Things That Make Me Say Yeay

A trip to one of my favorite handmade soap stores, LUSH.  Have you been before?  I kinda hate that the only picture I got was of the soap called "Demon in the Dark," but oh well the whole store smells absolutely heavenly :)

New house kitchen progress. So excited to see all that white!

Ian and I on the Vegas strip during our recent trip looking extra tourist-y.

Max at swim lessons.  At first he hated it.  He hated it like I was making him swim in shark water hated it but now he kind of loves it and gives Coach Daniel knocks and fist pumps every time he sees him.  His swim class is every Thursday and we have turned Thursday swim class into Mommy and Max date night.  So after swim class we go get frozen yogurt or dinner just the two of us and it has made Thursdays just that much better.

My favorite low carb way to enjoy sushi.  I get hand rolls and have the sushi chef fill them with extra crab meat or veggies instead of white rice.  It is super filling and tastes even better in my opinion.

Have a nice long Labor Day weekend!

The Secrets to a Long and Happy Marriage According to my Grandparents

My grandparents holding a wiggly 5 month old Ronin.  

Marriage is wonderful and in fact there is no other person in the world that I think gets me the way my husband does.  It is also a lot of work and I do not think there is ever a point where you can say you don't have to work on things anymore and everything is perfect.

I recently asked my Grandparents, Meama and Poppy if I could interview them about what they believe are the secrets to a long, happy and successful marriage.  They have been married forever and are both almost 90.  Every time I see them together I think to myself how sweet and in love they still are after all this time.  After I tried my best to explain what a blog was and that is where I would be sharing their answers (pretty sure they are still somewhat confused) they happily agreed.  Now they may not be licensed experts but sometimes experience is more credible than that.

The secrets to a long and happy marriage according to my Meama:

1. Find the right partner who has the same views and beliefs as you. 
2. Do things together that you both love.  "Once a week Poppy and I go on a date to Baby Cakes.  We have coffee, split a cupcake and just chat." She said they both always look forward to it and talk about what cupcake they might get the night before.
3. Be willing to do things that the other person wants even if you don't always want to do it.  
4. Be interested in the things that your partner loves. 
5. Always tell your husband how much you love him and never stop cuddling.

At the end of our conversation she added, "I love him so much and truly can not live without him."  This made me tear up because I know it really is true.

The secrets to a long and happy marriage according to my Poppy:

1. You have to be able to understand each other. 
2. Always be respectful and do not call each other names. 
3. Be absolutely truthful. 
4. "If it's important to her, then it is important for us."
5. You have to be able to give and take. 

After listening to them both give their individual takes on what makes a successful marriage I know for sure I learned a thing a two. 

Salted Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo)

My first adult Vegas trip (that one time I went with a 7 week old Max does not count) was awesome!  I flew out on Wednesday to meet up with the husband who was there for work and was back on Friday.  I ate some of the best food I have ever tasted and drank way more martinis and gimlets than is probably considered healthy but you live and learn and pay for it later ha.  Let me just say that two days in Vegas is plenty though.  Any more than that and you might need a total alcohol and food detox.  Just sayin.  So in honor of my no alcohol for at least a week and healthy eating only plan that I started yesterday...I decided to make these freakin outstanding cookies.  Okay so cookies might not be the ideal food choice for a food detox but it seemed like a good idea at the time and it made everyone in my house happy campers and what's better then that?  

What you will need:

• 3/4 cup of almond butter
• 1/2 cup of organic coconut sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp of sea salt + a little extra for sprinkling on top
• 1 cup of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir together the almond butter and the following 4 ingredients.  Once your batter is mixed together, stir in the chocolate chips.  
3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and drop rounded tbs size cookies onto the sheet. 
4. Flatten each cookie out slightly with the bottom of a spoon. 
5. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on top of the cookies. 
6. Bake for 13 minutes or until cookie edges are golden brown. 
7. Let cookies cool and enjoy! 

These are my favorite cookies that I have posted about to date.  If you want to make a healthier cookie but do not want to feel like your taste buds are getting sabotaged you need to make these.

