Buen appetit!

haha I am such a hypocrite. The other day I was giving you guys all these healthy snack recipes, and now i'm encouraging you to eat "junky" food . Well once in a while you have to treat yourself with the good stuff. So heres some comfort food for your comfort. Buen appetit!

Puppy Chow [aka. chewy, chocolate-peanut butter-goodness]
*9 cups chex
*1 cup chocolate chips
*1/2 cup peanut butter
*1/4 cup butter
*1/4 teaspoon vanilla
*1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put cereal in a large bowl. Melt chocolate chips, butter, peanut butter, and stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat and pour over chex. Put into a big plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake it to coat well. Let cool on wax paper, tinfoil, etc.etc. Then....dig in!


Homemade Mac n Cheese [aka. butter-cheese heaven]
* Pasta (as much as you want to make)
*Shredded chedder cheese(amount depends on how cheesy you like things)
*Table Spoon of Butter

Make pasta according to directions on the box. Drain the pasta in a strainer. Put pasta in a bowl. Mix in butter, and sprinkle on as much cheese as you would like. Mix it all up. Pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to guarantee all melted cheese. ENJOY!


Pancakes[ aka. best hotcakes I've ever tasted]
* In a medium bowl mix 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoons baking powder.
* In a small bowl combine 1 beaten egg, 1 cup milk, and 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Stir into dry ingredients. Beat with a whisk until batter is moist but still lumpy.
* Put stovetop to medium heat. Pour 1 teaspoon cooking oil into pan. Add 1/2 cup pancake batter.
*When you see the pancake bubbling, flip pancake with a spatula but don't press down (keeps it fluffy).
* After about a minute check if the pancakes golden on the bottom.
(makes four to six pancakes)
Pair this with maple syrup, and a glass of orange juice, and you've got yourself a breakfast for kings!



Banana Bread[aka. savory, scrumptious, snack. Perfect for tea time!]
*1 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup bran flakes cereal, 3/4 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup cooking oil, 2 ripe bananas(mashed)
*If you like nuts in your bread, then add a cup of your choice of nuts(walnuts are especially good)

*In a large bowl stir the flour, bran flakes, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well blended.
* In a medium bowl beat eggs, add cooking oil, and the mashed bananas. Mix well.
*Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients. Stir until batter is lumpy and thick.
*Spray a 8 by 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour in batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until cooked thorougly. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Slice and serve!


Chocolate Fondue[aka. why fall in love? when you can fall in chocolate!]
*1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter
*Any kind of fresh fruit, angel food cake slices, dried fruit, pound cake slices, marshmellows, pretzels

*In a small microwavable bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Heat for 1 minute and stir. Microwave for 30 more seconds, and stir. If chocolate still isn't melted keep on heating it.
*Serve hot. Put a bowl of fondue in the center of the table. Position "treats"(aka fruit, cake, marshmellows,etc.etc.) around the bowl. Use a small fork, or tooth pick to put a treat in the dip and eat it.
SCRUMPTIOUS!


Chocolate Milkshake[aka. a heavenly drink]
*Pour 1/2 cup milk into a blender. Add 1 or 2 scoops vanilla icecream. Cover, blend on high until smooth. Add chocolate syrup(as much as you want) and blend some more. Poor into a glass and top with whipped cream. Serves 1 to 2.
Drink in the richness of the shake!!


Besos(as they would say in Spanish),
Amanda

thinking...

Know what I've been thinkin lately? Life isn't all RADIANCE. There are hard times too, the times where you just want to break down and sob your heart out. The times when you want to curl up in a ball and disappear. I've been through some of these times lately, and they're absolutely horrible. I wish I could erase the troubles from my mind, but that can't happen. I think that's why I believe so much in RADIANCE. Radiance is hope, and hope is the one thing that I can hold on to, even in the darkest of moments. Oscar Wilde once said, "We are all stuck in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." This is so true. People will always have struggles, no matter what we do. But with darkness comes light, and with failed tries, comes strength and experience. By thinking positively and hopefully, we make the crosses we bear a little lighter. I know what your thinking now, "I'm done hoping. My hopes have failed." I feel that way sometimes too, but as soon as I get out of that bluesy funk, I try to think on the bright side again. It's the best we can do in this crazy life.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers
By: Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
 
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.



HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

To all you RADIANT moms out there, thank you for taking good care of your children and being there for them through tough times. To my own mom,I love you so much and thanks for being there for me when i need you!!!!

snack attack

I have been learning a lot about nutrition lately, and have been trying to cut down on the sugar/junkfood in my diet. (My biggest weakness is icecream...YUM!) But anyways, instead of eating ice cream for a snack, I've been trying to consume foods filled with more nutrients. Here are some healthy snack ideas:

*peanut butter and bananas on wheat bread, drizzled with honey


*warm whole grain pita bread dipped in hummus



*CUTIES! (clementines)

*string cheese(made with low fat milk) and a choice of nuts(walnuts, pecans,almonds,etc.)

*Strawberries and cool whip


Each of these snacks offer some nutritional value and are low calorie/fat. If you want something to drink with them go for fruit juice, or even better, WATER! Eating healthy contributes to your natural RADIANCE, and will pay off in the end.


Best wishes,
Amanda

lessons learned

I made a friend the other day. I don't know her name, but I know other things about her. When she was younger she had five sisters. She has traveled to every single state in the United States, and her favorite was Colorado. She went to beauty school, and loves gardening. I also know that she is 93 years old and living in a nursing home. Weren't expecting that were you? It's nice finding RADIANT friends in unexpected places. I met her when my youth group helped people decorate eggs at a nursing home. She became my partner and we talked a lot. Although I was only at the nursing home for about 2 hours, I still learned some lessons that I would like to share with you.

1.) Travel. The world is RADIANT (especially the mountains in Colorado--as my friend would say) and there are beautiful things all around you. You just have to look.

"A gentleman ought to travel abroad, but dwell at home."


2.) Do what you love. This is one of the keys to happiness. Whether its gardening, snowboarding, or wood working, who knows what you love? My friend loved hair and makeup and she had an amazing time at beauty school!

"Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart into it, take yourself out of it."-Anonymous


3.) Spend time with your family and friends. These relationships are precious and should be handled with delicate love and care. Throw in the fun, and your all set!

"A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with thee."-Buddha


4.) Accept everyone for who they are. And i mean all of them--their RADIANT qualities, and their not-so-good qualities. Don't judge the book by it's cover.

"A loving heart is the truest wisdom."-Charles Dickens
 
5.) Think positively and enjoy life! Sometimes it may be hard and you may just feel down in the dumps(like my friend did when she fell and broke a bone in her backyard) but you have to find the silver lining of the situation. Time flies so we have to savor the RADIANCE of it when we can!

"A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life."-Charles Darwin



Well the other week I truly found out that Love and RADIANCE can be found even in the most unexpected places, especially in the shimmering kind eyes of an old, wise, woman.

MUCH LOVE(+&RADIANCE),
Amanda

GLEEK

I've been watching Glee for a while and I just wanted to tell you all that it is THE BEST SHOW EVER! haha && a bonus of the show is that it always has a RADIANT message. So fellow gleeks, Don't stop believing in your RADIANT inner selves!
http://www.fox.com/glee/

"Popular" is such a messed up word. It is 3 syllables that causes humans to do things that aren't a part of who they are. OKAY! I admit it! I've wanted to be more "popular" before. But lately, after watching innocent friends turn into so called "hot" messes because of it, I've realized that it's wayyy overrated. Btw, I'm not talking about the good, uplifting, including "popularity" here, I'm talking about the exploiting, self identity snatching kind.

         Anyways, you don't need popularity to be RADIANT. There are "popular" people in every part of live. So remember that RADIANCE is about being who you truly are, and not holding back if it isn't considered "cool". In the movie "A Walk to Remember", there's a girl who is always picked on by the "popular" crowd, named Jamie. They don't approve of the sweater she wears, and pretty much anything else about her. But you know what? Jamie stays true to herself and doesn't change to fit in. She is the quintessence of individuality, and a RADIANT role model for all. Leonardo Davinci one said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Being RADIANT is as simple as this: Be yourself! haha I know easier said than done, but being an individual is worth a million of tries.