Strep Throat Smoothies

We love smoothies here!  We also love the way we sneak essential vegetables and even vitamins into the smoothies our kids drink.  The key...have some strong tasting fruit or lemon juice in there with a little raw honey and you're good to go.

Our boys are prone to strep throat.  They had it 5 or 6 times last year.  This school year they had it in September and then I heard about a naturopath that had some vitamin/mineral supplements that could help.  I was skeptical.  I do the natural and medical path for our family.  I read up, research, try, and sometimes we're successful...sometimes we're not.

Image from mywisemom.com

So we started taking Standard Process supplements and when my boys are taking "Congaplex" they don't get strep.  When they stop for awhile or refuse to drink the smoothies I make with it in them...  Sure enough they get strep throat.  The only problem is it's a strong tasting supplement.  So here's a sample smoothie that I make which hides the flavor.  I also sneak other Standard Process supplements in for nose bleeds (Cyruta Plus), severe runny noses (Antronex) as needed.  I test on myself first and the stuff works!  I do all of this under the guidance of the naturopath who recommends the correct dosage for their weight and age.

Strep Throat Smoothie

3 capsules of congaplex
3-4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup apple juice
4 frozen strawberries
4 chunks frozen mango
4 chunks frozen pineapple
2 Tbsp raw honey
water to the 2 cup line of blender

Blend to a smooth consistency and drink away!  Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday...Hopefully a regular post

So here is a simple goal for myself.  On Tuesday's...hopefully every Tuesday...I will post a simple REAL food recipe for you.  One that doesn't take more than 10-15 minutes to prep.  Cook times will vary on the recipes.  But REAL food doesn't have to be hard.

My recipe today is Strawberry Banana Applesauce.  My boys love those little applesauce packages that you get at stores.  The portable ones...that look all cute and are handy to throw in your purse.  Well awhile back I bought my own reusable applesauce packs and now I've been making applesauce to put in them.

Last fall we picked apples at a friends house.  We literally had 3 or 4 diaper boxes full of apples!  I have left them in our porch against the house wall so they haven't frozen.  Gradually we've been eating them and using them in recipes, hot cereal, etc.  Today I decided to use a big chunk before they warmed up and started to go bad.

So here's the recipe...

You'll need enough apples cut in chunks to fill a stock pot 3/4 of the way.
4-5 bananas (brown ones are sweeter)
1/2 cup lemon juice (to preserve sauce and prevent browning)
2-3  cups frozen strawberries
Coconut sugar to taste (this is just to sweeten it to our liking naturally)

Simmer in a stock pot on low.  Stirring every now and then.  I leave the peelings on the apples and then  blend it all up in my vitamix.  Then we get the fiber along with everything else.  Once the apples are mushy...blend them up and serve!

Here's a link to the reusable snack bags we use for applesauce.  They wash up easily and seal well.

http://www.amazon.com/Squooshi-Reusable-Food-Pouch-Assorted/dp/B00AWJHB5G/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1392737438&sr=1-2&keywords=reusable+snack+bags

Bacon and Black Bean Soup

So in my effort to budget better and save more for the future I have been shopping all the deals as best I can. Last week, I found 2 pounds of dried black beans for $1.56.  This would make the equivalent of 6 cans of beans! So I bought the bag and decided to make some black bean soup.

I have never made black bean soup...but not to be deterred I found a recipe with bacon and cilantro and thought I'd give it a go. Beans are a cheap meat substitute and while higher in carbs they are fine to have provided you are burning the carbs off with physical activity.  I do want to emphasize that you soak the beans for 24 to 36 hours first.  Soaking helps get rid of the phytic acid in the beans and makes them easier for your body to digest. Phytic acid is what is in beans that make you have gas. By soaking them your body can benefit more from the heart healthy benefits of beans.

So last week, I soaked the beans and had them cook in my crockpot.  After they were fully cooked, I froze them in 2 cups portions. Today, I took those bags out and made my soup.  The recipe,is not paleo but it is healthy and easy to make for your family. Here's the recipe below.

4 cans (8 cups) of black beans

3/4 cup dried minced onion

6 TBSP dried cilantro

1 TBSP garlic powder

2 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP cumin

1 tsp chipotle chili powder ( for a smoky flavor)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

32 oz. chicken broth

10 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped finely

2 carrots chopped finely

1 celery chopped finely

2 cups frozen organic corn

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP of ketchup 

Dump all the ingredients into the pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer 20 minutes. Cool and serve with fresh avocado, scallions, and cheese if desired.

Coconut Milk Alfredo Sauce

So I have a new toy...a spiral veggie slicer.  With it, I've been making zucchini noodles.  However, there is only so much spaghetti a family can eat.  So I needed new sauces.  Enter my sister, she has lactose intolerance in her family as well and was missing alfredo sauce.  So she played with coconut milk and found a winner of a recipe.  You can find her blog at:  Justb-adoptionblog.blogspot.com.

