Pb & j smoothie

My toddler is anal about her "blomes" (bananas) and will only eat them when they are green.  So I have a freezer full of ripe bananas.  

Today I made a smoothie and the flavour was a fluke but it tastes JUST like a pb & j sandwich. 

Ingredients 

3 frozen bananas 

1/3 of a tub of activitia raspberry yoghurt 

3 tbsp of honey 

1/2 cup of frozen raspberries 

1/2 cup or so of milk 

1/4 cup of peanut butter 

Add together in a blender and mix until well blended.

It's beyond delicious! 

Enjoy 

❤️Mélissa 

Shameless self promo (but for a good cause)

As a mom I wear many hats, one of them I wear is an artist for south hill designs. 

During the month of September I will be donating 1/2 of my total commissions to the Hosptial for Sick Children's Women's Ancillary Bravery Beads Program. 

My daughter at 6 months old started having what looked like plums growing from her neck.  After 7 days at our local Hosptial (who pretty much summed after trying 2 different meds said whatever & sent her home).  I said enough of this and took her I sick kids.  They told me to come back in 4 days and they will operate.  We came home 9 days later.  My little girl endured 2 surgeries to drain, wash and close two clusters of infected and dead lymph nodes from her neck.  As they found it was the MRSA virus, how she got it in Canada, and inside her neck when the rest of her was negative for it they have no idea, she was placed in isolation.  This meant she was bound to her room and wasn't aloud to attend any of the plays or play groups.  She did however get spoiled with everything we could do to help pass her days.  One thing we did was "enroll" her in the bravery beads program.  She got 1 bead for every procedure they did to her, she even got them for having bm's, being in isolation, and finally eating again.  This program means a lot to soo many children there but they need donations to help keep it going. 

So please have a look at my website, think of holiday shopping, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, just for your or just because and place an order this September and from me as I am the only artist doing this, as it's my own doing. 

Http://www.southhilldesigns.com/SHDbyMelissa 

Thank you 

❤️Mélisa 

Cup a soup

Anyone else miss Campbell's or Lipton's cup-a-soup? I do! And with this cold snap and the fact I have an injury on light duities (off my feet) it's a quick & simple lunch for both my daughter & I. 

Ingredients

Water 

2 tbsp of chicken soup powder that is gluten free from bulk barn (read the ingredients close, one has gluten) 

1 serving of Barilla gluten free spaghetti broken into pieces so they are cup a soup sized. 

In a medium pot boil water, chicken stock & noodles.  Stirr often and cook until noodles are to your liking. 

Now I like soup with my crackers so my picture isn't very brothy. 

Enjoy

❤️Mélissa

Nachos "to go"

We came up with this during my very much heavy morning sickness.  I cannot stomach ground beef right now so we eat a lot of chicken & porc. 

This is super and easy to make and could even be served as an h'ordeuvre.

Ingredients 

Tostitos scoops

Taco sauce (the El Paso mild for me) or salsa

A cooked meat chopped small, diced or ground

Shredded cheese 

Sour cream 

Heat oven to 350.  Like with parchment paper.

Set up a sufficient number of scoops to feed your family.  Layer sauce, meat, cheese in each scoop and bake until the cheese is melted.

Remove and let sit for a couple mins then top  with a small dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy! 

❤️Mélissa 

Great quick snack (tortillas, cinnamon, & sugar)

My hubby made these for me one night (without sugar and cinnamon) in place of nAchos one night since my wraps broke in half.  

Ingredients

Gluten free wraps, sliced into triangles

Oil

Sugar

Brown sugar & cinnamon mix (we keep

This in a jar at all times)

Lightly coat a frying pan in oil and fry the tortillas until they puff & crisp, flipping so both sides are evenly cooked.

Once done, place in a bowl and sprinkle in a bit of the brown sugar cinnamon mix and some white sugar, toss and enjoy!! It was soo good yummy!! 

Enjoy

❤️Mélissa 

Coco-chocolate chip banana bread

This is modified from a gluten filled reciepie my mother had and I don't recall where it came from but the gf conversion is my own recipe. This also was not originally a coco or chocolate chip version.  I added the coco tonight for the first time and YUMMY!! 

Now the recipe calls for raunchy bananas.  Let them sit on the counter vs hanging if you bought them just to get "rotten."  Then once they are good and brown looking toss them in the freezer for at least 2 days.  To thaw them place in a bowl, you'll want that yummy banana juice for your bread. 

Ingredients 

1 cup of butter or margerine 

2 cups of sugar 

4 eggs 

6-7 raunchy bananas 

1 cup of rice flour 

2/3 cup of sorghum flour 

1/2 cup of tapioca flour

1/4 teaspoon of gwar gum

1/4 cup of coco powder (optional)

1 teaspoon of salt 

2 teaspoons of baking soda 

1 tsp of vanilla extract 

1/4 cup of chocolate chips 

Grease pans and set oven to 350.

Cream butter with sugar.  Add in eggs, making sure it's all well mixed. Add in remaining ingredients one at a time(except chocolate chips). 

Once it's all mixed well add in chocolate chips and pour into pans. 

Place in oven and bake for 35-45 mins. 

Makes 2 large loaves, 5 small loaves, and 12 large muffins. 

Enjoy 

❤️Mélissa 

Chewy & delicious gluten free fudge brownies

Well we ran out of butter so the version I most recently made actually contained just a little less than 1/4 cup of butter and the rest of the 1/2 cup was oil.  My husband said these were the best ones to date super moist.  If you do choose this modification, it needs closer to 35 mins to cook.  I'm not sure where this recipe came from other than off the internet as I have that much noted in my hand written cook book. 

My husband LOVES brownies and these never last more than a day or two as he says they are just too delectable to not eat them all. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup of melted butter (or margerine)

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

1 cup of sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup alternative flour (see "second way" http://thegreenglutenfreechef.blogspot.ca/2014/04/all-purpose-flour-mix-that-won-cost-you.html?m=1)

1/4 tsp of salt 

1/4 tsp of xanthan gum

Chocolate chips to your liking 

Preheat oven to 350.  Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment.  I do one piece length wise then another the other way so they cross over and then it just lifts out of the pan.  

Melt butter, add to mixer.  Add the ingredients in one at a time including the eggs making sure each item is well mixed before adding in the next.  

Once well belended transfer to baking pan.  Sprinkle skor bits or peanuts on top if desired.  Bake for 25-30 mins. 

Enjoy 

❤️Mélissa