Dozen-It Look Dye-u-tee-ful!?

First of all, mad props to my mom for coming up with the catchy title of this post! #nailedit 

When my sisters and I were little, dyeing eggs was the highlight of the week leading up to Easter. We would get your typical store bought kit and dunk those eggs with the wire ladle until our fingertips matched the dye. We'd lay them on top of the little cardboard stands to dry, and then further decorate with stickers, glitter etc. Now that I have the boys, I get to relive those same memories but through their eyes.

These days there are so many ways to dye eggs. You can do the traditional PAAS kit, you can use veggie skins like yellow onions or red cabbage for color, how about tissue paper cutouts and mod podge, or you can try this method: shaving cream! 

This method is great for kids who really want to get their hands dirty ;)

So for this particular craft, you'll want to make sure that you cover your table linens with a grocery bag, or large garbage bag. The mixture of the shaving cream and food dye will dye your linens and no one wants marbled linen. Am I right? Or if the weather is nice enough, go for it outside on the concrete - super easy clean up too. 

Let me start by saying I tried this years ago when the boys were in preschool. I didn't think ahead to protect our hands, so we had multi-colored hands and fingers for a couple weeks! The disposable latex (or latex-free if you have an allergy to latex) gloves are a life saver for this project. I bought super cheap shaving cream circa 1979, a dozen eggs, and food dye.

First, fill a baking dish with about 1 1/2 inches of shaving cream. Next, place 2 drops dye of your choice, in random spots, on top of the shaving cream. Then take a toothpick or fork and drag through the shaving cream until you get the desired look. 

You'll want to place your egg in the shaving cream/dye mixture (*make sure your gloves are on!!) and gently roll it until fully covered. Then place your egg on a cookie rack to dry for a solid 20 mins or more. I placed wax paper on top of my cookie rack. Makes clean up that much more simple.

After the eggs have dried, take a paper towel (put those gloves back on) and gently wipe off the excess shaving cream. 

Place eggs in a basket with grass, raffia, or the stuffing of your choice and display your marbled eggs proudly! 

I think Peter Rabbit approves ;)

My boys had a great time doing this today and I'm positive your kiddos will as well! I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter with family and friends.

Creatively Yours,
NorCal Contessa 

Paleo Banana Coconut Muffins

Last month, my husband and I completed the Whole 30 challenge together. If you aren't familiar with the Whole 30, you can read about it here. In a nutshell, for 30 days you give up certain foods in order to bring a stronger sense of health/proper nutrition/better way of living to your life. It's a challenge I would strongly suggest to anyone out there - life changing! 

Although I feel confident in that I've killed my sugar demons thanks to the 30, I would still like to be able to treat myself every now and again without a dreaded sugar coma making me feel like I'm on death's door. So my friend Kelly, who I affectionately call my "Foodie Guru"(she knows it all, inside, outside, up, down, and all around when it comes to nutrition, folks) made these amazing muffins last week and gave me a few to sample. She knew I was scared to reintroduce foods, especially treats, but she said this would be a good way to bring a little bit of sweet back. So when I bit into this little muffin of joy, I was like, "OMG I HAVE TO SHARE THIS WITH ALL THE LAND!!!" How could a recipe that does NOT call for sugar, white flour, butter, and then some be delicious, let alone sweet?! Well let me tell you it can be done. Oh. Yes. It. Can. 

Check it out. Paleo Banana Coconut Muffins. Boom. You're welcome. No really, you're welcome! It's a wonderful combination of banana and a hint of coconut, and not overly sweet. The texture is moist and light. It's great as an afternoon snack or pair it with some fruit, and a fried egg for a light breakfast. 

Can you smelllllll what the NorCal Contessa is cookin'?!? Correction, what I'm baking. Say YES! These little muffins o' love have very few ingredients. Coconut flour, eggs, baking soda, dates, bananas, coconut oil, salt, and you've got yourself a whole lotta deeeelish going on! This particular recipe calls for honey and nuts, but I substituted those out (nut allergies up in this house) for dates instead. Today, I had the honor of having this little stud help me bake. I love it when my boys want to be involved in baking - loooove.

 Look at how he holds the bowl! He mashed those bananas like a BOSS ;) Makes this girl's heart happy.

  
Doesn't everyone snack on a muffin with a pretty tulip by it's side? No? Just me? Well, you should ;) 

Inspecting the goods...and he likes what he sees! He said to me, "Mama, these are so delicious. My tummy is happy and I feel better now!" Nothing like a little homemade baking from the heart to make Mr. Under-the-weather forget he wasn't feeling so hot. 

So, are you ready for the recipe yet? I thought so. Without further ado, here you go! 

Paleo Banana Coconut Muffins

• ½ cup coconut flour 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil *you could substitute and use unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup honey *I substituted and used pitted dates
• 2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350degrees and line your muffin tin with paper cups. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, salt, and baking soda.

1. In a smaller bowl, beat together the eggs, coconut oil, dates, mashed bananas, and vanilla.
2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for about one minute or until well combined.
3. Stir in the ¼ cup walnuts. *I did not include these since we have nut allergies in the house.
4. Scoop two heaping spoonfuls evenly into 12 muffin cups.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

I think there are a lot of variations you could do with this recipe. Next time I plan to play with carrots and raisins or zucchini and raisins! Kelly, thank you for showing me that I can still enjoy a little treat in a healthy way :) I think this recipe will definitely be added to the family favorites list. 

If this recipe looks like something you'd want to try, be sure to let me know what you think and how it turned out! 

And remember to always bake with love.

Yours Truly,

NorCal Contessa