Thursday, December 27, 2012

Evie Words


Evie seems like she is saying new words every day, so I thought I would start a record of them ;)  Here's what she's got so far (there may be more, I just can't think of them all at once, haha):

  1. Dad/Dada
  2. Mom/Mama
  3. Dog
  4. Down
  5. Up
  6. Puppy
  7. Ow (when she falls down and it doesn't make her cry she says: "Ow!"
  8. Banana
  9. Snow
  10. Snowman
  11. Night night
  12. Doll
  13. Chi chi
  14. Uh-oh
  15. No
  16. Mmmm! (ok, not a real word, but that's what she calls all food and drink)
  17. Shoes
  18. Toy 
  19. Yeah/yes 
  20. Help!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Evie!!!

Okay, I'm sure everyone is tired of this by now, buuuuut, I'm obsessed!  Look at how much of a difference one measly year can make:

Evie, Christmas 2011....


Evie, Christmas 2012...


Anyway, to get on to the good stuff!  Christmas this year really was awesome.  It has made such a difference to have an Evie in our house for the holidays!

Christmas Eve we spent at my Aunt Bethany's house with all our Moore relatives.  It was loud and crazy with too many people to fit into one house, but that's just how we roll ;)  By the time we got home it was so late we just had to put Evie's jammies on and put her right in bed.  Karl and I cleaned the apartment and got things all ready for Santa, and then stayed up WAY too late playing Minecraft and eating cheese ball and Christmas treats!  Evie woke up about 8 o' clock and we rushed to get the lights all turned on in the living room so we could video her seeing the presents.  It was pretty funny, we had moved her Nativity scene so there would be room under the tree for presents, and she got so distracted by it that she didn't even notice the gifts!


Evie LOVED opening presents.  We had a little bit of a hard time convincing her it was okay to rip paper (since we usually tell her not to do that, haha!) at her birthday party, but luckily she had so much practice at the beginning of the month, she was a pro by Christmas ;)  She even helped mommy and daddy open all our presents


Evie got a lot of presents (mostly clothes, since we're getting to the end of her baby shower gifts), but I think her favorite was the puppy!  Evie is obsessed with kitties and puppies, but especially puppies, so this was a special present. She was unsure when I helped her open the bag, but as soon as she realized what it was she made this disbelieving little laugh and wouldn't stop cuddling the little doggie she called "puhpuh".  It was the first time she's said puppy (she usually says "dogdog") so it was super cute!

 

Karl and I had a pretty good Christmas too, we actually ended up getting each other kind of the same thing!  When Karl opened his present from me, he started chuckling, and I couldn't figure out why, until I opened my present!  Apparently we both had the idea to give each other special homemade coupons and and fashionable jeans, lol!

 

I love my family! I'm so thankful I have an awesome hubby and a superly cute baby to share my holidays with, they really do make my life a million times better!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Evie's 1st B-day Party

For Evie's first birthday we had a "Tangled" party (or two!).  For her first party we were lucky enough to have some friends come over to celebrate!  Andrew, Erica, and Emma Lord were there and also Jon, Emily, Iley, and Mae Schwarzmann (about all our little apartment could hold!)  It was so much fun having some friends to play with on her birthday (and getting some fun presents was awesome too!) 
For Evie's second party, we had my family come over (my parents and siblings and Evie's one and only cousin).  It was pretty rowdy and crowded, but super fun to see everyone!!

Here are the pictures from her special day:

My Tangled themed sign; I was so proud of it!  It looked awesome, I wish I had gotten a better picture of it!
Tangled Flowers and Flower Cupcakes ;)
Evie REALLY wanted to get into it all!
Paper lantern! We had a bunch of these hanging from the ceiling, like the lanterns in the movie :)
Evie and Emma were totally transfixed by the movie, it was super cute!
Evie's big present from mom and dad... a princess tent!
Rapunzel Doll!
Begging Grandmama for water, she had to sign "more" to get any, haha
Birthday Cupcake
Not so sure about this cupcake thing...
Hmmm... This tastes like SUGAR!!!
EAT THE CUPCAKE!!!
And it fell out onto her tray...



