Almond Pancakes

I came across this on Pinterest recently and I liked the idea of pancakes without white flour.  These would accommodate a lot of diets (they're gluten free and even Paleo, I think).  I was a bit skeptical because not all of my Pinterest experiments turn out well so I just tried out a half batch.  I knew that if I promised my kids pancakes for breakfast and they turned out bad, we'd have a major morning crisis on our hands.

As you would expect of the ingredients, they were a little gritty in texture (I did use the finely ground almond meal from Bob's Red Mills) but I liked the nutty almond flavor.  I might experiment with adding a little more water (or almond milk?) to the batter to make the pancakes a bit thinner.  They reminded me a little of corn cakes that I've had before.  After a few bites, Middle asked me to make "the other kind" of pancakes but for the amount of protein they pack, I'd eat them again!

Almond Pancakes (serves 2-3)
from www.delightedmama.com

1 1/2 cups almond meal
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 T cooking oil (I used vegetable oil - coconut oil would probably be tasty)
1 tsp sugar or other sweetener (optional)
dash of vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together.  Cook as you would "normal" pancakes.  They might not have bubbles on the surface as much as normal ones but if you look closely, you'll see small bubbles and dry edges indicating it's a good time to flip them over.

Pesto Chicken Two Ways

Well, I tried to think of something that would be really awesome to post about for my 400th post but these days, it's just normal everyday food with the goal of making something that my whole family will eat.  So, before I begin, if you're reading this I really appreciate your support of my blog!  I can't believe I've made it to 400 posts . . . here's to 400 more!!

I love pesto - the garlic & basil flavors - but not necessarily on pasta.  It's a little too oily and sometimes too heavy for me.  But, one of my favorite ways to grill chicken is to marinate it in pesto and this week, I made a crock pot version of that same dish.

I have made my own pesto before (mini-chopper doesn't work so well but my hand blender works awesome) and bought it from the store (Costco sells a large container that's a great value but if I'm not going to use that much, I go for Trader Joe's) and honestly, there's not a huge difference in the end result for the recipes I've made.  Keeping some chicken in the freezer and a jar or two of pesto in the pantry will give you an easy dinner option - either on the grill or in the slow cooker.

The other night, I used chicken thighs n the slow cooker, because the organic ones were on sale this week and I served it over cous cous with broccoli on the side.  It was a hit with my picky eaters!

Pesto Chicken Skewers

Cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into 2-3 inch pieces and put them in a large ziplock bag.  Add pesto to cover and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple hours (I've also done it as long as overnight).  Take the chicken out of the marinade and put it on skewers.  If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes before threading the chicken on the skewers.    Discard the pesto.  Grill until the chicken is done - length of time will depend on how thick your chicken chunks are.

Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken

6-8 boneless skinless chicken pieces
6 oz jar of pesto (or about 3/4 cup homemade)
1-2 cups chicken broth

Put the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker and cover with the pesto.  Pour the chicken broth over so that the chicken is barely covered (you're not making soup) and give it a stir.  Put the lid on and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Other great recipes (from my blog) with pesto:

Pesto Potato & Green Bean Salad

Pappardelle with Scallops & Pesto

Pesto Stuffed Zucchini

Lasagna Stacks

Banana Coffee Muffins

The baby is six weeks old tomorrow!  For me, six weeks is a big milestone - a little better sleep, time to start working out again, and our "new" life with the baby begins to feel a little more "normal."  In our house, part of what defines normal is when mama starts cooking again.  I planned meals for the week and took all 3 girls to the grocery store (bribing the two big ones with a donut if they listened and didn't run away) and I'm ready to go!  And, to celebrate the 6 week mark, here's a new blog post.

These days, I really look forward to a little morning caffeine pick-me-up after being up at night with the baby.  Even when it's not delivering a lot of caffeine, I like coffee flavored sweets.  A few weeks ago when I was looking at some different recipes to use up some overripe bananas, I thought this one looked unique and I made a batch of muffins.  They were good - the coffee flavor wasn't too strong and my girls liked them a lot.

Banana Coffee Muffins (makes 1 dozen)
adapted from a recipe by Paula Deen

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 T strong coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mash the bananas and mix in the butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and coffee until well combined.  Sprinkle in the baking soda and stir in the flour until it's just evenly moistened.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups (greased or lined with paper liners) and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Our Easter Activities

We didn't quite get to everything on our Easter activity list - since the girls had already made empty tomb cookies and since they had a particularly bad attitude on the afternoon we were going to do them, we didn't make the cookies this year.  However, we had fun dying Easter eggs and we made Hot Cross Buns.  The hot cross buns turned out fantastic - it reminded me why baking from a raised yeast dough is so amazing.  They were white flour goodness!  We ate a few, gave some to friends, and unfortunately, the saran wrap got left open and the next morning, they were hard and yucky.  I had ambitions of making bread pudding out of the rolls but let's be honest - I would probably be the one here to eat most of it and I'm trying to get back to my normal shape, not eat loads of bread soaked in cream and eggs.

Hot Cross Buns (made 2 dozen)

1.5 cups boiling water
1/4 cup chilled butter, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup evaporated milk
1 T (2 half ounce packages) active dry yeast
2 large eggs, beaten
5-7 cups bread flour
1 T butter, melted
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Put chopped butter into a large bowl and pour boiling water over it, stirring until butter is dissolved.  Stir in sugar and salt.  Stir in 1 cup of evaporated milk and let mixture cool until lukewarm (about 95 degrees F).  Keep the rest of the evaporated milk in the can - you can use this to make the icing at the end.

