summer fun

oh my word, the days are just flying by.

it's not that we are even that busy, but i guess being a family of six is just that... busy when you aren't even trying!

it's been hot here. not as crazy hot as it was two weeks ago, but hot enough that the only thing i want to do is take the kids to the pool and swim! and that's just what we do most days. ben has been working hard to learn how to swim without floaties this summer.

my little fishies...









we still try to fit in treat tuesdays, watercolor wednesdays, and craft thursdays. sometimes they don't happen on the right day, and obviously i don;t always blog about it, but we are still spending time together doing things that are meaningful and important to the kids.

last tuesday we made peach cobbler using peaches from a friend's tree. i think i want a peach tree. my neighbors have one and the peaches right off the tree... amazing! so delicious. now they have nectarines that look just about ripe and i'm crossing my fingers that some of the branches grow about an inch more so they are on our side of the fence. i love nectarines even more than peaches!


peaches cut with skin removed


i love that my kids enjoy helping out in the kitchen


he's the only kid that didn't get kicked out of the kitchen though!


bubbling peaches in a pot


 prepping the baking dish


spreading the dough over the top


happy helper


fresh from the oven


served with a scoop of vanilla coconut bliss


ready to dig in!

this recipe and many other tasty gluten free treats and recipes can be found at gluten free goddess.

Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or two large/four small individual gratin dishes.

Ingredients:

About 4 cups of sliced ripe peaches (peeled)
2 tablespoons organic light brown sugar or use raw agave nectar
2 teaspoons tapioca starch

Begin with the peaches:

Pour the sliced peaches into a pot and stir in the light brown sugar and tapioca starch till coated. Heat over medium heat until the peaches start to bubble a little around the edges. Turn the heat to low and cook for eight to ten minutes. This gives the peaches a head start in the baking department.

Meanwhile whisk together:

1 cup sorghum flour (also known as jowar flour) or brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal (also known as almond flour)
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract


Beat in:

6 tablespoons of light olive oil or melted vegan butter spread
1 egg replacer (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk, or hemp, almond, or rice milk

The biscuit dough will come together quickly- don't beat it to death. Just till smooth. It should be a wee bit sticky (not too wet and not too dry) like a biscuit dough/batter.

Instructions:

Spoon the hot peaches into the prepared baking dish.

Plop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough on top of the peaches.

Sprinkle with a little dusting of organic cane sugar.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the juices are bubbling, and the biscuit topping is golden brown and baked through. Cool for five to ten minutes before serving.

Serve warm.

Makes four servings.

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/08/gluten-free-peach-cobbler.html#ixzz2Z9lGAdMR

 the topping tasted like a muffin. it really puffed up and took over. we ran out of peaches way before we ran out of topping. most of us liked this best warm with ice cream. i would love to try the peach crisp she has posted, too.

see, i need a peach tree. :)

summer 2012: treat tuesday #2, peach cobbler with almond biscuits

i am a big fan of the clean eating cook books and magazines. the july 2012 magazine has been my favorite so far. the headliner is "savor summer with american cookout classics." can you say yum-o?



my kids have been begging for peaches. since trader joe's sells a BIG box of 'em and there just so happened to be a delicious sounding recipe in my new clean eating magazine, i was inspired to make this treat...

Peach Cobbler with Almond Biscuits
(from Clean Eating Magazine, July 2012)

INGREDIENTS:
- 6 firm peaches (peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 in. thick wedges)
- 5 tbsp organic evaporated cane juice, divided
-- 2 tsp potato starch
- 1/4 tsp pure almond extract
- 3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour, plus about 2 tbsp for shaping biscuits
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 1/2 tbsp organic unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/3 in. cubes
- 1/4 cup 2% milk, plus 1 tbsp for top of biscuits
- 1/2 tbsp sliced raw unsalted almonds



INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, combine peaches, 3 tbsp cane juice, potato starch, and almond extract. Transfer to an 8-in. baking dish and bake for 20 min. (peaches should still be slightly firm).



2. While peaches are baking, prepare biscuits. In a separate large bowl, whisk flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt, and remaining cane juice. With a pastry blender or two forks, cut in butter. Add 1/4 cup of milk and stir until just moistened and a firm dough forms.



