Peanut Butter Energy Bits

Eating clean has become a very important part of our lives, although you wouldn't have guessed during my birthday this past weekend. We ended up eating at barbaritos and crap trap at the end of the night I got sick from either over eating or eating things that my body is no longer used to, I'm not sure which. 

This recipe is super easy to do and everyone will be begging you for this recipe. 

Makes about 1 dozen cookie bits

1 cup almonds

1/4 cup dark chocolate

1 tsp homemade vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pitted dates

1/2-3/4 cup natural peanut butter or any other nut butter

1/8 tsp salt

Put the almonds in the food processor until it resembles a crumble. Add all the other ingredients and pulse until it's a sticky dough. Give it a pinch and if it sticks together but not your fingers it's ready.  Roll the dough into a 1 inch ball and press a fork down into it to create a disk like cookie. Place it on a splat sheet and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. You'll want to place in an airtight container to store.

I'm sure you could freeze them and take them out as you wanted them.

To make homemade vanilla just add vodka and vanilla beans, give it a shake every so often and let sit for several months.

Week 7 Garden update

I haven't blogged about the garden in over a week because I was a little discouraged really. Molly, our dog ate all my tomato plants, half my peppers and all my basil.

After a few days of no gardening I decided IF I was going to meet my goal of not having to shop at the grocery store for my produce I NEEDED to get back in the game and plant more seeds. So I bit the bullet and headed to lowes to buy tomato seeds. Although I had a few heirloom seeds left I needed more.

Here is our garden

 We have 2 Pom pomegranates to grow only 8'-10'. I decided last year that I would espalier the trees along the fence of the garden.

  I've got a butt ton of radishes growing in the garden. These are icicle radishes in the "Asian" bed.

 Peas grow in 4 of the 10 beds to help provide shade but also to fill up empty space.

 I am a vampire *hisss hiss* No vampires shall bug my garden because these babies are garlic.

 Chinese cabbage is growing well. I decided to plant 2 more this week.

 Here is the row of snow peas. The two tall ones my youngest grew.

 More snap peas.

These babies are Tyee Spinach. I can't wait till the start producing! We eat a lot of spinach and drink a lot of it too.

Lettuce is doing great right now in the bi polar temps of Georgia.

 More radishes... these are french radishes.

 After Molly decided to snack on my tomato plants I got this little guy from the nursery. Heirloom, score.

 Here are the eggplants and leeks I've started to harden off

 Lemongrass which was doing fine indoors until I goofed up and tried to harden them off.. bad move. They're dying now. I'm going to start more after the last frost and see if I have better luck.

LUFFAS!!!! I can't wait to get these babies outside.

Although I forgot to take pictures I've planted broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, swiss chard, more lettuce, bok choy and basil in the beds outdoors. Indoors I started the lavender, marigolds, cabbage, nicotina, tomatoes and celery

 The hubster has been hard at work trying to finish up the fence around the garden. He is wanting to add a horizontal log at the top of the fence but I kind of like the look now. What do you all think?

 The last thing he is going to add are the doors, three of them. I can't wait to see the design on for them.

We've decided to buy a few fruiting trees like the 4 in apple, 4 in 1 cherry, 4 in 1 cocktail, avacado and lemon/lime tree. I also want to find a dwarf orange tree but haven't found one anywhere yet. I really really reaaaaally want an almond tree but it might take some convincing the hubster to let me get one.

This week we'll be working on getting the 1' edging beds installed into the garden, ordering more dirt and filling those babies up. Starting to build the bean house and get a couple trellises up. I've got more planting to do as well. There will be some front lawn work that will be started in the tree garden. I came across a picture online that is totally our inspiration

I love the oversized stepping stones going straight to the house. With the boys friends coming over daily this is a great idea I think.


What is on your To-Do list this week?

Week 6 - Grocery, Couponing and Garden budget

With our new eating style I've noticed I spend a lot less scouring for deals and focusing on eating and feeding my family a whole grain/clean diet. Over the past month the hubster and I dived into juicing.

We haven't done a full cleanse but added a juicing drink as a meal supplement throughout the day. One thing is for sure, we have a higher metabolism and eat more often on this new eating style. I plan (not sure about the hubster) on rebooting myself every 3 months and do a juicing cleanse for 10 days. For me it's not about losing weight, it's about being healthy and putting things in my body that my body needs.

The past months have been filled with watching food documentaries like Farmaggedon, fat sick and nearly dead, dive! and other movies like that. A serious eye opener. The poor man opens the frig or pantry looking for a snack and sees stuff he no longer wants to eat... The cookies, chips, sauces, packaged stuff, canned stuff... the list goes on really.I have a feeling this year will be filled with me doing a LOT of canning and dehydrating things.

1/2 beet

1 grapefruit w/o peel

1 lemon w/o peel

2 handfuls of grapes

2 apples 

Publix Produce $ 66.85

 Publix Grocery/Couponing $10.59

Commi Produce $17.64

 Commi Grocery $ 76.53 I got a few lunch snacks for the family and I stocked up on oatmeal (I guess that could have gone into the couponing) and caved on some dark chocolates for valentines.

Commi Couponing $3.97
Not sure why I got the sandwich makers given the hubster might not eat them anymore but we'll see.


Minus having to go get milk and celery later this week, this all should last us (family of 5) two weeks. Keep in mind we have a stockpile of meats, cheeses, cereal, etc and some produce left over from last shopping trip.


Week 6
Couponing: $6.67
Grocery: $179.49
Garden: $13.71
Savings: $56.33