Stir yeast into lukewarm liquid.  Mix in eggs and 4 cups of flour.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.  I think I added about an extra cup and a half.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl and turn it over so that the top is lightly greased.  Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and knead for 3 minutes.  Shape the dough into buns.  Set the buns on greased or lined baking sheets (I used Silpat - you can use parchment paper).  Cut a cross into the top of each bun.  I used kitchen shears and made a cut lengthwise and crosswise.  Cover and let them rise for about 30 minutes or until they've doubled in bulk.  Bake at 425 degrees for 7-12 minutes.  Remove buns from the oven and brush with melted butter.  Set on a rack to cool.

Mix confectioner's sugar with enough evaporated milk to make a thick icing (or you can use regular milk).  Ice the cross that you cut into each bun.  Let stand until icing thickens on buns.  Best eaten the same day.

On Easter, we had a great day with family at church and at my parents' house.  My girls wore fancy Easter dresses, had an egg hunt with cousins and really enjoyed the day as well.  Hope you have good Easter memories from 2013 as well!

Easter Ideas

Big brought home a coloring sheet from school today which was a version of this picture.  I know it's not a super original idea but I thought it was cute and I liked how it made the 5 year olds giggle.  I don't have anything against the Easter bunny or Santa Claus and I love holidays in general but it was a good reminder to keep Easter about the spiritual meaning that is so important to our family.

Here are some Easter activities (the first two involving food) that I'm hoping to do with my girls this year:

Make Empty Tomb cookies - we did this a few years ago and Jenna asked for it again this year.  Then, they made them with the kids at church last weekend.  It was a big hit and she wants to make them again at home.

Make Hot Cross Buns - I've read that this is a Good Friday tradition and it seems like a fun one to start since my girls have been asking to bake lately.

Dye Easter Eggs - a classic and something I always enjoy.  I am seeing visions of egg salad sandwiches in our future.

And, this year we're not going to pull off this craft but I bookmarked it (yay for Pinterest) and am hoping to get my act together for next year:  Mini Easter Gardens.

Hope you have a blessed Easter!  I'll post some photos if I'm able to pull off my activities this weekend!

February 2013

February is the shortest month, often doesn't have the greatest weather, and is the month that I and Tiny were born.  I was organizing my photos the other day and couldn't believe the things I packed into those 28 days.  Before I move on posting about other stuff, I wanted to recap our family happenings in February 2013.

On February 1st, I took both girls to California Adventure by myself . . . which later I decided wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made but we had a great day.  The girls bought Jessie hats with some of their Christmas money.

Big learned to ride a 2 wheel bike without training wheels and amazed us by zooming up and down our cul de sac.

 Little turned two and a half on February 4th.  I took her to the park for the morning while Big sister was in school.

On Saturday the 8th, it hailed and we had friends over for dinner.  Between the 3 couples there are 3 February birthdays which we celebrated along with long-time friendships, better health and baby Gwendolyn - sad I didn't take any photos!

Then the next day, I took my girls to the Aquarium of the Pacific with our Claremont friends.  I had been promising this trip for a long time and wanted to make good on it before baby girl arrived.

We celebrated Valentine's Day at home with pink drinks, heart shaped sandwiches, and a "fancy" dinner at home.

My family celebrated my 35th birthday at family dinner with an amazing meal, fun gifts, and a birthday cake!  Although I was told a few times in the coming weeks that 35 is officially "advanced maternal age" I kept protesting "but I just turned 35!"

My husband and I had a night away at South Coast Winery in Temecula.  Because my doctor told  me to take it easy and come in every 3 days for non-stress tests (photo below), we missed our walking tour of the winery but had a delicious dinner and a much needed break (translate:  conversation without being interrupted by our kids and a full night's sleep that didn't involve sleeping on our kid's floor or in their bed with them because they are scared)

And, you all know the end of the story (which happens to be the end of the month) but it's the best part . . . Tiny baby sister made her appearance on 2/26 and on 2/28, we took her home with us!

An early surprise (of the best kind!)

So, last Tuesday I had a baby!  For months I've been telling people how much I need baby girl to hang on and wait until her due date (March 16th) to be born.  I'm in the middle of a quarter at work and my maternity leave was supposed to officially start on March 5th.  I've been planning for my March baby and then, she decided to be born in February!  Having a baby is a perfect example of how little control we have over things in our life and how God knows what's best for us and will bring everything about in his perfect timing.

For about a week before her birth, the doctor was concerned about baby girl's rate of growth and had scheduled non-stress tests and an appointment with a specialist.  I reconsidered my work schedule and decided to go in only one more time, on February 25th, and finish my class by working with my students online and grading their work at home.  On my way home from my last day in the classroom, I realized I was having contractions (which I've had on and off this pregnancy) that were pretty regular.  I thought I'd lay down, go to sleep and they'd go away.  Instead, the next morning (and about 45 minutes after we arrived at the hospital), our daughter was born!  The doctor was right in predicting that she'd be small - at 4 lbs 6 oz, she's little for a 37 week baby but like our other girls, she's strong and healthy.  Had I made it to my appointment with the specialist (scheduled for 24 hours after she was actually born), it's likely they would have induced labor or I would have had a c-section.  Everything worked out and our little miracle was born at the perfect time - even though it's not how I thought or what I had been wanting in terms of my own convenience.

We are so grateful for her safe arrival, her good health, and our family of 5.  We are also grateful for all of you that have been praying for us and all your well wishes.  Allow me to introduce you to our brand new baby daughter!

Minutes old - in Daddy's arms

Alert from the beginning!  She doesn't want to miss out on anything.

Middle looks so grown up now that she's the "big sister"!

For some perspective, this is Mini next to Big's American Girl doll.  And Mini is 2 inches shorter!