Family Nature. What’s yours?

What kind of parent are you?  AP, Democratic, Authoritative?  Are you a cloth diaperer, breast feeder, co-sleeper, vaccinator, gentle discipliner, baby wearer?  Vegetarian, organic, vegan or none of the above?  Homeschooler, unschooler, supporter of public school, or a combination?  There are so many choices.  There is so much judgment.  Under which category do you and your family fall?

I am some of these.  I am none of these.  I used to describe us as an AP family and if I had to choose a category for my family that is still what I would say.  But I prefer to say that we are living our lives in a way that feels right to us; in a way that comes naturally to us.  We go with our gut.  As a word play on human nature and Mother Nature I like to say that we all have a family nature.  As far as our family goes, there are things that come naturally to us and things that we can’t help but feel.  This is our family nature.

In an ideal world I would surround our family with families who had the same parenting style; the same values.  The reality is that there is no other family quite like ours.  No other family that makes all the same choices.  So, we spend time around people with whom we feel comfortable.  Not necessarily like-minded people but similar-minded.  They are people who respect our choices and people who always support us even if they don’t agree with us; people who can understand that a decision I make might not be the one they make, but it is right for me and for my family. These are my peeps.  You know who you are.

I am a life partner, a mother of four, flying by the seat of my pants, living a family life that comes naturally to me.  This is my family nature.

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Mmm, Pancakes.

I expect this blog will be more than recipes but it is pancake Tuesday after all.  It seemed appropriate to post our favourite pancake recipe with, as will always be the case, dairy free, egg free options.  Even if you don’t have any dietary restrictions it’s a great recipe.

Whisk together:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

In another bowl whisk together:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp rice milk (or liquid of choice: water, soy milk, coconut milk, milk, etc.)
• 3 tbsp canola oil (or melted butter, or dairy free margarine)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredient and mix gently.  Don’t overmix.

Optional ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped fruit (apples, berries, bananas) or nuts
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies; egg free, dairy free, but still really yummy!

My son S is allergic to dairy (cow, goat and sheep), eggs, bananas, and tree nuts. I used to think baking for him was difficult. I also used to spend a lot of money on specialty foods for him until I started experimenting with recipes that I already had. Some minor substitutions and a bit of trial and error, and voila! I haven’t found something that I couldn’t bake for him! This is a recipe I modified from The Joy of Cooking.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat cookie sheets with nonstick spray or use parchment paper.

Whisk together in a medium bowl and set aside:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl mix until well blended:

• 1/4 cup corn or canola oil
• 1/2 cup non-diary margarine (You can use less if you like. 2 tbsp will give you a decent cookie, but it needs to be eaten the same day…save them for the next day and you may break a tooth!)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
• 3 tbsp rice milk (or soy milk, or coconut milk, or water, or liquid or your choice)
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir into batter:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Let the mixture stand for a few minutes. Stir in the flour mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake 7 – 10 minutes, careful not to overbake.