Eating: The title of this post was both figurative and literal! I've been trying to eat better lately, and I've really been all over the board. This week I started a food journal, and I hope it helps. I'm trying to focus on veggies, and one of my favorite breakfast/lunch/dinner/anytime meals is eggs with Brussels sprouts and potatoes! I just wing it, but it's based on this recipe. If you're looking for a healthy winter, comfort food-y meal, I recommend this!
That's how my afternoons have been lately. What about you? Have you been up to anything exciting? Let me know! And thanks for stopping by.

Hello! I can't believe it's already almost half way through January, but I'm finally back. I hope you all had a happy Christmas, and that your new year is off to a bang!

I wanted to share a bit of a cheat from my 26 before 26 list today. I say a bit of a cheat, because I wanted to make some almond roca candy at Christmas but I was too busy. It has always been one of my favorites, and my mom makes it every year!

Dane however, has always asked me to make soda cracker candy, which is very similar, and as I found out this year, SO much easier!


Since I was short on time, I opted to make soda cracker candy instead, and maybe next Christmas I will do the almond roca. I'm counting it on my list though, since I've never made either of them before. And it's my list, I can do what I want I guess ;)

So today I thought I'd share how easy this soda cracker candy is! Like stupid easy. And quick! Once you find out how simple it is, you won't be able to NOT make it. Plus it's that salty/sweet combo that is so addicting, so if you like those kinds of things, you will love this stuff!

For this recipe you'll need:

• A cookie sheet
• Foil
• A spatula
• Baking spray or oil
• Approx. 1 tube of saltines
• 1 cup (2 cubes) of butter
• 1 cup +2 Tbsp of brown sugar
• 1 bag (2 cups) of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of sliced or slivered almonds

First, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Next, you'll start by laying foil over your cookie sheet, and greasing it, either with spray or a little bit of oil on a paper towel. Then lay out all of your crackers in one layer to fill the sheet. You can break some in half if you need to, to fill all the space.


Next, melt your butter, add your brown sugar, and bring to a boil on the stove, stirring with your spatula the whole time. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes (I did about 2 1/2) still stirring, and then pour over your crackers on the sheet. Spread to distribute evenly, and don't worry if some gets underneath the crackers. Just try to keep them as flat as possible.


Put your cookie sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the top looks all bubbly. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle your chocolate chips on top. Cover with foil and let sit for 3 minutes. Then, remove the foil and use a clean spatula to spread the melted chocolate around evenly.




Next, sprinkle on your nuts, and then re-cover with foil. Put in your freezer for 20-30 minutes until the chocolate is hardened.


Pull it out and break into pieces and serve them up!

It goes so fast, and half of the time it takes to make is just freezer time! This makes a great dessert if you're having friends over, or you could take it as a hostess gift if you're the guest.

Now that I know how simple it is, I'll probably make it regularly, and maybe more often than just Christmas.

Do you ever make candy around the holidays? Or any other time of the year? Let me know! I'd love to know what your favorites are (and if there's anything else I should try!).

Thanks for stopping by!

As part of my 26 before 26 list, I wanted to try a new recipe every month for the next year!

I have so many recipes pinned on my Pinterest boards, and yet I still end up making the same things over and over again. Being in a food rut is such a hard thing to get out of, so I'm hoping that I will find some new favorites to add to my repertoire!

I tend to cook with chicken a lot, so I decided to make this first month a little easier by picking a chicken dish. This one is anything but typical though, and it was so full of flavor!

It's called chicken with honey-beer sauce, and what really drew me in (besides the beer...and the shallots) was the fact that the sauce also includes mustard!


I am a huge, HUGE mustard fan! So any recipe that incorporates that is a winner in my book.

Dane and I both really enjoyed this dish, and I think it has made it onto the roster!

So if you're looking for a way to jazz up your chicken, I recommend trying out this recipe. Check it out over at So How's It Taste? and give it a whirl :)


Thanks for stopping by!

Oh you guys! I have been meaning to share this recipe with you all for weeks now, and I am finally getting around to it! I would have to say that chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, and these are a good spin on a classic.

I found the original recipe over on A Beautiful Mess (those girls are just amazing, but you probably already knew that, because we all read their blog right? Right??), and with my dietary restrictions, I knew these were just up my alley.

I did, however, make a few adjustments to make them more to my taste, and to cut back on the sugar, and they turned out so good! The batter almost tastes like nutella, and everybody knows that it doesn't get much better than that.


FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: makes 20-22

1/2 c. almond butter
1/2 c. hazelnut butter
1/4 c. Splenda brown sugar blend (or your own blend/mix)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sugar free chocolate chips
Sea salt to sprinkle on top (optional)

Mix all together in a medium bowl, and drop spoonfuls onto your baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, and voila! You will have a delicious, gooey treat that goes perfectly with a glass of milk.

You just may want to wait a few minutes to let them cool though, you know, so you don't scorch all of your taste buds off ;) you will definitely want your tongue to be at full tasting capacity!


I like to buy my almond butter in bulk at Winco, so it saves me some money, and I also make my own hazelnut butter using a food processor. It's so simple, you just throw them in and grind until it's a nut butter consistency! The hazelnut butter mixed with the chocolate chips is what gives it that really good nutella-like flavor.

If you don't want to go the sugar substitute route, or you want to try different nut butters, check out the original recipe here. Trust me, even if you are an avid, bread-loving, carb-eater, you will not miss the flour in these cookies!

I hope you'll try these out, and that you enjoy them as much as I do (seriously, I can't stop making them!). Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

I seem to have a very bad habit of letting this little blog of mine just sit and collect dust!

I'm not one of those people who can just consistently knock out posts, especially when things get busy!

And things have been especially busy around here lately. A couple weeks ago, two of my little sisters had birthdays, and we went out of town to see our Oregon family for Thanksgiving. Then with work, and a bit of procrastination, all of a sudden we're two and a half weeks from Christmas, and I'm barely starting my shopping!

Of course, the glutton for punishment that I am, I decided to do a mostly home-made Christmas this year, which means that even though I did most of my shopping today, I still have to make all of said gifts.

Yeah. Wish me luck.

Anyway, it's also been weeks since I've been on here, and last I remember was that I promised to share my sister Tiffany's sweet 16!

I love, LOVE planning parties, probably more than I should. So, when she asked me if I would plan it for her, I obviously jumped at the chance!

Her favorite colors are teal and maroon, so to incorporate those colors, and the season, I thought plaid would be just the thing. So the theme was fall and plaid, even though there was snow outside at the time!




I made the cake, and I tried my hand at making my own fondant using this recipe. As far as fondant goes, I think it turned out pretty good! However, it was also my first time using fondant, and it definitely showed. They say practice makes perfect though, so I guess I'll just have to make a few more cakes!




I've been wanting an excuse to do a hot cocoa bar for years now, and I finally had the chance! This might have been my favorite thing from the party, and now I just want to do cocoa bars with every get together I have!



Next time I'm back on here, it will hopefully be to show off some of the sketches I've been working on lately, and some of the Christmas gifts I've made!

Thanks for stopping by!

I knew Dane would love something like this, because he's such an outdoorsy guy, and even if it was just camping in our backyard, he would really enjoy it! Plus, who doesn't love a good sheet/blanket fort?

I was so excited that I got started right away! I went to the store and bought all of my wood and supplies. I think I spent about twenty bucks on all of the stuff for the frame, which consisted of several lengths of 1x2 and 2x2 wood, some bolts, and a couple packages of rope. Everything else, like the lights and coverings, I already had. Most of my information came from a couple of tutorials, here and here.

Now, you can go as fancy or as simple as you want, and I went with very simple. My coverings just bed sheets, and they weren't really attached very well to my frame, just to each other (although that would have been helpful when the wind was blowing!). And I didn't use a dowel rod on the top like that first tutorial did, but in hind sight I think that was the way to go. Instead, I just used screws to attach one of my boards, and I ended up snapping one! It never fell down on us though, so I guess it worked just fine. Like I said, this is no tutorial. I am not a good enough craftsman for that! So, just refer to those links up there :)




For dinner I wanted to go with something light and easy, and I'm glad that I did! Setting up the tent took a lot time and energy, so when it came to the food, I didn't want to have to put a ton of work into it. I still wanted it to tasted good though, so I made some bruschetta with fresh tomatoes from the garden, basil, and fresh mozzarella! I also set out some pita chips and hummus, prosciutto, and a bag of assorted dark chocolates (because those are Dane's favorite!).

 So, besides the fact that I basically spilled the beans (twice! Both on the what and the when) Dane never knew exactly what I had up my sleeve, and he was very impressed with all that I did! We pretty much just hung out and did our usual thing, talking and watching netflix (because what's glam-ping without internet access?) but it was all the more special, because everything is better with twinkle lights!


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There seems to be a hint of fall in the air around here lately, and there are just no words to describe how excited that makes me! I'm starting to feel so refreshed and inspired!

I have a recipe to share today that has been one of my all time favorites, but now with a (healthy) twist! It's also a bit of a fall-ish recipe. So even though I meant to post it months ago, it just seems more fitting to do it now that things are cooling down.

