Oh the joys of Motherhood...

Don't get me wrong...being a mom is the most rewarding experience ever! Also the most exhausting and every other adjective in the book.

Stats for this week:

Number of times Liam, almost 4 months slept thru the night - 5 out of 7 isn't bad!
Number of mornings I woke up with Skyler in my bed - 5 (for the record he now goes to bed at 7:30 and sleeps in his own room - progress!)
Cleaned major back poo - 2
Loads of laundry - 7
Times I had to shower more than once in the morning due to projectile vomit down my shirt - 2
Number timer Skyler has peed on the potty this morning - 6 (is this potty training success? yes, he should be at school - but how can I deter progress?)
Average cocktail load in the evening - 1 (switched to a berry acai vodka with kombucha - less calories and deters me from several glasses of wine)
Number of friends I am dying to get in contact with and owe phone calls to - 9 (at least)
Number of friends I need to see immeadiately (if not sooner) - 2


Life could not be sweeter! Have a great weekend!

Gluten free goodness continues with my favorite Vegan French Toast recipe and the best recipes for Gluten free brownies I have come across.

Gluten Free Vegan French Toast

Frozen bananas
Vanilla Soy Milk (or other milk)
Cinnamin
Gluten Free Bread (works amazing with Challah too)
Fresh berries, banana or anything else you like to top french toast

Mix frozen banana in vitamix or other blender with some soymilk, adding cinnamin
You may also want to add a little vanilla if your milk is not flavored
This creates the dip for the bread. Also makes a really nice banana whip to accompany the french toast.
Put banana mixture on plate and coat the bread with mixture, both sides.
Use smart balance margarine to grease pan
Heat on low.
Add bread and cook on both sides.
Add fresh fruit or other garnish.
Enjoy!



Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Brownie Recipe

5 ounces high quality dark chocolate
1/2 cup Organic Coconut Oil
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic light brown sugar
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 organic free-range eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla*
Dark chocolate chips for the top, if desired


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with foil and lightly oil the bottom.

2. Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat, gently stirring. (Or melt in a microwave safe measuring cup and stir together to combine.)

3. In a mixing bowl whisk together the brown sugar, almond meal, brown rice flour, fine sea salt and baking soda. Make a well in the center and add the beaten eggs, vanilla extract and melted dark chocolate mixture. Beat on low-medium for two minutes, until the batter begins to come together. At first it will seem thin, like cake batter, but keep beating until it thickens and becomes smooth and glossy.

4. Even out the batter with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with some dark chocolate chips and press in slightly.

5. Bake in the center of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 32 to 35 minutes, or until the brownies are set. The top will crack, like a flourless chocolate cake.

6. Cool on a wire rack; and remove the cooled brownies from the pan by gripping the foil edges and lifting the brownies out as a whole.

7. Chill for an hour before cutting. (Though warm and gooey is really divine, if you don't mind them falling apart.)

Yield: 12-16 servings


*For chocolate-mint brownies use 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.


More great recipes on the way...

Been looking for the perfect trick or treat bags for the kids?! Look no further...

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Baked Chicken Mediterranean

I stick to a meat free diet, but I enjoy cooking it for the ones I love. I would never ask anyone to adapt to my eating habits. I love to cook for them the foods I love, but will always find recipes they enjoy as well. Here is a great recipe I found from www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com. A great resource for gluten free living. I have also made this recipe without all of the spices, raisins and capers and it was equally delicious.

Baked Chicken - Mediterranean style

4 split organic free-range skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and gluten-free Lemon Pepper seasoning, to taste
1 14-oz can Organic fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup of Organic pasta sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups of thin pepper strips- mixed green, yellow and orange peppers
2 large portobella mushrooms, sliced
10 to 12 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped black olives
2 heaping tablespoons capers
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly oil a 10x13-inch baking pan with olive oil.

Wash the chicken in cold water and pat dry; season with lemon pepper; place in the baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken breasts.

Loosely cover with foil and bake until the chicken is no longer pink inside, anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes depending upon the size of the chicken breasts

Serve with brown rice, quinoa or mashed potatoes. Offer crumbled feta or goat cheese as a garnish.

Serves 4.

Gluten free goodness

In an effort to try my hand at baking a bit more I took on adventure when trying to cook for a friend with a Gluten intolerance. I enjoy testing new ways of eating anyway as well as listening to my body with these substitutions...so my goal here is to see how I feel in the next week (or longer) trying to stick with a Gluten Free diet. Over the next few days I will share some great recipes I am trying at the moment. Enjoy!

Jewish Apple Cakelets

adapted from Ali Shapiro and EcoliciousLife

Ingredients
6 eggs
1 can white beans, rinsed
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon apple sauce
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 orange (seeds removed)
1/3 up + 2 tabelspoons coconut flour
3 small apples peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons raw honey

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Line standard muffin tins with 12 cupcake liners.

Combine first 10 ingredients in vita-mix or kitchenaid

Add in coconut flour and blend until smooth.

Combine remaining ingredients in separate bowl. Spoon half of the apple mixture into the bottom of the lined muffin tins.

Pour batter from blender over apple mixture to fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.

Spoon remaining apple mixture into the almost full muffin liners.

Bake for 20-30 minutes (this varies widely based upon the oven turn the oven light on and peak in occasionally).

This can also be made into one very thick round 8 inch cake or two thinner round 8 inch cakes. When I made it into a thin cake it took about 8 minutes longer than the cupcakes. It's ready when it starts to brown around the edges.

Working on some great dinners...stay tuned.

Working out...anywhere?!

Make Yourself
You are in charge
It is entirely up to you
Make your body
Make your life
Make yourself

You are juggling a child, or two (or even more?!) and getting to the gym or taking a class just might not be possible. Anxious to get back in shape and feel good I went searching for options to get a great workout in just about anywhere. Mission accomplished in finding the Nike Training app on my ipad. Yesterday my son, Skyler and I had a great workout in the apartment while the little one was napping. This particular workout was fine with a yoga mat and light weights. It was a lot of fun too. They show you demos of the exercises and time the increments for you. You can choose your fitness goals and design a workout to accomplish the results you are looking for. Interruptions are no problem and you can pause at at any time and continue later. You can add your own music or choose from all different genres of music. I think you can also document results too. Keep you posted as to what I find. It really is a great solution to get your butt in gear and was fantastic. Can't wait to check it out today. Really no excuse to get a workout in...any time of day. Now you just need the energy...

New Exhibits at the Please Touch Museum

On Sunday we took part in the Please Touch Museum's 2nd Annual - Stroller in the Park Event. We had such a great time. This is our second year getting involved and have enjoyed it so much. Last year we even came in 1st Place! This year there were visits by Elmo and the Philly Fanatic and great sponsors from Whole Foods, Odwalla and Foose. One of our favorite parts of the day was after the race when we had access to the Museum before opening to the public. If only for this - the whole experience would be worthwhile (although the walk is a lot of fun too!) What a great way to enjoy and instill exercise. We had the opportunity to enjoy and check out all the new exhibits that recently opened. A new favorite is the room with the obstacle course with climbing wall, monkey bars, balance beam etc. We also really enjoyed the Rainforest Rhythm experience where children can play music on nature-inspired instruments and explore music from around the world.