Make This This Weekend- Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Muffins

I love, love having yummy treats around heading into the weekend.

I love things that are easy to grab and go and easy to share.

This recipe covers all of those bases and is the perfect thing for you to make this weekend.

Fresh strawberries are in abundance (and usually on sale!!) the first weeks of February so grab some and make sweet treats for your sweeties soon!

Here's what you'll need:

1 and 1/2- 2 cups fresh chopped strawberries

2/3 cup of sugar, plus a pinch more for sprinkling

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cup chocolate chunks (a handful or two, just eyeball it)

Here's what I did-

Preheat oven to 425. 

Wash strawberries and chop. Place them in a bowl with he sugar for about 20-30 minutes so they get nice and juicy. Add eggs and oil to the berries, stir to combine. Add dry ingredients and stir until moistened. toss in chocolate chunks and give it one more quick stir. Scoop into muffin tins lined with paper liners and sprinkle the top of each with a pinch of sugar. Bake 16 minutes (or so, depending on your oven). Makes 12 muffins. 

How I do it-

Anytime I'm baking from scratch for breakfast I get my ingredients in place and measured the night before. For this recipe, I get two bowls ready. In a small bowl I combine the flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl I measured out the sugar (this would be where I put the chopped berries in the morning). Cover both bowls and set them aside with your oil, chocolate chunks and measuring cups. I also set my liners in the muffin tin. In the morning I turn on the oven, chop the berries then let them sit while I shower, caffeinate, or bible study. You can do it too! 

Enjoy sharing these this weekend!

Sick Days and Super Bowl

We've been so fortunate to stay healthy this fall and winter--until this week.

Both kids for ear infections and a case of pinkeye.

First Jay then Lizzy about 72 hours later.

Luckily both are on the mend but we've spent most of the last week at home soaking up some TLC.

And running back and forth from room to room keeping Jay and Lizzy mostly separated. 

It's fair to say that I might have been tended to a little too well when I was home sick as a child. Being the youngest of 4, my mom might have let me stay home just about any time I wanted. She may have also enjoyed spoiling me on those "sick" days--which really left an impression on me and I am certainly passing this tradition on to Jay and Lizzy. 

Getting these two to school this weekly be a struggle! Heck, a morning without breakfast "on a tray" might be a struggle. If you follow me on instagram you'll see a little video I posted about Lizzy's struggle to give up the tray last night. HA!

Joseph called this afternoon and suggested we have a Super Bowl party just for our little family. He'd pick up dinner and the kids and I started making brownies. Jay wanted to make some decorations and before I knew it this is what we'd come up with.

Love this little planner and his fun ideas.

He also wanted to learn how to wash dishes today.

Mommy loves a little helper! (Especially now that he's actually helpful!)

Here's hoping for a great and healthy week ahead and more fun to come with the kiddos! 

Lizzy- Two-and-a-half and counting.

We've started planning Lizzy's third birthday.

My baby is a baby no more, but she's so special and spectacular, in fact she's been known to refer to herself as Elizabeth-tastic.

So I thought I'd take a second to share some of her 2-and-a-half year old magic,

before the time has passed us by.

  

She's beautiful in every way.

Caring and kind.

Bashful and inquisitive.

Loving and wacky.

Loud and spunky.

ALWAYS with a song in her heart and often on her lips.

She's a daddy's girl and definitely mommy's little baby when she wants to be.

So very independent.

Somewhere late this summer, we packed up the crib one day and she's slept in the twin bed ever since. In fact, she still goes to sleep the same way she always has--She will lie down and we will pay our prayers, read a story (at night) and chat for just a moment then I leave her awake and she sings jabbers herself to sleep. She has gone through spells when napping isn't part of her routine, and I have had to be okay with that. Those spells usually last about a week or so then she can settle back in to napping for about 2 hours in the afternoon.

Lately she's become an early riser like Jay. There's just something about feeling like the day might be passing you by when you're little, so I'm okay with them getting up and going at dawn. I know one day I will have to drag her out of bed for school, so mornings with time to play, watch TV, and eat breakfast whenever are fine with me.

