overnight pumpkin pie n'oatmeal - welcome, fall!

yesterday was all about firsts

first day of fall

first day of school (if you live in BC anyway)

first episode of the season for The Blacklist*

and first my first pumpkin-y meal of the season, 

the recipe for which i am sharing with you today!

overnight pumpkin pie n'oatmeal
grain free / dairy free / egg free / vegan

adapted from this recipe

ingredients:

1/2 cup mashed roasted pumpkin

1/2 cup coconut milk 

(i use the light can from Trader Joe's - no additives!)

2 tbsp coconut flour

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1-2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

maple syrup, to taste

instructions:

- combine all ingredients except for coconut and maple syrup in a jar or other container.  cover and place in your fridge overnight

- when ready to eat, heat through (if desired) on stovetop...or just eat it cold like i did

- top with coconut and a drizzle of maple syrup (if desired...i used the tiniest little bit and it was perfect!) oh, and a splash of extra coconut milk before serving doesn't hurt either ;)

*my husband likes to follow tv shows that cause me to turn into a giant stress ball, but at the same time capture my undying attention.  he did this when we were in college with the first season of 24, now he's done it with The Blacklist - so intense, but i just can't stop watching!!

happy first day of fall!

fall? already? what?!

we had what felt like the eternal summer this year

(actually, it's still going strong - yesterday was HOT and sunny!  ...and I'm loving every second of it)

but somehow, i'm still shocked that we're not still in March

this year has really, truly been a blur

but blurry or not, we've made it to the first day of fall

and of course, i had my first pumpkin-y meal for breakfast:  pumpkin pie "n'oatmeal"!

i'm not quite ready to share it with you

(just have to try one more tweak then you'll be the first to know - promise!)

until then, i wanted to share this little gem from my devotional this morning

(from today's morning reading in Morning and Evening by Charles Haddon Suprgeon)

Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our gladness. 

That He is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our own foolishness. 

That He is mighty, should cause us to rejoice who tremble at our weakness. 

That he is everlasting, should always be a theme of joy when we know that we wither as the grass. 

That He is unchanging, should perpetually yield us a song, since we change every hour. 

That He is full of grace, that He is overflowing with it, and that this grace in covenant He has given to us; that it is ours to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, ours to bring us to glory-all this should tend to make us glad in Him.

...So let God's people now rehearse the deeds of the Lord! Let them tell of His mighty acts, and "sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously." Nor let them ever cease to sing, for as new mercies flow to them day by day, so should their gladness in the Lord's loving acts in providence and in grace show itself in continued thanksgiving. Be glad ye children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God.

(full devotional here)

so thankful that in my foolishness, my weakness, my finitude, my unsteadyness

i can and i should be glad in Him!

settling in

well, 

it's just over half way through September and we are finally starting to settle from our move

i'm so excited to share our new little space with you

whether that's through my feeble attempts at home decor

(seriously, not my forte)

or through the little things we'll be doing around here:

cooking

mothering

exploring

living

i've not taken my "fancy camera" out of it's case since we moved

except to second shoot that wedding i mentioned last post

but i have taken a few snapshots on my phone

so without further a do, here's a glimpse at what life's been like the past couple weeks:

(if you follow me on instagram, you've already seen these, so this is for the rest of you!)

our new view

books unpacked = a morning with dr seuss!

produce bought!  another "milestone"!

gotta take a break from unpacking...beach day!  (and beach hair  ;) )

girlies painting in the backyard = unpacking in peace

whoops, guess i got too into unpacking - girlie got into my mascara while i wasn't looking

rainy day people watching...another distraction while mama unpacks

finally starting to cook meals in our new home!!!

(this would be Sheena's recipe - I just used sheep feta instead of goat cheese)

...and that about wraps it up

happy weekend, folks!

st patrick's day green x2

yesterday was st. patrick's day

which has always seemed to be an interesting 'holiday' to me

some people seem to go all out - green hair, green clothes, big green themed party...

and others...not so much

my family never really celebrated it growing up

in fact, i remember going to school those first couple years after moving to the states

and thinking what a coincidence it was that nearly every once in my class wore green on the same day 

what are the odds? i would think to myself

and why are these green-clad classmates of mine pinching those of us who didn't get the memo?

i eventually figured out what was going on

and started wearing something green on the day, just for fun

but that's about as much as i participate...and my family thinks i'm strange for even doing that!

ironically, i had a green smoothie for breakfast today

and thought to myself: 

darn - shoulda thought of this yesterday, then i could have put a st. patty's day post on the blog!

but then i figured, why not share it a day late - it's what all the cool kids are doing, right?

