Gluten Free Banana Bread

This recipe is stolen borrowed from Minimalist Baker. I have been trying to cut back on Gluten in my diet as more and more family members seem to be getting the lovely diagnosis of Celiac. And I have a lot to learn... After not needing to cook/bake Gluten Free for the past 8 years or so, I have a lot of catching up to do. I know enough basics to cook around it when I need to but alas I still forget things like adding xanthan gum in with the flour. I even looked at the side of the flour mix to see what I needed to add and then completely forgot. Blaming this on the pregnancy brain, because I can. 

One Bowl Gluten Free Banana Bread (VEGAN OPTIONAL)

Ingredients:

3 medium ripe bananas (~1.5 cups)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 egg (or sub 1 chia or flax egg)

3 Tbsp grape seed or coconut oil, melted (I used coconut oil)

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2-3 Tbsp honey, depending on ripeness of bananas

3.5 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup almond or dairy milk

1 1/4 cup almond meal** 

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend 

1 1/4 cup gluten free oats

(and I added mini chocolate chips, because every pregnant lady needs chocolate)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
2. Mash banana in a large bowl. Add all ingredients through almond milk and whisk vigorously to combine. Last add almond meal, gluten free flour blend and oats and stir.
3. Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. When ready, it should feel firm and be crackly and golden brown on top.
4. Let cool completely before cutting or it will be too tender to hold form.
5. Serve with butter and honey or as is. Store leftovers in a covered container for up to a few days. Slice and freeze for longer term storage.

**I didn't have this so I just used all-purpose gluten free flour for all of it- so a total of 2.5 cups, and I should have remembered to add Xanthan gum. Oops. 

Little Man #2's nursery

Until a month ago this room was a guest room, with a king size bed taking up nearly half the floor space.
6 weeks out from my due date, I was slightly panicky. I wanted it done and quick, just so that it would be done and I wouldn't have to worry.

It took over 2 weeks to sell the mattress and get it out of there but there was a sigh of relief when it did.

Now I'm a week from my due date and it is done... I mean there's always more to add, but in a general sense... It's done.  Plus according to my little man #1, it has the very important "bubbles" -aka the paper mobile over the bed and the "balloons" -aka the paper lanterns over the changing table/dresser. 

Master Mess Makeover- the Afters!

Here are the afters... where the white dresser used to be. Now vintage themed!

 This is where that white dresser and my desk used to be...

Behind the door... i moved the bookshelf here after moving both of the dressers to the same wall together. One general place for all the clothes, clean and dirty to chill! Trust me, I still come around the door trying to get to the dresser that was here.

This is the wall that was home to the keyboard.

The keyboard found a new home, downstairs... where there's actually room for it.

Oh, and the bed, you were waiting for this... the headboard was a long process... because... the coral fabric is -get this- removable! My poor hubby suffers from allergies, and he was coming up with all sorts of ways to stretch it across and yet make it removable... it was so complicating!! So I sewed it to fit (front and back) and we added snaps to the backs of the buttons and wa-la! Removable!

Master Mess Makeover- BEFORES!

No, this isn't embarrassing. Really. Ok, maybe it is. Our master bedroom is the drop zone, laundry hiding place, mail drop, and must-hide-everything-guest-are-coming spot.

It does drive me nuts. Mostly I have not come up with practical ways of handling the mess and this room has been a free-for-all since we moved in. I was able to get my son's nursery pretty much set up in the month before he came, but all other accomplished projects have been done very slowly in the 2 years since and the master bedroom has not ever been tackled. 

But with another baby on the way and lots of future hours in this room with it becoming the command center again, I really need to get things happening! 

We did move downstairs to cooler temperatures for the summer so this room was free to get cleaned as I pleased. It took awhile but with guests coming and going I was encouraged to get 'er done!

So stare and comment away because the after pictures are coming!!!