Baking for Buddies

I got to see my Sweet Hubby and one of his co-workers today in the middle of the work day! I love those surprises! The first thing I was asked is,"are there any snacks? or baking?" My Awesome Hubby takes goodies to work all the time, sharing them, and talking me up [its hard to live up to such hype ;)] to his buddies. The co-worker he was with today told me that he had asked his wife for banana muffins the day before, and when she didn't bake them for him he thought, Katie would have baked them for me. And so that's what I did as soon as he left! Darius and I created a new recipe in said co-workers honor, and my goodness is it amazing! If you love healthy snacks that are high in fibre, a good source of protein, contain no colours, preservatives, or refined sugar, then you're going to love these! Oh, and did I mention that they are drool worth-ily delicious and vegan? No word of a lie, these babies are perfect!

Banana [Coco]nut Muffins

an original recipe created by me!



3 very ripe bananas

1/4 c. coconut oil

3/4 c. honey

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2/3 c. coconut milk

2 c. fresh milled whole wheat flour

1/2 c. coconut flakes

1/3 c. chia seeds

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Peel and mash bananas in a large bowl. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the banana mixture, and blend well. Add all of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and blend thoroughly. Spray muffin tins with canola cooking spray, then fill each well 2/3 full.  Tap the muffin tins on the counter a few times to release the air bubbles, the place in preheated oven. Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of muffin comes out clean. Once baked, remove from oven and set on cooling racks before removing from muffin tins.

Enjoy these for breakfast, or as we have today, anytime!



31

Yesterday was my Amazing Husband's birthday! It seems like just yesterday that he was 24 and my older brothers hot friend [for the record, I asked my brother if it was okay to pursue his hot friend.] Or 25 and holding my hands while saying,

"I do; I mean, Yes!"

 Or 27 and hearing,"It's a boy! Congratulations!" The past seven and a half years together [six and a half of them being married] my Wonderful Man has grown into a loving father, supportive husband, and incredible friend.

Happy Birthday Hottie of Mine!

Photographer Giveaway

For all those readers who are also photographers [whether it be professionally, or as a hobbyist] check out J.A.C. Photography's 1K Giveaway! There are so many little goodies I would LOVE to win from her giveaway, that I thought I'd share the wealth and see how many of you would love a little photography treat or two [or rather $1000 worth of goodies!]

Eli Eats

notice the tears and runny nose? Poor kid feel over a few times during his 11month photos!

I'm often asked what I get my boys to eat, since we consume a plant based diet. The short answer: plants. But, seeing as that cheeky answer isn't the full explanation that is being sought out when asking the question, I kept track of what Eli ate today, just to give you a snapshot of what goes into my babes little bod!

*I forgot to mention that Eli is still breastfed. The 'N' will denote the times he breastfed as well.

Prebreakfast: N

Breakfast: cooked rolled oats with hemp hearts, cinnamon, a smidgen of honey, and almond milk and 0.5oz of Vemma

Snack: Apple pieces [skin removed,] hulled raw sunflower seeds, one oatmeal pumpkin cookie [chocolate chips removed,] puffed wheat, and a handful of cheerios

Prelunch: N

Lunch: Quinoa Stew and half a banana

After Nap: N
Snack: half a CLIFF bar broken into bits, with no chocolate chips in it [not an everyday occurrence, but it sure made him happy after a late nap!]

Dinner: Creamy Asparagus Soup with homemade buns

Before Bed: N

So you see, my little 11 month old man-o eats a lot of vegetables, some fruit, whole grains, seeds, and a scattering of nuts. I'm don't give him refined sugar, as there is absolutely no nutritional value to it, and at Eli's age I need to maximise the nutritional content of what I give him, as he goes through spurts of less interest in food, and more interest in figuring out the stairs/toys/walking/etc that his big brother is constantly doing.

If you have questions about any of the above meals fire away!

spill the beans

I love chocolate. Are you surprised? When I spotted this recipe on a wonderful friend’s blog, I stopped for a moment and contemplated the fact that I had all the ingredients on hand to make these brownies my way [meaning, modifying some ingredients to suit my dietary preferences.] The only problem for me was that making them would mean I'd eat them...and if I was the only one home, I'd most likely eat more than I need to. So it took me a few days to whip up a batch haha! These brownies are moist, rich, and every bit as wonderful as I thought they would be. I do not have a picture for you [feel free to check out Cheri's blog, where she did indeed snap a photo] simply because I needed to get these babies portioned off and away from me before I ate the entire pan while making supper. These were a little too rich for my sweet little man, but that’s okay with me...it means more for me haha!

