September 3, 2013

(the towering sunflowers from our labor day wandering yesterday)

I wanted to wake up at 6 am and get ready alongside Grant, but somehow I missed the alarm. (Typical. How do I not hear it?) I only managed to sit up in bed and give him a kiss goodbye before he needed to leave- for his first day of school. Today Grant begins his 7th year of teaching! He'll have 20 6th graders in his charge, a new schedule, and new tablets to hand out to them today. He's also not coaching basketball this year and next week is starting a program to get his principal's license. I'm so excited for the year ahead. Not to mention, proud of him. He's a hard-working guy who is just so... capable. I think that's the word I want. 


It's always nice to write a few things down about the first day of school. Even though I'm not physically there, in a school desk, the new season hits me hard as a teacher's wife. In a good way! I love it. And this day feels pretty momentous. Here's what's going on:

-Today as Grant was leaving (sneaking out of the house trying not to wake the little girl) I jumped up out of bed and showered before Hadley woke up. I have high hopes that this will happen on other days, too. :) We'll see. 
-Today I'm making lots of mental goals for the school year. Or rather, the first semester.. before the baby arrives. 
-Today began with opening windows and unloading the dishwasher. My favorite. 
-Today it's sunny and it smells fresh in our house. 
-Today I don't mind chores. 
-Today I brushed Hadley's hair and it got bigger.. and bigger... and bigger. :) 
-Today we (Hadley and I) did some Pilates. 
-Today I forgot to thaw any meat for lunch for Hadley and me. So, we're going to have fried rice without any chicken. 
-Today I'm planning to host some mommy lunches with a couple friends throughout the fall.
-Today after lunch we'll play outside.
-Today during nap time I'm going to read God Knows My Size by Silvia Tarniceriu.
-Today when Grant gets home I'm going to make a batch of blender ice cream. I'll post about this soon. And a couple other dessert recipes! Get ready. 
-And last night I got Grant's school lunch ready for today. I packed a couple of these new cookies for him. I might just label them "the back-to-school cookies." I used Sheena's Good For You Cookies as a base recipe and then swapped out the shredded coconut for sprouted flour and threw in a banana and some other tiny tweaks. They're sooooo gooooood. And they just happen to be gluten and dairy free! (Because I don't have wheat flour in my cupboard and Grant doesn't do a lot of dairy.) Hadley and I have already eaten 3 this morning.

 (the sticky, heavy batter I whipped up yesterday) 

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies 
or Back-to-School Cookies
-gluten and dairy free-

What are they like? Soft, thick, filling. A cakey, yet hearty cookie. Satisfyingly sweet and very homey feeling. Those oats are perfect. (Just a hint of banana, not a prominent taste in the finished cookie.) 
Why so many kinds of sweeteners? Good question! In my experience, sometimes things that are baked with wholesome sweeteners can take on an exaggerated taste. Especially honey-baked things. I often feel like the honey flavor is overwhelming. I decided to try combining little bits of different sweet things to avoid that overwhelming flavor in these cookies. I love how it turned out! Feel free to adjust things if you don't have all of these sweetener options on hand. 

1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 heaping cup peanut butter or almond butter 
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 T. honey
2 T. maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (I used sprouted rolled oats)
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour (I used sprouted)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
heaping 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used this dairy-free brand)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil, peanut butter, banana, coconut sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat on high speed for a couple minutes.  In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a fork to "sift" these together. Slowly add in dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then, using a wet fork, smash each cookie down. (They don't spread while baking.) Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. 

Enjoy warm, room temp, or chilled in the fridge. They're great any way!
Pack in lunches or save for pregnancy moments when you are all of a sudden starving.


4 comments:

Christina said...

I got to pack my first ever school lunch for my brand new kindergartener last night. I was almost giddy with excitement! I might have to try these; they don't have so much sugar that they'd make him too wound up for his poor teacher in the afternoon. :)

Joanna said...

Every time I read one of your posts I wish you lived down the street or 10 minutes away or even in the same state so we could meet, eat cookies, and talk. I love your life-giving posts and happy attitude!

Sarah Kate Branine said...

Okay. These look delicious! Also, it's been far too long since I've visited here! Happy Fall to you! (almost!) : )

ShoheySaito said...

Great readingg your blog post

hello

hello

about this blog

Hello, I'm Summer. A people-loving introvert whose hope and life is in Jesus. His promises are my passion and my ministry is homelife. This blog is a place for me to write about everyday things. Especially food. My favorite thing to do is sit around a table, lingering over a long meal with good conversation. I live with my husband and our 2 littles. We like blizzards, thrifting, grammar, guacamole, cheerful hearts, nice manners, good movies, and making simple, real, nutrient-dense food.

"If Christ be anything, He must be everything."
-C.H. Spurgeon

 photo ai-4.png  photo af-6.png  photo at-4.png  photo ap-6.png  photo ama.png

old posts