Happy Halloween, guys! I feel like there is excitement in the air today, even though I haven't left my house. I suppose it's coming from seeing all your cute costumed kids on instagram and Facebook and pinterest. They all look so adorable. I really love that we're all doing the same sorts of things on this holiday, but I'm probably the most excited about Halloween because it means tomorrow is November. For me, Halloween is the gate we have to push through to get to the holiday season, so I woke up ready to give it a good push. But we might as while celebrate while we're pushing. We're partying tonight with a nostalgic costume for miss Hadley (photo coming tomorrow), a tiny bit of neighborhood door knocking, lots of handing out candy, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, chili, kettle corn, and of course, our Halloween tradition-- homemade Reese's peanut butter cups! (purposely made fresh today so that we aren't tempted to eat the candy going out to the neighborhood kids) I instagrammed a photo of the reese's peanut butter filling in the works last night and had a few friends asking me for the recipe, so I wanted to re-post it here today. It's worth it. And now I know a couple ways to make it even better, so come check it out! These reese's are guilt-free, honey-sweetened, and chock full of good-for-you coconut oil. Oh, and they are crazy delicious.

Last week I found this delicious, gorgeous food blog called Top With Cinnamon. I came away with new zeal to bake something (these! these bars right here!) and several recipe tabs left open on our iPad for days. Izy is brilliant. She's only 17! Today! Happy birthday, Izy! I love her food styling and her smart ideas. Like putting a roasted banana on top of a coconut macaroon crust and then melting chocolate on top of that. Whoaaaa. Easiest bar I've ever made and so uniquely yummy. I made them last night while Grant was away at a meeting and I was watching The Terminal and folding laundry. A dangerous scenario for eating dessert recklessly... kind of like writing a blog post about these bars when you have a pan of them sitting on the desk with you. (This is happening right now. I just laid down my fork.) Anyway, this recipe comes straight from her brain.

Izy made these into s'mores bars with cute mini marshmallows on top. I didn't have marshmallows, so I just left the swirly melted chocolate exposed. Her recipe also called for white chocolate in the coconut crust (clever girl!), which I didn't have either, so I tossed in chopped pecans. Love pecans with coconut!  They just go together perfectly. So, if you haven't found an indulgent dessert for Valentine's Day yet... a) these are chocolatey. So they're the right choice. b) a roasted banana?! So crazy romantic! c) these can be whipped up in under an hour. d) these will be right here.... waiting for you.

Being a mom has made me a snacker.
When I was pregnant I started eating a little something every couple hours or so, because I needed to. Now that I am nursing I know that it's still good for me to eat often, and honestly, it's just habit. I do not get in the car these days unless I have a little something to eat with me! You guys probably already do this, because you are smart. Which reminds me, have you discovered dried figs? I've been getting dried figs lately! so good. The next snacks in my future (sitting in the fridge currently) are half a watermelon ('tis the season!) and these cookies.

These cookies. They're kinda incredible.

There's no oatmeal, no brown sugar, but somehow they taste like oatmeal cookies. (with a hint of banana, which is like a bonus!) The texture is precisely that of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. Remember oatmeal creme pies? Or did you like swiss cake rolls? Anyway, the likeness is uncanny. If you sandwiched them around a creamy filling I wouldn't know the difference. Crazy cookie magic! I am super excited about having this recipe in my back pocket. Soft and tender, chewy and sweet, lightly spiced, totally toothsome- an unused word that fits them perfectly. They just feel good to bite!



The cookies will be fluffy and thick, sort of cake like. I enjoy a good cakey cookie once in awhile, but if you'd prefer a denser bite, gently press down on each cookie with a piece of parchment paper. I like to store them in the fridge to help them firm up.

so, candy is about 100x better from your own kitchen. this peanut butter filling is scandalous. i can't remember the last time i really felt i needed to lick the spatula clean, but there was a sense of need here. that spatula was done licked clean. the taste isn't authentic factory-made reese's, but it's powerful. superior, even. somehow reminiscent of a peanut butter pie, minus the overload of vanilla pudding. i've been toying with the idea of giving these to grant for so long, and now it's done. and will be repeated again soon. because these are just insane.



Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
adapted from the nourishing gourmet

peanut butter core:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup finely ground nuts (i actually used sunflower kernels, which were great)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 T. honey
pinch of salt

chocolate coating: 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 2 T. honey

In a small bowl combine all peanut buttery ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a muffin tray (lined or unlined is fine) and place in freezer. While that's chilling, combine chocolate sauce ingredients in a 2-cup measuring glass and place in a pot of simmering water. Heat, stirring, until everything is just melted and remove from heat. Spoon chocolate sauce over the chilled peanut butter mixture and place back in freezer. Freeze for 20 minutes, remove from pan immediately, using a butter knife to pop them out. Store in fridge or freezer. Makes 10 big peanut butter cups.



this chocolate coating is rather deep and dark, which i loved. if you like more of a milky mellow chocolate, feel free to cut back on cocoa or add more butter and honey.

by the way, i am making these next Halloween. they're so easy! don't let me forget.
enjoy!!

Here's what I know about today:

• Today I woke up on my own, without being summoned by miss Hadley, at about 6 am. (we went to bed at 10 last night! aren't we lucky?) 
• Today I tweezed my eyebrows and cleaned the bathroom instead of going back to bed. (finally. those 2 things get skipped a lot.) 
• Today I will read Mockingjay, but try not to go too fast. because then it's all over! 
• Today I will roast a chicken for dinner. We have to have "the chicken dinner" at least once a week. mm.
• Today pilates might be done. 
• Today I need to write down the recipe for the biscuits we had last night. 
• Today Grant will come home instead of coaching basketball. yaaaaay! 
• Today we will dvr/watch the presidential debate together. and make lots of comments about it. Does anyone else think the news is fun? I am so into it.
• Today there's a high of -1 degree. That's the high. I will be wearing a scarf and stocking cap in my house. Forget washing my hair.
• Today for lunch I am having green chicken chili. I definitely know that. 

I put my book down in order to make these muffins. Pretty big deal lately. It was snowing outside that day. and when it snows, something sparks in me- the impulse to bake.




Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins
adapted from the wholesome home

3 eggs
3 T. melted coconut oil (or butter)
3 T. honey or crushed dates
1/8 tsp. almond extract (which is basically 1 drop)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup sifted coconut flour
1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

These muffins are super simple. They're shorties as far as muffin tops go, but they taste so delicious. We had them with our Christmas breakfast and I couldn't wait too long to make them again.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend all ingredients, except the berries, in a blender or with a hand mixer until very smooth. Line a muffin pan with 6 paper liners and drop a few berries into each cup. Spoon batter evenly between the lined muffin cups (over the berries) and top each with more berries. Bake for 12-16 minutes and enjoy warm with a big pat of butter. **If you want more rise in your muffins and don't mind an extra step, you can separate the egg whites and beat until stiff, then fold them into the batter.**

I've really been enjoying coconut flour lately, as it makes such a nice grain free option. If you've never used it before, don't be afraid. It is more dense than wheat flour and requires a lot of eggs to accompany it, but it bakes up really nice and has a lovely naturally sweet flavor. I just keep it in a ziploc bag in my fridge and use a fork to "sift" before measuring it out. 

Today, given the choice between cooking and baking, what would you pick? I'm not sure which one I'd choose... I guess it depends if it's snowing. 

**disclaimer. this is an unsweetened treat. if you are not on a sugar/starch restricted diet, i have no idea if it will taste good to you or not. try it to find out!**

so, i made it through thanksgiving on the gaps diet. it was actually awesome! i had a full plate, seconds, leftovers, … and dessert. naturally sweet pumpkin bars made a perfect substitute for traditional pumpkin pie. in fact, i think i like them better than pie. i've always preferred cookies or bars. i bet i'm not alone on that. anyway, they smell as yummy as pumpkin pie in the oven.

these squares remind me a little of custard. if you choose to make them with the coconut flour they will be a little more dense like a traditional cake-bar. i like them both ways. they're great hot out of the oven (as they are in the photos here), but i really love them iced down good and cold. store them in the fridge for sure, and maybe even pop one in the freezer for a few minutes before eating. mmm. when they're chilled, you can smear coconut oil all over and pretend it's icing. i always do. but make sure you also sprinkle heavily with cinnamon and sea salt- this finishing touch really gives life to these treats.

i know we are all more familiar with pumpkin bars rather than butternut, but i recommend trying them with the butternut. it is sweeter than pumpkin, really rich and mellow and lovely.



pumpkin and butternut bars 
grain-free, gaps friendly, unsweetened
adapted from finding my niche

2 cups butternut or pumpkin puree, or a mix (keep in mind that butternut is sweeter)
¼ cup coconut flour (optional)
1-2 T. cinnamon (can add other pumpkin pie spices such as nutmeg and cloves)
1 T. pure vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 T. plain yogurt (butter or coconut oil also work well, room temp)
8 eggs, separated

crack egg whites into a medium size bowl and set aside. in a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients (including egg yolks) and blend until smooth. whip egg whites until light and foamy, then fold into cake mixture. pour into a parchment-lined and greased 9x13 pan. bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

serve warm, cold, or toasted. with lots of butter! or my "icing." store in the fridge.

