getting you through the day

It was one of those mornings. 
This morning, I woke up, and felt the burden to be a good wife/mom/lady - but no ability to do any of those things. I was just too burnt out.
The only remedy I knew was some quiet time reading and praying and nutella pumpkin pancakes. To be honest with you - it didn't HAVE to be nutella pumpkin pancakes. 
It just needed to be something that I could make that would feel like a celebration for my family, something I could make well and figuratively just give them a little hug though their tummies. 


It worked. 

Not vegan. Not low-fat or low-calorie. Not light on love either. 
I even used half and half instead of almond milk. 
Because it was one of those days that I needed to use cuddling over "please-watch-the-tv-while-I-do-blank" and on those days, lavishing your babes with pancakes seems fitting. 

What is for you, today?
What's the extra excitement that will add inspiration? 
What can you do well to make the world a little fuller? 

If it's nutella pumpkin pancake's - here's my recipe: 

Nutella Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups flour of your choice

1.5 cups milk of your choice

handful of dry oats

.5 cup of canned pumpkin

2 eggs
2 tbsp honey

2 tablespoons baking powder

sprinkle of salt

squirt of vanilla

dash of cinnamon, nutmeg

3 tbs oil of choice

generous, generous dollop of nutella

"secret" french toast

i had to laugh at jess' post, when she mentioned posting my recipe for cinnachip french toast. because there was no recipe.

i think, generally, for mainstay things like french toast, pancakes, or i don't know..pasta, everyone knows how to make them, right? or at least has an idea and can google for further instructions.

so..why not pull every weird thing out of your pantry and give it a try (if it tickles your fancy). just experiment, and if it's bad, oh well. you'll know better next time.

okay, so let's start at the beginning. what do you know you'll need for french toast?

eggs

milk

bread

butter

maybe some vanilla?

are we all in agreement? okay, good.

the bread=cinnachip bread from the great harvest bread company. find one near you [here].

i was not at my house last saturday, so i did some digging in rachael's pantry (hollllaaa) and found some honey, cinnamon, poppy seeds, and something else that i can't remember right now.

grab three eggs, and pour in your milk of choice (i used soy, almond, and a splash of half and half so maybe 3/4 cup to 1 cup total of milk), squeeze in some honey, sprinkle in the cinnamon, and i added in a little bit of orange juice (a couple of TBs).

whisk well to incorporate eggs.

i usually pour the egg mixture into a casserole dish and start soaking my first round of bread (it's best to have a 2 and 3 year old help you in this process).

go ahead and turn your attention to your pan. turn your heat to a medium-ish temperature, and drop in about 1/4 stick of butter. watch it carefully, you don't want it to brown quite yet, just bubble.

once the butter is bubbling, add in your soaked bread (however much you can fit comfortably in the pan). make sure the heat isn't too high, and cook for a couple of minutes on each side.

the connolly/hogan crowd likes our french toast a little on the gooey side, but again, that's your call, little chefs.

add some berries, maple syrup, and a mug of coffee.

and you've got yourself a sunday morning breakfast, folks.

Mmmm, Oatmeal.

I, like Jessi, have a thing for oatmeal. It's been unseasonably crisp and cool here lately and, to be honest, we were running low on all forms of breakfast groceries. I remembered this recipe I had seen over on Peas and Thank You and wanted to give it a whirl.

• 1/4 cup of Trader Joe's steel cut oats
• 3/4 cup of milk

Microwave that for 2 minutes, stopping to stir once. Use a tall bowl, here, or you'll make a mess. Like I did. After two minutes, microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the oatmeal is nice and soft. Once it's cooked, add

• 1 t. baking cocoa
• 1 T. peanut butter
• 1 T. agave nectar
• 1/2 frozen banana

As usual, measurements are not exact.

Oatmeal, coffee, and the New York Times online. That's my kind of weekday morning.

*Note: coupled with some coconut black iced tea, it's also a fab post-run breakfast on a Sunday. As I'm presently discovering.

ice cream for breakfast?

I've heard about "banana soft-serve" on a few vegan blogs and while it sounded great, I just didn't trust that it would change my life.

I was wrong.

elias had already had his own "ice cream" for breakfast, this was mine.

I topped mine with a little bit of strawberries, sunflower seed butter, and some kashi cereal.

back up off, ebug.

no seriously - leave my breakfast alone.

to make your very own....

banana soft serve

freeze a few bananas

blend or process with a hint of almond milk

top with whatever you want!

This would go great on top of smoothies, totally replacing ice cream, or as a light and delicious breakfast on a hot, late August morning. Enjoy, ya'll.

foodie on the run

If you think you really love good, fresh food and it's super important to you to nourish your body... don't go on a whirlwind, several city trip with three kids. I'm a healthy foodie on the run and the past few days are leaving me with an intense need for detox.

