I am just giddy with excitement for Christmas this year. My kids are now 12, and 10 but we still play into the whole Santa Claus “thing” and I think they are going to be surprised by a few things they may find under the tree tomorrow.  So much fun.

My husband also bought me a present yesterday at Costco and I think it may be the best present yet!  We bought a Happy Light Energy Lamp and I am actually using it right now while I blog.

• Beat the “Winter Blues” & the Effects of Seasonal Change
• Improve Mood & Energy
• Regain Focus & Productivity

Muddy Rudder Public House
Disguised as a red two-story house in Sellwood’s lazy downtown, Muddy Rudder is a novel concept: a family-oriented pub. Out back you’ll find picnic tables enclosed with fences and some shrubbery, so feel free to let the kids run around while you sample their signature organic flour pizzas with pecorino cheese.

8105 Southeast 7th Avenue
Portland, Or
503-233-4410
Online: www.muddyrudderpdx.com

Breakside Brewery
Breakside is one of Portland’s favorite dining destinations any time of year, but when it’s sunny and warm out, there’s no better place to be. The big doors roll up to make the entire restaurant open to the outside, plus, there is a large area outside with big long picnic tables for families to get some sunshine, food and a pint for mom and dad.

820 Northeast Dekum Street
Portland, Or
503-719-6475
Online: www.breaksidepdx.com

Cup & Saucer Café
Cup & Saucer has a few locations around Portland, but their café on North Mississippi is our pick for outdoor dining. There are tables and chairs outside on the sidewalk and in the little courtyard in front of the café – perfect for enjoying breakfast, lunch or dinner (they serve all three!). Cup & Saucer has a ton of great menu options for kids and we love their commitment to sustainability and to using the best quality cage-free, hormone and antibiotic free eggs in their dishes.

3746 North Mississippi Avenue
Portland, Or
503-548-4614
Online: www.cupandsaucercafe.com

Grilled Cheese Grill
Technically a food cart that makes its home in a double-decker bus (yes, you read that correctly), the Grilled Cheese Grill also has a section of outdoor picnic tables for munching on your lunch! We especially love it here because their menu caters to the entire family – get a basic kid’s grilled cheese for just $2.50 or customize a gourmet grilled cheese creation that will make your mouth water. And, they even have
homemade tomato soup!

SE 28th & Ankeny
Portland, Or
503-206-7018
Online: www.grilledcheesegrill.com

Nepo 42
A bar/restaurant that is both kid friendly and sports fan friendly? Now that’s something we can get behind. Sit out on the patio during the summer and enjoy an adult beverage for mom and dad, and sample the finger-licking appetizers like jalapeno poppers and hummus. Try the wings for your more traditional pub food–you won’t be disappointed

5403 NE 42nd Avenue
Portland, Or
503-288-8080
Online: www.neppo42.com 

Lucca
Here’s a culinary challenge for you – find a place that is super kid-friendly, but with food that will knock your socks off AND an outside dining option. Look no further than Lucca in Portland’s Alameda neighborhood. On warm days, they set up tables outside along the sidewalk so you can enjoy their delicious Italian menu while getting some fresh air. The kid’s menu is perfect, fresh, simple and delicious and comes with a  drink and ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert. Yum!

3449 Northeast 24th Avenue
Portland, Or
503-287-7372
Online: www.luccapdx.com

Hedge House
Any place that advertises “kids and dogs welcome” is a hit with us (and other Portland families can agree). With a selection of house brewed beer along with a menu that will please even the most picky palates, Hedge House is great for lunch and dinner. Head outside and post up on one of the picnic tables, or sit under the covered tables for a little cover from the elements.

3412 Southeast Division
Portland, Or
503-235-2215
Online: www.newoldlompoc.com/hedgehouse

Tin Shed
If you ask a random Portland-er what the best spot in town is to grab a meal outside, there’s no doubt that you’ll hear the Tin Shed named over and over again. With outdoor seating in the patio and the colorful garden in the back, both of which are kid-friendly (and dog-friendly too!), the Tin Shed is a popular choice for dining al fresco. Parents and kids will love the tasty and inexpensive kid’s menu where everything is $2.50.

1438 Northeast Alberta Street
Portland, Or
503-288-6966
Online: www.tinshedgardencafe.com

Laughing Planet Café
Sometimes a sunny day calls for some great Mexican food, don’t you think? Check out Laughing Plant’s location on Belmont – they have a super and casual outdoor dining area with regular- and kid-sized picnic tables. Laughing Planet features a vegetarian menu that is also very focused on healthy food – nothing is fried and you won’t find processed foods on the menu here. Kids will especially love the Beans, Cheese & Chips on the menu – whole pintos with jack cheese and chips to scoop it all up!

