homemade gift ideas
Andrea
Christmas is only 5 days away (!), and I'm guessing that most of you already have holiday gifts determined and purchased...right?!? This post is probably a bit late, but I thought it might be helpful to those of you still looking for last minute gifts for friends, family and co-workers.
Brian and I have given homemade gifts out for the last few years, and always enjoy the pleased responses we receive in return. In a time when spending significant amounts of money is difficult for most, putting personal effort into gifts rather than cash is a nice alternative. I've compiled a few ideas for you to choose from...enjoy!
dark chocolate almond bites
peppermint eggnog scones
citrus scones with cranberries and ginger
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Homemade Jam
Homemade jam can be made with fresh and frozen fruit. Be sure to use a proper method of preservation if you plan to give the gifts un-refrigerated. If you'd rather not tackle the canning process, tell recipients to keep their jam refrigerated for up to 4 weeks. blackberry peach jam
Homemade Granola
A batch of granola is quick to whip up, and keeps for weeks in an airtight container in the pantry. mixed fruit granola
Homemade Almond Butter
Nut butter made from scratch is so much better than store-bought because you can mix your own interesting combinations. It can be a bit pricey though, depending on the nuts you choose. cinnamon vanilla almond butter
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix and Marshmallows
Homemade marshmallows are nothing like their store-bought cousins. So light and fluffy, they truly melt in your mouth (or your hot cocoa). For a little twist, add some peppermint extract in place of vanilla. If you don't have vanilla sugar for the cocoa mix (it takes about 2 weeks to make your own) just substitute regular sugar. hot cocoa mix marshmallows
Homemade Baked Goods
Always a winner, nobody frowns at a box/tin/basket/bag full of baked treats. triple ginger cookies
dark chocolate almond bites
peppermint eggnog scones
citrus scones with cranberries and ginger
Granola is one of those grocery store items that I hate to buy. It is somewhat expensive and every time I pick up a box or scoop some into a bulk bag I think to myself "I should just make my own!" My good friend Beth sent Brian (my hubb) and I a batch for Christmas which was consumed quickly and similarly to Whitney's. Since then I've had granola on my to-make list, and the arrival of Whitney's package secured its spot at the very top of that list.
As I've written before, its spring cleaning time. I've been working through the containers of dried fruits and nuts in my pantry, cleaning out items that have been stored for far too many months to make room for new purchases. Granola seemed like the perfect way to use up the small quantities of miscellaneous dried goods that I had left. I dug around and found currants, cranberries, apples and pineapple along with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and a small amount of finely shredded unsweetened coconut.
As I gathered my ingredients I eagerly pulled up 
I quickly decided that powdered milk must not be an absolutely necessary ingredient in granola. My reasoning? Everybody loves granola, including Vegans. And a granola that contained powdered milk would not be vegan so powdered milk must not be necessary. This means that honey must not be absolutely necessary either but I chose to keep it in, because I do love honey.
For my kitchen sink granola (or should I say pantry shelf granola?) I decided to hop over to 
For lunch I made my hubb a couple of mexi-wraps because we were out of lunch meat (his typical packed lunch of choice). They looked SO good that I decided to make one for myself too.
Lunch: mexi-wrap made with whole wheat tortilla, spinach, salsa, black beans, frozen corn, black olives, red bell pepper, 1 tbsp monterrey jack cheese and green onions
[246 cal]
Snacks: I packed grapes and a pear, but wound up saving my pear for later. I did go on a walk to the coffee shop with my hubb and gave in to a gluten-free chocolate biscotti - it was just one of those kind of days.
[grapes = 110 cal, biscotti = 280 (a went with the highest calorie count I found on myfooddiary...it was a big biscotti)]
For dinner I packed myself some leftover
When I finally got home I was craving some dessert My pear made a reappearance...in a snackie dessert bowl!
