Earlier this year I told a friend (hi chandra!) that I was going to start a favorite family recipes scrapbook. As if I have time to scrapbook. Madison’s baby scrapbook has three completed pages. There are not even any pictures of her in it yet – so far all I’ve managed to get to is the pregnancy. She’s 5.5 now. Pretty delusional to think I’d be scrapping recipes. So I’ve decided to do it here and when I can I’ll go back and do it up proper like. Therefore, I give you, my mini whole wheat banana oatmeal muffins recipe. You do not have to mini these. Oh heck no. You can regular size them all you like.

mini whole wheat banana oatmeal muffins

ingredients
dry:
2c whole wheat flour
1c rolled oats
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

wet:
2 eggs (organic, if you can find them)
1/4c oil (substitution idea: same amount of apple sauce)
1/4c milk
3 medium mashed bananas

what’s to do with them ingredients

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and mix until, you know, it’s all combined. It’s gonna be a little lumpy.

Fill greased muffin tins (size of your choosing) about 3/4 full.

Mini muffins: bake for 12 minutes at 400F.
Regular size muffins: bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F.

You can add all sortsa stuff to these muffins if you want to switch them up a little. May I suggest: flax, wheat germ, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips or peanut butter chips or, given the season, chopped up easter bunny chocolate.

combine

enjoy

Asparagus Tart
Mediterranean Pasta
Chicken, lemon hazelnut green beans, mushroom rice
Tortellini soup
Tacos

The Asparagus Tart recipe is one I’ve never tried and comes from the Jamie at Home series. Looks like an easy recipe with a bit of wow factor at the end. Loving the rustic look of it. Will serve this with a salad – likely field greens with a balsamic dressing.

We’re out for dinner twice this week, hence there being only 5 dinners. I usually also include lunches but am in a bit of a rush so haven’t exactly planned those out. We have been eating salad at lunch most of the time lately. Madison does plan on us having pancakes with fancy toppings and I’m picking up the ingredients for our light but lovely Mexicali Pizzas.

Kids have been sick with – well, with a couple of things, actually. Dan had a stomach thing last wednesday/thursday that they got at the beginning of this week while at the same time contracting a cold/flu type of an illness. It’s been barfing and sneezing and no sleep, oh my. The fevers have been high and they’ve both been given to fits of fever induced hallucinations.

Jacob first started having fever hallucinations last year. His were strange, sometimes funny and a little scary. That is, he was scared but not terrified. His hallucinations tended toward more of the confused wanderer scenario. You know that guy who stumbles out of the dessert after not having had water for like 9 weeks? Like that, kinda.

Madison, however, was terrified. Her first hallucination involved screaming that there were holes in her head and demanding that we take her into the light so that she could show us. When faced with a mirror during one of these hallucinations she stared at herself in HORROR and cried over and over that she just can’t doooo this, she just can’t doooo this.

Unnerving, to say the least.

Jacob always seems less frightened and more incensed. Something’s happening, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE! and then he might try to drag you out of the house like an action movie hero or head for the door without you. And he always says he can see through himself. He stares at his hand and tells you he can see right through it.

And he believes it. Just like Madison believed she had holes in her head. God. Awful.

Happily, they are both on the mend and have been given the thumbs up from their doctor. No infections, no medications required. hiphiphooray! It’s all worked out just lovely, actually. You see, we’re headed for the Mayan Riviera next week and I think it was right decent of them to get sick this week so that next week we’re all healthy and ready for mommy to have massages on the beach and drinks at the pool bar.

Also, they can have fun too, if they like.

This has been a cold ass muh fuh winter. Probably the coldest ever. Emperor penguins would probably grimace, if they lived here. One of those winters where even the heartiest among us are complainy and bitter.

I, for my part, have been a good sport. By this I mean that I haven’t complained any more than usual. I’ve survived by wearing black yoga pants 24/7. I’ve been the leader of the well worn cheer it can’t last forever, spring has to come some day.

The past two weeks, though, have been really grating on all of our nerves. Blame lies with the weather forecasters and their brand of trickery. There has been the ongoing promise of weather sounding way too good to be true. The stuff dreams are made of, these forecasts. The kind of temperatures that melt snow and warm hearts. The sort of thing that talks you off the winter ledge.

Only, hang on, what’s this now? None of it is coming true, is it? The days come, the promised days of sunshine and lollipops, and they are not quite what they were meant to be. Sure, it’s warmer (ish) but it’s not really a lot different. Because while the temperature is up the windchill is fierce and so the shift is fantasy. You still have to wear mittens and walking down the street is only about 3% less horrible..

That’s not enough.

I’m convinced that the weatherman was given the directive to lie. Give false hope, they told him, and let’s keep the general population from resorting to a length of rope and the rafters in the basement. I’m sure that’s what it is. A little something the government cooked up to keep suicide rates down. It’s a nice idea but I think the time has almost come to just honestly get us some better weather. I say we take 15 degrees off australia’s hands. Let’s make this work out for everyone.

Better needs to be better now if not downright awesome.