Get Nourished...: Birthday blessings….

So, yesterday was my birthday and I was showered with many birthday blessings. Thank you to everyone who made my day so very special…I love you all!

Here are some snippets from my day…

A serving “dip” dish from my mom and dad…I’m seeing a hummus trio going on here!

My sweet mom made me some gluten free “chocolate chunk” cookies….so delicious! She makes me SMILE!

The little princesses picked me out some warm, cozy slippers for the cool weather that is upon us….it is coming, right? Actually, they know that they’re mama ALWAYS has cold feet! Thank you my loves!

And the hubs SURPRISED me (or was it shock?) with this…

My jaw hit the floor….

But I made quick work of finding a nice home for it on my counter….

And couldn’t stop looking at it from every angle…. Because it is just so beautiful and it is about to become my new best friend! Thank you to the LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!

Before this treasure had made its way into my kitchen I made up a batch of these little guys.

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Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt Cakes

Yields 5 cakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose gluten free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp gluten free oat flour (grind rolled oats in a food processor)

1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp xanthum gum

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 good sized bananas)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp fat-free, fruit juice sweetened vanilla yogurt ( I used Cascade Fresh)

1 flax egg ( 1Tbsp flax + 3 Tbsp water; soak for about 5 minutes)

2 Tbsp Earth Balance butter, melted

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Chocolate “Fudge” Sauce for drizzling (see below)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 5 mini bundt cake pans with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the flours, baking soda, salt, baking powder, xanthum gum, rolled oats, and cinnamon. Mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, add the banana, maple syrup, yogurt, flax egg, and butter. Mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix! Fold in the chocolate chips, if using. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, about 1/3 cup in each. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Invert the pans onto a cooling rack and gently remove the cakes. Let the cakes cool completely before topping with chocolate “fudge” sauce. Serve immediately, refrigerate up to 1 day, or freeze up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Yields 3/4 cup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup agave nectar

Directions:

Using a sturdy whisk, combine the maple syrup, agave, and cocoa powder into a resealable container. Mix until no clumps remain from the cocoa powder. Allow to sit a few hours before using (I put mine in the fridge) to allow it to become more “fudgelike.”

The fam took me out to dinner to one of our favorite local restaurants. It’s been awhile since we’ve been out to eat and I was looking forward to diving into this…

After dinner we hit up our new local yogurt shop for some “froyo!” I decided to get mine to go because I was so stuffed from dinner. My choice for the evening…a mix of cookies and cream and vanilla topped with roasted almonds and mini chocolate chips! I think this will be the last I see of my dear friend “froyo” because we didn’t get along so well last night (had a horrible stomach ache for the rest of the evening and this wasn’t the first time). It’s okay, because there is always my “So Delicious” non-dairy coconut milk frozen dessert friend! Now say that ten times fast!