My Sister's Alfredo Sauce

2 cans coconut milk

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 lbs. ground italian sausage

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

fresh ground pepper

1.  Fry up italian sausage and drain grease.

2.  Add 2 cans of coconut milk to sausage along with remaining ingredients.

3.  Allow to simmer on low 20 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning but to allow the flavors to meld.

4.  Enjoy on your favorite paleo or non-paleo noodle!

As a side note...my boys enjoyed the sauce but had snacked so much today they weren't too hungry. We paired it with some paleo breadsticks, raw veggies and my homemade veggie dip.  It was such a treat.  You could leave the parmesan out and it would still taste delicious.  I liked it better added to give it the extra tanginess of alfredo.  Either way...it's a great meal with a ton of heart healthy fat for the entire family.

Movin' to the country, gonna eat me a lot of peaches...

So it started out with some almost too ripe peaches from Costco.  I found a Paleo Peach Crisp recipe from Elana's Pantry but decided to tweak it some to our liking.  We loved it and then today I tipped over a flat of peaches.  So alas...I had 9 bruised peaches.  When life hands you bruised peaches...make more peach crisp!

9 peaches, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 Tbsp. arrowroot starch

1 Tbsp. coconut sugar

3 cups almond flour

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2.  Mix peaches, blueberries, lemon juice, coconut sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon and arrowroot starch.  Pour into 9x13  glass cake pan.

3.  Mix almond flour, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.  Crumble onto the top of the peach and blueberry mixture.  Try to break the clumps small.

4.  Bake for 45 minutes covered.  Then remove cover and bake a few more minutes until the crumble starts to brown.  Enjoy!

I Feel Like Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tonight!

So...I didn't know what to make for dinner.  A common dilemmna.  However, I had a wide variety of foods in my fridge.  So I knew that I could come up with something.  We had chicken breasts in the freezer a large number of veggies in the garden and time to be had.  So I went bean, cucumber, herb, and tomato picking with my boys and here's what we came up with!

Cucumber Salad

2 cups cucumbers (cut into bite sized pieces)

4 TBSP dill dip (made with sour cream)  Here's a link...

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1.  Mix cucumbers, dip and salt.  Serve and enjoy!

Green Beans with Bacon and Green Onions

2 cups green beans (snapped to size)

4 strips of bacon fried and crumbled

1 green onion minced

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1. Saute green beans and onion in pan with a tiny bit of bacon grease.

2. When beans are tender add bacon.

3.  Serve and Enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

8 strips of bacon

1/4 cup mild cheddar cheese (We use Tillamook)

3 Tbsp minced parsley

3 Tbsp minced baby spinach

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 small green onions (minced)

1 small baby red onion (minced)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Line baking pan with foil. (We all hate the clean-up!)

3.  Lay out bacon strips in pairs on large pan.

4. Finely mince herbs and veggies.

5. Mix filling ingredients together (cheese, feta, parsley, spinach, garlic, and onions).

6.  Thaw and dry chicken.  Cut a 2-3 inch long slice one inch deep down the center.

7.  Stuff chicken breasts and wrap with bacon.

8.  Bake 40 minutes or until done.

So that was dinner!  Enjoy!  Let me know if you try any recipes and how you adapted them.

Paleo "Oatmeal" Cookies!

So I used to love making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for Superhero #1.  I loved the added texture and complexity of flavor of having more than one grain used.  Well...I stumbled upon a recipe from PaleoMom her mock Oatmeal cookies.  Here's the link to her recipe so you see the original and below is the way I altered it based on what was in my pantry and what I felt like doing.  Let me know what you think and give me some feedback folks!  Desserts are what we miss most right?  So lets put our heads together and figure out what you miss the most and we can search and try to create a recipe for those indulgences.  These are slightly chewy cookies and don't taste the same as every other almond flour cookie recipe out there.  I like the different textures and flavors in it.  Let me know what you think. 

3/4 cup of coconut oil melted and cooled (if you skip this step you have a puddle of oil on the bottom of the bowl.)

2/3 cup of coconut sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup blanched almond flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 TBSP sesame seeds (I had the light colored ones on hand)

2 TBSP Flaxseed meal

1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup raw pecans

2 TBSP raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw sliced almonds

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand since they're dairy free)

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla well.

3.  Add almond flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt to sugar mixture and blend well.

4.  Pulse pecans and sunflower seeds in food processor until they resemble coarse sand.  Then dump into batter.

5.  Pulse almond slices until they resemble oatmeal flakes.  Add to the batter.

6.  Add remaining ingredients (coconut, sesame seeds, and chocolate chips.  Mix well.

7.  Form 1 inch balls and flatten on a parchment paper lined pan.  

8.  Bake 9-10 minutes.  9 was perfect for me but every oven is different.

ENJOY!  These are flattened out by hand but you can bake them as balls...they'll just stay in that shape.

