My favorite summer drink

I love watermelon like seriously I could drink/eat it every day! The watermelon guy at the farmers market knows me too well! We get 3 or 4 a week. Yep you read that right we are watermelon FREEKS around here. One of our favorite ways to have it is as a slushy. 

Have you ever made a watermelon shush? It might be the easiest summer drink you can make. 

Cut watermelon into cubes about 1 inch (larger will work you will just have to freeze longer) 

Put cubes in the freezer for around 2 hours. 

Once frozen Blend and done! 

Enjoy your delicious beverage! 

It's okay Thursday

It’s Thursday! I couldn’t be happier to be one day closer to the weekend. I’m not gunna sugar coat it this has been a horrible week! Just a lot going on and a lot to process. 

It’s okay...

to need a break from this crazy life. Anyone who said being a military wife was easy has never done it! 

to admit I may have signed up for a bit more than I can handle.

to want to add more to my over flowing plate.

to be excited to finally be working on getting my kiddos baptized (even if its a few years late)

to be so sad that one of my closest friends is moving away this week. I never thought this little journey of ours would bring such an amazing friend! 

to be looking into boarding school for my 3.5 year old. 

to just want to sit out side and soak in the 85 degree sun! 

to turn up the tunes and just sing it out! Somethings this is the best medicine. (it also masks the screams of the children :))

to be so excited for the 21 day health challenge to be over I just want to post before and after pics!!! 

for life to turn out different than you planned. Remember it’s not our plan that matters!

to wonder where the years have gone... Planning or thinking about my class reunion is making me feel old. 

Orange creamsicle smoothie

I am a huge fan of smoothies. And at the will of my families taste buds I will try them all on them. We have had some amazingly delicious drinks and some that didn’t make it to a third sip. This week though we created an amazing drink that reminded me of an orange cream. Please keep in mind this smoothie recipe is about a full blender. You can easily cut the recipe in half for a single serving. 

And blend! Seriously delicious! Seriously easy! I usually add about a handful of spinach or Kale to mine (this will not change the amazing flavor go ahead add it)

Baked glaze doughnuts...

Baked Doughnuts, adapted from this recipe:

1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided) ( I used almond milk)

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons butter (I used vegan spread)

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

5 cups all-purpose flour

A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated

1 teaspoon salt

Glaze

1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)

2 cups powered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract 

Donut directions:

Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar and set aside for five minutes or so to let it proof. Stir the butter into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place, and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. With a 2-3 inch cookie cutter, stamp out circles in the dough . Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8.

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium doughnuts.

Glaze directions:

After donuts are removed from oven prepare glaze. (this allows them time to cool) 

In a small pot heat milk and extract on low just till warm then slowly add the powered sugar. Stir with a whisk until completely incorporated. Take slightly cooled doughnuts dip top into glaze and place on cooling rack. Let the doughnuts cool for about 5 minutes this will allow the glaze to crust over. 

Avocado egg salad

Love egg salad? Hate all the fat from the mayo? Say hello to the avocado! Seriously, it is delicious. Tastes just like the traditional with a hint of avocado. We all know mayo is loaded with FAT! So lets cut some of it... 

This egg salad is super easy just replace your mayo with an avocado. I did add about a tea spoon of mayo just to make it cream up but thats all! 

Turn it into a super yummy lunch by heating your pita over an open flame (or in a pan will work) then layer the bottom of the pita with spinach and a few tomatoes. Stuff with your delicious avocado egg salad!