All Things Pumpkin-Harvest Snacks
Sweet treats abound during this time of year, so I thought it would be nice to share an easy Harvest Snack Mix idea that is savory and sweet and fun to have around when friends stop by for a visit. I gathered up all the ingredients at my favorite store-Trader Joe’s. I mixed up a batch and already took a few bags full to friends.
In a large bowl mix
4 cups of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin “O’s”
2 cups peanut butter pretzels
1 cup pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds
1 cup unsalted roasted almonds
2 cups pumpkin flavored granola
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
Mix together in a bowl and serve.
I bought some clear treat bags and filled them with Harvest Snack Mix, tied them with an orange ribbon and took one bag to a party for a fun hostess gift and dropped the other one off as a surprise for a friend.
It is really nice to have a special treat ready to serve with very little preparation time needed. Take a trip to your local Trader Joe’s, Sprouts or try your local grocery store and see what fun pumpkin flavored snacks you can find to combine for your own creative version of Harvest Snack Mix.
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Tricky
I love celebrating holidays. It is always a good excuse to throw a party, spend time with people, eat good food, dress up, or do something out of the ordinary. But every year, October rolls around and I am encountered with the same dilemma of how to really feel about halloween. Growing up, we didn’t place a huge emphasis or celebration on the actual meaning of the holiday of halloween, but moreso getting to go to our church’s “harvest festival”, dress up, play games, and of course eat candy, (and yes we were one of the families to pass out tracks with candy which I always thought was realy cool). Now, as an adult, I wonder how I should really feel about the holiday as a whole. I love dressing up in costume. I love carving pumpkins. I always loved trick or treating and now I love when kids trick or treat at my house. Now I can’t move on without recognizing the materialistic view, many of us may have fallen into the category of spending too much on a costume, eating too much candy, or just enjoying the day a little too much. I am not just trying to make this an argument about whether halloween is good or bad or why or why not to do it. I am placing no judgement on how anyone spends their halloween. I am really just in the middle of it, trying to figure it all out. So if any of you have ever had questions about this, let’s be in this together, because it can be rather tricky.
I did a little research on the origin of halloween. Some people look to Halloween as the eve of All Saint’s Day on November 1 which is a tribute to Martin Luther, the …
Read MorePumpkin Carving and Crafting!
I don’t know about you, but I am seeing pumpkins EVERYWHERE!! The ways you can craft or decorate with pumpkins is limitless, but sometimes it is hard to think outside the box of putting a display of mini pumpkins on the dining room table or carving a jack-o-lantern for your front porch. Our friends, The Dating Divas, are going to help us out today! I am going to share their …
60 Creative Pumpkin Carving Ideas
and
90 Creative No-Carve Pumpkin Ideas
Click HERE for the rest of the ideas and the how-tos! These ideas are so fun, you don’t want to miss them!
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Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
Harvest season has come. The leaves are turning colors and although we have had an extraordinarily warm fall season, the nights are getting chilly. Time to start cooking up those fall stews and soups. But for those of us who are avid Giants fans…..it is the postseason and the NLCS is happening this week, so I decided to try out a new veggie burger recipe to have a ballpark style dinner. I adapted a recipe that was on the back of a bag of multicolored quinoa that I bought at Trader Joe’s (my favorite grocery store).
Here is the adapted recipe…
Ingredients for Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
4 cloves garlic
2 shallots (you can use ¼ cup chopped green onions or ½ cup sweet maui onions)
1 red or yellow pepper chopped fine
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped fine (1 cup) because I LOVE cilantro
2 cups homemade black beans smashed a bit-recipe below (you can use 1-15 oz can)
3 cups cooked quinoa (cook as directed on back of package)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes (oatmeal or oat bran can also be used-original recipe used bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons Trader Joe’s every day seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tsp salt
Saute garlic, red or yellow pepper and shallots in 1 TBS olive oil. Mix all remaining ingredients and stir in sauted veggies. Mix well and shape into 8 patties and fry in pan with 1 TBS olive oil 2-3 minutes each side. Serve on whole wheat buns with lettuce, tomato, avocado, sliced red onion and Mango Salsa (recipe below). You can also layer a bed of spinach with the mango salsa onto a plate and place the burger, tomato, and avocado on top.
