Chocolate Chickpeas Cupcakes. Gluten free!!!!

I have kept the idea of using chickpeas in my baking for a long time already. I used chickpeas flour before, but all the goods had  a weird bean’s taste. I read a lot of information about chickpeas: the use, benefits, advantages etc.

Having the last can of chickpeas in my pantry I finally decided to use it to make something sweet. The choice was Chocolate cupcakes, with vegan chocolate frosting.

I didn’t use any flour in the recipe!!! ( Yahoo!!!). I was worried about my experiment, but the worst that could happen: the cupcakes would taste terrible, and I throw them away.

All the ingredients worked perfect together and turned into a most, delicious, truffle style chocolate cupcake!!!!!

Yes, the recipe is healthy and nutritional!!!! Gluten, flour, refined sugars free!!!!!

Please, follow the recipe to get the best result!!!!!

I will keep experimenting with the chickpeas now!!!!

Chocolate Chickpeas Cupcakes.

For the cupcakes:

15 oz can of garbanzo beans
1/3 cup almond milk
3 eggs
2 Tbl coconut oil
1/2 cup premium cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup coconut sugar

For the frosting:

1/2 cup raw cashews ( soaked for a few hours before)
1/4 cocoa powder
1,5 tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbl coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Drain and rinse your chickpeas.  Add the chickpeas and almond milk to a food processor.  Puree until very smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, blending after each.  Add the coconut oil, cocoa powder, baking powder and sweetener – blend until smooth.  Pour into greased muffin tins or cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool.

For the frosting mix all the ingredients in the food processor until it becomes creamy and smooth.

Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!!!!

Taste the best COLD!!!!! Keep them in the refrigerator!!!!!

Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes.

Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes.

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons almond or coconut oil
1 1/2 cups carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup pureed dates
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Frosting ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, maple syrup, and oil. Mix carrots and dates into the wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the pecans. Divide evenly between 12 cupcake liners. Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Mix cashews, almond milk and maple syrup in blender. Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes. Eat and grunt with joy.

Present ideas for Little Ballerinas.

We have little ballerine at our house, and she LOVES everything about ballet from little pictures of ballerinas to ballerina dolls.

Her favorite books are about ballet, favorite movies are about ballet also, so it’s not hard to decide what she wants to get as a present sometimes.

If you have little ballerina in your mind who needs a present, I will share the list of things that will help you to make a good choice.

Books.

1.Tallulah’s Toe Shoes

Watching the older girls during her ballet school’s performance of Sleeping Beauty, Tallulah notices one big difference between herself and the best dancers at her school: satin toe shoes. When the Lilac Fairy throws out an old pair of pointe shoes, Tallulah retrieves them and tries them out, with painful results. Tallulah’s initial longing and impatience gives way to sadness and discouragement, but Singer’s graceful text brings the story around to a satisfying conclusion. With its glittering jacket, empathetic writing, and expressive watercolor illustrations, this picture book from the Tallulah series will appeal to many young dancers with ballerina dreams.

We love this book!!! The author also has the other titles in this series: Tallula’s Tutu, Tallula’s Solo, Tallula’s Nutckracker.

2. Miss Lina’s Ballerinas

PreS-Gr 1–Miss Lina has eight students in her house in Messina: Christina, Edwina, Sabrina, Justina, Katrina, Bettina, Marina, and Nina. In four lines of two, they dance doing math, while they read, at the park, at the zoo, and at the beach. But with the addition of a new student, Regina, the girls are unable to perform in their familiar formation and chaos ensues. When Miss Lina patiently instructs her ballerinas to arrange themselves in a new configuration, order is restored: “everything’s perfect now there are nine,/because dancing in three rows of three is divine….”

One of Sophia’s favorite book too. This series also has the other titles: Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Wicked Wish, Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince.

3. Angelina Ballerina 25th Anniversary Edition

t’s been twenty-five years since Angelina danced her way into the hearts of young ballerinas, and she’s still going strong. A true modern classic, Angelina continues to be adored by her legions of fans. Celebrate her twenty-fifth anniversary with this special edition of the original book that started it all. Featuring a lavish jacket that’s as sparkly as one of Angelina’s costumes, this book is the perfect way to commemorate her anniversary.

It was probably the first ballet book at our ballet books collection, and our favorite one so far.

Toys.

