{dairy free} Nutritious Baked Oatmeal

baked oatmeal

One of my absolute favorite, go-to recipes for my family’s breakfast is baked oatmeal.  The first recipe I received was from a very dear friend, at an informational class I attended.  I have since modified it just a tiny bit for my family, because we have two children with dairy allergies, we make a dairy free version.

So, I will include those options for my readers that are dairy free as well.

My children ask for this recipe several times a week; they devour it!  We like to enjoy it with eggs, or another protein and some fruit.

*healthful tip: I like to cut down the syrup  by a 1/4c , and no one even misses it!

{dairy free} Nutritious Baked Oatmeal

Rating: 51

Number of servings: 6

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

{dairy free} Nutritious Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

  • 3 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup, coconut sugar, or sucanat
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil (expeller pressed has no flavor, regular does-either is good in the recipe) or butter
  • 1TB baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 tsp real salt (salt should never be solid white-Himalayan pink spat is delicious and has trace minerals)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2c applesauce
  • *your favorite ad-ins. We've done: pecans, diced apple, frozen blueberries, extra applesauce, pears, and dried coconut

Instructions

  1. Combine oats and water.
  2. Add in remaining ingredients
  3. Pour into greased 8x8 baking dish.
  4. Bake 25 minutes at 350, or until lightly brown and firm.
  5. **if you double the recipe like I often do, pour into a 9x13 baking dish

Notes

**If you would like to soak your oats (which breaks down any anti-nutrients found in grains): *Combine your rolled oats with 1 cup of cultured dairy, such as whey, buttermilk, or yogurt) *Soak overnight. *Omit adding water, continue with the rest of steps.

Where to get Ingredients

If you don’t have these ingredients in your cabinet yet, you should get them if you can.  They are great to keep on hand, and we use them a lot in place of other unhealthier options (margarines, pre packaged oatmeal, sugary breakfast foods)

***You can find a Pure, Grade B Maple Syrup by clicking that link.  The ingredients in that bottle?  Maple Syrup.  =) Log Cabin and similar brands and high fructose corn syrup, which our bodies do not respond to in the same way they do REAL foods like minimally processed Maple Syrup.

***I buy organic rolled oats in bulk from Azurestandard.com

***We use and love Tropical Traditions coconut oils

I also buy my coconut sugar, cinnamon, and aluminum free baking powder from Azure 

I get my Pure Himalayan Salt from Amazon

My eggs come from my backyard, but try to shop from local farmers if you can 🙂

 

Nutritious, Traditional Food: Homemade Baby Formula Part 1

Originally posted August 2013

I want to do a series on traditionally prepared, nutritious foods.  We have started this journey, as many of you know, in an effort to heal our son’s reflux and gut issues.  Below is a little background on what happened with my now 7 year old (though leaving out a lot of details, not to mention the cost comparison of medicines and formulas vs homemade). 

Obviously, I am in no way a medical professional and am NOT giving you medical or health care advice.  I am offering you information and what you do with it is up to you.  

Mister had terrible reflux, was on Nutramigen baby formula (it is an elemental formula in which the dairy is broken down as much as possible) for dairy protein allergy, and overall his gut was a mess.  I nursed and pumped as long a I could (while doing a dairy free diet myself, for his sake) but Mister refused to nurse after 6 months; I continued to pump but after a month lost my supply.

If you have read anything about traditional foods, or traditional nutrition, you have read that the “gut” is the most vital part of the body- it produces enzymes that affect every single aspect of your body functioning properly, along with so much more we have learned in the last 10 years.

From using hormones to absorbing vitamins and minerals, the condition of your gut determines your overall health.  Period.  (see the bottom of this article for links and resources regarding gut health)

So, here are a list of the ingredients in a can of Nutramigen:

That is a picture taken straight from a can of baby formula in my pantry.  I have no idea why I still have this can.  Maybe it reminds me of how far we have come in just 4 short months.

Can you pronounce any of those words easily?  Do you know what many of those ingredients are?

They aren’t natural.  They are not God made and nature grown.

Ingredients on a package are in order of amount found in that product.  Corn syrup solids are the majority of what is makes up most general baby formulas.

Corn syrups solids are a genetically modified organism (GMO), made from corn and are basically SUGAR.  A crappy, non-nutritional, HIGHLY processed chemical food product.

I can’t even call it a food, because it isn’t.

