Basic French Toast {Gluten Free or Not!}

The members of The Beehive needed an alternative to our scrambled eggs, toast and fruit breakfast.  I was tired of making it and The Bear and The Bird were tired of eating it.  The trouble is they LOVE toast and I needed to add some protein to keep them full longer. You see where I'm going with this?!! French Toast. So easy.  So good.

Basic French Toast

Ingredients

4 slices of bread*
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon)
banana or other fresh fruit to top
enough honey to drizzle

Directions


Melt butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Whisk eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Dip bread in the eggs and flip to coat both sides. Let the bread soak in the eggs for a few seconds so that the bread is wet all the way through. Put bread in the frying pan. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon) on one side then flip over and sprinkle on the other side. Cook for about 2 minutes then flip again.  Cook until all the egg on the bread is cooked.

Pile your french toast pieces on a plate. Melt some more butter on bread, slice banana on the top, and drizzle with honey.

Dig in.  No, seriously, dig in because they won't last long!!

*You will notice that I use both Gluten Free bread for me and regular bread for the kids.  As a result, I have to dip and cook the Gluten Free bread first as to not cross contaminate.

Vegetable Bean Turkey Chili & Turkey Noodle Soup

After dozens of creations these soups are Fam favorites.  Use the Basic Soup Starter recipe to begin both of these recipes.  Also, use it to create your own and share it with me!

Vegetable Bean Turkey Chili

{Add the following to the Basic Soup Starter for the ultimate chili}

1 can corn
1 can black beans*
1 can white beans*
1 can pinto beans*
1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
Pinch more cumin
Ground Red Pepper to desired heat
(I also throw in a bag of frozen veggies because we tend to do vegetable overload to make sure the meal is super healthy for the kiddos...but that would be optional!)

After you add all of these ingredients to the Basic Soup Starter turn the stove to high and briefly bring it all to a boil, then turn it down to simmer until dinner.  The longer it simmers the better it will taste.  My kiddos and hubby eat several servings.  It does my heart good to see them scooping spoonfuls of vegetables into their mouths!

Turkey Noodle Soup

{Add the following to the Basic Soup Starter for a quick, filling family soup}

1/2 cup more celery, chopped
1/2 cup more carrots, chopped
16 ounces of your choice of pasta (I use Trader Joe's quinoa and brown rice gluten free)

Add the celery and carrots to the Basic Soup Starter while still on medium heat.  While that is cooking, boil your pasta until just before al dente. Drain pasta and add into dutch oven.  Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. That is it! It is ready to serve.  This soup is simple but has such rich ingredients in the Starter Soup that it is irresistible!

Please share any variations you make!

*I have used a multitude of different beans and they all taste fantastic.  Don't be afraid to get creative!  Also, if you have the time, rinse and soak your own beans if you want to get away from the canned goods.

Basic Soup Starter

As of late I have been rocking a variety of soups.  The very cool thing about this is that they all tend to start the very same way.  The initial ingredients are the same and then I add to them to cater to the particular soup.

Fam favorites are the Vegetable Bean Turkey Chili and Turkey Noodle Soup!  I will give you the directions for the soup starter and then give you the additional ingredients for the other two in the next post!

As I type this California is officially in a drought BUT we are in the middle of a three day rain storm... basically, it is perfect chili weather!  Also, I pump up the raw garlic, ginger and cumin during cold and flu
season.  Serve it up.

Basic Soup Starter    (Four Servings)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound ground meat (I usually use high quality turkey)*
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons 21 Seasoning Salute (from Trader Joe's but any all purpose salt-free seasoning will work)
1 1/2 cups of chopped celery
1 1/2 cups of chopped carrots
16 ounces broth {gluten free} * **

Directions
On medium heat add olive oil, garlic, ginger and onion to a dutch oven. Saute ingredients until onions are starting to get translucent.  Add turkey, salt, and seasoning and mix all together until meat is no longer pink. Add carrots and celery when meat is almost done. Add broth.

At this point you can diverge to create any soup that can dream up!  See the next post for Vegetable Bean Turkey Chili and Turkey Noodle Soup!