Camping food at it's best

So we love camping!  I jokingly say my hubby lucked out that his wife enjoys roughing it and everything that goes with it.  We have food allergies so prepping for any trip requires some amount of thinking ahead.  For this 4 day trip we have some premade things but mostly homemade stuff.  So today is food prep day.  Yesterday, I cleaned the house for the dog sitters, packed our clothing, and played with the boys.

Here's our list:

Breakfast

Scrambled Eggs with veggies and cheese

Banana Muffins (see Elana's Pantry recipe for Paleo Banana Muffins...I use honey)

Applegate Farms Chicken and Maple Breakfast Sausage

Milk (organic whole milk and Almond Milk)

veggie smoothies

Lunch

Spicy Black bean salad
Salsa
Avocado
Tortilla chips

raw veggies

veggie dip (see recipe below)

Uncured Beef Hot Dogs (Applegate Farms)

Supper

raw veggies

taco meat
Homemade salsa
Avocados
Black bean salad

organic corn chips (for the Superheroes)

Tillamook Cheddar Cheese

Hamburgers

Hot dogs from above

Snacks

70% Cacao Organic Dark Chocolate

Organic Apples

Organic Oranges

Organic grapes

Sunflower Seed Butter Blondies (Elana's Pantry...I use 1/2 maple syrup and 1/2 honey for this recipe instead of the agave nectar)

Now...for the recipes!!!

Veggie Dip

8 ounces organic full fat sour cream

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 TBSP dried dill

1 TBSP dried parsley

Mix above ingredients and enjoy!

Hamburgers with Feta (Thanks to our friend Jana for this recipe...with some minor additions)

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

3/4 cup crumbled feta

3/4 cup finely chopped spinach

1 TBSP fresh minced basil

1 TBSP fresh minced garlic

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/3 cup finely minced red bell pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

Mix above ingredients and fry on griddle.  Sooo good!  Enjoy!

I Scream! You Scream! We all Scream for Ice Cream!

One of the challenges of being lactose intolerant is missing ice cream.  Sure, Breyer's has a great lactose free substitute for the chocolate and the vanilla versions...but what about all the flavors?  I miss having choices!

So with my Mother's Day gift (an ice cream maker) I am on a mission to create my favorite ice cream flavors.  This weekend, I made a pecan praline and a chocolate chip cookie dough version that met great reviews from our dinner guests.  Tonight...I'm making Chocolate Sunbutter Ice Cream.

I found a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream on DeliciouslyOrganic.net but didn't like using peanut butter since it is prone to mold and not the best for you.  Sunbutter is more allergen friendly so it makes this recipe more accessible to all.  I also like blending ingredients in the blender instead of heating because then I don't have to wait for the mixture to cool.  I'm not that patient when it comes to ice cream!  The banana adds smoothness but you can't taste it at all.

So here goes:

2 cups full fat coconut milk

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup Sunbutter

1/2 a banana

Blend well in blender until fully mixed.  Pour in ice cream machine and freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions!  Enjoy!

White Bean Hummus with Black Olives and Pepperocinis

On Memorial Day we went to our friends' house for a BBQ.  I offered to bring veggies and dip thinking it would be easy since I'm always chopping veggies here anyway.  The dip plan was my homemade ranch dip and hummus.

Parade side...just a WEE bit excited to see the festivities!

Normally, I make a roasted bell pepper hummus with garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) that I love!  I am not a big hummus fan so the bell peppers hide the taste of the chick peas and tahini.  So it's the day of...I'm searching our pantry, getting everything out...excited to go.  Handsome Hubby was working out at the gym and then I was going to leave to workout for an hour before we left for their house.  Kids are resting on the couch watching Thomas the Train.  I just had the hummus left to make.

One problem...I didn't have the peppers.  I was literally emptying my pantry out searching.  No luck.  So here you have my new creation...A White bean hummus!  This is what I had in my pantry folks.

I guess my lesson to you is don't be afraid to experiment.  I make a white bean salad with similar ingredients so I thought this would work.  It does!  It was tested and approved by 8 adults and when we left the large bowl was half empty.  A success!  It took about 15 minutes to make since I had to cut the olives and pepperocini some before I placed them in the food processor.

White Bean Hummus

2 cans of canellini beans rinsed and drained
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tsp. freshly minced garlic
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. dry basil
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
3/4 cup pepperocinis sliced
2 Tbsp. pepperocini juice from the jar

Place above ingredients in your food processor or blender.  Mix until smooth.  Enjoy!

