Hey there Beautiful Soul,
Happy [insert whatever day you are reading this] to you!
As folks beginning making their lists and checking it twice, hosting festive celebrations, and prepare to enter what tends to be the most wonderful and most chaotic season of the year, my invite to you and I is that we will set aside moments to slow down and be. Be present with whoever we are with (even if that includes just ourselves). Be present in whatever we are doing. Be present.
Be (a) Present today. Why? Because You Matter. Your Life Matters. And You…You. Are. So. Loved. Nothing and no one can or will ever change that.
I am…we are so Grateful for you. Thank you for sharing your day with us. May the treasures from this week’s lootbag of love remind you to inhale the beauty & blessings all around you and exhale a little wonder, awe(some), and gratitude.
Love,
Joann & Baby Lesiuczok
Do This One Thing Before You Get Up Every Morning
A Sweet, Sweet Story…Give it a try!
I’m a sucker for a good Chocolate Chip Cookie. Insert: The Science Behind Baking the Most Delicious Cookie Ever!
…and for those of us who are looking for a healthier Chocolate Chip Cookie? Miss Chelsea of Chelsea’s Messy Apron considers this the “Best EVER Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie.”
Best EVER Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups oat flour (regular oats blended)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- Optional: coarse sea salt
- Take regular old fashioned oats or quick oats and blend them until they resemble a flour or powder in a blender or food processor.
- Combine the vanilla extract, large egg, and brown sugar in a bowl. Melt the coconut oil and let it cool slightly before adding to the bowl. Beat everything together until just combined.
- Stir in the oat flour (measured after blending NOT before), baking soda, cinnamon (scale this amount to taste preferences), and salt.
- Stir until just combined and then fold in the dark chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a cookie scoop (and pack these in the scoop very tightly or they may crumble), scoop out balls of the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press a few more chocolate chips in the tops if desired.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Remove and allow to stay on the baking sheet for another 2 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
- Any substitutions NOT recommended. Although some “tried and true” substitutions may work in other recipes, I do not guarantee they work in this recipe. Especially substituting out the coconut oil (it is needed for stability in this recipe)
- Scoop out the dough with a cookie scoop to avoid the coconut oil coming back to room temperature after the chilling. Don’t have a cookie scoop? Use your hands, but then re-chill the dough for 15-30 minutes after the balls are rolled.
- Pack in the cookies TIGHT in the cookie scoop (or your hands) to avoid crumbly cookies.
- It is recommended you check your baking soda and make sure it is not expired. Old baking soda will cause an off taste in these cookies and may make them very flat.
- Measure the ingredients exactly. As with most baked goods, loosely measuring may result in cookies that do not work out.
- If your cookies are turning out a little dryer than you would like, check the following things: are you packing in the oat flour too tightly? Don’t pack in the oat flour and perhaps try spooning and leveling the flour into the cup measurers. Are you measuring the coconut oil when solid? Make sure to measure it in a liquid form. What kind of egg are you using? The recipe calls for a large egg, not medium. I use and highly recommend organic eggs. They are always a little larger than “regular” large eggs and have a yellower yolk which tends to add more flavor and moistness to these cookies.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely or they tend to be crumbly. They are DELICIOUS right out of the oven, but a bit crumbly until they have cooled all the way.
Not Your Ordinary Pizza Lunch…
Gift Idea: A Little Book About BIG Love.
“Little Book of God’s Love” may be one of the cutest books I’ve ever received. The pictures are absolutely darling in signature Precious Moments style and the prayers/poems on each page are short and sweet-perfect to read and share with our little one. Each page of this hardcover board book features beautiful illustrations, a sweet poem/prayer and a scripture reference. It is a darling little book that teaches about God’s BIG love. If you’re looking for a gift for a young child and/or baptism, first communion gift, consider this sweet book.
I Spy With My Little I-Phone: Two Weeks in Photos..
Thanksgiving may occur once a year but may the act of giving thanks be a part of our every day lifestyle. For when we are grateful, we are great-filled. Xo
May you and I be people who “Love by example.”-@ophelliamcknight
A very special thank you to my incredible husband @lessuhchuck for quarterbacking the festivities and for our beautiful mamas Maggie and Andi, our pops George and Beany, and our sisters @esquires_wife, Erica, @tammylesiuczok and Esterina for all of their help. Xoxo
15 Thoughtful Quotes on Gratitude…
Timeless Wisdom.
“Love is really love—when you are loving the unlovable.
Forgiveness is really forgiveness—when you are forgiving the unforgivable.
Faith is really faith—when you believe for the unbelievable.
And there is a grace that says even this is not impossible and that makes you one of the impossables.”-Ann Voskamp
- Ladies (and Gents) Who ________: What’s Your Legacy? - May 15, 2018
- A Letter For Every Mother - April 17, 2018
- Dear Beautiful Soul… - March 28, 2018