Maca Chia Loaf! What to do when your toddler turns vegan.

To my chagrin, Jake turns up his nose to any kind of meat, fish or egg. Since he's my first, of course I'm worried about his omega 3's and protein intake. I can't sneak in fish oil, his taste buds are too smart for that. So my refrigerator has turned into a powder laboratory, from maca powder, to chia and flax seeds, then add the probiotics and green powder that I put in my morning smoothies....it's absurd. Here is a picture of some of them...

So why not add a few of my potions for a treat with tea and make them even heather! Chia is loaded with omega 3's and are becoming a new superfood. And Maca is packed with vitamins and minerals.
Here it goes...THE MACA CHIA LOAF! My baking mix includes chia but this gives it an extra shot of this super seed. For those of you just reading my blog, my flour is mixed with quinoa, teff and brown rice, so these are some pretty healthy treats.

1 and 3/4 cup of amy ruth's baking mix
½ cup of goat yogurt
2 eggs
¼ cup of oil
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
½ cup of pear puree
1/3 cup of sweetener or sugar to taste
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 cup of maca powder
1/4 cup of chia seed gel (take 1/8 cup of chia seeds and mix with 1 cup of coconut water) keep in fridge for a few hours, this will yield a small bowl of gel) just use 1/8 of a cup and you can put the rest in smoothies for the next week.
1/2 cup of blueberries (I used frozen)

Mix all ingredients together, throw in blueberries at the end and bake in a 9 by 5 loaf pan for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (180 c)

Oh Jake, why can't you eat a steak!

Muesli Muffins!

These muffins are great because most of the work is done the night before when you soak the gluten free muesli of your choice with yogurt! And they're toddler approved:)

1 cup of muesli
1 cup of amy ruth's baking mix
1/4 cup of yogurt (you can choose any percentage of fat and either cow or goat)
1/4 cup of oil
10 ounces of coconut milk, water or soy milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of sweetener

The night before, soak 1/4 cup of yogurt and 10 ounces of coconut milk with the muesli and flour.
The next day, add the raising agents to the muesli mixture. Then add an egg, 1/4 cup of oil, vanilla extract and 1/3 cup of sweetener.
Mix it all together and put in lined muffin tins. They bake for approximately 20 minutes at 180 C.

Almond-Apricot Bread

Gluten-Free Bread just keeps getting better. Imagine the kind of bread you might get at a rustic bed and breakfast with a warm and slightly sweet loaf waiting for you.....

2/3 cup of chestnut flour
1/3 cup of cornstarch
1/3 cup of tapioca starch
1/3 cup of potato starch
1/3 cup of oat bran mixed with flax seeds
1/4 cup of dried milk powder
3 tablespoons of sugar or sweetener

1 cup of water
1 egg plus an extra egg white
1/2 teaspoon of cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
3 Tablespoons of oil

1 1/2 teaspoons of xantham gum
1 teaspoon of gelatin
2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast
1 teaspoon of salt

[1/2 cup of chopped apricots and flaked almonds]

Mix all of the wet ingredients together, put them in the bread machine, then add the dry ingredients except for the yeast. Make a little thumbprint and add the yeast inside. Or follow the instructions of your bread machine. (Add 1/2 cup of flaked almonds and chopped apricots according to how your bread machine handles additional ingredients)

Pumpkin Muffins!

I love pumpkin and butternut squash so much that I never wait until fall to bake with it, but it's almost October and I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't post a pumpkin muffin. These little orange beauties are perfect all year round and make everyone's tummy happy.

1 and a half cups of amy ruth's baking mix
1 cup of pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup of pear puree
1/4 cup of sweetener
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 cup of flax seeds

How to Bake Looking Fabulous

There are many things I can do well, baking is one of them. Looking current and chic is not. I spent 2 years wearing Lululemon workout clothes, through my pregnancy and for a whole year afterwards. But then a truly extraordinary woman, Sarah Hogan, walked into my life and turned my old pieces into major fashion statements. A day with Sarah is better than a day at a spa. You're left with your old wardroble, spruced up without the clutter of your old clothes that you don't know what to do with. After a day of Sarah, I feel purged, decluttered, and I know exactly what to throw on and look like a thirty something year old woman with a real wardrobe. I don't know anyone else who admits to using a personal stylist, but I say it how it is.... somtimes we all need a little help.

http://www.sarahhoganstylist.com

Chestnut Flour Muffins

On a recent trip to New York, my mother made my blueberry muffin recipe from this blog, added one mashed banana, and they were delicious. Along with that, she bought a bag of chestnut flour that I could experiment with. So in the midst of fatigue and jet-lag at 5am, I made a batch of muffins primarily made of chestnut flour. This flour could be a new favorite!!

1 cup of chestnut flour
1/2 cup of potato starch
1/8 cup of flax seeds
1 teaspoon of xantham gum
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of apple puree
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of yogurt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
dash of salt
1/2 cup of cut up strawberries
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of sweetener or sugar (to taste)

Mix wet ingredients together and add to mixed dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fold in the strawberries or any fresh or dried fruit of choice. Bakes approximately 10 muffins. Bake at preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Gluten Free Bread that even your mother- in-law will love

I do love my husband's mother. She's a wonderful baker. But she, like many others, think that gluten free bread tastes "gluten free." Millet and almond flour give this a sweet and healthy taste. Using tricks like gelatin and xanthan gum will make you say goodbye to any gluten-free tasting bread! The last day of my summer in La Jolla, I made my mother-in-law taste it. If only I had a tape recorder as she said "this is good."
Cinnamon makes the whole house smell amazing and the day it's baked, my toddler goes nuts for it!

2 cups of amy ruth's baking mix
1 teaspooon of unflavored gelatin
2 tablepoons of sugar or sweetener. (I use erythritol and I use 3 to make a sweeter bread)
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 cup of dry buttermilk powder
2 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast granules
1 egg plus 1 egg white
1/2 teaspooon of cider vinegar
1 cup of water
3 tablespoons of oil

Using a bread machine, follow the directions of your own bread machine as each is different. With mine, I put in all of the wet ingredients first. Then pour the dry ingredients on top without the yeast. Make a little well in the dry ingredients and put the yeast inside. Do a regular loaf setting. (With my machine, it took 3 and 3/4 hours)