My family is full of history nuts. Probably because we were instilled with a love for it when we were very little. Anywhere we lived, we'd be taking road trips to any historical site possible. Lighthouses to battlefields to national parks, we've definitely seen it all. Don't even get me started with when my parents were living in Germany.

This picture comes to you from, I think, 1998 or 1999. Couldn't you tell? We were on a family trip to Gettysburg with some amazing family friends (the ones behind the camera, Tony and Bev).

The one standing on the pillar with the rockin' glasses, blue shirt, Tevas, and camera... that'd be me. I love this picture of my family because it's pretty much classic of everyone. The other rarity is that my older sister looks as though she was still taller than me at this point. (Love ya, KK!) My little sister looks like she's about to get in trouble. And my parents are just adorable. Even though my mom is a little overshadowed, she also has the classic camera hanging around her neck. If anyone wonders where we ladies get our love for taking pictures... blame her.

Please share links for your #TBTs!

I was honestly surprised when Clark requested these for breakfast a few weeks past. When I tell Clark I will make anything he wants for breakfast it usually results in french toast or eating out. So when he asked me to make crepes, I must confess I was really excited.

This recipe I adapted from 100 Days of Real Food. It's one of my favorites. It's healthy(ish), and it's SO delicious.

Ingredients

- 3 eggs
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1 C milk
- 1/2 C water
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter, melted, plus extra for cooking

Directions

- Whisk together the eggs, milk, water, honey, vanilla, and butter.
- Mix in the flour, salt, and cinnamon little by little until evenly combined.
- Cover and refrigerate the batter for around 15 to 30 minutes.'
- Swirl butter around your pan (as it is heating, over low to medium heat) to completely cover the bottom and low sides.
- Pour enough batter on one side to thinly and evenly cover the pan. Quickly swirl the batter around to cover the pan in one thin layer.
- Let the crepe cook until bubbling (somewhat like a pancake). Very gently shimmy a spatula underneath it and flip it without breaking the crepe.
I have to brag a little here. Most people complain that this is the hardest part, and I felt like such a champ. It's probably because I made my crepes just a tiny bit thicker, but I had no trouble flipping them at all!
- Fry for one more minute on the other side, until golden brown, and then remove to a plate. I put wax paper in between them so they wouldn't stick until I was ready to serve them.

Now, you have options on how to serve them. You can roll them up plain and just top with maple syrup, or you can get creative. I put nutella and strawberries in the middle and then topped them with powdered sugar.

Are you drooling yet? These are wonderful for breakfast, dessert, or just about anything!

Saturday Michael and I ventured to a wedding shower. He was my "hot date" since Clark is out of town, and boy was that interesting.

It's the wedding of two of our good friends, and Michael and I just happen to be in it.
As a bridesmaid I was supposed to help with the setting up and preparing of food. Sadly it didn't quite work out that way, since I was using my energy to keep Michael entertained and out of all the food that was set out before the guests started arriving.

I must confess I get really self conscious when I go to an event without Clark. More specifically, when that event is made up of more people I don't know than I do. This was one of those situations. Why do I get this way? Well, I'm a young mom... and I tend to feel very judged. I may not be whatsoever, but if anyone glances my way with the slightest hint of disapproval or question... I lose it.

To make matters worse in a situation I was already dreading, when I went to the bathroom to change from my jean-shorts and t-shirt to my adorable dress, the zipper broke. I completely lost it. Here I was an hour from home with no change of clothes, husbandless, with a wild-child who didn't want to listen to anything I had to say (especially if it involved the word "no"). It didn't matter that I had come prepared with three changes of clothes for Michael, snacks galore, and toys to keep him busy... I had to face a room full of strangers in my casual clothes without a sliver of confidence as to why I was there by myself.

I cried in the bathroom. I know, I'm horrible. And selfish. Horribly selfish.

Like any girl would do, I called my mom. After offering a few solutions (none of which were possible, sadly), she prayed with me over the phone. She reminded me that I was there for my friends, and to go out there and be there for my friend.


