From Scratch.

My friend  is a constant source of great recipes and ideas for saving money.  She had posted a link to a recipe for bagels recently, and I was super excited!  I love bagels!  I had never thought of making my own.  I had set aside most of yesterday for baking, and here is what I came up with:

I substituted half of the flour for organic whole wheat flour and added 1 Tbsp. flax seeds, 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds, and 2 handfuls of tropical trail mix (banana, papaya, date, raisin, etc., nut-free).  They aren't as bagel-y as I thought...less of that chewy texture, but they are light and have a crunchy crust!  I might use a different recipe next time to see if it comes out any different.  Jon was rather disappointed that they weren't like the ones from the store.  That didn't stop him from eating three of them already, though.

Yesterday, I also made two loaves of whole wheat bread (Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book) and some gluten-free peanut butter cookies.  This is my new favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, surprisingly!  Even my Grammie's 'peanutty criss-crosses' don't compare.  With only 4 ingredients, they are simple, quick, and I love that I don't have to use flour!  Jon and I have a family friend that is gluten-free, so finding recipes that she can eat has been very difficult with my budget.  This batch is for a Valentine's Day Bake Sale at the local library, and I hope that even if no one there needs gluten-free, they will enjoy them!  Jon's sculpture is featured at the library this month and March, as well, and there will be a reception March 21st.  He is very excited to be able to show his work!  I will need to provide baked goods and other munchies for this event, which will be attended by the gluten-free person, so I will be looking for other easy recipes that don't involve flours I've never heard of.  If anyone actually reads this blog has any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

These wonderful cookies have left me without any peanut butter, though, which is a main staple for us.  I have a massive bag of peanuts in front of me that need to be shelled, thrown in the Ninja food processor (BEST THING EVER), and stored.

I have one batch done already, which of course meant that I needed to have a snack.

*Drooling*

And before I forget, the bunnies are now 15 days old and huge! 

This little one is my favorite.

It just falls asleep right in my hand.  This little one is the first to fall asleep nursing, and it curls right up on Ruby's tummy in a little ball.  The biggest black one is always very sleepy and lazy, and the smaller black one is feisty, though it often falls asleep nursing, rolls into one of its siblings, and proceeds to snooze on its back with its legs up in the air.