Alleluia Is Our Song

Faith, Beauty, Lifestyle, Music, #momlife

Perfect Banana Crumb Baked Donuts (or Muffins)

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Hello Dear Friends,

This is turning out to be quite a challenging year for our country and our world. As we all continue going through life’s journey (hopefully stronger and without giving up in spite of the struggles), I’d like to continue to share things that bring me joy, even while I continue to do my part in life to make this world a better place. I may pop in with thoughts now and then, given that this is a blog after all and that’s what blogs are for. But I digress. 😉

Things are beginning to open up though we continue with pandemic worries, but we’re still trying to make most of our meals at home and stay as healthy as possible. In our family, food goes pretty quickly (especially as the kids are getting older!) but things like big batch baking and adding nutrients in easy ways whenever possible goes a long way. This recipe is one of our favorites for baked muffins (or donuts if you own a magical donut pan! :)) The base is white flour, but then I add some secret almond flour (protein!) and even a bit of coconut flour (for healthy fiber!), though no one can tell I’ve snuck in these healthy flours because the result is so moist and soft – especially thanks to 3 whole bananas and real butter. The BEST. Also the crumb topping is *heart eyes emoji* and takes it to a whole new level. I’m betting that adding a drizzle of a simple icing on the top would also contribute to next-level-awesomeness, if you have the extra few minutes to do so. Here we go!

Perfect Baked Banana Crumb Baked Donuts (or Muffins)

Ingredients (Dry):

  • -1 and 1/2 Cup white flour (or all-purpose gluten-free flour works well too!)
  • -1/3 Cup coconut flour
  • -1 Cup almond flour
  • -2 teaspoons baking powder

Ingredients (Wet):

  • -2 eggs
  • -1/2 Cup (1 stick) semi melty salted butter
  • -1 Cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
  • -3 ripe bananas
  • -a generous drizzle of milk
  • -a drizzle of vanilla extract

Crumb Topping:

  • -1/4 Cup salted butter (softened)
  • -1/2 scant Cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar!)
  • -1/2 Cup white flour

Directions:

  1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Blend all wet ingredients in a Vitamix or blender.
  3. Incorporate wet into dry and do not over-mix.
  4. Fill lined muffin tins or greased donut pan with batter about 3/4 full.
  5. In a smaller bowl, mix crumb topping together and crumble the mixture on top of each well of batter (be generous!)
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes for muffins, and around 16 minutes for donuts.
  7. Remove as soon as edges brown slightly and transfer to cooling rack to let cool.
  8. Once cool, you can add a drizzle of icing (whisked powdered sugar+milk until thick yet drippy consistency) if you like, although not necessary.
  9. Enjoy!!

Love,

A Brief Letter to my Baby

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30+ weeks. ❤️ 

These are some crazy times, little one. But your Mama’s gonna be here for you. Your Papa’s gonna be strong for you. Your siblings are gonna keep on loving you (as they already do soo much!). And we’re all gonna teach you as we ourselves keep learning, how to go through life in love, joy, sacrifice and at times suffering, fighting for justice, seeing and experiencing what it means to truly appreciate each other in this world no matter the unique story or color or race or history each person carries. Experiencing and living our Faith not just in the way someone tells us we should, but because we are living the timeless truths Our Lord taught us in the Church He Himself began. People are fallible. So very fallible. And we are truth-seekers, not followers of whatever latest human voices are speaking out the loudest, no matter if it be under the guise of false holiness or popularity. Being brave in speaking when we need to for the unheard and those cast aside by society is what we’re here for. Following Christ is what we’re here for. Listening when it’s time to listen, and rising up when it’s time to rise up. This is what we will teach you. This is what we’ll all strive for together. 🙌🏻🙌🏼🙌🏽🙌🏾🙌🏿
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#alleluiaisoursong

[Originally posted on IG (instagram.com/alleluiaisoursong)]

Quarantine-Times Strawberry Pie

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Hi there and Happy Easter!

Oh my goodness has it been a minute. Here we are in the middle of a pandemic and the whole world is no longer the same. Honestly for awhile there I was too overwhelmed with all the changes in our lives to say anything about it on my little web-space, (plus finding an opportunity to jump on the computer for any period of time isn’t easy over here!) but here I am!

