I have to brag on myself for just a moment, so feel free to skip this blog for today.  I know that most of you do this everyday, but I'm not much in the kitchen, so this is a special day for me!

Today not only did I grocery shop, but I cut up all the fruit and produce, made hummus, made granola bars and am about to start working on my crockpot lasagna.  Aaron will not recognize me when I come home.  I'll have the “I've been cooking all day glow”!  He does not see that on me often.

To make my life easier, I always cut up anything that can be cut up as soon as we get it from the grocery store, or in our weekly veggie delivery.  It makes is so nice when kids want a snack to already have it ready to go.  Today I cut up our strawberries and grapes.  Since I knew I was making hummus I also got some green peppers ready for the kids to snack on today after school.

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*green pepper strips, grapes and strawberries.  yes I still cut grapes in half for my kids.  sometimes i even cut them in fourths.  there will be no choking on grapes at this house!

I also made some hummus today.  We have been slacking on our hummus intake and I'm ready to get back into snacking in the afternoon on hummus and veggies.  We also love a good hummus sandwich filled with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Oh my word I can taste it now.

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Someone had sent me this recipe via email once and I didn't write down who gave it to me, so I'm sorry for not giving you credit.  I doubled the recipe and I think it made it a little thick.  Or my math could have been off too.  I mean who likes to double fractions when they don't have to.  Or I could have gotten my little t and big T mixed up.  Can the difference of a teaspoon and tablespoon really make that much of a difference?

1 can chick peas (retain 1/4 c of juice)

1/3 c Tahini (at heb)

2 1/2 T of lemon juice

2T olive oil

1/4 t garlic powder (I didn't have this so I just threw some garlic cloves in)

5/8 t salt

Put liquid ingredients at bottom of blender; slowly add chick peas until well-blended.  Put in bowl; top with sprinkling of cayenne pepper and cover with chopped parsley.

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Next I began to work on my ENERGY BOOST BARS (click on name for recipe) that I got out of my Family Fun Aug 2008 magazine.  I have made these before and the kids love them.  A very easy snack to make for your kids that doesn't cost a lot of money, take a lot of time, or have anything bad in it.  I love feeding them this snack after school or throwing it in their lunches.  I didn't have dried blueberries so I threw in raisins.

Last time I made this I couldn't get them into bars very well, so we'll see how it works out this time.  I might be putting it in a pan that is too big and we usually just end up making it into granola to put on our yogurt or eat in a bowl.  It's in the oven now so I can't give you the final call on how it ended up today!

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