*Leave meat out and use vegetable broth for vegetarian option!

**If you want to make a larger soup, increase broth amount and add additional veggies and spices to taste.

No-Bake Granola Bars {Gluten Free}

After watching the Bear and the Bird chow down on a prepackaged granola bar in Target and THEN looking at the ingredients I thought there has got to be a better way! The ingredients were unacceptable for a healthy snack.  

I am all about splurging on a fun/unhealthy snack on occasion but I can't stand when a snack masquerades as "healthy." Looking at labels is a must for me since I can't tolerate gluten and we generally do most of our shopping at stores that don't intentionally trick you into buying something "all-natural," "healthy" and so on.

When the kiddos and I arrived home we lively chatted about what ingredients we would need to create a delicious and slightly naughty granola bar.  A granola bar whose healthy ingredients trump the naughty ingredients. See what we came up with recipe below:

No-Bake Granola Bar {Gluten Free}

3 cups oats
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup coconut oil (warmed to a liquid)
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
2 tablespoon sweetener (I used honey) 

Mix all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. Spoon into a muffin tin cups and flatten down with the bottom of the spoon until the cups are half filled.  Refrigerate for an hour and they are ready to eat!  Keep them refrigerated until you are ready to eat!

The fiber in the oats and the benefits of the coconut definitely outweigh the minimal chocolate and sweetener. Half of a bar is a perfect late night snack and also a post-nap treat!

Peaks and Valleys: All in a Day's Work

Emotional roller coaster sound familiar?

Pushed to your own personal limits?

Felt the ecstatic love one only feels for their offspring?

Ya, me too.

Today, my kiddos had me on the brink of tears one moment and not thirty minutes later I felt like the luckiest mama in the whole big planet earth.

First, there was an elbow here and a shove there. Then, right there in the middle of the children's section of our library, my kids were fighting over the computer. I tried pulling the Bird out of the situation to talk it out. Between screams (she only really had one volume: loud) I tripped over my words to try and calm the disgruntled 20 month old.  It worked momentarily and then the screeches resumed. I could not console her or get her to understand we couldn't scream in the library.  Every attempt seemed to make her more upset! A mama I know asked if she could help and I weighed my options: Let her calm down on her own time (not sure why it hadn't happened already), or get the hell out of dodge. I chose the latter.

I'm a believer that if you explain to your kids what will be happening next that it will go far smoother. I started telling the Bird in my arms and the Bear on the computer that we were leaving; it didn't go so well. The volume on the Bird's wails increased and I am pretty sure the Bear could only make out that we were leaving and was not happy.  As I was removing the headphones from a pissed-off Bear and sliding him off the seat I caught a glimpse of an angel. She was a mom of two kids just like me.  She mouthed the words: "You are handling this so calmly." I was so grateful could have cried. I didn't, but instead I mustered up freakish mom strength and picked up my almost four year old with my right arm matching the toddler on my left hip and high-tailed it out of there.

By the time we drove the two miles home they were both my best friends again but not without pink eyebrows and the light, white film of where tears had spurted moments earlier.

I decided lunch then nap time were our next steps.

After sitting between them at the dining room table to preemptively eliminate any elbows being thrown I found my smile returning. They were tired. They were hungry.  They were scooting their booster-clad chairs closer and closer to me to get bites of my lunch. My boxed Indian palak paneer trumped their peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

Their peanut butter faces wanted bite after bite. I couldn't tell if they were truly enjoying the dish or if they were trying to get back in my good graces but regardless, it was working. The Bear was hugging my arm and smearing sticky honey and Indian food on my sleeve while the Bird blessed me with tiny, tiny bird kisses that only she can do. Both had these rediculously heart-warming grins.  My blood-pressure returned to normal and I could feel the creases of my smile lines making a more permanent home on my face.  My emotional roller coaster was pulling into where it started.

And all was right in the whole big planet earth... until nap time.

Clean Soups by Aunt Kathy!