3320 Southeast Belmont Street
Portland, Or
503-235-6472
Online: www.laughingplanetcafe.com

– Katie Kavulla

photo courtesy of Augie Schwer

Unless you can count just staring at my computer screen as doing something, I haven’t been very productive. All I’m doing is waiting to leave my place to go to Mississippi Studios where Viva Voce is going to play tonight with 1939 Ensemble and Battle Me.

Five o’clock approaches so Brad and I take off. The show isn’t until nine pm but Brad wants to check out the ReBuilding Center before it closes at six. We come across traffic on the roads; worried we won’t make it in time. Brad mentions there’s too many cars on the roads, too many people with vehicles. And then he contradicts my route. I assure him that I made the right decision. It was good enough anyway because we make it to Mississippi Ave with a half an hour for him to browse for big door stops: something to elevate his drawing board, for his makeshift drawing desk. The place is full of discarded sinks, doors, lumber, piping, and various necessary accessories. Thunderous sounds come from above; it’s hard rain hitting the steel roof. I text with Ben discussing if he’s coming to the show or not; he is, but he’s got a lot of reading for school to do first. Brad doesn’t find what he needs before the announcement of closure. So we run out into the falling water, Brad empty-handed, to The Fresh Pot to sit and sip some black caffeinated water known as coffee; I read the Portland Mercury and Brad reads some of his comics; the place is an old pharmacy by the look of it; the Rx sign outside is proof. There’s small works of art lined up on the wall; no price tags. An antique scale, in working condition, accuracy unknown, is holding various coffee and tea accompaniments. The other patrons are quiet; reading or working on their laptops or tablets. Ambient music is heard overhead; some of it ethnic. The barista makes an announcement that the shop closes in fifteen minutes; we pack up our things and leave. We walk along Mississippi Ave and check out things we didn’t see before. I notice a lot of places have Willamette Week Pick stickers on their windows; I wonder if they’re given away willy-nilly. Brad’s hungry; we stop in the Laughing Planet Cafe. He gets a burrito. I get a mango, banana, and pineapple juice smoothie, a.k.a Jungle Juice. We stop by Ruby Jewel Scoops and Brad gets a scoop of caramel and salted chocolate on a waffle cone; he thinks it’s delicious.  Ben texts me and says he can’t go, too much school work.

The Show, Finally

Eight pm approaches, the time the box office opens. Brad and I mosey on to Mississippi Studios to purchase our tickets. We stand first in a line, behind a red velvet rope, and wait. When the time comes, I get to the counter, and I find that I can’t use my card, so I walk to the ATM and pull out a couple of twenties. After I get my ticket, and get stamped, Brad and I chill at a table in Bar Bar and drink a vodka tonic each. Brad plays a snowboard game on his PSP. I people watch and text back and forth with a gal-friend from work. She wants to come; I tell her to meet me here. Seeing the other people I come to the conclusion that Portland is full of beautiful people; with different fashion styles; different personas; all of them walking around drinking their different kinds of drinks, wearing their different haircuts. But one thing I realize we all have in common: we have the same taste in music, even if it is limited to one band. I text my friend asking where she’s at because it has been a while; she texts back claiming she wont make it in time because she broke her foot. Nine o’clock comes and we make our way to the Studio. The first opener, Battle Me, hasn’t got on the stage yet; the place is somewhat empty. And when they do there’s three of them: a keyboardist, drummer, and the singer-guitarist front-man. The performance is a portrayal of distortion rock; head-bang music. I’m banging my head anyway, subtly. Everyone else seems to be still in motion; reserving their energy for the headliner. 1939 Ensemble is next. I’ve seen them before at Doug Fir; openers for AgesandAges. It’s the same set I think. They switch between drums and xylophone halfway like last time; I had a feeling they were going to. The place seems a little fuller. After they finish their set, Brad stands in line to use the bathroom along with three to four other people. I need to use the bathroom too but I don’t want to wait in line. I go to Bar Bar’s bathroom and find it empty. I return to find Brad still waiting; I tell him I was faster; he doesn’t care. We get some more vodka tonics. And then it’s Viva Voce’s turn. Usually there’s only two of them, so I assume, but now there’s two more: a different drummer and a bassist; a full band. They thank us for being here. The first song is a slow one. I hope they play The Future Will Destroy You; I don’t know why, I just do. Anita asks the sound guy to turn up Kevin’s guitar. They thank us again. The place is fuller. Viva Voce rocks out. Anita switches her guitar; asks the sound guy to correct something else. They thank us again. They ask the sound guy of something.  Anita and Kevin want their sound perfect and I, and everyone else probably, appreciate it. True artists. They thank us again; and Anita introduces the other members as their cousins. They end their set. No The Future Will Destroy Us. Wait! Encore! But still not; instead they play Analog Woodland Song. And it’s beautiful. Then their cousins exit the stage and the couple plays a duo (Rose City?) to finish things off.

