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Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

April 17, 2014

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

 :: Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk ::

Mmmm! Creamy cold, almond milk! Do you drink it at your house? If not… it’s definitely worth a taste! Even better, try making it from scratch! The task always seemed daunting, in my opinion… which is why I never made it in the past. However, we go through cartons and cartons of almond milk each week… so I thought it was worth a try to make a batch of it homemade. Everything is better fresh, right?!!

About five years ago… maybe even longer, we stopped buying traditional dairy milk in our house. We started using almond milk in its place {since everyone is lactose intolerant in our family}. When my youngest little guy, Finn, stopped nursing at 14 months old, I started giving him almond milk, as well. Did you know that one serving of almond milk has 50% more calcium than regular milk? Amazing! Well, my little guy is now three… and still LOVES his daily cups of almond milk!

The key to making this smooth, creamy milk is soaking the raw almonds in water! Simply place the almonds in a bowl, and cover with about an inch of water. {They will plump as they absorb water.} Let stand overnight, or up to 2 days. 

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

Once your almonds have been adequately soaked, make sure you rinse them with fresh water, and drain, so they are ready to use. Put your almonds into a blender with 3.5 cups of water {less water, will equal a stronger flavor, overall}. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Food

Lemon Asparagus Prosciutto Pasta

April 10, 2014

Lemon Asparagus Prosciutto Pasta

:: Lemon Asparagus Prosciutto Pasta ::

{gluten-free}

Hello, everyone! I feel like it’s been ages since I last posted! I took last week off from blogging to thoroughly enjoy my Maui vacation with my handsome man! Our trip was AMAZING! Truly… just what we needed! {I will share some photos and highlights of our trip soon!}

So… on to this delectable dish! I have been making this tasty pasta for the past few years {adapted from the fabulous Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network}. The original recipe was completely delicious… however, I added the juice of a fresh lemon, and grated parmesan to jazz things up a bit! Since I’m not currently eating wheat… I also made it gluten-free by using quinoa pasta! It was so good… and a great alternative to using rice pasta {also a gluten-free choice}. 

Lemon Asparagus Prosciutto Pasta

I love how fresh this pasta dish is! It uses only the finest, simple ingredients… asparagus, basil, prosciutto, garlic, creamy smoked mozzarella, grated parmesan, and tangy lemon. {Yum! Such a lovely Spring or Summer dish!} [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food

Chewy Homemade Granola Bars

March 17, 2014

 Chewy Homemade (Gluten-Free) Granola Bars from Simply Happenstance #glutenfree #granolabars

Chewy Homemade Granola Bars //

{gluten-free}

Have you ever made homemade granola bars? They have been on my “must bake” list for quite some time. I did my research, and have read numerous reviews before finally adapting this recipe from Smitten Kitchen {which was originally adapted from the King Arthur Flour site}. What I love about these chewy, flavorful bars… is that they are so easy to adjust to your personal taste! You can customize them by adding in walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, dried cranberries, cherries or apples, and sesame or pumpkin seeds… the list goes on and on. Although I think these decadent bars are already pretty healthy… you absolutely can make them healthier by changing out the granulated sugar for coconut sugar, and replacing the melted butter with coconut oil. Also… make sure if you use honey, it’s in its raw form so you can get rid of some of the processed sweeteners. 

Ingredients for Homemade Granola Bars via Simply Happenstance Blog

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Food

Healthy Taco Salad {vegetarian}

January 23, 2014

Healthy Taco Salad Recipe {via Simply Happenstance Blog}! The perfect lunch or dinner! #vegetarian #recipe #lunch #dinner #easymeal #wholefoods

:: Healthy Taco Salad ::

Confession: When my husby is home from work… I do very little cooking. With our new life in the mountains, he not only does 100% of the grocery shopping, but also cooks, so I can focus on homeschooling our four little ones. We eat very well when he is home! He’s super creative in the kitchen {thanks to the near decade he’s spent as a firefighter}. I am truly one lucky wifey!

This healthy Taco Salad is one of our family favorites. We love it because it is so versatile, quick, and easy to prepare. You can basically cut up and add-in any fresh veggies you have on hand from your garden or market. {For meat lovers… you can grill up some chicken, or prepare ground turkey, or lean ground beef to add to the salad.} To be honest… I rarely use dressing, instead I mash up the avocado and add a dollop of salsa. {If you like sour cream or plain greek yogurt, it would make it even creamier!} For those of you that love a simple dressing… a Creamy Cilantro Avocado or Italian drizzled on top tastes divine! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food

{weekend} lovelies

December 28, 2012

Nicole and I hope that you and your loved ones have had a blessed & joyous Christmas!

We both spent some much needed time with our husby’s and sweet littles!

Although both of our families have members that are currently sick,

we are thankful for the family time we have had,

for pajama mornings…

fresh coffee…

board games…

lots of kisses & cuddles…

bike rides…

and time to catch up with good friends & our loving extended family.

We would love to hear from you!!

So, please post a comment and let us know how you’ve spent your Winter Break, so far!

We hope you enjoy some of our favorite finds from the web this week!

Have a lovely weekend!

{xo}

n & s

{Strength, Grace, Beauty}

Briohny Smyth has all three… my personal yoga inspiration

{a girl can dream *wink*}!

 

 

 

 

{2012 Best Dressed Celebrities}

 

 

 

{Healthy High-Protein Snacks}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{Some New Year’s Hair Resolutions}

 

 

 

{Instagram Friendly Softcover Books}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{Darling 2013 Printable Calendar}

 

 

{A Good Read: What Happened to Down Time?}

 

 

 

{Clean Eating: A Beginner’s Guide to Shopping}

 

 

{DIY Sharpie Mugs}

 

 

{Fashion Week’s Backstage Beauty Snapshots}

 

 

 

Filed Under: Lovelies

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About

bioSara and Nicole are sorority sisters that simply “happened” to end up in the same small town. They have many things in common, which have set the tone of their blog. They hope that you will join them in their journey of motherhood, dreams that may be, the daily life, and their passion for cooking, yoga, fashion, and design!

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