The Happiest Day Ever!

Tell me if this sounds familiar.  

It's 8:00 am.  You had every intention of feeding the kids (who are now late for school) an uber-healthy breakfast but somehow ended up shoving Cliff Bars into their pockets.  As you holler up the stairs for them to brush their teeth and clean their rooms RIGHT NOW, you realize you have a few precious minutes during which you could probably whip up a quick green shake (or whatever shake for that matter).  But then you realize that there would be no time to drink it before you got in the car and you don't have time to come back home before you head to yoga.  Your tempted to take your glass with you in the car but you remember that your kitchen glasses don't fit the drink holders in the car.  You want your 4 year old to have something nutritious also but drinking green shake from a sippy cup is simply not an option.  Suddenly the kids are downstairs again and everyone is stumbling out the door to get in the car.  Times up.  You end up jumping on the band wagon by grabbing a Cliff Bar and you make a quick mental note to get up 10 minutes earlier tomorrow morning. But you know that that ain't NEVAH gonna happen.

Okay.  Now the specifics in your story might not be exactly the same but you SO know what I'm talking about.  I do this at least 2-3 times a week.  And on the days I don't happen upon this situation, it's usually because I woke up with a wicked case of heartburn or I decide to ditch the gym that day.  Not exactly the most desirable of alternative situations but you get the idea.  I've thought to myself on more than one occasion, "self, you could be so much more diligent in fulfilling your nutritional goals if you would just A) plan a little better, or B) find some sort of closed top cup/device that you could use in the car".  We know that plan A is a lost cause.  I gave up on my organizational skills a loooooong time ago.  But plan B might actually be possible.  Last week, I came this close to buying a big case of plastic cups with lids.  But when I reflected back on an article I'd read earlier that week about BPA, I nixed the idea.  I don't need estrogen mimicking chemicals coursing through my veins right now.  I seem to be dealing with enough of that at the as it is.  My poor poor husband.  Send him flowers.

But as I was out shopping recently, I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks.  I'm not kidding.  The COOLEST cup I've ever seen had a label on it that looked something like this...

I stopped, grabbed, read, and cried (which isn't unusual at all right now).  And then I bought every single one they had (seriously, I did).  Just to be sure, I raced home and made a basic green shake so as to test out the claim that my new cups are "insulated".  Guess what?  They totally are.  Merry Christmas to me!!!  And Jenny (act surprised okay?).  

The best part is that the straws have a little bumper on the end so they can't be pulled out the top.  Bless the hearts of the people who came up with this.  

Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Caramel

                                         

Ok, let me just preface this post by letting you all know that yes, I am still alive.  To let you in on a little secret, my husband works full-time, and is going to school full-time to get his master's degree in Real-Estate Development.  He also has had a relapse in the control of his arthritis for the past four months (we think it might be because of stress), among his other problems such as TMJ (the worst!), which has prevented him from being able to open his mouth very far. So, in addition to trying to aid him in cleaning up his diet a bit (not that it was bad in the first place), I have been trying to figure out what will help him (he's tried accupuncture, physical therapy, TMJ specialists), worrying about him, and missing him mostly. This means my life is all about two little munchkins who I feel are more like appendages right now...I've even begun to DREAM that I am picking up their messes.  Seriously.  Two nights in a row that happened.  Talk about having NIGHTMARES :)

Annie and I took a walk on Saturday and I apologized for my absence in blogging lately.  I mentioned that if only our followers could read the ongoing posts that are in my HEAD, we would have a stellar blog. So, while I have taken a million pictures of the cooking and BAKING (I know, I know...who knew?  Not me.) that I have been doing, they have not quite made their appearances for your viewing pleasure. On the upside, I have decided my New Year's goal is to be more consistent in posting....but don't hold me to it TOO tightly :)  

It is actually funny that I am basically giving you excuses right now.  In my mind, I keep thinking of how many things I have on my plate, but when I think about Annie and her life as a mom of three, prego with her fourth, a photographer (who I ask to photoshop and order pictures that she didn't even take!)...not to mention her responsibilities at church, I know that I just need to manage my time more wisely.  I remember in college when I was at BYU and involved in sports (I consider cheerleading a sport, ahem!!) with a full schedule, I was able to accomplish so many things because the busier life got, the better at time management I got. 

