Things I've Picked Up From Dear Old Dad

In a lot of ways, I am like my mom and I think that because I am a girl people automatically assume that I am like her 100% of the ways.  That is not completely true because there are parts of me that I have most definitely picked up from my dad.

1.  Being a Ham - If you know my dad, you know his name is Boz (Bows) and if you know him pretty well then you know that this name is really just a nickname that he got from his father.  Boz is short for Bozo, which is what my papaw called my dad because he was a clown.  I too am a clown.  I love to ham it up and I always have; especially with my dad or in front of a camera.

2.  Storytelling - I think my dad is a really great story teller and I like to say that I am too (even if it's not true).

3.  Toes - This may seem silly, but we have the same toes.  Throughout my life people have made comments about my toes and it wasn't until college when I realized that I have my dad's toes.  I have always liked my goofy toes, but when I realized they were my dad's toes I loved them even more.  (My brother has the same toes too.)

4.  Bedtime/Risetime - Until recently, my dad went to sleep early, like really early.  My mom is a night owl and would stay up past him.  I don't know if he still does but for most of my life he woke up at 4:44 a.m. every morning to go to work for a few hours before coming back for breakfast.  He has somewhat changed in that he will allow himself to stay up later if people are over or on vacation and he will try to sleep in on the weekends but his sleeping in really doesn't mean what it does to other people.  I am more like my dad in these ways because I will allow myself to stay up late, but "if I had my druthers" I would go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 every night.  I also want to wake up earlier.  I don't want to stay in bed, but sometimes I do.  In college, my entire sophomore year I went to sleep at 9:30 and woke up at 5:00 every morning (even on weekends).  It was the healthiest year of college I had.  I was never behind on anything, I had so much time to complete everything I wanted to, and I felt good every day.

5.  Fair Complexion:  My mom goes out in the sun and comes back in 8 shades darker.  My dad and I are more fair skinned with rosy cheeks and sunburn easily.  I always know just how white I am when my dad is darker and says, "You need some sun, little girl.  You look like a ghost."  That's saying something coming from him.

I'm sure there are many more ways that I am like my dad, but these are just the few that come to mind.  I'm also sure that I will notice more and more similarities the older I get, just like I have about my mom.  I like that I am like my dad in certain ways because I think he is a pretty cool guy.  He is a goof.  He loves to have a good time.  He loves the Lord and shows it probably more than anyone I know.  He is disciplined.  He is kind.  He is a wonderful provider.

He has given me, my mom, and my brother just about everything you could ask for and one thing I am most thankful of is the trips he took us on.  Those trips are some of my fondest memories: From California to New York; we've been everywhere and we had so much fun.

He modeled what a husband and father should be and I am so thankful for that.  I love him very much and can't imagine life without him.

Love you, Daddy.

Xoxo,

Nicole

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I want to share a Paleo recipe. 
This one is for Chocolate Chip Cookies.

One thing you should know about me is I don't really like Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I like sugar, gooey butter, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, etc. but I have never been a fan of chocolate chip cookies.
I mean, if it's the only cookie around; I would probably have one, but they are my least favorite by far.
The other thing you should know is that I once was but recently stopped being a cookie dough eater.  As a kid, there was nothing better than making sugar cookie dough, dipping a little bit of it into flour, and eating it raw.  Now, while I loved sugar cookie dough, I did not like chocolate chip cookie dough.  Something about it just did not do it for me.

Kyle and I have been wanting to branch out into Paleo sweets and treat ourselves here and there so yesterday we decided to try a cookie recipe.  I was hesitant to do the chocolate chip cookies, because as I mentioned above, they are my least favorite.  But, since becoming Paleo, I have noticed my tastes change and evolve so I decided to go for it.

We mixed all the ingredients and Kyle tasted some of the "dough" and loved it.  His exact words were, "I could eat that whole damn bowl."  I took a taste and was pleasantly surprised.  It was absolutely delicious.  Better than any "real" cookie dough I've ever had.  It was so yummy; however, I don't have as big of a sweet tooth as my dear husband so even though I thought it was super delicious, I could never eat "the whole damn bowl."

We baked the cookies (though Kyle probably could have just eaten the dough) and they were delicious.  If they didn't really look different, you could totally fool people into thinking they are real.

I don't know who to attribute this recipe to, because Kyle's mom gave it to us over the phone, said it was from Elana's Pantry, but I could never find it on there.

Ingredients:

3        cups almond flour or almond meal (We get Almond Meal from Trader Joe's- It's cheaper)
1/2     cup coconut oil
1/2     cup organic raw honey
2        large eggs
1        tsp baking soda
1        tsp sea salt
1        tsp vanilla extract
1.5     cups semi-sweet chocolate chips*  (We use Enjoy Life Brand)

Instructions: (I'm going to tell you exactly what I did)

• Preheat oven to 375°
• In one bowl, mix together almond flour, baking soda, and sea salt.
• In a separate bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer bowl) mix together coconut oil, raw honey, eggs, and vanilla extract.  (Most recipes I've seen say to melt the coconut oil, but we did not melt it.)
• Pour the dry ingredients (almond flour, etc.) in with the wet ingredients (coconut oil, etc.) and mix together.  I used the Kitchen Aid Flat Beater to mix it.
• Pour in the chocolate chips and mix well.
• Place parchment paper or silicone baking mat on a baking sheet.
• Using about a TBS of dough, make balls, and place them 2-3 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on your tastes)

*One change I will note is that we didn't use the listed amount of chocolate chips.  We used about a cup and made as many cookies that would fit on my baking sheet and then I added some more to the remaining dough.  This is because I like more chips and Kyle likes less.  I would suggest putting in half a cup at a time to determine your chocolate chip level.

I was able to find a similar Paleo Recipe online.  The only thing this gal does different is uses 1/3 cup of Maple Syrup in place of our 1/2 cup of Raw Honey.

http://oliviaspalate.com/2013/04/11/chocolate-chip-paleo-cookies/

Here are some pictures of the brands and things we used for our cookies.  I like to see what I will be looking for at the store if I'm going to attempt a new recipe.

Trader Joe's Almond Meal

Trader Joe's Coconut Oil

Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - (found at our local grocery store)

Flat Beater

Trader Joe's Organic Raw Honey

 Xoxo,

Nicole

P.S. - Let me know if you try it out and think it's tasty!