Dinner FAIL

Just to keep it real here, our dinner tonight was an absolute failure.  I was pretty excited about it too.  It was going to be fish tacos with Coconut Flour Tortillas.  I started with the tortillas.  Some mix of egg whites, coconut flour, baking soda.  Did as instructed and the things would not flip! Tried multiple pans with no luck.  I set the bowl full or egg/coconut flour aside to just scramble.  Weird-but figured it was worth a shot.

I cooked up a bunch of fish, seasoned like tacos, and mixed in some onion and peppers that I cooked.  It looked nice.

I think the terribleness happened when I layered the egg, fish, lettuce, tomato, and grass fed cheese.  There was not much good to be said about this combo!  I pulled out a bag of plantain chips to help entice the kids (their idea).  They finished everything on their plates!  Then they all had clementines.

We were all still hungry...... so we decided to splurge and go to Target and get Popcorn.  It was nice strolling around with the kiddo's.  I guess :-)  I got an instant headache from the popcorn (same thing happened with pizza) and was having some hot flashes on the way home.  I think the stuff was so salty I might have a hole in my tongue. HAHA.  Should have just gone ahead and gotten a slurpee while we were getting all crazy!

"You Are What You Eat"

All over my Facebook newsfeed is people on a mission: Lose Weight!  Then, once they lose this weight, they sell weight-loss products.  I really don't exactly get it.  Yes, this is coming from a skinny girl that can't gain a stink' pound if I try-but just hear me out.....

I have been learning about food lately.  Not just research, but watching people.  If you eat processed, toxic, man-made, modified, sugar-overloaded, chemically inlaid, addictive foods (because our government mistakenly tells you it's good for you)-you are going to be that!  You are going to feel like crap, stay or get fat, and wonder what's wrong.  Then, you are going to think you need to make a shake or take a pill to lose the weight and feel better.

On another note: if you just EAT RIGHT and EXERCISE you will lose the weight, have an incredible amount of energy, see health problems disappear, and BE HEALTHY from the inside out!  You won't be on any sort of diet that ends at some point.  You won't be spending extra money on things you don't need.  You are eating the way you should, and will continue to do it for the rest of your life.  You do not need to take supplements to make you your ideal weight!!!  My hubby is in AMAZING shape and has lost 26 lbs by doing the above 2 things.

Wes' Crossfit gym has a little saying that "Strong is the New Skinny!"  I think that's awesome.  You do NOT have to be skinny to be healthy.  Society has gone terribly wrong in making you believe this.  You can be strong, big boned, eat well, and in awesome shape!  Don't let this picture of the ideal woman/person affect your self esteem!

So... I'm not going to sell you any products, but I hope I can sell you on an idea: Eat well and Exercise.  What a concept!



*P.S.  I still love all of my friends that sell these things... just don't agree :-)    AND, if this posts get you a little upset, make the recipe below and you will be on top of the world!!!!!!

Chocolate Nut Clusters

My sweet friend (found HERE!) created this absolutely amazing recipe.  Seriously, I've never tasted anything so delicious!  I was thinking the process got a little tedious while I was making them, but after that first bite, it was worth EVERY SINGLE MINUTE!

Ingredients: 

• Shredded Coconut
• Chopped Walnuts
• Chopped Hazelnuts
• Raisins
• 2-3 TBS Honey
• 1/2 bag Dark Chocolate Chips (I used a few blocks of 100% chocolate and a few of 72%)
• *You could use anything so get creative*

1.) Mix 1/4 cup of each dry ingredient in a bowl.

2.) Add 2-3 Tablespoons of Honey. You want the mixture to stick together enough to put it into a cluster. 

3.) Place spoonfuls of mixture on a parchment paper lined cookie tray. Place in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. 

4.)Melt half a bag of Dark Chocolate in a saucepan on low heat. Mix often so it doesn't burn. 

5.) Pull clusters out of the fridge and cover with dark chocolate. 

6.) Place them in the fridge again to harden for 20 min. . 

7.) Pull them out, flip them over and coat the bottom with dark chocolate. Place in the fridge again for 20 min or longer to get a cold hard shell

BBQ Chicken and Roasted Mixed Squash

My plan was to grill yesterday.  However, "the coldest day in April in years" was upon us and I didn't want to go outside and freeze.  I improvised with the oven and a skillet and it turned out great.

SQUASH:
Chop 1 onion
1 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 butternut squash (Peel, deseed, the chop)

Toss in Olive Oil, Salt/Pepper, some Italian Seasoning and roast at 450 for 20-30 minutes.  Flip 1/2 way through.

