I make roast potatoes (sweets and regular) probably once a week. They are simple to make, turn out great, and are an inexpensive side-dish. 

Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 15 baby potatoes, or 4-5 medium sized, skin still on potatoes (or however many potatoes you need), cut into eighths. Generally for roasted potatoes, each adult will eat 3-5 baby potatoes, or 1/2 to one whole potato each. Half a sweet potato is plenty for an adult (cut up into 1 inch cubes). Whatever you use, wash them! 
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper 

Method:

1. Warm oven or BBQ to 425 degrees. Pour 3 of the tablespoons of the oil into a baking pan (it need sides) and set aside. Make sure your pan isn't over crowded or the potatoes won't get nice and crispy. 
2. Once you have your potatoes washed, set the pan with the oil into the oven, letting the oil get hot. This should only take 3 minutes or so.
3. In the 3 minutes you have while the oil is warming, cut the washed baby potatoes into halves, and set into a large bowl. Pour 1 tbsp of the olive oil over the potatoes, then sprinkle some pepper (sometimes I will also add a pinch of paprika) on them. Toss to coat. 
4. Carefully pull the pan with the hot oil out of the oven or BBQ, and gently dump the prepared potatoes into the hot oil (it will hopefully sizzle a little). Quickly toss/stir the potatoes through the hot oil, and give them some salt (just a pinch).
5. But bake into the oven or BBQ, and roast for a total of 40-45 minutes, keeping your eye on them. A halved baby potato can spend most of the roasting time skin side down. If using regular sized potatoes (or sweet potatoes) cut up, then turn them every 10-15 minutes to make sure no side gets too brown. 
6. Take out of the oven or the BBQ, and sprinkle them with a generous pinch more salt.
7. Dish 'em up, and eat 'em!  

   Well now, that's all for today! I have Mr. Caleb heading out early for a field trip which he is so crazy excited about, my Abigail heading to school solo, which should be interesting, and my youngest and I have some work to do outside turning an old pig pen into our chicken's new coop and run (I love them being free-run chickens, but they are starting to ruin my gardens....no thanks).
   Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend, whether you have 100 jobs you want to do around the house, or are working, or plan on doing nothing! 

   I've talked about autism and the gut before; about how there is a high number of individuals with autism who have gastrointestinal troubles. I talked about trying the gluten free diet for our son with autism, and how we noticed a big difference in his behaviour, so he's going on 7 years with the diet. 
   One thing I haven't talked about is his nutrition. Just what he eats. When we put Caleb onto the gluten free (and at the time, also a casien free) diet, he was only 3, and ate a lot of what he was given. Fruits and veggies, meats, nuts and seeds, rice and quinoa, a really good variety. The only things he didn't really like were casseroles; I think the food being all together in one dish was alarming to him (...my husband feels the same way!).
   Then, somewhere between that point and about a year ago, Caleb had whittled away at his food list until there was only a handful of things he would eat. Apples. Romaine with italian dressing. French fries. Yogurt. Toast. Cereal. Gluten-free pretzels. Popcorn. And sweets.
   It was very difficult for many reasons: one, I had become that Mom who was making a separate meal for my picky child. Caleb's aversion to food seemed like more than just a 'picky' child. He would literally gag, and cry, and often, eventually, would have a serious, screaming, kicking, full on melt-down. Those dinner time meltdowns would often leave his sisters crying, and I would have no appetite.
   Secondly, it made being invited anywhere difficult. We were always having to pack him a bunch of things, even if the people we were going to made a point of having a gluten free meal. If it wasn't from his tiny little list, he wasn't going to eat it. We felt like we were being rude; they went out of their way to prepare something he could eat, but we let him 'get away' with eating what he wanted. We weren't going to let him gag and throw a fit at someone else's house though, that's for sure!
   Lastly, his nutrition worried me a lot. He was (and is) taking a multi-vitamin everyday, for a while he was taking a child's omega capsule every day, but I knew that the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need is through food. Real food. 
   I needed a plan...but where do you start with a kid who is actually about to barf when certain things touch his tongue?
   I tried bribery. Judge if you want to, but I am not above bribery to get something out of my kids! We started the "if you eat this (fill-in-the-blank-dinner item), you can have this (fill-in-the-blank-treat). You know a kid really, really doesn't like something where even that doesn't always work! It worked for some things though, like pasta with sauce (well, first pasta with parmesan, then we upped it to sauce). Sometimes it would take him an hour to get through a small bowl of noodles, and his treat would have to be where he could see it so we could keep reminding him with the visual cue. Sometimes this back-fired though, and he couldn't (wouldn't) eat something, then he was very upset about not getting the treat. Not fun.    