Saturday, December 8, 2012

One Year Old!

Wow, I honestly can't believe that it has been an entire year since I held that tiny little newborn in my arms... It feels like it was just yesterday!  And yet, SO much has happened in this past year, I can't believe it's ONLY been a year!  I've decided that the first year is the best EVER.  It is so incredibly challenging, with so many obstacles and huge changes to get used to, but it is the most amazing journey I could possibly imagine.

Evie is so much different from that cuddly little bundle we brought home from the hospital, but it's not so much that she's changed, it's more like she's grown (yes, you may call me captain obvious).  She still has that same personality that she did even in the womb, but there's just so much more of it now, haha!  It's like we've spent the last year getting to know her better.  She is just so determined, she loves a challenge!  She will do things just because they are difficult, a trait I greatly admire, since I do the exact opposite ;P


Evie loves to carry things that are big and heavy, and if there is ever anything that she has a hard time doing, she will do it again and again until it is easy for her.  A couple of weeks ago I had her at my office and there is a little sloped ramp in one of the hallways.  The first time she walked up it she almost tipped over because she wasn't used to walking on a slanted floor.  We moved on, took her to another part of the office and went about our business trying to distract her with other things, but Evie kept running back to that ramp.  She walked up and down and up and down until she could do it with ease.  I really love this about my baby.  She has such great ambition and determination; she knows what she wants and she is willing to fight to get it.  I hope she never changes!

Another thing I love about her is how happy she always is!  She is a very smiley little girl :)  She's been a little shy in new situations and with new people lately, but if you give her a bit to warm up, she is more than happy to share some smiles and giggles!  She is just full of energy and curiosity.

I love that she loves her babies too; she's such a good little mommy!  She discovered babies at around 9 months, and has been obsessed ever since.  Anything we do for her, she will do for her baby. 

Saturday, December 1, 2012

On the First Day of Christmas...

It's finally December!!!! I can't possibly tell you how excited I am!  So, to celebrate, Karl, Evie, and I went to Riverwoods to check out the Christmas lights :)


I've driven by and seen the lights, so I wanted to go check it out, but I didn't realize how much they have going on over there!  Of course it's much more of a commercial experience than seeing the lights at Temple Square, but I think it's a great alternitive for us, since we can't drive very far with Evie (plus she has an 8 o'clock bed time!!).  They have lots of pretty lights, carriage rides, entertainment at the gazebo, and even Santa in a cute little house (who we did NOT go see because we knew Evie would have a fit, haha).

It was a really nice night, a little chilly, but honestly not bad at all.  We walked around with Evie, who was pretty overwhelmed by the whole experience, but seemed to enjoy seeing all the people and lights :)  We shared a belgian waffle with whipped cream and strawberries as a treat to top off our night (which was very delicious, but totally over-priced!).


It was a really nice, relaxing experience for us.  Things have been so busy, crazy, and stressful with me working, Karl going to school full time, and also working two jobs, we really needed this break!  It was just so nice to get out of the house, break out of our regular routine, and get into the holiday spirit just a little bit :)  I am so grateful for my family!!


Friday, November 16, 2012

Tantrums...

And the toddler tantrums have begun!!  The last few days Evie has decided that it's not fair that I won't let her do what she wants, that I'm the meanest mom in the world, and that I'm totally ruining her life (am I really going to have to do this again in 12 years or so??).  She's only 11 months old and we're already doing the screaming fits... My child is just so advanced... *sigh*

This is a cute picture to remind me how sweet she can be, haha!
All this new independence she's gained by mastering the whole walking thing has really pushed us forward into a whole new stage of life, and I'm not sure that I'm happy about it!!  I know that this is totally developmentally normal, but I've got to say, I'm not really prepared for it.  I think I'm grieving a little bit; I'm just so sad that I've lost my sweet little baby who was completely dependent on me and trusted my every decision!  I feel like this year of baby-hood has gone by way too fast!

