I ACTUALLY DID IT:

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

1 Chronicles 29:11 NIV

My Mother-in-law has been in the hospital out of town recently and not being prepared for the trips we made to see her, we made some poor food choices on the road.

My superhero husband with his sweet mom and 3 of 5 sisters

Getting back home and on track with eating healthy, I was craving sweets.

Rather than giving in and making more poor choices, I got into the kitchen and made use of the ingredients I had on hand.

I reworked an old and wonderful chocolate pie recipe, changing the milk to 1/2 full fat coconut milk and 1/2 almond milk, for the flour I used tapioca starch and for the sugar I used coconut sugar. The meringue is also made with coconut sugar. The crust is a wonderful and not at all mine honey graham cracker crust

I also made a sweet treat from one of my favorite savory recipes.

I can't say that I've created a new recipe but as of this week, I can say that I've created a paleo friendly sweet treat from a savory recipe that I adore!

YAY ME RIGHT!

I don't mean to sound so proud of myself...but...considering the fact that I've never really created anything and that after changing eating habits, I had to relearn how to cook, I am feeling quite accomplished.
Add in the fact that they turned out awesome on the 1st try, I can't help but be excited!

A wonderful base recipe is the only reason my creation was possible, I must share the credit! It's a wonderful Rosemary Garlic Flatbread that is so versatile, delicious and easy to prepare.

CINNAMON TOAST FLATBREAD

FlatBread:

1 cup tapioca flour

¼ cup coconut flour, sifted

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt

½ cup full fat coconut milk

¼ cup ghee or grass fed butter

1 egg beaten

Cinnamon Butter:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 and place a pizza stone or thick pizza pan/cookie sheet  into oven to heat up
• Gently heat up coconut milk and ghee/butter in a small sauce pan until very warm but not boiling
• Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour coconut/ghee mixture on top. Mix until thoroughly combined. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes to cool and for coconut flour to absorb
• Add beaten egg and mix again until combined
• CAREFULLY remove hot stone/pan from oven, cover with parchment paper and pour mixture into center. Using a spatula evenly spread mixture until it is about ¼ inch thick. (My preferred method.. you can also prepare flatbread on a cutting board lined with parchment paper and CAREFULLY slide the parchment paper and flatbread onto hot stone  )
• Bake for 9-12 minutes.
• While baking, mix together cinnamon butter ingredients
• Once done remove flatbread to a cutting board and immediately top with cinnamon butter
• Enjoy!   

Topped here with an apple compote

...AND THREE WEEKS LATER

Let me just start by saying "I apologize for not being a very consistent blogger". Now that that's out of the way, where were we? Anyone remember?

On June the 30th I announced that we were going to go 3 weeks egg free in an effort to clear up my psoriasis. The first 2 weeks went very well and then...I left home for 4 days.
1 or 2 days would have been fine, but 4 days...not so much! Being surrounded for 4 days by chicken salad, yeast rolls and spinach dip was just more than I could hold up to!
This is one of my dearest friends Ann! I love her dearly! Yes, enough to leave home for 4 days, 3 of which she worked my butt off from early morning until early morning!

Ah, but after all of the wedding work was done, we took a day for fun!

Not a good picture below, but I just wanted to show that we did let our husbands and her little girl + friend come along for the fun too! Even though they didn't work as hard as we did! HaHa They worked! (Their boat, not our's)

OK, back to the 3 weeks egg free. The way our body works, it takes 3 full weeks to get something out of your system. If you have any of whatever you're cleaning out, you have to start all over again! So 2 weeks down the drain... but I'm not complaining, I had a great time and the wedding was absolutely beautiful!
As of Saturday we've made another 2 weeks! WhooHoo! My psoriasis has quit itching but isn't healed. I'm thinking that it will take longer than 3 weeks for my skin to actually heal. Time will tell! It won't be pretty, but at the end of 3 weeks I'll post a before and after picture.

I am very excited to share a granola cereal recipe that I've recently made. It was awesome and I will be making it again! My husband loved it!

This is a precooked picture. I don't know why I didn't get an after shot. Here is the link so that you can made the recipe yourself.  http://againstallgrain.com/2011/09/20/gluten-free-vanilla-almond-granola/



Above is the picture from Danielle Walker's blog. She is one of my favorite Paleo chefs and has several cookbooks for sale. You should check them out, if you haven't already!

I'll share a few pictures from the wedding for you to enjoy!

Romans 12:10

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

The beautiful bride and mother of the bride

My youngest 2 grand-babies dancing at the reception

We tried to get them to look at the camera but Brailon just had to give grand-mommy kisses!

 

Ann and I at the rehearsal dinner

BUSY...BUSY...BUSY

I love to watch the bees hard at work! Most Mondays I feel like a busy bee, catching up on the laundry and housework that was neglected over the weekend. I am very blessed to have my Monday at home to accomplish all of this! Even with my initial reason for only working one day a week being health issues, I do not take for granted the ability to do so! 

 This week will be especially busy because I'll be going out of town for a few days and leaving my husband to fend for himself. Well almost! I'm very excited about my trip! A very dear friend of mine has a daughter getting married and I'm getting to go and help them with some of the preparations, but mostly I think I'm going to help her stay sane! I was unable to attend her son's wedding, so I'm very glad to be able to make this trip! 

Lunch out is really not a good healthy option for my husband while I'm gone, or any time, so I'll be preparing a couple of "salad in a jar" options for him.  http://thepaleomama.com/2013/03/guest-post-mason-jar-salads/ This link shows the dressing going into the jar 1st. I never put my dressing in.  I'll put the dressing in a small container and place it in a ziplock bag along with any nuts or seeds that may go along with the salad. I usually go ahead and throw a fork and napkin in also, just to make his morning easier. A little love note is a very good idea too! The possibilities are endless when you are preparing a salad! I love a good salad! This is  also an excellent option for anyone trying to eat healthy on the job!

This will be his breakfast. Mine doesn't look anything like the picture on the recipe but it is very tasty! We are still avoiding eggs so I substituted 1/3 cup of unsweetened apple sauce. Mine didn't rise as well. but it's delicious and the texture is still very desirable.  If you bake it more as a scone by the original recipe or the egg free version that's more like a cobbler, it's a wonderful breakfast treat! It would be awesome with mixed berries too! Here's the link: http://fedandfit.com/2013/07/28/paleo-blueberry-scones-2/



I absolutely love sharing the information and the recipes that I've found and tested to be true and wonderful! Some day I'll be skilled enough in baking with alternative flours to recreate some of our favorites, but in the mean time I continue to benefit from the knowledge of others!

I also love to share God's glory in nature, so here are a few pictures that I took around the yard and the edge of the woods!

Psalm 145:3 (NIV)

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.

 My husband was eager to point out that these are weeds, not flowers but, none the less, they are beautiful!