Recipe makes 24 cookies. 

Off To Vegas!

Via 

Today I am off to Las Vegas!  I have an early flight (hello Bloody Mary) and can not wait to meet up with my husband who has already been there for about a week on business.  It will be my first time ever going kid free and I am so excited! I am ready for a little sun, pool time, adult drinks and sleeping in past 6am ;) 

I will be back to blogging when I get back.  Have a great rest of your week! 

DIY Spirulina Face Mask (The ultimate superfood for your skin)

Sometimes a little too much fun in the sun can leave your skin looking dry, dull and in need of a little moisture and TLC.

Spirulina, which is a blue green algae is a skin (and body) superfood that can help rejuvenate and repair damaged skin and give you back that healthy glow that you might be currently lacking.

Beauty Benefits of Spirulina:

• It is one of the richest sources of antioxidants. 
• It contains chlorophyll, which helps cleans the skin and strengthen tissues.
• Helps the skin store moisture, which will help with elasticity and fine lines. 
• It has soothing and calming effects, which are great if you have rosacea or sensitive skin. 
• Can help eliminate acne causing bacteria. 

What you need:

• 1/4 tsp of spirulina powder *
• a few drops of filtered water

*You can find spirulina at your local natural grocery store. I purchase mine from the bulk section and get just a little bit at a time.  You can also get it in tablet form (you would crush up the tablets) or you can purchase it online here.

Directions:

1. Mix about 1/4 tsp of spirulina with a few drops of filtered water until you have a paste.
2. Apply the mask to clean skin with a facial brush or clean fingertips. 
3. Leave on for 20 minutes and then remove with warm water and a soft facial cloth. 
4. Follow up with a toner and moisturizer.

For optimal results this mask can be done 2-3 times per week.

See also:
DIY Skin Soothing Mask
DIY Rejuvenating Green Tea Matcha Mask

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

The prettiest mini succulent terrariums.

Using a portabella mushroom as my burger bun.  I seasoned and grilled the mushroom, which softened it up a bit and made it extra juicy and delicious!  This is my new favorite, low carb way to enjoy a burger.  Have you tried this before?

The biggest cucumber I have ever seen, which was grown in our garden.  It was crunchy and delicious.  I also came to the conclusion there is no artistic way to really capture the beauty of a cucumber haha.  I tried holding it and the photo sesh with the veggie just starting looking stranger.

Max's shark tattoo in honor of last week's Shark Week.  He was pretty proud of it and woke up yesterday completely freaking out wondering where his tattoo went.  Poor little shark tattoo had run its course and I didn't have the heart to tell him it was gone forever.  All that remains are the little fins and I am not sure how long they will stay there.

Scenes from my birthday lunch and these two who are always keeping me on my toes as a momma.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Healthy Cinnamon Toast Crunch Crackers

Growing up, my parents were actually pretty good about buying low sugar cereal (before I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which ruined all my fun ha) but on occasion my Mom would surprise my sister and I with our favorite cereals as a treat.  Cinnamon toast crunch and Lucky Charms were the front runners.

I decided to experiment a little with this recipe and make a cinnamon toast crunch version.  You will not be disappointed in these, I pinky promise.

What you will need:

• 3 cups of blanched almond flour
• 1/3 cup of organic coconut sugar
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs of cinnamon + extra to sprinkle on top
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup of melted ghee

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper
3. In a medium sized bowl combine the almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Mix together. 
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg and melted ghee. 
5. Combine all of the ingredients and mix until dough starts to form.   Roll the dough into a ball.
6. Lightly spray two more sheets of parchment paper with olive oil cooking spray.  Place the dough in between the two sheets.  Using a roller pin and roll the dough out until it is about 1/8 inch thick (the thinner the better).
7. You can either slice the dough up evenly with a pizza cutter (to make square crackers) or you can use a classy double shot glass like we do. 
8. Gently remove the sliced crackers and place on the parchment lined baking sheets.  
9. Mash together the leftover dough, roll into a ball and complete the above steps again until you have used up all of the dough. 
10. Sprinkle the crackers with cinnamon.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crackers are nice and golden. 

