Apples and Almond Butter

I have a hard time eating breakfast in the morning, I know it's a great choice I always feel better and make better food choices later in the day when I eat breakfast. However there are still at least 3 days a week I either forget or am just "not hungry". I've heard a couple theories on this one being breakfast is breakfast, pick something you like and eat it everyday. That one is definitely not for this food lover! The other was not to eat the same thing everyday so you get a variety of nutrients. Either way the general consensus agrees, breakfast is not to be missed! In an effort to be more consistent with brekie I am going to post a photo every morning of what I eat. Today is one of my particular favorites apples and almond butter with a smidge of honey. It's simple, classic and downright delicious! The honey is more for flavor than sweetness the apples are plenty sweet so I just stir in about a teaspoon into the almond butter.
Enjoy!

Keeping an eye out for food!

Maybe it's just because I've never noticed, or maybe it's because I've never really lived anywhere for an extended period of time. However lately, every time I look out my back door I realize there is something new growing. What took over as ground cover last week has disappeared without a trace and been replaced with something completely different to fit the time of year and growing season for that particular plant. What keeps blowing my mind is how many of these "weeds" are edible combined with an abnormally cold spring, lettuce and winter crops are still thriving and it's almost May! Can we say modified forged salad?! However we did witness our fastest snap pea season I've ever seen. I'm excited about growing and with this being our first year in this lovely little house we bought I am excited to see what will surprise me in the coming months! I invite you to look around, see what's growing and possibly what you can eat!

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.

Sunday Dinner: Gluten Free Veggie Filled Lasagna Roll-ups

I know,  I know it's Monday but I was so busy cooking yesterday writing everything down seemed, well, daunting :) I like to cook a big meal on Sunday since my husband is home and I have a little extra time in the kitchen. My favorite part about this..... leftovers to send for lunch or to have for dinner another night! Win :) I've been on a long journey the past few years from processed foods to the more natural variety, switching to whole wheat everything was a feat, I mean one of my favorite dishes was a double serving of angle hair pasta with salt and butter! But now that I'm on the  whole wheat train, it's not so bad in fact I'm a bit of a junkie when it comes to health food. The one simple reason, it makes me feel good, like running on a more efficient gasoline. That being said recently I have had a bit of a tummy ache when I eat too much pasta so I picked up these bad boys at whole foods yesterday, they'll set you back about 5 bucks but it works just as well as wheat pasta I think and it makes a whole casserole dish. I did learn 3 important things about this pasta though:

1. It does not puff up at all, what you see is what you get on the plus side though you can boil them all at once.
2. Since we're going to be molding & baking these only cook them for 8 minutes, set a timer! If they get mushy it's game over.
3. Rinse with cold water after draining and let them sit for a moment. Not rinsing will leave you with a starchy residue, nobody wants that!

 For the pasta filling:
2 small green bell peppers
1 stalk celery
1/4 sweet onion
6 carrot
garlic, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes to taste
Pulse everything (I did it one vegetable at a time) until you have small, almost minced chunks
saute on medium heat with a little olive oil until mostly soft (remember it will cook more later)

Spread a small layer onto each lasagna noodle and sprinkle with an Italian cheese if you want to use cheese. I used an asiago/parmesan blend.

                                                                         
                                                                             roll it up!

 Place in a 9x13 baking dish over a layer of marinara sauce. For my sauce I browned 90/10 local organic ground beef, drained the fat and poured a jar of organic pasta sauce over it and let it simmer while I made the veg. mix. You could easily leave out the meat and make this Veg. Head friendly :)

 Cover with sauce and a sprinkle of cheese if using and bake @ 375 for about 30 minutes covered, remove cover and bake for about 10 more minutes.  I would highly advise letting cool at least 15-20 minutes before serving (especially if you have kids!) the insides can be a bit molten. This dish is a commitment but it's totally worth it, and with a little self restraint you can have it later in the week for another meal :)

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!) 

Strawberry Hemp Muffins

It's the new year and loads of people are making promises to eat healthy and  exercise. I already do that, well more eating than exercising, but definitely the healthy part. Smoothies are a favorite around here with the guys but I'm a grab a muffin and go kind of gal so every once in a while I concoct a muffin to fit whatever flavor I may be craving. One summer I volunteered at a holistic learning center in up state New York and one of the major perks was access to yummy food. Strawberry hemp crack, a granola re-named by the staff for it's ability to get one hooked immediately for life became a favorite. I happened to find said granola at Whole Foods in the bulk bin one day and gasped (out loud) at the sugar content. Needless to say I suddenly realized it really was crack and sadly didn't buy any. I still longed for that glorious flavor and although it's not exact these are pretty darn close. These bad boys are loaded with protein so they're great for a pre gym work out and my favorite part, they can be frozen and they thaw easy, no need to feel like I have to eat 15 muffins in 3 days. Yay!

In a medium bowl sift together and set aside

2 C sprouted whole wheat flour
1/4 C oat bran
1 tbs baking powder
1/4tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl cream together (all ingredients should be at room temp. for best results)

2 eggs 
1 C non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4-1/2 C maple syrup
6 tbs coconut oil (I used a mix of coconut oil and coconut butter, yes coconut butter, I know it does exist! Dreams come true!)
1/4 C shelled raw hemp seeds
1 tsp vanilla

Mix in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients slowly until well blended. You should have a pretty thick batter at this point.

Throw a cup of fresh strawberries in a blender (more if you like a sweeter muffin) with a splash of liquid (I used hemp milk) and blend until little chunks remain, but not until it's a complete liquid. Now toss them into the batter with a large handful of oats and mix until well blended. Fill a greased  muffin pan 3/4 the way full and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the center clears the toothpick test. Basically the tooth pick is clean after being stuck in the muffin. Let these little studs cool off , an important step, I nearly burnt my tongue with anticipation. I hope you enjoy!