Very almond chip cookies, take 2

I can't even say these are getting closer to primal friendly cookies since the last recipe.. I may have even taken a step backwards or I'm at least standing still. But I'd like to admit that I think these are tastier than the last!

Cream together with a hand mixer on low and switch to high for a minute until ingredients are creamed together..

1/2 cup of coconut oil

(if your oil is warm and liquified, chill before using)

1/2 cup of almond butter

1/4 cup of agave nectar

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar

Then add an egg and blend together.

Combine and add into almond butter mix..

1/4 cup of packed almond meal

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

*1/4 cup of flour (optional)

Mix together and fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Heat oven to 375 and bake cookies for 8-10 minutes.

*Opting out of the flour will have your cookies a bit flat and will spread in the pan. Adding the flour will have your cookies turn out like what you see in the photo posted.

Fresh out of the oven these will be soft but once cooled on a rack they'll be slightly crispy.. And delicious! Enjoy!

Children's Book of the Week

Bob Shea has some really cute books, and this is one of them!

Throw on your sassiest voice and read this to a bunch of kids, you'll have them laughing.. actually when I read it, the Moms were enjoying it even more..

Happy Reading!

Spicy Chipotle Hummus

Who doesn't love chipotle? Well, a lot of people but they're crazy.

I took this Hummus Recipe and twisted everything around until it was almost unrecognizable.

I am warning you, this hummus is hot! But you'll survive.

Combine everything listed into the blender..

16oz. can of uncooked chickpeas

(reserve all liquid)

2-3 tablespoons of reserved liquid

1/3 cup of Goya Chipotle peppers

(this includes the liquid and peppers.. take a nice big scoop from the can)

3-4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

4 tablespoons of tahini

2 cloves of minced garlic

then add a dash of salt, paprika and cumin and blend!

Once you've reached your desired consistency and flavor pour into a dish and enjoy with chips and veggies!

Forest Friends Masks

Oh, have I mentioned how much we like camping yet? 

Enough to make it the theme of Vans 4th Birthday party!

In previous years we went wild celebrating his birthday with parties of 60+ people and unfortunately (and in some ways fortunately) we had to scale it down this year. With the convenience of having a back yard we decided to throw a BBQ for our little dude. Not having any grass but a big space makes having this camping themed gathering oh so appropriate!

It is this upcoming weekend and will share other photos once the party is over and I lay in a sugar and sangria coma on my couch.

With that, I'd really love to share what I've been working on this week. I really am SO excited about these.

I hand stitched a wool felt bear, raccoon, wolf, fox, squirrel, skunk and deer mask. I had every intention on throwing an owl and butterfly in there but had to quit to make the party favors. Each mask is double sided in a complementary color and stitched with cotton thread in a variety of colors.

Vans favorite is the deer, but I am partial to the bear. The squirrel seems to be more of a morph of a chipmunk and hamster but whatever- his cheeks have cotton balls in them! Since the eyes are so high up the cheeks cover the kids and make them look chubby, its cute whatever animal it is!

I can't wait to share the other little things I've been working on!

Happy Birthday to my favorite boy.

BBQ Sauce Recipe

For my sisters engagement party this past weekend I made a very basic BBQ sauce, since I canned 40 jars of it. But now I'm regretting not getting fancy... So now I will, sorry Jess!

This recipe is different from any sauce I've tried. It's inspired from one of my buddy's putting jam in with his steak marinade. I was intrigued; so I set out to find something similar for my chicken..

Combining in your blender..

1 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries

1/4 cup of chopped fresh ginger

1/4 cup of ketchup

1/4 cup of packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of honey 

(we luckily had some pure raw honey from the union square green market!)

And a dash of salt, pepper and hot sauce

 (I used about 8 drops of Sriracha hot chili sauce)

Blend this all until it is combined into a liquid. Transfer it to a microwaveable dish and heat for 4 minutes covered with parchment or wax paper.

Remove and stir, return to the microwave for an additional 4 minutes, stir and let cool.

I am letting this marinade with the chicken in the fridge overnight but brushed onto the meat before grilling works too!

I don't know about you but when I marinade I like to use a big ziploc bag, this way not an inch of meat doesn't get coated.

Happy Grilling!!!