I still struggled. Michael was high energy and wanted in to everything, including the gifts. While he didn't seem to be bothering our friends, I noticed a few guests glancing around as if to question where mom and dad were. I also had a few of them ask Michael, "Where's your dada?" I felt so petty when thinking, Why don't you ask someone who can actually answer that question? It also didn't help that the only other child there (who is two months younger than Michael, the bride's little sister, and a flower girl) was so calm and quiet barely anyone knew there was another toddler in the house.



I had to keep saying silent prayers and reminding myself that it wasn't as bad as I was making it out to be. That bride, groom, and their families were being so loving and understanding (even if I kept perceiving them to be otherwise), and I was strong even if my husband wasn't with me.

Because there's always someone with me, and He can do much more than Clark ever could... including using the opportunity for a lesson.

I stopped focusing on myself and started focusing on who the event was for. In the end, even if I was still a little grumpy and tired, I was so thankful I stayed and celebrated my friends.

Do you have certain situations that you dread facing alone, or just facing at all? How do you tend to handle them?

Two weeks ago Michael and I made a five-hour trek with our puppy to visit the in-laws in good 'ole Fayetteville. Overall we had a wonderful time, but I think I learned I never want to drive that far by myself with a demanding toddler and a car-crazy dog. We got to enjoy the Fourth of July, Pop's Birthday, and some time at the beach. Just in case this picture and the others from Monday weren't enough for you, here are some more!

You last met Nikki in the summer of 2012 when she was about to get married. AND HERE SHE IS AGAIN! It's almost her one year anniversary and she has endured and shared so much over at her blog Mrs. Healthy Ever After. Make sure to hop over there and read things from tips to get your husband to eat healthy to comical stories that you can relate to.

How Juicing Got me to Like Celery
I never thought I’d be a juicing-type person. I mean, sure, my mom did hop on the bandwagon for a short stint when we were in high school to give us freshly made orange-apple juice each morning before school. But it was short-lived, mainly because orange prices had gone up and it became too expensive.

But here I am now, and I can’t get enough of my juicer.

It started innocently enough. I really just wanted to show my husband how important it was for him to eat more fruits and veggies, so I showed him the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” (one of my all time favorites I had seen before). The documentary follows Joe Cross on an epic juice fast as he cures himself of a rare disease and then helps someone else do the same.

When the credits rolled at the end, I turned to my husband with a smile basically ready to say, “And now this is why we’re having salad for dinner—“ but before I could, he said something shocking to me: “So when are we going to get a juicer?”

Juicers were too expensive for us, especially since we weren’t even sure we were going to like it yet. So, we bought a 30 year-old, hardly used, Jack Lalaine juicer off of the work classifieds.

After our first juice, it was love at first sip.

We started off with carrot apple—something I remembered liking as a kid when I visited my aunts house. But then we quickly went on to be more daring and started exploring the world of green juices. Who knew that green apples, kale, cucumbers, celery, spinach and lemons all comes together in a concoction that tastes very similar to Gatorade? It was fantastic!

We started juicing in the mornings for breakfast and maybe a snack in the afternoons. I never felt such a jolt of energy before when I finished one of the huge juices we’d get.

Finally I decided I really wanted to try a juice detox—not to lose weight, but to just see how I’d feel. Would it make me feel better like the documentary suggested? We decided only to do a short one, but in those three days, I felt like a new person. Sure, there was one day where I really didn’t feel that well (but hey, my body was DETOXING) and let’s be honest, my husband cheated the whole time, but the juice detox was eye opening.

Who knew that sweet potato, blueberries, pears and cinnamon tasted like apple pie? Since when did beets taste like the best thing in the world?

And yes, these were all very filling.

The biggest change for me was also the fact that I now don’t mind celery. That may seem petty to you—I hate celery, ever since I can remember. I hate it in soups. I hate it in salads. I HATE IT. When we started juicing celery, I’d have to hold my nose. Even the smell was gross to me. But after a while of juicing celery, I now no longer mind it. Juicing had literally changed my taste buds.

