Expanding upon its foray into the pint-size game, Magnum has released three new flavors of its ultra-indulgent ice cream just in time to comfort the lonely souls stuck at home watching Hallmark Christmas specials all by themselves.

Each pint features velvety ice cream intermingled with crackable cocoa shards and topped with a solid disk of Magnum’s signature rich chocolate. Because, you know, why choose between ice cream and a chocolate bar when you can have both?

Magnum Milk Chocolate Almond Tub

Featuring vanilla ice cream studded with chopped almonds, chocolate shards, and additional almonds sprinkled on a milk chocolate top, this is probably the tamest flavor of the bunch.

It’s not a whole lot different from Magnum’s Milk Chocolate Vanilla pint from the original line-up. Neither the ice cream, nor the chocolate has any flavor variance, and the only thing that separates this flavor from its predecessor is the texture given by the chopped almonds.

Even so, this is plenty enjoyable as it is. The luscious vanilla base is tasty enough to stand by itself but is also mild enough to allow the almond’s flavor to come though layers of ice cream and chocolate.

While not being pretty, the almond-studded milk chocolate disk on top helped to drive home the idea behind this flavor, making it slightly reminiscent of the Hershey’s Almond bars I remember eating as a kid.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 390 calories, 25 grams of total fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, 26 grams of added sugars, and 6 grams of protein.

Magnum Dark Chocolate Mint Tub

Dark chocolate and mint are two flavors I’ve found an increasing appreciation for as an adult. Even so, it’s surprising this turned out to be my favorite of Magnum’s newest offerings.

The slight bitterness bought by ample amounts of dark chocolate helped keep this pint from seeming as sweet as it would have been had Magnum utilized the same milk chocolate featured in the other two flavors. The bright peppermint base complimented the dark chocolate’s richness exceptionally well, making it easy to finish in a sitting without feeling too heavy.

Honestly, eating this straight from the freezer reminds me of eating a frozen York Peppermint Patty, although the outer shell is notably thicker here. Even so, this is one of the best chocolate mint ice creams I’ve ever had, and it’s going to be a go-to when I’m craving chocolate, mint, and ice cream all at once.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 350 calories, 22 grams of total fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 29 grams of total sugars, 24 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Magnum Milk Chocolate Mocha Tub

In contrast to how Dark Chocolate Mint utilized shards of dark chocolate to balance against a sweet peppermint base, this pint decided to tackle that issue from the other direction by making use of coffee extract to bring bittersweet notes to the ice cream itself.

Even though I’m generally a fan of coffee-infused anything, I didn’t like this pint quite as much as I’d hoped. While the ice cream is undoubtedly delicious, I found that the coffee extract covered up the milk chocolate’s flavor, and I only noticed its presence when I chomped down on a larger-than-average chunk.

Also, since the coffee and chocolate aspects of the ice cream aren’t seamlessly mixed, I don’t think that its fair of Magnum to call this flavor “Mocha.” Instead, calling it “Milk Chocolate Coffee,” or something similar, would more accurately describe how it actually tastes.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. ox.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 350 calories, 23 grams of total fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of total sugars, 21 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Other Things

• To make sure that the chocolate shards crack properly, Magnum recommends that you let all three of these sit on your counter for at least ten minutes before you squeeze them. So, plan your snack ahead of time. Or you can take the impatient route as I did by microwaving them in ten-second bursts.
• Even after letting mine soften, I still couldn’t get any of the chocolate disks on top to crack when I squeezed the containers. Eventually, I found that I had to grab a heavy duty spoon and really dig in there to break past the chocolate monoliths on top and get into the silky ice cream underneath.

There are some comfort foods that just never get old and that make both kids and adults ridiculously happy. On the top of the list is macaroni and cheese.

I have a very sophisticated friend who, upon arriving at my house for dinner, will say, “Is that mac and cheese I smell? Oh, please tell me that’s mac and cheese. I really hope it’s mac and cheese.” And for her, it usually is.

GUSSY UP YOUR FAVORITE MAC AND CHEESE

Plain macaroni and cheese is absolutely delicious. But as you may have guessed from the title of this piece, there are many ways to gussy it up and keep it interesting from dinner to dinner.

Mac and cheese is a great base for all kinds of seasonings, for hot sauces of all stripes, for different vegetables, even for different types of meat. There are almost no wrong answers here!

