Sew God's Grace

I discovered this recipe  for No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls several years ago.  The kids really loved them, but I struggled to make them because they were so hard to mix by hand.  Then I discovered that I could mix them using my 8 quart Kitchenaid mixer.  This recipe is the absolute maximum that my 8 quart bowl can handle, so if you have a smaller mixer, you will need to at least halve the recipe.  I also added protein powder for a little protein boost and adjusted the liquid added accordingly. I make these once a week.  They are the perfect lunch staple, afternoon snack, or anytime pick me up.  Hope you enjoy! Peanut Butter Energy Balls 8 cups quick oats 4 1/2 cups peanut butter 1 1/4 cups honey 1 cup vanilla protein powder (I use this one)  1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in mixer and mix on low until combined.  Add chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.  Shape into 1 inch balls....

I have made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized!  The kids love these granola bars, and they are relatively easy.  I have adapted the recipe to make a large batch so that it lasts at least a week in my house.  You can halve it for a 9 by 13 sized pan or quarter it for an 8 by 8. Our Favorite Granola Bars (adapted from this recipe ) 2 cups honey 3 cups creamy peanut butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 8 cups quick oats 6 cups rice crispies or Cheerios or a combination of both 1/2 to 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, place in freezer preferably the night before (use Enjoy Life brand to keep dairy free) Combine honey, peanut butter, and brown sugar in a large microwave--safe bowl or pitcher.  Microwave for two minutes, stir, then microwave 2 minutes again and stir to combine.  (My microwave is 900 watts, so you may need to adjust your microwave times.  You want a nice, consistent mixture with the sugar dissolved.).  Stir ...

     Wow, it's been a long time since my last post!  But, with baby number six on the way, I have had to cut out some activities, which has included blogging for the most part.  I'm realizing, too, with another one coming that I may not be posting as much to my blog.  But, when I have the chance, I hope to sneak one in here and there.      One of my friends has been working on eating a mostly Paleo diet, which I have been eating for almost three years (minus a couple of months at the beginning of this pregnancy!)  We had been talking about getting together for a Paleo meal, and we made it happen this week. It was a lot of fun, and really delicious, too!  For an appetizer, I made these delicious Bacon-wrapped Sweet Potato Bites.  You can find the recipe here .  I really love the Stir It Up site and have made several of her recipes including one of my favorite Paleo pancake recipes.        I softe...

Wow!  It has been a while since I last posted anything.  I have lots of pictures taken, but I haven't taken the time to sit down and get anything written out.  Update:  I said that I was going to try a mixed berry filling also.  I made it the other day, and the kids gave it rave reviews also.  Check out the recipe for that as well! My kids love Apple Cinnamon Nutrigrain Bars.  Recently, I have been searching for a homemade substitute to those bars that isn't super labor-intensive and that doesn't involve a ton of butter.  Also, I wanted one that wasn't too crumbly.  By combining two recipes, I think I have come up with just the ticket!  When my kids each had one for snack, they scarfed them down and requested seconds! Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bars Filling:  (From Loving life, one meal at a time ) 2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced 1 tablespoon of butter 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon of cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon...

My sister-in-law, Joni, had just finished making this in her food processor when I stopped by the other day.  She let me have a sample, and I just had to have the recipe!  And, yes, there is cauliflower in it.  Before you get too turned off by this fact, just look at the beautiful color of this hummus. I would be willing to paint a room in my house this color if we could get a good match.  Anyway, I mixed up a batch of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus this morning, and it is so good!  I had to cut up some peppers to eat some for  my morning snack!  I'm not sure if I'm going to get my husband (not a cauliflower fan!) to try this, but we'll see.  I guess that just means more for me!  I hope you enjoy this delicious and healthy recipe.  Let me know if you try it, especially if you experiment with modifying the spices! Roasted Red Pepper Hummus 1 large head cauliflower, steamed 1/2 cup tahini 1/4 cup lemon juice Roasted red pep...