Still a picky or unpredictable eater--but she has slowly been turning a corner. She eats apples and bananas readily now, will snack on craisins and fruit yogurts. She loves cheese, has been trying chicken (other than nuggets) eats barbecue, turkey, cheeseburgers, cereals, tacos and pizza now. I feel like in her own timing she's coming out of her picky phase. Thank goodness!

She still loves sweets, candy and ice cream and asks for candy for at least one meal a day. :)

Sometime early this fall (sorry, baby book) she became fully potty trained. After that she became as independent as can be and some days it seems like she only needs parents because she's not tall enough to reach some things nor legally allowed to drive--other than that she could probably go her entire day with little assistance from an adult.

She is so stinkin' smart! She knows letters and shapes, colors, numbers and 20-30 sight words. She understands phonics and sounds words out, I wouldn't call it reading, but she understands letter combinations.

She sings and talks 18.5 hours a day. She'll tell me that "Shes okay for now" if I ask her if she wants something to drink. She never gives one or two word answers. It makes me laugh and a little sorry for all of the years I talked the ears off of folks when I was little. Or last week, whatever.

She loves to dance and have tea parties and is a girlie-girl to the nth degree. She loves having her nails painted and pretty clothes on and gets a touch whiny when you try to encourage her to adventure into unfamiliar places or too far into the yard.

She is terrified of fireworks and could go her whole year without seeing a fire in a fireplace. Although, she does love Cracker Barrel.....

She adores Jay, loves school and Sunday school and makes friends easily. She loves going to the beach, school, church and the mall. 

We're approaching the big 3 this spring and I am excited for all this new year holds for her...but for now I am soaking in all of this little-tiny person and her sweetness and stubbornness. Time flies when we're having fun and with this little spitfire in our midst fun is never far way.

Love you Lizzy-Lou...

Elizabeth-tastic....

Goo-Baby....

Lu-Lu Pichuchu!!

Friday Favorites-New Year, New Food

Linking up some if my favorite new foods for the New Year today. We didn't exactly resolve to eat better this year. We're cool and noncommittal like that in our house. We have been trying and testing some new things in the pantry--here are the hits!

1. Peter Pan 100% NATURAL Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

Even picky-pants Lizzy gobbles this down. That's saying a lot from the 2.5 year old camp!

2. Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn No Salt Added Tortilla Chips

Only 4 ingredients in these chips! Big flavor, super crunch. No turning back!

3. Cup 4 Cup Pizza Crust Mix

I've used this once a week so far this year and it's awesome every time. I've worked with different dough and this one has a great texture and is a hit with the fam. It's GLUTEN FREE AND YUMMY!  

4. Horizon Organic Sandwich Crackers

Jay LOVES these. It's a "kids snack" that I really like too. Organic? Yummy? Yes and yes. Definitely the best new thing we've tried for the kids. They are at While Foods and Publix--at our Publix there is a special section of the cracker and cookies aisle dedicated to this line. I have a feeling that once more folks discover them the shelves will be empty! I'll be buying these every week. 

5. Udi's Gluten Free Simple Vanilla Granola

See the almost empty bag? That's a granola-first in this house. Perfect mixed into any yogurt. It's sweet, nutty, not gravely and awesome. I seek out new things to try this on because I love it so so much! 

That's if for Friday! I love these posts because they are so fast from my phone. Hopefully I can sit down and play catch up on some family fun soon!

Enjoy your weekend! Happy snackin'!!

Hey! Its Monday and I saw that Erika at The Slaughters was chatting about her favorite new "healthier" snacks today and hosting a link up of favorite things. Thanks for stopping by and thanks Erika and Andrea for the link up!

The year 2014-highlights from my phone

Little moments--not holidays, just everydays.

A year with these two--everyday they laugh, sing, smile and bring us joy. 

What fun we've had just living life. It's been a huge year...here are the highlights courtesy of my phone.