Weekend Sweets: GF Pumpkin Cookies

I'm still on my Gluten Free Cookie kick.
Even though it's past Thanksgiving, I still think pumpkin can be used for a few more weeks. Then it'll switch over to peppermint. But for now, I'm still white girl crazy about pumpkin.

So I made Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies.
And I had a little help…

These cuties helped mix, dump, and stir all the ingredients together.
It's a pretty easy ingredient list, but because it's gluten free, you have to find a flour mixture you like. I don't think the recipe needs a specific one, per say. I used Pamela Mix.

• Cookies:
• 1 cup light brown sugar (I used dark)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup canola oil (I used half coconut/half veggie oil because I ran out of coconut and that's the only other one I had on hand)
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3½ cups flour King Arthur gluten free flour (I used Pamala Mix) 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 T pumpkin pie spice
• Icing:
• 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt (I used honey flavored)

Like any pumpkin cookie, it was moist and delicious.
If you wanted to make it dairy free, don't put on the icing. I personally think they're good either way.
The recipe made almost 4 dozen cookies so there are plenty to share. I'm sure if you made the cookies a little bigger, then you'd make a few less. But 3 1/2 cups of flour makes a lot of cookies.
Just a helpful hint, the icing doesn't really dry, so stacking the very moist cookie with icing makes for a bit of a mess. You might want to have multiple Tupperware containers with you.

I'd definitely make these again.
<3XOT

Wednesday Review: Lady Dates

My friend and I go on dates.
Because we're both ladies, we've coined the term "Lady Date".
We try to do them as often as we can, but sometimes life gets in the way.

Recently, we have been able to do a couple to great local places.
First, Town Hall Tap.
Second, 612Brew.
They were both really good - and the best company I could ask for!

So, Town Hall Tap is down in South Minneapolis. Actually, it's located on the same block as Sovereign Grounds - a local coffee shop that I take my Little Bean.
It's about 3/4 miles off 35W. Super easy commute from all directions. Parking gets a little convoluted, because it's all street parking. It's actually tucked back in all the shops. Nothing flashy, no great big signs.
Once we parked, we were able to go right in and get a high top near the bar. The waitress was very prompt and friendly. I had previously looked at the food menu, but not their beer selection. Boy was I in for a decision. I can't remember which one I ended up getting - I changed my mind like 100 times, then the waitress recommended something and I went with it. Like most locally brewed beer, I enjoyed it!
Then came the food. At home, I had limited my selection to three options. But when Ryanne ordered a brat, I did too! I got the "The Works" - Sauerkraut, onion, sweet relish, shredded cheddar, and mustard. You would not have wanted to kiss me after, but it was so good. The brat had a good flavor, not too spicy, but just enough to give it a distinct flavor. It was juicy and filled the bun. The toppings were all marvelous. It was definitely an indulgence, but was completely worth it. The shoestring fries had a house seasoning on them and they were perfectly salty, just how I like.
The only thing I would change is giving me a bigger plate! The staff was punctual, the food was delicious, the beer was smooth, and it was overall a great price.
It's not really a convenient location, but well worth a night out for a date. It wasn't completely out of the way if you wanted to head back to Uptown or Southdale to catch a movie. It's about a 15 minute drive either way. I will definitely go back!

So then we went to 612Brew. Not a lot of people have heard about this. But, I used to work in the building next door and frequent Spyhouse Coffee - also for lady dates! It's a fun little building. There's a CorePower Yoga place in the building too. Totally hipster. Totally Minnesotan. It's right on the intersection of Broadway and Central. The parking lot is normally full because of everything there, but you can usually find a spot or two.
Walking in on a Saturday night was a bit overwhelming. There were lots of groups and all the tables were taken. So we snaked into the bar, where we found two seats in between a couple couples. No big deal. We talked to the bartender and he told us his favorites. He was super pleasant and knew about what he was supposed to know about. I ordered a Payback - an oatmeal porter. Really good! It was 7.2% and had a nice sweet flavor to complement the thickness. I also ordered a Rated R - a rye IPA (also their most popular beer) and it was great, too! I'm not super into hoppy beer, but I wanted to be popular (jkjk). It was really good and I'm a sucker for anything citrus, so that evened out the hops.
They don't have an open kitchen so we went to the food truck outside. It was a hibachi grill on wheels. How awesome is that? I had their chicken meal - served with fried rice and veggies, added yum yum sauce and scarfed it down like there was no tomorrow. Rave reviews for them, too! Go find them and order some food.
Overall, the night was a super success. Partly because we found am awesome group of girls and had great fellowship. The food was yummy, the beer was amazing and local, and we laughed all night!

