This is to remind us that it is summer somewhere in the world!
Oh, how I miss Hilton Head, South Carolina!
Yes, we are getting more of the white stuff as I type, but it is just a little and we are actually going back to school tomorrow - after 10 days of vacation! We do, of course, have a two hour delay, but school is open! I am sure there will be some parents literally throwing their children at the school doors tomorrow. I am a little sad, as I have truly loved every minute with them. We have relaxed and slowed down and just had a wonderful, low key, snowcation!
I read an article today at the dentist office that talked about how we are a society that is always living in the next moment. It talked about how we need to slow down and enjoy the moment that we are in. Like taking out the garbage at night and feeling the cold air on your skin and breathing in the freshness of the winter night and listening to the silence. I loved that, because that is exactly why I have loved this snow storm. I loved watching the big flakes fall and opening the door to listen to the frosty silence of freshly fallen snow. I loved rolling over one more time in the morning to snuggle in the arms of my husband and the kids jumping on the bed asking for waffles again that morning and me saying, "OK!" I loved listening to the kids play school and give concerts to their stuffed animals and their red cheeks and noses as they came inside from playing and declaring, "I'm starving!" I loved that we watched only four movies and two times it was Disney's Planet Earth (our favorite!) and the rest of the time was games and wrestling with dad and projects and just fun stuff! I especially loved that I was able to see my husband and have random moments to sit on the couch and talk and remember why I love him so much.
So, tomorrow we go back to school and life and schedules and routines, but the memories of this storm will always be a favorite of mine!
This post is also about some awesome and healthy brownies we made again tonight. The sister missionaries came over for Family Home Evening and we had them guess what was in them. Dark and gooey and really chocolatey....you'd never guess they are made with black beans!!!!
Try them, you will be amazed!
Here's the recipe.....
1 can black beans, drained
3 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw sugar or agave nectar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts
Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips and walnuts together until the black beans are thoroughly mixed. (The original recipe said to do this in a blender) Add chocolate chips and walnuts and pour batter into an 8x8 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
The first time we made them, they were a little crumbly, but they were moist and fudge-like the next day. (we all thought they better the next day)
The second time I made them, I added a box of french vanilla pudding (Chocolate would be great!) and undercooked them by about 2 minutes. They were really moist and had a somewhat pudding consistency. We will see what they taste like tomorrow!
Also, I used regular oil and regular sugar the second time around. I wasn't a huge fan of the coconut oil. I also haven't used nuts in them, since I didn't know if the sister missionaries had allergies and the first time I didn't want to waste the nuts if they turned out gross.
It was so fun to tell the kids that I made them brownies out of black beans....Garrett said he would never eat them and he loved them! Eleanor got really dramatic about it and loved them. I told the sisters they could eat them for breakfast and not feel guilty! Seriously, just try them!
Buen provecho!
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