START WITH A BASIC RECIPE, THEN IMPROVISE

Start with a favorite mac and cheese recipe – like this one! – and then work in whatever ingredients speak to you. The suggested amounts of add-ins will work with any macaroni and cheese recipe that calls for one pound of pasta.

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

1 Punch Up Your Sauce

A standard cheese sauce is delightful, and using your favorite cheese or cheeses will already give your mac and cheese a distinct personality. But try adding a little spice!

A little heat goes a long way, and there are so many ways to add some spice to your sauce. If you want to really bring it, then keep adding heat until you reach the right tongue-tingling level for you and your family.

The amounts given below are merely guidelines; the good news is that you can start with smaller amounts, and then keep tasting your sauce to see if you like it as is, or want to keep dialing up the heat.

Add the following to the sauce after the cheese is melted:

• Add cayenne pepper or dried red pepper flakes to the sauce, starting with about 1/2 teaspoon and increasing the amount gradually.
• Add 1 tablespoon chili powder.
• Hot sauces! You may never reach the end of these variations, such as Sriracha (Southeast Asian), Harissa (Moroccan), Gochujang (Korean), or good old Tabasco sauce. Start with 1/2 teaspoon, and increase as desired.
• Start with spicy peppers, such as hatch, Anaheim, or jalapeño, then roast them, chop them, and add them in after the cheese melts. Amounts are hard to suggest because the heat varies so much, so start small, taste as you go, and add gradually!

Try this recipe for a little kick in your mac and cheese routine:

Green Goddess Mac and Cheese

2 Add Some Veggies

If you pair mac and cheese with a salad, you are good to go. But for a bona fide one dish meal, you can also put some vegetables right into the mac and cheese after the cheese has melted into the sauce.

For vegetables that need to be cooked, such as broccoli and butternut squash, roasting them is a good way to add nice caramelized flavor to the dish. Leftover vegetables prepared another way you can certainly be used as well.

Here are some choices for adding those nutritious veggies to your dish.

• About 2 to 3 cups roughly chopped greens, such as kale, chard, spinach, or a power greens mix
• 2 to 3 cups roughly chopped cooked broccoli, cauliflower, or broccoflower, or Romanesco
• 2 cups cooked asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• 1/2 to 1 cup sautéed chopped or sliced leeks
• 2 cups sautéed cubed zucchini or summer squash
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked corn kernels
• 2 cups cooked cubed butternut or other winter squash, or sweet potatoes

Try these vegetable-infused cheesy pastas:

Chili Mac and Cheese

3 Pack It With Protein

Adding some meat or other protein to your mac and cheese makes it even heartier and certainly defines it as a main dish. Although mac and cheese (amongst its many appeals) is a vegetarian dish for the most part, it doesn’t have to be.

You can add in all sorts of meaty and even seafood-y additions. Some people even like to mix beef chili into their mac and cheese. But don’t forget all of those vegetarian versions of proteins available today, like baked tofu or tempeh or soy versions of things like shredded chicken—all of those non-meat options work as well.

Add any of these proteins after the cheese has melted, and stir for a couple of minutes to heat through before adding the pasta to the sauce:

• 1 to 2 cups cooked cubed (or shredded) chicken, ham, pork, or beef.
• 1/2 to 1 pound sautéed and drained ground beef, pork, turkey or chicken (you could also add in 1 tablespoon chili powder as you sauté the meat for a more chili-like vibe).
• 1 to 2 cups sautéed extra firm tofu, or puree some of the sauce with 1 cup soft tofu in a blender, then return it to the pot, then add your noodles.
• 1 to 2 cups cubed cooked lobster or shrimp.
• 1/2 to 1 cup cooked crumbled sausages, from pork to turkey to chicken (or try a vegetarian “sausage”).
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon, speck, or pancetta (watch the addition of salt if you add one of these salty cured or smoked meats). Sauté any of these in a skillet until crispy, then fold it in at the very end, so it holds on to its crisp-chewy texture.

Try these meaty mac and cheese recipes as well:

4 Crispy Panko Topping

The contrast of the creamy mac and cheese against the crunchy breadcrumb topping is delightful. It’s a great way to make macaroni and cheese part of a more elegant dinner—kind of like a gratin!

Make a simple crispy topping with from panko breadcrumbs (a fluffy type of Japanese breadcrumbs) and a bit more cheese.