Tips:

• The thinner you roll out the dough the better. 
• If some crackers look more done than others before baking time is completed, remove those and then continue baking the others.  
• Allow crackers to cool before enjoying.  
• Make sure you keep these in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crispy.  

These easy to make, crunchy, crispy, extra cinnamon-y and good for you crackers are a giant hit with my boys ( husband included) and have quickly become a regular snack around here.  You can eat these plain or cut them into smaller squares and pour a little almond milk over them and happily enjoy a healthier bowl of cinnamon toast crunch.

Recipe makes about 80 crackers.  The whole batch has 40 grams of carbohydrate and each cracker has less than .5 grams of effective carbs.

What the Heck is Ghee? + How to Cook With It

Ghee.  Every single time I say it I feel like I am saying a word in baby language/gibberish. 

Have you heard of ghee yet?  I have recently started using it in a few recipes and I can not get enough.  It gives baked goods and certain dishes that delicious sweet buttery flavor that I have been missing out on since cutting out dairy.

So what is ghee?  Ghee is clarified butter, which has had all the casein and milk solids removed (these are the things that upset your tummy).  So if you have a dairy intolerance ghee is a great alternative to regular butter and other highly processed cooking oils.  Ghee has also been used in Ayurvedic medicines to help treat a number of ailments such as acid reflux, digestive issues, eye disorders and more.

How do you cook with it?  You use it just like you would any other cooking oil or butter.  I like to toss a little in a pan and stir fry veggies and cauliflower rice with it.  I have also used it to replace coconut oil in a few baking recipes and I love the variety of flavor it produces.  It is very concentrated and a little goes a long way, but that buttery punch of flavor you get from a small amount will keep you completely satisfied.

Have you ever cooked with ghee before? 

Turning 89 Years Old Deserves A Celebration

This past weekend was seriously awesome.  Thank you to all of you who wished me a Happy Birthday on Friday.  My boys made my birthday so special and it was the best birthday to date, without a doubt.

The older I get the more I am realizing just how precious family really is, because one day you will only have the memories and those moments spent with your family are truly priceless.  Yesterday was my Grandpa's 89th birthday and 89 years is definitely something to celebrate.

I call my Grandpa "Poppy" and Max calls him "Peapaw."  Ever since I can remember, Poppy has been the kindest most patient man that I have ever known.  He treats my Grandma (Meama) like a princess and to this day he still opens every door for her and does the dishes after every meal they have together.  He also was the first person to ever introduce me to music.  He taught me how to play the piano and the flute.  Okay so I only know two songs on each instrument but still.  He never judged me no matter what hard times I was going through and always made me feel like the most loved granddaughter whenever I went to visit.  I love him so much and feel so blessed to have him in my life still.  Here are a few picture from his birthday celebration...

Max and Peapaw singing Happy Birthday.  Hey when it's your birthday you are totally allowed to sing happy birthday to yourself.

Ronin being himself and acting completely uninterested in everything going on around him. Love this serious little bulldog baby.

My grandparents are too cute and brought gluten free cupcakes with them.  They were delicious and I ate way more than I should have.  Woopsie.

 Proof that ADD must run in the family...

So thankful for this Poppy of mine.

One Year Older, Yikes!

I recently snapped this picture with my iphone and it basically captured my week perfectly.  This is Mom life at it's finest my friends.  I am wearing my gym clothes (so hot, I know) with Ronin on my back so I could get house cleaning done and Max sprinting up and down the hall pretending to be Buzz Lightyear.  If pictures had sound this would be quite a chaotic sounding one. Good times! 

