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Category: seasonal eating

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A December cookie party

My intention at the beginning of this busy season was to front load all the things that had to get done, and then, with time and energy left over, create a list of things we wanted to do if time allowed…and this was on the top of the list, after chatting with the girls. We have done these in the past, when they were super little, like with their friends in Brooklyn, and in recent years, I had always done a smaller version or skipped it all together–just dreading the mess 😉 But this year, we timed it well with my cleaning crew arriving the morning after (as I’m writing this) and we also had an older crowd, who were more helpful than anything–that made a huge difference. They were a few of our favorites from school, that mine idolize, so they were in absolute heaven to have them over for tea and cookie afternoon.

We were working with a gluten allergy, and a diabetic in our group, so the focus was on cookies that everyone could enjoy, and I prefer to bake this way anyway. These 2 recipes from Ambitious kitchen worked so well for what we needed—usually almond flour based cookies are super crumbly and are hard to get into that rolling/shaping mode, but this was wonderful in taste and texture. The gingerbread is super tasty (and I’m pretty picky about mine), so give them a try if they inspire you. I’m sharing the better icing recipe of the 2 offered, because we found it was a better consistency, and while it’s not paleo, if you’ll allow for a little organic powdered sugar in your life, it’s a great recipe. Because, balance.

We also made one other fun (EASY!) cranberry bliss bar variation with GF crust of oats instead of the typical graham cracker crumb. I’ll share that too since they are very easy and delicious, and I made it up, so I’m sure I’ll want to come back to this next year to remember. Oh, and cupcakes, because we had the cutest nutcracker toppers to use, and those were GF from a box 😉 And we needed to have different stations to keep these cute hands busy while the cookies were baking…

Paleo Sugar cookies

Modified from the ones at Ambitious Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/3 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups packed fine almond flour (do not use almond meal)
  • 3 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Melt coconut oil, and toss the sugar, honey, egg and vanilla into your kitchenaid. Wait for the coconut oil to cool, then add that in and mix well to combine.
  3. Then, almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well–until a nice dough forms. Allow dough to sit for 5 minutes, at least.
  4. Can roll out and bake immediately, or can wait 24 hours (we made ours the night before), just give it 20 minutes to come back to room temp before attempting to roll it. Shape into all the fun holiday shapes you desire…and then bake for 8-10 minutes on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Remove from oven, and can leave on the counter on the parchment paper, which also makes for an easy decorating set up (we just moved them back and forth during the party). Makes about 15 cookies, depending on the shapes and sizes you use.

Paleo Gingerbread Molasses Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or use organic cane sugar)
  • 3 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups packed blanched almond flour–the finer the better.
  • 3/4 cup organic coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger (or can use something called gingerbread spice which is mellower but same idea)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Optional: Organic cane sugar for sprinkling, if desired

ICING (works for both cookies above)

  • 1 cup organic powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon almond milk

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a kitchen-aid mixer, mix together melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar, molasses, eggs and vanilla extract. (**Make sure your coconut oil is not HOT; it can be slightly warm just not hot!)
  3. Next add in almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, spices and salt; mix well to combine and form a dough; sometimes using clean hands might be necessary. Let the dough rest for just a few minutes.
  4. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper on a flat even surface. Roll out the dough so that it’s approximately 1/4 inch thick.
  5. Use cookie cutters of choice to cut the dough out and then place each shape on your prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. Sprinkle with organic cane sugar if you’d like then place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finishing cooling. Makes about 18 medium sized cookie shapes.
  6. To make the icing: Using same mixer (quick rinse!)–Mix together the ingredients well, until smooth.
  7. Transfer to a pastry bag to pipe icing onto cookies. We did with knives after it had been refrigerated a bit and was more solid, but you can also use a Ziploc bag and cut a VERY small hole in the corner after adding half of the frosting to the bag, then decorate! Definitely make 2 batches of this frosting–it’s that yummy that you have to make sure some of it makes it on to the cookies. Adapted from Ambitious kitchen.

Cranberry Bliss bars–GF and Easy

*1 cup oats

*1/2 cup butter, softened

*1/2 cup coconut flour

*1/2 bag white chocolate chips (6 oz)

*1/2 bag coconut (6-8 oz)

*1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

*1 cup cranberries, more if desired (I like mine with lots of cranberries)

*1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Mix the butter, oats and coconut flour with your hands or a pastry cutter or both, as if you’re making a crisp/crumble crust. Press into a glass pie pan. Then, layer in cranberries, white chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts, ideally in that order. Then, cover it all with the can of sweetened condensed milk, and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350. That’s it. Cut, serve, and enjoy! It has fruit in it…it must be healthier than your average holiday treat;)…but seriously, it’s an easy crowd pleaser, and packages up pretty well for special deliveries around town!

As we head into the final countdown for Christmas, I’m wishing you all the beautiful memory making, embracing the process and the mess that comes with it, and getting quality time with friends and loved ones, which is always such a gift.

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Healthy Holiday Fudge…and setting the tone for December

Happy December! Can you believe it’s already here?

Probably my favorite month of the year…especially when we keep stress to a minimum and magic and holiday spirit to a maximum!

