Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

It's a cloudy, rainy day here today so cinnamon rolls for breakfast just felt right.

The best part about these cinnamon rolls is that I can actually eat them! I am cheating a tad bit because there is butter in them but there is no processed sugar or gluten. I plan on trying this recipe with coconut oil in place of the butter in the future.
The recipe calls for brown sugar but I used coconut sugar instead.

These are such a treat for me. They are gooey in the middle like a cinnamon roll should be with just the right amount of buttery crisp around the outer edges.
I sprinkle them with crushed pecans on the top because pecans make most baked dishes even better!

Are you ready for the recipe? Well, this is where it gets even better. I love homemade, from scratch everything and while I prefer to do things that way, sometimes the ease of a mix is what your morning calls for. I appreciate those types of recipes on those types of mornings. ;)

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix 
Simply follow the Cinnamon Roll recipe on the back of the package
Coconut sugar
Add crushed pecans to the top before baking

Enjoy with a cup of coffee!

...like I said, enjoy with a cup of coffee. :)

Isn't this the coolest?! I ordered it here. It just came in yesterday and I LOVE it!
I mean, really, how could drinking my morning cup of coffee get any better? How about drinking it from my "camera lens".......um, yeah, better. :)

Have a great day!
-Jenny

10 Things

So, I have been doing a lot of thinking/reflecting lately, on life, myself, our family, our future, etc.

I LOVE blogging. I love the creative outlet it gives me. I love that all in one place I get to do so many of the things that I am passionate about; writing, photography,making things, sharing my heart, etc. I love the people that I have already met because of this blog.

However, there is so much more to life than this blog and the whole blogging world. Blogging has provided so many wonderful outlets for people. It encourages and inspires and connects people from all over the world. But sometimes, it is easy to make false and harmful assumptions about the real people behind these blogs.

My heart is to be "real" with people, in person and on this blog. I never want to portray an all together, perfect life lived out within the walls of a magazine ready home.
I want you to know that behind the pretty photos and DiY's , there is a real person who messes up A LOT.

So, here's to being real!
10 Things You May Not Know About Me

1. I once played soccer. Literally, once. I played my first game in Kindergarten, fell one time and got a nasty grass stain on my uniform, ran off the field and was DONE. Seriously people!

2. I long to be an early riser; to be up before everyone else, have some time alone with the Lord first thing in the morning when all is quiet, get my workout in, get ready for the day and have breakfast started by the time my husband and kids awake. Most mornings, I am stumbling out of bed in a hurry to get the coffee going so my husband can grab a mug of it before he leaves for work.

3. I was a pageant girl; from 1st grade to my senior year in high school. I loved that I got to dress up in pretty gowns, have my hair fixed and be the ultimate girly girl. Pageants taught me to stand and speak with confidence in front of a crowd. Unfortunately, they also taught me that what I looked like was of the utmost importance and that is why people liked or would like me. So, my confidence was built upon a very shaky and vain foundation, rather than in the Lord God who created me and loves me for me....period.

4. I struggled with an eating disorder most of my teenage years and continued to battle self image issues and condemnation all the way to adulthood. I am free from these things now because of the Lord, but it is certainly my area of weakness. There are days that I feel weak in this area and the Lord is faithful to remind me of the truth.

5. My cousin and I once secretly took a puff of my grandpa's cigar when we were younger......it definitely smelled better when my grandpa smoked it! I have never forgotten that.

6. I smoked a lot of cigarettes in college. You would think that the whole grandpa's cigar incident would have ruined me. So thankful that the Lord got a hold of me and took every single one of those desires away. It was Him that I needed.

7. I cannot cut a straight line to save my life! It seems like such a simple thing and a silly thing, but it's true and has caused me many "do-over's" in the DiY world!

8. I used to want a picture perfect house, a nice car, and recognition from everyone in my life to affirm that I was loved and that life was good.

9. I now long everyday for the day when the Lord brings to life what He has been doing in my heart. The day that we sell most of what we have and go to the ends of the earth, taking only our family, the necessities and the gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving grace and endless love.

