Recipe: Ranch Hummus

I’ve recently had to make a change in my diet. I had been experiencing issues with low blood sugar (reactive hypoglycemia). Basically my body kind of over-reacts if I eat sugar or simple carbs. High amounts of carbs set my insulin levels through the roof causing symptoms such as shakiness, increased heart rate, blurry vision, sweating, and severe hunger. I also cannot go much longer than 2 hours without eating, meaning that these symptoms increase if I go much longer than those 2 hours. So, with some advice from my doctor (and many super healthy friends) I’ve decided to go cold turkey on sugar and simple carbs. It’s not fair (I’m quite bitter, ha!), but once I get into a rhythm of my new diet, I’ll likely have more energy and feel better than ever without craving those unneeded aspects of my diet before.

When researching foods that are best for this condition, one food that I saw over and over was hummus. Hummus is full of protein and protein is a very good thing when trying to prevent hypoglycemic reactions. Protein is digested slowly, not quickly like simple carbs. Here’s the thing – I kinda hate hummus. I’ve never eaten a hummus that I’ve enjoyed. I’d always try it, but ultimately leave it to be eaten by my husband, who loves it.

As I was meal planning yesterday, I came across a recipe for hummus and I wanted to try it, hoping I may just like it. It does not use the ingredient tahini, which cannot be found in many basic grocery stores and since I didn’t want to drive all over looking for this one ingredient, I opted to try the one recipe that did not use this ingredient and sounded half yummy. A quick side note: the plus side of making hummus from scratch is that it’s cheaper, you can use ingredients that fit your standards, and it doesn’t have to be full of those yucky preservatives and chemicals! I opt for organic everything.

So here it is!

Ranch Hummus:

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried dill (yum!)
2-4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions:
Rinse chickpeas. Add all ingredients (excluding the EVOO) into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. If you wish for a smoother, less dry consistency, add EVOO in varying amounts until you reach your desired consistency.

There’s something about that dill that makes this hummus amazing! I tried it after I made it yesterday and still was unsure, but this afternoon, after the spices have had the opportunity to really infuse, it is delicious! This will be something I will make weekly from here on out – and will likely be doubling my batch to ensure my husband and I both can enjoy it all week!

Here soon, I hope to make some homemade peanut butter. Most store-bought stuff is full of unwanted preservatives and SUGAR. I hope to perfect my own recipe so that I can continue to eat peanut butter as often as I used to! Maybe by then I’ll take some pics in the process to spice my blog up a bit!

(I adapted this recipe from a picture from Pinterest, however the picture was not properly linked to a website.)

Thanks for taking time to read my little blog that I don’t keep up with very well! Until next time!

May Books and Wild Mint Giveaway!

Yet another May Books giveaway. This time, it’s paired with Wild Mint!

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May Books offers personalized and unique stationary and books. Wild Mint is a company that is GREEN! They sell products that offer a green alternative to many everyday things.

This giveaway is for one personalized May Book and 2 (yes! 2) Wild Mint Coffee Sleeves!

I sure do love both of these things 🙂

CLICK HERE to get entered into this giveaway! 4 entries per person!

Best of luck!

What I Am Learning : Couponing.

Afternoon,

Over the past 3 weeks, I have become obsessed with couponing. By obsessed, I mean that I eagerly await Sunday morning. I pull out of my driveway around 6:30am every Sunday morning, and I am ready to jump out and grab my Sunday paper that has always been thrown into the wet, dew-filled grass. As soon as I get home in the afternoon, I find my scissors and pull aside each coupon book. I look through each one before carefully cutting and organizing my coupons into my coupon organizer.

Thanks to my step-sister-in-law…. or my sister… I know how to properly pair coupons for the best outcome. I check out the clearance sections in stores (Target, CVS, etc) prior to looking at their sale items. I am also aware, but often forget, to make sure I have my own bag with me in stores like Target, because I then receive $.05 per bag I use.

Now, I decided early on that I will not become an “Extreme Couponer”. I will not fill my spare closets and rooms with food, sodas, products, etc. that are unnecessary and will not get put to use. (We don’t even buy soda, so why would I want it in my house just because I got it at a great cost? We also try and eat as fresh of food as possible. There are canned foods in my pantry, but I refuse to stock it with things that will not be eaten.)

One thing I will do is purchase items such as deodorant, shampoo’s, body washes, etc that I know my family uses… these make great Christmas gifts! I will also purchase items that I can donate to shelters, back to school drives, etc. These are the only times that I will buy items that my husband and I do not personally use. I am also saving each receipt that has coupon information on it for tax purposes and whatnot.

I see some people with coupon organizers as big as their carts… NO THANK YOU. I see others with unorganized coupons… and that drives me a little crazy. So (again, thanks to my sister), I purchased this coupon organizer with 24 paper tab dividers (in purple, of course). It easily fits in any of my purses (so I can ALWAYS have it with me) and it fits easily around the handle of a shopping cart. It also fits easily into my hands and has plenty of room!

While couponing was quite daunting in the beginning, and I really wasn’t sure how it would work for me, it has become something that I enjoy and am able to save some money with! Over the past 3 weeks, I have saved over $50 on items that I already use, eat, etc! That’s a date night and date nights are my favorite!

I hope this helps any of you who are on the ledge regarding couponing! I also hope to hear any feedback on what you may do differently!

For now, Tootles!

Wednesday Night Thoughts

Wednesday’s are always a busy day for me. Almost my busiest day of the week. By the time I lay down to sleep, I am only just beginning to unwind. Tonight is no different. Normally, I end up reading a book or getting on Pinterest until I can barely keep my eyes open. During this time, I am rehearsing my day in the back of my mind all while gearing up for Thursday. Men, it’s called multi-tasking 😃.

Working in a church isn’t what the majority of Americans choose as their profession. However, I enjoy it greatly. Today was a great time of ministry for me. I was able to get a lot accomplished in the office, have lunch and catch up with a friend dear to my heart, help plan details for an awesome youth event coming up in a few weeks, run home to change into comfy clothes and leave my husband dinner, SERVE in our youth group, practice Sunday’s worship set with a great team, and I even managed to get a warning as opposed to a speeding ticket that I really, really deserved.

My day may have been busy, some Wednesdays may even be stressful at times. But I was blessed to have it, be loved by so many, and work along side of many diverse people along the way.

The random thought I leave you with is that I really enjoy being pampered while also being disciplined. On Monday, I got my nails done with my preggers sister-in-law. I, of corse, chose my favorite color – purple – to polish my nails! And was able to spend time with a loved one. I left there to meet some friends at the gym for a workout that I am still a bit sore from! I am so thankful to my husband who is so ok with me spending a little extra money this week on my nails! And am thankful for friends to workout with!

Goodnight!

First of Many (Hopefully)

In the past, I’ve had a hard time blogging. I would post once every 6 months. Needless to say, it’s probably been 2 years since anything has been posted so I’ve decided to start fresh.

My hope is to share my life with you here. I consider myself a newlywed, an decent cook, and a servant of the Lord. So many of my posts will be about those topics!

So for now, tootles!