Y’all. We moved! To the country.
Completely surrounded by a thicket and dry creek beds, our little family gets to escape at the end of every day to our little farm … a bubble-world free from traffic noise, void of sirens and train whistles … where the nearest house can’t even be seen from our front porch (or the back porch, for that matter).
It’s just us with the sky above and the tree frogs that croak at night. And, maybe a few coyotes … which, so far, are the one thing making the transition difficult for a few of the younger members of our house hold.
(And the reason why all three Kidless have slept in my room for the past two weeks. Stupid coyotes.)
Faith Walk Farms is in full swing; right now, we just have our free-loading chickens but we are thinking about establishing an apiary for honey bees. Wait, did I say free-loading chickens? Why, yes — yes, I did. Free. Loading. Chickens.
The same ones I wrote about last month — while sharing my recipe for grain-free waffles — are still too good for eggs.
Even with their new fancy schmancy digs.
I suppose these Ladies of Cluckton Abbey HAVE been through a lot and they are dealing with all the same issues as my children. New house. Coyotes howling at night. Crazy quiet farm-life.
Thankfully, I can still get LoneStar Eggs — locally produced and sold in Texas — for the very long sabbatical the Ladies are enjoying. And, on the bright side, I was able to teach the Little Lady a very important life skill: how to check the eggs before you buy them.
(Gotta find your parenting moments when you can — even in the grocery store egg section.)
As I sat the other morning on the porch, sipping coffee and marveling at this dream life come true, I realized I had but one more kitchen box to unpack. Just one. And the thought of having real, honest-to-goodness, home made food (’cause, to be perfectly, 100% honest, our fare during the two weeks of packing and moving was pretty much nothing but Chickfila and sandwiches. It’s true.) nearly made me dance in my rocking chair.’
Today, for the first time in my new kitchen, I made muffins. The simplest of baked goods but always a favorite around here. The secret to these grain-free muffins is the blender. With the blender plugged in, you just puree the heck out of the ingredients and then put your batter filled muffin cups in the oven.
DONE.
Seriously, blender muffins are the best and if you haven’t tried them yet, stop what you’re doing and get out the ingredients. Now, most flourless blender muffins utilize peanut or almond butter, but since I need a nut-free version for Barney Kneeknuckles’ nut-free school, I use tahini (a sesame seed butter that most commonly used in hummus). If you aren’t worried about nuts, then almond butter is excellent in this recipe.
While I look forward to making these with eggs gathered from the nests of Cluckton Abbey, it’s nice to have another option that also allows me to support Texas farmers who provide the eggs LoneStar distributes throughout the state.
We farm-girls gotta stick together.
p.s. There will be a coupon insert in all Dallas/Ft Worth, Houston and San Antonio area newspapers on October 18th. And it will be for $0.75 off a carton of Lone Star Eggs! Woo hoo for us!
- 1 Cup Tahini*
- 2 Ripe Bananas
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon Grade B Maple Syrup**
- 1 Tablespoon Raw Honey
- 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- ½ Cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Place all ingredients except for the coconut and chocolate chips in a high-powered blender and puree till completely blended. Stir in the coconut flakes and chips.
- Line a mini-muffin pan with parchment mini-muffin liners*** and then divide muffin batter into the liners, filling each nearly full.
- Place the pan in the oven and back for 12-15 minutes (the tops will crack a little).
- Remove and let cool.
** You can choose to sweeten with all honey or all maple syrup instead of the combo I have suggested -- but I like the combination gives the perfect amount of sweetness without being overly sweet.
*** Parchment muffin liners are the BEST things ever and the only way to go with this recipe. Trust me.
disclosure: This recipe was developed in partnership with Acorn Influence LLC and Lonestar Eggs as a way to share these locally produced, Texan eggs which can be found in Walmart stores all over Texas. If your chickens are also a bunch of feathered free-loaders or if you are chicken-less and want eggs produced right here in Texas, check out Lodestar. And, in the meantime, enjoy this recipe!
