MOCHA FRAPPE RECIPE

MOCHA FRAPPE RECIPE

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

There are only three things that I consider my kryptonite: Ice cream, dark chocolate covered almonds, and frappes. With it being warmer out a frappe is the way to go! Cold and chocolately with a kick!

YOU WILL NEED

2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder ( Ghirardelli is best )

2 tablespoons of instant coffee ( I use a Starbucks packet that is lightly sweetened ) 

1 cup of chocolate milk. ( I use Organic Valley | It is THE best )

PREPARATION.

In a single serving blender ( like a Ninja ) or your regular old kitchen blender add 4-6 pieces of ice, the cocoa powder, coffee, and chocolate milk. Blend for about 30-45 seconds, or until your desired frothiness!

Voila! Your perfect frappe is ready. 

The ratios that I use give this frappe a wonderful intense flavor. If you're not a coffee person just leave that out and enjoy a delightful chocolate frappe. You can play around with the ingredients a bit. You can add a little vanilla if you like. Of course you can use regular milk, to cut back on the calories. Even with the chocolate milk it's still under 200 calories. That fact makes it taste all the better!

Have a great Wednesday, Friends!

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A FEW THINGS: THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

A FEW THINGS: THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

Sunday, April 19, 2015

A Few Things | Razors are dangerous, violent inanimate objects. My razor decided to make a run for it, to escape my not so firm grasp, and brutally murdered two of my poor little toes in the process. How does that even happen? Not just one toe. TWO. On separate feet! So there I was, alone and dejected, standing in a pool of my own blood, contemplating the statistical probability of a razor falling and cutting even just one toe. 

It's bananas yo!

My sister, Tuna Love ( there’s a story there ), hit the road with some friends for gregarious fun at a theme park. I’m not the jealous type, but I have to admit I was a little green with envy. She left my two nieces with us so we had a sweet time with them. I learned that Hannah simply must have an Elsa cake for her birthday. "I need you to make me an Elsa cake. You have to.. have to have to have to, Aunt Jennifer!!!"

My father flies experimental aircraft, namely a Gyro Copter, which is just a fancy name for “lawn chair with propellers”. He has been going to fly-ins since I was a little girl. Every year we all gather out in the cul-de-sac, take a selfie, help him pack his trailer, and send him on his way. This year was no exception. I fear to think what our neighbors think of us all out there in our pajamas carrying on. Hey, we are who we are. 

A Few Captures | Raspberry spelt muffins are my new favorite thing. They magically made me love both raspberries and coconut in one bite! | It's warm again so I can start wearing this floral dress all.the.time. | Throwback to carefree days in Hawaii. One of the best memories I have ever made. For one long sunny day I was utterly free. Such a gift! | I love love love palm trees! I don't know why, but I think they are the happiest tree; standing so tall with their sassy fronds dancing in the wind. 

Instagram captures via @jenvroi

A Few Favorites | 

Brooke's Birth Story - Simply Clarke

Route 66 - Styled Avenue

Partial Crown Braid Tutorial - Hello Rigby

A Few Goals For The Week | 

+ Organize the office

+ Clean out my closet

+ lunch date with my closest girlfriend ( finally! )

+ Mani/pedi party with the nieces 

A Random Tidbit |

A spider jumped on my face the other night and I screamed like a five year old. Actually, a spider jumped “near" my face and I had a William Shatner level overreaction. 

A Few words for the road | 

"A bad attitude is like a flat tire, you can't go anywhere without changing it."

It's been a good week you guys. I hope your week was productive and filled with happy moments! Thanks so much for stopping by. I heart you, friends <3

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BANANA NUT MUFFINS

BANANA NUT MUFFINS

Friday, March 27, 2015

Happy Friday, friends! I have been really good lately about not eating sweets. I was strong. I stood my ground. I fought back against temptations. Then I got a hankering for muffins.

The solution? 

Bake banana nut muffins. Surely the banana will make them.. healthy.. less fattening.. right? Oh yeah, they're gluten free, so that means I can eat at least five or all of them. You know me, I love to scratch bake, but, we don't always have time for that now do we. Prepackaged dry ingredients aka baking mixes can be so truly helpful. Being the gluten free girl that I am ( fist bump to all of my gluten intolerant friends ) I keep a Glutino baking mix or two in the pantry at all times. It's a great foundation for all kinds of delicious muffin indulgences. 

These gluten free banana nut muffins in particular are my absolute favorite. I don't care much for super sweet baked goods, so these lightly sweet muffins are just the ticket.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 BOX GLUTINO BAKING MIX

2 LARGE BANANAS

1 STICK UNSALTED BUTTER (SOFTENED)

2 LARGE EGGS

1 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT

1 1/4 CUP OF MILK

1 CUP OF WALNUTS ( ROUGHLY CHOPPED )

1 1/2 TSP PUMPKIN PIE SPICE ( OPTIONAL )

+ HAND MIXER WITH WHISK ATTACHMENT

PREPARATION

Preheat over to 370˚ and line muffin tins. Mash the two bananas and set aside. Roughly chop walnuts, and any other nuts you would like to add, and set aside.

