We head over to the farmers market every Saturday morning. I drool over all the green - every kind of lettuce, kale, broccoli, green onions, herbs. I come home with a ton of beautiful green things that need to be used fairly quickly. So, this has become our Saturday night (and lasts us through Sunday) meal.
Eat Your Greens! Frittata
3 potatoes, diced
1 large onion, chopped
several tablespoons butter (or fat of choice)
lots of salt and pepper (I also used Herbamere, a season all salt)
10-12 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional, I used goat cheddar)
loads of local produce from the market, cleaned and chopped. I used broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, and kale.
Melt butter in a large, oven-proof skillet over med-low heat. Add the potatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until about halfway done. Add broccoli. Cook everything until just almost soft. Add zucchini and squash, cook another 2 minutes. Add kale and cook until wilted. Whisk your eggs, optional cheese, and more salt/pepper. Smooth out all your veggies to cover the skillet evenly. Pour eggs evenly over vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 minutes. Heat oven to 350. Finish cooking the frittata in the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
Seth is the muffin man, but he is also the pancake man. When I say that Seth eats these pancakes every single morning, I'm not exaggerating. This kid doesn't mess around with his breakfast. He knows what he likes, and he sticks with it.
Seth's Buckwheat Pancakes makes 6 pancakes, easily doubled
1/2 cup fresh ground buckwheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk (cow, goat, almond) 2 tsp melted coconut oil frozen blueberries, optional
Mix all ingredients together. Cook each pancake for about 2 minutes per side, on a well oiled griddle. Top with maple syrup. Enjoy!
Salmon is full of healthy omega-3 fats, vitamins and minerals. But, due to supply and demand, the quality of salmon has gone down. Make sure you look for wild alaskan salmon. You don't want to buy farmed fish - they are unhealthy and usually pumped with food colorings.
If you aren't use to eating much fish, start with salmon. It has a mild taste and cooks up wonderfully. This is a simple dinner that we enjoy weekly. It can be served as a family friendly meal or an elegant dinner for two. If you're having trouble getting your kids to eat salmon, just tell them it's what the Berenstain Bears eat...works every time.
Salmon with Roasted Winter Vegetables
2 large salmon filets ghee or butter lemon salt/pepper
7 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 4 red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 15 brussels sprouts, root cut off, outer layer peeled and washed olive oil salt/pepper thyme
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the potatoes together with a few glugs of olive oil, salt/pepper, and several shakes of dried thyme. Put in a 9x13 pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Mix. Cook for another 15 minutes. While they are cooking for the 15 minutes, prepare your salmon.
Lay the filets in a buttered/oiled baking dish. Roll you lemon on the counter with your hand, to get the juices flowing. Slice open, and squeeze juice over filets. Cover each with salt and pepper. Dab with ghee or butter.
When the 15 minutes are up, take our your potatoes and add the brussels sprouts. Mix well. Put the vegetables and the salmon into the oven. Cook another 15 minutes.
Breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) tomorrow: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat up the leftover vegetables (and salmon, if you have any leftover) in a pan covered with ghee/butter/coconut oil. Whisk 8 large eggs together with some salt and pepper. Pour eggs into the pan with vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 5-8 minutes. Finish cooking in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through.
Sorry the picture has such bad lighting....we eat breakfast early, really early. Like, before the sun comes up, early.
My family loves soup, and I'm glad they do. It's healthy, easy and cheap. I usually make a big pot of it every Sunday and we eat it well into the upcoming week. I don't follow any type of recipe. I just use what I have, and it always turns out great.
Winter Garden Soup
1 large onion 5 carrots, peeled and sliced 5 celery stalks, washed and diced 1 head cauliflower, cleaned and cut 2 heads broccoli, cleaned and cut 1 28oz can diced tomatoes 2 small zucchini (I found some itty bitty local, organic ones at my health food store. They are out of season, so only use these if they are organic and you know the source.) 5 leaves kale, washed and shredded leftover chicken meat 5 small red potatoes, cleaned and diced 8-10 cups homemade chicken or beef stock several dashes of basil and oregano salt/pepper to taste
Saute the onion in butter or ghee for a few minutes. Add carrots and celery, saute a few minutes more. Add everything else to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and let it simmer for 45 minutes.
