Yum...Granola, Almond and Coconut Milk

Easy as pie! Wait, who coined that phrase? I think pie crusts are hard to make well. Anyway, these recipes are easy and nutritious!

COCONUT WALNUT GRANOLA
4 cups dry oatmeal
1 cup unsweetened, large flake coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts (or almonds, if you don't like walnuts)
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup liquified coconut oil
1/2 cup real maple syrup (yum) or honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins or cruising or other dried fruit

Toss together the dry ingredients. Then stir in the wet ingredients, mixing well. Toast in oven in 2 baking pans (my preference, since I usually double the recipe and am a messy stirrer) until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes at first, then every 5. Be sure to watch it and don't overcook. Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack. If you want to add dried fruit, do so when it's cool or leave out. You can always add whatever you want with each bowl of granola! Makes about 7 cups. Yummmmmy.

I love this with homemade coconut milk. Almond milk is good too.
HOMEMADE COCONUT MILK
Blend together on high for a minute or more in a high speed blender (a vitamix is ideal):
~4 cups water
~1 cup organic, unsweetened, finely shredded coconut (a lot of bulk sections carry this, or you can get it here: http://www.vitacost.com/best-of-all-organic-shredded-coconut-medium)
Pour through a nut-milk bag (or make one of your own with heavy muslin...sew up 
three sides so it's about 8x10") into a large container, then squeeze, squeeze squeeze until 
all the "milk" is out. Refrigerate. Toss the remaining coconut into the garbage and 
wash out the nut-milk bag well, since there's a little coconut fat naturally involved.
That's it.  Easier than pie and not filled with all the additives boxed coconut milk has. 
After refrigerating, you may find some coconut fat on the top of your jar or pitcher.
It adds a yummy and healthy fat to a smoothie or steamer or latte! 

Here's one more non-dairy milk recipe...just needing a smidge more prep:

HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK
~1 cup raw almonds (Costco carries large bags of them.)
Soak in several cups water overnight, or at least 6 hours. Strain almonds after soaking and rinse in clean water.
~4 cups water
Pour the soaked/drained almonds and 4 cups clean water in a high powered blender. Blend for one minute or more, depending on how strong your blender is. (I splurged on a Vitamix a couple of years ago and love it...it's fast, super efficient, and will be handed down to my grandchildren I'm sure when I'm gone).
Then pour the "milk" through a nut-milk bag into a large container and squeeze away until you have 4 cups of milk. Refrigerate. Nice and easy. And again, no boxed additives. But, warning. You'll never like boxed almond milk again...this is so delicious! Either toss the leftover almonds in the garbage, or put them in the freezer for another recipe I'll share later, that uses the pulp!

Snappin' Silly

Sometimes it's smart to be ridiculously silly and giggle at ridiculous things....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZk0AbNab3Q

Unexpectedly Beautiful.......

It's a beautiful day. Unexpectedly.
Clear, warm like fall.
Breeze blowing my too-layered-hair over my eyes.
Sitting on our front patio.

It's nice, after several cold to cool days. 

The outrageously wild thunderstorm a few days ago beat & broke some of our courtyard tree's branches.

I coached my favorite client this morning. Well, she is my only client right now, whom I'm so grateful to get to work with in spite of this silly body.
I love how doing something I love is so energizing, like I could do it all day!

Greg had to button my pants this morning. What will I do when I need to go potty and he's at Starbucks?
I called the rheumatologist to schedule an appointment next week.
And emailed the naturopath to tell her the natural protocol is greasing the skids of a fast downward slope for me.
Bummer. But I am blessed to have options, and I choose to be thankful.

I'm making refried beans to go with our fish tacos tonight. I didn't think of it in time to pop it all in the little crockpot last night, so the boiled pinto beans are soaking right now, ready to cook away later. Here's my favorite c.p. refried bean recipe. Favorite means easy too!
2 cups dried pinto beans
5 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 Tbl cumin
pinch of pepper
1 tsp each coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, garlic salt
1-2 cups salsa (Use your favorite, or I'll post my favorite easy make-your-own salsa, later)
Stir together all in small crockpot. Cook overnight and into the next day. Eat as whole beans or puree into a smooth-as-you-want texture. Yum. Freezes well.

When the unexpected develops a beauty....that is a treasure and a gift.
Daily I am seeking the beauty. Not always.
Yesterday I blew up. Totally lost it. Nearly fell off the ledge.
Today I'm at peace.
Maybe I've been living in an outrageous thunderstorm. But I can choose what weather I create. 
I will not be broken...by God's grace and joy, I will overcome. I can look to many others as my role models....like you. Thank you.

