I found a recipe the other day for chocolate chip walnut cookies that called for barley flour. I thought it would be fun to try it out, but I couldn't find any barley flour at the store so I made my own out of pearl barley.

Barley flour looks and feels a lot like your regular all-purpose flour, so I figured if it made a good cookie it would be a great white flour substitute.

I changed up the recipe a bit because it was rather runny. I added some spelt flour which is supposed to be a great whole grain flour to use in baking. I just wanted to see how the cookies would turn out. I also used applesauce instead of oil, added some oats and extra baking powder, and threw in some chopped almonds and pecans because I didn't have any walnuts on hand. The cookies turned out nice and plump, which is how I prefer my cookies.
Aspen really liked them, and Eric did too. I thought they were pretty tasty. They have a firmer texture than your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but were flakier and lighter than if I had used whole wheat flour. I definitely want to try using barley flour again!
Barley Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies (Chelsi's version)

1/2 C barley flour

1/2 C spelt flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 C honey

2 t vanilla

1/4 C applesauce

1 egg

1 C chopped nuts

1/2 C dark chocolate chips

1/8 C oats

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flours and baking powder. Beat egg and combine with applesauce, honey and vanilla. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then add in nuts, chips and oats. Bake for 10 minutes.

I was pretty impressed with Aspen's eggs this year. Happy Easter!

I usually buy a new pair of running shoes every year, when Eric reminds me. I always get so comfortable in my running shoes that I don't realize when they're falling apart. This year Eric decided to buy some Vibram Five Finger barefoot running shoes (the ones that look like gloves). He enjoys a good run but his knees are bad, and we heard these shoes prevented knee problems. He's been running several times in his new shoes and hasn't had an ounce of pain in his knees.

I thought it would be fun to try some too, but opted for these Merrells that look like normal shoes. The sole is so thin I can feel rocks underneath my feet (which I like. It makes me feel more connected to the ground I'm running on) but is thick enough that the rocks don't hurt. One of the reasons I bought them was to train myself to land on the front of my feet instead of the heel, and because the heel on these is so thin it feels pretty natural. Eric and I have also been learning about the benefits of running barefoot, so I thought I should give it a try. The first time I tried my shoes I was incredibly sore in my calves the next day, but as I've continued to run in them the soreness has decreased significantly. I'm guessing after another week I'll be past the breaking-in point. I've always felt a little guilty for running so much because it's so bad for the joints; running in these helps me to feel better.

I just love the fact that our feet were made by God to run without any help from shoes. It's pretty cool.

Another food post

Alright, my sister said it: lately my blog has been about 2 things, my kids and food. That's true, and while it makes me laugh I guess you can tell what my life's about. I was going to switch things up a bit, but then I found this recipe for Easter. I saw these bird's nests and thought they were so cute and so appropriate, I just had to post about them!

This Easter season Eric and I have really tried to teach Aspen about Christ's resurrection; I've really enjoyed Easter coming so much later this year because we've found a lot of opportunities. The other day I realized she didn't know who the Easter bunny was, and I figured that was a good sign! I made these on Sunday after comparing Christ's resurrection to a chicken hatching out of an egg. It seemed to work with Aspen and she loved her little bird's nest. This will be a tradition for us.

I've got a major sweet tooth. However, I also know how bad sweets are and always feel guilt when I indulge (basically because I do it too much). I have battled with this dichotomy for years, and finally decided I would just have to find some healthy desserts to make. Some guilt free desserts. I'm not talking about healthier versions of an old favorite, I mean desserts that are free and clear from unhealthy sugars and fats (as much as possible). I found this website with a yummy truffle recipe sweetened with dates.
The ingredients are dates, dried cherries, raw almonds and cocoa powder. Food process it all and roll it into balls. That's it folks. And they are delicious! I even had some dark chocolate chips waiting on the counter just in case the truffles weren't chocolatey enough (I figured I'd dip them). But even adding more cocoa powder to the mix was too much. They were very rich.

Then I tried the website's cashew date bars, only we made them into rolls. So good!
It turns out that dates are very sweet on their own, and have lots of vitamins and nutrients, including fiber. You can even make date sugar and substitute it for regular sugar in recipes (I'm trying that out this week).

Another treat we've been making lately is ice cream from bananas. Just slice some bananas and freeze them separately, then throw into a baggie in the freezer until you're ready to make the ice cream. Put them in a blender with a little milk and vanilla, and you have a tasty, healthy dessert that's the consistency of a Wendy's frosty. Sometimes I'll put cocoa powder in it, and if you want you can freeze it and then put it in the microwave on defrost for a couple minutes. Tasty!

Perfect Pancakes

I have always been a huge pancake fan, and as such have been searching for the perfect pancake recipe for years! Yesterday I tried yet another recipe and voila! They came out just the way I wanted: fluffy, thick, and with a little buttery crust on the outside. Mmmm! I made them again tonight for dinner because we all loved them so much. I even substituted half the flour with whole wheat and they were still delicious and fluffy. So I decided I'd share the recipe with you; these are way too good to keep to myself.

Happy Boy