Lactation brownies

I wanted an easy and quick recipe for lactation cookies, but I didn't want to take the time to spoon out individual cookies. I bought brownie bars with oats at Trader Joes, but they did not taste as good as real brownies.  I don't understand how and why they put so much sugar into something and then make it taste healthy. I wanted something I could eat when I get a chocolate craving that tastes good.

These are my experiments with boxed brownie mix.

The Internet research pointed me to a babycenter group (The Exclusive Pumpers) who had tried this back in 2013. One poster suggested adding 3 Tbsp flax meal and 2 Tbsp Brewers yeast straight to a boxed mix. That sounded easy.  I wanted oatmeal too though so I added half a cup, that didn't seem like quite enough so I added another 1/4th cup for a total of 3/4 cup.

I pick up brownie mixes when I see them on sale and keep them for when I need a quick dessert.  The first mix I had in my cupboard was Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix.  I hoped to find a recipe that would work with any mix.

The brownies were delicious, they tasted like fudgey brownies.  They did not rise at all though, I probably could have used the 2 eggs for cakey brownies.

Here is my suggested recipe:

1 box brownie mix and ingredients listed on the box (usually eggs, water, and oil)

2 Tablespoons Brewers Yeast

3 Tablespoons Flax Meal

3\4 cup rolled oats.

1-2 Tablespoons extra water.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl (brownie mix, oatmeal, flax, brewer's yeast)

Add egg(s), oil, water, per box instructions. Mix the batter together with a mixing spoon.  The batter should be easy to stir but not runny, if it is too stiff then add an extra Tablespoon or two of water.

Spread into a greased pan and bake per the box instructions.

Some tips for the novice baker:

-Set your timer for the shortest time in the baking directions, check if they are done, if not close the oven for another minute or two.  Repeat at the end of that minute.

-instructions usually say to insert a fork and if it comes out clean they are done.  You are looking for drippy or gooey batter on the fork, that means it needs more time. A crumb or two on the fork means they are done.

-set the pan on a cooling rack or hot pad or trivit on the counter to cool.  The heat from the oven will continue to cook the brownies if you set the pan on the stove.

Here is an Amazon shopping list of what I used, if you just want to click.

There are also many other options at different price points on Amazon

The DisneyBound Birthday Party: The Ocean

Screenshot from Disney's Moana, image found on http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/File:Moana_ocean_high_five.jpg

I was recently invited to a friend's 50th birthday party, held in Downtown Disney, the invitation suggested we all wear something Disney, or try out DisneyBounding.

DisneyBounding is when you choose your outfit to mimic a character, but you are not actually dressing in costume.  DisneyBounding got started on a Tumbler blog a few years back, and is becoming more popular with even Disney getting into it.  I tried out a couple of outfits at Disneyland on our last trip, but I have wanted to really get into it.

A store I have liked for a few years is Fresh Produce.  They used to have a store nearby, but now I have to buy online.  I did recently find that they have some of their clothing on Amazon, which is nice, but potentially expensive as the regular website has a spending threshold for free shipping, which usually keeps me from buying things on a whim, when they are "Prime" it is easy to just add something to the cart.  

Affiliate link to one of their tops:

This is the print that caught my attention a few months back when it first came out.  I have a better picture of it here (from the pin I had saved to Pinterest, from their website).

When I saw this top my first thought was that it looked like the ocean, which led to thinking that it would be great for DisneyBounding as the ocean in a Moana theme.  Then I was invited to this party.  I decided to splurge and get a dress in this print.  

That covered the base of the costume.  Then I started getting creative.

First I wanted a fascinator to wear in my hair.  I thought about starting with a teardrop-style base and adding a Moana's boat.  I wasn't able to find a small toy boat, and wasn't quite up for making one myself.  So I changed my plan to make a "sail" as an embroidery necklace, and making a "Heart of Te Fiti" hair pin.

Picture of the Dress and necklace:

The nice part about this dress is that I can wear it to work as well, part of DisneyBounding is finding pieces that speak to you that you can wear in normal life as well.  So this will give me a work dress or party dress for the future as well.

Work Option:

Next up will be posts on the tiny embroidery and the light up hair clip.

P.S. Another Fresh Produce print that caught my DisneyBounding eye is this one (affiliate link if they still have it)

This would make for a great "MoanaBounding" top.  I'm not sure that the style and cut will work for me though, I usually need longer tops.