Wish me luck on as I embark on the next year (or two or three), I think I'm going to need it!!!!


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Top 3 things I've learned to do in a hurry...

The top three things I've learned to do in record time since becoming a mother:

1. Eating
2. Bathing
3. Peeing

This list could actually be about a million times longer, but these are just my personal top 3, haha!

Seriously though... You know how girls are notorious for taking forever in the bathroom?  Well, a while back I was out having a "girl's day" with a couple of other moms while the hubbies had the kids.  Seeing as one of us mommies was pregnant, we made the inevitable stop at mall restrooms... and I was ASTOUNDED at how quickly we were all in and out.  It was crazy!  This may sound like an incredibly odd observation, but having made group excursions to the bathroom all my life, and yet never with my fellow moms, I didn't realize what a difference there is!

Also, I've always been a faster eater than Karl, but even now I can beat him to the end of the meal while feeding/holding a squirming, crawling, kicking baby... And I think that deserves a little respect!

I guess this is just another one of those talents born of necessity when a little-one comes along ;)

Thursday, November 8, 2012

I Am Thankful For...The Lord's Timing


Everyone has been doing the whole "thankful" thing on FB for November, so I thought I'd get into the spirit ;)

One thing that I have been extremely grateful for in the past year is the Lord's timing.  It's something that I've not really been so excited about in the past, and I'm trying to keep that gratitude fresh on my mind so I don't forget!

I am a planner... I need to have things planned out in advance and I like to know how I'm going to get there, so sometimes it's really hard for me to let the details be up to the Lord.  For example:

I've wanted a baby since well... not incredibly long after we were married.  I knew it wasn't a great idea at the time (we had no jobs, were not very far along in our degrees, and were barely married), but I really couldn't help it, I'm pretty sure it's biology ;)  Finally, after a couple of years of being married, I had a baby down on our plan (yes, I actually have a written plan for our lives), and Karl had semi agreed to it.  Our first child was perfectly planned, he/she was going to be born in May 2012 a month after I graduated with my bachelors degree... And if it was a girl we were going to have her middle name be May, after her great-grandma, AND because she was born in May (isn't that so cute??).  And then, after I had finally come to terms with waiting and had my perfect plan in place, the answer came that we were supposed to have a baby...  My mind was blown.  I had a PLAN!  It was going to be great, I KNEW this was the way it was supposed to be!  Luckily I really wanted that baby so it wasn't TOO hard to convince me, haha!!

Anyway, I accepted that answer and started trying to work this baby into a new plan, but baby didn't come.  I took a few months before we finally got the news I had been waiting for.  So THAT was pretty confusing... I was assured that it was time, and yet I had more waiting to do.  I didn't know what to think about that!  If I had gotten pregnant as soon as we had gotten that answer, I would probably not have gone to school that fall (since baby would have been due right at the beginning/middle of the semester).  Instead, our baby was due right before finals... which didn't seem much better, but I felt like I should go to school that semester.  So I went to school.  It wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but it actually went pretty well, and was DEFINITELY easier than doing school with a baby!

Then we got to the end of the semester, and to Evie's due date, and she didn't come.  I was getting pretty nervous because I really needed to be able to take my finals, but I tried really hard to trust in the Lord's timing.  Finally Evie came, on Thursday, during one of my final presentations, and I had finals on Monday.  Turns out, that was probably the best day she could have come.  If she had come a day earlier, I wouldn't have gotten my final projects done in time, and if she had come a day later I wouldn't have had enough time to study for my finals.  And luckily, the teacher whose final presentation I missed liked me and his wife had a baby the semester before, so he was very nice about it :)  I studied and got through my finals just fine (Evie was sleepy enough that it wasn't a big deal to leave her to take them), and I managed to get all A's that semester!

