settling in

well, 

it's just over half way through September and we are finally starting to settle from our move

i'm so excited to share our new little space with you

whether that's through my feeble attempts at home decor

(seriously, not my forte)

or through the little things we'll be doing around here:

cooking

mothering

exploring

living

i've not taken my "fancy camera" out of it's case since we moved

except to second shoot that wedding i mentioned last post

but i have taken a few snapshots on my phone

so without further a do, here's a glimpse at what life's been like the past couple weeks:

(if you follow me on instagram, you've already seen these, so this is for the rest of you!)

our new view

books unpacked = a morning with dr seuss!

produce bought!  another "milestone"!

gotta take a break from unpacking...beach day!  (and beach hair  ;) )

girlies painting in the backyard = unpacking in peace

whoops, guess i got too into unpacking - girlie got into my mascara while i wasn't looking

rainy day people watching...another distraction while mama unpacks

finally starting to cook meals in our new home!!!

(this would be Sheena's recipe - I just used sheep feta instead of goat cheese)

...and that about wraps it up

happy weekend, folks!

what we've been up to + a quick healthy lunch idea

hi friends!

since i last posted on here 

we've gone on vacation,

we got the never ending cold

(seriously, went strong for two weeks!)

we've moved
we've spent lots of time with my in-laws who are in town
(hooray!)

and i second shot my first wedding

(more on that later)

it's safe to say we've felt overwhelmingly busy
but, busy or not, a gal's got to eat!
and despite caving to take-out more than i'd like to admit
i did manage to throw together this salad last week
it was so quick and so easy to make, i just had to share! 

Quick Pad Thai Salad

gluten free / dairy free / vegan / paleo

serves 1

salad:

- 1 small zucchini, julienned 

- 3 broccoli florets, chopped tiny
(my trick:  start at the stem and chop towards the top of the "tree". as you move up, the florets get smaller. stop when you've reached a size you like)

- a handful of baby carrots, julienned 

(or just regular carrots, those are just what i hand on hand)

dressing:

- 1 tbsp almond butter

- garlic powder, to taste

- ground ginger, to taste

- 1 tsp fresh lime juice

- himalayan pink salt, to taste

- 1 drop honey (seriously, it makes a difference!)

- 1/4 tsp almond meal (optional, for "grit"...i'm a texture eater!)

directions:

- prep salad veggies and place into a bowl

- whisk dressing ingredients together

- pour dressing over veggies and top with a handful of crushed walnuts

my current favorite green smoothie

i buy a big tub of organic baby spinach every week

partly to force me to eat my greens (true story!),

but also partly because spinach is super versatile:

i can throw it in a salad,

stuff it into an omelette, 

wilt it with some spices for a super easy side dish,

...or, one of my favorite it's-3pm-and-i-still-haven't-had-lunch "meals," 

blend it into a green smoothie!

i've posted a couple green smoothie (or "green monster") recipes here before

(here and here), 

but this is the one i've been going back to over and over lately

and even though i have it so often, i still find the flavor really interesting

plus it's dairy-free / sugar free (date sweetened) / perfectly paleo

and it's got a boost of hemp protein in it!

yes, it's that good

the kids even love it*

you're welcome.

*(bear in mind, these same kids chose a thai broccoli salad and a kale superfood salad for lunch the other day...i've been told those aren't your typical two year old choices!)

at any rate, here's the recipe

try it for yourself - let me know what you think!

ingredients:

2-4 ounces coconut milk

(i use trader joe's light coconut milk because it's free of additives)

 1 heaping tbsp vanilla flavored organic hemp protein powder

(i sometimes just sub raw shelled hemp seeds)

1-2 medjool dates

1 cup (packed) organic baby spinach

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups ice

instructions:

- place ingredients in a blender or mini food prep

- blend until well combined

- drink up

(it turns out pretty thick so i often start with a spoon then switch to a straw)

like i mentioned earlier, i often have this as a late lunch to get me to dinner without filling up too much

it works great as a light breakfast, a snack any time of day or even an add-on to a meal!

under the weather + under the boardwalk

well, as you can guess from the title of this post

(or at least from part of it)

we've been under the weather this week,

battling a pretty nasty stomach bug

it started with Daniel on saturday

then by monday i fell victim to it

and today, the girlies seem like they're fighting something 

(hoping it's not the same thing we had, cause that was bad - we'd appreciate any prayers on that front!)

in the midst of all this sickie-chaos / whine-fest / mama-just-wants-her-coffee madness this morning, 

i looked up and thought to myself, 

"how is this week not over yet?!  i don't even think i can make it through today"

then i picked up my 50 promises stack and flipped to the next verse

as i reached out, i half heartedly thought to myself, 

"wouldn't it be ironic if the next verse was just what i needed to read?"

and of course, what do you think happened?

