Coconut Milk & Gluten Free Tortillas.

Henry is in love with Coconut Milk Yogurt.  The problem is – it’s SO expensive.  So I am investigating making some on my own.

I found this recipe (and photo) from the holistic mama that uses a slow cooker.  Must try!

Here’s another one I found that seems like it requires a bit more equipment.  Via.

I also want to try to make these grain-free, gluten-free tortilla wraps.  Or a version like them.  I heard almond meal tortillas are excellent.  Via.  I am not a huge fan of all corn tortillas.  The flavor is just too strong.

My First Gluten Free Bread

I made my first gluten free bread from scratch.

It looks like bread and tastes like bread!  Thank You, God!

I followed a recipe off Gluten-Free Goddess.

First- whisk together your dry ingredients and set aside:
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour (aka jowar flour)
1 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)
1/2 cup GF millet flour or GF oat flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

Using one cup of the water, proof the yeast in the warm water (110 to 115ºF) and a teaspoon of the honey/agave (add the yeast to the water and honey stir; allow it to get poofy).

1 packet rapid dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons

 

1 1/4 cups warm water (at 110 to 115ºF)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey- or raw agave nectar to keep it vegan
1/2 teaspoon mild rice vinegar or lemon juice
2 organic free-range eggs, beaten or 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 4 tablespoons warm water till frothy

Add the proofed yeast to the dry ingredients; add the olive oil, remaining honey/agave, cider vinegar and mixed egg replacer (or eggs); beat until a smooth batter forms. I use the word batter because gluten-free bread dough is more like smooth sticky muffin batter than wheat based bread dough -- it is not as thin as cake batter, though. Add up to 1/4 cup more water if you need to.
Scrape the dough into a ceramic loaf pan (I used a glass loaf pan and may be why it didn’t look as pretty as the one on her website).

Place the pan in a warmed oven or draft free spot. Allow the dough to rise until it domes nicely -- from 45 to 50 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

When the oven comes to temperature bake the risen bread until it sounds hollow when thumped -- about 45 minutes to 55 minutes, and even up to 65 minutes if you're at higher altitude. Lower style round pan loaves will bake quicker -- at 30 to 40 minutes, usually.

Prenatal Fitness

Erin O’Brien’s Prenatal Fitness Fix is my new favorite exercise video.  I absolutely love it.  I feel so relaxed when I am finished, I almost wish I could bring it to the hospital with me when I go into labor. 

Sherwin-Williams Paint Sale

****** update to this blog *****

**the prices reflected are definitely sale prices.  shop Sherwin-Williams sales!  30% off March 13 - 15!  The samples are supposedly not paint which is VERY buggy!!  I am not so much in love as before. ***

Here's some info I found on the web about paint samples click here.  When I use paint samples on furniture I use a top coat anyway.  Don't think it's an issue.

Yesterday I walked into our local Sherwin-Williams for the first time (of course if I lived near Union, Maine, I would be walking into my Uncle’s awesome hardware store).  Big regrets I hadn’t been there before.  A sample of paint is 31 oz.  Right now they are on sale for under $5.  Usually they are 6 something.  Still, that’s a lot of paint for the money. 

Via.
I began painting my hallway from the HGTV color palette, this Sherwin-Williams’ Blonde.  I love it.  It’s a cross between a wheat and gold.  So rich. 
I went back today and did myself a little cost comparison when trying to figure out if I would purchase a gallon or get more samples.  The gallons are relatively inexpensive and may be on sale.  Right now they are running between $25 – $35 which is great for a quality paint.  There are 120 oz. in a gallon!!  That means buy the samples folks!  Four samples are more than a gallon and is less than $20.  The samples come in Satin which is a great sheen for washable walls!  Yay, Sherwin-Williams!  I love you!

Psalms of Ascent

I finished up my journey with Beth Moore through the Psalms of Ascent last week.  Part of our homework was to memorize Psalm 121, I believe.  I finally got some index cards this week.  And, yes, by the grace of God, I have it memorized.

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

A Song of Ascents.

121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
⁸ The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

This Psalm became much more beautiful to me when studied in the context of a Jew’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the desert.  They traveled by foot, they traveled together and they traveled through some really rough terrain in the wilderness.  They memorized the 15 Psalms of Ascent and sang them on their journey.  Sounds like us in our pilgrimage on this earth until we reach our final destination, the arms of Our King, the Lord Jesus Christ when He welcomes us home one day. 

It’s key for me to remember there is no destination of comfort, settled-downness, or having arrived on this earth.  We are on a journey together as the Body of Christ and God is conforming each one of us to His image as we continue to walk the rocky road.  He will not allow my foot to be moved.  He is my shade at my right hand.  He preserves my soul.  Praise You, Jesus.

This is a verse that caught my eye this morning when pulling up verses in Bible Gateway:

Psalm 90:17
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.

Farm Kid

Man oh man do I have a difficult time getting this kid to leave the farm!

Watching the donkeys

 

6 Months Pregnant!!! 16 Weeks to Go!

Wow!  Things are going great.  So thankful.  My belly is definitely growing by the day.  Last night at church someone asked me if I was this tiny with Henry.  I replied that I don’t think you feel tiny when you’re the one who is pregnant.  Ever.  Feeling less and less “tiny” by the day.  But I never have felt “tiny” even when not pregnant.  I don’t really know how my weight compares to my pregnancy with Henry.  I do know that I’m not downing cheeseburgers and milk shakes like they are going out of style, so hopefully that helps.  I gained A LOT of weight with Henry.  Well, more than I should have, though they never told me so. 

Maternity clothes are a bit of a challenge because I am not going to be able to use most of those from Henry’s pregnancy in this one.  I was living in Maine and had him three months earlier in the year which equals dead of winter in Maine.  April, May & June equals pretty hot in Maryland.  We will cope though.  I haven’t been wearing my maternity pants that much yet.  My friend Beth gave me a lecture at church that I am going to ruin my jeans.  I told her it was no big loss.  They are jeans I wasn’t really wearing when not pregnant.

When do I feel the baby move?  I notice he moves a lot when I am in bed.  I do feel him through out the day and if I don’t remember having felt him in the last couple of hours I panic and begin praying.  Ha-ha.  Then he usually moves quite soon because he loves to move!  I feel him moving a lot at church.  I think it’s great what we can subject our children to hearing before they are born.  I remember being very conscious of being in places like the gym that played horrible music when I was pregnant with Henry.  Already wanted to protect his little ears.  I feel the same way about this little one.  I guess that’s why I feel even more guilty when the dog does something like tear up a feather pillow all over my recently washed bed and cleaned room (which she did last night) and I get grumpy and yell at her.  Last night’s church message was great about not taming the tongue in James 3.  I have been studying James on my own through Beth Moore and it’s a book I could study for the rest of my life because I need it.  Don’t we all!

So here is what BabyCenter.com says about 24 weeks pregnant:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.