Roasted Veggies and Italian Sausage

So tonight I did a weekly menu game changing plan.  I was planning spaghetti but it just seemed like such a repeat.  So I took the Italian sausage that I had made, sliced it up and mixed it with the veggies from our fridge into one of our favorite meals.  I always forget to make this one but it is SOOO GOOD!

Roasted veggies and sausage!

Roasted Veggies and Italian Sausage

2 lbs Italian Sausage
3 small zucchini, sliced
1 bunch of asparagus snapped into bite sized pieces
1 small container or grape tomatoes
one red onion sliced thinly
1 orange bell pepper sliced thinly
sea salt
parmesan cheese
garlic powder

1. Bake Italian sausage at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  
2. Slice and mix with prepped veggies.  
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Spread vegetable and meat mixture on a large foil lined baking sheet.  
5. Sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese, sea salt, and garlic powder.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.  Stir well.  Bake 15 minutes more.  Stir.  If the veggies are tender then it's ready.  If not bake for additional time.
7. Enjoy!

Chocolately Brownies!

Here it is...I wanted brownies.  It's rainy.  We're staying home due to some chest colds and the need to just "be" for today.  The boys are playing.  I'm reading.  Cleaning.  Baking.  Thinking up a pattern for sewing.  So, what to do?  I didn't want to go to the store to pick up what I was missing for my favorite recipe.  I didn't want to make one with coconut flour since they're a little too airy.

A close-up as they cool

Using all almond butter is too taxing for my son's body.  Almonds contain oxalates and can cause kidney stones in people with leaky guts so we try to limit the baking with almonds.  When he has a lot of baked almond flour or almond butter goods he has to pee all the time!  His body is trying to cleanse itself of the oxalates from the almonds.  His leaky gut developed from repeated exposure to antibiotics.  While we still use antibiotics when needed (last week they had strep throat.).  I try to avoid them if possible.

So...back to the brownies.  My fridge had a bit of almond butter.  A bit of sunbutter.  Some unsweetened apple sauce, eggs, maple syrup.  Hmmm...  My pantry had some of the essentials as well. So here's the creation.  They reminded me of box mix brownies...crusty outside...chewy inside.  The gelatin adds to the chewiness and is actually beneficial for healing leaky guts.  It also adds some protein to offset the sugar from the maple syrup.  One was plenty for me.  Delicious but not too sweet.  Perfect with a cup of decaf coffee.  Superhero #1 thought they were perfect too.

Chocolately Brownies

1/2 cup sunbutter (unsweetened)
1/2 cup almond butter
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp decaf organic ground coffee
2 TBSP grass fed gelatin
1 TBSP unsweetened apple sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 8x8 glass baking pan with palm oil shortening.  Mix above ingredients in food processor until fully blended.  Pour into baking pan.  It will be thick.  Don't worry...it works out.  Bake for 40 minutes of until toothpick placed in center comes out clean.  Enjoy!  We did and are!

Natural Ranch Dip?

So here's the deal.  I am the mom who tricked my now 5 year old into eating his vegetables by giving him Hidden Valley Ranch dip.  Even at the time when he was 2 years old and I was doing it I would cringe inside.  I had read the label...maltodextrin, buttermilk, salt, monosodium glutamate, dried garlic, dried onion, lactic acid, citric acid, spices and artificial flavors. Dried buttermilk adds the characteristic tang to the ranch dressing. (Livestrong.com).

This is what he liked?!  Kids need to eat their veggies!?  I'm a first time mom!  I want to get it right!

Well...guess what.  He just liked flavor and I figured out how to get him to eat cooked carrots (cooked in my chicken stock), asparagus, parsnips, green beans, and cucumbers.  But, I'll be honest with you...he still liked the ranch dip.

Typical spread at my baby shower.  Note the veggies and ranch dip in the back.  This was before we gave up processed food!  It makes me shudder!

No Going Back

Handsome Hubby and I didn't want to go there.  Monosodium glutamate is bad stuff!  Here's a list of known symptoms from the Mayo Clinic website:  

• Headache
• Flushing
• Sweating
• Facial pressure or tightness
• Numbness, tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas
• Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)
• Chest pain
• Nausea
• Weakness

So now what?  I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner but Pinterest helped me.  A recipe for it!  There's a little website that is fabulous called Keeper of the Home.  I stumbled on her recipe page for 17 common mixes that we use.  One of which was a guest post linking to a Ranch dip mix.  The link to her 17 mixes is above.

Eating "Real Food" and LOVIN' it.

