Cookie Dough Truffles, aka Digestion Cookies

With all my digestive troubles I needed something sweet that would help my tummy not hurt it, hence these yummy treats.  Easy no bake bites of deliciousness that are as healthy as they can be.  Full of fiber and nutrients and easy to adapt to different tastes and dietary restrictions, I really hope you try making these.

Here is what you need:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1/4 cup oats, I like quick since they are smaller and still whole grain
1/4 cup honey, since these are raw it is a great time to use raw local honey, mine comes from my backyard :)
1/2 cup nut or seed butter, today I used peanut butter, but this works great with sunbutter, almond butter, cashew butter, coconut butter, and pumpkin seed butter
1 T chia seeds
1 T poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt

In addition today I added some roasted cocoa nibs.  I wanted a little chocolate peanut butter combo.  But you can add things like chopped fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, candied ginger, or any other item that makes is taste better to you.  I like the snickerdoodle version with a ton of cinnamon and a little ginger.

Simple to make, just measure into a small bowl.

Then mix until all combined.

If it is too soft to scoop and roll add more coconut flour.  If it is too firm add a little water or more honey or nut/seed butter.  I like to use a small cookie scoop, then just roll in my hands till it looks like a smooth truffle.  Stick in the fridge to chill and firm up.

In retrospect I should have added a little more coconut flour as these didn't hold their shape quite as well as usual, but they taste so good!  A fun treat full of healthy ingredients that you can feel good about indulging in.  The ingredients all help digestion and these treats freeze well too.  Hope you try them!

Celebration of the return of Downton Abbey

My favorite show of all time returned this past Sunday, Downton Abbey.  In celebration my husband and kids and I made a special Downton themed dinner.

Duchess potatoes, glazed peas and carrots, cucumber salad, and broccoli mornay stuffed chicken.  Oh this was SOOO good!  And fairly simple to make.

 Duchess potatoes are just fancy mashed potatoes meets twice baked potatoes.  Make your favorite mashed potatoes, fairly stiff not too creamy, and pipe onto a cookie sheet, spray with oil and bake till the outside is a bit crisp and browned.  Eliza adored making and eating these.  My favorite way to make mashed potatoes for something like this is to use a potato ricer.  Cut the unpeeled potatoes in half and boil them in salted water, then put them in a ricer and tiny bits of cooked potato shards come out.  Then simply fold in some butter or oil, milk or almond milk or broth, and seasonings and you have perfectly smooth potatoes.  I used butter, milk, salt, and Penzey's Forward.  It is like the best seasoned salt without salt, and it has paprika, turmeric, black pepper, and other seasonings that just work great with potatoes.

Set the oven for 350 when they are near ready to go in.  We were baking the chicken too, so that went in first.  Great thing about these potatoes is that you can make them well ahead and just brown them when it is time to eat.  Easy way to fancy food.

Next was the chicken.  Before I tell you how it was made, does anyone else see a TIE fighter here?  This is how Rich put the chicken in the dish, and we both said TIE fighter at the same time :)  We made this chicken dish because we had leftover broccoli cheese dip, made from cream cheese, cooked broccoli, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and Penzey's Italian dressing mix.  It is served warm and is heavenly, and is a moldable consistency when cold, perfect for making a filling.  Also has the same ingredients as a mornay.  So we pounded chicken tenders, wrapped the thin chicken around a cylinder of dip, coated in cornmeal, flaxmeal, salt, herbs, and grapeseed oil combo.  The unused dip was warmed with a little white wine and milk to make a delicious sauce for the top.




Glazed peas and carrots are just carrots sauteed slowly in butter till just starting to brown and thoroughly cooked, and stir in salt pepper honey and frozen peas and cook through till glazed and tender.  Easy and yummy, especially with our own herbaceous honey.

CJ was a big help stirring up the cucumber salad.  Cucumber chunks, thin strips of yellow bell pepper, salt, seasoned pepper, lots of fresh parsley and a bit of good mayonnaise.  It was really good, and the whole bowl got eaten up fairly quickly.

There you have it, Downton themed dinner, we all had fun making together.  Next to play the return of Game of Thrones dinner!

New Year's Resolutions:

It is that time again, resolution time.  After a year filled with health issues and money issues and all kinds of crazy awful things, I am going for some simple, life improving resolutions this year.

1)  Blog here and in my homeschooling blog weekly
2)  Pay closer attention to my own health
3)  Be more intentional about lesson planning, and lesson implementation
4)  Spend time outside with the kids every day it is safe to do so,  unfortunately today does not qualify as the wind chill is below zero
5)  Spend more active time with the kids
6)  Practice yoga weekly
and lastly
7)  Continue to organize the house, and simplify, make it easy to keep clean and organized

The best tool I have found over the past years to keep myself organized is a daily binder.  I am a paper and pencil girl, and an electronic organization system simply does not work for me, I have tried.  If that works for you, awesome, more power to you.  Me, not so much.  So here are some of the most boring pictures ever, of my daily binder with helps me so much.

