Zander's Gluten free Pup-kin Muffins

I know most of you have seen and or heard me mention my dog.

This is Zander. He is a Golden Doodle which means a standard white poodle was intentionally bred with a golden retriever. He is 6 years old. He is very big and has super long legs. His eyebrows are as expressive as Groucho Marx.

How cute!

Him when his hair is longer.

See what I mean about the eyebrows?

His favorite toy.

He loves to curl up into a tiny ball.

Zander had a small problem however. He started licking his paws. Sometimes for an hour at a time. At first we thought it was an OCD kind of thing so we would tell him "Off!". We taught him that whenever we say "Off!" he is to not touch or spit out anything he has near his mouth. So he would stop licking for five minutes, then start again. This went on until he realized that whenever we saw him licking we would tell him to stop. So he got smart. Zander started hiding behind things. The couch, a wall, in a nook, so we wouldn't see him licking. Told you he was smart.

Then he got an ear infection so we took him to the vet and decided to ask about the licking. The vet said that it could be allergies. Apparently when dogs get allergies they don't have a runny nose or itchy, watery eyes. Instead they lick their paws! We felt so bad! This whole time we where telling him "off!", while he felt like he was crawling out of his skin. Poor baby!

So the vet gave him a cortisone shot and said that would last for 3 months but the itching would probably start again in two weeks. It did and he was miserable. So we decided to try and find out what he was allergic to.

Now zander is an inside dog. He gets exercised inside in the winter, and only goes outside to go potty.  Also it was raining so no air born allergies like pollen could be gettin' him. So we started doing research and found the one thing he was eating that was exacerbating his symptoms. Gluten! That's right. He truly is our dog!

So we switched out his food for a gluten free kind. We liked Taste of the Wild: High Prairie Canine formula. Here's what the site says:

"A grain-free formula with sweet potatoes and peas provides highly digestible energy for your active dog. Made with real roasted meats, this formula offers a taste sensation like no other. Supplemented with fruits and vegetables, this hearty formula delivers natural antioxidants to help give your friend a healthy lifestyle. Your dog craves a taste of the wild. Go ahead and give him one.

High Prairie Canine Formula

with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison Grain-Free Roasted Bison and Roasted Venison Optimal Amino Acids Antioxidants Omega Fatty Acid Blend Digestive Support System Sweet Potatoes Berry Blend Tomatoes & Tomato Pomace No Corn, No Soy Chelated Minerals

 Zander loves it! And it smells so much fresher than the dog food he was eating before.

We also found that giving your dog allergy medicine helps with the seasonal allergy part. So we needed something that we could put a couple of pills into. I know a lot of people use cheese, but dogs can be sensitive to dairy. Plus it causes mucus. So I decided, "Hey I bake allergy free for a living. I will just bake something for him."

It couldn't be a bone, though I baked him some of those. It needed to be soft and big enough to hide a pill in. So I created a doggy muffin. Enjoy!

Zander's "Pup"kin Muffins

Makes about 30 mini muffins

312 grams Brown Rice Flour

2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 cup Canola Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3/4 cup Apple Sauce

1 Egg

1 cup Pumpkin, solidly packed

1/4 cup Honey

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.

2. Mix all the dry in a large bowl.

3. Mix all wet in a smaller bowl.

4. Add wet to dry and mix until combined.

5. Scoop into mini muffin cups, pre-lined.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

It took forever to get him to just lick it. He wanted to eat it so bad!

He just had to give them a high-five!

Also just so you know, this is Zander's couch. We got it specially made for him. It's big enough that me and my sister can both sit on it.

Ch-Ch-Chia!

Ugh. I have a cold. Or a virus. Or a trojan horse. I don't know. One of those.

I hate being sick. My head is fuzzy and stuffy.

But on the other hand it did give me a lot of time for one of my other favorite pastimes. . . Knitting.

 I love to knit. I taught myself how to knit from a book I bought when I was 14. So, recently my mom asked me to knit her a hat, like the one I made for my sister. We went, bought the yarn, and I got started knitting. It took me about 3 days to finish the hat. It had a little brim that curls up, and a knit flower on the side. She loves it, and it keeps her warm during the winter. Now my dad and other sister both want hats. I was having a really difficult time finding a pattern for my dad's hat. So I found a unisex pattern and started working on it. When I finished the hat and sewed it off, it looked ridiculous. I realized it looked like a girl-y Rastafarian hat. Cool for a girl. Weird for a middle aged guy. So next my mom tried it on, but she is so small that no matter how she tried, it slid off her head. Now my sister Eden tried it, and LOVED it. So now I am up to my ears in knitting requests from my family. But I don't mind, like I said, I love to knit. I'll post pics when I'm feeling better. Then you guys can tell me what you think!

Okay, so you all know I'm trying to lose weight, but what you don't know is that my father is too. He only has a little bit to lose, like 10 or 15 lbs, but he unfortunately has an achilles heel. Biscotti. I started making biscotti because I thought it would be good to have something in the cupboards for my family to snack on. My dad tried one biscotti and he was hooked. No matter what flavor I baked, he ate them up, he is like a biscotti addict. The middle of last week I baked up four different flavors of biscotti. My pantry was stocked. On monday I checked the pantry and found that there was only eight biscotti left. My dad and youngest sister had eaten them all!! Thats about ten biscotti a day! I was shocked. Now my dad says I need to hurry up and feel better so I can make more. Hahaha. So here is my favorite type of Biscotti. And bonus it's actually healthy for you! Boo-yah!

This is not the best photo sorry! Still working on my photography skills.

Chia Coconut Biscotti

3/4 c. Amaranth Flour

1/2 c. Tapioca Starch Flour

1/2 c. Chia Seed Meal

1/2 t. Xanthan Gum

1/2 t. Salt

3/4 t Corn-Free Baking Powder

1/2 c. Spectrum Organic Shortening, cholesterol free

1/2 t. Vanilla

1 t. Imitation Coconut Flavoring ( I use McCormicks because it is Corn-Free)

1/2 c.Sugar
3/4 c. Splenda ( you can try replacing all of the sugar with Splenda, that is my next step)

4 Eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a square cake pan with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.
3. Mix together the flour, chia, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
4. Beat the butter until creamed, then add sugar and flavorings. Beat the eggs in one at a time.
5. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. To cool, place damp paper towels on loaf and cover with aluminum foil and let cool.
8. When cooled wrap loaf in foil and freeze for a couple hours or overnight.
9. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and cut down the middle into two loaves, then slice each half as thinly as possible.
10. Lay out  on a cookie sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper, and bake for 15-25 minutes.
11. Take the cookies out of the oven as soon as they start to brown, don't wait until crispy. They will completely crisp up later.

This recipe makes about 60 biscotti. FYI these are 47 calories each.