Friday, April 25, 2014

Live More, Stress Less! Eat More Chocolatey Peanut Butter Cookies!

It's been a rough few months and by few months I mean semester. I am just about to finish up my Anatomy and Physiology course and Medical Terminology and I have to say I am mentally and physically wiped. I am ready for a break. We just bought an RV so I am looking forward to some much needed rest and relaxation. This summer my goal is to have more fun. I want to have the energy to clean my house (hopefully with some much needed help from my wonderful loving husband and children ;) ) and to host more barbecues and summer playdates. It's all about motivation and sticking with it. So this summer, I am going to make an exceptional effort to do fun things with my family. We are taking a vacation and going to visit my family and go on more RV trips. I have been looking at pinterest quite a bit lately and have been gathering a few ideas on things to do and easy recipes to make on the go like some cookies and brownies since our oven in the RV is rather small.... I did come across this awesome recipe that I have made a few times for chocolatey peanut butter cookies. Oh my gosh they are SOOOO good. I have adapted the recipe a bit to cater to our liking but I am sure that it will not disappoint! We try our best to eat GMO free and organic and trust me these cookies taste so much better when there are organic ingredients inolved...

Chocolatey Peanut Butter Cookies

1/4 cup (or a half stick of organic butter or make your own like I do it tastes so much better!), softened 

1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter (organic is preferred but to save money I buy conventional)

1/4 cup of organic cane sugar 

1/4 cup organic light brown sugar 

1 farm fresh egg (Once you buy farm fresh you will never go back to store bought!) 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup unbleached flour (I buy mine at Trader Joes)

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1/8 tsp sea salt 

1 & 3/4 cups of dark chocolate chips ( I actually don't measure I just throw in how many I like and I have added some crushed pieces of Andes candies for a little mint chocolate taste.) 

Method: Preheat oven to 350. 
If you have a stand mixer such as a Kitchen Aid like I do this is so much faster and easier because you can let the mixer run while you throw in the ingredients. Beat the butter, and peanut butter together on medium speed and gradually add the two types of sugars beating until well mixed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and sea salt and beat until well blended. Stir in the chocolates and mix well. 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. I only let them cool for about 2 mins and then I start to devour them but I recommend that you let them cool a little longer ;) I can't help myself especially on those super stressed days. These cookies are amazing and I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I do. They are usually gone before I can get another batch in the oven. Just sayin'. 


Love, Mombird








Thursday, January 30, 2014

Sister

So for those of you who know me, you know that my father is a truck driver. It was hard growing up with him being gone all the time wondering what state he would be in, what kind of weather conditions, what kind of potential hazardous situations he could be in. It was also very hard to not have him at my school events. Like the time he promised me that he would be there to watch me perform in my school musical in 4th grade. He ended up getting there just in time to watch me walk out the doors with tears in my eyes. He missed a lot of basketball, volleyball, and softball games in high school. He missed A LOT. 

But even though he was not present for things that I needed him there for as a child, I can't even imagine how it would have been like growing up without even knowing him. My father has always been there for me even though he wasn't physically there for me. And for that I am very grateful. As a kid I didn't see it this way. I was mad at him a lot for missing things that were important to me. I was jealous of my friends for having a father that could eat dinner with them every night. And every time my mother and I got into it, I prayed to god that he would make my father come home and STAY home. As a child and teenager, I prayed to god a lot. I especially prayed just before bed when I was sobbing after a bad fight with my mom. 

Though my childhood was not easy, I still had my father in my life. My sister, did not. As I said before, I can't even imagine my life without my dad. I can't even imagine how she grew up not knowing who he was. I am so glad that she has found us and found who her father is and I am at peace with it. This young woman has found her brother, sister, and father. That my friends, is a miracle on its own. Sometimes we need to look at what we have and be thankful for it. Maybe that volleyball game that my dad missed wasn't so important after all. Just looking back at all the things that he missed just seems so small compared to a lifetime of not having him in my life. So if you take anything away from this at all, just know that even though we can't always have it all, what we do have and the moments we were able to share might just mean the world to someone else.  

~Mombird