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Breakfast Bars & Bullet Proof Coffee!

vanessa eviganComment

Cold weather can feel so discouraging for me because the last thing I want to do is get outside and be active when it's snowing. I have been spending a lot of time inside the last few weeks finding new recipes and baking.

I was on a mission to increase my breast milk supply and I found a recipe that has helped a LOT!

I'm so excited to share with you these incredibly yummy and easy and quick breakfast bars that I have been keeping in the fridge. If you are breastfeeding you will want to be sure and get on this asap as long as you don't have an allergy to peanuts! 

Oats have been known to help with milk supply and I am proof that oats work. I was really worried that my milk was running out. I have been keeping Maverick on my boob all day long because supply and demand is one of the top ways to increase the supply so I hear. I did all sorts of research and tried a bunch of different things that didn't really work. When I started eating a lot of oats, the milk came! I was so sick of oatmeal and putting oats on my yogurt. I wanted to find a tasty way to keep oats in the fridge so I could eat them all day long!

These breakfast bars have been what I am snacking on all through the day. I dream about them they are so good. I have a good size bar for breakfast along with my eggs. They take maybe 7 minutes to make and there is no baking required! And they are healthy!

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup all natural no sugar added creamy peanut butter I LIKE THIS ONE

1/2 Cup Honey

3 Cups old fashion organic quick oats I LIKE THIS ONE

1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt the peanut butter and honey together on stove top at medium heat for about a minute or until ingredients becomes smooth. If you are using a microwave, cook for 30 seconds then stir then cook again for 30 more seconds. Combine oats and cinnamon with warm peanut butter and honey mixture. Stir well until ingredients becomes thick.

2. Spoon into a 9x9 no stick pan and press into pan. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before eating!

NOTES

Be sure you get quick oats! Bars become soft at room temp so I recommend keeping them in the refrigerator.

If you want to add natural dark chocolate to your bars add 1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces to your peanut butter and honey mix and stir until all chocolate chips are melted and continue with next steps above!

Nothing goes better with breakfast bars than a frothy latte. I had been hearing about bullet proof coffee for years now and all the health benefits that go along with it (some more info on it here) but for some reason I had not tried it until today. Friends..... life changing. I mean I had one sip and my lips did a happy dance. It's been about three hours since I had it and I have not had a crash yet. I usually get a lot of energy after I drink my coffee in the morning and then about 30 minutes to 1 hour later I crash hard and feel like I need another cup. I was told the way the bullet proof coffee works allows your body to process the caffeine different and you don't have a crash and don't need another cup, although you will want one because it tastes so darn good. 

If you are a person who likes to skip breakfast this is really for you! I love breakfast and still believe after all the different fads that have come and gone, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Some people just can't do breakfast in the morning but will have a cup of coffee  on an empty stomach. Talk about a nice way to burn a whole in your tummy! ALl that acid! Yikes! Bullet proof coffee is a wonderful addition to your life and gets your metabolism going and will help coat your tummy if you don't eat!

Here is how I made mine this morning. I added a few other things to mine. There are all different ways to make it. The recipe I found called for MCT oil which I don't have but will be purchasing.  I used coconut oil instead. You can find the oil at the bullet proof coffee site HERE. Here is how I made mine this morning.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil

2 tbsp Kerrygold butter

12 oz coffee

2 dashes of cinnamon

1 teaspoon honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brew a cup of coffee using any brewing method you like. I grind my beans and then do a slow drip and made mine fairly strong.

2. Add butter, oil, coffee, honey, and cinnamon to blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds and ENJOY!

I am so excited to see how you like yours after you make it! Please let me know!!

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Night Magic

vanessa evigan

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, it was like my skin decided to dry up and break out.... everywhere. My sweet little man is sucking the life out of me, literally. I'm a big skin researcher and I'm always on the hunt for something "better". I recently learned that woman put an average of 168 chemicals on their face from soaps to lotions to makeup every day. I haven't gone totally chemical free because I am struggling giving up a few things but I have gotten that number a lot lower.

My acne and redness has been out of control since baby so let me start with my new miracle oil, Frankincense oil. I know it may freak you out, as it did me, to put oil on my face especially when I was broken out, but I was desperate and heard great things about this so I tried it. Keep in mind it is really important you are using a grade A oil so you have the purest oil possible. I'm using Young Living oils because they are some of the purest oils around and come from the Young Living farm. I add 1-2 drops to my evening moisturizer (I use Embryolisse Lait-Creme for my moisturizer) and I'm telling you with in 4 days I noticed my skin had looked less red, less inflamed, and most my acne has calmed down and is not visible anymore. Frankincense oil is used for many ailments some including reducing pain, inflammation, boosting immunity, and even potentially helping to fight cancer. I'm not a doctor by any means but I do a ton of research and I'm in love with this oil. I have occasionally mixed a drop of the Frankincense with the Baobab oil for my face if I'm extremely dry but when I use the Baobab oil on my face too much I get a little congested. Less is more right now for me so I'm trying to use just a few things to calm & soothe my face.

My belly is growing fast and itching, so that means stretch marks are in my future. I'm trying to combat this and have found two incredible yummy products. I'm in love with my friend Dani Kenney's line. Dani is a chef and a mama. Dani started this amazing all natural line while she was pregnant and finding different healthier options. She created this amazing "Beautiful Belly" body butter packed with wonderful oils like Shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa, mango butter, avocado oil, and a bunch of other yummy oils that make my tummy so soft and almost instantly stop the itch. I love adding a drop or two of the Young Living Lavender oil to the mix for a calming and relaxing aroma! 

I'm also loving the Baobab oil by Powbab. I have been switching off between the belly butter and this one just for fun and sometimes I will even mix them for more hydration. They are both wonderful. I add the Lavender oil to this as well. I love rubbing both these oils and the butter all over my arms, neck, boobies (they need love too) and my neck. Everything is growing and stretching so it's important to hydrate everything and not do favorites to some parts and not others. I neglect my neck so often and forget how important the neck is... it gives away your age!! So do your hands!

Lips! Oh the lips! The ones on your face. I forgot that everything you put on your lips, you end up eating off throughout the day. I switched my night lip balm to the Henne Organics Luxury Lip Balm. It is magical. Like butter. Probably because it's main ingredient is Shea butter! I love it and it kinda tastes good too. I don't think I need to be eating it but at least I feel safe knowing it's not poison for my baby if I do.

All these products are products I am using by choice not for promotion. They are products I have found through trial and error. I have been using all of these products for months now and have had no allergic reactions but everyone's skin is different so ease your way into anything new. The Young LIving oils can be very powerful at first, especially if you have a lot of toxins in your system. They tend to pull things out so if you break out a little give it a chance it should clear up. Mine didn't break out though and I have extremely sensitive skin. The Beautiful Belly butter is newer on my regimen but I have been using it a few weeks now and I'm totally in love. I will be using this product for life!

Hope this was helpful if you are on the search for something new and natural.