Tag Archives: Home Living

Bathroom Remodel

This is what it looked like on move-in day. Now, I’m not against red bathrooms… but I am against small, windowless, red bathrooms. I went in, closed the door, and felt like I was in a heart chamber. Bleh.

Step 1: remove the mirror and patch up the wall as needed (free- $5)

Step 2: prime (because red paint) and paint the walls. ($30-$50… worth it)

Step 3: add accessories

  • Mirror: free (gift)
  • Shelves: $35 from Hobby Lobby (50% off)
  • Rug: $4 Dirt Cheap
  • Plant: :$4 Dirt Cheap

Candles, picture frames, memorabilia were all gifts from others or laying around the house. As a side note: I really like changing up the decor a bit at least once a year. To keep this hobby as inexpensive as possible, I use decor I already have. Adding new paint, different pictures/art, or just changing placement of some decorations can give a fresh look without breaking the budget. Also, checking out discount places, yard sales, and antique stores can yield quality and unique decor for cheap!

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Gluten-free, Soy-free, Vegan

Wednesday morning baking ❤️

Notes:

  • I used Earth Balance Soy-free Vegan butter instead of the vegetable shortening.
  • I would also recommend adding 1/2 c. more chocolate chips than the recipe calls for. 😋
  • My regular chocolate chip cookies have a sweet and salty taste, so I added a dash more salt to get closer to that effect.

Link to recipe:

Amazing Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cinnamon Blueberry Bread: gluten, soy, egg, dairy free

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c. Brown Rice flour
  • 1 c. Sweet Sorghum flour
  • 1 c. White Rice flour
  • 2/3 c. Coconut sugar
  • 4 tsp. Arrowroot flour/starch
  • 1 tsp. Xanthum gum
  • 2 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1 tsp. Baking soda
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon

Whisk the dry ingredients together and add:

  • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1 flaxseed egg (1/8 c. Ground flaxseed reconstituted in about 1/4 c. water. Let sit at least 5 minutes until jelly-like consistency.)
  • 2 tsp. Apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 c. Applesauce
  • 1 c. Coconut or almond milk (note: I also do half coconut milk creamer, half milk for a sweeter option.)

Mix ingredients together until just blended (stir with a wooden spoon). Then stir in 1 cup blueberries.

Grease an 8×8 pan with coconut oil. The batter will be thick, so smooth the top with a spatula after pour into pan. (This makes the bread look pretty. ❤️)

Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 30-40 min. The bread will be sturdy and start to crack across the top when done.

Some notes to make the bread sweeter: use part or all cane sugar and part or all coconut milk vanilla creamer.

No bake cookie dough bites

My new favorite “indulge” snack comes from The Beaming Baker (click for recipe).

7 ingredients only (I added a bit of salt and a little extra oil) and free of all the things that make my tummy hurt, just enough sweetness, and filling with the knowledge that they are actually healthy!

Tips: Add salt to taste. Let them sit to absorb moisture and add coconut oil as needed. These refrigerate well and keep a couple days. I used a Tablespoon to mold the balls, so the recipe made about 12. Enjoy!

Post- Christmas Pancakes: Holiday Nog Edition

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I ended up with quite a bit of leftover holiday nog.

I love the taste of holiday nog – whether it tastes like eggnog or not, I wouldn’t know- but two cartons is a bit much for one person to drink. Naturally my mind turned to baking… and breakfast and scones and pancakes and muffins… and finally, came a new recipe! So, here they are, gluten-dairy-egg-soy-nut free holiday nog pancakes!

Holiday-Nog Pancakes (for 1… or two if they’re not very hungry)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 c. Brown rice flour
  • 1/2 c. Oat flour
  • 1/2 c. Sweet Sorghum flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. Oil (I used avocado oil.)
  • 1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbs. Honey
  • 1 Tbs. flax seed
  • 3/4 c. Holiday Nog

*Note: I made a flax seed egg by letting it stand 5 minutes in 1-2 Tbs. water. However, the dough needed more help thickening, so I ended up sprinkling another 1/2 tablespoon on top. Next time, I will try just adding the flax seed and letting it gel in the pancake batter.*

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl snd stir until blended an few lumps.

Let the mixture stand to thicken. It should look about like this:

I added avocado oil to the skillet because it is not a strong-tasting oil, so it wouldn’t mask the flavor of the nog. Word to the wise, use a really good non-stick skillet so that you can use as little oil as possible. If you aren’t avoiding cooking spray, that would be best. Too much oil makes the edges a bit crumbly…

But they make good, thick pancakes nonetheless. I used a full 1/4 c. measuring cup to pour the pancakes into the skillet once it was to temperature (water droplets sizzle when dropped in pan). To help the pancakes rise, I cover for the first few minutes with a lid. I had more trouble with this recipe burning… maybe because of the extra sugar in the holiday nog.

This recipe made six pancakes and taste delicious!

Sixth pancake not pictured because I was already eating it…