Well today is my birthday...oh hey shout out to me ha!  I plan on getting dressed in actual clothes and I am headed to the beach for lunch, ice cream and a little family time.  Tonight I am going out with my husband, HALLELUJAH for kid free dates!  I can't wait to put on heels and an outfit that I don't have to worry about sticky fingers ruining. :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Flourless Lemon Zucchini Muffins

Sometimes late at night, while the husband and I are watching our favorite shows (I sound like an old person right now) I get these baking ideas.  One night I got this idea about making a vanilla cinnamon microwave cake.  I was so pumped on it until I realized I actually sprinkled in (a lot of) cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon.  Woopsie.  The husband was thrown off slightly that night.  Okay so most of the time my ideas flop and I just wind up annoying my husband because I make him rewind our show since I missed it while I was "creating." BUT sometimes the little late night creations are gooood and he forgets all about the not so good baking attempts.  Last week's spur of the moment idea turned out to be a total success that every single boy in my house loved. If you follow me on Instagram (@delightedmomma) you probably saw the late night lemon zucchini loaf I posted about.  Loafs are awesome but muffins are more realistic with boys who do not get the whole "please slice a pretty slice" concept.  So here is the muffin version...

What you will need:

• 2/3 cups of coconut flour
• 5 eggs
• 1 tbs of vanilla
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup of melted honey
• 1 cup of shredded zucchini (squeeze out excess water before measuring)
• Zest from one lemon
• 1 tsp of baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium sized bowl mix together the lemon juice, melted honey, vanilla and eggs. 
3. In a separate bowl mix together the coconut flour, baking soda and lemon zest.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient and mix well.  Slowly stir in the melted coconut oil and the shredded zucchini.  
5. Pour muffin batter into baking muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes. 
6. Enjoy! 

 * Makes 11-12 muffins

These are moist, light and oh so good!



See also:
Lemon Bars (Paleo)
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Flourless Zucchini Brownies

5 Beauty Benefits of Witch Hazel

Which hazel has been used for medicinal and beauty purposes for ages.  It is a wonderful all natural, inexpensive and eco friendly astringent that has many uses.  Today I am going to share 5 beauty benefits you may or may not have heard about before.

1. Use it as a toner to help fight acne and inflammation.  Use a cotton swab and apply it to your skin before using a moisturizer. It is extremely mild and a great alternative to harsh toners.

2. Use it to help reduce bruises.  Make an ice cube with witch hazel (make sure you clearly label) when you have a bruise gently apply the ice on the bruise.  I have personally used this method and it's basically magical how much it helps.

3. Treat razor burn with it.  Apply a small amount of witch hazel to a cotton swab and apply to the irritated skin. 

4. Use it to reduce puffy eyes.  Place cotton pads over eyes soaked in cold witch hazel for 5 to 10 minutes.  This one is also a personal favorite remedy.  Bye bye bags.

5. Use it to sooth sunburn. Put it in a spray bottle and simply spray on sunburned skin.  Instant relief and faster healing.

And there you have it!  Please let me know if you try witch hazel for any of the above uses.  I would love to hear your experience. 

*You can find witch hazel at your local drug store or health food store. 

See also: The beauty benefits of baking soda 

Latest Life Snippets

I feel like doing a little happy jig at the moment because it's Fridayyyy!   I have been completely neglecting my regularly scheduled Friday posts due to the craziness of life right now but since I am slightly addicted to my iPhone, here are a few snippets of life lately according to my Instagram (@delightedmomma)...

1. Max giving a thumbs up for Friday in the backseat.

2. After two years of nothing our little grapevine has finally decided to start producing.  So proud of these tart little grapes.

3. Before every meal we always say a prayer and a few days ago Ronin followed Max's lead and put his hands together while we prayed.  He now does it regularly and every time it makes my heart burst.

4. Organizing and realizing I probably do not need to buy any more nail polish for awhile.  And that's not even half of it, but the Instagram picture frame is only so big.  Funny thing is I have all these polishes and zero time to paint my nails ha.

5. Late night baking, which resulted in a super moist lemon zucchini loaf made with coconut flour.  I plan on turning this creation into muffins (muffins are just more convenient) and I will share the recipe next week.

6. Checking out the progress of our new house!  In less than two months we get to move in and we are all so excited!  

Have a wonderful weekend!