I love this blog and hope to have more opportunities to update things here, but in the meantime I am pretty active over on instagram if you’d like to follow over there (@alleluiaisoursong)! My account is set to private to root out the random creepers that inevitably come on, but I accept follows from lovely real genuine people so I’d be happy to let you in on my snippets of life there and be friends if you request to follow! <3

That being said, I still aim for spreading joy, beauty, and hope – so I thought I’d share a little recipe that I came up with today.

Quarantine-Times Strawberry Pie

This pie was made very quickly by a very hungry mama on the first real hot day of the season – while little rosy-cheeked barefoot children clambered about for water and refreshment after playing in the sun just minutes before. I don’t have a very formal recipe for you because it wasn’t planned and I had to use ingredients that were available to me (shelter-in-place style!) but I love that it’s so versatile and really, the main and most important ingredient is strawberries (though any berry would do!).

The Crust: can be any simple cookies (I’m thinking plain vanilla wafer-type style) or mild crackers whizzed up in a blender, with a little melted butter if you need to help it stay together, then stuck in the freezer as you assemble the rest of the pie. It doesn’t need to be sweet, but if you like you can add a “teaspoon of sugar.” 😉 You could even use a graham cracker crust if you have one!

*The story behind the crust I used is very #momlife so I’ll tell it for your amusement! 😀 I actually had a pre-made gluten free crust from Whole Foods that I had pre-baked just before Easter, and when I went to take it out of the oven I was in such a harried state that it promptly fell on the ground and shattered (in the pan). I all but cried, but stuck it back in the freezer because I was sure I’d repurpose it somehow. Fast forward to today, I blitzed it up in my blender and molded it to the pie tin it came in, and voila! A beautiful crust!

The Cream: is just whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks with sugar to taste, a pinch or 2 of sea salt, vanilla, and 3 spoonfuls of full-fat yogurt. You could use sour cream too, and then omit the salt. I liked the density the yogurt/sour cream adds but you can also just use whipping cream. I’ve even used bottled prepared whipped cream when I had nothing else and everyone still devoured it happily. 😉

Crust fresh out of the freezer with whipped cream mixture. Yum!

The Strawberry Filling: is fresh sliced (or chopped for easier eating) strawberries with about 1/3 to 1/4 cup of regular sugar, a pinch of sea salt, and 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch. All mixed together and allowed to sit for 5 minutes.

Assembly Steps: Simply take out your pie crust from the freezer, smooth your fluffy, dreamy cream base onto it, and spoon your strawberries over that. Serve with extra whipped cream on top if you like. I’d bet no one would mind one bit! Enjoy! <3

Prayers for all of you, my dear readers, during this crazy time. I hope that you are all staying safe and well. <3

Here’s the pie made on another day (Easter!) with a pre-made crust and canned whipped cream. A little different, but still thoroughly enjoyed by the fam. <3

Love,

Happy Fall & A Pumpkin Crema Topping

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“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” -Anne of Green Gables

I am SO relieved Fall is here! I think I always carry fall in my heart to some degree, but now that it’s here officially I don’t have to hide it. 😉 The mornings are crisper, the air in the evenings carry a waft of wood from the few brave souls who have decided to put their fireplace to use before winter is even close, and coffee shops are carrying pumpkin and apple-spiced beverages.

Speaking of which, have you tried the new pumpkin cream cold brew from Starbucks? It’s amazing and my sister has openly blamed me for getting her hooked on it haha! So I promised her and a few others that I’d get to work on a recipe to save us all a little money. 🙂 Karina – this post is dedicated to you! 😀

It’s all about that topping!

Okay so look – all we really need is that topping, amiright? As for the cold brew, you can make your own by cold-steeping coffee to your desired strength in a mason jar, or even icing strong coffee OR buying a premade iced/cold brew. You can DEFINITELY even use hot coffee. The key here is the pumpkin cream.

