DIY Protein Bars

A couple years ago I wandered down the "health/sports food" aisle at my local grocery store in search of protein bars.  I was looking for a quick easy protein to eat after my morning workout.  To my surprise, I found candy bars disguised as protein bars!  Most of the selection had peanut butter or caramel or both, covered with chocolate... they looked delicious!  But after reading all the labels and discovering that some of these protein bars were packing 45g of carbs and 18g of sugar, I decided that these "healthy" protein bars aren't quite as healthy as I thought!  So I left the grocery store with the challenge of making my own protein bars that are actually healthy : )  I have been making them for the last 2 years and have shared this recipe with many women who are looking for a carb conscious protein bar.  They are super easy and very tasty!  Enjoy!!

Protein Bars

Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp honey or agave nectar
1 1/2 cup protein powder
1 cup uncooked quick oats
2-4 tbsp water

Directions
Mix together peanut butter and honey/agave nectar and microwave for 30 seconds
Combine protein powder and uncooked oats
Stir together peanut butter mixture with protein powder mixture and add water
Stir until completely combined- may be a little crumbly
Press into pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes to harden
Cut into 12 bars

1 bar = 16g protein, 10g, carb, 10.5g fat   (not bad ,huh?)

Just Us Girls Time

Many of you women can relate to me, if we are as alike as I think we are, in that sometimes we need our "just us girls time".  Time where we aren't focused on our work, our home, our husband, our responsibilities.  Time where all the cares of the world are gone.  Time when we get together with just us girls, it's so energizing and good for my soul.  So I am resolving to have more "just us girls time"!

I am realizing that "just us girls time" doesn't always have to be a fun night out on the town with the 3 D's... dinner, drinks, and dancing.  Staying up late usually makes me useless the next day, not to mention all the money invested in having a fun night.  Don't get me wrong, a night out on the town is a blast every once in a while but I'm too old to do it on any regular basis!!  So I'm gonna start getting creative and coming up with new fun ways to get together with my girlfriends and have some sweet girl time.

My sis is a mom of 3 and also loves her "just us girl time" but Girl's Night Out (GNO) isn't always feasible.  So she often hosts Girls Morning In... I love her creativity!  She has a group of her girlfriends over for coffee and breakfast and fellowship.  You see, girls have a blast together no matter what they are doing.

But like I said, GNO and the 3 D's are fun every once in a while and my dear friend hosted last weekend, so here are some pictures that captured our fun night!

We're ready to go!

Me and my beautiful friend Courtney

Did I mention that we love to dance?!

Joy's amazing at the air guitar... you should hear her play : )

The night was an absolute blast!!  We danced all night and I didn't get home until 2:30am... so like I said before, GNO usually renders me useless the next day.  So count me in every once in a while.  In the meantime, I will be hosting GMI and you are invited : )

My New Favorite Thing

I used to have nice glass pyrex tupperware that we got when we were first married but after 4 years they all seemed to have disappeared one by one.  I don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but one day you open your cupboard and realize you have no tupperware and you wonder where it all went. Seriously, it's a mystery to me.  (Craig brings a lunch everyday to work, I think that is the culprit but he denies it!) 

Because of my diminishing supply of tupperware, I got resourceful and starting using empty sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese etc. plastic containers.  What can I say, I'm thrifty : )  Now when I open my fridge, there is a sea of tupperware with all sorts of store labels all containing something different ie: leftovers, fresh fruit, and half used vegetables.  It's like a guessing game!  Everything looks the same but inside each container is a little surprise!  Many times have forgotten about leftovers, fresh fruit, and half used vegetables because I couldn't open my fridge and obviously see what was in there.  Instead of using my half used tomato, I would grab a new one and use it.  Then I would find a half used tomato a couple days too late.  Sadly, a lot of good food has gone to waste.  

BUT NOT ANYMORE!!!

I stumbled across these at the grocery store and I couldn't believe my eyes!! 

This was the solution to my problem!  A container that looks like the vegetable that is stored inside it... genius!!  Why didn't I think of that?  So now when I open my fridge, I can easily spot my tomato and onion without having to open 5 different containers first!  My sis gave me one and I bought the other at the grocery store, but I assume they have them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond because they have everything there : )  This product is my new favorite thing.  It truly is the simple things in life!

PS: In case you were wondering, I also invested in some cheap clear plastic tupperware to store the rest of my food so my fridge doesn't look like we only eat dairy products.  And if it starts disappearing, it's ok because it's cheap!

DIY Household Items: Dryer Sheets

I recently heard from a friend that dryer sheets are one of the most toxic household items.  I was a little surprised by this because they seem so simple, but I did a little research and found out that they are indeed highly toxic.  Here's a little blurp from a  website I found.

"And the bathroom is only the beginning: the laundry room is also highly toxic, containing the same chemical perfumes in both the laundry detergent and especially the dryer sheets. Dryer sheets coat all your clothes with a layer of toxic chemicals. When you wear those clothes, your body moisture causes those chemicals to come into contact with your skin and be absorbed directly into your bloodstream. It's an easy way to poison your system with cancer-causing chemicals."

And another from Green Living Tips:

 

"Most commercial dryer sheets are impregnated with all sorts of toxic chemicals including Benzyl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Chloroform and Linalool; none of which are good for the environment - or you. Some of these compounds are known carcinogens."

 

I knew that dryer sheets would have some chemical toxins in them but I didn't think about that when I wear my clothes those toxins were absorbing into my skin.  So with this new information, I set out to make my own chemical toxin free dryer sheets and they are so easy and cheap!

DIY Dryer Sheets

 

Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and add a few drops of essential oil- I prefer lavender and sandalwood.  

Hint: It may not seem like that you are adding enough essential oil but essential oils are highly concentrated and the heat will release the scent.  

 

Find an old cloth rag or a piece of soft fabric such as flannel.

 

When you are ready to throw clothes into the dryer, spray your cloth 4-6 times and toss into the dryer with your clothes.

 

 

It is that easy!  Your clothes will be so soft and smell good as well!  You can use the same cloth several times but wash it every so often to remove any buildup.

You can find essential oils at any health food store or you can purchase higher quality ones online.  Since I am not using it for it's properties and health benefits but rather for the scent, I just bought the cheaper ones : )   Here's a list of all the essential oils and what they are used for.

A Visit From the Minnesota Coders

Kevin, Sara, and Kennedy came out for a long visit last week and we had such a great time together.  It felt like I was on vacation too!  Kevin is bringing his youth group kids out here this summer so he spent some time getting everything organized for that and the rest of the week was spent just hanging out and having fun!  Here's some pictures of our time together:

Those big blue eyes are just too sweet!

We went on a hike together in Red Rocks Canyon and Kennedy got to ride along in a little carrier and she just loved looking out and staring at things!  She is definitely an observer and likes to take it all in.

We also had a surprise visit from Craig and Kevin's dad.  He stopped by and we went to dinner together and were thankful for the little time that we got to see him.  This is a great picture of the Coder men and the little lady...

Can you tell they are related? There's some seriously strong genes in the Coder family!

We just love having family and friends come out to visit since we feel so far away sometimes.  We are looking forward to seeing them again soon for Kennedy's 1st birthday party and her dedication to the church.