A few great things happened this week.
First, today, the sun came out.
Second, birds finally found my feeder:
Third, after all these months, my husband has given me back the joy of texture:
I was dying for some sort of crunch, some bite ~ but not like raw celery… Something heavier, something that could stand in for bread or a substantial cracker~ that could hold a piece of salami or almond butter. I have had it up to here with soft foods, fruit, raw vegetables and nuts. My husband, bless his helpful soul, has perfected a recipe.
First he tried this one (beware: if you make it, use half the salt or less), but I didn’t want to rely so heavily on oats since my doctor doesn’t even want me eating any and is only making an exception for my breakfast granola/porridge since I whined so much.
Then he tried this one, minus the garlic powder so it could go savoury or sweet. However, they were quite… pungent. That was the only way I could think to describe them. … Too earthy. I was afraid they would overpower a simple topping like jam.
Third time’s a charm! He melded the two to make his own recipe. He promises they are quick and easy if you own a food processor (I have to go to a different floor, close the door to whatever room I’m in and hold my hands over my ears ~ that’s how ridiculously loud ours is). I have them with almond butter and banana and a bit of honey in the morning or avocado and chicken and some olive tapenade for lunch… They’d even be delicious with Nutella, but I’m staying away.
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup pumpkin seeds, raw and unsalted
1 cup sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup raw almonds
2 tbs coconut flour
2 tbs flax seed meal
1 1/2 tsp salt (you might want a bit more, say 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 oz water
5 tbs olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all dry ingredients in food processor until mixture resembles flour. Add water and oil to “flour” and make dough. Roll out to 1/8″ thick on parchment paper on two baking trays. Score the dough into squares or rectangles or whatever and bake for 30-35 minutes.
The final simple pleasure is: I found heaven in a fatty jar. I bought this coconut oil based on the Amazon reviews. I didn’t think my husband had even seen it yet. One night, he made some chard and fish. I said, “Why is this chard so good?” I was worried that he had sauteed it in butter because it was far more flavourful than the food I’ve been eating lately. “I used that coconut oil,” he says. “Why is the fish so good? Did you use a different seasoning?” “Coconut oil, again.” The next night we (he) cooked chicken breast in it… freakin’ delicious! Now I’m going to go slather it all over my skin, too, like the reviewers on Amazon recommend. Not really. Well, maybe.
Gratitude for the little things. 🙂
Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart 
Hey there is an asian type of food called Mochi. it’s made of Rice. It’s cold/frozen section of the store.. you just break them apart and bake kind of like a cookie or biscuit, but its made of rice. There are 2 flavors I’ve tried: plain and cinnamon raisin. Both are really good! They are kind of sticky, but you get that carb/bread craving relief. I love them! I just eat them with butter, but I’m sure almond butter would taste good on them. Not sure where to buy them, my sister bought them at a whole foods store I believe,she is on a gluten free, diary free diet and she’s vegetarian, so I’m almost sure you could eat it. I want some now! 🙂
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Bah, I’m not eating rice at the moment. I wish I were ~ it would make mealtime a lot easier. I am off all grains except oats. My husband is excited you mentioned Mochi, though ~ he says they’re really good. I think he’s going to buy some for himself!
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Yes! Good coconut oil is amazing. So yummy! And great for brains! I can’t have it anymore because it caused joint pain in my hips. No fair. 😦
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Now, how on earth did you pinpoint that the coconut oil caused hip pain? This is something that frustrates me: I feel like I would never accurately attribute a symptom to a certain thing I’m doing…
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And by that, I meant great for healing brains. Not for eating them. Although if I was going to eat a brain, slathered in coconut oil would probably not be a bad way to go about it.
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…Unless I was a zombie. In which case, I’d probably just leave it au natural.
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(because zombies are minimalist like that)
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Thank you. That made me laugh out loud both times I read it yesterday. 🙂
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As re your bird feeders: I have around 4 or 5 feeders up and my birds are an amazing source of fun, fascination, etc. I always have 3 different presentations or types of feeders up to attract the greatest variety of birds: black sunflower seed; Niger seed; and suet.
Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S™ II Skyrocket™, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone.
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Yes, I’ve discovered birds can be a source of joy when there’s not much else to look at around here. They bring me back to nature. We have the suet and we’re going to put up our hummingbird feeders. Today on our feeder, there was a bird with a very bright yellow beak and spots ~ I think they were yellow, too. Very pretty. 🙂
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[…] put this jam on https://elizabethmilo.com/2013/01/11/simple-pleasures-amazing-gluten-free-dairy-free-seedy-cracker-re… my husband makes me with some cashew/ walnut/ almond butter. I originally bought it for these […]
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