I whipped up a quick single-serving batch of this cream with my little $7 frother and the measurements are below, but honestly the most important thing about this recipe is the ingredients. You can tweak according to taste, and you could even whip up a big batch in your mixer…and eat it with a spoon. Which is what started happening over here before I topped and stored the rest for later. If you mix it longer and faster it will turn into whipped cream which is perfect as a topping for EVERYTHING, but if you want to stick to the coffee topping, just wait until the cream is ripple-y and on its way to being stiff and STOP THERE – so you have a good enough consistency to sift out the grittiness of the pumpkin and get that smooth crema. You can leave the pumpkin fiber in if you prefer too, just a head’s up if you want this more like the coffee house version. 😉

Made a big batch for pie topping – or spoon-eating!

Okay here we go! Let me know what you think!

The Pumpkin Crema (Single Serving):

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 C heavy cream
  • 1/2 TBSP plain canned pumpkin
  • 1 TBSP pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • *tiny dash of sea salt

Method:

  1. Combine ingredients in mixing bowl and froth until ripples form and cream becomes fairly stiff (but before peaks form!). This doesn’t take long.
  2. Sift cream through strainer to get rid of pumpkin fibers.
  3. Spoon onto hot or iced coffee and sip without a straw for those first few tastes to create the best ratio of cream-to-coffee.

*tip: definitely recommend doubling, tripling, or quadrupling recipe for extra topping, and for swirling into your coffee!

**Also, if you like yours extra sweet or pumkin-y, tweak as desired. The ingredients are the key – I’ve done my best to create a balanced mix, but feel free to “eyeball” it and/or add more or less according to your taste. <3

Enjoy!

Girl, Wash Your Face

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Before I begin with this post I feel like I should clarify that no, I’m not talking about the famous Rachel Hollis book, which I have NOT read yet, ha! 🙂

Now that THAT’s out of the way…I also feel the need to say that this is also not the place where I get all preach-y and/or “influencer-style” on you. No, this is the post where I invite you to pour a cup of jasmine tea, and sit and chat with me about self-care. Still with me? Hooray!

Self-care. I have a love-hate relationship with that word. I love feeling like I’m taking care of myself spa-style, especially as a mom and caretaker of a little herd of small humans who depend on me for all their physical needs. But the reality is that I don’t have the opportunity to go out to the salon most days…weeks…months… need I go on? 😀 I think the last 2 haircuts I had were done by me via a Youtube tutorial, so that gives you a little idea of how much self-care happens around here. 😉

I’ve discovered a little secret though, which makes a huge difference on days where I’ve been hugged and kissed by sticky babies, or even on the most mentally and emotionally challenging days when I can’t think straight because bedtime is taking for. ever. (which happens more often than not!).

I’ve discovered that washing your face can do more for your self-care at the beginning and end of the day than an expensive manicure. Seriously though! I have a clean beauty routine that I love, and I can share the details if you’re curious, but one of the most important aspects to me is actually a quality washcloth (microfiber! cheap on amazon and so luxurious and comforting to the touch). I’m telling you, whether my skin is fresh, sweaty, tear-stained, you name it – washing my face is one of those “exquisite moments” that I feel every woman should be able to treat herself to. <3

Motherhood. Totally worth it, self-care or not. <3

My own personal favorite formula for my sensitive (dry) skin is detailed below, but I do have to say that whether or not you buy specific products isn’t what’s most important because honestly for most of my mommyhood life I’ve been using baby soap and Pond’s on my face. 😀 Mainly the idea of being gentle on yourself for what YOU – whether you’re a mama/sister/daughter/friend/wife – go through in your own day, is the thought I’m trying to drive home here. <3

Do the routine that YOU can handle and make it your own, but treat yourself to some warm water and maybe a face cloth and CLEANSE that gorgeous face because sometimes we go through HARD THINGS and you deserve a little self-care. <3

Bianca’s Skin-Care Routine:

  • soft wash cloths which I get off of amazon (search microfiber face washcloth – mine came in a pack for about $10)
  • a non-toxic face wash
  • quality non-toxic serum (and a plant-derived gentle face “peel” that I do 2x a week from Beautycounter’s skin care line – more on that below)
  • hydrating clean face cream (no longer Pond’s since I’m trying to go paraben-free)
  • *bonus* I also like using the $5.99 bottle of castor oil pictured at the top of this post on my eyelashes for an extra boost. Also from amazon and comes with applicator wands!)

