Paleo Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

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This is a variation of the Paleo Cinnamon Coffee Cake I posted a few weeks ago! I added some almond essence and sliced apples to make this Paleo Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake!

Ingredients

Cake

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 tsp almond essence (optional)
2 apples, thinly sliced (I prefer a tart apple like Granny Smith which is also great for baking)

Topping

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or maple syrup also works great)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)
To make topping, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds in a bowl

Directions

Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with coconut oil and dust with almond flour
In a food processor, combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
Pulse in coconut oil, honey, eggs and almond essence
Spread the batter into prepared baking dish
Place sliced apples into the batter
Brush topping over cake batter
Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes
Cool and serve

Ditching the skinny jeans for high waisted flares…

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One of my favorite people to follow on Instagram is C2C Central. I talked about them here before. Their #CoastToCoastChallenge for yesterday was to “ditch the skinny jeans”. I’ve loved wide leg denim for….gosh 10+ years?? I mean really it’s been circling around since the 70’s no? Well, even before then with Katherine Hepburn!

All that to say, I love the style, and back when I wore heels more often I rotated them in more frequently. I recently scored this pair for $10.99 when the Huz and I were in San Francisco (I was actually super peeved they didn’t let me use my 20% Seattle coupon at Goodwill!). Still worth it though, because they are super comfy and fun! Albeit a size too small. ;{ Oh, well. Truth be told. We took these in 15 minutes before Maya went to school. So…excuse the puffy eyes on both of us, and the quick braided updo on unshowered/no make up me 😉 I kid you not, Maya art directed this shot entirely herself!!!! There were a few outtakes when I didn’t know exactly what she wanted, but it went something like this.

“Mom, you sit right here.

No, like dis!!!

NO. HERE!

Ok, now I sit on your lap like dis… :)”

Well, done grasshopper, well done. I bought this shimmery backdrop for a party a while back. I have it in our garage, and Maya randomly grabs strips of it and calls them her “snakes”. Well, she wanted to bring one with us, which was great, because I’d never documented it before.On me…

Sweater- Velvet (thrifted, loving this gray one here)

Top- Ana Nonza (thrifted, loving this one)

Jeans- J Brand “Bette” (thrifted, sold out, almost identical here)

Shoes- Banana Republic (thifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Jacket- GapKids (thrifted, but similar here)

Top- Mini Boden (thrifted, but similar here)

Jeans- Levis (thrifted, and DIY distressed by me, but similar here)

Shoes- KK (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

This was one of the shots that I didn’t get right… 😉

“Nooooo, not like dat!” haha.

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Chocolate Chia Pudding

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This is a basic and yummy chocolate chia pudding! I eat it for breakfast, or as a power snack. What’s the big deal about chia? Is it just a fad? Well, 2013 definitely seemed to be “year of the chia” but it’s stuck around. Chia seeds are supposed to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and packed with vitamins and minerals. They can be eaten raw or soaked (they absorb ~12 times weight in liquid when soaked) and are an easy add to smoothies, energy bars, yogurt, and more.

I made another pudding with chia seeds recently, the Raw “Tapioca” Pudding. That recipe called for cashews and was very yummy, but this one is nut free. You can adjust the amount of sweetness to taste. Lauren also made a Chia Pudding with Blackberries and Honey and that is another great staple recipe.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk, blended
1/2 cup water
¼ cup chia seeds
2 tablespoon cacao powder
1 Tbsp agave, maple syrup or honey
sprinkle of celtic sea salt

Instructions

Combine blended coconut milk, water, and chia seeds in a jar and shake well
Add cacao powder, stevia, and salt and shake well
Refrigerate overnight to let chia seeds soften and absorb liquid
Serve and enjoy! 🙂

Inspired and slightly modified from the original. Thanks Elana’s Pantry!

Shakshouka // The lazy gals version…with chicken sausage.

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I was totally intrigued when Esther posted this recipe. And then of course, I had to try my “lazy gals” approach to it! And…I added a little more protein, because…teenage boys and all. It needs to be more filling! All by itself, I LOVED it! I served it over veggie pasta, so that it would appeal the masses (teenage boys/toddler girl), but I would have happily eaten it as is, and been totally satisfied and happy!Ingredients

(serving size depends on how many you want to feed. I fed 5)

One medium size yellow onion
Tablespoon crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Jar of your favorite pasta sauce
8 Chicken sausage (already cooked and diced)
Half of a large avocado or one small
5 Eggs

What to do

In a sauce pan heat olive oil, garlic, and onions until onions are soft.
While those are heating, dice your chicken sausages into bite size pieces.
Add to onion mixture once onions are almost done and heat chicken sausages for a minute
Add pasta sauce and bring to a boil.
Make a pocket and crack eggs into the pocket. Cover and let cook for 6-8 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to your liking. Garnish with sliced avocado and enjoy!

Blue, Cream and Gold.. Distressed Jeans and Sweater Weekend Wear

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I rarely do fashion posts.. time, setting up the camera takes a *little* more time and effort than snapping a selfie on a cell phone.. and my pro camera skills are (very) limited. Lauren was able to get these a few weeks ago before I had to whisk the kids away for a nap.

