BERRIES, SNUGGLES AND SNACKS! OH MY!!!

Hello friends!!! 

Christina here...

This weekend the Winkles spent a lot of time in our front garden. We purchased a bunch of berry bushes, each for our own selfish reasons. I dream of making some homemade jam, while Trey dreams of creating his own yeast strain. Not for baking but for brewing. My husband is a bit of a beer nerd... I LOVE YOU HONEY!!! 

So we headed off to Riddle Farm right off of highway 97. The place is huge!!! And we called around and really they had the most reasonable priced bushes. Plus they are right down the road from us. Yes, that is correct, the Winkles are proud westsiders...  They bushes on average were about $20 a piece. We got two raspberry, two blueberry, 2 blackberry and 14 strawberry plants. 

Since Trey only has 1 day off a week I planted the bushes. I love being in the garden. I just don't want anyone to think he is slacking... Actually while I did all of the manual labor outside he was inside sipping his fancy beer!!! LOL JUST JOKES! Seriously folks he was at work. He did however leave me with instructions. He wanted them in a straight line. Those of you who know my husband, you know when he says straight he means STRAIGHT. So I double and triple checked it. I almost went inside to grab the level.... Almost. 

I dug all the holes first, then put the plants in to make sure they were perfectly aligned with each other. I think I did a pretty good job. 

Vivian helped a bit. 

After our planting, we did some snuggling and Vivian took her nap. Yes, I am guilty in the fact I still hold my 2 year old while she takes her nap. I don't always hold her the whole time while she sleeps, but I do for a bit. Who could pass up snuggles from her. She is too damn cute! 

Vivian has a lot of her daddy in her, however, one thing she definitely gets from me is her love of peanut butter. My little bear woke up from her nap and wanted a snack. So peanut butter and apples here we come! 

YUMMY!!! THIS IS ONE HAPPY BEAR HERE!!! 

Snack time // A simple smoothie recipe

Danielle here.

My people, let's talk snacks.

Actually, let's back up and just talk babies and food.

You see, when Jett first started eating solid food shortly after he turned one, I could feed him most anything. Frozen mixed veggies? He'd gobble them up! Plain Greek yogurt? His fave!

Now, at three, I'm convinced he believes there are three food groups: Pizza, cheeseburgers and Lunchables.

Take, for instance, this super cute and (what I thought to be) super kid friendly snack I prepared recently:

Where did I go wrong? Or does this just happen? 

I have friends whose children will happily feast on kale chips and broccoli, but Jett is pretty adamant on his dislike of anything green.

I actually asked his pediatrician about this, and he assured me that Jett is a healthy, growing boy, and not to get too caught up in it. At least not until he's a little older. 

But in the midst of this food war we're in, I'm determined. 

I'm determined to sneak some green in here and there, and one way I have found to do so is through smoothies. Now, granted, he doesn't always drink his smoothie, but in the recent past, I have gotten him to.

Here's a super simple smoothie recipe I like to loosely follow:

1 cup almond milk (vanilla is good, but any almond / soy / coconut milk would work)

1 cup baby spinach

1 frozen banana, quartered

1/2 cup greek yogurt (or whatever kind of yogurt you have on hand)

Handful of berries (I like blueberries, but any berries are a great addition!)

Dash of cinnamon (I'm always amazed at how this adds such a nice flavor to the smoothie.)

I like to blend the almond milk and spinach first, in order to completely combine the spinach into the smoothie. Then I'll add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined. 

The fun thing about smoothies, is that you can really add any / everything. Mangos are an excellent addition, as is a tablespoon of peanut butter. Just have fun with it!

XO