Because I had a baby that December, I was on an online "birth board" and I actually met someone, who randomly was outgoing at told me she was an intern with this program for new moms in Utah County and was wondering if I wanted to be a part of it.  I talked to her more, and I found out that she was doing the same major as I was and they were looking for interns for the summer (right when I needed an internship!) and that the deadline was coming in up really quick.  I was kind of scared, but I REALLY needed an internship in order to graduate, and this seemed like it was right up my ally.  So I applied, interviewed, and I got it!

I started the internship, and I really liked it, but about half way through, I realized there was no way I could possibly get all 325 hours (bleh!) that I needed to graduate, so I had to ask if they would be willing to keep me on.  My supervisor was very excited to have me stay actually, so I was pretty happy with that.  I was disappointed that it was taking me so long though, I had planned to graduate this fall semester, and I just couldn't do as much as I wanted because I had a baby (who was not part of my plan!). Then, just before the end of the semester, my supervisor let me know that they would be able to pay me during fall, which was a complete lifesaver!  We weren't sure how Karl was going to work full time and go to school full time this semester, but this way he was able to drop a couple of his shifts at Chrysalis and it has been much easier for him.

I really don't think I'm explaining this well, but since we had Evie in December of 2011 (both much later and much earlier than I had planned) things have really been falling into place for us.  I have been so incredibly grateful, because through most of this year I haven't been able to see what the next step was, but we have trusted in the Lord and his timing, and it has worked out much better than I could ever have planned.  It's been an amazing learning experience for me!

I am especially trying to remember this lesson, because I'm having some major timing issues suddenly popping up in my life.  I was actually offered a position with the program I was interning with, and I really wanted to take it.  I said that I was most likely going to take it when I was first asked about it, I wasn't even going to ponder and pray about this decision because this just seemed to perfect!!  But then I had my doubts, and sure enough, I had to turn the position down.  I'm still a little sad about that, but I'm trying my best to be trusting.  This will give me the most time to work on my final 2 classes I need to graduate and to spend focusing on Evie (who really needs me).

My second timing issue is our next baby.  No, we're not already working on the next one, but surprisingly enough, I did have the next one on the schedule already.  I've been trying to logically plan out when the best time to get pregnant would be considering all the factors.  Like I didn't learn my lesson the first time around...  Anyway, now the idea of me getting my masters degree has come up, and that completely throws a wrench in the baby plan.  I don't know how this one will pan out (we're still working out the details), but I am determined to let the Lord guide my future.

So... the point of ALL that rambling is that I am so grateful for the Lord's hand in my life, and I am dead-set and determined to let him guide my life more in the future.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Evie's 1st Halloween!!

I'm so incredibly excited for this holiday season, since it will be our first with Evie being old enough to enjoy it (last year we got to do Christmas/New Years, but she was just a sleepy newborn)!!  The holidays just haven't been the same the past several years; I think I'm getting too old, too "mature", and too busy to really enjoy them the way I used to.  I'm really hoping that having a kid in the house will revitalize our holiday spirit!!


That being said, I was worried about this Halloween; Karl had to work all night, Evie had been sick and miserable all week before, and it always snows on October 31st (it's basically a Utah tradition).  I was pretty sure everything was ruined, but we actually ended up having a pretty good experience!  The weather was absolutely fantastic; like record highs!  Evie didn't even need the blanket I brought for her.  *Completely sidetracked train of thought here, but I'm pretty sure Evie has THE best luck with weather.  I was worried about having her in the winter with blizzards and such, but last winter was superly warm.  The day we took her home from the hospital it was so warm we didn't even need to cover her up, she was fine with just her sleeper!*  Anyway, back on topic, Evie was feeling a little bit better by Halloween, and she made THE cutest lady bug I've ever seen :)


We went trick-or-treating with my mom and my two youngest sisters, Mary (9) and Maia (4) around my old neighborhood.  It was good to see some of the people from my stake again and show off my bebe :)