Celebrating advent–which is a season of preparation–means that we take time to savor the beautiful path leading up to the Christmas celebrations, and it allows us to keep our hearts focused on the right things–the real meaning of the season–the welcoming of the source of all LOVE and LIGHT into the world…and de-emphasizing some of the crazy commercialism, stress and overwhelm that none of us want to welcome into our homes this year.

For me, that means emphasizing simplicity and small, meaningful festive moments with the kids, and keeping our pace as calm and peaceful as can be—Creating space in the days for the good stuff, but not letting the possibilities of it all (Nutcracker, santa sightings, shopping, etc) get us carried away. How do you balance this time of year well? I’d love to know.

This is also the time of year when treats are everywhere…which is fun and festive, but sometimes it can feel like just too much sugar.

This is a fun, healthy twist on a favorite, and the simplicity, the fact that you can switch up the mix-ins, and how much the kids gobble them up, are reasons we keep them around all December…I love bringing small batches for coffee dates with friends…get creative, and tag me when you’re making and sharing them! So fun!

Easiest recipe ever–you’re going to laugh at how good they taste, when you learn how simple they are to make…

Healthy Holiday Fudge

  • 1 cup organic peanut butter or almond butter
  • 1 cup organic honey
  • 1 cup shaklee life shake (we usually do chocolate, but vanilla works great too!)
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, dark chocolate, butterscotch, mini walnuts or other optional mix-ins–not essential but fun to experiment.
  • Sprinkles!

In a medium saucepan, melt peanut butter and honey over med/low heat. Stir in protein until well blended. Then turn off the heat, and add in optional chips/nuts.

Pour into a pie pan or square glass dish to cool. Put your festive sprinkles on it, and pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes…or as long as you can stand it!!:) Sample and enjoy either cold or at room temperature. Makes a great gift and makes an awesome snack for kids and mommas–tons of protein and healthy fats. They won’t even believe you when you tell them it’s healthy:)

I hope that your December is like this recipe—simple, sweet, enjoyed with good company, and full of surprises! 

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Move over Martha–butternut squash, sausage and sage lasagna

So you may literally never see me post another pasta recipe here. I’m not intrigued by it when it comes to culinary exploration, for whatever reason. My family does clamor for it, and gets it once in a while in my meal planning rotations, but besides craving a good carbonara once in a while (like the kind you can find everywhere in Roma, washed down with a house wine—ah….take me back) I just don’t get inspired by it much (and avoid gluten alot of the time, so just focus elsewhere on getting healthy carbs in to all of us. BUT. That should just tell you how good this recipe is. I was dreaming of it the other day, so I rescued it from languishing in my former food blog forever (that one was called Whoopsyummy, which will make alot of sense when you realize that I value creativity and experimentation highly when cooking and baking–sometimes we get winners, sometimes we don’t 😉 But it’s all part of the process.)

For me, cooking is a major creative outlet…and stress relief. Is it for you?

CRAZY that when I went back to grab this recipe and publish it again today, after we’d made it over the weekend…it happened to fall on the exact same date, 7 years ago. Incredible synchronicity shows up often in life, when we have the eyes to see it. 

Posted on November 12, 2011

Martha Stewart’s fall twist on a classic has been part of my repertoire for a few years now, thanks to a friend.

But it was always missing something. Meat. So this version includes a nice hearty Italian sausage, sure to bring your calorie count to close to absurd once you’ve tucked in and had a few slices of this creamy ricotta goodness. But, food bloggers can’t count calories, so onward.

  • 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash (a large one), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
  • Freshly grated nutmeg (mine wasn’t freshly grated and it did the trick)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
  •  Lasagna noodles–one box–you may not need all of them. (Martha suggests spending another 3 hrs making your own noodles–that was not something I was comfortable with–store bought work just fine in a pinch). Cook these first… 😉
  • 4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)
  • One package Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

In a 425 degree oven, roast the butternut squash with oil, salt and pepper for 25-30 minutes.

After reducing oven to 375, begin the ricotta filling; combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella and nutmeg, then sprinkle with salt.

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat; as it sizzles, add sage and cook until golden and crispy at edges, 3-4 minutes.

Place cooked squash in a bowl and mash 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other half in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage butter mixture, stock, and sausage. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture in a 9-cup baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta). Sprinkle Parmesan over ricotta mixture.

Cook in a casserole dish (yes, mine was Martha Stewart teal, appropriately) for 30-35 minutes; until cheese is bubbling.

Bon Appetit. This should be enjoyed with a hearty wine.

 

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4 quick (make-ahead) breakfasts for school mornings

I don’t know about you mommas, but the breakfast and prepping for school rush has been a big learning curve for us. I used to idealize cozy long (early) mornings with the girls getting up to eat steaming bowls of oatmeal with me, or kale and egg scrambles (my personal fav), before heading out. But, reality is something all together different. Usually the girls prefer sleep and lingering over getting dressed/morning activities to sitting and eating at home. If we do gather together it’s on the couch for some praying and journaling time, and then I’m focused on lunch prep….so…

I’ve come up with some compromise breakfast options that I feel really good about sending them out the door with for a strong start to their day. My girls are lucky enough to drive with their dad every day (about 15-20 min) so they have time to eat in the car, and they enjoy chatting with dad, listening to their spotify playlists, or books on tape, and easing into their day that way…

We’ve all heard it—breakfast is in many ways the most important meal of the day–and sometimes the hardest to make time for. I know that giving them this habit and making sure to mix it up, we’re setting them up for a life of enjoying breakfast, and making sure they’ve planned ahead for it.

