Grain-Free Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Right now I'm trying my best to avoid dairy for our youngest.  I have a hunch he might have a sensitivity to dairy, so as sad as that is, I'm doing my best to avoid (although I might have a few indulgences at Thanksgiving).

Here is one of my favorite and super easy cookie recipes that you can easily make without butter or any grains!  Recipe is courtesy of my good friend Lindsay, although you may find very similar versions elsewhere on the internet.  Enjoy!

Image by joythebaker.com

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 C peanut butter (or other nut butter)

3/4 C sucanat or other crystalized sweetener

1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and put small spoonfuls on baking sheet. Do the "fork thing" that you do with peanut butter cookies.

Bake at 350°, check at 7 minutes or so.

My little man is 1 year old!

3 days old, leaving the hospital

Last Saturday, our little man took the plunge and became a 1 year old!  We had a party with friends and family that very night and had a wonderful time.  Aside from the stress I put myself through leading up to the party, we thoroughly enjoyed welcoming Gabe into his second year as a "little man."

at home with Mommo

Maybe it's because this wasn't my first rodeo, and maybe some of it is because he's been a very chill baby, but I feel like I can say I enjoyed every day of his first year.  Sure, I was definitely tired, and still am some days, but his little smiles, snuggles and his general easy-going nature have made the transition as a family of 3 to 4 that much easier.  I think that is why I'm a little sad to see these baby days go by.  They were here, and now they're gone! We're already writing up year two now for Gabe.  Oh, he's going to be a little man :)

Day 2, with his little ducky from his big sister

The theme of his party literally was "LITTLE MAN," and we had mustache props for everyone and a fake transportable photo booth.  Thanks to Greg's great idea (never discount the creativity of your husband), we bought a package off Etsy, where all I had to do was print out the materials on cardstock and cut them out.  So, a little physical labor and a trip to the craft store was required, but it made for some really cute decorations that I actually didn't want to take down.  We invited lots of Gabe's little man friends from church and our in-town family, and served up chili, guacamole, tortilla chips, hot doggies, fruit & veggies for the kids, and Gabe was presented with his first cupcake.  RESULT: Cupcake, 1; Frosting, 0.  Good thing I didn't go overboard on the frosting (just a simple buttercream), but he loved the cupcake recipe from Nourished & Nurtured.

I'd say the party was a success! Our party favors for the little ones were the ever-popular fruit pouch squeezy snacks. Flava of the day was spinach, pear and mango.

Happy 1st Birthday, Gabe!

soooooo tired!

he's a snugglebug

You can see the rest of the pictures on my Facebook account, provided we are "friends"! ;)

We love you!

Daddy, Mommy & Mia

Santa Fe Chili - real foodified

One of our favorite chili recipes was introduced to us by our friend Jenn M. on the very day we moved into our house almost 4 years ago! It was so yummy, I immediately asked her for the recipe the next day and shared it with my mom as well.  We enjoy making this every year, but the more I have learned about food and additives, the less I have wanted to use the taco seasoning and ranch seasoning packets it calls for.  Thanks to Pinterest, google, and the interwebs, it fortunately hasn't taken me long to find easy homemade substitutes that DO NOT contain the abominable MSG or maltodextrin.  *Phew!  So now we can consume this chili guilt-free and without the neurotoxic side effect.  I sure hate getting headaches when I eat, don't you!?

photo credit: tasteofhome.com

Here's the recipe, which I found is originally from TasteofHome.com:

• 2 pounds ground beef (grass-fed if possible)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• the equivalent of 2 - 15oz cans of kidney beans, soaked (*rinsed & drained)
• the equivalent of 2 - 15oz cans of black beans, soaked*
• 3 cans (7 oz each) white shoepeg corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can diced tomatoes & green chilies (e.g., Rotel)
• 2 servings of homemade ranch seasoning
• 2 servings of homemade taco seasoning
• 2 cups water (or homemade chicken stock)
• Optional garnishes:
• sour cream, non-GMO corn chips, shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef, drain.  Add in chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft.  Add in the beans, corn, tomatoes, chilies, seasonings, and water/stock.  Cover & cook on high for about 2 hours.  Serve in bowls with additional garnishes if desired.   

*I soaked and cooked dry kidney beans and black beans to include in this recipe.  I used 1.5 cups of soaked beans to substitute for 1 can of beans.  So therefore, I used 3 cups of each type of soaked beans. That's a lot of beans!!!

The general rule of thumb is: 

1 15-ounce can of beans equals

• 1/2 cup dry beans, before cooking

• 1 1/2 cups beans, after cooking 

Read more at Dried to Canned Beans conversion.

Enjoy!