Planning a Garden in Minnesota

I guess you could say we have a serious case of spring fever in this house. We're stir crazy and tired of being cold. Between cold snaps and the polar vortex, which we lovingly refer to as the snap of death, we are trying to kick start spring. In Minnesota the growing season doesn't last too terribly long and I want to make the best of it. I'm an amateur at best, but I have a great friend who has some great knowledge.

With my amateur status comes confusion and conflict. What do we want to grow? Which plants/foods suit our family best? Should I start more indoor, the transplant? Will we plant directly in the ground, or should we make some raised garden beds? What can I do to maximize my growing space? Oh, and the hardest one, what are the rules and regulations in our city? I've found that our local extension office offers great advice, as well as access to a volunteer master gardener. I hope to make use of one soon! If you have any tips, advice or questions, please post them below!

I have come to the conclusion that most of my questions draw out more questions, some of which lead to confusion. I have all of these great ideas in mind that I have picked up from Pinterest, various sustainable Facebook pages as well as Ana White's website.

What I have come to realize about myself is that I have all of these great ideas and aspirations, but rarely do I follow through. With the help of friends and a wonderful hubby, along with some pretty determined littles, we're determined to make this garden happen. I will post any DIY projects, lists of what we choose to grow as well as some random fun along the way.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment! 

Everyone's Favorite Chia Brownies

This is my most requested recipe when my daughter has friends over. The kids always want the coconut chia brownies. There's no taste of coconut, but I use coconut oil rather than vegetable. Makes for creamier, healthier brownies. They're quick and delicious. I'll post a photo of the last batch. The kids cut them and put them on a tray so fast that they didn't have time to cool. When allowed to cool, you'll get perfectly moist squares of deliciousness! Enjoy!

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
⅔ cup liquid coconut oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1 scoop chia seeds
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray a 9x13-in. baking dish with baking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa,baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined - Do NOT overmix. Spread into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with nuts if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center tests clean.

Lactation Cookie Recipe

I'm going to share with you the lactation cookie recipe that I use. I have combined about 5 recipes to make this recipe somewhat my own. It works very well for me and those that I have shared with. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. You may find they work too well, or for some not enough. If that is the case, adjust the brewer's yeast. Add more if it didn't help enough, or less if it helped too much. They go great with a glass of milk. I buy almond milk, the vanilla un-sweetened, as a treat when I make these.

Lactation Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar (you can use a sugar sub., although I have not tried it)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flax seed meal, or whole seeds if you like the texture

2 tablespoons chia seeds
6 tablespoons of water
2 eggs (preferably not too cold)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons brewer's yeast
3 cup rolled oats (I get the bulk thick rolled oats in the organic section of our grocer)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds 
1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, craisins, nuts, or whatever you like (this is a versatile cookie so go nuts!)

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Soak both the chia seeds and the flax seed in the water while you go through the next few steps. This will allow them time to soften. It will become gel-like.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together, except for the sugars.
4. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs, seed mix and vanilla. Mix well. 
5. Slowly add your dry ingredients by stirring them together.
6. Drop cookies by the spoonful onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 10 minutes. (give or take 2-3 minutes depending on your oven, mine is perfect at 10 mins.)
8. Savor and share!

Ahhh. I can feel spring coming!

Spring time is upon us here in Minnesota. I'm hoping the snowfall that they have predicted loses sight of us and finds someone else to bother. Us Minnesotans are stir crazy and need a little sunshine and warmth! Usually winter lasts from Nov-April with a short May-June spring and a July-August summer and then a September-October Fall. So, basically, a Minnesota winter is six months out of the year. That's OK sometimes, but this winter seems to continue to drag on and on. It was starting to feel like there was no end in sight, until today. Now, we have had some teasers with a warm day here, three cold days there and another warm day thrown in just to flare up another common cold outbreak. Yea, I guess you could say that sums up our weather forecast and we can move on to something a bit more relevant.

Today has not only been productive, but it has also been fun. I chose to wake up a bit early to get to the store and grab a few things I needed to surprise the ladies at our play date with some lactation cookies, I'll do a recipe follow up blog on that next. I had gone to the store, mixed up two batches of cookies, got myself and four kids ready and out the door before 10:15 am. If you know me, you know that that is a rarity! Usually it takes an hour just to convince my own kids to get ready and out the door, but I also had my young, four year old, cousin as well. I haven't felt quite this accomplished since yesterday! Yesterday, I cleaned the entire living and kitchen area thoroughly. Some of you might think that was nothing, but in my house, it is definitely an accomplishment. I have a few more things on my to do list, but this is my break time!

While we're still thinking about spring and spring cleaning, what are some things you do in the spring time? This year I am forcing my house to purge. We have focused on material things far too long and have accumulated way too much. My kids want to do a garage sale again. Last year we did one with friends and it was kind of a bust. We will see how much we can get rid of first! Maybe hold a garage sale to pay for a vacation? Hmmmmm......now my wheels are turning! Aside from that I have a few play related ideas that I have taken from Pinterest to make our own chalk, bubbles and other fun outdoor activities. I have also found a few storage items that I'd like to either build or purchase for some better organization, our house seriously lacks organization.

Thanks for letting me ramble and come back tomorrow for an amazing lactation cookie recipe! I can feel them working already!

Review: Bloom Coco Stylewood Baby Lounger

Have you looked at baby furniture lately and realized just how busy it looks? Are you looking for something sleek and modern to fit in with your home's contemporary style? If you answered yes to those questions, then I would Highly recommend Bloom's baby lounger. The lounger is a piece that gets comments from friends and family about it's stylish design and contemporary looks.

First, let's start off with the seat itself. The seat is a very sleek and modern piece of baby furniture and comes with a nice carry bag for storage and easy transport, if necessary. While other seat will use batteries or an outlet, this seat will need a gentle bounce every once in a while. Between that gentle bounce the lounger will use the weight of the baby to continue it's motion. I found that the way in which the seat was designed, somewhat backless, made it much more comfortable for my baby. He didn't care for activity seats or bouncy chairs, but place him in the lounger and he will relax and people watch for quite some time.

The pad is securely attached to the frame, but the back doesn't have any bars or supports going across, hence why I said it was somewhat backless. The frame is a smooth, almost v-shaped, stylewood. These features are what give it that modern, sleek look.

As far as any negatives, the only one I have found is that some may need to purchase an infant liner. We didn't ever use one for our little one, but some people have found that it is the only way to use the seat right at birth.

You can check out a  Bloom Coco Stylewood Baby Lounger here:
 http://www.albeebaby.com/bloom-coco-stylewood-cappuccino-baby-lounger-in-harvest-orange.html

**Disclaimer** This is my personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and are not influenced in any way by others. All information provided on my blog is for informational purposes only. I will make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors in this information that is provided. All information is provided on basis of my own opinion. I purchased a Bloom baby of my own free will. One was not provided for me for this review, nor was I contacted to review the item.