Enjoying the Silence

Lyman's in Boston right now. He'll be in Richmond later this week.

I am enjoying the silence because all four kids are finally asleep! William went first, at 7:45 pm. DJ and Gwennie were both gone around 9 pm. And Amanda held out until about 10 pm.

We had fun with raw treats this afternoon. We made a chocolate banana shake, oatmeal cookies, and caramels. Yummy!

Raw Caramels

1 cup dates, pitted and diced
1 cup pine nuts, minced
1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend in food processor until smooth. It is important to chop before processing. If you over-process, the caramels will get oily. They are still delicious, though!

Chocolate Banana Shake

2 cups almond milk (check below for how to make your own)
3 cups frozen banana chunks
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 Tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of sea salt

Almond Milk
1 cup almonds, soaked for 8 hours or more and then drained
3 cups water

Blend on high for 2-3 minutes. Strain out pulp using nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or nylon.

If you want to use it for cereal, etc., I recommend adding a little sweetner (like maple syrup) and a dash of salt.

Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup almond pulp
1 cup raisins or pitted dates
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt
Maple Syrup

Combine oats through salt in food processor. Add enough syrup to make the dough form a ball. Roll into cookie shapes and dehydrate for a few hours. Or you can eat it without dehydrating.

The kids made shapes with their cookies, and planets. William made a huge mess. But they had fun! I would have taken a picture, but Lyman took the camera with him.