Tasty Tidbits

For my birthday breakfast, I wanted pancakes. I had a recipe I've been wanting to try & W said he'd make them for me. They were delicious!

A lot of the pancake recipes that we try are just so-so. The pictures look great, but then we find out they aren't quite what we want...too mushy, too thin, no flavor, etc. Since I started trying gluten free recipes, we've been very impressed. The pancakes have all been full of flavor & much fluffier than ones with wheat flour. My favorite gluten free mixture is the one Ashley from Edible Perspective uses - it's oat flour, almond meal, & sweet rice flour. Occassionally she adds ground flax, coconut flour, cornmeal, or raw buckwheat flour, all of which turn out great too. I love that she doesn't use any weird gums. Her recipes are all delicious & they don't have that gluten free taste that so many ones with gums do.

We had a great weekend at the cabin, just the two of us. I was sick with a bad cold, but it cleared up a lot with the mountain air. We hiked, played games, read, ate, & had a relaxing time.

We made a fancy birthday dessert that dirtied a LOT of dishes. Just look at that dark chocolatey goodness. We licked all the spoons! There are still leftovers in the freezer, so we'll be enjoying this again soon without all the effort.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple Coconut Granola
• Ashley's GF Cinnamon Roll Pancakes - W made me these for my b-day breakfast. They are SO good. The best pancakes we've made in a looooooong time. They didn't even need any toppings, which blew our minds! Can't wait to make them again soon!
• Ashley's Baked GF Peanut Butter Cup Donuts via Wit & Vinegar - Baked donuts...what's not to love?
• Panera bagels (pumpkin spice for me, asiago for W)
• Crumbled zucchini oat bars with puffed millet & unsweetened almond milk
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grilled cheese on Food Netword's Anadama Bread with pesto
• Angela's Creamy Roasted Tomato, Garlic, & Onion Coconut Soup
• Heidi's Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
• Apples & pineapple

Dinners

Saturday:

• Grilled tofu brats
• Grilled onion & mushroom skewers
• Grilled hot peppers
• Roasted butternut squash
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Angela's Creamy Roasted Tomato, Garlic, & Onion Coconut Soup - We had these 3 days in a row, we liked it SO much! (This was actually the 3rd time - we had it Fri. night & Sat. for lunch.)
• Grilled cheese on Food Netword's Anadama Bread with pesto

Monday:

• Pepper, mushroom, & onion egg scramble
• Toasted Food Netword's Anadama Bread with mashed avocado

Tuesday:

• Tracy's Pasta with Cauliflower & Brussels Sprouts
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Baked polenta topped with a sauce of mushrooms, peppers, onions, & tomatoes
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Tortilla pizzas
• Green salad

Friday:

• Spaghetti squash with tomato pepper sauce

Treats

• FragrantVanillaCake.com's Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cheesecake - This is what I decided to make for my birthday treat. It was delicious, though a lot of work to make. Super rich, which is something I rarely say, so I'm glad that it's a frozen dessert. We can take our time enjoying it & it won't go bad.
• Pumpkin oreo stormer (me) / regular oreo stormer (Bup) - Our traditional May's ice cream stop on the drive home from the cabin!
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate - First cocoa of the season! We almost forgot how good it is...

Tasty Tidbits

Some co-workers told me about a place nearby that sells beer by the six pack. This is pretty exciting, since before now the only place I knew that offered that option was a Whole Foods a few hours away. If we want beer, we have to buy a case. That's a lot of beer, especially if you want to try something new!  Anyway, I found this Tangerine Wheat flavor & it was surprisingly good! I usually like fruity wheat beers, but had only had cherry & various berry flavors before. The tangerine was light & refreshing. It's made by Lost Coast Brewery in CA, so definitely not a local beer, but I'd definitely get it again if I come across it!

I'm super excited because today's my birthday! Last Sunday, my parents had us over to celebrate because they left for vacation on Tuesday. I don't mind extending the celebration! We had a nice dinner with them & my grandparents, & then we played pinochle. Men vs. women & we each won once.

On Thursday, my boss gave me my first b-day gift - a low light plant for my office. I love having greenery in the office, but mine has no windows. Now I have 3 plants, although the bamboo one lives in her office more than mine because she has a window.

Now it's time to celebrate & relax! Happy weekend!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pumpkin kefir smoothies
• Pineapple Coconut Granola
• 3J's for breakfast - french toast (me) & veggie breakfast pizza (W)
• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
• Happy Herbivore's Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scone - I liked these. They were easy to make & made just 6, which was the perfect amount.
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• Skinny Taste's Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites - These had a serious kick of heat! I used brown rice flour & it worked great. I will definitely make them again.
• Out to lunch at Houlihans
• Apples & watermelon

Dinners

Saturday:

• Grilled eggplant with pesto
• Grilled tomato halves topped with parmesan & basil
• Grilled hot peppers with provolone
• Green salad

Sunday:
Early birthday dinner at my parents' house

• Whole wheat spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce
• Green salad
• Homemade applesauce
• Birthday cake: white cake with chocolate icing

Monday:

• Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Where the Cookies Are's Smoky Brussels Sprouts with Lime and Avocado
• Green salad

Wednesday:
Campfire!

