24 September 2012

This Week in My Kitchen: Lactation Cookies Part 2

The last time I made Lactation Cookies they were super high in calories (and delicious!). I decided this week to make them again and see if I could lower the calorie content without sacrificing taste and nutrition.

Success!

I used stevia powder instead of sugar, 0% Greek yogourt instead of oil, and 1 cup of carob chips instead of 2 of chocolate. They are still delicious, and I cut the calories by more than half. I still have about 12 pounds to lose, so that's pretty important to me at this point.

Here's my recipe, adapted from Major Milk Makin' Cookies from Peaceful Parenting.


Cara's Low-Cal Lactation Cookies

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oats (I used a mix of oats, flax and bran)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup almond butter
3/4 cup Greek yogourt
3 tbsp brewer's yeast
2 tbsp egg replacer
2/3 cup water
1 tsp stevia powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup carob chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a large bowl beat together almond butter, yogourt, brewer's yeast, egg replacer, water, stevia and vanilla until creamy and well blended.
Gradually mix in flour mixture. Add in carob chips.
Place flattened balls of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Makes about 24 cookies.



08 September 2012

This Week in My Kitchen: Lactation Cookies, Peach Crumble, Zucchini-Noodle Lasagna

Now that Odin is getting old enough to amuse himself for periods of time, I can get back in the kitchen and get cooking again! I'm watching my caloric intake at the moment, so I've been trying to make healthier options. Here's some of what I made this week:

Lactation Cookies

My sweet tooth (which didn't exist before my pregnancy) was hitting me hard this week. I decided to justify baking by making these Major Milk Makin' Cookies from the Peaceful Parenting blog. The brewer's yeast, oats and flax in them are supposed to increase your milk supply. I don't know if they increased my milk, but they were delicious! I used almond butter, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, half & half dark chocolate and butterscotch chips, and no nuts. These are pretty high in calories, but fairly healthy.

Peach Crisp


Kirk and I took Odin to the Okanagan recently to meet his great-grandparents. I took the opportunity to stock up on some juicy ripe fruits and veggies, including a bunch of peaches. I peeled and sliced them all and used 6 cups of them to make a delicious crumble. For the topping I used rolled oats, whole wheat flour, ground flax seeds (and some whole ones too), demerara sugar and coconut flakes with a bit of vegetable oil. Odin started fussing as I was making the crumble and I forgot the seasoning, but I would have included nutmeg, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Either way, it still turned out pretty great.

Zucchini-Noodle Lasagna
While in the Okanagan we also got a huge zucchini from Kirk's Gramma's organic garden. I decided to slice it thin (about 1/4") lengthwise and use the slices as lasagna noodles. Here's the step-by-step on how I made it.

 1. First layers: Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with slices of zucchini. Pour some tomato sauce over top, then layer a half head of cauliflower, steamed lightly and mashed. Sprinkle seasoning - I used oregano and garlic salt.

 2. Add a layer of baby spinach (or regular spinach chopped roughly), then one container of cottage cheese or ricotta (for vegan option, use cashew ricotta or other vegan cheese).

 3. Add a layer or mushrooms (any kind), then more tomato sauce.

 4. Cover with more zucchini slices and oregano and red pepper flakes to taste.

5. Top with mozzarella cheese (Daiya is a good vegan option), then bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes, or until the veggies are fork tender an the cheese is melty and browned. Let cool and serve warm. Mine was pretty soupy since it's just vegetables and they let out water as they cook, but it was delicious nonetheless.

01 September 2012

Four Months Old!

Odin turned four months old on Monday. I can't believe how time is flying by!

He's such a little person now. He is a squirmy-wormy, who loves to stand up (with assistance) and has been rolling over for a while now. He sucks his thumb and makes all sorts of cooing and gooing sounds. He blows raspberries and drools like nobody's business. He's getting better at going to sleep. He's a big flirt and loves when people pay lots of attention to him. He likes reading books, especially "Peekaboo Kisses" and "That's Not My Penguin". He loves his toys, particularly his rattle ball and Sophie Giraffe. He's sensitive and temperamental and likes things a certain way.

I love him more every day. I don't even know how that's possible...

Here are some recent photos: