Tag Archives: homemaking

Menus / Recipes

A Month of Paleo

2 Comments

IMG_3627

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:

IMG_3625

“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.

IMG_3626

Can you say Yum?  🙂

 

Why?

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Muffins

Leave a comment

photo

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

Menus / Recipes

Swedish Pancake Spin

Leave a comment

Breakfast is such an important meal of the day.  It provides the energy boost our body needs after a long evening of rest and repair.  It’s too bad that in our home breakfast is usually eaten between 10-12 a.m.  By the time I wake up, wait an hour after taking my thyroid medicine, then take an hour and a half to ingest all of my Lyme meds, wait another half hour before consuming anything, it ends up being at least 10.  Then if I get creative and decide to make something other than eggs, it can be at least another hour if not more.  Fortunately for us, there is enough to do in those hours we are up so that no time is wasted and everyone enjoys waiting for a little something warm and home made.

One breakfast treat that the kids really enjoy and I rarely remember to make, gives me the warm fuzzies as I am reminded of my youth.  When I was at college, one of my grandmothers came up to visit me and she saw lingonberries in my pantry.  She told me how lingonberries go well with Swedish pancakes and she would show me how to make them.  Well, it just so happened that I had the recipe for Swedish pancakes in my cookbook “Where’s Mom Now That I Need Her”.  So we both went up to the store and bought the other ingredients and made Swedish Pancakes filled with lingonberries.  A warm memory that makes me smile.  🙂

As I pulled out that book this morning, I looked at the recipe and decided to try and make them a bit healthier with the ingredients I had on hand.  I must say, it was the first time the kids said they were like a pastry, very soft, sweet and the best I’ve made yet.  So, that being said I thought I’d share what I did.

photo 2

Swedish Pancake Spin

3 eggs

3/4 C. Organic whole milk vanilla bean yogurt

1/4 C. purified water

2 TBS Raw Honey

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

2/3 C. Sorghum flour, Sifted

Start with the first 5 ingredients and whisk them together until well blended.  Then add the flour by sifting it into the bowl and mix well.

Heat a cast iron skillet with a little butter and once hot, pour very little of the batter into the pan in a circle.  If need be, lift the pan with the handle gently allowing some of the batter to spill into a larger circle.

photo 1

The batter should look like an extremely thin pancake.  Flip it when it begins to look dry on the top.

Place onto a plate and fill with lingonberries if you have them or with fresh cut up peaches, nectarines, strawberries or blueberries.  Roll them up with the seam at the bottom of the plate.  We also like to dust them with an ever so little bit organic powdered sugar just before serving.

Can you say Yum?

Celtic Fun, Menus / Recipes

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

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.  🙂

IMG_3239

 

 

Menus / Recipes

Back in the Kitchen…

Leave a comment

This week has been spent putting up more vegetables for winter.  From green beans to tomatoes to even more fermented vegetables.  I’m so excited to be back in the kitchen, at times too excited as my legs and feet don’t hold up the way they used to before Lymes.  I do however, take breaks to rest between projects so getting it all done plus making dinner actually gets accomplished…most nights!   🙂

Tonights dinner was one of our son’s favorites.  Ahi Tuna with a wasabi sauce.  Easy to make and very tasty.  I found a great recipe out of Make It Paleo, however, didn’t have all of the ingredients as they listed, so I improvised a slight bit.

photo 4-3

Ahi Tuna

Mix the following ingredients together in a bowl and pour in a bag over 4 Tuna Steaks:

1/4 C. Coconut Aminos

1/8 C. Fish Sauce

1 TBS. Chopped Garlic

1 TBS. Garlic Tea Tree Oil

2 tsp. Ginger (if you have, fresh even better)

1 tsp. Sea Salt

Let marinate 2 hours prior to cooking.  Before placing on the grill, dip each side in a bowl with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt and ginger.  Lightly coating.  Cook each steak on the grill or in a grill pan for about 2-3 minutes per side depending upon how rare you can handle it.  It’s far better the rarer it is.  One of our children does not like it rare so I compromised and did the 3.  It was slightly over cooked for my taste, however, all ate dinner so that was an accomplishment.

Wasabi Dressing

Homemade mayonnaise (see previous post on recipe) with some wasabi powder.  Wasabi is strong and it’s taste gathers steam to the palate the longer it’s in the dressing so be careful when using.  Start small and gradually increase quantity to your personal taste.

Served along side the cucumber, tomato, olive and basil salad.  Yumm!