**The cute husband enjoying his soup is optional, but really adds something to the meal. I highly recommend one.
Seth loves muffins, I love potatoes. I use them in anything I can - soups, frittatas, side dishes, etc. The humble potato can be dressed up as a meal in and of itself. We are dairy free right now, but these would be a-mazing with some melted cheese on top.
Twice Baked Potatoes with Tuna This is one of those "its 5:00 and I haven't been to the grocery store in a week" dinners.
4 large russet potatoes 1 can tuna 3/4 cup frozen corn 3/4 cup broccoli (can be frozen) 3/4 cup frozen spinach ghee (or fat of choice) for sautéing salt/pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Scrub potatoes clean, dry them with a towel, and pierce holes all around with a knife. Wrap them in foil and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour. About 10 minutes before the potatoes are ready, heat up a medium skillet with your ghee. Saute the broccoli, spinach and corn long enough for it to heat through. Add in tuna and salt/pepper. Put everything into a large bowl. Throw in some extra ghee or butter in the bowl, for good measure.
Take potatoes out of the oven and throw away foil. Let them cool to the touch and then scoop out the middle with a spoon. Put the insides into the bowl with the veggies/tuna. Mix together. Fill each potato with mixture. This is where you could add cheese, if tolerated. Put everything back in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve.
Lunch tomorrow: My husband was out of town the night I made this dinner, so I had extras. I diced up the potato, hard boiled some eggs, and mixed it all together with some mayo. Yum!
As we transition into a more GAPS friendly way of eating, I am trying to introduce a lot more soup into our routine. I've started making a big 2:00pm lunch on Sundays and then follow it up with a soup for dinner. We aren't very hungry, so we save lots of it and have it through the week. It's truly amazing what a little homemade chicken broth can do for you. It certainly makes me smile when I watch Ella gulp down bowls of vegetable soup, look up, and proudly ask for more.
Nourishing Vegetable Soup Isn't it fantastic how you can mix the most random vegetables together with some salt/herbs/broth and it becomes something good enough to serve company?
1/2 stick butter (yeah, I said a half stick) 2 leeks, chopped and cleaned well 4 large carrots, sliced 4 potatoes, diced (I used the tiny fingerling potatoes and just sliced them) 1 cup frozen peas 1 cup frozen green beans 3/4 cup frozen spinach 2 cups shredded cabbage 1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes 1 cup wild rice (substitute chopped up cauliflower for GAPS) 1 tsp dried thyme 1 bay leaf salt/pepper to taste 10 cups homemade chicken broth
Saute the leeks in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and saute a few minutes more. Add everything else. Bring to a boil, simmer for 45 minutes or more.
Enjoy!
**Be on the lookout for an awesome giveaway coming soon**
Mexican food has always been my cuisine of choice. It use to be soft white tortillas loaded with cheese....now it's soaked beans, avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, and meat. But, it's just as good. I spent spring break during my sophomore year of college on a humanitarian trip in Mexico. We stayed with local families from our church - and ate all three meals with them. It was heaven. Beans and eggs for breakfast? Pure genius.
Huevos Rancheros I served this for dinner, but it would be a fabulous brunch on a lazy Saturday morning.
Serves 4, easily doubled
4 corn tortillas 4 eggs 1 cup salsa 1 cup black beans shredded lettuce avocado, diced
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lay tortillas flat on a cookie sheet. Spray with coconut oil (or spread on some ghee) and sprinkle with sea salt. Put them in the oven and let them warm up while you cook the eggs. Dump salsa and beans into a large skillet, stir and let it warm up for a minute or two. Make 4 holes in the salsa and crack the eggs into them. Turn the heat down to medium/low. Cover and cook until the eggs are done - about 5 minutes. Take out the tortillas from the oven and put them on each plate. Scoop the eggs/salsa/beans on top of each tortilla. Top with lettuce and avocado.
This is Seth, also known (around the house only, of course) as "love muffin". I think as he gets older, and is sick of his mom calling him 'love muffin' all the time, I will switch it to 'muffin man'. It's a little more gruff, don't you think?
This kid loves muffins. He would eat them all day if I let him. This is the recipe I always go to. I keep a batch of these in my freezer at all times, in case of a muffin emergency.
