trader joe’s

Molasses as a sweetener

If you want to make 1 1/2 loaves of banana bread (one large, one small) here’s the recipe.  Alternatively, you could make one loaf and some muffins.  Not sure how the cooking time would vary for those but I’m just throwing it out there because I made this recipe and it had too much for one loaf but was still perfect and definitely worth sharing. Rather than applesauce as a sweetener, I used molasses.  It’s subtly sweet but the body treats it way different than sugar.  Almost everything I bake I make suitable for pacman and while… Read more >

Chickpea smuggler

Here are some updates on how it’s going feeding a toddler with allergies (since I know several mamas like these posts) and he seems to be thriving. I snuck beans into my child’s diet and they weren’t even baked or blended into something making them unrecognizable.  Nope.  I simply changed the texture by roasting them and voila!   The kid eats beans. For now. 😛  (there are a few ways to roast them but I did 450 degrees F x 25 minutes just tossed in a little olive oil) Like I mentioned in a previous… Read more >

The weekly menu

I have a week of food coming your way.  And I’m pretty proud of myself because despite Kyle being out of town I did a decent job of still making myself quality meals…as opposed to just half-assing it and rummaging through the fridge after putting P down. Once again, they’re all out of order. When I’m planning the week ahead, I have a vague idea of when I’ll do certain meals based on their hands-on time and my schedule, but I like the option to switch it mid-week if I don’t feel like a certain dish that day… Read more >

Allergy friendly yellow cake

I know (I think?) what you’re thinking.  Yellow cake?  What’s the point?  Chocolate is where it’s AT!  I agree with you, but every once in a while you need some quality yellow cake in your life.  Like on the 4th of July. Because it just feels right.  Is #merica just so 2013? Since I wanted P to be able to eat some, I made it allergen friendly.  As in, no wheat, gluten, dairy, nuts, or soy.  The batter does contain eggs and I’m not sure if it would turn out without them but if anyone wants… Read more >

Allergen friendly baby/toddler products

I make 99% of P’s food.  You could call it a labor of love, but I hardly consider it “labor” because I enjoy it immensely and nutrition is near and dear to my heart.  As for the 1%…it’s tricky with a child who has allergies.  Obviously in an ideal world we would have the time to make real food for our kids and we wouldn’t have to rely on pre-made items at all.  [Well, actually, in an ideal world there would be no food allergies, but we can overlook that small detail for the purposes of this post]… Read more >