I have been adulting so hard over here. Between taking care of a newborn, paying a mortgage, and signing up for life insurance (um. What?!), I don’t think I can handle much more. I look around at my life and think, “Is this adulthood? Where did all of these responsibilities come from?”

Feels like just yesterday I was leaving campus with my best friend to grab a Jamba Juice. Or walking to McDonald’s with my brother to get a McFlurry (oreo, of course). Or riding my bike to work at Trader Joe’s. Or meeting up friends to rock climb until 10 or 11 pm. Or waking up at 7 am to go to yoga before a day of laying on the beach. Saving up my pennies to buy flights to go see friends in Hawaii during the off-season. You get the idea – it was pretty chill.

Now I adult. I wake up at 3 am to feed my child. I drink coffee and manage my budget and pay bills. I go to Costco to buy diapers, dog food, and ground beef. I hang out with mom friends and talk about pooping, eating, and sleeping schedules. I read articles about immunizations and nature preschool. Weekends are spent asking my husband to leaf blow the yard while I clean the kitchen.

Oh, to be young again…

This may not come as a surprise, but one of the easiest ways to transport myself to childhood is through food. Funny enough, all it takes is the sight of something like Nutter Butters, Cool Ranch Doritos, or Otter Pops to drum up all kinds of nostalgia.

Cinnamon raisin bread was a childhood obsession of mine. In the cookie department my favorites followed one simple rule: the chocolatey-er the better which means I would NEVER reach for the oatmeal raisin cookie. But when it came to bagels or toast, cinnamon raisin was my number one choice.

This nut butter is a way to have all the flavor and childhood feels, without any of the gluten! Of course, if you find some gluten-free bread, you could smear some of this butter on top for a more filling and nutrient-dense experience. Other uses include, but are not limited to:

• dip for apples, pears, persimmons, or banana.
• topping for 2-ingredient pancakes (mashed banana and egg) or gluten-free pancakes.
• stuff dates
• stir into gluten-free oatmeal
• mix with actual butter and refrigerate for the ultimate tasty/buttery experience
• refrigerate and crumble on a smoothie bowl or blend in a smoothie (like this one)
• eat with a spoon (this may or may not be my method of choice…)

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Butter

3 c. toasted walnuts
1 c. dry roasted, unsalted almonds
1/2 c. raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. Place raw walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 400 for 5 minutes or so. Stay close so they don’t burn!
2. In a food processor, add walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Process until ground finely, scrape the sides.
4. Continue to process until mixture begins to look wet. Add raisins.
5. Process until ball forms and then smooths out into a more “butter” texture.
6. Store in an airtight container in the cupboard if using in a week or less. Store longer in the fridge (the chill of the fridge will make the walnut oil in butter firm so heat or leave out to room temperature for a more “spreadable” texture)