Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

Last Christmas, I started a sourdough starter and enjoyed baking with it throughout the year. We used it to make pancakes, waffles, banana bread, sourdough bread, cookies, brownies... 

Sourdough bread has lots of benefits! It's fermented and contains pre and probiotic properties, so it's great for your gut! It can lead to better digestion and keeps your blood sugar healthy. So, when we started switching our diets over to gluten free, I knew that I would want to try my hand at making a gluten free sourdough starter so we could continue our baking. 

We're about a week and a half in to the journey, and I thought I'd share about how I'm making the starter because I'm getting lots of questions when I share over on Instagram.

I'm using King Arthur's gluten free flour. I also saw that Costco had a gluten free flour the last time I went in, and I'm planning on picking that up the next time I went in.... Costco's regular flour worked great for our last starter. 

To get started, you'll need a small jar. This one is from Ikea, and has a closeable top. But, you don't actually have to close it. I usually latch it, so it has a bit of an opening, but you can also put a towel over the top and seal it with a rubber band. 

With this particular starter, I'm using a 1:1:1 ratio. 

You'll also want a kitchen scale and you'll need filtered water. The chlorine in your tap water will kill your starter. 

To begin your starter, add 50 grams of flour to 50 grams of water. 

When I made my original starter, I was mixing 100 grams of each, and I realized I don't need to keep that much starter on hand, so I cut it in half. You could potentially start with 25 grams. 

Once you mix the flour and water, set it aside until the next day. 

On day 2, you'll begin discarding. It's just a fancy term for throwing half away. To do this, I measure 50 grams of the mixed starter out into a bowl, and I throw the rest of it in the trash. You do not want to throw it away in your sink because it can clog your drains, and at this point, you can't save your discard (the amount you throw away) because it's not fermented enough to bake/use in other recipes. 

After you have 50 grams of your mixed starter in a bowl, and you've thrown out the rest, you'll add your 50 grams of starter back into your bowl. Then, add another 50 grams of gluten free flour, and 50 grams of filtered water. Stir and cover.

At this point, I've read that you'll want to discard and re-add flour/water two times per day through the first week. Now, I don't remember doing that when I started my original starter last year, and I didn't do it this time around, until I remembered. Once I remembered, I discarded and fed 2x per day for about 3 days. I may go back in and try it if I'm not seeing it doubling by the end of this week.

This is what your starter will look like when it's mixed. 

I'll continue this process until I notice it doubling in size after I feed it. It usually takes a few hours to double, and that's when you know your starter is healthy and active, and you're able to bake with it. Again, we're a week and a half in, and my starter isn't doubling, but it is bubbling and showing signs of activity, so I'm hopeful that it will double too! 

You also want to make sure your starter isn't in a cold/drafty environment. We keep our house around 74 degrees, but if I feel like it needs to be warmer, I'll place the jar in the oven with the light on to give it some heat. Do NOT turn on your oven-You will kill your starter! 

When I started my original starter last year, it took almost a month to get it bubbling, active, and doubling in size. We had company over and there was lots of movement and activity in our home, and it was just hot. I looked at my starter and it was huge and almost overflowing! I was so excited because that's how you know you're ready to bake!

As I go further in to the process of making the gluten free starter, I'll continue to share and hopefully inspire some of you to start your own! 

 

Young Living Christmas Gift Guide

Last month, Young Living released their holiday collection and friends, there are so many good gift options for everyone on your list! 

I would be so happy with any of these options under my Christmas tree! And remember, you no longer have to have a starter kit to place an order with Young Living! You can simply click here, add to cart, and check out! So easy! 

Gah! They released a mini- Aria diffuser and it is gorgeous! It comes with a 15 mL bottle of Christmas Spirit wh8ich is my favorite oil to diffuse at Christmas time! And, you get a 5 mL bottle of Vanilla and Peppermint! You can diffuse all 3 together; combine just Christmas Spirit and Vanilla, Vanilla and Peppermint, or Christmas Spirit & Peppermint! The Aria diffuser connects to your Blue Tooth devices to play music! 

They also released another new diffuser, the macaroon! This one is ceramic and is gorgeous! It comes with Evergreen Essence, which is the only way you can get this oil this season!!! An orange oil, and cassia. Again, you can diffuse each of these oils alone, or diffuse them all together! Orange is wonderful for uplifting your spirits while Evergreen Essence is distilled from a combination of evergreen trees. It will make your home smell just like a Christmas tree farm! 