Corn syrup solids interfere with a hormone which tells your body “hey, you’re full!  Stop eating!”  Therefore you eat more (that’s pretty convenient for food corporations…).

Corn syrup or some form of it is found in almost anything in a package or box.  It is much healthier to find a real food recipe version of your favorite boxed foods and cook them at home.

Check out this link from Dr. Mark Hyman on 5 Reasons Why High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You.

None of those ingredients aid in the health of the gut, body, or absorption of nutrients.  Do babies everywhere survive on that can?  Yes, they do. Do they possibly have unforeseen health complications later in life?  Yes.

Many of those ingredients have been linked to health problems, especially the highly processed High Fructose Corn Syrup, and vegetable oils in that can.  *ick*  I seriously can’t imagine making meals out of that stuff.

So, I did research.  I read.  I bought Nourishing Traditions Cookbook.  FYI- that is a link to the cookbook on Amazon.  

I love it so much I took it to Kinkos and had the covers laminated, and the binding spiral bound so I can lay it flat and it makes it easier to flip through 700 pages.

In the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, there are recipes for baby formula (it is also found on Weston A Price website).  One uses raw milk or goats milk, which with a dairy protein allergy Max cannot have. *for baby #4 in 2016, I did make the goat milk formula for our baby and it worked well. We will do it again for Baby #5 if necessary

The other uses liver and bone broth.  *ding ding ding*

So, I went back to searching for organic grassfed beef bones for stock and liver, and all the ingredients I needed for the formula.  After I found them all, we decided to dive in and do it!

I began weaning him onto the meat-based formula the week we left for a trip in June.  I made up a few batches, froze them, and took them with us.  By the time we got home he was on the homemade formula full time, in addition to his solids.

No more nutrient void commercial formula.

A few chiropractor visits later, and Max is no longer on medication.  His gut is healed- thanks to that bone broth and it’s mineral producing gelatin, no doubt.  The chiropractor also did work on his gut, you can read about that here.  (Google the importance on bone broth in your diet). **This was all pre-the big bone broth craze of paleo and keto fads. But doesn’t change the fact that it is affective.

Gosh, it really brings me to tears writing this out.

His belly is healed.  He occasionally spits up, but usually only when I get his bottle too warm, or he gulps it down.

Oddly, after I started Max on the homemade formula, he became a new baby in many ways.  He started napping better, was generally happier, and his development shot off.

He no longer has reflux, and there aren’t acid reflux stains on his bed sheets anymore.  Even on his medicines there were smelly, acidic stains on his sheets after a nap, or first thing in the morning, from refulx.

Traditional, WHOLE foods healed my son’s gut.

Not a medicine that masks symptoms.

Hard work and healthy food.

So, what is this homemade, meat-based baby formula recipe, you may be asking?
From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, page 603 here it is:

3 3/4 cups homemade beef or chicken broth (recipe from page 122 or 124)
2 ounces organic liver
5 Tablespoon lactose
1 teaspoon infant probiotic
1/4 cup homemade liquid whey
1 Tablespoon organic coconut oil
1 teaspoon codliver oil (I use Green Pastures)
1 teaspoon UNrefined sunflower oil
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon acerola powder

Now, assume all those ingredients are from only the best sources and are organic.  Because anything you can get from Walmart probably isn’t the best quality ingredient. **In 2019, you can actually find a lot of organic foods and ingredients in Walmart and Kroger- yay!

I found mine at: http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/ and I get my coconut oil from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/

I use Weston A Price Foundation as a HUGE source of information and health related articles, along with Nourishing Traditions– it is so much more than a cookbook!  It is over 700 pages of wisdom, science, and traditional health information.

The point of this recipe is that all ingredients are natural, whole, raw sources of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients a baby needs-they can be easily absorbed and the body knows what to do with them.  They are not processed or found in a man made vitamin capsule.  (you can overdose on synthetic vitamins, but it is much harder to do so with natural sources because your body knows how to use them and rid of excess.)

I also want to include the breakdown of the nutritional analysis done by Sally Fallon and Weston A Price Foundation of breastmilk and these homemade formulas.  Obviously breast milk is BEST, provided the mother eats a nutritious diet, but some of us aren’t able to nurse or continue nursing.

