Honduran Flour Tortillas

I've been making flour tortillas for about 17 years now - although it took a few years for me to make them on my own. I had a few great teachers in Honduras, but my main instructor was my sister-in-law, Erika. I've also been coaching others to do it for a long time now, usually with no clear recipe! 

Now that I'm a mom my motto in the kitchen is, "Quick, effortless and tasty". I guess I could add "nutritious" in there as well. Anyways, I always thought the key to successful tortilla making was in the water...because if you add too much it becomes way too doughy and if you add too little it becomes hard. And you kind of have to feel it as you knead and get just the right amount in. Tough to do! I've heard others say that the key was in the kneading. In Honduras there is a saying that you either have a "soft hand or a hard hand". I've encountered countless ways and tricks to make them and have found that there is no right or wrong way! As long as they come out soft and tasty that is. :-) 

In the last few months I've developed a fool-proof recipe that is so quick, effortless and tasty! Oh and let's say "more nutritious than before" because it still calls for white flour, and we all know the rage about white flour and health these days. 

The best thing about this recipe is that everything goes in the food processor! 

*4 cups of unbleached* white flour (*you know, just to feel good about it being a tad healthier) 

*1 can of full fat coconut milk (although I used "lite" one time and they came out fine) 

*1 tsp baking powder (I've recently switched to aluminum free - reduce to 1/2 tsp if you want them flatter. Flatter is great for baleadas, but Luis likes them fluffy)

*2 scant tsp mineral salt (I use pink)

This makes around 16, depending on the ball size. 

That's it! No water necessary! I just put it all in the food processor and usually have to stop it once to push some of it down. Then I take it out and it's a tad sticky so I rub a big glob of coconut oil all over it. I don't put oil in the dough because the fat from the coconut milk is enough. I give it a quick knead then make the balls and let it rest - I always, always put saran wrap over the balls while they rest because they come out so stretchy. Another trick I always do is to begin rolling them out to ensure evenness, then I take them into my hands and flip them back and forth Honduran style. (although not all Hondurans do it that way).  You cook them face down and then flip them over and then when that side is done, flip them over again and wait for them to start puffing...once they start you gently help the whole thing puff with a towel or spatula. 

I have the sweetest little helper that absolutely loves to make tortillas with me. Her favorite part is eating the dough! 

It's Fall!

We had our first family of 4 outing yesterday. Fall is here and I have been missing Edward's Apple Orchard - a fruit farm we went to every year growing up in Rockford, IL. We have a similar one here in OH called White House Fruit Farms. For fall they have additional vendors on the weekends, a petting zoo and pony rides. We were hoping to get Ellie on a pony ride but it rained yesterday, so he wasn't out! But we enjoyed gourmet coffee and donuts, corn dogs and crisp, sweet apples. Ellie loved the petting zoo - especially the soft bunnies! 

La Bella

I've been wanting to write a post about this little sweetie before Landon joins us. She is at a stage that has been challenging in some aspects (like frequent tantrums and skipping naps!) but overall has stolen our hearts. She's just so bright and engaging and surprises us everyday with her hilarious sense of humor and the things she says! Now that we are about to have a newborn, I just can't believe how fast Ellie is growing up. 

I cherish bedtime stories and prayers with her, going on walks together and shopping, and doing puzzles with her. She is such a quality time girl like her daddy! So I have to be intentional to stop my task-orientedness at times to play with her. I want to savor each and every moment with her knowing that soon my attention will be even more divided! 

Things she loves are:

1- Her little guys (safari animals)

2- Books

3- Moovas (her nickname for movies)

4- Wubba (her lovey)

5- Doing puzzles

6- Being outside 

7- Blowing bubbles

8- Snacks (especially goldfish and fruit snacks!)

9- Wuacala guink (aka coke)

10- looking at pictures

11- dates with Daddy and Mommy

12- Going to Gaggy and Pappy's hosue

13- Her friends from church

14- Being chased by Daddy

15- Babies (she smothers all babies with her hugs and kisses!) 

We love our Ellie Sofia so much and feel so blessed to watch her grow into the person God created her to be! 

Homemade Toiletries

I have greatly enjoyed collecting DIY recipes on Pinterest for lotions, chapsticks, sunscreen, makeup remover, baby creams and so much more! Below are some my favorite recipes I've tried along with the links. The sugar scrub was a recipe I got from my sister, Sharon. She made some for me and I use it so fast that I have made it 3 times already this summer! It has 1 cup cane sugar, 1/2 cup coconut oil, Vit E, and 15 drops Lavender. I have tried several different homemade sugar scrubs, but this is by far my favorite. It smells so nice and the proportions are just right for softening and exfoliating.