Conclusion

You know a show is over when the lights come on. I learn my friend didn’t actually break her foot, just a stress fracture. But she wants to meet for drinks. I tell her I’m broke and pooped and am just going to go home. When I get home I get into bed and watch an episode of the X-Files. I fall asleep with five minutes left.

Two middle-aged women dressed in matching beige coats and black boots ask to order ahead of family studying the menu.

“We’re just here to order beers,” said the taller of the women as the shorter woman laughs. Minutes later a transaction is complete and the women are handed two stouts, their glasses full of dark black liquid with a perfect inch of foam lining the rims.

“Spencer, you have to share with your brother,” says a woman to a young boy who does not want to share the toy stegosaurus on his table with his younger brother.

“Here. Want mine?” says a girl from a neighboring table to the two brothers as she offers up the two tyrannosaurus rexes that sat upon her table.

“Farm Boy Tim for Karen?” asks a Laughing Planet employee as he walks around the clustered tables carrying a red smoothie and looking for its owner.

“You know, I’m not sure where I’ll be next,” says a woman to the man sitting across from her at the table in the far corner. “But you know you’ll be fine wherever, right,” answers the man.

Random chatter is overheard from the new customers walking in.

“I like the Laughing Planet on Willamette so much better than this one.”

“What is tempeh?”

“Ohmigod, have you tried the PB&J smoothie?”

“He was supposed to meet me at Max’s and then never showed up. I ended up taking DDS home anyway. But he texted me about tonight, too. So, I don’t know what to do.”

“Wine or beer?”

“Are your grades posted from bio yet? I don’t want to see what I got.”

A man holding a large envelope walks in and navigates through the four people in line to the front counter. “Hi, do you have a board somewhere where I could post some flyers?”

“Yeah, right through there, in front of the restrooms,” answers an employee. The man turns back with a smile and a slight raise of his hand as if signaling “thank you.”

In a table next to the window a group of 3 college age boys are eating and laughing simultaneously together. The tall, brown-haired boy stands up and pushes out his chair before walking toward the bathroom.

“Dude, you think he’ll notice if I snag a bite?” asks the blond-haired boy to his friend in a hooded sweatshirt while pointing to their friend’s abandoned quesadilla. “Nah dude, he’ll never know,” answers the friend.

“Do I have to ask to get water?” whispers a young woman to her friend as they look around the restaurant for an employee.

Someone accidentally pushes their glass off the edge of their table and for a moment all the buzz quieted. Not three seconds later the perpetrator let out a giggle and all crunching and conversation among the restaurant resumed.

The view from 29th Street facing east.

The name of Eugene’s Friendly Neighborhood can be described as just that, friendly. Located between Amazon Parkway and Chambers Street from east to west, and from 18th Street up to 29th Street north to south, this neighborhood boasts both quaint residential clusters as well as bustling business centers.

Woodfield Station offers a variety of stores, both local and corporate.

Don’t let that fool you, though. As with most things in Eugene, there is always something unique to be seen, even within a large corporate shopping center such as Woodfield Station. For example, tucked in the corner between Office Max and Market of Choice is the new location of Eugene’s quirky go-to gourmet burrito spot, Laughing Planet Café.

Where the Adidas/Rexius Trail intersects along Amazon Parkway.

Just on the opposite side of the neighborhood on 18th Street, you can find a unassuming red trailer across from the always-student-packed Safeway. BBQ King has been serving up hearty plates of authentic barbecue to the Eugene community for over 35 years, and the locals clearly haven’t gotten their fill.

After you’ve indulged in one of the many delicious dining options Friendly Neighborhood offers, you might want to walk that meal off on the Adidas/Rexius Trail, located along Amazon Parkway. You could always to bring your pooch too, as there is beautiful dog park at the corner of 29th and Amazon.