The Rationale for Fat

So my simplified version is coming below...this is just dip for veggies.  If you can't tolerate dairy, get lactose free greek yogurt.  Or you could make it with just mayonaisse.  I would recommend making your own so you can avoid soybean oil (a common allergen and gmo).  Also, try to get a full fat sour cream or full fat yogurt.  A misconception is that we have to stay away from fat.  It's not true.  We need to stay away from fake!  Eat real foods.  The higher quality of plant based food and grass fed or free range meat you eat the more quickly you become full.  

The more quickly you become full, the fewer calories you eat.  The fewer calories you eat, the more weight you lose.  It's the QUALITY of calories that matters more than the QUANTITY.  Sure, you can't eat like a pig and not gain weight.  Food is food.  If you eat too much no matter what it is, you may have an unhealthy relationship with food.  That is something for you to examine in yourself.  We had to.  We still do.

But when companies start taking fat out of dairy, adding hormones, adding flavor enhancers, you're getting away from the way God made food.  Our bodies need a certain amount of fat.  It helps in brain memory functioning, you stay full longer, there's actually less of a chance of childhood obesity in kids who drink whole milk versus those who drink skim.

The Ranch Dip Recipe

16 oz container of full fat organic sour cream (or greek yogurt)

1 TBSP dried parsley

1 TBSP onion powder

1 TBSP garlic powder

1 tsp. sea salt

Mix above ingredients and enjoy!  That's it!  It saves you money too and you can adapt it.   Don't be locked into the sour cream either.  Try mayo.  Try hummus with this mix of spices.  Try Greek Yogurt.  To make it a dressing, add some whole milk.  Just a tablespoon at a time.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Sometimes I just miss my granola...

Sometimes I just miss my granola.  I never was much of a cereal person.  Perhaps, it was because of my gluten and lactose intolerance.  It was like feeding a beast and making it grow larger until it overtook me.

Granola on the other hand with a bit of almond milk...ahhh...be still my heart!  So now as we're on a majority grain free diet and I'm reaping health benefits from it I don't want to go back.  Yet...sometimes I miss my granola.

So today's recipe is from a blog Our Full Plate.  I stayed true to their recipe but will try to tweak it next time.  It is good.  Plain and simple.   It took minimal prep and minimal cook time.  It's not as crunchy as I wanted once dried so I did bake it a little extra but be careful so you don't burn it.  I plan on adding some dried goji berries when I eat it or fresh fruit and unsweetened almond milk.

So I'm going to have to try it again along with many other paleo granola recipes in my quest for the perfect one.  If you're missing the cereal or granola.  Try this.  Enjoy!

Oh...and Happy Mother's Day to the all the mama's out there.

Thinking Outside the Box

Sometimes we need to think outside the box.  We're so used to expecting to eat things a certain way that it feels strange or wrong to change it.  This morning, before leaving for church I made chili.  It was a good recipe, turned out good.  I'd make it again.  I started with a recipe online and quickly realized that I didn't have the ingredients so it became a dumping ground for what I did have.  It called for beer. We don't drink.  But we did have red wine in our fridge that I've used for cooking since someone brought it to a dinner party we had and we didn't have any friends who drink to give it to either.  So the wine has sat in our fridge and been used for spaghetti sauce, soup, and now chili.  It also called for canned diced tomatoes which we didn't have.  I try not to buy canned tomatoes due to the BPA in the cans.  So I used diced roma tomatoes.  Then I didn't like the taste so I started tweaking spices here and there and finally had my recipe!

Not only did I have to think outside the box with the recipe but later we went fishing.  I didn't want to recreate a new meal for supper so I packed some bowls, shredded cheese, organic non-GMO corn chips, fresh fruit and veggies and some ice water for our picnic at our favorite fishing spot.  Unconventional picnic but we all ate and enjoyed the meal.

Here's the recipe that showed up from my brain today...

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed
8 slices of bacon chopped1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon of salt1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
One 4-ounce can tomato paste
12 ounces of red cooking wine
6 cups diced roma tomatoes
Two 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used beans I had made in my crockpot and frozen)

Toppings:
Fresh cilantro
Green onions
Avocado

1.  Sauté onions and bell pepper until tender.  Add hamburger, sausage and bacon.  Fry until done and drain fat.
2.  Dump meat mixture into crockpot and add remaining ingredients.
3.  Just before serving mix in 1 cup of finely minced cilantro.  You don't want to overcook it.
4. Serve with fresh cilantro, green onions, and avocado.
5.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Waffles

So this morning, I was out of pancakes in the freezer.  The muffins I had premade in the fridge were dry (we'd had them in there for over a week).  Boiled eggs just didn't sound good and a German Apple Pancake recipe I had found would take too long.

Eating clean, eating unprocessed food takes time.  You have to think ahead a little but in the long run my body feels the difference and my kids behavior shows the difference.  They've been healthier overall too.  When they get sick, it doesn't seem to last as long and the rest of us don't always get it like before.

