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Fall Blessings

The weather was cooler last week and it was starting to look and feel just a little like fall here in So Cal! It didn't last long, but it sure got us into the spirit of this season. It is back to sunny 100 degree weather around here now and it looks like the heat wave is sticking around. Despite the heat fall is in full force inside our house. Thanks to a little ac, some fall Scentsy, some fall spiced baking and a TON of little silk leaves, fake pumpkins and loads of little fall art projects from my bears. As we get closer to November (and we are counting down the days that are whizzing by us, because we get to go chase down fall in Telluride Colorado) we have been thinking about out little blessings...I know we talk about being thankful in November not October, but we truly are blessed here. We are overflowing with love and laughter in our humble abode. We have food on the table, clothes to wear, treats, amazing teachers, fabulous mentors, bible studies we love, parents that are healthy and are able to be grandparents to our bears, a cousin doing amazing missions out in Africa, little cousins for our bears to grow up with right here in our city, and the list goes on and on... Our goal this year is to put together something special for someone once a week all the way through November!

Last week we made a box of sunshine for some friends of our that are suffering the loss of a loved one. This week we are celebrating a teacher. So today we put together a little something for brother bears teacher. She is sweet, and fun, and makes my bear feel special, smart, and important.

We started out by making her a little blessings jar.  A place where she could count and keep her very own blessings to reflect on those rough days with 25 little kinders! We found a cracker jar at the dollar tree and then made a blessings tag that fit inside.We even filled it with a bit of tulle and 12 little 1in x 6in blank sheets of paper to get her started.

And of course you need a pen to write you blessings with, and these ones were just perfect!

Then we added some fall caramel apple cookies and some toffee chocolate rice krispy treats to munch on while she writes her blessings...

We found the great gable boxes in the dollar bin at Target...they even have an apple on them! Everything fit perfectly inside!

And last but not least her cute little tag says " When we Count our Blessings, we count YOU! Thanks for all you do!"

We hope she loves it, because we love her!

Many Blessings,
Mamma Bear

Smokey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Today is one of those crazy rush around days...you know the kind where the car needs to go to the repair place way across town STAT, and you have to meet a new day care lady for the baby bear just so you can volunteer at little bears school, the laundry is overflowing because we just got back from camping, it is 109 here so my house is a mess because we cannot play outside and we have karate after school! So I started dinner just after I fed baby bear his lunch! Tonight is Monterey Chicken and my fablulous Smokey Roasted Sweet Potatoes! I love having time to have great home cooked meals, and even on days like today I can still come out a winner with some 30 minute meals. This one is pretty budget friendly too.

Here is the potato recipe...I love how versatile these are...and they are said to be super healthy for you.

Smokey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

-1/4 cup canola oil

-2 Fresh Medium Sweet Potatoes or Yams

Seasoning for roasted Sweet Potatoes

-2 teaspoons chili powder
-1 teaspoon garlic salt
-1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
-1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
-1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
-1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

*And for the hubs sometimes I add a dash of Cayanne!*

Chop Potatoes into 1in cubes

Mix seasoning together

Toss potato cubes in oil

Coat with seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Lay cubes out on a sheet pan or baking dish covered with foil. Make sure there is a little room between potatoes and that they are not piled on top of each other…otherwise you get steamed potatoes and not roasted ones!

Bake until golden and soft…30-40 minutes depending on the thickness of your cubes.

ENJOY!

And here is a link to the Chicken! Her potatoes look pretty tasty too ;)

http://kimmccrary.blogspot.com/2010/05/perfect-day.html

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you try out these simple but yummy dishes!

~Mamma Bear

Ice Cream!

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream (Serves 4)

1/3 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (you can use soy yogurt if you have a dairy intolerance)
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp good Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp pure Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Frozen Sliced Bananas

Freeze your 1in sliced bananas at least 3 hours before making

Toss it all in the blender on the lowest setting until nice and smooth...Pour into an airtight container and freeze 30 minutes. Ice cream will still be fairly soft. Serve. I like to top mine with toasted almonds!

Pirate Training Camp Planning...

Hooray for Summer! Our break starts next week and in 3 weeks we have our 2nd annual Shoeherd Summer Camp with the Joyce boys! This year, Cole picked a pirate theme, and at 1st I was sad, but as I started looking around online, we got some really cool  ideas! I cannot wait to share the adventure with you. Check back soon to see what we are working on, for now here is a sneak peek:

Refreshing little detox lemonade!

