Breakfast Cookies

My mom gave me this yummy recipe for breakfast cookies and I just had to share it with all of you. They are perfect if you're not a big breakfast eater or if you need something quick to eat on the way to the gym in the am. They also make a good afternoon snack. They are easy to make and pretty healthy for the most part.

Ingredients:
4 mashed bananas
1/2 c chunky peanut butter
1/2 c honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c nonfat dry milk (or more flour or protein powder)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 c dried cranberries/raisins/mini chocolate chips/etc.

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray cookie sheets (even if they're non-stick).
Mix your ingredients in a large bowl.
Using 1/4 c measure, drop mounds of dough 3" apart on the cookie sheets.
Flatten and spread each mound to 2 and 3/4"round and about 1/2" thick.
Bake one sheet at a time for 14-16 minutes.
Cool on wire racks.
Store in an airtight container up to three days.
You can also freeze the cookies for up to two months.

Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!

Giving Trip

I'm sure many of you have heard of TOMS shoes before and are familiar with their One for One motto. For those of you that aren't familiar TOMS shoes started as just basic canvas, slip-on shoes that you could get in a variety of different colors and patterns. The One for One motto comes from the fact that when you purchase a pair of TOMS shoes, a pair is also given to a child in need. In order to distribute out all the shoes to the children in need, TOMS has planned trips called "giving trips" where they go and personally give the shoes to the children in need. I have always thought that would be such an awesome experience and sometimes envied the people who get to go on "giving trips" as their job. Well, I now have a chance to win a giving trip to be able to go to another country and give TOMS shoes to children in need myself.

After reading the book Kisses From Katie (awesome book and true story that I highly recommend), my eyes were really opened to the poverty, medical need, and lack of education in other countries. All of things in which I take for granted on a daily basis. The Lord really started stirring in my heart a desire to do something to help out in some way, big or small. That's when an email popped up in my inbox about signing up to go on a TOMS giving trip. Intrigued, I clicked on the link and a half hour later I found myself thinking through how I can design my flag and what words I can write to let others know that my heart is in this trip. I'm not sure how many contestants there are in total, but I don know that 50 of us will win a chance of a lifetime to go on a "giving trip". I could hardly wait for the voting to start.

If I won a "giving trip" I would get the chance to go to a different country (50+ countries in which Giving Partners are providing TOMS shoes) for a week with a team of people. I would receive education about the culture of the country I'm assigned, challenges within the community, sensitivities, and the Giving Partner's programs. I would get to experience first hand the impact of the "giving trips". I would receive a ticket to show the kids in the community relentless love. I would get the opportunity to serve with an open heart and be humbled by such an amazing experience. I would so love this opportunity more than anything.

If any of you are interested in helping me obtain this unique and valuable opportunity you can follow THIS LINK to view my flag I created and vote for me. The top 50 flags with the most votes will win a chance to go on a "giving trip" this year. There are 37 days left to vote. I would love for you to vote for me one day, or all 37 of them. Your votes are very much appreciated! What an awesome experience it would be to make a difference in the children's lives.