Work of the Heart

Another variation on my granola recipe.  I love coconut, but really no one in my family cares for it very much.  So I was really surprised at how much my crew loved this.  They gobbled this recipe up! See my original post here ! This particular  flavor  is great to top fresh fruit for breakfast, or as dessert. I store my granola in a large mason jar.  This particular batch I split and put half in a ziplock bag and stuck it in the freezer.  It will be perfect for fruit and yogurt parfaits for breakfast the first week of school. Coconut & Vanilla Granola 3 Cups of old fashion Oats 1 1/2 Cups of Walnuts (finely chopped) 2 Cups of sweetened Coconut Mixed together in a large bowl 1 stick of melted butter 2 Tablespoon of good vanilla 1/3 cup of honey  Stir wet ingredients with dry until mixed very well.  Spread on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until...

We are not a family that buys new backpacks every year. I try and buy a backpack that will last several years and take good care of it. During the school year, I have my kids empty their backpacks two or three times a year so I can pre-treat and wash them.  My oldest daughter is entering fifth grade, and her backpack was new in kindergarten. It had seen better days and so at the end of fourth grade we decided to pitch it and look for a new one. I love Lands End backpacks and lunch bags. When our middle daughter was entering preschool we got a backpack from there and it is still in great shape and she’s entering second grade. I feel like the quality can’t be beat and they always have great sales and coupon codes online. I also recently discovered their customer service is top notch. We ordered a backpack and the monogram arrived incorrect, one simple phone call and a new backpack was in the mail no questions asked. When looking at backpacks, we wanted something that’s going to...

Back to school is on my mind... Obviously this is a big and busy time for a lot of families. We start back the first week of August. For us that means getting back on track with sleep, routine, and nutrition. One of the things I’m going to focus on is easy ways to get kids out the door in the morning. One of those things, is a healthy and nutritious breakfast. Homemade granola is really easy. I like it, because I can tailor the flavors for my family specifically. I have a slight allergy to almonds, so I try to be careful to avoid them. Have you ever shopped for granola without almonds??? It’s really hard. So making my own granola is my best bet. Start with the things your family likes. I made ours very simple oats, raisins, and walnuts. The options are endless,    varieties of nuts, dried fruit and grains. When using raisins, it’s really important to soak them in warm water for 30 minutes before making your granola. This prevents them from getting hard and ...

The next three weeks, I’m going to be focusing all of my posts on back to school efforts. Today is all about a couple of organization products I have picked up over the past couple of weeks.  If you have been inside my house lately....you know I need all the organization help I can get! One of the things that I always do is re-organize my kids closets. This summer I’ve got a step further. If you follow me on IG, you know that we’re in a big room transition right now. Our oldest daughter turned 10 the spring, and it is time for her to have her own room. She has previously shared a room with our seven-year-old daughter. We moved our seven-year-old in with her little sister, allowing our oldest to have her own room. This means there has been a need for organization on all fronts. Moving our middle daughter into the littlest’s room, the closet storage situation was the most critical. Specifically shoes. I hunted and hunted on Amazon to find the perfect solution.  I ...

A friend of mine recently called and asked if I wanted some peaches they wouldn’t use before going out of town... I of course said yes! She brought over the better part of half a bushel. So I sat down made myself a cup of coffee and got to thinking what delicious things I’d make with these beauties. Anytime you are working with fresh produce, you must taste the raw product. How ripe is it? How sweet is it? Tartness? When we lived in KC, we were close enough to my in-laws to benefit from their extensive garden & orchard. One year during that time, they had an exceedingly large peach crop. So I made lots of different things that summer. One thing I made was a peach based barbecue sauce. I used someone else’s recipe. It was good, but too heavy on the molasses flavor. This time around I decided to make my own based on our likes and preferences. I started by chopping a whole sweet onion. I browned it in the pan dry, no oil or butter. Next add peeled chopped peaches. I used 6-7 ...

If you’ve been here awhile... I made a unicorn snack mix for my middle daughters birthday party earlier this year.  I also made a valentines snack mix for her class party. I used this same process, but made it red, white and blue. To see the original post, click here. Instructions are detailed in the post, linked above.  But, it is as simple as melting coating chocolate and dying it the color you want and spreading it on the popcorn and pretzels. I used a few different kind of patriotic colored sprinkles. Some other items I used were.... I used a couple of different ingredients this time. I found mini pretzels which seems better for a snack mix. I also used mini saltine crackers. They added a salty crunch to cut some of the sweetness. I also added freeze dried strawberries which added a yummy tart bite as well as a pretty pop of red. Of course red, white & blue m & m’s were a must. This is a crowd pleaser!  It is fun just to have out ...