I’m not selling any products and don’t do affiliate links, but I will do a link to my absolute FAVORITE clean beauty line that I’ve been using, and which my sister is currently consulting for: Beautycounter. I’ve been using these products for months now after hearing about them from so many people who love them. Their products are non-toxic and their ingredients are nourishing and very strictly tested to make sure you aren’t putting potentially harmful things on your skin and I’m a huge fan. Some of my fav’s include the new Countertime collection and the Resurfacing Peel, plus their Dew Skin tinted moisturizer and a handful of others, especially their lip products! <3

Also! I’ve heard that Honest Beauty through Target does a bunch of skin care products and now Walmart has a clean beauty line too, which I’m curious about. I haven’t checked any of the ingredients personally, but basically there are tons of options out there!

Do you have any favorite skin care products or beauty routines that you love? Let’s talk! And trust me on this, girl – wash your face. Your sanity will thank you. <3

Love,

Watermelon Slush with Tapioca Pearls

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I told my kids the other day that I have an inner photo album that has captured some of the most special moments of my life that will always be with me, whether there are actual physical pictures to accompany these memories or not. They loved the idea and were curious as to which memories included them. <3 Well, most of these priceless memories do include them at different stages, or in the waiting for them to come! Summertime always makes me nostalgic because they were all born in the summer months – June, July, August, September. 😀

Lest you keep wondering what mental photo albums have to do with a delicious watermelon slushie, I won’t keep you waiting any longer ha! Being pregnant in the summer means being uncomfortably warm and thirsty most of the time, as many of you mamas know! So I have good memories of Matt and I grabbing watermelon slushies at our favorite milk tea spot when I was pregnant with Mari and Alejo and they would JUST hit the spot. Now I recreated them at home, and Matt confirmed these taste exactly like them. The pearls are chewy and are reminiscent of watermelon seeds, but ones you can actually eat! 🙂 Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups watermelon, chilled
  • ice cubes
  • 1/2 cup black tapioca pearls, uncooked (can be found in Asian food restaurants, such as Ranch 99, etc.)
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Method:

  1. Prepare tapioca pearls as instructed. For mine, I had to boil a ratio of 5 cups of water for 1/2 uncooked pearls. I then added the pearls and waited for them all to float to the top, then boiled, covered, for 5-8 minutes. Then I turned off heat, and kept covered for 5-8 minutes longer.
  2. Once the pearls are cooked to the desired consistency, strain under cold water and put in a bowl. Stir 1/4 cup of sugar into the pearls (more or less according to taste).
  3. Now for the slush! Blend your chilled watermelon and a couple ice cubes on high until juust slushie enough and pour into a glass.
  4. Add as many pearls as you like, and drink with a straw + spoon OR if you happen to have a jumbo straw lying around like I did (from a previous milk tea stop!) that’s even better!

Enjoy!

Love,

Cold Brew Coffee with a Sea Salt Crema

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Hi!

I’m back with a coffee recipe because I PROMISED and didn’t wanna leave anyone hanging. 😉

So cold-brew coffee. It’s super popular and also happens to be my personal favorite way to consume coffee. It’s less acidic and smoother because it has never been heated. There’s tons of recipes out there for this, but what works best for me since I like mine strong and flavorful, is a 1:5 ratio. 1 cup coarsely ground coffee to 5 cups of fresh, cold water. I’ve been using a glass pot (pictured above) because it comes with a filter to hold the grounds while it steeps. There are lots of different kinds with varying prices, but I really don’t think it matters so much what kind you use. I steep this in the fridge for 2 days for maximum strength. 😀 But I’ve tried it after 24 hours and that works too, although the 24-hour version works best black over ice rather than with cream. I love drinking my cold-brew black over ice in general, actually – especially during a heat wave! It’s just so refreshing and clean-tasting.

SO good!