I love the idea of making some of these in batches as the week kicks off, and having them around to really simplify things–so much easier to heat up overnight oats quickly, or egg/zucchini bites, rather than doing scrambles and hot meals from scratch. What have you found that you love and that works for your kids/husbands/selves for those rushed mornings that still require nutritious starts?

1) Hard Boiled eggs. I discovered (remembered) recently that my daughter Corinne and my husband Joel are crazy about hard-boiled eggs. She won’t really eat them the other ways we prepare them, but in this form she’ll eat 3-4 in one sitting–I love seeing her hold them and happily scarf them down after peeling them. Emma will eat only the egg whites so that’s not ideal, but we make it work. These are great to make a dozen at a time and store for up to a week (if they last that long)…I always try to sneak some fruit in with it…clementines are a year round winner–for ease as well as taste.

2) Apple Cinnamon coconut overnight oats (Recipe below). So I have been slow to jump on the overnight oats bandwagon, wondering how my kids would do with them. With these, you can add a plant protein powder (optional), but they are nutritious and dense and yummy even without. I would suggest putting them in small (mini) mason jars, as the normal serving size is too big for little kiddos to finish off. Can be heated up on these current chilly mornings.

3) Zucchini tots (recipe below)—These are awesome to make ahead, in batches in muffin tins. I had them help me grate the zucchinis from our local farm, and they enjoyed seeing them being made, so it was less of a shock when I offered them the next day for breakfast. You can also, in a pinch, use powdered organic greens–sometimes more practical in winter months in terms of getting the good greens into them.

  1. Pumpkin spice coconut raisin breakfast cookies–what a delicious mouthful to say 🙂 (recipe below). These are made with plant protein powder instead of the flour, so they are dense, hearty, don’t cause a sugar crash, and are super yummy. I don’t know about you, but I love a good filling cookie, and this one fits the bill for breakfast–you can choose different mix ins like nuts you may have (walnuts, cranberries, etc). The pumpkin spice base is subtle and delicious and allows for various pairings.

Even with these 4 meals that require a bit of extra foresight/shopping for ingredients (gotta love a Sunday night prep session to make the mornings go well)–it’s also great to have super quick and easy grab-and-go options. For us, that’s clementines, apples, sometimes mini bagels and cream cheese (better carb to protein ratio than a normal size bagel), and Vans gluten free blueberry waffles (so easy and a big hit). This way, there’s never a day you’re too busy to throw something together that will fuel their brains & warm their hearts.

And of course, I always send them out the door chomping on their incredivites or chewable Vit C (or drinking the vitalized immunity if they have complained of a tickly throat, etc). More on my passion for supplementing well with littles and our story here.

Cheers to finishing out these final (cooler) weeks of the year with nourishing starts to our day. Our little ones see what we do and model us, so I make a peanut butter/banana/chocolate shake for their dad to take with him daily (he loves how full he stays until lunch time) and I model for them that I’m reaching for the same things–nourishing foods (rather than just caffeine) to start the day right!

Hop on my healthy kids back to school VIP email list for more holistic offerings, tips, tools and giveaways. We can make this our healthiest & most peaceful school year, yet.

What are your top fav meals to prep for busy mornings, and what other tips do you have for making these precious first minutes/hours of the day run smoothly and peacefully?:)  Share away!

-Maddy

RECIPES:

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

(from That Clean Life)

Serves: 4
Time: 8 hours (overnight)

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups Oats
  • 1.5 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 2 tbsps Chia Seeds
  • 1 tbsps Honey (or Maple Syrup)
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1 Apple (cored and diced)
  • 1 cup Walnuts (chopped)

Directions:

  1. Combine oats, almond milk, chia seeds, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and water in a large glass container. Stir well to evenly mix. Cover and store in the fridge overnight.
  2. Remove from fridge. Use single-serving size jars (250 mL or 500 mL in size) and place a few spoonfuls of the oat mixture in the bottom of each. Then add a layer of diced apple followed by a layer of chopped walnuts. Repeat until all ingredients are used up.
  3. Store in the fridge up to 4 days or until ready to eat. Add an extra splash of almond milk and/or a drizzle of honey (optional).

Suggestions:

Warm It Up – Heat in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds before eating

Vegan – Use maple syrup instead of honey

More Protein – Add 1 small scoop plant protein, hemp seeds or a spoonful of nut butter

Zucchini Tots

Adapted from the blog Mess for Less

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 medium zucchini (aiming for 2 cups of shredded zucchini once water has been squeezed out).
    • Can use broccoli instead if your kids prefer that flavor palate, or powdered greens. 
  • 1/2 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese or mozzarella depending on what your kids like.
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 6 eggs
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400. Grease a regular muffin pan (or we used some fun leftover cupcake fillers that made them excited).