   Then, something crazy happened.....dear, sweet Caleb loves Pickle Fries from Fast Eddies, but because we live far away from the world of Fast Eddies (it's mostly a south western Ontario thing), I thought I would buy that completely un-healthy, MSG laden popcorn seasoning in dill flavour. It is literally the same stuff Fast Eddies puts on their fries! Even though he likes popcorn, I started putting it on the kids popcorn once in a while as a treat. This was just last summer, and we were having corn on the cob a lot, which Caleb (c'mon, guess...) hated! Then I thought back to all those 'fancy' corn on the cob recipes with spices, and different things, and offered Caleb corn on the cob-with dill pickle popcorn seasoning (I know, yuk!). But, he ate it! He sniffed it, licked it, then finally took a bite! I knew how bad that popcorn seasoning was, but I really didn't care! He was eating a 'new' food! 
   So, during last summer, we added dill pickle popcorn seasoning to a ridiculous amount of food! BBQ chicken, hardboiled eggs, steak....literally most meats we ate! We tried some more veggies, but he was still not biting (pun intended). He did start eating potatoes though (I know fries are potatoes, but deep fried, fast food fries are really not an ideal veggie option!) We were o.k. with that, we wanted him to start eating more proteins, and he was. We slowly got him 'off the seasoning' by using less and less of it, and finally by just putting the food on his plate with no seasoning, and telling him it was all gone (which it was, thank the Lord!), and we would offer him salt, which he would use. 
   What's my point...? My point is this, if you are concerned about the things your child eats (or doesn't eat), pick one thing, and work there first. Don't make family meal time a battle either. I'm not a fan of the never ending parental fighting and "you eat this bite, or else...". Learn what your child likes, and start there. Add to it, use it to your advantage. For instance, Caleb now likes pasta with meat in his sauce. We got him to that point by really cooking it up so teeny-tiny he didn't know it was there at all, and eventually he grew to like the taste and texture, and now lets me cook it normally. Heck, he even requested meatballs! 
   I also started hiding veggies in the sauce (and in other foods). Steam some carrots, or cauliflower, or bake some squash, puree it, and add it to your pasta sauce. Is it sneaky? Yes! Is he eating more veggies? Yes. Will I hide veggies in his food forever? Nope. But for now, it is getting him some extra vitamins and minerals, and keeping family supper time scream free! I have to remember that not too long ago he wouldn't eat noodles, or sauce, or meat at all! 
   After the dill seasoning was gone, Caleb's tolerance of eggs faltered, and he wouldn't eat them for a long time. What turned him around was us having chickens! He was fascinated/amazed by the fact that we had chickens who laid us eggs, which we got to eat! I'm not telling you to buy a chicken so your picky eater will eat eggs, but a lot of kids are interested in where food comes from. So, grow some veggies, go to a farm, find a YouTube video, just make food interesting, not a fight! 
   Another thing to consider/remember is to give your child a fair shot at pleasing you and eating better. My middle child is a mousey little eater. So, would it be fair for us to load up her plate, then force her to stay at the table until she finished all her food? I don't believe it is. We put food on her plate, knowing it is a reasonable amount for her, giving her the chance to succeed! It makes meals pretty enjoyable! 
   And when all attempts are failing? Make your kids a milkshake! No, not a real milkshake with loads of ice cream, but a smoothie "milkshake". Lots of people are making green smoothies these days. Not all kids will find green smoothies appetizing though....so, I simply added some cocoa powder! Suddenly my kids all wanted a "milkshake": kale and spinach, ground flax seed, avocado, a banana and either pineapple or mango, maybe some kiwi, throw in some berries, then a few tablespoons of cocoa powder (don't forget liquid: milk, almond milk, coconut water, or regular water. You could use juice too, but make sure it's real juice, not loaded with sugar juice!), and suddenly it's chocolate! Sort of! At first I hid the fact that I was cramming their "milkshake" with healthy things, but I gradually let them start helping me so that they now realize that healthy can also be super-duper yummy!   

