Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 31) and 31 Days of Gratitude: Love of Fall and Pumpkin Donuts

By bobbi
October 7, 2014
2 Comments

AND

I love Fall and today was the first day that it felt like it. The fog cleared and the sun came out, yet there was still a little chill in the air. There are pumpkins everywhere and changing leaves and it makes me want to bake something that will make the house smell like cinnamon and nutmeg. So today is a mashup post! For my 31 Days of Gratitude Challenge I’m grateful for the season of Fall and for the RoL Pinterest Party I’m trying a new pumpkin recipe. 🙂

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For the Pinterest Party, join me as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

Not on Pinterest? No problem. Link-up your own creation to inspire us so we can pin in to our own boards. It can be a recipe, sewing project, Catholic craft, homeschool project, organizing/ homemaking tip, themed birthday party, whatever you’d like.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

PLEASE NOTE: Because we are entering the busy season of Autumn and the holidays that follow, starting now, I will be doing the Pinterest Party only once a month. It will be every first Tuesday of the month and the link up will be open for 30 days, so there is plenty of time to join the fun! 🙂

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You can find me on Pinterest here.

I saw this recipe for Chocolate Covered Pumpkin Donuts from My Whole Food Life.com and I knew I had to try them. I especially liked that these donuts are baked, made with whole wheat and have no processed sugar.

Normally, I change a recipe to my liking but for the donuts, I followed Melissa’s ingredients exactly. I think the next time I may use a touch less ginger and cloves.

Ingredients

For the donut:
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (To make them gluten free, just sub GF all purpose flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg (I used a flax egg replacer)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

For the chocolate coating:
2 cups chocolate chips
3-4 T milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Melissa’s Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a mini muffin tray.
In one bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
In another bowl mix pumpkin, maple syrup, applesauce, egg, milk and vanilla until smooth.
Add dry to wet and mix just until combined.
Spoon mixture into the mini muffin tins and bake for about 11 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
After the mini muffins have cooled start the chocolate coating.

Chocolate Coating
Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and the milk until you get a smooth chocolate sauce.
Roll the donuts into the chocolate sauce until it is covered.
Then place each covered donut onto a baking sheet or plate and put in the freezer for at least 10-15 min.
Store them in the fridge on a plate or baking sheet.

(Melissa has a lot of other delicious looking recipes that I want to try. Check out her blog at – http://mywholefoodlife.com/.

Now, when I made Melissa’s recipe, I didn’t have mini muffin tins. Instead I made one batch in my mini-donut pan and one batch in my regular donut pan. I also didn’t have a double boiler so instead I stuck a handful of chocolate chips in a bowl with a dash of milk and microwaved it for 30 seconds. I stirred it and added milk to make it the right consistency. It worked great.

The final verdict. When I tasted the donut plain, I wasn’t convinced since it seemed like it had too many spices and not enough sugar. However, after topping each with the chocolate, which added plenty of sweetness, I thought they tasted really good. The proof? I can’t show you a photo of the mini-donuts because the kids wiped out the batch. So there you go. 😉

What kind of things have you been creating lately?

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Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active until the end of the month. Have fun!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram. 😉

PPS – This post contains affiliate links from Amazon.

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Pinterest Party & Link-Up (vol 30): Greek Salad

By bobbi
September 25, 2014
7 Comments

Sorry for the delay in this post but better late than never! Starting in October, the RoL Pinterest Party will be held once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. Have fun!

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

PLEASE NOTE: Because we are entering the busy season of Autumn and the holidays that follow, starting in October, I will be doing the Pinterest Party only once a month. It will be every first Tuesday of the month and the link up will be open for 30 days, so there is plenty of time to join the fun! 🙂

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You can find me on Pinterest here.

The pin for this post is here.

Years ago I found a recipe online for Greek salad. I have adapted the recipe since then and it has become my favorite salad dressing. A friend asked for the recipe so I thought I’d post it here. 🙂

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1/3 cup of olive oil
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

For the salad:

spring mix (or lettuce of choice)
red bell pepper
cucumber
red onion (thinly sliced)
kalamata olives
tomatoes
feta cheese

For the salad, quarter the cucumber and slice. Quarter the bell pepper and thinly slice. Take a small section of onion and thinly slice. Place in a large bowl with the lettuce, olives and tomato. Sprinkle with feta. Mix.

