Book review on becoming a big sister!

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We received this adorable book as a gift from my hubby’s Aunt. It arrived at the perfect time! I was entering my 7 month of pregnancy 🤰 and my almost 3 year old who’s now officially 3(!!) was still patting my belly saying, “baby puppy”. Which is totally adorable but I didn’t want her to freak out when she meets her sibling and it’s not a puppy 🐶.

This book, “Hello in There”, illustrates very clearly a baby in mommy’s belly and baby gets big on each page while big sister is on the outside waiting for baby to be born and thinking about all the fun they’ll have when they can finally play together.

My daughter really seems to understand there’s a baby in my belly 😊 and she seems pretty excited about it and says baby wahhh. She thinks all babies do is cry 😂

Page with baby in mommy’s belly and baby gets bigger on each subsequent page.

Big sister waiting for baby and subsequent pages show big sister doing activities like playing dress up and saying she can’t wait to play with baby.

This is a great book for a big sister to be. I haven’t checked to see if there’s a big brother version of the book. I highly recommend this book 📖 it explains very clearly what’s going on, my daughter really grasped what’s going on!

Honor’s birthday cake!

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Our daughter, Honor, turned 3 on December 30th! She’s changed so much in her lifetime and notably in the past 6 months she gone from a toddler to a little girl. It’s been amazing to see her grow and change.

This year we made her birthday cake together! This is my go-to birthday cake recipe, it makes a 9” round cake. You can also make delicious cupcakes!

Honor’s birthday cake 🎂

Dry Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Garbanzo Gluten free flour

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup cacao powder

 

Wet Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar (organic turbinado or demerara)

2 T. ground flax + 3 T. water (stir together and set aside)

1 tsp vanilla

4 T. unsweet applesauce

¼ cup coconut oil

1 cup water

1 T. apple cider vinegar

 

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Combine dry ingredients.
  3. Mix together wet ingredients and pour into dry ingredients bowl and stir to combine.
  4. Pour into round 9” baking pan greased with coconut oil spray.
  5. Bake 30 minutes.

Homemade frosting:

1 cup full fat coconut milk

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together frosting ingredients, frost cooled cake then place cake in fridge to set frosting.

Baking with Honor!

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Baking with my Honor! She asked for cookies 🍪 so I thought we could bake together! I pulled a chair up to the counter and she climbed up then I handed her a wooden spoon to stir.

I added the ingredients and she would stir and taste which was funny because at first she tasted plain flour! I explained the batter will taste better with all the ingredients 😊

It was actually a lot of fun to bake with her and she’s already asking to make more batter! She enjoyed eating better straight from the bowl 😂.

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies 🍪

Ingredients:

1+½ cups Vitacost gluten free flour

½ tsp pink salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup coconut oil

½ cup + 2 T. maple syrup

2 T. Egg replacer plus 1/4 cup water 

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup mini chocolate chips

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Line baking pan with silicon pad or grease with coconut oil.
  3. Mix together dry ingredients and set aside.
  4. Mix together remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips.
  5. Combine dry and wet ingredients.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips.
  7. Scoop 3 T. batter for each cookie and place on baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 15-18 minutes until done.
  9. Move to a wire rack to cool.
  10. Enjoy!
  11. Store cookies in fridge or wrap and freeze.

Yield: 12 cookies 

Original recipe created for Vitacost.com

https://www.vitacost.com/blog/cooking-recipe/desserts-2/gluten-free-blueberry-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

 

 

 

3-Ingredient Chili!

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Three ingredient chili, yes that’s right I said 3!! Woohoo dinner will be done in no time and I can’t tell you how many times this meal saved the day err dinner 😉

 

Ingredients:

1# ground beef or turkey (organic if possible)

1 jar your favorite salsa

1 can beans (pinto or black bean) pour out a little liquid but don’t completely drain (BPA free can)

optional: 1/2 tsp each ground cumin and pink salt

Method:

  1. Cook meat on medium-high in a medium size pot.
  2. once meat is cooked, move meat to one side of pot and tip pot to drain the fat by absorbing with paper towels. set the grease soaked paper towels in a bowl to cool off before putting into garbage.
  3. turn heat to medium and add salsa, beans, and season to taste with spices if needed.
  4. cover and simmer on low 20 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips and sliced avocado.

Yield: 2 servings

 

 

No-Bake Chocolate Protein Snacks: Toddler Approved/Lactation Cookies

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So these protein balls I started making as my go-to no-bake lactation cookie! Add a little brewers yeast and boom-lactation support!! My daughter is now expanding her palette so I cut these into tiny bites and she devours them! I make them for her without the brewers yeast now.

Check out our video making this tasty treat :)!

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup unsweet shredded coconut

2 .T cacao (cocoa) powder

2. chocolate chips (I use dairy free Pashca 85% or enjoy life brand)

2 T. dried fruit (we love cherries or cranberries)

1/4 cup maple syrup (agave or honey work well too)

1 T. brewers yeast (for lactation support if needed)

1 T. coconut oil

1 T. water (if needed)

Method:

1. Pulse pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes then add in remaining ingredients.

2. Process until there are no detectable big pieces – especially if you will be sharing with your kiddos!

3. Scoop out by the Tablespoon, the mini ice cream scoopers work great.

4. Roll into balls or pop into mini paper muffin cups.

5. Store in fridge 4 days or freeze.

 

Yield: 12 balls

Note: If serving to your toddler, cut into small dime size pieces and flatten (to make sure no big chunks. Brush their teeth after snack since this has sticky sweetness!

 

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