Naturally nutty

I’ve been going through my fair share of peanut butter lately.  It’s a key component in my favorite protein shake (chocolate peanut butter – made with almond milk, protein powder, cocoa powder, and peanut butter).  But it’s also an excellent accompaniment to my whole wheat toast some mornings or to liven up a celery stalk for a snack.

Regardless how I use it, peanut butter has definitely become a more frequent purchase at the grocery store.  A while back I switched to natural peanut butter after realizing how much sugar (corn syrup) and preservatives were in regular peanut butter or the low-fat peanut butter that I previously purchased.  I know it’s a personal choice but I feel better about fewer, all-natural ingredients these days.  Unfortunately, of all the brands of peanut butter at my preferred grocery store, only one is truly natural (only contains peanuts) and it doesn’t come in a large container.  Another brand says it’s natural but the ingredient listing reveals otherwise.

Considering how often I use peanut butter now, and considering the cost of roasted peanuts compared to jars of peanut butter, I decided to attempt making my own.  It turned out GREAT and was surprisingly easy!

Since it was an experiment and I dislike waste, I decided to start with only ½ cup of peanuts.  I put them in my Magic Bullet and used the flat blade to break up the nuts.  This took only seconds to get to an acceptable consistency.  Then I switched to the cross blade and pulsed for about a minute.  The result seemed a bit dry and wasn’t really sticking together very well so I decided just a little oil.  About 1/8 tsp was all I needed to get the tiny peanut pieces to blend together into more of a paste, like peanut butter.  Of course I had to sample and it was delicious!  No added salt, no sugar, no preservatives.  I suppose it won’t keep as long as regular peanut butter but considering my rate of consumption and the ability to make more whenever I want, I think I found my solution!

A little mischief

As a single adult, it is an interesting thing to spend an entire week of vacation with a house of other single adults...

One thing I loved was a certain level of mischief in the house.  You could never be sure if someone would be hiding in the closet, under your bed, or if you might find any manner of produce (onions, oranges or bananas to be specific) in your bed.  Perhaps even someone’s bedroom slipper might find its way inside your pillowcase.  Or a stack of coolers blockading your doorway.

One person took to putting his dresser against the door since it wouldn’t lock and he was particularly concerned that someone might be up to something in the middle of the night.  I wonder if it had anything to do with discovering pork rinds (in a bag) hanging from his belt above his doorway and a plank of wood under his sheets.  I am also aware of marbles and salt distributed in someone’s bed and monkey butt powder (yes, that’s really a product!) tied to bathroom lights by way of dental floss.

And of course there was the fake roach that found its way everywhere in the house and refrigerator.  It certainly raised reasonable ruckus for the first few days.  That was pretty funny to those of us who weren’t as alarmed (or rather, those of us who expected it at every turn) even if we weren't the pranksters of that method.

I enjoyed how the air of mischief heightened right around the time that everyone was supposedly turning in for the evening.  Some individuals wanted to stay up to find out what happened when their pranks were discovered.  Others simply wanted to wait for everyone else to retire for the evening and remain on high alert until then… especially when they observed general loitering and various whispers or hushed laughter.  Bedroom doors opened frequently and heads peeked out conspiratorially.  There were mini excursions to the kitchen to “get something” but detouring through other parts of the house (hmmm, sorry but the loft is NOT the way to the kitchen... did you get lost??). 

What was particularly funny was getting to the point when a prank wasn’t even needed to alarm someone else.  Simply the mention of scheming sent some people to their rooms to investigate thoroughly for possible tomfoolery.  I intended to call my dad during the week for ideas once I observed some of the shenanigans (and perhaps participated in one or two).  I knew he would have some great suggestions!  But since I didn’t get around to it, I’ll take my time gathering and storing up ideas for the next opportunity…  ;-)

Leading by example

I saw this picture a few days ago and it has been on my mind.  I love how this woman is taking advantage of play time at a park to get in a workout, and I love how the child is trying to follow his mother’s example.

The example part is what I’ve been thinking about mostly.  As a parent, I am setting an example for my son through everything I do.  He observes me going to the gym (and using what I have at home) and making good food choices.  All of it sends a message about how much I value my physical health.  I can talk about it with him and with friends all I want but if my actions don’t match my words, what would that say?

But beyond the physical health, I’ve been thinking about the other ways I’m sending messages about what’s important to me.  When things don’t go as planned (like my flat tire and flat spare tire, or coming home from vacation to leaky pipes and smoke detectors going off, etc), he has been observing how I respond.  Even if he isn’t intentionally looking for my reaction, he notices how I handle the situations.  I am so thankful for the work God has done in me so I’ve been able to laugh and start working on solutions.  But to be honest, in the moment you don’t always think about being an example.  You just react, and how you react can be very telling.  There are times I could have had a better attitude or handled things differently, and I know that I will continue to fail from time to time going forward.  But I pray that my example somehow helps rather than hinders my son’s trust in God.

What other messages am I sending to my son through my daily life?  Again, he might not be specifically looking for clues, but he WILL notice how I spend my time and money.  Aren’t those indicators of what’s really important to me?  Does he see me spending time in the Word?  Serving others?  Does he see me giving to charities and church?  These things shouldn’t be done for show, but surely there can be some level of transparency.  Besides time and money, what jokes do I laugh at?  What scenes/images do I allow during a movie or film?  All of these send messages.

The responsibility of a parent to raise up his/her child in the way he should go can be challenging, but also a joy.  Regardless what other influences are in my son’s life, I have a responsibility for my own role and I intend do my very best with God’s guidance.

in love...

If it’s possible for a person to fall in love with their gym, I’m head over heels!!