Make your own Chia drinks

I don't know if you have heard about the new "it" drink in the health food stores. First it was Kombucha, which I am not a huge fan of, and now its Chia Seeds. 

Chia seeds themselves have many excellent properties in them. It is marketed as an endurance enhancing super-food  which is popular with a lot of athletes. Chia seeds also have more omega-3's than salmon, more potassium than bananas, more calcium than milk and are loaded with antioxidants. 

The only bad thing about these yummy drink...they run about $4 a bottle at the local health food store. I don't know about you, but $4 could get me a gallon of gas!

So why not make your own. If you haven't tried them, I would recommend for you to buy one and try it. It has a very interesting texture because when the seeds are added to water they become gelatinous. I believe a lot of people have a texture issue with the drinks. I did at first and now I love them

All you will need is:

1 cup of your choice of juice

I choose lemonade for this demonstration because I am trying to find something that my children will like

1 cup of water

3 Tbsp of Chia seeds

Warm your water up, put it in a cup and add your chia seeds. Stir well until the chia seeds are evenly dispersed and start to swell. Cover the cup and put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, grab the cup out of the fridge. The seeds should be plump and the water gelatinous.

Mix 1 cup of your chia seed gel with 1 cup of the juice and mix well!

Cheesecake in a Mug

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Everyone loves dessert. Sometimes you just don't feel like spending hours slaving in the kitchen making something or you go to make a batch of cookies and easily eat 10, been there done that! 

Some have asked me if there was something other than cake that you could make in a mug. It took me sometime but I think I have found it! This will have to definitely be added to the list of "splurge" items waiting for me on a Friday night.

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp sour cream

1 egg

½ tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp vanilla

2-4 tbsp sugar (taste as you go)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high heat for 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds incorporating all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving.

Here are a few options: Top with fresh fruit, whipped cream or nut meal.

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

I know, I know...when a lot of people see the word vegan they tend to shun away from a recipe. I personally like to try out vegan recipes because 1) most of them are healthier and 2) I run out of milk and eggs A LOT! Those are staples in my children's diet and we go through them crazy fast.

For teacher appreciation day I wanted to send something in for my oldest sons teachers for breakfast. Now a days you never know what people are allergic too, wont or cant eat or if they are just picky eaters. I chose a simple recipe that I knew couldn't go wrong, blueberry muffins.

My son and I made a big batch of them, placed them in a cute little box with a ribbon and off to school he went. They loved them and said it was a nice break from the normal breakfast of coffee and more coffee. If I was a first grade teacher with 24 kids...I would have a pot plugged in sitting on my desk.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour

1/2 cups of brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp backing powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2/3 cup of milk, I used almond milk

1 tbsp of lemon juice

and of course blueberries, whoever many you like

Preheat our over to 375.

In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients.

In smaller bowl, mix the milk and vinegar. Let it set for about 5 minutes.

Add the milk/vinegar mixture and the oil to the dry ingredients.

Mix lightly until everything comes together.

Add your blueberries. 

My muffins turned a little blue from the juice of the berries!

Scoop into your muffin tin

Bake for about 15 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

Nutella Cake in a Mug

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Who doesn't love Nutella. To me its one of those wholly grail food items. We eat it on toast  apples, cookies...you name it I am sure we have tried it.

Recently I did a whole food in-a-mug series and I recently stumbled upon this gem. It takes about 5 minutes from start to finish. Who said you can't have a little dessert tonight!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons self-rising flour

4 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons Nutella

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whipped Cream Topping (if desired)

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1½– 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave; mine took 1½ minutes.)

Add heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed until almost stiff. Add sugar and beat until heavy cream forms stiff peaks. Top Mug Cakes with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce, if desired.

DIY Custom Shade Tinted Moisturizer

It is springtime. Well it is a really screwed up version of springtime. I don't know about where you live but here in North Carolina its 80 degrees, sunny, laying out at the beach weather and the next day its 45 degrees, raining and you are looking for your winter coat.

The warm days are on the way though to stay, hopefully, very soon. When the heat starts to rise and we ungratefully welcome the wonderful humidity, it is time to change from full face makeup to tinted moisturizer. Personally, I don't like the 'my face is melting off' look. The only problem I have is making sure I have the right color. Not only that, living at the beach, I tan very fast. Granted I have more than my fair share of makeup, I really don't want to have to buy a whole range of colors to match my tan and then my fading tan once September gets here.

To make your own custom shade all you will need is a little pot/pan/container, your favorite foundation and moisturizer.

Mix, Mix, Mix

There you have it. Your very own custom shade of tinted moisturizer  You can make a lot of just a little but now you will always have the right shade on hand!

Copy Cat Starbucks Frappuccino

Are you surprised that I found an amazing copy cat recipe for a Starbucks drink, yea me neither. I don't drink these very often but when I am on a road trip and need a pick me up or when I am out running errands on a warm summer day, something about this just hits the spot. Granted I could go for the super caffeinated version of this drink on most days. 

I ran across this recipe not because I was particularly looking for a Starbucks recipe, I just wanted a good iced coffee recipe that I could make that didn't require lots of things that I normally do not keep stocked in my pantry. Plus every now and then its nice to have a cold drink that isn't water.  With summer around the corner, this is something that I will keep on hand for a nice treat and mid-day pick me up.

First lets brew some coffee. Now let me tell you, I actually added 20oz of coffee because with just the 10oz it was too sweet for me. Start with the 10oz first, if its too sweet, add some more coffee. 

To your pitcher add Vanilla coffee creamer.

Then sugar

and a little more sugar.  Pour the hot coffee on top of the sugar mixture in the pitcher. Stir it up and refrigerate for a couple hours, overnight is better though. 

Now when you need a pick me up, something a little cold while you are playing with the kids, just head on over and get a tall glass. 

Our First Giveaway!!

I started this blog a few months ago to share, trade and learn new things that I could incorporate into my everyday life. Just because I am married and have children does not mean that the only things I am interested are about 'how to get stains out of my mattress' and 'a new way to get your children to eat vegetables'. I am still a girl at heart who loves all things pink, dresses, a nice pair of heels, my collection of makeup, crafting and exploring new spots with my favorite ladies....and the hubby. 

I wanted to thank all of the people who have inspired me and helped me along this journey. I do  hope this becomes something I can do for a very long time. I simply enjoy it! Next to God, my husband and kids....it is definitely my 4th favorite thing.

So for that, I am doing a giveaway on my Facebook page. The giveaway is for a Starbucks gift card. My secret place I like to escape to when I have no children...or at least only having one child who is sleeping in the stroller.  Everyone needs a little coffee break once in a while. 

Go on over and like our page and when we reach the specified number of followers, I will randomly choose one lucky person for the card. So get on over there for your chance to win!