This past Tuesday we found ourselves locked inside on our first snow day of the year.
{complete with star shaped snow}
I have lived in New York for twelve years but I have never seen star shaped snowflakes. Everyone was staring at me while I was crouched down on the slippery sidewalk taking photos in the freezing cold. I'm sure I looked crazy, but I thought they were the most beautiful things I had ever seen...fifteen minutes later they were gone. And the next day everything was solid white...
I'm not going to lie: snow days can get a little boring after the excitement of the pretty white snow wears off.
{"Okay, we saw the snow...Now what?"}
Add a three year old boy who thinks he has "super strength" into the mix (As I'm typing I was just informed that he has upgraded to super duper strength...) and you've got a lot of time to fill. Boy can it be a long day! But on the other hand, sometimes it's a really fun day and everybody is still speaking and mostly intact at the end of the day. Somehow, someway, we managed to stay on the fun side of things as Winter Storm Juno blew thru New York City. Here's a look at a few moments from our snow day...
We played in the snow...
in the kitchen.
With bath toys (and a wooden spoon).
After multiple attempts to get snow clothes on Nudy Rudy, I finally gave up and brought the snow to him.
He said, "Snow is so much fun inside, Mom!"
{A baby after my own heart}
We Baked a few things...
peanut butter & dark chocolate granola bars
whole wheat banana-pecan muffins
almond, pistachio, pine nut granola
{Recipes at the bottom}
We made a mess
and discovered that a mountain of packing paper is way more fun than toys
We caught up on our correspondence
and made homemade cards for a few special people.
We even had time for a quick snuggle.
He crawled into my lap with an old pacifier he found at the bottom of his toy box and said,
"I can be a baby for you again if you want Mom."
That was my favorite part...
xo...
ki
Recipe Time
Lately I've been attempting to bake without using refined ingredients and to keep snacks with more wholesome ingredients around the house. These three recipes are super low maintenance and can be modified to fit your own taste (but the healthy versions are actually delicious!) The granola and the granola bars can be easily changed...choose your favorite nuts, nut butter, dried fruits, sweetener, etc. And for the muffins, a 1/2 cup of blueberries, chocolate chips or cranberries would be an amazing addition. Coconut sugar has the same level of sweetness as regular sugar, so keep that in mind if you choose to substitute it when trying the muffin recipe.
peanut Butter & Dark chocolate Granola Bars
4 c rolled oats
1 c peanuts, crushed or chopped
1 c brown rice puffs
1/3 c whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
1 c honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c dark chocolate chips (optional)
In a preheated oven, toast the oats and nuts on a large baking sheet at 325 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes or until peanuts become slightly golden in color.
Meanwhile in a saucepan, combine the butter, peanut butter, honey and vanilla over medium heat until well incorporated.
Once the oats and nuts have toasted, combine them with the other dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir, making sure to cover all of the dry ingredients evenly. Gently fold in the chocolate chips (they may melt a bit but it doesn't hurt the overall outcome).
Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil and add the granola mixture. Spread it as evenly as possible and then press the granola very firmly into the pan. This helps the bars stick together so use plenty of pressure! (I like to use a sheet of parchment to protect my hands while I press. Otherwise it gets pretty messy.)
Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then place in the refrigerator for an hour to completely set. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container.
Whole wheat Banana-Pecan Muffins
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c butter, melted
3 large extra ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c unrefined coconut palm sugar (use up to a cup if you prefer a sweeter bread)
3 tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp milk (any kind)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 c chopped pecans (plus additional halves for topping)
In a large mixing bowl combine the mashed bananas, butter, sugar, beaten egg, applesauce, milk, and vanilla extract. Next add in the baking soda and salt. Finally, mix in the flour. Once well incorporated, fold in the pecans. If the batter seems a little too dry, add another tbsp of milk or applesauce to the batter.
Pour the batter into a greased muffin pan. Gently press a pecan half into each muffin, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for a few minutes before serving.
Almond, pistachio, PINE NUT granola
4 c rolled oats
3/4 c sliced almonds
1/2 c pistachios
1/2 c pine nuts
1/4 c chopped pecans
1 tbsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 c honey
1/4 c EVOO
3/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp vanilla
2/3 c dried cranberries
1/3 c dried cherries
Mix all of the dry ingredients together except for dried fruit. Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry.
Spread evenly on a large cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until nuts are golden brown. Stir once or twice to break up the pieces.
Once granola has cooled add in dried fruit and store in an airtight container.