Hey All!

So, today's specialty is gluten free, sugar-free, dairy-free, delicious oatmeal!  This has become Neil's favorite way to eat oatmeal.
 
Tropical Morning Oatmeal
 
Makes 4 servings, cooking time 5-10 minutes.
 
Gluten-Free Oats (or regular oats)
Apple juice
1 Banana, mashed
2 Tbsp Pineapple juice
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
1-2 Tbsp All fruit Peach Jam (click here for jam)
  
   
  Cook oatmeal using ratios suggested for 4 servings on package, but substitue apple juice for water.  After a few minutes of cooking, add banana, pineapple juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir thoroughly.  Add jam just before serving and stir well. 
(Note: For a creamier oatmeal, substitute water with half apple juice and half almond milk)

 
Topping ideas:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Kiwi
Shredded Coconut
Raisins
Crasins
Fresh Peaches
Slivered Almonds
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
 
 
 

So... I've been playing around in the kitchen and I have some yummy recipes I've made recently, that I've got to gather and finalize so I can share with you.  They are all sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan due to the Daniel Fast our church has been doing.  Just wanted to keep y'all updated. :)

So... I just realized that I made a mistake on the granola recipe.  I did NOT use canola oil, I used coconut oil instead.  Coconut oil is very good for you, internally and externally.  Here's an article on coconut oil and the benefits of it.  CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE  

 

 There are a couple of different coconut oil brands I've tried, and haven't been disappointed, but the one I've used the most is Spectrum.  It runs about $10-$15 a jar.  CLICK HERE FOR COCONUT OIL

 

Here is the revised recipe:

 

Amy's Crazy Good Granola

Ingredients

·                 3 cups large flake rolled oats

·                 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

·                 1 cup raw sliced or chopped almonds

·                 1/4 cup clover honey

·                 1/4 cup agave nectar

·                 1/2 cup coconut oil

·                 1/4 cup raw sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds

·                 1/2 cup finely ground flax seed

·                 1 tbsp pure vanilla

·                 splash almond extract

·                 1 tsp ground ginger

·                 1 tsp ground cinnamon (heaping)

·                 (optional) 3 cups chopped dried fruit (see the Footnotes)

Instructions

1.              Pre-heat the oven to 250 F.

2.              Combine all the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit, in a large bowl.

3.              Combine the honey, oil, and vanilla.

4.              Drizzle the honey mixture over the granola mixture and keep mixing to coat everything evenly.

5.              Grease two 9 x 13 pans and cover both pans evenly with the granola mixture.

6.              Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the granola turns golden brown, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Note: granola won't hardened until cooled, make sure not to over bake it!)

7.              Break up any large chunks while the granola is still warm on the pans.

8.              Cool the granola completely on the pans.

9.              Mix in the dried fruits.

10.          Store the granola in airtight containers at room temperature for 2 weeks, or for longer in the refrigerator.

Footnotes

Options for dried fruit:

1/2 cup each of raisins, dehydrated apple, and dried papaya

1/2 cup each of raisins, dried apricot, and dried cranberries

 All dried fruits should be natural, with no added sugars and preservatives.

 

Here's the granola recipe I made up last night.  The flavor was SO good... but since I've never made granola before, I didn't know it hardened after it cools.  I only figured that out when a little clump fell off the tray when mixing, and when I went to pick it up a few minutes later... the light bulb came on.  Needless to say... it got a little too browned.  Enjoy!  Comment on it if you get a chance to try the recipe. 

Amy's Crazy Good Granola

Ingredients

• 3 cups large flake rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup raw sliced or chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup clover honey
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup finely ground flax seed
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla
• splash almond extract
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (heaping)
• (optional) 3 cups chopped dried fruit (see the Footnotes)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 250 F.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit, in a large bowl.
3. Combine the honey, oil, and vanilla.
4. Drizzle the honey mixture over the granola mixture and keep mixing to coat everything evenly.
5. Grease two 9 x 13 pans and cover both pans evenly with the granola mixture.
6. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the granola turns golden brown, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Note: granola won't hardened until cooled, make sure not to over bake it!)
7. Break up any large chunks while the granola is still warm on the pans.
8. Cool the granola completely on the pans.
9. Mix in the dried fruits.

