Almond Joyness

Who doesn't love a good candy bar?! I know I sure do, until I read the ingredients label that is. I love that there are natural alternatives, but honestly I haven't really found one that I have liked besides plain chocolate, but that's a whole other story. Anyways being pregnant I've found myself wanting things I haven't wanted in years and tonight I had a hankering for an almond joy. I wasted little time figuring out how to make these it was like the craving just took over and I was a witness to the situation.

Here's the recipe......

Grab a  mini muffin pan, a regular one will work but the little ones keep me in line!

1 1/3 C coconut
1/2 C coconut oil
1/4 C maple syrup or raw honey or agave



Mix those together if, you're patient you can melt the coconut oil first for easy mixing but I just used my hands and made it melt to my will!

Divide the mixture evenly into the cups

Press down lightly 
Add an almond (or a sprinkle of sliced almonds) to each cup and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes

While that's happening bust out a double broiler (that's just a fancy term for an empty pot on top of a pot of boiling water).....sorry I was way too focused to take pictures!

Melt a bag of enjoy life chocolate chips in the double broiler, oh you don't have a bag of chocolate chips on call in your pantry? Yeah, me neither....... a chocolate bar will do or if you want to get fancy you can make your own chocolate by mixing equal parts coconut oil, cocoa powder, cocoa or almond butter and adding a sweetener of choice to taste.

Once the chocolate situation is worked out pull out the coconut cups from the freezer
Add chocolate to each cup and place back in the freezer as long as you can stand it

After about 15 minutes mine were ready-ish, I would give it 20 and 30 if you make big ones
they will slide right out with a butter knife.

If there's any left store in a zip-lock or Tupperware in the freezer

Thai Meatballs

Thai meatballs?! The phrase sounds exotic yet also accessible and after you discover how easy and delicious these little tastes of far off paradise are, they'll quickly earn a place in your heart er um stomach and possibly your favorite go to dinner list. The recipe I adopted these from calls for dark meat turkey and if that's your thing go for it, at my house dark meat doesn't go over very well so I scrapped that and went to my go to starter for meatballs, a turkey breast & ground pork mix. Normally I make everything from scratch but I must admit making complicated sauces with loads of spices intimidates me and I always seem to forget 1 vital ingredient so I cheated a little and bought a green curry simmer sauce. 

Here's what you'll need

3/4 lb ground turkey breast
1/4 lb ground pork
1-2 cloves of garlic-minced
1 hunk of ginger-minced
1 tbs fresh cilantro leaves- minced
Dash of Braggs or soy souce
Big squirt of Sriracha (optional) 
squeeze of fresh lime

A jar of green curry simmer sauce or make your own if you're not a wuss like me :) 

Preheat over to 375 F
Blend all ingredients together (it may stick to your hands a bit  feel free to have flour handy!)
Roll into balls of desired size and place into a 9x11 baking dish
Cook 30-45 minutes depending on size

After they are finished cooking or even a little undercooked but browned on the outside transfer meatballs to a skillet and add green curry simmer sauce and simmer on low with a lid for at least 20 minutes.

I made a quick simple stir fry to go with my meatballs

chopped carrots, onion, celery, broccoli, bell pepper and some frozen edamame cooked on med until everything was soft but not mushy. I started with a heap of coconut oil and as the veggies cooked added to taste ginger, garlic, braggs, rice wine vinegar and a dash of sesame oil, easy and delicious!

When I started cooking I realized I was all out of rice......what?! So....I used quiona instead which worked out perfectly because quiona cooks quicker and it was delicious, who knew?! 

Friendly Three Bean Salad

I don't think there's really a way to make bean salad look glamorous in a photo, I'm sure someone has tackled this beast of a task with grace, I have not. I have however preserved and recreated successfully this recipe I learned ages ago while on a cross country adventure with then strangers but now good friends. So when my in-laws (bless their hearts) sent me this amazing package of Cali avocados because I had mentioned I was craving them I knew I had to make this dish, and guacamole too of course!

I always make a double batch, so if you're single or don't think you can tackle this much divine bean power, half everything. 