*As a note, I found this recipe a couple years ago online. I jotted it down and don't have any idea where I got it from. I've tweaked it a little bit to make it my own. If anyone knows where this came from, please let me know so I can give credit.
Manly Love Muffins Serve these for breakfast with some fresh fruit, or keep them in the freezer for snacks like we do.
2 cups blanched almond flour 3/4 cup almond meal (I get mine at Trader Joe's) 4 Tbsp arrowroot powder heaping 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup raw, local honey 2 ripe bananas, peeled. 1/2 cup almond butter 4 pastured eggs 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts
With your mixer, mash the bananas. Add the almond butter, honey, and eggs. Mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Fill muffin cups (lined or sprayed) and bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes. Watch them closely, as the bottoms will brown quickly.
For me, these make 12 large muffins, and an additional 12 mini muffins. I freeze the large muffins right away and keep the mini's out for snacks.
It's hard to even get a picture of these with the muffin man around.
I remember as a little kid, my dad making a huge breakfast on Christmas morning. Christmas and Mother's Day were the only two days I think my dad cooked all year long. It was always worth the anticipation. The smell of bacon cooking while my brother and I admired all our new treasures is a fond memory of mine. Bacon and eggs. What more can a girl want on Christmas morning (other than a juicer and some new books? Hint...hint...) It is imperative that you have something cooking and smelling wonderful while opening presents!
I'm kicking it up a notch this year and turning the bacon and eggs tradition into a casserole.
Christmas Morning Casserole A hearty casserole with festive red and green peppers. This could easily be doubled for extra company or leftovers.
1 bag frozen organic hash browns, thawed overnight (or you could use shredded cauliflower for a more GAPS friendly recipe) 2 tbsp butter, coconut oil or ghee (melted) salt/pepper
Mix first 3 ingredients together and press into the bottom of a 9x13. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.
1 red pepper, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1 small onion, diced 1/2-1 cup frozen corn (omit for grain free) 1/2-1 cup ham, cut into small cubes (you could sub with bacon, sausage, etc)
Saute in a large pan while the crust is cooking.
10 pastured eggs salt/pepper
Whisk.
When the potato crust is done, spread the vegetable/meat mixture on top. Pour the eggs evenly over the vegetables. Bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes. I started checking it at 20 minutes and it was done around 25 minutes. I made it thin so that it wouldn't take too long to cook. Who wants to wait an hour for breakfast?
I will be serving this with seasonal fruit and almond flour muffins.
I took Ella to our naturopath, suspecting a food allergy. She has the typical symptoms of a dairy allergy - runny nose, fussy, and constantly want to eat more and more dairy products.
Well, she is allergic to dairy and wheat. I never would have suspected wheat. She rarely eats any and usually turns it down when it's offered.
After a day and a half wheat/dairy-free she has gotten over her just-wont-quit cough, is much less whiney, and has lost her normal babyish bowel movements. Just like that. No more raw cheese, yogurt or butter. So, it's a total diet overhaul (again). It's ok, it's not like I'm busy or anything. Bring it on.
Seth has been gluten/dairy free for a few years now. He is typically uninterested in the food I make, so I never really changed our meals that much. Now it is time for all of us to officially go gluten/dairy free. I've been scouring cookbooks and blogs looking for some new recipes to try. It seems that everything gluten free is full of white rice flour, potato starch and sugar. Most dairy free items are full of sweetened rice milk and "vegan buttery sticks". Yuck all around. I'm not about to switch my family over to nutrient poor, super sweetened food...just in the name of gluten/dairy free living.
I will be playing around with different ingredients, and I'm sure it will all keep changing. For now, I will start with these substitutions:
Milk: coconut milk or homemade sprouted almond milk (in my spare time, right?)
Wheat: almond flour, coconut flour
Snack Time
Ella usually asks for chunks of raw cheese or yogurt for snack time. Yesterday I gave her a plate of celery sticks, yellow pepper strips and a Polyface hotdog. She ate the entire thing and then asked for orange. No problem, little lady. Instead of turning to dairy products or muffins for snack time, I will be making an effort to turn to fruit and vegetables. I started a short list of snacks yesterday. I plan on (in my spare time, right?) taking a photo of each snack and labeling it. Each day I will put out a few pictures of what we have in the house, and the kids can pick what they would like.
Here is my list, so far...
