Happy Anniversary!

Four years.

Today, my husband and I have been married four years!

We have so much to be grateful for in this life we are building together.
Our God.
Our children.
Our relentless love for one another despite unruly circumstances life throws our way.
Our friendship :)
Our compassionate and generous friends.
Our family members, near and far.

So much more could be stated.
Simply put, I am the most blessed woman.

A Paleo observation ...

It's no super-revelation.
But I feel it's a worthy note.

Paleo is simple.

There. I said it. It's just simple.
A little almond flour here. Coconut oil there. Sea salt and baking powder/soda.

I can pretty much put together a tasty entree or baked treat at any point if I have these items on hand, plus some fruit or meat. Btw, if you are shopping well, you have these things on hand :)

Done.

Just sayin'.

Example: Banana-Blueberry Muffins (courtesy Dr. Davis, "Wheatbelly")
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/author/admin/


2 c. almond flour
1/4 c. flaxseed, ground
1/4/c. honey/agave/your choice natural sweetener
1 t. baking powder/soda
1 ripe banana
2 eggs
1/2 fage/sr. cream or coconut/almond milk
1/4 oil, grapeseed, olive, coconut
1 c. blueberries

Preheat to 325-ish*. Combine eggs, sr. cream/milk, oil. Beat in mashed banana. Add in dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into greased or cupped muffin tin. Makes 12 muffins (spread evenly between). Bake for approx. 30 mins. Cool for 15mins before removing. Enjoy!!

Feeling Reflective Today ...

Spring, I love thee. Even on a day like today when you are barely there.
Still, you are beautiful. Full of hope.

This has been my most recent RE-revelation: hope is simply and always there. Even in my days of great despair, it's the green buds against the flying snow. It's the cars and people that show up to a garage sale in 37* and mist for weather.

It is sitting with my sister, laughing and dreaming; remembering yet thinking forward. Eyes misty. Souls connected.

If only I will just be still, and acknowledge the healing of its' presence.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." - Romans 12:12

Beautiful Things

Today, I choose to remember the truth this song beautifully portrays.

"Beautiful Things"
by
Gungor

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

Wheat-free April!

My husband and I are pretty passionate about health and fitness.

One of the things we study is food - it's impact on well-being and lifestyle. "Wheatbelly" by Dr. William Davis has been the topic of our most recent food discussions/learning.



He is almost through the book and then I'm going to tackle it, but in the spirit of practicing what we preach, we have decided that April will be a wheat-free month for us. Together, we are going to experiment with Dr. Davis' ideas about removing wheat from our diet and experience the impact/s directly.

Let's go!

The Orange-Apricot Scones?! A.maz.ing. So light; mild sweetness; especially good slightly warm and with a fork :) Hubby-approved!

Today, I dove deeper into Elana Amsterdam's lovely cookbook, "The Gluten-Free, Almond Flour Cookbook". I made her Chocolate Cake and the Shrimp Fritters. Pictures posted here :)



Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting: definitely need to use a larger cake pan (it spilled over a bit during baking) but has super-delicious, light texture & flavor. The Marshmallow Frosting was fun to try as well. I made it with honey and egg whites - yes, only 2 ingredients! - although I would like to try it next time as the original recipe indicates: agave and egg whites.

Shrimp Fritters: a lovely change in palette - light and super-tasty on a leaf of romaine! We tried it with salsa and soy sauce on the side; both good - sweet chili sauce would also be nice :)

For inspiration or a link to the cookbook itself: www.elanaspantry.com

Enjoy!!

The little things ...

My husband is the light of my life. He is so patient, with me and the world, and teaches me something every day.
He also likes to surprise me!

A few days ago he surprised me with a new cookbook - "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook" by Elana Amsterdam. (If you haven't read her blog yet, definitely check it out: www.elanaspantry.com - by far, one of the best in gluten-free and Paleo out there!)

My first recipe will be made out of it today, in just a few minutes in fact: Orange-Apricot Scones.

Stay tuned for how much we love them ;) Yes, I'm an optimist.