Apple Cinnamon & Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bites

I am continuing to make protein bites as a healthy snack option for my family.  I shared our recipe for 10 Ingredient Protein Bites in January.  I used the same base recipe this month and changed up the add ins.  We loved the new flavors we came up with.  The recipes are easy and the whole family enjoys snacking on them.  Fletcher and I usually work on these together.  The recipes are kid friendly and just take

 Apple Cinnamon Protein Bites //

1 c quick cook oats

1/2 c ground flax seed

1/8 c chia seeds

1 c peanut butter

1/2 c honey

dash of salt 

2 t cinnamon (double the amount in the usual base recipe)

2 t vanilla

1/2 an apple finely grated (we used a Honey Crisp apple and left on the peeling and use the apple juice that was with the grated apple) 

Directions: Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.  Add the add ins last.  Refrigerate 30-60 minutes and then roll into balls.  Keep refrigerated.  I keep mine in this large measuring bowl with a lid.  Perfect for snacks, adding to school lunches or for breakfast on the go.

 Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bites //

1 c quick cook oats

1/2 c ground flax seed

1/8 c chia seeds

1 1/2  c peanut butter (more than the usual base recipe)

3/4  c honey (more than the usual base recipe)

dash of salt 

1 t cinnamon

2 t vanilla

1 T cocoa powder

*This would be a fun recipe to try using crunchy peanut butter or mini chocolate chips!

Directions: Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.  Add the add ins/chocolate last.  Refrigerate 30-60 minutes and then roll into balls.  Keep refrigerated.  I keep mine in this large measuring bowl with a lid.  Perfect for snacks, adding to school lunches or for breakfast on the go.

We loved these new varieties of protein bites!  I'm going to keep trying new protein bite recipes and I'll share a new protein bite recipe in March.

Super Snowy Favorites

I'm coming to you today from Central Indiana with about 12 inches of snow on the ground!

We haven't had this kind of snow in years.

We had frigid temps, travel advisories and haven't left the house since early this week.  The kids have been out of school all week long.  We've been comfy and cozy at home and I'm so thankful for that.  Olive was hoping to get to go back to school because virtual learning means a packet of boring worksheets.  No comparison to in person school.

Have you seen all of the crazy winter weather that is hitting Texas so hard??  It's heartbreaking.  I've checked in with my many of my Texas friends and they're all just hanging on for warmer temps to come their way.  The destruction, burst pipes, frozen homes, fires, loss of life and many homes left without power indefinitely or only getting power for short bursts of time is hard to understand.  Praying for all of them to get help and relief ASAP.

All of my favorites for this week are going to be SNOWY favorites.

We all love the snow.  I think you can tell.  I think I am going to frame some of my favorite snowy pictures so I can put them out every January/February. 

Sunset on a fun day in the snow.

 

Here's how the week started:  We got a couple inches of snow on Monday.

Then we woke up to TONS of snow on Tuesday.  We bundled up and headed outside.  Kevin's classes were all moved to Zoom for the day and the whole city was under a travel advisory.  It was fun to be home together.  The temps were dangerously cold.  The temp was 8 and felt like negative 8.  We didn't stay outside long.

 Batches of hot chocolate //

I realized it would be easier to make a pitcher of hot chocolate instead of individual cups.  It worked great!  We enjoyed hot chocolate every afternoon.

Fun Food // We ate snowmen for lunch.

Snow Jewels //

I made two trays of water + food coloring to make the kids some snow jewels.  They had a lot of fun playing with them in the snow.  And it was SO cold that they have lasted all week long outside.

Snowman Art //

We used our oil pastels to make some really cute snowman art.  Is there anything better than fresh art supplies?!?  We did one step at a time - all the bodies, arms, hats, noses, faces, etc.  They turned out so cute.  We also gave the baby all the snacks while we did the art project.

BIG Sledding Hill //

Kevin surprised us and came home from work early yesterday.  He told the big kids to bundle up because they were going sledding.  He wanted to take them to a BIG hill.  We've got a park nearby that is a sledding hot spot.  I bundled them up and off they went.  Kev surprised me with pictures of their big adventures, videos and I got a Facetime call when they were taking a break.  He said they did great.  They all loved it.  Olive came home needing an ice pack and Fletcher told me he was a "Daring Devil!" on his sled.  haha

Penny & Pearl //

The kittens were sure what to think about all this snow!  Leo loved looking out the windows with them.

All things SNOW //

We made snow angels, tunnels, sledding and more.  We had the best time playing in the snow together.

We had enough snow to build a sledding hills off two sides of the deck.

Leo LOVED sledding and being in the snow as long as it was 20+ degrees out.  He was wearing tons of layers.

Sledding together.

The big kids dug tunnels and Leo didn't hesitate to crawl right through.  He wants to do everything Olive and Fletcher do.

Impressive tunneling.

Look how deep the snow was when Leo was crawling.  I kept trying to pick him up and that would make him cry.  Little snow baby!

I hope you're somewhere warm, safe and cozy this weekend.

Linking up with Momfessionals

White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Homemade Mac & cheese is one of my very favorite foods.

And my family does not care for it.  So rude!  They'll tolerate boxed mac & cheese, but that's about it.

I rarely make the homemade stuff for just me.  

I saw this recipe on Momfessional's blog last week - White Cheddar Mac & Cheese - and knew I had to try it ASAP.  I couldn't wait to try it.  White Cheddar cheese is our favorite; we always have a block of it in the fridge.  I figured this recipe would be fine to cut in half and work for just me over several days.

I made a few adjustments to the recipe.

Here's my version that makes 9x9 pan of mac & cheese.

