the best gluten free banana bread.

when i make this recipe, it never stays around very long. i've made it at least 4 times, and each time it's better than the last. everything about it is perfect... the rise, the size, and the outer crispy edges [not to mention, it's gluten free!]. i'm sold...when it comes to banana bread, this is the only recipe that will come out of my kitchen.

the best gluten free banana bread

recipe from southern living magazine

ingredients:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup chopped dried dates (or figs)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 4)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

preheat the oven to 350 F and pour the boiling water over the chopped dates. let the dates and water sit for about ten minutes. in the meantime, beat the eggs with a whisk in a large bowl. whisk in the bananas, sugar, apple sauce, and vanilla extract. in a separate bowl, stir together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until blended. 

After ten minutes, drain the dates and pat dry. [i did this with a paper towel.] Add the melted butter, dates, and walnuts to the mixture and stir. Transfer the mixture into a 9x5 inch prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. The bread is ready when a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Let cool, and then enjoy!

add chocolate chips to the bread, try it with nutella or cookie butter for an extra delicious treat!

little bits from the weekend

it was another work weekend for me, but before the weekend officially started we had a lovely visit with our friends jaimie and michael from columbia.

we started friday morning off with a brunch of banana bread french toast and fruit [ recipe to come later! ] then we headed to the park downtown for some reading and relaxing. we found a huge tree with a big chunk of shade. between the shade and the breeze, it felt perfect outside...so perfect that my reading turned into sleeping. whoops.

hope you all had a great weekend full of rest and fun as well!

kale chips

looking for a new way to get your greens? two words: kale chips. they're crunchy, delicious, and good for you. seriously...it's surprising. who knew something so healthy could be so delicious and satisfying...and addicting. when you find yourself eating kale chips at every meal, don't say i didn't warn you.

kale chips

ingredients:

• one bunch of kale, rinsed and dried
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp.  olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

preheat oven to 325 F and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. tear the kale into chip size pieces and place in a large ziploc bag. add the olive oil, salt, paprika, cumin, and garlic powder to the plastic bag with the kale. with the bag closed securely, massage the ingredients into the kale. when the ingredients are evenly distributed, transfer the kale to the cookie sheet. bake at 325 for 15 minutes, turning once.

enjoy!

lately.

summer is here and we are most certainly loving it. weddings, vacations, food, and friends are keeping us occupied and happy.

happy summer!

mashed cauliflower with goat cheese and chives

if you're trying to include more vegetables in your diet--or trying sneak them on the plate of that picky eater in your family--then i highly recommend trying this recipe. 

my dad--whose diet consists solely of white starches and meat (we're working on it) tried this recipe for mashed cauliflower and only after I told him discovered it wasn't mashed potatoes.  also i'm not a huge fan of mashed potatoes, but i swear i would eat cauliflower for every meal if i could. so... for the cauliflower lovers, and for the mashed potato lovers...this recipe is for you.

mashed cauliflower with goat cheese and chives

ingredients:

• one head of cauliflower, rinsed and cut into florets
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 2.5 oz. plain goat cheese
• 2 tbsp. dried chives, + more for garnish
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt

Add the vegetable broth to a 2 qt. stock pot and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower. When the water begins boiling again, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes. Once the cauliflower is fork tender, add it to a blender ( i used my handy magic bullet ) and blend until creamy. You will probably have to do this in batches. Once all of the cauliflower has been blended, add it back to the stock pot on low heat. Add in the olive oil, salt, and goat cheese. Mix with a spoon until the goat cheese is melted and the dish is smooth and creamy. Next, add the chives. Serve with a little extra garnish on top...

your guests will be impressed and your family will never know the difference :)

enjoy!

our weekend at look up lodge.

over the weekend, i had the privilege of tagging along with my husband as he spoke at our church's children's camp. a couple hundred 3rd and 4th graders from all of our church's different campuses stayed the weekend at look up lodge, and listened to this handsome man speak.

there were four sessions...one on friday night, two on saturday, and one on sunday morning. besides my husband, i think my favorite part of the sessions was hearing the kids sing. i am convinced that the sweetest sound is the sound of little voices worshipping.

saturday afternoon, the kids had free time (and we did too!). they had a surplus of activities to choose from--kayaking, paddle boats, water slide, zipline, and hiking. i was tired from the week, so i thought i would just lay down for 30 minutes...and somehow 30 minutes turned into 3 hours. whoops. but i guess my body needed it.

on our way out sunday, we found this apple tree! though, looks like this pretty little guy won't be ready until fall...

and the views! they were amazing. what's more...these mountains lie only an hour away from our home. score.

i left this weekend feeling blessed to be part of my church, and even more so to be married to this man.

a quiet afternoon at the used bookstore.

my best friend is moving to new york for at least the next two years. she spent a couple of days near-by preparing for her move, and i got to snag a few hours with her. we went out to eat lunch one afternoon and then headed to this hidden treasure. i feel like not many people know about this bookstore, so it is a great get-away. ..always quiet. you could browse the books for hours. 