For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, mustard and spices. When mixed, slowly add the red wine vinegar and whisk well. Pour overt the salad and mix well. Enjoy!

Note – A little dressing goes a long way. Better to under dress the salad and need to add more than to over dress and the salad puckers your lips. 😉 This recipe makes roughly 6 oz of dressing. Keep it stored in closed contained at room temperature for a few days. I store mine in a OXO Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker.

These are great to store home dressings. It comes in the large ( 1.5 cups) or the small (1 cup). I use the small one for this dressing since I like to use it up within the week and make another fresh batch. It’s super easy and tastes great.

Since I am eating many salads these days and staying away from bottled dressing, I am always looking for healthier home versions. If you have a favorite dressing recipe, please share it in the comment box. I’d love to try it out!

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Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Pinterest Party & Link-Up (vol 29): My Powersheets Vision Board

By bobbi
September 9, 2014
3 Comments

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

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The inspiration for this post…

Photo Credit – Lara Casey Shop.com

You can find me on Pinterest here – http://www.pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/.

The pin for this post is here.

If you’ve been reading my last few posts, you know I have been working on Lara Casey’s Powersheets. They are basically a series of worksheets that help you to focus on what is most important to you in life and what you would like to accomplish. They gives you the tools you need to draw up a plan and follow through on making those things happen.There is nothing “magical” about Powersheets; the same way there is nothing “magical” about a StairMaster. Both can sit in the corner and gather dust. However, if you get off your butt and workout on either, transformation is inevitable. 🙂

This kind of set up is perfect for me because I am scattered and unorganized and always doing too many things at once and seemingly never accomplishing anything. The powersheets have helped me to focus on what matters most in my life. It has also motivated me to dig deeper and look into myself. One sheet had me listing my fears and it was a fear in itself to voice those things, let alone document them on paper. But it has been a productive process and I am already feeling at peace. Life is still crazy and hectic but at least I feel like I am making baby steps towards handling it better and bringing some much needed order into my life and our home.

One of my favorite steps in the process was putting together a Vision Board of the things that motivate me and fill me with joy. It was recommended that we make a Pinterest Board to add things that inspire us. I started one this week here. I also wanted to create my own board with photos I’ve taken that I could print off and hang up by my desk or in the kitchen. This is what it looks like.

The photos remind me of the things that inspire me – Faith, Love, Family, Home, Nature, and Creativity.

What kind of things inspire you? Do you have an inspirational board on Pinterest? Leave the link in the comments so I can check it out. 🙂

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Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol. 28): Daily Planner Goal Sheet (Free Printable)

By bobbi
August 26, 2014
6 Comments

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

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The link for the pin to this post is here.

You can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

Lately for the Pinterest Parties I’ve been doing recipes but today I am doing something a little different. It’s the kids’ first day of school and we have been busy preparing uniforms, picking out new lunch boxes and buying school supplies. The air is filled with anticipation and the aroma of “bouquets of sharpened pencils.” (Name that classic rom-com!) Ever since I was a kid, this time of year has always been my favorite. Even as an adult, I still get giddy as I walk through Staples and chose a new notebook or planner and matching accessories. Yeah, I know. Nerd. But I can’t help it.

The new school year is also when I review over my current planner and try something new. This is especially important to me since I have been working so hard to accomplish my August 2014 Goals. I love my 2014 planner and it has served me well. However, the one draw back is that it is too big and bulky to carry around in my purse. That was fine when I spent most of my days home but now that the kids are all in school and I will be busy with upcoming school fundraisers and helping Andrew’s class as a room mom, I need to carry my planner with me. So while I am still in the process of changing over to something new (more of that in another post) the one constant I have been using with my weekly planner is a separate daily sheet of the day’s goals. I searched all over for one that was perfect for me and couldn’t quite find it so I finally just created one myself using Word. It is simple but it has the info I want and it is colorful enough to keep my attention. 😉

Ideally, I get up early enough to say morning prayer before the munchkins are up. Sometimes it’s 15 minutes quietly on the couch and sometimes it’s two minutes as I’m late jumping in the shower. Either way, I read over and think about the day’s prayer/reflection. Then I chose a concrete act I can do to put into practice my spiritual resolution of the day.