CHICKEN:
Toss in Olive Oil and some Pork Barrel BBQ Dry Rub (From Costco & As Seen on: Shark Tank).  Put in a skillet over med/high heat until cooked.

Green Eggs and Turkey

This recipe is from Paleo Comfort Foods, and was DELICIOUS!

• 2 lbs ground turkey 
• pepper/salt
• TBSP coconut oil
• 2 c onions, chopped
• 4 c broccoli, chopped [used 1.5 cups]
• 2 c artichoke hears [super bummed - did not have these on hand for round one, but for round two I WILL]
• ‘handful’ of spinach, roughly chopped [used about 4 cups]
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tblsp fresh basil 
• 12 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large skillet, brown turky meat with salt and pepper, drain liqued off and put turkey meat into bottom of greased 9×13″ baking dish. [I tossed everything in a bowl - meat, veggies (coming up), etc. Mixed, put in dish, then poured eggs.]
3. Using same skillet, heat coconut oil, saute onions until translucent, add brocc, artichoke [or other veggies - save the fresh herbs - add before you put into baking dish], other veggies, saute for a bit, add paprika. take off of heat, add fresh herbs.
4. while veggies are cooking, whisk the eggs in a bowl, add a bit of salt and pepper.
5. when veggies are done, turn off heat and add in fresh herbs. Mix well, then put in baking dish.
6. pour eggs over meat and veggies.
7. bake for about 45 minutes or until eggs are done in the middle.

If you are using a cast iron skillet or other iron proof cookware, you can just mix it all in and then put in oven.  I used cast iron, and then baked it.  You probably will not need to cook it for the full 45 minutes if everything is still hot.

Sweet Potato Casserole, Collards, & Salmon

I am loving the cookbook "Paleo Comfort Foods!"  Recently I made their Sweet Potato Casserole and it was wonderful!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 pounds (900 grams) sweet potatoes: red garnet, jewel, beauregard, or white sweet potatoes
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened canned coconut milk (not the watered down kind sold in an aseptic carton)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter (avocado or coconut oil would also work)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon zest (or sub orange zest)
sea salt and pepper, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper)
1/2 cup (50 grams) chopped pecans

*I also added 1-2 TBSP honey and 1/4 C chopped raisins

Coconut, avocado, or olive oil or clarified butter or ghee to coat baking pan

1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into equal-sized cubes. Place all in large sauce or stock pot, cover with water, and boil until potatoes are very tender. Note: I changed this step. I rinsed the sweet potatoes, baked them on a dry, rimmed baking sheet in a 400˚F toaster oven until tender and squishy, turning them over after 30 minutes. Do not add water. No foil needed.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
3. Drain potatoes and return to pot. (Note: There will be nothing to drain if you baked them whole. In this case, peel them, then mash.) Using a handheld mixer (this really improves the texture), blend in coconut milk.
4. Add eggs, vanilla, oil (or butter), cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Taste and add sea salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Place sweet potato mixture into a 9x9 Pyrex pan, or oval baker. (I used a deep dish pie plate.)
6. Sprinkle crushed pecans on top.
7. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

We also enjoyed Collard Greens with our meal.  Oh, I just love them.  I didn't use a recipe for this, but they are simple to make.  Just wash and then cut leaves off stems.   I used some leftover bacon grease (Always have some handy!) to sautee some onion.  I added in the sliced greens and some chicken stock.  Cover and simmer for a while :-)  I know, that's a terrible recipe and instructions.  

BBQ and Parsnips

We had a huge pork roast that I really didn't know what to do with.  I googled recipes and then went shopping to gather the ingredients to make a BBQ sauce.  However, while at Wegmans I came across Chiavetta's Barbecue Marinade.  The only ingredients are: Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Fresh Garlic, and Xanthum Gum.  All of which are A-OK!

I pulled out the crock pot, Sliced up a large onion and layered it on the bottom.  After pan-searing the pork roast, I placed it on top of the onions and added about 1/4 bottle of the sauce.  10 hours later, it shredded perfectly and tasted delicious!

Parsnips are absolutely delicious!!  Here's what I do:
Slice 1.5 lbs parsnips into "fry" strips.
toss with Olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.  Lay out in a roasting pan, add 1/3 C Chicken stock, and cover tightly with foil.  Cook for 20-40 minutes (Until tender, but not mushy!  About the time the stock is gone)

While cooking, melt 1/4 C of Grass fed butter, add in about 1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley, and 1 clove minced garlic.  Stir together then pour over freshly cooked parsnips!  YUMM!!

