Life as we know it...

I thought it might be refreshing to have a post on here just about how life has been going in the Farmer household. I have no new recipe updates as I have been a little too preoccupied to get any of my creations photographed, although the only thing we have been eating lately are Arugula salads packed full of veggies. And I have had a proud mommy moment with Emory every day when he willingly chooses and devours a healthy salad instead of a sandwich. Makes my heart happy. 

Emory

This kid cracks us up every day. He is so smart and so independent. The other day he had to go potty while I was putting Adlai down for a nap and instead of coming and getting me he (on his own) knew he could not get on the potty by himself and went into his room and got a little chair, took it to the bathroom, and went potty all by himself. I was so proud of him, instead of having an accident or not knowing what to do, he thought all for himself, and is so self sufficient. He definitely takes after daddy. He loves being outside and plays in his sandbox all day long. He is an amazing little drummer, and can turn any and everything into drumsticks and a drum set, and a little birdie told me that he might be getting a drum set for his birthday.  One of his (and our) favorite things to do is watch two of the Hillsong worship dvd's. Emory loves listening and playing along with them, and who does not love some hillsong worship time? He is full of energy, and definitely not lacking in the spunk department which can be quite a handful some days, but we love him more than anything!

Adlai

Aldai is my sweet little problem child. I decided that anything that could and should be easy, is just not easy for him. He has tested every ounce of my patience and energy these past seven months. He has been a very hard baby (at times), but he is also the happiest little thing, and chalk full of energy! He may not sleep (especially at night), and won't take a bottle for anything (leaving mommy and daddy on a very tight leash), and he seems to get sick a lot, BUT this kid has me wrapped around his finger tighter than I ever thought possible. He is the sweetest little baby I could ever ask for, and he melts my heart every day. He is so funny already, and does this fake laugh that cracks me up. He watched Emory like a hawk, and already has started imitating him. They are best buds already, and I get so much joy seeing the way they interact. Since he weighs a whopping 19 pounds already he is not anywhere near crawling yet. Can you blame him? He is too chunky to move, let alone get on all fours. Rolling over is his extent of working out right now. He loves being outside and loves playing with all of Emory's toys. He is already a daddy's boy which also melts my heart. All in all he has challenged us in every way, but being his parents has been the most rewarding thing ever. I also happen to think he is the cutest little boy I have ever seen!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok so these are in now way "healthy", but they are "healthier" in the sense that 1: they are gluten free, making them easier for your body to digest, and 2: that they are made with all natural ingredients making them unprocessed and "better" for you. Too many quotations? This cookie was a complete splurge for us, and I will probably not be making them anytime soon, not because they were not delicious (trust me, I have declared these the best darn cookies I think I have ever had) but because we really do not need to be eating things with sugar and butter, but they were worth every bite. I really made these out of a pure desire to experiment with gluten free baking. I finally have accumulated random gluten free products and just wanted to test out some Babycakes recipes. While they keep their recipes vegan, I did not have coconut oil on hand and opted for butter , and who am I trying to kid, butter is just down right delicious in cookies. BUT, next time I would like to try these with coconut oil and agave instead of the butter an sugar, although more than likely my sister is going to inherit all of my gluten free baking items since I prefer to eat gluten/grain and refined sugar free when baking. Anyways, the cookies are amazing and really worth the effort to be gluten free. Not only is it easier on your body, but the oat flour (I just ground up whole oats myself) gives these a delicious texture and flavor. You must try them!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Babycakes NYC Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe found on Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All purpose Baking Flour Bag (whew that was a lot)

Makes 36 small cookies, or about 2 dozen bigger ones for me

1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour (you can just pulse gluten free oats in a food processor or blender until fine)

1 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour

1 cup organic sugar (I used natural cane sugar)

1/4 cup almond meal (or flaxseed meal)

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch (or arrowroot starch)

1 1/2 teaspoons Xanthan Gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter, coconut oil, or canola oil

6 tablespoons unsweetened Applesauce

2 tablespoons gluten free Vanilla Extract (or regular if your not gluten sensitive)

1 cup gluten free, dairy free chocolate chips (I used regular old chips here)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, almond meal, tapioca starch, xnathan gum, baking soda and salt. Add the melted butter, applesauce, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. 

