I Love...This Thing!

It was recently my birthday on September 11th, which brought along with it reflections on the national tragedy in conjuction with the Birthday Fairy.  The Birthday Fairy is my mother's invention (don't tell my kids!), and she makes birthday mornings ever so much fun!  You wake up on your birthday with a trail of goodies from your bed to the living room where, like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you get some presents.  My kids love it, even when it's their mom's birthday.  M woke me up bursting and said "come see what you got, it's so exciting!!"

This year I chose several items from Amazon to "help" the Birthday Fairy choose things that I would truly love to have.  I found an old Super Nintendo game I used to love to play when I was a kid visiting my cousins house for under $10, as well as an almond flour cookbook to give support to my GAPS diet, and a CD that I haven't heard in years.  But the thing I am loving most is having this little doohickey around.  It's a scalp massager and I love it.  It relieves my stress and it was about $3, which relieves my stress a little more, ha!  The first time I used it on M he stopped in his tracks with half-closed eyes and said "it makes me feel all shiver-y".  Exactly.

Chocolate Coconut "Larabars"

Chocolate Coconut "Larabars"

Put these items in a food processor and mix until they form a ball.  Set the ball aside in a bowl.

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

1 cup dried fruit (figs, raisins, etc.)*

1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

pinch salt

Now put these items in the food processor and mix until the consistency is like coarse flour.  Add the ball back in by pinching pieces of it off and adding them into the food processor bowl.  Then add the coconut oil and water by drizzling over the bowl evenly.  Process until the dough becomes a ball again, or close to it.

1 1/3 cups soaked and dehydrated nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, etc.)**

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cocoa powder

2 tablespoons coconut oil (to desired consistency)

2 tablespoons filtered water (to desired consistency)

Press into a 8x8 glass pan, then cut into bars and serve immediately.  You can also store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

*I used dried figs

**I used equal parts hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts

This post is a part of Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet, and Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.  (And Fat Tuesdays at Real Food Forager!)

Herbed Chicken Salad

Herbed Chicken Salad

3-4 cups of cooked chicken, cut up into cubes
1/2 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
1/3 cup sour cream
two handfuls of parsley, finely chopped
handful of tarragon, finely chopped
handful of thyme, finely chopped
several sage leaves, finely chopped
2 pickles, finely chopped OR dill pickle relish
1 tsp dried dill
1 cup of grapes, sliced in half (optional)
1 cup of pecans and/or walnuts (preferably soaked and dehydrated) (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Use to make sandwiches on sprouted bread, or if you are on GAPS, like me, eat wrapped up in a lettuce leaf.  Yum!