Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Ok. I know. This sounds horrible. This sounds cringe-worthy. This sounds like a nightmare. I thought it would be terrible too, but I just had to try it. The draw for me was the chocolate. I have a very bad addiction to chocolate. Especially dark chocolate. Well, I came across the notion of pudding made with avocado instead of milk (avocado is delightfully creamy and smooth when blended) while surfing the web for healthy desserts. I love pudding. I love avocados. I love chocolate. Yum. But....but... a sweet avocado dish sounds wrong. Well, it does work. I have had some friends try making it and think it is revolting, but the trick is the right proportions and to eat it cold. Super cold. I make mine the night before I want some.
The majority of recipes I found included banana as the sweetener. This just didn't work for me. I made this about 15 different ways and anytime I used banana the pudding made me gag. It made the pudding too gloppy. Sort of gelatinous. I like it smooth and creamy, like pudding made from milk. I have been trying to greatly reduce my consumption of milk (I think milk is what causes my dry skin, but I may be wrong) but I love love love love milk. Ice cream...pudding...cheese. I don't want to replace pudding made from milk with pudding made from soy. I think I'll gladly steer clear of all those estrogen-y hormones. Plus, I am trying to eat as much unprocessed food as possible. A good ol' avocado is pretty whole and unprocessed. The only ingredients are avocado, unsweetened cocoa powder, honey, almond milk (just enough to add enough moisture to mix in the blender without gumming up), vanilla extract, and  I like to add a bit of coffee because coffee intensifies the flavor of chocolate. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate for what seems like ages (a few hours) and slowly savor each and every to-die-for bite. Mmmmmmmm.You can even freeze in a cup with a Popsicle stick shoved in the center to make an ice cold chocolate bar on hot days. I always eat mine nice and cold in a cup for breakfast. There is enough of that tasty healthy fat to keep you nice and full for the whole morning until lunch time. I alternate between garlic spinach omelets and avocado pudding in the morning for my breakfast. My favorite breakfast food is certainly the pudding. I can't wait for my breakfast tomorrow!
Too bad I only get to eat about half of what I make. My children, my adorable perfect littles, see my cup and instantly the oatmeal they were gobbling up is chopped liver. They only have eyes for my pudding. And because I am nice...because I like that they eat healthy foods, like avocado, I reluctantly dip spoonfuls of the chocolate pudding into their little gaping impossible-to-fill mouths. I would just make them their own, but I know how that works. "It's mine? So, I have to eat this? I don't want it...". What I am eating is always the most interesting delicious thing on the planet compared to their food. I used to have fried eggs in the morning and Skye would steal about half. I started making her eggs instead of the oatmeal she always gets (and loudly declares she is in need of every morning). Then starts the whining: "Mom, I don't want eggs. I'm hungry. I want my oatmeal. Why did you make eggs????" Wasted eggs. Same scenario with toast and then again with tater tots. Waste waste waste. So they get their bowls of oatmeal and I get half of a serving of pudding.

How I make it:
1 avocado
a few tablespoons or so of cocoa powder (I don't measure anything anymore)
a tablespoon or more of honey (depends on how sweet you want it)
A few tablespoons of coffee (or espresso powder or instant coffee)
A splash or so of almond milk or any other milk of choice
A splash of vanilla extract

Blend until smooth. Be sure to taste it before putting it in the fridge. 

 Here is the Avocado

I am very generous with the cocoa powder

I added the almond milk and honey

This is the finished product. I took a photo of the honey I use because I want to remind people to eat local honey. I bought this from my local farmer's market. It was a great price and has the potential to reduce allergies and stuff. Or so I have heard.

Kauai

We just recently went to Kauai. My biggest tip for going to Kauai with children is: Leave the children at home if possible :) We had a great time and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. Quinn was far too young to be away from mommy (still nursing), so there was no other way to vacation. But next year, we are going on a tropical vacation without the kids :) I predict a superb vacation with no crying. No fussing. No crying!!!!!

Brownies without wheat

I have been staying away from wheat for a number of reasons. I found that baking without wheat is tough. Well, it is possible, but it doesn't always taste very good. I found a few recipes for wheatless brownies and tried them this week. The first was a brownie made from black beans.

It is one can of black beans, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, eggs, coconut oil, and I believe there is baking soda in there. Here are some pictures of the process.

 These black bean brownies were....meh....ok. They weren't super duper good. I found a recipe with even less ingredients that is so outrageously good, I wanted to dance. MMM!
The ingredients : 4 eggs, 1 cups cocoa powder, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1 cup coconut sugar, dash of salt. I threw in a bit of coconut flour because I didn't have quite enough cocoa powder. Mix these together. Pour into a greased 4x8 pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Delicious.

The type of cloth diapers I use

A few people have asked me what kind of cloth diapers I use and how they work. Here is a little about the cloth diapers I find to be the best. I think this may also be one of the cheapest way to diaper.





 Below is a diaper called a pocket diaper. It is a water proof shell with suede cloth inside. There is a pocket on the top for inserting some sort of absorbent material. The pee goes through the suede cloth and is absorbed by the cloth on the inside. With the absorbent part not touching the skin, baby's skin stays nice and dry. I like these diapers because they keep Quinn nice and dry. They are a bit more expensive though. They typically run around $15 or more, depending on brand name and where you purchase them. I bought this one for about 4 dollars per diaper because I joined a co-op on facebook. Here is the diaper fully assembled.

 This is the pocket diaper next to its insert.

 Below is how the insert is put into the diaper.

 Below is my favorite way to cloth diaper. It is just a water proof cover and a large piece of cloth. I will show you how to put it together. Here is the assembled diaper.

 This is the cloth I use to absorb the pee and hold the poop. It is just a huge flower sack towel. You can get these from target or walmart for 1 dollar per piece of cloth. They typically come in packs of 3 or 4. I use about 5 packs in my cycle. I wash every 2-3 days. You can see how big it is compared to my cell phone in the corner.

 You fold the cloth in half once. Then fold it in half again.

 Then you tri-fold it. Fold one half to the middle as shown below.

 Then fold it again until you have a long thin piece of cloth. Lots of good layers for absorbing peepee.

 Here is the shell. I love this color!

 Here is the shell next to the cloth.

 And here is the cloth placed inside the shell. Put on baby. You are done! Diaper covers are usually around 10-15 dollars a piece. I recommend having 10 or more in your rotation. As long as you care for them correctly, they will last through the whole time you diaper your baby and they will also last through one or two MORE of your babies!

 I also use cloth wipes. They are super easy to make. I made most of mine. I also use old baby wash clothes as wipes. I just use water to clean up the bum. I either soak the wipes I will use in water really quick or I have a spray bottle handy next to the place where I change baby.