All that food.

Recently, I have been eating and cooking a plethora of extraordinary food and wanted to share with the world!

If you live in the Chicago area, you HAVE to try Jam N' Honey (click here for website). I went here for my birthday brunch (Yay for not being a teenager anymore!). It was stellar! I had the oatmeal pancakes. The best part is that they leave a huge jar of nutella on your table!!  So amazing.

Last Sunday, I ate an India restaurant with some new friends (Believe it or not, I am actually capable of meeting and not scaring off new people. What a skill). Four of us split three entrees and a side on naan, which was more than enough! The best part was the chi tea! It was definitely the closest tasting to the homemade tea we were served in India!! ( Here is the link!)

Finally, a few weeks ago, I ventured out to an Ethiopian restaurant. Holy cow! I have been missing out on some delicious food! Since many of my kid's are African (as in they were born in Africa), I have been hearing all about their favorite foods and wanting to try them. This restaurant did not disappoint! So the way we ordered our food was picking out 4 dishes to try in smaller portions, which was just the perfect amount. The best part was eating the food without silverware  Along with the entrees, we were served this spongy bread called injera as eating utensils. So fun!! (Click here for more information)

Now, for the recipes.

I've been experimenting with kale. So far I've made orange, quinoa, and kale salad and chopped kale salad, both, ironically from the same blogger. SO GOOD. I steam my kale before making it, but I've also heard you can massage oil into the leaves (whaaaa...?) and cooking them a little, so kind of like kale chips. Both were steller. I have really started loving kale so it's a major plus that the garden at work grows it like a weed! Whoooo!

For an quick, easy, and healthy dinner, I like avocado chicken and grilled capresse naan pizza. So easy and so healthy and oh so delicious. Such wonderful food.

I also have a soft spot for black beans. I usually make some variation of this or this.

Breakfast is my all time favorite meal of the day. My most favorite recipes are veggie quiche cups, baked carrot cake oatmeal, banana peanut butter scones, and whole wheat pancakes. I tend to eat a larger breakfast so that I can stay full all day long!!

Today, I made homemade nutella AND peanut butter. Life with a food processor is so great. Like a little slice of heaven.

Now, I have to get back to my oatmeal fig bread. That's right folks. I keep my cooking classy!
I hope you are inspired to create something delicious!!

My cup runneth over and my sink is flooded.

Today was such an amazingly solid day that also sucked hardcore.
First off, I walked into work today with the stupid art room sink clogged with the pulp from paper that was made yesterday. Who thinks it's a smart idea to dump that down the drain?! So I spent two hours hand draining that.
Then, I played a game of "Will This Stick" with the wall. The wall won. Seriously, the only I could successfully use to hang pictures was duck tape that ripped off a layer of my own skin. Solid.
When I finally made it down to see my kiddos, the attacked me. Literally. Like sat on me, pulled my hands and legs, and surrounded me on all sides. I smiled. So content. My cup runs over. These kiddos overflow my love bucket.
The day continued on. We learned that the amygdala is what processes our emotions. When we are upset or our brain is stressed, the information gets all jumbled and doesn't processe correctly, which is why it is oh so important we count to 10 to calm down before we react. Right after this lesson, there were about 780843 fights as we lined up to wash hands for lunch. Someday my kiddos will catch on.
THEN. It happened.
The sink stopped working. Like would not drain. It was out of my control. Nothing was blocking the drain, it was just the 30 kids who washed their hands with glue, glitter, paint, paper pulp, and pottery that built up. I knew it would happen someday, and today was that day. What a win. So great.
In art class today, I had the honor of hearing all 20 11-14 grumble about how much they hate art while we walked up the stairs. Nothing motivates me more to find that amazing art project. Seriously. I want every kid to choose creativity over violence and anger. This is just the first step and, as hair-pulling out as it is, I love it. Plus, half of the room did AND enjoyed the activity. HALF! That's ten young men engaged in art for an hour. WHAT A WIN. My heart literally swelled with pride.
Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very wonderful day. It was oh so chaotic and stressful, but I can start to see my kiddos make better choices and art classes have become easier. Also, I'm better managing this whole working full time and having a social life. Life is happy. This morning, God gave me a wonderful verse from Psalm 25. (I read it out of Psalm Now (a book) so it'll be a little different) It says: "I am reaching for you again, O God, from the abyss of defeat, the suffocating shame of failure. I seek your mercy and your help. Enable me to see your will for my life. Break through the stifling darkness with some direction, some meaning, some purpose for my existence."
So good. I felt that direction, meaning, and purpose all day long and I am so full of deep Joy.