I just tried steel cut oats for the first time today & thought I’d share my favorite recipe for a warm breakfast on a cold day.

1/4 cup Steel Cut Oats, cooked (follow package instructions)

2 tsp. brown sugar

3 Tbsp. dried cranberries

2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir & enjoy!

{340 calories}

                          

Before & After:

They were really good, and 3 out of the 5 of us liked them (I’m still working on those other two!).  I warmed up the leftovers the next day and ate them with a baked sweet potato (one of my favorites!).

I also cooked THIS RECIPE, which called for quinoa – another first for me.  I’ve been hearing a lot about quinoa, so I was excited about giving it a try.  It was really good – kind of like slightly crunchy rice.  I seasoned mine with an orange juice/honey/cilantro mixture, so it was a little sweet.  It was great paired with the spicier shrimp.  Another before & after . . .

I also baked a batch of THESE muffins that I’ve posted about before.  They’re great to keep in the fridge for a grab & go breakfast (although I prefer mine warmed and eaten slowly with a cup of hot tea).

Today I tried KALE CHIPS for the first time.  I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical, but they were good!  I seasoned mine with a little bit of olive oil, sea salt, and a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese.

After I ate the kale chips, I started craving something sweet (which is no surprise whatsoever), and I really wanted to eat a whole jar of Nutella.  I refrained, however, and baked some of these no flour, no sugar, no dairy COOKIES.  Again, I was a little skeptical, but I was pleasantly surprised!  Brad even ate one and said they were pretty good.

I’ve been keeping up with what I eat during the day using the MyFitnessPal App on my phone (thank you, Kaitlyn!).  I also started a Couch to 5K program (again, great phone app) on New Year’s Day, and I’m on week two.  So far, so good!  I’ve never even come close to being a runner, but I’m starting to believe that I might actually be able to eventually run a 5K and not die at the end!  I’m planning to run the Opening Eyes to Autism 5K on April 13th downtown.

So, there you go.  I’m sure I’ll get off track from time to time and eat 1/2 a sleeve of cookie dough, but it’s more of an effort than I’ve been making, and I’m actually pretty excited about it!  Got any great clean recipes?  Feel free to share!

                          

I also made these since it doesn’t feel like Christmas around here without them!  They are sinfully good . . .

I finally mailed our Christmas cards today.  They’re a lot of work but I enjoy sending them out . . .

Cole and Yohannes both had school Christmas programs this year, and I took Yohannes out for a hot chocolate treat after his . . .

And still in spite of all the time spent on parties, cards, shopping, and programs, I know that this is Christmas, and this is what matters more than everything . . .

{If you like this quote, please feel free to help yourself . . . ThisIsChristmas.pdf}

                          

We also had these yummy S’MORES POPS & we’ll DEFINITELY be making them again.

My dear friend, Elissa, came over and ate with us.  Then she helped us pack….love her!  And thank you, Pinterest, for hooking me up with these recipes!

                          

{I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour, so I just used 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour.  I also didn’t have oat bran, so I substituted wheat bran.  I used vanilla flavored nonfat yogurt rather than plain, and I used a mixture of golden raisins (because I like them better) and craisins.}

Some of the ingredients . . .

Ready to bake . . .

The final product did not disappoint! . . .

I just ate one of these this morning paired with a cup of my favorite hot tea, and it was perfect!

                          

First up is Noonday Collection.  If you visit their site, you can read all about the founder, Jessica Honegger, as well as the artisans who receive a fair, living wage for their beautiful work.  Items can be purchased online, or you can inquire about hosting a trunk show, which sounds like lots of fun!

fashionABLE scarves are the rage here in Nashville this season.  You can purchase them online, at Posh in Green Hills, or at Nashville Clothing Company in both the Gulch & Cool Springs locations.  I bought a couple at Posh and a few online, and they’re great!  They’re soft and stylish AND they enable women in Ethiopia to leave a life of prostitution and instead have a safe job they can be proud of.  I love it!

Come Together Trading Company offers a wide variety of handmade clothing, gifts & crafts made by artisans from developing countries around the world including Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana, South Africa, Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Indonesia, The Philippines, India and many more.  I saw this shirt that I really like while perusing through their site.  They also have great baskets and even Christmas ornaments and nativity sets.