Dessert: 6oz Oikos honey-flavored yogurt, 1 sliced pear and 3 lemon snaps, crumbled
[341 cal]
See what I mean? It was such a snackie, intuitive day full of little 250 cal - 350 cal meals. I actually really liked it, and my numbers aren't too bad either.
Daily Totals:
Perfect combination. I truly loved this breakfast. Have I mentioned that the CK is good on EVERYTHING? I know you're probably sick of reading about it, but I've got just over one jar left to finish up before it goes bad so I'll happily continue to experiment over the next week. In fact, this morning I made my hubb a brie, apple, spinach and cranberry ketchup sandwich on honey wheat bread. He LOVED it, as did I when he brought over a bite for me to taste.
After solving my breakfast and the hubb's lunch, I was at a bit of a loss thinking about what I wanted for lunch. I thought about more meatball soup, but decided I should give it a rest and add some variety back into my meals and my blog. There are a couple of sweet potatoes on the counter that I thought about baking, but didn't have time. Same with the spaghetti squash. I finally settled on a bag of dried french lentils in the pantry that I've been meaning to make a salad with for quite some time. It seemed that I had enough time to quickly simmer them soft, but I wasn't altogether sure since it had been awhile since I'd made them.
I brought 1 cup of french lentils to a boil in 2 cups of chicken broth, reduced the heat and simmered for 40 minutes, 10 minutes longer than I had anticipated which resulted in a very rushed salad prep. They are still slightly crunchy, which I like. I'm not a big fan of lentils when they turn to mush.
Tossed with chopped bell pepper, cucumber, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and creole mustard, this simple salad turned out pretty well. I'll be experimenting more though because I've had many better lentil salads at restaurants around town.
Lunch: Lentil Salad with 1/2 a whole wheat pita and a pear. I meant to sprinkle some crumbled feta on top of the salad, but in my rush I forgot. Maybe tomorrow.
For snacks I brought: 2 clementines and an Iced Gingerbread Clif Bar, I only ate one of the clems.
This was my first experience with any of the holiday-flavored Clif Bars. I know, I'm way behind. I wasn't sure what to expect as I've read many mixed reviews about them, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I nibbled on the bar a bit before lunch. It was quite tasty! I saved the rest for an afternoon snack and enjoyed it immensely. Looks like I'm in for a hunt around town before they are all gone for another year. Now if I could only remember where I found them...
I also had two more 
I discovered a new love for dried figs.
They are perfectly sweet and soft, and the seeds provide a wonderfully satisfying crunch. Love.
The chicken is broiled in the oven until the outside is delicately crispy and the inside still moist. The figs are simmered with honey, white wine and spices until a thick glaze forms, then drizzled over the chicken. Paired with one of my longtime favorites, sautéed kale, this meal was a sure winner.
We sautéed the kale in olive oil with some garlic, salt and pepper until the leaves wilted slightly and turned bright green.
Before serving, we squeezed a bit of lemon juice across the kale. Perfect.
The hubb and I were pretty happy with the results. If we make the chicken recipe again we will make a few changes...
And now, its bedtime after another long post. I hope you've all had a pleasant day, and that tomorrow brings better weather for those of us that have been plagued with rain and cold for the last 24 hours. Good night! :)
After being up for a couple of hours it became clear that the hubb still wasn't ready to roll out of bed so I decided to go ahead and have breakfast without him.
Breakfast: A 6oz cup of 0% Fage topped with 1/4 cup TJ's pumpkin spice granola and a sliced banana.
Ahhhhhh...Greek Yogurt, how I missed thee. I still prefer Oikos because it is organic, but until they work out their manufacturing problem and get it back on my Whole Food's shelves the Fage will suit me just fine. Plus...its cheaper! :)
Sadly, my hubb emerged from the bedroom just after I finished my breakfast. I snagged a cup of coffee and a piece of his bacon while sitting with him through his meal.
