Almond Flour Pancakes

We eat a LOT of pancakes around here. It's one of the handful of things that I can count on actually getting into my kids on a regular basis, and it's so nice to have them already cooked and ready-to-go in the mornings. Both of my kids eat them plain and even cold, so I can grab the straight from the fridge as I'm making my cup of coffee and toss them at the hungry babes. =)

I'm always trying new things to increase their nutritional punch, and I recently stumbled upon recipes using almond flour. At my last visit to Sprouts the raw almonds were only $3.99/lb, so I grabbed a bunch. Using my coffee grinder, I ground all of them into flour, dumped it into a Mason jar, and stored it in the freezer. It can be used just like regular flour to boost the protein in things like pancakes, muffins, etc. A word of caution - it is incredibly bland. I'm looking to test out roasting the flour a little before baking with it. I wonder how that would affect the flavor.

So, here's my newest pancake recipe using almond flour. It's an evolving recipe for certain, and I'll be sure to post updates.

Almond-Flour Pancakes

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup fruit/veggie puree (these were banana and sweet potato)

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk. Add the wet ingredients, and stir just to combine. Let this sit for 10 minutes, then cook on a hot griddle. I set my griddle to 375 and cook them for approximately 3 minutes per side. But I've found that this varies tremendously depending on the cooking method, so make sure to test it out.

Serve with butter and syrup. Or, for the kids, serve cut into strips to dip into applesauce, yogurt, syrup, or fruit puree. Yum!

Storage containers I couldn't live without

I am a very organization-minded person. When I'm considering anything, my first question is "Where am I going to put it?" We have a very small house with only one living area, so it's very easy to feel overrun by stuff. I love to streamline, purge things, and keep everything organized, and I thought it might be helpful to share with you my favorite storage containers.

Small Toy Storage:

For most of our toys with lots of pieces (Mr. Potato Head sets, building blocks, Little People, all letter toys - magnetic, foam, and letter blocks, etc.) I use the Expedit storage system from Ikea. I absolutely love these pieces because they're very sturdy, very inexpensive, and look higher-end than the equivalent at Target or Walmart. The good: price, quality, style. The bad: the storage shelves are not the standard 12x12. The fact that they are bigger (15x16, I think) is good for more storage room, but it limits the options for baskets. After 5 months of using what we already had basket-wise, I saved up for all of the baskets that actually fit the system. I twas well worth the cost. Now the toys are completely hidden, it's stylish, and the baskets are HUGE!

Here my son demonstrates their use while wearing his favorite storage container. ;) Goofball.

Expedit Storage Shelf

Nasum storage basket

Large Toy Storage:

Big toys (Fisher Price racetrack, farm and animals, basically anything awkwardly shaped and that does not fold) are so very hard to store. If I have them out on a shelf, my house looks like a toy store. They don't fit underneath couches or beds, and most cabinets are too shallow to fit them. We got a wardrobe, also from Ikea, several years back - way before kids. It has changed rooms and purposes more than any other piece of furniture in our house, and we LOVE it. It was only $199, and it has held up very well. It now resides in our family room and holds (and fits!) all of our bulky toys, all of our kids' art supplies, my sewing machine and a box of current projects, diapering supplies for the main living area, books (which I rotate out often), puzzles, games, and stationary/office supplies.

Hemnes Wardrobe

Books, Art Supplies, Puzzles, Computer Supplies:

I absolutely love these locking-lid storage boxes. We have them all over the house for various things. I love that they have a handle on top for easy transporting. These hold art supplies that we can easily grab and carry to the table, books that can be carried outside to read on a blanket, and even our bubbles that we keep in the pantry but carry outside to play. They're inexpensive and sturdy and incredibly handy.

Sterlite Show-off with Locking Lid

Sand, Rice, Other Small Manipulatives:

As you all know by now, we measure, pour, stir, rake, and funnel sand, rice, beans, etc. on a daily basis. My kids love to play with these types of small manipulatives, so we needed a quick, easy, and secure way to store them. In our wardrobe, I have one of these 9x13's of rice, beans, and sand. I also have a separate container with spoons, funnels, measuring cups, etc. They stack easily, are shallow enough that the kids can play with the contents right in this container, and they're sturdy. These are also the perfect size for cookies and casserole leftovers. I think I probably have 15 of these, and I use them ALL the time.

Rubbermaid TakeAlong Container

Shoes, Bed Linens, Unseasonal Clothes

As for just about everything else that doesn't have a home, we keep them in under-the-bed containers. We do not have a linen closet in our house - not even closets in our bathrooms. We have one small coat closet (where I have to store things like the high chair, gift wrapping supplies, pool floaties, life jackets, rain gear, etc.), and that's it save for the closets in the bedrooms. So we store all of our bed linens in under-the-bed containers under the bed for which they're intended. We also use under-the-bed containers for shoes and all of the opposite-season clothing. These are so convenient because they can be easily moved for cleaning. I typically use my Roomba for under-the-bed vacuuming. So, I just lift the dust ruffles, pile the under-the-bed boxes on top of the beds, and let the Roomba run. This way there are no loose things to pick up to clean. Nice and simple.

Sterlite Underbed Storage Box (with wheels - a must!)

Hope these solutions are helpful for you! What are your favorite storage solutions?

Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

One of the many benefits of having a 3-year-old daughter is that there is always a reason to make pink cupcakes. =) I was browsing blogs Thursday afternoon, my daughter just happened to glance at the computer when I was on this site, and we were making cupcakes by the next morning. They sounded perfect as-is, but I couldn't resist making a coconut cream cheese frosting instead. They turned out to be delicious, and we can't stop eating them! Delicious.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

(Followed exactly from this recipe)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup fresh chopped strawberries

4 tablespoons milk

Using my stand mixer, I beat the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add eggs to the creamed sugar and butter one-at-a-time, and mix until combined. Add vanilla. Increase the speed to high, and add the strawberries mixing thoroughly to break down (this took 2-3 minutes for me). Turn down the speed, and add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, and mix until well-combined.

Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full, and bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool completely, and then frost.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

1 block of cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter, softened

1-2 cups of powdered sugar (I used 1 because I don't like it super-sweet)

1 tsp coconut extract

1 1/2 cups sweetened and shredded coconut flakes

Beat the cream cheese and butter in a sand mixer until well-combined. Add the sugar and coconut extract, and beat until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, you can add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to thin. Using one cup of powdered sugar made mine the perfect consistency. Stir in the coconut by hand, and use to frost your favorite fruity cupcake.