In a medium size bowl beat together the softened butter, two large eggs, and teaspoon of vanilla. The butter might not break down completely and that's okay. Add muffin mix and milk then beat on low speed until well combined. 

Fold or beat in the mashed bananas and walnuts (  or any nut you like ) until well distributed through batter. Add the teaspoon and a half of pumpkin pie spice and beat on low speed until fully distributed though batter. 

+ This is the point where you can add in any of the add ons that you like. Add some cinnamon for extra flavor, or honey for a little more sweetness. Cocoa powder is a really nice addition. Chocolate granola, I use Nature's Path, is an incredible add on. I strongly suggest it! If you don't want to add anything else into the batter, sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on top of each muffin before baking. 

ADD ONS:

1 CUP OF PECANS ( ROUGHLY CHOPPED )

1 TSP CINNAMON

1 CUP OF CHOCOLATE GRANOLA ( A HEARTY CUP FULL )

1 CUP OF FRESH BLUBERRIES

1 TSP COCOA POWDER ( UNSWEETENED )

1 CUP OF SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS

1/4 CUP OF HONEY (FOR ADDED SWEETNESS )

Spoon a generous amount of batter into each muffin tin. I use a soup spoon for this, and spoon in the batter twice for decent size muffins. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of each unbaked muffin, and place in your 370˚ oven for 20-25 minutes.

My oven cooks low, so you might have to adjust the baking time depending on how hot your oven cooks. I do find that these muffins turn out best baked low and slow. When in doubt, look for lightly golden brown tops, and do the toothpick test. If the toothpick comes out clean, they're done!

These banana nut muffins are moist, flavorful, and just sweet enough! Our family loves them and I hope you do as well. 

+ Store the muffins in a airtight container. Baggies, I've found, will make them taste a little like plastic. You can reheat these muffins the next day, in the microwave, and add a little butter.. it's heaven!

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THE WAITING GAME: 7 THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU'RE SINGLE

THE WAITING GAME: 7 THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU'RE SINGLE

Monday, January 26, 2015

Hey girls. Can I get personal here for a minute?
I recently started my favorite month long prayer challenge again. I have devoted the month of January to praying for my husband, that is, my future husband. I am living the single life. I'm okay with that. And then again.. I'm not. God has knit into each of us the desire to pair up. It's natural. It's good. It's a God-given desire. So, some days the "single life" is lonely. You can be surrounded by family and friends that genuinely love you, and you them, yet feel a little alone. Another person does not complete us. Our wholeness should come from our relationship with Christ, but there is a complimentary oneness that is born in the marriage relationship. You get little snippets of it as you grow to know and love that one person that you are working toward forever with.

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There are moments of true contentedness, and moments of "God, I've waited patiently, please press skip ahead on this". 

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I do not believe in prince charming, love at first sight, or soul mates. Those ideas permeate our society's idea of love, but it's not realistic or biblical. In Genesis 2:22 it says: "The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man". Isn't that beautiful? God fashioned her. The word used here for the fashioning of the woman is banah. This word is used to describe the making of a temple, palaces, or forms of art. The word itself implies that the woman was not only meant to be a companion, but also an aesthetic work.  I know, I know.. we are women, hear us roar, but God has given us worth and value so far beyond "I don't need a man" or "Anything a man can do I can do better". He created us uniquely the way that we are. He created us to be the compliment to masculinity.  

We should embrace our femininity and womanhood. God has fashioned us. God brought Eve to Adam. He didn't create them separately and then wait for them to bump into each other. He also didn't tell the woman to search out the man. He created her from Adam's rib, making Eve flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. Then, God simply brought her to Adam. God is sovereign, and He has a will for your life. If God has given us the desire to pair up, then we can trust Him to bring that pairing to fruition. It's a faith walk.

There is this idea in the church that life doesn't begin until you get married and begin a life of serving Christ together. This is ridiculous. Marriage is good, we should aspire to it, but God wants us to be serving Him in our singleness too. Our life should be full and complete before we pair up. If you are not busy serving Christ as a single young woman, you won't start after you say "I do". We should be growing, focused, serving, independent, and purposeful in our singleness. When we get to the stage of marriage in our lives, who we are carries right over. We are a compliment and a helpmate to the man that God has for us. 

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So what is a girl to do while she waits for God to unfold her pairing in His perfect timing?

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1. BE A WOMAN OF PRAYER.

Prayer is powerful. We have a direct line of fellowship with the Lord through prayer. Pour out your heart to God. Praise Him in prayer. Search out wisdom through prayer. Do you talk to your mom regularly? Perhaps your girlfriends? You talk with them, sharing happiness, fear, anger, you seek guidance, and ask for opinions. Are you there for them in the same way? Yes. You cultivate the relationship. Prayer is like those intimate conversations. If we do not cultivate our relationship with Christ through prayer, it will wither. 

Pray for a heart of contentment. Pray that God would grow you into a woman of integrity. Pray for courage and strength to stand firm in your faith. Spend time praising God in prayer.