10. Patience is a virtue.......that I apparently do not excel in. OK, that I don't have at all MANY days!

It feels good to be real with you! And trust me, there's so much more! Recognizing the areas where I am weak and fall short, simply makes me realize my need for my Savior that much more. It highlights all of the areas in my life that He has transformed and made new. Most importantly, my weakness brings glory to Him.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong."
-2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 What I also love about reflecting on such things is that it serves as a wonderfully encouraging reminder of who I used to be and who I am now in Christ. I am simply not the same person as I once was and I am so thankful for that.
I still mess up A LOT and fall short, but I know that God uses even those times to teach me, make me stronger and bring glory to Himself.

My hope and prayer is that I would continue to decrease and He would continue to increase in my life. (John 3:30)
I also hope that my short comings are an encouragement to others and to you. :)

Blessings to you today!
-Jenny

Spring is Finally Here!

 Pretty pink blooms suddenly appear on the branches...

little ones exploring the wonder of roly poly's...

containers around the yard are transformed into habitats for bugs and carefully watched after...

surprises in the garden of plants that survived the winter...

green, crisp...

aroma of rosemary...

basking in the sun together...

bringing new life to the front porch...
...Spring is finally here!

Thankful for the new life, cool breeze, and sunshine that it brings.
Enjoy today!
-Jenny

Random Friday

So, today's post is a bit on the random side.
There hasn't been much time for diy projects or crafts or creative anything around here lately. Upon my return from Texas where I attended my grandmother's funeral, I found a very sick husband and a mildly sick little girl. Once they were all well and our home was disinfected from that nasty stomach bug, I then began getting sick with cold/sinus junk. So early to bed it's been for me.

By the way, I shared the other day how I deal with my allergy/sinus symptoms naturally and after one day of doing these things, I could breathe again!

Okay, let the random begin!

 Trader Joe's! Why oh why don't we have one of these where I live? While in Texas, we stopped in for a few minutes and my addiction has begun...for Trader Joe's and also for these little golden nuggets of goodness!

This little beauty arrived on my doorstep this week. I have been waiting and now it's here and I can't wait to dig in! I was able to read the first couple of pages and so far, it is everything that I hoped it would be. I'll share more later, ;) But for now, you can go visit the gal behind this little lovely here.

I got my essential oils intro kit in this week too! Woo hoo! I am really excited about this. I have read up on essential oils before. I know the health benefits and I fully believe that they work. However, it is quite an investment to begin using essential oils especially when your goal is to replace other forms of medicine, etc in your home with these oils. I never knew anyone personally that had been using the oils either and as much as I read and believed, I think I just needed that testimony from a friend in order to dive in.
Recently, a handful of ladies that I know and call friends, have begun using these oils and a few of them, even selling them too. I was really excited to find this out!

So, what I am starting with is the doTERRA Introductory kit which includes a bottle of lemon, lavender, and peppermint. I also ordered an oil blend called Past Tense which is supposed to be amazing for headaches and a bottle of Slim and Sassy, which is supposed to help rev up your metabolism and shed some pounds.

My good friend Amy let me try out some Past Tense one day and within in 15 minutes, the headache that I had already had for a day and a half, was gone! That was enough for me to order my own bottle.

The Slim and Sassy....I felt kind of silly ordering this bottle. However, after almost of a year of giving up gluten, dairy, sugar and exercising regularly, I still have 10-15 more pounds to lose. I have lost 30 pounds, but that last 10-15 is being extremely stubborn so I figured it was worth a try!
I'll keep you posted! Until then, you can learn more about doTERRA oils here.

And I will leave you with this.
Happy Friday!!!
-Jenny

Kitchen Table Idea Board

Ok friends. I'm going to redo my kitchen table. We've looked around for a new one and I can't seem to find one I want to pay good money for. So instead we've gotten some new chairs and I'm going to repaint the table. The chairs that came with the table are top heavy and not very comfortable so they needed to go (the tall ladder back chairs). We got the set with a matching buffet at a yard sale for a steal...$150.

So...here is the table and chairs (the buffet is another project altogether):

Here are some ideas...

Do you have any ideas for me? Share your thoughts.

Daspri

Soothing Spring Allergies/Sinuses Naturally

Spring and I have always had a love-hate sort of relationship. I love when the flowers and the trees start blooming and the birds begin chirping outside my window. I love the cool breeze in the morning and in the evening with the warmth of the sun in between.
I don't so much like the fact that as soon as that very first bloom appears, my body feels it. I start sneezing, my eyes begin to feel heavy, my head feels full, and then it happens....I can no longer breathe through my nose!

