I’m sitting here, at my computer, and there’s a real chance that I may not be able to get up again.

You see, I spent the morning running on a relay team for a marathon. I tackled the first two legs, to get my miles in for my up coming second half marathon. Those two legs put me at 10.5 miles.

In approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes.

That’s about 8:15 a mile.

Yea, I’m pretty speedy.

That’s me, second from the left, squinting in the sun, looking sweaty, disheveled and all sorts of sexy.

The rest of the morning was spent cheering on the rest of my relay team, my two younger sisters and my aunt, as they each took a leg of the race. And then finally, after running the last 0.8 mile and crossing the finish line together, we huddled together, waiting anxiously for my brother-in-law to finish his very first full marathon.

That’s 26.2 miles people.

Then, I drove home to the chatter of my very favorite pod cast, Another Mother Runner, said a quick hello to the boys, Hubs and my mother-in-law, and then headed right back out the door.

To power yoga. Hot, steamy, kick-your-butt kind of yoga.

Why you may be wondering?

Because I’m a crazy person. That’s why. That can be the only explanation.

So, here I sit, wondering if I’ll actually make it to bed tonight or just fall asleep at the computer. But while I’m sitting, I’m thinking of tomorrow morning. And coffee.

The coffee that will get me going in the morning. The coffee that gets me through the afternoon. The coffee which is my little piece of silence in an otherwise chaotic day.

I’m normally a black coffee drinker, but from time to time I like to sweeten it up a little. A touch of homemade creamer or, when the season calls for it, homemade iced coffee, will often fill my afternoon cup.

But starting today, I’m taking my afternoon coffee unsweetened, but with a side of a crunchy, sweet, chocolate-filled cookie.

Biscotti. A cookie made just for coffee.

I’ve never been much of a biscotti person in the past, but as I was browsing through My Catholic Kitchen wide variety of recipes, my assignment for this month’s Secret Recipe Club, this recipe kept popping up. Chocolate. Espresso. Cookie.

This recipe, it wouldn’t be denied. It cried out to be made. It demanded that I eat one…two…three of them at a time with a hot cup of coffee.

Who was I to deny that these cookies be made?

As a former biscotti hater, let me tell you, these double chocolate espresso biscotti, are the to-die-for, the perfect, the best way to satisfy a sweet tooth that must be accompanied by a cup of coffee.

I’m forever hooked on biscotti. There. I said it.

Double Chocolate Espresso Biscotti is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Each and every morning I’m faced with a huge dilemma. What should I eat breakfast?

My heart wants chocolate.

My brain cries for something healthy.

My body shouts out for chocolate.

My runners legs scream for something to fuel them.

And thus, I am torn. Chocolate or healthy.

Chocolate or healthy.

Chocolate or healthy.

It’s an age-old question.

Thank goodness I have finally found the perfect way to combine chocolate and healthy.

Some may say that it can’t be done. But I say…well, nothing, because I’m running away as fast as I can just so I don’t have to hear their anti-chocolate thoughts. Anyone who is anti-chocolate isn’t a friend of mine.

And so, I present to you, Nutella granola. Sweet, heavenly chocolate and hazelnut, you make my heart sing.

Adapted from Creative Kitchen Adventures, my Secret Recipe Club buddy for this month, Denise has saved breakfast! This granola is a crunchy, sweet, full of belly-filling, run-powering goodness. It’s one of the only homemade granola recipes that I’ve seen which actually clumps together like granola should.

It’s simple delightful eaten by the handful.

It’s to-die-for sprinkled atop some homemade vanilla yogurt and paired with fresh berries.

It’s granola, meets chocolate, meets perfection.

Nutella Granola is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Hey Kiddo,

It’s been a few days now, and I’ve had some time to process. You are 5.

It always comes as a surprise how very special your birthday is to me. Each year I expect the impact to lessen a little. But it doesn’t. Even if it doesn’t strike me right away, it’s importance seeps into my very being. I’m happy, amazed, overjoyed and saddened. All at the same time.

So if I seem a little crazier than usual around your birthday (or you catch me eating even more of “Mom’s chocolate” stash), that’s why. I’m holding in a whirlwind of emotions, and doing my very best to make your birthday about you.

Five seems to be bringing with it a lot of changes. You are at this strange place in life where you both want me to be there and desperately want me to step back. You want to be independent and yet need the security of knowing that I’m there, just a few steps behind.

