Update & Black Bean Burgers

Fellow moms, it's happening.  Teething!  Ah!  I have been so quiet on the blog because I have been tending to my little dude.  Last week was okay, a little fussiness here and there.  I think I was in denial about what was coming.  Monday thru Friday of this week have been horror days, particularly today.  Austin just turned 6 months, and he's ringing it in with his two bottom teeth.  I feel so bad for him, but I know he has to go through this.  He has been awake since 12midnight when he couldn't stay asleep from the gum pain.  I shouldn't say he's been awake that entire time, he'll get at most 10 minutes in here and there, but snaps back awake when he rests his gums against each other.  I had to email Dave this morning to tell him our son was a sad little mess today and needed some daddy time.  Thankfully, daddy came home and snuggled with Austin for a little while, and finally he and daddy are snoozing in bed going on 30 minutes now.  :)

So far, here is what we are doing for natural teething relief: amber necklace, lots of chilled wash clothes to chew on, chilled spoons, Thieves oil for his gums (1 drop to 10 drops olive oil), Hyland's homeopathic teething tablets, and night time foot rubs with Young Living's Calming oil blend.  It's all been working well so far, but his teeth are really shooting up today.  Any other natural tips out there?  Let me know what worked for your babes!

So while my boys are resting, I wanted to get on here and post a recipe!  I literally have like 30 recipes I need to post.  I just snap pictures at meal time as a memory to post them when I get time.  How do other mom-bloggers do this??  It's amazing to me how life can change so drastically after having a baby, especially following the attachment-parenting lifestyle as we try to.  Six months in and I'm still trying to get the hang of it.  Maybe by 5 years it'll sort itself out....

We like our burgers pretty spicy and with a kick of smokey cumin.  Feel free to adjust the seasonings however you like!  I thought these would also be yummy with a handful of fresh cilantro blended in.

Black Bean Burgers
Makes 8-10

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed (more/less to taste)
2 free range eggs
2 Tbsp chili powder (more/less to taste)
2 Tbsp cumin powder (more/less to taste)
2 tsp hot sauce (more/less to taste)
1 1/2 cups almond flour or meal

1.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet with coconut oil.  Set aside.

2.)  In food processor, pulse together the beans, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until almost smooth.  (You want to leave the beans mostly pureed but with a little bit of meatiness left to them.)  Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

3.)  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs with a fork.  By hand, stir the eggs into the bean mixture.  Add the chili and cumin powders, hot sauce, and almond meal.  [You may need to add a little more almond meal until the mixture turns sticky and holds together well.  If too thick, add a little bit of water, 1 Tbsp at a time, to thin.]

4.)  Divide mixture into 8 equal portions and form into patties.  Place on baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, until crunchy on the outside and warmed through the center.  Serve any way you'd like, we love them over salad with tangy chipotle mayonnaise.  (You can grill these for 10 minutes on each side.)