    ^^katie found some good ones to take with her on her move (like the one above--Ragamuffin    

     Gospel). not to mention, the books are always great deals! 

selfishly, i want to keep her forever. but new york is lucky to have her! 

we're gonna miss you down here!

summer reading list.

1-"bonhoeffer, pastor, martyr, prophet, spy" by eric metaxis // 2- "is everyone hanging out without me, and other concerns" by mindy kaling // 3- "in defense of food" by michael pollan // 4- "wheat belly" by william davis // 5- "every body matters"by gary thomas

my husband is the "reader" in our clan..but i'm starting to catch on. reading takes on a completely different feel when you are doing it for personal pleasure or study, rather than for school. i look forward to finally getting my hands on some books i've had to put on the back burner for a while.

what books are you reading!?

bits from our weekend

this weekend was a bit different for us. normally i'm off on the weekend, but this weekend i had to work. love my job, but it totally threw me off..i kept thinking saturday was friday and sunday was monday. my sweet husband still tried to make it restful for me by taking me out saturday night, and heading to the lake sunday night.

    ^^date nights...they're my favorite.

    ^we spent father's day cooking out on the lake with the foster clan. i didn't make it out there until   

    sunset...but it was perfect timing. with the breeze, view, and peace of the quiet water, i had to remind 

    myself that i wasn't on vacation. 

hope you all had a great weekend celebrating your men, too!

congratulations brittney and connor!

like me and scofield, brittney and connor started their dating relationship in high school. but they go even further back than us, meeting and "dating" in the 9th grade. do the math people..that's 8 years ago. wow. so not only was their wedding day extremely joyful, but it was also extremely emotional. you could just see the love, joy, and sigh of relief on their faces..."finally."

the only way i know to describe brittany and connor's wedding is "perfect." it was small and quaint with only their closest friends and family. the ceremony was planted out in the middle of a field..the guests sitting in white pews. after the ceremony, we mingled over appetizers and wine before heading into the most delicious dinner--tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, followed by salmon, brussel sprouts, and roasted potatoes. not to mention, brittney looked like a woodland goddess in her claire pettibone dress and handmade crown.

    ^best man on the left, groom in the middle, and my man on the right

and because we vote for marriage, these two lovey dovey pictures to wrap it up:

congratulations brittney and connor!! we love you guys!!

beet hummus

beets typically get a bad rap, and i really don't know why. they are super good for you, providing a nice dose of vitamin C, potassium, and folate (which is especially important for women). i mean really, the world would be a better place if we just all ate more beets. now, i understand it might be a difficult to add beets into your diet, cold turkey, so i've made the transition easy by adding them to hummus! it's so good, you wouldn't believe you are getting a full serving of vegetables. the beets give the hummus a gorgeous pink color (in my opinion at least), and a light, fruity, refreshing flavor, mixed with a smoky flavor from the cumin. to die for.

beet hummus

adapted from food, fitness, fresh air

ingredients:

• 4-5 small beets 
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1 (16 oz) can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 tbsp. water
• juice from one lemon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cumin

Start by roasting your beets. If you buy them fresh, you can roast them in the oven for about 1 hour at 375 F. They are cooked when they can be easily poked with a fork. Once they have cooled, peel them. Be careful because it can stain. I prefer to buy my pre-cooked from trader joe's (muuuuuch easier, and quicker!). 

Next, pull out your food process and add the peeled garlic to it. Pulse the garlic by itself, first, to mince it. Then, add all the rest of the ingredients to the food processor. Pulse all the ingredients together until you have a smooth, pink hummus at your preferred consistency. Transfer to a bowl and place in a refrigerator to cool.

Prepare this dip if you really want to impress your guests at your next dinner party! I like to serve mine with blue corn chips. The blue and pink colors go nicely together, making it not only pleasing to the tongue, but pleasing to the eyes.

enjoy!

a quick trip to the beach, just in time for tropical storm andrea

we finally got a few days to celebrate our one year anniversary together. we packed up our bags and headed to litchfield beach, only to be welcomed by rain and thunder. it rained all day thursday, so after a session of yoga we headed out to the local shops...which was fine with us, because let's be real--you can't go to pawley's island and not go to the hammock shops..

     ^and yes, we took home some of this chocolate...

during our exploring we wandered into an olive oil tasting room. we tried flavors from mushroom sage olive oil, to dark chocolate balsamic vinegar. we would have bought all of the flavors if we could, but we settled on pear cinnamon balsamic vinegar. can't wait to try it on a fresh summer salad!

then finally on friday, after deciding to hang out on the beach regardless if they sun joined us or not, the sky cleared and the sun came out! we layed on the beach, read our books, and took a nice, long walk (my favorite!). we'd say our trip was a success.

we hope you've enjoyed your week as much as we have!