Pancakes with Momma Mary

We have been trying really hard to bring the liturgical year to life in our home.
It is awesome to watch the kids light up with the little crafts, songs, food, prayers, etc. that we have been doing
... as we breathe with the Church!

The home is meant to be an extension of Mother Church. A domestic church. Such a radical and beautiful idea!

"When they were converted, they desired that 'their whole household' should also be saved. These families who became believers were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world." - CCC 1655 / Acts 16:31

"It is in the bosom of the family that parents are 'by word and example
... the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children.'" - CCC 1656

So this morning, over chocolate chip pancakes, I was brainstorming through ideas on how to celebrate the upcoming
Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

These hardly qualified as breakfast!

Recipe for 4-5 Pancakes:

1 C. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. flaxseed meal
1 tsp. sugar in the raw (2 tsp. honey or rice syrup works great too!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C. unsweetened applesauce
1 C. vanilla-flavored rice milk (almond works too - or regular rice milk)
1 handful of chopped dairy-free chocolate chips

Strawberry-Maple Applesauce Dip:

3-5 strawberries
a dash or two of natural apple juice
maple syrup - til your heart is content!
... blend that up and serve on the side!

It was like a chocolate covered strawberry... BACKWARDS! Strawberry-covered-chocolate-chip-pancakes... yes yes yes!!!

FEAST DAY IDEAS!

My kids are small. So I thought a coloring page would be simple, easy, and perfect! A good visual and fun to do!

We ALL love something sweet to eat, right?! Catholic Cuisine had some great ideas for yummy feast day food and THIS caught my eye!

-photo from Catholic Cuisine-

I am going to tweak the recipe a little to make it animal-free for my family, but the original recipe looks quite heavenly!
The little "cloud" of whipped cream is a sweet idea!
...We may just have to use a little whipped cream for the occasion!

I was also finding lots of ideas on creating a summer feast of herbs and fresh fruit. This seems to be a European tradition, but I LOVE it! Thinking about a summer-fresh dinner under the "stars" - Christmas lights and colorful scarves look great draped around the dining room! Will try and post pictures!

I also want to take a bouquet of fresh herbs to Mass on Wednesday morning to leave as a gift for our Lord and His mother
... they make a great team!!! I know Isaiah will get a kick out of this!

Happy Feast day celebrating, my friends!!!

“This feast tells us that we too will be with Jesus in the joy of God
and invites us to have courage, to believe that the power
of the Resurrection of Christ can work in us as well.”
~~~
"Men and women today are also the recipients of God's love
and must do as Mary did – accept Christ in faith,
be enlightened and guided by his word and follow him every day."
- Pope Benedict XVI... Feast of the Assumption 2011