Needless to say, this love-me-hate-me process has brought with it a lot of conflict and frustrations. For both of us. I can see you pulling away. I can feel it. My heart is tugging you back. The little boy hidden inside of you wants to run back, and never leave my side. But we are both learning to let go.

Because go you must.

At five our relationship is changing. The silly little things that used to make you giggle…zerbets on your tummy, snuggles after bath time…seem to be absent from our daily life. I miss those moments. I miss them something fierce. But I love where our relationship is going. How it’s growing and changing. I love the conversations that we have about transformers and ninjas, your very best friends, your life at school. I love that you share your bad dreams with me, days after you had them. I love that you feel secure enough in our relationship to test each and every boundary.

I love you.

At five, you know all of your letters by sight and by sound. You can write them, with just a little guidance. You print your full first and last name without a moments hesitance. You are just beginning to sound out words and add and subtract numbers. You are so very proud of each of these accomplishments.

I’m so very proud of you.

At five, you refuse to do anything but shower. By yourself. That change alone signifies how much you’ve grown recently. Signifies your independence. Signifies your stubbornness since you still fight each and every time you have to shower. But I refuse to let you be the smelly kid at school, so I battle with you, and I always win. No kid of mine is going to be the smelly kid.

At five, you still have a touch of shyness and insecurity about you. This is something that comes from me. Something I 100% understand and am infinitely frustrated by. I want so badly for you to be able to jump into any situation with confidence and ease. And yet you hang back, easing in at your own speed. I get it. That’s me, To a T.

At 5 you have finally outgrown the little stuffed Elmo that was attached to your hip since you were 2. In Elmo’s place is Scoopie, a little stuffed ice cream cone from Culver’s, which you picked out on a “Gram’s Date” one Tuesday evening. You have also grown attached to a certain blankie, a light blue blanket covered in trucks. While you can certainly sleep without these items of comfort, you much prefer to have them snuggled up against your face, protecting you from those bad dreams.

At five kindergarden is looming in our future. Full day school, five days a week. Our days together will be coming to an end. Half days at 4-K has been good. For both of us. But school all day? I don’t know if I’m ready for that.

But I never know if I’m ready for you to change and grow and become the person you are. And yet that hasn’t stopped you. And somehow I find the courage to let you go, litte by little.

Happy 5th birthday kiddo. No matter how old you are (or how old you think you are) you will always be my baby.

Love, Momma

Happy Five is a post from: Alli 'n Son

We are not morning people. We much prefer to sleep away the day until at least 8:00. 9:00 would be even better, and 10:00 would be a dream. As in I must be dreaming to think that I’ll ever sleep that late again in this lifetime.

We are people who like to sleep. Seep. Sleep. Sleep. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I could fall asleep right now.

Life, apparently, does not understand our desire to sleep and more often than not we are all awake by 7:00, earlier most days. Then it’s rush, rush, rush, go, go, go, please go potty (yes, you do have to go), get dressed, take your medicine, brush your teeth (yes, NOW), put on your jackets, shoes, hats, mittens (oh man, I’m so ready for Spring) and then run to the van so we can get out of the house on time to start the day.

And then it’s go, go, go for the rest of the day, until we all finally crash in bed, exhausted, in a pile of tantrums.

Such is life.

As much as I crave the opportunity to make the boys a made-from-scratch breakfast every morning (and I do actually crave it, there’s something special about starting out the day with a made-from-scratch breakfast) it just can’t be done. Unless of course I get up at 5:00 every morning. And I’m not willing to do that, unless I’m planning on running 7+ miles as the sun rises, in peace, while the rest of the world rests.

Yes, that does actually happen.

Our breakfasts consist of toast smothered in peanut butter, jelly and chocolate-hazelnut; bagels with cream cheese; whatever brightly-colored cereal happened to be on sale last week; muffins popped out of the freezer; granola bars grabbed on the way out of the door as I realize that I should probably feed myself as well as my family.

Most days breakfast leaves a lot to be desired.

Much of what we eat for breakfast I don’t even consider real food. It’s convenience food, made with convient ingredients, not real ingredients. And that bothers me more than I care to admit, yet often seems like the only choice as I’m yelling at the Kiddo to please, please, get dressed so you have time to eat.

Please. Please get dressed without me having to harp at you every step of the way.

Please.

