Taking a little break

     Starting today I am taking a break until the middle of April. I have a few things that I need to focus on. First one being my health, in just over a week I'm having another test run to figure me out but in the mean time I have been miserable. I'm suffering, my family is suffering, my job is suffering and frankly so is the blog. I'm going to take a couple of weeks to try to figure out what my body can digest and working on a game plan to keeping me feeling better and healthy. I'm hoping to take up yoga again in the break too. I'm feeling way older than my age since I'm just not as active as I was before all of this crazy stuff started. I'm going to focus on organizing and streamlining my house. We have too much stuff and not enough organization. I'm going to work on a day to day schedule to tame the chaos and ways to have more fun with the boys. I'm going to go on some dates with my husband and my little guys. I'm going to finish some of the projects I've started. I'm going to catch up on some reading. I'm going to reconnect with me and figure out where I'm headed. But most of all I just need to focus on being healthy.

I'll see you soon.

Currently

I've just started a project.
 Currently I hate it but I find that creating is therapy for me.
And it's just paint I can always cover it with more. 

Which, I will be doing today after the little monsters go to bed.

The mister just bought me this. I have to say I'm in love with it. I have cake plans swirling around in my head. Let's just say my family better be ready for cake at Easter. Is it weird I'm trying to color coordinate a cake to my cake plate? 

Oh and this is on my must have list.

I'm currently Easter outfit shopping and I'm fighting the urge to dress my boys in ways to make them hate me later in life. I can't help it, the thought of seersucker and gingham get me every time! I'm now looking for things that go with clothes we already have and I won't have heart palpitations when they destroy them from rolling in the dirt with their cousins.

On the menu this week:

Garlicky Avocado Grilled Cheese with Tomato Pesto

Vietnamese Chicken, Avocado + Lemongrass Spring Roll Salad With Hoisin Crackers

Spicy Pecan Banana Bread

I've been dealing with my health issues again the past couple of weeks so I have been super boring so is this post and the blog has been kind of lame. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things sooner than later. 

Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie {Two Ways}

   I know, what you're thinking... Smoothie? Again? Well, yes, because this is the most amazing smoothie I have ever made! Okay, I say that about all of the smoothies and juices I blog but I mean it this time, at least until I make another one tomorrow.

    This was another attempt to teach C to drink his way through the color spectrum. He liked this one, orange is his favorite color so that was to be expected. Poor guy bit the inside of his cheek the other day and it is painful so the acidity of this smoothie hurt him to drink too much. I promised him I'd make it again one day after he mouth heals. He is finally get a bit more adventurous with trying new things, so maybe my experiment is working.

   L on the other hand will eat anything we give him and then finish what is on our plates if we aren't careful. He particularly loves smoothies or "moo-bees" as he calls them. As soon as I reach for the blender her gets excited and if I start making one without him he comes busting in the kitchen as soon as he hears it. He jump, claps his hands and chants MOO-BEE MOO-BEE MOO-BEE and MINE MINE MINE until I hand him his own little glass.

 (Normally I use 8 oz jelly jars with these lids for the kiddos) 

   I actually have two recipes for you today. My husband is allergic to peaches so I made him one first then added the peaches and almond milk to mine and the boys' smoothies. I added the milk to add to the creaminess to the texture because that is the way that C likes his and I can always use the extra protein and calcium from the almonds. 

Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie

Serves 2-3 people

1 large or 2 medium carrots

2-3 tablespoons flaxseeds

1 1/2 cups coconut water

2 cups frozen mango

1 cup orange juice 

1 tablespoon honey

In a blender, combine carrot and flax seed and pulse until chopped up. Add coconut water and blend until carrot has liquefied and flax seed is chopped up finely. Add mango, juice, and honey. Blend there are no longer chunks and is like a thick milkshake. Don't forget to taste it before drinking to make sure it doesn't need more honey.

Coconut Carrot Mango Peach Smoothie

serves 4-6 people

1 large or 2 medium carrots

2-3 tablespoons flaxseeds

1 1/2 cups coconut water

2 cups frozen mango

2 cups frozen peaches

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup almond milk 

1 tablespoon honey

In a blender, combine carrot and flax seed and pulse until chopped up. Add coconut water and blend until carrot has liquefied and flax seed is chopped up finely. Add mango, peaches, juice, milk and honey. Blend there are no longer chunks and is like a thick milkshake. Don't forget to taste it before drinking to make sure it doesn't need more honey.

Cheers!

Cranberry Habenaro Jelly

Want to know my new lunch time obsession?

This jelly with a dollop of cream cheese or goat cheese with crackers or carrots. 

I might have eaten this everyday for lunch for a week. 

I'm addicted.

It is ridiculous on pork, I mean cah-razy good!

Dude, this jelly is the business! 

It has quite the kick, but that can totally be dialed back. 

I am about to make a second batch.

 Between the fact that I am already on my second jar and that I have either promised or given away 5 jars I'm down to 1 left in my pantry.