So what do you make for breakfast for 2 full of energy boys (other than just bacon).  I wore them out in the sunshine yesterday so they managed to sleep in past 7 o'clock.  This is a rarity in our house.  That's why I have to go to the gym at 5:46 a.m.   It takes me 6 minutes from my alarm clock going off to get my clothes on and head out the door.  But I got distracted...what do I make.  I'm always trying to branch out but have been a little afraid of trying my own concoctions in the baking realm.   Baking with coconut or almond flour is different than baking with traditional wheat flour or a gluten free flour blend.

No missing cereal with this! 

Of course you need your monster trucks to complete the meal

This is one of my concoctions.  I have to say...it tasted mighty fine!  Superhero #1 ate all of his and Superhero #2 just wanted milk, bacon, and cashews (this is not an unusual response for my 2 year old). I looked at several recipes for pancakes and waffle and this is what I came up with.  Try it out and let me know what you think.  There is a very small amount of coconut flour used and a large amount of eggs.  This is not a typo.  Coconut flour sucks up moisture.  So you'll have very high fiber, high protein waffles that melt in your mouth.

Blueberry Banana Waffles

4 eggs separated (room temperature if possible)

1/3 cup milk (almond, coconut, whole milk)

2 Tbsp. coconut oil melted

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. Grade B maple syrup

1 overripe banana (with brown spots) mashed

frozen wild blueberries

1. Separate eggs and place whites in separate bowl.  Whip egg whites until you have stiff peaks.  This works best if room temperature but is still possible with cold eggs.  It just takes longer.
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.  Make sure the banana is well mixed into the batter.   At this point the batter might seem a bit thick.  Don't worry.
3. Add egg whites to batter by folding in until well incorporated.
4. Pour 1/3 cup batter onto waffle iron.  Sprinkle a few frozen blueberries on top and close lid.
5. Open after 1-2 minutes (depending on your waffle iron).
6. Enjoy!

A Fast Meal for Spring Days

Simple is good!  I like simple.  Once warm weather hits, I spend very little time indoors.  I don't have nearly as many Hot Wheels cars to clean up at the end of a sunny spring day.  We live outside.  So when it's time to cook supper, my boys drag their feet to come in and so do I.  Add to the fact that we now have a GINORMOUS sandbox thanks to my parents and a HUMONGOUS garden started and I know I'll be shifting more and more towards the crock pot for cooking.  Today was one of those days when we were outside as much as possible.  So my fast easy meal that literally took about 30 minutes total to prep and cook was fried tilapia and roasted asparagus.

This is a good intro. meal for kids.  My boys still aren't enjoying the asparagus so I'll be honest...they ate carrot sticks and cucumbers with their meal and some apple slices.  But they LOVED the fish.  They love tuna fish so this is a natural transition.  Tilapia has a very light flavor and firm texture so if you're not a big fish eater like me...this is a good one to try.  I would prefer wild caught but we went with farmed this time due to availability and cost.  Remember, do what you can when you can.  It will never be perfect but every step in the right direction counts.

Roasted Asparagus Prepped


Roasted Asparagus
Asparagus
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil.  Snap "woody" ends off bottom of asparagus spears.  Lay evenly on pan.  Sprinkle with sea salt, and garlic powder.  Drizzle olive oil on top.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and place in bowl or on plate.  Lightly squeeze fresh lemon juice over top.  Enjoy!

Fish prepped with dried parsley, sea salt, pepper, coconut oil, and a smidge of garlic powder 

Missed the Parsley in this picture...I had thrown it in the recycling and didn't want to go digging for it.  :-)

Waiting for it to fry on Medium heat for 3-5 minutes on one side.

Finished product!  Soooo good on a hot day like today!

Fried Tilapia

Thawed Tilapia Fillets

Coconut oil

Dried Parsley

Sea Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Lemons

Heat cast iron griddle over medium heat.  Grease your pan with coconut oil.  Don't worry about the fat...it's healthy fat.  Sprinkle parsley, salt, and pepper over fish.  VERY LIGHTLY sprinkle with garlic.  Not too much or it will overpower the flavor of the fish.  Fry 3-5 minutes per side.   It should be flaky when cooked through.  Remove from pan to a plate and squeeze lemon juice over if you like.  Enjoy!

Eleven Month Safari in the Suburbs

I grew up in a rural area.  LOVED IT!  I loved being outside.  Skiing down trails through our forest.  Canoeing in the summers.  Biking outside.  Perhaps this is why I've been gifted with boys.  When the air warms and the snow melts we are outside as much as possible.  Biking, blowing bubbles, playing in the sandbox, playing on our playset, gardening, etcetera.