10. Store the granola in airtight containers at room temperature for 2 weeks, or for longer in the refrigerator.

Footnotes

Options for dried fruit:

1/2 cup each of raisins, dehydrated apple, and dried papaya

1/2 cup each of raisins, dried apricot, and dried cranberries

 All dried fruits should be natural, with no added sugars and preservatives.

So... it looks like it's been over a year since we've updated the blog. Time to pick back up and continue on :) I'm not really sure what all to blog about, but one thing I LOVE to experiment with is food. We've been trying to eat healthier and it has caused me to be much more creative during dinner time. I've tried cutting out wheat, dairy and cheese, and found that I felt MUCH better. Not that I wasn't feeling well in the first place, but I could feel a huge difference in my body on the new eating plan (more energy, sleeping better, losing weight).
Right now our church is doing a 21 day fast to start off the New Year with a fresh outlook. Last weekend our guest speaker said "When we pray, we connect with God. When we fast, we disconnect with the world." Right now we are focusing on disconnecting with the world and trying to focus more on what God is doing in our lives. Some people are fasting Facebook, others TV, and a lot of people from the congregation are doing the Daniel Fast. Since we don't have a TV and I'm rarely on Facebook, we thought joining in on the Daniel Fast would be an edifying journey.
So, to kick off the blog this year, I thought I would start posting some of the recipes I am cooking and experiments I am trying. If you are subscribed to automatically receive these updates, and would not like to be, please let me know. I will not be offended. I know how it can be to be receiving something in your inbox that you just never quite find time to read :)

Will be blogging soon,
Amy

  So, we've been in our new place for about two weeks now.  We are enjoying meeting new people and... the warm weather!  We have been busy unpacking, remodeling, painting and gardening.
  Amy has been looking for a job, and Neil has stayed busy re-organizing the studio and getting ready for some clients next month.  We'll hopefully get some pics up of the place soon.
  NeedToBreathe was in Seattle and Spokane over the weekend and Seth got to meet Neil's parents and Amy's sister.  We're excited for what God is going to be doing and is doing in us right now.  It's so amazing how God works and the doors He is opening and the people He is placing in our lives.  After such a hard, eventful year, it feels like we are getting a fresh start.
  Love to you all!
Neil and Amy

Hey All!
  Just a quick update about our move.  We had an awesome Moving Sale last weekend and made enough to pay for our gas for the trip!!  Amy's parents are visiting this weekend and are helping out with some of the final packing (and playing some fun games!).  We are picking up the moving truck on Monday the 28th and pulling out of our drive way to head South on Oct 2nd. 
  Amy's cousin, Stephen, is flying over from NC to help with the driving and to add to the fun memories of the trip!  We will be stopping to see Mt. Rushmore, Kansas City, and Nashville before we drop down to the Carolina's. 
  We are extremely excited and a little nervous for the move.  Please be praying for us for safety as we drive and that God would prepare our hearts for the next season He has planned. 
 
Neil and Amy

Well, we made it back from Europe and had SO much fun! We flew into Seattle and stayed at my parents for a few weeks to get caught up with them and to do some job searching for Neil. As we all know, the economy is pretty rough right now, and there weren't many recording studios hiring (Neil went to school to be a sound engineer). There was one place in Charleston, SC (Where I was born) that looked pretty good and we were excited to go check it out. We both felt like Charleston was on our heart as a great place to live. When Neil talked with the owner, is just wasn't the right job he was looking for.
Once we got home, we were praying and asking the Lord to show us what to do next (like we have been for the last 6 months). Neil took his job searching and laid it down before the Lord and told Him that he was going to be patient and wait on the Lord to open the right door. The next night we went on a Coeur d'Alene Lake cruise to see one of our favorite bands, NEEDTOBREATHE, play. While we were on the cruise, the lead singer came over and stood next to us. I had just bought a cd for my friend, and asked him if he would sign it. That started about an hour of conversation with him talking about music, being in a band, touring and recording. He told us that the bass player, Seth, owned the studio that they did all of their recording in and he was starting to think about hiring someone to work in the studio. He encouraged us to talk with Seth about the studio. After their show, we got the chance to chat with Seth and he told us they were going to be home Mid-August and invited us to come check out his studio in Charleston, SC. We left that night blown away by God and how He can open some cool doors. We also started looking online for flights to Charleston!
When we were down there, Neil was able to help Seth with some recording and mixing on a project they were working on. Neil really enjoyed working with Seth and they seemed to work together really well. So... Seth asked Neil if he would like to work for him! Next month we will be packing our stuff and moving across the country! We are SO excited to start this long awaited chapter in our lives! I'm very excited to be closer to my mom's side of the family and to reconnect with friends I grew up with.
We'll keep you updated!

