Almond Butter Hemp Seed cookies - Sugar-free and gluten-free

I was having a cookie craving so I took another stab at Almond Butter Hemp Seed cookies - as always, gluten-free, but this time sugar-free too!  Here's what I threw together:

Chocolate almond butter cups (vegan and sugar-free)

This morning I just needed a special treat alongside my double espresso.  I needed some chocolate.  I'm sugar, so even dairy-free chocolate is a no go for me.  So I made a quick easy version of this recipe I found online: http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/vegan-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups-naturally/

Grain-free homemade chicken fingers

There's something about chicken fingers that is still so appealing, even if I'm not a kid anymore.  I miss the convenience of being able to pour them out of a box and cook them, but store box chicken fingers don't appeal to me or work for me for many reasons.  It's really not that hard to make your own and they are so much better that way.  I am not eating most grains at the moment, but it was so easy to sub in coconut flour and almond flour to make my own version of homemade chicken fingers, and they were delicious!! 

Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding (sugar-free!)

I was craving another pumpkin flavoured treat this afternoon, so this is what I came up with...

Quinoa Spinach Frittata

I made this breakfast frittata by adapting a sweetened recipe I came across online.  It's a great way to use up leftover quinoa, as I usually cook it up in large amounts so I have some on hand for different creations in the kitchen.

Sugar-free/gluten-free pumpkin spice cookies

I made these cookies this morning, as I was in the mood for something pumpkin spiced, and a 'cookie' seemed like a good way to do it.  I'm off all sugar at the moment, among many other things, so making tasty treats is a challenge!  I really enjoyed these cookies, so I thought I would share.

Homemade Key Lime Pie Lara'balls'

I am now using my new food processor to make my Lara'balls' and I'm loving it!  It's so easy and quick!  Today I made Key Lime Pie flavoured and they are delicious!

Roasted Chickpeas - two ways - sweet and salty!

I have been giving my one year old canned chickpeas for a couple days now, but thought I will never finish the can before they go bad.  I'm not a huge fan of chickpeas straight up myself, and I remembered  that I had heard how yummy roasted chickpeas are, so I thought it was a perfect time to finally try them myself.  I looked up a couple recipes and then just went for it.  The results were delicious!
Again, like usual, I couldn't pick a flavour, so I decided to try two - a sweet one and a salty one!

Chia seed 'pudding' - gluten/dairy-free!

This easy and delicious snack is another easy way to add Chia into your life!  

Ramblings...

Well, I started this blog as a way to keep notes in the kitchen, but it has quickly grown to include my ramblings about other things I am passionate about.  Therefore, I have added headings at the top of my blog to organize my posts...

Why wheat and dairy-free?

Just some background information about why most of my recipes are made wheat and dairy-free.  Many people in my family and my husband's family have food sensitivities and/or allergies, especially to dairy and wheat.  I think I have always been a bit intolerant to both as well, but have never done anything about it.  I was not surprise to learn that my daughter has many food sensitivities.

Sensory Play - Slime dough

So, I have been trying to introduce sensory play with my kids and after seeing a blog post by Fun at Home with Kids for Borax-free Slime Dough, I decided to jump into to some messy sensory fun with my toddler.
To be honest, I have avoided most activities that are 'messy' and have probably talked too much with her about not getting messy and keeping clean, because she does not like to get messy.  Well, as I should have expected, the slime dough did not go over too well with her on our first attempt.  It was so easy to make and I thought it was really cool.  With some coaxing I was able to get her to explore it a little, but it did stick to her hands, and she did not like that.  I think I will have to ease into messy fun with her.  I am thinking I can also work on making it a little less sticky.

Anyways, here is the recipe and pictures of the slime dough we made.

Homemade deodorant recipe

I have been working on moving to more natural home and personal care products and decided the easiest way to do that is to make my own.  I recently made my own deodorant.  The recipe I followed can be found at Wellness Mama.  

