Immune Boosting Maple Cookies

It's been one of those weeks (hence the lack of posts the past few days!).

On top of one of the busiest weeks at our Etsy shop that we've EVER had, my car battery finally died. It's been on it's last leg for the past few months; we knew it was going to. Every time I get into my car, the time is 10 more minutes behind. I have been helplessly late to everything because of this battery! (At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.) Yet, somehow we kept finding ways of putting the replacing of it off. Apparently BMW batteries are NOT cheap. Thankfully, when it finally decided to kick the can, Asher was not with me to melt in the 98 degree heat and John was just down the road. 

I felt ANOTHER cold coming on and even though I am not a proponent of taking antibiotics at every given chance, I decided to hit up that extra z-pack I had in my medicine cabinet. Last time I was sick, it lasted for 3 weeks and my ears still don't feel quite right. I didn't want to take any chances.

Which leads me to my next hiccup this week... I haven't been out in the sun in AGES. So, I decided to hit the tanning salon (I know, I know!!!) to give myself a tiny base tan and some much needed vitamin D. I've literally only been out in the sun one time in the past... year???... so, hey, give me a pass on this one. Anyways, I forgot that antibiotics make you sensitive to sunlight and I got burned, baby, burned! I just hope my red hot skin tames down before my massage scheduled for this Sunday. If not, that will really top everything off for me. This momma needs to get her relaxation on and I am not about the let a faux sunburn stop me!

On the positive side of things, our transition from the bassinet to the crib has been going magnificently well. The past 2 nights, Asher has slept through the night again (10-11.5 hours) and gone to sleep within 10 minutes of being put down. He's even starting to cooperate with being put down for naps, now, too. (Insert applause - make that standing ovation - here!) Take that Cry-It-Out. We barely even needed to use you. :)

So in celebration of our baby sleeping soundly at 6:30pm and also as a band-aid to my oh-so-stress-filled week, I decided to whip up some sinfully delicious Maple Cookies this evening. Did you know maple syrup (the real stuff, people, not that high-fructose-corn-syrup-crap) has immune boosting properties? Maple syrup contains zinc and manganese, both of which are key players in the function of your immune system. So if you happen to eat one too many of these cookies - it's all good! You're just building up your immune system, after all!

MAPLE COOKIES - FIND THE RECIPE HERE

Oh, you thought I made that recipe up? Not a chance. ;)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Go and get some sun - some real sun - but don't forget your SPF! Learn from my mistake. 

...Lastly, I have to leave you with at least one cuteness shot from this week. Check out these adorably chunk-a-licious Jumperoo lovin' legs! Go, baby, go!

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While Baby Was Asleep... Healthy Banana Bread

I am obviously not a food photographer and certainly not a pastry chef. I ended up with a sweet tooth this afternoon while Asher was napping, and in trying to stick with my healthy eating plan as much as I can, I decided to see if there was a healthy option I could whip up. I saw the quickly browning bananas sitting idly in my kitchen and knew they would be perfect for some good ol' banana bread.

It is definitely always easier to make the full-of-fat-and-gooey-deliciousness desserts and pastries than the healthy ones. At least, it's easier to make them turn out well! (Also, I only had wheat flour, so I had limited options. Shh...) I scoured Pinterest for wheat flour banana bread recipes and lo and behold this RECIPE from the blog A Full Measure of Happiness. I substituted the milk with almond milk since that's what I had on hand. 55 minutes later, I had a perfectly browned loaf of banana bread on my hands - complete with wheat flour, almond milk, and the superfood walnuts.

{  QUICK FACT: Walnuts are powerful antioxidants and can help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Studies have also shown them to BOOST BRAIN POWER with their omega-3s that help with visual memory, multitasking, and problem solving. Yes, please!  }

Mine came out a little more lumpy than the beautifully pictured bread on Pinterest, but it was delicious anyhow. I did alter it a bit with the almond milk, so that could have been the culprit. I brewed a fresh cup of coffee and spread some cococut oil on my delicious, healthful slice of banana bread. Next time I might just try substituting coconut oil for the butter altogether!

You may already know, but coconut oil has so many health benefits and uses. I'm not one to go soaking my hair in it or anything, but using it here and there when it can yield great results and smell like a yummy coconut, it sure sounds like a win-win to me!

Here's some info on coconut oil:

Coconut Oil: Your New BFF
101 Uses for Coconut Oil

Asher was awake by the time I got the bread into the oven, but I'm always amazed at how productive I can be while he is sleeping some days. I also unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, put in a load of laundry, and got some work done on Etsy. I'll hold on to that on the days that I want to do nothing more than lay on the couch while he's napping. We all need those times like that, too!

What things have you gotten done while baby is asleep?


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My Journey to Healthy Eating

I'm doing it. 

I am making the transition to a healthy diet.

I typically make healthy choices most of the time, but lately we have been eating out more and more and hitting that fast food lane much too often - and I have been feeling AWFUL.

The thought to reassess my diet came after catching a few minutes of a Dr. Oz episode on systemic yeast overgrowth. My fatigue had gotten so bad that I thought yeast could be the culprit and the underlying cause - my diet. Too many processed foods can throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract, leading to overgrowth of yeast that can then enter your bloodstream and wreck havoc on different areas of your body. I don't know if this for sure was what was wrong, but having made a few adjustments throughout the past few weeks, I am feeling a lot better already.

My sister-in-law bought me this very informative book on healthy eating for kids and the whole family, Disease-Proof Your Child. (Thanks, Rebecca!!!) I am only in the first chapter so far, but it is perfect timing with my whole yeast diet plan and falls right into the same subject as a lot of the research I have been doing lately. I plan to have this thing read cover to cover very soon.

I also invested in The Fresh 20, a book with weekly meal plans using fresh, NON-PROCESSED, healthy ingredients. It gives you a shopping list for an entire week's worth of meals using only 20 ingredients (and then a few that you should stock up on initially in your pantry). I picked a random Summer menu and got started yesterday! It was only $100 for the week's ingredients and I even had to buy some of the spices that you normally would already have. So for under $100 you get 5+ meals and leftovers to boot! Pretty awesome.

Unfortunately, I can't divulge the delicious recipes since that would be copyright infringement for sure, but I definitely recommend the book and I'll walk you through the week's meals in pictures.

Yesterday's menu was:

{ Honey Lime Drumsticks and Watermelon Salad }

So, now I have to complete the week since I know you all are watching! Wish me luck!

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