River asked if a friend could spend the night just before dinner a couple nights ago.  Although I like to treat the kids to dessert after dinner most days, I don't make a habit of having something for them every evening.  However, since we had a guest, I thought it would be a good idea so off to the pantry to see what was on hand. 

A can of garbanzo beans and dark chocolate chips. Hmmm.

In the past, a can of garbanzo beans definitely would've been glanced over when scouring the pantry for dessert ideas. However, several months ago I came across a recipe for this yummy chocolate chip cookie dough dip using garbanzo beans.  I don't recall which blog I'd found it on, but the poster suggested baking the mixture to make blondies.  It fascinated me because there wasn't any flour in the recipe at all, just the protein packed beans.  Anyway, that's where I got the idea, but since I couldn't remember the blog, I did a search on Pinterest (surprise, surprise) which led me to Jami Nato of The Nato's blog.  Great idea. Great recipe. Will definitely be making these again soon.  The only change I made was using half the sugar.  I figured with the chocolate chips in them, I might be able to get away with it and sure enough, I did!  River's first comment (or reaction rather) was "Mmmmmmmm!"  Success. The whole batch was eaten that evening. Jeremy complained that I shouldn't have bragged about the yummy dessert I was making if I wasn't planning to make a bigger batch. Oops. 

But shhhh.....don't mention the beans to the kiddos. I'll try to keep that a secret for as long as I can. (Just like not telling them about the spinach I hide in their smoothies.)

Jami, the blog owner who posted the recipe, suggested tannies might be a good name since they're really not so blonde. I concur.

Servings: 9-12 pieces

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond butter
1 egg
1/4 cup oats (I used Old Fashioned)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped almonds

Directions:
Place garbanzo beans in food processor and pulse just until broken up. Add vanilla and almond butter, mix. Add egg, oats and flaxseed and process until thoroughly mixed. Scrape down sides, if necessary. Add sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder, mix. Add chocolate chips and chopped almonds and mix by hand.

Pour mixture into 8x8 pan greased with coconut oil (or grapeseed oil). Bake at 350 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before cutting and serving. Best served warm.

Note:
I keep whole flaxseed in the freezer and grind it up as I need it since it tends to stay fresher longer. However, since I grind them up in my food processor, I would've had to clean out the bean mixture I had already started blending since I forgot to grind the flaxseed first. Soooo, needless to say, I was too lazy to do all that so I just threw in the whole flaxseed and hoped it was enough to grind them up in the mixture. Next time I'll be sure to remember to grind them up first.

Also, I cooked mine for about 45 minutes, but next time thinking closer to 40 minutes for a more brownie-like texture.  I'd say these came out with more of a cake or bread-like texture. 

Original recipe courtesy of The Nato's.

About eight years ago I dined at a P.F. Chang's for the first time.  It might seem weird that I remember this, but it was my first day at a new job in a new city in a new state so kind of hard to forget. It was also the first (and only) time I had the pleasure of trying their famous "Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps".  I remember them tasting good, but it's hard to say if I thought that because I was starving and only tried one tiny portion or if I thought they were good because well, they were actually good.

In an effort to recreate what I thought were delicious chicken lettuce wraps, I decided to give them a shot for dinner a couple evenings ago.  I used the recipe from the Official Wildtree website and made just a couple changes/additions for some added oomph. The wraps were a little difficult to eat, but tasted good nonetheless.  I went with iceberg lettuce, but may look into a more "sturdy" lettuce next time.  Romaine might be a good choice for an added dose of B-vitamins and fiber.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
3 T. Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
3 T. Wildtree's Teriyaki Sauce
2 1/2 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. minced fresh garlic
1 T. freshly grated ginger
2 1/2 T. & 1 T. Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil
1 1/2 T. sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, finely chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
8 oz. can water chestnuts, finely chopped
4 oz. can bamboo shoots, drained & finely chopped
5 scallions, sliced thin
1-2 heads iceberg leaves, washed & dried
**Wildtree Pacific Fusion Sauce for dipping

Preparation:
In small bowl, mix together soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, rice wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and ginger.  Set aside.

In large skillet, heat 2 1/2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and quickly stir fry until no longer pink.  Transfer chicken to a large bowl with slotted spoon. Cover to keep warm. Drain liquid from skillet.  Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Cook for about 2 minutes, add chicken back to skillet and mix. Add sesame oil and stir. Add garlic and ginger sauce mixture and stir until hot and bubbly.  Lightly mix in scallions.  Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves and dip in Wildtree Pacific Fusion Sauce.

Recipe adapted from Asian Lettuce Wraps, courtesy Official Wildtree website.

So turns out keeping up with a blog along with everything else in life can be rather challenging.  I've definitely gained a new respect for all the amazing bloggers out there.

I'm working on devoting more time to keeping up with the blog and adventures in food.  Who knows, maybe the blog will turn out to be more than just a "tasty" endeavor.  Even though it can be a little extra work, it's a fun way to document things. 

Little League Baseball took on a life of it's own these past several months.  It was both fun and exhausting...but mostly fun. I only say exhausting because you know how tough it is to be a spectator!  The windy days, the cold days, the HOT days................ okay okay, so maybe it's a little (or a lot) tougher for the players.  Of course, you'd never know it by the way they run around out there (most of the time). 

