The world of teacherdom

Teacherdom? Yes, I said "teacherdom." Is this really a word? I think not, but it works for me! Besides, it sounds less haute than saying, "academia." Who wants to read a blog post called, "The world of academia?"

Moving on...

When I became a teacher, there were a few surprises that just knocked me over the head. 

1. This is one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. Now, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I LOVE what I do and I love my kids. I was just stunned at how exhausted I was - especially in the beginning. 
2. I get along GREAT with 12-year-olds. I'm not quite sure what that one says about me... But I definitely find them quite entertaining, and I make them laugh... a lot. :)
3. Apparently there's a lot of gift-giving that goes on at Christmas. I was shocked when little gifts from my students started showing up on my desk. "Gift-giving" is one of my love languages, so this instantly filled my heart! To me, gift-giving doesn't have to be something big or ornate. I love cooking for people to show them I care. Sometimes just leaving someone a kind note, or letting them know you are thinking about them and praying for them can be an amazing gift to a person.

I'm going to share one of the gifts I received the other day from a family. I got the MOST amazing treat, and it was accompanied by a recipe! SCORE! These little things are INSANELY good! They definitely hit that sweet spot with the rich chocolate and almond butter. Oh, yeah. They are 100% clean, too. :)

Almond Power Bars

• 2 cups raw almonds
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2 scoops flavored whey protein powder
• 1/2 cup raw almond butter
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• Stevia or xylitol to taste
• 1 TB pure vanilla extract
• 8 squares Ghirardelli chocolate

1. Place the first 7 ingredients in a food processor and pulse for about ten seconds.
2. Melt coconut oil, and add Xylitol and vanilla. Pour into the food processor while it is blending. 
3. Blend the mixture in to a course paste. 
4. Press mixture into an 8x8 in glass pan. Chill for one hour.
5. Melt chocolate and xylitol in a double boiler. 
6. Spread over the chilled almond mixture.
7. Cut into bars before placing the pan back into the refrigerator to chill.

Tips:

• Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
• Keep refrigerated.

Weekend Top 10

This weekend has FLOWN by, but it was a great one.

1. On friday, I ordered a new coffee maker. My Keurig was leaking all over the counter. So enter the Tassimo T20. I don't have it yet, but I'm excited!

2. I went for an oil change on Saturday. Once it was done the lady said, "no charge today." What, what!? Apparently since it was my first oil change (yes, I got my car in May - tsk tsk) it was free.

3. A Whole Foods trip = freshly ground almond butter! No explanation needed on this one. :)

4. I just about made my son's whole year with sharing a post from He and She Eat Clean. His favorite candies are sour gummies. They just posted a recipe for CLEAN candy. We will be making the "Sweet but Tart Gummies" soon!

5. I also made Jamie Eason's Chocolate Protein Bars. YUM! They are just like brownies, but clean :)

Jamie Eason's Chocolate Protein Bars

 

Ingredients
1 cup oat flour

4 egg whites

2 scoops of vanilla protein powder

1/3 cup (or less) Stevia in the Raw

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz berry flavored baby food

3 tbsp baking cocoa

4 oz water

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix the following together in a large bowl:

- Oat Flour

- Protein Powder

- Baking Soda

- Salt

- Baking Cocoa

3. Mix the following together in a small bowl:

- Egg Whites

- Stevia in the Raw

- Baby Food

- Water

4. Combine the ingredients from the small bowl into the large bowl and mix together.

5. Spray 8X8 dish with non-stick spray & add batter to the dish.

6. Bake for 20-30 minutes in oven.

Thanks to He And She Eat Clean and Jamie Eason for the recipe!

6. I don't ussually dress up for halloween, because of the limited number of costumes for women that doesn't involve one of the 3 B's from hanging out. But, I found the CUTEST DIY scarecrow costume on Pinterest the other day. 

7. It's official - as soon as Halloween is over, the Christmas decorations are going up. That's just how we roll.

8. I have a slight interest in fitness modeling/competitions. I don't want to be big or anything, but I've pretty much decided Jamie Eason's is my fit-spiration.

9. My Vegan Chocolate Shakeology came in yesterday, and I'm probably the happiest girl in the world. Gluten free, vegan, and the healthiest meal of my day. Click on the link above or the picture below to get yours directly from me.



 

 

10. Sunday night is "Once Upon a Time" night. If you haven't caught this show - you need to! I love it because it's great (of course), but also its a primetime show that the WHOLE family can watch together.