   Special needs or not, children need to be well fuelled for their life! Geepers, they are so full of energy, and sillies, and they need good food in their tanks! But, another important thing is that these kids will eventually be adults who need to think for themselves, and make food choices on their own. If Caleb grows up still hating all fruits and veggies besides apples and romaine, but I know he can put a blender-full of goodness together that he will enjoy, I will be happy with that! It's about patterns, about teaching, about not making food a war, and about trying our best to give our children the best, so that they can be their best.  
   Does Caleb still eat fries, and sweets, and not so good food? Sure he does. But through years of trial and error, being patient and trying tricks, we are now making normal (for us) family meals that we will all eat. No bribery needed.   

   Today's cookies are seriously just the cutest things. I made them a while ago for my daughter's Tea Party Birthday, but hadn't posted about them, so here they are now! 

Tea Bag Sugar Cookies
The dough requires a little refrigeration time)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
  
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• Chocolate chips (for the "tea")
• Butter (also for the "tea". Approximately 1 tablespoon per 1/2 cup chocolate chips)
• **See note between the two final photos about the chocolate**

Method:

1. Using a stand mixer, or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. 
   
2. Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping down bowl as needed. 
3. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed ingredients. Beat well.
4. Divide dough into fourths, flatten and wrap quarters with plastic wrap (diving it help with 2 things: 1. It cools faster so you can get working with it sooner, and 2. It keeps you from over-working the dough to help the cookies stay nice and buttery)
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into shapes (trust me, if you don't, the dough will be too soft, and you'll just squish your shapes trying to lift them onto your baking sheet, and then you'll be grumpy.)  
   

....after the dough has chilled....

1. Heat oven to 375 Degrees
2. Let dough soften a little for easier handling (line a cookie sheet while you wait). Roll out dough into a rectangle on a floured surface to approximately  1/4” thickness. 
3. Use a real tea bag (if you have one) to measure the size of the cookies (just lightly mark the dough along the top of the short end of your rectangle. This is the width of your cookie), then use a ruler to cut long strips of dough down from there. Then, using the tea bag again, mark how long each cookie is, and, using the ruler, work your way across cutting the dough. You should now have dough with all little rectangles on them.
4. It's easier to move the rectangles onto the cookie sheet now (I forgot this time around), then using the tea bag as a guide again, cut off the top corners of the triangles.
5. To make the holes, I used a McDonalds straw. They are the perfect size so that when you bake the cookies the holes don't close up. If you have a smaller straw (or some other fancy tool that would cut out a good hole), that would work too, but you may want to place the cookies on their tray into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking so they don't loose their shape.
6. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned (just on the bottom, not brown on top or these will dry out!) Time may need to be adjusted depending on how thick your cookies are. Smaller cookie=less time. Bigger cookie=more time.    
   
7. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely. 
8. To make the "tea", first lay out a sheet of wax or parchment paper.
9. Melt the chocolate with the butter (either slowly on the stove, or slowly in the micro-wave) in a bowl that is deep bough to get a good "dip" on your cookie. A mug works well (Obviously  if you melt the chocolate on the stove, you would pour it into a mug after melting it).
10. Dip the cookies into the chocolate and lay out onto the wax or parchment paper until completely set. Melt more chocolate/butter as you need to finish dipping all the cookies.
11. Loop a string through the hole, and you've got yourself a tea bag cookie! 

   These cookies do take a bit of 'work', but it's repetitive, and not difficult. Plus, they are just so darn cute when you're done it's completely worth it! 