 

Menus / Recipes

Complaining, Venting or Whining…Cannot decide!

2 Comments

 

In Psychology Today, complaining, venting and whining are described this way:  “Complaining and whining can be distinguished by the nature of the dissatisfaction and by our motivation for expressing it.  Complaining involves voicing fair and legitimate dissatisfactions with the goal of attaining a resolution or remedy.  When we voice legitimate dissatisfactions but do so without the goal of attaining a resolution we are merely venting.  And when the dissatisfactions we voice are trivial or inconsequential and not worthy of special attention, we are whining.”  I guess I am slightly complaining in this post about what took place last night.  Or, I guess you could consider it venting as it’s over and done with so there is no goal of resolution at this time and to some it could seem like whining since the first part of this post is inconsequential since it was yesterdays issues.  Either way, here we go…

It’s been a year since being diagnosed with Lymes Disease and all of the wonderful          co-infections that come along with.  I am pleased to have come so far in my healing and really have nothing to complain about.  That being said, I would very much enjoy getting through a day without a headache.  For the last few weeks I have been getting these mild headaches that hit in the afternoons.  Most of the time I get through them with a little peppermint oil on the temples and back of the neck, however, last night was very different.  I was beginning to wonder if my husband should take me in to urgent care it was so bad.  Usually laying down with my eyes closed helps, yet last nights migraine actually got worse as I lied down.  Not sure what triggered it other than I was once again on my feet getting things done in the kitchen.   It took 2 Aleve (which I hate taking unless absolutely necessary), 1/4 of a melatonin and 2 TBS of liquid Magnesium over an hours time frame before I could lay down and fall asleep without the continual throb that was keeping me wrapped up in the fetal position.  Praise God I slept all night and woke up refreshed and surprisingly not tired.

Hence the reason I was unable to share what I accomplished yesterday as far as canning and fermenting.  Well, we tried something new and I am excited to taste the end result.

photo

Fermented Fennel, Onion, and Carrots – Taking the fennel and trimming it up, I then placed it in the food processor using the mandoline tool to slice it thinly.  Doing the same with the onion and mixing together in a large bowl.  I then switched out the food processor tool to the shredder and shredded the carrots.  After mixing all together I added sea salt and mixed thoroughly once more.  Gathering up some clean sterilized jelly jars I began spooning in the fennel salad mixture pounding each spoonful down into the jar with a wooden mallet.  Leaving 1 inch at the top I then added 1 TBS fresh whey and filtered spring water.  I will again leave these out for 3-7 days to ferment prior to putting them in the fridge.  Burping daily of course.  🙂

The second recipe I made was supposed to be a fennel jelly.  I thought maybe I could use the trimmings of the fennel to make a pepper jelly like sauce.  Well, after boiling it down all it smelled  and tasted like was apple cider vinegar.  So, rather than throwing it all out, I went out to the freezer to find something to resurrect the ingredients.  Well, it worked.  It is really yummy too!

Cranberry, Fennel Chutney Sauce

1 – 1/2 Cups Fennel bulb and fennel trimmings

1 – 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar

5 to 6 Cups sugar (because I cannot do the sugar, I used birch tree Xylitol.  Next time I      would likely use only 4 cups as it was quite sweet.)

4 – 5 Cups cranberries, finely chopped

2 small onions, finely chopped

1 tsp. Cinnamon

I boiled down the Fennel, Apple Cider Vinegar and Sugar until it came to a rolling boil for about 5-10 minutes.  Then I strained out the liquid and placed it back on the stove adding in the cranberries, onion and cinnamon.  I again brought it back to a boil.  Turning off the burner I added natural pectin.  Unfortunately I hadn’t followed the pectin recipe and it clumped up, so for future I would have kept the fruit and onions in the final product.  This time however, because of the pectin clumping, I strained out the fruit pouring it into clean sterilized jars and put them into the hot water bath to seal.  Serving it over some cheese with some crushed walnuts will be a yummy winters treat for the family.

Still have to do something with the beets and the cabbage.  Maybe today!

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!  1Chronicles 16:11

 

Menus / Recipes

Why bother…?

2 Comments

photo

(This painting hangs in my kitchen… It’s so me!)

Why fermentation?  Why canning?  Why grow your own food when you have grocery stores on every corner?  Why go through the work?