Shred one zucchini and wrap in cheese cloth. Squeeze out excess water from the zucchini.

In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup shredded zucchini, eggs bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper.

Using a spoon, scoop the mixture into a greased mini muffin pan. The mixture will make 12 zucchini tots.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees until tops start to crisp.

Fall Flavors Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup raw organic sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup flour (almond flour for GF, or Einkorn for less gluten, white whole wheat is what I would tend to grab)
  • 1 cup vanilla plant potein
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (the one time of year we get to go overboard with this spice)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 cups coconut
  • 1 cup raisin]
  • 2 cups oats

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, and gently fold in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together well, and then add to kitchen-aid, blend until well mixed. Can add coconut, raisins and optional nuts in for an even denser texture (and more goodness snuck in).

When dividing them up and placing on the cookie sheet, be sure to flatten them a bit, as they are dense and won’t move much into a final “cookie shape”. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Serve warm with tea for after school snacks, or send them packing in the mornings!

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Delicious carrot cake, and a 2nd birthday ;)

This recipe is a keeper if you love a rich, flavorful carrot cake–we made the cake and a bunch of cupcakes for a birthday and it worked out well–with some healthy swaps that no one noticed–I’d recommend it for your thanksgiving dessert table!!

 

Last weekend we celebrated Ambrose’ 2nd birthday with family, and some extra special family members (puppies) who were with us as part of my mom’s Lake Joy Goldens fall litter. The puppies were just 2 weeks old, the perfect age for lots of squeezing and cuddles from my kids, with their eyes opening, and beginning to move around on their own. Ambrose knew how special it was to be celebrating his birthday after watching his sisters make a big deal out of theirs over the summer, he was ready for his turn. We had a wonderful gathering of sisters, cousins and friends to help us celebrate our favorite little guy with a simple birthday brunch.

I’ve had my eye on this carrot cake recipe to try, thanks to discovering it on the Helena Daily list, and knew this was a great occasion for it.

The recipe is from Beneath the Crust–we know some of the ladies and their recipes look fab. I wanted to see if I could adapt for cupcakes, and to do a few swap outs. So I replaced the flour with Einkorn to make it friendly for folks with gluten sensitivities (not celiacs!), regular sugar easily replaced with coconut sugar (and the recipe calls for alot), and coconut oil for regular vegetable oil. We doubled the batch of cake batter to make a set of 18 cupcakes, which worked out great, and didn’t need to double the frosting (or filling) quantities—apparently original recipe makes alot of frosting!

Ingredients

Cake

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups coconut sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour (Einkorn is a wonderful consistency, but without the strong effects on our bodies that most gluten flours have…try it!)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 pound peeled, shredded carrot (I got bags already shredded, and we ran them through a blender to make them even finer).
  • 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarsely (can also buy these already chopped, shortcuts for busy people, zero guilt).

Filling

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarsely
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Frosting

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 flour
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into tablespoon sized pieces
  •  8 oz cream cheese, room temperature and cut into tablespoon sized pieces

Instructions

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour three 9 inch cake pans.
  2. For cupcakes, if you cook those first, oven will be at 400, baked for 10-15 min. 
  3. Toast the pecans (make your life easier and toast the cake and filling pecans all at once!): spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and toasty. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt and whisk well to combine.
  5. In a standing mixer fitted with the whipping attachment, whip together eggs and sugar on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Turn speed to low and slowly drizzle in the oil in a thin stream – this actually takes a while, about a full minute or a little more – until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and stir just until combined.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in dry ingredients until almost fully combined with only a few streaks of flour. Add carrots and pecans and gently fold in until evenly distributed.
  7. Divide batter evenly between the three pans. Bake for 25 minutes for 9 in pans – or until the top springs back when pressed lightly or a tester comes out clean.
  8. Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

Filling

  1. If you haven’t already, toast the pecans (step 2 above); let cool and chop coarsely.
  2. Combine sugar, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan and whisk well. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream until incorporated. Stir in the butter and set over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil.
  3. Turn heat to low and let mixture simmer for 5 – 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly combined and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans. Set aside and let cool completely.

Frosting

  1. Combine flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in milk, being careful to combine thoroughly with no lumps. Set over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Simmer for about 5-6 minutes, still stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and harder to whisk. Remove from heat and transfer to a clean bowl to let cool completely.
  2. When mixture is *completely* cool, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whip attachment. Add vanilla and mix on low just briefly until combined. Add butter one piece at a time, allowing each to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Do the same with the cream cheese. Once all the butter and cream cheese has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Let stand for an hour to firm up (I wasn’t this patient, but it still turned out OK).
  3. Place one layer of cake on a platter. Spread enough of the filling to generously coat. Add the second layer, repeat with the filling. Top with the final cake layer.
  4. Frost top and sides with frosting.
  5. Top with toasted coconut, candied pecans, a sprinkle of cinnamon, blue sprinkles for a little boy’s birthday, or anything else that sounds good! Keep in fridge if you’re in a warm climate and take out an hour or so before serving.

