The Black Mamba

Life 1.0

[jtwill85]

Paleo Banana Bread

This paleo banana bread recipe is made quickly in your blender and only requires a handful of straight-forward ingredients. Made with almond flour and pure maple syrup, this comforting banana bread…

Making this for the kids for breakfast this am. Can’t wait to see how it tastes.

[jtwill85]

Me looking like a crazed fan Vicki Lawrence (Taken with instagram)

[jtwill85]

Tony James tha Voice Singing “Another Way to Love” kinda sideways BUT good music!

[karenwinkphoto]

A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.

— Grace Hopper (via fotokew)

[jtwill85]

Walking in downtown Atlanta last night

[jtwill85]

When its Christmastime in Atlanta...fun times! 

[jtwill85]

My girl

[jtwill85]

Still my girl

[jtwill85]

Watched "Call the Midwife" tonight my new Netflix obsession. Omg...the stuff that was prescribed back then was crazy.

[jtwill85]

The BEST Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

One of my big stress relievers is BAKING. Since I’ve been in the work force it seems like I have worked high pressure sales or service jobs. One thing that has NEVER felt like work for me is baking...its the one thing that I do that WORK doesn’t slip into my mind while doing. 

One of the things that I was looking for when we bought our house a few years ago was a nice kitchen. NOW, I don’t know HOW I didn’t notice (for real) that we were buying a house with the SMALLEST OVEN EVER (for real, I can’t fit a full sized roasting pan or anything in there). BUT, I’ve learned to adjust. 

For years I was able to bake whatever I wanted and eat it all with no regrets. Now, after having kids...and maybe stress--anything that I bake packs on the pounds. 

Earlier this year I cut all sweets completely--but it was torture because I LOVE sweets. 

Now, I’m being a little more realistic (after some BAD relapses) and have started TRYING to use non-refined sugar sources for my baking and cooking. 

One of my favorite recipes is here: Best Chocolate Chip Paleo Cookies

I’m not the BEST baker in the world, nor am I any authority on baking (except in my head); but I have a little experience--tips & tricks for this recipe. PLUS writing all of this out makes me feel like I’m a super important food blogger. 

So...

I buy all of my Coconut Oil, Sugar & Flour, Almond Flour, etc. (not normal kitchen flours and sugars for me) from Kroger & Aldi. I go there because they are the best priced--I usually buy their brands. When you buy the Almond Flour for this recipe, make sure that its blanched. When I first started baking Paleo & Gluten free--I bought unblanched and it makes a BIG difference in how your baked goods turn out. 

How I Bake the BEST Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies

*Preheat your oven to 350*

Step 1: Mix together your Coconut Oil (1/4 cup melted...but not hot..if you melt it yourself make sure its room temp before adding to your other ingredients), Coconut Sugar (1/2 cup), Egg (one slightly beaten NOT completely beaten egg), and Vanilla (1 teaspoon). 

Step 2: Mix in your Coconut Flour (1/4 cup); Blanched Almond Flour (1 Cup) and Baking Soda (1/2 teaspoon). The mixture will be slightly doughy but not as doughy (imo) as regular cookie dough

Step 3: Mix in your chocolate chunks. The recipe has a set amount (3 Oz. Coarsely chopped) BUT I just put them in until it looks “right” to me (one bag lasts me about 3-4 batches; so I’m prob putting about 1/2 cup each batch approx). Getting GOOD chocolate chunks is key. I bought the Kroger store brand a couple of times and they don’t melt right at all. The BEST (though they are only 64% Cacao) that I have found to date are at Whole Foods (pic below). This chocolate actually MELTS and doesn’t stay in the square chunks--chocolate that MELTS is key to good cookies. 

Step 4: Use a cookie scoop (I know this seems so extra--but once you start making cookies that are all the same size with a cookie scoop there’s no turning back) and scoop onto your cookie sheet. I line mine with parchment paper so that I don’t have to spray anything on the sheet. 

Step 5: THE SECRET INGREDIENT--sea salt. Sprinkle a little sea salt on the tops of these cookies. Its SO worth it. Changes the taste completely. I don’t know why I haven’t always sprinkled sea salt on my cookies...yum! My favorite that I use is below. 

