Hand Warmers

We could use many sets of these hand warmers

in Nova Scotia this month.  

Let's just say...it's freezin!!!!

Gwyneth's daughter, Sarah, and her cousin Nicole

made up these sweet hand warmers.

Aren't they cute?

I knew you would like them,

so after getting permission from Sarah and Nicole,

I got my daughter, Nicole (different Nicole)  :)

to make up templates of the

mitten pattern and poem for you.    

Supplies:

• fabric of your choice (fleece scarves from the Dollar store work perfectly)
• sewing machine OR needle and thread
• rice
• scissors
• ribbon

Directions:

1.  Print off the cute little mitten template.  

2.  Cut two mitts out of your fabric, for every mitten you would like to make.

3.  Place two mittens together and sew them all the way around

     except for the hand opening. 

4.  Fill the mitten with rice.  Sew the hole closed.  

5.  Tie a set of mittens together with ribbon and a copy of the poem.

      

                           You are all set to give these as gifts!

Mitten Template & Printable Poem

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Chocolate Coconut Flour Cupcakes

Last week was my son’s birthday and he was 20.  I cannot believe how time has flown by.  I decided to make him his favourite chocolate cupcakes and even made them grain free.  I found this recipe on "Basic Ingredients" blog.  I have tweeked them a bit.  They are quite possibly the most delicious cupcake.  I sure hope Jess thought so!  God has blessed us with 4 wonderful children and Jess is second oldest and our only January birthday.  

You could easily carry this cupcake into February and share them on Valentines day.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Coconut Flour Cupcakes

½ cup coconut flour

½ cup cocoa powder

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 eggs plus 9 Tbsp of liquid egg white

½ cup coconut oil or melted butter (I used ¼ cup butter

and ¼ cup coconut oil)

1 cup of honey

*Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl and then add eggs, egg whites, coconut oil or butter and honey.  Mix well and spoon into cupcake pan (I used cupcake liners) 

Bake 350 14 to 16 minutes or until done.  Makes 9 cupcakes. 

*When you whisk your dry ingredients it puts air into them and helps to make your baking lighter. 

My icing recipe:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp coconut milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Melt in microwave and stir in enough icing sugar until desired consistency.  1/2 cup would make a nice glaze and 1 cup would be a stiffer icing.

Frost cupcakes with my icing recipe or use your choice of cream cheese icing, chocolate mousse, or serve cupcakes warm with a delicious ice cream.  Enjoy!  

~Gwyneth

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Kale Soup

Happy New Year my friends!

I have a delicious recipe to share with you
 that will keep you toasty warm in this snow and cold.  
It will go great with a batch of Coconut Flour Biscuits
that I shared with you this fall.  

Printable Recipe

Kale Soup

2 packs Italian sausage
1 onion
1 tsp garlic
Combine sausage, onion and garlic.  Cook it in a skillet, and transfer to large pot.

In a large pot add to meat :
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
4-6 potatoes diced
1 bushel of kale (6-8 cups chopped)
2 cups water or chicken broth (no salt added)
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook 30-mins to an hour.

          Enjoy!

~Gwyneth

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Cinnamon Bun Muffins

Christmas morning is almost here!  Do you cook a big breakfast, grab a quick snack at some point, or just feast on chocolate?  This recipe would be absolutely perfect to nibble on with coffee while you are opening your gifts!  

Cinnamon Topping

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

Mix together in a small bowl and set aside.

Muffin Mixture

1 cup almond flour

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup grape seed oil

¼ cup agave nectar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Blend wet ingredients in magic bullet or beat well.  

Add wet ingredients to dry mixture. 

Add ¼ cup of muffin mixture into lined muffin cups. Spoon topping on to muffin mixture.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  As soon as muffins are in the oven reduce temperature to 325 and bake for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!  Your kitchen will smell like fresh cinnamon!  Perfect for the Christmas Holidays!

Printable Recipe

Gwyneth

Recipe source:  elanaspantry.com

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Stuffed Peppers

My sons whipped up a batch of stuffed peppers for dinner not too long ago.  I think they look like they are having way too much fun.  I better get them to do the cooking more often!

Printable Recipe

Wash sweet peppers and slice in half.  Remove seeds.  Brown the ground meat in frying pan with the onions.  Add the taco seasoning, a little water if needed and black beans.  Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture. Cover with cheese.

½ pound cooked ground turkey

½ pound cooked ground beef

1 packet of Taco Seasoning

1 small white onion minced

1 can drained black beans

pepperoni slices (optional)

Cover with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 mins or until bubbly and peppers soft.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.  

Gwyneth

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Red Pepper Jelly

A super versatile item to have on your shelf this holiday season. 

It's perfect to:

~give as a gift with a seasonal spreader knife attached with ribbon

~take to a party hostess as a thank you

~serve with crackers & cheese as a quick appetizer when company drops by

~taking munchies to a party?  Grab a bottle of jelly.  Pick up a box of crackers and block of cream cheese on the way.  Pour the jelly over the cream cheese and serve with crackers and cute little Christmas spreader.  

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

¼ cup Jalapeno peppers - a small can of Old El Paso or from a jar (250ml can/jar for a double recipe)

2 small fresh Jalapeno peppers (remove the seeds and the white parts)

¾ cup sweet red peppers in small pieces (2 large)

1 cup vinegar

3 tbsp lemon juice

5 cups sugar

½ bottle Certo (liquid)

Preparation:

Place all the peppers (Jalapeno and sweet red) in a blender with ½ c. vinegar.  Blend into a puree.  Pour into large pot and add remaining vinegar, lemon juice and sugar.  Add Certo and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Remove from stove top and skim.  Pour into sterilized jars.  Makes 4  8oz. jars.

Gwyneth

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Coconut Flour Muffins

These muffins are a great gluten free option.  They are made with coconut flour, which has a fairly mild coconut taste. They can be made with blueberries or raspberries or chocolate chips. Because coconut flour isn't standard (I think the amount of moisture may vary somewhat), I tried to compensate for this with the amount of water or coconut milk.  I always double this but use only 5 eggs, instead of 6.  I put all wet ingredients into the blender, including banana.  

- Gwyneth

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

·         3 eggs (room temperature - important)

·         1/3 cup coconut flour

·         ¼ cup melted butter

·         ½ teaspoon vanilla

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         ¼ cup sugar substitute equivalent (liquid preferred) I use Agave Nectar

·         ½ teaspoon baking powder

·         2-5 Tablespoons water or coconut milk if needed (see below)

·         ½ cup raspberries or blueberries or chocolate chips

·         1/2 mashed banana (very pureed)

·         Small amount of orange rind zest and a squeeze of orange juice

Preparation:

     Heat oven to 375° F. Prepare pan with a generous amount of butter or muffin paper liners. This recipe makes six "regular"-sized muffins.

1) Whisk or beat the eggs or put into blender until whites and yolks are well mixed and add softened butter. Add salt and vanilla and mix until combined. If using liquid sweetener (preferred, as it is zero carb), add at this point.  Add orange zest, orange juice and banana and blend well.

2) Mix the remaining dry ingredients -- coconut flour, baking soda, and sweetener if using powder.

3) Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Now you will mix in water, one tablespoon at a time. The coconut flour will absorb the liquid from the wet ingredients like crazy. You want to get it to a consistency that will hold up the berries, but not is too thick. I usually end up using about 4 Tablespoons of water.

4) Gently mix in the berries and divide among 6 muffin cups. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until just turning golden on top but cooked through.

Nutritional Information (using raspberries, zero carb sweetener, and an average of three available coconut flours): Each muffin has 2 grams effective carbohydrate plus 3.5 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, and 132 calories.

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (coconut flour)

This delicious muffin recipe is a wonderful addition to a wheat and grain free diet.  My kids are always on the run and play a lot of sports so they find that muffins made with coconut flour satisfy their hunger.  They are packed with protein to sustain them.  My daughter, Sarah (from Virginia) made them yesterday and forwarded me the recipe, so I baked them up this a.m. and just had to share.  It’s an exciting adventure finding and experimenting with new flours and ingredients.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!     -Gwyneth  :)

 Printable Recipe

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup coconut flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

dash of salt

dash of cinnamon

1 Tbsp brown sugar (I used coconut sugar)

6 eggs

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

¾ cup coconut milk

3 Tbsp agave

½ tsp vanilla

2 bananas

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together and whisk lightly.  Put wet ingredients into blender and mix until blended.  Add to dry ingredients and mix in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 mins.  Check often so as not to burn but make sure they cook through as this mixture is quite dense.  

