More “Grain Free” Goodies!

Eight more days until vacation….not that I’m counting or anything!  Two more days until I get a haircut….not that I want to have a “new do” to sport at the happiest place on earth or anything!  Toiletries are all bagged in “airline regulation” bags….not that I’m starting to pack or anything! 

But, we have eight more days and I have to get my princesses successfully through this week of school so we can actually enjoy our vacation!  They are workin’ like champs and believe it or not they’ve asked to take reading books with them to keep up on their weekly reading assignments….thank you Lord for eager readers!  All this hard work deserves a little something sweet….

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

(inspired by Detoxinista)

Yields 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almond flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp coconut oil, softened

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 organic egg

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking soda and salt.  Mix well. 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup and egg until well combined.

Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix just until combined.  Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon, drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden around the edges.

Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Enjoy!

  It’s a toss up, I just might have to say these may be my new “favorite” chocolate chip cookies!  I love the slightly nutty flavor of the almond flour and the texture of these cookies won me over too! 

  These will surely please any of your pickiest eaters…they taste anything but healthy!!

Zucchini Almond Mini Bundt Cakes

(inspired by Against All Grain)

Yields 5 mini cakes (or 2 small bread loaves)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1 Tbsp coconut flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 organic eggs, beaten

1/4 cup raw honey

2 ripe bananas

1 cup shredded zucchini

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 5 mini bundt cake pans (or 2 small loaf pans) with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place all the wet ingredients and beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until fully combined.  Add the shredded zucchini and beat again just enough to incorporate.

Slowly add the dry ingredients with the mixer running, until all the dry ingredients are fully combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the middle is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

These little gems make for a filling breakfast, snack or after dinner treat!  Top it with your favorite nut or seed butter and call it dessert!

A dense little cake with a slightly nutty flavor from the almond flour and a little hint of sweet from the honey….PERFECTION!!

Now wouldn’t it just be “perfect” if I could get a good night’s sleep and not worry about how I can fit all my shoes in the suitcase!!  Night all!

 

Blessings,

J’lene

My morning in the kitchen…

I feel like “little miss homemaker” today!  All for a good cause, of course!  My brother-in-law and his crew have been working hard over the past couple of weeks at making our side yard into something much more pleasant to look at, not to mention more functional.  The guys arrived at the house bright and early this morning to pour the concrete, which forced me out of bed and got me moving out the door to do my run before it got too hot!  After arriving back home from a great run (compared to yesterday’s fail), I was feeling refreshed, so I thought I’d show my “thanks” to those hard working gentlemen with a little something sweet. 

 They gladly accepted “Almond Joy Bars” and a few slices of a “Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie” with open arms (and the hubs is wondering where his portion is!)

Both recipes were adapted from “Mama Pea” over at Peas and Thank You.  I’ve made both of these treats many times before with variations of gluten free flours, but this time I went with Pamela’s Baking Mix just to make life easy on myself (and because I wanted the guys to enjoy their treats on their break, so I had to make it fast)!  For the Almond Joy Bars I subbed in Pamela’s Baking Mix for the whole wheat flour, which means I had to take out the baking soda.  I use gluten free rolled oats, used 1/4 cup raw sliced almonds instead of roasted and used crunchy almond butter with flax seeds instead of regular almond butter.  I also swapped out the organic sugar for a 1/2 cup of raw coconut crystals and I didn’t have coconut extract, so I just used vanilla.

For the cookie pie, I also used Pamela’s Baking Mix in place of the whole wheat flour and subbed in gluten free oat flour for the all-purpose.  If you use Pamela’s Baking Mix you need to take out the baking soda and powder because it’s already in the mix.  And again, I subbed in raw coconut crystals for the organic sugar.  I think the only thing missing was a cold glass of milk to go with their slice of ooey-gooey chocolatey goodness!

A beautiful work in progress…

   The hubs is most excited about the “fire pit”…he’s going to have to wait awhile to put it to good use because it’s way too hot right now!  I’m looking forward to planting plants in my flower boxes!

So now the house smells wonderfully delicious and the hubs walks in from graciously helping some friends of ours move all morning and I have nothing to offer him…oops!  No worries, nothing that a batch of Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies can’t smooth over!  I’m on it!

I wish I could bottle up this wonderful baked goods smell, it’s so warm and comforting…I would so use it as air freshener!

While the hubs is enjoying his freshly baked cookies, I’m loving the refreshing taste of “cucumber water” on this hot summer day! 

And what better to go with it than a cool, refreshing salad.  This is my new favorite, at least for this week!  There’s a lot to this salad, but it is so worth the effort and you’ll have A LOT to last you the entire week. Kale Power Salad (aka “detox salad”)

(inspired by Oh She Glows)

Yields 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 broccoli crowns

1 head cauliflower

1 medium carrot, grated

2 cups finely chopped kale ( I used curly kale)

1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw sliced almonds

1/2 cup dried organic cranberries

1/2 cup dried organic cherries, chopped

juice of one lemon

2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash and rinse all vegetables, then cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets.  In a food processor, process the broccoli and cauliflower until fine and add them to a large mixing bowl.  This made need to be done in batches depending on the size of your processor.

Add grated carrots, kale, parsley, sunflower seeds, almonds,  and dried fruit to the bowl.  Stir all ingredients to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar and maple syrup until well blended.  Pour dressing over all the ingredients in the bowl and toss well to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well again.  Enjoy and feel rejuvenated!

A perfect super food packed salad for those weeks where you need to get your body back on track.

 (source)

Praying that you are finding ways to feel refreshed this summer!

Blessings,

J’lene

Summertime Cookies…

It’s never too hot to bake some good cookies!!  The temps have been a rising this week…today our thermometer said we topped out at 102.9!!  Definitely a pool day and I foresee the beach in our near future. 
Until then, I’ll take two of these and glass of cold milk water!
Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 2 dozen
(inspired by Karina @ Gluten Free Goddess)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup raw coconut crystals
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthum gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup coconut oil
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flax meal + 6 Tbsp warm water, set aside)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (from quinoa flakes to cinnamon).
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, blend together coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until you get a fairly thick, sticky batter.  Add the flax eggs to batter and combine well.  The dough will be thick and sticky.
If needed, add 3 to 4 Tbsp of warm water to achieve a cookie style dough that will stick together when you pinch it.
Stir in chocolate chips.  Chill dough for 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll spoonfuls of dough between your palms and form into 24 balls about the size of a golf ball.  Place on baking sheet and press down slightly (not too much!).
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until golden.  Allow to cool on pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely (if you can wait that long!).

One of my favorite cookies…rich, caramel flavor with a chewy quinoa center and a chocolate chip in every bite!

And then there are these little gems, healthy enough for any meal in my book!

 Soft Banana Quinoa Cookies
Yields 12 cookies
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup raw coconut crystals
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 Tbsp coconut flour
2 Tbsp flax meal
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw almonds, sliced
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup dried fruit or chocolate chips (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas, coconut crystals, oil and flax.  Stir well.
Add in remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
Drop by 2 tablespoon full onto prepared baking sheet and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through.  Cool on baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Yes, they do have a “green” tint to them and yes, they are still edible and delicious!  Here’s the culprit…all plants contain chlorogenic acid, mostly in the stems and leaves, but sunflowers also have it in the seeds, which is why they turn a lovely shade of green as they cool!!  It is my understanding that if you try reducing the baking powder or baking soda by half they should not turn green. 

Now let’s keep all this “sweet” in check with a little “sweat”…

(source)

It seems that I typically catch the “running bug” right after we run a good race.  So, while I’ve got the itch I decided to shoot for another goal and start training for a 10K! 
I signed up with Power Bar Active Trainer to log and share my workouts.  The plan has me running 4 days a week and strength training 2 days, so we’ll see how it goes! 
Here’s what I logged for today’s “running workout.”  The goal for today was to complete an “easy” 20 minute run, but I’m an over-achiever and ended up at 30 minutes!

