Homemade Toothpaste

6 tbsp coconut oil
6 tbsp baking soda
25 drops essential oil (we like peppermint) 
4 tbsp xylitol (or more if you like it sweeter for the kids)

I don't use the xylitol in the mixture for me and my husband. I've gotten used to the taste, but it's pretty gross for kids at first so the xlylitol makes it taste fantastic for them. You can get organic xylitol from birch trees on amazon or a health food store. If you find xylitol in little granulated crystals you can job pop them into your blender for a quick spin and it makes it is to a very fine powder that is great for the toothpaste. I make a batch about every 6 weeks and keep it in this container. We just scoop it out with the toothbrush head.

Fat Fluffy Snickerdoodles.

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon for dipping

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combine, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix until dough comes together. Add in milk. If dough is still crumbly, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on baking sheet. Lightly press down on dough to flatten it. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 oz canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Molten Lava Chocolate Cakes

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate,
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Butter and lightly flour four 6-ounce ramekins. Tap out the excess flour. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.

2. In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until thickened and pale.

3. Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture along with the flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake for 9 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted dessert plate. Carefully turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Serve immediately.

****** MAKE AHEAD The batter can be refrigerated for several hours; bring to room temperature before baking.

Chocolate Sauce Drizzle

Butter

Brown Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Brown Rice Syrup

Chocolate Chips

Powder sugar little in sauce and dusting

Quinoa Breakfast Casserole

Quinoa Breakfast Casserole

4 cups of cooked quinoa (instead of preparing quinoa with water like the package suggests, use chicken broth. so much tastier!)
8 oz of ground sausage
1 medium onion chopped
6 large eggs
1 cup grated carrots
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1 cup mozzarella , plus extra to sprinkle on top
1 tsp salt (more if you use water to make your quinoa. otherwise, the chicken broth adds enough salt.)
1 tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 (fahrenheit). Place a small amount of butter in a frying pan. Saute onions for about 3 minutes then throw in your sausage and cooked it till it is crumbly and no longer pink.

Next combine all of your ingredients in a large bowl (except for the extra cheese for the top) and mix well.  Use some butter to coat your 9x13 baking dish.  Scoop out mixture to fill your 9x13 baking dish. (You can also put this mixture into a muffin pan) Press down firmly with your fingers or the back of a spoon.  Sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes.  Ready when slightly browned on top and a fairly browned crust on bottom and sides has formed.

Double chocolate chip cookies GLUTEN FREE!!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

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• 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened coco powder
• ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips
• ½ cup white chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, sugar and coco powder
2. Stir in salt and baking soda
3. In a medium bowl cream together butter, vanilla and eggs
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry to combine
5. Fold in all chocolate chips
6. Scoop dough 1 tablespoon at a time onto 2 parchment paper lined baking sheets
7. Flatten dough with the palm of your hand
8. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes
9. Cool and serve

Makes 24 cookies

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Over the years I have started to dislike the same old Banana Bread with chocolote chips in them.  I wanted to make something with all my ripe banana's but not banana bread :)  So I found this recipe and altered it a bit.  They turned out like muffin tops and we loved them!   The banana flavor was not overpowering ant it had a great oatmeal cookie type feel to it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana 
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chunks.

2. STEP 2

   Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.

adapted from: http://www.marthastewart.com/338169/banana-walnut-chocolate-chunk-cookies

Trader Joe's chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

I have yet to find an inexpensive marshmallow brand that does not contain GMOs. I want to make marshmallow treats! We are craving them! So I learned everything that has the Trader Joe's name on the package does not contain GMOs. YEAH!!! Trader Joe's makes Rice Krispies, but they don't make regular marshmallows. They make a ton of flavor marshmallows. So I grabbed the chocolate cover marshmallows and this recipe turned out AMAZING!!

3TBS Butter
1 7oz box of trader Joe's marshmallows
5 cups of trader Joe's Rice Krispies

Melt the butter over low-medium heat. Once melted add marshmallows and melt them completely. Remove pot from heat and stir in 5 cups of Rice Krispies. Spread mixture in a greased 9x13 dish. Let them cool for 15 minutes in fridge and then cut squares.


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Pineapple Zucchini Muffins

Makes 24 Muffins

3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup of melted butter (2 sticks)
1 Tbs Vanilla
2 cups of grated zucchini or carrot
8oz of crushed pineapple
3 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp  cinnamon
1 tsp  nutmeg
1 tsp  salt

Mix eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, pineapple and zucchini.  In a separate bowl mix flour and dry ingredients.  Combine and mix.  Then pour into lined muffin pans.  Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until golden brown and tooth pick comes out clean.