Requested Recipes!

I keep having people asking for recipes, and since I don't really keep up with my Fit Family blog anymore, I'll just post them on here.  Sorry it has taken me so long!!!

Healthier Pumpkin Bread--makes 2 loaves  (I make this all year round--I puree and freeze our Halloween pumpkins every year.  We love it!!)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar
3 egg whites
1 15 oz. can pumpkin or 1 3/4 cup fresh cooked pumpkin
1 cup applesauce
2 TBSP water
2 1/2 cups flour (you can sub wheat flour if you want)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup chopped nuts, optional
(chocolate chips also taste yummy!!)

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine first 6 ingredients (through water.)  Mix together next 6 dry ingredients.  Stir into pumpkin mixture, a small amount at a time.  Mix well.  Stir in nuts or chocolate chips, if desired.

Divide batter into 2 well greased or sprayed loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow to cool 15 minutes.  Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.


Breakfast Cookies (Every time I have made these they have been a hit and gone in a flash!  I have had so many people ask me for this recipe!  My kids have them for breakfast, lunch, after-school snack or a treat.)

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup protein powder--I use IsaLean Creamy French Vanilla...hey, if you want to know how to get this high quality, all-natural, super-food, top-grade protein powder, let me know!  I can hook you up.
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup olive oil
4 egg whites
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup apple butter
1 TBSP vanilla
2 TBSP plain, low-fat yogurt
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup craisins

 Mix dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl.  Cream olive oil and agave nectar together, then add egg whites and mix well.  Add molasses, apple butter, vanilla and yogurt and mix again, then add to dry ingredients.  Add raisins, craisins and almonds.    Form the mixture into a ball.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.  Spoon balls of cookie dough onto sprayed cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Autumn Harvest Soup--(I found a copycat Panera recipe on Pinterest and gave it a try after falling in love with the squash soup they have there right now.  I had to make quite a few adjustments and this is what I came up with.)

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 TBSP canola oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups apple juice
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 1/2 TBSP honey
1 tsp. curry
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
orange zest

Heat oven to 450.  Toss butternut squash with canola oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes.  Puree squash in a blender (you have to add water to make it work.)  In small batches, blend together squash puree, pumpkin, vegetable broth, apple juice, almond milk and orange zest.  (This is messy and not fun, but worth it, right?!)  Pour mixture into a sauce pan and heat over medium heat.  Add honey and spices.  Simmer for 10 minutes and serve with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Happy 10th Birthday!!

We had an art-themed party for the girls this year and I think it turned out pretty darn cute.  We had fun with the decorations...

And the activities...

They all made their own artist aprons and then painted their own masterpieces.

We also went on a hunt for a missing masterpiece.  My girls weren't really thrilled when it was found, but Ryan and I found it quite humorous.

For lunch they painted their own pizzas, and decorated them with toppings.

This was the pizza sauce

Jello cups of yumminess

And we were painting everything else, we might as well paint our faces, too!

Our colorful cake...

Inside and out!

Their actual birthday is on Monday!  I can't believe they are ten!!!!!

Chloe got her braces off!!!

Here she is before...

And right after!

Our awesome orthodontist throws a big party one day a month for all the kids getting their braces off that month.  It was complete with jawbreakers, caramel corn, salt-water taffy and caramel apples (aka: all the stuff she hasn't been able to eat for the past year.)  

That's one happy girl!!  (Audrey has to wait a few more months--she is not quite as happy.)

A while back I...

ran a half marathon with a bunch of my friends.

The morning started off CHILLY, even though it was in August.



Brrrrrr!!!!

But it ended up beautifully.  I did a lot better than I thought I would, too, considering I had just moved and hadn't trained at all.  My time was around 2:19.  Not too shabby for my first!  (And maybe last--I'm not sure distance running is for me.)



Here I am with some of my more speedy and beautiful friends.  It was a fun time!!

Befores and Afters, round 2

I have a few more rooms to show in my tour!  Here is the before of Lincoln's room:

This picture was taken probably the day after we moved in.  I had to paint almost immediately because the walls were so filthy--so you can see my paint samples already up on the walls.  Look closely and I'm sure you can see the dirt, too.

After:

Here it is now.  I still need to lengthen his curtains.  Don't judge.

The girls room was also a brown nightmare.  Here is the before (back when we first saw the house in March.)

You can tell these people really went all out in preparation to show their house...

And after:

We went with a vintage theme throughout the house.  The girls love those antique desks and I love the pictures of our ancestors on the wall!

Ugh, blurry picture!  I found this antique vanity on Craigslist and the antique mirror at an antique store.  Those prints above are vintage paintings of little fairies that the girls helped me pick out.

Here is their bathroom before:

And I'm not a professional photographer, so the lighting is terrible, but here is the after:

And the boys bathroom before:

Notice the hole punched in the wall...

After:

Notice where Ryan patched the hole...and has yet to finish up.  We'll get there.  Again with the bad lighting.  This has a vintage car theme, so there are a bunch of old license plates and car ads on the wall that you can't see.

And the master before (a dark cave):

After:

I breathe so much easier just looking at this picture.

Okay, so I have still to post the loft and Isaac's room, which are both really close to being done.  The laundry and mud room have bad lighting that we are going to change, so I will wait on those.  The garage is also still in process.  And I haven't even touched the master bath...so that one might be a while.

But hopefully this will keep Kayla pacified for now.  :)

Before and Afters...Part 1

Yes, there is a valid reason why I haven't blogged since early August.  We've been a little busy.  But now, it's pretty much done!  The house of horrors is gone and we are so happy with the way it's all turned out.  So, without further ado, we will take a tour of the before and after shots of our new house.  Most of the "befores" were taken last March, the one and only time we ever even saw the house before moving in!!

Before--the office, used as a bedroom.

Now--we are still going to add artwork, but now it is actually being used as an office!  :)

Before--the kids showing off the front hall.

Now--new and improved.  It needed to be lightened up considerably!!

The living room (before.)

The living room now.

The dining room before--i.e. the room they let their pets pee in.

That's better.  And the smell is gone!

The kitchen before.  At least they had good cabinets..

Also before--Audrey doesn't know what to think.

And now.

 

View into the interesting family room before.  Chloe gives it a thumbs up.

I prefer the new look, personally.

Before, looking down from the loft.

Is it even the same house?!

I don't have a before of the half bath, but you can get the idea, I'm sure.  Brown, brown and more brown.  Here it is now!

Lest you think this was easy...

Pet stains on the carpet.  No wonder it smelled so awful.

We lived on sub-flooring for a few weeks.  Not my favorite.

Ripping out baseboards!

Child labor is the way to go.

Stay tuned, I'll do the upstairs soon.  Right now I've got to pack.  We are going camping tonight!!  Now that the house is mostly done, we get to have some fun!!