Food

My Secret Weapon

almonds

Salted, Dark Chocolate Almonds- YUM

My sister-in-law is GETTING MARRIED! In our culture, it’s almost a requirement to celebrate with SUGARY GOODNESS. These salted, dark chocolate almonds are a HUGE help in fighting off food envy that comes with attending parties. The parties have desserts that are packed full of sugar, white flour, and many unknown ingredients. My almonds are a delicious treat, and I know what I’m getting myself into. A small handful of these will satisfy my sweet tooth without going overboard.

When you’re looking for your healthier alternative, make sure you do your research!

  • Read the nutritional information.
  • Be careful with heavily marketed brands- there may be better options available.
  • Compare the ingredients and nutritional facts.
  • Don’t forget to keep an eye on the serving size. 🙂

I would love to hear your party tricks in the comments below.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

food

Have any of y’all ever been on Pinterest only to walk away thinking, “ain’t nobody got time for that”? Maybe it is just me or the fact that I’m balancing cooking with a toddler between my legs, but I constantly reject recipes because it just seems IMPOSSIBLE. Well, my hope is to continue to post some meals that are YUMMY and EASY.

My current favorite meal is baked chicken, sweet potatoes, and veggies. You can switch it up to meet your taste buds. I use the Simply Organic Chicken Seasoning, but for the true cooks out there- do your thing (I just need a definite shake, pour, and taste great method.) I cut up my sweet potatoes to allow them to get more crispy and sprinkle them with cinnamon. Did you know cinnamon is suppose to help lower blood sugar? Finally, my veggies are complete with a little garlic salt. I LOVE my veggies to be crispy, and I cook all of this in just ONE PAN!

food2Confession: I’m not a detail person! I just bake on 400 degrees, keep an eye on it, and check the chicken temp to see when it’s finished.  Seriously, give this a try! I’m going to make this same dish for a couple that just had the cutest little baby boy. It’s that easy! Let me know how you season your food and thoughts on this recipe in the comments below.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

IMG_8997

Y’all my amazing husband just came home from completing a hike up the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak. I’m NOT an expert on what that means, but I’ve gathered that it’s a 14er and HARD. I couldn’t be more proud of him for taking on these adventures and pushing his body. He got home last night in the middle of chaos! I was putting Millie to sleep when my angel dog once again alerted me that I should check my sugars. It has been a huge adjustment learning to check my sugars while I’m in full mom mode. It’s extremely frustrating because I don’t want my health to take away from my time with her. My sugars dropped to 40 (my lowest thus far), and I had to press pause on our bedtime routine.

I had envisioned Bradley coming home with the baby in bed, hugging his neck, and him being excited about his balloon. Instead, he jumped right in to finish bedtime routine while I crash from feeling so sick.

This morning, I was determined to make up for last night and celebrate him with breakfast. Once again life happened, and things didn’t go as planned. Miller was past due for a nap when the food was ready, so this celebratory breakfast was more like a balancing act of setting the table, giving insulin, and comforting a screaming baby.

As I sit here, disappointed that nothing went as planned, I can’t help but smile at the picture of our breakfast. The truth is life can be INSANE at times and far from perfect. See the picture above didn’t give a pure reflection to what all went on behind the scenes.

My prayer is that this post can be an authentic peek into my life, allow you to laugh with me over the disastrous celebration, bring hope because perfection is over rated, and join me in discovering how to be grateful in the midst of failure.

IMG_2730

Menu

In_The_Mess