bonzo and the gardeners

bonzo worships the gardeners – our gardeners, other people's gardeners, the idea of gardeners or even just the memory of gardeners we've once seen.

pretty much anyone wielding a leaf blower, pushing a lawnmower or raking is his hero.

unfortunately, now that bonz has transitioned into taking just one nap a day instead of two, he unknowingly sleeps through our gardener's thursday visits. they usually come about a half hour after he's gone down – bummer for bonzo.

i'd let him stay up so he could watch but there's no way he'd be able to nap after that kind of excitement.

anyways, the stars aligned this week.

bonz went down early and only slept about an hour – and the gardeners were a bit late.

so, for the first time in months, bonz got to watch his heros in his very own backyard.

ummm... i think i hear something, mama.

am i hearing a leaf blower? is that what i hear?

yeah, i'm pretty sure that's what i'm hearing....

... but i better take another listen to be sure.

yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

this is the best day of my life.

i gotta get a closer look.

are you seeing this, mama? the gardeners are right there!

(have i mentioned how much i love this little person?)

mmm mmm muffins!

i made my second batch of zucchini muffins yesterday and, dude. they're so good.

usually i like to follow a recipe closely the first time and then get crazy with additions, substitutions and modifications after that... rarely can i just leave well enough alone.

bonzo's totally in a picky phase, too which keeps this mama on her toes in the feeding department. yet another reason i heart nursing – and why i let bonz set the pace and timeline.

these muffins actually made it into his mouth and were chewed and swallowed as opposed to being bitten once and dramatically spit out. or worse: not even touched – just skeptically glared at.

instead of 1 cup all purpose flour, i did 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup quinoa flour and i used 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup almond meal.

and, of course, i threw in some chia seeds (2 tbsp probably) and some walnuts, too.

Zucchini Muffins (12 Muffins or 24 Mini Muffins)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

2 Eggs, whisked

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil

2/3 Cup Agave Nectar

1 1/2 Cups Zucchini, shredded (about 2 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined.

5. Pour the zucchini mixture into large or small muffins cups (I like to use a small ice cream scooper to make spooning into the muffin cups easier).

6. Bake 15 minutes for small muffins and 20 minutes for large ones.

7. Cool and serve.

how many muffins is too many muffins to eat in one day?

my guys

you know when you feel so much love that it feels wonderfully amazing and hurts all at the same time?

yeah, me too:

holy granola!

have you heard of www.weelicious.com?

it's semi-new to me and, i have to say, i'm into it (though if i were to judge it by its graphics – as i've been known to do – i would discount it immediately based on the horrible header. i'm a jerk that way, sorry.

the site's great, it could just be so much cuter.)

bad graphics aside, i've bookmarked a handful of recipes to try and since i had everything in my cupboards and fridge to make granola – with a few modifications – i thought i'd hop to it.

here's the recipe with my substitutions and additions noted at the bottom:

Wee Granola (makes 4 1/2 Cups Granola)

2 Cups Rolled Oats (make sure not to use the 1 minute oats)
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 Cup Cashews, chopped
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Raisins and/or Currants
1/4 Cup Dried Cherries (you could also use dried blueberries)
2 Tbsp Wheat Germ
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil

1. Preheat over to 275 degrees
2. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir until completely combined.
3. Place the granola mixture on a cookie sheet and spread it out until it covers the sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Stir the granola on the cookie sheet and bake another 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it remain on the sheet until it’s cool before stirring (this way it will be a little crispy and chunkier which is fun for kids to break up with their spoon).

i didn't have currants so i only used raisins... and i used goji berries instead of dried cherries... and i used a mixture of about 80% raw agave and 20% brown rice syrup instead of the honey... and i used unrefined coconut oil instead of canola oil... plus i added a handful of pepitas, two tablespoons of chia seeds and a spoonful of almond butter... and a handful of cacao nibs which made the granola.

so i stirred all that up and baked it as per the instructions... though next time i will add the goji berries after all is said and done because they didn't hold up in the heat. and i'd probably throw a handful of raw coconut flakes either at the end or a few minutes before it's done. yum.

and i would probably bake for 30 minutes, stir, then bake for another 20-30 minutes instead of the 40 the recipe called for.

the end result was deliciousness – even though it looks a little like barf in the photo below.

bowl + granola + coconut milk + spoon = yum city, usa

dude.

turns out, i'm a shitty blogger.

there's always stuff on my mind, cool stuff i see and could share, something that inspires the breath out of me or just something to say...

but actually putting it out there? well, it's fallen by the wayside.

but that's okay – i think i've accepted that this blog is going to be updated when i feel like it.

mostly because that's when i think it'll be the most me.

so many of my regular reads are so kick ass about updating and posting – which is rad.

i think i just thought – or figured – that i'd follow suit with daily posts and i think that's what's gotten me feeling like i'm behind on something instead of just taking it at my own pace.

anyways... it's been posted-to-death but i'm going to join the ranks because... well... it's inspiring and i like it.

what's it?

this.

happy new year.

i'm always a little late to the party...

... lisztomania pretty much always makes me happy – happy new year!