salted cinnamon "icing"
(too simple to be a real recipe, but)

coconut oil
cinnamon
sea salt

layer each piece of cake with coconut oil, dust with cinnamon, and finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.

so... maybe you've noticed a trend in my recipes lately. what's with the grain free food? and squash? why are some labeled "gaps friendly"? allow me to explain! i am currently eating a certain way to heal my gut (gut = the intestinal tract), and i am using GAPS as my guide. you heard right! i am willingly giving up grains and sugar. (don't worry, it's temporary!) i am making yogurt and sauerkraut and bone broth. i spend my day dreaming of fermented foods to try. do i sound like a weirdo yet? ok. just wait. it gets even better! but first, i better explain some stuff.

GAPS stands for "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" and is a healing protocol that you can follow anywhere from a few months to 2 years in order to heal chronic disease, severe allergies, or mental illness. (paraphrased from Kendahl of our nourishing roots) it was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a neurologist and neurosurgeon who sought an answer for her son who was diagnosed as severely autistic. thanks to her research, he is now cured.

basically, the idea behind the GAPS diet is that gut health = whole health. i was completely floored when i encountered this concept. our digestion affects our whole system, even our brain chemistry! duh! it makes sense that what we put in our bodies would affect how they run. those little bacteria (flora) in your intestine? they are hugely, so hugely important! they make sure we digest our food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate toxins. if the good bacteria aren't healthy and thriving and outweighing the bad, we have trouble, my friends. poor digestion. toxic build up. a compromised immune system. a perfect setting for health problems. i like to think of it this way: "All diseases begin in the gut" (Hippocrates said that. i just quoted Hippocrates! who am i?!) once i understood the concept of the gut being the "second brain" of the body, everything made so much sense!


how did i get started with GAPS? oh wow. after so many hours and hours of research on a thousand subjects! once you start pouring your life -and food- into a tiny baby, you really think differently (extra carefully) about your health. you pay attention to stuff. i had to take an antibiotic this summer, and for me, it only took that one antibiotic to realize how important gut flora is. i just knew something was off inside me. looking back, i now know that i have not had a healthy gut (a proper bacterial balance) for years. (here's a list of symptoms involved with yeast imbalance.) i had heard of GAPS through some of my favorite blogs, but i believe it was this post on the nourishing gourmet that gave me the push to do it.

so, what do you guys think? do you think i am completely mad? i don't even know how weird i sound anymore. i am so into all this stuff. i just talk about it like it's normal. you know, guts and stuff. i could talk about it all day! it is absolutely fascinating to me. are you bored? are you still here?! are you sick of me talking about health nut stuff? who wants to come over to my house and make kefir?! 

but seriously, i think i will come back later and tell you some of my thoughts on how GAPS is going and what i actually eat. if that's okay. (i know it's okay, because it's my little blog and you guys are so nice!) 

so i made these pancakes at 2:30 in the afternoon. yes, i was flipping pancakes at such an hour. it felt strange. pancakes for breakfast? sweet! like on snow days and stuff? yes. pancakes for dinner? of course. like all the time! pancakes at 2:30? ...weird. but let's face it, the batter was sitting in the fridge, i was hungry, my husband wouldn't be home for another 7 hours, my baby was content outside my arms, umm.. i already knew how good they were, and therefore: i was having pancakes! strike while the cast iron is hot, guys. (and please do cook these in a cast iron. mmm.)

so would you like to play a game?
if you circled "f" in your imagination, you are correct!



butternut pancakes (grain free!)

2 cups cooked butternut squash*
8 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

combine all ingredients in a blender or mixing bowl with a hand mixer. grease a cast iron pan with coconut oil and bring to low-ish medium heat. not too hot, now. use a large spoon to pour small dollops of batter (not much bigger than coin-size) in the pan. wait to try to flip until bubbles appear on top and pancake is clearly a cohesive cake :) enjoy immediately or place on a cookie sheet in a 200-degree oven until ready to eat. or toast them when ready! i call them "toasty butternut" for a reason. i toast mine. so good.

makes about 16 small pancakes.
top with butter, maple syrup, and a sprinkle of sea salt.
these taste sweet enough to me, but if you have a sweet tooth you may want a tablespoon or two of honey in the batter.