Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies... soooo good!

We made these tonight after making regular chocolate chip oatmeal cookies earlier in the week. I can't believe it... but these were actually better! I would go as far as to say they are possibly the best cookies I have had! And they are gluten free if you need that. I did make a few changes because I didnt have the exact same flour as what the recipe called for. I wish I only made half of the recipe because now me and Haws will be eating cookies all week! We will try to share them :)

1 cup all purpose gluten free baking flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar (we use unbleached organic)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats 

about 2 cups chocolate chips

Preparing to bake. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Combining the dry ingredients. Sift each of the flours into a large bowl, then stir in the guar gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir well and set aside.

Creaming the wet ingredients. Put the softened butter and white and brown sugars into the bowl of a stand mixer. (You can also do this by hand.) Mix them together until they are combined well, lighter in color, and feel fluffy. Don’t forget to stop and scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

Crack one egg at a time and add it to the mixture, allowing the egg to be fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next one. Pour in the vanilla extract and mix well.

Finishing the dough.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer, 1/3 at a time. Scrape the sides from time to time. Add the oats and mix them in. Finally, add the chocolate chips and mix.

Shaping the cookies. Scoop out 1 ½ ounce balls of cookie dough (or about the size of a ping pong ball, if you don’t want to be that meticulous). Form into a tight ball. Place all the balls of cookie dough on the baking sheet, then flatten them into ½-inch disks.

Baking the cookies. Slide the baking sheet into the pre-heated oven on the bottom rack. Bake until the edges of the cookies are browned and the middle is just slightly underdone, about 10 minutes. (Rotate the baking sheet at 5 minutes and move to the top rack.) Remove the baking sheet and allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before eating.

Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

 Enjoy the ooey gooey goodness!!!

First Laughs!

Today James laughed for the first time! Well, he has laughed in his sleep, but this is the first laugh he has done for us. At about 20 sec is when we got a good giggle. It is things like this that make my heart melt!

A healthier version of "The Best Lasagna. Ever."

I made lasagna for the first time! My mom use to always make the best lasagna, but I have never attempted it simply because I know how "bad" it is. So when I saw this recipe the The Pioneer Woman... I had to try it. I made some changes to make it healthier and it is even gluten free. The results were delicious! You can make it with regular noodles too :)

Here is the recipe of what I did.

Ingredients

• 1-½ pound 4% fat Ground Beef
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
• 2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3 cups fat free Cottage Cheese
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• ½ cups Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Shredded Light Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
• (add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)

Preparation Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).

To assemble:
Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.

Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.

Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

And tonight we made these:

Stuffed Pizza Rolls. They were really good too!

2 months!

Our little baby James is getting so big! He is over 2 months old, weighing in over 13lbs and we will find out where he is on his height next week. Time is flying by and I can't believe I will be heading back to work in a little more than a week! I am sooo grateful that he will be with my mom, Haws' mom or Haws while I am at work. I am also grateful that I have a job I can go back to where I make my own hours and can work part-time, just a few hours a few days a week. It is going to be hard not to be there with James to take care of his needs, but it will also be a nice break to get back into the swing of things and see my clients who I have missed.

James is getting easier each day (cross my fingers). He still has his fussy moments, but it usually easily soothed. Except for in the car. That is the worst when he is back there crying and there is nothing I can do about it. At least I know he is alive! He usually just ends up falling asleep after crying about 5 min... but those are a long 5 min. He especially hates when I hit a stop light. This kid likes to move!!!!

James at 2 months:

• He loves his activity mat! He could spend an hour under there if I left him there that long. He reaches, bats and grabs at the little  toys that dangle from it.
• Still loves the swing and takes evening cat naps in there.
• Is constantly babbling. I swear he has said "hi" "ok" and "ma". He is so advanced! Well... at least I think so :)
• He doesn't mind having his diaper changed anymore. He loves his changing table because he can stare at his name letters up on the wall. I am sooo glad I put them there!
• He still does not love to have his clothes put on but is getting better
• He can hold up his head for long periods of time, but doesnt love tummy time. I put him on my tummy and he lasts a lot longer that way.
• He still wont take a pacifier, but loves to suck on his hands! I am glad he has discovered a way to sooth himself.
• He has taken a few showers with me and loves it. He likes watching my "getting ready" routine.
• He is a crazy, active baby. When we swaddle him for bed, he thrashes his head around and sometimes works different limbs out of his "straight jacket". I don't know why he is such a wiggle worm... maybe he has a hard time sitting still like his mom. He sleeps wildly. If it weren't for the swaddle, he would be waking himself up all night with his movements.
• The last two nights he has slept from about 830pm-3am and then 330am-about 7am!!!! I was very excited about this and hope he keeps it up! He even wakes up happy and so does mom :)

I am sure there are more things I wanted to document... but these are the ones that stand out.

I love this little guy so much. He brings so much joy into our home.