This is a good alternative for my family:

Based on 36 ounces.
Breast Milk
Cow’s Milk
Formula
Goat Milk
Formula
Liver-Based
Formula
Calories
766
856
890
682
Protein
11.3g
18g
18g
15g
Carbohydrates
76g
79g
77g
69g
Total Fat
48g
52g
54g
36g
Saturated Fat
22g
28g
30g
16g
Mono Fat
18g
16g
16g
12g
Poly Fat
5.5g
5.6g
5.7g
5.6g
Omega-3 FA
.58g
1.3g
1.2g
1.0g
Omega-6 FA
4.4g
4.2g
4.4g
4.5g
Cholesterol
153mg
137mg
166mg
227mg
Vitamin A*
946IU
5000IU
5000IU
20,000IU
Thiamin-B1
.15mg
1.05mg
1.1mg
.19mg
Riboflavin-B2
.4mg
1.2mg
1.2mg
1.9mg
Niacin-B3
1.9mg
2.5mg
4.4mg
14.2mg
Vitamin B6
.12mg
.51mg
.60mg
.65mg
Vitamin B12
.5mcg
1.9mcg
2.8mcg
39mcg
Folate
57mcg
236mcg
284mcg
159mcg
Vitamin C
55mg
57mg
59mg
62mg
Vitamin D
480IU
450IU
525IU
460IU
Vitamin E***
9.9mg
6.2mg
4.7mg
4.9mg
Calcium
355mg
532mg
548mg
NA**
Copper
.57mg
.38mg
.58mg
1.9mg
Iron
.33mg
1.4mg
2.2mg
5.4mg
Magnesium
37.4mg
91.3mg
96.1mg
34.5mg
Manganese
.29mg
.034mg
.12mg
.24mg
Phosphorus
151mg
616mg
729mg
344mg
Potassium
560mg
949mg
1228mg
750mg
Selenium
18.8mcg
15.4mcg
18.7mcg
31.1mcg
Sodium
186mg
308mg
320mg
NA**
Zinc
1.9mg
2.8mg
2.7mg
2.5mg
* Vitamin A levels in human milk will depend on the diet of the mother. Nursing mothers eating vitamin A-rich foods such as cod liver oil will have much higher levels of vitamin A in their milk. Commercial formulas contain about 2400 IU vitamin A per 800 calories.
** Calcium and sodium values for homemade broth are not available.
*** Vitamin E values are derived from commercial vegetable oils. The vitamin E levels for homemade formulaswill be higher if good quality, expeller-expressed oils are used.

At first I was embarrassed and scared to tell people I made Mister’s formula. As in most things, when you go against the grain or do something differently that mainstream society, people think you’re a little wacky. In 2019, it can be easier for people to see the benefits of real, nutritious food for all stages of life, than it was even in 2013.

I am proud to say we worked hard, and we healed Max’s gut (and therefore damage caused by the commercial formulas and medicines we had tried).  He is healthy, growing, and gaining weight better than he ever did the first half of his first  year.

We are approaching his first birthday, and I am so thankful.

 READ PART 2 HERE

Articles on gut health:

 

Preparing for Cold and Flu Season Naturally

preparing for cold and flu season naturally

Photo Credit HERE

This post may contain affiliate links, thank for your support!

So, cold and flu season is almost here!  Obviously I hope none of us get sick, because well … that just isn’t fun!

Obviously there is no way to ensure your family doesn’t get sick, however, there are ways to boost everyone’s immune systems naturally to help ward off illness and lessen the blow when it happens!

We will be:

Will these things keep our family 100% well?  Maybe not, but that isn’t their job.  Combined with healthy foods and other natural lifestyle changes the above list definitely helps with overall health and wellbeing.  When you take care of the internal systems- the gut namely- the rest will take care of itself.

Gut health is so important- if you are having problems in the way of symptoms (think eczema, body aches, migraines, rashes, upset stomach,) look at the diet and gut health first.

Not all bodies are created equally, and not all foods are either.  

In case we do come down with illnesses, I will have my essential oils on hand, and my homemade cough medicine ready to go!  I also want to look into making some elderberry syrup and cough drops- that is on my “to try” list.

What will you do this fall and winter to care for your family?

 

**Disclaimer- This is not medical advice, and is only for information purposes. These are protocols that work for my family, which I feel very comfortable using, and have educated myself about using.  Please talk to your doctor, and only do what you are comfortable with for your family.  God bless!

Want to save 24% retail cost on your own organic, 100% pure, therapeutic grade oils?  Sign up here!