Your Turn!

There are so many ways you could riff on a simple bowl of mac and cheese. What are some of your favorite add-ins and toppings?

Today I have a 5 star restaurant secret recipe for a yummy dessert served at Momofuku Milk Bar.  Milk Bar is a chain of dessert and bakery restaurants founded by chef Christina Tosi.  Chocolate chip cake is layered with peach puree, chocolate crumbs and coffee frosting.

Enjoy!

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New 5 Star Secret Recipe
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Momofuku Chocolate Chip Peach Cake
Like this recipe? Get all our 5 Star Restaurant Secret Recipes – Go Here

Chocolate Crumbs:
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or regular semisweet chocolate chips, chopped into small pieces)

Peach Puree:
3 medium fresh peaches (or 1.5 cans sliced peaches, in 100% juice)
3 tablespoons sugar
Juice from half a medium lemon
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch

Coffee Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee powder (regular coffee works in a pinch)
1/4 teaspoon table salt

For the crumbs:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, add all ingredients except for the butter and combine using an electric mixer.

Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture starts together in small clusters and clumps. It should resemble wet sand at this point.

Spread the crumbs on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. The crumbs should still be slightly most to the touch when you take them out of the oven; they will harden and dry as they cool.

Cool completely before layering in the cake. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep fresh for one week at room temperature or one month in the refrigerator.

For the cake:

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars in a large bowl on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs, and mix on medium-high again for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and vanilla (I used a fork to whisk these in a glass measuring cup). On low speed, stream the buttermilk mixture into the butter mixture. Increase speed to medium or medium high and continue beating for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is completely homogenous.

Once the mixture is completely homogenous, continue mixing at low speed and add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined, and finish off the mixing by hand with a rubber spatula until there are no streaks of dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix at this point, or you will end up with tough, rubbery cake. At this point, I folded in about 1/3 of my chocolate chips (the original recipe calls for sprinkling all the chips on top of the cake, which I thought was weird).

Line a 9×13” pan with parchment paper and generously grease with cooking oil or butter. Transfer cake batter to the pan and tap the pan on the countertop to even out the layer. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the cake batter.

Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake will nearly double in size, but will remain buttery and dense. At 30 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger: the cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. Leave the cake in the oven for an extra 3 to 5 minutes if it doesn’t pass these tests.

Take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire cooling rack, or, in a pinch, in the fridge or freezer. The cooled cake can be stored in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.

For the peach puree:

Peel and quarter peaches; add to a blender with lemon juice. Puree until smooth.

In a small pot, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in puree, turn on pan over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture simmers and thickens.

Transfer the mixture to a heatproof container, and put in the fridge until the puree has cooled completely, at least 30 minutes. The puree can be refrigerated for up to one week.

For the frosting:

In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and powdered sugar. Cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale yellow.

While the butter and sugar is creaming, combine the milk, coffee powder and salt in a small bowl.

Once the butter has finished creaming, scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula. Turn on the mixer to medium-high speed and gradually, tablespoon by tablespoon, add the coffee mixture. It’s important to add this mixture slowly to help the liquids incorporate together. Eventually you’ll end up with a super shiny, fluffy frosting: it should be a consistent pale brown if you used instant coffee and a speckled brown if you used coffee grounds. Use immediately.

To assemble:

Cut the cake into two 6″ rounds using a 6″ cake ring or pan as a guide. I pressed my 6” cake pan gently into the cake, and then used a knife to do the actual cutting.

Clean off the cake ring and place it on a plate or cutting board lined with wax paper, or just a sheet of wax paper (I didn’t use a plate to save space in my packed freezer—if you don’t use a plate, just be careful to support the bottom when moving the cake). Line the inside of the ring your choice of sturdy structural material (acetate, priority mail envelopes, sturdy paper, etc). Line with parchment paper or wax paper if you are not using acetate.

Line the bottom of the cake ring with the cake pieces left from cutting out the rounds to form the bottom cake layer. Mash down the scraps with your fingers until the layer is as flat as you can get it.