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Gwyneth's Breakfast Smoothie

Do you grab a quick coffee and fly out the door in the morning, only to have your belly start to growl and your energy slump a couple hours later?  To make this smoothie takes no more time than to brew a pot of coffee, and you will be so glad you did.   :)

Printable Recipe

1 cup of blueberries

1 handful of organic spinach

½ organic banana

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp chia seeds

1 scoop protein powder

1 cup of coconut milk

Blend in magic bullet and enjoy this delicious start

to your day! 

Gwyneth   :)

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Coconut Flour Biscuits

Printable Recipe

Hypoallergenic coconut flour has a pleasant flavor that’s slightly nutty and mildly sweet without a strong “coconut” taste. Cup for cup, it provides more protein than wheat flour and ten times more fiber, most of it the healthy soluble type. It has fewer net (absorbable) carbohydrates than any other flour. Plus, it contains lauric acid, a fatty acid found in mother’s milk that possesses antiviral, antifungal and antimicrobial properties.

Enjoy! - Gwyneth

Coconut Flour Biscuits

2/3 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt

Mix these ingredients in bowl (I use wire whisk) to get air out

½ cup butter (or coconut oil)

6 eggs

4 Tbsp Agave

I used cold butter and beat these ingredients in Kitchen Aid

Add wet ingredients in with dry and spoon into well greased muffin tins

Bake at  400 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes

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Almond Flour Muffins

A perfect start to a brand new day.  Brew a cup of your favorite coffee, 

and enjoy one of these delicious muffins.

- Gwyneth

God's loyal love couldn't have run out,

his merciful love couldn't have dried up.

They're created new every morning.

How great your faithfulness!"

Lamentations 3:22 The Message

Printable Recipe

2 cups almond flour (or meal)

¼ cup of ground flax seed

1 tsp baking powder

dash salt

pinch cinnamon if desired

1 banana

2 eggs

½  cup agave nectar

½ coconut milk

¼ cup coconut oil (or butter)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips or blueberries

Mix dry ingredients in bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in blender and add to dry

Put in muffin papers in muffin tin or grease muffin tin.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 mins or until done.

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No Bake Paleo and Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies

"There are four basic food groups:

milk chocolate, dark chocolate,

 white chocolate, and chocolate truffles." - Anonymous

I'm trying to look out for you all and keep each food group covered!  Enjoy this yummy recipe in the "Chocolate category".   - Gwyneth ;)

Printable Recipe

Prep: 20 minutes Yield: 2 dozen (larger cookies)                 Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts 1 cup semisweet or milk choc chips 1/2 cup almond butter OR Peanut butter  1/3 cup honey or agave 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup shredded coconut flakes Preparation: 1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 2. Process nuts in a food processor until very finely chopped (almost ground). Set aside. 3. Combine chocolate, almond butter, and honey over low heat in a medium saucepan 2 to 3 minutes or until it has a smooth consistency and chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, coconut and nuts.  4. Drop by tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until they harden. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.           Enjoy!         Joining: Foodie Friday

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Gwyneth's Sweet & Sour Meatballs

The calendar page has turned to October. At this time of year I find myself reaching for some comfort food as the days and evenings turn cooler.  This is a healthier version of a popular meal. Flax is a powerhouse of nutrients and benefits, but invisible in these meatballs.  (For those of us who have to hide healthy things) ;)  Read about it HERE.  I like to buy mine in seed form and store in my fridge freezer.  I grind a few cups at a time, in my coffee grinder and then return the flax meal to the freezer for storage.  Enjoy this quick and easy recipe!  

Gwyneth

Printable Recipe

Sweet & Sour Meat Balls

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
3 eggs
1/2 cup ground flax seed
salt
pepper

Mix meat and ingredients and put on parchment paper on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for approx 20 mins or until meatballs are cooked through.


Sauce:

1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Agave
2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp BBQ sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Put into deep casserole dish and top with sauce.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins or until hot and bubbly.

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Introducing a new Take Six Contributor and Pumpkin Bars - Grain Free

We are really excited to introduce a new contributor here at Take Six.  

Our friend, Gwyneth, and her family have changed their eating/baking habits this past year. I was so excited when she said she would share some recipes with us, because any recipe she has ever given me has been a keeper!

I asked her why she started changing the way they ate and her baking ingredients.   This is what she told me.

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