Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

Another Low FODMAP recipe for you. These are really easy to whip up and taste great. I will be making these even after I'm no longer sticking to such a strict diet.

2 1/4 cups rolled oats

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (don't use that Aunt Jemima stuff - use the real thing!)

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsp almond butter

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use lactose free milk)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I usually leave this out, but good both ways)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then grease or line a 12 count muffin tin.

Process the rolled oats in a food processor until it becomes very fine. Add all the other ingredients, except the chocolate chips, until it's smooth.

Add the chocolate chips and gently stir into the batter. 

Fill the muffin pan and back for 22 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

*The original recipe has you process all the ingredients at once, even the oats. My food processor must not be that strong because it didn't get as smooth as I had liked. If you have one of those amazing blenders then you can probably just add everything at once and get a great result.

*Source

Gluten Free Herb Rolls

Starting at the very end of September I was having really bad stomach pain. I couldn't eat much of anything and my stomach burned non-stop. Thinking my NSAID had given me an ulcer or gastritis, I was advised to stop them and started lots of different acid reducer and blockers. One of the other things my GI doctor had me do was start at Low FODMAP diet. Google if your interested in specifics, but it cuts out a lot of things that could possible irritate my stomach. It hasn't been awful but the few I miss are gluten/wheat, dairy, onions, & garlic.

In December I had a scope and my stomach look absolutely fine. No ulcers or irritation. Just to be safe we checked my gallbladder and pancreas and other organs around there. They were perfect. So we assume I have GERD.

Anyway, my Dr asked me to stick to this diet for a while longer to see if it helped me with any of my symptoms. So you may start to see some recipes that I label Gluten Free, Lactose/Dairy Free, or Low FODMAP and that's why.

So here's my first one: a gluten free dinner roll. I found these on Pinterest and even Andrew liked them. They graced the Thanksgiving dinner table and will be on the Christmas dinner table as well. Enjoy!

1 1/4 cup milk (I used lactose free milk)
2 Tbsp butter
2 1/4 tsp yeast (or 1 packet)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
1 tsp each dried rosemary, thyme, and sage
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large eggs

Grease and rice flour a regular 12 count muffin tin.

Combine the milk and butter in a microwavable bowl and heat until it reaches 110-120 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the yeast and sugar. Whisk in the heated milk/butter mixture then set to the side while it proofs.

In another bowl combine the tapioca flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and dried herbs.

Once the yeast is proofed (about 10 minutes), mix in olive oil and eggs on low speed. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Beat on high speed for at least 1 1/2 minutes until very well combined.

Scoop the dough into the muffin cups. Wet your finger tips and gently smooth out the top of each one. Use kitchen scissors to snip the dough in each cup in half, then in half again so you have quarters.

Brush the tops of the with a small amount of olive oil so the plastic wrap doesn't stick. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To bake, preheat the oven to 350. Bake for 28-35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter. Let cool in the an for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.

The recipe also says you can leave in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking, but I've only ever done it overnight.

*Source

Weekly Wrap Up

Today is Friday and the last day of school before Christmas Break! I am so excited to have 2 weeks where I don't have to pack lunches or get up kids at 6:30 in the morning!

Charlie and I started the week with a visit to the McWane Science Center. We are members but do not go enough. I need to make this a priority in 2016. They have a trainexhibit right now and I need to take Colin before it's gone. Charlie absolutely loves the Itty Bitty Magic City. His favorites place seems to be a tie between the water tables and the pretend vet. He loves dogs so he always gives them a bath.

That evening we headed to The Club for the Jingle Bell Buffet. We got a picture with Santa and ate a delicious meal. Charlie is still scared of the man in red, but Colin was all about it. He did as why Santa looked differently than on the train ride the week prior. So I think we will only be seeing Santa once a year from here on out.

Mid week Colin had his class Christmas party. He has the best Kindergarten teacher ever. I really do love her. She keeps us involved by having a class Instagram account and we can see what they are doing throughout the day. She has made my first year as being a room mom very smooth and I would not hesitate to do it again for Colin's future classrooms!

His class made gingerbread houses followed by a treat. It was so fun seeing how differently each kid decorated their house. Some were chaotic and some were orderly. And all were messy. =) It was so fun.

This weekend Grandpa is coming in from Florida and we are having Christmas with him.

Wrapping Up 2015

Ok, so I didn't do so hot on updating the blog through 2015. In fact, not including this post, I did it all of 2 times. So 2016 will be the year I get back on track. I really think this will be the year. =P Wish me luck!

Since I didn't update in 2015 enough, here is a look at our year through some of my favorite pictures. They are in no particular order so here is a quick list of what we did this year. You can match the event. Ha!

• Disney Cruise
• Trip to Chicago
• Trip to Florida with a trip to Legoland!
• Colin turned 6 and started Kindergarten. I'm one of his room moms.
• Charlie turned 2 and started Mothers Day Out.
• We did lots of home improvements this year. We remodeled our basement bath, finally finished painting the interior of the house, got new carpet, removed some trees and got sod out front. It looks like a different house than the one we bought!
• Did a train ride with Santa!
• We visited Old Town Helena for a lot of First Fridays.
• We visited The Club a lot this year for Easter, 4th of July, the Jingle Bell Buffet, and many family nights trough the summer.

Mexican Chicken Salad

1lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded (I do this in the crockpot)
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
Buns or a loaf of french bread
Shredded lettuce
Avocado
Jalapenos

Combine the shredded chicken, tomatoes, taco seasoning, cheese, and sour cream. Use more or less sour cream depending on how creamy you prefer it.

If your using a french loaf, cut it in half and lay open on a baking sheet. Spread some of the the chicken mixture on each side of the loaf. If using buns, place them on a baking sheet and spread some of the chicken mixture on the top and bottom of each bun. Broil on low until the cheese in the mix begins to melt and the buns starts to brown and crisp around the edges.

Complete each sandwich with lettuce, avocado, and jalapenos (if you like a kick).

Good-bye 2014

So, one of my goals for 2015 is to update the blog more often. I know Granny & Memaw read it to see pictures of the boys. So even if they are the only people that check in, I need to update this a little more regularly.

Along with that, I'm doing 52 weeks to an organized home. I like organizing, but don't have the time to do it all at once like I wish I could. So I found a schedule and printed it off. But I have big plans to modify it based on what I need to organize. This should hopefully help me get organized by giving me one project a week to work on.

Let's start the year with my favorite pictures from 2014

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December