Morning Energy Boosts

Last night I was going through some old magazines and I found a great article on some tips to boost your energy in the early mornings.  I am definitely not a morning person, and these tips go right along with my January goal to boost energy!

1. Let the sun in and stretch.  Exposure to light helps stop producing melatonin (the hormone that induces sleepiness).  Stretching as your first activity of the day will increase your body temperature and blood flow to your brain.

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2. Look at something you love.  In the early morning we're in survival mode so our body feels like it's under threat, and that saps our energy.  If we put something in our room that makes us feel grateful (flowers, photo of a loved one, etc.), we can trigger positive emotions that will fight that energy drain.

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3. Get moving.  Working out in the morning can trigger feel-good endorphins and lowers stress hormones - even lasting 6-8 hours!  Bonus: people who exercise in the morning tend not to have midmorning slumps.

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4. Scent your shower.  Smelling citrus, eucalyptus, or mint causes a burst of energy to flow through your body, clearing your mind and giving you a little lift.  Try Origins Grapefruit Body-Buffing Cleanser or Burt's Bees Peppermint & Rosemary Body Wash.

5. Eat a colorful breakfast.  To make sure you have a nutritional breakfast, make 80% of your plate colorful, unprocessed foods.  The rest of your breakfast should include a combination of lean protein and complex, fiber-rich carbs.

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Are you a morning person?  What helps to get you going in the morning?

source: tips from Real Simple, May 2011

DIY Fortune Cookies

Happy Chinese New Year!  When we lived in China we always celebrated the Chinese New Year; it's the biggest holiday in China and it would be weird if we didn't!  But since moving back to the U.S., we've always acknowledged Chinese New Year as well.  We usually celebrate by getting Chinese food and sometimes my parents would still give us the "hong bao" - the red envelopes for children (pictured above) with money in it.  I'm pretty sure I'm not getting a hong bao this year, but Caleb and I are going out for Chinese tonight.  

I thought I'd share a fun DIY for Chinese New Year.  The funny thing is I've never seen a fortune cookie in mainland China; they are strictly in American Chinese restaurants.  But they're fun to make and since you can custom make your fortunes, these would be perfect to make for any holiday or birthday or bridal/baby shower!

Fortune Cookies

4 egg whites

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1-2 tsp water

baking spray

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk egg whites and extracts together until light and foamy.  Whisk in flour, sugar, and salt and mix thoroughly.  The batter should be like a thin pancake batter - when you raise the whisk from the bowl, the batter should disappear as soon as it hits the surface.  I added the little bit of water to get it thin enough.

Lightly mist the backside of a baking sheet with baking spray.  Droop a heaping spoonful of batter onto the baking sheet and let it spread out until it's about a 4-inch circle.  (Continuing to add a little bit of batter in the middle of the circle will make the batter spread out evenly.)  Repeat to make 4 rounds of batter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 4-6 minutes, just until the edge of the cookie browns 1/4-inch around.  Remove from the oven and work quickly.  Using a spatula, transfer one round to your cutting board, placing it top-side down.  Place the fortune into the center, and fold the cookie in half.  Pick the cookie up and place the folded edge onto the rim of a mug and gently pull the corners down.  Put the formed fortune cookie into the well of a cupcake pan - this will hold the shape until the cookie cools and hardens completely.  Repeat with each cookie and batter until finished.  Store cookies in an airtight container once cooled completely.  Makes about 2 dozen.

source:  recipe from confections of a foodie bride

P.S.  If you want to make some good Chinese food, I suggest sweet & sour chicken or General Tso's Chicken.

What You Do Every Day

I read this in The Happiness Project and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  I think these days discipline and consistency have come to be overlooked characteristic traits.  If you consistently get good grades or you are disciplined to get to the gym every day or if you make your husband dinner every night, those practices come to be expected and are rarely praised or even noticed.  But, if once in a blue moon, a student gets one A, or if you finally get around to going to the gym after a long absence, or if you make your husband or family dinner once in six months, then people are quick to notice and give praise for doing such a wonderful thing.  Of course it is great when someone makes the effort to do something that they normally don't, but let's not forget about the people who are putting in the effort every. single. day.

I want to be the type of person who encourages consistency instead of overlooks it.  I also think this is a helpful reminder for when you're stuck in the daily grind.  It might seem routine, but if you're showing up to work every day and doing what you're supposed do and doing it well, that is valuable.  If you're at home changing diapers and chasing kids and folding laundry every day, that is valuable.  Let's do a better job of recognizing the value and importance of the things we do every day!

So that's where my mind has been lately... take it as a little food for thought for your Friday :) I hope you have a great weekend!

Cranberry Chocolate Coconut Granola

The granola recipe I shared last week is my go-to basic granola, perfect for making parfaits and for a quick and easy breakfast.  Today's granola recipe has become one of my favorite snacking granolas.  I'm sure it would be delicious with yogurt as well, but for now I've packaged it in little cellophane bags for Caleb to take to work and in little containers to have on hand here at home for afternoon snacks.

Cranberry Chocolate Coconut Granola
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
3 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut to the pan in an even layer and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and toasted.  Transfer to a large bowl and wipe out the pan.  Return the pan to the heat and add the chopped walnuts and almonds.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the oats and canola oil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.  Transfer the oat mixture to the bowl with the coconut. Stir in the honey, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt.  Spread out onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring every few minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Press the granola gently into a thick slab on the baking sheet.  Let cool to room temperature.  Break the dried and cooled granola into small clusters into a large bowl.  Add the dried cranberries and chocolate and mix to combine. Store in an airtight container.

source:  adapted from annie's eats, originally from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

DIY Gold Leaf Catchall

When Caleb and I were Christmas shopping last month, a gold leaf platter from Martha Stewart's collection at Macy's caught my eye.  I thought it was so pretty and would be perfect as a catchall on my bedside table, but I didn't really think it was worth $76.  A few weeks later, I found this little glass leaf dish at a thrift store.

I didn't know what kind of paint I could use on glass, so I just bought some Martha Stewart multi surface paint at Michael's.  A paint for every surface - genius, right?!  Leave it to Martha!  Anyway I painted my little dish while Caleb was out of town last week, and I'm really happy with how it turned out!  And it only cost me $2.50 :)

A Year of Blogging

Today my blog is 1 year old!  A year ago I started blogging because I was bored, work was slow, I didn't really like where we were living, and I was tired of winter.  I found that blogging helped me focus on the things in my life that I did like, so that I would quit thinking about the things I didn't like and couldn't change.  My blog has been the creative outlet that I didn't even realize I needed, and I love it!  It's been so much fun connecting with and getting to know other bloggers.  I appreciate everyone who reads my posts, tries the recipes, and leaves me sweet comments.  All of that really makes my day - so thank you for being a part of this blog!  Here's to another year :)

(image from here)

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

In continuing my goal of making more ingredients from scratch, I knew I should probably make some chocolate syrup. Between my frequent cravings for chocolate milk and the iced mochas I make in the summer, I go through a good amount of Hershey's chocolate syrup.  This took only 10 minutes to make, it's more chocolatey than the bottled stuff, and there's no preservatives or corn syrup!  

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk briefly to break up any lumps.  Stir in the water and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in the vanilla.  Store in the refrigerator.

source:  recipe from annie's eats, originally from 52 kitchen adventures