How adorable is this monkey?! It comes with a lavender infused warming pack inside, and a sleepyize essential oil! If your child is having trouble sleeping, this is the gift for them! Warm up the pack inside, roll sleepyize on their back, and it will be off to dreamland for your little one! 

These hand soaps are my favorite for gift giving! You can grab them individually or in a set of 3 I like getting the 3 pack and dividing them out amongst teachers, neighbors, or friends for a sweet gift. 

Another fun collection this year is the Thieves cleaning collection! You'll receive a glass spray bottle, a full Thieves Household Cleaner (this is the only cleaner we use in our home) and a Christmas Spirit essential oil. Diffuse the oil while your cleaning, or add a few drops to your Thieves cleaner for a yummy Christmas smell throughout your home! This would be a great gift for yourself, or the new neighbors down the street! 

This is the 2nd year that Young Living has offered a sugar scrub and body cream and it makes a wonderful gift for your mom, sister, or even if you want to spoil a teacher. You can keep them together and gift as a set, or grab the set and then divide it up! 

And finally, a favorite gift every year is Young Living's bath bombs! Many bath bombs on the market contain synthetic fragrance and colors, and can really damage yours or your child's sensitive parts. These are safe, and come in a set of 3, so they're perfect to gift together, or divide up and package however you like! I tend to throw one in the girls stockings each year! So fun!

You can click here and order any of these products. If you cart up to 100 pv, you'll receive a 24% discount and I'll send you a free Christmas Spirit essential oil this month! 

Happy gifting!!! 

 

The Final Home Game

Saturday was our "last" home game of the season.... sort of :) 

We actually play at home the day after Thanksgiving, but the girls will be at my parents, so I'll be hanging sans kids at the final game. Kick off was at 6:30, and I was pumped for a night game, because we were able to actually get things done during the day! 

Ready to head to the game..... my sweatshirt is here. 

Gretchen was at her school play performance all day Saturday, so she missed the game. It was just the little girls and me, and they were ready. 

We got there early and DJ brought us our family passes because he forgot to bring them home. It was our Veteran's day celebration game, and the staff wore green shirts and sweatshirts, and I loved them. 

Thanks to a fellow wife, we were able to get a family picture before the game. 

And then the girls and I headed to Smokey's Midway. We tend to skip out on some of the pregame festivities because it's so crowded, but the girls loved the midway games!

They played at least 4 games, and didn't win a prize :( But I promised they could try again.... next year! 

As we were heading back to the offices, Adalyn wanted to say hi to the army guys hanging out. They invited the girls in and on top of the army vehicle for a picture! So cool! 

We watched the first few drives of the game from our seats, grabbed dinner, and headed inside to the meeting rooms for the rest of the game. 

Texas threw an interception in the end zone, and we headed on to the field. I texted my mom that we had just lost the game, and wouldn't you know, we somehow came back and scored and headed in to over time. We watched overtime from the tunnel. Kansas went for 2 on their drive, and we ended up loosing by 1. 

The girls found DJ on the field, gave him a huge hug, sang the Eyes of Texas with the team, and then spent some time playing on the field. 

Visiting Bevo is a must. 

And so is visiting Hook 'Em. 

Now that my girls are the "big: girls, they love getting to play with and entertain the "little" kids. Football really is family.  

 

Life Lately

Happy Tuesday! I had a 4 day weekend and friends, it was so needed, but I still have so much to do and get done! I think I could use another 4 days- ha! 

Here's a peek at Life Lately and what we've been up to. 

Y'all know I live in yoga pants. Megan and I both got dressed for the day, and we ended up matching. She even went back upstairs and found a sweater that had stripes just like mine. 

At the beginning of the month, we headed to Dallas for Megan's state gymnastics competition. She picked up her state leotard, and then we went to dinner at a pizza place near our hotel. (You can click here to read about her competitions)

My mom and niece met us in Dallas for the weekend and the girls were so excited to spend time together! 

After Megan's meet, we grabbed lunch, and took the girls to the Galleria mall for some ice skating funl 

Three girls ready to hit the ice! 

Megan was in her element, she absolutely loved it! Toward the end, she was skating in the middle and trying to figure out turns. 

Adalyn had fun too. She hugged the wall the entire time! 

And what's a weekend without ice cream? We found a little spot close to our hotel, and treated the girls to an early dinner of ice cream. Adalyn picked out a unicorn flavor and I don't even know what was in it, but she loved it! 