...ok, maybe not, but it's what i'm doing

i should note that i was feeling pretty lazy when i made this

which means this recipe is as simple as it gets:

3 ingredients, 1 step - easy, peasy

lazy day hemp protein green smoothie

ingredients:

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup mighty mango naked juice

(maybe this is cheating, but it was in my fridge so i used it!)

- 1 big fistful of organic baby spinach

- 2 tbsp raw shelled hemp seeds

(you could probably bump this up to 3 if you want, i only did 2 because i had some coconut coffee already and i figured the fat from that would fill me up a little bit)

directions:

- blend ingredients together and pour into a glass

oh, and if you want to see even more green, 

check out this picture from a recent newborn session i did with my sweet niece:

(more images here, if you're interested)

early mornings deserve good coffee

being a mom means lots of early mornings

which, in turn, means more coffee than i had in my pre-baby life

don't get me wrong, i've always loved a good cup o' joe

usually black

sometimes with a splash of cream or whole milk

but with so many more cups of coffee in my day-to-day now,

 i have that many more opportunities to try something new with my coffee

i've had mochas, lattes, macchiatos, flat out espresso...and the list goes on

i'm a creature of habit though, so most of the time it's still just black

that first cup of the day is definitely the most important, though

and my current favorite way to drink it is with coconut oil

weird, right?

i thought so when i first read about it

but after mulling it over for a while, i came up with a couple reasons to give it a shot:

1) it would start my day off with healthy fats

(which sends your brain happy, satisfied vibes and helps ward off sugar cravings)

2) i would get to enjoy the flavor of coconut in my coffee, 

without the addition of an unhealthy sugar-based syrup

3) it would help stabilize my wacko blood sugars (this was especially important since sometimes breakfast has to wait till the girlies are fed...and i am prone to getting hangry)

4) sort of related to the first benefit, but i wanted to incorporate more good fats in my diet, since it reduces inflammation in the body, helps your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients and does wonders for your hair and skin...among other benefits (i'm speaking from experience here!)

and if those reasons aren't enough to convince you to try it, this last one has to:

5) if i didn't like it, i could just pour my coffee down the drain and make a fresh cup

so, what are you waiting for?  go give it a try!

 ingredients:

- hot, freshly brewed coffee (enough for 1 cup)

- 1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil 

special equipment:  
a milk frother 
OR 
a magic bullet / comparable single serve blender 

directions (frother method):

- pour coffee in your mug so that it is 1/3 - 1/2 full

- add coconut oil

- use frother to blend oil and coffee until it reaches a latte-like color and consistency*

- top with remaining coffee

- enjoy!

*this step helps avoid coffee and oil splatter everywhere...trust me, i speak from experience!

***

directions (magic bullet / single serve blender method):

- dump all ingredients into your blender

- blend until it reaches a latte-like color and consistency

- enjoy!

one thing i should note is that if you take too long to drink your coffee you might have to re-blend
just because after some time, the oil can separate from the liquid and form a layer on the top
which, as you can imagine, is not exactly appetizing
most people drink their coffee faster than it takes for the oil to separate
but i thought it was worth pointing out just in case!  :)

on going paleo / primal + a handful of recipes (part 1)

a couple of months ago,
i decided to go paleo / primal for a few weeks
in an effort to try and heal certain issues i've been having with my body

i went in cold turkey
and suffered from some serious "carb flu"
(which i didn't even know existed before!)
but once i got through about a week of that...i actually felt better!

