I took a stroll through my garden this morning to see how everything was doing, as we near fall and cooler temperatures approach. To my delightful surprise, I discovered quite a few strawberries in my little patch! I also found a lot of Cayenne peppers if anyone has some good ideas for those. My garden inspired this week’s healthy snack, Strawberry Oatmeal Bars. YUM!
For the Strawberry Bars:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil – melted
2 cups small-diced strawberries
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon-ish of honey
For the Vanilla Glaze (optional, but huge yes)
1/4 cup powdered sugar – sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon milk – any kind you like
Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Pour in the melted coconut oil and stir until it forms clumps and the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the top, then sprinkle on the lime juice and drizzle honey. Scatter on the remaining berries, then drizzle more honey. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. You will have some fruit showing through.
Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crumb topping smells toasty and looks golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely (you can speed this process along in the refrigerator).
While the bars cool, prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, briskly whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Feel free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired. Lift the bars from the pan. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and serve.
A day late! I have had an incredibly busy week and accidentally let some bananas overripe. Whoops! I decided to try something a little different than the usual banana bread and choose mini muffins!
Banana PB Muffins
2 to 3 Bananas (overripe is best)
2 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp All Spice
2/3 cup Cranberries or other dried fruit
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mash the bananas and peanut butter together, until smooth.
Add oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves, and stir until just mixed.
Fold in dried fruit. Do not over mix.
Drop the batter by spoonful (~a heaping Tbsp.) into a greased mini muffin pan.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool on a wire rack.
Sounds weird, I know. Trying to prolong summer via my tastebuds with these tiny, flavorful pleasures! These are extremely versatile and fun to make (especially if you have some fun tray shapes). You could use any fruit, juice, herbs, or tea for the cubes and juice, sparkling water, or coffee for the beverage! (Not healthy, but I am definitely trying hot cocoa cubes this winter with a mini marshmallow in coffee)
Anyway….back to a healthy snack…I ended up blending kiwi and pineapple, layering on top of a blueberry or two, and once frozen – popping a few into my apple juice – once it started melting, it instantly tasted tropical. Im in Love.
Antioxidants, immune boosting, and aids in digestion are only a few of the many benefits of this mix. What would you create?
āAnd acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situationāsome fact of my lifeāunacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in Godās world by mistake. Until I could accept life completely in lifeās terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.ā
-Page 417 of the Big Book
The sun was starting to set as we pulled into the parking lot. It was still warm for a day in January for Colorado, and the smell of chili from Wendys was wafting through the air. We walked across the parking lot to the only part of the strip mall still lit up. As I pulled open the door and entered the building, āwhat an eclectic groupā crossed my mind, as my eyes surveyed men and women aging from 20 to 80 from every race. A very nice man introduced himself to me and my partner, he included that he wanted to make us feel at home. It had been about 6 months since I had been to an AA meeting. This was a new one, closer to home, and I was excited to see what the vibe was. The room smelled of coffee as we chose some seats by the front door. The walls were covered in art, the AA steps and traditions, and several other quotes. One of my favorite read, āThereās nothing that bad that a drink canāt make worse.ā Aināt that the truth?
Ā We began with the reading above from page 417 of the big book ā and I knew I was in the right place at the right time. This was the message that I needed to hear. Acceptance. Why is Acceptance so hard to do? Later in the reading it states āThere is a bit of good in the worst of us and a bit of bad in the best of us; that we are all children of God and we each have a right to be here. When I complain about me and about you, I am complaining about Godās handiwork. I am saying that I know better than God.ā Wow! Huh?!
When situations happen that I think are the worst ever or not fair, I start to question the universe and what the hell itās trying to do. The funny part is, times when I feel the universe is out to get me- always end up being blessings in disguise. Times I was arrested ā times I was in jail ā times I was court ordered to rehab. These are times I am now SO grateful for. Had I not been arrested I wouldnāt have changed my ways and would probably be 6 feet under at the rate I was going. Jail taught me to be grateful for breathing fresh air, ability to eat healthy, and the beauty of turning on and off your own light ā things that before that experience I most definitely took for granted. And lastly, rehab. It took me nearly 9 months to even realize that I had a problem, to really accept what I had become.
Through this acceptance I found strength and willpower to change, to make my life better. Since I have changed, the blessings I have received have been infinite. I can utilize my strengths in recovery to help other individuals going through similar circumstances. I have accepted myself and can now follow the path I was meant to. Still acceptance can be difficult, the mind is tricky and when you donāt pay attention it can get the best of you. Even in sobriety I donāt always accept myself or others. I tell myself Iām not good enough, I have crazy expectations for my partner, and I let it really bum me out if a friend gets called in to work and must bail on plans (like they can control that, ha!). These feelings and thoughts do not infiltrate my mind every day, but they still do sometimes. This brings gratitude beyond words for AA ā as it reminds me to how to live. How to survive all the crazy life has to offer and not revert to using substances to cope.
I am sharing this in hopes for whomever reads it, that you find some acceptance today. Find acceptance in yourself, in your lover, in your parents, in your children, in your friends, in your coworker, in the idiot driving slow in the left lane, and the crazy one driving fast in the right lane. Accept life on lifeās terms. You are the only one standing in-between you and happiness. Get out the way!
Elevating Balance 