Makeover your Breakfast

Breakfast seems to be a hot topic among people. You either love it or hate it. It's my favorite meal, but I hate that it takes so much time/effort to fix. 5am on weekday mornings comes way too early, and I am in no condition to handle a skillet (or even a toaster for that matter). But on those late mornings, on holidays when I'm at home with the family, or when I have company, I am all about the good, filling breakfasts. Here are a few ideas that I've either made or have on my "to cook" list. Cereal is great, but it's time to makeover your breakfast!
(clicking each photo will take you to its recipe!)

Potato & Sausage Bake

Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

Applesauce Granola

Homemade English Muffins

Iced Coffee Concentrate

Cookie Dough Smoothie


Sausage & Egg Casserole

Have you ever made any of these? What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

White Chocolate & Caramel

Here's a little recipe I mixed up for the Iron Chef:Blog Edition hosted by the lovely 20 going on 80. The two required ingredients are {white chocolate} and {caramel}

Both pretty standard ingredients, but they open up a whole world of possibilities. I took inspiration from two very popular Starbucks drinks, and concocted these cookies.

{White Chocolate Caramel Frappuccino Cookies}

Ingredients (made 32 smallish cookies): 

*1 1/4 cup flour

*1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*1/2 tsp salt

*1 stick unsalted butter, softened

*3/4 cup packed brown sugar

*1 egg

*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1 tablespoon instant coffee

*1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Steps:

*Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl

*In another bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar

*Beat in the egg, vanilla, and instant coffee

 *Add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time and mixing in between

*Fold in the white chocolate chips

*Spoon onto a cookie sheet (I used a melon baller)

*Bake at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes (they're small so they don't take much time)

While they're baking...

*Unwrap 10 caramels (or make your own caramel if you're fancy) and add 3 tablespoons of white chocolate chips

*Microwave for 1-2 minutes or until melted, stopping to stir the mixture about every 30 seconds

When your cookies are done...

*Pull them out of the oven and transfer to a cookie rack

*Drizzle the hot caramel mixture over them. Be careful not to burn yourself...hot caramel HURTS! (not that I would know from experience or anything haha)

*Try not to eat the entire batch by yourself...no seriously, I ate 2 1/2 dozen in a week and a half.

Happy Friday everyone!

It's Greaaaaat!

That's right, today is National Cereal Day. 

My healthy fave is half Total raisin bran/half rice Chex.

But when I'm feeling naughty I reach for Captain Crunch, Reeses Puffs, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. They're so bad but they taste so good!

And of course I pair them with some unsweetened coconut milk (although Vanilla Soymilk tastes wonderful with the raisin bran/chex combination)

What are your favorite cereals? 

Have you ever eaten one of these milk n cereal bars? They're marketed for breakfast but let's be real here...they're more of a treat than a breakfast item. 

I found this yummy looking recipe on The Pastry Affair for homemade milk n cereal bars HERE. She describes them as "very similar to rice krispie bars", and they look way better than the ones you'll find in the store. Apparently they taste better, too. She said that you can make them with any cereal, but I like the way they look with the multigrain cheerios she used. Plus, I'd feel a lot less guilty eating these...Maybe I could even trick myself into thinking that they're a little bit healthy (ha!)

I'll definitely be trying this soon...and I'll let everyone know how things go! Then when they're finished I'll drop them off in the speech path workroom for the other girls to eat (muahahaha)

Now I'm off to form evil baking plans...Have a great day!

The "R" Word

Today is "Spread the Word to End the Word" Day. People all over the US will be coming together to pledge that they are eliminating the word "retard(ed)" from their vocabulary. Being a member of Best Buddies, I will be one of those people. 

I don't think we actually stop and consider the effects our words can have sometimes. We brush it off as a joke, or act like the other person is too easily offended. But in James 3:5-6 it says

{Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.}

So today it's up to you. Go here and get more information. Then please pledge to remove the "R" word from your vocabulary. And if I'm sounding judgmental at this point, I'll go ahead and say that I guilty myself. I've used this word many more times than I should. So this is as much of a reminder to me as it is to y'all.

The English language is so vast...I'm sure we can find some other word to use, right? ;)

Makeover Monday

Confession time: I'm a nail-biter. And not like the "nibble your nails every once in a while" thing. Like crazed hamster gnawing constantly. Okay maybe not that bad. But I get super stressed and it's a terrible habit. I just don't know how to blow off steam. This weekend I finally overloaded and shut down. I spent most of the weekend on the couch or in bed, did very little homework, and ate a lot of cookies. And now I feel just a little bit better about the week I'm currently facing. Sometimes we just need things like that. Today is about making over your attitude. Here are some little things you can do to turn that frown upside down!

Read a book (cough Mockingjay cough)

Craft (i really should learn to knit)

Paint your nails (like this lovely mint color)

Bake something (then share with someone else)

Volunteer (especially with kids...they're great)

Take a bubble bath (preferably with a ducky)

Get closer to God (read your Bible, pray, spend time with your church family)

Hug (they're good for you...it's practically scientific)

Do you do any of these things to relieve stress? Any other ideas? Am I the only twenty-something that still bites her nails?