Every Batch Made from Scratch

Imagine my surprise when I discovered this little gem in the frozen food isle. Frozen Pancakes, Waffles and French Toast made with real ingredients, like eggs, milk and sugar. Quality ingredients. The type of ingredients that I use to make breakfast from scratch. Right there, staring at me. All from Aunt Jemima.

These little gems, the new Lil’ Griddles from Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast, providing my family with a big breakfast taste, bite-sized. Aunt Jemima helping me give my family a warm, filling, real breakfast in the morning. Aunt Jemima helping me make the morning just a little more special, a little more loving, and a little easier. Aunt Jemima, putting love and care into every step it takes to make these breakfast goodies, just like I would.

The real test, though, is to see if the boys like them.

I think they passed.

Aunt Jemima, you are my breakfast hero.

Want to try real breakfast, made with real ingredients? Request a coupon from Aunt Jemima. You should totally do it. Totally.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Real ingredients and my breakfast hero is a post from: Alli 'n Son

I tried so hard to take the easy way out of this month’s Secret Recipe Club. It’s not that I didn’t want to try a new recipe. It’s not that there weren’t plenty of options to pick from. It’s just that I wanted to be lazy.

It must be the constant snow that is never, ever going to end. Or the fact that we’ve been trying to sell our house for 3 years now. Or the fact that we have so badly outgrown this house that it feels like we need to be stacked on top of each other just to all fit in here at the same time.

Or maybe the lack of sun has given me a bad attitude.

Whatever the reason, my main goal was to find the easiest recipe that Cinnamon Frued had to offer. I had settled on Balsamic Black Bean Salsa, which had me intrigued with it’s unique flavor combinations. I’d make it, snap a few photos and be done.

Easy peasy.

Yet, there was this other recipe that kept calling out to me. A basic Cream Scone recipe that just begged to morphed into something with chocolate. Because baking and chocolate go hand-in-hand, obviously. And for some unexplainable reason, these scones also seemed to be screaming out for a hint of orange.

And then, because I’ve been completely unmotivated to much of anything in the kitchen, I waited until Saturday afternoon to make them. I guess I needed the pressure of a deadline to get me going.

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, two lone scones remained, the rest devoured by the hungry bellies in this house. And those two scones will have disappeared by Monday morning, I promise you.

Hmmmm, Easter is just around the corner, I would not be surprised if these moist, sweet scones make an appearance on our brunch table.

Chocolate Chip Orange Scones with Orange Glaze is a post from: Alli 'n Son

It’s true. We are a family full of surprising talents.

Take me, for example. I’ve discovered a talent for running, of all things. I’ve always been passionate about exercise, which began with me running cross country at the forever-ago age of 13 (thanks mom for getting me into this sport!). But running, I’m good at it. Like really good. I’ve been told a number of times that I make running look graceful, elegant, effortless even. With an 8-minute a mile pace, effortless is one thing that it is not.

Hubs, his talent is turning two grumpy boys into piles of giggling goo without the slightest bit of effort. Markers. Music. Wrestling matches on the floor. Apparently that’s all it takes.

The boys, they over-flowing with surprising talents. Exploding with them even. This list includes, but is in no way limited to:

• Awesome Ninja-stealth skills
• The knack to not clean up, while cleaning up
• The ability to love a veggie one moment and despise it the next
• The mad skills to turn absolutely anything in a Transformer or Ninja. Or Angry Bird. Or robot.
• The ability to change the mood from light-hearted fun to a battle-of-the-wills without batting an eye
• The best robot/Transformer/Ninja dancing that I have ever seen
• The ability to go from full-out crying to talking in a normal (whine-free) voice without breaking a sweat
• The desire to vacuum. For fun.

The kiddo though, he has the most amazing, the most surprising, the most laugh-producing, eye-rolling, hilarious talent that I have ever seen an almost 5-year old possess. He has the ability to have a direct counter argument loaded for any and all statements uttered near his very being. Even if he isn’t involved in the conversation. Even if he isn’t actively paying attention to the conversation.

“No mom, you’re wrong. Dad’s right.”

“Uh, uh, no. That’s not right.”

“That’s the wrongest thing in the world.”

Each and every one of these statements has been spoken, with conviction, during conversations that the kiddo was not part of. He must have a pre-loaded list of counter-responses in his brain that he can pull from when the need arises.

Talent? Yes. Surprising? Yes? I’m so, very proud.