Grilling Chops & Boys Cooking

I didn't have much of a plan for dinner today, so I took a bunch of random things we had around and made dinner out of it.  It actually turned out to be great-for many reasons!

The boys woke up from nap in a fantastic mood!  Either that, or my Bible study this morning ("Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed") made a huge difference in my attitude.  The lesson dealt with God choosing us and equipping us for this season of life!  How encouraging is that!  The challenge was to think about God in everything throughout the day.  So, I really just tried to love the afternoon and the moments we had.  Their behavior sure did make that easier :-)

Ezra was up first, so he wanted to help in the kitchen.  He seasoned the pork chops (salt, pepper, & onion flakes) then made the marinade (2 TBSP water, 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, 1 TBSP olive oil).  We put them in a baggie, then back in fridge.

Next, he helped me with the cabbage.  Just cut it into wedges (1/8ths), sprayed with olive oil, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Wrapped up tight in foil.

We washed up some mushrooms and lightly sprayed with Olive oil.  Recipes I read recommended doing this and refrigerating for at least an hour so the mushrooms retain moisture when they are grilled.

When it was time to cut up cucumbers and tomatoes Levi woke up.  I decided they could learn to use a knife.  They actually did a great job.  Ezra only tried to punch Levi in the face once ;-)  They only cut the cucumber then helped put the pre-cut tomato in the bowl.

They played wonderfully together while I got the grill ready.  Joel is teething and/or has a cold, so he wasn't too into hanging out by himself this evening.  I ended up strapping him in the Ergo while I grilled.  I LOVE being able to grill an entire meal!!



Here are approximate cooking times:
Cabbage: Medium heat, 20 minutes, flip, 20 more minutes
Mushrooms: Medium heat, 15-20 minutes
Pork Chops: Med-High heat, I have no idea of the time.  Recipes said 3 minutes-it took way longer!  :-)

(I forgot to take a picture before the pork chops were all cut up.  They actually looked really nice.)

Chunky Monkey Muffins

Would you like to chat about something amazing?!  Okay, good-it's this muffin. I actually think it tastes more like a brownie when all is said and done.  When we made the dough, I was pretty convinced they were going to taste awful.  The dough was super thick and goopey!  I was SO wrong and am very glad I didn't alter the recipe!  One of the best parts- the only things that sweeten this are dates and bananas (and a few chocolate chips on top!)

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
1  C dates*
1/2 C roasted creamy almond butter (use MaraNatha brand sunflower seed butter to make these nut-free)
1/2 C coconut flour
1/4 C coconut oil, liquified
1/4 C palm shortening
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla

Here’s where you choose your own adventure, for the la st ingredient you must decide the flavor you’d like! To the mixture add one of the following:
2 Tbsp Tapioca Flour (vanilla based muffins)
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (chocolate based muffins) (THIS is what we used!)

Topping (Optional):

1/2 C dark chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. ♥ In a food processor, puree together the dates and bananas until smooth
2. ♥ Add remaining ingredients to food processor and pulse until a thick batter forms (scrape sides to fully incorporate but do not over blend)
3. ♥ Spoon into lined muffin tin, filling cups 2/3 full
4. ♥ Toss topping ingredients together in small bowl, sprinkle on top of each muffin and press gently to get them to “stick”
5. ♥ Bake at 350 degrees for 16 – 18 minutes

*We prefer fresh medjool dates (usually found in the refrigerated produce section of the grocery store). We pit them ourselves and use them directly. If you are unable to find them (or find the cost too prohibitive) you can acquire a similar texture by re-hydrating dehydrated dates. Simply cover with boiling water for ten minutes, drain and use as instructed.

*I buy a huge bag of dates at Costco for around $5 and then soften them with the method above.  It works great.  I am going to try my Lara Bar recipe using this softening method.  Medjool dates are very expensive (IMO)

The above recipe is from the Paleo Parents blog.  Elliot got their book, "Eat Like a Dinosaur" for her birthday and we went to the book signing last weekend.  Do you know how fun it is for your kid to get to meet the author AND illustrator of a book they have?  OH, and meet other kids that eat like we do!?  She really soaked it all up.   She loves looking for recipes she wants to try. She helped prepare most of the muffins today.

Ribs

This post is long over-due and a little premature.  Does that make any sense?  Wes made me some awesome ribs for my birthday!  I've been meaning to post about it for a while.  Only problem is, he has the recipe and I keep forgetting to get it from him.  So, here's half a post: pic's of the ribs and my man.  Maybe I'll get you the dry rub recipe and his BBQ sauce recipe soon.  They were SO GOOD!

(Clearly there were some little helpers in the kitchen before I took this picture.)