Blueberry Banana Smoothies

Blueberries are one of those "super fruits" that we should all be eating more of. They are supper yummy and I'm trying to find was to get them in our diet more. My boys love to eat them frozen, but they make a huge mess. My kids look like that little girl from Willie Wonka. :) So I needed a new plan for blueberry consumption.
 Smoothies are great because you can put them in a glass with a straw. You can also pack tons of yummy things in them so that even the picky eater will (usually) eat/drink it.

So here is what I added:
1 cup yougart
1 cup milk
1 cup of wild frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
Dump everything in blender and mix.

 I know what your thinking...that banana looks nasty! When my bananas are not looking so good I just throw them in the freezer. Then I can use them later in banana bread or smoothies. I defrost the bananas in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Or you can leave them out for a little while until they soften up. They still taste great (just don't let anyone see you put it in)
The amount of milk I added makes it more like a milkshake. If you want it to be thicker just add less...or none at all.
Enjoy,
Melissa

Changes

Along the New England coast

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6
    Well 2011 has been an interesting year, and we are only in the first week! We are at one of those waiting time periods in  life where you just have to keep moving forward and trust God. This is hard for me since I LOVE to plan. I like to know what is going to happen next so that I can plan out everything. I don't really like surprises (unless it's a gift. wink wink), or to be caught off guard. So waiting on God is really hard for me. I think that's why God wants me to go through this.
   We just found out that our landlord wants to sell the house that we are living in this Summer. My husband is also trying to get us relocated back to our hometown in Virginia, and we are waiting to see if that is going to happen. We miss our family and friends that live in Virginia, and the cost of living is FAR LESS than it is up in New England!!! So all of this is up in the air right now. I'm also having constant joint and back pain. I'm supposed to rest more, but as a mom of two little boys I don't see how that is possible. Oh wow, I sound really whinny right now.
  On a super positive note: My husband did really well in sales last year and won a brand new car! I'm so proud of him.  Right now he is driving this yellow (I'm talking BRIGHT YELLOW) car. He got a great deal on it, and at the time just needed a little something to get him back and forth to work. Now we get to ride around in style.
  So to sum it all up...I'm going to use this blog as more of a diary at this point. So hang on...it might be a wild ride. Please continue to pray for me and my family that we will continue to trust God and walk in His will.

Christmas 2010

4th of July 2010. ...and nap time for J man. ;)

Hugs! Melissa

Snow Day

Please ignore the dirty floor. It's sand from the snow I promise!

So the New England received a ton of snow the day after Christmas. This is only our second snow this year. I can't believe it. The first year that we moved up here it snowed in October. Now that I have two busy little boys I'm happy that the snow held off as long as possible. Poor J looks like the kid from the Christmas Story movie. I think I was sweating after pulling and tugging to get all those boots, jacket, and gloves on the little guy.

It was so worth it though. He had a blast...and then took a 2 hr. nap after! I'll do what ever it takes for a quiet afternoon!!!

He climbed up and down the hill that is next to our house. The same one that I grumble about every time I have to go grocery shopping (parking area is at the top of the hill). Today I LOVED it though.

 

We also built a snowman. I don't think I have built one in over six years. That's one of the great things about having little children. You get to be a kid again too.

  If you got snow I hope you get to have as much fun in it as we did today!

Yummy trail mix

While out and about on all of our Fall activities (hiking, visiting local farms, apple picking, ...you get the picture) we could use a yummy snack! Hubs and I came up with the perfect mix:

*1 cup of unsalted roasted peanuts
*1 cup of raisins
*1 cup of peanut butter chips
*1 cup of dried cherries
*1 cup of chocolate chips or M&Ms
Mix in a bowl and then place individual servings in snack size zip top bags. Usually I double the batch since we go through it so quickly. :) I think this is the perfect mix of sweet, salty, and savory.
Before we head out the door we throw a few snack bags of trail mix, water bottles, and some fruit or veggies in a bag. Then we have a healthy snack and are not tempted to eat junk food!

Apple Picking

Well it's Fall in New England! We are surrounded by apple orchards and pumpkin patches our here. So the hubs and I took the boys out to pick some apples, go on a hay ride, and pick out a pumpkin. Here are a few pics of our great adventure.

A simple wedding gift

Sugar and spice and everything nice

My younger sister is getting married this Saturday (yay!!!) and I told her that I would set up her spice and baking cabinet...or where ever she wanted to put those things. I came across some basic glass jars at Target. I like things plain and simple (maybe a little too plain), but my sister likes color! She is helping step out of my color phobia little by little. :) I was looking for some way to label the jars, because the last thing you want is baking soda instead of sugar in something! I came across these cute letter stickers. How fun are they! They serve the purpose and add a little personality as well. I think I should make some for my kitchen too.

Fall Decor

Over the TV cabinet

On top of the book shelf in the Living Room

On the Kitchen table

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Dinning Room

Here are a few of the Fall touches around my home. I picked up a large bag of gourds at BJ's and spread them out around the house. I like the green and white ones and get tired of orange each Fall. I also picked up some fake orange and yellow leaves at Wal-mart. They add a nice punch of color in the corner of my Dinning Room. The pumpkin tins are from the dollar section at Target (don't you just love that section!). I have to be careful what I put on the bottom shelves since two little boys like to play with anything I set there. :)

Who me?

Not me either Mommy!