Evie wasn't quite sure what we were doing at first, but after about the second or third house (when the guy let her reach into the big bowl of candy and take one) she was hooked.  She pulled out this little box of Milk Duds, which was the perfect size for her hand and made a great sound when she shook it!  She thought it was the coolest thing that we were going house to house and people were just handing her awesome toys!  Then she got her hands on some chocolatey/cream thing wrapped in foil (I couldn't really see what it was in the dark), and the next time we came to a porch light I realized that it had completely disintegrated into a sugary goo all over her hands and was dripping out of her mouth!  It had melted in her warm little baby hand and she managed to chew her way into the wrapper, haha!  After THAT she was totally and completely sold on this whole "Halloween" thing. ;)  By the end she was marching up to doors and doing her "gimme" hand, and was thoroughly disappointed when people didn't offer her any, it was seriously cute.


All in all, it was a pretty good Halloween :)  There were a lot of things I wanted to do that we didn't get to, and I'm hoping next year Karl will be able to trick-or-treat with us, but with a baby this adorable, how could we not have the best Halloween ever, regardless of all that stuff??

Monday, October 15, 2012

Silly Mommy...


Today, as I was driving home from work, I saw a house that had those fake spider webs all over it for Halloween, and I thought to myself "Oh, Evie wanted some of those for our house!"

And then I had to seriously think about that particular thought...  In doing so, I realized that there's no way my 10 month old could have had a conversation with me about Halloween decorations, lol!

Then I remembered that the other night I had a dream that Evie and I had been talking.  In my dream I asked her how we should decorate our house and she told me that she really liked those pretend cobwebs.  I thought that was cool and I asked if she liked the idea of hanging them on our living room decorations... and she told me she thought that was silly and she didn't think it would look that good.

And that was that.

Apparently, subconsciously, I really took that conversation to heart!  Karl thinks Evie must be psychically communicating with me in my sleep, haha!!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Impossibly Easy Gluten-Free Deliciousness (a.k.a Cheesecake)...

Okay, I'm gonna say that this recipe has basically saved my poor gluten-free life (though not my waistline... unfortunately, haha)!!  My one biggest problem with going gluten-free has been the lack of yummy treats.  I'm not a huge baker in the first place, and gluten-free flours and baking really freaks me out, so there has definitely been a lack of sugary goodness in my house for the last couple of months.  Luckily, I found a way to modify this super easy recipe to be gluten-free!


What you'll need:
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Bisquick® mix
  • 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, cut into about 1/2-inch cubes and softened 
  • (Optional, strawberry glaze or other topping)

What to do:
  • First, heat the oven to 350°F and grease 9-inch pie plate.  
  • Next, place milk, vanilla, eggs, sugar and the Bisquick mix in blender. Cover and blend on high speed 15 seconds. Add the cream cheese. Blend 2 minutes longer. Pour into pie plate.
  • Last, but not least, bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean; cool.  If you want to add a topping, this is the time to do it! Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecake.

I LOVE this stuff, I try to make sure Karl eats at least one slice... you know, to make me feel like I'm not eating an entire cheesecake by myself, haha!  For the original recipe, go HERE ;)  Enjoy!!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Month #9

Wow... Okay, so Evie has now been on the outside of me for longer than she was inside of me!  I know, all of you who have not had children yet (and possibly those of you who have had a few and are "so over this") are thinking that I should probably stop marveling over this kind of stuff ALL THE TIME, before my head explodes and everyone stops caring...  But, I can't!  It's just so amazingly mind-blowing how quickly time is passing and how much she is growing and changing!  I honestly think that watching your child grow and learn during the first year is the most amazing thing in the entire world.  So, here is my summary of the wondrous things Evie has been up to during month #9 :)

-As far as the growing part goes, at her 9 month appointment, Evie weighed 17 lbs 4 oz, and was 27 inches long.

 
 

-She walks!! She finally started officially walking a few days before she turned 9 months!  She is now walking like a champ, she can squat down to pick things up and then stand back up and keep on going!  She can carry things (things I would have thought WAY too heavy for her) while she walks, pivots, turns, and basically wanders around in circles just because she can.


