Tag Archives: food

A Month of Paleo

January 27, 2015 A Labour of Love 2 Comments

As a family, we decided that we all needed to be watching more of what we ate. Keep in mind that we are already eating gluten free (3 of us are celiac), we eat very little sugar, and we eat all organic, grass fed, farm fresh foods. You may ask yourself what else we could we possibly do. Well, we decided to try a strict Paleo diet for one month. Now, we are for the most part doing that with adding in a few extras like butter, and the rest of the milk we have plus a few cheeses.

We are finding it to be fairly easy, however, eating on the fly is harder still as I have to think about everything and we cannot just make or eat a GF muffin or GF bread with the turkey meat. So, I’ve been coming up with a few recipes and buying lots of veggies to supplement some of our stand bys.

Tonights meal is stuffed cornish hens with rice. Ha, that’s not paleo you say! Well, actually it is. Stuffed with veggies and nuts, and the rice is actually cauliflower that has been shredded. It smells delicious and it looked great.

Stuffing – I chopped up and sauteed the following veggies: Carrots, small red and orange peppers, garlic, sugar snap peas, swiss chard, baby bella mushrooms, 1 large leak and 1 cup of pecans. (I actually only used 2/3 of a cup of the chopped pecans in the stuffing, and the rest of the cup I put into the “rice”.)

Using sea salt, I salted the inside cavity of the hens and stuffed them with the above stuffing mixture of veggies and pecans. See below:

“Rice” – 1 head of cauliflower shredded in food processor. Add 1 large stalk of fresh basil and about 4 garlic cloves, both chopped, and the rest of the pecans. Then I sauteed in a little butter, 1 tsp. sea salt and about 1/2 pint of homemade chicken broth. Just prior to serving, I added a goat cheese that was like a feta. Keep in mind that the pecans turned the cauliflower a light tan color making it looked like either a fried rice or brown rice.

Can you say Yum? 🙂

memories, Why?

Happy Thanksgiving

November 27, 2014 A Labour of Love 6 Comments

Thanksgiving… a time of the year when the smell of the food tantalizes the memory bank of years gone by. From childhood memories of family Thanksgivings at a grandparents house, with cousins, aunts and uncles and laughter sprouting from every corner to the memories that we are making today. From the turkey that baked all day to the traditional recipes passed down for generations. The potato dumplings dance in the pot and the whipped cream salad chills out in the freezer just waiting for their hour to be presented to the mouth watering family patiently waiting for their once a year feast. Our days are quieter than they once were, yet the joy and laughter still roars though the house bouncing off of the walls, reminding us that what’s more important than anything is the things that we can be thankful for.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

With times of uncertainty, we do ourselves great disservice if we cannot be grateful for the blessings that we have been given by the hand of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the things I am thankful for are: (in no particular order)

A husband who has always provided for our needs and who continues to do so with every morsel of his being. For a man who trusts the Lord in everything he does and who loves me and cares for me ’til death do us part’.
I am thankful for my children who are growing up making the Lord a first priority in their lives and whose laughter warms their mother heart.
For family and friends who stand by us when we need them the most.
For a loving God who saved me out of the ashes to call me one of His own. Praise God… For once I was lost, and now am found.
I am thankful for the years we have been able to enjoy a cottage, where we could hang our hats and relax while the world went on without us. (Even though the realtor is coming tomorrow… sigh)
For the roof over our heads and the food that we enjoy at the giving of the Lord. (Even though we had a day of cold showers due to the hot water heater having issues and the fact that the kitchen sink is broken.)
For the gift of safety when traveling. (And for the nice police officer that did NOT give me a ticket even though I was speeding to get here…)
For the snow that reminds me of the changing over of seasons. (Even though I got stuck in the ditch going down the driveway and then got stuck half way up the driveway due to the great amount of snow.)
For the healing in my body and movement. (Even though I’m tired and achy…)
For the many friends that I have met through this blog. You keep me smiling and keep me going. 🙂

The last few days have been spent working to get the cottage ready to sell. Cleaning out closets, cleaning up after mice that thought they would take up residency since we haven’t been here in a few months, cooking and preparing for today. Now that today is here, I find myself relaxing in front of a fire watching the snow fall gently from the sky and trees while also smelling the turkey that warms itself in the oven. How could one not be grateful. We are blessed and there is no question about it and no reason to complain…. about anything!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It is with great hope that your day is filled with thoughts of thankfulness, no matter where you are or what you are doing, that you will find something to be grateful for.

