A Post from Jules- Big Changes

I'll say again how terrible my mom is at blogging. She is finishing her degree online so any time she can not be at the computer- she isn't! Sorry the blogging has suffered because of that! She has just been enjoying every second with me:) I'm kind of irresistible.

Well.. lots has changed in the last while. My dad has started his first Master's degree (Predictive Analytics from NorthWestern University) and will be finished hopefully next fall-ish. Meanwhile he has been working ~70 hours a week downtown at his consulting firm as well as applying to grad schools for a 2nd Master's degree- an MBA, for next fall. All of the schools my parents are considering are back east, so we will most likely be back there in a year. Needless to say any free second he has my mom and I snatch up in a hurry! My dad thinks school is fun or something.

But, we love how ambitious and hardworking he is. He is an incredible provider and daddy for me.

My mom has some big plans too, doing her undergrad through BYU and then will get her Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy/Psychotherapy along with all of my daddy's grad school plans over the next few years. 

It is a little harder for them now that I am around, because all they want to do is spend time with me:) my mom and dad do homework every night from about 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.(sometimes 1.. or 2 or 3..........) after I go to bed. It's their bonding time:) ha ha.  My parents must love me a lot.  A lot of people think they are crazy, or ask my mom why she bothers since her main priority is me and raising me, but they are big believers in the idea that the more education parents have, the better off the kids are. My mom says she is doing it for me and to set an example of how important it is to obtain as much education as possible. So, they'll keep being crazy busy and meanwhile I'll announce some big news that we have!

Yep, in 1 month I am moving to Memphis, Tennessee. I will have a chance to grow some little southern roots. We are going for 10 months as a pre-MBA fellowship for my dad to help start up a charter school district. It is an incredibly selective process and I am seriously SO PROUD of him for getting it. He is basically a rockstar.

It is kinda sad to move away from my grandparents and family (okay, actually really sad), but I am excited to have an adventure down south for a while! Plus I'll visit a lot. We will probably be moving a ton the next 3-4 years so I might as well get used to it and enjoy it. My parents really like moving around and living in different areas of the country so I think it'll be a good experience for us all!

Memphis is right on the Mississippi River and has a subtropical climate- basically that means it doesn't get quite as cold as Utah which my mom is real happy about. It gets humid and hot (not even as close to as hot or humid as it is in south Texas where they lived last year, thank heavens). There's lots of barbeque - which my dad is happy about- and you know, southerny things I guess! My parents are going next week to find us a nice little place to live.

I am real excited to see Memphis for the first time and make some little baby friends! Currently my favorite things are plastic water bottles, squash, daddy's tickles, playing with my uncles, crinkly things and definitely not napping.

I'll try to tell my mom to blog a bit more... but you know, all I can really say right now is aaaaaaarrraaaallaaaaaaaayyyaaaaaa. 

Xo,

Juliana.

Refrigerator Oatmeal Jars

So I posted our one of our breakfast staples on instagram the other day and lots of people have been asking for the recipe! I love it! More and more people are accepting the weirdo gf//organic way of life;) ha ha welcome!!

Anyway I decided to post the recipe here with my modifications. 

Sorry I have been a reeeeaaaallly bad blogger since Juliana was born. I don't like to be on my phone or computer a lot now that I have her and when I do have to be on it, it is for research for school and such which I feel like I am already on it enough from! Also naptime is precious time that I have to basically plan out to the second- hurry and do the laundry, throw dinner together, somehow rinse myself off in the shower in about 5 nanoseconds, or do a workout, etc... you get my drift.

So, follow me on instagram if you want to keep up with us more often! It is much easier for me to just post pictures there. Also I apologize for definitely becoming a crazy instagram mom. I literally don't care and I am obsessed with my little bebes!!! ;) Ha ha ha


Speaking of, I might as well post a picture of her from this weekend :)

She was blessed last Sunday, and this was at the luncheon afterwards. She clearly loves her grandpa more than anything. He kept kissing her little neck and his scratchy face would send her straight into a giggling fit. Most darling thing ever.


I got the idea from here and tweaked it a bit to make it my own. She has lots of different ideas of combos to make:http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal 


Here is the recipe


You will need:

• half pint mason jars (I do 12 at a time)
• old fashioned rolled oats 
• Greek yogurt (low fat)
• coconut milk (we get vanilla/sweetened) (you can use almond, soy, etc.. even regular milk if you're into that)
• chia seeds
• fruit of your choosing (I think raspberries taste and blend the best)
• some kind of sweetener (optional) such as agave or honey
• granola (optional)

I get all of this at Sprouts. It is a one stop for everything you could need. It is also our go-to grocery store. LOVE.

First of all. A small schpeel on chia seeds. Those things are TINY little powerhouses of goodness!
They have a completely neutral taste, so you can't say you don't like them! They take on the flavor of whatever they are mixed with. They start out as a seed consistency- little and hard. As they soak in the oatmeal they become like jelly! I looove the texture. They slow your body's conversion of starches to sugar therefore balancing your blood sugar, are extremely high in protein and antioxidants (among tons of other things) and are a better source of Omega 3 fatty acids than most seafood or flax seed!

Here are the proportions for the ingredients for each jar:

• 1/4 cup of the uncooked old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup of coconut milk (gives it such a light yummy coconut flavor)
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon agave
• 1/3 cup raspberries (my absolute favorite for this recipe but you can use anything!)

The order I put them in the jar is: coconut milk, oats, chia seeds, yogurt, agave, fruit. I just found thats easiest for stirring evenly. It is kind of hard to not make a mess and stir it all up! You will see what I mean! It is pretty thick and also full to the top of the jar.

These things can sit in your freezer until the day before you want to eat them. Pull it out and thaw it in the fridge. They can also stay in the fridge for +/- 4 days! Such a yummy, healthy grab and go snack or breakfast.. even maybe lunch with something else! Make sure to eat it cold. I love topping it with granola, but don't do it until after you open it to eat it or else the granola will get soggy.

There weren't any raspberries at the store this week, so I made due with strawberries which is still super yummy.

There are so many variations you could do. I saw one lady added cocoa powder and did one with bananas. That looked delish!
 

We eat gluten free (I have celiac) and largely organic. Every time I do a post a lot of people want to know the recipe. It is getting a lot more popular to eat this way and that makes me happy! I wish I had more time to take pictures of our food and post more and then write out the recipes... and I also don't know exactly what people think would be good or not, like I said, we eat kind of different! So feel free to comment or ask me about any specific recipes or anything you'd like to know, or would like me to post.


XO