 
-She loves to carry her baby around (i.e. her glow-worm, stuffed elephant, pink bear, brown bear, or purple hippo doll, depending on which is closest) and pat it on the back to put it to sleep.  She will sing to and bounce her babies, which is the cutest thing EVER.  Her "sign" for baby is to pat her chest like she's patting a baby on her shoulder.  She LOVES babies.  She and her 4 month old cousin Melody get baby-sat together by my mother, and Evie just loves her.  When Mel cries Evie has to go over to my mom and tell her to make the baby feel better (i.e. she climbs on my mom, who is trying to calm Mel down, and pats her chest furiously to show my mom how to make the baby stop crying).



-Evie loves to make phone calls and text on phones. I'm really sorry if you get random phone calls from my phone with a baby jabbering or squealing on the other end...  She has gotten really good at pressing all the right buttons!  She always talks to daddy on the phone, which is adorable.  Her conversations usually go something like "Heyo? Da? Dad? *random babble*".  If she sees a phone on tv or hears a phone buzzing/ringing, she'll put her hand to her ear and look at us to make sure we see/hear the phone.



-She loves turning pages like crazy...  It's a little hard to read books with her currently because she is just so darn intent on turning the pages, that she's not as interested in the story or pictures (unless it's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and then we just make animal noises and she looks at the dog page A LOT).  We also can't leave any of OUR books out that we don't want abused, she extra likes big people books--the more pages the better!



-Evie loves to press buttons... Which means she changes channels with remotes, turns off and on the xbox (on the console  and with the controller), she makes it impossible for me to use my laptop because she loves to push the power button and put it in and out of hibernation and also type things with the keys, and she loves cell phone buttons.



 -She loves to do what mommy does.  She likes brushing her hair and my hair, and she likes to put on mascara... Well, she pokes herself in the eye with the tube while I'm getting ready for the day, haha.  She also loves to unload the dishwasher and likes to dust.  She has always been fascinated by the vacuum for some reason, even when it's running, she's not afraid of it.  I guess it just seems like a really cool toy?



-Evie likes to take baths.  The other day I was taking a bath and she heard the water running so she ran over and kept banging on the door.  Karl, who thought she just really wanted to see me, finally gave in and let her into the bathroom.  Evie immediately started trying to take off her clothes and climbing into the tub.  It was so cute that I forgot to be bothered by the fact that I have no privacy/personal time anymore, haha.


-She says words!!  Here is the list thus far: 
  • Daddy ("dada", which she's been saying for ages now... Since 8 months maybe?)
  • Mommy ("mamamama")
  • Dog ("dogdogdog"... she also knows the sign for dog, so she usually says it and signs it, totally cute. She also says dog for cats, haha.)
  • Chichi (which is her word for nursing... Totally my family's fault; they all use Spanish for random things)
  • Bye-Bye ("bybybybybybye"... This one she doesn't say often because she can just wave instead)
  • Hello? ("Heyo?"... She only says this when talking on the phone, so she doesn't really know what it means, but she says it!!)
  • Night night ("nynynyny"... which I don't think she really understands.  I think she just uses it when she's really tired because we generally say "night-night" when she gets to that point, haha)
I'm going to say she has 4 official words, and three much less official ones ;)



-Evie thinks it's funny to put things on her head, bite mommy's nose (thank goodness her teeth haven't come in yet!), dance to music, make silly faces, and to pretend to make daddy and mommy go night-night.  She is a very happy baby and SUCH a character!  I know I've said it over and over, but honestly, the more she can express her personality, the more of a goof-ball we're finding out she is!  I love her so much!!