The time and effort you put into this will vary, depending on your season of life. There were many days when my resolution daily resolution was to try and take a 3 minute shower before Brian got home. You know what your life looks like right now. Challenge yourself but be realistic. God knows where your heart is and the crosses you are bearing right now. For a mom with a newborn her goal may be to stay in bed a few minutes longer and catch some ZZZ’s to make up for a sleepless night. My goal would be the opposite right now. Get my butt out of bed and stop lingering on my pillow. 😉

Next I review over my weekly planner and fill in the places I need to be and people I need to contact. Then I see what items I simply MUST do that day – ie. Pay the electricity before they shut off the lights or fill out that permission slip before my kid is banned from the field trip. This also includes household things I need to get done – ie. Get a load of whites done because no one has any underwear left or clean out the fish tank because the water is so mucky I can’t see Anakin Fishwalker in the tank. If I finish all my “must do’s” then I can tackle some of the “should do’s” next. (Although I have yet to actually have that happen.) 😉

I also included on my sheet my a food/exercise/water/vitamin journal, even though I am terrible at keeping track, a prayer section to remind me to make sure I slow down and reconnect with God (instead of browsing Facebook) and my notes section.

There you have it. I know there are many people who hate TO DO lists but I am too scatterbrained not to write it all down. Plus I have a tendency to be a little ADD and doing five things at once but never completing anything. This helps me to stay focused and finish the task at hand before starting something new. My goal sheet may change as I continue to work through the introductory pages of Lara Casy’s Powersheets (another future post!) but for now, it works well.

If you’d like to download a copy of my goal sheet, please feel free to do so! I have two PDFs for you.

This is Goal Sheet 1 with the bird and blue writing. Download it from Google Drive here.

This is Goal Sheet 2, which is the rainbow chevron version. Download it from Google Drive here.

Well, that is my creative share for this week! What have you been up to? Add your link or if you don’t blog, share in the comment box! 🙂

POSTSCRIPT – Of course on the day that I post all about how I am following my daily plan, I happen to sleep through my alarm (darn cold medicine!), I skip my morning prayer (other than a few desperate invocations), I barely get the kids to school before the gate is locked, my breakfast is logged in as “a cold chicken nugget and half eaten piece of toast left on the table,” I have a load of errands that keeps me out of the house until the afternoon and when I finally do get around to looking at my goal sheet I see a munchkin drew all over it before he spilled his juice on it. God likes to keep it real, people. So when you feel like nothing is going according to plan, don’t sweat it. That’s life. Work with what you can and work around what you can’t. 😉

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 27): Homemade Granola Bars

By bobbi
August 12, 2014
4 Comments

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

* * * * *

Since we are trying to eat healthier and more whole foods, when I saw this recipe for homemade Grab and Go Granola Bars I was eager to give them a try. The recipe was posted by Amy over at Super Healthy Kids.com.

She originally got it from Anni Daulter, the author of

The Organic Family Cookbook: Growing, Greening, and Cooking Together.

Here’s the recipe:

2 cups Rolled oats
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I used raisins instead.)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
3/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon flax oil
3 TBL brown sugar (I used unrefined coconut sugar instead.)
mini chocolate chips (optional – white or milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a ceramic or glass 9X13 inch baking dish.

Mix oats, sunflower seeds, cranberries, wheat germ, and almonds altogether in a bowl.

Spread mixture on a sheet pan and toast in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Return mixture to a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine salt, peanut butter, honey, flax oil, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and immediately remove from heat.(Watch closely! It can burn easily. Don’t ask me how I know. ;-))

Pour over oats mixture and combine until dry ingredients are evenly coated.

Stir in chocolate if you are using it.

Pour into baking dish. Press mixture down into pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool for up to 2 hours and then cut and serve.

I cooked the granola for 20 minutes but I should have done it a little less or lowered the temp because my oven always runs a little hotter and the edges of the pan were overcooked. Next time I also need to press the granola down more. There were pockets where it was too loose and it crumbled. Despite a few glitches, no one besides me seemed to mind and the family gobbled up the bars. I’ll definitely be making these again. I think next time I’ll also add some coconut. 🙂

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

PPS – This post contains affiliate links.

An InLinkz Link-up

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Tag Archives: pinterest party

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 31) and 31 Days of Gratitude: Love of Fall and Pumpkin Donuts

Pinterest Party & Link-Up (vol 30): Greek Salad

Pinterest Party & Link-Up (vol 29): My Powersheets Vision Board

The inspiration for this post…

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol. 28): Daily Planner Goal Sheet (Free Printable)

Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 27): Homemade Granola Bars