I Thank the Lord Olivia is young enough,still pretty easily distracted,is a picky eater and doesn't like big dinners anyway..because she's taken to this food change remarkably!! Don't get me wrong it was definitely sad and frustrating that turned into pure torture,for both her and I, but now she's doing A-Ok and we feel back to 'normal' again.
A new normal.
Here's a little something about me. I hate change!! Especially when I wasn't the one who planned the change or knows every detail about the upcoming change so that when the change finally happens it's not really a change after all. But when it's sudden and catches me off guard I go kicking & screaming & crying. I'm a big baby! But I quickly get over it and dive in full speed ahead with my can do attitude. I'm hardwired to be stubborn and determined ;)
When I started this journey and I was forced to cook pretty much everything for Olivia I grew bitter and the thought of cooking dinner on top of an exhausting day made me grumpy. I used to enjoy cooking for my family but being forced to cook a full 3 meals a day on top of my daily schedule just stunk and I remember going to bed lethargic and dreading closing my eyes because I knew it would feel like only minutes and I'd be up doing it all over again.
Something amazing changed a week ago. I can't tell you what it is because well..I don't even know. What I do know is that probably after praying for strength before bed one night,I woke up with a fire lit under my butt. I'm joyful,not overwhelmed,look forward to finding & trying out new recipes. It's just amazing!!!
I have found some amazing recipe's that I've altered in some way,most of the time it only calls for substituting eggs and changing from white flour to rice and/or garbanzo bean flour.
Here's 2 recipe's that have become a staple in my weekly cooking! Sorry for the bad/blurry pics.
Oatmeal berry & Maple Fruit Bars
This recipe originally comes from my Flying Apron cookbook,but I've modified it a little bit for our taste buds :)
5 Cups oats-divided
1 cup maple syrup,divided
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
3/1/2 cups mixed berries (I use raspberries or strawberries)
Notes* It calls for 1/4 arrowroot powder but to me arrowroot is tarty and I love the mild sweetness of this bar instead (especially a little piece with my coffee in the mornings,Mmmm scrumptous!!). I also thought about using applesauce and less oil. It also tends to really crumble after a couple days if you don't eat it up,so halving the recipe would still leave you plenty to eat and it's a sinch to whip up in the morning. Once you mix it all up in the mixer take a few bites,the 'dough' is so yummy :)
*Preheat oven to 375*
*Place 2 cups of the oats in a blender and pulse until the oats are very fine. Then pour into a mixer bowl. Add to that the remaining 3 cups of oats, 3/4 cup of maple syrup,oil,vanilla,salt and thoroughly combine-about 3 minutes.
*Firmly press two-thirds of the dough into a 9x12 inch casserole dish. Bake until light brown,about 15 minutes.
*while the dough is baking,combine the berries and the remaining 1/4 cup of maple syrup in a bowl.
*Evenly distribute the berry mixture over the baked oat crust. Crumble the remaining 1/3 of the dough over the berries,pressing it down firmly. Bake until golden crust forms,about 35-40 minutes.
Good Old Fashion White Bread
You have no idea how happy this bread makes me!
I don't even know where to begin right now because I'm teetering between happy and fuming. Happy because this bread is awesome and you can litterally perfect it the first time making it and fuming because the store bought crap being sold in the store for $5.00 for a tiny loaf or 4 (FOUR) hamburger buns for $5.00 is dry and horrible tasting. I made this whole loaf for $2.00!!!!
1 Tbs. bread machine yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour of your choice (I used Bob Mill's all purpose flour. 1 bag = 2 loaves)
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
3 eggs (egg replacer
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cider vinegar
*Combine the yeast & sugar. Set aside
*Combine flour mix,xanthan gum & salt.
*In a small bowl mix egg replacer,oil & vinegar.
*By this time the yeast should be ready. Mix everything together in a mixing bowl and mix for 4 minutes.
*Scoop the dough into a greased loaf pan. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area until it is about 1-2 inches from the top of pan. Then bake at *375 degrees for 50 minutes.
Ohhh my goodness the possibilities are endless really,like adding some cinnamon sugar with raisins..does'nt that sound yummy? I talked to the hubster today and asked him how we can turn my kitchen counter/bar into a cutting board or something like that because this on fire Mama needs some space to cook!! I'm also diving into new dinner recipes and I LOVE it. It's like a whole new lease on life :)
I just made some Oatmeal cookies that are to die for. Recipe coming up soon.
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