Do you know the term “baby bunching?” It’s when you have your kids back-to-back to rough out the young times all at once.
Today was kitchen bunching! I dirtied up the same bowl and pans and food processer with multiple recipes so I’d only have to clean them once : )
Recipe #1 was coconut butter! FINALLY!
I put about 2.5 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes (which we buy in bulk for the bakery) in the processor.
It was pretty gritty, so I decided to add a tbsp of coconut oil to help smooth it out. This actually worked well!
The end product is a nice texture…but I’m not sure of the taste! It’s not quite as good as my favorite Artisana. A bit more savory or something?
Recipe #2 was homemade almond butter. I used this recipe minus the pumpkin spices.
Raw almonds…
Roasted with 1 tbsp molasses and 1 tbsp honey (I’m out of maple syrup!)
Whirled with 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp canola oil. Came together nicely. But the taste is…off. No idea why. Too much molasses? Missing maple? Stale almonds? I have no idea. Hope it grows on me! Maybe I’m just having pregnancy palate.
Lastly I made granola!
This one was a winner.
Simply Sunny Granola
- 2 cups oats
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds
All baked for 30 minutes at 300* with 1 stir in the middle.
Good ole simple oaty granola.
I had some in a near-empty yogurt container for a snack : )
Then I walked to yoga!! Loved it tonight. I could tell such a difference in my squats from the first series to the last. Love cat + cow. Love legs up the wall. I so wish the class was twice a week!!
The plan for dinner was for Matt to get split pea soup started after his workout, but he ended up going later and walking me home, so we brainstormed other ideas.
Protein, protein, protein. I’m trying hard to get more! We debated everything from sardine salad to boxed soup to pasta and couldn’t settle on anything. My appetite has been off today and a touch of the first trimester made a return.
The funny thing about pregnancy cravings is that they aren’t really cravings. They’re almost anti-cravings. Everything sounds gross except for ONE thing and that one thing is what I decide to eat.
Tonight that one thing was french toast!
I had a big salad at lunch, so I didn’t worry about veggies with dinner. Had a grapefruit instead!
This was Egg City – an interconnected slice of Cville Crunch glued to an end piece glued to an egg, sunny side poked. I topped them with random coconut butter (still don’t like it 
) and some Oikos!
Thankful this dinner worked for my mouth!
I wonder if the baby is growing through a growth spurt because I’ve just felt kind of off all day. I’m sooooo tired tonight and could have gone to bed at 8:30! Actually, I’m headed there now : )
Nite!
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
French toast and eggs for dinner actually sounds delightful—pregnancy or no pregnancy!
you were quite productive in the kitchen! How cool to try out some new things, like coconut butter! And french toast for dinner sounds amazing to me! I should have done something like that since I had tons of veggies all day – maybe tomorrow!
I love making granola – so easy and so good!
Nothing hits the spot more than breakfast for dinner!
I had breakfast for dinner tonight too
Gotta go with what you feel like eating!
Hi Kath,
I’ve made coconut buuter from Ashley’s recipe and it tastes just like Artisana at a fraction of the cost! She uses unsweetened shredded coconut flakes-making sure they are fresh. Hope this helps! I’ve made it twice this way and love it.
That’s what I used. Maybe it was stale or something.
Hi! I was thinking maybe you did not blend it enough? When I make mine,i continue to blend it past the point of grittiness and it always turns out super creamy and sweet regardless of what brand of coconut I bought. Hope it helps!
My pregnant friend and I also had intense cravings for French Toast and Pancakes. It seems to be a common pregnancy favorite. =) Now I want some!
Sometimes when I have to make something gluten/dairy free and then something not gluten/dairy free I will kitchen bunch. Love that term! I haven’t made granola in forever…I need to change that!
I hadn’t heard the term baby bunching before, but I am definitely a fan of kitchen bunching! Mmm, your granola looks good. Yogurt + granola is one of the best snacks ever. Hope you can sleep well tonight and feel more normal tomorrow!