all of a sudden,
i didn't have to eat every 2-3 hours in order to avoid melting down
i didn't go to bed every night with an upset tummy
my energy and blood sugar levels "magically" evened out
my hair got thicker
my skin became less dry
etc

now, i've never been much of a bandwagon jumper,
but i was sold!
i've always eaten pretty well,
but drastically cutting back on grain and sugar
then focusing on eating high quality protein, as many vegetables as i could fit in + healthy fats instead
had made a HUGE difference in my overall well being

but let's be honest, here:  i'm not always great at sticking to it
in fact, i tend to be an all or nothing type of person
so in order to help myself not let this new way of eating take over / stress me out,
i aim for the 80/20 rule
which means that i try and stick to it 80% of the time
and not worry about it the rest of the time
(although sometimes, it's more like 50/50 - hah!  ...moderation, right? ;) )

at any rate, the toughest part of this whole shift
was coming up with grain free, nutrient dense meal ideas,
especially for breakfast
so i thought i'd share some ideas that worked for me
in case you wanted to give it a try!
(or if you just want some delicious / easy / quick / healthy meal ideas)

**note:  having recently spent a lot of time researching meal ideas, i know it can be overwhelming to sort through a sea of recipes, so i decided to split this post into two parts - come by tomorrow for another batch of meal ideas!**

sweet potato hash

shred up sweet potato and fry it up in some bacon grease...i try to avoid constantly stirring so that it gets a bit of that charred flavor to it - delish!  serve with a side of high quality protein (free range / local eggs, nitrite free bacon & nitrite free smokies with no mystery ingredients added are some of my favorites)

eggs + veg

sometimes, i stuff my eggs with vegetables, sometimes i just plop them on top of or beside them.  if i feel like living it up a bit, i sometimes add a bit of goat brie to my eggs + veg...amaze-balls!
also, this is a great way of using up leftover veggies kicking around in the fridge

paleo shepard's pie

speaking of leftovers, this was one of those "lets throw whatever's in the fridge together" meals that worked out just right:  leftover steamed cauliflower + leftover gaps friendly gravy ( both from our thanksgiving menu) + leftover seasoned grass-fed ground beef (from taco night).  just heat and mix everything together for a delicious shepard's pie-ish bowl of comfort

breakfast bowl

this one was inspired by my sister's favorite breakfast, except i subbed out the hash brown base she usually uses with cubed and pan fried acorn squash.  add some eggs, chopped green onions, plus a sprinkling of mozz and you are set!  oh, and s+p, to taste

enjoy!

blueberry scuffins

what's a scuffin, you ask?

well, it's a scone-turned-muffin

or maybe it's a round mini scone

it doesn't really matter what you choose to call them,

all that matters is you make them

now

i made a dozen of these babies last monday morning

by tuesday morning, there were none left

they're that good

plus they're gluten free, dairy free and only lightly sweetened

extra bonus points:  the girls couldn't get enough of these and they were even daniel approved
(and not in that i-love-you-so-i'll-have-a-thank-you-helping way...he really, truly liked them!)

it all started when i spotted some cashew flour at Trader Joe's
while emptying the shelves stocking up in the nuts and seeds aisle
and since i've been doing a lot of gluten free baking recently
i thought it might be nice to try a different kind of flour
(vs. almond or coconut flour - both of which i love, but i also love variety, if ya know what i mean)

so i threw it in my cart,
made random small talk with the cashier
("oh, that's a new item we're carrying...i love gingersnaps and frozen berries...care to try a dark chocolate peanut butter cup?" etc),
then brought my loot home
and began my search for a cashew-based recipe

after sifting through a few search results,
i decided on this recipe,
and with just a few tweaks i was happily measuring and mixing ingredients
until it came time to pour my batter into my pan
and it hit me that my 9" metal pan was in storage!!!

but i decided not to let something silly like that faze me:

don't have the right sized pan?  just bake them in a muffin tin instead!
and thus, the birth of the scuffin

so, now that i've given you waaaaaaaaaay more background info that you cared for
i'll get to the good part and give you my version of the recipe

grain / dairy free wild blueberry scuffins

ingredients:

- 1 1/3 cup cashew flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 cup frozen wild blueberries

 - 1/4 cup organic coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg (preferably local / free range / organic - they totally taste better!)

instructions:
- preheat oven to 350* and line or grease a muffin tin 
(i was feeling lazy so i lined mine with parchment paper baking cups)