The folks over at Raven + Lily are committed to empowering marginalized women through design partnerships and micro-enterprise opportunities.  They literally help women from India to Burundi to Los Angeles.  Their items can be ordered online, and they also offer trunk shows.  I did notice that Christmas orders must be placed by 5 pm TODAY!

Our friends at Global Support Mission have started a direct trade organization called Red Earth Trading Company.  I really like the video on their website, and you can see some of the goods they provide on their Facebook page.  They will actually be at our church Sunday, December 12, so if you’re local, come on out and do some Christmas shopping!  They have some great items from East Africa and Nepal like these . . .

According to their website, the mission of International Sanctuary is to advocate for exploited people of the world, to educate the public about human trafficking and its prevention, and to be instrumental in providing survivors the means to be reintegrated as valued members of a community. Proceeds from their online boutique offer rescued girls vocational training, education, and monetary savings upon their transition from the aftercare home.  Their website contains some great information as well as some beautiful products.  I especially like their earrings and necklaces, and they’re very affordable, too.

NightLight’s vision is to offer intervention to sexually exploited women and children, to enable them to discover their dignity, and to provide a program of holistic transformation, empowering them to live and work in their community. They operate in Bangkok, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, and their jewelry is beautiful (as you can see below).

If you’re looking for something other than jewelry, scarves and such, THIS COOKBOOK would make a great Christmas gift, and the proceeds go to support widows & orphans in Zambia.  Wiphan is a wonderful ministry that provides biblical teaching, skills training and education to widows and orphans in Zambia, Africa who have been devastated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  They have set up two school campuses that serve 400 orphans and vulnerable children as well as 100 widows.  The schools also double as churches on Sundays.  My friend, Andrea, and her husband are on their American Support Board, and I’m confident that God is using this ministry to impact struggling, hurting, amazing women and children.  There are great recipes in the cookbook, as well as personal stories from Zambia – and it’s such a great looking book that you’ll want to proudly display it in your kitchen!

There are MANY more great organizations that I could feature, but these are some of my favorites.  Feel free to leave others that you know of in the comments section of this post, and together we can really make a difference this Christmas season!

                          

I’ve seen THESE Easter Cookies (a.k.a. “Empty Tomb Cookies” or “Resurrection Cookies”) for years now and have never gotten around to making them with the boys.  I decided that this would finally be the year, so we made them last night. I really like that it provided a new way to talk to them about Jesus’ death and resurrection, and it was hands-on so they’ll be more likely to remember our conversation and the symbolism involved. I think we might make this an annual tradition. What about you? Do you have any family Easter traditions?

                          

Stay tuned later this week for photos from our camping trip . . . SO fun!  I’ll also be posting about the Easter cookies we made tonight.  I hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow remembering Jesus’ sacrifice and celebrating His resurrection!

                          

Southwestern Black Bean Soup

1 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2/3 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp ground cumin
4 (15-ounce) cans black beans, undrained, divided
2 cans southwestern corn (I used mexicorn)
1 (15-ounce) can chicken broth
3 cups medium chunky salsa
Juice & zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1.) Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Add onions and cumin and cook over medium heat until the onions are tender.
2.) Puree 2 cans of beans with their liquid and chicken broth in a blender.  Add to saucepan.
3.) Stir remaining cans of beans, corn, salsa, lime juice and zest, and cilantro.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
4.) Serve hot & enjoy!

NOTE:
Instead of using a blender, I used my little hand blender like this one and it worked great (love that thing!).

If you’re in need of a big stock pot for soups and such, I just got this one, and I like it a lot!

I also added cubed baked chicken and leftover brown rice, and it was great!  I would definitely suggest adding those.  It made it the consistency of a gumbo.  Just make sure you cook them separately and add them once the soup is done simmering.

I sprinkled chopped cilantro on top before serving to make it pretty - and because I love cilantro!  {Remember I’m the only girl in our house, so I have to get creative with pretty around here!}  You can also serve it with a dollop of sour cream if you’d like.

If you try it, enjoy & STAY WARM!!!