Sunday Funday - Doughboys!

It's another cold Sunday in Calgary, the kind of winter day you want to stay in your jammies all day, keeping the house warm from the heat of the oven.  A perfect day to share another one of my favorite childhood activities with my own littles.  

Of course it revolves around food...my mom making loaves of bread.  We always made our own growing up - no store bought bread in our house growing up - imagine that!  My mom is super resourceful, I remember she would even bake the bread in old coffee tins! We lived in the boonies, vegetables from the garden, fruit from the trees, handmade clothes, before the internet, and with no cable TV - gasp!

So with me and my sister in and out of the kitchen, and probably more likely driving her crazy, she would always give us our own pile of dough to keep us busy and we could make our own doughboy creations.

We would use chocolate chips for eyes, and raisins for buttons - but my kids don't enjoy raisins, so I gave them some coloured chips I had on hand, and then let them use their imagination!

Presley wanted arms and legs first - so much fun to eat!   The dough recipe I used made enough for two HUGE doughboys and a loaf of bread we can enjoy with Sunday dinner!

Honey Wheat Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup honey
1Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp dry instant yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups all purpose flour - plus 1/2 cup extra for kneading

Whisk warm water, honey, butter, salt, and yeast until ingredients dissolved.  Gradually add the flours into the bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine.  Place the dough on floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth.  Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with tea towel, and put in warm area (I use top of stove) for 1 1/2 hours to rise - should double.  After the dough has risen, divide into two, one section for dough boys, and one for a loaf.  Let the kids play with their dough, and place second section into loaf pan, cover again with tea towel allowing to rise for second time.  Brush the dough with melted butter before placing in oven.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375.  The doughboys took approximately 30 minutes - but they were huge!
And the loaf, I baked after the doughboys took about 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Raw Honeyed Coconut Macaroons

The first time I tried these Coconut Macaroons, the first thing that came to my mind was "mmmmmmm honeyeyed"!  Honeyeyed? Honeyed? Honied?  Is that a real word that you could use to describe a food, even?!  Is it a real word?  This is seriously what I pondered for a good 20 minutes as I walked the dog on a sunny winter day, and when I returned home, I immediately grabbed a dictionary to try to solve this quandry!

hon·eyed  (hnd)

v.

A past tense and a past participle of honey.

adj. also hon·ied

1. Containing, full of, or sweetened with honey.

2. Ingratiating; sugary: honeyed words.

3. Sweet; dulcet: a honeyed voice.

It certainly isn't a word I would normally use...it almost sounds like a word they might use in the Southern States... Maybe I read it in a book?  But for some reason, these magical creations are perfectly suited to this name!

Raw Honeyed Coconut Macaroons

Recipe Adapted From The Nutritional Epiphany

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup almond flour/meal

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 tsp salt

Add all dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Melt coconut oil on your stove top  or in microwave, and stir honey into coconut oil.  Pour oil and honey mixture over dry ingredients, mixing/mashing as you go.  The mix may still look loose but will hold well when squeezed together.  Roll/squeeze into balls, and place balls in seal-able container, and place container in fridge to firm up.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup & Trusting Your Mommy Instincts

Have you ever had on of those days?  2013 has so far been non-stop with those days, seriously. 

Since Christmas we have been battling one bug or another one after the other - it's like we've been cursed!  Chest cold, Stomach bugs, Norwalk, Strep Throat...and then yesterday my son's dayhome called in the afternoon...he had gotten sick in the van on the way to the park. Great.  This is also, a new to them (the dayhome) van they had just purchased on Friday. Super.
So I got out of work for the afternoon, and got him from the dayhome, cleaned him up and put on a load of laundry.  Meanwhile, he's so hyper I have to send him outside to play!  All better, yay!