*Note the baking times may vary according to your oven…

Here’s a few more pics of our October 28th birthday brunch. These 2 years have absolutely flown by, and this guy is such a staple part of our family dynamics that it’s almost impossible to remember life before his joyful, funny, cuddly, exploratory presence in it. This time around it was fun to see how much the girls could do to help with not only the cupcakes and food prep, but also making signs for him, and helping me pick out the decor, hang streamers, etc. Emma is such a party planner, my dad commented she may have a future in it, after she designed and orchestrated an elaborate “trampoline show” that same day:) Something about being the eldest, and she totally dotes on her little brother.

Grateful to my parents for hosting us, and that everyone came together to celebrate Ambrose, and to make sure the puppies could be included, tiny party hats and all!

What a memorable birthday for all of us, and hopefully Ambrose the dog lover will remember his “puppy party” when we talk about it with him.

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Super simple and delicious apple crisp! (GF and paleo variations included)

I’ve seen the pictures of you all with your cuties, out in orchards, and we went yesterday and did some damage there ourselves…lots of tree climbing, and fun, and finding tiny apples for their baby brother–they really got so into it…it was just the girls and I, and my dear cousin Lucy–Ambrose was passed out after our fun family hike, and Joel was happily chilling with him. I enjoyed the quality time with these two, they are just so grown up these days and I laugh often at their witty comments and overall zest for life…

The orchard was empty because it was the end of the day!–total win–which, by the way, you have to check out. It’s been in the same family as a farm since it was bought from the Indians in the 1700’s! In Litchfield Country. It was right at sunset we had the most gorgeous vistas on 3 sides as we picked, I would have come just for those.

SO, what do we do with all these apples lying around? Here’s a super fun, simple recipe that you can feel good about eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner…and, dessert;)

I made ours Gluten free (coconut flour, easy substitution) and you can easily make it paleo as well with the addition/sub of coconut sugar, or honey instead…Keto would be stevia, didn’t figure out the quantities for that, but the apples you choose could be balanced/sweet enough that you don’t need extra sugar in the crumble topping! So get creative, have fun, feel free to enlist some little hands to help you, and enjoy this delicious seasonal favorite.

Pro tip…try pairing it with Talenti Coconut icecream instead of vanilla or whipped cream–just might blow your socks off:)

Super Simple Apple Crisp

(6 ingredients, optional GF/Paleo variations)

*Apples–2-3 lbs, peeled and sliced thin. I like to do a blend of tart apples for the best crisp flavor. This time we picked Ida Reds and Empire apples, so this is a combination of those. Get creative, and enjoy the local flavors available to you!

Optional but encouraged: sprinkle some fresh lemon juice on these and let them sit in the buttered pie pan while you make the topping.

*1 stick butter, some for the pan, some for the topping.

*1 cup organic oats

*1/2 cup organic brown sugar, raw sugar, or coconut sugar (for paleo), or 1/4 cup honey…consistency will be trickier but it works.

*1/2 cup flour: coconut flour, regular flour, or omit if you want.

Optional extra seasonings: 1/2 tsp salt (if butter not salted) and 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Prep the 9 in glass pie pan with butter, then peel, slice, layer in the apples with lemon juice and cinnamon mixed in, let them sit while you prepare the crumble.

Cut butter into oats and flour & sugar, using a pasty cutter. I’m not kidding, it’s truly the way to go. Channel your inner Julie Child and enjoy.

Preheat the oven to 350.

When the pan is 3/4 full of apples, pour the topping in, and throw them in the oven for 15-20 minutes…look for brown and bubbling on the edges, and that the apples are softening on the underside when you check them. You may want to turn it down to 325 if it’s browning on top after less than 15 minutes, as you need the apples to thoroughly soften and cook down a bit. Ovens are so varied so be sure to keep a close eye and trust your judgement. You’ll smell the heavenly fall flavors, and I dare you not to eat it while it’s warm!

 

Serve with your icecream, fresh whipped cream or side of choice–cheers to October and delicious seasonal treats!!!!

If you make this, tag me on social and share with friends–love simplified seasonal eating!

AND! Check out my new seasonal meal plan offerings–for more of the favorite fall and winter flavors we love, also simplified…here! Amazing new trial program happening now through the end of the year–would love to have you join us for weekly delicious seasonal recipes up until the new year!

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Pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies–with a secret twist

Friends,

I can’t believe it’s September 30th, and yet as I sit here on my porch and soak in the gorgeous, cool fall air, and watch the kids play in their new mulch/trucks box…with tuxedo chili simmering in the crock pot for dinner (yum), and a beautiful sense of transition in the air, I’m reflecting at just how much has happened this month, with deep gratitude. I mean, just 25 days ago, on labor day, we were at a 100 degree pool party and wishing summer off in style–and then diving in to the inevitable new routines, de-cluttering, resetting alot of things in September, and I am amazed at how good it feels to be here…squarely in the fall, and moving closer to our next new chapter–with awareness–our family will soon be 6! (In the early part of the new year). Setting up home and routines, kid routines to work well for us right now, while also being aware of this chapter of the fall coming to an end, and preparing for a totally new one, requires some intention and planning, but that’s what 2nd trimester energy and nesting is for, and is so important and beautiful.