Easy Dairy Free Quinoa Breakfast Mash

Easy Dairy Free Quinoa Breakfast Mash

We have been in a breakfast rut for a few months now. We have tried so many breakfast recipes for oats and quinoa, and my kids haven’t liked any of them.  Today I mashed together a few different ideas and came up with something they did like.  Well- my daughters liked … my son still prefers oatmeal and an egg sandwich.  *sigh*

The struggle of feeding 4 children real, nutritious food is real, y’all.

This makes about 4+ servings, depending on how much your children eat.  This would last us about 2 days in our house, with 2 of 4 kids eating a bowl.

Quinoa Breakfast Mash

20 minutes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Quinoa Breakfast Mash

Ingredients

  • 2 cans coconut milk
  • 2 cups uncooked quinoa
  • 4-8 TB of Pure Grade B Maple Syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • salt to taste
  • your choice of topping- dried coconut, craisins, raisins, sliced banana, etc

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients (exclude toppings) to a pot
  2. Bring to a boil
  3. partially cover and turn down to a simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes
  4. Serve with dried coconut sprinkled on top

This recipe is prepared dairy free, but I imagine it would be even more delicious with a pat of butter on top. =)

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Beginning Our Gluten Free {GF) Journey

Well, the day has come. I’ve avoided it for a while, against my better judgement; but avoiding it seems to no longer be an option.

beginning-our-gluten-free-journey

Max came into the world with a dairy protein allergy & with his little belly all a mess. He was a pretty miserable baby, despite a few periods of happiness. In general, he cried a LOT and was uncomfortable, suffering from reflux. We searched, prayed for direction, and through amazing circumstances were able to heal his gut through a homemade baby formula. (And make a few wonderful, life long friends along the way-so many blessings.)

As he has grown older, he has suffered from a non-stop stuffy nose and allergies to his environment. His immune system tends to be much weaker than the rest of ours; he is always sick worse and longer than we are. If we have a cold for a week, he has it for 3. If we have a stomach bug for 2 days, he has it for 5. I do everything I can to keep his immune system up (probiotics, bone broth, nutritious food, no dairy because he IS allergic to that, VERY limited sugar, 90% real food diet, etc).

But the one thing I haven’t done is remove gluten from his diet. He eats an egg sandwich every morning, and usually a sandwich at lunch right now (because with a newborn and 3 other tiny humans, I don’t have time to cook 3 hot meals right now). Dinners aren’t usually very wheat-filled, unless it is homemade lasagna or something with pasta, which isn’t often. We actually don’t consume a lot of wheat anyway.

But to substitute and change the wheat we do consume intimidates me. =/

But, in July our dentist (who is a holistic practitioner) was very adamant that we get Max off gluten; he was concerned about his lack of breathing through his nose, and how it is affecting his m0uth, and could further impact his heath. I told him if he told me to do it, I would.

But then the baby came, and life IS hectic at home, and I just let it go for a bit.

Then at our doctor appointment this week, she also recommended we get him off gluten. She said that a major cause of his symptoms could be not only a gluten intolerance, but lowering the inflammation caused from the gluten could greatly help his healing, breathing, and allergies in general.

Basically if gluten causes MORE inflammation in his body, then removing it can limit the immune response he is having to environmental allergens like dust, pollen, dander, etc.

Inflammation is inflammation- regardless of the symptom it shows itself as (in this case allergies and being unable to breathe with a constant congested nose).

His lungs are clear, there was no wheezing, so she doesn’t feel like it is asthma at this time.

So, here we go- beginning this journey. If going gluten free gets him back to his normal health, then I will just learn to make our lives gluten-free! I’ve found a lot of lovely recipes that I’m going to make for him if he is allergic to gluten but I haven’t made any of them yet. There is actually a lot of great gluten free foods available at the minute and I can’t wait to try some of them out if he does test positive.

Are you gluten free in your home? Please share any/all tips and info you can! I would love to learn from you. =)

 

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Friday on the Farm {May 20, 2016}

So this is titles Friday on the Farm … but it is actually Saturday on the farm.

This morning was full of lots of chores- watering the meat chicks in their brooder, weeding the garden, moving the tractor coop to the backside of the fence (the big white horse fence), and prepping everything to put the meat chicks into their tractor coop. This operation is only on a very small scale, but as you can imagine, some chicken farms will have tractors from sites like fastline to keep up with the workload.

I was able to get the meat chicks all caught, put into a box (it took about 5 trips from the brooder to the coop), and unloaded into the tractor coop.