BBQ King has been feeding the hungry stomachs of Eugene locals for years.

This neighborhood has anything you could possibly need, from supermarkets, to dog parks, to family-run coffee shops. Stay tuned as we cover the in’s and out’s of Friendly Neighborhood in Eugene.

The colorful walls of orange, red and green are adorned with local, scenic photographs and abstract paintings. Modern furniture and green leafy plants decorate the high-ceilings, but there is something unique about the Laughing Planet Café, even in the sea of diversity that is Eugene, Oregon. At least fifty toy dinosaurs lay under glass and as centerpieces on tables with no general indication about why. A man dressed in a blue, button-up shirt with wire-rimmed glasses gives me my Auckland smoothie and ponders my question.

“Uh, the dinosaurs?” He scratches his head. “I guess, they’re kind of here to remind us not to get cocky.” His laugh fills the room indicating that he has nothing more to say about the dinosaur collection.

Laughing Planet Café customers are just like everything else in Eugene, impossible to pinpoint or label with a demographic. There are young couples removing the aluminum foil from their burritos and groups of five or more munching on quesadillas. Laughter floats around like a smell in the one-room restaurant, while single customers flip through the remnants of newspapers provided by the café. There is a bin for aluminum foil to be recycled. My smoothie came to me in a completely reusable glass and with an extra dose of Emergen-C for my common autumn cold. The kiwi fruit, strawberries, bananas and apple juice in my smoothie blend wonderfully on my tongue and I am happy I spent over $4 on it. Flipping through an old Eugene Weekly shows page after page about the happenings and injustices in my community. I sip the last bits of my smoothie down until I hear that slurping sound from the bottom of the glass and place it in the bin with the other recyclables. The recycling center reminds me of the employee’s answer to my question about the dinosaurs. Earth rid itself of the dinosaurs and it could rid itself of us as well, might as well recycle for nothing else than to pad my conscience resume.

Scene Two

The corner of 8^th and Charnelton is chilly by 8pm on Friday, but a quick duck into Theo’s Coffee House instantly provides a warm environment. High ceilings, with decorative hangings that look like giant pieces of popcorn, give an echo to the multiple conversations taking place. Captain Blastie, a local musician, takes the stage with his acoustic guitar and sings covers of Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Jimmy Buffett. The smell of Cosmic Pizza’s organic pizza wafts throughout the tables of the audience.

After Captain Blastie’s set, and a quick break in the music, he takes the stage again but this time he is playing “shakers” for the band “Gemiinii Riisiing.”  The lead singer is a young woman with long red hair covered with a gray, feathered fedora. Her voice is soothing and slightly mournful, perfect for the Gemiinii Riisiing genre of experimental/acoustic/psychedelic. She also plays the acoustic guitar for the band.

“Oh wow, Eagle Park Slim just walked in,” a nearby fan leans over and tells his friend while pointing to the Jazz/Blues musician. “That is so cool.”

The band doesn’t seem to notice but his presence is definitely recognized by a good part of the audience.

Eagle Park Slim is seen at a corner of Saturday Market in Eugene as he plays the blues on his guitar. His deep voice and memorable lyrics usually get a group of passersby to stop and listen.

Eugene is one of those cities that can usually be described as having music in the air, literally. If it isn’t on the street itself in the form of people looking for a quick buck than it’s wafting into the street from small, local stages. All Eugene festivals such as Eugene Celebration or the Sasquatch Brewfest just wouldn’t be complete without two or more local bands. Whether you find yourself rocking to Gemiinii Riisiing’s unique sound or tapping your foot to Eagle Park Slim’s bluesy tunes you usually can’t go wrong when you stop and listen to the music.

There a lot of cool places in Bend but my most exciting find is what is now my favorite bookstore in the world (yes, I say that even after visiting Powell’s in Portland the very next day.)  Between the Covers is a tiny, sun-soaked shop with a well-curated selection of books and, more importantly, classic candy.  They also have the most gorgeous pup welcoming guests at the entrance.

While we had divine meals at McKay Cottage and Jackson’s Corner, the highlight of my eats in Bend was the unbelievably creamy Blueberry Lavender smoothie I picked up at Mother’s Juice Cafe.  I never would have thought to incorporate lavender into a smoothie, but since I’ve been home I have been recreating the recipe often!