2 cans organic kidney beans (drained & rinsed)

2 cans organic garbanzo beans (drained & rinsed)

(bonus points if you use dried beans and cook them yourself, you are so much cooler than me!) 

1 bag frozen french green beanslightly steamed

small chunks of mild cheddar, I just chop up whatever I have left in the block you want a good ratio just eyeball it
1 giant avocado cut into bite sized pieces

toss together in a large bowl and make your sauce

Sauce

1C olive oil

1/4 C lemon juice

1/4 C local organic honey, trust me on this it's just the best! 

a little salt & pepper to taste

Mix well then stir gently into the bean bowl, cover and let sit overnight.

Easy as pie and it's a great addition to the lunch box or picnic basket or in my case when I first learned this recipe, in the back of a car driving 70 through Wyoming is how it tastes best.

Meatless Monday Healthy Potato Leek soup

I have to admit vegetarian dinners can be a bit taboo in this house, despite me being a a veg head for over a decade (I'm an omnivore now) I find it hard to please my boys without meat. My husband enjoys a high protein low carb diet and that can be a challenge when working with the plant only kingdom. However I can usually get away with it on Monday nights because we typically don't do an intense workout that day and I usually have something delicious up my sleeve.

This week I made potato leek soup, now technically this dish is not completely vegetarian because I opted to use chicken broth, mainly because I had some in the fridge I needed to use but one could easily substitute veggie broth or even lowfat milk and still keep it healthy and delicious.

Now, I love a good creamy potato leek soup that's cheesy and delicious but I promise you this version is just as good and as a bonus we leave out all the unnecessary fat (which I saved for putting loads of butter on my bread!)

Ok, here's what you'll need

4 potatoes of choice chopped into tiny 1/4 inch squares (I used 2 white sweet potatoes and 2 red skinned potatoes because they cook down into creamy starchy deliciousness)

1 giant leek or a couple small ones ends removed slice down the middle wash and then slice into small strips

1/4 onion diced

5-6 carrots washed and sliced into bite sized pieces

3-4 stalks of celery washed and sliced into bite sized pieces

a couple cloves of garlic

a little bit of butter and olive oil

4 C chicken broth

and about a teaspoon of each dried herb

orageno
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
thyme
sage
parsley
1-2 bay leaves

Your cutting board should look something like this  (as a side note if you live in a warmer climate most of these veggies should be available to you right now locally!)

In a big pot melt on low-medium a heavy tablespoon of butter, when melted place all veggies in the pot and stir around for a bit. When the bottom of the pan looks dry (butter all soaked up) add a swirl of olive oil and let veggies cook and stir occasionally. This part is important it takes a little while but let the veggies cook slowly after about 10 minutes stir in the garlic and herbs.

When the veggies are softish not crunchy but not mushy yet stir in the chicken broth (or broth of choice), switch the heat to low add a lid and let this pot of deliciouness simmer as long as you can wait! I paired this with whole wheat spinach and red pepper bread with a tad of butter.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Pot Pie (with shortcuts!)

I have been seriously craving chicken pot pie for at least a month now and with the cooler weather of fall setting in this comfort food down home dish really hits the spot. After reading the ingredients list of the "good pot pie" at Whole Foods, which included enriched flour and questionable gmo ingredients, I knew I was destined to make my own.

 For being a member of the humble casserole  family, when done right this soul nourishing meal has a high maintenance diva side. In order for it to taste right and for the veggies to keep their integrity each component needs to be cooked separately before whisked away into a oven safe dish and left only to do it's thing. I've been making a crock pot half chicken every week so figuring out another thing to do with the bits of dark meat is a blessing, so that took care of the chicken part.

I used a mix of light and dark meat so it wasn't gamey tasting, around 2 cups of chicken. I pulled it off the bone cold, chopped it up and set aside. A chicken breast would work as well, chop it up into bite sized pieces season with pepper, garlic and cook in the oven (bonus points for using the same dish you will be making the casserole in, plus less dishes!) at  375 for about 30 minutes.