BOY were they some happy little chickens!

meat chicks in PVC tractor coop-may 2016-QuietInTheChaos.com

They are going through 5 gallons of water in about 12 hours! Hopefully that will change since they are now outside where they will get moisture from the ground, grass, air, etc. Their brooder was in the barn tack room … let me tell you that was NOT pretty and I won’t be doing that again. There just wasn’t enough airflow, even with the window, and the ammonia built up SO quickly, I couldn’t keep enough fresh bedding added to it.

The tractor coop, provided they can keep warm, will be MUCH better! They are mostly feathered out, with a few bare spots which they will likely have for some time, as the last meat chickens did. And some still have fuzzy heads… then others are completely feathered out. We will see it goes.

This afternoon after naps, we all loaded up for a trip to Heaven, e-hum, I mean Costco. After we got home the kids played a while outside, then I started my chores.

The big girls gave left me some eggs in their nest boxes. They free ranged all day, and their feeder was empty so I gave them their new feed-which they LOVE! It is a custom, soy free mix. I will give details on that via another post, but I am so thankful to have found a feed mill that makes a custom feed. And inexpensive to boot! Woo hoo! It can also be used to finish the meat chickens off the last 3+ weeks! How great is that?

Egg Chores {QuietintheChaos.com}

I took a few shots of the garden- I can’t take credit for its beauty, other than for choosing the lovely 6 seater patio set;
my husband is the gardener! He gets it tilled, planted, weeded, etc. I just help with a bit of weeding, and of course harvesting. =) The potatoes, bell peppers, and tomatoes are looking great! The asparagus has given us a large harvest this spring, and we have let some go to seed. The peas look like they need a wee bit of help, but I think that is cause we have not weeded much the last week in all this rain.

The Garden May 2016 {QuietInTheChaos.com}

The electric fence has worked out well; one of the calves got out and went straight to the garden. When the fence zapped him he didn’t bother returning. =) It also keeps Thora and Charlie from trampling through it, killing the plants, as they play and romp. The brown box there is full of marigolds my husband started from seed; we will plant them in the garden later, just for some pretty color.

We also have a smaller garden that we have not planted, but is full of strawberries … we had intentions of killing everything in that bed and planting some squash, watermelon, corn, and okra. But all the strawberries are coming in like crazy! So hopefully the hubby will choose to let those be; our oldest is allergic but so far the other two don’t show symptoms of strawberry allergies. =)

After we got the kids in bed, we looked up and saw our Great Pyrenees, Thora, herding the calves from the front pasture, back to their pasture. Apparently they have found a high spot they can easily slide under the fence. She got them all the way to their gate by the time we made it out back. Thankfully they easily went in.

calves 3.5 months old {QuietInTheChaos.com}

You can see they are gaining well! We were hoping to just turn them on grass (you know … cow-newbies and all), but because they need extra protein and carbohydrates you have to feed them feed until a certain weight, or it will stunt their growth and cause other possible problems. I am going to see if my custom chicken feed lady can do a custom cow feed, too!

They are BIG babies- I have finally gotten the big, obstinate brown one to warm up to me. Now he begs for rubs and scratches; they both like to be brushed and will take scratches anywhere you are willing to give them! That shorter black one, Ketchup, is my buddy though. He has never been scared of us and is super friendly. (Yes, I love my cows. No, it won’t be hard to send them to butcher next year to feed my family).

After that, my husband rigged up the heat lamp in the tractor coop for the meat chicks. Really they are a week or so too young to go out, so we are just praying for a good outcome. But I couldn’t handle them being in that brooder any longer! It was just too much extra work and thus wasn’t fun for me, and didn’t seem like the healthiest option for them starting out. So, he hung a heat lamp that we will keep on at night, and plug into the barn. There is also a tarp acting to protect them from wind and rain. It is supposed to be warm the next 2 weeks (80 degrees and above) but of course, rainy!

meat chicks in tractor coop May 2016 (with heat lamp) www.Quietinthechaos.com

I think he has decided to get some more metal panels and place around 3 side of the coop so we can just start brooding them in the coop and no need to worry about wind/rain/etc.

My new laying chicks don’t even have a blog post yet! Aaaah! They’re already 3 weeks old, and feathering out nicely. We lost 2 of them-1 barred rock, and 1 rhode island red, right after they arrived. I quickly moved them into the garage where I could better control the airflow and temperature-they are brooding in a big (empty) metal water tank. They have done much better ever since. We have not been handling them very much, but starting this next week I think we will- I just didn’t want to stress them and lose anymore babies. But they seem more sturdy now, and they need to start earning their names!

So, that is pretty much it for today. This week J.Tom cut the yard and my walking path around the pasture. Gotta get back to regularly exercising before it is time to have this baby! (8 more weeks til due date!) I worked on getting what seemed like 25 loads of laundry done- Oh my goodness I am ready for sunshine again- I need my clothes line back! It makes things so much simpler.

The pond is full, with spring rain! {QuietintheChaos.com}

Thanks to the tons and tons of spring rain, we have a full pond, blooming flowers, growing garden, and happy animals. So, it has been a beautiful, blessed week on the farm!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

World’s Best Whole Wheat, Homemade Brownies {with dairy free options}

Whole Wheat, Dairy Free-Option, Homemade Brownies {QuietintheChaos}

This brownie recipe uses WHOLE, REAL foods, like freshly milled whole wheat flour, sucanat, and coconut oil.  These takes just like good, ole’ fashioned brownies.  *yum*

You really can’t go wrong with a homemade brownie- everyone loves them and it is a simple way to include the kids in the kitchen, and spend a little extra time with them.  And add in some math lessons for an added homeschool bonus!

Delicious, Whole Wheat, Super Chocolate Brownies

25 minutes

Number of servings: 16

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Delicious, Whole Wheat, Super Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

  • 2 cup sucanat
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup coconut oil for dairy free, or 1 cup butter

Instructions

  1. Mix or beat slowly they: sugar, cocoa, eggs, and vanilla
  2. Gradually add in flour and salt (it will be suuuper thick)
  3. Blend in the oil/butter
  4. add any extras you like: chocolate chips, nuts, etc
  5. Spread evenly in a 9x13 inch pan. bake at 350 for 20 minutes
  6. Now, I will tell you that I normally bake my brownies in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan, and take them out a few minutes before they're "done," because I like a chewy brownie. I went ahead and did these in a 9x13 pan, and they were a bit dry to me after baking for 18 minutes. So, adjust accordingly.

 

What’s your favorite, simple dessert?

Giant Dairy Free Skillet Cookie Recipe

Giant (Dairy Free) Skillet Cookie

What’s better than a giant chocolate chip cookie, you ask?

How about a giant, dairy free if necessary, chocolate chip cookie cooked in your cast iron skillet?!

Yes.  That is better.

Many Saturday mornings in our home are spent playing and reading while watching PBS- This Old House, Home Time, Woodwright’s Workshop, and of course the Master, Martha! (Stewart that is…)

So here, is a little different take on her recipe for a giant, cast-iron skillet cookie!

Giant Dairy Free Skillet Cookie Recipe

20 minutes

Number of servings: 8

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Giant Dairy Free Skillet Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

  • 6 TBsp expeller pressed coconut oil (room temperature or a little softer)
  • 1/3 c packed dark-brown sugar (I have used sucanat instead of brown sugar before, and it is juast as good)
  • 1/2 c sucanat
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 c whole wheat, pastry, or all purpose flour (I have used all of them and thought each one turned out great)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp real, pink salt
  • 1 c semisweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips (this brand is dairy free; always check your label though)
  • 10" cast iron skillet

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350*
  2. In a large bowl, mix: coconut oil & sugars
  3. stir in egg and vanilla
  4. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt
  5. Lastly stir in your chocolate chips
  6. Pour into your 10" cast iron skillet, smooth the top, pop in the oven
  7. Bake until cookie is golden brown and just firm in the middle (about 18-20 minutes)
  8. Let cool
  9. Pour a big ole glass of milk and ENJOY!

This is SO good; you could change up your add-ins by using walnuts, raisins, peanut butter chips, etc.

This is fast, easy, and delicious!

What is your family’s favorite easy dessert?

19 weeks Baby Summary {babywise}

Baby Summary 19 Weeks {QuietInTheChaos.com}

Well, tomorrow marks the beginning of Ila’s 20th week of life; we just finished week 19.  Oh my goodness!  She has two more weeks before she actually turns 5 months old, so I am using that as a way to console myself that she is already this old.  It is just going by so quickly.

Ila is simply a joy.  My oldest was a happy girl, but was colicky- gas, a little reflux, etc.  Mister was a bear of a baby (and still is)- very fussy, screaming with reflux, sensitive, didn’t nap well because of it, etc.  (they both have dairy sensitivities/allergies)

I think I sorta thought that babies = crying, gas, etc.