   These cookies freeze really well (layered between wax paper).
  **If you plan on serving them in a very hot room/event/climate, you may want to consider adding a few (not too many because they taste a little yucky!) chocolate "melts" (the brand I get are Merkens "light chocolate flavoured moulding wafers" from the Bulk Barn). This product is made for melting and setting up properly. But, like I said, they taste kinda gross (it says "chocolate flavoured, so that should be a hint!), so don't substitute all of the chocolate chips for these**

   Well, I hope these darling cookies perked you up on this "hump day" (don't be rude, it's the hump between the beginning and the end of the week!). Sheesh.  :)   

   Something happens in the spring here...things start to grow, the temperature warms up, there is about 2 weeks of spring fun. Blowing bubbles, puddles to play in, playing on the trampoline, playing hide and seek, seeing birds and rabbits in the yard....and then....the blackflies and mosquitoes come in droves!!!
   I'm not talking about a few pesky insects, the insects are actually so bad that we have the blackflies first (for about 2 weeks), then, when the mosquitoes make their appearance, the blackflies clear out!  You literally step outside, and have biting bugs landing all over you right away!
   So, all that to say it can be hard to get out with the kids in the spring. I don't even make them play outside because the bugs are so bad, and that wimpy kids bug spray is not actually made for repelling bugs. Seriously, it's not. I'm not sure what it is made for, but I think if anything, the bugs like that kids' bug spray.   
   Behind our house we have a forest, and when the bugs are a little more scarce we will go for treks, but heading back into the woods has not been an option because of the pesky guests. Finally, bugs and all, we asked the kids if they wanted to walk back there, and they all agreed (fools).  :)    

   Was it a crazy bug fiasco? Heck yes! Where the kids whimpering a little (a lot!)? Yes! Where the adults faking not minding the bugs so the kids would think it was o.k. to be bitten by 10 mosquitoes at once? You bet! Did they buy it? Mostly! Our 4 year old found a turkey feather that she used as a bag waver-away-er, and at one point our 9 year old had a branch from a pine tree on his head to keep the bugs off. That was brilliant. I tried it for a bit. 
   But besides getting 30 new bug bites each, it actually was fun. Why? Because our kids got to see spring a little closer up. Even though they see it every year, winter can make us forget about what's under all that snow; all the life that is hiding there. We pointed out a beaver dam, birds nests, found some bones (I didn't tell them they appeared to be chicken bones {our chickens vanished one by one last fall|), saw 2 snakes, lots of new a cool looking bugs, pointed out animal tracks, and taught them about different types of trees.

   The point is, whether you live in the country or the city, get your kids out to see the world they live in! I'm not talking about just sending the kids outside (which is not a bad thing, when the bugs start to go away, we do it too), but about heading out as a family to "explore". Dora style.
    Ever since that walk, my 4 year old is saying she collects bones and snakes (yuk), my 5 year old still knows that a white pine has 5 needles (w-h-i-t-e. 5 letter, 5 needles=white pine), and the 9 year old still says, "the woods are so many mosquitoes!!!" O.k, so, maybe he didn't get as much out of it as we wanted, but I know he had fun! 
   Most cities or towns have a "rail trail" going through it, or a conservation area, or something you can go for a walk and see the "real world", as we call it. Just do it, ignore the bugs (or dip yourself in a vat of bug spray), and head out on an adventure! 

   Caleb (for those who don't know, he's my 9 year old son with autism) with all his picky food habits had started talking about "spaghetti and meatballs" a lot lately. He has talked about a lot of other random foods, so I would make whatever it was, and he wouldn't eat it. Not my favourite.
   But, every time we had pasta (and I would just cook up the meat like I always did), Caleb would say, "spaghetti and meatballs!". 
   So, I decided I would make them for him. I want him to expand his limited (but finally growing!) foods he'll eat list, and I thought the idea of meatballs sounded good. 
   I set out to make a super-basic, paleo (sugar free, grain and flour free, dairy free), but yummy enough even Caleb would eat it kind of meatball.
   After I had them cooked and ready, and I asked Caleb how many he wanted on his noodles, his answer was, "......um......7!". So, I didn't give him seven, but I was happy he still thought the ideas of meatballs was a good one (instead of standing there saying, "meatballs are so very disgusting!"-which he has said about other foods he talked and talked about and I would finally make for him!). 
   All that to say, if Caleb liked them, ANYONE will like them!