Why?

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Muffins

October 16, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

Packing a punch when it comes to vegetables, Sweet Potatoes are full of nutrients. Containing Vitamins A & C, Potassium, Calcium, Manganese, B6, B3, B1, B2, Biotin, Fiber, Copper, Pantothenic Acid, and Phosphorus, sweet potatoes were a main food staple for early settlers in America. Christopher Columbus introduced sweet potatoes to Europe and the Spanish also contributed to the introduction of sweet potatoes all over the world.

Sweet potatoes have been known to be high in antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties as well as have been used to help in the detoxing process of heavy metals. Even though they are called “Sweet Potatoes” research has shown that they actually are a low glycemic index food, helping to regulate blood sugar.

Sweet potatoes are not Yams. Yams are a starchier potato native to Africa and Asia. When it comes to buying sweet potatoes it is likely that even if the sign says Yams, you are most likely buying Sweet Potatoes in this country. Buying true Yams are usually only found in specialty stores.

Once again, I had leftover sweet potatoes and rather than making those yummy sweet potato pancakes, I decided to try my hand at making muffins. Now, keep in mind that with all of the information above, sweet potatoes are best eaten steamed or baked with a little fat added by using a little butter or olive oil. My muffin recipe, although healthier than a store bought muffin, certainly does have starchy carbs therefore minimizing the benefits of the sweet potato. The benefit of using them in the muffin is that I’ve not wasted a leftover sweet potato and I have still added in some additional nutrients to our otherwise simple sugar carb overloaded morning muffins.

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Muffins

2 small or 1 medium cooked Sweet Potato(s), flesh removed from peal

3 farm fresh Eggs

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 C Raw Honey

2 TBS Olive Oil or Avocado oil

1/2 C. Raw Cream, or heavy cream that is NOT ultra pasteurized

Mix the above until well blended. Then add:

1/4 C. Arrowroot Flour

1/4 C. Potato Flour

1 C. Sorghum Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Allspice

Lightly mix all ingredients. Don’t over beat. Then slowly fold in 1/4 C. chopped raisins or currents and 1/4 C. chopped pecans. Place into muffin cups or well oiled muffin tins and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If you kiddos like a little extra treat, try a light sprinkle of brown sugar on the top prior to baking.

They are dense, so a little raw butter goes well when serving. 🙂

Resources:

www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

http://articles.mercola.com/sweet-potato.aspx

Celtic Fun, Menus / Recipes

A Cooler, A Cutting Board, A Bowl and A Crockpot… Not a Crackpot!

October 6, 2014 A Labour of Love 4 Comments

In the two weeks we were traveling we only ate out one time. What? How is that possible?

Well, let me tell you how. A cooler, a crock pot, large bowl, cutting board, some serving utensils and some prep.

Breakfasts: Hard boiled eggs, GF cereal with raw milk, GF bagels with organic cream cheese or almond butter, home made GF muffins and pre-made home made GF waffles. I made the waffles and muffins before we left and froze them. We would put the waffles wrapped in foil into the crock pot over night on warm and by morning we had warm waffles to enjoy with some sliced strawberries and maple syrup. We also had kefir or yogurt with some strawberries and bananas.

Lunches: GF organic Turkey sandwiches made as we wanted them. Sliced GF organic grass fed beef sausages with GF Rice Free Lentil crackers and raw cheese. Costco also has a wonderful organic GF chicken salad in single serving cups that were delicious. We also ate leftovers from our dinners the previous night and pre cut veggies with organic hummus.

Dinners: Prepped before leaving was the marinated chicken I cooked, cut up into cubes and froze. This was also useful in the cooler acting as another ice pack. The kids and I were able to wash some lettuce with some paper towel, I cut up tomatoes and we tossed the thawed chicken into the bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes adding in an organic Caeser salad dressing with a little cheese and we had a chicken Caeser Salad.

I also cooked up chicken breasts and shredded them mixing them with a habanero pineapple sauce and some barbecue sauce. Both were organic without high fructose corn syrup. I then froze it and when thawed, cooked it in the crock pot serving it on GF buns as pulled chicken sandwiches. Serve with a few homemade sweet and sour pickles, cut up veggies and gluten free organic chips.