Spoon 1/2 of the peach puree in an even layer on top of the cake. Reserve about ½ cup of the crumbs (more or less) for the top of the cake, and sprinkle half of the remaining crumbs evenly across the puree—this should be a thick layer. Spread 1/3 of the coffee frosting across the crumbs—it’s okay if this frosting layer is spotty; it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Place one of the full rounds of cake on top of the frosting. If one of your 2 cake rounds is prettier than the other, save it for the top. Repeat the puree, crumb and frosting process. Place the last round of cake down (this layer will not be soaked). Spread the last 1/3 of coffee frosting across this layer and top with reserved crumbs.

Freeze cake for at least three hours, or up to overnight.

Remove from cake ring, peel off your wax paper or acetate and allow to come to room temperature—approximately 2-3 hours—before serving!

Have a comment or question about this recipe? Post it here.

Source: LA Times

The fact that grains are the key ingredient of this traditional dish puts it in the “off-limits” category no matter if the grains are sprouted, sour leavened or soaked.

In our home, my husband devised an excellent work-around to this problem.

Grain Free Stuffing – Yes it’s Possible!

A number of years ago, hubby came up with a delicious grain free stuffing recipe. It is legal for any type of low carb diet, even those of the gut healing variety such as GAPS, AIP or SCD.

We make two types of stuffing in our home as a result. Low carb stuffing along with sprouted stuffing, which is much more digestible and nutritious than conventional recipes made with quick rise bread. Everyone gets to eat stuffing this way, no matter who shows up for the big meal!

My husband eats the grain free stuffing and the kids eat the sprouted stuffing. I eat whatever works for me at the time as I enjoy them both!

If you’ve been missing stuffing during holiday meals because you are grain free, try making this low carb stuffing recipe below. My husband has made it for many years in our home, and I am delighted to share it with all of you!

Stuffing vs Dressing

While I call the recipe below “Keto Stuffing”, technically it is keto dressing.

According to most culinary authorities, stuffing (or “filling” as my friends from Pennsylvania call it) is a mixture used to stuff another food, usually turkey. The stuffing then cooks at the same time as the poultry.

Dressing, on the other hand, is cooked in a pan outside of the turkey, duck or goose cavity.

So while technically this dish is low carb turkey dressing, we call it stuffing in our home. We serve and enjoy it in exactly the same way at the table.

Call it what you like. It is yummy and will fill that void at the table that only stuffing can fill!

The Best Almond Flour for Grain Free Dressing/Stuffing

It is important to not use blanched almond flour for this recipe.

Use coarse almond flour or almond meal made with the skins which achieves the best grain-like texture.

The most nutritious almond flour is made yourself from soaked/dehydrated almonds that are freshly ground.

Sprouted almonds that you freshly grind yourself are also a more nutritious option to store bought, pre-ground almond flour.

Source: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/keto-stuffing-recipe/

Chickpeas, spiralized carrots, and coconut milk make a creamy, dairy-free curry in these gluten-free quinoa bowls. The bowls are topped with seared mini eggplant for a nutrient dense, protein-packed, beautiful bowl of food. 

I order a lot of ingredients through an online grocery delivery service named FreshDirect. It’s local in this area (the tri-state) and it’s amazing – you basically grocery shop on their website and they deliver you fresh produce and pantry items.

This isn’t a sponsored post, and yes, I have a point.

Every week, when I do my big grocery order (and then go to Whole Foods to fill in the gaps/get specialty items that FreshDirect does not have), I always make a point to order at least one new food item that I don’t normally order.

This past week, I did dragonfruit for Luca (he LOVED it) and these mini organic eggplants for me (which, I also made for him in the end.)

They came in a quart and they are just the cutest little baby eggplants, I want to squeeze them! I was going to make them with a tahini drizzle but then I said, “they’d be so good in a curry!”

Thus, this curry was born – but simmering them in the curry sauce would make them soggy and lifeless, so what I do here is saute them, set them aside, and then simply top them in the bowl and drizzle over with the remaining curry sauce for that bang of flavor!

This whole meal takes 30 minutes – a quick curry with spiralized carrots, chickpeas for protein, all served over a bed of quinoa (or you can use brown rice) for extra protein and to catch all the yummy sauce. And, I’ll add that it’s meal prep friendly!

Hope everyone has an amazing start to your week!

Watch our video to learn how to spiralize a carrot using the Inspiralizer and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Taco Bell has introduced a new nacho fry-inspired item to its menu, and it’s the chain’s fieriest dish yet. The mouth-searing snack is called “Steak Rattlesnake Fries,” and it’s perfect for fans of Taco Bell’s super popular nacho fries, steak fiends, and anyone who enjoys chugging a large beverage after a couple of spicy bites.

