A few weeks ago I decided I'd give oatmeal for breakfast a real chance. I've always liked the idea of it and every once in a great while I'd have a bowl, but the habit never stuck. And now? I cannot get enough. I've been having oatmeal every morning for a whole month and I find myself wanting it for a late night snack, too! It's really helping me stay full all morning, even while nursing Casper. What made me start loving hot oatmeal was changing the texture. I discovered a new method and I don't know if I'll ever go back.


I grew up thinking Cream of Wheat was something really special. I didn't know it was only a quick and cheap hot cereal, I only knew that we didn't have it everyday, and I loved the creamy texture. Plus, it looked like the "mush" I saw in my favorite book: Goodnight Moon. I thought if I could make oats a little more like that, I'd be hooked. So, I started grinding my rolled oats in the food processor a bit before cooking them, and the result is a delightfully thick and creamy oat porridge, not as fine as cream of wheat and not at all soupy or thin, but just right. And I just realized I sound like Goldilocks. So, these are essentially steel cut oats, but I'm starting with rolled oats instead of oat groats, and they only take a few minutes to cook! Now I have a quick and easy hot cereal that is nutrient dense and super satisfying.

With this new breakfast routine, we are blowing through a bag of oats pretty quickly. And finding gluten-free oats for a good price is hard! When I have the money saved up, I like to buy these gluten-free sprouted rolled oats from To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co in bulk, because sprouted = more nutrients available to your body. But, I also just stocked up on some plain (still gluten-free) rolled oats on Vitacost. They have some on sale for 49% off right now! Hurry over if you need some. And here's my latest favorite way to cook and dress them up:


This makes enough to share :) Oooh, you guys have to try stirring a drop or two of almond extract into your oatmeal. It adds a bit of richness and depth to the flavor. So yummy. I like to prepare a whole bunch of these cut oats at one time and keep them in a jar so they're ready to go every morning.

Pictured alongside this pot of oatmeal is my favorite hot beverage lately: a Dandy Blend latte. Dandy Blend + hot coconut milk and water + raw honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. mmm. Anyway, if you're an oatmeal-eater, I'd love to hear your best methods! I'm taking all recommendations and super excited to branch out with my new oatmeal love.

Oh my word. I'm so excited to post this one. You know how every once in awhile you find a new favorite way to eat chicken? Like a whole roasted chicken with plenty of rosemary, or chicken in a ginger lime stir fry, or lemon garlic chicken drumsticks, or a really good chicken salad... well, here's my new favorite chicken meal. And heads-up: this a man-pleasing dish right here. I made this for Grant on Valentine's Day. He loves it. And I love that it's so easy. If you guys were coming over to my house, I'd make this chicken for you, and serve it with some buttery brown rice and roasted brussels sprouts. And I think we would be best friends forever!

This was one of the meals my mother-in-law brought to us right after Casper was born and we fell in love. I couldn't wait to start making it myself! Thanks for introducing us to the beauty of maple + mustard, Judy. Guys, make this one tonight.

Maple Mustard Chicken
adapted from this recipe

6 to 8 chicken thighs
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup yellow mustard
3 T. maple syrup
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 or 2 green onions, chopped (both green and white parts)

Preheat oven to 425º. Place chicken thighs in a single layer in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, and red wine vinegar. Pour the maple mustard sauce over the chicken and flip each piece until fully coated with the mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Slice the chicken and plate it, spooning over any extra sauce left in the pan. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and serve with rice or salad.

I highly recommend serving this chicken with roasted brussels sprouts, as it makes a meal that's practically perfect in every way. The maple mustard sauce goes so incredibly well with the sprouts!

Every time I make these cookies, Grant and I are more convinced that they are, really, the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen. Let's just say: If gluten-free baking were no object, I would still pick to bake these above all my other chocolate chip recipes. Whoa. I said it. So I'm re-posting the recipe. It's time to put it out there again.

This recipe yields a cookie with classic chocolate chip flavors, and a few subtle twists to make them even more lovable. (Not to mention allergy-friendly! There's no gluten, dairy, or refined sugar here.) Ground almonds make up the bulk of the dry ingredients, brown sugar is swapped out for coconut sugar, and my favorite: there's a dash of cocoa in the dough. The nuts and coconut sugar give them a very faint toasty toffee flavor. Yum! As for texture, these cookies are not at all cakey. They're thin, chewy, salty, and spread like crazy when baked. I originally called them King-Size Cookies, simply because they were bigger than my hand when they came out of the oven.

Tender-chewy at 9 minutes baking time, and perfectly crisp-chewy at 11 minutes.. you decide how you like them. I'd try both. I'll have time to play with the baking time, because I'm holding onto this recipe forever.