Coming up is the hardest part, and I promise it's easy :)

Make a Rue
A rue consists of equal parts flour and fat. For my pot pie in a deep 8x8 baking dish I used 1/2C butter and 1/2 C flour. Let fat melt completely then stir in flour bits at a time. When it's nice and thick and you're terrified it's going to burn start adding bits of chicken broth (or cream if you're a traditionalist) I like to use chicken broth because it's less fatty and I had the best broth on hand from my crock pot chicken. I used about 2 cups total just keep adding as it thickens, also a little Parmesan cheese goes a long way! Once that's done all you have to do is construct using the shortcut methods!

Mix chicken, rue and about a cup of frozen organic mixed veggies (I like the pea, carrot, corn blend) and place evenly in the casserole dish. Then lay a thawed out prepared crust, the Wholsome whole wheat pie crusts from the frozen department from Whole Foods have 6 ingredients and everything's organic. Don't get me wrong I love me some home made lovealicious crust, but it's just not always practical!

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, then dance a jig and eat pot pie!!

Flavorful Roasted Almonds

I love nuts as a mid afternoon snack, just a handful has enough protein to keep a belly full and fight fatigue. Salted nuts are good but I've been really digging the "flavored" nuts I've been seeing around. Well I love them until I read the ingredients label and realize they are loaded with "extras" so I decided to give it a go. For this batch I started with raw almonds and roasted then for 10-13 minutes at 425. Basically I pulled then out of the oven when I started to smell the sweet fragrance of almonds in my kitchen.
After they cooled I tossed them with a little sesame  oil, Bragg's liquid Amino's and sprinkled with brewers yeast.
Delicious!

How to Make Delious Healthy Muffins

If you google "blueberry muffin" there's an estimated 4,540,000 search results that come up for recipes. It's kind of a thing :) and I'm not so sure these muffins are super unique but they are "healthy" as far as muffins go and I take great pride in using ingredients and methods that result in delicious food & can be eaten for breakfast or snacks alike. The key here is substitutions and I'm not talking about subbing applesauce for oil or butter, because let's face it a little fat makes things YUMMY! Here's the original recipe I pulled from "The Joy of Cooking" cookbook. I use their recipes for a starting point most of the time because it's classic, simple and I like the fluid layout. However once I'm finished it doesn't look much like this at all, but baking is a science more than a free flowing art form like cooking can be so I try to stick to the dry/wet ingredient ratios.

Let's start with the flour  I always use a mix of unbleached all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Using all whole wheat flour makes baked goods too dense but you can go a 1:1 ratio and it works out great. Enriched flour is basically flour stripped of all it's nutrients and pumped full of "nutrients" usually of a very questionable quality level.So I opt for the OG flour and trust I'll get my iron & vitamins elsewhere. You can read more about enriched flour at The Global Healing Center blog. Ok, enough of that tangent! 

The next thing I always substitute if possible is Greek yogurt for milk or cream, now since I'm baking with it the pro-biotic quality diminishes but the cup this recipe calls for adds a whopping 22 grams of protein!

 Coconut oil has been getting a lot of attention lately, and for a good reason it's an amazing product. Aside from putting it on my hair as a leave-in conditioner and on my skin as a fabulous moisturizer I also eat it for many health benefits. If you don't like the taste of coconuts, don't worry it's undetectable when it's cooked. Dr. OZ has a great explanation of coconut oil on his website. 

The last major change is ditching the sugar, raw organic or otherwise and using maple syrup instead. I promise it doesn't make your muffins taste like maple syrup just a hint of maple flavor if you have a refined pallet or if you're like me you probably won't taste it at all. Including all of maple syrups health benefits I love it mostly because it doesn't spike the blood sugar the way straight sugar does.

Now that all of that is out of the way, let's get to the how we make these awesome little fluffy balls of goodness!

Preheat oven to 400
Grab a helper


Sift together

1 C whole wheat flour
1 C unbleached all purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

In another bowl whisk together

2 eggs
1 C yogurt
3/4 C maple syrup
6 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix in flour mixture until there are no more clumps but it will be kind of thick, almost like play dough. At this point you have what I like to call a "master recipe" you can add various things you love (nuts, fruit, mini chocolate chips) and make a plethora of combinations. In this case I added a healthy cup of blueberries we had left in the freezer from our blueberry picking trip earlier last summer. It's that's about it easy breezy, just oil or line a muffin pan fill those bad boys up (about 3/4 the way) and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top and when they come clean when poked with a toothpick.