Gluten/dairy free snacks
- mini muffin quiche (eggs, spinach, red pepper, and onion mixed together and cooked in a mini muffin tin) - mini muffin crab cakes (crab meat, eggs, mayo, veggies and spices mixed together and cooked in a mini muffin tin) - almond flour muffins from the freezer - fruit and veggies cut into fun shapes - hard boiled eggs cooked in these funky little numbers - applesauce - larabars - coconut milk yogurt cups - chocolate avocado pudding (this is seriously amazing) - banana ice cream (this too) - mini quesadillas (brown rice tortilla, refried beans, guacamole, cooked in a skillet with ghee)
Right before our eyes the beautiful fall reds and oranges quickly got swept away in the wind...and in entered the quiet chill of winter. It seems that we were just enjoying long nights filled with music, fresh fruit, and summer breeze. Now, we have retreated indoors. We are enjoying the cozy Christmas tree, our precious books, and thick socks. Rather than go crazy, I'm making myself busy inside. My mornings are full of nesting. Laundry, dishes, fluffing pillows, putting 8,794 children's books back on the shelves - all the little things that make this house our home. My afternoons are filled with homeschool lessons and baking. Seth loves to get in the kitchen with me. I've noticed, since the weather changed, he wants to bake something every afternoon. I'm ok with that. We warm up the kitchen and enjoy the fruits of our labor by the Christmas tree.
Food is such a big part of our lives. Here are a few recipes that we have warmed ourselves with this season.
Super Immunity Warm Smoothie a warming drink to be enjoyed anytime during the day
Saute 2 bananas in a large spoonful of coconut oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Continue cooking until the bananas are brown and gooey. Meanwhile, gently heat up 2-4 cups (depends on how much smoothie you want) of milk (we've used raw cow and almond). Put cooked bananas, milk, and 1-2 tbsp coco powder in the blender. Blend and enjoy in a mug.
Supper Immunity Warm Oats reap the benefits of coconut oil in your morning oats
Combine and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until oats and banana is soft.
Broccoli and Leek Quinoa a simple, satisfying lunch
1 head broccoli, chopped small 2 leeks, green tops removed, sliced, and cleaned thoroughly 1 cup quinoa 2 cups chicken broth butter, salt, pepper
Rinse and soak quinoa overnight. When you're ready to cook, drain and rinse quinoa again. Cook in chicken broth. While quinoa is cooking, saute broccoli and leeks in butter with salt and pepper. You can add any spices you like here, but I keep mine basic. Cook veggies until soft. Combine quinoa and veggies. Serve.
Potato and Spinach Frittata a crowd-pleasing dinner or brunch
5 or 6 smallish potatoes, whatever variety you prefer (red is always a favorite for us) 1 medium onion, diced 5 -6 eggs (I always start with 5 and usually end up scrambling up one more to cover the potatoes) handful frozen spinach butter salt, pepper, herbamere (or your favorite season all salt)
Slice potatoes thin, about 1/8th of an inch. Thin potatoes are the key. If they are too thick it will take too long for them to cook, and everything will get too mushy. Saute the potatoes and onion in butter. You need to be generous with the butter, because you want it to coat the pan later too. Add the salt, pepper and herbamere. If you want, some dried parsley would be a nice touch. Keep a close eye on the potatoes so that they don't burn or stick to the pan. Keep the heat low, and keep stirring. Once the potatoes are soft (10-15 minutes), add the spinach. Put a cover over you skillet and let the spinach soften. In the meantime, whip your eggs with some salt/pepper. Arrange potatoes evenly in your skillet. Add your eggs to the skillet and move it around, so that they eggs fill all the gaps. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Transfer your skillet to the oven to finish cooking. Cook another 10 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through in the middle. Cut into slices and serve alongside a leafy salad.
Enjoy the warmth of your food, your homes and your families. At this busy time of year, may we stop and truly contemplate what it means to give. I hope we can all share and feel of that perfect Christ-like love this month.
I try to make it to the gym at least a few times a week. Being mom to two young kids, I don't have time to waste. So, when I'm there, I work. I work hard. Running, weights, the whole shebang. After my workout I always crave water and protein. This smoothie is the best of both worlds. I don't buy into protein powders. I haven't come across a protein powder tree anywhere in nature yet, have you? I trust plants more than powder. Raw egg yolks from pastured hens are a wonderful source of protein, vitamins and minerals. I always feel strong and energized after this smoothie.