Boy was I wrong!  Next to “happy” in the dictionary should be a picture of Ila James!  (Provided I am dairy free, and she is too, so that is probably most of it.  She is able to eat and sleep well, and it just makes a HUGE difference.)  She is the baby that meets your eyes and just starts smiling for no particular reason except that you’re there!

She has gone through her wonder week 19- it was a doozy, and she got her first tooth during it!  It broke through a few days ago.  YAY!  As of now, her schedule looks like this:

  • 7am wake/nurse/bottle
  • 8:15am down for nap (soon to be 8:30 I think, some days she stays awake a while before falling asleep)  and she has decided this first nap is a great time to have a poopy diaper!
  • 11:00 wake, nurse, oatmeal with breast milk and applesauce, bottle
  • 12:15pm down (soon to be 12:30 I think), asleep by 1:00
  • 3:00pm up, nurse, bottle-soon to add solids here
  • 4:30pm down, asleep within a few minutes usually, sometimes asleep at 5pm
  • 7:00pm up, nurse, bottle
  • 7:40pm in bed, asleep
  • Sleeps until DWT of 7am

At 23 weeks there is another wonder week, and I imagine during or after that phase she will start trying to drop the third nap.  So at that time we will probably move dinner up to 6:15 or so, and bedtime up to 7pm.  Depending on her needs it may be even earlier than that.  (It always has been for my other two.)

19 week baby summary {QuietInTheChaos}

Development

During her waketimes, Ila is talking like crazy!  She discovered her voice this past week and she loves to talk.  Usually she does it if she is by herself in the living room, or pack n play. I have to sneak up on her to get it on video.  Usually once someone is there she gets quiet again.

She is trying to roll form her back to her belly, so that is fun.  She is almost there and can get twisted over on her side, but needs help to get all the way over.  And she has discovered her thumb … I am not thrilled about this; we already have one thumb sucker (Mister) to break eventually, so I am hoping this is just a phase since she found her hands and is able to get them to her mouth.  But I don’t want a pacifier either, since she sleeps fine without both I am just pretending like she isn’t doing it, and hoping she stops.  😉  (maybe she is just rubbing in the teeth?  There is another coming in.)

She is not reaching for things, like purposely. She wakes her arms a bit but has no interest in stuff around her or in front of her yet.

She hasn’t lost her hair yet, so maybe she won’t?  Lexie and Max both lost some; Ila just has a thin spot on the back where she sleeps.  I have to spry in conditioner and comb out the tangles a few times a week (there is just so much hair!).

Eating

So far, Ila is still a nursing champion.  She loves to nurse; she has started talking while she nurses.  Sometimes she just stops and looks up at me and babbles while milk pours out of her mouth.  It is pretty funny; then she will just smile and go back to nursing.  After practicing for a few weeks, she is finally taking food from a spoon.  I know she is young, and she doesn’t really need it.  However … this baby is nursing 15-20 minutes, then taking an 8 ounce bottle.  EIGHT OUNCES!  Every 4 hours … of a $45 per can formula.  Which equals $150 a month!  She has gone from going through one can in 10 days, to finishing a can in 6-7 days.  She is HUNGRY!  Plus, good fats are good for her.  I am going to give it another week of practicing with homemade oatmeal and breast milk, then start giving her soft boiled egg yolks.  She has had avacado and liked it.  Introducing her to good fats at 5 months isn’t going to hurt her or cause problems.  We will hold off on veggies, meats, and fruits for a while.  Solids aren’t needed right now, but because she is so hungry, I think healthy brain-power fats are fine.

 Sleep

Ila is still double swaddled to sleep for naps and bed time. Doubling swaddling is a great method for babies that can get out of the swaddle during sleep, but aren’t ready for their hands to be free yet.  I don’t think unswaddling her is far off, but I have tried SO MANY TIMES to transition her with one arm out, and it just disastrous.  So for now, she is still double swaddled and goes to sleep perfectly this way.  Once she starts rolling over this will for sure have to stop.

As for me, postpartum not much has changed.  I am getting sleep, so I’m a happy mama! I am working on healing my diastasis recti, which means no traditional exercises like crunches, or other things that are in most all of my workouts (T25, the 21 day fix workouts, BBL, or Turbo Fire).  I am using Fit2B.com to heal my DR and strengthen my transverse muscle FIRST, while I walk/run on the treadmill.