- measure and set out blueberries so they can thaw out a bit while you get everything else ready

- in a medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients (first "set" above) and put aside

- warm your coconut oil until it's just melted (preferably stove-top, but microwave works too) then add in the maple syrup and vanilla (if you went the stove-top route, remove it from heat first) and set aside while you stir your blueberries into your dry ingredient mixture

- next, add your warm liquids mixture into your dry ingredients
(**note:  you are going to want to move quickly, otherwise the frozen blueberries will harden your coconut oil and it won't mix in as well**)

- lightly beat your egg and add it to the batter

- divide batter into your prepared muffin tin (they won't fill up the way muffins do - think flatter and more dense) and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden on top

- once they're baked, transfer your scuffins to a cooling rack and resist the urge to dig in for 5-10 minutes

enjoy!

a little bit of this, a little bit of that

hi folks, 

so i've not been around as much lately

about a week and a half ago

i challenged myself to unplug a bit:

spend more time with my family, less time with my screens (computer, phone, etc)

i thought i'd have a hard time with it, 

but it actually ended up being a breath of fresh air;

something i needed more than i thought i did

at the same time, i drastically changed my diet

and decided to try going paleo / primal for a couple weeks

in an attempt to level out my crazy blood sugars,

which left me a bit more lethargic than usual

(read: unable to do anything more than the bare necessities) 

"why a just couple weeks," you ask?

because we'll be off to Florida in T-minus two days (!!!)

and i don't want to stress out about food 

while sharing meals with eight other people

even so, i think i've already benefited from the sugar / carb detox

and the main point was to sort of hit the reset button on my system

then revisit whether or not i want to adopt the lifestyle after our holiday

anywway, during my time away from my computer

i came up with this recipe that i've been dying to share

i make it when i'm having a hard time making it to supper

or if i need a late night snack

or anytime, really

it's actually pretty healthy,

includes natural protein plus a bunch of other goodies (from the hemp)

and it tastes just like a chocolate shake!

i have to warn you, though, every time i make one of these, 

i end up having to make more

because the kiddos practically breathe it in

chocolate coconut protein shake

1 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup ice

1 tbsp cocoa

2 dried dates

2 tbsp organic shelled hemp seeds

- dump all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until ice is crushed

and there you have it - naturally sweetened, paleo friendly, delicious chocolatey goodness!

oh, and one more exciting thing happened recently:

i got to do a mini-photoshoot with my sister and her little family

to announce to the world that she's having another baby!!!

i've been dying to spill the beans,

and now, finally, we don't have to be all hush-hush about it

if you follow me on facebook or instagram, you'll have already seen these,

but i thought i'd share some favorites for those of you in the blog-o-sphere:

alright, i think i've rambled long enough

what have you been up to the past couple weeks?

p.s. it might be quiet around here for a while yet - this will probably be my last post before we leave, and i don't know if i'll get a chance to update while we're on vacation, but i'll try!

Green Monster

kind of a funny name, huh?

apparently, it's a pretty common name for a green smoothie

and to be honest, the name doesn't sound very appealing (to me anyway)

but i've always liked the color green

and i like the idea of a smoothie packed full of healthy ingredients

('cause any mom will agree that you sometimes get so caught up in feeding them well, 

that you forget all about feeding yourself well...)

so i figured i'd give it a shot

the nice thing about these "green monsters" 

is that there's no recipe

which means you get to customize it

using whatever you have on hand

or whatever your favorite ingredients are

and it can be as easy or as complicated as you want

...and i like the sound of that!

so here's my take:

super fresh,

somewhat tart,

a bit of a tropical twist, 

ridiculously quick / simple

and of course, bright green.

Green Monster Smoothie

- 2 handfuls spinach

- 1 lime: juiced and 1/2 zested

- 3/4 cup coconut milk

- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

- 1/2 cup greek yogurt

1) throw all ingredients into food processor or blender and blend until well mixed

2) pour into a tall glass or mason jar and enjoy

it's that simple.  

friday favorites

it's friday - hooray!

our family had a bad sleeping week

but hopefully the kidsies will remember how nice it is to sleep through the night soon

and get back to it

at least with the weekend coming up, us tired parents can split up baby-duty so it's a little easier to manage

plus, we each usually get a sleep-in day, while the other takes the girlies downstairs

so in celebration of friday, i thought i'd share some recent favorites around here:

- we've been enjoying (and occasionally even dancing to) this playlist lately:

- melty goat brie and pepper jelly sandwiches

(don't knock it till ya try it - it's soooooo good!)