I recently re-vamped my mom's apple cake recipe and made it a little more guilt-free! Now I know, cake is cake, but this is one you can feel a little better about. (Especially that second piece!) This was the cake I always requested on my birthday, and then several more times each year. So I thought, if I can eat it a little more often, and still feel good about what I'm putting in my body, then I would be one happy camper!
Bake| 350
Servings| 12

Ingredients

4 c peeled, chopped apples
1 c agave syrup or honey
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 c oil (any baking oil will do)
2 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped pecans (optional)

I'm Molly Mae, the voice over at MaeLiveFree, and I'm pretty excited to offer up some grade-A embarrassing story over here today! Lucky for me, and you, it's a love story too. This guest appearance came about in competition (which is actually pretty typical of me and Amy, as are embarrassing stories really). When I recommended choice literature for her to read, and then noticed that she was as unmotivated to read it as I was I said, "Hey, let's say whoever finishes first does a post for the other?" She agreed.

Amy and I go a long way back! We met on my second day of school in Marsing, that little town in Idaho she loves, when we were ten year olds. She was my first best friend in that new school. Then my nemesis, and back and forth it went all the way to graduation. We were pretty similar, both oldest siblings, both loved reading and singing cheesy pop music, both highly opinionated, both royal pains I'm sure as well... We could have been a great pair of friends if we didn't insist on butting heads, and when we were, we were. For some reason though, we couldn't resist a little competition. During the times we got along we had a lot of fun, like at our 8th grade basketball season end party (it's still weird that I ever played basketball) when we were in this weird and apparently hilarious competition of offensive and non-sensical words with Cera and Danielle at a Chinese restaurant. We've also witnessed some embarrassing moments of each other's.  Like me tripping up the stairs at the basketball game we went to at the same party, and tearing my shin up. Or when Amy forgot the words to her solo at one of our Christmas concerts... In the spirit of our history, and her penchants for sharing embarrassing stories here that's what I want to share with you (her awesome readers) today.

On June 7, 2009, I met this random stranger of a guy on facebook (Myspace was losing steam). He sent me a friend request and I accepted just so I could look at his private profile and write him off as a creep...and instead my curiosity was piqued. I thought there was a really good chance that I could love him. Crazy, I know. Especially considering I had just broken off my engagement with my high school sweetheart. Even more so because I had decided that I was really thrilled at the prospect of self-exploration. I told my mom maybe the DAY BEFORE that I would never date someone I met on the internet...then he showed up. It was the worst timing for romance too! My dad had just moved out, and my great grandma was in bad shape with dementia in a nursing home. But for some reason I felt so compelled to know this guy, so I called him out, and messaged him saying that we could be friends as long as he actually wanted to socialize. He thought my initiative was charming and eloquent, so we started talking, via message and text, and I knew I was in trouble! We texted almost non-stop for two days, he stayed up late to talk to me while I stayed up for 64 hours straight in the nursing home leading up to my grandma's passing. Then we decided to meet. He drove 26 miles to pick me up for our first date (I didn't have a car or license at 19!) and when I let him in the door my heart hit the roof. I KNEW that he was my life from that moment on, it was like I'd been hit by a speeding train, and that he had a specific gravitational pull that affected only me. It was the craziest. When we got in his truck he said I smelled delicious and I giggled because my perfume was DKNY Be Delicious.


Fast forward through half a day spent at his apartment just talking like old friends and watching a movie...I meet his roomate, and then his best friend and his girlfriend. The two latter, this fella, and myself decide to go out to his favorite sushi restaurant for dinner. I'm equal parts excited and mortified. I had always wanted to try sushi, but I wasn't the biggest fan of seafood. So off we went in his truck, onto the freeway, when he realized he forgot his wallet. His best friend laughed and remarked on how common that was, and we exited to go back and get it. We arrive at the sushi restaurant and the gentlemen proceed to do the ordering, they know what's good, I trust them. The sushi arrives and we share 4 rolls. Thing to note: I've never REALLY used chopsticks before, so they give me a lesson. I managed to grab a piece of the Spicy Hawaiian roll and bring it to my mouth. Everyone is talking and carrying on, and I'm trying to figure out how to eat it without looking gross or stupid because it's huge! I decide to bite off half of it and the whole thing starts crumbling like a old house being demolished. My mouth is full, and I'm helpless, and suddenly all eyes are on me... I quickly bring my free hand up to cover my mouth and attempt to chew and push the rest into my mouth while they are looking at me: one smugly, one laughing, and one acting like nothing is happening. The latter being my date thank God, he doesn't seem like I've embarrassed him. The good news is that it was delicious, and also that it wasn't the last date like I feared.