If I’m not drinking it black, I like sweetening it with maple syrup/caramel syrup/or other sweetener, and then topping it with a sea salt crema. If you’ve never tried this, you MUST. This combination has been made popular by milk tea shops and then last year even Starbucks brought out their own version. But it’s so easy to make. Once you’ve got the crema mastered, I highly recommend using it to top a good strong sweetened iced Assam tea. Seriously, perfection.

Strong Assam iced tea, sweetened w maple syrup and topped w sea salt crema. <3

Okay, here are my recipes. The crema can be a bit temperamental, so I’m including a few notes for clarity. I hope you enjoy!!!

Best Cold-Brew Coffee:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup coarsely-ground coffee (dark roast is my fav for bold flavor)
  • 5 cups purified cold drinking water

Method:

  1. In a pitcher, mason jar, or cold brew pitcher, add coffee grounds and water. Do not mix.
  2. Let steep for 24 – 48 hours.
  3. Remove the grounds or sift through a cheesecloth or fine sieve.
  4. Stir.
  5. Pour over ice or sweeten and top with the following:

Sea Salt Crema Topping for Iced or Cold-Brew Coffee:

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1-2 TBSP creamer or milk (I love using the Picnik bullet-proof creamer)
  • 1 TBSP sugar or a 1:1 sugar sub (I’ve been using a blend of erythritol)
  • 1/8 to scant 1/4 tsp sea salt (I’ve been using Himalayan pink sea salt), *plus more sea salt for topping if desired.

NEEDED: a handheld milk frother, or small jar with a lid

Method:

  1. Put all ingredients in a cup or small jar, and if you have a handheld frother (which I highly recommend!), froth in a circular motion, skimming the top at times to encourage the frothing.
  2. Froth until the mixture is thick enough to cause ripples.
  3. *If you don’t have a frother, put the lid on tight and shake your mixture vigorously until it becomes a heavy, almost whipped consistency. It might not be a stiff as the frothed version, but is still good!
  4. Pour on top of sweetened coldbrew/iced coffee/strong-brewed iced tea and top with extra sea salt if desired.

NOTES:

  1. The contrast of sweet & salty works best in my opinion if your coffee or tea itself is on the sweeter side. Otherwise you’ll taste more salty than sweet – which in a drink (at least to my taste) is not preferable.
  2. The cream is meant to be a top layer to the sweet coffee/tea underneath, and the heavy cream causes it to be heavy enough to float. If you prefer it to be thinner, add the extra milk/Picnik/or even half n half. I’ve also used all Picnik since it froths so well and although lighter, is still delightful!
  3. Also, I LOVE the saltiness to be a bit prominent in my crema, but if you want to err on the side of caution for your first time, start with the less amount of sea salt and then if you want it saltier, just sprinkle a little extra on the top so you can control it.

Enjoy! <3

Frills n’ Things

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Heloooo!

Sometimes it’s fun to do a little frivolous post where we can chat about things that don’t affect the world, but that are just like little sips of cherry lemonade. Sure it won’t change anyone’s life, and you can’t have too much of it, but sometimes cherry lemonade is JUST the thing. Hehe 😉