I also lost a shocking amount of weight in those three days, but I won’t disclose that here because that’s not the point. And juice fasting isn’t really about the weight loss (especially since you’ll always gain some back once you re-introduce solid foods to your diet). The point is to get healthy. The point is to rid yourself of the toxins your body (did you know your intestines and bowels can hold undigested meat for years? Yup. It’s a thing).

The point is to be good to your body so your body will be good to you.

While we don’t juice as often as we like (we’ve been travelling a lot this summer), we still do enjoy our juicer and look forward to one day owning a newer model.

But before I go, there’s some things to know about juicing.

1) It’s not the same as having a smoothie.
While you could have a smoothie fast in theory, its not the same. Juicing is absorbing nutrients without consuming fiber, so you get the nutrients quicker. Does that make one better than the other? No. Is fiber bad? Of course not. Should you eat a lot of fiber even while juicing? Duh. Some people like to start fights over juicing vs. smoothies and that’s just silly. Both are fantastic.
2) Juice detoxes need to be done correctly.
Juice detoxes or fasts should not be used as a fad diet, and when done incorrectly can be dangerous. You need follow a legitimate plan (Like Joe Cross’ at www.RebootwithJoe.com) and don’t try to do less than that. It’s important to keep your calories at normal levels (minimum 1200 for women and minimum 1600 for men).
3) You don’t have to waste the pulp.
Many people think juicing is too expensive, especially with how much pulp you get out of it to discard. DON’T DISCARD IT. You can make sweet breads, sandwich breads, or crackers! You can even add it to soup for some added veg AND you can compost it too. It’s AWESOME.
4) You don’t have to do a juice fast to enjoy your juicer or reap the benefits
Seriously, all you need is one juice a day to feel FANTASTIC. Start with breakfast and maybe add one for a snack either pre- or post-workout.

Juice on!

Read more about my healthy adventures at www.MrsHealthyEverAfter.com!

Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day! Michael and I ventured to the in-laws' for this special holiday. It seemed only fitting to celebrate with some family.

The drive was rather exhausting. I've never done such a distance with Michael (and our dog, Luna) by myself. Not entirely sure I'd be able to do it again, but we shall see!

However, I'd definitely call the trip a success. Check out these wonderful photos from the holiday, and tune back Thursday for a few more!

 Happy Fourth of July! This truly is one of my favorite holidays. I think it started the first year we livecd on a military base, and the fireworks/celebration was beyond compare. It's still one of my fondest memories, and I hope to introduce Michael to that sort of tradition some day.

Last year I posted a bunch of pictures, and it was so hard to pick one that was my favorite, but I think this is still it. Michael waving the flag so enthusiastically. It's hard for me to believe this was JUST a year ago! Where does time go? How did he get so big so fast?

Remember that this is the Home of the Free, Because of the Brave. 

HAPPY JULY!
I know. The title is a mouthful. But you won't mind once you make these! Are you sensing a trend? The last muffin recipe I posted was Banana Coconut. What can I say. Now that I have coconut and coconut oil in the house... the options are endless!

Ingredients:

- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 c applesauce
- 1/4 c honey
- 1 C milk [vegan options include coconut, almond, soy, etc!]
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 1 C oats
- 1 C diced/cut up strawberries
- 1/2 C coconut flakes


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 375 and prepare your muffin pan with liners/cooking spray.
- Whisk together the first four ingredients (coconut oil, applesauce, honey, and milk). Fold in your flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in your oats. Then add the strawberries and coconut. Do not over-mix.
- Use 1/4 C or so of batter for each muffin.
- Cook for 18 to 24 minutes. Check with a toothpick. When it comes out clean (no batter-- strawberry juice an exception), they're done!

Super easy and delicious. Michael was excited to have another muffin recipe to try.


Want more vegan muffin recipes? Check these out!

Banana Coconut Muffins

Mystery Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Veggie Muffins