Gluten-Free (and paleo) Meatballs
The above photo shows gluten-free pasta, which is not paleo, fyi.

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground pork + 1lb ground beef (or any 2 ground meats you generally have)
  
• 1 Small onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp paprika
  
• 1 Tbsp salt-free seasoning mix (I use the Kirkland brand, but Mrs. Dash would be great too). If you have no such thing, simply use a spice mix you generally use and enjoy (such as an herb and garlic mix) 
  
• 2 Garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• Black pepper
  
• Sea salt
  

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients, and mix thoroughly using your hands. Make sure to knead the mixture for a few minutes to work the protein in the meat which will bind everything together. 
   
2. Heat a large frying pan, lightly coated with olive oil or coconut oil on medium heat.
3. Lay out a sheet of wax or parchment paper, wet your hands and roll 2 tbsp worth of the meat mixture into balls (I use my Pampered Chef 2 tbsp scoop, and I scoop the mixture into my hands, then roll it into a proper ball), setting them on the wax or parchment paper so they are ready for frying.   
4. In bathes of 5-6 (you just don't want them touching in the pan), brown one 'side' of the meatballs. Keep turning to make sure all sides look visibly cooked and nicely coloured, and to make sure they stay round. Total cooking time should be about 12-13 minutes. 
5. Remove from the pan and let the meatballs rest for a few minutes before serving. I generally don't mind that each batch is sitting while I prepare the rest because the kids need them cooled anyway, and once you add them to hot noodles and sauce, they are warm enough again.  

   **Another method is to sear the meatballs (browning them on high heat in the frying pan) and then finish cooking them in an oven for about 10 minutes at around 170C.

   The meatballs were easy to prepare, and were really, really good! I ate mine with a pile o' spaghetti squash! 

   And that is the story of how the VanLondersele family started eating meatballs again. :) 

   I bought some gluten free graham cookies to see what they were like.....they were so yucky, I can't even really describe it! :(  Classic.
   Anyway, I'm not one to let something go to waste, and I knew if they were deconstructed they might be o.k. So, I gave 'em the ol' one-two, and they came out real nice! (p.s., if you don't have, and don't want to buy gluten free graham cookies, you can substitute with regular graham cookies, or gluten free oats, so don't worry!) 

S'More Squares

Ingredients:

• 6 gluten free graham cookies (roughly 1 Cup crushed/pulsed in food processor into crumbs). If you don't have any, use 1 cup of gluten free quick oats, or 1 cup regular graham crumbs. 
• 2/3 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 Cup butter, melted
• 1 Egg white
• 1 Jar marshmallow fluff
• 3 1/2 Cups chocolate chips
• 1 Tbsp butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Grease the short ends of a a 9x13 baking pan with butter, then line the pan with parchment, leaving "handles" hanging over the long ends. Set aside
3. In a medium sized bowl combine the cookie crumbs (or oats), coconut, melted butter and egg white. Press into the prepared baking pan.
   
4. Bake for 19-21 minutes, until you have a nice golden colour. 
5. As the bottom bakes, place the chocolate chips and 1 tbsp of butter into a sauce pan, or in a microwavable bowl, and warm (stirring every so often) until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.
6. Just before the bottom is done baking, warm the mallow fluff, either by warming it in it's jar in the microwave (with the lid and protective seal removed), or by emptying the fluff into a small sauce pan on the stove and warming.
7. When the bottom is finished baking, take it out of the oven, and place it onto a cooling rack. Plop down blobs of the marshmallow fluff over the base, then gently spread around to cover it. 
8. Drizzle the melted (and slightly cooled) chocolate over the marshmallow fluff, and very gently spread around. 
9. Leave this to set in the fridge for about 2 hours. Then, take it out of the fridge and allow to soften oh so slightly (the chocolate top can be tricky to cut without smoooshing the mallow fluff out. I keep thinking that if you score the top after it's starting to set in the fridge {maybe after an hour?|, that it would really make cutting them easier). Using a hot knife, cut into squares and devour! Or share with others if you must....

