A New Spunky Home

No, I didn't buy ten plus boxes of produce this week, I've been saving them :-) I've been saving them for moving. After six months of trying to sell our house, we decided to go ahead and rent it, so we could move on. Two weeks ago we found the nicest tenants to rent our house, and just last week we signed a lease on a new place to live.

As much as we adore our neighbors, and our little house, I was very motivated to get a little more space inside and a big backyard. I can't wait to show you the place we found to rent—I'm so crazy about it. We moved in today, and as soon as we're unpacked I'll take photos.

♥, Kelly

Come see me November 3rd, & a recipe for Halloween cookies!

I'm so excited to be invited to speak at the Erie Community Library (450 Powers Street, Erie, CO)! I haven't decided what to make for the demo yet, but I will bring samples of whatever I choose to share with all of you who come. : ) So if you live nearby, please come see me!

Also, I wanted to remind you of a post I did two years ago on one of my favorite sites, Hip Moms Go Green. I hope you enjoy these halloween cookies!


♥, Kelly

Super Healthy Cookies cookbook review

Three words: Super  Healthy  Cookies. Ohhh... yea. I got my review copy of Hallie's latest book, Super Healthy Cookies, and it's right up my alley. All of the recipes look amazing, but since we have become grain-free I was thrilled to find 23 grain-free recipes - almost half of the book!

These recipes use all of my favorite ingredients: Coconut (flour, oil & sugar), nut butter, nut flour, and natural sweeteners like honey and dates. With such nutrient dense ingredients we can even eat a cookie with our breakfast smoothie, as Ginger is doing in these photos :-)

She refuses to wear a hat, but she adores sunglasses. So funny.

The top photo (and the cookie Ginger is eating) is called Spiced Apple Raisin Drops. Perfect for fall. We chilled ours on a cooling rack in the freezer before eating them for a crunchier effect. They were spectacular.

But I couldn't stop there, I had to make these Cookie Dough Squares too - you know how I love cookie dough. These were also soooo delish.

I can't wait to make more. Next on my list are the Pistachio Chocolate Twists, German Chocolate Cake Bars, Chocolate Covered Mint Patties, and Blueberry Bliss Cookies. In fact, I think I might make the Blueberry Bliss Cookies right now.

I love that I already have all of the ingredients for these recipes since they're right in line with my own cooking style. And if my recipes work for you, then you probably already have the ingredients too.

♥, Kelly

Pumpkin Pancakes

Please join me today over at The Balanced Platter, where I share these easy pumpkin pancakes. ♥, Kelly

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Hi again from Lake George, New York! Tomorrow is our last day here before we begin heading back. On Sunday we will take the train again, this time getting off at Penn Station, and spending the evening and Monday morning in the city. From there we fly back to Denver.

It's been such a great trip! We have had so much sunshine and blue skies—which remind me of home : ) The leaves here are all yellow, and lots have fallen along with pine needles which have turned marigold. The fallen yellow leaves and marigold pine needles line the sides of the road, and around the cabin they cover the road completely. It looks magical.

Tonight I made a really simple stuffed acorn squash for dinner. None of the pictures came out well, so that's why I didn't include one. But I wanted to share the recipe anyway.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Put two acorn squash into a large crock pot with about two cups of water.
No need to poke or cut the squash at all.
Cook the acorn squash in the crock pot for a few hours, or until they are just tender.
Allow them to cool, slice each in half, scoop out the seeds, and set them in a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle each with sea salt.

For the filling:
Sautee:
about 1 pound of ground Sweet Italian sausage
about 1 pound of sliced mushrooms
1/8 tsp sea salt

Add the cooked sausage and mushrooms to a bowl.
Also add:
about 1 & 1/2 cups of Bob's almond flour
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp apple cider
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
sea salt (to taste)
a few cranks of fresh pepper

Combine the filling ingredients and add them to the cooked acorn squash.
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.

Tegan's Wedding

Andy's sister Tegan got married in upstate New York yesterday—Lake George to be exact. Andy's family has been coming here for generations. It's a very special place, and it was a very special day : ) All of us were in the wedding, and you should have seen Zoe and Ashley walking down the aisle as flower girls. It was so sweet, and I was so happy that they had fun.

Andy's mom made Tegan's dress, as well as her own, and all of the flower girls dresses. (Zoe, Ashley and Ginger were all flower girls.) Tegan is an artist and designed this three tier cake stand. Isn't it cool?! She asked me to make the gluten free / dairy free cupcakes, using my own recipe. They came out great.

Of course, Zoe helped me in the kitchen at the lodge : ) The lodge was so romantic and charming, high up in the treetops. There were cathedral ceilings with hanging flags, and brightly painted canoes perched in the rafters. Huge windows all around brought the Adirondack woods inside with bright yellow fall leaves.

Here is the beautiful bride having one of my cupcakes, and another view of that neat cake stand. I wish I had taken a picture of the table arrangements—they were so cool—potted succulents, natural wood, bittersweet, and mason jars with tea lights. I'll share a group photo that the photographer took of the bridal party when I get it.

You can see more photos from last night by following me as TheSpunkyCoconut on Instagram.

♥, Kelly

Very Cherry & Rainbow Chard Smoothie

It's been a few days now since we discovered the gluten in a supplement, and I can't tell you how much I appreciated all of your comments and love. I couldn't help feeling upset, and as I told Tom when he called this weekend, there was also this overwhelming relief that came from figuring it out. For months I couldn't understand where the trouble was coming from, and recently it had been a struggle just getting through the day. Ashley is already feeling better, and I am  rejoicing : )

We are still eating lots of the soup I told you about last week, as well as getting in all the fabulous greens that make us feel amazing. I love to cook collards, kale or chard in some coconut milk with a little garlic and sea salt, and the lid on but slightly cracked. This weekend I did this with some local organic collard greens that came in my box, then I pureed them with enough coconut milk to just get it going. I put this thick green puree in a mason jar in the fridge and have been adding it to scrambled eggs every day. It makes green scrambled eggs which the kids think is cool : )

Another way we've been loving greens is in this smoothie pictured above. Here is how I make it:

Very Cherry & Rainbow Chard Smoothie

Add to the blender:
1 cup frozen cherries
1/2 cup water
2 to 4 tbsp cherry concentrate (I use THIS one)
fresh squeezed lemon juice (to taste, I like a lot)
2 large washed rainbow chard, stems removed
Puree.

Makes one large or two small smoothies.

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.