A Very Giant Surprise

Did I mention that both of my boys have the ability to love a veggie one moment and hate it the next? They seem to have something against veggies, which I just don’t understand. I for one, love veggies. Love them.

Green Giant has a very Giant Surprise that helps out with this very problem: their line of New Veggie Chips.

Real veggies and whole grains hiding in some rather delicious chips. Now I can feel good about offering my boys something that they like at snack time, but is also full of the good stuff that they need. Need more details? I knew you would. Here are the specifics about the new Green Giant chips.

• Green Giant™ Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips, Zesty Cheddar Flavor: made with real vegetables, 17 grams of whole grain per serving (48g are recommended daily), and are naturally flavored.
• Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips, Sea Salt Flavor: made with real sweet potatoes and made with 14 grams of whole grain. Plus, they contains 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips*

For even more surprise talents visit the Green Giant’s Facebook page or be amazed at all of the surprise talents they have unearthed on the Green Giant YouTube channel. If your family has an awesome surprise talent, don’t be shy, show the Giant your surprise talent!

*Green Giant Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips (6g per 28g serving) have 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips (10g per 28g serving).

Thank you to The Green Giant™ for being a sponsor. Show the Giant your surprise talent atwww.facebook.com/greengiant

We are a family of surprising talents is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Having choices is a good thing.

Like having to decide what kind of chocolate to have after lunch.

Or what cookie to make with the kiddo on a snowy afternoon.

Or what wine to have on pizza Fridays.

Or which favorite restaurant to indulge in on date night.

Choices. I love them.

But I also hate them. Because it forces me to make a decision, and when I have to make a decision with too many delicious choices, well, my brain just wants to shut down.

I can’t decide. There’s too much goodness. Too much to resist. Too much to say no to.

This was my exact problem with this months Secret Recipe Club. Too many recipes that I wanted to make.

Nutella cookies.

No-knead pizza dough.

Rosemary Parmesan pizza dough.

Pesto swirl bread.

Oh Eliot’s Eats, you have teased me with your delicious recipes, intrigued me with your secretive persona and you have forced me to choose between three of my favorite things, cookies, pizza and bread.

Wait, no, no, I take that back. I didn’t choose. I made Hubs do it, because there was no way that I could have possibly made this decision.

In less than two years I managed to completely destroy three different bread machines. I love, adore and dream about making bread. I love, adore and dream about the aroma of freshly baking bread. I also love, adore and put my bread machines through the ringer just to make my dreams of homemade bread come true..

I’m now on bread machine number four and I was more than thrilled when Hubs declared that I must make Pesto swirl bread. And so I did.

And our house, it smelled amazing. And our grilled cheese sandwiches were taken to a whole other level. And all other sandwiches were transformed into an awesomeness that can’t even be described. It can only be enjoyed.

Watch out bread machine, your days are number. But you will go out in the glory that is this pesto swirl bread. And it will be worth it.

Pesto Swirl Bread is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Warning: by the end of this post, you will be drooling.

When I stepped onto this stay-at-home mom path I went a little crazy. I decided that nearly everything we ate had to be homemade.

From scratch.

By hand.

I spent hours simmering marinara sauce. There were endless experiments with new breads in my soon-to-be burnt-out bread machine (I worked that thing to death).

I may have even silently snubbed those who didn’t make everything from scratch. I mean really, if I could do it, why couldn’t everyone else?

That was me, three and a half years ago. At home with one toddler. I had a lot of time on my hands and I filled it with food.

Fast forward a bit and I’m now a work-at-home mom, running my own graphic design business between wiping noses, singing Itsy Bitsy Spider and shuttling kids from here to there and back to here again.

If I make anything from scratch, it’s cookies. I have yet to find a store bought cookie that meets my expectations.

I have very high cookie expectations.

I’m so over making things from scratch. Not because I don’t love it. I just don’t have the time, the energy, or the patience to make complicated meals from scratch while arguing with my 4.5 year and keeping my 18 month old from falling off of every surface that he has climbed onto.

Our house is virtually non-stop movement.

But, I still strive to feed my family healthy meals that fill the kids with grouch-fighting goodness, give me the fuel to run 7+ miles and then chase after a just-figured-out-how-to-run toddler, and produce enough food for Hubs to take to work the next day. If he’s lucky.

