This is the BEST plant-based/gluten-free pumpkin bread you are ever going to eat.
I made this for Christmas morning. Such a treat. Like a doughnut - in a loaf. I tell no lies.
My husband, who doesn't even like "fruit" breads, devoured half the pan. That's saying something.
Point proven. Grab your Kitchen Aid and get mixing.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
2 tbls. flaxseed meal
1/4 C. warm water
**mix together and set aside for at least 5 minutes**
3/4 C. all purpose g-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 C. brown rice flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. xantham gum
3/4 C. organic pumpkin puree - NO additives. I roasted my own to save a buck or two.
1/4 C. raw cane sugar
1/4 C. clover honey
2 tbls. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. canola or melted coconut oil
Mix dry ingredients first.
Slowly add in wet ingredients - adding the flaxseed/water mixture last (this is your egg).
Bake at 350 degrees in a greased 8X4 bread pan for 45-50 minutes.
Or until a toothpick comes out clean.
I have been DYING to share this DIY project with you all, but had to restrain myself to keep this a surprise for those receiving these little bottles of goodness!
HOMEMADE VANILLA BEAN EXTRACT
This is too easy NOT to do. I made 3 different trips to the liquor store for this stuff! Haha. I kept adding to the list of people to receive these! The last time I went in the clerk was like, "You know you can just buy this stuff in a LARGE bottle... right?!" I explained to him that I needed the little bottles for gifts of vanilla bean extract. He gave me an unbelieving smile. I'm sure his suspicions were confirmed when I walked right into a hanging branch out in front of the store! I PROMISE I ONLY TOOK A SIP FOR TESTING PURPOSES!
You can use any type of vodka or rum that pleases you. I went with vodka and just bought it in the little bottles so that I wouldn't have to find or buy a bunch of extra bottles to package it in. Worked like a charm.
I was then able to peel off the "Absolut" label and reapply a little label of my own! Lovely.
I used Madagascar vanilla beans. I sliced them down to fit into my bottles.
You can also slice them open down one side to expose the beans.
MY HANDS SMELLED SO GOOD!
You have to make sure the beans stay covered in the alcohol or they will mold.
I learned that lesson while trying to infuse oil with lavender :-)
I've read mixed reviews on how long it takes this stuff to age.
4-6 weeks? 2-3 months? My guess is that the longer you wait - the better it will be.
So I'm waiting a couple months before I crack open my bottle!!!
Hope all that received these little bottles are as pleased as I am!!!
And I hope that this isn't a total flop! That would be embarrassing.
But they look cute!!! And smell good!
If all else fails... just throw back a couple shots of vanilla flavored vodka.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Hope you all are enjoying these days of celebration as much as we are!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.
And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a few shots of fun from Christmas Eve at our place!!!
Nathan doing a very creative/interactive reading of the Christmas story with the kids!
LOVE. MY. HUSBAND.
PRESENTS!
My hubby did good!!!! I'm in love. With Nathan of course! Ha...
The DIY felt board was a HIT!
Some gluten/dairy/sugar free brownies with coconut whip!!! (will post recipe soon!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! We LOVE you!!!
WISHING YOU ALL THE JOY + PEACE + HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD!
The other night my two year old son discovered a wrapped Christmas package under the couch.
I walked into the living room just in time to see him holding up his concealed felt board and shouting, "Chriiiiiistmas present!!! WOOO HOO!!!"
I shrieked and immediately tried to apprehend the child and the gift. He started running, I started laughing, and then momma WON. He was bummed when I told him he had to WAIT until Christmas.
Probably feels like an eternity to him.
Today he has been wrapping up "presents" (his current toys) in my kitchen towels and bringing them to me ALL day. I've unwrapped a harmonica at least 3 times, a water bottle, and a pair of baby toe nail clippers... which he says are actually for papa.
HE KNOWS. He knows that we are getting ready, shopping for presents, wrapping them up, placing them around the tree, decorating the house, baking cookies for friends, lighting Advent candles, etc... He knows that we are preparing. Something is going on. Someone is coming.
And he's learning along the way that good things come to those who wait...
"Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31
And he's learning patience...
"You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." - James 5:8
And in a round-a-bout way he is learning chastity...
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17
AREN'T WE ALL?!
The Church, in her infinite wisdom, has two special times of the year set aside to help us purify ourselves through fasting and prayer: ADVENT & LENT. These are times for us to practice mastery over our minds and bodies to remind ourselves that EVERYTHING we are belongs to GOD - Who has good things prepared for us!
When Nathan and I started dating, he was the MASTER of planning and executing wonderful surprises!
He often would quote to me...
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings." - Proverbs 25:2
He believes that there is something deep within us that SO DESPERATELY DESIRES to reveal mysteries, uncover treasure, relish in a surprise... and I think he is right!