Now, I will say that these symptoms do not arise near as often as they did before I began eating clean (no gluten, dairy, sugar or processed foods). However, they do still show their ugliness more than I would like. As in this week, right now, I cannot breathe.

So, based on the assumption that many others are probably experiencing similar things right now, I thought I would share a few natural ways that help me during this season.

 Drink lots of lemon water!
The excess of water will help flush your system, keep you hydrated, and loosen up all of the junk in your head that needs to come out!
For more info on the health benefits of lemons, check an older post here.

It's so sad to me that we have been trained to immediately call the doctor and run to the drug store to load up on anything that says it will give us fast relief. I used to do this very thing.
Why not educate ourselves on the many natural ways that we can come along side our bodies to help strengthen and boost our immune system rather than continue to get sick and take medicine that simply masks our problems?
Now, there are certainly things that do require a doctor and some serious illnesses that modern medicine can really help. I am talking about the sniffles, stuffy noses, etc. Things that our bodies can handle if we just know how to take care of our bodies.

In the photo above, you see:
-BioAllers Outdoor Allergy- a friend told me about these and they have replaced medicines like Claritin and Zyrtec for me. Not only does this help my symptoms, but it is building a strong defense in my body against these allergens so that eventually, they do not cause my body so much grief.

Fenu-Thyme- LOVE this stuff! It works just like sudafed used to work for me-relieving me of all of the sinus pressure and helping to clear my stuffy nose. Only now, I am taking a pill that simply has 2 herbs in it and not a pill that is filled with harmful chemicals and dyes that are hurting my body and actually weakening my immune system.

 Vitamin C Powder- this stuff is the bomb! Yes, I just said that, but I don't care because it is! 1 little teaspoon of this boasts 5000mg of straight Vitamin C! I put this in a small glass of OJ or water and chug it.

Calcium Magnesium Zinc- this little pill helps tremendously in boosting your immune system and making your body strong. Read more here.

Elderberry Zinc Lozenges- I just found these at our local health food store this week and am loving them. Did you know that if you start taking zinc within 24 hrs of a cold, it can literally knock it out by shortening the life of the cold and lessening the symptoms? And these have elderberry in them as well. Check out this old post to learn more about elderberry.

When I am sick like this and can't breathe or taste anything, all I ever want is soup. So, I whipped up this recipe today for my lunch.
I knew I wanted something that had a lot of broth to warm my throat but I also wanted some substance so I added a small handful of brown rice noodles as well.
I also wanted something that would open up my sinuses a bit so I threw in spices such as: cayenne pepper, garlic, and ginger.

Soothing Sinus Soup
1 can of organic chicken broth
3 green onions- diced
1 TB olive oil
Small handful of brown rice noodles
1/2 to 1 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
*you can add more pepper or ginger if you want it a bit hotter.

Add your oil to your saucepan, toss in your onions and saute  for a few minutes. Add your broth, spices and noodles and cook on med-low for a few more minutes. That's it!
This soup hit the spot for me today. It warmed my sore throat and helped my breathe a bit easier. Perfect!

And now, I think I will sip a cup of hot tea. This is the Yogi Echinacea Immune Support tea. I added a bit of honey and enjoy.

Do you have some natural remedies for allergy season? Share with us.
Stay healthy!
-Jenny

*disclaimer- I am not a licensed anything. What works for me might not work for you. I am simply sharing my journey to better health in hopes to inspire and help someone else. Please read, enjoy and decide for yourself.

Calzone

There is a local restaurant here in town that makes a great supreme style calzone. The hubbs is a big fan and so am I. So, why not make one at home...ish. It's pretty easy. You can either make your pizza dough from scratch or grab a store bought one. Make your dough up (I always add Italian seasoning and some garlic powder to the crust. Roll it out into a rectangle. Add your yummy fresh ingredients to the middle. 

Some like to skip the sauce on the inside and dip it once it comes out. You can sauce your way! Cut slits down each side and then lay them over the top.

Bake according to your dough recipe and viola! Fun twist on pizza if you want to mix it up.

Daspri

Inspiration