-Aaaand, last but not least, Evie's favorite type of music is rock (thanks to Daddy)... with the occasional Dora the Explorer songs, for variety ;)



I can't wait to see what this little-one has in store for us next!  I honestly love being a mommy, I can't say it enough.  No matter how terrible things like lack of sleep can be, somehow--amazingly--my beautiful little baby makes up for it all.  I am so grateful that she's in my little family, our lives have never been happier or more complete!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Gifting it Forward

Hey guys!  I saw this post on my friend Jessie's  Blog and I just had to participate!

gifting it forward

So what's the deal and what's it all about?  Well, it's about gifting it forward, a way to give more than you receive ;)

Here’s how it works: I get a gift from Jessie, then I give a gift to 3 people, those 3 people give a gift to three people each which makes 9 people and so on and so on. So, the first three people to comment on this post will receive a gift from me. It may be something that I wish someone would give to me or it might be something that I already own and love and want to share with you!

The RULES:
  • Within a year, I’ll share a gift with the first three people to comment on this post.
  • In order to receive your present you have to play along.  Spread the love on your own blog promising to send a little special something to the first three people who comment on your blog post.
  • You’ll have 72 hours to post about it on your blog, or I’ll have to move on to the next person.
  • You also must make sure I have a way to contact you (ie. send me your email, or I can contact you on facebbok, etc.)
These are the rules set forth by somebody somewhere back in the links of links of links. They are what they are and they shouldn't be changed.

So, who wants to play???

 

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Cauliflower-Crust Pizza


Yes, you heard that correctly... I said cauliflower pizza crust... as in a pizza crust made from cauliflower (and a couple other things)!  AND, it actually tastes pretty darn good!  I got Karl to eat it and he hates veggies in most forms!!  So, if you're looking for a gluten-free/low-carb pizza option that is relatively cheap, this is for you.

The first thing you're going to need is riced cauliflower... How the heck do you "rice" cauliflower, you ask?  Well, it's actually not too hard, especially if you have a food processor (which I don't...)  Anyway, for this part you'll need:

  • 1 bag of frozen cauliflower (these usually come in 16 oz packages, I believe, though this will give you way more than enough cauliflower for your pizza)
  • A food processor, or a cheese grater
  • Cheese cloth or a plain dish towel

1. Microwave your frozen cauliflower in a covered microwavable dish until cooked.  Don't add water when cooking.  Time wise you can most likely go by the package/any adjustments you need to make for your particular microwave oven.

2. When the microwave beeps, take out your bowl and carefully drain any water off your cauliflower.  Let it cool.

3. Time for the ricing!  I simply use a regular cheese grater and grate my cute little cauliflower florets... but it is a bit of a pain, and this can happen:

One of the dangers of ricing by hand... Baby attacks!
If you have a food processor you can use that to get your cauliflower to a rice like consistency.

4. If your cauliflower rice is very juicy (which it will most likely be) then I suggest putting your rice in some cheese cloth or a dish towel/piece of fabric and using that to squeeze as much of the water out as you possibly can before continuing with the crust.

Alrighty, now we're ready for the actual crust/pizza making... For this part you'll need:

  • 1 cup riced cauliflower
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup grated Italian blend cheese (I like one that has parmesan, asiago, fontina, etc.)
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp parsely
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Mozarella cheese (or you can use the Italian blend again, which is what I like to do)
  • Pizza toppings (we will just be broiling to melt the cheese, so make sure any toppings are already cooked and safe to use!)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.  I also like to use parchment paper.

3. In a medium bowl, combine your cauliflower, egg and Italian blend cheese. Press evenly on the pan with your fingers. It works best if you kind of spoon the mixture out over the whole pan and press it into shape from there.  Make sure that it's the same thickness in the middle as it is on the edges, this will help keep it from being sloppy and "un-crust-like".

4. When you have your crust all pressed out, sprinkle it evenly with your oregano and parsley.

5. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  The first couple times I tried this my crust turned out a lot soggier than I wanted it, but cooking it for the longer time really helped!



5. Remove the crust from the oven and add your sauce, toppings, and cheese!

6. Put your assembled pizza back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  This can happen pretty quickly, so keep a close eye on your pizza!!


And voila! Your magical cauliflower pizza is ready!  I originally got this recipe from Your Lighter Side, which is a great blog for low-carb (and incidentally gluten-free!) recipes.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!!

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