There are times when everything flows smoothly in life. Perhaps all is going to plan or maybe pleasant surprises have been coming your way one by one. I love those stretches, they are blissful. Then there are periods, where it seems nothing is going right. Everywhere you turn there is another mountain before you.
Lately, it feels like I’m stuck in the later of the two.
Finding the beauty in the everyday and trying to make it my main focus has been a saving grace and kept me on the course through the tough stuff we’re dealing with.
Mr. Smith and I have been facing so many roadblocks to get his Canadian permanent residency and working visa – it feels like the impossible, never ending task. Alongside that, the enormous process of completing our U.S. taxes, which should have been simple, stretched over the past 6 months in a back and forth with the IRS to recognize Little A. and I as Mr.Smith’s foreign wife and son, aka ALIENS 🙂
I think I can finally check that one off the list! But, then comes some unbelievable family news that has left us rather flabbergasted and dealing with the greatest hurdle of them all. Boo.
One thing that Mr. Smith and I don’t believe in is self pity – never served us well! So, we chill out and focus on the good stuff, as difficult as that can sometimes be. What do you do when you feel overwhelmed?
Going for long walks, swimming laps, taking a bath, stretching to classical music, and baking are all things that help me zone out. The simple steps of baking ground me to the pleasant task and I always feel good about the end result.
This week, I’ve been baking up some healthy treats, for extra smiles and kisses, that make the mountains fade away. Oatmeal cookies have always been a comfort food for me and the boys of the house love them too. These ones are filled with delicious seeds and fruit from Enjoy Life – Not Nuts! Mountain Mambo Mix; which packs raw sunflower kernels, roasted hulled pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried apples, dairy-free chocolate chips and cranberries. Have you tried their allergy friendly trail mixes? They keep us going on good fuel and taste awesome.
Cheers to finding the beauty in today and to homemade gluten-free oatmeal trail mix cookies!!
p.s thanks for listening 🙂
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Trail Mix Cookies
Makes 12
2 cups of gluten-free oats
1/3 cup of tapioca flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of liquid coconut oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1/2 cup of Enjoy Life – Not Nuts! Mountain Mambo Mix or other fruit/seed mix
1/2 cup of dates, chopped
- Grind one cup of the gluten-free oats, until the flakes are nearly like flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, add liquid coconut oil (should be liquid at room temp, if not, melt at low temperature over stove top), and maple syrup. Blend well.
- In a large bowl, mix two cups of gluten-free oats (this includes the one cup ground), tapioca flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Pour wet mixture into dry mix. Blend well.
- Add the fruit and seed mix and the dates to the cookie dough. Mix well.
- If the dough is a bit dry, add a Tablespoon of water or almond milk to get a nice consistency.
- Form round balls with dough and place them on the cookie sheet, one inch apart. Press down gently with a fork to flatten just a bit.
- Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to plate.
- Enjoy!
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Amee Livingston says
June 11, 2012 at 2:13 pmEmily, I hope things are brighter for you soon! 🙁 Thinking of you. I love these yummy trail mix cookies. They look delicious!! I hope you have a lovely week.
xoxo~Amee
Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
June 11, 2012 at 2:19 pmI hope things will work out for you guys soon. I love how your cookies are packed with goodness and deliciousness. YUM! Have a fabulous day, Emily!
Jess says
June 11, 2012 at 2:37 pmChanges like that are never easy, especially when you have to follow government rules *sigh* but you just have to keep on keepin on. At least you are together with your sweet hubby, baby boy and those amazing cookies!
Alana says
June 11, 2012 at 4:45 pmEmily, I’m sending you happy thoughts and hope that you get through this tough time easily. Your cookies look so good and are soooo healthy, I love that about your recipes 🙂
Guru Uru says
June 11, 2012 at 8:25 pmMy best to you my friend, I hope you make it through this hard time!
Stunning cookies by the way, love the idea of making trail mix 😀
Cheers
CCU
Shu Han says
June 11, 2012 at 10:12 pmThe weather’s been just shitty recently and that always affects my mood. Thanks for reminding us to find the beauty in every day(: And may all your troubles get sorted out soon. It’ll all be fine x
tinajo says
June 11, 2012 at 10:38 pmLooks so good – would have needed that right now, have been with oldest son at emergency room for hours. Now we´re home and he´s sleeping, but I feel all uneasy and down. Hate it when they get hurt! 🙁
Gaby [The Vault Files] says
June 12, 2012 at 3:11 amYou had me at trail mix! They look really good!
So sorry to hear about problems with visas. We started the process to sponsor my husband parents like 5 years ago Emily and still nothing! It’s a bloody nightmare. And it turns out that now they don’t really need the canadian visa as they have become residents of the states and are happily living in Florida. Hope that all that daunting stuff gets resolved for you guys, soon!
Martina says
June 12, 2012 at 1:42 pmThese look super-yummylicious! Love your blog – am a foodie myself. New follower!
…and thanks for following me 😉
Punctuation Mark says
June 12, 2012 at 5:53 pmThese look delicious!!!
Saya says
June 13, 2012 at 10:56 pmOatmeal is ALWAYS so comforting in cookies… you’ve inspired me to incorporate them more in my baking! And when I feel overwhelmed? Here is just the start…. Can you believe I even made a list of my ‘simple joys’ to remind me in troubled times:
– massages
– bake goodies for friends
– buy a special edition magazine and savour every page
– paint my nails
– listen to beautiful music
– bubble bath with candles
– and sometimes… just spend time on youtube looking up beautiful dance performances… it’s just my thing that lifts me up!
I hope the mountains subside Emily: remember to think…”I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship” xo
Bonnie says
June 15, 2012 at 5:23 pmHope things are going better for you 🙂 Your cookies look really yummy, I wish i lived near to try them…