Gluten Free chocolate Chip banana bread

I adapted this recipe from a recipe in my Betty Crocker "bridal edition" cookbook. This cookbook has been through a lot  in the last 8 years and it is all bent up and written in. It will defiantly stay with me until it is in pieces! HA HA HA! There are a lot of great recipes in that cookbook and some basic ones too that is perfect for a new bride who is inexperienced in the kitchen (which was me!) Growing up we ate out a lot and my parents worked full time so I didn't get to cook with or see my Mom cook that much. Which I am trying to change that and cook with my daughter and let go of my perfectionism and learn how to include her in my cooking tasks. Maybe one day I will create a cookbook that gives directions on how to include kids. Well I should get to the recipe already so you can enjoy it's yummmmmmy goodness!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups BROWN sugar*
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk*
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup gluten free flour: bisquick mix
1 cup gluten free flour: sandwich bread mix (Gluten free pantry)*
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup HOT water*
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. Move oven rack to low position so that the tops of the pans will be in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non stick spray or grease 2 loaf pans with butter.

2. Mix sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. STir in bananas buttermilk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in flour and salt. Beat in HOT water. Add baking powder (don't over mix at this point or it won't rise well). Fold in chocolate chips if desired. Sometimes I sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top (but would omit the chocolate chips, unless you just really want to go to the dentist).

3. Divide batter into two loaf pans. Bake for about 45 min continue to check using a toothpick ( poke it in the middle of the bread your bread is done when the toothpick comes out clean).

4. Cool the bread, your suppose to cool it for TWO HOURS before slicing (good luck!!). Wrap tightly and store at room temp for 4 days or in the fridge for 10. BUT it rarely makes it past 4 days in our house! ENJOY!!

* Brown sugar helps moisten the bread so it isn't so "crumby".
* If you don't have buttermilk you can use milk (I use our lactose free milk) and lemon juice. For this recipe you would need 1/2 cup a milk and 2 tsp of lemon juice.
* The link for the sandwich mix is for 6 boxes of mix that is why it is $30! But most supermarkets carry this brand. I suggest using the brands I suggested they have good flour combinations and taste!
* Hot water again helps to create a moist bread. I have found that without it GF breads are often pretty dry and cardboard tasting!

Parks and Recreation cracks me up!

Sometimes I need to laugh and one thing that really gets me is the T.V. show Parks and Recreation! Ron Swanson cracks me up!! One of the latest episodes (without giving it away) he was making something and said "People who buy stuff are suckers." My hubs and I CRACKED up! And then it got me to thinking that is a pretty "wise" statement and would be funny to have printed by my craft area. Although I do have to buy somethings it would inspire me to create more and make me giggle or at LEAST smirk when I saw it. So I made this funny printable and thought I would share it with you all feel free to print it and put it by your crafting area.

Click on link below to download...

People Who Buy Stuff are SUCKERS by

Parmesan Baked Potato Remix

    Today we took over some pictures to our new apartment. We are getting really excited about our move!  Because of hub's job we will only be paying about $300 for rent!!!! AND it is a nice modern 2 bedroom with real granite counter tops! All I can say is AMLI is an awesome company! So after that we hit up the Savers right next door which is similar to Goodwill. I found a CUTE Valentines dress for $7.99! We also scored some sweet kids books for $.69!
    After that fun trip we went to Sprouts (a cheaper version of Whole Foods) and got a bunch of food for upcoming Valentines day as well as the next couple of weeks till we move. I got a pineapple to try out the inspiring video recipe I found the other day. I will say it was pretty good for no added sugar but I caved and added some sugar. I will probably make a simple syrup to add to it tomorrow it is sitting in the fridge hopefully soaking up the juice I will share with you all how I change it.
   When we got home from our big shopping trip I decided that I wanted to make this recipe I saw on Pinterest last night... http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2012/03/parmesan-baked-potato-halves.html
Here is how I changed it up and it was DELISH and half the cooking time as the original.

Ingredients

• Bag of baby red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in quarters length wise
• Olive oil
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Garlic powder
• Tyme
• Dried basil
• Oregano

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour olive oil into a 9x13 inch pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese and lightly sprinkle other seasonings all over parmesan. Place potatoes face down on the parmesan the quarters that were cut on both sides I pressed them into the mix in the pan and flipped them over so both sides had yummy parmesan on both sides. Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Enjoy!!

