Apple Banana Muffins

I tried Catherine McCord's Apple Banana Muffins recipe from Weelicious this week and they were a hit.

If you haven't visited Catherine's site, you are in for a treat. She's a busy mom of two who loves to cook nutritious foods her whole family enjoys. She posts lots of videos with her kids "helping" her out in the kitchen. Isn't she just too cute!

Catherine needs our votes to win her own TV show (perhaps you saw her on Oprah). Check out her site and give her a vote if you like what you see. My family gave these muffins 4.5 stars out of 5 because four of us devoured them while Sophie finished her muffin with reluctance.

Apple Banana Muffins (Makes 15 Standard Muffins or 28 Mini Muffins)

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Cinnamon

3 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil

1/2 Cup Agave OR Honey

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Milk

2 Bananas, mashed

1 Medium Apple, peeled and grated (Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji or Golden Delicious are good choices)



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

5. Grease a muffin tin or line it with muffin cups and fill each cup 3/4 full with the batter.

6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Serve.

Enjoy! - Jennifer

Hysterical Father's Day Rap Music Video by Church On The Move

I attend Church On The Move - home to one of the most hilarious and creative production teams on Earth. Check out the hysterical Father's Day rap music video Chris Munch and crew created.

http://www.vimeo.com/12714406

Laugh out loud - funny!

Clean Up on Aisle Four, Please

I guess it's that time again, when I'm forced to repeatedly endure tedious and messy learning experiences so my kids can advance in their developmental skills -- like feeding themselves independently with spoons. My primary motivation for putting myself through this torture is that I don't want to attend Kindergarten myself in a few years. I'm sure feeding oneself is a fundamental skill all most kindergartners have and I don't want to show up every day to feed my twins. So, bring on the spoons, the mess, and the independence.

Piper and Riley fed themselves chocolate pudding today. It was the first time I left them alone with their spoons. Normally, I guide them as they eat, but not this time. Piper relished her new found freedom and screamed like a wild animal when I did, at last, try to pry to chocolate coated slippery spoon from her slick stubborn fingers.

I know this training season will pass and soon they will be able to feed themselves without needing a clean up crew and drop cloth. It reminded me of when I first started feeding them baby food about a year ago. A time when their little mouths couldn't quite figure out what to do with food and ended up spitting out more than they swallowed.

I took all three girls, by myself, to Walmart this morning. A lady reminded me to enjoy every minute of my time with them while they're young because they grow up so fast. She's right. I'll choose to enjoy this stage too. Besides, I own a Shark Steam Pocket Mop, paper towels, and wet-wipes. I think the girls will need an early bath though.

Daddy & Sophie Date Night

Tonight, Judd took Sophie to a Daddy-Daughter date night at our local Chick-fil-a restaurant. I don't know if this special event is something just this one store hosts, or if other locations participate as well. Sophie wanted me to curl her hair and paint her nails. She picked out her yellow "princess" dress and wore the bracelet her daddy gave her the day she was born. She twirled around and around as she eagerly waited for Prince Daddy to pick up Princess Sophie for their date.

I admire Chick-fil-a for their thoughtfulness and generosity - out of the ordinary for fast food. This special night required reservations. Tablecloths, name cards at place settings, and a gift awaited Sophie. A picture was take and framed in a scrapbook frame. A waiter came and took their order and brought the bill at the end. Chick-fil-a also held a Mommy-Son date night around Mother's Day which included a horse-drawn-carriage ride and candlelit dinner. Kudos to Chick-fil-a for the special date Sophie had with her daddy tonight.

Blowin' Off the City in Gordon, Nebraska

We live in Tulsa - population 385,000.

It's not a huge city, but every now and then the hustle and bustle pushes us to get away.

Bring in my husband's hometown - Gordon, Nebraska - population 1,800 (that's not a typo).

Gordon has no stoplights. The nearest mall and airport are two hours away in Rapid City, South Dakota. Most Gordonites are very friendly and hospitable. Life in Gordon is much slower, but can be more meaningful with fewer distractions. Judd and I just took our girls to visit Judd's parents for a week. We played cards, baked cookies, rode the 4-wheeler, played at the park every day, and ate at the two main cafes.

Back when Judd and I were college kids and dating, I admit, I was scared to be in that little town on my first visit. While driving to get there I decided to time how long it took for us to meet another car on the winding road. It took 32 minutes. That seemed crazy to me. It was before cell phones, (not that we could get reception anyway) and I just prayed we didn't have any car trouble or hit a deer as we traveled. It freaked me out to see so much wide open space - no houses - no cars - no people - no buildings.

I took these pictures last week during our trip. Now I find Gordon relaxing. Maybe it's because I can get cell phone reception and high speed internet access (at the library - when it's open).

We took Sophie fishing at nearby Shell Lake.

The girl caught 6 fish in about 15 minutes.

It was one of the funniest thing I've seen. She would drop her line in and within 60 seconds catch another fish.

Once, Judd dropped the line in just to untangle it and a fish jumped on the empty hook in one second! No fish were hurt in this venture and all were released safely back into the lake.

Any future fishing trips will pale in comparison.

Judd's parents live on a farm just outside town. It's a great place for kids.

Sophie enjoyed playing on the swings her Grandpa made

Riley liked playing in the dirt.

Piper liked playing with bubbles.

Sophie even helped make two apple pies - from scratch. Yummy!

We really enjoyed blowin' off the city in Gordon, Nebraska. We made memories to last a lifetime.