Mango Lassi Popsicle

A few weeks ago I was hanging out with my dear friend Karen and her sweet sweet daughter Charlotte. (If you dont know them you should read her blog here and see the amazing things God is doing in their lives. Plus she is amazingly talented in her photography and crafting). This particular day I got to enjoy snack time with them which was such a treat. We had a mango lassie, lets be honest it was something I had never heard about. It's basically a mango smoothie. Karen posted the recipe here. Ever since I had this treat I have been on a mango kick! Seriously its ridiculous i have had mango at least once a day for the past few weeks. I have also been on a make your own popsicle kick as well. So I decided to combine my two kicks together to make a Mango Lassie Popsicle. Let me just say YUM! I didn't think the mango lassie could get any better!  Thank you Karen for sharing this yumminess with me

Crockpot yogurt

I love yogurt. It's one of my favorite breakfast foods. I have been making my own for a little whole now and I have tried several different recipes to make it in the crockpot.  I have had some serious fails and some just ok. This recipe is a combination of recipes that has worked perfectly for me.

Ingredients
1/2 gallon 1% milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt with live cultures
1/2 cup powdered milk

1 Turn crockpot on low and pour  in 1/2 gallon of milk. Cook 2 1/2

2 after the 2 1/2 hours have passed turn the crockpot off and do not lift the lid for 3 hours.

3 after 3 hours have passed take two cups of the warm milk and transfer it into a large bowl. Add the yogurt and milk powder.  Make sure to mix it well. Pour the mixture back into the crockpot and stir.

4. Place the lid back on the crockpot and cover the entire thing with a heavy towel. Let it sit for 8 hours.

5.  After 8 hours have passed place the yogurt in an storage container and refrigerate.

This yogurt is a little bit thinner then most. It is so simple to make you just have to plan to be around the house to get it started.

We love to add a bit of vanilla extract,  fresh fruit, make smoothies, and eat it with cereal. Since it makes a good amount of yogurt we get creative to make sure it doesn't go to waist!

Do you cook with yogurt? What do you use it for?

A Walk In The Park

Today Papa stayed home from work with Keegan and I! It was needed by everyone. I wanted to do something special to celebrate Papa's day off.  So we I decided we should to go to the park and have a picnic. It's something Bill and I did before we had Keegan, today was our first picnic since Keegan was born.

It was a success. He seemed to enjoy it and Bill and I loved getting to introduce him to our little park.

A Walk In The Park

Today Papa stayed home from work with Keegan and I! It was needed by everyone. I wanted to do something special to celebrate Papa's day off.  So we I decided we should to go to the park and have a picnic. It's something Bill and I did before we had Keegan, today was our first picnic since Keegan was born.

It was a success. He seemed to enjoy it and Bill and I loved getting to introduce him to our little park.

Fishing, Food, and Fighting?

What comes to mind when you think of fishing, food,and fighting?  I usually picture a bunch on men having male bonding time doing manly things like talking about poo or playing with fire . ha I know my picture is a stereotype.  Well today Keegan and Bill had some male bonding time. I went to run some errands and came home to a happy baby and happy papa which is always a great thing. Later on I picked up my camera and started looking through the pictures, I found these incriminating photos...

Obviously i have never had male bonding time but photo shoots were not what I thought happened when guys hung out. I think its because i have a super cute baby and a really proud Papa.  Have you caught the guys in your life doing things like this?

OH Mom!

This week I was staring at my sweet little one and teasing him making fun of him and it hit me! When Keegan gets older is he going to make fun of me like I make fun of my mom?!? 

As cute as she is... she makes it WAY to easy to make fun of her. I mean really... she says things like "Rock has the best odds" in a game of rock paper scissor".  Its pretty easy to tease her when she styles her hair like Derick Zoolander! My all time favorite things to make fun of my mom for is her being a straight "A" student. Here's why... She called me one day in tears about how she just took a test and actually went to the proctor and asked him if he gave her the wrong test. She was convinced she knew nothing on it. Three days later she gets her results and it was an "A"! Seriously its too easy to tease her.  

As i was thinking about all the things i make fun of my mom for... i realized that the endless giggles we get from it are some of the sweetest moments we have together. As much as i tease her I thank God constantly for giving me the most wonderful mom a girl could have. I only hope that i can be half the mom she has been to me.  




I would LOVE to hear about the crazy things your mom's do. Leave a comment or link back to me. 

Granola Bars

These days i feel like the majority of my meals come in bar form. Granola bars have been my go to thing since Keegan was born. They are ridiculously easy to make and they are fully of healthy goodness. If you have never made them you should give it a try! The best part about making granola bars is that you can make them with any add ins that you want.

Basic recipe:
1 cup flour (I use whole wheat) 
2 cups oatmeal 
2/3 cups whole grain cereal (I use mini wheats crushed up)  
1/2 cup of flax seed or wheat germ
1 cup honey (or maple syrup or a mixture)
2/3 cups peanut butter or apple sauce (this helps keep everything together)
2 cups add  in (unsweetened coconut, nuts, raisins, craisens,  dried blueberries, chocolate chips,or anything else you fancy)


Note: depending on what add ins i use in i like to put spices in as well. cinnamon, nutmeg, or cocoa powder are usually what i use.


Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Mix everything together in a large  bowl (i use my hands to make sure its mixed well). Then press the mixture into the 9x13 pan.  bake 10-15 minutes. Allow them to cool slightly then cut them and serve or bag up for a grab and go snack!


This weekend i made an apple pie granola bar with raisins (pictured above on the left). I got the idea from my dear friend Nikki's post about granola bars. I did mine just a tad different but they turned out FANTASTIC! Then i made a chocolate coconut granola bar (pictured on the right) and its just as yummy.  

If you try this recipe i would love to hear what you put in yours! Have fun with it, the possibilities are endless!