Thanks to one of my tried and true Bff's, who gave me this recipe. We have been helping each other make healthy choices in our home and living with that choice a little easier (because it's not always easy) especially breakfast. I need breakfast to be easy! I make these in abundance and freeze some and keep some in the freezer. you can switch up the flavors of these muffins with different fillings and such. Try this recipe! I made mine with an additional 1 C. blueberries,juice of 1 lemon,lemon zest of 1/2 of a lemon 1TB poppy seed, 1 TB chia seeds 1 tsp of almond extract and it was SO good! It has dairy but thats okay for most  our family once in awhile!
PROTEIN MUFFINS
 Blend up 5 eggs
1.5 cups of cottage cheese
1/2 cup coconut flour
1tbs of non-aluminum baking powder
1/3 cup Swerve (or Erythritol and 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite)
and 1tsp of vanilla in the blender. cook at 400 in mini muffin tin for 25-30 minutes. you could use sugar in place of the swerve or erythritol/stevia

Some law.

There is some poetic law about you planning for things to go one way, and they go the complete opposite way than planned. These cheesy zucchini fries did just that. My kids eat zucchini because we have it in abundance and it's required of them by me, they never eat more than what is on their self considered "unfortunate" plates. Tonight I made the cheesy zucchini fries, and didn't make enough, weirdly. The kids gobbled them right up.

Take a zucchini and cut it up like fries. Dip them in an egg then cover them Parmesan cheese with seasonings. I used garlic, pepper and onion salt. Bake at 450 for 20-30 minutes, turning them when they are getting lightly toasted on the starting side. We dipped them in some homemade ranch sauce.

The thing about being a mom.

Lately, I haven't had time to post much or even keep track of what I have made, I know I've made some delicious items, I just haven't had 5 minutes to BLOG! I made some yummy lemon cakes from http://whitelake.patch.com/articles/game-of-thrones-inspired-lemon-cakes I used a gluten free flour and it converted fabulously! I've been using my crock pot on the daily an always am I, searching out new recipes. I'm getting a little tired of chicken in the crock, so I'm trying lots of soups and casseroles, always making them healthier than I found them. That sounded really prima ballerina. Hope to post some substance soon, Ciao!

Use almond butter instead.

Found this and I'm really excited about it. Although, I did just learn the real deal on peanuts so, no more for us.

Healthy Peanut Butter cookies!
Only 36 calories per cookie!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Peanut butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 TSP baking soda
1 egg

Mix the peanut butter and sugar first then add in the egg and baking soda. Bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees. They’re delicious!

Brain Balance Center for Andy.

As many of you know, I have had Andy enrolled in the Brain Balance Center. This is because Andy has a right brain delay that has prevented him from progressing toward his full potential in certain areas. The program is wonderful and the positive changes are so amazing to witness!

Things that many parents take for granted were once really difficult and now many of those things are going much smoother, which is helping Andy's self esteem and confidence grow. Learning about how capable he is has been really liberating for Andy and I am committed to helping him complete the program no matter what life brings us.

Many of you have asked about ways to help Andy continue because you've been unable to attend fundraisers. Thanks to my good friends Aaron and Hillary, there is now a donate button on my blog. The program is a financial commitment on my part and as Andy's sole provider I'm willing to do anything to cover the cost of such a life changer for Andy.

If you would like to donate to this program, I am graciously accepting donations until I come up with the cost of the remainder of the program. At that time I will remove the donate button and breathe a sigh of relief! Please know that my intention is only to open up an easy channel for people who want to throw a few bucks Andy's way - my intention is not to pressure you at all. I'm just as grateful for prayers and happy thoughts as I am for anything else!

As always, I hope you are doing well!!

XO,

Corey

More balls!-cookie dough ones!

Andy loves these! They are something I think just about anyone can have and they are fast and easy. I would double this recipe next time for sure.

RAW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
DOUGH.
1cup blanched almond flour.
1-2 tsp vanilla extract.
1-2 TB of Ghee,smart balance or coconut oil.
Pinch of salt (I do 2...maybe even 3)
Pinch of powdered stevia(or a smidgen more)
1 TB of water or any non-dairy milk
1/4 cup of allergy free chic chips.

In a cup or small bowl combine all ingredients. If you want the dough thicker, add some extra almond flour. Adjust flavoring. Eat with a spoon! Yields roughly 1 1/4 cup. I keep mine frozen in balls.