Oh my, so many questions.  I’ve heard it all.  I’ve even heard, “Sherry you are too sick to be doing all of that”, or “I did all that when I was younger and see no need to keep doing it.  I hated doing it then with my mother why would I do it now.”  Well, the primary answer to everyones “why” about this topic is this:

Neighbor, “Yeah we have so many tomatoes this year that Sally (name changed) is thinking we should make some pasta sauce.  We just aren’t sure what to do with so many.”

MY husband, “Oh yeah.  Can the sauces so you have them this winter.  It was great this last winter when Sherry was so sick and I prepared the meals, those canned sauces really helped out when I needed them.”

Neighbor, “Maybe they can help one another and do the canning together.”

Said and done!   Two verses come to mind when I consider this conversation exchange.  The first is from Proverbs 31:10- 18  “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.  The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.  She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.  She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.  She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.  She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.  She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.  She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.  Her lamp does not go out at night.”  Keep in mind that as I type this I am aware that it sounds boldly prideful on my part to consider this verse and my husbands conversation.  However, when you realize that the title of this portion of Proverbs is titled “A Woman Who Fears The Lord” you understand that all that I do is pleasing to the Lord.   I understand who the Lord is and why I am here.

Now, I also must admit that the human side of my being, living in a self indulgent world also realizes that homemaking has become a taboo word for women.  The thought amongst our peers is that we were either too stupid to make it doing anything else (and yes I’ve even heard of one persons interpretation of my being a stay at home mom described as “not being highly educated”) or we have an overbearing husband who chains us to the house without allowing us to have a mind of our own.  That being said, I have to also admit that worldly thinking can and does creep in sometimes.  My worldly thought on the conversation was this, “Thank you Lord that my husband appreciates the sacrifices I have made.  I was not at the pool, tennis courts, golfing at the club, sitting down watching soap operas (are those still running?) or going out spending money with friends buying designer clothes and enjoying lavish expensive lunches (as many of my friends did at our last place of residence).   I will consider this my paycheck… A wonderful compliment from my husband.”  Now, being that I started it out as a sort of thanksgiving prayer, one would assume this was not worldly, however, I would argue with you that it was very selfish on my part to look to myself with pride expecting praise from someone for something I’ve done and sacrifices I made.  Really?  I’ve made no sacrifices, this is my JOB as a wife and mother.  Going to the Word of God you see that Proverbs 31 has much more to say past verse 18.  And, it’s all to please the Lord.    Does that mean there is no laughter and fun?  Of course not.  There is great joy when you all sit down together for a meal, or when the aroma of dinner tantalizes your husbands nose when he walks in the door, and the pleasing look in his eyes when he knows that he doesn’t have to worry about one more thing after a full day of work away from those he loves.

Gardening, canning, fermenting, and housework is done to please the Lord.  Not to please anyone else.  Now, in pleasing the Lord, I am also pleasing the family.  It’s a win win.

The second verse was from Titus 2:3, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”  Again, God honoring to teach the younger women (Sally) how to please the Lord by also pleasing, preparing, saving money and working for the good of the family.

Now, that I’ve shared what’s been on my mind the last two days, I need to share why it’s been on my mind.  Yesterday began canning day.  With the harvest coming in from our own garden and the local CSA it’s time to begin preparing for winter.  Oh we enjoy enough of our harvest now, however, we also enjoy it all winter long.  The first comment of my being too sick actually came to reality when I was on my feet all afternoon without sitting down for a break and by dinner time my right leg was numb and I felt like I was again dragging my right foot.  Oh swizzle sticks!  (as the little girl next door says)  Today is a new day and we will try again.  Taking breaks this time so as not to overdo.

Yesterday I canned the two day project I was working on.  Chicken Stock.  Yes, I canned it.  I did some reading and educated myself so as not to ruin anyones day with illness. I made my chicken stock the day before, cooking it in the Nesco all day.  Then I poured it into jars, refrigerated it and skimmed off the fat the next morning.  I then put it back into a stock pot (2 – 3/4 gallons of it) just to the boiling point, poured it into clean hot pint jars, added a tsp. of salt and placed on the lids and began the canning process.  Because water baths are not sufficient enough for chicken stock, I used two of my pressure canners at 10 lbs. of pressure for 20 minutes.  I made 23 pints of stock.  (See previous post last fall on making the chicken stock.)  Disclaimer:  I would NOT can any chicken that comes from the traditional conventional marketplace.  I would only can organic, non-GMO fed chicken stock that was homemade with all organic ingredients using pure unadulterated water sources.  