I had set a goal to myself to share 8 blog posts with you all in September. Nothing crazy, just consistency in sharing a couple times per week–my list of topics I’m either working on or want to tackle is long!….I know that sometimes I can let topics percolate for quite a while in my head, wanting to resolve and have all the answers–or better words–and then when they finally come out of me they are epic length and my amazing editor (also sister) says–this should be more than 1 post…!

So as part of my monthly intention setting this past month, and looking at ways I love to connect, I resolved to push past the long drawn out build up, and try to share things short, sweet, sometimes unresolved, sometimes just what is being inspired to me in that moment…and giving myself permission to have conversations and then come back to some of these important topics–creating space, mothering with ease, self care habits, morning routines, easy recipes that are family friendly, fitness as a mother, and more.

So today, I’m just sharing a fun recipe that I was craving this morning in the cool fall weather…and a great swap out that I love to do–replacing flour in baking recipes with  super high quality plant protein (vanilla usually). The kids almost never notice, and it makes a recipe so much heartier and healthier…I would even consider these suitable breakfast material 🙂

(If you want pumpkin explosion, pair with your favorite pumpkin dairy free creamer in your coffee;))

So here you go, celebrating the send off of September with these yummy treats. If you make them, let me know how you love them!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies

(yep, they are a mouthful in every way)

Preheat oven to 350

1 can pureed pumpkin, organic

1/2 cup butter–softened

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup organic raw sugar (or substitute stevia if keto, 1/2 cup honey if you prefer, or even maple syrup would work)

*****

1 1/2 cup oats

1 cup white whole wheat flour (this is all I keep around, it functions well in baking and is better for us)

1 cup vanilla life shake plant protein (or soy)

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet organic chocolate chips

*******

Blend wet ingredients…this is what kitchen-aids are for!

Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl, then slowly add to kitchen-aid or mixing bowl, gently combining, with chocolate chips as the last thing.

Put onto tinfoil when baking, and bake 20 minutes or until the bottom edges are browning.

I hope you try one warm, they are amazing! And this makes enough to store some for school lunch treats, send them to the office with loved ones, coffee snacks, or anything you want them for.

Enjoy! Here’s to an amazing start to October!

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After school snacking–simple and fun.

Don’t you think we should bring those words back into our vocabulary for this school year, mommas?

I don’t really love the phrase “hack” it feels like something is getting cut off or is missing…this is all about what we’re gaining when we keep things simple and enjoy the process. I’d like to go back to good old fashioned life—simplified. And fun. Because life with littles can and should be. Especially when momma’s been getting her breaks and her own self-care (I’m speaking from experience, can you tell?:))

Since my girls are in school full days, and Corinne has just transitioned to kindergarten, I’m enjoying making the afternoons low-key, and coming home for rest, playing outside (yay, cooler fall weather),  and of course, after-school snacks.

I am not a big believer in over-scheduled kids (which seems to be the norm nowadays). They need to relax and play.

Now I’m not sitting at home baking for them all day (though occasionally I can, and that’s fun)…so I like quick and easy, make ahead or ready made snacks for us to grab.

Here’s the thing moms–there should be no guilt involved if we’re able to find shortcuts and make things healthy and yummy–so you’ll see some included here. Not every day needs to be pinterest worthy or be hours of blood-and-sweat from scratch, amiright? We need to have memories of ENJOYING it, and so do they. Rant over.

As shared before, some of our favorites are Guac and chips (organic guac), hummus or ranch and raw veggies for them to dip it in, grapes, apples and peanut butter, and occasionally something sweeter.

And this is our September 2018 seasonal snacking roundup for you. Some are straight out of a bag. Healthy. #winning. Others are out of a box with modifications, to make it seasonal and healthier…also winning…and some are from scratch but the kids do the work for their own healthy snack, and it becomes an after-school activity–messy, yes, but less-so than finger painting (anyone else ban that? Ok. great). We’ll call these all #momwins.

Yes, this video is our fun behind the scenes time lapse. It’s a really good thing you can’t see too much of what’s going on (Ambrose eating everything he touched, or the girls doing a talk show and pretending to be “youtube stars”–whatever those are?…so yes…enjoy it!)

So, for the Apple dippers, here’s the general idea. Grab some apples (preferably local, in season), and some greek yogurt (I love the thickest kind, like siggis)…and some dipping items–coconut, cocoa nibs, crushed almonds, cinnamon (my kids went nuts with it)…and arrange everything in bowls with a foil wrapped tray ready to catch the goodies. Then, if kids are allowed to use knives, help them cut the apples. We did strawberries too (not in season), and left the greens on, it’s your call what kind of fruits you want to try this with. Probably not too soft is ideal.

Then show the little ones how to take the slices, dip in yogurt and then in coconut and other toppings. They get the hang quickly, and you’ll have to let them just be free to take it from there. It’s all about enjoying the process as they make their own snacks!