Wraps-gluten free style!

Andy and have gone extremely gluten free now, I swore I would never be this extreme! But. . . Turns out. . . Gluten can be really bad for some things we struggle with in our daily lives and this gluten free thing is way easier than I thought, and worth what it could help with. This is what we had for lunch today. This is a gluten free tortilla made with brown rice flour. Left over organic, nitrate free bacon, organic nitrate free turkey, quinoa, avocado,shredded carrots, shredded apples(organic) and dairy free gluten free mayo. I have to say, this was a very special treat.

Breakfast!

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, along with drinking plenty of water, drinking 8 ounces of water right when you wake actually helps to wake up your body. I have to eat in the morning, and making sure my kids get a satisfying breakfast is super important to me. We eat oatmeal 2-3 days a week and mix in different options like breakfast burritos, waffles and now these super muffins!

Okay so my husband found this recipe through Jorge Cruise Belly Fat Cure recipes. It's gluten free, and super fast! Prep time is about 2 minutes, cause I am slow and put away as I go, and you cook it for 55 seconds in the microwave! Super right?? Try it!

Skinny Muffins:
1/4 C. Ground Flax
1/2 tsp. baking powder (I use aluminum free)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 egg
1 packet stevia (I'm ok with sugar so I used 1 tsp. brown sugar. I think you could use regular sugar or truvia, honey... Whatever sweetens your life!)

Combine ingredients in a coffee mug, that it not pinched at the top, put in microwave, microwave for 55 seconds and viola! You have a powerful muff there!

These are a little different in texture, but really good, compared to most GF breads and rolls, this is a winner! There are lots of variations I would like to try, some on Jorge Cruise's site and some made up. Let me know if you try them :)

More about Banana Ice cream.

I just wanted to share this link http://cleangreensimple.com/2011/03/vegan-ice-cream-without-a-machine/ to more Banana Ice Cream recipes, I have tried the peanut butter chocolate, good with almond butter as well I also tried the pecan one with maple syrup/agave  nectar.. These are all paleo friendly, gluten free,casein free,vegan and last but not least..They are DELISH!

Sometimes, I just dont know what to say?

Andy and I have been doing a new thing lately called "talk time" I learned about it in parenting class and thought it was a great idea... Why is it hard? I don't want it to be. We had a great time the very first night we did it it, he had quite a bit of things to say, and he LOVED it, I was so surprised he didn't forget about it. I had NO IDEA, he was just dying to talk to me. For some reason its been hard for me sometimes to know what to say or how to start Talk Time. I highly recommend giving this cool thing a try and I saw this online today and I thought, how perfect! I wanted to share some parenting, on the"Food Blog" :)



    Bed time conversations with your kids

1. What do you like to dream about?
2. What is your best memory this school year?
3. Who is your hero? Why?
4. How would you describe your family?
5. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?
6. What are you most proud of yourself for?
7. Who is the kindest person you know? Why?
8. What do you like most about your best friend?
9. What is one thing you would like to learn to do well?
10. If you were an animal what one would you be and why?
11. When is the last time someome hurt your feelings? How did you react?
12. Do you know someone who is going though a hard time? How can you help them?
13. What is the scariest thing that happened this year?
14. If you could keep only one thing, out of everything you have, what would it be?
15. Who do you think is really successful? Why?
16. What’s the best thing about your teacher this year?
17. When do you feel misunderstood by grown-ups?
18. What three words best describe you?
19. What’s something that makes you angry?
20. What’s the best compliment you ever received

So f'in good.

I really should call this post Hilly-Ray's Sloppy Joes, either I was starving or this was truly good. I modified this recipe from heavenlyhomemaker.com which is a great web site with a lot of great recipes to build off of. She calls for Dijon mustard which I kind of think sounded barfy, so instead I did it more spicy version, served it open face with multigrain FOOD SHOULD TASTE GOOD Tortilla chips (it's a cracker too!) that are gluten free and sooo good. Paired perfectly with Hilly-Ray's sloppies. Here is the recipe:

1-2 LBS ground beef (I use turkey burg)
1/2 large onion
1/2 green pepper
3 mushrooms
All finely chopped (I usually double the veggies.)
Hot chili powder to taste
Tomato purée (yes tomato paste)
1-2 TBS Dijon (I don't use)
Salt and peppa to taste
Fresh rosemary or thyme

Brown meat in skillet, add onion, peppers, mushrooms and chili powder. I use about a tablespoon but test it as you add, depending on how hot the chili powder it. When all hot and steamy add tomato and thyme or rosemary. Simmer for a bit. You know it's done when you can't stop dippin chips in it and all the neighbor kids are drooling ;) serve on kaiser rolls. I used GF bread. (my favorite is Gluten Free Pantry, Favorite Sandwich Bread.)

