Iron-Rich Ingredients and desert!

Dearest Kat,

After posting the recipes for what I would eat this last week... surprise, surprise, I did not end up making either of the recipes yet. BUT in the wake of that, I HAVE found a couple of things in my cupboard that are surprisingly easy to cook with AND have iron in them. So I thought I would share.

The first is blackstrap molasses of all things. With slightly less calories per Tablespoon, this rich syrupy sap has an amazing 20% DV of iron for each! I bought it to make these tasty ginger cookies.

A couple weeks ago I was sent this recipe for a single serving deep dish cookie, and of course I have messed with it to make it more healthy and nutrient-rich. That makes up for the fact that I have consumed it... well... 6 nights this past week...

I'll try to detract from that fact by explaining the "upgraded" ingredients :

• butter --- coconut oil 
• flour --- 1 part garbanzo bean flour + one part other flour (tried millet, but that was a bad choice. Almond and spelt have worked great) 
• sugar --- 1 part molasses or honey + one part 'solid sugar' (I usually use coconut palm sugar, but brown or white sugar would also work) 

You can also experiment with the recipe. When I ran out of the expensive dairy/soy free chocolate chips, I tried other ways: 

• plain chocolate cookie: cocoa 
• snicker doodle: cinnamon + coconut sugar sprinkle 
• chocolate snicker doodle: cocoa + cinnamon 
• chocolate ginger: cocoa + ginger powder
• chocolate peanut or almond butter: cocoa + nut butter 

So I mentioned garbanzo bean flour earlier. It is one of the cheapest alternative flours I've come across. WAY cheaper than almond flour (usually $10/lb), this little power powder was only $3 for a 1 lb. bag of Bob Mill's. It also has a significant bit of iron, with 10% DV per 1/4 cup.

Made these pancakes this morning with it and were so pleasantly surprised at their fluffiness, and texture. Most gluten-free pancakes aren't that forgiving - or healthy for that matter. The amount of batter was perfect for the three girls eating, which probably means it would be perfect for you and Jamison :) 

From a Tennessee coffee shop wishing you were here, 

Joy 

On the Menu...

So it isn't Monday, but I have not been doing well at feeding myself lately. 

In retaliation to this, I am posting inspiration recipes: 

• New Mexican Stew
• Creamy Broccoli Soup
• Pumpkin Cornbread muffins) 

which I will tweak and let you know how they turn out! 

Finally! The Recipe Roundup Begins...

So. This healthy eating thing. The taking care of our bodies thing. The sharing of recipes thing. Yes. It's finally. A thing.

It has taken way, way, way too much for me to finally get in here and start posting some of my favorite go-to sites and recipes. But I am looking forward to sharing these and having a single place to find all my links rather than the mess of bookmark folders that currently puddle my web-browser.

This one's for you, Kat. Thanks for your patience. Easy way to cook bacon every time.

Also, I've made these little guys for the past two Saturdays. They don't take long at all to make, and I don't feel bad about sitting on the couch with my roomie consuming 10 of them at once...

Photoshoot: Tim & Jorjia

I had the great pleasure of being Tim and Jorjia's wedding photographer last December.  They asked me to take some early 1 year anniversary pictures, Jorjia's graduation celebration pics and a few Christmas shots.

I absolutely loved working with these two!

K@

Do It Yourself: Friendship Dreamcatcher

I was inspired by an Etsy artist who had a few of these for sale when I thought, "Hey, I could make that!"  So I took the challenge and did just that this summer.  I made two friendship dreamcatchers, one I gave to Joy and the other I kept.

Most of the items can be found in your local craft store or craft isle in Walmart.  I've worked at Hobby Lobby for several years, so I know when sales are going on and what items would be best to use.  Half of these items were lying around, so I only spent about $5 for ribbon, beads, and feathers.

First of all, find a metal hoop or bend a wire hanger to wrap hemp, jute, or string around.  I found the metal hoop in the jewelry and leather isle in Hobby Lobby.  I placed the doily in the center of the hoop, attaching it with the hemp.  In my opinion, fabric doilies are far better than paper doilies because they add a softer touch, although they are hard to find.

Secondly, I gathered different kinds of ribbons, feathers, beads, shells, thin rope, beading wire, strands of thread, a little bit of glue and a few pieces of mulch or twigs based on a color scheme.  I chose white, cream, and light brown as my main color theme with pops of color in various textures, such as the rust beading wire and light blue translucent strand of beads.

The rest is fairly simple and allows you to be as creative as you would like to be.  Braiding thin rope, knotting shells, stringing the wood and feathers hardly took any time at all.  I even added pieces of bone and old seashells I collected on the Atlantic shore as a kid.

Creating a unique dreamcatcher made for a refreshingly fun and simple artistic project.  Feel free to post any comments or questions.

Sweet dreams!

K@

The moon, one of the two bright eyes that oversee the earth, shine beams of dazzling light on the rooftops, giving away my position if anyone dared look out their window.  Here am I, on the highest part of the roof; the concrete walls my friends and the crisp evening air blow my soft curls against my shoulders as I sit and admire the glowing ball in the sky.  Potential storm clouds sail the thin sea of cumulus clouds, wrapping around the mountains like a ghost ship sailing towards the east.  In response, the clothes and billowy sheets sway on the clothesline, either waving at the great host of clouds or warning that they soon will come.

I found the ladder while dancing barefoot on the chilly cement roof.  Four stories high and no one traveling the dirt streets would see me dancing.  This is where I can be alone, where I can be free.  Feel the dirt clinging to my feet; the cold air whipping my face, the current flowing from my toes to my fingertips.  A wooden ladder lay propped against the wall of the small laundry room.  With the thought that someone might see me, I hesitated, not wanting to cause a riot of why an American girl was climbing the roof in a Mus lim country in jeans and without a headscarf at night.  But then the adventurous side of me kicked in and I gripped the rickety wooden ladder and climbed until I felt rough concrete.

However, I was not alone in my secret place.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most high shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I trust!"  Psalm 91:1-2

The wild boar scavenging food for its young, cats hopping from wall to wall, people chattering away in foreign tongue, shadows of families preparing for dinner flicker through the glass window panes. Everything God made surrounds me like a silent song, for not every living creature knows it's Creator.

K@

*Certain lingo used for security purposes.

Curls & Pearls: A Sister Blog

This summer, Joy and I discussed running a blog together to keep our creativity alive.  While Joy is continuing school and I'm having adventures of my own, we thought it would also be a lovely way to keep our friendship connected on a unique level.

Joy is a fabulous writer, deep thinker, and beautiful person inside and out, so this blog would give her the chance to let all of those brilliant ideas, encouraging words, fascinating stories and quirky observations loose and have a way to express herself outside of the academic arena.

As for me, this blog will lend me the right amount of freedom and challenge to express myself artistically through photography, painting pictures with words and various art projects.

Joy & Kat outside of a coffee shop while it begins to snow.

Joy, Kat & Ash enjoying an evening of friendship.

So if you enjoy poetry, music compositions, silly observations, DIY projects, fun and healthy recipes, thought-provoking questions, artsy crafts, testimonies of faith, notes of encouragement, and more of what life brings, this blog of two sisters-at-heart just might be your next bookmark.

Kat