• Tofu dogs on whole wheat buns
• Veggie foil packets
• S'mores (with 77% dark chocolate - this totally makes the s'more over the top!!!)

Thursday:

• Mega Salad - lettuce & spinach with onions, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, avocado, almonds, apples, & roasted Brussels sprouts

Friday:

• Dinner on the way to the cabin

Treats

• Jessica's Amaretto Apple Crisp

Tasty Tidbits

Last weekend, my dad, uncle, & several of my cousins worked on this year's wine! The grapes came in on Friday & they got right to work. I stopped by on Wed. to feed the cat & punch down the grapes. I love the whooshing sound & the bubbles that come from the process!

Couch shopping was a little stressful. It's supposed to be fun, buying new furniture, but the overwhelming amount of options is crazy. Plus most sectionals are too big or not configurable for the space we have. We're still searching. At least we got a good idea of what we want. This was one that we looked at, but we don't really want a chaise on it.

So...we're having another rainy/floody October. Stay dry!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Watermelon smoothies
• Pineapple Coconut Granola
• The Sweet Life's Vegan Pumpkin waffles - We liked the flavor, but the batter was super wet, making less than crispy waffles. I'd add more flour if I try this again.
• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
• Apple Pumpkin Beer Bread - I almost forgot I had this recipe in my archives. This time, I used almond milk instead of beer (not as fun, but more breakfast appropriate). I also reduced the liquid by 1/3 cup & made a regular loaf + a mini loaf. The mini loaf disappeared a little too quickly...
• Bananas

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Mega green salad with lettuce, spinance, quinoa, kalamata olives, peppers, red onion, apple, & sliced almonds
• Backwoods Home's Rustic Country Rye Bread with dipping oil
• Celery, carrots, & crackers with No Meat Athlete's Buffalo Hummus (via Angela)
• Out to lunch: Roasted Veggie Sandwich with side salad
• Apples

Dinners

Saturday:

• Whole wheat rotini with Angela's Pumpkin Cheeze Sauce - A vegan fall favorite in our house! Tastes a lot like mac 'n cheese without all the heaviness.

Sunday:

• Twice baked potatoes
• Roasted cauliflower & onions

Monday:

• Out with friends - me: I got the Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Beer with my dinner. It was the best! Lots of spiced flavors, almost similar to pumpkin pie mixed with gingerbread, but still without being too heavy. We split hummus with veggies & nachos to go with the beer.
• Leftover pasta with pumpkin sauce - W

Tuesday:

• Joy's Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup - This was delicious! Super creamy & FULL of flavor. Plus, it was a fairly quick meal to prepare.
• Backwoods Home's Rustic Country Rye Bread for dipping in the soup
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Grilled cheese with pesto sandwiches on Deb's Black Bread
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Cauliflower with Peas over Forbidden Black Rice
• Pepper Cabbage Slaw

Friday:

• Tofu nuggets
• Roasted buffalo cauliflower
• Roasted butternut squash

Treats

• Tessa's Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream with Crumbled Ginger Cookies
• Two Peas & Their Pod's Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - They're vegan, so that means I got to eat lots of batter! :-)
• Mom's Coconut Cake (leftover from their celebration of Mommom's b-day)

Tasty Tidbits

Here's another throwback picture for you. Dad has a moustache! Yikes...  Also, Mom with pigtails?! I love seeing my parents & grandparents looking so young. Mommom's laughing & it's just perfect. :-) 

I know I keep saying how I love fall, but seriously! I love fall! Mom bought us a HUGE neck pumpkin, so I'm going to roast that soon. I've never seen one so big. I'll take a picture & share soon. 

Last weekend, we borrowed my in-laws' truck to take our unsightly pile of yard waste to the local compost depository. This was load 1 of 2. Apparently we were hoarding yard waste...there were 2 old Christmas tree skeletons in the pile. Now we have a big bare spot in the back of the yard where the grass died. Time to start a new pile. This time we're going to try to clear it out more frequently.

