hands of love #6...

So, my sweet Caroline, I finally tried my hand at baking for you this week. Now, you must realize that before all of this, I had never IN MY LIFE made a batch of homemade cookies before! (well, that I can recall-- maybe my mom remembers a time that I don't, but I'm pretty sure I've always been the type to go for the super fast & easy break-n-bake kind...) But now that we've been thrown into a world we weren't planning on visiting in the first place, I find myself enjoying creating foods that I know EXACTLY what is IN them, and I can control what is in them, and best of all: it's REAL food. The ingredients don't look like a science textbook glossary with long words I can't even pronounce!

And while we have been avoiding sugar like the plague because any little bit will literally work against EVERYTHING good we're doing for your gut to heal, you just gotta be able to enjoy life a little, ya know? :) So thankfully the baking was highly successful, sweet girl, and you LOVED 'em! Mommy made you two types of cookies & froze half of the dough for another batch later.

Prepared for you this week with hands of love...


Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free quinoa chocolate chip cookies. Remember quinoa? ("KEEN-wah") It's like a healthier version of rice with lots more protein. This recipe used quinoa & tapioca flour. They weren't as sugar-y tasting as what you'd normally think of a chocolate chip cookie, but they were more "dense." Robust. Real. Yummmm. And better the second day. (I don't think they lasted past then anyways...)


Now THESE cookies were just as good as the real things! These used brown rice flour. (That's what I love about gluten free baking, by the way. It's definitely harder to do, but when you are forced to avoid wheat flour, it opens you up to a whole WORLD of delicious foods & flours that you don't realize are even out there! And plus I guess it just makes you feel like you've climbed to the top of a mountain when you can accomplish a gluten free, dairy free, soy free, & egg free cookie that is so delicious, too!) Wonder how it can be dairy free with these yummy chocolate chips? I used these.


Okay, so these are repeats from before, but here's what quinoa looks like cooked as a grain. You just eat it like you would rice.


Another repeat, but boy, this one was delish! (and too pretty not to post!) There is nothing better than a fresh greek salad with homemade dressing!


And of course since it was Daddy's birthday this week & now HE'S gluten free, too, we had to make some pizza! (here is a pic of YOUR pizza-- gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free)

Caroline, we love you more than anything. Your health and well being is worth every tear and every dollar. You are a gift that we treasure and we are so grateful that you have been wonderfully adopted into our family. I'm so sorry that you had to get crazy parents like us-- WE'RE certainly the lucky ones in this deal and we wouldn't have it any other way. :)