- the bunny we spotted in the backyard yesterday morning...a HUGE hit with the girls

- lots of extra time spent with my sister this week

(including one day when she watched the kiddos and straightened my hair while i got some work done...yes, i am blessed)

- discovering a new coffee shop in town with the most AMAZING drinks

- working through more pictures from my newborn session last weekend...so many favorites from this session!

- my wonderful husband, who went to the grocery store at 9:30 last night so that i could stay home and work out then reward myself with the watermelon he brought home for me

- my instagram friends, even the ones i've never met...it may be superficial, but it's really nice to flip through pretty pictures, read about others' ups and downs, be inspired, encourage and be encouraged

- introducing the girlies to french toast...easy enough to whip up on a weekday, "fancy" enough to get the girls excited for breakfast.  cut it into strips and it makes a great finger food!

easiest french toast

2 slices whole grain bread

1 egg

a couple dashes cinnamon

a squirt (1 tsp?) agave nectar

a smidge coconut oil (to grease pan)

- heat coconut oil in pan on medium / medium high heat

- beat egg and add cinnamon and agave nectar

(these can also be added as toppings at the end, once the french toast is done - i just decided to throw them in the batter so they'd cook on and make the meal a little less messy)

- dip both sides of your first bread slice into egg batter

- place bread on frying pan.  once first side cooks up, flip it and cook the other side.  this doesn't take long, but it depends on how much egg your bread soaked up.

- remove from pan and repeat with next slice

- cut french toast into strips and serve with fruit and yogurt for dipping (optional, but a big hit with the littles)

and that's a wrap - happy weekend, everybody! 

how is it already friday / thank heavens it's friday!

have you ever hand one of those weeks (or days, or months...)

that both flew by and dragged on at the same time?

well, this was one of those weeks

nothing particularly bad happened

just the girlies and i are sick again

which makes for sad babies / long nights / a tired mama / no downtime

...and three girls who are extremely thankful for friday, 

when daddy comes home early(ish) 

and can take care of us / snuggle with us

...hooray! 

you know what else i'm thankful for today? 

leftovers that recycle beautifully into a quick and healthy breakfast

to get me started on the right foot for the {potentially} long day ahead!

it all started when we had tacos for dinner the other night

but since i'm not a huge fan of ground beef, 

i cooked up some red quinoa to substitute for most of the beef on my plate  

(side note: it's pronounced keen-wa, if anyone's wondering...i know i did for a while!), 

then added a tiny bit of beef to get that taco flavor and vwalla - all the yumminess + protein, 

with barely any ground beef!

(yes, i admittedly feel very clever about my solution)

anyway, all that to say, I had some leftover quinoa in the fridge that needed using up

so this morning, i made "quinoa porridge" with it, and it actually turned out really good!

...not to mention, it may just be the easiest breakfast you'll ever make *double bonus*

if you're strapped for time, or have some cooked quinoa that needs recycling / reinventing, 

(or even if you have the time to make quinoa especially for this)

you should definitely give it a try

keep in mind, these measurements are guesstimates and can easily be adjusted to your tastes!

leftover quinoa porridge

1 cup cooked quinoa 

milk 

(i used a splash of 2% mixed with some organic unsweetened brown rice milk - use just enough to cover the quinoa)

a handful of dried fruit 

(i used craisins infused with pomegranate juice, but whatever you've got on hand works - raisins, currants, blueberries, apricots, anything really!) 

a swirl of honey

a dash or two of cinnamon  

- put quinoa in a microwave safe bowl and add milk until it is just level with the quinoa then zap for 30 seconds or until it is warm enough for your liking 

(if you cooked quinoa up especially for this breakfast, skip the zapping and just stir the milk in once the quinoa's cooked)

- top with remaining ingredients

- enjoy your delicious, healthy and super easy breakfast!

can it get any easier?  didn't think so.