This binder allows you to put papers in for a cover and inner cover, so on the cover I made a Word document with all the birthdays and anniversaries and special days I need to remember.  I still forget to send cards but I am working on it!  On the inner cover I have our daily routine as a reminder of things I need to complete and a general idea of how I want our typical days to go.  Now we don't follow this on a regular basis, but the guidelines are there.

My tabs are as follows: Daily, Kitchen, Chores, Fitness, Homemade toiletries, and articles/lifestyle/etc.

In the daily page protector/cover of section I have our monthly budget to remind myself of bills and savings and monetary limits.  I also place any coupons or groupons or important notes and business cards here.  The daily section is what I use most often.  First is my weekly menu.  I made a spreadsheet that I print and fill in with pencil for the week.  Having a weekly menu helps me plan ahead for things like soaking beans, making sure I have bread made, meat thawed, and to always know ahead what I am making.  I use an excel file, which I attempted to publish at google docs here:  Menu I hope this link works, as I have never tried to publish a google doc.  Please let me know if it works or doesn't.  This is what it should look like :)

Also in this section is my daily planner.  I have a word file a week at a time, one page per day.  Every Monday has the same template, every Tuesday the same, etc.




I tried to put this in google docs too, here is hoping it works.
 daily planner


Also in my daily section I have some important medical reminders and similar items.

The next section is kitchen.  I place the extra menu templates in the page protector at the start of the section.  Then I have a grocery shopping template, lists of farmers markets, ideas for cooking with kids, simple healthy recipes I use often, and information on sprouting seeds.

The next section is chores and here I have printouts of what needs to be done in the house.  I have a list of ideas from 4 weeks to a more organized home, check Money Saving Mom for that.  moneysavingmom.com is a great website.  Then from http://www.home-storage-solutions.101.com I printed monthly calendars of projects to declutter your home in 15 minutes a day.  I really love this series because it is simple, it is not an instant fix, and it has super clear directions.   Also in this section are my homemade cleaner recipes and articles on decluttering and cleaning.

Fitness section has articles, exercise routines given to me by my chiropractor, and various forms of encouragement to move.

Homemade toiletries is full of tutorials and recipes for those things.

At the end I have articles, stories, pictures, all about things that interest and inspire me.  Gardening, crafting, simplifying life, making more natural choices.  It is a place for me to keep things I want to remember or reference.

I keep a pencil and highlighter in my binder, and most days you will find it open on the chair next to me at the kitchen table.  It has been such a help to me, because I always feel so accomplished crossing those tasks off the list.  It reminds me of the important things I need to do to keep my house presentable and running.  It also reminds me to keep joy and creativity in my days.  Plus it just makes it so I don't have to remember everything.  It helps me write down goals and achieve them without making it overwhelming, a big help to this momma.  Happy New Year everyone, hope it is filled with the important things in life!

Homemade "Spa" Products

So yesterday I felt in a "making" mood.  My friend Megan came over and we ate lunch, had coffee, took turns cuddling her two month old boy, and made a ton of really cool stuff!  It took us a little less than two hours to crank out some amazing smelling, all natural, fun and wonderful products.  Today I will share the recipes we made.

First we made a variation on Alton Brown's homemade hot cocoa mix.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/hot-cocoa-recipe/index.html
For each half gallon jar we used:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
3 cups powdered milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
     Just put in a bowl, mix well, and pour into jar.  On jar top write instructions:  Hot Cocoa Mix:  Mix 3 - 4 Tablespoons into 8 oz hot water.

Oatmeal Cookie Bath Soak
For each pint jar place the following ingredients in a blender:
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp dried or fresh orange peel
1/2 tsp ginger
     When powdered mix in 2 tsp to 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract.  Add at the end, or it will clump in the blender.  Pour into jars and label.  To use pour some into a warm bath to soften and scent the skin.

Herbal Bath Soak
For each pint jar place the following ingredients in a blender:
1 cup baking soda
large handful dried chamomile flowers
large handful dried lavender flowers
large handful dried lemon balm
     Blend till powdery.  Mix in a bowl with a heaping cup of citric acid.  Pour into jar and label.  To use pour some into a warm bath and relax.

Cold/Flu Bath Soak
For each pint jar place the following ingredients in a blender:
1 cup baking soda
large handful dried mint
large handful dried sage or pineapple sage
     Blend till powdery.  Mix in a bowl with a heaping cup of citric acid and 20 drops of eucalyptus oil.  Pour into jars and label.  To use pour some into a warm bath and inhale deeply.

