Fresh conversation with a dash of mama guilt.

Warm weather. An afternoon with a group of amazing women. Yep, yesterday was a great day. I spent my Sunday chatting with a group of young women about healthy living while munching on quinoa salad, brown rice crispy treats (see recipe below) and green smoothies. Yep, I busted out the Magic Bullet and blended away.
A girlfriend of mine who is also starting a business reached out to me a few months ago with an awesome idea. She has always wanted to start a women’s group where we would share ideas, advice, tips, recipes, whatever… basically help each other while enjoying each other’s company for a few hours. Genius and so much fun. I met many new amazing women.
While mama was away, Madilyn had a day with daddy and played outside. Sure, I had mama guilt leaving for the afternoon. I always do. She is very attached to me these days. She now grabs my hand as we walk down the street. She brushes her hair just like mama. She studies my face as I hold her and smiles at me so innocently. Part of me wants to spend every second with her. I know I need me time. I know that I am a better mama when I have a break. I face the fear and do it anyway. I head to Pittsburgh for a few hours. No big deal at all. Mama guilt… so interesting.

It got me thinking about how awesome it is to meet new people. New ideas. New perspectives on things. So refreshing. It gave me a burst of energy. A drive to continue doing the work I am doing. Plus, when I got home, Madilyn was so excited to see me. Thrilled. So amazing.
My challenge for you today on this Monday is to meet someone new. Say hello and have a conversation. See how it makes you feel.
As promised, here is the recipe for the dessert I made yesterday. They were a hit.
Peanut Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice cereal
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup creamy, natural peanut butter
1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
2/3 cup brown rice syrup
Directions:
Mix cereal and peanuts in a large bowl. Heat peanut butter and rice syrup on low flame until smooth and creamy. Pour liquid ingredients over cereal and peanuts and combine thoroughly. Press ingredients into a baking pan or casserole dish and sprinkle chocolate chips on top (lightly press the chips into the mixture). Let cool for 1/2 hr inside the fridge (if you can wait that long!). Cut into squares.
Recipe from The Whole Truth by Andrea Beaman

How does it feel to meet someone new and have a great conversation?