Monday, January 19, 2015

She's Not Going to Fall for That!


One of the many great things about homeschooling is the opportunity to teach your kids the subjects you feel are important.  ClaireAnna and I just finished this text on argument.  She is now very capable of identifying twenty-eight different fallacies and understanding how they invalidate an argument.  She's learned how to recognize these fallacies in our culture, discussions and media and she's not going to fall for them! This is a great study of informal logic that sets the stage for learning more advanced deductive reasoning skills. We enjoyed it and learned a lot


Sunday, January 18, 2015

Microwave Chocolate Cake For Two (Or One!)

There are two versions of this cake.  Both are delicious and nutritious, grain free and therefore gluten free, and refined sugar free.  One is sweetened with coconut sugar and raw honey and is a perfect treat for kids that you will not feel bad about giving them.  (I'd even let Claire eat this for breakfast since it is more nutritious and has less sugar than a bowl of cereal and is definitely healthier than waffles or pancakes!) The second version uses Truvia for a truly low carb, low glycemic cake that will satisfy ANY sweet craving you may have!  Every single ingredient in this cake has some nutritional value and on the whole, it is actually GOOD for you! Honest! We LOVE this cake!!

1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce, optional
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, or any unsweetened nut butter
1/2 tablespoon raw honey or pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon almond milk, coconut milk, milk, half and half or even sour cream
1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter, melted but not hot
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Optional add ins:
1 tablespoon unsweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoon chopped pecans or walnuts, or any other nuts
1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips

1. Beat egg in a small, microwave safe bowl (I use a 3 cup Pyrex glass bowl) or large mug. 

2. Add all other ingredients except nuts, coconut and chocolate chips if you are using them, and whisk till smooth.  Stir in your choice of optional ingredients. 

3. Microwave for 1 minute, 40 seconds.  If the bottom is still very moist, then microwave 10 more seconds. 

4. Turn out onto a plate or eat from the bowl.  The cake will come out easily.  

Notes:
In order to make this a low glycemic, low carb cake, omit the coconut sugar and honey and use 1 tablespoon of Truvia instead.  You will barely notice the difference.  It is delicious! 

The apple sauce is also optional.  It moistens the cake a bit, but the recipe works well without it too.  You can add a little extra milk to make up the difference in liquid ingredients. 

You can make up baggies of the dry ingredients and store them in the freezer.  When it comes time to make your cake, you'll have half the measuring already done!

This recipe is plenty for two people, but I'm not saying I never eat the whole thing myself!