I had the idea for this recipe a long time ago. When we had some leftover pizza ingredients, I thought it was a great way to use them up. Also, you can coordinate your toppings to each child. Keep this in mind when you need a quick and easy lunch! Pizza-Dillas Tortillas Pizza Sauce Mozzarella Cheese Assorted toppings Place one tortilla on a paper plate. Spread half of it with a few tablespoons of pizza sauce. Add desired toppings and cheese. Microwave about 40 - 50 seconds or until cheese is melted. Fold over and cut into wedges to serve. My son Evan loves pepperoni, while his sisters do not. It's easy to customize each Pizza-Dilla so that everyone is happy! If you need to put together a quick pizza sauce, try using 8 ounces of tomato sauce with about 1/2 teaspoon each basil and oregano. Enjoy! Looking for more great pizza recipes? Homemade Pizza Stuffed Crust Pizza Exquisite Pizza Sauce

The kids and I made this delicious popcorn for Christmas gifts this year. My eight year old spent a lot of time learning to curl ribbon with a scissors as we packaged various homemade gifts. This recipe contains one of my favorite combinations--chocolate and mint. Except for a few years after I was pregnant with Maddie and developed an extreme aversion to peppermint (I was so thankful for cinnamon-flavored toothpaste or I would have been concocting my own blend!), my favorite flavor of ice cream has been mint chocolate chip. So, what better way to improve on oreo popcorn than by adding a little peppermint flavor? I was completely into peppermint this Christmas season! (You should have seen all the recipes I was collecting on my Pinterest boards!) Here's the recipe: Oreo Peppermint Popcorn (adapted from Plain Chicken) 18 cups air-popped popcorn 1 24 ounce package almond bark 20 oreos, crushed 1/2 cup finely crushed candy canes or other peppermint candy Place po...

We typically do our school work on Monday through Thursday.  Often, my Friday is spent trying to catch up on the mess from the week instead of spending time with my kids.  Also, we took a couple of weeks off at the beginning of September for a much-needed vacation to Lake City, CO.  As a result, we have been doing some school on Friday to make of for lost time.  Talk about "all work and no play"!  I decided that I wanted to some enjoyable things with my kids instead of always slogging away on schoolwork or telling them to go play while I got something done.  Thus, "Fun-Day Fridays" were born.  We take some time on the occasional Friday to do neat activities together.  On our first Fun Day Friday, we made these tasty treats. I found the recipe from Something Swanky  on Pinterest.  I thought that the kids would really like them.  We made them in the microwave instead of the oven. Sim...

Since the weather has turned cooler, I decided it was time to get out my plates with the snowflakes on them!  I just love the colors.  I also felt like being a little creative at today's snack time.  I don't know about you, but there's something about bananas and peanut butter.  Mmm. . . makes me feel happy just thinking about it.  I thought, "What about adding a little crunch to it?"  Here's what I made: Banana Snacks Sliced Bananas Peanut Butter or other nut butter if you prefer Cheerios, Rice Krispies, or other crunchy cereal Place about a half cup of each cereal you are going to use in a small bowl.  Spread a small amount of peanut butter on a banana slice and dip into the cereal. Judging by the fact that my kiddos were gobbling these up as fast as I can assemble them, I think we will have these again soon!  Next time, we might try with Cocoa Krispies. . .

I am always looking for easy crafts that all my kids can participate in.  It's hard to get the little ones to "go play" while I try to concentrate on something more difficult with the bigger ones.  I try to save the more ambitious projects for nap time.  Well, here is another one that everyone enjoyed:  Fruit Loop Bracelets.  You need pipe cleaners and Fruit Loop cereal. Simply thread Fruit Loops onto pipe cleaners.  Twist to close at desired length. Then enjoy the "fruits" of your labor! The little enjoyed a bowl of Fruit Loops while the others worked. Hope you enjoy this quick and easy project, too!

I realized the other day that I have been taking lots of pictures, but I haven't put any on my blog.  Well, here is an easy and fun kids' craft:  Graham Cracker Stoplights.  (This is definitely my kind of craft; quick and satisfying!) We got the idea from Evan's Clubhouse Junior Magazine by Focus on the Family.  Separate each graham cracker into four rectangle crackers.  Spread with peanut butter and arrange red, yellow, and green M & M candies to make your stoplight.  Enjoy!  As a bonus, my younger kiddos just ate the separate components of the craft.  It was quite a success.