apparently, when you eat coconut oil, it bypasses the carnitine system and raises your metabolism!!! This is very cool for me!!!! I have started eating coconut oil (instead of butter) every morning on either Cinnamon Raisin Bread or whole grain waffles... YUMMY!!! Just make sure that you use a brand that has a smell of coconuts when you open it.  I am still looking for that, but since it is pricy I use the one I already have. Check out this site for all of the info on coconuts!!!

More Vitamix Fun...

We did two more experiments over the weekend that were a ton of fun!!! We made cupcakes & apple-plum sauce/baby food!!!

Cupcakes
I was just curious what would happen if you mixed a box of cake mix in the Vitamix. So I did it. Would it change the flavor???? I was hoping to get some secret amazing flavor that could only come from blending it...

Doesn't it look like it has the glow of Heaven...LOL!!!

Pros:

• It was extremely easy to pour the mix into the individual cups.
• It did warm them as it blended them so I could eat the batter without fear of raw eggs.
• The batter seemed fluffier.
• The cleanup was super easy!!!! (Just a few drops of soap and a couple cups of water, turn on the Vitamix for a couple minutes & rinse. I think the cleanup is what is so great!!!)
• Cupcakes seemed to need less time to cook!!!
• They tasted great when they came out!!!

Cons:

• They still tasted like cupcakes instead of some expensive French dessert :)
• I only had one box!!!

One of my favorite taste testers!!!

Overall, the Vitamix made some yummy cupcakes, but I am sure that you could do well with another appliance. For our family, I will continue to use the Vitamix for cake mixing until I get a Kitchenaid Stand Up Mixer (my dream appliance)

Apple-Plum Sauce/Baby Food

I am very pleased to see that making baby food for My little JuJuBee will be simple in the Vitamix!!! I had a few granny smith apples & two plums so I made a wonderful apple-plum sauce!!!

 I cored the apples & de-pitted the plums, threw them in the blender with a little water & voila!!!! I threw in a little cinnamon & maple syrup for sweetness. It smelled AWESOME!!! The kids enjoyed it, but I am used to too much sugar in my apple sauce. I really am trying to break my sugar addiction, but it is easier said than done!!! I put two small containers in the freezer for when the baby gets old enough to eat them. I have to say that this was the easiest way to make applesauce & when my sugar addiction is over I can see myself eating this often!!!

 Apple-Plum Sauce:

4 small Granny Smith Apples

2 Black Plums

3oz water

Dash of Cinnamon

Maple Syrup or other sweetener as desired

-Core the apples with an apple corer

-De-pit the Plums & cut plum in quarters

-Pour 3oz water & then layer fruit

-Throw in a dash of Cinnamon & sweetener

-Blend to the desired consistency

-Put in fridge to cool or eat warm!!!

Yum or Yuk?!?!?!

!In my quest for better health and weight loss, I have decided to take small steps toward big results. My DH had an amazing idea several months ago to buy a Vita-Mix 5200 Blender. These blenders have a 7 year warranty and people continuously sing their praises about them. Unfortunately, my DH & I have only used it a few times after spending a small fortune (roughly $400) on it, but I decided to change that. I will be trying new (hopefully healthy)recipes!!!

In the past we have made great snow cones & slushies, milkshakes, & some protein shakes & smoothies. It really is powerful (2 horsepower motor) and did great on the few things that we tried, but my DH was becoming discouraged that we had paid so much for a "snow cone machine". I searched for more recipes (although, the blender did come with a wonderful hardbound cookbook), but I wanted to watch people in action. I found several videos of people making various things and got excited!!! Now, I am going to try to make something every day in the Vitamix!!! Yesterday, I cut up two large lemons (with peel still intact) and blend them with water for some lemonade!!! The verdict was not great at first because I forgot about sugar!!! (Insert sour face here...LOL) After adding the sugar and a couple strawberries it was much better!!! I had so much leftover that I decided to make whole fruit popsicles!!!! We will be trying them tonight!!!

This morning I used my Vitamix to make SCRAMBLED EGGS!!!!!!!!!!! I was so curious about this recipe so I did it!!!

                                              

                                                Vitamix Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:
6 Whole Eggs
1/4 C. Water
1/4 C. Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cooking Spray
Shredded Cheese to garnish (optional)

Spray Blade with Cooking Spray. Start on Variable 1 & turn it to variable 10 quickly then on High. Let Blend for 8 minutes (steam will come out of the vented lid). Scrape out with Spatula, Garnish & Enjoy!!!

Steam Escaping from the lid!!!

The Result:

It was a ton of fun, but it was not my new favorite way to cook eggs. My kids, on the other hand, went crazy over them! They were a lot softer than your typical scrambled eggs which made it appealing for future baby food for Julia, but the older kids liked it, too! It was kind of messy (as you can see in the picture to the right) and we will probably stick to eggs on the stovetop, but the experience was worth it!!!

Kid approved!!!

I am not affiliated with Vita-Mix nor do I receive compensation from them.

I have not been trained as a doctor and the posts here are simply ideas that I am trying to implement in my own life. If you would like to use the advice here that is awesome, but please, please, please make sure you know your limitations so that you do not get hurt or die from taking my advice!!!