I'm sure we'll check out more local places this winter - and hopefully meet some more great people! I'm so thankful I'm here in Minneapolis and the friendships I've created and the places it's lead me.

<3XOT

Weekend Sweets: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This weekend's sweets experiment was a cookie.
A cookie that falls into my GF choices.

This cookie has no gluten, no flour period, no dairy. Just lots of yummy ingredients that blend into a soft, fluffy cookie! This cookie is approximately 150 calories.

The peanut butter I used was this fun jar I just found at Trader Joe's - crunchy and salted with flax and chia seeds. Why not help your digestion? Cause lesbihonest, you're going to want to eat all of these.

The recipe came from THIS blog, which I love! I love that it's called the Ambitious Kitchen…because that's how I live my kitchen life too. Always something new!

My cookies look a little more dry than the ones in the picture, so I wonder if the add ins to the peanut butter took some of the moisture out? But they are really good!
Next time, I would add more chocolate chips. The peanut butter isn't too over powering, but it masks the chocolate chips. I love the oatmeal in the cookie, because it gives it even more texture!

It was fun to try a new gluten free recipe - I'm sure no one will even know unless they ask!
Here's the recipe! (PS: I used gluten free oats)

<3XOT

Wednesday Review.

I had a lovely time talking to my mama last night.
We talked about everything from food to boys to family to me being extremely homesick because I'm going home in a month.

All the while I'm trying to make pizza.
Now, I'm a great multi-tasker, but when I'm caught up with my mom, there's really no telling where my mind is going to go. I messed up, but it still tastes great!

I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust, whole grain mix.
It actually turned out really well.

Review:
The crust was the same thickness of a "hand tossed" pizza. It wasn't too thick which was good, because as much as I love carbs, when it comes to pizza, I want the toppings. Like most other GF products, the top was a little flaky. But it didn't fall apart and I loved that. I followed the directions on how to cook it before and after the toppings. That was the perfect amount of time to cook it all the way through and not leave it tacky or gnaw-y.
On top, I added red sauce from Trader Joe's. It was the only pizza sauce I could find that didn't have added sugars to it. It's actually a really good sauce and I've used it before. It's pretty neutral when it comes to pizza sauces. Tastes just like an original Ragu. I bet if you put extra basil or garlic in it, it could change the taste a little. I personally love chunky sauce, but this sauce is smooth.
On top of that, I put spinach, cage-free grilled chicken, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
It made about an 8-in pizza and I have half the dough for next week. The package said two-12 inchers or one 18-incher. So if you have a family, one pack could feed you all. The instructions say, if you split it, it can stay in the fridge for a few days. I'm testing it to see if it can last for a week in the fridge. If it does, then I might just start having a pizza night and try mixing up the sauces and ingredients to make it not so plain.

Overall:
I think it was really good! Nothing special in terms of pizza. But, it is fresh and I know I'm not putting crazy toxins in my body with these ingredients, so I know I won't have the "Pizza Regret" feeling in the morning.
The time from beginning to end was probably a little longer because I was talking to my mom and messed up the dough to begin with. But it is very easy to mix together and only needs to rise for 20 minutes. It cooks for 7 minutes, add toppings and 15 more. So it's definitely not a "quick" pizza, but it doesn't take as long as making from scratch.

[So my screw up was I added the water to the flour mix before adding the yeast. So, I just drained the water into another bowl, added the yeast and then re-added it back into the flour mix when it had sat for a while. I added a little bit of my GF flour to it at the end, when I rolled it out.]

My tweakings: 
It said to make in a mixer, and I just used a bowl and spoon. No kneading needed. It also says to put plastic on it to let it rise, I just put a wet paper towel. So maybe if I didn't mess up the yeast it would affect how the crust rises? Personally, I loved it as is, so I'll mess up each time.