My mom and some others have asked how I knew I had the DR; I discovered I had DR a few ways- my back was constantly hurting.  Provided, I have been overweight for 2 years (since after I had Max), but I knew that wasn’t causing the pain.  Every time I worked out with any of my workout dvds I couldn’t get out of bed the next day, let alone walk, even after doing the modified moves. I also just couldn’t feel my abs anymore; after Ila there wasn’t even anything to flex.  When I came across DR, and tested for it, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever felt.  Basically, when you have a DR, your abs are split and you can put your fingers down between your abs.  How many fingers fit determines just how bad yours is.  Mine is 3-4 wide. *ewww*  I remember after Lexie my abs were split, but I don’t remember ever trying to “heal” them, I just sorta went on with life.  But this time I knew I had to do something. So, I signed up for Fit2B and I LOVE IT.  I am finally starting to feel my abs again, and although this isn’t going to burn 600 calories in 40 minutes, it is healing my body so I CAN eventually burn 600 calories in 40 minutes doing my favorite heavier exercises.  Exercises like crunches, planks, and basically every. single. move. in all my workout DVDs cause DR to worsen, not heal.  So for now, those are on the back burner.

But that is okay!  I am working on waking early in the mornings to get my workouts in (this is hit or miss, sometimes I have to fit them in during the day or before bed), but I feel good and eat good, so there you go.

And that is pretty much it!  Ila’s 19th week of life.  =)

Weekly Wrap Up: 10/17/2014

Welcome to weekly wrap-up for the week of October 17, 2014!  (Today is actually mine and my husband’s 8 year anniversary!  woo hoo)  Anyhow- here is a little update on what we accomplished this week.

Lexie (4) worked on her sight words each morning.  I have printed out many different “sets” of sight words, which I have laminated.  I keep these on a “master” ring, and as I assign them to Lexie, I put them on her own ring.  This is something I learned while student teaching under a great Kindergarten teacher.  These are words like at, the, am, that, my, you; basically words she will see a lot while reading, but that don’t follow the typical reading/phonics rules (although some do ..).  She does great with these, and we introduce 1-2 new words as I feel she is ready.

Sight Words Ring {Quiet In The Chaos}

While he was out getting groceries, daddy grabbed us some pumpkins to play in!  He cut the tops off and we let the kids scoop out all the goop and seeds.  They put the seeds in a clean, empty bucket; later we washed and roasted them in the oven (post coming soon!).  We did this last year also, and they enjoyed it a lot.  Lexie had more fun than Max (he surprisingly doesn’t care much for “messy” play), but Charlie enjoyed eating the seeds they dropped!

Pumpkin Sensory Play {Quiet in the Chaos}

Unfortunately, both of them broke out in a rash after playing in the pumpkin (which they had smeared all over their faces and arms).  We still aren’t sure why this happened?  They ate the roasted seeds, & those didn’t bother them …

pumpkin reaction

cheeks broken out from pumpkin? =/

 

One thing is for sure, I’ve gotta get the kids some epi pens. J.Tom has severe reactions to wasp stings and would need to go to the ER if stung on his chest/neck/head, and although the kids have never been stung, I don’t want to risk what might happen if they were.

This week I started doing more “structured” activities with Mister.  He knows maybe 1/2 of his letters?  But isn’t interested in sitting down and learning them like Big Sister was.  I am 100% okay with that, but thought he might enjoy a quick craft to get introduced to the idea. He enjoyed it for the most part; he isn’t a fan of glue on his hands (yet), but he had fun making an “H” and hanging it on the door by Lexie’s creations.  While I did that with Max, she created a magazine collage with pictures she found in my Real Simple magazine.

For Mister I am going to focus a little on a letter or two a week and plan an activity for him to join in on while Lexie does something independently; he loves to be included, i just need to find things he enjoys.  After he gets the hang of activities I hope to incorporate Before Five In A Row after Christmas.

For his H activity I just cut out a letter H, had him help me come up with “H” words (he knows his letter sounds, just not all the correct letter names) to write on it, then he colored on it and made ovals.  I traced his hands and he glued everything together.

H

And you know … we do a lot of this (after every feeding, actually).  They always want to take a turn holding Baby Ila after I nurse and giver her a bottle.

5 weeks old

How was your week?  Did you do any new activites?

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