2 l water add 1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced, 1 lemon, thinly sliced, 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger and around 10 spearmint leaves. 
leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight and in the morning you'll have a cold and really refreshing drink. 

A refreshing little detox from:

http://sitnoseckano.blogspot.com/2011/07/sassy-water.html

A yummy healthier Frapp...

I borrowed this picture from the Dashing Dish Blog!

I have a recipe similar to theirs for this healthy version of a Starbucks frapp! 

1.5	Scoops vanilla protein powder ( I like Jarro Whey)
1-4 pkts	Splenda
1 pkt	Starbucks Via Instant Coffee (or 1 cup cold coffee concentrate, Recipe Follows)
2 tbs	Fat Free Half and half coffee creamer
5-10	Ice cubes (depending on desired consistency)
1/2-1 cup	Water (depending on desired consistency)
1/2 tsp	xanthan gum (found at the health food store by the gluten free stuff!) The way I like it: Optional: 2 tbs Cocoa Powder and 1 frozen banana! Yummy Summer Treat! ***Iced Coffee Concentrate. ***  Ingredients- 1 gallon water (I buy a gallon of drinking water) 1 lb bag of your favorite rich coffee (course ground if ya can get it) Coffee filters or several layers of cheesecloth a fine mesh strainer. a large bowl pitcher (big enough to hold a gallon) Directions- Pour gallon of water into your large bowl. Dump the entire bag of coffee into the water/bowl. Stir to make sure all grounds are saturated with water. Walk away, for 12 hours or overnight. line a mesh strainer with a coffee filter or several layers of cheese-cloth, set the strainer on top of your pitcher. Pour (or ladle) your coffee mixture into the strainer. (this part takes awhile...  I often had to walk away while it filtered into the pitcher)   If using coffee filters, you might have to replace them several times during the filtering process. Once all the coffee concentrate has been filtered, stick it in the fridge (it will last for a month!)

Camping Grub!

The Shoeherd LOVES camping, and we have methods for good eats anywhere we go. This trip Mamma packed the good stuff. This Super Grain is packed with Protein and will keep your energy levels high while you hike in some serious altitude with major elevation gains. The nice part is that it tastes great and it keeps well in a Ziploc in your cooler. Pack this for lunch at home, the beach, or camping in the Mountains!

Quinoa Taboule

• 1/8 tsp White Pepper
• 1 cup chopped Parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped Scallions or Green Onions
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Mint (or 1 tsp.dried)
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced or pressed
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh Basil (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 cup fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 12 cups cook & cooled Quinoa (available from Bob's Red Mill)
• I like to add Diced Cucumber, Tomato, and a bit of Feta to mine right before I eat it!

Directions

Toss together all ingredients. Chill for 1 hour or more to allow flavors to blend.

Makes 6 servings.

Get Your Green On!

So I have been asked about my crazy ways of getting extra "greens" in our diet. This one is my favorites!

I make these little "Green Cubes" And I add them to smoothies, protein shakes, soups, and casseroles. I have even been know to slide them in our oatmeal! This recipe is for Kale, but any dark leafy green can be used in a similar fashion. The best ones are the Collard greens, Kale, Mustard greens, and you can probably get away with spinach too (just do not steam as long, maybe 5 minutes).

Start with 1 bundle of Kale. Add it to your steamer and steam about 10 minutes. Not too long though, you can lose vital nutrients by over cooking. Add the greens and the steaming water to your blender and liquify. It will be like a thick soup. Pour the liquid greens into your favorite Ice Cube tray: I LOVE my ORKA. Freeze for a few hours and then pop into freezer bags. ! bunch should get you quite a few cubes!

Here are a few recipes to work with:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

5 Strawberries (Frozen is great, then you do not have to add ice cubes)

1 Frozen Banana (adds a creamy texture)

1-2 Kale cubes

1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt

1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1TBS Honey

Add Ice to thicken if needed

ENJOY!

Just for fun!

So my Mom asked me to make this for her Sunday School class room, and it is just too cute not to share! A new 16x20 Freebie printable! We are working on comforting prayers and scripture memorization with our 5 year old Cole. What a cute way to stop and work on memorizing such a beautiful prayer ;) Lords Prayer Elementary Copy

Fall is in the air!

