Deceptively Declicious... Banana Bread and Coffee Cake

I decided to combine these into one post because for some reason I didn't get any pics of the cauliflower puree that I used for the banana bread and the coffee cake was sort of a flop so it didn't deserve it's own post : )

The banana bread recipe has actually been one of my biggest successes so far.  The only major problem is that the kids weren't really into it.  But, Tony really liked it (shocker!) and I liked it too - with a cup of coffee : ) It's not super sweet, so the coffee brings out the subtle sweetness.  I think I acted a little too excited about it, for the kids to be into; they sensed that something was up... 

 











The batter

Ugh! The Coffee Cake.  Just the name makes me smile, because it describes 2 of my most favorite things; coffee and cake. Yum! right?  Well, this was definitely not Yum : (

The recipe called for butternut squash puree and I was amazed by the following:

1. How simple it was to cook the squash
2. How much puree one squash made
3. How beautiful it was and how good it tasted!
(Ryder is really gonna enjoy this in a couple months : )

The Batter : ) 

Now, here's where it all went wrong.  The recipe called for spreading the butternut squash puree over

 half the batter and then sprinkling it with marshmallows.  If you look closely, you can see the orangey mush...



The kids were more than happy to help with the marshmallows : )

We were all so optimistic!











This is the crunchy topping that was supposed to bring it all together...

I REALLY wanted to like this, but unfortunately the butternut squash gave it a slimy texture that just didn't work (sad face)  At least the coffee was good lol! 

Our Little Mountain Adventure

(Tony)  Our family and Ally's parents recently spent a couple of nights at the YMCA of the Rockies campus in Estes Park, CO.  We rented a cabin for two nights and enjoyed being surrounded by the gorgeous scenery of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed swimming in the on-campus indoor pool, playing parachute games and put-put golf, collecting and learning about local bugs, and hiking near gorgeous Glacier Creek.  The campus was beautiful, the workers were really kind and helpful, and the chance to be in such amazing surroundings was priceless.

(Ally)  Yikes!  Packing for 5 is insane - how can 1 baby require so many things? (and since he's just nursing, we didn't need bottles, babyfood, etc. and it was STILL a lot)  After the stress of packing, 2 trips back to the house for essential things we forgot, and a good bit of car sickness driving up the mountains, I was just glad to be able to sit down and nurse the baby while staring out the cabin window at the God's magnificent creation.  I could seriously get used to the amazing weather and the peace and quiet of the mountains.  I am super proud of us for doing this with a 4 month old.  It would have been much easier if we just had the older 2 kids, but we are a family of 5 now and I gain a little more confidence every time we make it through another family adventure.  There were definitely some stressful moments, but there were also some precious moments of pure bliss as well.  My parents were a HUGE help to us and I think everyone but myself slept wonderfully ( I was just so nervous about the kids sleeping lol!) Ryder was awesome the whole time and the highlight for Scout and River was sharing their own room.  They actually woke up at 6:15 the first morning and "made their beds" and "played quietly" in their room - very sweet.  I think the best part for me was not having TV, cell service, or internet.  I feel like we learned what to do better/differently next time and there will definitely be a next time.  After we go to the trouble to get everything packed up and hauled up the mountain we are definitely staying at least 3 nights next time : )

The view from our porch.  I think coffee tastes better when you're looking at that.

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Deceptively Delicious... Applesauce Muffins

If you know me, you know that I'm not very domestic and definitely not one to enjoy cooking.  I grew up with a southern Mama who can sew, craft, garden and of course cooked mouth-watering southern food - fried catfish, shrimp every way you can imagine, homemade chicken tenders with homemade honey mustard dipping sauce (before honey mustard got popular) mashed potatoes, banana pudding... yes, people this was our weekly menu!  Unfortunately she did not pass the domestic gene on to me : ) 

My poor husband married a gal who doesn't iron, sew, and can't even stand to brown meat.  Until recently, I've been a hamburger helper girl all the way (after Tony would brown the meat lol!) Now, that I finally have my energy back after being incredibly nauseous for 9 months, I'm beginning a new relationship with food (that's real food people, not hamburger helper!)  

I actually glanced at my fridge yesterday and was so proud at how far we had come.  A year ago my refrigerator DID NOT look like this:  Notice the chicken marinating, organic baby carrots, sliced peppers and spinach, boiled eggs and fresh fruit ready to go for snacks...

So one of the things on my 30 before I turn 30 list is to try out some of the recipes in the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld.  I figure this will be the perfect time to do it, since I'll already be making veggie purees each week for babyfood.  So I'm diving in!  I'm starting with breakfast foods and here was my first try...

These are cauliflower and carrot purees (the veggies I already had in the fridge) I froze some of the carrot for future recipes... more on those to come! ( I've been a busy baker : )I made them in the food processor, but have since switched to the blender (I'm doing some research on the magic bullet).

 

Here is the liquid ingredients including the carrot puree

 

This is the completed batter and the "topping" which was a rolled oats and brown sugar mixture

 

 

And here's the finished product! Not the pretty things in the world, but they were pretty good.  The kids loved them which surprised me because they are very honest ( and River is a super picky eater) I thought they were just OK and Tony said the same.  The crunchy topping definitely helps!

We Tri'd For The Cure!

(by my sweet mama)

On August the 5th I had the sweet privilege to participate in a Tri for the Cure race with my twenty-nine year old  daughter. My daughter is an awesome woman and one I am very proud to call my friend. She participated in this race last year and was so moved by the survivors that she encouraged (told) me we are going to do this together next year.  I am fifty-six years old and  have been cancer free for 3 1/2 years. Like most survivors I work very hard at staying healthy and enjoying every moment God gives me, however I have never been "athletic" so this was a daunting challenge. But looking in my daughters face, I NEVER doubted I could do this. She coached and encouraged me to victory.  She never left my side and her words of encouragement kept me going when I wanted to quit. This has inspired me to dream bigger and live larger.
Doing this alone would have been a triumph, but doing it with my girl by my side was GLORIOUS!  You have set the bar high. Can't wait to see what is next.

On August the 5th I had the sweet privilege to participate in a Tri for the Cure race with my twenty-nine year old  daughter. My daughter is an awesome woman and one I am very proud to call my friend. She participated in this race last year and was so moved by the survivors that she encouraged (told) me we are going to do this together next year.  I am fifty-six years old and  have been cancer free for 3 1/2 years. Like most survivors I work very hard at staying healthy and enjoying every moment God gives me, however I have never been "athletic" so this was a daunting challenge. But looking in my daughters face, I NEVER doubted I could do this. She coached and encouraged me to victory.  She never left my side and her words of encouragement kept me going when I wanted to quit. This has inspired me to dream bigger and live larger.
Doing this alone would have been a triumph, but doing it with my girl by my side was GLORIOUS!  You have set the bar high. Can't wait to see what is next.

Ene and Papa T.

 A couple of weekends ago, my (Tony) parents made it out to Denver for a few days.  This was my mom and T's first chance to see and hold Ryder, and they enjoyed every minute of holding and playing with all of the kids.  It was a busy, fun filled weekend and they were great sports to keep up with all our craziness.  We were able to take them to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a birthday pool party, and they got to see Scout's gymnastics class (which thrilled our little gymnast : )It was a great few days, and at the end, Scout, River, Ally, and I were sad to see them leave.  Looking forward to hopefully spending time with them again soon.