10 Ways Fast Food Chains Are Playing With Your Head

Steak Rattlesnake Fries — a name that is a glaring missed opportunity to introduce “Rattle-Steak Fries” — consists of a base of “boldly” (meaning super) spicy seasoned fries, topped with Taco Bell’s marinated steak, nacho cheese sauce, creamy jalapeño sauce, and a ton of spicy cut up jalapeños.

Our West Coast editor Lily Rose tried the fry dish and found it to be seriously tasty, but also seriously hot. Like, hotter than eating a whole bag of Xxtra Hot Flamin Hot Cheetos and not having any water to wash it down with. Those sliced jalapeños do not play!

For those daring to try Steak Rattlesnake Fries, Taco Bell is selling the snack for $2.99 as an a la carte option, or guests can order it “burrito style” and have their spicy french fry mélange wrapped in a flour tortilla. The fiery fry feast is only available for a limited time, which is good, because too much spicy food can lead to stomach aches and acid reflux.

Uber was created 10 years ago to make ridesharing and cab hailing a breeze for people in major cities. Now you can catch a lift practically anywhere and even have a driver (or drone) deliver you something to eat from a five-star restaurant — or McDonald’s and Starbucks. Food delivery may have been an afterthought at the time of the transit company’s conception, but now Uber Eats is one of the most successful services in the business.

10 Ways to Get Same-Day Groceries Delivered

The San Francisco-based company now projects it will deliver $10 billion worth of food around the world this year, which is over $6 billion more than last year. Uber Eats — which debuted in Toronto in 2015 — ranks second to market leader Grubhub (the same company as Seamless) and above Postmates, DoorDash and Caviar, according to Forbes.

“When I first joined Uber, I think Uber was much more associated with ride-hailing and Eats was this interesting part-time endeavor,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told the outlet. “It has since exploded, in a good way, into a truly significant business.”

Uber Eats wasn't always Uber Eats, though. In 2014, the platform launched in Santa Monica, California, under the name UberFresh, which delivered lunch and dinner from select restaurants in just 10 minutes. Year later, executives realized people would be willing to wait longer if they could order food from a wider selection of restaurants. So in 2015, Uber Eats was officially born.

The success of Uber Eats and other food delivery services is due to the fact that Americans are spending ever increasing amounts on takeout. Large swaths of the population just don't have the time or energy to make home-cooked meals, and some even claim that millennials have killed the kitchen. According to data from investment bank UBS, that age group is three times as likely to order in than their parents. The organization even stated that “there could be a scenario where by 2030 most meals currently cooked at home are instead ordered online and delivered from either restaurants or central kitchens.”

As a whole, Americans spend about $70,000 each on takeout and delivery per lifetime. Of 1,000 participants surveyed in research from late 2017, 82 percent admitted to ordering out at least once every two weeks. That’s an estimated $100 cost every month, or $1,175 per year. We don’t even want to know what our individual delivery debt looks like, because it’s probably a lot more than that.

But we’re no Post Malone. The 23-year-old Syracuse-born rapper is one of Postmates’ most loyal customers, having spent $40,000 on nearly 3,000 items in 52 different cities across the U.S. Some of his favorite purchases are from fast food giants like Burger King, Chick-fil-Aand Popeyes, where he orders six biscuits, two five-piece tenders dinners, and a quarter-pound popcorn shrimp dinner. When he orders from Chick-fil-A, he asks for the “largest nugget tray they have.” Mood. Some other munchies Post likes to have delivered are a small chocolate and vanilla ice cream sheet cake from Carvel, chicken tenders, fries, and mozzarella sticks from a restaurant called Big Daddy’s, melatonin and garlic bread. Now that's living.

But for real, many of us don't have enough time in a day to spend an hour cooking dinner after work when all you want to do is chow down and relax. Plus, when that sushi or taco craving hits, it’s nearly impossible to not give in. If you are a superhero with the willpower to avoid the temptations of takeout, try these 20-minute recipes that will change your life. 

August 24, 2018

When I was heading into Jr. High my mom sat us all down and told us this would be the most important counsel given that year, stand, alone if you must, but stand.

