Valentine Cake Pops

How adorable are these cake pops!? Seriously, what a yummy bouquet of sweet goodness! I'm sure many of you have heard of these infamous "cake pops" as they've become quite the rage, but just in case you haven't - we wanted to share a quick "how to" on our blog! The great thing about these cute lil' treats is that you can be as creative as you'd like and decorate them to your heart's desire. Kids and adults alike will fall in LOVE with them!


What you will need: 1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake) 1 can frosting (16 oz.) Wax paper Chocolate of your choice for dipping -white, dark, etc. Lollipop sticks *Sprinkles, hearts, etc.

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
4. Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
6. Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
7. Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.

So what will it be? Double chocolate, Strawberry Vanilla, Red Velvet, German Chocolate, Lemon, Carrot Cake - the possibilities are endless!! Mmmm, can't you just taste them now!!
**These would make a great gift - for a teacher, students, party favors, centerpiece, etc.


Stay tuned for more Valentine's Day ideas!!

~Lauren

Homemade Granola!!

I'm not sure how many of you enjoy granola, but I sure do! I love to make homemade yogurt parfaits, layering yogurt, fresh fruit and granola. Mmmmm!
However, it can be so difficult to find a healthy, inexpensive granola. Have you had that problem as well? It's either incredibly expensive, or it has all kinda of extra ingredients that I really don't want in my granola.
My sister just started a food blog. You really should check it out. She's an amazing cook and aspiring chef, lots of great meal ideas! You can visit her blog here. :-) On this blog she has the following recipe for "Honey Nut Granola". I'm going to share it with you here, if you promise to go visit her blog. Ok, well I'll share it anyway. ;-D


HONEY NUT GRANOLA

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup cashews

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

½ cup peanut butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tea cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1 cup craisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine honey, peanut butter, oil, cinnamon and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and crasins/cranberries and mix until evenly distributed. Serve with your favorite yogurt and fruit!

I recently made this recipe while I had company and I must say, it was quite a hit with them! Not to mention, it makes your entire house smell SO good! My guests chose to just snack on it as is and loved it!

The great thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it to match your taste! If you're allergic to peanut butter, simply omit it. If you'd rather omit the nuts for extra fruit- do it! Like coconut? Add it to the recipe! There are so many ways to make a satisfying homemade granola - be creative! Save money and enjoy this delicious recipe with the peace of mind knowing exactly what's in it.


~Lauren

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

**Picture above is a baby at 13wks in the womb.

Psalm 139: 13-14 "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

Our baby is 13 wks and yesterday my husband and I had the privilege of listening to his tiny heartbeat. What a special moment it was for us both! I couldn't help but think about how this tiny precious life was formed by God himself, and we were listening to the heartbeat of our little miracle.We even were able to record it!!! Click below to listen to our sweet baby's heartbeat!!

Jeremiah 1:5a "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; "

People try to say that a baby in the womb is simply a "fetus" but the Bible is clear that life in the womb begins at conception. As I experience all the joys of pregnancy, I realize all the more how from very early on, our baby is cognitive of things around him. At 13 weeks, our baby already has fingerprints, can curl his toes, make sucking movements, and if I push on my belly, he can even squirm in response (though I can't feel it yet). The verses above prove that each one of us are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. What an amazing thought!

This "Thankful Thursday" I'm praising the Lord for how He cares enough about each one of us to form us in His image. He didn't just carelessly form us, but rather fearfully and wonderfully He designed us. I'm also praising Him for this little one I'm carrying, and so thankful to have heard our baby's heartbeat. I don't take that for granted.

~Lauren

MM:"Prayer, Our Time Saver"

Ephesians 5:15-16 "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

I heard a great message yesterday that I thought I would share as this weeks Monday Meditation.

Dr. Charles F. Stanley, a true man of God, is just an amazing preacher. I love to hear him speak. He lets God lead Him, and it is very evident.

His message this week, "Prayer, Our Time Saver", was so good. Just what I needed to hear.

If any of the following apply to you--this is a must see/read...

1) Do you feel like you never have enough time?

2) Are you making the most of your life, and fulfilling God's plans for you?

3) Why is prayer vital for a Christian?

To read the outline of this message, see here.

To see the sermon, (at least this week) see here.

Also, to see more from Dr. Charles F. Stanley, visit InTouch.org . There is tons of great information, great sermons, great Bible studies, and great resources available there.

Now, hold don to your pants--cause this is some good stuff! : D

~Page

YUMMY Spaghetti Make Over

One thing I absolutely love to do is cook and play with food! You know, healthy food doesn't just always equal cold salads and high fiber... : ) Not that there's anything wrong with salads--in the right hands anyways--but that's another post, another day... : D

But anyways, the other night I had a serious hankin' for something warm and cozy to eat... Soup? No... I don't want soup. Then what else? "Comforting foods" tend to be... well, carbolicious and calorific to say the least! So what did I come up with? Oh--you're gonna love this...

So here's what you're gonna need:

Squash

Zucchini

Onion, optional

Mushrooms, optional

Your fave, HEALTHY, spaghetti sauce

Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese

Step 1.

Beginning Note: I love pasta. But what girl doesn't? : ) Anyways--being on a GF diet (Gluten Free) changes what you think about pasta. There are lots of versions of GF pasta--all still yummy. So, give them a try! But, I was going for something a lot lighter and less calorie laden... Now, back to recipe...

Decide how to cut your squash and zucchini. Think--how do I like my pasta?

Here's a few options to choose from:

This is my personal favorite... Julienned, nice, long, and thin. Even looks like spaghetti noodles--yeah?

Step 2:

Sautee your chosen veggies.

I chose squash, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms. (I've also done this with just squash and zucchini, too. Still extremely good. Maybe next time I'll add some julienned carrots? We'll see...)

Sautee in some olive oil and salt--Just enough to get it to the right texture for you. I like mine with some bite to it--which also makes the sauté time minimal.

Step 3.

Add your HEALTHY sauce.

This can be done in the same skillet as your veggies, to save time and dishes. Or separately, so one can choose the amount of sauce they prefer.

Side note about sauces: PLEASE READ THE INGREDIENTS! They can be full of all sorts of not healthy things! My personal fave sauce is Earth Fare Organic Portabella Mushroom Pasta Sauce. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good--very healthy. Love!

Step 4.

Eat.

Come on, now. That looks extremely delicious! You know it! ; )

Top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Now, salivate all you want--then go get the ingredients to try this dish out!

Calories in 1 c. cooked yellow squash: 36

Calories in 1 c. cooked zucchini: 38

Calories in 1/2 c. of Earth Fare Sauce: 60

Calories in 1 Tbs. of Parmesan: 22

Calories in 1 Tbs. of Olive Oil: 120

And if you eat it all: 276 total.

Quick, easy, and so healthy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : D Yeah!!!!!!!!!

~Page