After ice cream, we made it back to the hotel for some Saturday night football, and of course these girls were cheering on the horns. 

After we got back from our trip, my car needed a desperate cleaning. I managed to leave work a bit early, got an oil change, went to the car wash, vacuumed out the car, and came home to spray it all down with thieves cleaner. 

I know y'all haven't seen much of Gretchen lately, but neither have we! She has been practicing so many nights after school for her school's one act play. We were able to watch her performance last week, and her school did an incredible job! Their costuming was gorgeous! 

Gretchen was in the ensemble, so she didn't have any speaking parts, but she had a lot of movement to do in the play. We were so proud of her! Saturday her school competed against others in the district, and she was gone all day! 

On Friday, I met two co-workers for lunch... both of them just had babies in September so it was wonderful to see them and snuggle this sweet baby! We ate lunch in Georgetown at Sweet Lemon Kitchen and oh my, the sandwich was delicious and I know I'll be going back there! It was the perfect girls lunch spot! 

That wraps up some of our life lately! We've had a lot going on and when life happens, the blog tends to get neglected, sigh. 

Be sure to follow along for every day life over on Instagram! 

 

Costco Haul

Last week, I ran to Costco, so let's take a look at the goodies I grabbed! 

DJ is working on getting better about taking his lunch to work; I grabbed these burritos for him to take to the office, and I will eat this for a quick lunch too while I'm between speech kiddos. 

Gluten free pizzas for Gretchen... she was complaining that her last ones didn't have pepperoni, so I grabbed her these. 

I love making this sausage with potatoes and peppers for an easy weeknight dinner! 

The little girls love these individual pizzas. On nights that I don't feel like cooking or when Megan needs to take dinner with her to gymnastics, these are great to throw in the microwave. 

The girls love cocktail cucumbers! I wash these as soon as I get home, and chop the ends off, and throw them in a bowl. They're perfect to add to school lunches. 

Speaking of school lunches, these chicken skewers are a great option for Gretchen to take to school! 

We love these fruit bars for a little snack during school, in a lunch, or after school. I also throw a few in my purse, in case the girls get hungry when we're on the go! 

We love their organic turkey.

Adalyn asked for blueberries :) 

And the girls love tomatoes too! 

I buy these for Gretchen, but I'll eat them with hummus! 

Please toss out your junkie cooking spray. Avocado oil (or coconut oil) is the way to go! I love that I can get these in a set of two at Costco. 

I was thrilled to find a gluten free brownie mix! Gretchen baked these last night, and they're not bad at all! 

We also like their gluten free bread. 

And the Dave's Killer Bread for Megan and Adalyn. 

I love these little granola bites! You can find them at Target too, but obviously Costco has a huge bag of them! But, Target has them in bars and has a few more flavors.... either way, these are a win, and they're allergy free. 

I bought a huge bag of chocolate chips so I can make DJ's student's some cookies, but let's be real, the girls and I eat them right out of the bag. 

Gretchen has been wanting Corn Chowder, so I bought a huge bag of corn so I could make her some soup sometime in the next few weeks. 

I also picked up more gluten free cereal for her. 

And I thought she'd want to try these gluten free cookies. 

And these gluten free cookies too. 

We love the Siete brand of chips and have been buying these for a while.

And, I feel like this has turned in to a gluten free post, because I ended up finding lots of options this time around! We use to buy Costco's ciabatta breads in the bakery section- they are so good for sandwiches with a little gourmet flair, so I was excited to find the gluten free ones. I like making a sandwich with these and heating it in the oven ;) I froze one section, and kept the other section out for Gretchen. 

We love their bell peppers. I chop them when I get home and the girls will eat them for snacks, but then they're also ready to go for dinners. 

I also love their eggs. We do a lot of baking, so these get used often, and the girls love hard boiled eggs for breakfast or school lunch. 

I bought a bunch of bananas, but the girls haven't eaten them, so I'm about to make some banana bread with them. Do your kids do that too? They'll eat a fruit when I buy it, and then the next time I buy it, they won't touch it. Sigh. 

A big bag of potatoes! Mostly for a quick dinner... I can bake these and then use the chicken skewers and peppers for a loaded baked potato, but I also grabbed them for the corn chowder. 

And orange juice, because my kids love it. 

Whew! That was a lot from our last Costco trip!

Can you believe I actually need to go back soon and pick up some more fruits & veggies, and sigh, lunchables for the days after gymnastics.