Paleo Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are yummy.  They are Paleo treats, so there's no grains, no refined sugars.  So, you can eat as many as you want!  Ha!  Just kidding, but they do allow you to have something sweet without feeling like you are destroying yourself.  The only change I made was that I used melted virgin coconut oil instead of macadamia nut oil.  It's a bit weird if you haven't made these sort of treats before in that they start as these tiny little smooshed balls of stuff and then spread out a LOT.  The directions say to form into balls and then flatten, but I ended up doing a combination of both at the same time to get everything to stick.  There are no eggs or any other sorts of binders.  So, it makes it interesting to try to form, but it means you can lick the spoon and not worry about salmonella issues.  If you decide to make them, enjoy! :)

Gluten Free Shopping Around the Corner

I was trying to check out an Antique store that I pass all the time, but it was closed. I was disappointed, but I really don't need to be buying anything I don't have a place for. I was further soothed when I looked across the street and saw the sign for Eden's Market.

Honestly, this is the sign I saw first and that's what drew me in. When I got inside, the man behind the counter told me the whole store was gluten free and were run by a group dedicated to educating the public about Celiac's disease. I told him I was gluten free due to an allergy to gluten (secondary to Hashimoto's) and he seemed to think that even though I didn't have digestion issues, my symptoms still pointed to Celiac's disease and he gave me a lot of literature to read. Apparently, left untreated, Celiac's can lead to Hashimoto's... so, which came first, the chicken or the egg if I do in fact have Celieac's disease? I really don't think it matters to me personally since I'm already gluten-free, but it makes me wonder. (Having Hashimoto's disease makes it more likely you'll develop an intolerance/allergy to gluten and both Hashimoto's and Celiac's have similar symptoms.) Anyway, it's really awesome that this store is about 3 minutes from here and I don't have to search labels for gluten. Goitrogens and meat, sure, but not gluten. :) And, they have organic cheese that doesn't come in slice or shredded form. Not that those are terrible, I have just missed the economic block of organic cheese. :)

More Hand Made Birthday Fun

The first photo is Angelo playing while wearing the elf hat I made him using Amy Karol's pattern in her book "Bend the Rules Sewing". I posted about a sewing miracle a while back on Face Book. This was one of those miracles- I ran into a lot of obstacles due to my sewing stuff being packed up in the attic. I spent many hours looking for the (thankfully already cut out) pieces, and the book, which I eventually checked out from a "not as local", but still pretty darn local library. Once I had the book, material, the right color of thread and my sewing machine finally corralled into my kitchen, the actual sewing went pretty smoothly. It is made of wool felt, so I didn't have to finish the seams or anything! I made it a little bigger than the template so he would be able to grow with it (per the book's clever suggestion.) This is the only hand made item I actually was able to sew him for his birthday. I wish I'd been able to make more, of course, but I know that without a dedicated and organized sewing space, the obstacles were just too annoying for me. I did manage to draw some very simple pictures and staple them between some construction paper for a hand made coloring book. I didn't scan those, but they were largely based on the types of drawings they teach you to make in one of Angelo's books (so, it is for very young children and the drawings are very basic.)

Here, you can see that he is wearing a bow tie. A super-adorable, bow tie made from vintage material that I got at Baby By Stevie's Etsy store. This is the least blurry picture I got since he was so engrossed in play. :) He asked for a bow tie, by the way. Insisted it be a bow tie, when I thought he was talking about a scarf when he referenced a picture on a book. I was pretty happy to oblige. I also went to Etsy and got him some Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay. It is all natural, gluten free, and made with organic essential oils. It is now a lovely blend of colors and scents, of course. :) We all enjoy it even if only Angelo is playing with it. I'll show you what we did with his dried up play dough later. :)

I found some very yummy all natural gluten-free cupcakes in our Giant Eagle's gluten-free freezer. They are made by French Meadow Bakery. As you can see, Angelo really enjoyed them. :)