The Grands

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This post is about my favorite people!

My hubby, the ones who call me Mom, and the ones who call me NaiNai!

And one fabulous son-in-law, of course!!

Our times together are precious, treasured, and SO, so sweet!

I will let the photos do the talking, because there are some good ones here!

See, I told you!!

Such cute photos!!

These grand babies of ours are growing up fast, and I am holding on SO TIGHT – because I already know how this goes!

River Salem will be three years old in just a couple of weeks!

I love you my precious grand babies!

PLEASE stay little forever!

A Recipe//Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

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This recipe we have had and consistently used for many years now.

It’s that good!

It is from a cookbook, published in 2007, called The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.

I have changed the recipe some over the years.

These muffins are best fresh out of the oven, like most gluten-free baked goods are!

We can keep them for three days in an air tight container on our counter, but they never last that long!

The kiddos love when I re-warm them and then spread some butter on them.

I use these muffins (or also in bread form) for breakfast, snacks, or a side dish for dinner.

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp guar gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
4-5 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup dairy-free coconut milk
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 cup frozen blueberries, optional
1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

In a large bowl, whisk the first seven (dry) ingredients together. In a smaller bowl, mash the bananas. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla and whisk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large bowl, and stir with a large spatula until combined, making sure to get all of the dry ingredients stirred in. Add any of the optional add-ins, if desired, and stir again.

Line the muffin tin with paper liners, or grease the muffin tin. Fill muffin cups just a smidge over full, and smooth the top of the muffin batter with the back of a spoon. Bake muffins in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. If making mini muffins, bake for 10-15 minutes. If making mini bread loaves, bake for 25-30 minutes. Use a toothpick to see if it is done.

Cool on a wire rack and then store in an air tight container on the counter. These also freeze well! Once thawed, just re-warm them in the oven.

*any type of sugar will work – we like coconut sugar because it is low on the glycemic index

*any type of milk should work as well

*if adding blueberries, you can toss them in a little bit of tapioca starch first so that they will not bleed through the whole muffin

Enjoy!!

A Spring Saturday at Twin Oaks

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This Saturday it was warm enough to work on some outside projects here at Twin Oaks!

We also mowed our land for the second time this season.

Someday we hope to be able to do the BIG project of grading and shaping our land into an actual yard – with actual grass – but for now we are enjoying it as is!

Setting up the pool last year did not go as planned, nor did the foundation the guys had worked tirelessly on work as planned either.

They have a new plan for that foundation this year – using what is already there, but embellishing it to make it work!

The boys picked up all the supplies for that plan and they got busy working on it on Saturday.

The boys also bought the supplies to build a fire pit for me as a Mother’s Day gift!

SO sweet!

It turned out great and I can’t wait to use it!

We put it in a spot that works for now with how uneven our yard is, but we will probably move it someday.

The guys also added a hog panel to our garden boxes at my request.

It will serve as a trellis for our cucumbers and our snap peas.

I love how it turned out!

It was mostly chilly this weekend, but it was a gorgeous day to be outside!

The kiddos worked and played hard!

The pups loved being outside too!

Eliza ran Ruby Jane around the yard for hours!

After lunch I ran a cup of coffee to Addie Mae at work!

The day before Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year there because of their beautiful greenhouse full of flowers.

This year was no exception!

Toward the end of the day the sun disappeared and the temperature dropped fast.

Yesterday we had snow flurries in the morning!

Crazy Wisconsin!

We were so thankful for a day outside!

Come on spring, stick around!

We aren’t done with you yet!

Here’s hoping that pool project will be done soon and the weather will be warm enough to swim!!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!!

A Recipe//Almond Chocolate Bites

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Happy quarantine day 1,459, friends!

Just kidding, kinda, ha, ha.

Are you in need of a sweet treat?

We limit sweets here, which makes them more special and delicious when we do have them!

This recipe is originally from the Pioneer Woman, and she calls them cow patties as you can see here.

I changed the recipe some to fit our dietary needs.

There are only four ingredients, or five if you add some sea salt at the end!

For anything chocolate, we use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, which are allergy-friendly and free of all the major allergens.

They have dark chocolate morsels, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and these semi-sweet chocolate mega chunks.

I personally like the dark chocolate morsels the best!

Ok, let’s get to the recipe so you can get your hands on some of these!

Almond Chocolate Bites

one 10 oz. bag of enjoy life chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil

Place ingredients into a saucepan and heat on low until melted and smooth, watching and stirring the entire time. The coconut oil helps the chocolate melt nicely, and makes the chocolate smooth and glossy.

Add:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins

Stir until combined. Drop by small spoonfuls onto a parchment lined tray. Sprinkle the tops with a little sea salt if desired. Place the tray into the freezer to set. Store in the freezer or fridge.

Try to share!

Enjoy!!

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