Homemade Black Beans
2-3 cups dry black beans (1 Pound)…
Read MoreGiveaway Winner and Special Link
AND THE WINNER IS….
Julie Caldwell!!
Congrats!
Didn’t win our giveaway?? You can buy your copy of “Leaders Who Last” on Amazon today! Click the image below!
We have just joined Amazon.com Associates- the Amazon Affiliate Program. This means that if you use the link provided, we get a small percentage back into our business to continue creating and providing our “Weisser Wisdom” with all of you!…
Read MoreCaochAyers.com-Most Influential Post, Read by Most Followers
We asked JT which of his posts have been the most influential. The two posts that have been read by the most followers or have received the most comments have been Introverts are Powerful Leaders and Slay your Dragons before Breakfast.
I hope you took the time yesterday to read the post on Introverts, but if you did not, take the time today to read it. Here is a sneak preview to encourage you to go to JT’s website and read the entire post.
WHY INTROVERTS MAKE EXCELLENT LEADERS AND WHAT EXTROVERTS CAN LEARN FROM THEM:
They Prepare-Introverts understand the power of Solitude. They will spend time thinking through their goals and preparing for questions. They spend time on the vision and values of their actions. They would never say they “just wing it.”
They Listen-An introvert is more likely to listen and pay attention to what other people are saying. People feel encouraged and valued by introverts. Extroverts butt into conversations and are generally the loudest people in the room.
An introvert is more likely to listen and pay attention to what other people are saying. People feel encouraged and valued by introverts. Extroverts butt into conversations and are generally the loudest people in the room.
The other post that has generated the most interest is called Slay your Dragons before Breakfast. Here is part of the post….to find out what the three heads of the dragon are and how to slay each head before breakfast, go to JT’s website and read the entire post. You will be blessed.
Every Morning I Wake Up To A Big Scary Fire-Breathing Dragon
(Think Smaug from The Hobbit)
I am disorientated each morning as I lay under my warm covers not wanting to deal with the dragon …
CoachAyers.com-JT’s 2 Favorite Posts
Today we will be sharing with you two of JT’s favorite posts.
The first one is called Coffee! The World’s Fuel. To read the entire post and see the resources JT used for his article, please go to his website by clicking the link. Go brew yourself up a cup of your favorite coffee and enjoy reading. My favorite cup coffee is always Peet’s.
Coffee-Fuel for the Modern World
Every day the world consumes 300 tons of coffee. That is enough coffee for every man woman and child on the planet. I am one of those people. The love of coffee is nothing new, however, most people don’t know the benefits of such an incredible addition. Below is a list of 5 reasons coffee is the fuel for the modern world and why you should be drinking it.
1. Lots Of Medical Benefits
You can’t die from drinking too much caffeine. It would take 90-100 cups in 4 hours to consume too much caffeine. And even if you were able to drink that much your body would be getting rid of it just as fast as you consume the beverage. Coffee and caffeine have proven benefits from countless studies:
– Protection from Cardio-Vascular diseases
– Can Prevent Diabetes
– Can Prevent Parkinson Disease
– Ease Asthma attacks
– Can help get rid of migraines
– 50% less likely to get rid of liver cancers for coffee drinkers
2. Increase In Brain Power
Caffeine releases Dopamine (chemical in your body that makes you happy). Caffeine also increases concentration, decreases fatigue, and gives you a better memory. Caffeine works by blocking an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which leads to a stimulant effect. This improves energy levels, mood and various aspects of brain function.
3. Increase In Physical Performance
Caffeine can …
Read MoreJT Ayers-Passion Perspective Interview
JT’s journey of taking his passion for leadership and coaching and making it a tangible platform so he could share this passion with others began a few years ago. In his interview we asked him some questions about the development of his dream and we will share his responses here with you.