Blackbean Brownies

(from Spilling the Beans, found on cher stuff, and modified to be egg and dairy free by me)

1 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans

1 1/4 cups broken pecan pieces

1/2 cup vegan margarine, like earth balance

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking and Biscuit All Purpose Baking Mix

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp freshly milled flax, added to 1/4 cup cool water

1/2 cup naturally creamed honey

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup good quality dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Spread the rinsed and drained beans out on a double layer of paper towel and blot gently with more paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.* very important step

After milling the flaxseed, add it to the cool water in a cup, and set aside so it can form a gel. This is your egg substitute, and the binding ingredient for the recipe.

Melt the chocolate and margarine together in the micro-wave being careful to stir frequently so as not to burn the chocolate. Remove and let cool slightly. In a separate bowl whisk together the salt and flour, then set aside.

Place the dried-off beans and the margarine/chocolate mixture in a food processor and process until very smooth, scarping the walls of the bowl a couple of times. Add the flax gel, honey, and vanilla - process again. Scrape the mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold together. Add the pecans and chocolate bits and combine.

Scrape the batter into a greased 8x8" pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the batter doesn't jiggle when the pan moves - a toothpick inserted would come out very chocolaty. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting, so that the brownie can set completely.

Once cooled, store at room temperature for softer brownies, in the fridge for firmer brownies, or in the freezer if you lack will power and want to eat the whole pan. We all know where mine are haha!

What is your sweet weakness? Or are you like my Awesome Hubby and go for the salt?

Goals

Fresh slates are additive for me. Mornings, Mondays, 1st of the month, and the creme de la creme JANUARY! I have been letting myself start goals early [meaning, right when I decide to do it, whether it be the afternoon, the 15th of the month, or March] lately, which means I have a running to do list of items needing to be checked off at all times. But January brings order and determination with it, and so I seem to set my grandest goals at this time of year! With my goals written out, posted in my most often view areas, and broken down into steps [yeah for manageable segments!] I have busted through the 2012 starting gates and am feeling great! One of my resolutions is not yet set though, and currently, I'm okay with that. I created this blog to track my progress back to the marathon starting line, and all the wonderful adventures that I encounter along the way with my little family. Now, I'm wavering as to whether I will be doing another marathon in the next couple of years, or whether I will stick to the half marathon distance. Here's the internal debate:

Marathon

 [POSITIVES] lofty and courageous goal; feels great to finish; only a small percentage of the population will ever even attempt a marathon, and fewer will complete one [or more in my case ;)]; [OBSTACLES] time consuming training plan which is trickier than a rubixcube with a young family in tow

Half Marathon

 [POSITIVES] long enough distance to challenge me and keep me interested; easy on my body; training fits my schedule; more races to choose from; more training partners to run with [a serious plus!] [OBSTACLES] does not give me the same thrill that a marathon does

And so you see, they're both great options, but neither is completely perfect for me right now. Either my family will need to make great sacrifices so I can run another marathon right now, or I will change my mental state and meet the half marathon with the same zeal and passion of a marathon. One of my sisters, who is also a runner and my favourite person to run with, suggested running back to back half's [for example one on Saturday then another on Sunday] which would be a challenge, and may just be the tipping point towards the half for me.

January is rolling along, the rest of my goals are formed and stepping along to greatness, and soon enough my running goals will be solidified and ready to pursue full throttle.

Both are fantastic - which would you choose?

Protien Packed Mac'

I posted the other day on facebook about the macaroni and cheese I had really enjoyed eating, and wouldn't you know, I got a few requests for the recipe. So, here you go!

I have recently been loving the blog Healthy Happy Life where blogger Kathy shares yummy vegan recipes. In her 2011 Recipe round up, I noticed a Mac and Cheese recipe that actually looked like it would taste like a real cheese sauce instead of the cardboard tasting oil sauces I have come across up till now. I made Kathy's recipe as directed, then added in just a couple of tweaks, so I'll be sending you to her for the bulk of the recipe, then read on for what I did to make it better - and boy did it ever!

Mac and Cheese Bake

Ingredients

all listed at Healthy Happy Life for her Mac and Cheese recipe

plus an additional three cups cooked pasta

can of corn, drained

corn flakes, roughly 1 cup

Directions

once pasta is cooked, drained and rinsed, and the cheese sauce is bubbly and hot, combine the two in a bowl along with the corn. Once thoroughly combined, transfer to a oven safe corning ware dish, cover with cornflakes, and bake in a 375*F over for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving so that the sauce does not scorch any little mouths!

With beans, sweet potato,  and nutritional yeast hidden in this gem of a dish, it is a nutritional powerhouse. Use whole wheat pasta to up the ante and your set! I need to put a bit of a disclaimer on it though, as my husband informed me that it is delicious, but does not taste like real cheese. So, if you eat 'real' cheese don't expect this to mimic the real deal, but for those of us who haven't tasted cheese in a while, this is a delight!