And then at 2:00 am the next morning, my daughter comes into our room crying in pain - she thinks her ear drum is about to explode!  I tried to give her pain meds, and a warm compress, but an hour later I wasn't back to sleep and neither was she.  I hate hospitals, and I'm pretty sure they're not going to be able to do anything to help her.  But my husband started making me paranoid about her going deaf and or some godforsaken thing, so off to the Emergency Room we go. ugh.  So, we end up waiting for 3 hours, for them to tell us she just needs to ride it out, and let her body fight off the infection.  Kinda wish they could have given her something for the pain, but glad she's not going deaf, and that we can go home!



6:30 am - crash for a couple hours? or stay up and do dinner prep? Sleeeeeeep!

Buuuuut ,we will still need something for dinner at the end of a long sleep deprived work day, and normally I go home and walk the dog on my lunch break, instead today I threw all of this in the slow cooker in approximately 15 mins, and it turned out delish!









I might be running on empty, and may have lost my mind at this point, but I'm pretty sure you can still trust my taste buds(?!).   And, If I can throw this together like a maniac, I'm sure you can do it at a more leisurely pace, and have a loverly dinner waiting for you at the end of the day.  Aaaand for all the mommy's out there... trust your instincts, and get your sleep!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup 

3 Chicken boneless skinless breasts
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (796ml) whole tomatoes
1 can (540ml) black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp chipotle hot sauce - I used President's Choice brand
1Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Serve with:
shredded cheese; cheddar or monterrey jack would work well.
fresh sliced/diced Avocado, or Guacamole
sour cream
fresh squeezed lime
chopped cilantro
tortilla chips

In slow cooker, stir together chicken broth, onions, garlic, black bean, corn, spices, and canned tomatoes - I squeezed the whole tomatoes in my fist to break them up - if your family prefers a less chunky soup you could blender them.  Add raw chicken breasts cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 7-8 hours.
Remove chicken breast and shred in a bowl with a fork.  Return shredded chicken to slow cooker, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with your favorite toppings.  For an even more substantial meal you could serve on top of rice.

Enjoy!

Sunday Funday! Bird Feeders & Firestarters

Who hasn't made a bird feeder when they were a kid?!  It's a fond childhood memory for me, and I can't deny my littles the same experience, plus it's a BEAutiful day outside!

Have Ready:
Toilet paper rolls -  or paper towel rolls cut in half
Peanut butter - if your kids have allergies you could also you almond butter, peabutter, etc.
Birdseed - I bought mine at Dollerama, save your $$!
Butter knife, or spoon for spreading the peanut butter
...and of course a few handy helpers :)

Have the Birdseed poured onto a plate or shallow dish.  Something with edges is probably a better idea to keep the seeds from escaping and making a mess.

Spread the peanut butter onto the toilet paper roll and roll in birdseed.

If your littles are super young, maybe do the pb spreading for them, and then have them do the rolling.

Hang or slide the bird feeder onto a branch and observe...maybe borrow a book of local bird species from your local library and make it a learning experience too!

Aaaand if you (like me!) have a tonne of toilet paper rolls to make use of, check out this cool idea for Firestarters for summer camping trips or backyard fire pits!  All you need toilet paper rolls and dryer lint!

Enjoy!

Mocha Chip Oaty Balls - No Bake!

 I don't feel overly guitly if I have one (or three) of these yummers as they are pretty healthy for a sweet treat, and contain no white sugar or flour, yay!   Because they have the coffee in them I keep them secret from the littles, hidden away in the fridge just for me!





They take almost no time to throw together, and you'll need only one bowl.  First mix up all dry ingredients...

...adding next all the wet ingredients, mixing until it comes together.  Then using your hands squeeze into balls, and place in sealable container, and transfer to fridge for firming...

...aaand then eating!

No Bake Mocha Chip Oaty Balls

Recipe adapted from: chocolatecoveredkatie

2 Tbsp cocoa/cacao powder
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup oat flour  make your own by blending oats in a blender/food processor until they become powder. Measure after blending
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds/flax meal
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp agave nectar or honey 
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee/espresso granules (I used Starbucks singles)
1/4 cup carob/chocolate/cacao chips
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir.
In measuring cup melt coconut oil, and add remaining liquid ingredients, then pour wet into dry and stir until fully incorporated.
Now you can roll or squeeze into balls and place in fridge to firm up. (because we're using coconut oil, these cookies will harden when chilled, but they go back to being soft if left out.) 