<3XOT

Clean Eating

So I'm doing this detox. Let me run through it with you…

Week One Thoughts:
I lost 6lbs and one inch around my waist. That was not the intention, but it just happened. I've also felt lighter. The energy is there. I always can use more sleep, but I feel lighter and better about myself.

So the main thing is cutting out toxic things from your diet. The biggest thing I noticed is I am CONSCIOUSLY grocery shopping and there is hidden sugar in everything!
So I went to buy spaghetti sauce the other day and it's so hard to find a sauce with just tomatoes and spices. It was such a wake up call about how much I'm not noticing.I have a fairly healthy diet, but clearly there's so much more I can do.

Week Two Thoughts:
It was a little harder in week two. There was no significant weight loss. Half a pound.
I still was able to work out like I wanted and loved making dinners that were healthy and filling.
Cravings started to kick back in. Not badly, but with Halloween on the horizon, I wanted chocolate. Which leads to cake, to wine, to just nothing that is good for me.

Week Three Thoughts:
Then came Halloween. Which totally derailed me.
I had some beer. And by some, I mean I got drunk and ate a cookie out of someone's hand.
So willpowerless me was led down a road of "cheating". I had some pizza. And didn't pay attention to portion size. And then I ate the shit out of my protein bars.
Boy did I pay. My insides hated me for a while. I needed to drink my way to feeling better. So I tried. But no one wants water when they have chocolate on the brain. The great thing about slipping is that you can always just chug your way back to where you started.

Week Four Thoughts:
It got pretty hard. I was baking for things and experimenting in the kitchen. I kinda gave up towards the end. I was out and about and wasn't on a set schedule. I was with people who weren't on the detox and that made me slip (not them, per say, but the temptation in general). I realized it's all a mental state for me and by week four, I had slipped out of the "healthy mentality" and into the "I'm being deprived" mentality (which isn't true, I was very nourished, I just was telling myself 'no' and that triggered my brain to think I was being deprived.)

I'm not looking to be skinny, I'm looking to be healthy.
I love doing these detoxes because I remember exactly how to be healthy. I do research, I find new recipes and I put a good base back into my life.
Yeah it's hard and I obviously wanted to give up. But if I just keep my mental state in a "healthy lifestyle" and eat in moderation, I will continue to keep this going!

If you wanna know details, please ask, but I'll just let you know I'm nourishing my body with CLEAN foods and it feels so amazing. There will be opportunities to do these detoxes each month!

<3XOT

Music Monday.

This is an exciting time in my life.
My physical,  mental, emotional beings - personal and professional lives are all in a good place.
At the same time. This is rare.

All this excitement just makes me want to smile and dance.
So all the sudden I'm driving THIS song comes on the radio.
I'm like — Yeah, this is such a good pump up song!!

"Oh don't you dare look backJust keep your eyes on me.I said you're holding back,She said shut up and dance with me!This woman is my destinyShe said oh oh ohShut up and dance with me"

Don't hold back.
Just grab life and go.

I'm also adding a picture of my Little Bean because I only have a week and a half left to see this face every day.

<3XOT

It is well with my soul.

You know what's so amazing? God.
Yup, I said it. At this point, I'd shout it from the rooftops.
Cause really there's nothing else it could be.

So at least a month ago I was standing in church crying.
I was crying because we were singing "It is well (with my soul)".
Not crying because of my tone-deafness. But, because at that point I realized it was, in fact, NOT well with my soul.

Things were not shaking out for me.
I was worried about my job situation, I was starting a detox that would overhaul my body, I was sure I wasn't going home for my birthday/Christmas, and my sister was stressing me out about her wedding. And I'm sure there's more. There's always more.

All the while I said I was trusting God, but I wasn't.

One Sunday in the middle of all this, I went up for prayer.
Just because I was tired of doing it on my own.
I knew that my half-assed prayers here and there weren't going to be enough.
I was saying one thing and doing another.

All the while God was working His magic.

I got an interview with Best Buy.
I started going to a Connect Group and discussing what I heard on Sundays.
I dug deeper into some of the negative body image problems I've been having.
I started learning about nutrition and exercise.

All the while realizing that God's always had my best interests in mind.

I got offered the job at Best Buy.
I can turn to friends in my connect group for prayer and support.
I started loving myself more.
I feel healthier.

Then I went back to church (begrudgingly, thanks Ry!) and we sang "It is well (with my soul)". And I cried again. But because this time I knew it was well. And God had my back the whole time. I just needed to be reminded of it.