I could not find the link the makeup remover spray! But I think it just has 1 tsp Dr. Bronner's castile soap, 1 Tbsp Fractionated Coconut oil, a few drops of Tea Tree and water. It works very well to remove all my eye makeup without scrubbing, but I do have to be careful not to get it in my eye or will sting a little! (Most likely from the Tea Tree). The Tallow Diaper Cream is a recipe I googled (not sure where the link is!) 

My top favorite DIY toiletries are the chapstick and the Belly Butter! The Belly Butter is amazing and smells so good! I pretty much followed the recipe but also added tallow. So far I have not gotten a single stretch mark on my belly and my belly is huge. This is a 32 oz jar so I had to quadruple the recipe. 

Belly Butter

Best Sugar Scrub 

Makeup Remover

Itch Relief Cream

Best Organic Chapstick Recipe

Acne Spot Stick

Landon's Nursery

I have been in MAJOR nesting mode the past few weeks! Going through drawers, getting rid of stuff, organizing clothes, painting the nursery, moving Ellie into her big girl room (and today's nap is the first time she is sleeping in a big girl bed!) and going through baby clothes - even getting my hospital bag started. Phew! 

I worked on a few word art canvases this afternoon for Landon's room. I chose "The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed" from Gen. 39:23. It refers to Joseph. Landon's middle name will be Jose, after Luis (his first name) and his dad. So this is my prayer for Landon! Landon means "Long Hill" but we chose the name after my Grandpa Saunders - therefore it is special. And he is fearfully and wonderfully made! Joseph means "The Lord will add".

I am so in love with Landon's nursery! I have been going in there often to sit in the rocker and marvel in how things have come together. The little pillow on the rocker was made by my nephew, Peter. It has "Landon" embroidered on the front. It's so cute and fits perfectly! A sweet friend blessed us with an adorable safari theme crib set. I love it! I love having little shelves above the changing table (keeps lotions and creams out of reach of tiny toddler hands) and the cute night stand that my Aunt Gretchen gave us, which was originally pink! The little lamp was a bargain for $8! 

The same friend that gave us the crib set also gave us a HUGE box of baby clothes! Another friend gave us some more! So we are really all set as far as clothes! 

I don't really like taking selfies, but my sister-in-law asked me for a picture of my bump so I sent her the one below. I'm 35 weeks now and can't wait to meet this new gift from God!!!!

A trip to the ER

Poor Miss Ellie swallowed a button battery over the weekend! We didn't see her do it - but we knew that she had taken apart a little flashlight and I thought I had confiscated all the pieces. Turns out she was lying on her back with one of the batteries in her mouth the other morning and when she went to sit up, she hit her head against the coffee table causing her to swallow it. She immediately ran over to Luis and said, "Daddy, daddy where's the flashlight?" Pointing to her mouth. He asked if she had eaten it and she said yes. We took her to the ER and sure enough, the x-ray showed that it was lodged in her esophagus. Unfortunately they don't do endoscopies for children in our town, so we had to be transported an hour away to Akron Children's Hospital. Ellie was quite the trooper! She did not cry while having to be separated from me in the squad. She didn't even fall asleep! She thoroughly enjoyed watching a movie and we think she enjoyed the attention of having her vitals taken every so often. She has been really into playing doctor recently so everything we had pretend played with her was coming to life! 

When we got to Akron we had to wait a couple hours. When the operating room was finally ready we took her up, and she did not cry as the nurse carried her off. About an hour later, the surgeon came out to tell us that they could not find the battery in her esophagus or her stomach. Another x-ray showed that it had moved down into her intestines. He also said the surgical staff was very much impressed with her - she was the first child they had ever had who did not cry as they put her IV in, and even watched it going in! Later she commented to me, "Mommy, that man poked me". I asked he if it had hurt her and she said no. They also said she was a star patient waking up from the anesthesia - she did not cry or act out at all! Her throat was a bit hoarse and her lip a bit swollen. Thankfully the surgeon found no burns or damage from the battery in her esophagus - just a little bit of irritation. They discharged us with instructions to watch for the battery to pass naturally. I'm sure this will be an experience that we never forget!

A Day at the Lake

We're loving our sweet family times together this week! Luis has been wanting to take us to Lake Milton for awhile now, and today we finally made it happen. Ellie absolutely LOVED the sand (she hadn't been to a beach since she was 10 months old in Honduras). At first she just hung out at the edge but slowly got braver to go in the water. After an hour or so she started saying, "Look at me, mommy! I'm a fish! Look at me! I'm swua-mming! I'm a whale!" 

My heart was rejoicing to be in such a peaceful place enjoying God's creation and my soul felt at rest! Sometimes it's just so good to get away and reflect on God's goodness, enjoying one another's company without thinking about anything else. :-)