Enjoy! And let me know if you try it and found it as "deliciouso" as I did!

Oh, my picture is horrible 'cause I was on the phone with AT&T and Century Link figuring out iPhone problems and blogging at the same time!

I have gone banana's -Of course I have to say that!

Have I ever told you about banana ice cream? I don't think I have, Abbi told me about it and I researched it immediately! There is no real recipe. It's frozen banana's and a food processor and there are a million combo's you could find on Pinterest, or be creative. Did you know dates (preferably medjool) taste like caramel? They really do ( Alesha taught me that) I know, they look like . . .  Close your eyes Hillary. . . they look like cockroaches. And old people food. . . I am becoming old people and so are you so let's just enjoy whats good okay. Tonight I put a handful of pecans and about 3 medjool dates in my food processor after I blended the frozen banana's in to an almost all the way creamy state. I wanted some chunky stuff in there and blended to where my eye was pleased then I threw in a chunk of chocolate coconut bark for 1 sec. I made that last week. I cant believe I haven't posted that yet but here is a link.www.easypaleo.com/2012/01/09/chocolate-coconut-bark/ 
Tip:  DO NOT USE THE AMOUNT OF SALT IT CALLS FOR! Its way too much, it must be a typo. I couldn't eat it unless in the banana ice cream because it was so salty, however it was very tasty in the ice cream.
Tip: When making the Chocolate Coconut Bark, add a little more dark chocolate that it calls for. I know the less sugar the batter but Dark Chocolate is not that bad, I use 85%.

 There are a lot of things to try. If you want chocolate ice cream, add about 2tsp of cocoa to approx 3 banana's. Cinnamon is a yummy thing to throw in there too. Comment some of your ideas or things you have tried in there or just want to. This is one of things I eat regularly that makes me and my peeps feel normal.. Not much to be missing out on with this delicacy.

Stay tuned for Chocolate Chili

Don't worry it just tastes like really delicious chili with a rich flavor. . . Not that it matters to the taste but it's gluten free and paleo friendly.

Ingredients:
the base:
2 tablespoons of your favorite fat: olive oil, coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lbs. ground meat (lean beef, pork, turkey, veal, bison, or a mix)

spices:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt

liquids:
14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes (I like Muir Glen fire-roasted.)
6 oz. tomato paste
14.5 oz. can beef broth
12 oz. water

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and saute ’til soft. Add garlic and let heat ’til fragrant, about 2 minutes. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC. Add the meat and sauté until browned and crumbled.

2. Blend all the spices in a small bowl. Add to pot and stir well, about 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and water to the pot. Stir well.

4. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low so the pot has a gentle simmer. SIMMER FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS. Do not skimp on the simmer. Just as rest time is the magic time when you build your strength, simmering is the magic time when the flavors meld.

Variations:
Add additional quality fats with some chopped black olives, green olives, or avocado slices (or all three!).

Add more veggies by serving over a bed of cooked spaghetti squash, grated zucchini, or baby spinach leaves.

I am gonna do some Baked sweet potato friend next time :)

Meatballs/sauce/green beans. . . Oh my!

