Flourless, Eggless, Sugarless, Delicous!

This recipe is slightly modified based on http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html . I was very skeptical of this recipe. How can these cookies not have sugar in them and still taste good? For those of you who don't know, I take a lot of pride in feeding my family all natural foods including very limited sweets. I must confess, despite being a "health nut" , I have an incredible sweet tooth! Needless to say, I had to give these cookies a try. The end result is outstanding. The coconut brings a great texture that compliments the heartiness of the oats while the chocolate chips add the perfect amount of sweetness.

Here is the recipe below:

Enjoy!

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)

2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Marveling Her Beauty

How can I not marvel in my daughter's beauty? She is beautiful! I get told by so many people how beautiful she is, and of course it makes me proud and happy to hear those comments and yet I also think to myself, "you don't even know her. You don't know how beautiful she is." I pray that Sophia does not grow up in a world that praises her for her outer beauty. I pray that she is praised for her kindness and her goodness. As her mother, I will always marvel in her beauty because she is especially beautiful to me. I felt her before any other human did. It was me that her little legs kicked and it was me who felt her hiccups before she came into this world. Each and everyday she lights me up, and that is something to marvel about.

Let There Be Grass!!!!

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! We have our very own backyard! I can't believe it has been a year since we bought our house. Our first plan of action was to put up a patio cover and lay cement, which we were able to do last summer. Our budget quickly ran out, and therefore we had to wait on the grass. One year later we are finally able to have a huge, beautiful lawn and the three of us are loving it!

I Love My Life!

What a beautiful and blessed life I have! My parents' birthdays are both at the end of March and this year my siblings and I decided it was time to take matters into our own hands and throw them a party. I was in charge on the cupcakes and appetizers, my brothers were in charge of grilling, my wonderful husband entertained Sophia while all this took place, and my sister and her husband hosted the party. It was really rewarding to do something so thoughtful for my parents after all they have done for us! The party was a huge success. What a great blessing to have all of us together at one time. It sure doesn't happen very often. The pictures of James and I were taken in Flagstaff. We were fortunate enough to get a weekend away in mid March thanks to my amazing mom watching Sophia. It was our first time away from her overnight and it was wonderful to have such quality time with the man I love. I really do love my life!

Counting My Blessings

Being a mother is so rewarding and so terrifying at the same time. The love that a mother feels for her child can only be compared to the love that Christ feels for each of us. I would do ANYTHING for Sophia. We had our first real scare with her last weekend. We took her to her new pediatrician for a well visit on Ash Wednesday and she insisted on giving her 3 vaccinations although I was hesitant. For the next 3 nights Sophia was running a fever and was acting tired and sick. We tried to let the fever run its course until it spiked to 105 Saturday night while I was at work and James was out of town. Luckily my mom was watching Sophia and we were able to rush her to the ER. I have never been more terrified since having Sophia. I was holding her outside the hospital singing to her out loud and praying out loud that God would heal my little girl. People must have thought I was crazy, but I needed those prayers to be heard. I did not know the severity of the temperature. For all I knew, my daughter was on her way to becoming brain dead. I was hysterical, although I tried to stay strong for Sophia. We were able to bring her fever down with meds and the doctor told me that I had done the right thing by not giving her Tylenol when the fever was under 100. I know that I overreacted in this situation, but that's what motherhood has done to me. It breaks my heart to know that my child ever has to experience even the slightest amount of pain. I don't know if overloading Sophia with vaccinations is what caused the temperature, but I do not that in the future I will be assertive when it comes to defending what I believe is best for my children.

Pizza Pizzaz!

Lets Go For a Walk...

Sophia always amazes me by her interpretation of things that I say. Yesterday was no exception. After several cold and rainy days, the sun was finally out so I thought it would be a great day for a walk. I asked Sophia if she wanted to go for a walk with the stroller. Her interpretation of this was not quite what I had in mind, but we had fun taking her bear for a walk nonetheless!