 For gluten-free use certified-gf oats and oat flour.

Enjoy!

Glory Salad



As much as I LOVE sweets, and baking them, and eating them; that indulgence is usually reserved for the weekends.  During the week I'm trying my best to stick to a Paleo style of eating, you know, no bread or rice, lots of veg and meat.  I've managed to lose 12 pounds since December, and had been working on 5 of those pounds over (and over again) up and down, for the last couple years - so this diet is worth sticking to! 
It took a bit of an adjustment to wean myself off of bread, and my lovely family would be lost without the format of Meat-Veg-Starch/Carb for our dinner meals, but modifying them to meet this Paleo diet is a cinch! 

One long time fave that I've altered is this Salad, based on the gorgeous Glory Bowl from the first of the Whitewater Cooks cookbook series.  The original recipe is a really filling dish with a base of brown rice, sauteed tofu, and toasted almonds.  A perfect feast for a long day of skiing at Whitewater, which contains a run for which this dish is named, in my hometown of Nelson, B.C.  - the most beautiful place on earth!

For my version I omitted the tofu and rice but kept the Spinach, shredded Beets and Carrots, and Almonds, all of which are still a perfect vehicle for this creamy dressing  - which I don't change in anyway because it is perfect as it is. 

Glory Bowl Dressing

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tbsp tahini paste

To prepare dressing, combine yeast flakes, water, tamari or soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and garlic in blender adding oil in a steady stream.

Enjoy!

Apple Raisin Pecan Sticky Buns & Life Balance

Good Morning!  Welcome to your own personal snow globe!

My plans were to go to the gym today, but after seeing what I would have to drive in to get there - plans were quickly replaced by the craving to try these delicious cinnamon bun-esque recipe I trolled recently.  Plus I get a cheat day on weekends (quickly becoming cheat weekends. whatever.) might as cheat with these!

 I mean, just look at them!  So, so, Delicious!  Put the workout on hold.  These sticky, sweet, comforting buns are the new plan of the day.  

 First I chopped-up 2 Ambrosia apples, you can peel them first, if you'd prefer...I left the skins on and tossed them in the brown sugar and butter on a parchment covered pan. Covered the apples with foil, and baked for 15 mins.  Whilst they are baking, you can make the dough!

 Rolled out my dough, into a rectangle - mine was definitely longer than 9 inches, but there was a lot of ingredients!  Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, pecans, and top with baked apples.

 I forgot to take a picture before they went into the oven picture, but this is what they look like when they came out.  The house smelled so wonderful, and my tummy was grumbling in anticipation!

Truth?  Once I drizzled the sauce on top of the buns, I ate them directly out of the casserole dish with that spoon.  I used my husbands plate to take a picture of a sticky bun on a plate, but none of mine made it to one.  Ahhhh, confessions.

I allowed myself to digest while I folded and but away a couple loads of laundry, and then I made my way to the basement for a workout.  Because that, my friends, is how I created my life balance today.

Apple Raisin Pecan Sticky Buns

Recipe adapted from: Shutterbean

2 apples cored and sliced 

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk - I used 2%

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup raisins, or other dried berries/fruit.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees . Grease a 9-inch ish baking pan/casserole dish. Place the apples, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet; toss to coat. Cover loosely with foil and roast until tender, 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees .

Meanwhile, blend the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add 5 tablespoons butter and mix until crumbly.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup milk, then mix into the dry ingredients.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to form a 9-inch rectangle. 

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon. Cut up 2 tablespoons butter and dot the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top and cover evenly with the roasted apples. 

Roll up the dough, jelly roll-style, and cut crosswise into 9 slices; place the slices cut side down in the prepared baking pan. Bake until golden, 35 to 40 minutes. 

In a saucepan, bring the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the honey to a boil, stirring. Whisk until reduced, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly. Drizzle the sauce over the warm buns.

Enjoy!