We were pretty much inseparable after that first date, I practically lived at his apartment at least half of the week until I did move in, in October. Somewhere in that still-dating-and-not-yet-one-hundred-percent-comfortable stage we were out at KFC eating lunch, those bowls with mashed potatoes, corn, chicken, cheese, and gravy AKA failure piles in a sadness bowl (forgive the strong language, but watch it, do it). We were sitting in a booth, facing each other, and talking about something that I was apparently excited about and I had set my plastic spork down in the bowl to talk with my hands. Are you starting to see the danger here? No, read on...at some point my hand started to come down, hovering somewhere above the spork for a split second (imagine this scene in slow motion, it's best) before coming down and scattering flinging the heck out of mashed potatoes all over me, my face, the table, and probably across the restaurant, but none on my laughing boyfriend. Some guys might have up and run out on a girl then, or grabbed me and got me out of there fast, but he didn't. If I hadn't already known he was the one, I would have learned it then.

As if those two ugly faced, slobby food scenarios weren't bad enough, things like this happen with me all the time...dipping my hair in farina, slopping coffee all over my face and chest, dropping a glob of ketchup on my swaddled nursing newborn, etc. Even today! After spending 10 minutes hand grinding coffee beans for my aeropress coffee, I set out to remove the bottom canister of the hand grinder and dropped the grounds all over the floor. This time my now husband was covered in my shame as well, standing a little too close when it happened.

I'm lucky to have such a soul to witness my awkward encounters though, and reminded of this everyday. He wrote in his wedding vows that it wasn't despite things like me flinging mashed potatoes in my face that he loved me, but because of them. If that's not a victory for the grace challenged like myself, then I don't know what is.


Thanks for having me here! Maybe I'll see you around my corner of the internet sometime. ;)

As some of you may or may not have noticed, I added Dane's and my love story to my pages. Because I'm sure you were all waiting on pins and needles for it! I actually really enjoy reading about other people's love stories. How they met, what all went down. There are some really sweet ones out there! So, if you're interested in reading about how an Idaho girl fell in love with an Oregon boy, check it out.

In honor of me finally posting that, I wanted to share another special gem with you all! It's the story of the most unforgettable anniversary we've ever had! (And not for the reasons some of you may be thinking).

It was our second wedding anniversary. We decided to stay close to home, and just go out for a romantic dinner. We chose a restaurant a little further away than normal, and a little more expensive too!

Fun fact, it was so expensive that I decided to buy the gift card pack from Costco. Yeah.

I remember really looking forward to it, because even though we went on date nights a lot, I'd heard a lot of good things about the restaurant. You could even buy cigars from them and smoke on the deck off of the lounge! If that is not the epitome of classiness, I just don't know what is.

For the most part, everything was going great! The food was delicious, and since I had gotten a 20% savings on the gift card, we decided to order appetizers, as well as entrees. Big spenders over here, look out! As a result, we decided to opt out of dessert. Fast forward to the end of our meal (where I had finished off ALL of my food), and the staff decided to surprise us! In honor of our anniversary, they gave us a free dessert. It even came with a little card, signed by all of them. It was very sweet!

The dessert was just as good as the rest of the food. It was a delicious peach cobbler, with cinnamon and nutmeg. So, so good. So good, that I didn't stop eating, even though I was so stuffed! This was the start of my problem.

After we finished, we left the restaurant. I remember feeling like I hadn't ate that much food in a long, long time. And that I probably didn't need to eat ever again! We were both in minor food comas, and we just wanted to go home and go to bed. Just a few minutes after we started driving, it happened.

"It" would be the weirdest burp/cough thing in the world, which resulted in my vomiting all over myself!

I was horrified! And covered. My hands, my lap, my purse. All covered in regurgitated peach cobbler.

I'm sure you are wondering what exactly in the world happened, so let me explain. Dane likes to make fun of me and say that I over ate to the point of throwing up, but I don't think that was  know that wasn't the case!

We've all had that moment where you burp after a meal, and a little bit comes up into your throat. Don't act like you've never done it. It is so gross, and super unpleasant when it happens! Body fluids are supposed to stay in their designated spot, darn it!

So, this was just that. Whenever I burped, I felt some of that dessert start to come up with it! In that same split second, before I could do anything to stop it, I coughed! That projected everything that was in my throat, up into my mouth! It happened so fast, that there was no time for me to try to control anything!

You can only imagine how disgusting it was. Here I am, covered in my own vomit, gagging, nothing to clean up with, and the car was filled with the smell! Puke and nutmeg. Obviously it took a while to be able to eat nutmeg again.