   Well, these are so darned yummy! I think you really should make them....any excuses you have not to make them are dumb. ;) I joke. 
   Have a great weekend!

   De-institutionalization, Ontario’s policy of closing residential institutions for people with developmental disabilities and moving them into the community, dates back to the 1970s.   The last of those large institutions, Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia, closed in 2009 (The institution opened its doors in 1876 under the name "Orillia Asylum for Idiots"). 
    In the mid 19th century, the first permanent “lunatic asylums” were established in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. By the turn of the 20th century, western Canada had also erected asylums. 
   These institutions reflected a revolutionary form of health care for those considered “insane”. Run by asylum doctors and attendants (later psychiatric nurses), asylums were part of the same reform movement that led to more permanent schooling for children, reorganized prisons for criminals, and reformatories for wayward youth.
   Institutions were seen as the ‘best’ place for people with intellectual disabilities to be, segregated from society, with others "like them". Reformers and psychiatrists believed that carefully constructed and run lunatic asylums could dramatically increase the cure rates for many forms of madness. The plan was that different types of mental illness would be more carefully classified, a strict daily routine of work, leisure activities and religious observation was established, medication was routinely prescribed, and patients’ progress was carefully recorded. Experts hoped that in removing patients from their home environments where the mental trouble usually began, they would quickly be cured in this carefully controlled asylum environment. Patients, it was hoped, would be cured by slowly reforming their behavior in conformity with the rational principles of asylum care. In some provinces, private asylums were also established to cater to wealthier families. 

   So, why then did Ontario decide to start "de-institutionalize"? 
   In the late 1970s and 1980s, governments in the Western world were being challenged by the disability rights movement to close institutions, large facilities, and psychiatric hospitals. This desire for social change was being fuelled by a human rights revolution and by a growing body of research that was showing that 'institutionalization' had negative impacts on both consumers and staff. Word about what was really happening behind the doors of these "homes" where children and adults with special needs were to be cared for was appalling and unjust. The Ontario government has settled multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuits (read about them here, and here) with several thousand former institution residents who suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of former staff and fellow residents.
   Group homes were being replaced by institutions, as it was starting to become clear that when the "idiots" are tucked away in an institution where there are many secrets and not much accountability, anything can happen. Being in a smaller home with fewer people, and being allowed to be part of society was what would be best for those with developmental disabilities.    

    So, let's fast-toward to this past Tuesday (May 20th) to a comment made by Toronto Councillor, Doug Ford, about how a Rexdale group home for young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities was damaging property values and "ruining" the neighbourhood. 
   Did you feel he earth shift too with the time travel back to 1876? I know, so weird.
   It was only 5 years ago that the last institution was closed, and basically, what Doug Ford is saying is that he would like them to come back! Because if these people in the group home are "ruining" the neighbourhood, and "damaging property values", then where would they not do that? Oh, I know, an institution! Wait....isn't this where this all started?
   His comments were ignorant.   

   As a mom of a child with autism, my sons future is very un-certain. I think he is smart, and bright, and capable, but I can't really know that he can get a job, or live on his own, or care for himself when he is older. 
   Since the institutions have closed, there has been a big (a BIG!) gap in funding and spaces where families can send their special-needs family members if they are no longer able to care for them, or when care seems impossible, such as with the couple who left their adult son with autism at a government office in Ottawa, or the Ottawa mother in crisis who threatened to abandon her 20-year-old daughter with autism at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Tuesday. It may seem so unkind, and so crazy that parents would do such things to their children, but living with someone with special needs can push you to your limits, and without proper support (from family, friends, school, the community), parents or caregivers can snap.  
   I know we've come a long way, and I pray that when (or if) I need services for Caleb as he gets older, they will be more readily available. 
   I love Caleb with all my heart, and I don't think he is "ruining" our neighbourhood, or "damaging our property value", and I don't want him shipped off to an institution where he is just another person in a sea of "idiot" people.
    For now, and as long as I am able, his home is with me.     

   These pancakes are a marvel! Gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, but really so good.
   When I first heard of them I thought, "yuk, sounds like a banana omelette!", but because I am me, I had to try them, and I was quite pleasantly surprised. Indeed indeed. 

2 Ingredient Pancakes

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder (optional, and obviously makes these not 2 ingredient anymore!) This just gives the pancakes a bit more poof (or puff, whichever you want to call it)
• A touch of oil or butter (for the pan)
  
• You can also add some cinnamon or vanilla if you want (again, making these not 2 ingredient anymore!)

Method:
 

1. Heat a skillet to medium high heat
2. In a small bowl mash the banana up with a fork.
   
3. Add the egg, and mix them well together (if you use some baking powder, add it now, and make sure it blends in really well!)
4. When the pan is hot, add roughly half of a 1/4 cup (about 2 tablespoons) of batter per pancake (don't overcrowd your pan), and when the bottom has set (that should only take 1 minute at the longest) flip 'em over and cook for another minute (or less)!

   So, this may gross some of you out, but the day I made these to take pics for the blog, some McDonalds coupons showed up in the mail. I saw a picture for their McGriddle (basically a pancake with syrup right in it, made into a breakfast sandwich), and it gave me fond memories. When I was pregnant with my first, I loved those darned nasty things!!! 
   Anyway, seeing the picture made me go, "...mmm, I kinda want something like that....but not really". During the week I eat 'clean'; just fruits and veggies, meats, nuts and seeds. But I thought, ya know, I'm going to try these pancakes as "bread" for a breakfast sandwich (well, I ate it for dinner...). All that to say that I made it, I ate it, I loved it! I added a splash of Franks Red Hot, and it was deee-lish! I didn't have any tomatoes (booo), but the egg, bacon, and lettuce were scrumptious! 

   So, that's all I've got to say about the 2 ingredient pancake! Oh wait, that's not true! These are great as leftovers (in an airtight container in the fridge), and make a great snack cold with some nut butter spread on 'em. 
   O.k, now I'm done! 

   ....It's really not that bad. 

   I know you loved that opening, didn't you? How the title played right into that first sentence....O.k, it sucked, get over it.  : )  

    I literally am writing a post for today about lemons! I just honestly love them!

   They are so fantastically good for you, and good at a lot of different things people may not realize. So, here it is, a list of things that should make you happy when life gives you lemons (or when you buy them at the grocery store...)! 

1. Health: The bright and beautiful fruit has anti-baterial properties that clean up the kidneys and liver, has a tonne of vitamin C (approximately 1/3 of your daily value!), and that vitamin C, coupled with it's anti-oxidants, and it's ability to fight free radicals (particles that damage our bodies cells and DNA) help keep you looking younger. For ana amzingly detailed article about the benefits of lemons (and vitamin C) for your skin, check out this link by Always Healthy Living.  There are sooooo many more health benefits, but let's move on!
2. Kitchen: This acidic fruit can prevent the oxidation that makes things like cut up apples, avocados and bananas, even potatoes, from browning. I keep a sealed container of lemon juice mixed with some water in the fridge (and replace it every 2 weeks or so) for cut up apples for the kids' school lunches. I simply dunk the cut-up pieces into the lemon mix, and pack them into the lunches. If they don't want them at school, they are still looking fresh afterward, and they will happily eat the slices as an after school snack. And if you're making a fruit tray, dipping the pieces, or having a lemon/water spray bottle to squirt your prepared tray can keep it looking fresh.   
3. More in the kitchen: The peel can keep brown sugar soft! Add a slice of the skin with all the pulp completely removed to your brown sugar to keep it from clumping and hardening. Neato.
4. Um....still in the kitchen: This hard worker can tenderize meat with it's acidity. To use it, make a simple marinade of lemon juice, some salt and spices. It also (obviously) is crazy-full of flavour! It is a great salt-substitute, can lighten up heavy dishes, and can balance the flavours in seafood.
5. Around the house: Sorry, we'll be in the kitchen again here, but it can deodorize, clean stains, remove grease and disinfect. Simply use a half lemon dipped in salt or baking soda for some tricky spots, and give a little scrub. An idea I got from my sister is to throw a already squeezed lemon into the sink after using it, and when you fill up the sink to do dishes, you get whatever juice was left from the fruit in your cleaning water. I like to keep it in the sink to use as a sponge to get grease off of kids plastic plates (those Ikea plates are cute, but can sometimes hold onto grease).

