Tasty Tuesday: Gluten Free Cookies

 

I LOVE the friends I have made through my “purse gig“.  I had a home party for the first time in probably six months last week.  It was one of Club Members who hasn’t had a party in two years.  We were both super excited.  I will admit, I was a little nervous too.  Memory issues tend to make me a little apprehensive.  It was wonderful…. not only is my hostess getting MEGA amounts of FREE and discounted products BUT I got to try some awesome treats.

Thank you Bobbi for remembering I was gluten free.  She made these AMAZING 4-ingredient cookies for me.  Yes, I did share and didn’t take home the whole box but I could of.  🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas (The ripest bananas are best.)
• 1 1/2 cups of gluten free oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4-1/2 cup of chocolate chips, cranberries or raisins (your choice)

Directions:

1. Oven at 350 I line my pans with parchment paper (easy clean up and no added fat)
2. Mix all ingredients except the add ins (chips, etc) by hand.  It’s not not hard,
3. Add chips or fruit.
4. Drop by tablespoon. Makes about 18 with a 2 tablespoon scoop.
5. Bake for 20-23 minutes –  until golden brown.

I put them into the Weight Watcher’s recipe builder to see what they came out to….I did it with raisins which makes them 3 points a piece.  If you made them smaller, the points would be less.  Do you like one snack or do you feel better when you can eat a few small cookies?  You could eat just one which has protein in it but of course, I couldn’t stop at one.  LOL.

If you have any left or you want to share them with your friends at work………You can use a Thirty One Around the Clock Thermal.  It will hold not only your lunch but have room for some of those extra treats.  It is one of our most versatile totes, the Around The Clock Thermal is great for lunch or snacks anytime, anywhere—work, school, festivals, road trips, pool, beach, golf course, boating or sporting events. The water-resistant thermal lining keeps contents cool and makes cleanup easier. A removable shoulder strap means you can carry it any number of ways, including crossbody for hands-free movement. An interior mesh pocket and exterior front zipper pocket provide separate storage options when needed. Makes a great gift for friends, neighbors, kids, teachers and everyone else on the go!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

How to Organize Your Kitchen

Happy Monday!  I don’t know about you but the kitchen seems to be the hardest spot to keep organized.  Mind you, ours is one of those galley type kitchens in the condo so it doesn’t have much counter space to begin with.  Just one thing out of place and it is like chaos.

For most people, the kitchen and pantry are the most used ares of your home.  This is where family gathers, stuff gets dropped and where friends congregate when they come to visit.  Consequently, it quickly falls into chaos and clutter.

Here are some ideas for keeping the kitchen counters clear and the pantry organized. An organized pantry allows you to see what you have which saves trips to the store, money, and time.

Bananas are a must have fruit in our house.  So this is a simple fix to keep them off the counter.  I also find they don’t bruise as easily as when they are on the counter.  Separating them does keep them from turning brown longer but makes for a cluttered counter.

Do you love keeping things together? I hate opening the pantry and having to look around to find snacks. Using Thirty One’s cubes and rectangles allows me to keep similar foods together.  Personalizing the standards like snacks, pasta, etc can be done to keep things neat.  Or, you can use the chalk front and write your own label for those combinations which change frequently.  It makes it easier and faster to cook. Makes It easy to take inventory before I head to the store. Here’s a close-up of the bins:

   

You can use them for various boxes of pasta or bags.  Since we are gluten free, I have found most of the pasta is in bags so the bins make it easy to keep the cabinets neat. Canned good are no exception to the keeping like items together rule. Canned goods can go into a bin, just like boxed foods. If you want to clean the shelf, it’s much easier to move one bin than all these cans separately.

  I believe food storage lids are some how related to socks. They always seem to go missing for no reason and with no trace. Another alternative to keeping them together, and in a place you can see them, is critical to keeping them where you can use them. This can also be used to pot lids.  You can usually pick up stands like this in the dollar store.

 Another solution to those pesky lids is Thirty One’s Double Duty caddy.  This handy bag works for craft, mail, car or cleaning storage solutions. It’s a great diaper caddy, too.  Approx. 10 1/2″H x 10″L x 8″D

 Thirty One’s new Hang It Pocket Organizer is great for the kitchen as a command center.  Pockets for papers, keys, gloves or whatever else is tossed on your counter.  Get organized in the mudroom, office or playroom with this five-pocket organizer which can be tied on a door or hung on the wall. Extra-roomy pockets are great for craft supplies, file folders or even kids’ toys. Dimensions: 20″H x 24.75″L

What are some of your favorite tips for keeping your kitchen neat and tidy?  Share them with us…

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

Pumpkin Blender Cookies

Thank you to abeautifulmess.com for this YUMMY grain-free cookie recipe.

I LOVE pumpkin.  I LOVE easy quick recipes. I LOVE gluten-fee.  Baking was never one of my strong points.  I would rather cook a HUGE meal then bake BUT these make it really easy.

Hopefully the weather will cool off a little so I won’t have to run the air conditioner when I have the oven on.  I know it is CRAZY BUT a girl has to do what a girl has to do, right?

Yes, this is a grain-free, gluten free, dairy-free, and no sugar added blender cookie recipe.  They are more like little snack cakes because they are a fairly soft, sort of a mix between a pancake and a cookie. They are totally delicious and make a great afternoon snack or even warmed up and topped with fruit for a morning sort-of pancake option.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Blender Cookies, makes 6
Adapted from Detoxinista’s Almond Butter Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 banana* (approx. 2 oz.)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt

If you don’t keep a bag of frozen, sliced banana in your freezer for smoothies then make sure you use a fresh, ripe banana instead, but only use about 2 oz. (roughly half a medium-sized banana) or else the texture will be off.

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend just until smooth. Spoon the batter in 1/4 cup increments onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Place them in a ziplock bag, seal, and refrigerate until you want to eat them. They will be fine in the refrigerator for up to a full week. If you make a bigger batch and save them for longer, consider freezing them.

Can’t wait to hear what you think?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!