Sharing my random life is what I do best
This pregnancy has been a dream come true, despite the morning sickness, exhaustion, and this 3 month cold, I wouldn’t change a second of it. From the moment I found out to the end of my first trimester, there were things that were vital to managing my pregnancy symptoms.Read More
That’s right, we’re pregnant and this time it’s looking good. YAY!! I’m currently 18 weeks and it has been a little bit of a roller coaster to get here. If any of you remember, Chris and I lost our first last year on February 13, 2016 and the rest of 2015 was such a challenge. If you want to read about our first miscarriage, you can read about it here. After that miscarriage it just felt like such a struggle, I was dealing with a lot of other issues at the same time. I had become so unhealthy and stopped taking care of myself. Trying to pull myself out of the rut I had created for myself was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. To be honest, I’m still working on it but I’m a lot better. There were times last year, that I thought I was fighting a losing battle with myself. Focusing on just trying to conceive, throughout 2015, I became pregnant 6 times. We experienced 2 miscarriages and 4 chemical pregnancies. I probably wouldn’t have known about my chemical pregnancies if not for those early pregnancy tests; but my other 2 miscarriages, those were the hardest to deal with. Our first in February at 13 weeks (a missed miscarriage), and our second on November 13, 2015 at 8 weeks. All of my pregnancy losses were heartbreaking and I had begun to wonder if this whole baby thing would ever happen for Chris and I. Then after ringing in the brand new year, months of trying to keep up with my yoga practice, healthy-ish eating habits, and a lot of talk therapy, it happened.
Date nights are ab amazing excuse to reconnect with your spouse. I absolutely love our date nights. They are filled with togetherness, laughter, and yes, even talk of our little munchkin but it’s a great break from our everyday routine. There’s no doing dishes, chasing toddlers, or watching Frozen for the zillionth time. Although I personally don’t mind the Frozen watching…Chris, on the other hand, can’t function when the only song in his head is ‘Let it Go’ because he can’t let that go. So date nights are the perfect way to get away and focus on us. Plus it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Some of these ideas are great for those hoping to enjoy some romantic and fun outings without opening up your wallet.Read More
Today I’m sharing a recipe that will leave your home smelling absolutely amazing, like fall apple fields. So Chris and I made a trip to The Apple Factory in Milton. No, we didn’t go apple picking, I would have probably loved that, but Chris has been gone most of the summer because of his job (he’s in the army) and then he was home for a week before he had to leave for another military exercise in England. Oh, the life of an army wife. So anyway, we decided to head over to the Apple Factory and picked up 3lbs of the most delicious apples and then we were ready to create apple magic.
I used my crockpot to make this amazing no sugar added Apple Butter. I love my crockpot. Whoever invented this pot of magic deserves all the apple butter in the world. *yes I have apples on the brain right now* So in order to save myself the mess and headache of a long clean up, I decided to pull out my slow cooker plastic bag things *yup, technical terms, people.
Okay, so here’s what you’ll need for this awesome “butter.” Yeah, I should probably mention that there is no butter in apple butter. And the only reason it’s Canuck style is because I’m Canadian and it has booze in it…Essentially, my apple butter is like applesauce, except I spread it on toast, slices of bread, scones, etc. It’s really good, well if you skip the Jack Daniels, and you don’t have to worry about added sugar.
You’ll need:
3lb of apples (I used softer, sweeter apples)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup of Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire (optional)
First, peel all the apples. I’m pretty sure an apple peeler would have been handy but sometimes I like to rock it old school with my peelin’ knife. Once the apples are peeled, cut them into slices and toss away the core.
Place all the apple slices in the crockpot. Add the water, spices and Jack Daniels. Once everything is in the crockpot, set it to low for 6 hours. Now get all those Fall chores done, or make yourself my Pumpkin Spice Latte and enjoy the fact that your house will be gradually filled with an amazing Fall scent!
Check your apples once the 6 hours are up. Your apples should be very very soft and brownish.
At this point, I took my wooden spoon and stirred the apples. Once I started stirring, my apple butter began to take shape. Stir until the clumps are gone. Once stirred, I spooned the apple butter into mason jars and let cool before placing them in my fridge.
hmm…now I want bread and apple butter…I think I should go make some bread….enjoy!
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Spread on toast, waffles, pancakes, or eat it straight from the jar. This butter won’t make you feel guilty!
What will you spread your apple butter on?
Bestest Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. EVER!
When the temperatures start to slowly drop, I get this urge to cuddle on the couch with Chris, sip on hot apple cider, and stuff my face with warm chocolate chip pumpkin bread goodness…Oh with a dab of apple butter. It has pumpkin in it, so it’s totally healthy…right? Okay fine, it might not be healthy, but it is worth it! Trust me.Read More
I’m not sure what it is about the end of summer that strikes the Lemon obsession but I know it’s real. I can’t seem to get enough lemon. Now now, I’m not walking around my house sucking a lemon, Chris actually does that and it makes my jaw hurt. I’m just loving the scent and taste of lemon in my teas, on salmon, and of course in my desserts. In an effort to appease my obsession, I experimented in my kitchen. I wanted a dessert that would tame the LEMON beast and yet not be overly sweet or overly tarty. I’m actually trying not to look at them right now because I’m afraid I’ll have no control and eat the whole pan of them. I did bring some of them to work and my coworkers just ate them right up. It’s always a good feeling when the things I make don’t taste like fire and charcoal.