Latest Training Plan

• Logged this Week
• 1 workouts
• 0 goals
• 3.5 miles
• 419 calories

I just completed Day 1 of the Beginner 10k Training Plan.
Workout Stats
Running (3.5 mi)

Lifetime Stats

• Total Distance 3.5 mi
• Farthest Distance 3.5 mi
• Total Duration 00:51:14
• Longest Workout 00:31:14
• Calories Burned 419
• Workouts Completed 1
• High Fives Given 0
• High Fives Received 0

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And if running is not your thing, get your sweat on in the comfort of your own home with this workout!  This should get your heart pumping…remember to hydrate and always treat yourself with something a little sweet!
Have a fabulous week!
Blessings,
J’lene

Almond Tea Cookies with Strawberry Chia Jam

Happy Friday!!  We’re still in the midst of finishing up a science project, but as far as I’m concerned the weekend has arrived!!  Looking forward to a quiet evening at home because we start off at full speed tomorrow morning…two softball games and end of the season team parties in between it all! 

This week has had me and my kitchen in a frenzy trying to come up with a fun treat to serve at our first in-home couples Bible Study.  I don’t consider myself a very good hostess…I get all anxious and stressed before our guests arrive, making sure everything is in its place, there is enough seating and of course, that there is good food to share!  So, I did a trial run in hopes to cut down on my anxiety and I pray that these little guys will do the trick!

 Almond Tea Cookies

Yields 60 small cookies (make the entire recipe and divide the dough into 1-cup amounts to freeze)

Ingredients:

2 cups almond meal

1 cup + 2 Tbsp protein powder

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp raw coconut crystals

1/2 cup finely shredded coconut

3 Tbsp coconut flour

3 Tbsp brown rice flour

2 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

2 1/4 tsp xanthum gum

1 cup coconut oil

3 large egg whites

1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and extracts.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well together.

Form dough into 2-inch patties, about 1/4 inch thick, with your hands.  Place on prepared baking sheets and bake until starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes (watch carefully as they are already brown in color…you don’t want them to burn!)

Let cool before storing in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.

For a Lemon variation add to the dough:

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

 Strawberry Chia Jam

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen organic strawberries

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp raw honey

Directions:

Heat strawberries and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until heated through and strawberries begin to break down, about 7-10 minutes. 

Stir in chia seeds and honey.  Pour mixture into a small bowl.  Cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour to let the chia seeds “gel.”  I prefer to leave mine over night.  Serve on your favorite breakfast pancakes, bagels or English muffins! 

This jam pairs well with Lemon Almond Tea Cookies!

I devoured nibbled about 3 of these with a nice hot cup of tea!  It takes just two bites to get swept away into a sweet berry chia bliss! I’m hoping our guests will enjoy these as much as we do!  They remind me of “biscotti” in a petite sort of way! 

I’ll leave you with some pics of our field trip this week, just because my family makes me smile! 

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We enjoyed an afternoon play of Peter Pan at the Casa Del Prado Theater in Balboa Park. 

With only having dined on apple slices, grapes and carrot breakfast cookies to tide them over until after the show, we promised the princesses a special lunch.  Their pick…Nordstrom’s Cafe!

All smiles for pasta and fresh fruit!!

 The hubs was happy just to have a plate of food in front of him!  He’s trying not to laugh because I’m making fun of his “ranch-drenched” salad! 

In any case, bellies were full and smiles were abundant! 

Blessings,

J’lene

hold the peanut butter please!

 (source)

Before I discovered a year and a half ago that my princess Cailyn had a peanut allergy, it never really crossed my mind to use such things as almond butter or sunflower seed butter in my baking.  Now they have become quite a staple in our home and peanut butter is all but obsolete! 

