Hump Day Recipe!

I honestly cant believe how many recipes you can find online for homemade granola bars! Put that into google search and the listings go on and on. Which one do I choose!?!

So to back up a little, since we started this clean eating journey, I have been in the search for a cheap and easy way to make granola bars for the family. We absolutely love them and we chow down on some Cliff bars - but those things aren't cheap at all! Thank goodness Target has them on sale all. the. time! Since we all love them, especially my kiddos, I have had to ration them out daily! The rule now in the Hart house is one granola bar a day. My kids would eat them for every meal and every snack!! Now don't get me wrong, I definitely could eat an entire box in one day as well. They are way too good!

So I think I have found one that has decent ingredients and I actually have all the ingredients in my cabinet except the cocoa nibs.

So here they are:

4 cups old fashioned oats (gluten-free if you prefer)
1/3 cup coconut oil*
1 cup raw honey*
4 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups almonds, chopped (a food processor works great for this)
1/2 cup cocoa nibs* (optional) - These are unsweetened bits of chopped cocoa that contain no sweeteners or other ingredients.

This recipe is courtesy of www.naturalnews.com. I have not made these yet but that is on my agenda today! So I should be back tomorrow with the news on how well they turned out!! 

But I am asking my readers for your help! If you have a good homemade granola recipe, please share!!! 
Trying to keep our budget down while clean eating is extremely hard but we are trying!! 

Hope you all have a good hump day!! 

Proud To Be An American!

Remember what this day is truly about. Don't forget to thank our Veterans and the people that continue to put their lives in danger to protect our freedom! God Bless America!!!!





Check out my Facebook page,  Uggs, Bugs, and Tutus Boutique,  and make sure you like or share to get a chance to win a free headband. Winner will be announced this evening!

No Black Thumb Here!

Happy Thursday to everyone!! First I want to give you all a small apology about not being on here as much! I promise I will be better. Things with my Etsy shop have been going crazy fast and I am trying to catch up! It is a good thing though, but I feel like my blog has taken the backseat and that will change!

I am excited to update everyone on our family garden and how this life style is slowly changing us! First can I tell you that my garden is growing like crazy!!!! I seriously was afraid that I might have a black thumb but it turns out, it is pretty green. Trust me, I was in complete shock. I was expecting everything to turn brown and die within days of being planted but the total opposite happened. They are growing!!! And growing fast!

My herb collection is growing wonderfully! My poor basil plant gets picked almost daily. I may need to give him a basil friend!

Ok! So the biggest surprise to me is my tomato plant. This thing it literally about 10 times bigger than it was when I first planted it. It just keeps growing! I may need a bigger wire! 

Oh and it is growing flowers which means tomatoes are next!!

And the garden is taking off! I couldn't be happier - well maybe once everything starts actually growing!

Oh and that small guy up there is Ty's turnip plant. He brought the seeds home from school and we decided to give it a shot and they have sprouted!!! Ty was so happy!

So there is my update! Hopefully within the next couple of months things will actually start growing. That will definitely put a smile on my face!

New Product!!

So yesterday was quite a busy day for me. Sewing and a photo shoot took up most of the day, but I am happy to say that there are new patterns now available in my Boutique on Etsy! I have also started making scarfs for little girls!!! My daughter Emma graciously decided to be my little model and she did great!!!!  I may be a bit biased but she is adorable...

She definitely makes that scarf look pretty darn cute!! Girls scarves are now available!! I cant wait to make more. Look for them soon!

Also I have decided to make a little survey for my blog readers and my Facebook fans on what you would like to see in my shop! I will be back tomorrow with that. 

Again head over to my Facebook page and "like" for a chance to win a free headband!! Winner will be picked Memorial Day! Don't miss out. 

The Harts 2013

Uggs, Bugs, & TuTus Boutique got its first two orders today and I am so excited to ship them out to my very first customers! Lets hope everything gets there in one piece.

So today is a bit calmer since my in laws are on their way back home. The kids definitely are missing them, as well as mommy and daddy, but July 4th will be here before we know it. So this weekend we had our family pictures done and I cant wait to share them with y'all. We have a family friend that takes amazing pictures and she is just beginning her business so check her out on Facebook @Jessica Van Nest.