So I make smarter meal choices. Recipes that require minimal effort. Healthy, filling, power-packed ingredients.

Quick recipes that leave me with time to enjoy eating with my family, because even now with young kids, our time is overflowing with activities and if we don’t make the effort to sit down together to eat, we hardly see each other all day.

That is why my best friend (other than chocolate and coffee of course) is my slow cooker. My second best friend is any slow cooker recipe that doesn’t require me to cook before throwing it into the slow cooker.

And now, I’d like to introduce you to my third best friend: Slow Cooker Nacho Chicken, Pinto Beans and Rice Wraps, inspired by Campbell’s Kitchen (which is exploding with over 3,000 timeless recipes made for the everyday busy schedule).

Amazing, right? Right?

Would you believe me if I told you that all I had to do was dump six ingredients into the slow cooker, and let it do it’s thing?

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Campbell’s® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup. Pinto beans. Pace® Picante Sauce. Rice. A dash of cumin. All playing along nicely in the crock pot. No preparation necessary.

Would you believe me if I told you how spectacular this dish is?

Would you believe me if I told you that we ate this for nights and nights and still had leftovers?

Would you believe me if I said I’ve given up chocolate and replaced it with this dish?

Yea, I wouldn’t believe that last one either. But everything else is 100% true.

Ohhhh, yeaaaaaa. No-fuss food has never looked, or tasted, this good.

Told ya you’d be drooling.

Presented by Campbell’s Kitchen

Slow Cooker Nacho Chicken, Pinto Beans and Rice Wraps is a post from: Alli 'n Son

I’ve been a bad blogger.

A very bad blogger.

But, I’ve also been a good mother. A decent, although tired, wife. And a devoted, inspired freelance graphic designer.

All of these things have all contributed to my bad blogger-ness. Yes, that’s totally a word.

Then the holidays happened. Along with it came Influenza A. Nasty, eardrum rupturing ear infections. Strep throat. And all manner of sickness which has spread through our house like no other year.

We were so sick that I hardly baked for the holidays.

I still can’t live that one down.

So, I’ve been a little MIA. I know. I’m sorry.

I’m back to ask for your forgiveness. With chocolate. Of course. But also with left over candy canes. Peppermint (the kiddo’s favorite). And chocolate.

Did I mention chocolate yet?

I couldn’t come back without chocolate, now could I?

If I’m being completely honest, Secret Recipe Club is responsible for my return. With help from my January assignment, The Freshman Cook, I finally warmed up the oven, broke out the chocolate chips (what’s left of the ones I haven’t eaten straight out of the bag), and smashed up some candy canes.

And made chocolate peppermint goodness. It may not be Christmas anymore, but since I missed out on most of the festivities I’m totally still celebrating.

Won’t you celebrate with me?

Peppermint Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars is a post from: Alli 'n Son

I sat down the other night to make my Christmas cookie and baking list, and I couldn’t decide what to make.

Wait, scratch that, I couldn’t decide what not to make. Over the years I’ve made some pretty fantastic recipes. Some are family traditions that began when I was a girl. Some are new. Some made an appearance once. Some pop up every couple of years.

But this year, I want to make them all.

So, who’s going to come over and watch the boys, so I can begin baking now and continue until Christmas morning? Because it will more than likely take me the next 13 days to make all of these gems.

1} Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies                                          2} Chocolate Haystacks

3} Cutout Cookies w/Frosting                                                     4} Frosted Melted Moments

5} Hot Chocolate Snowballs                                                      6} Mint Chocolate Delights

7} Molasses Cookies                                                                     8} White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

9} Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies                                                    10} Peanut Butter Pretezel Cookies

11} Monster Cookies                                                                     12} Toffee Snickerdoodle Cookies

13} Chocolate Toffee                                                                       14} Peppermint Mocha Muffins

15} Rolo Pretzel Bites                                                                     16} Sugar and Spice Almonds

17} Caramel, Cranberry, White Chocolate Snack Mix         18} Peppermint, Caramel, White Chocolate Snack Mix

19} Cinnamon Snack Mix                                                            20} Candy Cane Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

21} Peppermint Molasses Cookies                                          22} Peppermint Truffle Brownie Cheesecake

23} Sea Salt Hot Chocolate                 24} Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer                 25} Irish Cream

What are you favorite Christmas cookies and treats?

Christmas Cookies, Desserts and Beverages is a post from: Alli 'n Son