We don’t go out to eat very often, but when we do I think I’ve become the “annoying” mom who asks the server at a restaurant a million and one questions before we order…

• what kinds of oils to you cook with?
• what is that sauce made out of?
• what types of flours do you use?

(this article is a good resource as to what foods to avoid if you have a peanut allergy.)

And then I make the all the “special requests”…please leave this off, can you sub this for that, and the list goes on!  Between the peanut allergy and the gluten intolerance, maybe this is why God has blessed me with my love for cooking and baking at home!!

The hubs may say that I’m addicted to baking, but some days I’d have to say I’m addicted to searching for good recipes on other amazing “foodie blogs!”  In my quest for using more almond butter this week, I first checked out Katie over at Chocolate Covered Katie.  I enjoy her recipes because not only do they involve lots of chocolate, but they are either naturally gluten free or easily adaptable to be made gluten free.  While chocolate and peanut butter seem to be a favorite combination among most people, I’ve come to discover that chocolate and almond butter can have the same effect!!  Which is the case here…

Good enough for breakfast, lunch or dinner in my book!

 Almond Butter Quick Bread (gluten free and vegan)

(inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie)

Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix 

1/2 cup creamy, unsalted almond butter

1/2 cup raw coconut crystals

2 Tbsp organic brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup allergy free chocolate chips – optional (I used Enjoy Life mini chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients, in order, to the dry and mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips, if using.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 40-45 minutes.  Let cool 15-20 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy!

If you don’t have a big sweet tooth, this bread is perfect for you! It is definitely not overly sweet and the nutty flavor of the almond butter shines through in every bite.  Maybe next time I’ll leave out the chocolate chips and try a piece toasted with a little jam…Almond Butter and Jam Toast!!  

Here are some other baked good favorites using Almond Butter and Sunflower Butter…most of which involve chocolate as well!!

Flourless Chocolate Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Almond Butter Pumpkin Bars

Sun Butter Banana Protein Bars

Fudge Swirl Sunflower Butter Cupcakes

Quinoa-Sunflower Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Friday!  And Happy Baking…with or without the nuts!!

Blessings,

J’lene

Craving cookies!!

Love, love, love waking up to the sun peeking out over the mountains!  I was actually “craving” a run (the rainy weather last week had me inside doing more strength training than cardio) and the sunshine motivated me to get outside early this morning.  Unfortunately I forgot to charge my ipod, so I ran sans music.  It was just me, the morning breeze, the birds singing in the trees and one lone turkey gobbling for his friends!  He ran for the hills faster than I could run home and get my camera.

After coming home a sweaty, hot mess I grabbed some breakfast…

Sun Butter Protein Bar I topped it with some banana slices and a spoonful of chia seeds…hit the spot!

The Princesses are ready to hit the books and get back into the “groove” of homeschooling.  We’re definitely movin’ and a groovin’ this morning because we have a lunch date with the hubs’ grandparents this afternoon at Soup Plantation followed by a quick shopping trip to Trader Joe’s.  

Speaking of “cravings”… Do you ever crave something you just can’t have or, in my case, can’t seem to find?  For the longest time I’ve been craving a delicious gluten free “Chewy Chocolate Chip” cookie!  Since I’ve been baking gluten free for the last three or so years, I have made my fare share of yummy gluten free versions of chocolate chip cookies, like these…

Chocolate Chip Cookies

and these…Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

and these…Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies

and these…Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

But while these are all tasty and I would surely make them again and again, I just haven’t been able to create what I feel is a “true” chewy chocolate chip cookie that just melts in your mouth right out of the oven.  That is, until I came across these…

 Soft, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies by Ginger Lemon Girl

Oh, Holy Yum!!!

These are EXACTLY what I have been searching for and craving all these gluten free years!  These little gems are amazing and yes, I had to wrap up a bag to put in the freezer so I wouldn’t devour all 2 dozen of them in one day!  Even the hubs can’t keep his big paws off of them! 

How does the saying go?

If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it!

These cookies definitely don’t need any fixing!  They just need to be eaten!

Blessings,

J’lene