Then I read something the other day: "Part of having Faith in God, means having Faith in His timing, too." What a great reminder.
Someday I could share about my traumatic story of how I made it to Minnesota in the first place. And how that should've taught me that God has my back. Let's just hope one day I learn my lesson about how God works miracles in my life. Because for two years now, my whole life has been a miracle.

<3XOT

Connect Group Goodies

What's better than baking?
Baking for people!!

So I love meeting with my Connect Group through church. We talk about the prior week's church sermon and fellowship over a meal.

The best part, for me, besides my obvious love of food, is getting to talk through what the sermon means to us. I love seeing other perspectives and learning how I can apply it to my life. Like, last meeting time, we talked about hearing God's voice and discerning what's real and not. Over the last two weeks, there's been lots of the "signs" Pastor Peter was talking about that other girls in the group talked about, that I would've missed otherwise.

The other best part is that knowing I'm not alone. The struggles and trials that I'm going through, someone else is sharing in that hurt, disappointment or life. These people have been there, or are going to be there soon, and we can all feed off of each other for that support.

So for Connect Group tonight, I'm bringing desserts. I'm trying to focus on the no gluten part of my detox, then no dairy, then no extra sugar. So finding a dessert that treats all of that isn't going to be a great dessert for anyone. So I decided that we're going to stick with the no gluten and then substitute and little more.

I found flourless brownies that I thought I could bring.
But, because brownies are only okay plain, I decided I'd add some goodies.
The result? Flourless brownies with caramel and pecans.

My recipe:

• 6 tbsp. coconut oil
• ¾ c. granulated sugar
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate morsels
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch
• ¼ tsp. salt (first batch I actually forgot to put it in and it tasted ok)

Recipe for caramel.
Add pecans or berries.

Since I used coconut oil instead of butter, it gives it a cocnutty flavor. Then adding the "caramel" and pecans, it kind of reminds me of a Samoa (the girl scout cookie) or those 7-layer-bars that show up only at pot lucks.

Whatever it tastes like, what it lacks in gluten, it makes up for in sugar!!

Happy baking, if you so choose!
<3XOT

Chicken and Cookies

Let's not pretend I am creative.
I like to think I am and I make lots of creative things.
But, sadly, all my ideas stem off of what other people do. Mostly on Pinterest.
I'm really not afraid to admit it.

So, what have I been doing lately?
Cooking and baking, mostly.
It's my new *thing* and I want to share it with everyone.
I've been (trying really hard) to go dairy free and gluten free as part of an Arbonne detox.
It's really fun, you should try it.
I've really dug in to find new recipes I can try that will help me continue this lifestyle.

So, what did I find. First, I found CHICKEN FINGERS!!!!!!!!
Sorry, I didn't really mean to scream that, but I love chicken.
So I didn't take any pictures and I need to tweak them a little bit (and make homemade ranch dip to dip them into cause that always makes everything better) BUT, I want you to make this recipe.
I'm going to do it again and I'm going to learn how to make them perfect.

HERE's the recipe and the awesome blog in which I found them!
I bought my own organic honey mustard and that was pretty good too!
Served with sweet potato fries. It was great!

Then, the other day, out of weakness, I made cookies.
DELICIOUS gluten free cookies!!
Again, I'm going to play around with the recipe.
I used regular sugar because that's what it called for but I think I'm going to make them with coconut sugar and mix the flours like the recipe suggests. Might even splurge later to get Earth Balance Butter and vegan chocolate chips!!

Don't those look delicious?! They're kid, mom, best friend, and Tricia approved.
I'd make them, take them to holiday parties and not even tell anyone that they're GF and just laugh in my bliss of making the world healthier.
Look at the recipe. You'll find it's not that hard to make something gluten free. But, don't eat 8 of them at a time (Like I did — but I did it in 48 hours so that's like 4 a day) because they're still cookies. Yummy, gooey, fluffy, chocolate chip cookies!!

Next up are actual crafts. I have to go to Michael's and use my 25% off my whole purchase. That's dangerous, but even spending $100 it'll only be $75…so that's good, right?! (Yikes, someone restrain me!!) But I digress…holiday crafts are my favorite because I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!

<3XOT