photo 1

After the chicken stock I moved on to making fermented salsa.  I took the beautiful ripe organic tomatoes from the CSA (mine are not done yet), one very large onion, a large bunch of cilantro and about 10-15 garlic.  I put them all in the food processor and gently processed them down to a mildly chunky state and poured it all into a bowl.  I took clean jelly jars and a few pints placing 1 tsp. salt and 1 TBS fresh whey in each.  Then I scooped the salsa into each jar leaving 1 inch space at the top.  Wiped each clean and put on the lids.  I then shook the jars to mix in the whey and the salt.  Placing them on the counter on top of a towel I then unscrewed the lid of the jar so the air would be able to flow.  I will leave them on the counter from 3-7 days, burping the jars each day to release the fermented gases before putting them into the refrigerator.

photo 2

Fermented foods have been a long tradition in many cultures and is wonderful to help aid in digestion.  We see the importance of eating yogurt, this is the same only using fresh organic vegetables.   Each month my doctor wants to know if I am continuing to eat my fermented veggies, juicing, kefir and kombuccha of which the answer is always yes.  We both agree it helps tremendously.

Today, I will be creating and making fermented beats, fennel, cabbage recipes which I will share at the end of the week.

 

P.S.  I am college educated with a 4 year degree. 🙂

 

Thank you Lord for the blessing of a family to care for.  Thank you for the knowledge you have provided regarding health, nutrition, foods, and the human bodies response to unnatural man made resources.  Thank you Lord for the daily strength that can only come from you as I open my eyes each day feeling weary.  It is only through your almighty grace that I continue on.  Lord I pray that I can honor you through all that I do, say and think.  Help me to keep my focus on you and you alone so that all I do on this earth will be glorifying to you.  Amen…

 

Menus / Recipes

Pizza Anyone?

3 Comments

One thing I miss about eating gluten free and rice free is pizza.  On occasion I will eat a gluten free pizza however, due to the rice flour I usually pay for it.  One of my friends suggested a crust made out of zucchini.  Since I have an abundance, I gave it a try.

The crust was yummy and the pizza definitely hit the spot.  I have to yet figure out how to be able to hold it, although using a fork was just fine.

photo 1-3 photo 2-3 photo 3-3

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Shred zucchini and sprinkle with salt in a bowl.  Let sit for about 30 minute until the zucchini has lost much of its liquid.   I used about 2 cups which made a huge pizza.

Cut up some garden fresh basil, pineapple, prosciutto, onion, mushroom, olives, spinach, goats cheese, and another cheese of choice.

When the liquid is drained out of the zucchini, add in two eggs, 1 – 1 1/2 cups of Almond Flour, and a dash of salt.  Mix well.  Spread out on a heated pizza stone that has been sprinkled with GMO free organic corn meal and bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned.  Once the crust is browned, add your tomato sauce and toppings and bake another 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until cheese is bubbly and vegetables and prosciutto are cooked to desired tenderness.

Cut, plate, serve and enjoy!  🙂

 

 

Gardening, Lymes, Menus / Recipes

Health and Healing, Dinner Part 3

Leave a comment

There is nothing like dinner on the porch with the whole family enjoying fresh wholesome foods sharing their thoughts on their day.  Tonights dinner was soup and salad.  If your like my family you are likely saying to yourself, “Soup?  It’s summer…soup is for winter and cool weather.”  My son and my husband both had this look on their faces as if I had 10 eyes when I told them soup.  I have to tell you that at the first bite they both were delighted and enjoyed what they thought was going to be a mistake of a meal.  So, here it is:

Asparagus Soup (Sherry version)

1/2  Large yellow onion, chopped

4-6  Yellow, Red and Orange Sweet Peppers, chopped

2 Center stalks of Celery, chopped

2-3 Bouquets of fresh asparagus

Sautee vegetables in 2 TBS butter or coconut oil.
Sautee vegetables in 2 TBS butter or coconut oil.
Add Asparagus and sautee until tender.
Add Asparagus and sautee until tender.

When vegetables are tender, add fresh parsley, thyme and sage from the garden.  I also added 1 TBS garlic, 1/2 TBS sea salt and pepper to taste.  Stir all together and add:

1 Quart of fresh homemade beef broth (cook down soup bones with water and 1 TBS apple cider vinegar)

Add also either 8 oz. milk or coconut milk.  Simmer until all vegetables are cooked down and liquid is hot.  Then I use an immersion blender and make sure all of the vegetables are broken down so the soup is not chunky.  I then let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

For the salad, we picked fresh green out of the garden tower, added fresh grape tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and cut up turkey breast.  I added an Organic Creamy Ceaser dressing.

photo 1

Just a note:

Asparagus is a great source of Vitamins A, C, E & K, chromium, glutathione, and is a natural diuretic.

