Hooded Towel for a Big Kid

The other day I saw this post about hooded towels at Sew Like My Mom, and knew I had to make these for my kids. Now you may think that a hooded towel is something for a baby or toddler, but you would be mistaken! My big kids love hooded towels and have tried to squeeze into the baby ones that for some reason are still in the linen closet. They have friends who have hooded beach towels that they take to the pool, and my kids have looked longingly at them all summer long. So now that I had the instructions on how to make one myself, I got to work.

These hooded towels uses regular sized bath towels and hand towels sewn together; so technically they could fit an adult...I tried them on and they were so snuggly that I may just make one for myself! I went digging in the linen closet and found 2 white bath towels and 2 white hand towels that looked like they had maybe been used once. Perfect! Then with my coupon to the fabric store in hand I bought some remnants that would be used for the edging on the hood and for a bit of decoration on the back of the towel.

The process of making a hooded towel is fairly simple. First I took the hand towel, folded it in half, measured 6 inches along the folded edge then cut from there diagonally to the corner.

I then took my remnant, and cut a strip 5 inches wide by about 24 inches long. This ended up being a little too long, so measure the distance along the cut edge of your hand towel to determine the exact length you need. Then I basically made bias tape out of the fabric by folding the edges of the fabric to the center then folding the whole thing in half again long ways. In the end you have your fabric folded to 1/4 of the width with edges folded to the inside.

Position your homemade bias tape along the cut edge of your hand towel, pin it, then sew it on.

Take your hand towel and refold it in half with the fabric edge along one side. Sew the other side of the towel to make the back of the hood. At this point right sides of your hood are on the inside. Turn the hood right side out so the seam on the back of the hood is now on the inside.

Take the neck part of your hood and center that onto the center of one side of your bath towel. The curve of the hood will make the neck not lay completely straight against the side of the towel, but do your best and pin this in place. Sew the right sides of the hood and bath towel together.

Now you can be finished if you like, or you can embellish a bit. I added a fabric Hot Wheels panel to the back of The Boy's towel and the Girl wanted her initial on the back of hers made in the same fabric as the hood edging. You can also add little hand pockets to make it easier for little hands to hold the towel closed, or not, it's up to you.

Images from the garden

Bean Flower

Heirloom tomato

Cherry Tomato!

Mystery squash (it grew from the compost, so I have no idea what it is)

Purple bean flower (I love the seashell looking inside of this one!)

Awkward teenage chicks 

Purple cabbage

Cabbage

Basil almost flowering

Kale

Savoy Cabbage

Carrot flower

Suspicious Rooster

I have tomatoes!

Believe it or not I grew tomatoes! And they even turned red! Imagine that. I've only gotten a handful of cherries so far, but that's still tomatoes in my book and I'm calling it a success. Maybe the heirloom ones will turn red, too. I'm keeping my finger's crossed.

Blackberry Muffins - Paleo/Primal/Gluten & Dairy Free

I got the muffin-making bug again today and made a few batches of my favorite muffins along with a new one. The other day the kids and I picked blackberries in our yard, and managed to get some of them back to the house without eating them. So, today I decided to try to make a blackberry muffin. Other than the fact that I really don't like seeds in my muffin, I think these taste great! The girl seems to think so as well; she's eaten almost a half dozen of them so far this afternoon! I modeled this recipe off of a blueberry muffin recipe I found in a gluten free cookbook. I'm sure you could use almost any fresh berries in this recipe. I may try strawberry next. Enjoy

Blackberry muffins

1/2 C coconut flour
1/2 C melted coconut oil
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
4 Eggs
1/4 C liquid sweetener like honey or Maple syrup
3/4 C unsweetened applesauce
1 C mashed blackberries

Bring eggs and applesauce to room temperature. (I found out cold applesauce and eggs can solidify the melted coconut oil, making the whole thing hard to mix.) Mix all ingredients together except the blackberries. Let mixture sit for about 10 minutes (this seems to give the flour a chance to soak up the liquid and makes a smoother muffin). Fold in the blackberries. Scoop batter into mini or regular muffin cups then bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes for mini and 25 minutes for regular until tops are mostly firm. Let cupcakes cool for about 1/2 hour.

Paleo/Primal Pizza

One food that has been seriously missing from my Paleo/Primal lifestyle is Pizza! My kids love pizza, I love pizza, who doesn't love pizza? But there really isn't a convincing substitute for gluten-filled-carb-overload pizza crust. I've read about ones that use coconut flour and a combo of riced cauliflower and almond cheese and ones that are primarily a almond flour pie crust, but they all sounded pretty complex with varying degrees of authenticity. So, rather than trying to recreate something that you just can't recreate like the original, I decided to go with a variation of The Paleo Project's Breakfast Pizza but make it a regular old pizza with sauce, pepperoni and onions. The upside to this kind of pizza is that it's very fast and easy to make! The crust wasn't as sturdy as a gluten-filled one, but I could still pick it up and eat it. You do know you're eating eggs, but I think it's a good alternative when I have a pizza craving.

Primal/Paleo Pizza
4 Eggs
1/4 C almond or coconut milk (or whole milk if making a primal version)
3 T Coconut Oil divided
1 C Pizza or pasta sauce
About 20 or so pepperoni slices (or any cooked meat of choice)
1/2 C diced onion
1/2 C diced sweet pepper (I used red bell pepper)
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese (if making primal version. Omit for Paleo/Dairy-Free version)

In a large oven safe skillet (cast iron or stainless steel) melt 2 T coconut oil. In a small bowl whisk eggs and milk; add salt and pepper to taste. When oil is melted pour egg mixture into skillet on top of oil. Lower heat to medium, cover and let cook for 3 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH EGGS. After 3 minutes are up, remove lid and place pan of eggs under a broiler on low for another 3 minutes. DO NO TOUCH EGGS.

Meanwhile in another skillet melt 1 T coconut oil and saute onions and peppers until lightly browned and softened.

After the 3 minutes, remove eggs from oven. Spoon pizza sauce over eggs then add a layer of pepperoni or other cooked meat. Add sauteed onions and peppers and any other veggies you like. (if making a primal pizza sprinkle cheese on top of pizza.) Place pan back under low broiler for another 3 minutes, but watch carefully to make sure toppings and cheese do not burn!

Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Then slice and serve.

Red Velvet Chocolate Beet Cake

My garden produced quite a few beets this year...not as many as a couple years ago, but a decent amount all the same. Although I like beets, the rest of the family aren't fans. Rather than making beets for myself, I decided to put them into something everyone would enjoy. I remembered hearing about beet cake before, but I'd never tried to make one. This seemed like the perfect opportunity especially since The Boy had been asking me to make red velvet cake anyway. Beets...Red Velvet...same thing, right?

First I had to cook and puree my beets. This a very simple process. First I trimmed my beets cutting off all but about 1/2 inch of the stem. I put the beets in a microwave safe dish with high sides, covered them with water and cooked in the microwave for about 25 minutes in 5 minute intervals poking them every 5 minutes to see if they were soft. When they were cooked and cooled I trimmed the remaining stem then put them into the blender with about a cup of cooking water. (add more water if your blender needs  more) Voila, beet puree!

This cake is Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo and Primal. I made my cake into cupcakes so they would be easily snack-able and pack-able by my kids, but you could make it into a full sized cake. I may look for some cream cheese icing to put on them, too. That would just put them over the top. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Chocolate Beet Cake
6 Eggs Separated
1 C dried plums
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 C beet puree
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 T cocoa powder
3 C almond flour
1/4 C honey

Preheat oven to 350. Separate eggs, putting whites into a large mixing bowl and yolks into a blender. In the blender mix dried plums, egg yolks, vanilla, beet puree, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Beat egg whites and honey with a hand mixer until stiff. In a separate bowl mix almond flour and cocoa powder then mix in the beet mixture from blender. Fold the egg whites into the beet and almond flour mixture. Spoon 1 T of batter into lined mini muffin tins or 1/4 C batter into lined regular sized muffin tins. Bake mini muffins for about 15 minutes or until set; Regular sized muffins take about 20-25 minutes to bake. This made about 6 regular sized cupcakes plus 36 mini ones.

Paleo/Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have now found my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. These things are so yummy and filled with ingredients I'm happy to have my family eat. They are a little bit crumbly, but the great flavor overrides any negatives. Give them a try!

Paleo/Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 C almond butter
1 C almond or coconut milk
2 Eggs
1/2 C dried plums (prunes)
1 t vanilla
1 T maple syrup or honey
1 t cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 C coconut flour
1/2 C dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender combine the almond butter, milk, eggs, dried plums, vanilla and maple syrup until well blended. In a separate bowl combine cinnamon, baking soda and coconut flour. Add wet ingredients to dry then stir in the chocolate chips. On a cookie sheet, scoop 1 Tablespoon dollops of dough for each cookie. My dough made about 18 cookies. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cookies are set up.