No Bake Energy Balls

Do you ever have a sweet tooth or just need a little bite of something that's satisfying, healthy and gives you a little energy boost?

Sure you have.

Well look no further than this great little recipe I'm going to share with you today.

I have a busy weekend ahead and will using a lot of my energy as we will be helping my daughter move....AGAIN. more about on a later post, so first let me tell you about these little energy balls.

These little nibbles are great before or after a workout to add energy. They are just enough to satisfy you. I keep them in the fridge and grab one when I'm hungry before time to eat. It will satisfy that craving. It tells your mind you just ate a large candy bar but tells your hips that you just had a bite of oatmeal and honey.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw oatmeal ( I used the quick 1 minute ones)
• ½ cup peanut butter ( I used Jiff Natural low sodium. Just as good as the other)
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup mini semi sweet chocolates (optional)

Instructions

1. For best results, place oats in a food processor and process until oats are a course powder. pour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add peanut butter, honey, and vanilla to the oats. Stir until well combined. (this is the hard part)
3. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Roll into a small ping pong sized balls (about 1 tbsp each).
5. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes where they will get firm. (I just put them all in a bowl. They didn't stick to each other.)

Each ball has 87 calories so don't go all crazy on them if your trying to loose weight. Other wise, eat all you want.

You can mess around with these and add other things to them such as nuts, raisins, etc...

They are sorta hard to mix up but if they are too dry, add more peanut butter. If they are too sticky, add more oats. But with this recipe, mine were perfect.

ENJOY!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Today I had a baby shower to help with. It was for my niece. This will be her second baby girl. Shes due in March. My sister in law hosted the shower at her home and me and my daughter along with other family members, helped with the food and pickups. The theme she wanted was "baby its cold outside" while using pink and gold for the colors. 

It was originally scheduled for last week but due to the snow, we figured it would be best to reschedule it for today. I think the snow would have made the theme more appealing though. 

Today it was in the 60s and beautiful outside. 

I decided to make little smokies in the crock pot. I mean, arent those at every shower? Ha.

I made them by adding equal parts of grape jelly, mustard and BBQ sauce then let them cook for a couple hours before serving. They are always a hit.

I have to brag a bit on the gift my daughter made for the baby. Now, my girl loves cupcakes so this fit her creativness well. She used little onesies and newborn socks and created these adorable useable cupcakes.

  

 

 

Speaking of cupcakes, whoever made the real things, they were delicious!

They were pink with snowflakes and sprinkles.

 

I decided to make home made butter mints. I made these before the shower was rescheduled so they were in my house for a week screaming at me everytime I walked by them. It was hard not to snatch one or two but I did good at ignoring the notion.

 

I used moms recipe which consist of powdered sugar, corn syrup, Butter , mint flavoring and a drop of red. I used a fondant cutter as a press to look like bows stamped in the center. They turned out sort of ugly but what was done was done. I made too many to start over. No one seemed to care what they looked like.

I also made these fun little rice crispy squares dipped in pink chocolate melts and sprinkled with edible gold flakes. 

 

It's hard to see the gold flakes in the photo but I tried to get a quick shot before everyone started grabbing them.

I cheated on these though. I used premade rice crispy treats and cut each one in half. No one noticed.  

 

The shower turned out nice as it was just a drop in which meant no goofy games and staring contest. 

She liked her gifts she received. Remember the crocheted set I made? It got a lot of ohhhs and ahhhhs.

 

I decided to make a white pair of boots to go with the set. The pink ones I made first just didnt look right to me so I did a do over in white. 

Its been a long day and im tired. I got the call from my daughter that shes back home safe so now Im calling it a night. 

Writers block

Im having a bit of writers block.

Not sure if I have so much to say, that I dont know where to start or I that I really just dont have anything.

Things happen in the world and I get in "one of them moods". 

No, nothing bad has happened to me but just hearing the news and all the fussing over politics and things like that. I hear of murders and mean things happening everywhere and , well, it takes me out of the writing mode.

I think I have the Winter blues.

I just want to wake up at the beach.

Its Sunday, im heading to church then later I have a baby shower to attend. Stay tuned as I plan to share some of the ideas in putting it together. 

 

The Bun Beanie

Oops heres another crochet post. Hey, its cold over here and I got yarn! Im happy as a bee on a flower when Im sitting in my recliner crocheting. Especially when I know Im getting money out of it. I mean, health insurance is killin me and my pay check shows no remorse. So your getting another crochet post!

Before Christmas this big fad starting making its way around facebook and Pinterest. Its called a messy bun beanie. Girls that want to wear their hair up and still keep their ears warm all want these. They just slip their hair bun or ponytail through the hole and wah la.
Guys, if you got a "man bun" it will work for you too.

Two weeks before Christmas I got a slew of people wanting me to make them one. I had to turn them down because no way could I have gotten them all made before Santa came. 

Well things have calmed down around here now and I made a few of these neat little hats. The orders are coming in. Im Tickled. I make them available only through my shop. It never works out meeting someone for purchases. To much of a hassel. Its a lot easier to drop them in the mailbox. 

Here it is "The Bun Beanie".

 

Want one? Click on the picture and it will take you to my shop or click on the tab at the top of my page.

Ok. I think thats enough crochet show off. Ill brings some stories soon.  

Toodles.

Hooking in Pink

Haha got your attention didnt I.

I thought that was funny. 

I looked over at my husband the other night while I was curled up in my recliner and asked him..." Guess what I am?" He rolls his eyes, takes a deep breath and says " wut?".

My answer, "A lefty hooker". Get it? "Im left handed, crocheting, uhh, nevermind". Needless to say he didnt find it too funny.  He just nodded, " yea ok, whatever".

My niece is having a baby shower on Sunday. It was suppose to have been this past Sunday but was cancelled due to the snow. 

Meanwhile, I was stuck inside the whole weekend and needed to do something with my hands or I was going to eat the refrigerater. So I crocheted a couple baby things to give her at the shower. I already have her gift but this is just some extra purties from Aunt Lisa. I was going to crochet a baby blanket but I waited to long and then Christmas came, then new years. I was too busy to crochet such a project.

So, I crocheted some pink things for the new baby girl coming into the world in March. 

I crocheted a set including a romper with matching shoes and some button booties.

 

Her shower theme is pink and gold so I went with a gold ribbons. Not my favorite choice but I had it on hand and nothing else to use it on. 

 

I used my logo buttons on the button wrap booties. I think these are the cutest little things. Pretty easy to make but being left handed, shoes are hard for me since I have to follow all patterns backwards. Everyone crochets right to left but I crochet left to right. So with things that are left and right, it usually will not turn out correctly. 

Confused yet?

 

These little booties have neither a left or right so they are really easy for me to create. 

 

This was a first. A baby bubble romper. I found the pattern HERE and changed it up a bit. I added ruffles to the arms and puckered the leg holes a bit. Another cutie.

I will be making some pickups for the shower and can't wait to share those with you this weekend so stay tuned.