I was really craving blueberry muffins a few weeks ago, but didn't have the right recipe. All of my other gluten free muffin recipes call for coconut flour, which I love, but was in the mood for a more traditional muffin texture. This recipe fit the bill exactly: gluten and dairy free, you only need one bowl and a few minutes to mix, and the only flour it calls for is rice flour. Also, most importantly, the muffins themselves did not disappoint. We loved them! They're mildly sweet, slightly dense, and a really nice size. Best when eaten warm, sliced down the middle, and slathered with coconut oil or butter. I liked them so much, I made another batch the night before Casper was born and stashed some in the freezer for later. This is definitely my go-to muffin recipe from now on.



Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

2 large eggs
1 cup rice, coconut, or almond milk
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil or palm shortening
2 cups brown rice flour (I use this sprouted kind)
1 tsp. guar gum*
1 T. + 1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen berries and tossed them in a bit of flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins)

Topping:
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

*I happened to have a small stash of guar gum on hand, but I think the muffins would still turn out great without it.

Preheat oven to 425º. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk of your choice, sugar, oil, and blend until smooth. Add the rice flour, guar gum (if using), baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar topping (if using). Bake for 13-16 minutes or until centers are set and tops are golden. Makes a dozen hearty-sized muffins.

So, these potatoes. They've just been the perfect little side dish in my life lately. We can't get enough. And they're my 2 year old's favorite! I've been serving them alongside eggs to make an easy breakfast for dinner, and making them at lunchtime with some guacamole and grass-fed beef, which becomes sort of a deconstructed sweet potato taco. If you still have leftover Thanksgiving turkey or you're having chicken-something for dinner tonight, throw some of these on the side! We often make them with olive oil, but also love them with coconut oil, so try them out both ways. mm.



Yesterday we decked our halls. I could not wait to unfold this vintage poinsettia tablecloth and get it out on our table! It was found last year at a thrift store for a dollar. The green ceramic Christmas tree came from my sister-in-law's garage sale, the stockings are thrifted, and paper chains are homemade, of course. I love collecting bits and pieces of Christmas cheer that will be so nostalgic for our kids someday. What's your favorite Christmas decoration? I'm still on the lookout for the perfect little nativity scene for our home. 

You can tell that I'm ready for another baby in my life. When I carve out time to make a meal like this for lunch on a regular old Tuesday, it means I'm feeling sentimental, domestic, and hungry. (aka: pregnant.) Yes indeed, Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole holds a special place in my heart. It's what I think of when I hear the words "comfort food." So, when I realized we had a bowl of leftover roasted chicken, a head of organic broccoli I had gotten on sale, and plenty of homemade chicken broth all in the fridge at the same time, I knew what I had to do.


This is what a skillet full of comfort food looks like in my eyes. And it's made with real ingredients, so now it's extra comforting. Speaking of comfort-- the other night at dinner time, when Grant was praying before our meal, he was thanking Jesus that we were inside a house, instead of outside somewhere looking for a cardboard box to stay in for the night. It hit me when he said those words, specifically the cardboard box imagery, how horrible that would actually be, and how wonderful we really have it. Thank you, Lord Jesus! For a warm house and hot food every day!



Blogged 2 years ago: A Roasted Chicken

Disclaimer: As you guys can probably guess, I'm super interested in foodie stuff and do quite a bit of reading about nourishing and caring for our bodies. I wish I blogged about health & nutrition more, and will probably start doing some posts on these topics soon, because I usually get a few emails a week with questions about gut health, digestion, food issues, etc. But I struggle with how I want this information to be perceived via a blog post. I don't like to play doctor. I'm not an expert. I just like to learn. I don't want it to seem like I'm presenting my experience as the standard or my views as the ideal. I'd rather just feel free to share things here that have been helpful for me, with the hope that they may be helpful to someone else. Like we're chatting across the kitchen table. 

With that being said, here are a few supplements that have been beneficial in my life, in my family, in my body. And I'm willing to share them with you because I know you'll accept them as just that! 







1. Organic 3 Gut Pro probiotic powder. I like to eat fermented foods/drinks because they tend to have a wider spectrum and larger volume of probiotic strains, but I do take this supplement as well. It's a convenient way to pack in an extra punch of beneficial bacteria. And, with another human being inside me, I can't get too much of those good guys right now. I like this probiotic in particular because it doesn't have any fillers, allergens, additives- no unnecessary ingredients. I've seen it's effectiveness in everyone in my family, and over time it ends up being one of the least expensive probiotics on the market. I take this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

2. New Chapter Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin. Last time I was pregnant, I just took the prenatal vitamin someone handed me at a clinic. I had no idea what was in it. This time, I was excited to pick out my own, because I knew what I wanted. I chose this one because it's made from whole, cultured foods, it's non-GMO, and it even has a blend of sprouted seeds in it- so it's extra digestible. Plus, it's available on Amazon Prime and it never bothers my stomach a bit. I take one tablet with each meal.

3. Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil. After Hadley was born, I learned that I was very deficient in magnesium. For a great, great read on how crucial magnesium is, why it's so common to not get enough of it through our food and water, and what symptoms are related to magnesium deficiency, read this post by Cheeseslave. I love it. And I'm in love with magnesium!! I supplement with this magnesium oil, instead of a pill, because it's much more easily and efficiently absorbed via the skin (our largest organ) than the digestive system. Also, digestion changes a lot during pregnancy, which can make it even tougher to absorb magnesium from your food, multivitamins, etc. I use the oil almost daily, as I'm trying to correct my magnesium deficiency as much as I can before the baby comes, but I know that my pregnant body is currently using the bulk of nutrients I put in it and isn't able to store up much. I will still continue supplementing with magnesium oil after the baby is born. I chose this Ancient Minerals brand of magnesium oil because it's completely free of mercury, lead, arsenic, and fluoride. It works great and makes my skin so soft! There was a tingly-itchy feeling the first few times I used it, but that has gone away now. I spray it on my torso, arms, and thighs after I take a shower, leave it on for 20 minutes while I put in my contacts, dry my hair, etc, and then wipe it off with a warm cloth and put on some lotion. Make sure you moisturize the areas you put it on, because that will help with any dryness/itchiness.

On another- possibly hugely helpful- note, vitamin D and magnesium really helped tame my morning sickness! If you're interested in reading more about how morning sickness and magnesium are connected, check out this post by Wellness Mama or this post by Mommypotamus.

4. Green Pasture's Fermented Cod Liver Oil. Because I believe in healthy fats!! And I think cod liver oil is a healing superfood! I take this one because it's a fermented, raw, live food- it has not been heated. So, the life-giving nutrients (vitamins A and D, EFA/DHA, omegas) have not been destroyed by the manufacturing process. Along with magnesium, I was also deficient in vitamin D after Hadley's birth and throughout the first year of nursing, and cod liver oil is one of the best sources (after the sun- which I took full advantage of while pregnant this summer) for real, bioavailable vitamin D.

5. Naturally fermented sauerkraut -- not actually a supplement, but I think of it as something to "take" every day because it is such a nutrient-dense, probiotic and enzyme-rich, healing food. We make ours homemade, but I like this store-bought brand, too, because it's inexpensive and made using traditional methods, with only cabbage, water, and sea salt. We also like to make a sauerkraut salsa sometimes, which is a blend of cultured veggies and peppers that tastes really great with eggs for breakfast. Sauerkraut is high in B vitamins, also vitamins C and K, calcium, magnesium, fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper, and manganese. (The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients making it more nutritious and digestible than plain cabbage.) Honestly, I care the most about the live probiotic strains that are present in sauerkraut. These will help me give the baby a good start in life- a healthy and balanced gut, strong digestion, and a tough immune system. I shoot for having a spoonful (if not more) of kraut with each meal.

Whew! There you have it: all the supplements I eat/take. And if you made it through all that- you are incredible and awesome. Thanks for reading! I hope some little tidbit somewhere in there will be helpful to someone. If you have questions, please feel free to ask or write me an email! Not that I know a lot, but I'd be happy to try to answer them from my experience.


Blogged 1 year ago: Pecan Crusted Pies-- for gluten-free holiday baking
Blogged 2 years ago: Homemade Mayonnaise

During Hadley's pregnancy, I didn't buy any maternity pants. Being as pregnant as I am right this minute, I don't have a clue how that could have worked! I guess it was a different time of year, and I did have some maternity dresses/skirts, a pair of really stretchy jeans that were too big for me previously, and I wore a Be-Band from Target every day. This pregnancy, my baby bump was much bigger much earlier on, and I'm more interested in being cozy and less in love with the Be-Band, and I was determined to find some good maternity skinny jeans for less than $50.

Thankfully I had gotten some maternity shirts during my first pregnancy and quickly learned that Old Navy's online maternity section was my best bet for things that fit me and aren't ridiculously priced. So that was the only place I shopped this time, and because I bought during a sale, I was able to get not just one, but 3 pairs of jeans/pants for $50. I bought some black jeggings, some dark wash skinnies, and some black maternity leggings, and have been so grateful for each of them. They've become the essentials of my current wardrobe. Just pair one of those pants options with some inexpensive knee-high riding boots purchased with free shipping via Amazon Prime (I've been wearing them everywhere), and the longest shirt I can find, and you've got my daily uniform.