"do not be afraid; for i am with you.  

do not be dismayed; for i am your god.

i will strengthen you, i will help you, i will uphold you 

with the right hand of my righteousness."

my Jesus never fails

i'm so grateful for His help, the reminder of which i needed so badly this morning

and let's be honest, the morning didn't miraculously get better

the kids are still whining,

my head is still pounding,

my coffee is still barely sipped

BUT

i'm leaning on Him for strength to apologize to my kids when i'm short with them

or better yet, before i hit breaking point i am able to stop and say a little prayer

to ask for His help, His strength, His patience, His love, His kindness

***

on a {mostly} unrelated note,

sitting in bed while i was sick

gave me time to finish sorting through my phone pictures from our most recent day at the beach

this batch is mostly from under the boardwalk

there's just something magical about a space that's not always accessible

and just look at the crazy designs from the water's reflection on the wood planks...so cool!

i love it when the tide's out...and i love sharing these beautiful things with my munchkins (and you!)

beach days are the best days

happy friday, friends!

how was your week?

ours was great:

lots of playtime outside

(thanks to the {mostly} gorgeous weather we've been having)

a bit of baking 

(one of the girlies' favorite activities lately)

not that much sleeping

(story of my life - hah!)

and not one, but two beach days

(gotta take advantage of 'em while the weather's agreeable!)

and, as always, i had my handy-dandy phone in hand

to document my little explorers running wild and free...just the way it should be

honestly, guys, the world around us is so beautiful, i can hardly stand it

but i'll quit rambling and let the pictures do the talking

coconut cranberry orange muffins {paleo}

i've made these muffins a couple times in the past

and they've always been a hit

so it was no surprise that i decided to whip up a batch (or two!)

in an attempt to have something healthy to just "grab n go" 

while getting over our jetlag / battling hangry attacks earlier this week

i was a bit surprised, however, at how many people asked for the recipe

after i posted a picture of the finished product on my instagram and facebook

(plus a few who tasted them and really liked them!)

so this is for you, folks...and so that i don't have to google the recipe every time i want to make them too ;)

coconut cranberry orange muffins

grain / gluten / dairy / refined sugar free

wet ingredients:

6 tbsp coconut oil

4 eggs

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp pure vanilla

zest of 2 oranges 

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

(i used pink naval oranges)

dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

"final" ingredients:
1 cup frozen unsweetened cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

unsweetened shredded coconut (optional - for topping)

instructions:

- place coconut oil in a small saucepan and melt over medium / medium low heat (remove from heat once melted through).  meanwhile, whisk your eggs in a large bowl and combine with the rest of your wet ingredients; don't forget to add your oil once it's melted!

- in a smaller bowl, measure out and mix your dry ingredients together*

- add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until well combined then fold in your final ingredients

- preheat your oven to 350* F (325* F if using a convection oven)

- while your oven is preheating, line a muffin tin with some baking cups (i like to make or use store-bought parchment paper cups...it kills me when i lose half my muffin to the wrapper!)

- fill each cup about 3/4 of the way up; you should use up about half your batter (the recipe makes 2 dozen muffins)

- sprinkle some unsweetened shredded coconut on top if desired (optional)

- pop in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes (about 20 for a convection oven), or until your muffin tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. after taking them out of the oven, leave them in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack

- enjoy!

p.s.  this is one of those rare cases where i stick fairly close to the original recipe,

so this is our version, but if you follow the link to the original, i'm sure they'll taste just as good

also, i'm thinking of making another batch (they went quick!), but ran out of cranberries

i do, however, have frozen raspberries and lemons...may just have to try that tweak and see which we like better!

*p.p.s. i got the girlies to dump and mix the measured out dry ingredients in a bowl - makes for a fun toddler activity, plus they get really excited to try foods that they "helped" make...as you can probably tell from the pictures.  just a tip for you other mamas out there!