Lymes, Menus / Recipes

Breakfast, Health and Healing Part 1

Leave a comment

Over the years I have been amazed at the food choices some people make.  I have had acquaintances with women who are skinny as rails, spend hours in the gym, go home and eat 1/2 of a chocolate cake.  I’m not kidding!  I on the other hand can spend hours at the gym, eat salads 3 meals a day and gain weight.  I’m serious!

With Lyme disease, I have found it so painful at times and the exhaustion so extreme that cooking anything seemed daunting.  I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… I praise God for a husband and children who love me enough to take over the “mom” duty of cooking over the last year.  They not only cooked, they also prepared healthy meals following the directions I’ve given them over the years.  Even as teenagers, their rebellion  against food is usually against the bag of organic gluten free cereal.  They are becoming more and more against cereal and enjoy their eggs, yogurt and a pancake once in a while.  You could say they typically complain if it’s not cooked or prepared just prior to eating.

Research after research shows how unhealthy our food choices are in this country.  We have GMO’s and many other toxins in our water, vegetables, meats and fish.  So what is one to do?  Learn, read, study and educate yourself.  I am quite confident that my own battle with Lyme disease and all of it’s wonderful co-infection friends will only be won if I stay on track and continue to try to build up my body with nutrition and not give in to the foods that can make my mouth water at the name or smell.

Since I had the B12 shot, changed my meds around, and made more significant changes in my meal choices,  I have been increasingly finding myself better each day.  I have moments of fatigue, so I rest, I have moments of pain, so I evaluate my diet or activity level and I make more changes.  I thought I would share what a typical day of my diet looks like, since it only changes slightly.  Today, we will start with breakfast.

A pint of juice from fresh vegetables provided by my own garden and our local CSA that is now in full swing.

photo 2

Now, I began juicing each day broccoli, kale, spinach, carrots, celery and cucumbers.  I felt great about 2 weeks into it and then I crashed.  I learned from a friend who is in the medical field and who also has health issues of her own that if one is hypothyroid caution should be taken with cruciferous vegetables.  It dawned on me that I had read that early on in my diagnosis of adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism a number of years ago.  So, I read up on what is safe to eat and for the last two weeks I have once again been feeling that my energy is better.   I am quite certain that the nutrients released out of the fiber has helped my body regain the vitamins and minerals it needs to help heal itself.  When I have to miss a day, I certainly feel it.   Here is my daily juicing recipe (all organic):

bunch of celery – Known to be an antioxidant, helps with inflammation, contains Vitamin C, B1, B2, B6, and also potassium, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and many amino acids.   Some caution is taken due to the sodium content in celery.

1/4 large cucumber – aids in digestion, helps with hydration, has been found to fight cancers, is also a good source of  the B Vitamins

 beet greens – vitamins C,  A, and K, protein, phosphorus, zinc, fiber, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, calcium, iron

organic pre-cooked beets – lowers blood pressure, fights inflammation, Vitamin C, minerals, detoxifies

carrots – beta carotene, Vitamins A, K, C, calcium, potassium, copper, B6, folic acid thiamine, magnesium

cilantro – detoxifying, phytonutrients, antioxidant, is used as an anti-septic, fungicide, aids in digestion, has Vitamins A, C, K and B as well as calcium an potassium

swiss chard – used as an antioxidant, beta carotene, Vitamins E, C, zinc, lutein, also helps in regulating blood sugar levels and is a good source of calcium

dandelion greens – Vitamins K, C, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, zeaxanthin, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper

1 lime – Vitamin C

I also eat a gluten free, rice free Glutino English Muffin.  Toasted twice, and on both halves I put 1 TBS each of Coconut Oil.  Then I sprinkle Maca Powder on one half with an organic soaked and dried nut butter on top.  The other half gets a TBS of my raw honey.

This mornings addition was left over Avocado Cucumber salad.  Consisting of:

Sliced and de-seeded cucumbers, avocados, fresh chives chopped up, fresh garden cilantro chopped finely, and two limes which I cut in half and squeezed on top.  Add a little salt  and stir.  The family like it and it was so healthy.  I was glad there was some for breakfast.

photo 1