As a result, our kids are fascinated by animals and all things outdoors.  If it's natural or "realistic"...then it's good.  That's according to Superhero #1.   When he had to decide what he wanted for his birthday cake he was torn between sharks and wild cats  (tigers, jaguars, lions...).  He decided on wild cats and I managed to shift it a bit to Safari so I could find some themed items for his party.

We've been on our unprocessed food journey for 11 months now.  In a way, it's like a safari in the suburbs.  It's unchartered territory.  Some friends, family, neighbors, smile at us like we're a bit crazy.  Some look like they want to but are scared.  Some see what's happening and decide to take the leap too.

Now you have to realize, I've set a high precedent in the cake decorating field for my kids.  However, ALL of the kids cakes have been processed sugar, processed flour, and artificial dye filled.  See the proof below.

So fast forward to today...how do you make a fun birthday cake for a 5 year old without food dyes?  How?  In reading about the natural food dyes I find it's hard to get as vibrant colors.  How do you make a safari cake without it being completely dye filled.

I'll be honest...I cheated a little but this cake is over 90% unprocessed.  I used the vanilla cake recipe and maple buttercream frosting recipe from Deliciously Organic to make the 3 tiers of vanilla cake.  The chocolate tier recipe came from Paleo Spirit website.  I still used the same maple buttercream frosting from Deliciously Organic.  I dyed the coconut "grass" using a kale smoothie and touch (1/8 tsp) of green dye.  I probably could have done just the kale and made it work if I had added more.  Then I sweetened it with maple syrup and had to dehydrate it in the oven.  The chocolate sunflower seed "rocks" were naturally dyed.  Then the fruit roll-up used for the river/pond has artificial dyes.  Then I used a gluten free graham cracker for the bridge. So overall...3 things with artificial stuff but the rest was unprocessed.  Not bad.

But more importantly...does my boy like it?  Yes.  He loves it.  He was so excited to see it complete.  The party is in 2 days.  The cake is in the freezer.  We've all tasted the samples and enjoyed it.  Now to see if others like it...

You Can Make This Everyday Mom

So when my almost 5 year old says "You can make this everyday Mom" I know it's a hit.  Tonight I used some of the spaghetti sauce from Saturday's cooking extravaganza to make pizza.  I thawed some out and decided to try making a cauliflower crust.  I've been reading about them for awhile and was curious.  I perused several on Pinterest and decided on this one for no particular reason other than I know some people that had tried it too.  The blog is Eat.Drink.Smile and she focuses on real whole food recipes.

I followed her instructions almost to the word.  Just doubled it to feed our growing boys and used 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 parmesan in the recipe.  After baking for 15 minutes I topped with sauce and toppings (black olives, pepperocini, roasted bell peppers, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese).  I baked it a bit more we were ready to eat.

Superhero #2 chose the deconstructed pizza since he has an aversion to sauce these days.  He ate cheese, pepperoni (uncured), and some veggies and milk.  Superhero #1 said I could make it everyday. I asked my Handsome Hubby if he could figure out what kind of "flour" I used for the crust and he was stumped.  You can't tell it's cauliflower.  Trust me.  I don't like cooked cauliflower.  We all devoured it.

There are about 6 square pieces left in the fridge.  I packed 2 for Superhero  #1's lunch tomorrow.  The preschool classmates won't even know that it's not your average pizza and it's safe to bring to a school with nut allergies.

The only drawback I would say is that we had to take our LACTAID pill before eating because of our lactose intolerance.  I loved the flavor but even with the pill in my stomach working I could feel that I'd had too much dairy.  So next time I might try a recipe I found that follows the same path but does use a bit of almond flour as well.  In case you're curious...that recipe is found here at the blog Love and Lemons. 

Later this week I hope to post my latest craftiness project.  I desperately needed to patch the knees of my outdoor Superheroes pants so I decided to have fun with it and make various vehicles on each knee.  That will come later with pics.  Right now they're washing.  Enjoy the pizza and let me know what you think if you try it.

Not Your Lazy Saturday

Sometimes we have lazy Saturdays.  We don't have any commitments.  We play at home, do yard work, stay caught up on laundry, etcetera.  This was not your lazy Saturday.  My feet hit the floor running at 6:30 a.m. and stopped moving at 9:40 p.m.  I literally did not sit down for a single meal.  I do not recommend this for anyone.  Especially a heart attack survivor who is supposed to be "managing stress".  However, life is life.  Sometimes you find yourself packing it in.

I woke up this morning to my sweet Superhero #2 calling for me.  So we played a little on his car mat with him explaining types of cars to me while the oven heated.  Next, he helped me make two new muffin creations using coconut flour.  I have to admit, coconut flour has not been my favorite flour of choice.  So if you're like me and don't like the texture of coconut baked goods, you may want to consider these recipes.  I made pineapple-coconut muffins and mini blueberry muffins with my boy.  They were so good and everyone devoured them as soon as they cooled.  The pineapple ones reminded me of pineapple upside down cake.  Both were from two of my favorite food blogs on whole food eating...Elana's Pantry had the blueberry muffins and The Nourishing Home had the Pineapple-Coconut muffins.

