Riddle me this

+

+

+

+

July 18

=

?

Vacation week...and Happy Thanksgiving

As per request of my husband (Mr. Handsome himself) I will be away on vacation this week, and will not be able (or allowed) to visit the computer. I will be back on Monday November 28th with loads of new recipes, stories and lots of love. Which gives my blog plenty of time to obtain 100 likes on the page...so keep sharing and maybe we can finally announce the giveaway next monday. Have a wonderful thanksgiving in the mean time....gobble gooble!
Come visit JoyfulMelody blog facebook page click "like" and be entered for the soon giveaway. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Joyfulmelody/176433765780276

Flowers for breakfast?

                    The things a mom does for her kids to eat veggies. So today we are having flowers for breakfast. Here's what you need.

Ingredients:

I scramble a egg a person...so 5 people 5 eggs
a  bell pepper
cheese for topping

Slice pepper to make flower shape

I didn't want scramble for mine I like the yoke.

Top with cheese, use a sausage for stem, and I used pumpkin bread for the leaves but you can you toast, with a glass of fresh juice we made.

I tried do a closer shot.

Today's juice...Carrots, apples, and clementines..delish

What do you do to be creative with your kids eating?

Encouragement to chew on:

The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason. ~John Cage

Let's not be quick to judge, but quick to encourage.

Chocolate popcorn

   It's a rainy day and we have been in all day so we needed a little something to go along with our dancing to Frankie (Sinatra). This is what we came up with. Easy Peasy yumminess.

Chocolate Popcorn

Ingredients:

1 cup of air popped corn

4 ounces of milk chocolate

4 ounces of white chocolate

Melt chocolate in microwave, or stove top

Drizzle over popcorn and toss

Perfect for a rainy night

Enjoy

Encouragement to chew on:

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Look at things and others through the eyes of our creator and you will see beauty in all.

A cute idea a friend of mine wrote a thought maybe you'd get a chuckle

"With time, women gain weight because they accumulate so much information and wisdom in their heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of their bodies. So women aren't heavy. They are enormously cultured, educated & happy. Beginning today, when you look in the mirror think, “Wow! Look how smart I am.” ;)"

My mother's gift...Lemon thyme bread....Wow

 Lemon and thyme go together like milk and cookies and I have the recipe to prove it. Dried thyme can be used instead of fresh if that's what you have. just be sure to crush the dried with you fingers.

Today is my mother's birthday. My father asked her yesterday what she wanted to do for her birthday and she said " I want to spend the day at Melody's house (that's me hehe) So she came over today and I made her lunch. She had chicken noodle soup, and then we topped it of with a special treat I made for her. Lemon Thyme bread. All she could say the whole time was "wow". It is seriously amazing and would be ideal with a cup of tea.

Lemon Thyme Bread with glaze

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter
3/4 cup of evaporated cane juice (you can substitute with sugar)
1 egg
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1/cup of sour cream (it looks funny underneath because I make my own)

Cream butter and cane juice (or sugar) together. then add egg

After you creamed butter, cane juice, and egg set aside. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk and sour cream set aside. Now in third bowl mix dry ingredients that are as follows.

Dry ingredients
1 3/4 cup of unbleached flour
2 tbsp minced fresh thyme
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Now you should have three  bowls. Start adding dry ingredient mix to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture beating well after each addition.
Transfer to a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 mins until pick comes out clean.Cool for 10 mins and in loaf pan which the perfect time to make glaze.

Ingredients for glaze
in a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of confection sugar, 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme and 4-6 tsp lemon juice. Whisk together.

Now that loaf has cooled for 10 mins remove from pan on to rack and drizzle yummy glaze

                  Enjoy with a cup of tea...so fantastic...here's proof

                                       Happy Birthday Mom


                                    Encouragement to chew on:

Instead of giving yourself reasons of why you can't, Today give yourself reasons of why you can. There's this quote I love "Don't tell me the sky's the limit when I know there are footprints on the moon" So today reach for them, believe and someday you will obtain. God has equipped you will all you need to reach for the star.

Don't forget your bag and more

My beautiful beanie baby carrying our grocery bags for me on our way out. Do you use reusable bags or the grocery bags? If you do, then do you go a step further and bring your own bag to every store?

Green smoothie to start my day. Have you had your today?

Now breakfast, today we made chocolate chip pumpkin bread

Chocolate chip pumpkin bread

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup of canned pumpkin puree
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of organic agave nectar (my old recipe had 1 1/2 cups of sugar)

Mix together wet ingredients

Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups of White whole wheat
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 allspice
or you can do 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chip (don't forget to dust them with flour to prevent them from sinking in the pan)

Mix dry into the wet

Now add 1/3 cup of water

Pour into greased bread pan. Ready to bake at 350 for 1 hour and 20 mins...until pick comes out clean.

A dab of homemade honey butter and enjoy.

Encouragement to chew on:

I've read somebody say, “Don’t let your heredity stop your destiny.” Don’t let the way someone treated you, or what they did or didn’t give you, keep you from pressing forward to become all that God has created you to be. You were made for great things. So many people allow others jealousy, criticism, selfish ambitions rob them from what they were truly meant to do in life. Set everything aside that have said against you and know that God believes you can do all things through Christ. He has equipped you with all you need to succeed if you just trust.

A green smoothie a day keeps the doctor away

We try to have a green smoothie almost every day, not only because they are so good for you but because they are delish...really they are and you can do so many variations. Today we differed a little.

We started with frozen fruit...we mix in peaches, mangos, pineapples and strawberries

A tablespoon of ground flaxseed or two (side note always make sure you flax seed is ground if you want to get the most of the nutrition out of those little seeds)

Begin adding the spinach I use 2-3 overstuffed handfuls

Add a banana

Then a cup or two of almond milk ( you can use apple juice, orange juice, what ever you prefer) add more if blending to thick.

Blend until smooth...pour and enjoy

The kids just hear the blender starting and they come running screaming "Yay mom is making our healthy drink" seriously they love it.

Start them young, so good for their growing bodies.

So wear you green mustach proudly because you are doing something good for you and for your kids. Your hair, skin, nails..your whole temple with thank you. So what are you waiting for?