My mom held a family council and presented a new family motto to everyone, my dad, all of my siblings and I. It was a motto that she felt in her heart was going to be one of the most important things she could teach teenagers and parents. Well, none of us were parents yet, but she felt we would need it for when we became parents. Stand, alone if you must, but stand.

And we have a special surprise for you so make sure to head to the end of the post!

When Their Standards Aren’t Your Standards

School was easy for me growing up. Well, not math, oh how I still hate math. But the rest of it was easy for me and I loved to be with friends just like any normal teen.

Except for one thing.

Kids were starting to dabble in things that I had been taught weren’t good and that I should avoid. And by dabble I mean really get into. I didn’t really talk to my parents about it, but they knew what it meant to grow up. I was feeling more and more like I was alone in my standards and beliefs.

However, one family council taught me a motto that changed my perspective on things. And today we wanted to share it with all of you, and give you an opportunity to have the same family council in your home and hang up your own motto.

Stand, Alone if You Must, But Stand

Mom and Dad held a special Family Home Evening.

Have you heard of FHE or Family Home Evening before? Anyone can have one in their own home, but our’s started because of counsel given to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to set aside one night a week to be a family, to share in a lesson devoted to teaching children about respect, love, forgiveness, etc or just to bond and have fun as a family.

We were all really used to it, and plopped down without another thought.

But then my mom started to tell us that she and Dad had been teenagers once and that they knew that we would be facing even harder decisions and situations, but that they knew with all of their hearts that we could stand strong. That in fact, they believed we were well prepared to stand up for what’s right.

That’s when my mom pulled out a picture of a little girl standing at the top of a snowy hill with footprints leading up to her and snow swirling around her. Across the top was written, Stand, Alone if you Must, but Stand.

She hung the picture by our computer in our office as a reminder that even if you have to stand all alone, that you should and could do it. That no matter what the rest of the world thought or was doing that we could stand for truths we knew in our hearts.

This isn’t the Life I imagined I’d Raise Kids in

It’s now years later and I hold on to that motto, Stand, Alone if you Must, but Stand with all of my heart. I never thought life would be like this, a struggle to survive, fighting wars and rumors of wars, holding on to our kids as tight as we can all while trying to teach them to completely be self governing agents of good and righteous choices.

But here we are. And the motto, Stand, Alone if you Must, but Stand now hangs in our office just as it did for me growing up.

Stand, Alone if you Must, but Stand

In my teenage years I sometimes was the only one not cheating on a test. Often I was the one staying home instead of going to certain parties or events. And I bet you would think that I felt strength, support from my family (which I did) and peace from those choices, but the truth is, it made me feel alone.

So why did I do it?

Because I’d been taught by darn good parents that there were certain things that could be destructive, addictive and painful if I chose to participate. I could feel their love and the truth of their words as they taught me that even if you have to be the one standing alone, that it’s better to be alone and true than to crumble to peer pressure.

Courageous Parenting

Now I’m a parent, and I find myself again leaning upon those words. And it’s not just to teach them, though I do, it’s also because I’ve found that what the world needs right now is courageous parents. Ones who are willing to seek answers, be mindful of their children and the world around them and parent based on faith and courage and not fear and laziness.

Stand, Alone if You Must, but Stand Print

We asked Lana from Lana’s Shopto create an image for us that would represent standing, even if we have to do it alone and we came up with this image of a peony, standing amidst the dry, brittle weeds.

It hangs in our office, just like my mom’s picture. Maybe one day I’ll have Lana make me one with a child on a snowy hill and gift them all to my siblings as a reminder.

For now, Lana and I have decided to give each of you a chance to hang up your own. Head straight to this page in her shop, Lana’s Shop  and order your own printable. I’m ordering a few right away to give to a few people.

“In these last days, what the world really needs is courageous parenting from mothers and fathers who are not afraid to speak up and take a stand.” Larry R Lawrence from the talk, Courageous Parenting

As we start another school year it’s time to gather our family together again, to talk about the things we stand for, even when we stand alone. Then Cade and I gather in the evening to discuss things we feel we need to be mindful and observant about this year as well as remind each other that our job isn’t to cave in, but to live in a way that we aren’t overly tired or bendable, but instead courageous enough to stand, even when our standing means that our kids aren’t happy with every choice.

Kids need boundaries. Parents need courage. And both need to stand when needed.

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