Boys In The Snow

My husband and I were both raised in the desert of Southern California just outside Death Valley. Needless to say it was HOT most of the year. The summers last forever. If you blink you would miss Spring and Fall. Winters are very mild, mostly just windy. We got snow about every three years. By got snow I mean it snowed overnight then was melted by 10 a.m. Winter is not something we are very familiar with.

 

When we moved to Northeastern Nevada at the beginning of January it was bitter cold. I'm talking 16 below at night. My poor little guys didn't know what to think of this super cold. They would stand at our sliding glass door and stare outside. Our dog Bailey was pretty confused too. She is a pit bull so she doesn't have much of a coat. She would go outside for long enough to do her business and come right back in. To say we experienced some culture shock is an understatement.

 

Now that we have entered Spring I am itching to get outside. I LOVE to Garden and recently planted my seed starters (inside of course). We had a couple beautiful days last week then we woke up to snow. Ugh. 

 

Instead of sitting around in the house letting our cabin fever intensify we headed out to explore our new surrounding. We went to Lamoille Canyon and played around for a bit. It was really cold and a little breezy so we didn't last long but I got some great pictures. Aren't my boys just precious? I am one lucky mama!

 

 

 

Here they are arriving. The snow had already melted at my house so we weren't dressed appropriately. Lesson learned.

 

 

 

Cooper taking in the scenery. He's not a big fan of the cold or the snow.

 

 

Daddy found a stick for Nixon. He's our rough and tumble kid. He's up for just about anything. 

 

 

"Come here brother let me poke you with my stick."

 

 

We also brought Bailey with us. She goes just about everywhere with us. She's an Angel.

 

 

She's quite the goof ball too.

 

 

I love these pictures.

 

 

 

I think this one needs to go in a frame.

 

 

Cold fingers are unacceptable but putting gloves on my baby is a fight every time.

 





 

Aw that's better. Warm fingers.

 

 

Definitely not the right shoes.

 

 

My whole world.

 

 

And we couldn't leave home without Cooper's bicycle. It might be his favorite thing. other than his sword and his Lego's of course.

 

While we had fun in the snow I am SO ready for warmer weather! I'm not even asking for summer just let the ground thaw a little.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

Nicole

Oatmeal Smothies

I have a little guy who is a bottomless pit. This kid eats all the time! About 20 minutes after a big meal he is hungry again. I am constantly looking for healthy snacks to keep him from eating his big brother.

 

One thing that he really enjoys is oatmeal smoothies. Coinsidentally I love them too so we have one almost everyday. I used to love hot oatmeal and ate a ton of it. Over time I guess I just got tired of it the traditional way but it adds a delicious texture and flavor to these smoothies.

 

In this version I used peanut butter, nutella and almond milk. I also make a fruity version of this recipe with whatever fruit I have on hand and orange juice instead of almond milk. The combinations are endless!

 

 

 

Here is the cast of characters. I like to keep some sliced up bananas in the freezer for things like this. That is what's in the tupperware.

 

 

Start by adding about a 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons nutella, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal to the blender.

 

 

Oh ya plus a few bananas and a splash of almond milk.

 

 

Blend it until its smooth. You may need to add a little more almond milk if it isn't coming together just right.

 

 

Come on mom hurry up!!! (No pressure)

 

 

Then toss in about a 1/2 - 3/4 cup of ice and 1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk. I used crushed to be nice to my blender but cubed would work just fine.

 

 

Then blend it until its smooth. I usually blend it for a minute or two just to make sure all the oatmeal and ice is really chopped up.

 

 

I have a bit of an obsession with Starbucks cups and mugs (funny because I don't love their coffee). These work great for smoothies because the sraws have a little lip on the bottom so they can't be pulled out by little boys.

 

 

Quit taking pictures and give me one!

 
 

 

That is one happy kid. It took about 2 minutes for him to finish it, then he wanted mine lol.

 

Peanut Butter Nutella Oatmeal Smoothies

 

 1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons nutella

1/4 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 banana

3/4 cup almond milk divided

1/2 - 3/4 cup crushed ice

 

Add first 5 ingredients plus 1/4 cup almond milk to blender. Blend until combined. Add remaining 2 ingredients and blend until smooth.

 

Happy Saturday!!

 

Nicole

 

 



Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I have been doing a lot of label reading lately and I have been super grossed out by the preservatives and other fillers that our food is packed with. It really grossed me out and made me worry about what I have been feeding my kids!

 

Ever since I have been looking for recipes to make my kids's favorite snacks. I stumbled on this great website http://weelicious.com/ She has tons of really great recipes for everyday snacks as well as holiday treats and meals. I am a little obsessed with trying out her recipes right now.

 

Yesterday I made Whole Wheat Cheddar Crackers (http://weelicious.com/2012/01/10/whole-wheat-cheddar-crackers/) except that I didn't have any wheat flower so I used all purpose and I substituted the 1 tbs Spike seasoning for garlic powder because we love garlic!

 

Here is the step by step.

Begin by adding 1 cup flour to your food processor.

 

 

Then add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese.

 

 

Then grab whatever powdered seasoning you would like. I chose 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Next time I will increase it to 1 teaspoon for a little more flavor.

 

Add that to the food processor as well

 

Pulse it a couple times to combine.

 

 

Grab a stick of butter. You actually only need 6 tablespoons so find something good to do with the other 2 tablespoons.

 

Cut it into pieces like this.

 

Add them to the food processor a couple at a time.

 

 

Then let the processor do its things. I turned it on low then had to go rescue a child. This is what I came back to and its just right.

 

My very impatient little taste tester. Isn't he cute? He hears the the food processors (or mixer or blender) and comes running.

 

 

Next you will lightly flour your counter and grab a rolling pin.

 

 

Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.

 

Now you want to cut it up. You can use what ever you want. I chose my handy dandy apple corer.

 

 

Cut out your shapes and put them on a cookie sheet. I would have lined the cookie sheet with parchment paper but I was out. They turned out just fine wothout it.

 

You will end up repeating the last couple steps a few times to use all the dough.

 

Pop them in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. 

 

 

They will come out looking golden/orangie brown.

 

 

Allow them to cool then store them in an airtight container. I love to store things in mason jars.

 

These turned out really yummy. My boys are a huge fan. They are almost gone already!

 

Heres the recipe.

 

Cheddar Cracker

 

Ingredients

2 cups Cheddar Cheese, grated

1 cup All Purpose flour

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.

3. Add the butter and pulse and until a ball forms.

4. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick on a floured. Slice into crackers or cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes (longer if you use a bigger cutter than I did).

 

Enjoy!

 

Nicole

 

 



All While Big Brother Slept

The weather today was absolutely beautiful! After we got home from jujitsu this evening I sat on the driveway while Nixon played with the broom and dust pan. I just love that little guy and his ability to turn anything in to a toy!

 

 

Then he decided to make faces at the camera

 

 

All while our dog Bailey watched over him...

 

 

And big brother napped in the truck.

 

I love little moments like this. They are pure joy... Until it was time to come in. That's when the little demon came out ;)

 

Nicole