I've been happy enough with all of my new maternity pants to actually go and write a review for other online shoppers. (!!) They were just what I was looking for and fit so nicely, and I wanted to help other people know how to buy the right size-- which is always the headache in trying to buy maternity clothes! I rely heavily on the comment/review section when I'm purchasing clothes online, and always appreciate the helpful people who take the time to explain how things fit them and if the item is true to size. All that to say, if you're on the lookout for maternity basics and you don't like to spend big bucks or leave your house to shop, I would send you to old navy.com. What are your maternity wardrobe favorites? And how do you "make do" during those last 3/4 months? I love borrowing from my sister-in-law if we aren't pregnant at the same time, stealing from Grant's closet, and going through my mom's garage sale stuff!

P.S. Details on my outfit from yesterday's 30 week pregnancy update... I was wearing the dark wash skinny jeans, brown boots from amazon, and a thrifted Volcom sweater with a homemade scarf.

Today I'm sharing a simple dinner that we've been enjoying regularly for a couple years now. I don't know why I haven't blogged about it yet! This marinade is my absolute favorite for chicken. Bursting with the punchy flavors of lemon zest and fresh garlic, this chicken is so deliciously bright and satisfying. Use the lemony marinade to make chicken drumsticks exciting without any fried coating. Drumsticks are so nice because they're an inexpensive cut of meat and always turn out so beautiful when roasted. It's is also a great dinner idea to keep in mind if you have package of chicken thighs with the bones and skin on, like I did here-- another budget-friendly choice. (Side note: if we happen to have boneless, skinless thighs, I always set those aside because they make the best stir-fry.)

The best thing about this meal is that it's really just a matter of shaking up a marinade. So, a couple minutes of work at the beginning and then it's just
1. Stick it in the fridge.
2. Stick it in the oven.
And you have a really nice dinner! I'd serve this with some rice and sautéed zucchini, or green beans, or you could put a pan of veggies in the oven and roast them at the same time as the chicken.

Just back from a visit to the chiropractor. I hadn't been in a long while and knew this baby bod could use a tune-up. Overall I'm still feeling really great during this pregnancy. I'm starting my 26th week now and totally feel like myself, with the added bonus of baby kicks/flips galore to remind me that there's a little life inside! Whenever I sit down for a moment or two, the kicking begins. Signs of the times ahead of me?? :) Last night I read through some of the dear baby letters that I wrote during my first pregnancy- so happy Hadley will have those to read someday. It's about time I start writing to my second child. That will be one of my next blog post assignments.

For today, let's talk about apple crisp. Is apple crisp part your life? It wasn't part of mine until I got married. When I married into Grant's family, eating apple crisp during September and October became as necessary as it is to have a piece of pumpkin pie at the end of Thanksgiving dinner. It's just part of the fall experience now. And today I have a special treat for those of you who avoid dairy-- I've adapted Grandma Marian's famous apple crisp recipe to be dairy-free. It also happens to be gluten-free. Grant and I can both handle gluten in moderation, especially when it's in sprouted wheat bread, (sprouted grains are much easier to digest) but right now I only have sprouted brown rice flour on hand, so that's what we used. I'm sure you guys could have already figured this out this recipe adaptation, since it only means swapping out 2 or 3 things, but we were really happy with how ours turned out, so I'm going to share it!

Anyone else super excited that tomorrow is October?! YAY! me too!! Bring on the pumpkins and crunchy red leaves and spicy drinks and cornbread + chili.. and please don't forget the apple crisp. The perfect way to end any autumn meal. Here's the original recipe for those of who don't have any trouble digesting gluten and dairy!

Just feel like sharing a few little faves today.


2. Revlon Brilliant Strength Enamel in the shade "Embody." I love this nude/white nail color. I'm re-applying it today. It makes your hands look extra tan this time of year! I've been hunting for just the right matte pearl color like this for a long time.


3. The Family Flavor! This long-awaited cookbook came to me in the mail yesterday- so exciting! I hardly ever buy a cookbook. In fact, I don't know if I ever have. (but I've received quite a few nice ones as gifts!) But this one is just too awesome to pass up. Sheena did all the gorgeous photography!! And Whitney is absolutely brilliant. Practically every recipe is one that I not only consider usable, but tempting. I can't stop cracking it open and adding things to my "to make" list. Here are just a few of the ones I've jotted down so far:

Oven Fried Chicken, Braised Kale, Pecan Shortbread, Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps, Blueberry Oatmeal Bars, Crumb-top Apple Pie, Braised Chicken and Mushrooms, Whitney's Meatloaf, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Browned Butter

The coming of fall amplifies all the domestic desires in me. I'm so ready to spend more time in the kitchen. (not that I'm not in there a ton already!) This cookbook came out just in time to give me dinner ideas galore for the new season, and I'm sure you'll be seeing some of my favorites posted here. The Family Flavor is more than 50% off right now on amazon if you want to get your hands on one! Or just come over to my house and drool over my copy with me. :)