Sweet sweet weekend

My my what a relaxing weekend this has been.  I have literally done nothing but veg on the retro 70's green/blue/yellow loveseat in my living room.  Okay maybe that's a fib.  I've done a little bit more.  But not much.  Friday, as you know, I cooked some din din and then baked some cookies for my sisters--which I will share with you below.  Bear with my story telling for a little while longer, pleaseeee.  

Saturday in the AM I cleaned the whole pink house and replaced all of the wallflowers with fresh "cinnamon glazed doughnut" refills.  It is smellin' good over here for sure.  Then I volunteered with Habitat restore for a couple hours.  I got a free old window that I hope to make a cool something or other out of.  Maybe I can share that one day soon.  

THEN, my daddy came to visit.  We went to lunch and then the basketball game, and then to dinner.  

Then I ordered him some new swim trunks and a new sweatshirt from Land's End.  

Over the phone. 

 Using his Christmas gift card.  

And we had a coupon!  

What a successful day!!

This morning I went for an early morning stroll.  Just because the weather looked too darn perfect not to.  

Then I got to skype my Swedish friend, attend an amazing church service, bake some yummy oatmeal for lunch, take a nap, do some studying, watch lion king, go to the gym, take a drive, and now I am watching aladdin/mean girls/pirates--because yes, I would rather flip between the 3 than watch the Oscars.  

Whew there I got that off my chest.  

That being said, I must give a shout-out to Octavia for winning best supporting actress for The Help.  She even gave a "War Eagle" on the red carpet!  How cool!!

Okay, now that you know my life, let's talk baking.  

I made these for my sisters in honor of them both making the varsity cheer squad at school last week!  I usually send them a candy gram or cards in the mail beforehand, but I was just behind this year.  So, I knew my Dad was coming and he could take these home for them.  Of course, I had to test a few...make sure they're edible, ya know.

 Makes approximately 25 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
• Pinch of salt

 Mix the ingredients really well, and then bake the puppies at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.  They almost have more of a bread-like consistency than a cookie.  Kindof cakeish.  Either way, they are still scrumptious.  and even good for you too with some fiber from the oats.

with PB:  see how they are more flat and also lighter in color than the above picture of the regular cookies
(note these pics are after baking)

Me, being the lover of PB that I am, stirred in a little of the nut butter to half the batter.  And honestly, I was kinda disappointed.  You couldn't really taste the PB and it made the cookies not as fluffy.  I think this is the first, and possibly the only time, I will tell you to skip PB.

Unless of course you enjoy a spoonful while you wait ten whole minutes for your cookies.

I won't judge, cuz you know you want to.

technology fail.....

Okay, so I was so excited to post this dinner I had tonight because guess what, it was simple, DELICIOUS, and nutritious.  I documented it perfectly taking before and after pics. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, my camera/memory card decided to play a mean trick on me.  It said it needed to be re-formatted.  So I clicked okay.  Then a message popped up saying in order for that to happen it would delete all of my pictures.  So I hit cancel of course.  Well, turns out it canceled all of my pictures from tonight anyways.  

So sad  :'(

Lucky for you, this one of the brussels sprouts only got half way damaged.  

I suppose the one good thing about this picture is it gives me some evidence that I am not fibbing to you.

I don't like liars.

Well, my dinner was so delicious that I am going to give you the recipes (more like simple, very flexible guidelines) to make it for yourself!  I will not be defeated by my technological incompetence!

I made a Publix run last night.  What can I say, I'm obsessed.  

While there, I decided I was going to treat myself to one new-aka one I've never personally cooked before-, fresh, vegetable to cook tonight.  I knew I was going to be home alone tonight, so I wanted to cook to provide myself with some entertainment.  

I had some frozen chicken breast tenderloins already so I thawed out two of them before I went to the gym this evening.  When I got home, I was ready to get in the kitchen!  I am always ravenous after I workout.  

Imagine that.  Me? ravenous?  Never.  

Anywho, back to the kitchen.  Okay so to make the PERFECT brussells sprouts is really so easy!  First, preheat the oven to 400F.  Wash the sprouts and cut the brown stems off the bottom.  Peel away any loose leafy greens that may be yellowing or spotty, or just don't look right.  Put the sprouts in a bowl and drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil, throw on some salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.  Give the sprouts a good toss making sure each one is sufficiently covered and seasoned.  Place them on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes.  Every 7-10 minutes you should wiggle the pan so that the sprouts become brown/eventually blackened on each side.  They will turn black by the time they finish cooking, but I promise it does not mean they are burning!  

For the chicken, I melted 2 spoonfuls of butter in the microwave and then added a sprinkle of dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  I brushed the mixture over the chicken fingers.  Butter is great because it gives a wonderful crunch to the outside of the chicken without being too overpowering.  When the sprouts had about 15 minutes left on the timer, I stuck the chicken in the oven to cook while the sprouts finished up.  I always love when I can cook two things at once.  It makes me feel so efficient!

Now, let me tell you.  The aroma of the sprouts cooking mixed with the smells of the garlic and oregano from the chicken was lovely and savoury and made my tummy growl even louder.

I didn't fix any starch or grain or carb to accompany the chicken and sprouts because I made some cookies for after dinner, and I didn't want to be too full to enjoy them.  Check back soon for the recipe.  They're worth it I promise  ;)

Okay well, hopefully my all words post didn't bore you too much.  

Or maybe you're so bored that you just want to go cook.  

Either way, I hope you'll experiment with brussells sprouts.  I was kindof afraid to, but they were perfectly soft and flavorful.  Blessing to you all!