Drop the dough by the tablespoon-full on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes, rotate baking sheets, and bake for 7 more minutes or until golden brown and firm. I like mine a bit more soft so I did not let mine get super firm. Let stand on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before eating. (Are you serious? this is really what it says, but who am I kidding..I singed my tongue devouring a hot cookie, which is just the way I like it!)

Blueberry-Lemon-Banana Bread

This loaf (bread) is really delicious and will totally satisfy your sweet craving, especially if you are not eating refined sugars or flours. I really love baking with almond flour and honey (or maple syrup), and this is by far one of my favorite creations yet. A lot of recipes that use almond flour have a much different texture, but this bread is very similar to banana bread (or maybe it's not all that similar, I just have not tasted regular flour banana bread in so long) and I actually love it more made with almond flour and maple syrup than I do my original and not so good for you kind. Anyways, the combination of bananas, blueberries, and lemon zest blend extremely well together. Next time I would like to try it with a little less sweetener, but all in all the perfect ending to a night ( I know it's weird but I have always had banana bread as dessert), or for some of you, the perfect start to your day. Oh, by the way, please excuse the terrible photography on this one. I had planned on making the bread earlier in the day, but my two sweet boys decided I should wait until daylight was just about gone, so there goes any chance of a good shot..

Emory loves helping me bake!

Blueberry-Lemon-Banana Bread

This makes one normal size loaf, but you could always make muffins or even mini muffins, just adjust your cooking time according. 

2 eggs
1/2 cup mashed banana (I used 3 bananas)
4 Tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil, melted
1 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups Almond Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (you may try using a little less if you want it less sweet)
1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix all wet ingredients until combined. In another bowl mix all dry ingredients and then fold into wet. Mix until just combined and pour into loaf pan. Bake for 50-65 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. The top will get very brown, but trust me, that only makes for some crunchy goodness. Enjoy warm, at room temp, or fresh out of the fridge.

Chocolate Banana Brownie Bites

Chocolate.. My mouth starts watering just at the word. No seriously. I can honestly say I love chocolate. Chocolate cake, chocolate pie, chocolate ice cream, and just a small square of dove chocolate. But this year we have decided to make our best attempts at living and eating a life that is fulfilling and life giving, so needless to say chocolate is not on that list (at least not every night).  I have done A LOT of researching of recipes that are gluten/grain and refined sugar free, and it is not easy to find food, especially desserts that meet these standards. Luckily there are a few blogs I follow (like Roostblog) who cook according to these guidelines.  Baking is a challenge. I have been experimenting with almond flour desserts for about 7 months now, and have come to really love baked goods made with it. Toby however has been harder to convince. But, and this is a big but, these brownie bites are the first dessert I have made that he loves! Yes! Huge victory for me, his wife, who tries very hard to cook the healthiest foods but keep them exciting and tasty, and I finally did it. 

These brownie bites could not be easier to make, and are made with ingredients that digest well in your body, and keep you thriving (aka no sugar rush). Me and Emory have a little brownie bite every afternoon with my coffee break. He loves them, and as his mom I could not be more happy to see him eating foods that are going to help fuel him for his day. I would encourage you to try them out, even if you think you would not like sweets made without refined sugars and flours. They are quite delicious!

Chocolate Banana Brownie Bites 

Gluten/Grain/Refined Sugar Free

I adapted this recipe from This blog

2 ripe bananas
5 eggs (preferrably cage free and brown)
3/4 cup coconut oil, liquified ( I like to use unrefined)
1/2 cup Pure maple syrup (I like to use grade B)
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat all wet ingredients on medium speed until well mixed. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. You can make mini muffins, big muffins, mini loafs, or a large loaf. I made 4 dozen mini muffins and baked them for ten minutes. Make sure to spray pan, or use muffin liners, and bake until they feel set when touched. For mini muffins it was 10 minutes.