One night we made taco salads. I had precooked and frozen some ground beef and used it also as an ice pack for the cooler when we first left. We again washed some lettuce, tomatoes and put all in the metal mixing bowl with fermented salsa, raw cheese, organic avocado, and the organic dressing. The leftovers we ate for lunch the next day.

We took some precooked chicken brats that were frozen and I put them in the crock pot with some cut up peppers and onions in the afternoon one day in CA and we had dinner ready when we were done with our day.

On the way home, we made a stop at Costco and Whole Foods. We chose some pre-made salads and chicken dishes that we could put in the cooler.

Snacks: We had apples, bananas, dried fruits, cut up veggies with organic hummus cups, and of course I allowed the kids some GF chips of various kinds. Believe it or not, I actually found pretzels that were GF and rice free. Woo hoo, I actually enjoyed a few pretzels.

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive when it comes to food as long as you have a few hours of prep, the resources and the want to eat nutritious meals. I cannot remember the last time we were in a fast food drive through. Other than coffee it has to have been at least 12 years. We travel quite often and we rarely eat out when we do.

When we did eat out in CA, it was the first day, in San Francisco at Fisherman’s Wharf. Of course, who could pass up such a wonderful Ahi Tuna. 🙂

Menus / Recipes

Healthy Eating starts in the Home

October 13, 2013 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

Genesis 1:29
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

People ask me quite often how long have I been eating healthy and organic. I tell them it’s been a 20 year journey. Honestly, it began just after my husband and I were married. I read a book that helped me to see beyond what I thought I knew about food. To add to that book, my cousins soon to be husband had a heart transplant and his doctor told him to only eat real butter, real sausage, real foods. If you cannot pronounce it, stay away from it. I remember thinking how different that was from what I was buying and from what I had known about food. I mean, isn’t low fat supposed to be good for you? Shouldn’t vegetable oils be good for cooking? What do you mean real sausage and real meats? What about all the fat?

When we were starting our family, I read about MSG not being good for you so I checked every label and avoided it when I was pregnant. I learned about High Fructose Corn Syrup when our son was very young, so we avoided it and only let him have soda on special occasion (although now, it’s completely avoided). By the time our daughter was born, I was learning about organic foods and was already buying it when I could. When our son was 5 he was tested for allergies and we found out he was allergic to tomatoes, wheat and dairy. So, once again I read all I could and changed what the pantry held. When we moved to our current home, in a completely new state, I learned about raw foods, Kombucha, beet kvass, fermenting, soaked and dried nuts, and my all time favorite book Nourishing Traditions and the Weston Price Foundation.

More recently, with my Lymes diagnosis, 3 of the 4 of us testing positive for Celiac, and food intolerance testing, 3 of us needed to again rethink how our bodies handled the food choices we made. We now eat nearly 100% organic and most of our meals are cooked in our kitchen. We belong to several food co-ops for discounts and eat raw as much as possible. This summer we had two gardens and also our CSA vegetable share.

I have learned over the past 3 years that from August through early October life will be spent canning all that the harvest produced. Canning Chili sauces, Salsa Verde, Pasta Sauce, Victory Sauce, beans, Ketchup, jams & jellies, fruits, and fermenting pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, carrots, corn relish and oh so much more. Another great process to keep some of the fruits is to dehydrate them. Great snacks for the family on road trips or when your walking through Disney. 🙂

There is nothing like opening the cupboard or fridge and seeing it filled with the harvest that you spent the summer caring for with tenderness and eagerness. This year, my mom, my daughter and one of my dear friends were a tremendous help since I was getting sick half way through the summer. Canning and preparing the harvest for winter is not easy. It’s literally a labour of love.

The journey has been long, yet well worth it. People ask me why we eat the way we do when we still get sick or in my case, I still have Lymes. I tell them that I feel this journey has been a blessing. It’s been one that has taught our children more than a conventional health class, and is continuing to teach skills that will carry them through adulthood for the benefit of their own families one day. By growing your own vegetables, canning your own harvest, and preparing and utilizing what you have for future meals saves money as well. We don’t spend as much over the winter months when we have all we need in the cupboards.

Along with my blogging of Why? I look forward to sharing some of our favorite menus, recipes, and healthy household alternatives that have been learned through many years of studying and research. I tell everyone that it’s not something you can just do in a day, it’s a process. Just like a new Christian and his/her sanctification, it will not happen over night.

When you think about it, what could be better than God’s naturally grown foods!