I love breakfast for dinner…and I can only image how awesome the french toast is on Cville Crunch! I’m still dying to get a slice of that bread
Enjoy your early bedtime! I love when I’m getting in bed before 9…(is that sad? maybe I shouldn’t admit that, haha)
I make almond butter often and use nothing but roasted almond and a pinch or two of salt. I haven’t tried any spice or sweetener because we like it just plain. I do know that if I don’t process quite long enough it will be very thick and gritty. The first time I made it we didn’t enjoy it as much. My recipe says to make sure not to over roast them and process them warm if that helps any. It’s from Cook’s Illustrated.
I’m pretty sure I over roasted : (
Yes, I understand that can be a killer. I roast at 375 for 10 minutes, maybe 11 or 12 if I am brave. And I obsess the whole time.
Kath, what are the health benefits of coconut butter? Thanks!
It’s just a nice healthy fat
I don’t really understand the adding in of a fat, even if it’s healthy, unless it’s necessary for pregnancy/baby development in your case? I see blogs where people are adding in coconut butter to oatmeal, etc. like you do; don’t most Americans get PLENTY of fat in their diet without adding more?
I eat it because it’s delicious… And satisfying. Not for any health benefit.
I’ll take that coconut butter off your hands if you don’t want it
Ugh. I totally hear you on the food aversion regressions. I planned on a delicious spinach salad with roasted turkey for lunch. But when lunch rolled around the thought of spinach made me want to Vom. I ended up putting spinach in a smoothie for a snack. We will see if these continue until delivery!
We do breakfast for dinner every Thursday night. It has just become a tradition in our house.
You know on the almond butter, honey is not as sweet as maple syrup. Could it be that the almond butter is not sweet enough? I have been experimenting with that recipe. I like it with the cinnamon, but not the rest of the spices, and I use macadamia nut oil instead of canola. Turns out really tasty!
I am going to give the coconut butter a try this week. I am also thinking about experimenting with chocolate hazelnut butter. Love Justin’s, but my wallet doesn’t love it so much.
I always hated it when people asked me what pregnancy cravings I was having. I rarely had a true craving…like you I had strong aversions so I was just happy when anything sounded good. Sadly for me, it lasted through the second trimester.
Your dinner sounds SO good! Maybe it’s a pregnancy thing, but once I saw your pictures that combo is all I can think about and I already ate. Supper for tomorrow!?
super random: is that a sharpie pen I see next to your recipe? <3 I am a dweeb for school supplies. also, I cannot wait to try that unstripped granola! looks perfectly simple.
Yup! Love them.
Lots of fun dishes/recipes!! Sleep well mommy and growing baby!
Yay, big batch staple cooking! I’m especially excited about that granola–clearly super simple, but it it’s exactly what I want to put in my mouth.
WOW! So productive in the kitchen. GO you!!
Kath this post is awesome!
The french toast, the pics, the making of coconut butter. I have tried to use coconut flakes + a splash of coconut oil for texture to make coconut butter and there is a distinct difference for me with homemade and Artisana. There’s a reason those little jars are 10 or 15 bucks…they have the magic!
And making AB. That’s another one I don’t do (for me it would be PB) because I don’t think my homemade is actually any better (and it’s far more costly) than just buying storebought. So coconut butter and nut butter are two things I have resigned myself to buy, for the most part, unless Im feeling adventurous.
Sorry to ramble
I agree with you! Ya still have to buy the ingredients
The almond butter texture looks great! I have never tried to make almond butter or peanut butter, but they are on my to-do list.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
One of my roommates told me that I’ve been eating weird things lately. I thought about it and then realized that I think it’s because you and another blogger I love are both pregnant. When I read your blogs y’all are always eating to satisfy those unique pregnancy cravings/anti-cravings. So your cravings become my cravings because I see all your beautiful pictures…kinda funny : )
So, do you think you’ll be baby bunching?
We did the opposite … we took our time, and every time things got easier, we had another baby! It’s wonderful however it happens.
No, hoping for 3-4 years between them
Yummy!! I wanna come over for a bite of all that goodness. xo
Love the term kitchen bunching, and so practical to do it. As for baby bunching, no thank you! Sounds too hard.
Breakfast is a worthy meal any time of the day. Nice choice!
Sorry about the coconut butter. I had a similar experience and can offer some ideas to get rid of it, if you’re interested. I used a couple of spoonfuls along with water/broth instead of coconut milk in soups, blended some in with black beans (actually like that dip you made a while back), and made special nut butter and cookie butter blends.