Because I dress up for work and dress down for time at home (read sweats and PJs!), it can be hard to find ‘in between’ clothes – for example when I actually want to look somewhat put together on a weekend. Because my kids are at that wild toddler stage (2 and 4) – where they constantly seem to be either covered in food and reaching little blueberry stained or applesauce covered hands towards me.. or running from me.. my “on duty” mom clothes have to allow for sprinting and chasing, tumbling, sitting on the ground, and getting food thrown on me. Maybe this cream colored knit sweater wasn’t the best choice, BUT it takes a heavy duty wash just fine, as do the jeans, so it worked out..

I can’t wear much jewelry around the kids because Anders is a little monkey and reaches for anything shiny or colorful and wants to play with it.. so I just avoid long necklaces and earrings for now. I did add a little sparkle to the outfit with some gold sneaker flats. Super comfy, super fun.

This little nugget was ready for his nap!

On me..

Sweater – Gap cream knit sweater from a few years ago.. (similar here Gap Open Knit Sweater)
Jeans – Banana Republic Distressed Skinny Jean in Tall (I’m ~5’11” and it was a little long even for me, but perfect for rolling up into a cuff)
Shoes – Banana Republic Brenna Slip-On Sneaker (super comfy)

On the kids..

All thrifted clothes.. I’ve been having good luck finding little button down shirts and jeans for Anders at ThredUP.com.

Ripped denim and bubbles…you can’t go wrong.

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I’m so loving that it’s staying lighter later. It’s especially nice because our weather has been so bipolar lately! One minute we have sunshine, the next it’s raining! You never know when you can go outside and have fun! On this day, it suddenly got nice later, so we ran outside to play with some bubbles.

And when I’m brain dead…ripped denim and a tee are what I grab.

It’s hit or miss on her actually blowing the bubbles 😉 And…then she got it! LOVE THAT SWEET FACE! So, funny story. Our neighbor was outside throwing a ball for his dog. He kept making noises at Maya, and she kept making noises back at him. They went back and forth, and back and forth. I got a little nervous that they were waking other kids up that don’t have such late bed times… ;{ On me…

Scarf- Aish Khadi (StyleMint, sold out, similar here)

Top- StyleMint

Jeans- Current Elliott (thrifted, similar here)

Shoes- StyleMint “Christie” (sold out, similar here)

On Maya…

Jacket- GapKids (thrifted, but similar here)

Top/Dress- Tea Collection (thrifted, but loving this here)

Leggings- (thrifted)

Boots- Corral Kid’s Turquoise Full Stitch Square Toe Boot

Keeping it Real…

I don’t even know what was going on here hahaha. Maybe our neighbor made a better sound than she did 😉

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Cashmere and ripped denim…the perfect pair.

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I love dressing one way on top and then another way on the bottom. For some reason, I think it just works perfectly. On top, I feel like a preppy PTA mom, and on the bottom, not so much. 🙂 I can’t even handle how cute she is!!!!My mom gave Maya this flower the other night, and I’ve been dying to take her pictures with it in this dress. They match perfectly 🙂Collecting more “beach eggs” for her collections.Hahahaha.On me…

Sweater- Karoo by Mark Eisen (old, similar here)

Top- Banana Republic (from Funky Jane’s Consignment similar here)

Jeans- J Brand (thrifted, and cut off, similar here)

Sandals- Mossimo ” Shauna Huarache” (thrifted for $2.80!)

On Maya…

Jacket- Levi’s (thrifted, but similar here)

Dress- Plum Bunny (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Saucony (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

I couldn’t remember where I was supposed to stand 😉

I guess she didn’t want a kiss?? 😉

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Another day on the beach…

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We are getting to that time when a LOT of our posts will be down on the beach. We are super lucky to live so close to a gorgeous beach, and I loooove that Maya just runs, and runs, and runs!

I’m a liiiiiittle pissed that I messed up the focus on these first few, but whatever. That’s the downside to the beach. There are always people watching and wondering what the heck I’m doing with the tripod, and then I usually end up kicking whatever marker I had for my spot or it gets buried in the sand! First world problems for sure 😉

Thankfully the images are pretty small, so you might not even be able to tell. I can though, and it peeves me off!! On me…

Sweater- StyleMint “Carrington”, sold out, but similar here.

Jeans- Citizens of Humanity (thrifted, similar here)

Shoes- Puma (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Sweater- Vintage (thrifted)

Tee- (thrifted)

Jeans- Joe’s Jeans (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Saucony (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

Yup. Still in the licking phase…

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Paleo Cinnamon Coffee Cake

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Paleo coffee cake? This is gluten and grain free and made with high protein almond meal. It turned out fluffy and perfect and the kids loved it as well. I am working on a version with apples that I will post later. 🙂

The flowers shown are from my Dogwood tree. Not edible, but they are a gorgeous rosy pink.

Ingredients

Cake

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
3 large eggs

Topping

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or maple syrup again works great)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Directions

Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with coconut oil and dust with almond flour
In a food processor , combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
Pulse in coconut oil, honey, and eggs
Spread the batter into prepared baking dish
To make topping, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds in a bowl
Brush topping over cake batter
Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes
Cool and serve

Thanks and inspired by Elana’s Pantry

Boho Tops…always.

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I’m a total sucker for boho tops. Super comfy and versatile. You can dress them down or dress them up! Plus, this one is super light weight. Cool enough for the sunny day we just had, but still provided coverage. Where’s Maya??Goffrey is BACK (pretty sure this would be Goffrey III)! He’s gone along with us to a few adventures and stays in the back of my car. On me…