SO!  When life grabs ahold of my ankles, I'll just pretend those ankle-weights are giving me a good work-out!

This recipe is courtesy of my dear friend (and former college roommate), Heather.  She e-mailed me that she had made caramel with honey instead of refined sugar, and gave me a link to her inspiration. The recipe included cream though, and since I don't eat dairy, I decided that coconut milk might work.  So tonight I took a stab at it and I thought it turned out fairly well.  This was literally my first time ATTEMPTING to make candy, and it wasn't a disaster.  But I think I let the caramel get a little too hot because I stupidly bought a thermometer that only went to 220 degrees. This will make more sense when you read the directions.

Caramel

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup honey

1/2 tsp. Real Salt

You will need a candy thermometer

Add coconut milk and salt to a heavy saucepan and turn on high heat.  When bubbles start to form around the edges, add honey and stir.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer.  Stir with a WOODEN SPOON for about 30 minutes (the original recipe says 15-20, but both Heather and I had to stir for 30 minutes) until the mixture reaches 255-260 degrees. (I had to play around with the heat to get it going a couple of times...It got stuck at 180 degrees, and then again at 220 degrees, then all of a sudden skyrocketed.  I obviously could only tell it was above 220 degrees because I am a space-cadet and bought the wrong thermometer...live and learn). 

When it reaches 255-260 degrees, place saucepan in a dish filled half-way with ice-water.  This will stop the cooking and allow the mixture to thicken. 

There is an optimal time for dipping.  It can't be too thin or it will drizzle off whatever you are dipping (pretzels/apples/etc.), but it can't be too thick either.

If you are dipping apples, use ones that are cold and unwaxed so that the caramel doesn't slide off or peel away.

Heather gave me the idea to dip pretzels.  She dipped her pretzels in caramel, let them set on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, then melted chocolate chips and dipped the pretzels again, and then dunked them in Christmas spinkles.

For my chocolate, I used about 1/3 cup Enjoy brand, dairy-free chocolate chips, and added about 1 tablespoon of coconut milk and a couple of teaspoons of agave nectar.  The carameled, whole-grain pretzels were already on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, so I melted the chocolate mixture all together, and then used a syringe to drizzle the chocolate over the caramel.  

Please follow the link to get more info.  I am very sure the author knows WAY more than I do about candy-making.

Lego My Clemmies

For some people "the holidays" is synonymous with fruitcake, chocolate, ham, and other various crap food (no offense, but ham?  Seriously?).  Not that I don't eat SOME crap during the holiday season but honestly, I'm just not a holiday food kind of gal.  Never really have been.  Except for one thing.  Those amazing little clementines that are lovingly referred to as "cuties".  Can't.  Get.  Enough.  Yes, they're kind of a sweet treat but I figure when compared to the other stuff I could be feasting snacking on, EHHH, not that bad.  Plus, the extra vitamin C can't exactly hurt during the flu and cold season.  


Normally, I like them plain (come on...easy to peel, seedless, what's not to love?).  But after I had several for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and maybe a few snacks) today, I thought it might be fun to mix it up a little.  Literally.  And so I give you tonights spur of the moment kitchen creation.  The Holiday Clementine Smoothie.


Holiday Clementine Smoothie

*This is my only kid who will pose for a picture. Don't hate him for his mother's horrible decision to take his picture under the kitchen pendant lights. 

5-6 clementines peeled

1 banana

1/2 green apple

1/3 cup coconut or almond milk

little bit of spinach (because I'm incapable of omitting it)

1-2 tablespoons hemp seed

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 cups ice

Blend!!!