Paleo(ish) Banana Bread

We had three very ripe bananas in our produce basket, so of course, it was time to make some banana bread.  I adapted several recipes to come up with this one, and I like the way it turned out!

5/8 c coconut flour, sifted (I think you could get away with 3/4 c but I didn't want it to be too dense or dry)
1/8 c flax meal, sifted (pretty sure 1/4 c would work here too but again, see above)
1/2 tsp good quality cinnamon (we love Penzey's!)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 c organic extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1/4 c organic pastured butter, melted (could do 1/2 c coconut oil but I like butter)
4 organic free range large eggs, beaten
1/4 c organic maple syrup (Grade A or B)
3/4 tsp good quality vanilla extract (we love Penzey's!)
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (I used 3)
optional: cocoa nibs (or Enjoy Life chocolate chips), pecans, walnuts, raisins, cranberries, etc. (I used walnuts and chocolate chips, because I had them on hand)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a loaf pan with butter or coconut oil.  In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients.  In a small bowl, mix wet ingredients.  Once mixed, add mashed bananas.  Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until incorporated.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (I find the baking time varies on paleo(ish) goodies... I baked mine closer to 60 mins). 

Tip - keep paleo(ish) breads like this in the fridge.  I think due to the amount of eggs, they get soggy if they sit on the counter.  The fridge seems to help that.  I warm the bread before serving, and I bet it would be amazing if you "toasted" it in a pan w/ a little butter over the stove.

P.S.  Of course, you don't have to use organic, but you know me.  ;)

Half a Year

Oh my precious Greer.  You are 6 (plus) months old.  I can hardly believe it.  My love for you grows to new heights daily, even as I don't think it's possible to love you any more.  Your daddy must think I'm crazy, because I constantly kiss you and squeeze you and just want to smother you with love and hugs and tell you how cute and sweet you are and how much you are loved.  I can't get enough.  I may be addicted to you.  You are developing such a personality, and I love it.  I think you're going to be one part sweet, two parts jokester, and three parts precocious.  You love to laugh, especially when we pick you up from Mr. Craig's at the end of the day or you see the doggies.  Apparently, we are all hilarious.

I had my first breakdown the other day when I dropped you off.  I blame the hormones partly (hello fertility, nice to have you back I guess), but I think the reality of being a working mom has finally sunk in.  The craziness that is our life plus the sheer fact that I just want to spend my days with you right now makes it hard for this momma to leave her favorite girl.  I know you are in good hands, and unless we move, it's just not in the cards budget for me to be home with you.  Plus, I do enjoy working (generally).  But, it is hard.  It is hard to get out the door each morning; it is hard to leave you; it is hard to cram a full work week into four days (and I am usually unsuccessful at it); it is hard to have almost no time to relax at the end of the day because we are getting everything ready for the next crazy day (and literally no time if like last night I went from taking care of you and home chores straight back to my computer to finish up some work then to bed); it is hard to make time to care for the doggies like they deserve.  But, sometimes life is hard.  This is just a season, and oh sweet girl, don't ever forget how spoiled we are and how good we have it.  These, my dear, are what I like to refer to as first world problems.  I so look forward to Friday every week for a whole new reason... I get to spend it with you!

At six months old, you are eating food (as in whole foods in addition to very limited purees... not always swallowing the food, but you pick it up and put it in your mouth and mush it around... your daddy and I are quite proud), drinking water from a sippy, sitting up, scooting in circles on your belly, really wanting to figure out how to crawl especially after seeing your boyfriend Whitaker do it all weekend, laughing up a storm, sticking out your tongue, babbling all kinds of good stuff (g sounds, v sounds, th sounds, d sounds - you've put d and g together like doggie and babble dadada, vavavavava, gagagaga, gooogooogooo, geegeegeegee, etc.), you love your buzzy bee and turtle toys, you go to town in your jumperoo, love to practice standing, experiencing some pretty major stranger danger, and all of a sudden don't like your baths.  You've eaten chicken, egg yolk (a little), avocado (don't seem to love that... we can't be related), squash, zucchini, carrots, cucumber, sweet potatoes, apple, peeled grapes, and banana.  I think banana is your favorite, so you don't get it every day.  Sorry mom is a meanie.  You also loved squash, zucchini, and sweet potato.  I made butternut squash soup last night, so you'll be having some of that tonight.  You do pretty good eating the whole foods, but you will actually swallow most of the purees, so I expect that you will get in a good meal in tonight!

Your six month appointment was last Friday, and you weighed 15 lbs 8 oz (25th-50th percentile), measured 26" long (50th percentile) and your head was 16.5" in circumference (25th percentile). 

We took you to the Braves playoff game Friday night, and you weren't so sure about it.  After spending lots of time watching from the concourse and walking around, I gave you a bottle and then we went back to our seats and you decided it wasn't so bad afterall and had a lot of fun staying up past bedtime.  You were the Braves goodluck charm, because it was the only game they won in the series!

You bring so much joy to our lives.  So incredibly grateful that God saw it fit for us to be your parents!!!