   This is by no means an exhaustive list of the benefits of lemons, but I just wanted to give you a glimpse of how wonderful this little gem is! I have lemon juice every day, either by squeezing some juice into a smoothie, or onto a salad. I have squeezed out halves in my sink for scrubbing greasy dishes, and then for giving the sink a rub-down after I'm done doing the dishes (it leaves a brilliant, bright citrus-y smell behind!). 
   So, anywho, I hope you enjoyed this little romp through the wonderful world of lemons! Now go out and buy yourself some! :)  
    And don't forget, if life does gives you lemons, do make lemonade. 

   I loooooove chicken wings!!! Ya know what I don't love though....? How much they cost at restaurants! Yikes, no thanks! 
   Now, we make them ourselves, and probably have wings every other week or so. Mmmmm mmmmm. 

   So, you need to buy some chicken wings! Chicken wings can be bought already cut up or whole wings to be cut up at home. If you don't mind the time and the cutting it is usually cheaper to buy them whole. Cutting chicken wings is easy once you get some practice at it.
   To cut up whole wings, simply cut the wings at the joints with a sharp knife, leaving the middle section and drumette for baking or grilling. 

Customized Chicken WingsBaked or grilled, and with whatever sauce you want! 

Ingredients: 

• Chicken Wings, fresh (or thawed), cut or not, however you prefer
• Salt and pepper
• Sauce(s)

Method:

For Grilling:

* I cook my wings on the bbq on a baking sheet because as a busy Mom making dinner, I don't have the time to stand and watch/flip wings. Grilling them directly on the bbq tastes fan-tabulous, but you will need to stand by them to watch for greasy flare-ups, and flip them over more frequently). It's your call.

1. Heat BBQ to medium heat. It can be hard to gauge this sometimes, but do your best
2. Place cut-up wings onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 
3. Season with salt & pepper (salt makes the skin really crispy)
4. Place into hot bbq, and close the lid. After 15 minutes, flip the wings over.
5. While the wings are cooking, prepare your sauce(s) in a pot on the stove, or in the microwave. You want it hot for when the wings are done. Right before the wings are finished, empty the flavours into different bowls. 
6. After 25-30 minutes (15 minutes on one side, 10-15 minutes after flipping) your wings should be done, leave them on a bit longer if you prefer a really crispy skin.
7. Dump the hot wings into your flavour bowl(s), and toss to coat. 
8. Grab a wet cloth and a "bone bowl", and enjoy! 

Some sauce options we love are (p.s. some of the names aren't ours, they are ideas and names from different wing places we used to go to):

• Butter (or coconut oil) and Franks Red Hot (can be made mild, medium or hot to your taste by the amount of butter used). Generally for this flavour, you only need to warm the butter on the stove, and have the Frank's already in the bowl. Then you add the butter to the bowl of Frank's right before adding the wings.
• Butter (or coconut oil), Franks Red Hot, and maple syrup (we call this "I am Canadian")
• Butter, honey, and crushed garlic (a classic honey garlic)
• Homemade or store bought caesar, a splash of tomato sauce, and a pinch of italian seasoning (we call this "The Italian"). 
• Homemade or store bought Caesar, with an extra shake of parmesan before eating them (The "hail Caesar")
• Store bought bbq sauces. There are so many types of sauces, so think outside of the usual flavours-go for curries, or fruity flavours if you want to.

For Baking: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 Degrees F
2. Place cut-up wings onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the wings
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping half way through until the skin is crispy.
5. While wings are baking, prepare sauce(s) on the stove or in the micro-wave (see sauce ideas above). Set each flavour into separate bowls. 
6. When finished, toss wings with sauce(s), and eat nice and hot!

*The kids eat the wings tossed with some butter, and they love them just like that.

   I hope everyone had a good weekend, and enjoys Victoria Day today!