Bergey's Dairy has been our go to place for the past few months so I thought it was fitting that we have our pictures done there and they turned out amazing!!!!

Here ya go!

Pawpaw and Mimi with their babies

The love of my life!

Sugars!

Me and my girls!

The Harts

She loves giving daddy sugars!

I am in LOVE with this picture!

Mimi and her little man

Pawpaw and his little brown eye girl

My men

Haha! Totally giving my blue steel look...too funny!

My sexy man!

Love that face!

My older babies!

All my babies

Couldn't ask for a better set of in laws :)

Little Bit!

Me and my honey!

The Hart men

She was not happy!

Anthony with his parents

The Harts 2013

Here Ya Go!!!

Here is a coupon for all you fabric lovers!!!

Thank you!

So I figured that since this is my shops opening week I will give my blog readers a little something off of their purchase!! How does 20% off sound? That's right, for my blog readers only. I just want to give y'all a little thank you for sticking by my blog and giving me the encouragement to continue!!! If it wasn't for my small little group of readers, I wouldn't really have a blog! I love being able to write every day, even if it is to share a recipe, it still makes me smile. And all the thanks goes to YOU!

So if you decide to purchase anything head over to www.etsy.com/shop/uggsbugsandtutus or use the link to the right and use the coupon code: tutu20

This code is only good until May 31st!

Thanks again to each and every one of you! I truly am blessed!!!

Grand Opening!

www.etsy.com/shop/uggsbugsandtutus

YAY!!! My Etsy shop is now open for business!!!! I am so excited for this new journey and to take all of you on it with me. To me it is a bit surreal to actually have my own Etsy shop. I have been Etsy stalking for the longest time. The stuff that you can find on there is amazing!

Here is a little look at some of the different fabrics that are available in the shop...

Also in the next few weeks I will be adding three new patterned fabrics and a some new headband styles as well. Here is a small sneak peak at one of the patterns that is coming soon...

I am squealing behind the computer right now! I cant wait to get started on some new product!

Be back tomorrow :)

On a small side note:
This week on the blog may be a bit slower than normal. We have our family in town and we will be busy spending as much time with them as possible!

I Think I Have A Problem!

Good Monday morning!!! I hope that you all had an amazing weekend and Mothers Day! I sure did. My kiddos and husband sure know how to make a momma feel special. They obviously know me way to well. This is what I got and I couldn't be happier...

Its a thermal travel or stay coffee mug! And I know its hard to read what my husband got engraved but it says "We love you, Mommy." Perfect gift! I would have been happy with the all the homemade cards and crafts from them but this mug was the cherry on top. I am truly blessed. OK so now onto something a bit more serious...


I think I may have a serious addiction to the fabric store. No, trust me, I am totally serious! I cant even remember how many times I have been there this past week. But I do know that the people finally have realized how many times I have been in there and are super friendly now! I have actually learned a lot from them over the past week. They just don't cut fabric people, those ladies really know what they are talking about!!!

So just a little update for all that have asked, the Boutique is almost ready to open its virtual doors! I have an awesome friend who takes some pretty great pictures and we are gonna have a little fashion shoot today! I am so excited!!! So once I get my pictures up and shipping details figured out, it will be good to go.

Here is a little sneak peak for you guys of my newest item that will be available soon!

This headband is so stinking cute! I am definitely going to be making some for myself! Hope you all have a blessed week! Be back tomorrow.

Boutique Coming Soon!!

Yay!!!! SO I am bouncing off the walls with excitement today. I am super excited to say that by early next week I will be launching my new Etst shop: UggsBugs&Tutus Boutique!!!  I can hardly contain myself. I am busy busy busy working on my inventory so I can set up shop for everyone to see.

I want to thank everyone who pushed me to do this. I really just loved making things for people and never thought about actually making them for a profit. So here goes! It will either be a complete bust or a huge success. We shall soon find out.

Now the time comes to figure out my packaging! That is a very important part to me. I want the people that are investing their money in me to feel that I took time on each of their orders.

Also a big shout out to our friend Ken who helped me in so many ways! He owns an Etsy shop as well. Check him out www.etsy.com/shop/squarepegantuques.com. He is the one that design my banner for my shop. Here is a sneak peak...

I cant wait for the day I actually click "open." I will definitely let you all know when that time comes!
Thanks again to everyone who had a part of this! Now it is time to get back to the sewing machine!

A New Take On Meatloaf!

Guess what???? I made this amazing meatloaf last night, but it wasn't with the traditional ingredients! Normally I do not stray away from my normal meatloaf because my husband loves it and is extremely picky when it comes to it. But last night I decided it was time for a change. It will not be a permanent change but I wanted to switch it up and see how the family liked it. Well it was a huge success with my kids and a tiny one with my husband. He liked it but of course said, "I like my meatloaf better." I told him to get over it and to step out of the box, haha! He just laughed at me and continued to eat. So I guess he didn't hate it too much because he cleaned his plate.

This recipe came from The Whole Foods Market cookbook that I recently purchased. It was definitely worth every penny. I actually purchased it on my IPad and paid less than I would have if I bought the hardcover.

So here it is: Sweet Potato and Turkey Meatloaf!

Ingredients:

1lb of turkey meat
1 cup of grated sweet potato
1/2 coarsely chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 table spoons of BQ sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a bowl mix turkey meat, sweet potato, onion, salt, pepper, and BBQ sauce together until well blended.
3. Instead of putting the meat mixture in a loaf pan, make four small loafs and place on the baking sheet.
4. Top the loaves with BBQ sauce and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.


For our side I made Maple Syrup green beans (also from The Whole Food Market cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 lb of green beans, cleaned and trimmed
2 tbs of maple syrup, if you want them sweeter just add more!
2 tbs of olive oil

Directions:

1. After you put together your meatloaves, wash and trim your green beans.
2. In a bowl mix together the beans, syrup and oil.
3. Place the coated green beans on a baking dish and throw in the oven with the meatloaves.
4. The beans should be done when the meat is cooked!

I hope that you all enjoy!!! This recipe was actually pretty amazing!!! I will probably double the recipe in the future so that there will be leftovers for the next day :)

Pop To The Tart!

My kids love them some pop tarts and I must admit, they are pretty tasty. But have you ever looked at the ingredients? It is pretty scary and there are so many words that I cant even begin to pronounce. Its insane and it kinda makes me sick to my stomach because I was feeding my children this crap!

So I was on a mission to try and find a good homemade toaster pastry recipe and I did!! Again www.100daysofrealfood.com is totally to blame for this wonderful concoction! 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp of salt

2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter

1/2 cup of water plus ice

1 egg beaten with a splash of water

jam or jelly 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I used a baking stone so I didn't need to line with paper)

2. Put flour and salt in mixer with a dough blade and blend together.

3. Fill a measuring cup with 1/2 cup of water and add a few ice cubes.

4. Take the butter out of the fridge and cut into 1/2 inch chunks and spread the chunks of butter over the flour mixture. Make sure you spread them evenly and not into one big pile. 

5. Turn on the mixer and mix butter and flour together until it resembles a crumbly meal. While mixer is still on, pour 1/3 of the water into the mixer. The dough should start to form together. If needed add a few more tablespoons of water so the dough ball will form. 

6. Remove dough from mixer and place on a lightly floured counter or cutting board. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a big rectangle. Keep dough no more than a 1/4 inch thick. 

7. Trim the edges to make a nice rectangle and you can use those trimming to patch any crack, if needed.

8. Using a knife, cut 14 to 16 small rectangles or make any shapes that you want!

9. Then spoon about a tablespoon of the jelly or jam on top of those rectangles and then cover with another rectangle and use a fork to close the edges. Also make a few holes on the top of the pastries with the fork.

10. Bake at 375 for about 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. You can keep these in the fridge for about 3 days or a couple of months in the freezer!! You can eat them cold or warm them up!

Hope you all enjoy these as much as we have this morning!! I think I have eaten more than my kids!

Also if you have multiple children like I do, I would suggest doubling this recipe. I have a feeling I will be in the kitchen tonight making some more for tomorrow!