When asked how and when his passion began, JT answered, “An exceptional life and leadership coach decided to coach me in creating and following my passion of leadership. He guided me through the beginning steps and remains my friend and advisor. Basically one man, by God’s grace, decided to invest and mentor a younger leader trying to do it right.”
What were the steps you took to make it a reality? “I taught myself how to build websites. Then I learned how to create a business. Every step I asked people for help. After taking many people to lunch and asking a lot of questions CoachAyers.com became a reality.”
We asked JT what sets his website apart from other leadership websites and what makes CoachAyers.com special and he responded, “CoachAyers.com is a platform that reaches a very broad audience of freshman in high school to retired adults. Some are Believers and some are not. It is very practical and is the only website that I write for. Honesty, I don’t think it really is that special. I had a desire to invest in the lives of those that I had the opportunity to lead. It is impossible to be with my assistant coaches, students, captains for my track team as much as I feel necessary. CoachAyers.com gives people an opportunity to learn at their own pace and time frame. Along the way, the website picked up more followers and I am honored to research and write …
Read MoreGetting to Know Coach JT Ayers
Summer of 2002, my second oldest daughter began dating a young co-ed from college. They had met on a mission trip in Mexico during spring break. He comes from a great family, awesome parents and two younger brothers. The Fall of that same year, during those early “dating days” we had the privilege of spending a day in Disneyland with them all, and everyone of us came away from that day excited to see what the future would hold. Flash forward to the summer of 2004 and we had the blessing of giving away our daughter in marriage to an exceptionally awesome young man-JT Ayers.
Here are JT’s words in a short bio, “Born to good parents. Jesus found me at 19. Met a girl 6 months later. Married her. Found my purpose in teaching and coaching. 10 years later have 4 kids. Sojourning to build a legacy.”
Bethany’s words, “JT is what you can call an influencer. He is determined, passionate, enthusiastic, and a visionary. From the moment I met him years ago, I was excited to have him as part of the family. He has led the way for his family to pursue abundance in Christ. He seeks to pursue more and more of Christ in his role as a father, husband, and in his job. He won’t settle for anything less than more. More love. More joy. More freedom. And more truth. JT is a great example to so many, and makes so many people feel important. As a coach, teacher, discipler, mentor, father, and husband, he continues to influence the world one person at a time.”
His wife describes him, “JT Ayers is husband and best friend to Jess; daddy of 4 kids, 5 and under; coach, mentor, teacher, and leader to hundreds of high school …
Read MoreStunned by the Beauty of God’s Creation
Towering mountains of sandstone, voluminous white puffy clouds casting shifting shadows, babbling brooks becoming rapidly flowing flash floods after sudden thunderous storms fill their banks with fresh rain water, incredibly interesting rock formations……….all part of experiencing Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.
In Zion National Park, precipitous canyon walls and massive monoliths are seen in abundance. The Virgin river flows between them and these sand stone formations soar thousands of feet above the floor of Zion Canyon. We hiked to the top of the Observation Point Trail, an 8 mile roundtrip trail, rising 2,150 feet from the Canyon floor, to an elevation of 6,508 ft. The views from the top were breath-taking.
We forged the Narrows, a hike through the rocky river bed that took us to Wall Street where the canyon walls are sheer, near and so high that they appear like walls on either side of the river. We climbed over boulders and sloshed through knee deep water and were fortunate enough to take our trek the day before the big storm hit, which prevents explorers from trekking up the Narrows, due to potential flash floods which can be very dangerous.
In Bryce Canyon, where weathering and erosion create the statuesque rock forms called Hoodoos, the views from the top of the canyon are colorful and unique. The limestone pillars are formed by frost, snow, ice and rain enlarging cracks in the thin walls of rock. Holes are created and bridges form but eventually collapse to leave free standing pillars of stone. The immensity of canyon allows fantastic exploration opportunities. The trails weave through the Hoodoos, down into the canyon floor and go around and under archways and bridges. Our favorite trail was Fairyland Loop. It was long and steep but captivated us with rewarding …
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