Post Workout Smoothie
2 leaves romaine lettuce handful of spinach frozen blueberries frozen strawberries 1-2 tbsp whole flax 1 raw egg yolk (never ever from a grocery store hen, only a pastured organic hen!) enough coconut water to get everything moving
Cook the meat and onion together. While it's cooking throw everything else in the crockpot.
1 28 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 28 oz can organic baked beans 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes 1 cup frozen corn 1/2-1 cup frozen spinach salt, pepper several shakes of chili powder and oregano - We like our chili really mild, you can always throw in more spices or a can of green chilies if you need to.
Add the meat/onion mixture. Stir it up. Cook on low 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.
I served this over brown rice. It would be great with some crushed tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, etc.
I think next time I might throw a few carrots in the food processor and cook them with the meat. I'll make it a game. I'll call it "how many vegetables can I sneak in the chili before someone notices". Is it sad that I get excited about something like that? Welcome to motherhood.
These salmon cakes are our go-to dinner if it's 5:00 and nothing is cooking yet. This dinner is perfect for a beautiful fall evening, when all you want to do is play outside in the leaves, not cook dinner.
Salmon Cakes
1 can salmon 1 egg 1 tbsp mayo pinch salt or herbamere pinch dill
Mix together until well blended. Cook on a hot griddle covered with butter or coconut oil, just like pancakes. Let each side cook for 2-3 minutes.
Serve With:
If you're really running short on time, serve this with a salad with veggies.
If you've got more time, roast a few vegetables and cook a pot of brown rice.
These cookies deserve a post of their own. In one word, they are amazing. These are the best thing that ever happened to grain-free baking. If I didn't know any better, I would guess they were filled with white flour, white sugar, etc. You must try these. Like tonight.
Almond Butter Cookies
1 16oz jar almond butter, extra oil drained off the top 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup sweetener - since these are a once in a while treat for us, I use pure dehydrated cane juice 1/2 cup (or more) dark chocolate chips 1 tbsp vanilla.
Mix together and drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. I usually pull them out at 8 minutes. They look a little underdone, but they will continue to cook/harden as they sit. Let these cool completely, or they will be crumbly. But, hey, if soft gooey cookie crumbles are your thing I say go for it.
Enjoy!
*It has been brought to my attention that this recipe is almost identical to one on Elana's blog. I did not know about this recipe at the time, but wanted to cover my bases. :)
It's official, my favorite season is here! Here is how we are celebrating the change of weather.
We decorated the house...
The boy and I made granola yesterday to enjoy for breakfast this morning...
Raw Pumpkin Spice Granola this makes a fairly small batch, will be doubling next time
1 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup buckwheat 1/4 rounded cup raw sunflower seeds 1/4 rounded cup whole raw almonds 1/4 scant cup flax seeds
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 small chopped apple, optional
Put all of the dry ingredients into a food processor (you could use a hand chopper if you don't have a processor). Pulse a few times, until you reach desired chunkiness. Wisk wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and chopped apple, mix well. Lay granola out onto dehydrator trays lined with wax paper. Dehydrate for a couple hours, stir, dehydrate a couple more hours. Store in an airtight container.
I hate to brag, but this granola turned out amazing. It has won the title for the best granola I've ever had!
We made a perfect fall breakfast...
Pumpkin Peanut Butter Fall Oats
3/4 cup rolled oats 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 grain cereal 2 cups water 1 banana, sliced 1/4-1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree couple glugs of maple syrup 2 tbsp peanut butter, soft pumpkin spice granola, recipe above
Combine oats, cereal, water and banana. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 5-7 minutes. Add pumpkin and let it heat through. Add maple syrup, stir. Put into bowls and garnish with peanut butter and granola.
We spent the afternoon outside cleaning up the garden...
We had a fun day cozying up the house, reading seasonal books, and playing outside in the gorgeous weather. The day ended with a simple, warming dinner....
Roasted red potatoes, carrots and brussels sprouts. Served alongside some quinoa cooked in fresh chicken broth.
Enjoy the colors, enjoy the weather, enjoy the smells, enjoy this fall season!