Ingredients:

1/2 a box of pasta (any shape - I used gemelli pasta)

3 T butter

2/8 c flour

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 c 2% milk

2 cups freshly grated sharp white cheddar

Directions: (I used Momfessional's directions!)

Cook pasta and drain.  Melt butter, add in flour and dry seasonings.  Slowly pour in milk and stir.  Keep stirring until the liquid thickens.  Bring to a boil and stir in grated cheese.  Stir until all the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the cooked pasta and toss to coat.  Serve!

I LOVED this mac & cheese and hope you do, too!

This would be the perfect side for any grilled meat, chicken or it was delicious all on its own.

Fondue Board

I left you with a teaser yesterday - check back tomorrow for our Fondue Board.  It's here!

I wanted to surprise my family with fondue for Valentine's Day.  I wanted to make it simple and delicious and also easy to prep in advance.  It all worked out perfectly for this fondue board.

My family declared it was the "BEST DESSERT EVER!!" and I'd have to agree.  We all enjoyed it.  Kevin and I used to love going on fancy dates to The Melting Pot a million years ago before we had kids.  This dessert was a fun nod to that memory for us.

I included our favorite dippers - berries, grapes, Rice Krispie Treats, big marshmallows, pretzel sticks, chocolate Teddy Grahams, Oreos and three kinds of chocolates.  I wish I could have found plain cheesecake bites, but I could not.

It was very easy and very quick to assemble.

I didn't go overboard with every possible dipper I could find.  I just grabbed a handful of each of our favorite things.  Most were pantry staples plus some fresh fruit.

Tips:

1. 3 Chocolate options seemed perfect - milk chocolate, white chocolate & Reese's Cup Chocolate.  I used up some unopened Easter bunnies to melt for the milk chocolate, white Almond Bark for the white chocolate and then melted a handful of Reese's cups + a big scoop of crunchy peanut butter for the Reese's Cup chocolate.  The Reese's chocolate was the overwhelming favorite.

2. The favorite dippers were Rice Krispie Treats, Strawberries and pretzel sticks.

3. You can chop everything in advance and pop it in the fridge.  I melted all my chocolates in the afternoon.  Refrigerated my board and then popped each bowl in the microwave for 1 minute when we were ready to eat.  I took the board out to warm up when we sat down for dinner.  Then when it was time for dessert I warmed up the chocolates.  They all stayed melted enough for us to enjoy our entire dinner.  Spoiler: You don't have to have a fancy fondue pot to make this board happen.

4. Give everyone a fork to help dip things like strawberries or marshmallows and a plate to set their food on. Napkins were also a must because kids + fondue are a little messy 

Enjoy!!  We'll definitely be doing this again soon!
 

What dippers would you include on your fondue board?

Valentines Weekending

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day with your people.  We ate good food, had good times and so thankful that kid's got to do Valentine's Day with their friends at school.  My favorite thing we've done this month is me leaving Olive, Fletcher & Kevin little loves notes on their bedroom doors.  They find their new note when they wake up and they each loved reading a new lovely thing about themselves to start the day.

I made a Valentine charcuterie board.  I think it was my best yet - a salami rose, lots of red and pink foods, valentine treats, heart food picks and all of our usual board favorites.  My family LOVED it.

I snapped some cute pictures of the kids.  These emoji masks have been so much fun.  I picked them up a couple of years ago and they worked great to celebrate Leo's 1st Valentine's Day.  Mister Irresistible.

All three kids decked out in their Valentine's Day best.  Olive lost another tooth this weekend.  That makes for 3 lost teeth in 2021.  She's keeping the tooth fairy BUSY.

I surprised the kids with an after school snack of valentine donuts from their favorite Square Donuts on Friday.  They turned out so cute.  The heart donuts were so big that they could only eat half.  I opted for my favorite - lemon square donut and got Kevin an icing filled long john.

We sent in store bought cupcakes for her party.  She said they were a big hit.  Then she came home with a giant bag of valentines and treats from her friends.  It was fun to see her so excited to see which friends gave which valentines.  She insisted on wearing her leopard heart dress with matching scrunchies on her wrist.

A good friend dropped off a surprise Valentine care package to our front porch.  It was Mary Poppins themed!  She nailed it!  The kids could not get over the spoon full of sugar sugar cookies.  So sweet!

We had a few different movie nights - we watched How to Train Your Dragon and loved it.  We also made Candy Corn (microwave popcorn + fun candy on top).  We opted for Valentine candy.  My kids think this treat is the coolest.

It was SO COLD.  It was 8 degrees on my early morning grocery store run.  We got out all the blankets and tried to stay extra cozy all weekend.  The cats were happy to join in the cozy snuggles.  It makes my heart VERY happy to see Topher becoming good friends with the kittens.  They're pretty irresistible. 

Fletcher's Valentine party is this coming week.  Olive offered to help him with his valentines. It was sweet to see them work together to get this project done.  He opted to give everyone slinkies.

We Door Dashed Papa Johns pizza and bread sticks.  Look at this yummy thin crust heart!  We ordered two and nearly polished off both of them.  We got mexican another night. 

Kevin surprised me with roses!  He loves to pick out 2-3 dozen and mix the colors.  He was excited about this coral and pink color combo.  They smell so good!

We wrapped up the weekend with a Fondue board - come back tomorrow to read all about that!  It was SO SO good.  

The kids have President's Day off so we are going to do some fun president theme things today.  I can't wait to do some fun activities with them.  We also have 10-12 inches of snow in the forecast for the next 48 hours so I can't wait to see how that plays out.  Bring on all the snow!!