Mad Libs Valentines free printable!

So I saw all the fun Valentines printables out there and I wanted to make one of my own. I created them last night on the computer then had Bella fill in the blanks we "played" with them like you do mad libs in that I didn't show her the prompt I asked her for a noun, adjective, verb etc. Then once she decided on one I had her write in her answer. She didn't quite get that it was ok to be silly/funny until the end. She did have fun though so that is what really counts! I reallllllly loved her "I only have lungs for you!" All of us cracked up! Another way you could do it is tell your kiddo the name of the person you are sending the valentine to. For instance "This one is for Sally, can you tell me a noun (person place or thing) you think Sally would like" "hmmm "kitties". "Ok so write "kitties" on the blank, so it will read "being friends is as easy as kitties". Hope you all enjoy these and get a good laugh out of them!

Download them below...

Mad Skills valentines by

Mad Skillsfront by

Yummy "sugar free" juice

I saw this "recipe" on Vimeo sooooo inspiring and yummy looking!!


Sugar - Health Nuts from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.

"You look like a monkey and smell like one too!"

Today we went to the Zoo for my nephew's birthday. It was a lot of fun! I took my little point and shoot because I didn't want to lug around my pro camera and possibly have it stolen. Which turned out to be a good idea as it was sprinkling most of the day and I wouldn't have pulled it out because I would have been afraid to ruin it. But even with a point and shoot I still got some fun photos of the kids climbing on the brass statues of animals and of us in front of the enclosures. (I will maybe share some of them soon it is a matter of downloading them etc) I didn't take my phone with me and I thought I lost it until the end of the day when my Mom found it in the floor board of my car!! PHEW!!! We saw lions, tigers and bears OH MY! It was a lot of fun although having a 3 month old who I am still exclusively nursing stresses me out going places. I am not really a "whip it out" kind of girl and Baby Kitty isn't a "I'm cool with a blanket over my head" baby. That and nursing makes me feel like I can eat like a wild dog which we found out when in a pack can eat 200 lbs of meat in 10 min!!! Which would be like 10 adults eating 1500 cheeseburgers in 10 min!! HA HA HA Ok maybe not that much! Well on the crafting front we are getting close to finishing our table and tv dresser re-do. I can't wait to share it with you all. Holy cow it is 3:30am I should go get some shut eye so I can help the hubs finish this out.

What am I Doing!?

So I am in a state of discovery and loss. Ideas are flowing so fast I don't know which ones to hold on to and which ones to through back into the stream. I mean really what am I doing? I'm a photographer not a blogger. But this last couple of months things have really changed for the good! Things are "slowing down" with my photography. I was talking with my Mom about it and she said, "It's a different season of your life, maybe this is happening for a reason. You are a great mother maybe you are suppose to focus on that right now". I couldn't agree more! My husband just got offered a position at his new job which has freed A LOT of financial stress of ours!!!

 The last couple of months I dreamed of starting a crafty momma blog and I know there are a million out there but I thought it would be a fun way to catalog our lives at the very least. So here I am. "Start at the very beginning..." (Sound of music anyone!?). One thing that has really been heavy on my heart recently is how fast my sweeties are growing! People used to say "enjoy it cause they grow up fast". I thought to myself, I am, why do they keep saying that!? It's kind of annoying. But 6 years later and baby 2 here I realize how I was sooooo tired and unfamiliar with the territory of being a mom that I wasn't really savoring the moments.

So now it is a personal mission of mine to "Enjoy today Momma!" Whatever it may bring. Whether it is a fun craft I share with you all, the soft skin of my girls as they hug me, sewing something for a friend, redecorating our apartment or one day house, whatever I do I want to enjoy it. Life is too short to not surround ourselves with people, things, and activities we enjoy. Also last but not least I feel God is calling me to enjoy the days he has given me. After all he is where joy comes from when you boil it down. So really I need more of him to truly enjoy this life he has given me. A lot like how you need vitamin D to really absorb calcium. I know I'm a dork!