   I have variations dancing around in my head. Things like, Hibiscus Habenaro, Apricot Jalapeno and Strawberry Serrano. The possibilities are endless! I think I caught the canning bug. I'll be making loads of jams, jellies and preserves this spring/summer. PICKLES I want to make tons of pickles! I'll be putting the canning cookbook my Granny passed down to me and the preserving cookbook my in laws bought to good use this year. But for now I'll make that second batch of this babe!

Cranberry Habenaro Jelly
Makes 8 half pint jars
1 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
4-5 habanero peppers, seeded and finely diced
(make sure you use gloves and wash your hands well after handling)
6 cups sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin (optional)

In a sauce pan combine cranberries and vinegar and let soak on the counter for about an hour. In the mean time process your jars. Wash/sterilize 8 half pint jars, lids and rings. Keep jars in hot (not boiling) water until ready to use. After an hour add in the onion, both peppers and sugar to the pan and place over high heat and bring to a slow boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until it has reduced and thickened slightly. Remove the pan from heat and stir in pectin, if you choose to use it. This jelly should be thick but still pourable once it is set up. Use your discretion on whether you need it or not. Ladle to hot jam into the jars, I suggest using a funnel with a large spout, leave a 1/2 inch head space. Wipe the mouths, rings and lids clean. Screw on lids and process in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. Remove from water and let cool and check the seals. Any that do not seal should be refrigerated and used within a month.

Currently

Deep Bathtub Fishing is his specialty!

 Waking up is hard work people! 

Post nap L, no makeup for me, and weird sun glare.

He found a new style while moving my Granny into her new apartment.

Finally got to see my bestie on my birthday!

We rarely stop and take sibling pictures. 

Here is the first one in a couple of years. 

How adorable are my "baby" sister and brother? 

Liam and Daddy needed a nap but Liam had other plans.

He smuggled a bag of Chocolate Cap'n Crunch (disgusting) into the bedroom and rolled n it.

Those sheets has just gone on the bed the night before. grrr. Good thing he's cute!

Horrible traffic Wednesday and I was starving. 

Good thing I packed my Green Tea Blueberry Smoothie.

Work on Wednesday = my messy desk, my smoothie and my new glasses!

I totes dressed super professional on Wednesday for work. 

I'm surprised they let me in the door like that!

Lunch time! 

That day I ate a whole avocado with salt and lime juice with about 10 chips.

Is that weird?

I need these overalls. Yes, I said overalls. Don't judge me. 

Suddenly, I feel the need to go buy gold vinyl and pull out the ole Cricut. Why you ask? See here.

I just bought a sushi mat, nori paper and sushi rice. Expect some new sushi recipes once I learn how to make decent sushi. 

On the Menu:

Lemongrass Salmon Burger

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Irish Beef Stew

Spring Greens with Candied Lemon and Spicy Fried Goat Cheese

Sweet Thai Chili Salmon Quesadillas with Spicy Mango 

Green Tea Blueberry Smoothie

I had no intention of sharing this smoothie. I mean, it's hideous. 

And, this is my first one experimenting with Matcha Powder.  

I planned on making a couple more with it before I shared one. 

But, then I tasted it. This thing is amazing! I mean A-MAZE-ING! 

May favorite Starbucks Frappuccino is the Green Tea Smoothie with a tiny bit of peppermint syrup in it.

 My new goal is to figure out a way to make a healthy version of it. 

But until then...

This may be my new favorite smoothie. 

GREEN TEA BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE:
makes approximately 4 cups

1 1/2 cups blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1 cup spinach
1 frozen banana
1 1/2 - 2 cups coconut milk (or almond)
2 teaspoons matcha powder
1-2 tablespoons honey (or whatever sweetener you prefer)

Combine everything in a blender and blend until all produce is broken up and has a milkshake like consistency. Drink immediately or chill until ready. 

Mason Jar Printables

   As promised here are all of the blank menu,invites and other printables from the mason jar party. Just click on the link below the image you want, it will take you to Dropbox and click download and it's yours. I would use Picmonkey or Pixlr to add text.

having a ball 5x7

Blank Invite 4x6

Purple Background 8x10

Black Menu 8x10

Chalkboard Photobooth {Mason Jar Party}

The plan was to hang a white tablecloth on the wall and the tassel banner along with a pennant banner for the photobooth but since we were cramped for time and space we scrapped the idea.  Luckily, there was a hidden chalkboard on the wall. We opened it up pinned a banner up wrote a birthday message and ta-da, instant photobooth! The only problem with this photobooth is trying to get everyone to stand in front of it instead of sitting. I'll know next time to move all the chairs away from the area. But, I think I may have to figure out a way to make a huge, portable chalkboard background. I love the way it looks. 

I did a terrible job of cropping the photos for you, and by terrible job I mean, didn't even try.

But, when I put the album together for my grandmother I'll crop and edit all the photos. 

Here is a picture of the board alone.

It may have had art added by my little cousins. :)

For the original party post go here. 