I did adapt both recipes some.  With the blueberry muffins I used melted coconut oil and grade b maple syrup instead of the grapeseed oil and agave nectar.  Coconut oil is a natural anti-inflammatory, big in "healthy fats", anti-microbial, adds moisture to baked goods, and the list goes on and on.  I replaced the butter in the Pineapple-coconut muffins with melted coconut oil and then used lactose free whole milk that I had in the fridge since I didn't have any kefir or yogurt.  Some of us have dairy allergies here so I try to limit it as much as possible.  I'm not against dairy...just against my reaction to it.

After that we left for soccer and I met a friend to go whole food grocery shopping.  She is overhauling her family's eating and feeling a bit overwhelmed.  So we met at a local health food store, traveled to Costco and introduced her to the corporate wonderland there and then parted ways for me to complete my shopping.

I arrived home to hungry kids and a Handsome Hubby who needed food for his wild turkey hunting trip this weekend.  So...I put on my cooking hat (figuratively) and started cleaning up from breakfast.  Then I made a bean salad for him with my own recipe.

Huge bowl of Greek Bean salad...ready for the road

Greek Bean Salad
2 cans white canellini beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup chopped pepperocini
1 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
grape tomatoes (if you have them...I didn't today)
feta cheese to taste

Mix above ingredients together and enjoy!  It's so tasty!  High in carbs but when he's out hiking all day he needs them and burns through them.  He is meeting a hunting buddy so I made a HUGE bowl today.  All of the ingredients above are approximate.  Honestly...I just dump things in and taste until it seems right.

While I was chopping things up for that I started making my "secret spaghetti sauce".  It's really not a secret...it's natural sweet Italian sausage from the local health food supermarket that I bake and grind up in my food processor.  Next I found that the Kirkland brand spaghetti sauce has no added sugar or junk and as a bonus...IT'S CHEAP!  So I pour the 3 jars of that with my 3 pounds of sausage and we're set for spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, and breadsticks.  I sent a bag of mung bean noodles with him and some sauce so BAM another meal done.

Secret Spaghetti Sauce

Secret Spaghetti Sauce
3 lbs Italian sausage
3 jars Kirkland Marinara Sauce

Bake sweet Italian sausage at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Cut links in "chunks" and grind in food processor.  You'll have to do several small batches.  Place ground sausage into large stockpot with the marinara sauce.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

So with the dishwasher running and the counter still a mess I decided to throw some laundry in and cook more!  I'm crazy I know.  I made some turkey sliders for him to take and for us to eat while he's gone.  It's a favorite recipe from The Food Network and while it does include cheese I just try to limit how much I eat.  Here's the link if you're interested...unfortunately I didn't get pics of these.

Then with Superhero #1 celebrating his birthday at school on Monday and us having a busy day at church tomorrow I decided to do the unthinkable...bake more!  They had to be nut free but coconut flour was ok.  So I made two different coconut flour recipes.  One is for a white cupcake with a maple buttercream frosting.  The recipe may look intimidating but trust me...it's worth it.  My son always wants chocolate cake and this one was his favorite.  It came from the website Deliciously Organic.  She has wonderful information on how she healed Hashimoto's disease by eating whole foods.

Blueberry muffins, Pineapple coconut muffins, White cupcake with maple buttercream frosting and Chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting

The second was from Elana's Pantry.  I think she must live in the kitchen because she always has so many incredible recipes and this one hit the mark again.   I did exchange melted coconut oil for the grapeseed again and used honey instead of the agave nectar.  My husband loved these the best and I honestly don't know what I like more.  I used some of the whipped buttercream from the white cupcakes and mixed it with the chocolate ganache type frosting that I had and it made a light fluffy chocolate buttercream.

In the midst of all this Superhero #2 played with water on the floor next to me showing me how to pour things, blow bubbles with straws, measure marbles in the cup with water, and many other things.  I had to experiment on and off as well and that area on the kitchen floor is SO clean.  He also saw fit to experiment with how well marbles roll on the wood floor.  He was very successful with that endeavor too.

Some playdough and Hot Wheels cars later I am finally sitting.  WHAT  A  DAY!  But you know what? Tomorrow I can relax a bit more and there are enough leftovers frozen and saved in the fridge that I don't have to cook at all while Handsome Hubby is gone.  Maybe you can all pray with me that he gets his turkey the first morning and comes home early like last year!  Enjoy the recipes...I just wouldn't recommend making them all in one day!