Then, when everything is used up, throw the trays of fruit in the freezer for 10 min or so to harden…don’t forget about them, as you don’t want them too crunchy (we may have had to let our strawberries soften back up)…and voila! Fun, easy and healthy snack…I hope you’ll let us know if you make them… and post pics:)

Somehow they like the taste of them more when they’ve had to do the work…Ambrose was so proud of his plate of apples that he brought over to Emma.

For the pumpkin cookies, I grabbed a box of Gluten free chocolate chip cookie mix and a can of pumpkin puree. I love the GF mixes, there are some great ones out there, that use less sugar (this one had brown sugar only) and would meet our approval in terms of ingredients. Of course we’d all love to make cookies from scratch all the time, but let’s be real, I’d rather that they get done, and I’m still smiling 🙂 This recipe called for egg and butter and vanilla and I replaced the first 2 with the can of pumpkin puree, so that made them GF and vegan, but more importantly, easy and yummy, and my house smelled like fall!

When the kids came back downstairs Emma said “hey, were did these come from?!” and Corinne asked me to save 3 cookies in baggies for her and her 2 favorite classmates for tomm, so I’ll count the whole experience as a win. Ambrose helped me with the kitchenaid (he loves to turn it on), and he happily licked the beater for me!

Finally, I threw out a bowl of Terra chips–sweet potatoes, blue potatoes and beets, in crunchy delicious form…I’d rather they enjoy their veggies and satisfy their crunch seasonally, than just be clamoring for chips of another less healthy kind–and these were on sale at Whole foods so it was a no-brainer to stock up.

I hope that you have beautiful fall afternoons with your kids–may there be more love, laughter and mess than there is tantruming, and I hope that you all enjoy these simple and fun snacks, together.

Cheers,

Maddy and her sous chefs–aka–you tube stars.

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4th of July fav: Patriotic Fruit Pizza

This is my all time favorite summer dessert from childhood. The recipe was shared by some close friends, and then my family morphed it into a patriotic theme since we were very into celebrating all things 4th of July…I remember making it all growing up, and posing with my sisters and besties with our flag pizzas–so it was a fun moment to do the same with Emma this year. All 3 of mine added their personal touch to it (cough) and while it neared disaster when Ambrose decided to play toss the blueberries onto the flag, we had a great time and made a memory. It’s super easy to make the dough and the cream cheese frosting in advance (read: before the kids are up) and to do the decorating later. Pro tip: it’s best really cold so see if you can give it an hour of fridge time after frosting and decorating, before serving.

I changed the recipe in a few ways from how it was passed on to me: I made the crust gluten free…because–happy bellies and equally yum! And I increased the quantities of crust and the frosting because you just can’t have too much of those flavors to balance out the fruit, and it’s meant to fill a large rectangular pan. 

Seriously–how can you go wrong with these colors and summer flavors? Seasonal eating? Yes please. Obviously if you can find local strawberries and blueberries, even better! But it will be amazing regardless.

Here’s the combination of flours I’ve landed on for most of my gluten free variations–I find the flour textures balance each other out–and you’ll want to double check the oat flour–some brands are labeled gluten free while others say “may contain traces of wheat”…the coconut flour is heavy, and cooks up denser, so the tapioca flour seems to add the right balance. Have fun experimenting and let me know how you LOVE this recipe!!! I dare you to make it only once this summer:)

Fruit Pizza–patriotic and gluten free

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (can possibly substitute coconut sugar or raw sugar but I didn’t want to mess with my childhood memories..and the crust is super thin so it’s not too sweet).
  • 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour:
    • 1 cup oat flour
    • 3/4 cup coconut flour
    • 1/2 cup tapioca flour

Cream cheese frosting:

  • 12 oz cream cheese–you can get (full fat) whipped variety that blends up really well.
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine butter, flours and sugar. Use a pastry cutter for best effect, and finish with hands. Flatten into cookie sheet crust, and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown (recommend you poke some holes with a fork so it doesn’t puff on you).

Then mix the cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar for the topping. Spread onto a completely cooled crust.

Layer fruit in the patterns of your choice.

Refrigerate an hour, then serve!!! (Can be stored up to 24 hours before for fantastic taste!)

Crust is totally cooled (we went for a hike and errands in the meanwhile)…fruit washed, strawberries just have the ends trimmed.

Make it happen! And enjoy the process:)

This is when things got a little exciting 🙂 Luckily most of it ended up where it was supposed to and the older girls modeled how best to spread and place the fruit…

Voila!! It tastes even better than it looks!

Loving her toothy grin, and these fun slower summer days together…

She wanted to add marshmallows for the stars…but was flexible when I convinced her that the fruit would taste amazing on it’s own…she’s all about the inspiration, and artistic process, so I’m sure we’ll be doing lots of fancy baking this summer. Share with me pics when you and your loved ones make this–that is my favorite part!

Happy 4th to you all!

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Summer salads! 3 seasonal sensations that are simple and crowd-pleasing

This time of year, with the abundance of seasonal veggies and varietals, it’s such a no brainer (and treat!) to eat salads throughout the day. With the fresh ingredients, the cooling effect on hot days, and the fun and easy ways to adapt/incorporate whatever ingredients you have on hand in fridge or in garden, it’s no wonder everyone loves a good summer salad. Here is a round-up of 3 of my standing favorites, with direct inspiration from the contents of our own humble little garden that is producing in plenty.