I am thrilled to introduce a guest to The Beehive! I used to go visit this person almost every summer in my youth.  She taught me how to embellish... well, just about any textile, how to make real pulled taffy, and how to throw a mean New Year's Eve party (and quite possibly her affinity for exclamation marks!!!)! 

Introducing my Aunt Kathy! She has perfected the Clean the Refrigerator Soup.  It not only cleaned her produce drawers but it is pretty clean eating as well.  Cheers to her, her soups, and a clean fridge!  Thanks for the post, Auntie! Soup's on!

Today I made "clean the refrigerator soup!!!!!!!!" 

I sautéed fresh ginger and fresh garlic and some wilty green onions in some good olive oil ( not much!! Just enough!!!) maybe a tablespoon or two !!!

I found snow peas, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots and little Dutch potatoes in the produce drawer!!! Oh wait.... There was a big turnip in there too!!!! Wow what a find!!!! 

Lastly... We had made a trip to trader joes yesterday and Kait had bought some kale and made kale chips last night !!! So I will add fresh kale just before we eat!!!  

THE BIG PLUS!!!!!! For breakfast I will drain the juice off and put a big spoonful of the cooked veggies in our scrambled eggs for breakfast!!! Yummy!!!! That is , of course if we have any soup left!!!!!  

If you want meat, add it!!! I cut up 2 turkey burgers I found in the frig and added those too !!!! All this I simmered in a can of 99%fat free chicken broth and since I only had 1 can, I added 1 can of beef broth!!!! 

EEEAAAASY PEEAASY and cheap, no waste and a clean refrigerator!!! And now I know what I need at the grocery store!!!! We made cabbage steaks last night!!! Awesome!!!!!!! We will talk about those on another day!!!! Love you sweet niece!!!!!! NO POPTARTS!!!!!

More Kids? What is Your Perfect Number?

 Feelings of sadness and wonder mixed with the urge to jump in the air and do an insane armpump. Do you recognize these feelings?  Perhaps you have considered not having any more children.

That being said...

How do you know when you are done?

What were some of your determining factors?

I hear moms and dads answer this with a very decisive answers...

In the Beehive, we have fluctuated on this HUGE decision.  When DaveBee and I first started dating (nine years ago) I shared that I wanted a herd of children...like 5, at least!  When he wasn't immediately scared off and joined the conversation around five years later we thought 3 kiddos would be perfect since we are both third children.

Well, as you know, we have two babes: The Bear (almost 4) and the Bird (almost 2). Honestly, I never thought I would say this, but, we have considered making our funky foursome final. 

But, how do you know... really know if you are done having children?

I play over scenarios of what having more kids would look like.  Logistical things come to mind like: bigger car, bigger house, busier schedule and then the sweet thoughts play out foretelling more kids to love, another new personality to get to know and nurture, the changing dynamic from two children to three-plus children.

I'm not going to lie, I miss having a small baby in our home and in my arms but I am most thoroughly enjoying seeing my two "big" kids grow closer every day and interacting with us on more and more mature levels. Also, the idea of moving out of the diaper phase is really enticing!

I want to be able to give my patience and attention to ALL my children the best that I can so... how many is that?  I grew up in a house with five kids and from what I can remember my parents adjusted and grew with every child.  In the way that my parenting adjusted and grew from one to two I would like to think that happens with every child.

Naturally, expenses also come to mind when anyone talks about having more children.  So, yea, there is that. Preschool, extra-curriculars, birthdays, health, grocery bill, and so on...

These are just a few of the pieces of the puzzle that is choosing the number of children that would perfectly fill out a family.

So, I'll let you know when we decide... one way or another!

What is your perfect number?

Baked Penne in Three Steps {Gluten Free}

Dinner.  Simplified.  Three steps.

1. Boil 1 package of gluten free penne pasta until al dente.

2. Saute 1 pound of sausage or ground meat with Italian seasonings, onion and garlic. Then, add a jar of pasta sauce.

3. When both are done, mix together in a bowl, spoon into a baking dish and sprinkle with your favorite shredded Italian cheeses and bake for 15 minutes.

This dish is seriously soul warming and so easy!