God Bless Texas

Hey Y'ALL!

It's Texas' Independence Day! 

And to celebrate, here is a post bursting with Texas pride
(all images from Pinterest and Etsy)

Happy 176th Independence Day! :)

Go for the Goal!

It's time to link up for "Go for the Goal" - February Edition

Here's a recap of my 13 in 2013 {in list form}

*Read 12 books for fun - I didn't read a book this month. I started a novel but quickly grew bored and decided to wait for Catching Fire instead. I started it this week and I'm already hooked.

*Learn to crochet or knit - I've decided that this will have to wait for Spring Break or Summer. But by golly I will learn

*Try one new recipe per month - I actually created my own recipe this month (so proud of myself haha). Look for it to be posted very soon!

*Serve my church family more - There weren't very many specific opportunities, but I've been going to a girls' Bible study every other week, and have sent cards out to some of our sick.

*Go on a roadtrip - This too will have to be postponed until a later date *sigh*

*Give blood 4 times - I actually gave blood a couple of days ago with my school. They missed my vein and it hurt...but it was so worth it.

*Work out 2-3 times a week - Let me just say that I feel like a workout beast. I've been working out 3 to 4 times each week and can notice a change in my body...still waiting on that energy boost though!

*Volunteer at least once a month - I volunteered with some Honors students and we helped build a garden for a local elementary school (most fun I've had volunteering in a long time)

*Apply to grad school - This specific goal doesn't happen until next school year, but I went to an open house/info session this month for a potential school

*Save $300 - Ha. I didn't really save much this month. But I paid for Little Sister's plane ticket to come visit so it all evens out

*Really explore DFW - I haven't done anything exciting to explore yet. But looking for neat places to take Little Sister has definitely got me thinking

*Send 2+ letters/cards out week - I haven't stayed true to this every week, but I've done it almost every week this month

*Study my Bible every other day - Still having trouble, but still pressing on

How are your resolutions going? Comment and let me know! :)

Photo-a-Day Recap

I'm posting this on the first day of March, because I hadn't uploaded all of my photos yet and the Boyfriend borrowed my camera yesterday. Here are my 29 photos from February. March is next and I can't wait to see what's in store! :)

1. Your view today - from my desk in Aural Rehab
2. Words - I love you texts are the best
3. Hands - Typing out yet another assignment
4. Stranger(s) - at the Stars game

5. 10am - We studied Luke 12 in Bible class that morning

6. {after} Dinner {drink} 

7. Button - The snooze button is my fav!

8. Sun - Peeking out from behind the apartment building and trees

9. Front door - Yes that's a guard lion clipped by my front door

10. Self-portrait 

11. Makes you happy - Leaving random notes by empty coffee cups by the coffee bar in the library
12. Inside your closet - Messiness and warm winter clothes

13. Blue - The cute vase on my coffee table

14. Heart - Paper heart on my photo clothesline

15. Phone - My blinged out (and old) phone

16. New - Got a new microwave (and the apartment complex payed for it yay!)

17. Time - Yes, I woke up at 5:40 that morning...after hitting snooze a few times of course
18. Drink - Iced coffee with coconut milk is the best
19. Something you hate to do - Make my bed
20. Handwriting - My planner

21. Fav photo of you - Me and Lil Sister being goofy in the mirror
22. Where you work - I do most of my work on the couch since I don't have a desk #poorcollegekidproblems
23. Shoes - My old running shoes
24. Inside your medicine cabinet - Nothing exciting unfortunately

25. Green - My green camelbak

26. Night - Peeking outside to check for baddies!

27. Something you ate - Made white chocolate caramel frappuccino cookies (recipe to come!)

28. Money - My financial aid $...just in time to pay rent :P

29. Something you're listening to - "Beth/Rest" by Bon Iver - Good studying music

Here's March:

Feel free to join in with us, and visit Fat Mum Slim , the wonderful creator of this linkup! :)

Don't be a Sourpuss

Lemon recipe
Bad day
Funny vids of kids eating lemons...like this one (hehe)

My newest love in the kitchen

With hopes of pan searing some steaks for the Boyfriend and I, I bought my first iron skillet a couple of weeks ago. It was just a 12" Lodge skillet from Target, and I got it for less than $20. But it's quickly becoming my new favorite kitchen tool. I've used it to brown beef for lasagna, cook stirfry (see the delicious-looking photo below), and even found a yummy skillet cookie recipe I plan on trying soon.

If you don't have an iron skillet, I definitely recommend getting one. They can be used in so many ways, and there are tons of "one skillet" recipes out there. My dishwasher isn't working quite right, so the less dishes I have to wash by hand the better! Plus once your skillet has been used a couple of times,  you don't have to use extra oil to cook in it because the surface is naturally nonstick. 

Less fat  = healthier = happy Lauren

A couple of things to remember, though: 

*Skillets get super hot...even the handles. So don't touch them directly (use potholders or a glove!) - I learned this one the hard way, unfortunately. :P

*There are a bunch of different opinions out there about how to care for your skillet. Take the time to Google it and read a little bit about your new piece of kitchen equipment.

Happy cooking!