You wanna make something fairly healthy and gluten free that every one will love? Okay, I hear that so I will get straight to the point. This is an affordable meal and makes ALOT it serves about 7 ppl. I always make a lot of food for leftovers that I can either freeze or just take for lunch. Eating the way I eat can be inconvenient or expensive if I'm not prepared. . . Which is easier than it sounds if you just put a little thought in to it . Always try and cook enough food for 1 or two frozen servings and 1 or two lunches. Then you get to the point (eventually) that you will have a variety in your freezer. If your anything like me, my lunch is often a surprise ( lack of organization )but never a disappointment ;)
INGREDIENTS
1LB Turkey burger
1LB turkey/chicken or pork sausag
2 Egg (easily eliminated)
1.5 onions
2 cloves garlic minced
4 carrots grated
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1tsp cumin
1tsp chili powder
1TB thyme
1TB oregano
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
Slices green onions
1 bag frozen or a bunch of fresh green beans
Coconut oil
Apple cider vinegar
BEGIN WITH
Combining the meats, eggs, half the amount of grated carrots,half the amount of onion, salt, pepper,1 tsp of cumin and mix it very well in a bowl.then roll in to big old' meatballs
Then in a pan that has already been heated brown them on all sides. They don't need to be cooked through yet. After browned moved them to a plate and set aside.
Use a spatula to scrape bottom of the pan then add onions and carrots, while those are going add approx a tsp to tbs of apple cider vinegar in the pan to loosen the stuff on the bottom AKA cracklin's (Alesha Irene) add in a dash of salt/pepper and a couple more shakes of cumin,chili powder , oregano,thyme , mix it all around and then add the can of crushed tomatoes.
TIP: You can add how ever many of the spices that want to the dish and the more vinegar you add (see above ^)the tangier. you could add up to 4 TB.
Then Nestle your meatballs back in to your sauce and simmer for about 30 min. With the lid on.
About 10 min before they are done add the green beans to the top and put the lid back on so they can steam.
TIP: if you do fresh you may want to put the beans in 20 min before they are done.
We served the meat balls and sauce over the beans. There were no complaints from the kids and lots of oohs and awwws. There was however 1 recommendation from a near teenager that I know and it was "this is so good, but next time we should eat it with noodles" I think he is on to me ;)

I pity the fool

For breakfast this week I have been loving sweet potatoes hash brown style. I just grate them up, put some butter in a little skillet, salt and pepper and sometimes I like to sprinkle a little brown sugar on them. I flip them about 1/2 way through. So good, you should try them quick.
I stumbled upon a yummy recipe for beef and broccoli, I subbed some ingredients to make it gluten free, otherwise its the same as I found it on Pinterest, I think it was a weight watchers recipe. My kids loved it, it has the red pepper flakes in it so it was a little spicey, but they couldnt stop eating it!

Beef & Broc
2 1/2 TBS Corn Starch-divided
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 LB thinly sliced beef
2 tsp coconut oil
1 cup chicken broth-divided
5 cups broccoli florets
1 TBS Garlic minced or grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup liquid aminos (Basically vegtable protein, gluten free)
1/2 cup water

So what you are going to do is toss the beef in the salt and 1/2 the corn starch until its nicely coated. Put your coconut oil in a large skillet and heat on med-hi, add the meat and heat until lightly browned, put in a bowl and set aside.

Mix 1/2 cup of broth with 1/2 the corn starch and 1/2 cup liquid aminos. Set aside.

In the pan add the 1/2 cup broth that doesnt have cornstarch and liquid aminos in it, use a wisk and pick up all the bits left from the beef, add the broccoli and cover for about 3 minutes, add ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic and fry until fragrant. Approximatley a minute.

Take your mix of broth, starch and aminos and add to pan. Mix well with other contents of the pan, reduce heat and simmer until slightly thick, return beef and juices to pan, toss to coat.

This recipe took a whole 15 minutes to cook, we waited on the rice to finish! Prep was a little longer because I purchased stew meat and sliced it thinly, but definatley will do this again!!

Valentine 1

Here is what Andy and I did for family night tonight. So cute,right? This is our take of an idea we saw on pinterest. I love family night, and I love the feeling I get when I silence my phone and get it done on the night that we scheduled it and the way Andy beams the whole way through it :)

So many balls.

So, other than today, I'm still going strong and LOVING the paleo lifestyle. I didn't really expected that. I found that clean eating was a really transition in to paleo. I would like to eat a little less meat than I am now but for now I will keep it easy. I still am eating more raw veggies than anything else so... Anyhow here is a recipe for some kind of balls. . . They are similar to the energy balls I have made but no grains

2C. Nuts
6 medjool dates pitted
1/2 C peanut butter
3/4C shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 honey
1/4 maple syrup (creates controversy in paleo so you could do all honey)
1/2C cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
Put all nuts and dates in your food processor and pulse until chopped pretty good. Add everything else then roll into little balls and store in fridge. They are a great treat and great post work out snack. Really high in protein!

Dessert first, always.

Since I have been gluten free for about 2 and a half years, due to intolerance issues, I have been finding alternative ways to eat and feed my family without missing the gluten. I still make and bake, but it's really hard to make parker house rolls only to watch everyone else enjoy them.

