recipes and lots of random

nathan and i just got back from an early morning run.  one that we both did not feel like doing.  at all.
as usual, all the crabbies and grogginess melted away by the time we were done.
i literally PEEL myself out of bed and feel so icky before we go.
all i can dream about is getting home so that i can go back to bed, but by the time we're home, i feel SO much better and the coffee is done brewing.
happy pill, i tell ya.  thanks for wakin' me up, sweetie.  :)

that leads me to right.this.moment.
i'm sipping on my second cup of joe, excited to share some recipes with you today.
my sweet friend, jennifer so kindly reminded me to post them here.   love you, girl!

before i post my recipes, there's going to be a little bit of randomness.
just things i would share with you if you were here, sitting with me having coffee.
by the way, that would be AWESOME!

so aren't my hydrangeas purdy?
the first blooms are opening and they will keep going on all summer.
hydrangeas are my fave.

next up.

check out this little dude.
living in the country, we have lots of critters, amphibians, pests, bugs....you get it.
in yesterday's post, you saw the caterpillar that henry found at the greenhouse(and HAD to take home).
that little boy LOVES some bugs.  i knew he was coming home with us when he named him, "caddy".
how appropriate.
he also loves toads, and so do i.
unless they pee on me.
this dude didn't disappoint.  he was rude.  but polite enough to sit still for a close up, so i forgave him a little.

next!

small town living is my fave.
on wednesday, my local market man called and said he had a 40 lb. box of ripe bananas for only $6 waiting for me, if i wanted them.
i was so thankful even though it put a little kink in my schedule.
we went and picked those babies up and the kids and i had a peeling party right in the front yard.
many hands indeed make the work light!
in a half an hour, they were all peeled, and we froze them individually on cookie sheets.
the next day i bagged them up.
sooooo grateful.
#smoothiesforever

that leads me to my first recipe.
this is my kids favorite banana shake/smoothie ever.
they request it almost every day for breaky.

CHOCOLATE BANANA BARLEY MALT

1/2 cup raw cashews

pinch of salt

2 Tbs ground flax seed

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

3/4 cup coconut/rice/almond/or soy milk

3 Tbs barley malt(sweetener) *awesome*

3 Tbs cacao powder

3 frozen bananas

blend until smooth and if it's too thick, add more milk or water

this obviously makes more than one shake, but you can play around with the ingredients to make just one serving.

i adapted this recipe from my awesome market man and his family.

i buy almost all of my bulk foods and produce from him, because they are local and organic and i like to know where my food comes from, while supporting local businesses.

walmart is not my fave. 

so!  you have to try this and let me know what you think.

it's like drinking dessert in the a.m., but it's super good for you.

what we do with leftover smoothie(if there is any)...PERFECT hot summer day treat.

moving on...

on thursday, the kids and i had a million and one errands to run.

you know those days where you have to make a list to keep track of all of the randomness?

*stop at the copy shop.

*go pick up a check.

*pick up plants for the garden.

*go to walmart...gag.

*eat(didn't need a reminder for that one!).

*chat at the in laws.

*look for strawberries.

*father's day stuff.

you get it, i'm sure.

so i was super happy when at our first stop, we found this...

yes, indeed!  strawberries are still in season!
i was so afraid that they were all done for the year because of the lack of rain we've had, but no sireeeee!
organic strawberries.  10 quarts for $27.50.
yes and amen.  God has been so so so good to us.
i am on a mission to freeze 40 quarts this year, because pre-frozen organic berries are SOOO expensive.
we use them for smoothies and to make jam.
we are also planting them in our raised beds this year!  yay!
if you were wondering, the reason i buy them organic is because strawberries are on the dirty dozen list.
if you buy conventional, they absorb and hold a LOT of pesticides.  aka:::chemicals in my body.
no thank you.  :)
by the way, you can download the dirty dozen/clean fifteen app to your phone, so when you're shopping, you can do a quick check to see what's important to buy organic and what doesn't really matter as much.

blah blah blah blah....i know i'm talking a lot today.
so here's my master, brilliant recipe for ya.  :)
we all know that life gets a little crazy some days, and there just isn't a lot of time to get supper on the table.
wednesdays are always like that for me.
we have bible study/prayer meeting at church, and i'm always rushed to make supper and clean up before we go.
i hate coming home to a dirty kitchen.
simple. simple. simple.
because simple is good.

MAPLE EGGS

break apart your choice of bread and push down into muffin pan(sprouted sweet bread is sooo yummy).

add crumbled(or cut up) bacon or sausage.

i chose pre-cooked all natural sausage patties(no preservatives) and cut it up, 

because that's what i had.

smoosh down into muffin pans over bread.

try not to fill too deep or your egg will not fit(like mine).

crack egg on top and season to your tastebuds delight.

 bake at 350 degress until your egg is done.

dip in maple syrup(if you have it...i didn't). 

notice how my egg overflowed?

they were HUUUGE eggs!  yay! for farm fresh!

i know it doesn't look the greatest here, but trust me, it's good!

ta da!!!

make sure you serve it with some lemon verbena to look fancy.  

they don't look super glamorous(wait, they're not!), but they are delicious, healthy(er), easy, and the kids always want more.
best of all, they make supper a little easier.  and who doesn't like that?
you should make them.  :)

signing off for now.
the kids are getting restless.
have an awesome weekend!

xo,
mary