3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough just forms a ball. Divide into 6 equal rounds and flatten each into a 2 1/2 in. wide, 1/2 in. thick disk. (I used a star shaped cookie cutter for fun!) Place dough rounds in a single layer over peaches (it's okay if they touch). Lightly brush tops with remaining 1 tbsp of milk. Top with almonds, gently pressing into dough to adhere. ( I skipped on the almonds). Bake for 17-20 min., until biscuits are golden brown and peach mixture is bubbling. Let cool for 10 min. Serve warm.


 

before


after

we are saving our cobbler for dessert tonight, so i don't have any raving reviews yet. but if i were to judge how it tastes based on how it looks and smells, i'd say this is a winner. a perfect summer pairing for a savory summer cookout (dinner just so happens to be beef sirloin & bell pepper kebabs, also from the magazine. :)

happy treat tuesday!

summer 2012: treat tuesday #1, sunflower seed spread cookie dough bites

good morning afternoon!

today is tuesday. treat tuesday, that is.

i spotted today's treat on a sweet little site called pinterest.  
oh, pinterest.
how much do you love that site?!

so today's treat... Sunflower Seed Spread* Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites.
that's kind of a mouthful, isn't it?!

the original recipe created by texanerin, is found here. it calls for peanut butter*. however, since we are a peanut free household , i substituted sunflower seed spread for peanut butter.

you can buy sunflower seed spread almost anywhere these days. we typically buy ours from trader joes or we get the sunbutter brand from target. these two varieties contain some sugar, which the kids prefer. without the kids knowing, i've purchased another brand that contains no sugar and they won't eat it. i think it's pretty good, but it's silly to buy something they refuse to eat, so we go with the sugared versions (3g per 2 tbsp).

baking with sunflower seed spread as a substitute for peanut butter has been easy. the taste and consistency are both great. i've read that sunflower seed spread can turn baked products green due to a chemical reaction, but this has not happened to me yet. just thought i'd throw that out there in case someone tries these cookies with sunflower seed spread and the next day they are green. that would be a little alarming.

so back to the cookies. er, cookie dough bites. if you haven't actually checked out the ingredients yet, you are in for a surprise. these little goodies are packed full of protein and fiber. the main ingredient... chick peas! (aka garbanzo beans, for those of you who are only familiar with this bean as the odd looking thing soaking in what smells like pickle juice at many a resturant salad bar).

what exactly does this mean? well, friends, it means this tasty little treat is not only yummy, but a healthier alternative to your standard peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. it means you can have two for breakfast and not feel guilty!

now for the recipe...

 Sunflower Seed Spread* Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons natural sunflower seed spread (or peanut butter)
• 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt if your sunflower seed spread or peanut butter doesn't have salt in it
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (i used enjoy life dairy, nut, and soy free mega chips and i added probably an extra 1/4 cup, because well... i like chocolate!)

  
Directions (copied from texanerin's site):

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they're combined. Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. With wet hands, form into 1 1/2" balls. Place onto a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't do much rising. Bake for about 10 minutes. Yields about fourteen 1 1/2" cookie dough balls.

a few things i did differently: i put the chick peas in the food processor first, just to make sure they were fully chopped up. you know, because they are chick peas. i also placed the dough balls on directly on my cookie sheet, as i don't have any parchment paper. they turned out fine and didn't stick like i thought they might. finally, my dough bites were not really dough bites. my dough balls were maybe 2 in. and i needed to cook them for about 15 min. the recipe yielded me 10 regular sized cookies. slightly squishing them with a spatula made them look more like cookies, as the way you put them in the oven is the way they come out--the shape doesn't change much during baking. i flattened them a bit once i took them out of the oven.

these treats are really rich, in my opinion. we had them fresh from the oven and they were good and gooey. all i could think about while gobbling it up was that it would taste even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. texanerin and many of her commenters said these cookies need to be eaten warm. mine have been out of the oven for a while and are definitely room temp by now and they still taste pretty good, i think. i thought the dough was pretty yummy, in small amount. it was really sweet, but the cookie itself doesn't taste sweet... just indulgent.

i will definitely make these again. very few ingredients, super easy clean up, and most of all a healthier and delicious treat!

do you think this is something you will make? 

zach drying off the beans

zach chopping up the beans

ben wants in on the chopping fun

before

after

thanks for reading about this week's treat!

i am so making this!

that is, as soon as i get my hands on some ripe bananas.

coconut banana bread with lime glaze.

doesn't it sound delicious? i think someone created this recipe just for me. i will let you know how it turns out.