After a season of waiting and hoping, there is GREAT FULFILLMENT in receiving the gifts!
Our donkey is loaded with bells right now reminding our kids every evening at prayer time that Jesus is getting closer! We added this story about Donkey Daniel to our reading each night as a family.
VERY GOOD! Perfect for this age. Check it out here.
We're one day closer to throwing a PARTY for Baby Jesus! A birthday party!
Zay has requested balloons and hats. I'm making some yummy gluten/dairy/sugar free brownies (hardly a brownie, right?! haha... oh allergies.) and we're going to sing...
Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Baby Jesus! Happy birthday to you!
.... and blow out some candles of course!
And THEN, after all the WAITING - all the PATIENCE - all that indirect chastity training...
Zay is going to open that package under the living room couch.
And I hope he shouts: "Chriiiiiiistmas present! WOOO HOO!"
Because THAT is the GOOD that God intends.
Christmas is right around the corner!
Nothing like lighting up the PINK Advent wreath candle to remind us of that!
I seriously almost had a panic attack in Church this morning thinking of ALL I need to get done in the SMALL amount of time before Christmas. *Deep breaths* ... Our pastor reminded us to take time to prepare our HEARTS for Jesus this Christmas. A good reminder for this momma who has lots to do with two babies in tow.
This Sunday is GAUDETE SUNDAY!
The Sunday of LIGHT - the Sunday of JOY - the Sunday that reminds us we are over halfway to Christmas...
to look FORWARD with HOPE and EXPECTANCY... Our Savior is coming!!!
Here's how we've been celebrating this WHOLE weekend!!!
Busy getting our hearts and home ready for baby Jesus!
We decided last year that we wanted to make it our family tradition to wait until "we light the PINK candle" to put up our Christmas tree. Just our way of focusing a little more on Advent and creating a sense of expectancy for our kids! They have literally been on the edge of their seats waiting for the pink candle so we can get our tree!
The kids loved picking out the tree! Even in the rain.
Epic fail on our part as parents. This happens EVERY year.
You'd think we'd learn to check the weather!
BLUE lights! They are our little guy's favorite.
They bring so much joy to him... how could we not?!
Our little elf helper
enjoyed putting the decorations on the tree
...aaaaaaaand taking them off. PUNK.
Here's a project I've been working on for a couple weeks now... and finished YESTERDAY!
Felt is HIGHLY addictive. So easy to work with and it makes cute things! I made a DIY felt board and lots and lots and lots (these aren't even all of them) pieces for my kids and my Goddaugter for Christmas this year!!!
Can you see the Bible theme going on here? TOO MUCH FUN. I can't wait to see them play with it all!
I love it when they can use their imaginations!
Hope you all are having a blessed 3rd Sunday of Advent and enjoying the nearness of the ones your love.
I know I've held my babies a little closer these past few days.
Remembering all the victims of the Connecticut tragedy. Lord, bring JOY to those families during this time of grief. Squeeze those babies for their parents. Have mercy on our world. Amen.
Nathan planned this for date night a couple weeks ago! So much fun - for all four of us!
CHRISTMAS LIGHT HUNTING
We made homemade hot chocolate and peppermint tea. The kids were so excited!
1 C. coconut milk (heated)
1 tsp. cocoa powder
A good drizzle of maple syrup to sweeten it up!
I think we drove around admiring lights for a good hour and a half while listening to Christmas music.
Nathan and I were delighted to see the boys get so excited with each new house. PRICELESS.
We heard lots of "WOW" and "Oh. My. Goodness." Too much!
I will treasure these memories in my heart FOREVER.
The kids were content and Nathan and I got some quiet time
to just talk and enjoy the sights of the season together!
These little nerds were STOKED to be taking hot cocoa in the CAR...
You could spice this date idea up any way you like it!
Bring the kids.
Don't bring the kids.
Mix up YOUR favorite drink.
Pop some popcorn or bake Christmas cookies to take along.
Share a Christmas memory each time you spot a house with a Nativity scene.
ETC!
Such a cozy, fun, wintry night for us! You should try it too!
These are delish and I cannot take credit for them.
Found this recipe over at The Kind Life. WAY cheaper to make "healthier" graham crackers than to buy them.
For sure. My kids LOVE them. They almost taste like a cross between gingerbread and graham cracker.
They freeze well - so double up that batch!
HERE is where you can find the recipe. I used brown rice syrup in place of the sucanat and did not sprinkle them with sugar. Do whatever you fancy! And you don't have to stick to boring, little squares like I did. I had this strong urge to go with tradition. You can totally cut these into fun shapes! The dough is super easy to work with.