I hope you’ll take a moment to comment and share your family’s favorites in the comments below–it’s always fun to mix things up.

This year with lettuce and kale and spinach growing abundantly right outside my window, I’m getting daily inspiration for salads, and if you’re growing greens, they are crying out for fun new variations. For the last recipe, it can be made even heartier (lunch status) with added quinoa, or left on it’s on as a dazzling side. Enjoy–let me know which ones you make, and tag me if you share pics of these at all your summer bbqs and gatherings!

Beet, Goat Cheese and Fresh Lettuce Salad

*Note: this requires some time for cooking the beets, so you may want to do it in 2 stages, roasting earlier in the day, and then prepping salad at dinner time or when the guests are around*

Ingredients—simple!

  • 4 farm fresh beets
  • 2-3 medium heads of fresh lettuce–the variety is up to you and what you have around–I prefer the crunchy green variety
  • 1 small log of goat cheese-organic
  • Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Directions–also simple:

Wrap the beets in tinfoil (individually) and roast at 375 for 1-1.5 hours, depending on size. After an hour, check them all and some of the smaller ones may be done, the bigger ones may take up to 1.5 hours to get to where you can easily cut into with a butter knife. You’re going to want to let them cool, then peel them with your fingers by gently tugging on the skin, it should come off easily, and then you can trim any tough spots and cube into small cubes.

Prep the lettuce–wash/dry/tear to your desired size. Dump the beets into the salad and crumble half of the goat cheese log. Toss the EVOO, balsamic in and salt/pepper to taste, it does better to toss the full salad rather than doing it serving by serving.

You can adjust quantities depending on how many people you’re serving, we tend to have this last us for several salads (storing the prepped beets in a bowl for easy assembly)…and believe me, just because it’s stupid simple, doesn’t mean this isn’t one of the tasty things you eat this summer. Don’t believe me? Try it!

 

Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad

This one is to die for. And I bet you have many of the ingredients readily available during these summer days. I highly recommend planning an entire BBQ or family taco night with chili corn, etc around this dish–it’s so memorable.

The lime zest dressing is fun, but totally optional: the 3 flavors stand together so perfectly on their own that often I just serve it that way–it’s up to you–have fun with it!

I

Ingredients:

  • One whole organic watermelon, cubed (on the small side)
  • 6 oz feta cheese (may not use the entire container)
  • 3-4 generous sprigs of mint, fresher the better–roughly 1/4-1/2 cup when finely chopped
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
    • Optional dressing:
      • 1 tbsp lime juice
      • 1 tsp lime zest
      • 3 tbsp EVOO for drizzling

Directions:

Cube the watermelon, toss into a large bowl, add the cheese and chopped mint. Season as you see fit. Enjoy. It will last for up to 48 hours (gets more liquidy but holds flavors well) so make big batches and enjoy often!

YUM. Enjoy that and see how long it sticks around when you make a batch. I find myself eating it with every meal when it’s in the fridge.

Finally, a throwback classic from a few years ago on my other food blog, this is an all-time favorite, and while it takes a bit more work than the 2 above, it lasts well in the fridge and works well for lunches and accompanying any sort of BBQ dishes, like meats. Just trust me, you have to try this.

Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Sunflower seeds

Kale is a bandwagon many have jumped on, with good reason. I love that the massaging of the salad makes easier to digest and brings out all the great enzymes and flavor of the kale, and it will last well for several days, so make a weekend batch and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • Small tub of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 bunch kale (lacinato or curly)–this year I’m growing purple kale in my garden, and its fun for added color
  • 1/2 cup red or white quinoa
  • few handfuls of chickpeas
  • Red onion chopped and roasted with the tomatoes
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese  (I was fine without having this…it’s up to you)
  • 1/2 cup roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

  • 1-3 cloves garlic
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • lemon olive oil if you have, or regular olive oil works too
    • honey balsamic is a wonderful, though not essential addition–mellower than traditional balsamics but gives it the edge you need…

Now go for it:

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut tomatoes in half, along with diced red onions, place in baking tray lined with aluminum foil, pour over a little olive oil, salt and pepper and pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes until soft. On a separate tray, roast sunflower or pumpkin seeds for about 8-10 minutes until brown.

Rinse the quinoa well to remove the bitter taste, and prepare as the package instructs you:)

Rinse kale and then tear up the leaves into small pieces. Remove stems…Emma really wanted them in the salad so they did end up in it again at the end…thanks for the extra fiber, lovey.

For the salad dressing: crush 1-2 cloves of garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the lemon juice and whisk all together adding the oils and vinegars to taste.

Then have some fun massaging your kale with the dressing! In a large boil, combine the kale with the salad dressing.  Massage/rub the leaves with the dressing vigorously. You’ll notice the leaves start to soften and wilt. Then add the cherry tomatoes, onions, chickpeas and quinoa and mix it all up. Top off the salad with the roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

*Note, quinoa can be omitted if you’re looking for more of a side salad with a meal, but with the quinoa it stands alone as a healthy iron and nutrient-filled lunch.