It should be a good weekend. The grapes come in for wine making & I'm hoping to see one of my best friends.  Yay!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple Coconut Granola
• Berry Boost Smoothies
• Katie's Oatmeal Pancakes topped with Angela's Lightened Up Raw Pecan Pumpkin Butter - These are super easy pancakes to make & they were light & fluffy.
• Summer's Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal - I was surprised how much the peanut butter shines through in this! I thought it wouldn't, since it's only 1/4 cup. I'll definitely make this again, though I think I'll leave out the maple syrup...it's a little sweeter than I like my breakfasts to be.
• Bananas

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Variation on Angela's Delicata Squash Salad - I used half an avocado in the dressing instead of hemp seeds & it worked well. Lots of flavor!
• Corn on the cob
• Celery, carrots, & crackers with roasted garlic hummus
• Apples, kiwi, & watermelon

Dinners

Saturday:

• Beard & Bonnet's “Pulled” Cauliflower BBQ Sandwich - This was a very different way to prep cauliflower, but it was yummy & super easy. I want to try it again with some slight variations to give it a little more bbq flavor.
• Roasted potato wedges
• Balsamic cherry tomatoes
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Angela's Luxurious 7-Vegetable and “Cheese” Soup - We always love a good soup! This one was perfect for fall & we had lots of leftovers for lunches during the week.
• Green salad

Monday:

• Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta - Our new go-to pasta...until the tomatoes & basil run out, at least. Then I'm going to try some variations!

Tuesday:

• Roasted Brussels sprouts
• Leftover bulgur & roasted potato wedges

Wednesday:

• Taco salads with lettuce, cucumbers, black beans, onions, corn, peppers, & double fire roasted salsa 
• Mango guacamole with lime tortilla chips

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Two bean & rice chili
• Cornbread
• Zucchini & tomato salad

Friday:

• Grilled pizza topped with pesto, bbq sauce, onions, mushrooms, & peppers

Treats

• Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Macaroons
• Rainbow Snow for ice cream - they closed on Monday, so last weekend we met friends there. Until next year, pb soft serve!
• Jessica's Amaretto Apple Crisp - I cut back on the amount of sugar (and used coconut sugar instead of brown), used brown rice flour in place of regular, tripled the amount of apples, & used coconut oil instead of butter. Simple replacements, to make it a bit healthier & less sweet. I always struggle with crisps being overly sweet. I prefer the fruit to shine through. The addition of amaretto, which was what called me to this recipe, was definitely a great decision. It makes the flavors really pop!
• Mom's apple turnover - Yum! Tis the season for apples. :-)

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Macaroons

So these cookies...they're good. I mean reeeeeeally good. I guess they're not technically macaroons, since I added oats, but they're close.

And they're chock full of coconut. Coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut sugar...yessss! It's like someone dissected a coconut & put it back together in cookie form. Plus they added chocolate. What's not to love?

As cookies go, these are also pretty darn healthy. They have minimal sugar, all of which is un-refined. Coconut sugar is actually low-glycemic & full of nutrients (especially trace minerals). So while yes, it's still sugar, it's a much better option than most.

Maybe we can have these for breakfast then! I bet they'd be good crumbled over oatmeal or with a smoothie (like my Berry Boost Smoothie).

If you're gluten-free, you can use gluten-free oats & then you're all set. 

One more thing - the chocolate chips make the cookies. Just do it! 

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Macaroons
Adapted from The Lemon Bowl
Makes about 24 cookies
Easily made gluten free

2 eggs

¼ c coconut oil, melted

¼ c coconut sugar

½ c coconut milk (or almond milk)

1 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

1 c coconut flour

1 c rolled oats, gluten free if necessary

⅓ c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 375*F. Coat 2 baking sheets with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut milk, vanilla, & salt. Once mixed well, stir in coconut flour, oats, & chocolate chips. Allow batter to sit for 4-5 minutes to thicken.

Use a cookie scoop or round tablespoon measure to scoop out dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until browned. Cookies will be soft, but do not over bake. Remove from oven & allow to cool on baking sheet for about 6 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Berry Boost Smoothie

Don't you just love a good smoothie? Thick & creamy with the bright flavor of berries? Yum!

Sometimes I get carried away with smoothies & add all kinds of stuff, but these are pretty plain & simple. The berries & banana add plenty of sweetness, so there's no need for added sugar. The chia seeds add healthy omega-3 fats, plus protein. They also make it super thick. I think it's much better with them added, but if you don't have any on hand, you can substitute ground flax seeds, or omit.

I love the super subtle coconut flavor the coconut milk adds, but any milk will work. Usually I would use almond milk, but I made a batch of coconut milk this weekend (recipe here, it's super simple!) & wanted to try it out.

Adding a handful of greens is just a nutritional bonus. You can't taste them, but you get all of the nutrient goodness. Too easy! 

As far as smoothies go, these are on the lighter side - no protein powders or nut butters - so they could be a light breakfast or a nice afternoon snack. Either way, they're delicious!

Enjoy!

Berry Boost Smoothie

Serves 2

1 bag of frozen mixed berries (12 oz.)

1 frozen banana

2 T chia seeds

2-3 c refrigerated coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1 handful of kale (or spinach)

Combine all ingredients, starting with 2 cups of milk, in a high speed blender and blend. Add more milk if needed, blending until smooth.

If you don't own a high speed blender, see my tips on blending the greens first here.