THE AUNTIES!!!!!!!!! And a killer gluten free recipe

Hudson is one lucky dude. Not only did he get lots of Grandparent love this month but he was also smothered in love by some of his sweet aunts! 

Meg and Hudson soaking up the sun.

Family hike up Steam Butte...

We didn't exactly make it to the top. Typical Emily style I had a few too many things planned that day and we had to turn around early :/ Sorry guys.

Linnea ♥'s Hudson 

Linnea somehow got roped into helping me put up wallpaper. I wouldn't say that wallpapering was fun, but Linnea definitely made it as enjoyable as possible.  Despite our best efforts we did not finish, I'll post pictures as soon as I do.  It might be awhile though, Colin doesn't have his sister's drive or interest in wallpaper.

Unlike the previous weekend,Linnea and I did make it to the top of Steam Butte! We went up with a group of wonderful women (can't believe I don't have group photo) to celebrate my dear friend Jessica's Birthday.  I made a gluten-free, white-sugar free, vegan carrot cake, I know sounds gross, but it was great and I got lots of recipe requests so here it is. I don't have a picture of the cake but it was good. Try it!

2 cups oat flour (I ground steal cut oats in the blender and then sifted to make the flour)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


11/2 teaspoons cinnamon


3/4 teaspoon sea salt



1/2 cup vegetable oil


1/4 cup mejol dates, take out seed chop or blend into a paste


1/4 cup maple syrup

2 ripe bananas

11/2  cups grated carrots (I used the carrot pulp from my juicer plus ½ cup pumpkin to make up for lack of juice)


1/4 cup coconut milk

2 flax eggs (2 tbls. Ground flax plus 2 tbls. Water

Preheat oven to 350F. Line  9x5x3 or 8x8 cake pan with parchment paper.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Stir the dates into the melted butter, breaking up the dates a bit.

   In mixing bowl combine oil, dates, and maple syrup. Mix until incorporated. 

   Whisk in bananas, carrots (and pumpkin if using) coconut milk, and flax egg.  

   Add the flour mixture and stir until everything just comes together.  

   Mixture will be thick and chunky, spoon into the prepared pan. 

   Bake for about 50(ish) minutes or until a toothpick tests clean in the center of the cake.  

   Remove from oven and let cool.

     Adapted from  101 Cookbooks 

And just for fun, a pic of Hudson's new favorite way to go on a walk. Definitely not Luna's.

No such thing as too much grandparent love.

Hudson is a lucky lucky boy! He got to spend the last two weekends with his Grandparents.  They more than made up for his not-so-hot birthday week.

He has read more books, sang more songs, played more peek-a-boo, in the last two weeks than in his previous 12 previous months.

G-man and Hudson celebrating.

More celebrating.
I was not a huge fan of the blizzard indulgences after all my slaving in the kitchen to make healthy Birthday desserts, but what can you do?  I will, however, be making a healthy pumpkin pie blizzard, I'll keep you posted.


More books with Grandpa Betzler.


Cindy made Hudson a Birthday apple pie and tried to teach him to blow out the candles.  He wasn't so good at blowing the candles but he found another use for it...

We love grandparents!!!

The BIG H turns ONE!!!!

Wow, where does the time go? Hudson turned one last week. What an amazing year, who would have thought one little guy could change and change you so much in such a short amount of time!

Unfortunately, he was sick with his first ear infection so he wasn't in a very celebratory mood. We had fun none-the-less.

He liked the cowboy hat way more than the Birthday hat.

The Hs

Hudson and his two best lady friends.

We have really been re-vamping our eating habits at the Betzler household and I looked everywhere for a healthly, low-sugar Birthday dessert. I had a heard time finding a "white-sugar" free dessert...so I made one up. I thought I would share because it was delicious and so easy!

Healthy Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup maple syrup

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup water

Mix everything together and beat for about one minute. Pour into greased pans.

Top with 3 oz. of chopped dark chocolate (70% cacao).

I used two circle pans. Bake at 350 for 18 ms. for circle pans or until tooth pick comes out clean (about 30 ms. if you use square pans). Once cool top the bottom layer with sliced pears, this gives the cake a moist icing like quality. Top pears with raspberries, strawberries or whatever fruit you want. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Warning : Obviously, the cake is not super sweet but it tasted great and is so nice to let the little ones chow down on something semi-nutrious.

Ohhh and it would be amazing with homemade vanilla ice cream.

We've come a long way...

It's official - summer is over. Fortunately, we finished painting the house just in time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful indian summer we are having. Hahaha, not so much. Poor Colin, the paint hadn't even dried when I told I was ready to start landscaping. He's a trouper and a really good digger. So now we have a painted house and some trees! We have come along way, but still have a ways to go. Landscaping is a foreign concept to me and I need help!!! So I am soliciting tips, ideas, and suggestions from all you skilled landscapers out there....

Here are some before and after pics of the house -

Before -

I can honestly say I don't miss the pink one bit.

The addition. The fence is in-progress.

View from the back. We still have lots of work to do back here but it's pretty hard to get much done with this cutie tooling around.

I just had to include this one from this summer because I can't believe that Gorgeous Great Grandma is turning 90!! What a looker!

There is nothing like Grandma love.

Wow. A huge thanks to Cindy for coming out and spending the week with us. You made going back to school as easy as pie. I'm actually surprised it didn't taste like pie, that might be the one thing you didn't make us while you were here. Hudson had an absolute blast with his grandma (see pics below) and we were able to get some work done on the house (pictures to come soon!)

Enjoying one of Cindy's many culinary delights

Kinfe River Green beans = SOOOOO GOOD!

Bed time story.

So clean.

Loving Grandma.

Going to work is hard. Coming home to this is so sweet!

One year ago...construction commences

...this was the view from our kitchen window.

We lived and dined al fresco for the majority of last summer. For the most part it was lovely, taking us back to our Costa Rican roots, but there were a few dramatic rain storms and some very very hot summer days spent 6 inches from the swamp cooler. Wouldn't you agree dad (Glenn)? Nonetheless, it was a great summer. We loved having my dad stay about 6 weeks with us, it was a privilege to work alongside him, learn from him, and just get to hang out with him. WE LOVE YOU! And we couldn't have done it without you.

The house project consisted of (well, who am I kidding - it continues to consist of) remodeling and re-doing the existing house and adding about 500 sq ft with master bedroom, bathroom, sunroom, and deck.

Not only did we rope Glenn into helping us but somehow we got Steve to join as well! They were amazing: raising walls and trusses, pulling 12 hour days, fighting the clock so their first grandson didn't have to come home to this.

Glenn and Steve = The dream team

They did a little relaxing but not much.

Dad hard at work

Coming along!

WOW! So that is what skilled labor can do.

The boys missing Steve.

The first casualty of the summer = Glenn's finger. Somehow it got in the way of Colin's extremely powerful, bone-crushin hammer swing one of the very first days n the job...needless to say, Colin was almost the second casualty of the summer and Hudson was almost born fatherless...

I guess he doesn't seem too worse for the wear.

The house before (yes, it was Salmon Pink).

During

More pics of After to come soon!