Sunrise Scrub
We made 4 pints of this, but I didn't measure anything.
Sugar- a few cups
Salt- maybe a cup
Enough olive oil to thoroughly moisten but not so much it isn't absorbed by the sugar and salt.
Grapefruit essential oil
Rosemary essential oil
     Mix all and pack into jars.  Label.  To use simply scoop and scrub all over to wake up and smell lovely.

Bath bombs
We made 18, but again we didn't measure
Equal parts baking soda and citric acid, mixed in a bowl
While stirring pour in olive oil till it will hold together like pie dough, but isn't too wet.
Stir in essential oils.  We used lavender and an orange vanilla mix.  It is lovely.  You can either pack this in a jar or pack tightly into silicone muffin cups and let dry till solid enough to remove.  Pop one into a warm tub and watch it fizz and spread a beautiful smell through your bathroom.  It will soften your skin and leave you feeling clean and soft.

Tinted Lip Balm
I didn't really measure this either.
Coconut oil- a few tablespoons
Cocoa butter- a few tablespoons
Olive oil- a teaspoon or two
Beeswax pellets- a few tablespoons
A teaspoon or so of bare minerals red eye color, you can use any similar product
A few drops of cinnamon essential oil
   Melt in a double boiler and mix well.  Carefully pour into lip balm tubes with a funnel.  Let harden, and use as much as you like.

Cookie Scented Lotion Bars
1/2 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup cocoa butter
1/2 cup beeswax pellets
Vanilla extract, 2-3 teaspoons
1/2 tsp cinnamon
I can't remember if we used any other spices.
     Melt in a double boiler, mix well, pour into silicone muffin cups and let harden.  Rub all over to soften and scent your skin.  It is so lovely and moisturizing.

Face Scrub
Pour baking soda into a bowl.  Stir in olive oil till it forms a nice paste.  Stir in some lavender essential oil.  Pour into jar and label.  To use simply scoop out a bit and rub well into your face, cover with a hot moist facecloth and buff off the scrub.  Rinse well and enjoy your soft smooth face.

Toothpaste
Redmond clay, maybe a cup
Xylitol, maybe a cup and a half
Baking soda, maybe a third cup
Salt, maybe a quarter cup
   Mix, then stir in water till it is a paste, and a few drops tea tree essential oil, and as much cinnamon, wintergreen, peppermint, clove or citrus essential oil till you like the way it tastes.  I also added some trace mineral drops since I had them on hand.

If anyone would be interested I could totally give a class on making all this kind of stuff.  Give me some money so I can buy the materials, and come over for a couple of hours and learn to make everything, and take it all home.  Let me know, as I would love to do it!

Quinoa "Mac and cheese"

Okay so this recipe kinda came out of a Mac and cheese craving, but also a desire to make it a bit more healthy than just opening a boxed version... And it came out great! This would be great for my gluten free friends, although it is by no means vegan!

1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups veggie broth (this is super easy and gives it soooo much more flavor)
One shallot, thinly sliced
Half cup chopped scallions
About a cup of assorted cheeses (I used a combo of soft goat cheese, Romano and sharp cheddar)
1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

 Combine quinoa and broth, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. While this is simmering, sauté the shallot and scallions in olive oil. When they are tender, add the cheese, the goal is to melt the cheese smooth,so it doesn't have to be anything but cubed. Add the milk stirring often. Combine with the quinoa and serve!

Flavored Vinegar

In a similar vein to extracts, flavored vinegars are super easy.  Pour hot to boiling vinegar, white or cider is best, over some herbs or other flavoring agents into clean jars or bottles and seal.  Wait at least a week.  My favorites so far have been garlic dill, blood orange, oregano, and basil.  Oh the basil is so good on a summer salad!  Or just on tomatoes and cucumbers.  My latest is chive blossom, which is the most beautiful jewel toned pink purple color ever.  I even did a Scarborough Faire one last summer, you know parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.  Best chicken marinade ever.  As my friend Marta mentioned on facebook these vinegars are also good sprinkled on potatoes, drizzled on salad, pasta, used as a base for dressing, or homemade mayonnaise, any number of things.  Also good for cleaning, as white vinegar is a great cleaner, and things like thyme, or rosemary are antibacterial.  Later in the summer I will post a picture tutorial on how I do these, as well as the finished results.  Make room on the shelf with the extracts :)

Extracts!

Okay, so I haven't exactly tried this yet... And I promise to post more when I actually do, but I'm suddenly in love with the idea of making various extracts. Gonna try vanilla and lemon first, and then really the sky's the limit... At least if you can find a use for them (not sure how useful borage extract would be - hmmm unless you make your own cough drops...)

Anyway, using this recipe as a baseline

http://www.averiecooks.com/2012/11/homemade-vanilla-extract.html

I'm gonna get some alcohol and jars and see what happens!