Hi Friends!  So we have been taking it easy this week getting back to reality and a little bit of simplicity AT HOME! I feel like sometimes we get into the go go go of life, and we forget that some of the best days and the most memorable days are the ones spent at home rolling around on the floor with the kiddos, crafting, making old fashioned family treats like cookies, and applesauce. At least that is the way it works here. My 5 year old seems to have the fondest memories being in the kitchen with me or playing out back with his daddy. This family has been in hyperspeed for the last 2 months and I decided this week we were going to slow things down. Fall is just around the bend and you can feel it in the air. The air is just a little bit crisper in the morning and the evening, and the air conditioners in our cul-de-sac have been clicking on a little less often ;) Yeah, in California you can hear the AC units of your neighbors because most of our houses smooch! I am from Oregon, so this is a foreign concept...less than 50% of homes in the Pacific Northwest have or USE AC! Anywho, Here is a little fall freebie for you and your family to enjoy. It is a blessings board. Just save it to your computer, send it to (we use Costco) your local photo printing company and then pop it in an 11x14 frame! The glass acts like a dry erase board and you can write your families blessings for the week right on the board and then erase them and pick new ones for the next week!! My son loves getting to write on these and we have a great time talking about our blessings. I hope you enjoy your board as much as we enjoy ours m2m Fall Printable Just click on this link to download yours!

Little Bear is turning 5...

Well as quickly as Chase's 1 year birthday came and went my head is totally spinning! An entire year flew by in less time than I can complete a single blink. Everyone uses that term, and I used to get kind of annoyed hearing it all the time, but truth be told there is really no better explanation of how fast time flies. It seems to speed up with each child that enters our lives, so if we really do end up going for number 3 I am going to have to rent the Dalorian from back to the future so that I can go back in time and try and slow things down or at the very least revisit all of my favorite moments that went by way too fast! Cuz' ya know "time flies when you're having fun."

Any who only a week has passed since baby bears birthday and it is already time for little Bear's big number 5! Wow, it stings to say "I have a 5 year old," talk about bitter sweet. Cole is fun, loving, a brilliant creative story teller, a complete outdoors man, a snuggle bear, a little man completely adoring of the grown up men in his life, He is bold, yet admiring, he has a short fuse like Mama, but that boyish grin of Daddy's still melts my heart. He can make my day, and he can break me but each day I get with him I see the world in a different light. Cole Tristin Schumacher...Your Mommy loves you to the Moon and Back and forever will I see you as my baby. Thank you for being you Little Bear. And thank you Lord for the great honor and privilege of being Cole's Mother, I could not ever ask for a greater blessing.

My baby boy is turnin' 1!

EEEEEKKKKK! My baby boy is totally turning 1 this month! What a crazy journey it was to get this little blessing and an even crazier adventure we have enjoyed with him this year. I swear I tried not to blink, but to no avail... time has sped on by. Time goes by faster and faster with each little bear you bring into the family. I am so happy and so far beyond blessed that I am amazed every single day by what the Lord has graciously entrusted to me.

This little bear has already been camping at Laguna mountain (at 2 month old mind you....not sure what I was thinking there), visited the snow, and the zoo, Flown to Washington State (1st Plane ride at 6 months) been camping at Lake Nacimiento (3 days) and playing in Daddy's old stomping grounds around Parkfield, spent a few crazy days camping in the back of Daddy's truck in the desert near borrego springs, he has gone splashing in the ocean with mommy, and because we have lost our minds completely he has been camping for 1 week in June Lake California and another week in Tahoe (where he encountered his 1st real bear with Daddy)! Whew....that does not even include his 1st year milestones like rolling over, crawling, chatting, and walking! "Moley-Cow" as his big brother would say...this kid has had one wild ride so far :)

My baby bear is sweeter than smore's on a warm summer night, funnier than a barrel of monkeys, fresh as a sunrise, playful as a new puppy, and the greatest blessing a mommy can receive. I am so excited to celebrate baby bears 1st year with all of our family. They love him to pieces and despite their little bit of crazy they have a whole lotta love to share. You are one lucky little dude "Chaser!"

Check back soon for the Robot Party Details!

~Mamma Bear