Delicious & Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Today was the day after day light savings and the kids were dragging all day long. It was the perfect day for chocolate, the perfect day for baking. I'd been wanting to try a recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod. Maria's whole wheat oatmeal chocoloate chip cookies are made with coconut oil. I'd never tried a chocolate chip cookie recipe that used only whole wheat flour (and it turned out so YUMMY!). And I'm new to baking with coconut oil and I'm sold! The combination of whole wheat flour moistoned by the coconut oil, add old fashoined oats, chocolate and a little sea salt...this recipe is to die for!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Made with Coconut Oil

ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened (not melted)
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together softened coconut oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.

4. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Don't overmix. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.

5. Form the cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet, 2-inches apart. Flaten the tops of each cookie just slightly with the soft side of your thumb and sprinkle it with sea salt. Bake for 13 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden around the edges and soft in the center. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

These cookies are still delicious after sitting out for 2 days, but if you've got any left over after that, I recommend sticking them in the freezer. 

I hope you enjoy these cookies that deliver the perfect combination of sweet and salty. 

Brothers

I've caught myself tearing up multiple times over this dang commercial. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you take the 30 seconds to watch it. The resemblance that the boys have to my Jack and Nate is uncanny. It's priceless. 

I was curious to see if they'd enjoy watching it together. So over their waffles and orange juice this morning, they must of watched it a dozen times. They thought it was hilarious that someone took  "a video of them when they are daddies." When I asked Jack if he liked it, he told me "Nathan and I will always need each other." Dear Lord, hand me the tissues! '-)

Homie's Got Some Moves

Homie's got some moves...

Embracing Change

Every morning my four-year-old crawls into bed with me to cuddle while the sun rises.

Today, after a few minutes of impatience, for the first time, he decided that he would make himself breakfast.

After a few minutes passed, intrigued, I pulled myself out of bed, curious to see what I'd find him doing; only to discover a sweet little boy helping himself to Sunday morning cartoons and a donut.

You'd think the fact that he's grown four inches in the past three months would allow me to accept that my once chubby toddler is now a independent, growing boy. But it definitely seems easier for him to embrace the fact that he is a "big" boy than it is for his Momma.

As his baby brother napped today, we made chocolate chip cookies while enjoying one another's company. We laughed and teased while I answered the endless rounds of questions he had about the world. I am so proud and honored to share these special little moments with my "big" boy. He is becoming a person I relate to and truly have fun sharing time with.

It's bizarre being a mommy. Once you've finally accepted that you are the mother to this adorable little being, you blink, and they're grown. You never quite have the time to embrace or get used to any one phase. 

And so, with this season of growth, my new focus will be to embrace the change, cherish the sweet cuddles and kisses, encourage the "little" person he is becoming, and guide him steadily as we make our way together through this crazy beautiful life.

Enjoy the little things

Experiencing tragedy always reminds us what's important.
And after a day like today, I am forced to count my blessings. 
God has a way of doing that to us.
I truly believe that it's amongst the dark times, that we are ultimately faced with the choice to rejoice in the little things or wallow in our sorrows. 

As the traumatic visions flashed my television this afternoon, I was reminded of 9/11 and that we cannot allow the terrorists to win. For if we allow the tragedy to darken our days, we are only granting the killers a power over our lives.

Very little is needed to make a happy life. And that's the beauty. Each day is a gift. As cliche as it sounds, take a moment to give a kind word, smile, dance with your husband, hold hands, laugh with your kids, and remember it's these little things that are truly significant and matter the most. 

Sweet dreams and God bless you.

Top Ten Reasons 3-Year-Old T Ball Is Worth It

So yes, I am that mom. The one that gets overly enthusiastic at the prospect of my 3-year-old little boy playing sports. Every season, I try to convince my husband, who not only played semi-pro but also works as a sportscaster, that our kid is old enough to play and can handle it.

And as usual, (shhh, don't tell him) he was probably right. I may have been a bit over zealous. To get the whole family up and out of the door on a Saturday morning before 8am, there's got to be quite a love for the game. Sacrificing our Saturdays, utterly exhausted and usually covered in mud and sweat...makes one ask the question, was it worth it?

Well, our first season of T Ball is under our belts and looking back, there were a few pretty awesome moments that I have to say made it well worth it for me....

1) Watching my son hit the baseball for the first time on the field and subsequently running to the pitcher's mound instead of first base.

2) Witnessing my sweet 3-year-old be part of a team 
and truly loving his teammates.

3) Hot, Venti Starbucks.

4) Hearing our little player talk about how excited he is 
for his next game.

5) Our little buddy catching his first ground ball, 
only to throw it randomly to the dugout.

6) Crying after the next game because 

he didn't catch a ground ball.

7) Watching him field his own hit 

(awesome buddy, awesome).

8) Midway through the season, our little player tells us, "Mom, Dad, do you know what my favorite part of T Ball is?!   -The Snacks!!"

9) Battling my 1-year-old (the entire game) from running out on the field and playing with his big brother.

10) And last but not least, experiencing my athlete husband's unending patience while teaching his 3-year-old son how to play (with little retention) but even more so, the pride and excitement they share for the love of the game and each other.

Clean Up Aisle 3 - Toddler Meltdown Level 10!

The dog escaped minutes before having to throw my 1-year-old in the car to pick up big brother from preschool. Poor pup's just going to have to fend for herself in the heat of the Florida sun. "Just hope she doesn't get eaten by an alligator while we're gone."

Traffic on the way to school, barely make it in time for pick up and the preschool teacher informs me that my ever-so-sweet 3-year-old brought a pocket full of change to school, to which he teased all of his classmates, asking them "if they'd like to get paid today?"... (seriously buddy?!)

Three-car-pile-up on the way home, traffic is crawling by a Publix and I think, "I might as well pick up some groceries and get the boys some lunch." (HA!).... Better said than done.

Warning: Never take two toddlers grocery shopping after pre school with hungry bellies.

The first 10 minutes went smoothly as my sweeties sat quietly in their race car grocery cart...(the calm before the storm)...once we hit the baking aisle, all He&% broke loose. It felt like a speaker went off in the store announcing my toddler's meltdown (Clean up aisle 3 - Toddler Meltdown!)....high-pitched screams, arched back, red face, going-floppy-if-you-try-to-pick-me-up mode. Thank God I realized my little blonde-haired, 20-month-old was freaking out over the bag of Nestle chocolate chips I just put in the cart and couldn't tolerate waiting till check-out to open them up. 

Needless to say, we made it out alive. With a trail of chocolate chips behind us, half of our grocery items opened and bitten off of, two very tired toddlers and an exhausted mommy...

Emma, the dog was waiting patiently on the driveway when we got home. And my sweet little toddlers are fast asleep, napping deeper than ever. 

I can't help but giggle. I know these days will pass before I can blink. Especially because every parent who passed us at the grocery store gave me that all-knowing, sweet smile as my kids are crawling in and out of my shopping cart like wild monkeys. Brings a whole new meaning to "they are so precious when they sleep." And mommy finally gets a minute to sit down and breath before it all starts over again. 

Wouldn't change it for the world. And the crazy part is, I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. I'm choosing to seize these crazy beautiful moments and remember how blessed I am today to be the mommy of such awesome, sweet (active!) little boys.