Expressions of Perceptions

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After we snacked on some cranberry coconut muffins, the chairs, floor, and table were covered in crumbs (mainly because of my 2 year old and 1 year old).

As usual, I got out the vacuum cleaner.  Then I thought aloud to myself why do I make muffins?  My 3 year old was confused as to why I would ask that.  She knew the answer: because they taste sooooo good!  Nonetheless, she asked me why I had said that.

“I wonder why I make muffins because they’re so messy,” I told her.

“What makes muffins so messy?” she asked.

Without thinking, I opened my mouth, and out came the word “kids!”

She laughed and agreed that her brother and sister were responsible for the mess, though she claimed no responsibility for the crumbs under her own chair.  (I admit, there may have been a few under mine, too.)

Kids are messy, but they’re totally worth it.  They are incredible blessings.  It’s easy to complain about having to vacuum after every meal, but some day when the kids are grown, I’ll wish I could go back in time to when they were young – even if it were only to when I was vacuuming up their mess while having a conversation with them.

When I express my perception of things, I’m far from infallible.  I tell you what I see, but there’s always the chance that I haven’t checked my blind spot.  I may be right, I may be wrong.  (Either way, I’m incredibly opinionated!)  But overall, I mean well, and I think that’s what really matters.

Since the weather’s been so harsh (read: non-stop freezing rain), I haven’t made it to the grocery store yet this month.  I’m out of practically everything, so now it’s time to get creative.  I dug out what was left of a bag of walnuts and a nearly empty bag of raw almonds and decided to make, for lack of a better title, “walnut almond butter”.

I put the walnuts and almonds in the food processor and pulsed until they were crumbly.  (Note to self:  Next time, wait until husband is awake before putting almonds in the food processor.)  They seemed a bit dry, and I know that some brands of peanut butter have added oil, so I added a bit of coconut oil.  Since I have quite a sweet tooth sometimes, I added a little raw honey, too.

Then, I turned the food processor on high and processed my mixture, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides, for what seemed like forever.  This is probably just because I had 3 young children also vying for my attention, nonetheless it took longer than I thought it would.

Realistically, it was only a matter of minutes before it became “buttery”.  The processing warmed it up and melted the coconut oil, which I think helped make the mixture creamy.  (Note to readers: Be careful not to burn your “butter”.)

Anyway, it tasted great on homemade chocolate graham crackers and as a dip for apple slices.

So, the entire recipes is:  nuts, oil, honey.  Process till “buttery”. 

Far from exact measurements, I know, but it gives you a good base.  You may want to make a little or alot.  You may want yours heavily or mildly sweetened.  Give it a try, adjust it to suit your taste, and pat yourself on the back (trust me, I did) for making some healthy homemade nut butter.

I am both thankful and sad this Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for my family and all of my other blessings.   I’m sad that holidays have to be such a drama-fest. It’s a shame that the people being criticized can’t be as perfect as the ones criticizing them. Perhaps we should all ask for a mirror for Christmas.
However, I am blessed, and I love my family, no matter what.

My favorite color is green, not because I’m gonna save the world one re-usable shopping bag at a time, but because I think it’s pretty.