Currently

I got kicked out of my own bed this morning. 

These guys watched Ghostbusters on the TV and then played games on my phone in my bed now they've moved on to Mario but they still refuse clothes. 

Apparently they want a lazy day to de-stress from their hectic life style. 

(Imagine a giant eye roll and sarcastic hand gestures when reading the previous statement) 

Now, I'm going to weasel my way in and force them to cuddle me! It's my right as their mother, you know. 

.

My 4 year old clearly takes after his father. No matter how hard we try to keep him away from all things scary, he gravitates to them. Needless to say, he LOVES Halloween. He plans his costumes all year long. They usually change multiple times a year, as of now we are planning a Ghostbuster costume. Looks like I better make the little guy a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man costume while I'm at it. I better get to googling "DIY Proton Pack" and looking for flight suits.

I'm in love with this Etsy shop. If you follow me on Pinterest, I should probably apologize for taking over your feed yesterday with these prints. Sorry, not sorry.

 Homemade peanut butter baking chips!?!? Oh, yeah! Want to guess who will be trying this out? Yeah, that'd be me.

These! Pardon me while I run to the store for some cashews. BRB!

Better grab some almonds for this granola while I'm there!

I'm turning 31 Sunday. Excuse me while I go barf. Why is 31 so much worse than 30 you ask? Because, my best friend and I have this theory that you aren't in your 30s until you have passed 30. So our little mind trick got us through last year without wanting to hide under a rock, but now there is no turning back, nothing I can do about it, it's staring me in the face. I am in fact in my 30s and I feel OLD! Also they say (who is they anyway? and will they please stop saying things I don't like?) you start falling apart at 30. Guess what? I did.

We have a family tradition of Sprinkle Pancakes for birthday breakfasts. But, since I'm having to be very careful of what I eat these days. I plan on making my self a pina colada spinach smoothie and topping that sucker with sprinkles on Sunday.

But, this is what I really want for my birthday breakfast.

So much good food on the internets right now.

I made a Pinterest Board for my Photobooth obsession. I must figure out how to make a GIANT Moon cutout...

What are you doing currently?

Having a Ball Mason Jar Party

Meet my Granny. Isn't she precious? 

I won't show you the video of us singing happy birthday to her and she decided to start singing to her self.

 I clearly inherited much of my weirdness from her!

Here is the basic rundown of her birthday party. 

It was simple, girly and classic. 

It was also thrown together in record time. The room we were promised from her apartment complex had a scheduled singing before the party that ran an hour over! Since we were just starting to set up 15 minutes before the party started, things didn't look quite neat and orderly as we planned but she was a happy camper and that's what matters. 

(also most pictures kind of stink since I was super rushed to get them)

We used white serving pates, with some wooden and black metal serving pieces.

Basic white table clothes were used along with lavender accent fabric and multicolored wild flowers to bring color to the tables. 

The menu selections centered around her favorite foods. 

We chose her favorite color, lavender as the main accent color and punctuated it with light light light turquoise and pale pink. 

We served sweet tea, lemonade and water and drank out of an array of mason jars. She gave me most of her old canning jars so it seemed fitting that we use those. The kids drank from little jelly jars ans the adults used pint jars. 

The flowers were in quart and half gallon jars.

 My cousin tracked down cute paper straws and matching hard candy sticks. 

I made a cute little sign that clearly stated the theme of the party and paired it with my Mom's ruffle cake.

 We had a photobooth as well. I planned on including it in this post but the website I use to make collages and do some edits is not cooperating at all. I'll share those Monday and I should have the blank menus and invites available to download by Tuesday! 

I'll be sharing the recipe for the pepper jelly that I made and used at this party and the marshmallow frosting that went on those cupcakes and mini lemon pies in the next couple of weeks.

Cherry Berry Coconut Smoothie {Violet Smoothie}

I have mentioned my picky eater situation before. Since I have to force feed this kid most veggies and several fruits, I decided to get creative. After the continued success with the green smoothie and the fact we have been talking about food coming in all different colors, like the rainbow, I have decided to make him "smoothies of the spectrum." Over the next few weeks, I plan to sneak new flavors into his smoothies and juices under the guise of tasting all the colors in the rainbow. Grocery shopping will be a blast matching all the colors and flavors together. 

   This is the first of colors we are doing is purple. This may not be the only purple smoothie or juice I make through this process because I liked it and L loved it, but C was not totally enamored with it. I'm not totally sure why he didn't love it. Normally, it would have been the type of smoothie he would declare his new favorite, but whatever his reasoning is, he proclaimed this one to be just okay. I should make it again when he's in a more agreeable mood. Clearly from the pictures below that little dude LOVED it, in fact he tried to steal mine. 

Cherry Berry Coconut Smoothie
Serves 3-4

1 large handful frozen cherries
1 small handful blueberries
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoon flaxseed

Combine everything in a blender and blend until all produce is broken up, seeds are no longer visible and has a milkshake like consistency. Drink immediately.