Hedging Bets

I have never really been one to enjoy gambling.

Slots? Blackjack? Poker?

No thanks.

So why then did I entrust my entire garden success on seed packets primarily from Dollar Tree?

Eek.

I spent the better part of the weekend outside planting seeds. Some I had started a few weeks ago, the others I just went for it right in the dirt.

Now is a fun time to be noticing that my Canon lens has a smudge on it

Watermelon, honeydew, pickling cucumbers, regular cucumbers, zucchini, beets, Swiss chard, parsley, basil, purple basil, sage, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, chocolate tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, jalapenos, habaneros, bell peppers, sugar snap peas, purple pole beans, green pole beans and OH MY GOSH this was the biggest gamble of my life.

One bet I did not take ‘cause I *knew* they would be good are these trail mix bars I made this afternoon. With kids coming in and out of the house all day (some my own, some not, haha), I am going to need SO MANY SNACKS to get us all through the summer. As much as I’m all for the convenience of pre-made bars, these were so stinkin’ easy and the kids actually had fun helping me make them.

I found these baking dates at Wal Mart- this is new to me. Previously whenever I made bars, I’d have to puree dates myself using my wimpy food processor and I just overall hated that messy sticky process. This product is fantastic though- it’s a paste-like texture and looks not unlike my dog taking a squat on our morning run, but that aside, it made the process infinity percent easier. Baking dates. Who knew?

I used basic crisp rice cereal for this. If you can find brown rice cereal, that would be the slightly better nutritional pick (but honestly it’s not much of a difference). For the chips, I love my dark chocolate- less sugar + more flavor! I should also mention that while I love my Smucker’s peanut butter, I used the kids’ generic peanut butter. I’ll try making these again sometime with Smuckers- I’m betting it’ll work just fine, but a disclaimer that I’m not certain!

Trail Mix Bars

2 cups crisp rice cereal

1 ½ cups dry oats

1 cup peanuts (I didn’t bother to chop mine but you could if you wanted)

½ cup raisins

½ cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup baking dates (or pureed dates)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients until well mixed. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan with plastic wrap. Press mixture down. Place plastic wrap on top and continue to press until it’s solidly packed down. When you think you’ve done a good job, DO IT MORE. Take it from me. Put in the fridge for at least an hour to slightly harden up, then cut into squares to serve. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Annika's hand in the background, giving me a "thumbs up"

These have those awesome sweet 'n' savory, chewy 'n' crunchy combinations. My kids (and husband) love these. I'll probably need to make another batch in a day or two!

Makes 16 bars. Per bar: 123 calories, 19 grams carbs (2 g fiber), 5 grams fat, 3 grams protein, 20 mg sodium

Home Improvements

I accomplished a thiiiiiiiing!

We have a maple tree in our front yard and between the dog, the squirrels, and the overall deteriorating of lawn, it was rooty and sparse and ugly. Why not build a mini ring around it, fill it with plants and mulch? Easy-peasy?

I figured this was a project we could do as a Mother’s Day gift to me from me. Except when I decide I want to do a project, I want it done nowwwwww, so after several trips to various stores, I had bought (and loaded up) 56 landscaping blocks, 5 hostas, 5 peonies, 9 bags of garden soil, and 3 bags of mulch.

We’re now at easy-ish-peasy-ish and EXPENSIVE-ISH in case you’re wondering.

It took me a few days to get it done, since, children, but I’m pleased with the overall result! It’s not professional looking, but it also doesn’t reek DIY.

One truly easy thing I did this week was make blueberry donuts. It should surprise no one that I am still using Kodiak Cake mix to make recipes. I’m not sorry! It’s such an easy base! To mix things up though, literally and figuratively, these come together in the blender. Whhhaaaaa?

Blueberry Donuts

-1/2 cup frozen blueberries, warmed up in the microwave (when no longer frozen, they’ll be less than ½ cup and that’s fine)

-1 egg

-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

-1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

-1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

-2 tablespoons white sugar (or honey)

-1 ½ cups Kodiak Cake buttermilk pancake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a donut pan with nonstick baking spray. In a blender, combine thawed blueberries, egg, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk. Blend until smooth (shouldn't take more than 10 seconds). Add pancake mix and blend for just a handful of seconds- you want it well mixed but not overmixed. My Blendtec took literally 3 seconds to have it all mixed.

Pour the batter into the donut pan. I had a little extra batter and I suppose I could’ve made one lone donut after the first round was done, but meh. Bake for ~12 minutes, or until they spring back when touched. Let cool for a few minutes, then invert. Freeze any leftovers!

They look gray in this pic but really they are a pretty purple color. My kids were VERY into them!

Per donut: 118 calories, 18 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 2 grams fat, 8 grams protein, 208 mg sodium.

Green-ish Thumb

I mean no disrespect, but Mother Nature- I have some concerns.

You see, so much of the time, when the crabapples start to bloom, so do the lilacs…

…but the lilacs are so far behind!

I suppose nature could stagger the spring beauty a bit, but I’m eager for blooms ALL AROUND.

On the home front, at least 50% of my daffodils bulbs I planted in the fall survived. And yes, I’m the kind of girl who’s happy with a 50% success rate in many aspects of life.

For Mother’s Day my husband has been pushing me to spend a night alone in a hotel room and get the 12 hours of sleep I apparently need, buuuuuut, I chose to instead spend that money on new peonies and landscape blocks for what I meant to be a simple project.

So, to recap, my Mother’s Day will include crabapples but no lilacs, some daffodils, and manual labor on regular sleep.

I can deal with that.

Another thing I can deal with? Adding fruit to my salads.

I have never ever been a fruit-with-salads person. Mandarin orange slices? Nnnnnnope. Blueberries mixed in with that spinach? HECK NO. So how is it that I made a strawberry chicken salad that was SO GOOD I put it on the menu again this week? I think I might finally be growing up.

Strawberry Chicken Salad

Dressing

~4 large strawberries, stems and leaves removed (frozen unsweetened would be fine!) 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/8 cup unsweetened almond milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes ~3/4 cup dressing. If not using immediately, cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Salad

1 lb (~16 oz/2 cups) pre-cooked chicken (you could use shredded rotisserie chicken, frozen grilled chicken strips, etc- just try to pick skinless grilled or baked)

1 cup shredded/matchstick carrots

~6-8 strawberries, sliced

10 oz baby spinach

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

4 oz crumbled goat cheese

Heat up chicken to package directions (or by all means, grill up some uncooked chicken with your favorite seasonings). Divide spinach between 4 plates and top with carrots, sliced strawberries, almonds, and goat cheese. Top with dressing!

Makes four salads. Per salad (with dressing): 371 calories, 13 grams carbohydrates (including 3 grams fiber), 15 grams fat, 45 grams protein, 1039 mg sodium