Our time in Bend was way too short.  I could have easily passed the whole week ambling along the river by day and sampling the zillions of local microbrews by night.  But alas, Portland was calling, so we hopped in a rental car and took off.

Here’s a cloudy view of Mt. Hood on the pretty drive:

We ended up getting into Portland pretty late, so we checked into Hotel Monaco and then booked it to the only restaurant on my list of places to eat that was open: Laughing Planet Cafe.  This mini-chain, with locations all over Oregon, has a menu that is right up my alley: the ingredients are unprocessed and tend to be sourced locally (although it’s not vegetarian so some of those locally sourced foodstuffs are meats.)  I ordered the “Soylent Green” which the menu describes as “shitake barley-quinoa pilaf, steamed chard, broccoli, and organic tempeh.”  One can choose between a cilantro pesto or a shitake mushroom sauce to top it all off. I went with the mushroom and am happy I did because it really made the dish.  The pilaf itself was really well done–it had the perfect chewy texture.

All mixed up:

Boyfriend had a basic burrito that was really good.  Laughing Planet is the kind of place that I think I would eat at all the time if I lived in Oregon.  It’s a great place to get healthy, inventive meals for low prices.  With that said, if you are just visiting Portland, you probably shouldn’t go out of your way to eat at Laughing Planet, as there are so many other vegan and vegetarian places you should hit.  But if you happen to be hungry and there is one nearby, it’s definitely worth checking out.  Personally, I’m eying the Thai-Me-Up Burrito–complete with pico de gallo AND peanut sauce– for my next trip.

The next morning, we woke up and hopped on bikes provided by our lovely hotel.  I adored our hotel, by the way.  Our room was beautiful and the location was ideal.  We walked, rode our bikes, or took public transportation easily to every place we went.  If you are looking for accomdations in PDX, I highly recommend Hotel Monaco.

We rode over the Williamette river to Sweet Pea Baking Company, situated in the famous all-vegan strip mall, complete with vegan bakery, clothing shop, grocery store, and tattoo parlor:

I thought a selection from Sweetpea’s fine loose leaf tea selection with a cinnamon roll would be the perfect breakfast.

Unfortunately the cinnamon roll was a tad stale.  It was really dry and tough.  I think it had probably been sitting out for a long time.  However, this didn’t seem to bug me all that much judging by the after pic:

BF ordered “The Katie John Rainboots” which was your typical chickpea-based mock tuna sandwich.

While I didn’t have the best baked good at Sweetpea, I will definitely give it another shot when I make it back to Portland, if only because it’s so bright and cheery (and animal product-free, woo!) in there I couldn’t not go back, even if just for a cup of tea.

That concludes the first part of my Oregon trip.  Stay tuned for part two which includes outings to Voodoo Doughnut and Vita Cafe, among other deliciousness!

Laughing Planet Cafe sources its food primarily from Food Services of America. They are the first “broadline distributor” to become Food Alliance certified, a certifier that ensures sustainable food systems. “At first we used commercial chicken,” Satnick informs me. “Now we use chicken raised in Washington. We had to grow to have the buying power, getting bigger allows the leverage.” Whenever possible, Laughing Planet Cafe buys local – or as close to home as they can: local spinach, brown rice from California, beans from Central Bean co-op in Washington, produce from Gatto & Sons in Portland, and tofu from Ota, the family-owned Japanese tofu maker in SE Portland.

The public perception of fast food is pretty unanimous: fast food is about convenience and it’s unhealthy. So if you’re in the business, you want to rebrand yourself. You want to be the healthy choice. The smart option. Satnick calls it “Slow Food Fast”. The local products and nutrition of the more traditional Slow Food movement provided in a quick service environment. Not that Laughing Planet Cafe can take on the fast food industry: out-advertise, out-sell, and own more real estate. The Laughing Planet Cafe has a more modest goal “to change the world one burrito at a time”. How do you change the world with a burrito? Everyone is asking this: how do you change the world? The world is changing and it’s taken for granted, so the only thing humanity can do is change it’s relationship to the world. And if you’re in the restaurant business that starts with food.

The Laughing Planet Cafe doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it aspires to nutritional quality on par with the best white tablecloth restaurants in town. If you’re a restaurant like Higgins and you can change the menu to accommodate whatever fresh food is locally available, you have an advantage. But that’s an expensive meal, and the Laughing Planet Cafe’s advantage is an affordable price, neighborhood convenience, and a down-home feeling. Laughing Planet Cafe doesn’t really fit in the category of traditional fast food with locations along busy urban corridors and endless advertising campaigns. Satnick says, “It started as a giant experiment.” He had no background in food. He had no money. He learned about balance sheets from running a bike shop in Atlanta “because I loved bikes.”

