Monday, July 27, 2015

It's OK. Seriously.

It's ok.

You don't have to get everything done. The dishes can wait. The laundry will always be there. Seriously, it is neverending. So, don't worry about getting everything cleaned up, every single day. Because it will still be there.

But the snuggles, the giggles, the tickle wars? Those won't.

This summer, so far, has been a huge battle for my family. Two mortgages, a job that has been an almost seven day a week sometimes twelve hour day for daddy, an almost three thousand dollar assessment for our now empty second mortgage property that was housing my very ill mother-in-law (owner occupies clause that was added after we owned the property), emergency triple bypass surgery for said mother-in-law, plus the general insanity of life has all taken a toll on the condition of our home.

The floors, the dishes, laundry room, toys...it is seriously is just a complete hot mess.

But, I've learned something very important. It doesn't matter.

The giggles, smiles, trips to the zoo, playing with the hose outside...reading books.

That's what matters. Even when I have to hide my phone from my YouTube loving three year old.

So, tomorrow I will try to get to a few things. But for now, it is ok.

Seriously.



posted from Bloggeroid

Friday, July 3, 2015

Frugal Mommy...Homemade Peanut Butter

As soon as I became pregnant, I began to notice (even though I had been label watching before!) the insane amount of "extras" in the foods I was buying for my family. Thus began my quest for healthier versions of the things my family loved.

Which leads me to...peanut butter. I don't know about how the old PB rolls in your house, but over here, whether a PB&J, on a banana, with chocolate (you know you've done it!), or on a spoon solo can all happen at any given moment.

Needless to say, we go through a lot of peanut butter. We switched to the "natural" kind of popular brands, but the palm oil always bothered me. How could I give my boys something that harmed the homes of the animals they loved so? (Yep, the guilt sets in often via monkeys over here.)

After shopping at Whole Foods while away from the family (it was the only grocery store close by), I discovered many amazing things (mostly that I loved Aldi's for their affordable organic and basic grocery merch). Kombucha (which is also, I discovered, available at Target!), and...real, homemade (as much as it could be!) peanut butter.

I admit, I love texture in my food. Which means I love all that grainy goodness in supposed "healthy" foods. I devoured the peanut butter, and couldn't wait to try my hand at it at home.

Easiest thing I've ever done. Seriously.

Aldi's carries plain old unsalted, dry roasted peanuts for $2.19 (plus honey roasted with salt for $2.39), plus organic clover honey (though I had a bit of the regular to finish up this time) and organic coconut oil (which I use for so many things!!).

And that's it, really.



Super simple.

1 1/2 cups dry roasted unsalted peanuts

1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts

(2 cups total, so if you prefer just one kind, go for it.)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon coconut oil (for smoothness plus it does add a bit of flavor)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon honey, depending on flavor desired. Optional, but I love it!

Salt, if desired. I found that the honey roasted added just enough.

And...just add the peanuts to your food processor. I have a regular old processor, nothing fancy, and I've used it for just about everything. Turn it on until they are crumb like. At this point, you can add a bit of the coconut oil until you get the consistency desired. Add the honey to taste.

Done. That easy.



Of course, you can double the recipe if needed. We went through this fairly quick because the boys loved it so much!

Added bonus? No plastic jar to recycle! I used a glass mason jar from my collection.

I can't wait to try other nut butters, too!

posted from Bloggeroid