Gluten Free Biscuit

Alex made a turkey with her hand today and I made some holiday biscuits. I adapted this recipe from my favorite food blog The Minimalist Baker. They are gluten free. So good. And with a little warmed goat cheese as a spread, mmm!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened PLAIN almond milk
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (272 g) Flax and Ancient grain All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp (7 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 4 Tbsp (56 g) non-dairy, unsalted butter (I use Earth Balance or Nutriva Shortening)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C), and add lemon juice to almond milk to make "vegan buttermilk." Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
3. Add cold butter and use fingers or a pastry cutter to combine the two until only small pieces remain and it looks like sand. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, stir gently while pouring in the almond milk mixture 1/4 cup at a time. You may not need all of it. Stir until just slightly combined – it will be sticky.
5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, dust the top with a bit of flour and then very gently turn the dough over on itself 5-6 times – hardly kneading.
6. Form into a 1-inch thick disc, handling as little as possible.
7. Use a 1-inch thick dough cutter or a similar-shape object with sharp edges (such as a cocktail shaker) and push straight down through the dough, then slightly twist. Repeat and place biscuits on a baking sheet in two rows, making sure they just touch – this will help them rise uniformly. Gently reform the dough and cut out one or two more biscuits – you should have 7-8.
8. Next brush the tops with a bit more of melted non-dairy butter and gently press a small divot in the center using two fingers. I added my favorite seasoning blend to the top (https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spice-blends/european-dry-rub-seasoning.html) This will also help them rise evenly, so the middle won’t form a dome.
9. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and slightly golden brown. Serve immediately. Let remaining biscuits cool completely before storing them in an airtight container or bag.

"Healthy" Brownies

If you are having a sweet craving, but don't want to give into it, these healthy brownies will do the trick. They are moist, sweet but not too sweet, and chocolatey! I try to make them as guilt free as possible!

Ingredients

1/3 cup Coconut Flour (or experiment with other Gluten Free Flour Substitute)

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder

1/3 cup Pure Pumpkin Puree

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

2 tsp Pure Vanilla

4 eggs

1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup

¼ cup of dark chocolate morsels

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Combine coconut flour and cocoa powder
3. Whisk in the pumpkin, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend well.
4. Pour batter into a 9 x 9 greased pan.
5. Sprinkle a handful of dark chocolate morsels on top before putting in the oven. Bake for 28-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely before removing from pan

Losing the Baby Weight: Juicing

I haven't done a post about losing baby weight in awhile but now I am back home and back into my own routine of eating healthy and hopefully exercising.  We will see.

As most of you probably have noticed the whole juicing thing is really popular right now. I am not doing a juice cleanse of any sort and I dont think that is a good idea for any breastfeeding mother but it doesn't hurt to go to your local farmers market and stock up on fruits and veggies and bust out your handy dandy (Jack LaLanne) juicer. It is just another way to get some essentials into your diet.

Today's Juice:

1 whole peeled beet
4 large carrots
2 inches of ginger

(I love ginger, so you might want to use a little less if you dont like it spicy)

Clean, peel, juice, drink.

Since it was hot today I threw in a couple ice cubes and voila!

                                           Love my Ergo carrier. I can juice while Alex naps!

Losing the Baby Weight: Food

In an effort to still eat healthy for me and the baby, here is a sample day of food I have been eating. I will admit, last week I took a little break. We had family in town and were eating out a lot while they were visiting. But now I am back on track- and my gym membership just got re-instated!


For Breakfast:

Carrot and Oat muffins with a banana

These muffins are amazing, recipe is soon to follow.










For Lunch:

Wasa crackers with mayo, avocado, my favorite lunchmeat: Applegate roasted turkey, and tomatoes










For Dinner:

Honey chicken, hapa rice (brown and white), and bok choy

Losing the Baby Weight- Food

 For Breakfast:

Plain Greek Yogart
Handful of Blueberries and strawberries
A little granola
and some honey










For Lunch:

Mixed greens and kale
Carrot shreds
some boiled beets
avocado
and a simple balsamic, dijon mustard dressing








For Snack:

Some homemade bruschetta (tomatoe, basil, garilc, olive oil, balsamic vin, and a little pepper) on little bread crisps.