If I haven’t lost you yet, these are some of my favorite things lately. 😀

  1. Lemon blender pie (My pie is pictured above. This recipe by Pinch of Yum’s blog is SO easy and it very easily is the most beautiful thing I’ve created haha! It didn’t take long at all and it tastes like a giant lemon bar after you chill it. Cue heart-eye-emoji!)
  2. If you’re on Instagram, it’s no surprise I love pretty dresses. 🙂 I own a substantial amount of Jessakae dresses, but lately I’ve been eyeing dresses from the Neesee’s boutique. I’ve ordered from them before and like Jessakae sometimes does, they source their dresses from lots of the popular modest dress sites like Mikarose and Reborn J, etc. Love their huge gorgeous selection right now! My tip? Follow them and wait for sales. 😉
  3. Okay guys, I have a sewing machine but I have SO MUCH to learn. And I was dreaming one day of a time in the future where I can teach myself to sew this dress and then go on to become my own seamstress. *sigh* keep dreaming, Bianca. haha. But maybe someday? Stranger things have happened. 😉
  4. Speaking of sewing, I’ve made a few little makeshift cloth dolls for the kids, but love the idea of these DIY ones! They’ll take some time if you aren’t a sewing queen (I’m def not!) but they look doable. If you don’t have a lil’ 10 month-old hangin’ over your shoulder that is, which I definitely do currently. But I’ll take him!
  5. I’ve recently bought a $7 milk frother off of Amazon and it has toootally changed the way I drink my tea and coffee. Hot frothy lattes, iced matcha oat lattes, frothy sweet cream with a little sea salt floating on top of your cold brew coffee (recipe forthcoming)? All possible with the help of this little genius kitchen gadget. Highly recommend!
  6. Have you ever tried mug-cakes? I’m something of a mug-cake connoisseur and I’ve tried all kinds! I mostly like them gf, specifically grain-free. This pb&jelly one is my current FAV. If you like pb&j, make it! You won’t be sorry.
  7. I’ve been thinking of trying out a makeup foundation but I’m super super picky. I love makeup but I don’t wear anything on my actual skin except for concealer and blush because I absolutely hate the caked-on look and still want to look natural as far as my skin goes. Then give me the smokey eye and a strong mascara haha. I’m currently eyeing Beautycounter but its so expensive! Love the idea of all-natural though. Any rec’s out there?

Linking up with Kelly for the first time in FOREVER because I realized I have 7 quick takes listed!

Happy Monday friends! <3

DIY Wall Rosary Abacus/Board

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Hello my Dear Readers!!

Happy beautiful month of May! To honor our blessed Mother in a special way this month, I wanted to *finally* share with you a little project I began a while back. In an effort to make the Rosary a little more accessible to those of us who find it sometimes hard to pray on Rosaries or Rosary bracelets, I had it in my mind to make a type of rosary that can be counted on as you pass by – a type of wall “abacus.” I came up with this idea because as a mom who is often pacing the house with a baby, I sometimes can’t hold anything else in my hands, and it’s so easy to lose count while praying! Which makes me feel defeated when my nerves are already on edge if said beautiful baby is fussy, teething, or restlessly trying to get to sleep. 😉

So I created this Rosary board to be hung in the family room for this purpose. I didn’t realize though, that this project would turn into something far greater – In creating the wall Rosary, my kids became fascinated with it, and started to be interested in praying with me so they could move the beads along themselves! So we’ve been praying the Rosary together, the kids and I, for months now. I wasn’t really a faithful daily Rosary person, except in phases when I was single and had less distractions. 😉 But I realized that we need the Rosary now more than ever, and although it isn’t always easy to get through, the graces make such a difference in our day. It even becomes a Catechism lesson, and I’ve noticed when I make it a dedicated part of our day, that the kids expect it. Since they’re all so young, I try to let them just “be” and play with blocks or even color while we pray, as long as they do something quiet that doesn’t take up too much concentration and allows them to pray aloud along with me. Now they are memorizing mysteries and we are going over many aspects of our Faith, and all through this beautiful prayer!

SO. Here are the details on what I used to make our family wall/abacus Rosary so you can make your own! I’ve made a couple versions, one that the kids use and can be rough-handled, and one that hangs in our family room (above). Here’s the kids’ one:

I definitely want to experiment more with different colors, but so far this is what I used:

Materials:

  • A wood pallet plaque (I got mine from Michael’s for under $5 each)
  • Sandpaper
  • A good wood stain (I used a beautiful dark cherry stain for my finished one, but the kids’ one is unstained)
  • Regular paint brush
  • 4 hardware hooks
  • Natural jute cord/twine
  • Beads that will fit snugly
  • Sharpie oil paint markers
  • *optional but un-tested: some type of wood finish/sealer

Instructions:

