B & the boy!

Patience Hummingbird or What I did this morning!

2012-01-30T21:21:00.006-05:00

As some of you may know, I was in an auto accident back at the beginning of November. Totaled my car, made me miss the Monkey's first science fair, and has caused some neck and back issues. This has meant limited exercise in terms of what I am used to doing. Did lots of walking at Disney at the beginning of January, but mostly I have been doing my physical therapy stretching. Until today that is.

Last week, I won a copy of P90x One-on-One: Patience Hummingbird from a coach give away on Facebook. I am thankful to Coni of Coni Fitness for sending this to me. It is just the perfect length (about 30 minutes), and the perfect mix of active yoga and stretching/conditioning yoga. And if I got the terminology wrong forgive me. I give it a 10 out of 10. My muscles will let you know tomorrow what they think. :)

Question of the Day: What is your favorite new or rediscovered workout?

Rooty-Oat Breakfast Cookies

2012-01-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

These cookies were an idea I had back in November when the SOS Kitchen Challenge ingredient was parsnips. Took me a couple of months, but Saturday's snow-in got them out of my head and into a bowl. The Monkey did not like them, and it didn't occur to me until my mom and sister pointed out that I did indeed put the coconut he accused me of in them. Yep, never occurred to me that the coconut oil would give a strong coconut flavor to these cookies. :)

These are a bit dry, which I think I will fix next time by adding an ounce more coconut oil. Or would you do that for me and let me know how it goes?!

Rooty-Oat Breakfast Cookies

4 ounces coconut oil, melted

2 ounces agave nectar

4 ounces (or 1/2 Cup) each grated sweet potato and parsnips or carrots

90 grams brown rice flour

45 grams tapioca starch

60 grams rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 Cup each slivered almonds, Sun maid fruit bits, Enjoy Life chocolate chips

drizzle of vanilla

couple of shakes of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl combine the coconut oil, agave, flours, and oats into a paste. Add the grated vegetables. Stir well. Then add fruits, chocolate chips and nuts. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out a dozen balls. Roll them and flatten slightly onto an un-greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly crisp on the sides. Cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet and remove to a cooling rack. Makes approximately 2 dozen.

Pizza Casserole

2012-01-21T11:35:00.001-05:00

Today while it snows, I am wishing for something warm to fill my belly come dinner time. I know that I am going to have to at least shovel a path to the car, and clean the car off for my sister. Warm food though is probably not going to happen as I am in the midst of testing a new cookie recipe for the blog, testing some crock-pot recipes for a forthcoming cookbook, and I have my shake & tuna salad chilling in the fridge. Maybe I will just make another pot of coffee, and dream of this pizza casserole.

This casserole came into our lives via an apartment complex newsletter almost 7 years ago. My sister started making it, and it has become a staple in our lives. You can find a variety of variations on it all over the web. This is the way we like it. Okay, my sister likes it with sliced mushrooms, but I don't. I like peppers, and she doesn't. So, we do it this way. Add sliced mushrooms or peppers if you so desire.

Pizza Casserole

1 pound cooked pasta (we like gemelli or wagon wheels)

1 jar pasta sauce (we usually do a six cheese)e

1 kielbasa sausage (turkey or beef)

1 small can sliced olives

Mix all this together in a big pan. Grease a 9 x 13 pan, and dump it in. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Add 1 package pre-shredded mozzarella cheese (or like us the 4 cheese pizza blend) to the top, and return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with a side salad and sourdough bread.

Essential Gluten Free Baking Guide

2012-01-20T22:34:00.007-05:00

I am so happy to say that one of the cookbooks I have been doing testing for is officially available for pre-order. In honor of that, I decided to share some of the photos from my testing. The Essential Gluten Free Baking Guide, Part 1 and Part 2, are totally going to rock your world. And if you haven't discovered their blogs, check out Real Sustenance and The Daily Dietribe.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Breakfast Cake

Cookie Bars

Zucchini Bread

Please note: I don't know what made it into the final book, but each of the things I made were very tasty so you can't go wrong. :)

Confessions...

2012-01-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

This post has been weighing on my mind since Thanksgiving, but I hadn't found a way to put it into words until now. It isn't a confessional or anything soul wrenching. Just something I have found difficult to say.

What is this difficult thing you might ask? They do say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes.

But B, you say. That's just ice cream. I will have to disagree with you. That has been the cornerstone of my health since September 201o. That is Shakeology ice cream, which has helped curb my sweet tooth and allowed me to focus on getting healthy while losing weight.

See that wall? That is the wall of ingredients for Shakeology. Or at least a portion of the wall. There are over 70 natural ingredients in this shake, and offers up, among other things, a whopping 23 vitamins and minerals for each glass. Is it for weight loss? Yes, yes it is. It is, also, a great way to eat on the run and still get all those fruits and vegetables that we need. Lord knows I am not overly fond of veggies, and I get tired of salads day after day.

Are you interested? Are you serious about making some changes? I mean truly serious then I can help. I can provide you with a sample, my favorite recipe and more information on this amazing shake. All you have to do is take the first step, and send me a message. Are you ready to take that first step?

Chocolate Shortbread

2012-01-15T21:29:00.001-05:00

Remember how I was working on a chocolate shortbread that didn't quite workout? Yeah, I perfected it just after Christmas. Due to issues with my computer and uploading of photos combined with having to pack for vacation, I haven't had a chance to get it to you until now. So, I will just let you have it.

Chocolate Shortbread with Candy Cane topping

60 grams teff flour

60 grams brown rice flour

30 grams arrowroot starch

30 grams cocoa powder

60 grams brown sugar

6 ounces butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease and 8x8 or 9x9 square pan with cooking spray (ignore the round pie plate. the cookies weren't as firm as I would like in that). Set aside. In a large mixing bowl (preferably a stand mixer), combine flours, cocoa and sugar. Keep the beater running on low while adding the butter a bit at a time. Dump the batter into the pan, and pat it out with your hands. It should be fairly even in thickness. Bake for 20-25 minutes or the edges look a bit crispy. The dough will still be a bit soft to the touch. Top with candy cane topping.

Candy Cane Topping

3/4 Cup white baking chips

2 crushed candy canes

Dump the baking chips onto the shortbread, and let sit for 5 minutes. Taking a knife or spatula spread the chips out until they are all melted and fairly even. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes, and press them into the "frosting." Let cool for another 10-15 minutes, and then slice into 16 pieces. Enjoy!

Ratio Rally Cookies

2011-12-07T08:00:00.007-05:00

A few weeks ago, my mother and I were discussing what cookies I could make for the cookie walk at our church's Snowflake Jubilee. I have made cookies for this event every year (this is the fourth year), and they rarely sell. Mom suggested a festive shortbread of some sort as she didn't have any shortbread yet. I do love shortbread, and needed something to play with for the ratio rally so I dove in.

The first batch was a by the book (Ratios) ratio of 3:2:1 (flour:fat:sugar) for a chocolate shortbread that was good, but not quite the flakiness that I look for in a shortbread cookie. Mom suggested increasing the butter/fat, and she was right. The new ratio was 3:3:1, and it makes the most heavenly cookie. So heavenly it shouldn't be in my house as I can't resist.

For more recipes from this month's Gluten Free Ratio Rally please go check out Caroline of The G-Spot.

Candy Cane Shortbread

60 grams coconut flour

60 grams white rice flour

30 grams arrowroot starch

60 grams powdered sugar

6 ounces butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 8x8 or 9x9 with cooking spray. Set aside. In your large mixing bowl (I used a stand mixer), combine flours and sugar. Keep the beater running on low while adding the butter a bit at a time. This is similar to how I make scones. Your batter should look like this....

Pat the batter down in the pan with your hands. It should be as even a thickness as you can manage. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The edges should be starting to turn brown. Don't worry that the dough feels a bit soft to the touch. It will be okay.

Candy Cane "Frosting"

3/4 Cup Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips

Dump on top of the warm shortbread, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Taking a knife or spatula spread the chips out until they make a lovely variegated frosting.

Let cool for another 15 minutes. Cut into 16 pieces of roughly the same size. Don't eat them all at once!

Parsnip Applesauce Muffins

2011-11-29T22:57:00.007-05:00

I was very excited about this month's SOS Kitchen Challenge ingredient of parsnips as I have never worked with them. I had ideas swirling in my head, and couldn't wait to get started. Plans went awry on November 10th when I was in a car accident. I am alright (my car is not), but I haven't really been up to a lot of baking.

I finally got to the first item this past holiday weekend, and have to say that I was very pleased with the results. These muffins are moist, and just exactly right for tossing in your lunch as a snack. The Monkey gave them a 10, and even my mother agreed that they were good (high praise). So without further ado, mostly as I am running out of time, here are these wonderful muffins.

Parsnip Applesauce Muffins

60 grams sorghum flour

30 grams brown rice flour

30 grams arrowroot starch

60 grams coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

4 ounces applesauce

4 ounces non-dairy milk

2 ounces melted coconut oil

1 egg (or equivalent)

6 ounces grated parsnips

2 ounces raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Combine milk and egg (substitute) together in a glass measuring cup. Add applesauce and coconut oil, and mix well. Stir in parsnips and raisins until combined. Pour into a greased 12 muffin pan, and bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool and enjoy! Makes one dozen.

Spicy Pumpkin Pasta

2011-11-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

So I didn't quite make it into October with the last of the challenge ingredients. Nor did we do November. However, that is all changing now.The last of the ingredients for the October challenge were very challenging. What does one do with oatmeal, jalapeno, and curry powder? You make pasta of course!

So maybe there is no of course about it, but it is what I came up with. I have to say that noses were wrinkled at me, but in the end this was fabulous. Really found myself wishing that there was more.

Spicy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan Butter Sauce

100 grams oat flour

40 grams potato starch

60 grams brown rice flour

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 jalapeno, seeded & diced

4 ounces of pumpkin puree

2 eggs

Note: I grind my own oat flour using old-fashioned rolled oats (use gluten free if you need to) and my cheap-o mini food processor.

First, steam the jalapeno until it is very tender. I did this in a small bowl with a bit of water in the microwave. Let cool while mixing the flours, starch and curry powder in a medium bowl. Set aside. Make your pumpkin/jalapeno puree in the food processor. Blend well. Add eggs one at a time to the puree, and then stir into the flour mixture until combined. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. When ready, divide dough in half and roll out between two pieces of parchment paper coated with a bit of flour (your choice). Cut into fairly wide strips. Cook in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and serve with sauce. Makes 2 servings.

Parmesan Butter Sauce

4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan

splash of non-dairy milk

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add Parmesan while continuously stirring. Add a tablespoon or two of milk to bring to a creamy finish. Pour over one serving of pasta.

Spiced Oatmeal Pancakes

2011-11-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned the Monkey's obsession with oatmeal? Seriously, he could eat it three times a day if I let him. Just the other day, he told me he needed to start eating hot cereal now that it is getting to be winter. So he opted for cream of rice. I just had to shake my head since he ate oatmeal, a hot cereal last time I checked, all summer long. Such a silly boy.

Anyway, this recipe came from his love of oatmeal and my desire to have a great recipe using oat flour. The catch for me appears to be making my own flour from rolled oats in my little food processor. Maybe not as finely ground as the stuff from the store, but it works for me. I have made these a few times now, and they just keep getting better. Serve them with homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam, marionberry syrup or just plain ol' maple syrup. It's all good!

Spiced Oatmeal Pancakes

100 grams oat flour

60 grams brown rice flour

40 grams arrowroot starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 Tablespoons coconut palm sugar

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

1 Cup non-dairy milk

Measure and whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Use a glass measuring cup for the non-dairy milk. Add eggs to milk, and mix to combine. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined. Warm your pan/skillet/griddle. We use a pan with oil to coat the bottom. Pour by 1/8 cup portions into pan turning when the tops start to bubble. Serve warm. Makes about 12 smallish pancakes.

Ratio Rally Pot Pie

2011-11-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

It is time again for the gluten free ratio rally. This month's theme was pie, and I can tell you that I was not overly excited about it. Mostly due to the fact that I have never made a successful pie that didn't include a pre-made graham cracker crust or was simply a dump cake sort of thing. I dithered. I will admit it. I wasn't sure what to do until just a week or so ago when the Monkey asked if we could have pot pie (his very favorite food in the whole world) for his birthday dinner. My ah-ha moment hit about 10 minutes later. I had been trying to come up with something sweet when I should have focused on the savory.

It was a good thing the idea hit me or I wouldn't have been able to participate in the rally this month. What is the rally? A group of gluten free bloggers who are baking/cooking by ratio's around a central theme each month with a new host. This month our host is Lisa of the Gluten Free Canteen. Head on over and check out her post and the links to all the other luscious pies!

Chicken Pot Pie

Note: The ratio is 3:2:1 (flour:fat:water)

Crust:

240 grams potato flour

90 grams potato starch

120 grams brown rice flour

1 Cup salted butter, softened

4 ounces ice water (or so)

Preface: I was a doofus and only did a 1/2 Cup of butter to start with as my math brain wasn't working properly. When I realized my mistake, I softened another cube of butter and retrieved my rounds from the fridge. I did have to add a bit more water. You shouldn't have to. :)

Stir together all the flours in a mixer. Add butter and continue mixing on low speed. Add ice water an ounce at a time until a nice ball forms. Divide into four (yes four) equal parts, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for a minimum of one hour. Preferably longer.

Filling:

4 Cups water

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

1/4 Cup potato starch

6 ounces non-dairy milk

1 1/2 Cups sweet potato, peeled & diced

2 Cups potato, peeled & diced

1 1/2 Cups frozen peas & carrots

4 chicken tenders, boiled & shredded

season to taste

Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add bouillon cubes and boil until dissolved. Set aside. Might as well put your potatoes on to boil at the same time as the water. Probably boil them for 10 minutes until tender, but not mushy. Drain and set aside. This is when I did the chicken, as well. :)

Remove a 1/2 Cup of broth to a small bowl. Add potato starch and stir until dissolved. This will be added back in a little bit. You will want to spray a 9 inch pie plate, and either pat in one crust or roll it out and flip it in. I opted for patting. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

While it is baking bring your broth back to a boil, and slowly add in the broth/starch mixture stirring constantly. Add in the milk continuing to stir. Retrieve the potatoes, chicken, and frozen vegetables to add to the pan. Add any spices you might like. We kept it simple with a bit of basil, a good deal of black pepper and some sea salt. Reduce heat to medium stirring occasionally.

Your bottom crust should be done. Remove it from the oven and set it to the side. Time to roll out the top crust. I actually managed this using wax paper and potato flour. Just place it in between the wax paper and roll carefully. Don't want paper sticking to your dough. Measure out two cups of filling into your pie plate. Carefully flip your top crust onto the top and seal as best you can. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes. The top should be a darker brown than it went in as. Serves 4.

Note: Did you notice that there were four crusts and extra filling? Make yourself another pie why don't you!!

Fall French Toast Bake

2011-10-23T16:19:00.007-04:00

So, I will start off with the fact that I could not find persimmons. Turns out, it is a bit early for them. I would, however, put a couple of them in this dish, and may make it again with gluten free bread. Yes, what is pictured is not gluten free. It is in actuality a loaf of day-old sourdough from Walmart. It had to be used. I was however going to make my favorite loaf bread for this before my sandwich bread started going south. You can find it over at Ginger Lemon Girl.

This recipe was originally conceived as my first entry into our October Ingredient Challenge. Then I discovered that this month's SOS Kitchen Challenge ingredient was cranberries. It was a win-win.

I will note that I cooked this in a 4 quart crock-pot, and it came out more like bread pudding than a French toast bake. My thoughts are to either use a 6 quart crock (requires buying one), divide it in half to bake, or just bake it in a 9 x 17 glass baking dish instead of the crock next time. Or I could just change its name to Fall Bread Pudding. Eh! Anyway you look at it, this is an amazing dish. The monkey enjoyed it so much he took it in his lunch one day.

Fall French Toast Bake

8 eggs or egg substitute equivalent

2 cups non-dairy milk

1 cup diced apples

1 cup whole cranberries

1/2 Cup coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 Cup mashed sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon molasses (optional)

bread of choice (should fill up the crock when cubed)

Sauce:

1/3 Cup creamy almond butter

1/3 Cup white chocolate chips (or carob or Enjoy Life or....)

Clean one-two small sweet potatoes and put them on to boil (make sure to check on them-they should be done in about 20-30 minutes). Then, cut your bread up into medium sized chunks and dump in the crock for safe keeping. In a large bowl, whisk your eggs/egg equivalent and milk together. Add apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg. Whisk until combined. Set aside. Peel your sweet potato and put into the glass measuring cup you used for the milk. Add the molasses (or not) and mash with a potato masher or ricer. Add to "egg" mixture. Dump the bread cubes in, and continue turning over until all bread is coated. VERY IMPORTANT!! Spray your crock with cooking spray before transferring the French toast. Bake on high for 3 hours. The top will still be a bit moist.

Prepare the sauce in a microwave save dish. Heat in 45 second intervals, stirring in-between to combine the almond butter and white chips. This is enough for half of the bake. Pour over individual servings. (Note: The Monkey declares this delicious on his Food for Life bread with apricot jelly.)

Addendum: I am working with a vegan bread, and testing out an idea for the egg equivalent in the next few days. Will let you know how it goes. :)

October Ingredient Challenge

2011-10-15T14:42:00.006-04:00

My friend Kasondra over at Making the Morin House and I are putting together a, hopefully, monthly challenge. The purpose in some way to make a meal or a dish out of a random assortment of ingredients. We will solicit a list from our Facebook pages and then post them either here or on Kasondra's blog. Ready?

The results for this month's ingredient list using random.org to narrow it down were...

Yams
Pumpkin
Cranberries
Oatmeal
Apples
Almond Butter

Curry Powder
Molasses
Jalapenos
Persimmons

The goal is to use as many of the ingredients as possible. Try to keep the recipes as healthy and simple as possible. Take pictures and post your recipes to your blog. Don't have a blog? Contact me and I will get something set up for you. Now get cooking!

And our first entry is from Jenn over at a Pin up in Stitches. Check out her Curried Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal.

P90x Results

2011-10-08T15:23:00.006-04:00

Okay, I will admit that I didn't really see any noticeable physical changes. My measurements haven't changed much, and after the initial 5 pound loss I have been bouncing back and forth. I did, however, notice that I was feeling much better. Stronger even. I went from s using 2 pound weights to do doing the same number if not a few more reps with 5 pound weights. I am really amazed at what I have, and think that I may be ready come mid-January to start a round of P90x2! Until then, I am going to be doing some Body Gospel combined with P90x to keep me moving and healthy. Tell me if you notice a difference.

July 3, 2011

October 7, 2011

July 3, 2011

October 7, 2011

July 3, 2011

October 7, 2011

July 3, 2011

October 7, 2011

My next fitness goal is to be able to do assisted pull ups on a bar. What is keeping you moving?

Ratio Rally Dessert Pizza

2011-10-05T00:08:00.013-04:00

When I realized that this month's rally was pizza, I knew that it would be the perfect opportunity to try out an idea the Monkey and I had been cooking up for his birthday in November. He heard about dessert pizza's back in July, and nothing would be more perfect in his mind than to have English muffin pizza's for his birthday dinner followed by a dessert pizza (and cake).

So in to the fray with a couple of different ratios I went, and finally went with the one that worked for Jenn of Jenn Cuisine. Of course I scaled it down for me since I was just feeding the Monkey and I. Jenn's ratio was 10:1:4 (flour:oil: water). I broke it down to the base of 1=50 grams, and worked up from there. Don't ask me to figure the exact ratio right now. It has been an amazingly busy month already, and my brain hurts. Maybe I will ask the math nerd, i.e. the Monkey, tomorrow. Until then, remember that 1=50 grams, and you should be able to tweak to your hearts content.

For the rest of the delicious pizza's, please go and check out our host for this month Karen Robertson at Cooking Gluten Free.

Chocolate Pizza Crust (use at your own risk!)

100 grams white rice flour

100 grams sorghum flour

100 grams tapioca starch

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 ounces coconut oil, melted

4 ounces water

Weigh out flours and dump in mixing bowl. Add cocoa, cinnamon and sugar. Mix together. Add oil and water. Mix until combined. Divide in half. Press into oblong boat shape making sure there is a lip on the side. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Let cool and fill.

Note: Honestly, I think I over cooked the crust (note: 20-25 minutes is to long), and it is very shatter proof. Tasty, but hard on the teeth. Also, did it need yeast? I opted for no yeast, being a dessert pizza. Now I am not so sure, and I am out of time. Anybody want to take a run at it and get back to me?! :)

Ideas for fillings (garnered from friends and Facebook page): Fresh berries, berry sauce with a cobbler topping; Reese's using a combination of almond butter, chocolate peanut butter and chopped nuts; Lemon-Cream cheese custard with fresh sliced fruit; Custard, chocolate chips, apple pie filling and chocolate sauce (today's entry and the Monkey's concept).

Apple Pie Filling

2 apples

1/2 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup tapioca starch

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Dump everything in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, stir constantly for 2-3 minutes or until filling thickens. Cool.

September Ingredient Challenge Part 2

2011-09-30T21:00:00.010-04:00

So here we are in October. Granted it is just the 2nd, but I had intended to get this all done on Friday. However, I goofed and put to much baking soda in my "biscuit" batter, and had to get more fresh basil from my mom's. Yes, I said biscuits (we are ignoring the baking soda incident). I had intended biscuits, but for some reason my batter wasn't quite there. As mini-muffins though they are fabulous, and I am making soup to go with them. Or at least opening a carton of soup to warm up. :)

Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Mini-Muffins

90 grams garbanzo bean flour

30 grams brown rice flour

60 grams potato starch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 egg

2 ounces olive oil

4 ounces non-dairy (or dairy) milk

1/8 Cup sun dried tomatoes (the kind in a bag not packed in oil)

2-3 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped finely

In a small bowl place your sun dried tomatoes. Pour boiling water over them to cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Set aside. In a medium bowl, measure out the flours, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine. Measure out milk, olive oil and egg in a

glass measuring cup and set aside. Drain and chop the sun dried tomatoes. Add milk mixture to the flour. Stir to combine. Add basil and tomatoes stirring to just combine. Then using your hand dandy small cookie scoop (small spoon works as well), place one scoop batter into each muffin "cup" in the greased tin. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool and remove. Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen.

I had these last ingredients to work with, and had no clue what to do with them. That is until I hit upon the idea of a tart! Little mini-indulgences with a hint of lemon and topped with chocolate. Oh, yeah!

Lemon Cream Cheese Tarts

Tart Shell (fabulous recipe over at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free)

Press small ball of dough into tart pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes. They should be slightly brown on edges. Cool and fill. (Note: If you aren't gluten free, just use your favorite pie crust even it if comes in a red box from the grocery store.)

Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 Cup coconut cream

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar

Beat all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Adjust lemon and/or sugar until you are pleased with the flavor. I liked this. Put in an airtight container and refrigerate while making your pastry. These were then topped with a square of dark chocolate melted with a dash of cinnamon, and then drizzled over the top.