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today was a work day. at school. not a paid one either, but i did get a lot done. i can't wait to say it's finished. that my room is ready for next year. that i don't have to go back until august. i think i will celebrate that day. since i am an emotional eater, i celebrate with food. should i have some chipotle? take the fam to red robin? buy a few selections of coconut bliss? make a cookie pie (you can find that recipe here)?

what would you do?

mmmm... brownies!

my kids love dessert. i love dessert!

with ben's and natalie's food allergies, we are limited in the quick and easy dessert category. when i was a kid, we'd have a bowl of ice cream, pudding, or cookies as an after dinner treat. all of those things contain dairy and/or soy, and possibly other allergens we have to avoid, like egg and nuts. it has always taken a lot of thought and preparation to do dessert in our home.

well not anymore!

let me introduce the black bean brownie.

i have actually been making this for years, but when ben got old enough to know what dessert was, i stopped. i thought that all brownie mixes contained allergens he couldn't have. then i was clued in to duncan hines. many of their boxed mixes are dairy and soy free.

hello brownies, i have missed you so much!

so to make the black bean brownie, all you need is your preferred box brownie mix (i have used both regular and family sized boxes--both turned out excellent with no modifications), one can of black beans, and some water.

1. follow directions on box for preheating over and preparing your baking dish
2. drain and rinse black beans well. put back in the can
3. fill can with water
4. blend beans and water in a blender until smooth
5. add beans to brownie mix and stir
6. bake according to directions on box

******************do not add any additional ingredients*******************

these are very fudgy, but they have great flavor. no one knows they have black beans in them.


i like to add enjoy life chocolate chips to the top or stir them into the batter. or both :)

so good. see, we ate more than half of them! actually i took some to work and they got two thumbs up from kids and grown ups alike.

have you ever made black bean brownies?

chef zachary

zach likes to help in the kitchen. so does ben, but zach is always the first to offer to help.

last week he helped me make this chicken for dinner.


he touched the slimy raw meat and everything.




the chicken was really good. it's another recipe i found here. it's called bisquick chicken. i always like to follow the recipe exactly when making something for the first time. i did that and it was good. everyone in the fam liked it. but i think i will kick it up a notch next time and add some cayenne pepper to the mix.

to make bisquick chicken you will need the following:


add the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir.


coat the chicken pieces in the powder. press down to get even coverage.




add chicken pieces to a hot pan with 3 tablespoons of melted butter (we use this) at the bottom. make sure the chicken pieces don't touch so they crisp up! bake at 425 for 30 minutes. turn chicken and bake another 15 minutes. check your chicken, as baking times will vary due to oven and thickness of chicken.

i find that by including my kids in the preparation and cooking of our meals, i am easily adding some much needed face-time to their days. with four kids it can be hard to find time to do that. so not only are they learning their way around the kitchen and how to prepare healthy, delicious foods, but they get to talk to me about their day, about their friends, video games, books... whatever! plus they feel great about helping AND they are more likely to eat a food that they help prepare. the list of positives goes on and on!

what things do you do to make sure you are getting some face-time with the little ones in your life?

mac n cheeez

so i didn't take pictures, but i just wanted to say that ben had mac n cheeez for the first time!!! no, it's not really mac n cheese, but...

it was tasty!

taylor and i liked it anyway. we may have been the only ones though. i have a lot of cheeez mix, so i'll be making this again and again and again.

i found the recipe here at my new favorite site. let me know what you think if if you try it.

and since no post is complete without a photo. enjoy!


natalie sitting in her bumbo

pancake party

there wasn't school on monday, because of president's day.

we celebrated by having a pancake party.


this was a real celebration, because these were ben's very first pancakes (that he can remember)!


ben has been on several allergen-free diets. no dairy, soy, citrus, eggs, nuts, and shellfish. that's a lot of things he can't have. do you have any idea how many things have soy as an ingredient?

i found a simple recipe here. i am in love with this site! so many simple, allergy-free recipes. where has this site been the last four years?! i have a feeling we'll become good friends over the next few years, since miss natalie will also be on allergen-free diets.

6 ingredients. that's all i needed. i used sucanat instead of granulated sugar--that's the stuff in the large white canister.


i mixed all ingredients until smooth. then i added blueberries, because blueberry pancakes are MY favorite pancakes.

spread some dairy/soy free spread (thank you earth balance!) and pour 100% maple syrup on top and wa-la! pure deliciousness!!