I keep a stash of these in my freezer and whenever we're going out to run errands or something I throw a few in my bag. Then I whip them out when my children grow weary of being my amazing sidekicks.
We're hanging out in Iowa this week! So I made a batch for the road.
My kids think they are cookies... because I broke out of my comfort zone and cut this last batch into snowflakes!
I found a WONDERFUL story of good old St. Nick here!
I find that this is such a confusing topic.
St. Nick? Santa Clause? Two different guys? One guy with two names? Do we celebrate both?
Here's what's up. I'm pretty sure that St. Nick and Santa Clause are the same dude.
The problem is - America has commercialized "Santa Clause" and most people miss out on the very spiritual, saintly side to the man and story. Such a rip off!... in my humble opinion. Haha.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nicholas was born in Asia Minor in the 4th century. His parents died when he was a teenager; leaving him a large sum of money. There are many stories, testimonies, and legends attached to this saint, but it is said that he gave the money away to help other people. He is known for a multitude of miracles and for saving numerous individuals and families from terrible situations.
Later in his life he was named Bishop of Myra. He continued to do good throughout his days as a spiritual shepherd. St. Nicholas is remembered and celebrated on December 6th each year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is what we are doing to remember the AWESOME man, bishop, and saint WHILE STILL leaving lots of room to focus on the birthday of Baby Jesus...
We'll be celebrating by watching some Veggie Tales tonight (the night before)!
Who doesn't love Veggie Tales?! Thrilling for a 1 and 2 year old!
The kids will leave out their shoes and in the morning they will find that in secret, in the quiet of the night,
St. Nicholas came and filled them with lots of little goodies (thanks in part to my mom, Grandma Kelly!)!!!
This is also when the kids get their ornaments for the Christmas tree
that we'll be setting up on the third Sunday of Advent!!!
Look what I found?! Couldn't be more perfect for my boys.
So for our family, St. Nick gets his own day of festivities on December 6th so that we can have all of Christmas to focus on the birthday of Baby Jesus - the gift He is to us - and the gifts we find in each other!
I couldn't help but smile today at Mass as I completely missed the homily and could barely get through a single verse of a hymn. And it wasn't because I was spacing out or didn't want to participate either.
It is just hard to stay focused when you are helping your 1 year old refine his inner gymnast by balancing on the kneeler, making sure that the Cheerios go into the mouths of your children and not flying into the face of your neighbor, and keeping the peace between two very crazy boys who always seem to want what the other has!
Before kids, I had all the time in the world to talk to God. SILENT adoration hours are a thing of the past. Saying a rosary in ONE sitting? Who does that?! Reading a Bible that has neon pictures, chunky pages,
and is seriously paraphrased for a younger crowd counts, right?!
I've actually been beating myself up over this topic for the past couple of years. I have dealt with this lie: "Hey Brittany, you know you are not so holy if you don't sit down
and have sacred, alone time with God every day?"
Maybe you've heard it before?
After being up all night with a newborn, the idea of waking 20 minutes earlier than everyone else to pray seems like cruel and unusual punishment. Naptime rolls around and even though a quiet, mid-day retreat with God sounds great - sometimes I am so overcome with weariness from chasing around two baby boys... or the need to prepare dinner or fold laundry that I put God on hold.
Last year, as I was almost in tears over my serious lack of what my idea of "quality prayer time" is, my spiritual guide looked at me and was like, "LIVE YOUR VOCATION WITH JESUS." Now this obviously isn't a replacement for one-on-one time with the Maker, but it calmed me down and I liked the idea of making sure to INVITE God into every moment, every menial task, every naptime! She encouraged me to place myself in the arms of God when I was nursing my baby or cooking a meal for my family. She even said I could do that during my naptimes with the kids. SLEEP in the arms of Christ?! I can do that. "Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"
- Matthew 19:13-14
So as half of Mass went by this morning and I barely caught anything other than a flying toy,
I smiled and told God, "Hey, I'm with THEM."... my children.
There is proof in Scripture that "the little children" were very important to Jesus. So I'm hoping that as the keeper of some "little children" that I am closer to Jesus' heart more than ever before!
As I bring my kids to daily Mass, Church on Sundays, or just pray with them in our home, I like to think that I get a front row pass to Jesus! After all, He wants them to come to Him and I'm their caretaker...
soooooo that makes sense, right?!
Don't let your vocation or present state in life be a hindrance to your relationship with Christ.
No, let it be the very means that lifts you straight to His heart and into a deeper love for Him!
I'm not sure if I'll get a completely silent moment today to enter into a deep conversation with my God...
but I DO KNOW that I'll be whispering to Him throughout the day,
inviting Him to help me and to bless my family...
and reminding Him that "I'm with them!"