1.Madame Alexander 18″ Lavender Angelina Ballerina

Lavender Angelina 18″ Cloth Doll presents the star ballerina in a lavender skirt with lavender satin bodice with a colorful “AB” logo emblazoned on the center (guess what “AB” stands for). Lavender satin ribbon with an organza overlay binds both the neckline sleeve and armlets. The skirt features lavender glitter tulle over dark lavender satin, and has a lavender satin ribbon binding on the tulle layer. Star of her own TV show and children’s book series by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig, this dancing little mouseling is a favorite of little girls everywhere.

Sophia doesn’t really play with the regular dolls, so this one is one of her favorite ones.

2.miYim Good Earth Ballerina Girl Rag Doll

The My Natural Ballerina is an earth friendly rag doll made from natural cotton and recycled fiber filling. Her pink dress, hair bow and toe shoes are sure to please dancers of all ages.

This was Sophia’s first ballerina doll. She got it, when she was a baby, so it stays in her bed from that time.

3.Mudpuppy Ballerinas Magnetic Figures

The magnetic version of Paper Dolls. From warm-ups to costumes, tutus to tiaras, you will find everything you need to take these two magnetic ballerinas from the studio to the spotlight. Enjoy four background scenes and three pages of magnetic costumes and accessories.

We love this magnet set,especially when we go out, because we can easily pack it with us and let Sophia play with it, while we have dinner.

4.Sticky Mosaics Ballerinas

Follow a simple numbered legend and add over 2000 sparkling jewels and tiles. Includes 5 sparkling projects. Not for children under 3.

Sophia can’t do it by herself, so I usually help her, but this mosaic is a lot of fun.

5.The Ballet Series Alphabet Set by Aleksandra®

This charming puzzle features all of the letters in the alphabet – each illustrated to depict a ballet term that is referenced in the storybooks. Each letter is bendable and can stick to any surface without leaving a residue.

Vanilla, Chocolate Layer Cake. Gluten-Free.

Have you ever thought about the perfect cake recipe? The one that will work anytime, and you will have this recipe for every moment, from birthday to anniversary, in summer or winter, cold or sunny day.

There are so many variations of making cakes, but a lot of them always need a lot of butter, dairy products, sugars etc.

I am so in love with the recipe I am going to share with you today, because it’s GLUTEN FREE, healthy recipe that will make anybody satisfied.

By the way, it tastes amazing too.

Vanilla, Chocolate Layer Cake. Gluten-Free.

for the vanilla layers:

2 cups gluten-free oat flour
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, whisked
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted + slightly cooled
4 tablespoons vanilla
for the chocolate layer:

3/4 cups gluten-free oat flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, whisked
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted + slightly cooled

Instruction:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and grease and flour all sides of cake pans.
2. For the vanilla layers: In a large bowl stir your dry ingredients together until well combined.
3. In another mixing bowl whisk together the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir together with a large wooden spoon until just combined.
5. For the chocolate layer: Follow directions 2-4 including the cocoa powder with the dry ingredients.
6. Pour evenly into the cake pans and bake the vanilla layers for 22-26 minutes and the chocolate layer for 23-28 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness.
7. Let cool for 20 minutes, slide a knife along the edge, then carefully turn out onto a cooling rack and let fully cool before frosting.
8. Frost the first layer, place the 2nd on top, then repeat.  Lightly push the frosting to the edge so it drips down the sides on the top layer. Add sprinkles if desired.

for the frosting:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
1/2 – 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 – 2/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

1.  rinse cashews then place in your high-speed blender with 1/2 cup almond milk and the rest of the ingredients

2.Blend on low working to high, using your blender stir stick to keep things moving until you have reached a fully smooth consistency. Scrape the sides to keep things moving and add more milk if needed.

Polarn O.Pyret kids’ clothes Review.

I am always looking for a good quality, nice and pretty clothes for my daughter. As you know there are multiple choices of brands in US, and sometimes you can’t really decide what to buy for your kids, because how you will know about quality of the clothes, if you’ve never worn it before. It happened to me so many times at the beginning, when I was pregnant and at the first months after my daughter was born.

I came to the store and like some pieces so much. I bought them and when it came to wear them, it lasted us a month ( I saw little holes after a few washing or it worn out pretty fast etc). But you learn with experience and I got the most important lesson:

“It’s better to get a few good quality pieces, than a lot cheap ones.”