This spring was River's first season to play kid pitch.  It was so cute to watch all the boys pitch for the first time. They look so sharp out there on the mound.  It can be both nerve wracking and incredibly exciting to watch your kids out there playing.  Of course, it's equally nerve wracking watching your husband stand on the sidelines biting his fingernails and yelling the occasional objection to calls "Blue" makes. 

I also have to give credit to little Allister, who spent much of the season strapped into his stroller.  We armed him with plenty of water bottles, a mister, Gatorade and snacks but some days that just wouldn't cut it.  I'm afraid by the time fall baseball rolls around, putting him in the stroller won't be an option. 

Mason has also joined his neighborhood swim team for the summer. I'm surprised how much he's progressed since he started. I never took lessons so I don't know half the strokes they've taught him to do.  He's had three swim meets so far and has an All-City Meet coming up soon.  He says he enjoys it, but he's not too thrilled with the 8AM swim meets on the weekends.  He has practice four days out the week so it's exciting to me that he's getting all that exercise.  Hot Oklahoma summers tend to make the kids sit around inside most days (if they're not swimming or playing with water).

I made a trip to California last month for work purposes, but tried to squeeze in a little sightseeing when I could.  I grew up in Northern California near San Francisco, and remember making occasional trips to the city for various reasons, yet it never ceases to amaze me. It's a beautiful city!  I'm fascinated with all the gorgeous old homes squished up against one another, the steep roads, all the people, all the different pockets of action like Chinatown, Japantown, Fisherman's Wharf and Golden Gate Park.  Not to mention the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. I somehow developed a fear of bridges in my adulthood so I find them fascinating to look at, but not necessarily driving over. In fact, I've become so terrified, I don't even like to look anywhere but at the road right in front of me.  So, Alcatraz, I'll catch a glimpse of ya when I get to the other side!  Of course, in an effort to capture whatever I was missing, I held up my phone to my side and snapped some photos.  Below is one of my great shots...of not much.

Was sure to go by Alamo Square and catch a glimpse of the Painted Ladies. It feels so different seeing them in person than when seeing them on TV. 

Of course, last but certainly not the least, Jeremy turned 34 years old on Friday, July 13th.  He loves the years his birthday falls on a Friday.  He likes to say he was born on Friday the 13th since it sort of matches his personality, but he wasn't.  It was a Thursday.  :-)   We celebrated by hanging out with friends.  It was a lot of fun, and although Jeremy spent most of the next day hungover, the fun with our friends was worth it. (Except that he's vowed to skip the shots next go-around.)

Tonight's fajita dinner was quick, easy and so delicious. It's probably the third time I've made it in the last two weeks, however, it was the first time Jeremy and I forced Mason and River to eat the red peppers and onions as normally we allow them to garnish as they choose (which typically means only cheese for one and lettuce and tomato for the other). I say "forced" but it's not like we held them down and force-fed them. I may have had to throw a grounding threat or two out there for the sourpuss faces and sighs I had to endure, but in the end I am pleased to say - they survived. One came back for seconds as long as it consisted of "only chicken" while the other happily announced "Well, I won't be having another I can tell you that much!" as he placed his empty plate in the sink.  Gee thanks.  Note to self: teach boys better manners when expressing their opinions to the cook!  

Meanwhile, there's Allister in his high chair shoving down every little pepper, onion and chunk of guacamole he can get his chubby little hands on. At least ONE of the boys appreciated my efforts.  I know they say that children may need repeated exposure to foods before they become comfortable with them so guess we'll keep trying. 

Anyway, as for dinner...

I marinated about 2 pounds chicken breast in Wildtree's Natural Grapeseed Oil and Chipotle Lime Rub for several hours, cooked it up in the grill pan and sauteed with red peppers and onions.  Served with sour cream and guacamole that I made with Wildtree's Guacamole Mix.  Bon appétit!  All we were missing was some ice cold margaritas!

**Note: We've used the Chipotle Lime Rub for steak fajitas as well and decided they're better than any restaurant steak fajitas we've had in a long time. 

I had a craving for something sweet yesterday so I just started pulling things out of the pantry hoping I had all the ingredients I would need for SOMETHING, anything yummy (preferably in the cookie category). 

One of my favorite features of AllRecipes.com is the ability to search by ingredients. I just type in a few of the ingredients I have or want to use and voilà, they provide me with a list of recipes to choose from. In this case, I searched for recipes including oatmeal and peanut butter, knowing I would substitute almond butter, of course. These were a fun twist to the classic peanut butter cookie. I like to mix it up and try different cookies. Sometimes they're good, sometimes not so much, but these were AMAZING!

I'm both happy and sad to report that this entire batch of cookies has been eaten.  Happy they were enjoyed [and are no longer here to tempt me] but sad that I let their heavenly deliciousness cloud my motherly judgement and allow myself, Jeremy and the boys eat the ENTIRE batch within 24 HOURS. Did I mention this batch made at least 3 dozen cookies...yes, THREE dozen.

All in moderation...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil (expeller pressed)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup roasted almond butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Old Fashioned oats

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
   
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil, grapeseed oil, brown sugar, white sugar and almond butter until smooth.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended.  
5. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix. Mix in the oats until just combined. 
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes or until just lightly browned. 
8. Let cookies cool on wire racks and store in airtight container. 

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Original recipe courtesy of Michele at AllRecipes.com