Mother Love

So…the weekend!

We had some of our good friends visiting us over the weekend, and it was full of fun outings and watching our babies and having good conversations. Micah and Rebecca and their two little boys came in from New York on Saturday morning, and it was great to see some familiar faces from our old hometown. Fun fact:: we had our babies only a day apart from each other, so it was neat to see the two together again!

We spent most of the day on Saturday at the house, but took a coffee and smoothie run to a new spot in the afternoon. It was a cool place with hipster vibes and overpriced smoothies that were delicious. Ben smoked a brisket for supper that night (he’s a master at smoked brisket), and it’s always so good to finally bite into it after smelling it cooking all.day.long. We sat and watched the Clemson football game for most of the evening, and it’s always a good time watching your team pull out a great win.

Sunday morning was a leisure breakfast of baked oatmeal, naps for the babies, and then we of course had to take the Lepps to our favorite small-town spot in Franklin for lunch. It was a juggle to keep all the kids happy during the meal, but parents just make it work, hehe! It was a gorgeous day so we took the afternoon to walk around the local botanical garden together. It was great to spend a few hours outdoors, and kids always seem to love being outside as well. Ayla slept for the first while, and then walked around with us in her Ergo so she could see all the sights. The grounds were fairly stroller-friendly, with a few areas that required some daddy-muscle to get the stroller over rocks and steps.

We got back in the late afternoon and put together taco soup and cornbread for supper, and put all the kids down for an early bedtime. The fun day had worn them all out, and it’s like suddenly its time for bed. Ben and I stayed home with all the sleeping kids so Micah and Rebecca could take a evening date out…I told Ben that it felt kinda strange to know that we had three sleeping kids in our house…so this is what it feels like, hehe. The Lepps were here until Monday afternoon, and it was a really great weekend spent with great friends!

Here are five things I love:
– THIS DRINK
– this outfit combination
– this article
– this dinner recipe
– this mom-shirt

Have an amazing week, dears!

I’m coming at ya with another snack recipe!

This one is just as easy as the last one I shared and you only need a few ingredients, a food processor, and about five minutes of your time to make these super tasty and nutritious snack bites. I like to keep these in the fridge for a quick nibble between meals or as a little sweet bite after lunch. Sometimes I crumble them over yogurt and fruit or dip one into some creamy peanut butter…no matter how you choose to eat these little bites, they are just delicious! If you’re not a coffee person, you can leave the coffee grounds out, but I think the slight coffee flavor just makes the chocolate flavor pop that much more.

Espresso Snack Bites

*1 cup dates, pitted
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashews
*2 heaping T. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. ground coffee

Place dates and vanilla extract in a food processor and process until completely blended; the dates should form together into a ball. Remove and set aside.

Process the nuts, cocoa powder, salt, and ground coffee in the food processor until finely ground. With the processor running, drop spoonfuls of the date mixture into the nut mixture. Mix until well incorporated; you may need to add a little liquid (water or coffee) to make the mix come together.

Roll mixture into snack-size bites. Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Notes:
– Medjool dates are the best kind to use for this recipe, since they are generally softer and moister (is that a word?!?). If you use a dryer date, you will need to add additional liquid to the date mixture.
– I like to use dark cocoa powder for a richer flavor, but any unsweetened cocoa powder will work fine.
– You can customize the nut types with whatever you have on hand.

What about you: what are you currently snacking on?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!