Monkey liked them so much he asked for 2nd's!

September Ingredient Challenge Part 1

2011-09-28T20:41:00.008-04:00

At the beginning of September or somewhere there abouts, my friend and fellow coach Kasondra posted a request for 10 ingredients to make into a meal or possibly just one dish. I gave her one, and then asked for the list so I could try my hand at it. We are contemplating making this a monthly feature so stay tuned.

September Ingredient List:

Squash
Coconut milk
Sun dried tomatoes
Spinach
Lemon
Honey
Quinoa
Tomato
Asparagus
Cream cheese

This post will focus on the two meals I put together. Part two will focus on my baking endeavors. First off we have a crock pot dish.

Veggie Quinoa Casserole

2 Cups vegetable broth (give or take)

1 Cup quinoa

1 Cup frozen zucchini

1 Cup butternut squash

1 can petite diced tomatoes

15 stalks asparagus

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon rosemary

If using frozen ingredients like I did, you will want to microwave your asparagus so that you can dice it into smaller chunks. Something I learned to late I should have done.

Dump everything in the crock and give it a good stir. Cook on low for three to four hours. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top.

Wilted Spinach, Baked Chicken and Baked Potato

I will readily admit that I had contemplated tossing the spinach into the casserole, and then chickened out. I think it would be lovely served on top of this wilted spinach. The recipe for the wilted spinach comes from Rachel Ray. I didn't use nutmeg or fresh garlic. Instead as you see I used dried minced onion and garlic powder. How much? A couple of shakes of each. :) Otherwise, I followed her instructions.

The first time I served it up beside my baked potato with sour cream and underneath my very basic baked chicken (I like garlic powder, black pepper and nutmeg). The next day for leftovers I diced the chicken and served both the spinach and chicken as potato toppings. Yum!

It's a Keeper Thursday!

2011-09-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to be co-hosting the It's a Keeper Thursday linky party. If you are new to this, I will be sharing the "rules" here in just a bit. I have been participating in It's a keeper for quite awhile now (off and on), and have gotten lots of great ideas and met lots of fabulous bloggers. It was through It's a Keeper! that I participated in a group cookbook review of The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I hope you enjoy getting to know some new people and getting some great new projects and recipes to add to your collection!

IAK Thursday is the place where we all get together and share our “keepers”! Do you have a recipe that you’ve tried, or a craft project you’ve made that was a “keeper”? Well, then we want to see it — each and every week!

Be sure to stop by, say hello and leave them a comment — tell them you saw it on It’s a Keeper Thursday! Now it’s your turn! Link up your favorite recipes and craft, decorating or home-improvement projects! But before you do, I have just a few little guidelines….

Follow It’s a Keeper. That way I can stop over and check out your blog and say hi! There are lots of ways to follow — GFC, Facebook and Twitter. Or, you can sign up for my email feed and be notified as soon as I post something new! And, as always, if you follow me, I’ll follow you back! Just leave me a little note letting me know how you followed and I’ll return the favor!

Your link should be a food or craft/project related item. Anything that you’ve made that’s “a keeper”. Please don’t link up to your homepage, giveaways or items you are selling. There are other link parties out there for those posts. Feel free to link as many recipes/projects as you’d like.

Add my button to your sidebar or blog post. This helps spread the word about It’s a Keeper Thursday and encourages others to link up! The more the ~~merrier~~ tastier, right?!

Be sure to check out some of the tasty recipes and gorgeous projects that others have linked up! Drop by and say “hello” and let them know that It’s a Keeper sent you!

And now for this weeks party! The linky will be open until Sunday at 11:59 PM. Let the linking begin!

Younglings on P90x

2011-09-10T11:34:00.001-04:00

Tonight the Monkey and Boo decided they wanted to see what I had just put in the DVD player in preparation of them going to bed. I obliged. They then got up and started doing the warm up portion of Back & Biceps. I think they liked it! :) And they got a little taste of what I am doing daily. Enjoy!

Ratio Rally Fritters

2011-09-07T09:00:00.004-04:00

Or something like that! There was some discussion about what ratio to use for this month's rally. Do we do yeast-raised donuts or cake doughnuts/fritters? The group decision was to leave it open and see what everyone came up with. I went with fritters, in parts as yeast-raised anything scares me a bit. Going to have to bite the bullet soon, but with everything that was going on in August I opted for something a little less difficult for me.

I have been playing with donuts off and on since January, but think they will be getting an overhaul now that I have this ratio thing under control. The ratio for fritters from Rhulman is 2:2:1 (flour:liquid:egg). I decided to go with the lovely apricot again this month. We both love them, and they were an unusual addition to a fritter. Now, I might have gone overboard with the fruit. I don't think that the traditional doughnut shop apple fritter ever has enough fruit in them. These are loaded. Reduce as you will the amount of fruit! :)

This month's rally is hosted by Meg at the Gluten Free Boulangerie. You can find all of this month's fabulous doughnuts there. For a little background on the rally, see the inaugural month at the Gluten Free Girl on pancakes!

Apricot Fritters

20 grams potato starch

40 grams white rice flour

60 grams sorghum flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

40 grams turbinado sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

4 ounces non-dairy milk

1 egg (equivalent of 2 ounces)

2 small apricots

In a small pan, place the apricots in about an inch of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn them over half way through. Remove from pan to cool. Peel and dice the apricots. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. Whisk together. Set aside. In a glass measuring cup, measure out the milk and egg. Whisk together. Add to dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in apricots.

Bring your favored oil (I used canola) to about 300 degrees. I can't tell you how much oil, because I just dumped. Drop by rounded tablespoon or small cookie scoop into the oil two at a time. Turn once as it gets golden on each side. Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar. Ah, heck. Serve cold dusted with powdered sugar.

Beachbody Birthday

2011-09-01T08:19:00.001-04:00

One year ago, my world revolved solely around my son and getting him the things he needed. I was his advocate, because his voice needed to be heard. I was his baker since he couldn't have things from the store. I was his special meal packer for birthday parties and family functions to ensure that he got the things he needed.

One day I realized that I had stopped advocating for myself. I was spiralling deeper into a depression. I hadn't worked in 14 months. Had lost all sense of self-worth. I really didn't know who I was or why anybody should care about me. It seemed like there was nowhere to go, but further down.

Then, I started noticing my friend Sarah posting about Shakeology and Beachbody. I asked for a sample of that wonder stuff Shakeology. I really liked it. There was a change happening. It came to fruition on September 1, 2010 when Sarah was in labor with her daughter, Serena. Yes, posting from her hospital bed for someone to share her daughter's birthday and join her team as a coach.

I did it. I joined and became a Beachbody coach without even realizing what I was doing. Seriously. Looking back on it, I truly believe that God had a hand in bringing Sarah and Beachbody into my life. Through this year, I have discovered new depths and new interests. I have become daring and bold. Okay, only sometimes and it takes effort to work up to daring and bold, but I am doing it. I don't like to go a day without working out. My nutrition is mostly back on track, and I can feel the effects when I don't get my Shakeology for a day or two. I want to become a health counselor, and help others like me realize their full potential and maximize their wellness opportunities. I have purpose and meaning. They won't be taken from me again.

Thank you Beachbody!

Carol Monnerat Artisan Truffles

2011-08-17T20:35:00.005-04:00

Doesn't that look amazing?! Two weeks ago, Carol Monnerat was a featured vendor at the Bozrah Farmer's Market. The day they sent out the newsletter talking about truffles I KNEW I would blow some money and calories on one. I saved my money and a few extra calories that day. Turned out that my aunt payed for it for me, and I am incredibly grateful. The chocolate was amazing, the inside was super creamy, and the flavor (pina colada, I believe) was out of this world!

I highly recommend that you either find Carol and her truffles at a local venue or contact them about a special order!

Yes, a second photo. They were THAT good! :)

Ricki Heller Adoption

2011-08-05T20:12:00.007-04:00

So, I decided to do another adoption this month, and of someone I have made one or two recipes from. Readers may recall that back in late winter, I was testing recipes for a cookbook. You can find a couple of things that I have done here and here. I had such fun that I volunteered to test for somebody else, but that is a later post.

Today's post is about Ricki Heller of Diet, Dessert and Dogs. I think her subtitle nicely sums up her blog: Sugar-free, gluten-free whole foods. Anti-candida living. And comments from my dogs.

As part of her blog, she co-hosts a monthly challenge featuring a specific ingredient with the goal being to (in my opinion anyway) to discover new ingredients and creative ways to use "old" ingredients. I have participated a number of times in the SOS Kitchen Challenge since discovering it last fall.

So getting back to testing for Ricki's cookbook, Good morning! Breakfasts, I wanted to try these simple, luscious sounding pancakes so I bought the ingredients. When I went back to get the recipe in the "test kitchen," it was gone. I was disappointed, but understood that they were in need of perfecting. Imagine my joy when the new and improved recipe was posted to the blog. I made them immediately and served the fabulous, light, moist, Coconut Pancakes with macadamia butter on top and home fried potatoes on the side. Once again, I was very pleased with the results. I am not vegan or anti-candida, but I truly enjoy making and eating recipes from Ricki's blog. Next up? This apple-quinoa cake.

Ratio Rally Cake

2011-08-03T09:00:00.021-04:00

It is that time again! A fabulous group of bloggers taking on the world of ratios, specifically cake! Rhulman's ratio for a sponge cake is fairly basic 1:1:1:1 (egg, sugar, flour, butter). Mine came out almost exactly that ratio! If you want to see other cakes, and I know you do, click on the Rally button above. :)

I started with this recipe from Gingerlemongirl as the push for my cake. Oh, heck. The real impetus as usual was the Monkey. He wanted something with apricots and blueberries. As usual, I tried to oblige him.

In playing with ideas, I decided to keep it sort of white and added in some of my favored coconut flour. I can't seem to stop myself. I created a peach-apricot filling as the peaches were going bad. I am now wondering if it wouldn't be better incorporated into the cake, and then drizzled over the top of the frosting. I will, also, note that I used granulated sugar. Not my first choice, but my Whole Foods has stopped carrying my coconut palm sugar. And I wasn't feeling creative in the sweetener department.

White Cake

100 grams white rice flour

80 grams coconut flour

50 grams arrowroot starch

120 grams granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon guar or xanthan gum

1/4 Cup coconut oil, melted

3/4 Cup + 3 Tablespoons non-dairy milk

2 medium eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 apricots

blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray angel food cake pan and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together coconut oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. In a medium bowl, pour each of the measure flours, baking powder, baking soda and gum. Pour slowly into wet mixture blending until just combined. Pour into prepared pan, and smooth out the top. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan.

Apricot-Peach Filling

2 medium peaches

2 small apricots

1/4 Cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk

1 Tablespoon agave nectar

Boil peaches and apricots in water over medium heat. Let cool on cutting board. Remove peels and pits before placing in blender with powdered sugar, milk and agave nectar. Puree until combined and there are no chunks left. Place in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.

White Chocolate Buttercream

2 1/3 Cups powdered sugar

3-4 Tablespoons non-dairy milk

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter or non-dairy substitute

2/3 Cup white chocolate morsels

In a small bowl, melt chocolate and about 1/2 a Tablespoon of butter in the microwave for about a minute. Remove, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. Measure out 1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar in mixing bowl. Add white chocolate and butter. Mix well. Add milk a tablespoon at a time alternating with 1/4 Cups of powdered sugar. The frosting should be of a medium consistency.

Assemblage:

While still on the pan insert, slice cake horizontally. Remove top to paper towel and then place bottom on plate. Poke holes in the bottom with a fork. Spread apricot-peach filling over the bottom layer liberally. Let sit, and spread some more. Place top on, and begin frosting. Place your remaining 2 apricots, sliced thinly, in a pretty pattern on top of the cake leaving room for a small mound of blueberries around the mouth of the cake.

Remember since this is a buttercream with fresh fruit it should be refrigerated. Enjoy!

Pre-pregnancy Weight Achieved

2011-07-31T15:08:00.003-04:00

Can I get a few Hallelujahs here?! :)

A little back story: Flash back to 2003 when I was just in a low place and worried about my health. A friend (hi Jill) talked to me about Jazzercise, and I started going two to three times a week (hi Paige!). I, also, started weighing and measuring my food. I was determined to get healthy. Over the course of a year, I lost 25 pounds, which brought me down to 200 pounds. Then in March 2004 I got pregnant. Deliberately.

Did I go out of my mind with I can eat for two? Not a chance. I kept eating reasonably, and measuring my portions. I kept walking the dog, and going to Jazzercise. I gained exactly 25 pounds with my pregnancy. At my one week check up post birth, I weighed in at 192. I felt fabulous.

Present day: I have been stuck since April or May at the weight of 205. I have said that it was beginning to piss me off. And that the scale makes me crazy. I didn't want to weigh today, especially after last night's measurements showed an increase in certain locations. I was not ready for more disappointment. When I went to weigh, the Wii board's battery pack was dead. So I decided to try the regular scale. Imagine my surprise when I thought I was just over 200, and had my sister look....twice. Yep, 200 pounds. That is 5 pounds lost in this first phase of P90x (total of 33 in 11 months), and reaching my pre-pregnancy weight. I am over the moon.

Next up? My post-pregnancy weight!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread Pudding

2011-07-26T21:24:00.013-04:00

In a further effort to clean out our freezer, I retrieved a bag of gluten free vanilla cupcakes (Vanilla Cake Mix from Namaste) and some gluten free mini-muffins that had not been eaten as they didn't raise (i.e. little hockey pucks). These are the base of my pudding, which was a very moist one. I prefer mine more bread like than pudding-y. The rhubarb was a find from thefarmer's market, and my first attempt at stewing. I think I may have had to much liquid in there, but the process was easier than I expected. Again, I offer a way to use ingredients both ingredients that may be going stale or hanging about combined with the current fruits of the season. Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread Pudding

2 eggs

1/2 Cup non-dairy milk

1 Cup diced strawberries

1 1/2 Cups stewed rhubarb*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 mini vanilla cupcakes, cubed

12 mini-muffins, cubed

white chocolate sauce*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 6 ramekins with non-stick spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, rhubarb and strawberries. Add cubed cupcakes and muffins. Stir to coat. Divide evenly between ramekins. Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until bread tops are slightly crisp. Pour sauce over the top. Serve warm.

*Stewed Rhubarb:

1 1/2 Cups rhubarb, diced

water to cover

1/2 Cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Place rhubarb in a small saucepan. Just cover with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes until falling apart. Remove from heat and add in sugar and cinnamon until dissolved. Pour into a glass measuring cup. If it is less than 1 1/2 Cups don't worry. I honestly think it was to much.

White Chocolate Sauce:

4 Tablespoons butter, unsalted

6 squares white chocolate from a baking bar

Melt stirring constantly over a low heat. Pour over warm pudding.

Blueberry-Peach Bread Pudding

2011-07-20T19:46:00.008-04:00

Doesn't that look yummy?! We aren't going to talk about the calories, because that big ol' piece was well worth every single one of them O.M.G!

Maybe I should go back to the beginning? This recipe was born from a series of mistakes. The first was when I tried to make chocolate banana blueberry bread for last month's SOS Kitchen Challenge. It was dry, and the Monkey did not like it at all. I ate one loaf, and put the other into the freezer. I am a saver or something like that.

Then I went and bought peaches at the store. How can this be a mistake you ask? I mis-remembered the kind of fruit my sister adores. Thinking I was being a great sister bringing home crunchy peaches (her favorite), she informed me that it was actually nectarines. So, now I have bunches of peaches hanging out in the drawer, and a loaf of chocolate bread in the freezer. What do I decide to do? Buy fresh blueberries at the farmer's market and make bread pudding.

Wait! There's more! When pulling out the bread, I discovered that I had about a dozen gluten free chocolate cupcakes hanging out in the freezer. So I incorporated those as well! I can't tell you what brand it has been long that they have been hiding out in there, and I kind of stopped buying mixes as they make a lot for one little youngling to consume before going bad. So my note before going into the recipe is that you can use any sort of bread/cake, chocolate or otherwise for this recipe. I highly recommend the chocolate though!

Blueberry-Peach Bread Pudding

2 eggs
1/2 Cup dark chocolate almond milk (any non-dairy milk is fine, but again Choc-o-late!)
2 fresh peaches, diced (approx. 1 Cup)
3/4 Cup fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Sauce:

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
100 grams brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drop peaches into a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Cool and then peel with a butter knife. Remove from seed and dice into mid-size chunks. Set aside. Cube your bread/cupcake into fairly large chunks. You don't want crumbs, but you don't want huge pieces. I cut the mini-cupcakes into quarters. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Add in peaches and blueberries. Then stir in bread. Make sure all bread is well coated with the egg and fruit mixture. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 pan, and bake for 30-40 minutes. The custard shouldn't jiggle and the top should be a bit crisp. Pour brown sugar sauce over the top. Serve warm. (Makes 6 servings)

Brown sugar butter sauce: Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, stirring until melted. Bring to a slight boil while stirring. Boil one minute, and then pour over pudding.

Heat Sickness and Me

2011-07-18T19:19:00.005-04:00

So I was going great guns with P90x. Then half way through week 2 I came down with a horrid case of heat sickness. One minute I was fine the next I was stripping down, cooling off with a wet paper towel, and laying down. I kept putting water in me, and taking it easy.

Friday I got in my workout, except for Ab Ripper. It was a struggle. I won't kid you. I woke up Saturday feeling yucky, and decided to keep sucking down the water. I spent part of the day laying on the floor in front of the air conditioner. I wanted to be better for Sunday when I was supposed to be going out for an outing with the singles group. I was very much looking forward to it, as I don't get out much.

Awoke Sunday morning feeling alright so I tried out Saturday's workout, Kenpo X. I managed about 30 minutes before realizing I just couldn't do it. I was dizzy, nauseated, and my headache was worse. I got the younglings up, fed and dressed for church. Opted for not going myself in the vain hope that I could go on the outing. Yeah, my sister called at noon and I was still sleeping. Spent the day in and out of sleep. It was later in the day that I posted on Facebook for ideas on how to beat the sickness. I got a text from a friend who is a nurse.

And guess what? Chugging all that water? It was actually having an adverse affect on my electrolytes. Who knew? (that is rhetorical. I now know that a lot of people have this information.) I had myself a glass of warm jello before bed to help with the sickness.

Woke up today feeling better. Been eating, adding coconut water to my beverage, and decided that day 1 of week 3 of P90x is going to be a miss. I don't want to overdo. So I will pick back up with Cardio X in the morning. I have learned a lot in these last five days, and I am not going to make these mistakes again.

Lenora Le Noire Adoption

2011-07-09T13:45:00.004-04:00

I have been wanting to adopt a gluten free blogger for quite awhile, but was never quite sure how to go about it or just missed opportunities. I was skimming my twitter feed a bit ago when I saw a tweet from Celiacs in the House putting someone up for adoption. I jumped, and am ever so glad I did.

Adoptee--Lenora Le Noire: Fat and Glamorous in the Kitchen

Her blog name and twitter handle (fatglamkitchen) had me smiling from the first moment, and her blog matches them perfectly. I am so happy to have found Lenora, and will be visiting regularly to see what she is whipping up.

For purposes of this adoption, I chose to do her Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Avocado Chocolate Mousse. The cookies were a huge hit around here, though we did substitute our non-dairy chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate. I was a bit skeptical about the mousse, in part as I am not a fan of avocados. She's right though. It is fabulous!e

The second dish I made had a substitution as well since I couldn't find millet. I used quinoa on the approval of Lenora. :) I think I probably needed to use a third sweet potato and a smaller pan. I used a 9 x 13, and probably a 9 x 11 or an 8 x 8 would have sufficed. Regardless the flavors were nummy, and I can't wait to consume leftovers tonight.

Please go check out Lenora!

Spicy Casserole

You get this photo of the sweet potatoes, because they are pretty!

Cookies and Mousse

Chocolate-Berry Ravioli

2011-07-06T09:00:00.009-04:00

The Gluten Free Ratio Rally (inaugural post on pancakes to explain the idea) took on pasta this month. I will say that I have never made my own pasta before, but as in all things I thought why the heck not?! Yeah, I have apparently been filled with optimism recently in my cooking. When my baking with blueberry attempts started going awry I didn't panic I just made my first batch of "chocolate" pasta according to the Ruhlman ratio for pasta of 3:2 (flour:eggs).

And it was way to dry. Thought it might work anyway. So, I rolled it out and filled it with strawberries from our local farmers market and Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

Rolling out is actually a bit optimistic with the first batch. They were kind of patted out and smooshed with the heel of my hand. The second batch was much easier to roll out.

They aren't pretty my little "raviolis" (If they aren't really raviolis, please don't tell me. I like this fantasy world.), but they sure do taste good. The Monkey disagrees with me, but then again he doesn't care for pasta in general. He does admit though that the sauce would be good on pancakes or on ice cream. Go and check out all the other fabulous recipes from this month's rally at Jenn Cuisine!

Chocolate Ravioli with Chocolate Berry Sauce

4 ounces/120 grams teff flour

2 ounces potato starch

4 ounces egg (approx. 2 medium eggs)

1-2 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon turbinado sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling:

1/2 Cup diced strawberries
1 1/2 teaspoons turbinado sugar

Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Measure flour, starch, sugar and cinnamon onto/into your scale. Mix together and set aside. In a glass measuring cup, whisk egg and 1 Tablespoon water with a fork. Gradually add the flour mixture to the measuring cup mixing well. Continue until all flour is combined adding up to a tablespoon more of water to make a pliable dough (i.e. you want something softer than pie crust but not as soft as cookie dough). Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper (yes, parchment paper) coated with a nice layer of teff. Wrap up and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Here's where we get a bit dicey. I couldn't roll it out in one big sheet and then cut it into cute squares. If you have a pasta machine or any sort of skills then I suggest you go with what you know and ignore my suggestions. I ended up breaking off 1 inch portions from the dough ball, and rolling them out with my pin to approximate a square. Place a small amount of strawberries and a few chocolate chips in the middle, fold over, crimp closed, and repeat. Boil in pot for 3 minutes, and drain. Makes approximately 4 servings.

Chocolate-Berry Sauce

1/4 Cup frozen mixed berries

1/8 Cup water

2 teaspoons Enjoy Life chocolate chips

1 teaspoon turbinado sugar

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Stirring and mashing a bit until all the chocolate is melted and the sauce thicken a bit. Spoon over two servings of chocolate ravioli.

Day 1: P90x

2011-07-04T21:44:00.000-04:00

The impetus for my doing P90x was actually a couple of friends who I talked to who had bought it, but never actually done anything with it. I decided that I would do it with them, and our small Facebook support group was born. There are seven of us to start with who are providing support to each other in this life changing journey. Today I am going to share my before photos. Tomorrow you will get my thoughts on how I am feeling about the workouts. I am excited to be taking this journey with others.

Starting weight: 205

Double Chocolate Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

2011-06-30T08:53:00.012-04:00

So, this month the SOS Kitchen Challenge ingredient was blueberries. I got all excited since those are one of the Monkey's favorite fruits. He and I came up with a list of things we wanted to make. They included blueberry donuts with chocolate icing (fail), chocolate-blueberry quick bread (I liked it, he didn't), blueberry cake with blueberry icing (didn't quite make it to this), and chocolate-blueberry ice cream. Here we have a hit. He hasn't had it yet, but I know he is going to love it!

Dark Chocolate Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

6 ounces dark chocolate almond milk
4 ounces Enjoy Life chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
10 ounces so delicious coconut milk blueberry yogurt
4 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries

Combine milk, sugar and chocolate chips in a sauce pan. Warm over medium heat stirring constantly until the chips and sugar are melted. Remove to refrigerator to cool completely. Assemble your ice cream maker (I used a Cuisinart borrowed from my mother). Add the yogurt to the cooled milk. Stirring until smooth. Mix in blueberries.*

This is where it gets tricky. Please follow the directions on your ice cream maker to make your yogurt. It took about 20 minutes of mixing for mine to set up. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Note: If using frozen blueberries, they need to be thawed in the microwave before adding them to the mixture.

Awesomeday Makes a Return

2011-06-29T12:04:00.012-04:00

Had you noticed that my re-caps hadn't appeared in a couple of weeks? I have been a serious slacker, and my apologize. Going to try and keep up with it in the next weeks.

1. Coffee and oatmeal. yes, I am an addict. :)

2. Packing up a sample of Shakeology and realizing how much I love sharing it with others.

3. Going to the post office by myself. (Really I just love all trips in the care by myself!)

4. Realizing that the Bozrah Farmer's Market opening night is just two days away!!! Can't wait for fresh produce, chevre from Beltane Farm, and all the other yummy things.

5. Doing the math on the P90x nutrition guide and discovering that I will need 3000 calories a day while doing the program. Bwahahaha!!

This is funny as I am currently consuming around 1500 calories. I am doing some more math today to see if I can come up with something more reasonable, and know that I may have to play with it as I do the program.

6.Watching the younglings play at the school "park and getting in a bit of swinging myself.

7. Finally checking into klout.com, and laughing at my top 10 areas where I am influential (obesity, chocolate, gospel, pancakes, heaven, recipes, P90x, fitness, training, #1)

8. Both the Monkey and Boo are in bed before 8 p.m., and I am pretty sure they are both asleep. (Hasn't happpened in forever!)

9. Writing the blog post for my entry into the SOS Kitchen Challenge this month knowing that the Monkey boy is going to L-O-V-E it.

10. Love seeing my friends and family starting to participate in Awesomeday, and love seeing the beginnings of it reaching into their friends. Awesome!

How was your Awesomeday?!

Fun times & Monday Mingle

2011-06-26T18:28:00.012-04:00

Seriously, one of the longest weekends. We had an overnight guest Friday. Very, very cute and generally easy to be with. However, the Goober Girl not only has an ear infection, but a very snotty nose to go with it. To top her snotty nose, ALL the rest of us have come down with colds complete with snotty noses. I went over my calories on Saturday due to the four mugs of hot tea and honey I consumed. So our weekend has been consumed my medicine, boxes of tissues and general crankiness. Fun, huh?! :)

So while, I was away the Monkey had a number of adventures, and I thought I would post a couple of photos from them prior to my answers to the Monday Mingle questions. Enjoy!

Playing on the climbing structure at The Dinosaur Place (home school field trip)

Strawberry picking with the family

Playing board games at Camp Calumet

1. Do you like going to the county fair? Are you going this year?

--When I was growing up we lived for fair time. It was the highlight of fall. Yes, I said fall. I grew up in California where our fair was in the fall. I even put my mouse collection in one year, and got an honorable mention ribbon. I miss going to the Kern County Fair. Probably not going to the fair this year. We just never seem to have the time.

2. What is your guilty pleasure food at fairs or amusement parks?

--The answer to this really depends on where it is. At the fair I grew up with there was a place that did these amazing cinnamon rolls. I can still smell and taste them. Then at Disneyland I really can't leave until I have had a chicken skewer from the Bengal Barbeque. Everywhere else? It just depends upon my mood.

3. Finish this sentence… “It never fails – every time I go to the grocery store, _________________”.

--Oh gosh! I could fill that in a number of ways. First, I come home with things that weren't on the list, which always annoys me. I make a list to avoid these issues. I don't want random un-needed food in my house. blah! Second, I come home without things on the list or things that should have been on the list but never made it there for whatever reason. I think I annoy myself more with this one, because it then leads to another trip to the store where I may come home with things that aren't on the list. A vicious cycle!

Post Summit Push

2011-06-20T13:08:00.014-04:00

I don't know if I really shared here that I was getting ready to go to the Beachbody Coach Summit, which was held this past weekend in Los Angeles. I am extremely grateful to my mother, aunt, sisters and father who helped make this trip happen for me. I have come out of it with a greater vision of who I am, who I want to be, and where my life and business are going.my

I met up with my coach, Sarah, at LAX to take a Super Shuttle to the JW Marriott at LA Live Thursday afternoon. We got our badges and headed over to the Yard House for a meal. Whatever they put in those turkey sliders is the bomb! We separated for our evening activities. I headed to a tour of the Beachbody offices, and can I say WOW!

Friday started with a workout at 7 a.m.! I attended the workout with Body Gospel creator Donna Richardson Joyner who was absolutely amazing! The live drummers she brought along were just as amazing! This wasn't the only workout of the weekend. I had the opportunity to workout with Chalene Johnson as well on Friday (creator of Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire). Then there was the Super Workout with all of the trainers on the streets of L.A. Okay, only one street between the Nokia Plaza and the Staples Center! Over 2000 coaches working out in close quarters. It was AWESOME!!! And to top the weekend off I boogied at the after party Saturday night, and got in a nice swim Sunday morning before the first session and returning home.

Donna and I

Post Turbo Fire workout with a poster of Chalene! :)

Tony Horton (P90x) and I post Super Workout (I had cleaned up!)

In addition to these awesome workouts, there were amazing sessions. Besides the general sessions (three of these), I got the most out of the ones on time management and using social media to build a business. Did I mention they fed us as well? Shakeology every morning! Including the new flavor that was announced on Friday, Tropical. Look for it to be available towards the end of 2011/early 2012. The food at the dinner reception may have been a buffet, but it was amazing as well. The veggie pot stickers? I had a few! :)

I think thought that what I discovered in those three jam packed days was that this company and these coaches are all about building each other up and seeing the world a better, healthier place. I met and talked to so many people on the elevator, waiting in line, sitting on the bus, at the restaurant waiting for takeout, and a dozen other places. I made new friends and caught the sense of family that Beachbody is all about. Awesome!

Sarah and I (friends & family)

Caramel Apple Donuts

2011-06-08T14:53:00.002-04:00

I have been thinking of these donuts for awhile, but putting them off due to, ummm, laziness. I will admit that May got pretty busy, and I found that I could hardly keep up with the day to day let alone the extras. Sometimes baking is an extra chore. I don't want it to be, and so I take brief breaks. This last one was a bit longer than I like, but I broke out the pan and a new recipe for National Donut Day this past Friday. I will say that the Monkey preferred them without the cinnamon sugar, but I like them with. You will have to decide for yourself.

Caramel Apple Donuts

100 grams oat flour
80 grams sorghum flour
60 grams tapioca starch
6 ounces applesauce (unsweetened preferred)
2 ounces caramel apples
2 eggs
2 ounces coconut oil, softened
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
10 drops vanilla stevia

Caramel apples:
1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, chopped
1/4 Cup turbinado sugar
1 Tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium/large mixing bowl, whisk together flours and starch. Set aside. Next cook up your apple so it has time to cool. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the sugar. You should stir it frequently, and have the diced apple and butter at hand to add once the sugar has melted so you don't burn it. Once the sugar is melted add the butter and apples. Cook for about a minute to soften the apples making sure that your doesn't burn. Pour it off into a glass measuring cup to ensure the correct amount. Let it cool while you whisk together the egg and coconut oil in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour and stir until combined. Add applesauce to your measuring cup to equal 8 ounces. Add to large bowl and mix well.

Spray your donut pan with cooking spray and fill to the top with batter using a small cookie scoop. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Glaze and Topping:

1/2 Cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons almond milk
cinnamon sugar

Combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Drizzle over tops of donuts place on a cooling rack over wax paper. Let set for a minute or two, and then dip tops in small bowl of cinnamon sugar.

Note: I try to keep cinnamon sugar on hand, and I like mine very cinnamony. :) Just mix about a 1/4 Cup sugar with 2 Tablespoons cinnamon. Just keep a small amount in the bowl, and reserve the rest in a small re-seal-able container.

Turbo Jam & Wellness Update

2011-05-28T23:07:00.007-04:00

In the middle of my April workouts, I decided to dedicate April to Turbo Jam, and do a full round. With minimal convincing from my friend/coach Sarah, I decided to dive in at the Advanced level since I had incorporated it into my workout routines for a full month. And why not right?! :)

Post Cardio Party 5/28/11

I started the month at 205 and with some significant losses in inches from my thighs and arms. I was very excited by the inch and a half off of each thigh since I hadn't seen a real change in a month or two in actual numbers. My clothes were fitting differently, and that was great! The lack of change on the scale and the tape measure were bothering me.

I am working day by day to overcome my dependence on the scale and tape measure. I am now forcing my OCD self to measure once a month, and weigh once a week. In addition, I am trying not to allow myself to worry if I gain two pounds, because I KNOW that I am getting lean and trim. The proof is in the clothing. Did I tell you that I bought an Easter dress in a 16 and had to return it less than a month later for a 14?! Yep! I know things are happening!

Despite 7 months of getting progressively more aggressive in my intensity levels, I started Turbo Jam at the very, very low impact level. By this fourth week, I was reaching lower, and doing a wide variety of the higher impact moves. Tonight I even attempted to jump rope, and was reminded why I don't by the soreness in my chest. I will be going back to side to side hop/shakes.

My Abs (gah!) 5/28/11

Did you notice I didn't post a weight or inches lost update? There wasn't a change, and I am okay with that. :)

Awesomeday: May 26th edition

2011-05-25T07:43:00.013-04:00

I am beginning to live for Awesomeday. It really makes me think about what is going on in my life, and how to change my way of thinking. I hope that you are taking the time to savor the small moments in your life. Take joy in each day and be well!!

1. Sunshine and coffee! Yay for no rain!

2. Shakeology scoops that create the perfect amount of oats for the Monkey and I to share. (5 with a bit left over for the Goober Girl).

3. My very first Beachbody paycheck!

4. The Goober Girl taking a long nap and a light lunch. The long nap is an anomaly, and she ended up sleeping for just over 2 hours. It was nice!

5. Submitted my new Shakeology recipe to the Shakeology Shake-Off Recipe Challenge.

6. Playing puzzles with the Goober Girl.

7. The Monkey's math placement for next years curriculum (My Father's World). He did so well that my mom has printed out the next two tests for him to try out. Don't want to make it to easy for him. And hey look! He inherited the math nerd gene.

8. Drinking my new Shakeology on the way to the Monkey's social playgroup.

9. The taco salad I had for dinner. Such a simple meal, but oh so tasty. We should have this more often.

10.Getting my workout on. Last night was Turbo Sculpt and Ab Jam from Turbo Jam. I was sore in my mid-section, but it feels great to get moving each day.

11. I actually saw my toes tonight while doing squats. (Note: This is a first for me. I am very excited!!)

12. My family, friends and fellow team members. You all inspire me daily! Thank you so much for being a part of our lives!

Monkey and I at the Day Out with Thomas

Awesomeday: May 11th & 18th editions

2011-05-21T10:20:00.007-04:00

I missed last week somehow in my overviews of Awesomeday. So you are going to get both today, because something supremely awesome happened last week. What is Awesomeday you ask? Other people call it Wednesday. My friend, Sarah at Uberlibrariana, renamed it Awesomeday. A day to take the time to see the positive in everything, and to take joy in even the smallest of things.

May 11, 2011

1. Oatmeal with brown sugar and macadamia butter. Even more awesome that I am sharing it with my monkey!
2. COFFEE!! Can't be said enough!
3. Meeting other bloggers through blog hops and happenstance!
4. Getting a new coat of paint on my toes and putting some on the Goober girl!
5. Scoring a ticket to the Beachbody Coach Summit and having an AWESOME family who is making this happen for me.
6. Chocolate-Peanut butter-Banana Shakeology for dinner, which is totally portable to T-ball games!

7. My Monkey!

8. Team Infinity Beachbody Coaches weekly calls.
9. Sarah and Jennifer spreading the Team Awesome love around. You all made my day. MWAH!!!
10. A third cup of coffee to go with my first research assignment as an intern. I am excited!
11. Bedtime! Or at least I know it will be when I get there.

May 18, 2011

1. Seems redundant, but COFFEE!!!
2. Re-reading the Monkey's proverbs from Tuesday's historical book club. (Note: They read Ben and Me)

If you can't stand the heat, swim
Better to be safe than in trudll [trouble]
A penny saved is 1 cent
Better late than not going
Strike while the parent isn't looking
Children should be seen and not hert [hurt]

3. We were going north on the interstate and noticed a motorcade going south. Turns out it was the President on the way to speak at the Coast Guard Academy. How very, very cool!
4. Shakeology lunch with a dipped nutter butter 100 calorie bar chaser. I LOVE Shakeology!
5. Turbo Jam, specifically Turbo Sculpt today.
6. Getting a new swimsuit for my trip to L.A. Even more awesome? Getting it for 50% off rather than the 30% it really was. Thank you to the Target associate who put about 10 of those suits in the wrong place.
7. Being just 16 days away from the Komen Walk for the Cure.
8. Team Infinity Beachbody Coaches weekly call. So much amazing knowledge and experience.
9. Team Awesome! Sarah, Jennifer and the rest of the gang. Rocking May, people! DFTBA!
10. Sleep and a busy Thursday ahead. Awesomeday has drawn to a close for me. Hope yours was filled with awesomeness.

Wordless Wednesday: Mother's Day

2011-05-11T10:10:00.004-04:00

See more Wordless Wednesday posts at....

Awesomeday: May 4th edition

2011-05-06T13:23:00.001-04:00

Do you remember that Wednesday is now Awesomeday? A time to reflect and take joy in the little things in life? Turn potential negatives into positives? There were a couple of things that I didn't share on this past Awesomeday, but they made it even more awesome. I am riding a high around here even though I am still looking for a way to make ends meet. There is naught but positive and joy!

1. Awesomeday!! I really do get a kick out of thinking about and sharing the small things.
2. Scones and the Gluten Free Ratio Rally!
3. A full belly from oatmeal and the 2nd cup of coffee. (Yes, I have gone back to drinking the entire pot. Sigh.)
4. Intergalactic Star Wars status day. "Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future."--Yoda (This seems to be particularly meaningful for me right now.)
5. Making a feathered headband with Boo, my nephew, for his display/report on North Dakota for the Geography Fair.6. Completeing Cardio party from Turbo Jam early enough in the day so I had time to fit in the 20 minute workout as well. Whoo hoo, I am all caught up through day 5!
7. A clean bathroom. There aren't enough positive things I can say about this!
8. Bloggers Bake for Hope! Go and bid on baked goods to support breast cancer research. Hurry though! Bidding ends today!
9. Red Velvet Cake ice cream (Ben & Jerry's) and blog hopping on the Gluten Free Ratio Rally hosted by Celiac Teen.
10. Bedtime and looking forward to the Geography Fair. (Note: The Fair was fun! One hundred home school people eating, conversing, and learning about various cultures and parts of the world. Other than the Monkey and Boo's displays, I loved the one on fruit salad showing where all the different fruits come from in the world!)

Coconut Scones

2011-05-04T09:16:00.001-04:00

I have recently been buying up great quantities of the amazing Almond Joy creamer from International Delights. It is a limited edition, which means that I need to consume as much as possible before it goes away. Right?! Yes, I have an addiction to both coffee and creamer, and this month's Ratio Rally baked good goes perfectly with both. Given my current obsession, it is natural that my brain went immediately to coconut. Coincidentally enough one of my very favorite things in the whole world.

I don't remember the first time I ever had a Mounds or an Almond Joy or even that first taste of sweet coconut. I do remember the first time I had haupia at Camp Paumalu on the island of Oahu. It was the most amazing, melt in your mouth treat I had consumed in a long time. That was 1989. I remember when See's Candies re-introduced the Coconut Special for their anniversary. It was all luscious flaked coconut, honey and dark chocolate. I, also, remember the first time I made a German Chocolate cake for my library school roommate's birthday. It wasn't pretty, and the cooked frosting had odd bits of egg in it. She loved it though. See? I have a thing for coconut.

The first thing I will tell you is that there isn't an official ratio for scones. They aren't really a biscuit (and my biscuit like, slightly doughy versions are going to make lovely pudding), and they aren't really a bread or a Scottish pancake. I had no idea that I would spend 30 minutes researching drop scones in an effort to make something the monkey liked. He wasn't overfond of my first version, which is what you are getting here. They were to mushy, I believe he said. Upon further discussion, he just didn't like the flavor or texture of the curd. Good enough. I tried something else. You aren't getting that recipe as it still needs tweaking, and my grocery bag of ingredients is empty. Maybe another time. Again, he made the suggestion that they would be better with chocolate. What wouldn't be made better with chocolate, really?

The recipe that I based this off of is from Betty Crocker for Ginger-Lemon scones. I have made it a number of times using the recipe as is and the lemon curd I have linked below. It is wonderful, which is why I wanted to do something similar here. The ratio works out to be 3:1:0.5 (flour:liquid:fat). With my choice of coconut flour, I found myself using twice as much liquid as called for due to its ability to absorb a lot of liquid. This is alright though as others had much success with the 3:2:1 ratio or in my case I still have that .5 fat. That makes them less fattening, right?

Make sure to go and see all the other scone recipes!

Coconut Scones with Pineapple Curd

150 grams coconut flour
90 grams sweet white rice flour
90 grams arrowroot starch
50 grams coconut palm sugar
40 grams flaked coconut
3 teaspoons baking powder
300 ml coconut milk beverage
1/3 Cup butter, chilled
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In mixer bowl, combine flours, starch, sugar, coconut, and baking powder. Cut in the butter slowly by cutting off small rectangular pieces of the butter, and dropping them in while the mixer runs on low. It should resemble a crumbly mixture in the bowl when it is done. Don't over mix. Slowly add in the milk and coconut extract. Mix until well combined, and the dough has formed a ball or is just sticking to the paddle. Divide the dough in half. Roll the first half into a 7 inch round on a greased cookie sheet. Spread 1/4 to 1/2 Cup pineapple curd over the top to within an inch of the edges. Roll the other half of the dough out into a slightly wider circle, and place on top of the curd. Pinch/press the edges together to keep everything looking pretty. Score the top into 8 slices remember to cut short of the curd layer. Bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes. Glaze while warm. Serves 8.

Glaze:

2/3 Cup powdered sugar
3-4 teaspoons coconut milk
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

Stir all ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over the tops of warm scones.

Pineapple Curd (based off this Lemon Curd recipe)

240 grams sugar
3 eggs
1/4 Cup butter, melted
4 ounces pineapple puree

Using a handheld blender or small food processor, puree enough pineapple tidbits/chunks/rings to make 4 ounces of liquid. In a medium pan (because a soup pan is to small), whisk your eggs until they are broken up. Stir in the sugar. Add pineapple puree and melted butter. Cook over a medium-low heat, whisking constantly about 15 minutes or until it has thickened. Let it cool in the pan, and then refrigerate overnight.

Note: Ideally, the double boiler method called for in the original recipe is what should be used. I am not in possession of such an item, and my homemade attempts at one often leave me with food on me and the floor.

SOS Kitchen Challenge: April

2011-04-30T16:15:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of the month, I was excited to find out that the ingredient of the month was asparagus. I have never done much with it, but I do love to eat it. There was a challenge in the announcement in regards to creating a sweet treat with this ingredient. I decided to take up the challenge, and create a bread similar in composition to zucchini bread. Thus began some research into ideas on what went well with asparagus. I found several recipes that combined strawberries and oranges with asparagus. I decided to go the route of orange.

Given that it is rather difficult to grate an asparagus spear, I decided a puree for most of my liquid would be the simplest route to go. Have I mentioned that ratios are now my friend? I think this went together even a bit more smoothly than the Double Chocolate Cherry Muffins. Looking for the information on ratios for quick breads? Go take a look at the post for those muffins or check out the other muffins/breads in last month's rally.

I started putting this together before I remembered that I was supposed to pick the Monkey up for his weekly therapy session. So I worked quickly, ate my lunch quickly, put this in the fridge, and then left for about 2 and a half hours. It really thickened up. I don't know if the results would have been different if I had cooked the more liquid form rather than the thicker form. Will probably try it again soon to see as this bread was well received by all members of the family. Whoo hoo! As it was, the bread is a bit crumbly (read here: hard to cut). I am going to make another batch soon to see if I can improve upon the texture. Overall though I am pleased to share it with you.

Asparagus-Orange Quick Bread

60 grams brown rice flour
60 grams potato starch
120 grams teff flour
200 grams turbinado sugar
12-15 asparagus spears, softened (I used frozen & microwaved for about 40 seconds)
4-6 ounces orange juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons orange peel
1 Tablespoon flax meal
2 eggs or flax egg equivalent
4 ounces melted coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Puree 2 ounces orange juice with the asparagus. Add additional orange juice to make 8 ounces of liquid. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, orange peel (I used dried) and flax meal. Whisk to incorporate. Add pureed asparagus-orange mixture. Fold in. Add eggs and coconut oil to the empty container, and whisk (is it called whisking? the thing you do to eggs to scramble them?) together. Add to batter, and stir to incorporate. Prepare three small loaf pans with cooking spray of choice. Divide the batter evenly between them. Bake at 375 for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes OR until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for an hour before removing and slicing.

Double Chocolate Banana Pancakes

2011-04-29T18:58:00.002-04:00

Ever since he was very little chocolate has been a great motivator for the Monkey. Adding and subtracting with M & M's between 2 and 3 years of age? He did it as long as he got an M & M or two. Potty training at the age of 3 with no accidents really? Yeah, every time he went he could help himself to the little jar of Hershey's Kisses on the table. Until recently, you could get him to do most anything with the reward of chocolate. He still loves it, but at the ripe old age of 6 1/2 is a little more contrary about doing things. :) This love of chocolate is why you will see a lot of chocolate based recipes here. Just as an fyi!

The original idea for these came from the Monkey himself. We were talking pancake flavors, and he mentioned banana with chocolate chips. I took it and ran from there to the Ratio Rally inaugural post on pancakes over at Gluten Free Girl. Having had things go correctly with the quick bread ratio I knew that I wanted to make this recipe using a ratio as well. I may never bake any other way again. With ratio in hand, I started looking for ideas.

Have you noticed a tiny love affair with my bag of teff? Yeah, I have really been enjoying finding ways to incorporate it into our baked goods. Chocolate seems to be a sure fire way to do that. In my looking I was finishing up my visits to all the great bloggers who participated in the Quick Bread Ratio Rally. My flour combo came from Gluten Free in the City, and the idea for the caramelized banana (first photo) was "borrowed" from A Baking Life. I have got to say the combo of flours and the lusciousness of the caramelized banana was satisfying enough in its batter form, but the pancakes were to die for.

Double Chocolate Banana Pancakes
50 grams teff flour
30 grams brown rice flour
20 grams potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 egg
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 Cup caramelized banana
1 ounce melted better
Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Caramelized Banana:
1 banana (overripe, under-ripe, just right, it doesn't matter)
1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Tablespoon butter

Combine flours, starch, baking powder, cocoa and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk together, and set aside. Time to cook your banana. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the sugar. You should stir it frequently, and have the sliced (or ready to break into pieces) banana and butter at hand to add once the sugar has melted so you don't burn it. Nothing appetizing about burnt caramel. Keep stirring and breaking up the banana until it is completely melted as well. Pour it off into a glass measuring cup to ensure the correct amount. Let it cool. While it is cooling, mix your egg and melted butter together. Add all wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Add a handful or two or three of chocolate chips to the batter, and stir to combine.

Cook in a frying pan (or on a griddle if you are lucky to have one) coated with your choice of non-stick ingredient over a medium heat. I tend to use canola oil as with just spray my pancakes stick and fall apart. It gets ugly. I used about an 1/8 cup batter for each one, and flipped them after bubbles started to appear on the tops. I then flatten them a bit to get a slightly wider pancake, which is probably why they aren't "pretty." Makes about 12 medium pancakes.

Awesomeday Revisited

2011-04-28T16:59:00.009-04:00

What is Awesomday you ask? It was begun by my friend, Sarah, over at Uberlibrariana, as a new way to look at Wednesday. I am not sure what the impetus for it was, but for me it has become a way to reflect on the small things in life. You know those things that you might overlook normally o that may seem like negatives on the outside. It is all about the positives. When I remember (ha!), I will try and re-cap my list over here. So this is yesterday's list!
Things that are Awesome: April 27th edition

#1: Being reminded by Sarah of Uberlibrariana that today is Awesomeday! Won't you join us?

#2? Cinnabon bread toasted with a bit of butter and coffee with Almond Joy creamer. heaven!

#3 Goober girl's nap time, which equals a 30 minute walk with Leslie for me!

#4: Early pick-ups! (I babysit an 18 month old affectionately known as the goober girl) Going to finish my salad and run a couple of errands!

#5: my business/blog page, Brooke's All Things B, is growing.

#6: exchanging my size 16 Easter dress for the 14 because the top was to big just a month after buying it. :)

#7: the portability of Shakeology, and the drink itself. what a great afternoon snack.

#8: the monkey finding my missing Italian link charm braclet in a most unlikely place. (shoved down under the back seat in the car)

#9: the monkey's playgroup artwork and the 100% he got on today's spelling test!

#10: Can I say Team Infinity Beachbody Coaches and our weekly calls? I ♥ you guys!

#11: Doing the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure with my mom and sister in just over a month. (If you would like to sponsor us, please go here!)

#12: Bedtime! (even though it is hours after I wanted it to be)

Why don't you join us next week for Awesomeday on Facebook or Twitter?

Pumpkin Spice Mini-Donuts

2011-04-22T10:40:00.015-04:00

So, I made something (for the life of me I can't remember what) recently, and put what was left of the canned pumpkin in a container in the fridge. I was looking for something to make for the monkey last week when I found the container again. Pulled it out, inspected the contents closely, and as it appeared everything was still good I started looking for a starting place for a pumpkin donut. I found this one at food.com, and started doing my figuring to convert it to a gluten free version.

Once I decided on ingredients and did my math (math is VERY important), I went to work. However, I couldn't seem to get anything done, because the Monkey and Boo were having constant meltdowns over the game they were playing on the Wii. It actually was so distracting that I forgot to put in the brown sugar, and didn't realize it until after I had the first batch out of the oven.

I remedied that oversight with some liquid stevia to the remaining batter before putting them in to bake, and starting on the lovely chocolate icing that had been the Monkey's request. Honestly, I liked them both with and without the stevia, but that might have been because of the frosting. The Monkey thought they were alright, but perhaps a bit spicy. The frosting got two thumbs up as anything chocolate always does.

Pumpkin Spice Mini-Donuts with Chocolate Icing

100 grams sorghum flour
80 grams white rice flour
60 grams tapioca starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-15 drops plain liquid stevia
2 eggs
1/4 Cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1/4 Cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flours, starch, baking powder, spices, and baking soda. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, stevia, eggs, milk and butter. Beat on low speed until completely mixed. Using a small cookie scoop, place rounded scoops in your greased donut pan. The batter is thick so you will need to kind of mush them down into the pan. Not pretty, but effective. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to the cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 2 dozen mini-donuts.
Chocolate Icing

2 Tablespoons butter
4 ounces baking chocolate (you choose your poison!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 Cup non-dairy milk (again I used almond)
2/3-1 Cup powdered sugar

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the chocolate and butter together. Once melted remove from heat and add vanilla and powdered sugar a 1/3 Cup at a time. Stir constantly to remove lumps and fully incorporate. Icing should be thin enough for pouring, but not to thin. Using a spoon, drizzle/pour/slather the donuts on the wire rack over a piece of waxed paper with the icing. Let cool and enjoy!

Check out more fun recipes at Sweet Tooth Friday hosted by Alli-n-Son!

Pineapple Chicken

2011-04-21T16:30:00.001-04:00

Can't believe it has been a whole week since I tried this recipe out. It has been quite a week what with both the hacking yucks and the flu yucks making their way through our family. Oh, and a lovely visit from family up from Maryland. It has been a whirlwind.

Anyway, my friend Carrie over at gingerlemongirl had posted it on Facebook, and I knew I had to make it. Of course, I didn't use actual onions as they tend to cause migraines for me, and my sister has issues with them as well. So just a shake or two of dried minced onion was sufficient for us. Otherwise, I kept the recipe just as stated.

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken from A Few Short Cuts

I decided to pair it with some white rice and frozen veggies (cooked of course!). In this case, i had a mixed bag of broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts AND a smidge left in my bag of mixed pepper strips. Microwaved both, put them on top of the rice, and then poured the chicken and pineapple over the top. It was delicious!

What is the sign of a keeper recipe? In my case, I crave it for leftovers and don't mind eating it twice heated. Yep, it's a keeper!

Wordless Wednesday: Miserable Monkey

2011-04-20T06:30:00.000-04:00

Cookbook Review: Maple Pecan Scones

2011-04-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

This is the fourth and final post in my series of reviews from the cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. It is part of a mass cookbook review being hosted over at It's a Keeper, which has a due date of today. This means if you were waiting to read them all at once tomorrow would be the day to do it! :)

The recipe for these is NOT to be found on The Pioneer Woman site, but obviously is in the book on pages 68-69. Due to copyright laws, I don't feel comfortable sharing the recipe here, but you can either buy a copy of the book or see if your local library has it, which is what I did for this review. Public libraries are fantastic for these sorts of things where you want to try something out but aren't ready to commit to the purchase. I will be returning this soon, but I have already put it on my wish list for future purchase.

I tend to use my mixer for cutting in the butter whereas the photo in the book shows one of those odd looking whisk like things. So specific aren't I?! :) Small pieces works best in the mixer. I did use the King Arthur Gluten Free multipurpose flour again. Consistency don't you know! I used almond milk instead of cream, and left the coffee out of the icing. Oh, and halved it again. This one was a bit more tricky to cut in half so I used this handy, dandy tool.

My dough was a bit wetter than described in the book, and I had a difficult time transferring it from the "board" to the pan. I ended up just patting it out, and cutting it again on the cookie sheet. I, also, had to bake them about 5 minutes longer probably due to the extra moisture.
The monkey did not like the scone itself, but was caught using his spoon to scrape all of the maple icing (I used maple syrup in it) off the scone and the excess off the plate. Somebody had to eat the scones so I gave my all for the cause. Mmmm!!! I really enjoyed them, and would call them a definite keeper.

Cookbook Review: Oatmeal Crispies

2011-04-14T10:00:00.009-04:00

Here is number three in the series in the review of The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. It is part of a mass cookbook review being hosted over at It's a Keeper. In case you are interested, there will be four in the series. :)

The recipe for these cookies can be found here on The Pioneer Woman site, and on pages 226-227 of the book. Have you noticed yet that I decided on using the King Arthur Gluten Free multipurpose flour for all these recipes? It seemed the simplest way to go without altering the recipes to much. I substituted butter for the shortening, added 1/4 teaspoon guar gum, and divided it in half.

As of this writing, I have only cooked up one of the rolls of cookie dough. It made about 18 cookies. So again, I am getting way more from a 1/2 recipe than the full recipe, which in this case is just 2 dozen. The cookies are nice and crisp just the way I like them. My sister disagrees, and thinks maybe we should reduce the cooking time on the next roll. I might indulge her soft cookie liking. I took some to our first Vacation Bible School meeting, and Pastor ate a few. Think these are definitely a keeper.

Cookbook Review: Angel Sugar Cookies

2011-04-13T10:58:00.001-04:00

This is the second in my series of reviews from the cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. It is part of a mass cookbook review being hosted over at It's a Keeper.

The recipe for these delightful cookies can be found here on The Pioneer Woman site, and on pages 236-237 of the book. Again I kept it simple and used the King Arthur Gluten Free multipurpose flour mix, and added a 1/4 teaspoon guar gum. Oh, and yes I did do a half recipe. It made about 2 1/2 dozen cookies, which is odd since the full recipe only makes 18 cookies. Maybe mine were a bit smaller?

These were made for St. Patrick's Day and served up as a special dessert for the Monkey and Boo. The frosting is just a traditional butter cream made from the package of powdered sugar with butter and a bit of almond milk and green food coloring. They were asking for the cookies two and three times a day.

These cookies are just as described in the book, "Light, crisp, and melt-in-your-mouth." They don't really travel well, but then they are meant to be eaten at home. Definitely a keeper!

Cookbook Review: Marmalade Muffins

2011-04-11T21:38:00.013-04:00

So a wee bit ago there was a discussion on the It's a Keeper Facebook page about doing a group cookbook review. After much discussion, it was decided to do The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond and The Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics by Ina Garten. For me personally, I decided to do recipes from the first title. Each of them has been made both gluten and (mostly) dairy free. If it is not necessary for you to do this, please feel free, to make them as written in the book.

The recipe for these muffins can be found here on The Pioneer Woman site, and on page 58-60 of the book. I made a 1/2 recipe (this one is easy to divide) in part as gluten free baked goods tend to go bad a bit faster than their wheaten counterparts. Despite making a 1/2 recipe, it still made the 2 dozen mini-muffins that the book says a full recipe will make.

For my substitutions, I decided to keep it simple and went with the gluten free multipurpose blend from King Arthur Flour. I did add guar gum (xanthan gum would work as well) in the amount of 1/2 teaspoon. For the buttermilk, I used her method of souring milk (found on page 40) with the almond milk we currently have in the house. I say currently since we sometimes have coconut or oat milk. I think it easily could just use milk or the non-dairy equivalent.

The results were just as described in the book. These are moist and bursting with flavor. And the brown sugar/juice glaze? Oh. My. Word! These are definitely a keeper!

And I have used this photo before, but the monkey really liked these little muffins.

Double Chocolate Cherry Muffins

2011-04-06T08:00:00.017-04:00

I somehow missed the first call for the Ratio Rally, which I still find odd given that new year's resolution I had to keep up with my reading. Maybe I have overstretched myself a wee bit?! Never!! :)

That said, each month bloggers will be taking different food items (is items the word I am looking for? probably not but it will have to do), and creating recipes using ratios. Seems sort of self explanatory from the name, doesn't it? Every time I try to explain this ratio thing and how it applies to baking/cooking I get puzzled looks. So, I direct you to the inaugural host, The Gluten Free Girl, who puts it forth much clearly than I do.

This month was muffins or quick breads, and is hosted by Silvana Nardone at Silvana's Kitchen (go there to see all the other yummy muffins and breads that were made). I had the best idea right off the bat. I did not have great success off the bat, which seems to be par for the course for me. So back to the drawing where I spent a lot of time working on my ratio (2 dry, 2 liquid, 1 egg, 1 fat), and finally came up with a combo I liked on paper that was pretty darn close to that ratio.

Ingredients in the house? check.
Recipe set? check.
Baker ready to go? Um. Can I have another week?

I came down with some sort of raging, hacking, sore throat, fever inducing cooties this last week. I spent all day Saturday (the planned baking day) laying on my floor in flannel jammies under two blankets dozing in and out while the younglings played on the Wii. On Sunday night, I finally got that second batch going. Had to wait for my sister to try the "muffin" before deciding I could play this month. This muffin is very dense, rich, and nearly brownie like. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Cherry Muffins

80 grams teff flour
30 grams sorghum flour
30 grams cocoa powder
60 grams arrowroot starch
110 grams or 3/4 Cup pureed dark sweet cherries
90 grams or 1/2 Cup almond milk (or dairy/non-dairy of your choosing)
1 egg
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
20 drops liquid stevia
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon guar gum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large mixing bowl, stir together flours, arrowroot starch, and cocoa. Add guar gum and baking soda. Set aside.

It takes approximately 2 individual size applesauce containers of cherries minus a few to make the 3/4 or 110 gram puree. Microwave on high for about 1 minute for each bowl. Add to your food processor a bit at a time until you have the right amount. I saved four to dice and put in the batter for a bit of extra texture. Those little applesauce bowls are good for melting the coconut oil as well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, cherry puree, egg and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add melted coconut oil and chopped cherries. Stir until just combined. The batter will be very thick. Fudge like. :)

Using a small cookie scoop, place batter into mini muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Glaze while warm. Makes about 2 dozen mini muffins.

Glaze:

15-20 frozen cherries
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1-3 teaspoons water

Microwave the cherries for 90 seconds. Puree the cherries with the powdered sugar adding water to thin as necessary. Don't worry about random bits of cherry. This is a chunky glaze! Glaze muffins while warm.

Results: Two Kinds

2011-04-04T11:01:00.003-04:00

I know you are probably itching for the Shakeology cleanse results, but I am going to give you something else first. A few weeks ago, I asked for your votes in the Body Gospel Million Dollar Body contest. Your votes garnered me a spot in the semi-finals, and I am grateful for the opportunities that has given me. Sadly, I didn't make it to the finals, but it was a really great ride. Thank you so much for your support.

Above you see my final photo for the contest from about the beginning of March. I was hovering at that plateau I talked about in my last post and just shy of a 25 pound weight loss. I talked about how the cleanse went a little bit. I think it could have gone better if I hadn't been ill. I was to far under on calories both days for it to be fully effective. There IS a reason they recommend 800-1200 calories a day (or maybe I am confused?). I did get close to 900 calories on Saturday, but with the hacking and the fever things just didn't go as planned. I did, however, lose an additional 2 pounds. This brings total weight loss at this point to TWENTY NINE pounds!! Time will tell (and so will I) if this will kick start my body back into the weight loss that it needs to be doing. For now, I will continue to recover from my cooties and ease back into my fitness routine. Be well!

April 3, 2011 at 204 pounds

Shakeology Cleanse

2011-04-02T12:59:00.006-04:00

Generally this is a three day cleanse (my fellow coach, Brent, has a great post on the cleanse), but since I am sick AND really looking forward to my sister's birthday dinner tomorrow, i.e. the first BBQ of the year, I have modified it to two days. The purpose for me was to jump start my weight loss again. I had been stuck at 208.5/209 for over a month, and was beginning to get frustrated. I had added in some more strength training on the advice of my coach Sarah, but it didn't seem to be helping much so I decided to go ahead with the cleanse.

Imagine my surprise on Friday morning when I stepped on the Wii fit board for a pre-cleanse weigh-in to find that I had dropped to 206, which is now a total loss of 27 pounds. Happy dance ensued! :) Guess some of that extra work paid off!

Blended up my first shake after returning from dropping the younglings for their morning walk with Auma and Auntie Bubba before school. The day went well though I was severely under my projected calories for the day. I blame my illness and my odd day in general for the inability to get my third shake in. I was in bed by 8 p.m. :p I did get in a 30 minutes 2 mile walk with Leslie Sansone during the afternoon, which made me feel much better.

Saturday dawned with a headache and a 100 degree temperature. Today's planned exercise is not happening, but the cleanse continues. Lunch was the ice cream version of breakfast. I love the frozen fruit mix I get with strawberries, peaches, mangoes and pineapples in my Shakeology. As a frozen treat, it is nearly unbeatable. Dinner is a beautiful salad with some chicken breast, cheese and cashews. With the cashews and a third shake later, I am at 882 calories for the day. I may add in a cup of tea or a glass of orange juice before bed to help with this cough, but otherwise I am pleased.

Will post a full update on the cleanse sometime tomorrow after we finish celebrating my sister's birth!

Three Bean Chili Mole

2011-03-31T18:24:00.004-04:00

It may seem an obvious choice when a "secret" ingredient is a bean, but at last glance nary a chili had been submitted to the SOS Kitchen Challenge. I have been perfecting this particular recipe for a few years, and it seemed like a great idea to change it up with the adzuki beans.

Three Bean Chili Mole

1-15 oz. can ad(z)uki beans
1-15 oz. can black beans
1-15 oz. can dark red kidney beans
1-15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chili's
1 small can tomato paste
1 package McCormick Taco seasoning
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon chipotle chili powder

Open all the cans. Drain and rinse beans in a large colander. Dump beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste in the crock pot. Stir well.

Add seasonings, and stir again. Cook on high for 3-4 hours stirring occasionally. Serve with shredded cheese and Adzuki Bean Bread.

Also posted on It's a Keeper!

Wordless Wednesday: Monkey Meals

2011-03-30T09:17:00.002-04:00

Adzuki Bean Bread

2011-03-29T08:22:00.009-04:00

I am going to begin this post with a caveat. I am the only one of four that tried it that liked the bread. The other person who kind of liked it, told me that plain she wouldn't have, but grilled with a bit of butter and honey it was good. Her suggestion, and my mom's as well, was to find a way to make it a bit sweeter. I will be working toward that, but for now will post this recipe since I do enjoy it!

My brain started turning when the ingredient for the month was posted for the SOS Kitchen Challenge. This bread was one of the many ideas I had. It started simply as an alternative to corn bread since the monkey can no longer have it. I played with ideas in my head for awhile, and then had to do a hunt for dry beans since nowhere local had them. In making this bread, I made the final decision to get a good food processor as our little one doesn't work so well and using the blender seemed a bit of overkill.

So while I looked for beans, I decided to find a great cornbread recipe to convert. I did some searching on the Internet, and bookmarked a few. Then I went to my friends and family on Facebook and Twitter to see what their favorite was. Unfortunately, nobody was sharing. I am still open for suggestions, because I am determined to get a recipe that everybody likes. With beans in hand, I looked around and noticed the cookbook I had checked out from the library, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Hmmm. Probably a cornbread recipe in there! So, I used her recipe as a guide in creating this one using adzuki meal instead of cornmeal.

Adzuki Bean Bread

1/2 Cup finely ground adzuki beans (measured after grinding)
1/4 Cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Cup non-dairy milk
1/2 Tablespoon flax seed meal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons butter, melted (would probably work with coconut oil)
1 Tablespoon agave

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In your food processor, grind the beans to a very fine meal, and then measure. In a medium bowl, combine the meal, flour, salt and baking powder. In a liquid measuring cup, pour out milk (I used almond). Add flax seed meal and baking soda. Stir. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry and stir until just combined. Add melted butter and agave, and stir until just combined. Pour into a 8 inch round or 8x8 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for about 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Serves 8.

Chocolate Pecan Coffee Cake

2011-03-26T09:52:00.009-04:00

I am going to use coffee cake loosely since it is really more cake like, but there you have it. This recipe is from The Spunky Coconut with a few tweaks of my own for the SOS Kitchen Challenge. I cut the recipe in half to make in an 8 x 8 pan. I like this site for helping with some of the more difficult measurements to divide. I will admit that it had to cook an extra 15 minutes to be done to my liking, but otherwise I followed her directions to the letter with the following changes.

Changes to the recipe:

white beans=adzuki beans, drained & rinsed
coconut flour=teff flour
eggs=egg substitute of choice
honey=agave
add 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder (just 1 for the 1/2 recipe)
walnuts=pecans (you can leave the walnuts, but I have an allergy so we went with pecans)

Used my blender since I just have a tiny little food processor

Blending up the topping!

Going into the oven

Serving it up with a side of strawberries

Wordless Wednesday: He Swings

2011-03-23T10:13:00.004-04:00

Find more Wordless Wednesday posts at

Exciting News and Monday Mingling

2011-03-20T22:23:00.006-04:00

So the exciting news? I entered the Million Dollar Body contest through Beachbody and Body Gospel a week or two ago. I got an e-mail on Thursday that said I had advanced to the next round, which is online voting through Facebook. Voting lasts for three days only-this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. You can vote twice a day. The four finalists will advance to the next round and the judges will pick a winner. I would really love it if you could take the time and vote for me. The grand prize of $25,000 would be an amazing thing for our family.

Go and vote HERE for Brooke Lippy age 38.

Monkey at Minds in Motion making Goo

Monday Mingle hosted by Eighty MPH Mom

1. What would you do for fun if you had to give up TV and internet?
Answer: The same thing I do now when they aren't working or have been appropriated by the younglings. I read anything I can get my hands on. Want to be friends on Goodreads?

2. What is your favorite breed of dog?
Answer: This question isn't as easy. My family has always had daschunds and shepherd/husky mixes. My first dog was a Jack Russel terrier/blue heeler mix. She was very excitable, but I loved her. I think I will I say I just love dogs, and leave it at that. :)

3. What is under your bed right now?
Answer: Have it easy again here. I never got around to actually putting my bed frame up. So, my mattress and box spring are sitting on the carpet. :)

Soup, Soda Bread and Socks!

2011-03-17T09:44:00.005-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! This is one of my favorite holidays. Maybe it is the Irish in me or the great food or the great sense that we are all one people on this day (isn't everyone Irish today?! :)). So I thought I would share a tradition with you. Starting in college I made matzo ball soup and soda bread as my meal for this special day as I don't eat beef or pork, and wanted something simple. Tonight we will be having some leftover cream of chicken soup my mother made, but I will share with you the soup I made last night. It was shared a couple of weeks ago on It's a Keeper Thursday by Making Memories...One Fun Thing After Another. I think the next time we do it that I will only do one package of taco seasoning as it was just a bit much for us.

To go with our soup this St. Patrick's Day, I tried to make soda bread from a recipe by the Gluten Free Girl. It is posted on the Food Network-Healthy Eats. I am sad to say that while mine looked nice it was still a bit gooey on the inside even after extending the cooking time by 45 minutes, and hearing the hollowness. My sister has suggested that I try something glutenous to see if it is just the gluten free stuff or just everything that is destined to give me fits. I am inclined to believe that my gluten free bread making skills are the same as my candy making skills, i.e. non-existent. :P

And just because it is a tradition for me I am sharing my favorite pair of holiday socks with you. Yes, I am wearing them today with one of my many holiday shirts. :)