I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to make a peppermint mocha that wasn’t full of a lot of calories.
Can I be honest? The ones from Starbucks are not my favorite. They add way too much chocolate. I would rather have the peppermint shine through. I love peppermint in my lattes so that makes sense.
Yesterday I found a peppermint mocha ground coffee at Aldi’s so that is what I’m using for the coffee part of the recipe. So good.
For the recipe:
ground coffee – I used peppermint mocha flavored coffee.
peppermint syrup
almond milk – I used vanilla unsweetened almond milk. You could use real milk or any non dairy milk. I just prefer almond milk.
cacao powder
whipped cream
Peppermint Mocha Latte
Stars of the recipe:
1 to 2 Tbsp. ground coffee (I used a reusable K cup pod for my coffee maker.)
1 Tbsp. peppermint syrup
1/2 c. milk (dairy or non dairy)
1 to 2 tsp. cacao powder
2 Tbsp. whipped cream
Steps:
Add the peppermint syrup to the mug.
Then brew the coffee. I brew my coffee using the bold setting.
While it’s brewing, froth the milk and cacao powder.
After the coffee is done brewing, top with frothed milk and whipped cream.
Enjoy!
Note: You either need to use a frother or froth it without a frother. Place milk and cacao powder in a mason jar, place the lid on it, and then shake it. (Arm workout) Once it’s increased in volume, remove the lid carefully. Microwave it for 30 to 60 seconds.
We are to have humility in our lives. If you have humility, pride is taken away from you and you are sensitive to God’s ministry through you. What does God want you to do to help humankind?
Other references to being poor in spirit:
Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim freedom for the captives
And release darkness for the prisoners.”
The prisoners are those who do not know God and have not accepted him into their lives.
Luke 4: 16 -21
16”He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the places where it was written:
18’The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
Because he has anointed me
To proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the oppressed free,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
Luke 7:22
“So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.’”
My Interpretation of this Beatitude:
The poor are those who do not know God and his love for us as humans. He loved us so much that he sent his only Son to not only take on the human body but he also died for our sins on the cross. We are to share the news of God with everyone. Note: Not everyone will accept the news but it’s up to us to continually share it. You never know when your words will help someone. Someone might be ready to take that leap of faith to learn to love and trust God. He could become the center of their lives. You might be the one to help lead them there. Remember he goes to find the 1 lost sheep. Are you going to be the one to lead that lost sheep back to his/ her/ their Shepherd?
I’ve included a song about the Lord looking for the lost sheep. HE has a Reckless Love for us. HE will find us.
On Thursday, I got word that I was going to be at home for the next two months. I’ll have more time to make us dinners at home. (No commute to or from the school building.)
I was going to be home this week anyway because it is Thanksgiving break. However, our plans for Thanksgiving have changed due to the fact my youngest is in quarantine for possible exposure. I’m going to be making our Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll make a big meal that can be eaten at lunch time and then we’ll have a grazing dinner or leftovers later on in the day.
My Misfits box came in yesterday with a few surprises of veggies that I’m going to cook this week. One of which is celery root. I’ve never cooked one of those so that would be interesting to try. I also got eggplant so I’m going to have an Italian themed lunch on Monday and Tuesday. The third veggie I got is fennel. I’m going to have that with my fish on Monday.
If you click on the images, it’ll take you to a Google Slide presentation where you can click on the links to the recipes I’m using this week.
Two of the recipes are going to be made in the slow cooker which makes life easier. I already have the mashed potatoes in my fridge. I had bought some already cooked mashed potatoes for something else. We never used them so they are going to come in handy. The mac and cheese is a family favorite. The recipe makes a lot but I know the boys will eat it.
I decided on turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. It’s going to be a lot easier to make. Easy is my name this year for Thanksgiving.
I hope my meal plan helps you decide on what you are going to cook this week.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving! I know it looks different this year and that’s okay. For me, it’ll remind me of 25 years ago when I was in Walt Disney World. I made my own Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. Grandma sent me recipe cards with some of my favorites – white salad and sweet potato casserole. I made a chicken instead of turkey.
Look for the positives and be grateful. I know it’s hard in 2020 but there have been silver linings through all the hardships. For me, it’s the 3 trips I got to take this year. They looked different than what I typically do. However, I’m blessed I was able to create those memories.
My family has been healthy through this pandemic which is another blessing.
I took this photo on Thursday morning not realizing it was going to be my last morning commuting to work for a while. I took the photo through my rear view mirror. Behind me was the sunrise over the tornado damage from Memorial Day 2019. Something beautiful over something horrific. We need to find that sunrise in our lives right now. That something beautiful
Molly nervously looked at her watch. Almost midnight, Marc had never been out this late without contacting her. He always needed to be home by eight and in bed by 10 type of guy. Always in their twenty years of marriage.
She debated calling the police, his mom, or even the FBI as her mind raced through possible scenarios. Maybe he stopped at his mother’s and he forgot to call because he was eating her world famous cherry pie. Or maybe he got into an accident and was rushed to the hospital. She was so deep in her thoughts when the bright headlights of his truck broke her concentration.
Relief overwhelmed her. Her heart began to slow its rhythmic pace as she raced outside. Molly, a modest dresser, didn’t care she was in her nightgown. The cool fall air slapped her in the face as she hurried to his truck. Marc looked haggard, his clothes were wrinkled and stained, so unlike him, as he opened the truck’s door.
That is when she noticed the diamonds glinting in the streetlight. At least that is what they looked liked to her. Moving closer, she noticed that there were small jagged pieces of metal lining the bed of the truck. She was drawn to those pieces especially when she observed the rust on them.
Picking up one of them, she noticed it wasn’t rust but fresh dripping blood.
Screaming as she dropped it! She fell to her knees. In her mind, she knew she needed to call the police.
The man standing in front of her wasn’t the Marc she loved.
What do you think had happened to Marc?
Why do you think there were small pieces of metal with fresh blood on them in his truck bed?
On March 13, 2020, we got the word that all schools in Ohio were going to close for the Coronavirus pandemic. In a matter of days, we had to switch from face-to-face teaching to online learning with little guidance. It was uncharted territory. When we came back in August, it was decided we needed to stay remote learning. We were given guidance this time on how to proceed. It’s been a rocky road these first 6 weeks of teaching to be honest. I’m still learning on the job.
Yesterday, I learned we were going to switch back to face-to-face teaching in a hybrid model. Students are going to come to school 2 days a week and 3 days online. I don’t know how that is going to work which is scary. I’m a special education teacher that typically sees a lot of students who come in and out of my resource room. Prior to the shutdown, I was seeing 40 plus students during a typical week. They were constantly switching from their classroom to my room, & vice-versa.
Obviously, I am nervous about the switch back to face-to-face teaching.
Last Saturday, we went to see a private showing of Sonic the Hedgehog. As we were driving home, my teenage boys decided to squabble about the ending of the movie. Oldest told Youngest he needed to turn his brain off and just enjoy the movie instead of analyzing it. Youngest didn’t like the ending. He told us the movie was good for it being based on a video game.
I sat in the driver’s seat trying not to laugh at their squabble. It was a matter of a difference of opinion on how you enjoy the movie. Do you turn your brain off and just be entertained or do you analyze the plot?
In Social Studies, we have been teaching and discussing different explorers who came over to North America. This week, we are learning about Ferdinand Magellan. At one point in his journey, they ran out of food, became malnourished, and had to rely on eating the rawhide pieces of the boat. I could not imagine being that hungry that I needed to eat dried pieces of leather to survive. That lack of real food would not sustain me.
