Day 239: The best breakfast cookie with oatmeal and chocolate chips

After perusing Pinterest for the best, yet easiest breakfast cookie recipe, I threw these ingredients together.  The results were surprisingly good!  These breakfast cookies are moist and chewy, and perfect for small toddler hands.  I plan on sending my three year old off with a few of these in his school lunch!  

One thing is that I keep my ripe bananas in the freezer.  I leave them out to thaw for about 30 minutes.  They become soft yet cold which makes the dough tougher and less runny.  Something to consider in getting such a nice shape and consistency for the cookies.

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas

1 cup oats

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2.  Put all the ingredients in a mixer.  

3.  Roll into balls and flatten.  They should be about the size of a silver dollar.  Place them on a greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned.

Makes 16 cookies.

Day 238: Lily Pulitzer Agenda

This September I am not just a mom, but I am a school mom.  At first I was excited because it meant I would only have to take care of one child for six hours a day.  But then I thought of all the parental responsibilities.  I don't want to be that mom who forgets that it's dress up day, and sends her kid in their regular school clothes.  

To keep track of the many dates and field trips and parent/teacher conferences I bought a fun agenda on Amazon from Lilly Pulitzer.  I am usually a fan of Kate Spade, but I couldn't resist the detail and organization of this handy little book.  These are the features that I like:

- a 17 month agenda that starts in August 2015

- helpful tabs on the side to easily access each month

- stickers to add a festive touch on holidays

- plenty of space to write in daily notes

- month-at-a-glance grids to keep track of big events

- bright colors, artwork, and text

- a special section to help plan your next adventure

- and did I mention, stickers!

Find this gem on Amazon in a variety of colors and start planning away!

Lilly Pulitzer 17 month agenda, "Lilly's Lagoon" ~ $28 on Amazon.com

Day 237: Keeping track of how much water you are drinking

We all know that getting an adequate amount of hydration daily can help with a number of things including weight loss, preventing headaches, and keeping you regular.  A big challenge for me is making sure that I get enough water during the day.  I've tried a number of methods - keeping track of it on my Fitbit, making a note in my calendar, carrying around a water bottle, keeping a mental note - but none of these methods worked.  So while starting my morning with a big glass of water, I thought I would give this a try.  

I have these chalkboard labels from Martha Stewart that have come in quite handy in organizing my kitchen.  I cut a label into a square and stuck it on a 16 oz water glass.  My goal is to drink six of these babies a day (roughly 3 liters).  It works when I'm at home which is where I drink most of my water.  My husband pointed out that it might come out in the dishwasher.  I can always use chalkboard paint on a cup, just in case this method does work!    

Day 236: Life is...

Lately, it seems as if my life at home is spent either packing and unpacking bags.  After a summer of travel, and lengthy midnight discussions involving intricate flight itineraries, and hotel accommodations, we just finalized a three week trip in the fall.  I'm not complaining of course, but it reminds me of the old John Lennon quote, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."  My version would be more like, "Life is what happens when you're busy making travel plans!"  

Day 231: 15 minute pasta sauce...that doesn't come in a jar

Last night I was struggling to find something to make for dinner.  I had a pack of whole wheat rotini, and a can of whole tomatoes.  Together, with a few other staple ingredients I was able to make something quick and easy for my whole family to enjoy.  Yes, it was just pasta and sauce, but I made the sauce myself instead of breaking into my emergency stash of jarred pasta sauce.  The real thing has more depth of flavor, and tastes amazingly good!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic

1 green onion

15 oz can of whole tomatoes

basil

oregano

red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz package of pasta 

parmesan cheese (to sprinkle afterwards)

1.  Start boiling water, with a dash of salt.  When water comes to a boil, put in pasta until it is no longer al dente (about 10-15 minutes).

2.  Slice up the green onion, and mince or crush the garlic.  Heat the oil on low to medium in a pan, sauting the green onion and garlic.  Add tomatoes and stir.  

3.  Reduce to a simmer.  Add the basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.  Drain the pasta, and add to the pan with the sauce.  Stir under low heat.  Serve immediately, with parmesan to sprinkle on top.

You can use whole tomatoes if you like.  Just put them under hot water for about 10 minutes, until the skin is soft and can be easily removed.  I used a green onion, because I happened to have it on hand, but if I didn't I would have used about 1/4 cup of sliced yellow or red onions.  I'm a fan of using what you have!  For the spices, I used a few dashes of the basil and oregano.  Hard to quantify, but if you are unsure just add a little at a time tasting in between.  I also added a dash of red pepper flakes for some spice, but you can leave that out.

As with any pasta sauce, adding veggies or ground meat can be added.  I have found on many occasions this pasta sauce really doesn't need much.  The tomatoes give it a nice hearty taste, without being too heavy.

Enjoy!

Day 230: Book club selection!

In an effort to read more, I started a book club!  Our first selection is a lengthy one - Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch.  This Pulitzer Prize winning novel stretches to almost 800 (!) pages but I'm hoping to have some meaningful discussions about it.  More to come after I finish...

Day 229: Hit the barre!

Today I discovered barre3.  I've taken barre classes before, but never something online or through a video (or without a barre!).  Founder and instructor Sadie Lincoln uses a simple kitchen counter to go through a sequence of moves that not only breaks a sweat, but tones your butt and thighs.  If you think by looking at this video it looks easy, trust me, it is a challenge!  One that I intend to take tomorrow!

Check out this video which is a 10-minute barre exercise that you can do every morning in your kitchen.  If you like what you see, you can find a barre3 studio near you, or join on-line to continue the workouts from the comfort of your own home!

Founder and instructor Sadie Lincoln.

Day 215: Another preview of India trip!

I am in love with these cushions!  Another find on my trip to India!  The red gives such a pop of color on the dreary grey.  It compliments my couch fabulously.  The bigger one has a vespa on it, and the smaller one has two rickshaws on it.  I have another bigger one with a red bicycle (not pictured).  Such good quality, and the prices they were at, they really were a steal.  And did I mention I love them???

Check them out at www.masalaworks.com

Masala Works cushion covers.