fashion limbo + homemade energy bars

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope you had a lovely weekend! The Pilot had to work most of the weekend, so the girls and I had some fun adventures together. Saturday morning, we met up with Kyle, Meg, EJ and August for Mexican donuts and coffee at the mercado. They have a huge courtyard with different food vendors, restaurants, and little shops, so it’s the perfect spot to grab a bite and enjoy the weather. 

The donuts from Estrella are MAGICAL. Mexican pastries just have something about them; they’re so light and fluffy, it’s ridiculous. (I had a chocolate concha and about half of a glazed donut.) We walked over to the MSA Annex where the kids could play with enormous Jenga in between eating hot tortillas out of the bag, and Kyle, Meg and I sat in the shade and caught up on life. It was a great morning.

I cleaned the house while the girls played outside and completely cleared off the patio so we can replant and get new patio furniture. I’ve been lurking a few options online but this set from Target is my current fave!

(How cute is the egg chair?!)

Saturday night, the Pilot and I met up with friends to attend a school auction.

Confession: we LOVE silent auctions. We circle around like hawks and sneak in our bids in the last few minutes muahaha. We ended up getting some really cool prizes, including a sleepover package for the girls from Nox. Dinner was great and it’s always enjoyable to talk to the other parents without a child (aka P) trying to football tackle me to the ground. (<— this really happened. I thought she was going to stop, but no. She came running at me, hit me at the knees, and I fell to the floor in shame, holding coffee, in the preschool hallway. Now, I always leave the coffee in the car because you never know what will happen.)

The dress I wore to the auction is here!! It’s on sale right now for $60.

I’m thankful that Everlane exists. I’m in the fashion limbo stage where clothes often feel way too young or way too mature. Gimme that nice in-between vibe.

Sunday morning, we woke up to pouring rain. We were supposed to visit some horses but since it was pouring, we’re going to do it another weekend. Instead, we had a lazy morning with waffles and eggs, grocery shopped, and got things together for a bday party. The rain cleared up just in time for the party! The kids had a blast at Trail Dust Town and we came home to enjoy paleo chicken tenders, sweet potato fries, and broccoli. (For the paleo chicken tenders, I dip them in egg and coat in a mixture of almond meal, oregano, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet at 400 for 25 degrees.)

While everything was in the oven, I made some quick energy bars for the week. They’re very similar to my peanut butter and jelly amazeballs.

Here’s the recipe!

Homemade energy bars

1/2 cups raw cashews, ground

1 cup oats, ground

7 dates

2 tablespoons honey (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup peanut butter (the drippy kind works the best)

1/3 cup strawberry jam

pinch of sea salt

Splash of vanilla

1. Pulse everything in a food processor until a dough forms.

2. Using wet hands, press onto the bottom of a parchment lined baking dish. (I used an 8×8)

3. Set in the fridge to harden, about 30 minutes. Cut into bars and store covered in the fridge.

I put a bar into each of their lunches, along with blueberry rounds with cream cheese, an Enjoy life protein ball, carrots, and blueberries.

This morning, I’m off to hot yoga – can’t wait! – and then off to the usual work stuff before picking up the crew + afternoon activities.

Have a happy Monday! Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

xo

Gina