Weekly Family Photo #4

Weekly Family Photo #3

At Rainbow Bridge!

Weekly Family Photo #2

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Granola Cookies - Gluten Free

Forgive me while I try to figure out how on earth to take pictures of food...

Since being diagnosed with celiac disease I have not dared try to make plain old chocolate chip cookies.  I've had the "real thing" for so many years I just know any alternative wouldn't taste good yet!  So, when I had a hankering for some cookies (um, I get that hankering every day) I jumped on Mel's site - as usual - and started looking through options.

I found these cookies that she posted a couple years ago: I remember seeing them then and thinking, "Huh.  Those sound odd.  I wonder if we'd like those."  I filed the recipe in my recipe binder for a couple years but never pulled them out.  Until last month!

My giant bowl of cookie dough.  You can't tell the dried cranberries apart from the chocolate chips, but they're in there.  And those toasted almonds were so good: much better than the untoasted sliced almonds I used last time.

I've tweaked this to be gluten free and give you all the details below.  To be fair, the first one I tried I couldn't decide what to think.  Then I ate five more and decided I really like them.  :)  TJ also loves them and because they're quinoa they're healthy enough to eat several at a time.  Ha!

Oh, and a funny story: I knew I wanted to restock these in the freezer, but I had no clue how much raw quinoa would equate to 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa.  So I made 1 1/2 cups raw, and found out that quinoa quadruples.  Yes, quadruples.  Thankfully, I only doubled the batch at first and, after pulling out about 117 cookies after six hours, I was so glad I didn't quadruple the cookie recipe too!

One of two cooling racks filled with cookies.

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies - Gluten Free

Yield: makes a good amount of cookies, especially when doubled (depending on the size of your cookies, maybe 3-4 dozen per batch)

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup solid coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup (9.5 ounces) honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup gluten free flour blend
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (cooked only in water, not broth)*
• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds**
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Quick tip: I feel like these cookies have more ingredients than a "typical" recipe.  I've found they're easiest to make when I pull out all my ingredients and have them ready to throw in.  For example, get the almonds toasted before you start making the dough.  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and either line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the oats.  Spoon half of the mix into a blender and blend until it's a flour, then put it back into the bowl with the oats.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the oil and honey with an electric mixer.  Quick note: I have to put the honey in the bowl first and then start beating almost as soon as I pour the coconut oil in otherwise it solidifies.  I also add the following ingredients quickly to keep it from getting hard.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
5. Stir in the gluten free flour blend, almond flour, coconut flour, salt, and baking soda until just combined and there are some streaks of dry flour remaining.
6. Add the oats, oat flour, quinoa, almonds, cranberries, and chocolate chips and mix by hand gently (so the dough stays as light as possible) until everything seems spread throughout the dough.
7. Place the dough (balls approximately 2-3 tablespoons large) onto the cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until you are seeing edges that are just browned but the middle is still soft.

NOTE: these freeze beautifully.  Just let them cool before bagging.  We love grabbing one (or six) out of the freezer during the day.

*Be gentle when you're measuring and mixing the quinoa: don't smash it.

**I've found that the Diamond brand of nuts (available on Amazon) does not process their products on the same equipment as wheat, so that's what I get.


Recipe adapted from Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe: I changed the flours to gluten free, decreased the amount of coconut oil, removed the flaxseed and chia seeds, increased the chocolate chips, and switched the oats to be half blended.

This Dad is Super Rad

Last year I saw a picture online of a baby wearing a shirt that said, "My dad is super rad."  In spite of searching online to purchase one for our baby, I could never find one.  I was delighted when one of our neighbors dropped us a pile of clothing they were done with and it included that shirt I had so wanted!

On Saturday morning, I woke just after 6:00 when my alarm went off: the zoo opened at 7:30 that day, and I thought it would be the perfect time for the three of us to get up there with few crowds and great weather.  As I went through Reed's clothes I realized I finally had an occasion for him to wear long sleeves.

The three of us hopped in the car and, when Reed started getting fussy, TJ jumped out of the passenger seat at a red light and ran around to sit in back next to him.  As I looked in the rear view mirror and watched him holding Reed's hand and listened to him talk with him, his voice soft and tender, my heart turned gushy and filled right up with love.  As I drove I thought about what a great dad TJ is: my mind ran through memory after memory and sweet feeling after feeling about these last four months.  This guy that I am so lucky to call my husband is an amazing dad.

TJ is the glue that holds our family together.  He is patient and loyal and kind and his heart seems to have endless reservoirs of love and compassion that he shares so freely.  He comes home from work each day and gives Reed (and me!) a big kiss.  He plays with Reed, laying next to him on the ground, helping him with his toys, reading him stories, watching the latest and greatest tricks Reed has learned.  When we go out for walks it seems Reed is always done in his stroller halfway through and TJ picks him up and carries him home, sometimes from quite a distance.  Reed's bed is on TJ's side of the bed and TJ soothes him in the night when he wakes crying: TJ is often the one to swaddle Reed when he gets tired and patiently hold his binky in while he falls asleep.

In every prayer, TJ thanks Heavenly Father for this beautiful little boy who is our son.  

And in every prayer I thank Heavenly Father for this wonderful man who stands by my side, actively engaged in our family.  

 

Weekly Family Photo #1

Haircut #2

For a few weeks now Reed's hair has been looking a little raggedy.  He's reached that age when he's balding where his head rubs but it's been getting long everywhere else, so this afternoon we did haircut #2. I didn't anticipate two haircuts in his first few months of life.  :)

A quick shot before:

I probably should've taken a picture of his balding spot on back, but alas, it wasn't my favorite anyway.  :)  You can see how long it is here.

And here's the action shot while Jodi is snipping away:

And here's his chubby picture afterwards.  What a handsome fellow!

Also, as a note for future Reed, you're bent over in this picture.  You're not usually quite that roly poly.  :)

Okay, and a few more because I think they're so darling I can't help myself.

And...a video.  Because I can never get enough of his kicking.