Apple Cinnamon Granola

I paid $7 for a tiny bag of granola last night. And realized while happily munching it, that I have everything I need to make granola. So, I made some. For less than half that for a big quart jar.

My preferred way to eat it is like cereal with some almond milk.

This recipe isn't an exact thing. You can use nearly anything in it. General rule of thumb is for every cup of "dry", use 1/2 cup of "wet". But, here how I made mine.

In a large bowl I mixed 3 cup rolled oats, 3/4 cup flaked organic coconut, 1/2 cup flax seeds, 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup chia seeds.

I then grated 2 gala apples and put them in a pan with about 1 1/2 cups of water, a pinch of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. I simmered this over medium heat until it was pretty much applesauce with some apple 'shreds' left. I then added 1/4 cup honey and 1/3 cup coconut oil. If you don't want to use any oil, just add more applesauce.

Then I mixed the wet into the dry and baked at 300 for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so. You want a golden brown color.

Next time, I'd like to add some dried apples, strawberries, or bananas. Maybe some slivered almonds. You really can put whatever that you like in. You can even swap out the honey for maple syrup or another liquid sweetener. Don't like apples? Try some pear. 

But for my quick breakfast needs, this is perfect.

Apple Sandwich

My toddler has hit the picky eater stage. If it's not in nugget or chip form, he doesn't want it. Unless it's a peanut butter sandwich. Seth sent me a link with fun food tips. This was one of them.

Core an apple and slice it thinly into rings. Then just slap some nut butter on a ring and top it with another slice.

Yummy snack.
Happy toddler.

Nachos!

These are vegan. But feel free to sub in your dairy and meaty crap, lol.

Bag of Wegmans Organic white corn tortilla chips (or whatever you like)

2/3c lentils + 1c vegan "meat" crumbles OR 1c beans OR ground meat

1 packet taco seasoning OR 1T of your fave taco seasoning

1/2 bag Daiya cheddar shreds + 1/4 wedge Daiya Jack OR 1.5C shredded cheese of your choice

1/4C unsweetened almond milk OR 1/4C milky whatever you like

Salsa

Whatever veggies you like on nachos.

Ok. Boil the lentils in some salted water until mashable. Drain and set aside. 

Brown up whatever meatiness you're using.

Add the lentils to the meaty bits, then add taco seasoning and about 1/4C water. Simmer over medium low for 5 minutes, then cover and put aside.

Mix your cheese choice with your milk choice and whisk over medium low until saucy.

Dump some chips on a plate, add your meat and cheese, then top with salsa and your favorite toppings.

I triple up the meat-ish stuff and cheese. It makes an easy lunch throughout the week. 

This would also work well as a meaty mac and cheese, or layered and baked, or crammed in a pita for a fun sammich. Whatever rocks your world. <3

Carrot Slaw

Boy was this yummy!

4 large carrots, shredded (I used a julienne peeler)
1/2c mayo (I used Earth Balance Mindful Mayo)
3T vinegar
1/2t salt
1t black pepper

Mix together and refrigerate for at least an hour.
This will be a staple dish around here. I'm already dreaming up lettuce wraps involving this slaw and some falafel or beany balls.

Health

We picked a great year to stick with our crappy health coverage. Ugh. I've been more sick in the last 6 weeks than I have been cumulatively in my entire life. I have an appointment Wednesday to try and figure out what's going on. I'm leaning towards chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Definitely depression and anxiety, which both the CFS and fibro can cause.

Bluntly, I feel like shit.

For the last few weeks, Seth has stayed up all night with Haven. Every night. I was getting up to pump around midnight, then back up at 5 for the day. But it led to Seth having to come home from work because I was freaking out nearly daily. I would hit around 1pm and just lose my shit. The exhaustion and stress was killing me daily. So, I started sleeping all night. Sometimes going to bed as early as 7pm, and not being able to drag myself out of bed before 7:30 the next morning. And even then, I'm yawning and falling asleep less than 4 hours later. By the time Seth got home today, early, I'm done. I'm curled up in the recliner trying to stay awake. I slept 12 hours last night.

My body hurts. Everywhere. Touching my skin feels like it's burning me. My joints ache. My muscles feel constantly pulled. The headaches are unbearable much of the time.

My mind hurts. My heart is heavy. I have been feeling the blanket of depression creeping up for weeks. Normally I just let it run its course. But this time, the panic attacks and anxiety are beyond what I know how to deal with. And I cannot risk my husband's job for this.

So, the plan. An anti-depressant. And probably Xanax or something similar for the freak-outs. The only treatment for CFS and the fibro that has been proven effective is low impact exercise. Oh, that's also been shown to help depression. So I'm hoping to also make it to the fitness center a few nights a week to use the elliptical machine. Once we move, I'll look into getting a treadmill or something. Medication is always a last resort for me. But these issues are beyond anything I've experience before, and they're beyond what I can do on my own.

My reason for posting this is because I think that as mothers, and as women, we often forget to take care of ourselves. We're so wrapped up in our kids, our lives, or responsibilities, that WE fall to the wayside. I should have had my butt into our doctor weeks ago, even before Haven was born. At every appointment for Haven and Liam (5 all together), he asked how I was doing, did I need anything, etc. And it took me until today to finally make time for that appointment- the one for ME. Who will take care of my babies if I let me fall apart?

Please, take a day and do for YOU. Whether that means catching up on a book, getting a pedicure, going to the gym, taking a long walk, taking a long bath.. whatever you need to do something to recenter yourself, DO IT.


Here's a photo of my moose:

Easiest lunch ever

Mash up an avocado. Mix with an equal amount of hummus. Enjoy with veggies or chips.
I have been eating this daily for lunch. Mostly because I can make it one handed.
Pro tip: keep the pit in your container of mushed or chopped avocado. It'll keep it from browning.

Ugh

I'm currently down for the count with a head cold. My poor husband has had to pick up the slack for me today. My oldest is testing every limit he can find. If he isn't getting into things, he's responding to every thing he is being told by grunting a response. That is absolutely infuriating. The little one is in a grumpy growth spurt.
I got nothing done today. So, tomorrow I get to cram in a solo 3 hour round trip to drop on donated breast milk to a friend, grocery shop, go to BJ's for the things we buy there, get the mountain of laundry done, and still try to spend some time with my own family. That doesn't include the meal prep for the week. All while sick. I am not a happy camper.

On a high note, I sold my Mac for a grand and replaced it with a $250 Chromebook. So that's $750 towards our moving and stuff. We don't need to really pay for much, but knocking out another debt or having that much more to put towards a new car will be a huge help for us.

I've also stuck to my cash budget so far. I paid the bills online and pulled the cash for the rest. The cards are all put away, and only my envelope for that specific task leaves with me. It's working out really well for me this month.

I'll post more when this cold vacates.