Try to share!!!

What are your favorite substitutions for classic recipes?!

Easy Chicken dinner

It's a lovely Sunday here in Raleigh, and by mid-September there's a plethora of family friendly activities going on every weekend. The last couple weekends we've went out and by the time we get home it's almost 6 and we still have to make dinner! So after two weekends of chaotic Sunday evenings I've decided to think ahead a little & have the main part of the cooking finished by the time we get home.

I've been getting organic chicken from whole foods but after seeing a terrifying video of how organic chickens were being "processed" in an industrialized manner, I decided to see what my other options were. Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting, Jan Campbell of Homestead Harvest Farms in Wake Forest, NC. She assured me that cooking half a chicken in a crock pot was an easy, painless process. Not only was Jan right about it being easy, she also has the best chicken we've been able to find. I also love, love, love the fact that all her chickens are loved, have great lives and are processed as she puts it "the way grandma raised poultry". Everything about this chicken boasts superiority to its grocery store cousins- it looks, smells, feels and tastes better. My husband who swears all dark chicken meat tastes "gamey" will eat every part of this chicken, win!

Here's what to do:

Place whole or half chicken in a crock pot ad 1/2 C of water for half chicken and 1 C for a whole chicken 

Sprinkle with salt & pepper (or spices of choice)

Turn on low and walk away. That's right, walk away!

Its honestly that easy, the meat pretty much falls right of the bone so disassembling it later isn't a huge chore. Oh and did I mention the delicious and I mean delicious chicken broth you get out of this bargain?!! Whatever we don't eat right away I store in the fridge for salads and quick meals.

A Meal Born From Compromises

I do most of the grocery shopping around here and I've noticed lately we've gotten into a dinner time rut and there's nobody to blame but me! In an effort to eat as local as possible I shop at the farmers market every week, sometime twice. I realized this morning that I have my "routine" there and I haven't ventured from it much recently. Today I  challenged myself to get something I have never bought before, which I thought might be a trial since I am a huge veggie lover. When put to the test, I found there were whole booths I mindlessly pass up on a regular basis. Today I found beautiful oyster mushrooms from Old Milburnie Farm and even though I'm not a fan of mushies, my husband loves them so I bought a few ounces. Later on when I went to Whole Foods to find a friend for the mushies I by chance started talking to one of the guys at the fish case (I never buy fish) he suggested that a pecan crusted tilapia would work fabulously with the mushrooms. I love fish but the hubby isn't a huge fan but I thought since I bought those lovely mushies it might be ok. The results exceeded my expectations, I now can no longer say I don't like mushrooms and fish might make more of an appearance at our house!

Here's my Recipe for Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Asian Inspired Stir Fry

For the Fish

I kind of cheated here because I'm not familiar with cooking fish so I bought the pecan crusted tilapia from the fish case at whole foods. If you wanted to DIY it would be pretty easy I'm going to do that next time. I cooked it on a metal rack, the rack allows air flow so both sides are crispy instead of one crispy and one soggy side. Place the metal rack on top of a cookie sheet and bake @ 375 for about 10 minutes on each side.

I sliced up the oyster mushrooms, sauteed them on medium heat with butter  and set aside

While the fish is in the oven I cut up the Veg. I used the following veggies, but anything could be added or left out.

Red Peppers, sliced into strips
Bock Choy (I chopped the bottoms and tossed those in first and reserved the greens for later since they cook so fast)
Carrots cut in matchsticks
Thin green beans

Pea shoot sprouts (for garnish) 
 
On medium to high heat warm up some oil just enough to cover the bottom of the pan (I used coconut oil) brown 2-3 cloves of garlic and fresh ginger then toss in all veggies (except greens and mushrooms) and cook until soft but not mushy. Then toss in the greens, mushrooms add a swirl of rice vinegar, sesame oil and a smidge of Bragg's liquid aminos or light soy sauce.  And there you have it a quick easy meal fit for royalty!