I found these little crispy's on Pinterest.com. You can find the recipe here. As excited as I was to eat them, since "the classy cook" claims they are as good as the real thing, and I really miss the real thing, in my opinionated opinion, it was just a cinnamony rice crispy treat with really yummy frosting that should be on all four sides, not just the top. But give it a try, they smell super when melting the mellows and spices together.

Next up, the main course, we did enchiladas the Ayala way. In my family enchiladas are made with beef, flour, and flour tortillas, they are a little on the heavy side and I can't eat em any more due to the last two ingredients, call me the worst Mexican ever but I had never had an enchilada in a corn tortilla.

So Jesterday I made the most amazing corn tortilla chicken enchiladas, everyone loved them, I love how the corn offers a little different taste. The recipe is so easy, I did my chicken in the crock pot with the tomatoes and chilis and let it cook while I cleaned, read, played with the cat and dog, showered.. you get the idea, then I put the enchilada's together while the kids did their homework. We usually eat around 6-6:30 at our house, like clock work so I like to have food ready for the savages. These are also one of those meals you can double and throw a tray in the freezer for neighbor or when your not feeling like cooking.

Here is what I did

1. Puree tomatoes (canned or fresh, you chose) and some green chili's (I had dying to be used in the fridge.) You'll want about 5 1/2 cups total for one cake pan of enchiladas.

2. Put the puree in a crock pot set to medium with about 3-4 large pieces of chicken, I like the breasts. Add a bag of California Chili's, can be bought dry and mix all together, I threw in a couple teaspoons of salt and some garlic.

3. Let that cook until when you press a fork or spoon on the breast it just falls apart, maybe 3-5 hours depending on your crock pot. Tear the chicken up so it's all shredded. Put a colander in a large bowl and dump contents of crock pot into colander, so the sauce separates from the chicken.

4. Shred some cheese binch. You'll cover the enchiladas with the cheese, about 2 cups or so. I like sharp cheddar.

5. You have two options here, you'll either dip the tortillas in warm oil (I use coconut) or in the red sauce drippings, this will soften and make the tortilla more pliable to fold and work with.

6. Dip the tortilla, allow excess to drip, put chicken in the tortilla, fold over sides and place in pan. Continue until your pan is full, if you have leftovers throw them into a smaller pan.

7. Cover with cheese. Then pour the remaining red sauce over the enchiladas, you don't want them to be swimming, but enough so that it will bubble when hot.

You can either throw them into a pre-heated oven at 350 or refrigerate and heat later, they only need about 15 minutes to warm, if you want to use less cheese, cover your enchiladas so they don't dry out. These are good with shredded lettuce, guacamole (we ate all ours before I could get a pic) Spanish rice and a little sour cream. (We use plain Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream.)

What I ate Wednesday!

Okay so I barely missed the deadline . What I ate Wednesday is a new thing I have seen on other food blogs that I think could be a nice little incentive to be a little more interactive with me, hilly and our food. I'm gonna post something I ate that day with a picture and a short post about it. I would love if you would all do the same on our blog. We may just end up with all the best recipes or new ideas ever on this here little bloggity. Remember, I am on the paleo diet for a few more days but this was interesting and pretty good. Made with coconut flour and almond meal (the crust). That almond meal btw was $12.00 hmmmm, I don't know who's crazier them for charging for it or me for paying it? If you want the recipe, leave me a comment because I left it at the boyfriends house but I can get it if you want it. I think what I would do differently is maybe use a little more almond meal and a little less coconut. I am not sure I liked the combo, or maybe the coconut just made it too sweet. But its easy and I think would be delicious with some sausage, green pepper and mushrooms. I had tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes,shaved ham and onions. I would leave all that there and it called for artichoke hearts but after the almond meal I didnt want to spend another penny on it, but I would add more to it the next time and some people do eat a small amount of cheese on the Paleo diet and in that case I would throw maybe a handful of parm. on there. but even with out cheese, I think this could have been DELICIOUS! Now we all know for next time. But now that I think about  it, has anyone tried the cauliflower crust for pizza? Its absolutely delicious and its pretty dang easy too.  I CAN post that recipe.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)
pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings*

Directions:

To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To Make the Pizza Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Enjoy!
*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few

What I did today.

Today I started a Paleo diet. I don't usually do diet "plans" and I am not sure if I even did it right today but... It wasn't extremely easy but not near as hard as I thought. Its healthy. I made some chicken last night marinated in a sauce very similar to a Oily pesto sauce. I bagged a bunch of veggie snack bags and got myself a butt load of grapefruits and such. Whoo hoo!
 I made a lot of things today but by far my 2 favorite things I made today were Almond butter and a Star wars bath for Andy ( we will get to that later.)