2. BE GROUNDED IN YOUR FAITH.
In order to be grounded in our faith we must be in God's word. That is where instruction and wisdom come from. Spend time studying scripture so that you may grow spiritually. If you are a woman that can be easily swayed in your beliefs, you will find yourself on unstable ground. Set aside time in your days to study God's word so that you may grow spiritually and be solid in your faith. When we have this stable foundation we can move forward, with any step in life.

3. GET INVOLVED.

Get involved in your church! God has given us all spiritual gifts, and we should use them to the benefit of the body of Christ. Plugin to your church. Serve in the nursery, help with children's program,  or serve in an adult bible fellowship. Can you sing? Well, join the worship team. Maybe you're good with social media. Find a place to serve on the media team at your church. There are so many ways to plugin to your church, and use your time, and gifts wisely.

4. KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

Who are you? What are your thoughts? Your likes? Your fears? Before you can share yourself with another person you have to first know who you are. You can't explain your values and your heart unless you are grounded in your identity. If you are not grounded in who you are and what you believe, you can easily be swayed and changed. Be confident and secure in who you are.

5.  FOCUS.
Rather than pining away for a significant other, go out and do something with yourself! If you're in school, focus on that and doing the best that you can. Don't let loneliness be a distraction from the here and now. Focus on your school, your work, growing your talents, and managing your time wisely. If you're floundering in your singleness, marriage will not stabilize you.

6. BE INDEPENDENT.

Our wholeness does not and should not come from another person. Another person does not complete us. We find our wholeness in Christ. Before you can become one in a marriage relationship, you must be independent as a young woman. Independent in your relationship with Christ, in your thoughts, and in your decisions. Marriage brings two whole independent people together. You don't take on your husband and who he is. You compliment and balance one another. There is a give and take. 

7.  BE PURPOSEFUL.

Dating. It's going to happen. You're going to be asked out, and you're going to want to jump at the chance for that coffee date. Be careful not to fall into thoughtless dating. Just because a young man asks you out doesn't mean you should go out with him. If you're not attracted to him, don't agree to go out with him. We are talking across the board here, not just physical attraction. Do you like his personality? Are you attracted to his mind? How do you feel about his sense of humor? Are you attracted to the whole of his person?

There are few truly godly young men around these days. I know. Don't settle because you're lonely. Be patient and trust God for the right young man. The young man that loves God, and cultivates his relationship with Christ. No man is perfect, but you will see all of the little seedlings of christlikeness, integrity, purity, respect, and spiritual maturity. If you thoughtlessly date guys that cannot lead you spiritually, and that you're not attracted to, you will end feeling emotionally confused and hurting the guy in the process. 

All right girls, that's my heart-to-heart. From one single girl to another.. seek God with all of your heart, and wait patiently. What do you think are some things you should do while you're single?

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GLUTEN FREE BROWNIE PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

GLUTEN FREE BROWNIE PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Brownies are delicious. Cookies are delicious. Brownie-cookies are.. dangerous. I don't make baked goods that often because it's just too darn difficult to stop eating them once I start. I mean, I ate like six of these when I made them, and ate the edges off of some of the others. Then there was that moment of weakness at breakfast the next morning. They're good! I have made these completely from scratch in the past, but, we don't always have the time to scratch make cookies. With a little help from a gluten free brownie mix, you'll have moist, chewy, chocolately cookies with a hint of peppermint, in no time! Perfect for a Christmas party, or just you know, for yourself! 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED.

1 Box of gluten free brownie mix. I used the gluten free Betty Crocker mix.

3 tblsp of gluten free flour. 

2 eggs.
1/3 cup oil. I used Olive Oil.
7 Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares.

PREPARATION. 

Preheat oven to 350˚and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Chop or break by hand the peppermint bark squares and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl mix together the gluten free brownie mix and the 3 tblsp of gluten free flour. In a separate bowl beat the 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil together ( I just use a fork to beat them ), and fold into brownie mix until a moderately thick dough forms. Fold in peppermint bark pieces, or hold back to just sprinkle on top for a more subtle peppermint flavor. 

Drop generous round spoonfuls on baking sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes. ( I use two soup spoons for this because the size is just right if you want large cookies, and the second spoon keeps my hands from getting messy). If you held the peppermint bark back, sprinkle on top of the cookie dough before baking, as I did. Be careful not to over bake. Brownie-cookies can become super hard if over baked. Like the hard edges of true brownies in a pan. They only need about 10 minutes. 

Let the cookies cool and then share with your friends and family!

Happy eating, friends.

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$225 CHRISTMAS CASH GIVEAWAY

$225 CHRISTMAS CASH GIVEAWAY

Monday, December 1, 2014

simply clarke | crazily normal

the thing about joy | tabler party of two | musings of a wanderer | simply free | lot 48

the mommy glow | rebekah elizabeth | the dwelling tree | the everyday joys | the southern thing

eat drink and be mary | lip gloss and high heels | southern beauty guide | a little too jolley | to the sea

boone + owl | two miracles | just bee | beauty brawler | living for his glory

 

Today I have teamed up with a few other bloggers to giveaway $225 Cash to help with your Christmas shopping endeavors! Enter away below and make sure to check out these amazing ladies.

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