Yep, I definitely had the pregnancy aversion where only one thing in the world sounds good at any given moment! Your comment about baby hitting a growth spurt sounds right to me…I had the same experience where I would feel “off” around times when my son appeared to zoom forward in growth.
That french toast looks so great! I’m so jealous that you can get coconut flakes from your bakery (assuming you don’t have to pay for them lol).
Clean your processor between things. You can still see the coconut butter on the side while you were trying to do the almond butter. That’s why it tasted off.
No I like coconut and almond together. The almonds are burned
Huh, I bet the taste of your almond butter was off because you didn’t clean your food processor after making coconut butter.
But coconut butter is good! Matt said I burned the almonds
My mom baby bunched my bro and sis ….then I came along 4 years later!
Growing a human is exhausting, you’ll feel better soon.
The off taste in the almond butter could be the canola oil, which is likely rancid before you even buy it. Try using palm shortening next time. It’s room stable and so good for you. The almonds might have been rancid, too. I’m a bit of a bad oils freak lately, lol. Trying to avoid them!
Worst part about cooking is the washing up, especially the food processor so making multiple recipes all in one go is a fantastic idea! Love the randomness of your eats which some how you manage to always make look amazing!
You have been busy in the kitchen! I don’t like the sound of baby bunching, think i’ll wait a little while until i have my next one! My pregnancy craving was ice, wish it had been French toast as it looks yummy !
Productive afternoon! Perhaps the nut butter didn’t taste right as there was some residue from the coconut?
I would toss both the coconut butter and the almond butter. Both are calorically dense foods and, IMO, not worth eating if they don’t bring you maximum pleasure. But I most definitely applaud your efforts, they seem like fun cooking experiments to undertake. Sorry 2 of the 3 didn’t work out.
i’m always a fan of breakfast for dinner! pretty neat to make your own oils/butters; i definitely need a food processor.
There has to be a secret trick to making almond butter..I’ve tried numerous with slight varieties to the basic recipe and I’ve had NO luck!! Let me know if you find out the secret
http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/do-it-yourself/2012/01/how-to-make-almond-butter/
Works for me every time. And no added fats or sweeteners.
I just overroasted
Thanks so much Paula! Will check it out
Looks like you had a lot of fun in the kitchen…I love experimenting with recipes! The granola looks divine! Toasty oats…yummy!
That granola sounds great! I love the addition of the sunflower seeds!
I’m all about kitchen bunching and baby bunching although I’ve never heard the term before. My kids (5 and 6) are 12 months and 12 days apart and not by accident like most people think. Lots of work but lots of fun, they are best friends and play together all the time. My kids loved the honey bunnies from our local GH and we ordered plenty so I just finished slicing up the extra and freezing it this morning. I was planning on making several batches of granola today so your recipe will certainly be used. I totally agree about the pregnancy “cravings” being “anti-cravings” and how frustrating it was to not be able to convince myself that anything else sounded good.
I’ve always wanted to make granola from scratch. I’m going to have to try it sometime! French toast is perfect for dinner. I love having breakfast for dinner
Are you drizzling the honey or stirring? It seems to clump, then spread over just a section when I try to make granola with it? Do you have better luck drizzling it over?
I drizzled and then mixed more than I thought I had to
Oh, man- the coconut butter! I need to make that!!!!
I’ve had a few attempts at making almond butter, in both my Vitamix and Food processor. All have resulted in almond meal.
I know I sound like I’m trying to be an expert here, but I love making my own almond butter and hate to see it not working for people. The first time I made it I thought I would burn up my food processor and I didn’t go as far as I should have. The next time I let it run longer and I got really good butter. It takes a long time but you have to keep going. Once it makes almond meal you are almost there, well on the way anyway. Just keep processing.
3 cheers for French Toast for dinner! Sounds great for the pregnancy palate!
We definitely baby-bunched!! My kids are 16, 15, 13 and 13!
And I kitchen bunch all the time, too!
Adore breakfast for dinner! Looks like a busy, fun, creative day…interesting to know whether the things you made were off or if it’s your palate. Hmmmm…