Saturday tea party

Last Saturday, Edmund was "inspired" by a Tasha Tudor book I read aloud to the children and requested tea and cookies. I told him he could help me make some cookies while Lavinia was napping, and they could have a tea party after she woke up. I have been slowly converting my pantry to be Trim Healthy Mama-friendly (this is my post-partum weight loss strategy -- so far, so good!), which means no sugar in the house! I had coconut sugar and honey but I wanted to make some cookies that I could eat too. :) I did a quick Google search and we tweaked a recipe I found in the THM forums. Not all of the THM recipes I've tried have been "keepers" but these were so rich and yummy I would definitely make them again! I believe these would be considered an "S" dessert, despite the oatmeal, because the amount is so small (unless you eat them all in one sitting, tee hee).

• 1/4 c. Truvia + sprinkles of NuNaturals Pure Stevia Extract to taste
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
• 1/2 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 cup unsweetened, dried coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

In a heavy saucepan, bring to boil the sweetener, cocoa, butter and almond milk. Let boil for 1 minute then remove from heat and add peanut butter, vanilla, coconut flakes, and oatmeal. On a plate lined with waxed paper, drop mixture by teaspoonfuls, then stick in the fridge until cooled and hardened. Makes 1-1/2 dozen.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(Thanks to my mom for this delightful estate sale find!)

Shannon's Banbury Cross Cardigan

I'm a little late in posting this thanks to a certain new addition at our house -- almost all of my free time goes toward napping or cleaning the house these days! But I wanted to draw your attention to Shannon's adorable version of the Banbury Cross Cardigan for her toddler son. I love the tweedy look of the sweater she used! Shannon was kind enough to give her thoughts on the pattern, along with the photos of her finished sweater, so head over to Thoughts and Thimbles and check out her post on A Little Something for a Little Man!