One day I was searching on the internet and found Polarn.O.Pyret website:

http://www.polarnopyretusa.com

I got in love from the first sight.

Polarn O. Pyret is a Swedish kids’ clothing brand (pronounced ‘Pole Arn Oh Pier Et’ in case you were wondering) with a few stores and online store in US. It translates to “Buddy and the little guy” from Swedish.

If you are from the other country, you can still order from their online store, you just need to ship it to a domestic  US address. They work with a bunch of freight forwarders who can get the order to any country.   The customer service is very friendly and helpful.

My sister from Ukraine got her order in 2 weeks.

Polarn O. Pyret makes incredibly high quality products. They wash well, no bleeding or discoloration, they wear well, you can pull and tug on them and they don’t seem to stretch out, and they look great. I can see these lasting for many years through many families. Polarn O. Pyret makes the type of clothes that are hand me downs forever.

What makes me love this brand even more:

That means girls and boys can wear the same clothes, except dresses of course.

Sounds cool for me, because if we have a son in the future I don’t have to buy completely new wardrobe for him, I can still use Sophia’s clothes. As I mentioned before Polarn.O.Pyret clothes is a great quality clothes, so you can pass to your future kids and it will still look like new.

Eco friendly Line!!!!!

 Polarn O. Pyret’s ECO collection is manufactured from 100% organic cotton. The entire supply chain has received the Nordic Swan Eco-label (“Svanenmärkt” to Swedes) an indication of its environmentally friendly manufacturing.

We are lucky to have their store in our area. Last week I took Sophia there and we got some very cute pieces.

The store is so bright and kids’ friendly, so while you do shopping, the kids can play and explore around.

Because  of Valentine’s Day coming we got the most adorable red dress with stripes there.

The stripes are really their brand bearer – you can look at their Classic Stripes in poppy and navy and know in an instant that it is Polarn O. Pyret.  The stripes were launched in 1976 at the same time as the reintroduced brand itself.  They were designed meticulously by two well-known Swedish textile designers down to the millimeter – which according to the lore makes all the difference in their visual appeal.   They are now known as the “Stripy Company” as they always use stripes in their collections from their Signature Stripes to our Block Stripes to even our now equally famous Sailor Stripes.

  I and Sophia are in love with this dress:

We also got a few pieces for Sophia’s friends birthday presents.  I like to buy clothes for the kids:)

By the way, they have the warmest and the cutest winter clothes. Because Sophia skates, I always worry for her to get cold on the ice, and at the same time she doesn’t like bulky, heavy clothes. Polarn.O.Pyret makes great warm outfits that keep your kids warm and comfortable:

1. Softy Pile Fleece Hoodie.

2. Merino Wool Long Jones.

3. Best Basic Merino Wool Top.

You can find them on line:

Polarn.O.Pyret online store

 By the way they have Last Call Winter Sale now up to 70% off and extra 20% off for all the sale items)DON’T MISS IT!!!

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Valentine Heart Necklaces.

We have been having fun before Valentine’s Day.

Because Sophia is 3 years old now, she understands more, so I can explain her the traditions and the history of Valentine’s Day. I am not sure if she gets all of it, but some of the stuff she really recognizes: hearts, chocolate candies, flowers, hugs and kisses:)

One of our project last week was making Valentine Heart Necklaces, which took us a few days, but it was really fun and I would love to share it with you.

Salt Dough Valentine Heart Necklaces.

Salt Dough Recipe:

1 cup salt

2 cups flour

1 cup water

Bake for 1-2 hours at 200 degrees until dried out.

We cut them out using heart cookie cutters and added a hole before baking.

After baking,we painted the hearts using acrylic paint.

When the paint had dried, we cover them with acrylic sealer. Finally, we added 25″ long skinny ribbon and made lots of bright pretty necklaces.

Cherry Cheesecake

I made this cake yesterday, and it is really amazing!!!!! The most delicious and the easiest dessert to make!!!! No sugar used!!!!

Creamy Kale Dip. Vegan.

My daughter doesn’t like leafy green vegetables, except cabbage.

To make her eat them, I need to hide them in different dishes. I hide spinach in omlettes and quiches, kale in chillies, soups and shakes.

Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but the older she becomes, the more she understands, so the only way to keep her healthy and fill her up with all the vitamins is to be creative and cook something new all the time.

