Healthy Fruit & Nut Couscous

I just have to share this recipe. It’s about as healthy as you can get and it is SO good. No added sugars, whole wheat couscous, plus dried fruit and nuts. It makes a great breakfast, but you can eat it anytime and probably even use it as a side dish in a meal. I enjoy it because it’s kind of like an alternative to oatmeal, but BETTER! (mostly because the cous cous is like chewy little pasta balls 🙂 Yum!

Ingredients:

  • Whole wheat couscous
  • Dried apricots (unsulfured)
  • Almonds (or any nuts you prefer)

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions. I make 1 cup which equals 2 to 2.5 cups when cooked and can be used for a couple days.

Toast the almonds. You can do this in a dry skillet on the stove, but I do it in a toaster oven for about 7 minutes. You’ll know they’re toasted when you can smell them. (I also toast a bunch at one time and store them in a container)

Chop the dried apricots and almonds and mix into the couscous.

For one serving of couscous I use 2-3 apricots and 4-6 almonds. I just keep the prepared couscous in the fridge so I don’t have to make it on the stove each morning. Then I mix in the fruit and nuts each morning so I can change it daily! You can eat this at any temperature, but I like it best when it’s hot.

Enjoy! 


Other variations to try:
dried cranberries and walnuts
cashews and dried strawberries
fresh fruit
try incorporating 2 or 3 kinds of fruit with 2 or 3 kinds of nuts

lovelisa

DIY Bridal Shower

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My sister’s bridal shower was last weekend. It was a perfect channel for my need to create. If you don’t know it already, I should tell you now that I am super frugal. Why spend $10 when I can spend $1 and make something myself! It’s cheaper and so much MORE fun! So this is officially Lisa’s version of a frugal, DIY wedding shower.
The frames are 4×6 wood frames that came 2 in a package at the dollar store. I painted them with a dry brush using white acrylic paint to give it the imperfect finish (perfect with the beach scene photos).

The flowers are from Sam’s Club. I bought them about 3 days early so they were in full bloom for the shower. And the glass containers are a jelly jar and olive oil bottle I cleaned out when we used up the contents. Now that’s recycling! And cheap!

This picture has another 8×10 frame (dollar store & paint) and I glued on an “H” that I bought from a craft store. The little white vase below was $.99 at goodwill. So cute!

For more variety I painted a few soup cans with white acrylic paint and used those as vases too. I chose different sized cans to pair together. They probably aren’t something you’ll want to save and reuse. They did start to rust on the inside.

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Chocolate covered pretzels are a great favor. I’ve used them for more than one party. They’re really easy to make. They just take a little time depending on the number of people and how many you plan to give per person.

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What’s your favorite favor to give or receive?

Chocolate Croissants 2.0

I tested out some different ideas for chocolate croissants a few weeks back. I used chocolate chips in some and nutella in others… Nutella definitely wins!

So I made them again this week!

This is so super simple and it is so yummy. It’s like eating at a coffee shop but you get 8 croissants for the price of one!

8 made at home chocolate croissants > 1 chocolate croissant from coffee shop

Here’s my super simple recipe:

1 can of reduced fat pillsbury crescent rolls
1 jar of nutella

*note: you will not use the whole jar of nutella… Unless of course you scarf it down while you wait on the croissants to bake.

**note: I used reduced fat crescent rolls because you ate all that nutella!

Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate the triangles. I use a small spatula and spread nutella on one whole side of a triangle. Spread extra nutella on the wide end and loosely roll up from that side. Place on a baking sheet and bake according to the directions on the crescent roll package. How easy is that?! I watch the cute lil things until they’re golden on top but still pale yellow in places. That’s when they’re fluffy and moist inside (but not doughy!) And you don’t want to over cook them because they will be dried out. Just sprinkle with powdered sugar to make them extra cute and wallah! You’re finished!

Paired with a cup of coffee, this is delicious! Coffee and chocolate croissants are a brilliant food combination!

lovelisa

Goodwill Shopping Trip

Check out my goodwill find! It’s a beautiful old chair in my favorite color. And here’s the best part: it cost $14. That’s correct – fourteen dollars!

Since I’m living in a furnished apartment I don’t have to be in a hurry to find furniture, which means I can take my time and find awesome pieces like this one. If you don’t normally shop at goodwill you should totally try it sometime!

lovelisa

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

An Early Fall Morning

It was so beautiful when I looked out my window this morning that I quickly dressed, grabbed my camera and headed outside. I just had to capture some of those beautiful scenes before the sun could get too high.


lovelisa

The wedding is fast approaching

I can’t believe I’m getting married. It’s starting to seem real, now that the time is getting closer. Omigosh. I only have 17 more nights of climbing into bed alone and sleeping by myself. That is so weird! For the rest of my life I will be joined to this man. I am so excited!!! Our life is going to be amazing! From the seemingly insignificant things to the huge important things, every part of our life together is going to be wonderful. Of course there will be difficulties. That goes without saying, but I am going to enjoy being married for all it’s worth.

Make the most out of your life! The choice is up to you!

lovelisa

God is love

There is a God that is so big, so great, so holy and so majestic that we could never comprehend it with our earthly minds. And he loves me. And he loves you, no matter who you are. Good samaritan or murderer. Black or white. Young or old. Muslim or Jew. Christian or not. Jesus loves you passionately with a love that is unfathomable. You could never do anything to make him stop loving you. How cool is that?! He will never stop loving me. Ever. But I have to choose to receive his love and to love him in return.

A New Year

2010.
It is coming.
The year I will graduate with my bachelors degree.
The year I will get married.
The year of endings and beginnings.
A year of growth and learning, as all the rest have been.

lovelisa
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Relationships bring Humility

Relationships. It’s how we grow.
Relationships are constantly about pushing down your own pride.
You must humble yourself to admit when you are wrong. And that’s not even the hardest part. The hard part is when you must humble yourself to accept an apology and offer forgiveness. In this case, you have to step down from the place where you believe you “deserve” something and humble yourself enough to cancel out the wrong that was done against you.
That’s tough stuff!

lovelisa

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone