Ugly Cookies

 

I am no baker.  As much as my kids want me to be I will not be.  I bake ugly cookies.

I didn’t even make any modifications to the recipe.  Seriously.  I included ALL of the sugar.  I softened the butter.

I think I’ll stick to making my black bean brownies and recipes that use an unthinkable amount of coconut oil.  I like those recipes.

The “Best” Chocolate Chip cookies

 

 

Roasted Chickpeas

How does one eat 100 grams of protein in a day?  This certainly isn’t a goal of mine every day, but these days it is.  Oh right, I haven’t made an official announcement on our blog yet.   Well, here it is!  We’ll soon be going from man-on-man to zone defense.  We’re having another baby!  Baby Squirt (as Hazel affectionately calls the baby in my womb) is due to arrive sometime in October.

I’ve been terribly sick this time around.  Not puking-17-times-a-day-sick like I was with Hazel, but more along the lines of can’t-handle-the-smell-of-any-food-so-the-smell-of-anything-makes-me-puke-about-2-times-a-day.  Improvement.

This pregnancy combined with the sudden loss of my Dad is the reason for my hiatus.

Anyway, my midwife recommends the Brewer Pregnancy Diet which aims for 100 grams of protein a day.  This is hard for a girl who doesn’t want to eat and I’ve been far below the recommended 100 grams.  But I have found a great snack that I can easily sneak in 15 grams.  Roasted Chickpeas.  I used to make these a lot when we were eating a lot of beans, but have since forgotten to include them on our menu.

Here’s my favorite way to serve up a few cups of chickpeas.

Ingredients

2 cans of chickpeas, drained  (I used ½ lb of cooked dried beans)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix drained chickpeas with oils, soy sauce, and spices.  Spread on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Cook for ~50 minutes.  Make sure beans do not burn.  But you also want them to be crispy all the way to the inside.

Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast is the hardest meal of the day in our house.  There isn’t really a breakfast that we can all agree on that is both filling and doesn’t consist of eggs.  FYI, Mike hates eggs.  I’ve seen him choke them down on two occasions, but it wasn’t a pretty sight.  Anyway, baked oatmeal has become a standby throughout the years.  We love it, and this recipe is stick-to-your-ribs filling!  It makes this rich custard layer on the bottom, so don’t skimp on the eggs or the coconut oil!

2 cups oats

2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs

½ cup coconut oil

½ maple syrup or brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

 

The night before:

Mix oats and buttermilk together and leave on the counter overnight to soak.  Soaking the oats in an acidic solution helps break down the phytic acid in the oats, making them more easily digested.

 

In the morning:

Preheat oven to 350 °.

Beat eggs, coconut oil, and syrup or brown sugar.

Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Stir in soaked oats.

Fold in raisins and walnuts.

Pour mixture in a 2 ½ quart casserole pan greased with coconut oil.

Bake 45 minutes.

You could probably mix this all together the night before and leave it out covered on the countertop.

Baked Lentils and Rice

Beans are a staple of our diet.   We eat a lot of black beans, chickpeas, and lentils.  They’re cheap, and they’re good for you (although this camp has a valid reason for avoiding them).  With most beans we soak them Nourishing Traditions style to get rid of the phytic acid and the side effects of beans.

This is a great recipe because it’s so adaptable.  We’ve used Italian seasoning, cumin and chili powder, and you could even add cheese on top.  It’s great with carrots, mushrooms, peppers, and even tomatoes.   You could substitute quinoa for the brown rice, and you may even want to throw some fish filets on top and cook for 20 additional minutes.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup lentils
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• small onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cups beef or chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°.  Mix all ingredients in a 2-quart baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Chocolate Avocado Banana Pudding

The last two weeks have been a real struggle.  Ambrose seemed to have a set back and was shrieking in pain, waking up constantly, spitting up like a fountain, and was really miserable.

In an effort to determine Ambrose’s food sensitivities and (literally) nurse him back to perfect health I am eliminating gluten, eggs, and white sugar (why the heck not, right?) in addition to dairy and nuts.   It’s not so bad.  Honestly.  I’m eating lots of fruit, veggies, and meat.  Not bad at all.

And Ambrose?  The Jury’s out on that one–but he seems a lot happier.

One hard thing about giving up dairy has been (nearly) eliminating chocolate.  I’ll occasionally make hot cocoa with rice milk and cocoa powder, and that always hits the spot.  Today I was craving chocolate pudding.  After looking around for some recipes I just decided to make my own using an avocado and frozen banana.  The avocado makes it really creamy and the banana and honey sweeten it up a bit.

Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding

1 banana, cut up and frozen

1 small avocado or 1/2 a large

~1 Tbsp raw honey

~1 Tbsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder

3 Tbsp rice milk (or other milk of choice)

Puree in blender and enjoy!

Next time I may put some melted coconut oil in it to add to the texture.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes

The pumpkin pancakes Mike made this morning hit the spot.  They were worth dreaming about for several months.

My Amazing Husband made these Delicious pancakes!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 6-8 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg

Directions:

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl.  In a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, melt butter.  Then whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, and egg.  Fold mixture into dry ingredients.  Cook pancakes on skillet heated to medium for 2-3 minutes per side.