Last week I made Creamy Kale Dip. I have used cashews instead of the regular dairy products before and it worked great, so this time I decided to use it with kale too.

Every time when I make something new, I let Sophia try it first and then decide if she likes it or not. She isn’t very happy with trying new things, but sometimes I am a little pushy so she has no choice.

When she tried Kale Dip this time her reaction was:

S: “Mommy, I like it.”

Me: “It’s good, isn’t it?”

S: ” Mommy it isn’t good. It’s DELICIOUS!!!” ( these words melt my heart)

She ate it as a side dish, but you can use it as a dip also.

Creamy Kale Dip. Vegan

Ingredients:

5-6 cups of kale ( de-ribbed and  chopped)

1 garlic glove ( minced)

1 shallot (diced)

1/2 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Cashew cream sauce:

1 cup raw cashews( soaked in the water for a few hours)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

salt to taste

a little water

In a deep skillet, melt the coconut butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook a bit til fragrant and minsed garlic. Add the kale and toss around to fully coat it with the butter. Cook until tender. Turn the heat down to low and add the 1 cup of cashew cream sauce. Cook long enough for the cashew cream to warm up just a bit and get fully incorporated with the kale.

Cashew cream sauce:

Put all the ingredients in the food processor and puree for a good long while, until everything begins to smooth and turns into a cream.

Enjoy as a dip or a side dish.

Valentine’s Day books for kids.

We love books in our house.

I started reding to my daughter when she was 3 weeks old, and from that time it’s her favorite thing to do.

These days we read all about Valentine’s Day, and I would like to share with you our top list of Valentine’s Day books for kids:

1.The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart

PreS-K-Gerry is all about celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s one of her favorite days, and she prepares and prepares for it. She makes valentines for everybody in her family and all of her classmates. When the big day finally arrives, her parents help her celebrate with pancakes, complete with fairy dust, a tiara, and wings. She arrives at school looking forward to the class party, but then realizes that she left her valentines at home. What could be a huge disaster turns into a unique opportunity for Gerry to show her friends just how much they mean to her by acting out her valentines for them, telling them why they are special. It turns out to be a great day for everyone.

2. Valentine’s Day.

For Valentine’s Day everyone is making valentines to send to Michiko in Japan. Eveline decorates her card with gold glitter. pablo draws a picture of a happy fish. The kids in Mrs. Madoff’s class remember all the things they liked to do with their friend Michiko, even though she’s thousands of miles away now.

3.If You’ll Be My Valentine

PreS – A little boy creates and presents valentines to his pets, family members, and even his teddy bear in this appealing picture book. Told entirely in rhyme, the story commemorates kindness as well as love: the child reads a book to a younger brother and sends an affectionate note to his grandmother.

4.Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart

Almost everything about Valentine’s Day is fancy . . . especially with Fancy Nancy!

Mystery is in the air when Nancy receives a valentine from a secret someone. Join Nancy as she follows the clues to find out who it is—all in her trademark fabulous style, of course. Gorgeous stickers included!

Share what are your favorite Valentine’s Books and what you read to your kids!!!!

Cooking Classes for Kids at Whole Foods. Review.

I am so glad we have Whole Foods Market very close to us, it lets us enjoy not just the variety of healthy foods but also different monthly store events.

Some of them are kids’ cooking classes, which are organized by the sotre every Tuesday afternoon. Our daughter loves everything about these classes, because it’s always fun and exciting for her to cook something by herself.

The cooking class teacher Kim is amazing. She is an easy going person and finds the ways to make every class full of useful information not just for the kids but also for their parents.

They try to teach the kids to eat more veggies, fruits, healthy foods and fix their own healthy dishes.

Sometimes they cook something that Sophia is not familiar with ( macaroni and cheese), in this case it’s better for me to skip those days.

But anyway, anyone will find these classes interesting and fun, and they are doing really good job, charging parents only 5$ per class.

Because of this crazy winter weather, we missed some of the classes, and our last one was Pizza Making. Sophia did it already once, when she was 2, so this time it was more professional and she enjoyed every single piece of her freshly baked pizza.

They used multigrain dough this time, which was healthy and delicious.

For the toppings they used different types of veggies, sauce, cheese etc.

Ready to put in the oven:

While we were waiting for the pizzas to bake, we had a little tour through the store and kids got some samples of food in different departments:

Pizza is ready!!!!