Here's how I made mine...

Power packed hemp chia almond cookies - gluten and dairy free!

This weekend I was at my cousin's and she had made some peanut butter, chocolate chip, hemp and chia cookies that looked delicious, easy and fairly healthy.  Unfortunately, I couldn't have any because they were made with peanut butter, which I avoid, and chocolate chips, which I couldn't eat because they weren't dairy-free.  She told me the recipe, so I decided to adapt a bit to try them out.  The recipe is super easy and both gluten and dairy free!  Here's what I came up with.

Sweet potato and turkey Shepard's pie

This is one of my 3 year old dughter's favourite meals, and we love it to.  It's a spin on an old classic.  I decided a few thanksgivings ago, when I didn't feel like making a turkey, to mix up Sheppard's Pie.  I used ground turkey instead of beef and mixed sweet potatoes in with the white.  It has become a regular meal in our house and makes great leftovers!

My DIY Sensory Light Box

I thought I would share what I have been 'cooking' up the last couple days.  I am working on introducing sensory play to my kiddos (aged 3 and 11 months) at home.  I am in the process of getting organized and making a sensory bin table, but when I found the idea of a DIY light box online, I had to make one right away.  It was super easy, fairly inexpensive, as far as toys go, and will provides hours, hopefully years of fun and learning!  

Here is how I made ours:

First attempts at dairy free FUDGE!!

I have been having some serious sugar cravings lately, so here is my first attempt at dairy free fudge.  Now the trick will be to not eat it all too quickly!  Recipes were inspired and slightly adapted from several websites/blogs - I will have to add links to them later.  I couldn't pick a flavour, so decided to try two!  I'm also excited that these recipes are free of conventional sugar and both have some protein so I can pretend they are healthy-ish!

Maple Oven Baked Salmon

Spicy Tuna Steaks

I bought some Tuna steaks from Costco a while back and found a great recipe that we really enjoy!

Nutella flavoured 'larabar' - my own creation!

Up all night with one sick child and another nursing child meant I required a special treat with my morning coffee!  I decided to make up my own version of a larabar.  I bought some hazelnuts, so decided to try a 'nutella' flavour!

Homeade Larabar : Chocolate chip cookie dough

Made these VERY easy and delicious homeade version of a Larabar today.  I found a simple recipe online that I adapted slightly with what I had.  Check out http:/rawified.blogspot.ca/2012/05/raw-larabars.htmlIt for some more great Larabar recipes!

Granola bars - attempt #1

I have wanted to make my own granola bars for a while and finally made my first batch.  I looked at a few recipes online, but didn't follow one really, decided to just try my on and then tweak from here.

Spicy quinoa and veggie stir fry

A quick an easy lunch I had today.  Wash and cut up some veggies.  Today I used a few handfuls of kale, half an onion, half a red pepper, and half a zucchini.

Oven Baked Maple Spice Ribs - Delicious, simple and wheat-free!

Well, I'm writing this as I cook one of my newest favourite dinner recipes.  I actually got both kids down for a nap and am about to pour myself a glass of wine as I wait in between steps of this recipe...
Ok, glass of pinot grigio in hand! 

Things to learn more about...

Just a quick note to remind myself to do some more research about the GMO project, as well as about Monsanto.
I am on a path to become more aware about what I am eating, what I am feeding my family and how what I choose supports other agendas.  This being said, so far, I have started trying to buy non-GMO foods, but don't really know all that much about why I should be doing this.  I want to make educated choices, not just follow blindly...

My kitchen notes begin!

I love to cook and create in the kitchen.  I love finding new recipes and tweaking them or adapting them to my liking.  I always say I should keep notes while I'm cooking so that when I get it right, or wrong, I can recreate it, or avoid making the same mistake.  So here I am, starting this blog to help me do just that.   I'm also working on creating a good bank of menu ideas for my family, so this will help with that to. This blog is for myself, but if you want to follow along, you are welcome to do just that!