Step 6: Bake your cookies at 350 degrees for 10 - 13 minutes. When they are done, transfer them to a cookie rack to cool. 

Makes about 12 cookies

*NOTE: you CANNOT taste ANY of the Coconut products in these cookies. My husband hates Coconut and was shocked when I told him that after mos. of eating these cookies that there were 3 Coconut based products in these. 

Thats it! These cookies taste like REAL chocolate cookies. My kids eat them up and LOVE them--they are refined sugar free & gluten free. 

Am I Following a Gluten Free Diet: No. 

Am I following the Paleo Diet: Sorta (when I’m not being a fat ass when I want to). I will say since eating more fresh foods & avoiding TRYING to avoid refined sugar I feel much better about myself. 

[jtwill85]

What I've learned in 2 years of being a Mommy

Everyone has an opinion on how you should raise your child

Children are like sponges and soak up everything that you do (and will use the bad words that you sputter out--now I cool it big time around my baby)

My child couldn't be more perfect to me

Just because I think that my child is perfect, that doesn't mean that I don't think that she can be an extremely manipulative little booger

Watching my childs temper tantrums make me want to teach her more than ever how to control them...some adults haven't grown out of the temper tantrum phase still and its def not cute once you're older

Once you have a baby, you WILL become one of those people who post every cute pic of your child (even if you were super annoyed by people who did before)

Pets and young children are VERY similar (I know people will get upset at me making this comparison but they ARE)

I don't have to freak out about every fall and scrape that my child gets. Sometimes I even ignore that I've seen her hurt herself and she just deals without the crying.

Potty training scares me.

Being calm and consistent is much more effective than yelling (I am going to KEEP reminding myself of this)

I swore that I'd never spank my child--well that went away...

Watching Disney Jr or Nick Jr is just something that I'm going to have to deal with for awhile

The color pink is going to stay with me in life (ugh)

Poison Control's Phone # should be locked into every parents phone

My child does things that I find absolutely terrifying at times

My child can warm my heart like no other

I'm sure there are more things that I've learned so far, but this is all I could think of at the moment.

[jtwill85]

Quilted.

The memory of big heavy warm quilts is in my head tonight. The heater would be on but it was still too cold in the back room--so you'd put me under the quilt that was so heavy that I couldn't move.

[jtwill85]

Black moon white again.

[jtwill85]

This again

I am so selfishly sad over my Grandmothers death. It consumes me; I turn every conversation into her--I think all day long about our last conversations. Nothing helps. I never want to forget anything about her.

[jtwill85]

Silly like mommy

[seekquality]

[minimalmac]

A sign of truth.

[parislemon]

I’m positive I’ve reblogged this before. And I’m positive I’ll reblogged this again.

[jtwill85]

True.

[karenwinkphoto]

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds. It is something one creates.

— Thomas Szasz, (via fotokew)

[jtwill85]

My Lovely Chicken April 26, 2013

In this "Cooking with Jill Williamson" segment--gave it a name so that I feel special. I just made the BEST stuffed chicken breasts using random stuff in my fridge. 

My ingredients:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (5)

Chopped Garlic Cloves (4--I like garlic taste)

Black Pepper

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Sprinkle Cheese

1/2 Finely Cut Baby Bella Mushrooms

Fresh Baby Spinach (chopped)

5 slices of bacon

Toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Then gather all of your ingredients...

Take the chopped spinach (I used half a bag) and put in the microwave for 3 minutes until its wilted.

When you get it out of the microwave, mix in the chopped mushrooms, sour cream, cheese, garlic cloves, and pepper.

Lay out the chicken breasts in your baking pan and spoon the mixture evenly on top of the breasts.

Then roll the chicken up over the mixture, wrap bacon around it, and secure with a toothpick so that it doesn't fall apart. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Then broil for 2 minutes (for crispier bacon). 

Take out of the oven and serve. (I served with Angel Hair Pasta tossed with extra virgin olive oil and basil).

WHAT I WISH I WOULD'VE DONE DIFFERENTLY;

Though this is very delicious, I wish that I would have used more spinach and more seasonings. 

[karenwinkphoto]

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

— Mark Twain (i need a road trip)