Hello!
  Today was a full day as we started out in Liverpool (yes, we did the Beatles tour) hit Birmingham, Stratford-Upon-Avon (Where Shakespeare was born and lived) and ended in Oxford.  We feel smarter just walking around and looking at all the schools here.  Tomorrow we are going to Christ Church College, where the Harry Potter movies were filmed. 
  Tomorrow night we are making our way to the Luther's for a visit (Tottenham).  We started the countdown as we fly home on Friday!  See you all soon!!
 
Neil and Amy

Hey!
  We just spent about 5 days in France and it was beautiful!  Paris was wonderful!  We went to the Louvre Museum and saw the Mona Lisa and looked around at Napoleon's chambers.  The Eiffel Tower was gorgeous.  We went up to the top and took the stairs the whole way... worked up a great sweat.  The view was awesome, and we did it at night and took some rad pics.  Today we are in Dublin and are enjoying ourselves!  We went to the Guinness factory and shared a pint of beer and then had some lunch at an Irish Pub.  We are getting ready to meet up with an awesome retired couple we met near Nice, France last week.  Once we're back in the UK we'll meet up with Neil's family friends, the Luthers.  We have 8 days left on our adventure and are having a blast!
 
Neil and Amy

ok, this has to be a quick update, but we are in Paris right now and got to see a big portion of the city today.  Tomorrow we will be going to the lourve and watching the sun set from the eiffel tower.  Take care and we will let you all know how it goes after we leave this amazing town.  Ta ta!
 
Neil and Amy

Bonjour from Nice!  We are enjoying more sun and booking our travel North.  We just decided that it would be nice to spend a few days in Dublin Ireland!  We will be on the French Reviera for a few more days and then we are off to Paris.  The fast train should take us there within about three hours.  500 miles in 3 hours!  Phew!  Au revoir!
 
Neil and Amy

Hello! We just spent the last two days sunathing on the beach in a beautiful place called Finale Legure.  Today we crossed the border and are now in Nice France.  We will be camping in a little town called Cagnes sur Mer and spending more time on the beach.  We are both a little homesick, but doing well! Hopefully we will have some killer tans to show off!  Love you all!
 
Amy and Neil

This update comes from the very windy Venice Italy.  We have been staying at Camping Fusina.  Our camp site was right on the water and we had a beautiful view of the "sinking city".  We had fun wandering around and managed to survive the massive amounts of tourists.  We have been eating lots of Gelato (italian ice cream) and are getting pretty tired of pizza.  :)  We are just getting on the train to Milan and then Genoa.  Hopefully we will be a ble to just chill on the beach for a couple days.  Love you all and will talk with you soon!
 
Neil and Amy

Well, were doing great!  We spent a couple days in Rome, climbed all 551 stairs up the Vatican Dome.  We just got done with a day and a half in Florence and today we are heading off to San Marino/ Ramini.  Take care, Love and miss you guys!ù

Neil and Amy

Hey everyone! Here is a calendar that will show you where we are and some of the places we are staying. We will try to keep this updated as we solidify more days in more places. Neil and Amy

In Pompeii!
Well, yesterday we got up at 2:45 am to catch our flight to Naples. Our friends Laura and Tim used to live there and Tim recommended we see a church named Duomo. It was beautiful! After a few hours wondering around and having some wonderful authentic pizza (pizza was invented in Naples) we made our way to Pompeii. We camped last night and today we are on our way to the Amalfi Coast which is a beautiful area Laura was super excited for us to go to.
We'll check in again soon. Love you guys!
Neil and Amy

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