Dane was freaking out, and so was I. It was a very miserable 30 minute drive home. It was cold, so I wanted the heater on. Which only pushed the smell right at us (and you would think it couldn't have smelled any worse!), so Dane had the windows rolled down. We were both so miserable!

Needless to say, it did not turn out to be the romantic night I envisioned, but it does make for one heck of a story! Hopefully my misery has made you laugh, because that's the only thing that makes these kinds of stories worth it!

And, for the sake of everyone, always burp with care!

One more quick note! I recently had a great opportunity come my way, that I'm so excited to share with you all! It may or may not even come with a giveaway.....
So keep on the look out for it in the near future! 

1. I've started eating a lot healthier this week, and training for my 5k run has officially started! So, needless to say, I'm feeling really good! It's amazing what cleaner eating and regular exercise can do for my body. Whenever I'm doing it, I can't imagine why I would ever stop!
2. I won another giveaway! I know, what's up with that? Two in two weeks, man I'm feeling lucky! Maybe it's time to head to the casino, eh? Anyway, this one was for two pairs of earrings from Thrifty Girls Get Deals, and it was hosted by the amazing Heather, of Bumblebee! She is just too cute, and I love her blog, so if you don't already follow her, please do! You won't regret it!
3. This week has been okay in the weather department, but the forecast for the weekend is sun! We're going to be having our first barbecue of the weekend at my in-law's house on Sunday. I can't wait!
4. I finally figured out how to make my first blog button, complete with grab box! I'm slowly getting the hang of some of this techy stuff, and I'm liking it a lot! I'm also working on a sponsor page, and soon I'll be ready to start swapping buttons. I'll be sure to let you know when it's up and running!
5. All day at school on Thursday, kids were asking me how old I was. Not in a "wow, you're old" kind of way, but in a "are you old enough to be a teacher" kind of way. You see, this elementary has high school students come in and help out as aides, and the kids constantly think I'm one of them. I had kids ask if I was a college student (which, I guess, I could be), how old I was, and how long I've been a teacher! It made for a fun day, but hey! I'm still old enough that hearing how young I look comes across as a compliment!

1. I've been super sore all week! I guess that's what I get for not seriously working out in the last six months. Hopefully it won't be too long before it clears up!
2. I just cannot seem to keep up on laundry these days! I'm constantly behind, and even though I'll almost catch up every week, I never quite make it. Then, next thing I know, another week's gone by and I'm out of everything! Then it's back at it, fighting with that overflowing hamper. It never ends! Oh, and don't even get me started on the pile on the floor of my laundry room. You know, those things that aren't essentials, like random socks, towels, guest room bedding. They don't seem to be going anywhere, but I know that I will feel so, so much better when I finally get around to getting them all done!

So, I've thought about posting a recipe for a while now, but I didn't know what I would post! I wanted to post something original, but I've just been feeling so uninspired in the kitchen lately. And by lately, I mean the last year or two! I seem to remember a time when I made a lot of good food, and I was really into trying new recipes! I don't know what happened, but now every time dinner rolls around, it just feels like a chore. I put it off because I don't know what to make, I ho and hum and mope around, and then I end up with either a boring chicken breast/side of veggie, or the always popular, but super unhealthy, meat and potatoes combo! Plus, it's eight o'clock, and Dane's been hungry for a couple hours. Housewife fail!

I did get a little more inventive a couple of months ago, when I was going through my low-carb kick. I had to be a little more creative to come up with filling, healthy veggie dishes, and I ended up coming up with a couple of low-carb soups! One in particular, the broccoli cheese, has been sounding crazy good lately (probably because I've been sick) and I decided I couldn't wait any longer, I had to make some!

Then I decided I should share it with you all!

I usually am not much of a recipe follower, so a lot of the times I make something up, I can't hardly recreate it. This soup was so easy though, I could remember pretty much all of it. I decided to actually write down everything I did this time, and then tweak it to make it turn out even better! It is so simple, and it doesn't take very long. Plus, did I mention, there's only six ingredients?

Here's what you're going to need:

2 tablespoons of butter or oil
1 medium onion
1 head of cauliflower
6-7 cups of chicken broth
5-6 cups of broccoli
5 cups of cheddar cheese
1 cup of milk (optional)
salt and pepper to taste




I used a six quart, enamel covered cast iron pot, but any large heavy duty pot should do the trick. Start off by chopping your onion and cauliflower. Melt your butter over medium heat, and add your onion. You want to saute it for about five to ten minutes, until it softens. They should go from something like this:



Meanwhile, rinse your cauliflower and add it to your pot. Then, add your broth.