Coconut Macaroons

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe on here--that's been reflective of how little Jason and I have been cooking but, we're hopping back on the train and we've been making a lot of yummy meals that will be shared soon. Most of the time, our goal when we're cooking is ease of preparation and that's it's easily used for leftovers/freezing...and that it's tasty, but that's a given.

That being said, these coconut macaroons have been on repeat at our house and for good reason. 

They are SO easy to make and as far as sweet treats go, they are a "healthier" option. 

5 ingredients--most of which you probably already have--and you can spruce them up by dipping them in chocolate, adding dried fruit, etc. if you wanted to. 

The possibilities are endless. 

The recipe comes from Kenzie Swanhart's "Paleo in 28"

Coconut Macaroons

What you need:

5 large egg whites

1/4 cup honey 

(85 grams if you want to weight it on a scale already in the bowl)

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of sea salt

Optional Ingredients:

dark chocolate chips

dried cranberries (as pictured above)

rasins

nuts

That it's. 

That's all you need and it's as easy as it sounds. 

It's very easy to double it, too. And trust me, you'll want to after you try them!

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 350

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and honey until fluffy

Add the coconut, vanilla, and salt to the bowl, and mix well. 

If you're adding any of the optional ingredients, I would put those in here and use a spoon to hand mix them in. 

Spoon out 1-tablespoon balls of the coconut mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (I've used one of those ice cream scoop shaped measuring spoons so I could easily plop it onto the baking sheet).

Bake for 12-15 minutes (I do 13), until lightly golden brown, and serve. 

Again, that's it. 

It's so easy and quick. 

The last batch I made, we ate on for 3-4 days and they kept really well in a sealed container but of course, they are best when they are fresh out of the oven. 

Now, go and make yourself some of these bad boys and let me know what you think!

Baby Sprinkle for Ivy Lynne 1/18

Another sweet baby coming to join the fun! 

We showered Melissa and Ivy Lynne this past weekend and we had so much fun loving on them.

The rocking chair above belonged to Ian's Mom and made for the sweetest decor piece for our tables--it was a special touch. That, paired with the baby clothing pictured below, which were Melissa's when she was an infant, were so much fun to incorporate. 

The most delicious cake from Amber Binkely--it was divine. 

I would say y'all are ready to go with all the pinks and baby girl clothing you could want!

We have been friends for almost 20 years now (can you believe that?) and we've walked through so much of life side-by-side. I am thankful for your steadfast friendship and for the many blessings I've had in my life that I've gotten to share with you and NOW, I get to be "Aunt Ellen" to both Russell and Ivy Lynne--I can't wait!

This was my gift to Ivy Lynne--a piece with her initials on her Grandmother's fabric--what a sweet way to honor her namesake and bring a little piece of her into her nursery. 

Blair & Aaron LPC Shower for James 1/12

We had such a sweet time celebrating Aaron, Blair and sweet baby James last weekend!

Our family has been at Lakeland for over 20+ years meaning, the people that make up this church are truly like family to us and it's such a special place to be--walking through all these phases of life with people that love us and have watched us grow up. 

Mary Claire and I helped host the shower alongside a few other women in the church. 

It was so much fun learning from them all of the tricks of the trade and how to make the day even more special for Aaron & Blair.

Is this owl veggie tray not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

All of the precious woodland animals 

Most of the outfits that are having were Aaron's when he was a baby. 

One of them also belonged to Adam and was the only little clothing gift he received. 

Aaron's little baby cup and rattle

This quilt is made up of squares that each woman on Mom's side of the family made. 

It was really neat to see each person's square--they made this when Aaron was born and now James gets to use it!

Aaron had his birthday the following day and it was so sweet to realize that the one that made our Mom a Mom is about to become a Dad (did you follow me on that one? Ha!)

The hostess with the Mom-to-be

Aaron & Blair, I am so incredibly excited to watch you two become parents--I know that you will be some of the best around! 

annnnnd....we can't forget this little cutie that came during clean up. 

She and I had fun taking some selfies (if you couldn't tell).

I think these pictures sum up how much I love being an Aunt and I can't wait to have baby James around to love on and have fun with. Less than a month to go!

Reads for 2019

Slim pickings this year, guys! 

With a hectic school year paired with completing my Master's Degree during 11 of the 12 months this year, there was not much time for leisure reading. I enjoyed the books I was able to read and am here to share them with you.

"I've Got This Round" Mamrie Hart--Disclaimer, this one is for adult audiences as it's would fall under the "crude humor" heading at times! Mamrie is a comedian and her books are hilarious. She gets in to all types of shenanigans and that's what this book is--the tales of her "adventures" and she is just a mess. It's seriously funny and was an easy read. 

"A Severe Mercy" Sheldon Vanauken--This was recommended by a friend as one of their favorite books. It's also the one I spent most of the year reading (from the end of January until July). It was such a great book. A true story of a man and his great love and how their friendship with C.S. Lewis (taking note of his love for The Lord) changed their lives and their love. It's one of the best true stories I've read--I highly recommend this one. 

"Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism"Dr. Temple Grandin--I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Grandin speak at a conference this August. If you haven't heard of her, she is a well-known individual with Autism. She has made strides in the world of livestock handling and slaughterhouses because of her visual thinking, sensory needs, and according to her, her autism. This book is all about her life from childhood to adulthood and how her Autism has both hindered and helped her. She does a phenomenal job of helping the reader visualize how someone with Autism may think. This was a wonderful, informative book.

"Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ" Timothy Keller--Each year, I try to read a Christmas book during December. This year, I chose this one. Tim Keller does such great job of explaining Christian truths in a way that's 

"Love Came Down at Christmas" Sinclair B. Ferguson--This was an advent read and it was really, really good. Each year, I try to do an advent book/devotional and this one was very easy to follow along with and it was jam-packed with good, biblical insight about what Christmas is and what it means for us all. 

Per usual, if you click the titles, it will take you to the book on Amazon.

Here's to hoping I have more time to read in 2020!