J's Amazing Oatmeal Cookies

My friend J gave me this amazing recipe for GF oatmeal cookies. I actually didn't read to the bottom of her email and have never put them in the freezer although I made an extra batch of dough that I will probably stick there. I also have never added cinnamon or anything else but I am sure that would be yummy! As a note, oatmeal and oat flour is NOT gluten free however Bob's Red Mill makes GF oats. Take them for a whirl in the blender to make the oats into the oat flour.

Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup margarine---I'm going to try to make them this week with coconut oi instead and see how it goes...

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup loose brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tbs water, 1 1/2 tbs oil, 1 tsp baking powder mixed together (or egg replacer for one egg)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cup quick oats

1 1/2 cup oat flour

If you are making oatmeal cookies, add 1 tsp. cinnamon and/or raisins, dried cherries, or dried apples. If you are making choc. chip cookies skip the cinnamon and just stir in GFCF choc chips.

Cream together wet ingredients, stir in dry. If it seems really wet, add a little extra flour. Scoop small amounts (about a tsp) onto cookie sheet and pack tightly. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about ten minutes then bake for 7-9 minutes at 325 degrees or until set. Let them cool well on cookie sheet before removing. Makes about 2.5 dozen.

I know it sounds weird to stick them in the freezer and then the oven, but for some reason it helps them hold together better without any eggs.

Sushi Rice ball ideas!

My Son Eats Spinach!!!

Ok he drinks it. And don't tell him! One of my favorite food blogs is Happy Foody. Going 100% (or even 50%) raw is probably outside the realm of possibility; however she inspires me to at least eat a bit more 'green.' I have started making 'green smoothies' each day for the entire clan. To start off I have put frozen blueberries in the mix which makes the smoothies purple which is a little less off putting. I mix frozen strawberries and blueberries and a frozen banana with a bit of water to blend. Then I add a couple of handfuls of baby spinach with some additional water and some agave. If you have a 'regular' blender, you need to let it go for quite some time and there might be the occasional spinach leaf that you come across. I am thinking about the purchase of a Vitamix which will not only make great green smoothies but much much more. They cost quite a bit of cabbage though. But I have heard they are a mean machine.

Now don't be scared!!!! I was...but I went for it. And they are delicious. There are many different recipes you can find online and it is great for extra greens you have lying around. Plus, can you get your kid to eat spinach any other way???!!!

Vitamix Giveaway!!!!!!

You can find a free Vitamix Giveaway here!!!! on Jessie Hawkins blog.

Andrew's Birthday Cake design....

Here is Andrew's design for a birthday cake.
Yes he wants it to say Happy Bday (not Birthday.)
Notice the 'Gold tooth.)
Press the button to see us drawing it using the FB graffiti feature

Val's Weight Loss Challenge.... and back to school lunches!

I decided to participate in Val's weight loss challenge. I am in a blogging rut on my other blog even though I had two running ideas going including Top Ten Assumptions and the melding of autism and hearing impairment. So I think I'll take a break from the heavy stuff and blog on the weight loss and the 'Extreme Makeover" I am doing on the house. (Later on that in another post.)

My goals for this week are to stay away from the chips: Lays and Chocolate. I also need to drink more water and go for regular walks. A massage on Tuesday won't hurt either!

I just picked up a book today, Japanese Meals On the Go Bento Boxes. GFCF lunches are always so much better when you have FUN with them and go 'outside the box' and just forget the sandwiches. There are lots of places to pick up 'to go' Bento Boxes including Laptop Lunches where I ordered mine. I noticed that Pottery Barn Kids had some interesting looking ones and with this being back to school time I am sure you can find great options at Walmart or Target. The Pottery Barn and Laptop Lunches boxes are phthalate, BPA and lead free. The Laptop Lunches comes with a little cookbook with plenty of ideas! You can see one thing we put together here. There are oodles of ideas on the internet and in blogs!

Cream of Chicken Coconut Soup- sans moo milk

Dying for something creamy the other night I whipped the following soup together. Red curry paste is nothing like curry powder. So if you think you wont like it...just try it. Or sub another spice.

cook 16 oz Chicken (thighs) in (approx) 16-20 oz chicken broth. (almost a full Costco size box.)
cut up the chicken after cooked. Scissors make easy work of this! I just stick them in the pot and snip away.

Add 15 oz can light coconut milk, 2 cups peppers (I dumped in a bag of frozen peppers from TJs.) Add other veggies at will. I used frozen corn but (frozen) spinach would be great as well and I noticed some online recipes added corn. Add 1TB of red curry paste. Simmer for a few minutes and enjoy! Oh..Add cilantro as an afterthought...if you like it!

Although this doesn't freeze well, it is wonderful if you store in the fridge for the week and warm it up in the mircowave.