If only I had her energy. . .

If you follow me in Instagram (and you should) then you've been introduced to the newest member of our family.

Meet Carly!

We love her; she's totally adorable. But, lets face it, she's a puppy. And puppies are a lot of work. Up all night, busy all day--it's like having a toddler again. If only I had some of her energy. Finding time to blog has been difficult. But I know it will all be worth in the long run--right?

The good news is the weather has been amazing! Gorgeous! Perfect weather for potty training a fur baby. Between the house breaking and running, I've been spending a lot of time outside this past week, soaking up the last of the warm-weather vitamin D. But I still find myself dragging midday (from all the middle-of-the-night potty breaks). It's been important to find healthy, energizing snacks because adult life doesn't offer much nap time, you know what I mean.

So, in the spirit of sharing and passing along anything good and healthy, I will share my new favorite snack:

No-bake Cinnamon Bun Balls

• 1 C pitted dates
• 1 C almonds (raw)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional; may reduce or omit)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ C shredded coconut

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a sticky meal forms. Using a small cookie/ice cream scoop or your hands, form 1-inch balls with the sticky meal. Refrigerate and store in an airtight container.

I use almonds for these treats just because I prefer almonds to cashews. That said, you can use cashews and get a doughier mixture that forms well and can be easily made into bars. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Any tips on house breaking a puppy? Please share, I'm desperate.

Road trippin'

The view on my morning run looked something like this:

We are spending the week in Cache Valley. It's our little slice of heaven. Miles of rolling hills and farmland. It feeds my soul. 

Yesterday, on a whim, we decided to take a day trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We're missing out on Epic Cache-Teton Relay this year (so bummed) and just couldn't handle an entire summer without glimpsing the snake river.

We got a little friendly with these guys:

I was really tempted, I mean REALLY tempted to get out and hug one, but thought the better of it. A photo would just have to do.

Then I convinced my daughter to show off her skills in the town square.

We did the whole trip in one day--3 hours of driving each way. We did get a little hangy (you know, so hungry you're angry). It was a good thing I loaded up on healthy car snacks before we left.

These cookies were a lifesaver, let me tell you. We are a little sugar addicted in our house, but these cookies make it seem not so bad.

Our niece and her husband are guides on the Snake River. They spend their summer at a Boy Scout camp taking boats full of scouts and tourists down the river all day. Let me tell you they are living the dream. We stopped by to say hello to them before we headed home. 

Not even a half mile down the road we came across this accident in the Snake River canyon:

I know this is an aweful picture so let me tell you what we saw. This truck which had been towing a flatbed trailor crossed the center line, clipped a van, then went right into the guard rail, coming to a stop with the front wheel projecting over the edge. The truck was literally inches from going over the edge and plummeting into the river below. Scary.

It was a good reminder to buckle up and drive safe. 

We got home as the sun went down, exhausted but so happy we'd made the drive.

Where are you road tripping this summer? 

What are your must-have road trip foods?

Ever been to Jackson Hole?