A nothin to say day

Overcast
Windy
Smokey
Wind rattling the patio chairs
A nothin to say day

A Rainy
Threatening
To Storm
Kind of day

Staying
Inside
Under the Covers
A nothin to say day

Dogs sleeping
Husband working
Friends playing
Body aching
Clock clickin kind of day

Even so
I'm Loved
Known
Accepted
Spoken To
A receiving kind of day

Permitting time
Accepting slow
Waiting on God
Growing in faith
A nothin to say day

Not a bad day
a sad day
a crabby day
a go away day

Just a
Rest in my Savior day
with nothin to say

Bocci Dog

We had a great time last Thursday with our new core group from church. I hosted at our nearby park by telling them what to bring...their own dinners (I've lost my hostessing skills). We played Bocci Ball, a surprisingly fun game trying to toss your heavy croquet-size ball closest to the little white ball which was tossed out there. Greg held the dogs on leashes, since they wanted to play too....keep away that is. 

I played bocci-dog with Addie today. I decided it was a nice warm day to give her a clipping. She didn't like it one bit, especially the embarrassing result. Too horrified to even eat. But everything in me suddenly said, that's good enough!

Some things matter if I botch them up. Some things don't and will recover on their own. The Lord tells me to pay attention to how I act, for the days are evil. And that what I say impacts others for good or bad. I'm again reminded to think on those things that are good, right, lovely, so I can speak and act with positive impact. The book, Chronic Resilience, is helping me focus on what I can control. Which is actually much more than the surface appears! Like whether I smile in the morning, whether I say "Thank You God" in spite of pain, whether I try again, whether I offer myself to others or stay to myself, whether I trust God, what I do with tears and limitations, whether I hunt for the beautiful and good...quite a lot actually. And things that really matter, forever! Things I don't want to botch up!

Sweet Simple Delights

~ Sweet Husband's birthday, and recovery from being asked if he was over 60. (He's not...for a few more years at least!)
~ Sweet husband's birthday brunch with parents, bringing up lots of memories of club championship tournaments at Creekside GC over the years.....years gone by.
~ Sweet phone calls from thoughtful kids, who love their Dad so very much.
~ Sweet visit to husband's parent's new home at Capitol Manor, and a semi-settled knot in his stomach about the reality of the passing of time.
~ Sweet visit with Emily, on vacation from the Mark3 program at Washington Family Ranch YL camp....people have purpose in all walks of life and regardless of what we have to offer. I love God for that!
~ Sweet memories of Becky's amazing wedding Saturday in Portland Chinatown, Chinese Gardens. Amazing setting, fun race to the kissing-gazebo, and great conversation with Jan, filled with personal healing and joy.
~ Sweet memories of years of praying with my girlfriends each week for our kids.
~ Sweet ankle swelling from being in low heels all night. Bummer. That's not sweet, but my husband's kindness to me is:)

Intentionally?

I'm funny. Not because I'm really funny. But because I'm getting better at not taking myself so seriously. Maybe getting older is a piece of this! For instance, I am excited to have a blog that's a launching pad for words about this wonderful, challenging, God-given life. And I'm excited to get to coach myself forward in living intentionally this way! Sooooo, I've spent the better of the last two days working on the backgrounds of this blog!!! I drifted into this consumption of so much time because the quick fixes I thought I'd make took hours............guess I can be glad I'm not much of a nerd:)

When I was nearly done, double checking placements and positioning and wordings of things, all of a sudden I said, "oh no!" I had chosen the exact same background my daughter has on her blog (the shabbyblog site I thought was so cute!). Ok, in lieu of all of life, it's no big deal. But I didn't mean to and it's funny that I didn't even notice, of all the shabbyblog choices, that I zeroed in on her favorite too. Guess that's evidence that I like her taste. And gratefully, she laughed when she saw it too, knowing I hadn't a clue!

We are a funny people! Now, to learn to laugh during the day when life feels a little tough...

Starting Over Again...

I'm thinking about how to live this life, not randomly, but intentionally. Not letting my days float by as they sometimes do these days, but purposefully, intentionally. Even, on those days. Those days when laying on my bed feels the best and getting lost on the computer soothes away the discomfort. When sitting and doing nothing makes the hours float by. (How can that be?)

Intentionally. You know what makes me feel like my day was worth living? Letting special words sink deep inside....words from my King. Words that give my heart and soul, life and hope and truth. 

It's so easy. Just stop resisting the loving pull to set everything aside and run to Him. What else can make my days worth living? But to listen-do. 

Today I'm starting over with this new blog. Cute shabbyblog background, if I can get it going. And starting over with soul-filling words of life and hope and truth.