  1. In a protected work-station, sand down your wood pallet plaque carefully.
  2. Use your paintbrush to stain wood pallet according to directions (and maybe in garage or outdoors because of fumes). I did about 3 coats.
  3. Let dry for about 24-48 hours.
  4. I didn’t use any sort of finishing sealant, but I did notice that the stain took days to dry before it stopped rubbing off when touched, so it might be a good idea to use one. 🙂
  5. If using a 4-board pallet board like I did, decorate to your preference with oil-based Sharpies on top and bottom boards. I liked the look of the white writing on the dark cherry stain, but have fun experimenting with different colors/designs! I wrote “Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis – Holy Mary pray for us,” but “Ave Maria, gratia plena” is another idea! You have to do a few coats with the markers, but just follow the directions about how to use them and you should be good!
  6. Let writing dry.
  7. Arrange 4 hardware hooks on the 3rd beam as shown in the picture by hand-twisting them into the wood.
  8. I used rose beads to count mysteries and then brown beads to count the Our Father/Hail Mary’s. Any color scheme will do! Thread the beads through the twine, and tie the twine snugly on the hooks. This would be a good time to add a little Marian medal or crucifix if you like too! Don’t forget to secure the Our Father bead with a couple of knots as shown in the picture below.
  9. Hang Wall Rosary where you need it most and enjoy praying! <3

God bless you, and happy praying!

P.S. I’d love to see your rosary board if you make one! If you’re on Instagram, feel free to tag me so I can see! 🙂 My IG handle is @alleluiaisoursong <3

3 ingredient Grain-Free “Flour” Tortillas

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Okay guys, usually I keep my recipes under the “EAT” menu but I am SOO excited about this current recipe I developed! I just had to share it all over. 🙂

These tortillas are GRAIN-FREE!! Confession: I didn’t think it was actually possible to do this. I really wasn’t actually trying to discover it, except every paleo-type “wrap” or “flatbread” I’ve found online has required either eggs or full-fat coconut milk, or a strange ratio of starch to liquid, and I was so tired of it. I do occasionally have some gluten, and don’t eliminate it entirely from my family’s diet (as you can see from some of the recipes I post on here), but with autoimmune issues and joint pain, I really try to stay away from gluten, and sometimes limit my grain intake throughout the day when I’m having a particularly painful flare-up. I’ve tried different recipes because I’m Mexican and miss me some authentic flour tortillas! And honestly the ones that require thick coconut milk make me nauseous, or the ones that have such thin batter come out like crepes…and don’t get me started on the eggy ones!

This recipe is so simple, and it makes maybe 3-4 servings. It requires NO rolling because the mixture is a thick batter that you pour onto a hot skillet, and it is NOT like a pancake. No – somehow, magically, it comes out as a tortilla and it is so like a regular wheat tortilla in consistency and flavor that it is almost unreal! If undercooked, it will be very gooey (not a bad thing) but will be more firm the longer you let it brown. It is flexible and soft inside, and makes wonderful quesadillas. For those of us who are staying away from gluten or grains, this is so like the real deal its not even funny. 😀 My husband Matt even loved them! Which is a huge deal because he doesn’t go for many of my kitchen experiments haha. It does require Almond flour and Tapioca flour [*EDIT* I made the happy mistake of using Arrowroot starch instead of Tapioca, and I think it’s even better with Arowroot! But I use either one depending on which I have on hand.], but I truly believe these are real staples in a GF kitchen. Tapioca flour (or starch, same thing) is great for that flexible texture that many GF bread lacks, and makes great things like Brazilian Cheese Bread. And almond flour is a wonderful way to add some nutrition and moisture to almost any baked good. Okay on to the recipe!

3-Ingredient Grain-Free “Flour” Tortillas

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Almond Milk
  • 1 Cup Blanched Almond Flour (not almond meal – my fav is the costco Kirkland brand)
  • 1 Cup Tapioca Flour/Tapioca Starch (I love Anthony’s brand) *UPDATE* Arrowroot Starch works just as well here – maybe even better!

*salt to taste (I used Himalayan Pink Sea Salt – maybe 1/4 teaspoon)

Method:

  1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until no lumps are present.
  2. Pour onto a PAM-sprayed (or oiled or buttered) hot non-stick skillet set to medium-high heat and spread the batter around in a circle until you have it as thin as you can get it. It won’t be too thin, but just spread it as much as possible, otherwise your tortilla will be more of a thicker flatbread. Feel free to experiment!
  3. Wait until bubbles form and it gets browned a bit (or more browned if you prefer!) and then flip. 
  4. Remove from heat when cooked through on both sides and slather with butter. 😉 

Hope you enjoy! <3

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