February 2018 Favorites

Hello, friends! And happy March…MARCH!!! I don’t know about you, but I feel like this year is already flying by WAY TOO FAST! February, despite being a shorter month, was filled with a lot of events and quite a few new finds! Definitely more to talk about than my previous post! I’m really excited to share with you and to possibly hear from you how your month was ❤

Let’s see…February started with a few teaser days of almost summer! I was outside in a t-shirt doing yard work! Then Mother Nature decided we were due for some wintery weather and gave us some snow. Nothing prettier than waking up to a fresh few inches of snow and sunshine – I love seeing all of the trees glittered in snowflakes and all of the birds that flock our feeders makes me so happy. But now I’m ready for Spring!!

But you know what else February brought?? Food poisoning. Yep. And the timing couldn’t be any worse…the night before my birthday 😦 So we canceled the celebrating and stayed in jammies all day. Poor Willow got the worst of it and ended up being so traumatized that she was terrified to eat anything for almost a week! BUT a trip to urgent care and some much needed rest…we’re all better now and I do have some delicious things to share with you, so let’s move on to happier things, shall we??

FEBRUARY 2018 FAVORITES:

Kindle Fire >> Josh and Willow got me the latest generation Kindle Fire (thank you Amazon for having a big sale)! I had the original, first generation, which meant I wasn’t able to borrow eBooks from our library via Overdrive. Well, now I’m plowing through books faster than ever because I have so many more options at my fingertips. While I prefer an actual physical book in my hands, the Kindle Fire is SO convenient when I have Willow sleeping in my arms and I’m in the dark!

Lentil Tacos >> It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken >> While I can’t speak for the avocado cilantro sauce that’s supposed to go with these (we just haven’t made it), I will say that this taco meat is SO good that not only did we make it twice, BUT Willow LOVES IT!!! And she normally isn’t a fan of leftovers, but ended up eating lentil tacos for three straight nights! I made two minor adjustments: I used coconut oil instead of olive oil, and only used 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder (and left out the chili flakes). The flavor was incredible and I’m sure it’s because there was no skimping on the spices! Kinda reminded me of refried beans, but way better! I used some of the leftovers in a taco salad and it was delicious. Definitely give this recipe a try! I wish I had a photo to share with you, but we were too excited to dive in and stuff our faces!

P.S. – Willow wanted me to tell you that the lentil “meat” is great for carrot “sandwiches” AKA two carrot rounds with lentil deliciousness mashed between.

Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins >> Feasting on Fruit >> Another recipe that was so good that we made them not twice, but three times! The second time I made them, I topped them with chocolate frosting for my belated birthday celebration and everyone enjoyed them. I love this recipe for two reasons (OK, there’s definitely more reasons to love them, but I’ve narrowed them down)…(1) one bowl = less cleanup and (2) they obviously taste REALLY good! And the texture is perfect! You don’t need frosting, but I wanted cupcakes in a pinch and these worked out so well! They’re definitely going to be a regular treat in our house.

We actually made two other recipes from Natalie (Feasting on Fruit): her Chocolate Sugar Cookies and Date-Sweetened 3 Seed Granola! Sadly, I can only attest to how incredibly delicious the cookie dough was…by the time the frosting had set, our food poisoning also set in…which meant we didn’t get to enjoy the cookies. BOO! But I plan to make them again – Kind of like a Valentine’s Day redo. Now, as for the granola, I tried a small amount and my body told me that oats weren’t my friend just yet 😦 What I did try, was very good! We did sneak some chocolate chips into our batch and both Willow and Josh enjoyed it! As you can see, we make a lot of Feasting on Fruit recipes and that’s because my diet almost perfectly aligns with Natalie’s creations…and they’re always a hit! ❤

Crunchsters >> Vegan Beyond Bacon >> I have an addiction to crunchy things…chips and crackers are a weakness of mine, so when I saw these in Market of Choice last month, I had to buy a bag. Who could pass up on a brand called Crunchsters??? There were three flavor options, but I went with this one because salty AND sweet?? Yes, please! Sweetened with organic maple sugar and seasoned with smoked sea salt…perfection. The best part is that even Willow likes them! They’re sprouted mung beans with 7 grams of protein per serving….but full disclosure, I almost ate the entire bag on my own…serving sizes, ha! Natural Grocers does carry a single serving pouch as well.

Skout Backcountry Organic Energy bars >> These are great, on-the-go snacks and a super convenient option. They almost taste like dessert…which I definitely won’t complain about! Sweetened with dates, nuts, seeds, Himalayan salt….what’s not to love?? Hands down my favorite bar option. If you’re local to Bend, these can be found at both Natural Grocers and Market of Choice.

Beyond Broth packets >> These were a new find at Natural Grocers, and while a bit on the pricier side ($2.29/packet), my first thought was, “These would be great for camping and/or road trips!” Loaded with organic, good-for-you ingredients, these did not disappoint. I made mine in a giant, over-sized mug and sipped on it like I would tea. Comforting and very warming! I think I’ll grab a few for our next camping adventure because they take up no space and all you need to do is heat water!

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BOOKS:

White Rose, Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I actually read five other books during the month of February, but they weren’t ones I’d recommend!

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As usual, I’d love to hear from you! What have you been reading or watching? Or have you tried any new recipes or products?? Oh! Josh and I started watching The Good Place on Netflix!!! SO good! I tried watching the first episode of Dark and got creeped out a couple of minutes in, but I plan to attempt again soon since pretty much everyone keeps telling me how good it is. And Josh was able to finish all of the episodes, so maybe I’ll have more to report next month!

I’ll leave you with a very heartwarming video that Willow and I came across on YouTube…you’re welcome 😉☺️

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a great month!

❤