At lunchtime I went to my favorite 75-minute Vinyasa Yoga class at Studio 206. It had been three weeks since I'd been and it felt great to be back. Man oh man, Hilary kicked my bootie! It was a wonderful, intense class that had me drenched by the end. I was worried that I would be too sore from my run yesterday but the yoga really helped to loosen me up. I love the combination of running and yoga and what it does for me both mentally and physically.
My hubb picked me up at 2pm and I was ravenous so I helped him finish the french fries he'd picked up while running errands. Once home I made myself a quick, late lunch before heading out into the yard to plant some bulbs.
Lunch: 1/2 an almond butter and sour cherry preserves sandwich on whole wheat bread and a sliced pear.
I planted 150 spring bulbs in hard Virginia clay for 2+ hours this afternoon. I really hope that they come up, they should have gone in the ground a month ago but I just never got around to planting them. The bulbs I planted two years ago are already peaking up above the mulch, so we'll see what happens with my newbies. The yard work was another workout in itself...2+ hours digging in hard Virginia clay will leave you t.i.r.e.d.
Snack: I was starving again when I came in just before dark (its been such a snack-filled day!) so I grabbed this Kashi Cereal Bar sample I got in the mail the other day.
I've seen these on the my grocery store's shelves but they are kinda pricey so I haven't picked any up yet. It was pretty good...reminded me of a Fig Newton or Nutrigrain bar. The blackberry filling was quite tasty, and the texture of the bar was nice and soft.
It only contains 110 calories, but just 2g of protein so I know it wouldn't stick with me long for breakfast. But as an afternoon snack I think it could be very satisfying. Along with the sample I received a stack of coupons that I'm supposed to share with friends...
The recipe is originally from Bon Appetit. Kristin made a few changes, and I made a few more. This soup is delicious and hearty. The hubb and I enjoyed it VERY much. There is just one change that I will make the next time this meal meets our table and I've indicated it below. Warning: This soup requires a LARGE pot. I started it in my standard soup pot and had to transfer everything to a large stock pot when the meatballs went in to prevent it from overflowing.
Mexican Meatball Soup
inspired by The Kitchen Sink, originally from Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
We used more meat than the original recipe called for so we of course had a few extra meatballs. The hubb took care of these by pan-frying them in a little olive oil.
Dinner: A bowl of Mexican Meatball Soup with 7 meatballs, a side of roasted veggies (carrot, brussels and broccoli), two additional pan-fried meatballs and a cornmeal muffin.
The soup is soooooooo filling. I am still completely stuffed and oh so happy. :)
Whew! That was a long post. I was planning to bake tonight but don't know if I have it in me. The bathtub and a book may be calling my name instead...
Have a great night! :)
Melissa had the great idea of giving the winner of 
I must say...I am VERY impressed with the Siggi's. It is very thick but oh so creamy...Julz was right when she commented on my post awhile back that Skyr is like Greek yogurt on steroids! I LOVED it...too bad it is WAY out of my price range. $2.69 for 6oz?!?!?!? I don't think so.
Morning Snack: 3 ginger snaps while knitting...is there anything better on a rainy, cold day?!? I went home around noon to let the pups out and realized that my lunch was actually at work (I didn't anticipate being able to leave the office today). So, I decided to actually take my full lunch hour and just hang out on the couch for 30 minutes and work on a Christmas present...I was happy and so were the pups. :)
Lunch: Leftover 
Afternoon Snack: Another glorious pear.
Dinner: Homemade Veggie Pizza! Woohoo! We loaded a TJ's whole wheat pizza crust with:
Mmmmmm...yum. The crust needed a little longer in the oven, we typically bake it for 5-7 minutes before topping it but the TJ's instructions didn't say to do that so we stuck it in the oven raw with toppings. It was still a little doughy, but yummy all the same. :) I had another piece 1/2 the size of the piece above...which would mean about 3 of 8 slices of a 12" pizza.
Dessert: A small cup of eggnog with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top...my holiday guilty pleasure!
I hope you all have a glorious night and Happy Friday!!!