I've eaten a lot of oatmeal on the go. It feels like a healthy alternative. Until Benjamin tries to steal my oatmeal and he looks like he will cut me. Then that doesn't seem so healthy.

I've also reverted back to egg cake eating. Please don't tell me you don't know about egg cakes. You've just GOT to know about egg cakes! Recipe at the bottom.

A moment I'm not that proud of. We went to Ryan's. Ryan's is a straight up country buffet. It was kind of awesome. The kids were in heaven. I was in heaven. Here was my game plan: Eat whatever I want, but only eat a few bites each. I thoroughly enjoyed some fried chicken, fried okra, mashed potatoes, and fish sticks. Apparently they looked delicious.

Fish sticks? Seriously, Jessi?

When all else fails, default to ezekiel bread with goat cheese & honey.

or Trader Joe's black bean soup. De-lish.

So... this week I'm detoxing with fruits, veggies, and grains only. I'll let you know how it goes.

If you traveled this weekend or indulged nonetheless and need a fulfilling, lean breakfast - try an egg cake. Gluten free & dairy free, a lot like pancake.

Classic Eggcake

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

(whip all that together and cook up like a pancake)

Eat with whatever you'd eat pancakes with.

I say a little honey, blueberries, and a bit of almond butter.

Enjoy!

Also - giveaway winner will be posted TOMORROW!

& maybe some closure to the blog name dilemma? I think so!

birthday/sickday smoothie

If on your twenty-sixth birthday, you find yourself in need of a good morning smoothie because you're bummed out about the hole in your face, here is the one I suggest. Well, if you need a pick-me-up for any reason, really - try this baby out. It's similar to the "bit-off-more-than-I-could-chew" smoothie, just without the bulk of oatmeal.

In general, I think food should be an important part of any birthday - but yesterday food was definitely an afterthought. I had another veggie smoothie for lunch because I was on my way to doctor's appt. #1 and I scarfed down some whole foods vegan pizza for dinner after arriving home from doctor's appt. #2. There was also some soy chocolate ice cream and birthday cake in there some way, but the pain pills prevented me from picture taking or really much memory of either.

Nick keeps promising a birthday redo, so on that day,

I'll redo the food with adequate pictures, promise:)

birthday/sickday smoothie

1 banana

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tbsp chia seeds

1.5 tbsp almond butter

2 small pieces of dark chocolate

ice

blend & enjoy

..............

360 calories

summer sunday breakfast

y'all this is just so good.

grab a whole wheat bagel, toast it.

spread half an avocado over the bagel.

sprinkle on a little salt,

and squeeze some lime juice over the top.

then just drizzle a few drops of cilantro dressing over that.

scatter a few toasted sliced almonds for crunch,

and you've got yourself a really tasty breakfast.

*cilantro dressing comes from trader joe's. if you like cilantro, buy this immediately.*

this message and breakfast were highly supervised, and ultimately approved by this girl.

happy weekend, all.

Weekend Tradition

What's your favorite weekend tradition?

One of mine is breakfast.

I adore Mark Bittman and every word he has every written (I think.) The man taught my clumsy self how to make an omelet--no easy task!

This is how we do it...

Some of my favorite additions are spinach and cheddar or black beans and goat cheese. Coupled with a few slow cups of coffee (no weekday-style chugging here), this is one of the best parts of my weekend.

Jessi has an even better idea for those hot summer weekends when the thought of cooking just pushes you over the edge! Keep scrolling down!

with or without you.

I have a seriously complex relationship with oatmeal.

When I'm making it, I usually sing in my head

"I can't liiivvvvvve. With or without you...."

blueberries, mushed bananas, almond butter, honey.

chia seeds or flax seeds. just goodness.

I'm taking a three-or-so day break from oatmeal to do a little detox.

I've gotten overwhelmed with too many processed foods and eating out some this weekend so I need to stick to fruits & veggies for a few days to feel normal again.

Let's see if I can live without you old friend.

Until we meet again.

my very own green monster.

Some of my favorite food bloggers seem to be a little smoothie-obsessed. In a good way.

They're always showing off beautiful pictures of their "green monsters" and I get soooo jealous. Jealous, you say? Yup. My blender bit the dust awhile a go and my life has been smoothie-less ever since.

So, one of the major downsides of being on vacation is feeling bloated from eating out and not being in your normal food routine. One of the major upsides is having access to your mom's cute little smoothie blender so you can help fight that major bloatation.

And now - I have green monsters in my life.

And, come on - how much more enjoyable are they on this porch?

my very first green monster recipe.

1/2 banana

1 tbsp honey

1/2 cup of almond milk

1 tbsp almond butter

massive bunch of kale

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup of blueberries

.... delish!