OR

Mixed berry, spinach, pineapple, banana, yogart, carrot juice smoothie



For Dinner:

Shrimp stir fry on quinoa
(Shrimp, bell peppers, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, a little teriyaki sauce)

Losing the Baby Weight- Exercise

On a budget like me? Well if you can't go take yoga classes at your local studio here is a great video for stretching:

During my pregnancy my friend let me borrow her yoga video. This video has pre and postnatal workouts that aren't that difficult but really help to stretch you out in the right places like hips, back, and arms... everything that aches from carrying your new baby around.

This past week I was able to set out time everyday to stretch out. The yoga practice is only about 30 minutes so I would either do it while Alex was napping or just put her on the ground next to me. This week... I know its only Tuesday but I am not doing quite as good as last week.

Losing the Baby Weight: Food

For Breakfast:

1/3 cup of steel cut oats
handful of chopped almonds
handful of blueberries
handful of blackberries
with some cinnamon on top

If it tastes too dry, or I dont have berries, I add a little 100% pure maple syrup

For Lunch:

Egg, bean, rice tacos
Add a little salsa and some avocado.

Fiber and protein, good for me and good for the baby!











For Snacks:

Fruit, satisfies my sweet craving after a meal.

Papaya or Banana with some peanut butter.
(I read eating a papaya a day will help reduce your chances of getting cervical cancer.)






 For Dinner:

I know this doesn't look appetizing. Bad lighting too. But it was actually really good and I finally found a way to prepare Kale that Dane likes!

Chicken with mushrooms and capers with a white wine sauce, quinoa, and steamed Kale with minced garlic and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Losing the Baby Weight- Exercise

I have never been a runner, nor will I ever be, but I don't mind walking. For my exercise this week, I will be walking at least 4 miles every other day. Hopefully. With the little one in tow it is just about impossible to plan out my week let alone my day. But it is a goal.

My Dad told me about this app for your iphone called Endomondo. I had never heard of it (not really up with the apps and such) so figured I would give it a try. I find it very motivating because it times and it measures the distance you are going. When I think I am ready to turn around I open up my phone and try to push myself for another mile or so. Here is what the app looks like and our walk from today.







I love how it gives you a map of your exercise route. I like how you can change what activity you do from running to windsurfing they have everything!

 

My little Hawaiian Babe loving walks that put her to sleep and sun to keep her warm.

Losing the Baby Weight- The First Step

The first step for me was to sit down and write out things I want to change and I know I need to change. My list looks like this:

1. Stop using butter excessively- I cook everything with butter, and though it tastes amazing it is just not healthy and I know it.
2. Spend more time on the floor- By this I mean I need to stretch more, I feel like most of my day I spend on the couch and my back constantly aches.
3. Replace sweets with healthier options- I have and always will have a sweet tooth. I can't help it, I crave something sweet after just about every meal (except breakfast- cereal is pretty sweet).
4. Stop eating so much cereal!
5. Eat less rice- I dont know if it is because we live in Hawaii and white rice is a staple out here but we eat rice just about every other day and I want to knock that habit.
6. Exercise everyday- this one will be hardest for me but even if I just do some floor workouts for a half hour or lift some weights in the garage.
7. Find new fruits and veggies- I feel like I am stuck in habit, when I go to the market I always get the same stuff. Change is good, right!? Maybe even start juicing for snacks.

I started by going to the farmers market this week. Picked up some bananas, onions (I always get white or yellow so I got a red this week too), mango, papaya, carrots, celery, green beans (never really buy out here), bok choy (which I really dont even know how to cook, but the start to a new adventure) and kale.

Losing the Baby Weight

As a breastfeeding mother I have heard so many stories about when you breastfeed the baby weight comes off very quickly. Maybe it is because I am jonesing to get back in my bikinis and hit the beach or maybe just because I am sick of wearing loose fitting clothes to hide my belly or maybe after 9 months I just want my body back and to be able to fit in my old clothes. But whatever it is (all those reasons) I am going to document my, hopefully, weight loss.

I got the courage to do this from one of the other blogs I have followed a lot through my pregnancy and still find very great postpartum. This blog author is totally on point with me and I couldn't have put the reasons any better myself.

The Plan:
Document weekly my activity from healthy meals to exercise routines.
Sit down and write out what I want to change.
Do it!

Image courtesy of Social Moms.