 Does anyone have a Vita-mix?? I don't and I complain about it often! If anyone ever wants to sell a used one please hit this sis-ta up! Anyhow, This almond butter is so simple if you don't have to break or buy a new Blender just to make it.
Here is the recipe.
 2 Cups Almonds ( you can soak them for even more nutrition)
 1 TB. Raw Honey
  1/2 tsp. of Salt.

 Let JUST the almonds blend and process for about 8 minutes.

at about 8 min. it will start to ball up. Keep letting it blend. At 10 minutes it will look done, its not it takes about 12 minutes to let the oils release and it will look slightly runnier at 12 min. and that's when its done. Take it out of your food processor and stir in your honey, I used about 2 teaspoons instead, for myself. If you DID soak your almonds you may need a little oil, I strongly recommend coconut oil because its sooo good for you and tastes so good.


Now about the Bath. . . . Obviously, he really needed one but. He hasn't had a tub type bath in quite some time because, baths are for babies. . .  DUH!
So I was scrubbing the tubs out today and figured it would be a great time to try out the bath with the glow sticks thingy.. I surprised him with it with the lights off. He walked in and looked and he was like "COOL" then he turned around and walked out. I said, Don't you want to get in? He was like, Oh no! I don't take baths there for babies. I was like okay but all those glow stick will go to waste. He says okay.. I went in and started scrubbing my bathtub next and he started screaming "HEY MOM" I say yeah? He says "THIS IS REALLY FUN, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!" Then I took him his Black light and he was 4 again for an hour of his now very mature life. I love it :)

CoCo's PaNcAkEs

 This is my first post folks and I hope I am better at this than my personal blog, and I think I will be because. . .  Its about food,parenting/ making kids eat and neat things we have tried to make our life a little simpler (or simply more aesthetically pleasing). I always have people asking me the most about recipes and what I would eat. So, I am going to give this a try and let's see if people actually use or try it.. I am especially curious because most of it is bound to be on the internet somewhere (Pinterest) Except these pancakes, this is my own personal recipe. It stemmed from Williams and Sonoma but has evolved a lot, I dont think they would recognize or claim it in my kitchen. I included the not so health conscious version and the way I always make it.

I am just gonna do a recipe (or two or three that go so well together)  and then do some more posting later.

Coco’s weekend Pancakes

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour
• 11/2  tsp. raw or evaporated cane juice sugar AND ½  teaspoon stevia
• ¼ tsp raw or evaporated cane juice sugar (for egg whites)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted or I use coconut oil melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 -2 tablespoon coconut oil or smart balance or 1 -2 tablespoon cooking spray (for pan)
• maple syrup , for serving

Directions:

Separate egg whites and keep yolks in the larger mixing bowl.

1.      beat egg whites in small glass or metal bowl until they form peaks- this won’t work if you don’t use glass or metal. It also won’t work if you get a piece of shell or ANYTHING in the whites.

2.      When the egg whites are done sprinkle about ¼ tsp of raw or evaporated cane juice sugar over the top (this cooks it and makes them stay stiff.)

3. In the main mixing bowl, using an electric mixer beat the eggs yolks on medium speed until frothy.

4. Add the buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla and mix well.

5...Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and beat on medium speed just until blended. (You may have a few lumps, but don't worry about it).

6. Then, just FOLD the egg whites in, do not totally blend it.

7. Heat lightly greased griddle at 350 degrees.

8. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each pancake

9. Cook until the tops of the pancakes are covered with tiny bubbles and the batter is set, about 4 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until the undersides are golden brown, about 4 minutes more.

-Making them Pumpkin Pancakes-

¼ cup unbleached flour (I use WW)

Add 1C pumpkin

1TB Cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

¼ tsp. ginger

1 tsp. coconut oil

1 egg white

And.... If youwant to be REALLY bad. . . 

Buttermilk syrup

1c. buttermilk

1 stick butter

1c. sugar or brown sugar (can be reduced a little)

1tsp vanilla

1tsp baking soda

In a saucepan melt and mix all ingredients except the baking soda. When it starts to boil add baking soda and remove from burner and stir until completely still. Pour over your pancakes real,real good... Just do it on a Sunday so it doesn't count :)