Raspberry Strawberry Coconut Milk Popsicles

Well it's finally summer time here in lovely North Carolina and by summer time I mean well into the 90's everyday. Besides going to the pool on the daily I like to have my freezer well stocked with frozen treats of goodness. This Popsicle recipe is really as easy as putting all three ingredients in the blender and filling up Popsicle molds. I used about a cup of each strawberries and raspberries (frozen) and a can of light coconut milk, Z loves them!  What's your favorite Popsicle recipe?!

Late spring stir fry with "cheesy" rice

I have been overly delighted by the recent selection at the farmers market. We had a colder than average spring here in NC and I have been craving anything besides leafy greens. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love salad but after six months I need some variety! I kind of went insane this week by the sight of broccoli, squash, zucchini, snap peas, onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. So tonight when I brain stormed for dinner I knew I had to work in something that incorporated most of my bounty, not to mention all the fresh herbs going off in my garden right now. Here's what I came up with......
First off l started the rice 1 cup is usually sufficient for the three of us and I like to make a little extra for J's lunch the next day.
1 C organic brown rice
2 C organic low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons of brewers yeast (reserve for later)

1lb boneless organic chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 onion chopped
1 shallot diced small
A few cloves of garlic and all the veggies mentioned above ( or whatever you have on hand!) Chopped to bite sized pieces.
As far as herbs I used a handful of combined rosemary, oregano and basil.

While the rice is cooking chop warm up a large skillet and add enough fat of your choice ( I used coconut oil) it won't taste like coconut I swear! Lovingly throw in the chicken and chop the veg. I like to chop the veg that take longer to cook first then add as I go. Once all the veggies are in stir fry for 15-20 minutes adding the garlic and herbs close to the end. Once everything is cooked add a splash  of balsamic vinegar. Yumalicious!
As for the rice once it's cooked to perfection toss in the brewers yeast for a healthy cheesy tasting twist.
Happy Spring!

I

Coconut Muffins

There is something to be said about bite sized little snacks that you can grab on the go, and I have to admit I have been tempted, on more than one occasion to buy those shiny bright colored packages filled with convenience foods. Well tempted until I turn the box over and read the epic ingredients list.  These little muffins fit the bill, barley hitting the double didgits with ingredients, they're easy to make and store. I like to pack them together in small snack bags with about 3-5 in each and freeze them. If they're taken out in the morning, by lunch time these satisfying little munchkins are ready to go!

• 1 1/4 cups organic sprouted whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 C maple syrup
• 1/2 C chopped dates
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners or lube 'em up with oil.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened then mix in the chopped dates .

Divide batter among lined mini muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

Super Food Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love eating clean whole foods, that being said, I also enjoy a treat every now and again. Recently I walked through the cookie aisle at whole foods and realized there was one vital thing missing....a damn good chocolate chip cookie without refined sugar. I thought to myself "how is this even possible?!" even if you use chocolate chips with a high cocoa content, there's still that pesky bit of sugar. Don't get me wrong, sugar is delicious but I don't like the way I feel when I eat it, sometimes even in small doses. Then it occurred to me, I would just go straight to the source, cocoa nibs! Then I figured I might as well continue with the super food trend and came up with these little diddies, if you're not committed fully to the idea of a "healthy cookie" I hear ya, try using the "I'm on the fence" suggestions :) For everyone else, I truly hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

• 1C sprouted organic whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
• 1 cup extra virgin organic coconut oil
• 3/4 cup organic grade B maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large organic egg
• 1 C raw organic cocoa nibs 

On the fence?
Try using whole wheat white flour or half white flour and half whole wheat. Coconut oil is delicious (and good for you!) and doesn't taste like coconuts once it's baked but a stick of butter would work as well or you can use a mix of these as well. 

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

Lovingly mix coconut oil, maple syrup & vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Whisk the egg and work it into the oil/syrup blend.

Gradually fold in flour mixture. Stir in raw cocoa nib (I like to sing during this part :) Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes and cool on a cooling rack (if you can wait that long!)