Satnick opened the first Laughing Planet Cafe in Bloomington, Indiana and later moved to Portland where he introduced the burrito as a “Portable Nutrition Device”. Expanding on the beans and rice burrito to include a range of healthy options, Satnick developed a menu focused on whole, fresh foods. “We thought, why not broccoli? Something to round it out – we don’t have to be traditional. It’s a completely balanced meal: organic brown rice, whole legumes, fresh vegetables. And it’s designed to fit in water bottle racks on mountain bikes.”

The humor apparent in their name, interior design, and website is another endorsement of healthy living. The positive feeling in the restaurants is Satnick’s personal style. He’s something of a prankster: Zappa and R. Crumb featured in the restaurants decor are personal heroes. To reach economies of scale, Satnick opened a central kitchen on Mississippi. “You don’t need to open up four kitchens, when you open up four restaurants,” he says. This economizes on the amount of equipment, and makes it easier to store bigger quantities of food. “This interests the vendors – they can just drop off a palette at the central kitchen.” Satnick learned to economize not to stand up to the big guys, just to offer an alternative: nutritious, affordable, and accessible. “At the same time,” he ventures, “to subvert the systems we’re participating in.” He views the industrial food system as unsustainable. “It won’t last,” he opines. “It doesn’t respect the earth or the consumers.” Satnick uses the buying power of the Laughing Planet Cafe to support methods that don’t use pesticides and don’t destroy the soil.

The new store is located in the Ecotrust building. The environmental non-profit asked Laughing Planet Cafe to be in the building, and the restaurant wants to do everything it can to live up to the promise of sustainability. “We’re not just another burrito joint.”

Ecotrust | 721 NW Ninth Ave, Suite 200 | Portland, Oregon 97209 | tel: 503.227.6225

Cirque du Cycling, presented by Laughing Planet Café, is part circus, part
bike street race and a benefit for Self Enhancement, Inc.

The whole event kicks off at 4:00 with a free three mile family ride to
Peninsula Park. There is also a bike parade (advance registration required)
featuring all sorts of wild sculptural bikes: tall bikes, choppers, swing bikes
and more.

There’s live music all afternoon, plenty of entertainment to watch and an
evening criterium street race with a two-way racing right down the middle of
Mississippi Avenue.

Come relax in the beer garden, bring your bike, settle into your lawn
chair, peruse the shops of Mississippi Avenue and numerous exhibitors and be
prepared to be awed by spectacular bicycle tricks and riding feats.

check out more details on their site…HERE.

Good Morning and Merry Christmas Everyone!

We have survived yet another Christmas and I would have to say that despite the 4:40am Wake-Up Call from the kids, it has been a holiday filled with lots of love, laughter and joy!

Last night we went to a really fun Christmas Eve party where the kids played holiday games and Santa even made an appearance at the party.   So funny!  The kids did not know what to think.

Santa brought Emmet a T-Shirt from his favorite restaurant- Boke Bowl!

Ms. Zoe got an assortment of presents but is already back in bed getting a few zzz’s.  I  wish I was in bed with her but decided to celebrate Christmas with a cup of full octane coffee and am feeling the buzz.  Ha!

Wow!  It is only 8:30am and I feel like I have been up for hours.  Oh wait…. I have been~

I do have a Christmas Gift for all of you and it is a recipe for the best Hemp, Chia and Flax Cookies!  I made these for Santa yesterday and they are a winner.  I am a wee bit obsessed with the “Hempseed Cookie” from Laughing Planet and wanted to try and re-create at home.  The best part is these cookies are Vegan and Gluten Free.  I heard that Santa was making some changes to his diet so I was trying to be conscious of that as well.

•  ½ cup almond butter
• ½ cup coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar ( or brown sugar) 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 Tbsp almond milk or water, cold + more if the dough is really dry
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp hemp seeds 
• 1Tbsp flax seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup chocolate chips, dairy-free

Directions:

Stir together the dry and the wet ingredients. If the mixture is too dry, feel free to add another tablespoon of almond milk (or water). Then add the coconut  and chocolate chips.  Mix well.

I am off to rest and relax until our next Christmas Party which starts at noon.  I am wishing all of you a VERY, Merry Christmas, filled with, love, good health, happiness,  delicious food and lots of joy~