My Mothers Day Thoughts and Some Dessert Ideas...

What I'm most thankful for this Mother's Day...

 I wouldn't even be a mom if it weren't for the 7 little bundles of joy we've been blessed with who call me mom.  I'm thankful for them!

The Salinger family, December 2011- Christmas Choir Concert

As Mothers I think most of us desire to do what is best for our children. So, I'm thankful to have found Paleo and be able to offer them a healthy nutritional start to their lives. 

 I'm also thankful I am able to pass a love of cooking to my children, along with a love for eating Paleo. 

 I'm thankful for the sacrifices my husband has made over the years for me to be able to stay home with our children.    He has worked more than one job most of the years we have been married (21+ years).  Right now he works full time as a Fire Captain, taking overtime when he can and extra "Duty Days", in addition he owns a small construction business and does small side jobs.  Oh, and he coaches CrossFit so our family can have a place to work out. 

I'm thankful for the opportunity to be so available to our children.  I remember my mom offering the same gift to myself and my brothers and how comforting it was to know she would be there when we got home from school.  I always knew and felt how important we were to her and hope to impart that same gift to my own children.  And it didn't stop when we became adults and parents ourselves, I still know my mom is there to talk to or to help.  In fact she demonstrated this,  once again after the birth of my 7th child.  I had some severe complications following his birth and was bed ridden for weeks, she flew down from Alaska at the drop of a hat to help with the children and house and stayed for several weeks.  With out her life would have been much more difficult, she kept things going and allowed my husband to return to work sooner.  It was so comforting to us all for her to be there, she was and is such a blessing to me!  
THANK YOU MOM!

My mom and I December 7, 2006

I am thankful for the church family we have been placed in, and for the value it places on motherhood.  And for the help we receive in raising each of our children, it's such a comfort to know we are not doing it alone.  They are like our extended family.

I'm thankful for a wonderful husband to be a parent with, I don't think God could have blessed me with a better man!

Most of all I'm thankful for the opportunity to pass onto my children a love of God and His word.  To teach them to fear, love and trust in God above all things.

I believe motherhood is one of the highest callings there is.  If you think about it we are blessed with the opportunity to shape future adults and that's pretty amazing!

I am thankful I had such a wonderful example of what is to be a mother and hope that someday my daughters will be blessed with the opportunity to be mothers themselves.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Looking for some Paleo Ideas for mothers day?

Chocolate dipped frozen bananas

Mom's chocolate sunbutter cups

Baked Date wrapped Pecans

Flourless Chocolate Torte

From Mastering the Art of Paleo Cooking

Blueberry Crisp

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Dark Chocolate of your choice
coconut oil
strawberries


Wash and dry your strawberries, then melt your chocolate with a little bit of coconut oil (it will make the chocolate a bit softer) in a double boiler.  I used 1 cup of chocolate chips, about 1-2 tsp. coconut oil, and 20 strawberries.
Remove the chocolate from heat and dip each strawberry in the chocolate and then roll in your desired topping, chocolate bits, finely chopped nuts, coconut, etc. and serve.  


*Note: I find it easier to use a wooden skewer to dip the strawberries and then tap the skewer on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate then roll in desired toppings.

 An assortment of dipped strawberries.

Dipped in shredded coconut.

Dipped in shaved dark chocolate bar.

Pin It

How to Make Your Own Kombucha

If you haven't read my previous post on KOMBUCHA WHAT IT IS AND WHAT YOU NEED TO START MAKING YOUR OWN, please do so and then come back and read this post.  It is a great introduction to making Kombucha.  

First off, I want to encourage you not to be intimidated, it really is quite simple and pretty hard to mess up.  Making your own Kombucha is so budget friendly and I am also really enjoying creating my own flavors.  I love to experiment with different fruits and really enjoy drinking it too (and I enjoy not feeling guilty over spending $3-4 dollars a bottle)!  In fact I prefer my own homemade varieties above the store bought stuff now!  Why not try your hand at making your own fermented beverage, in a few weeks you to can be enjoying the benefits of your own homemade Kombucha every day!  


Here is what you will need to get started:

• 1 or 2 gallon glass open mouth jar ( I like these jars from Target )

• Black, Green, or Oolong tea bags (my preference is black tea) You may use decaf if you prefer or you may also decaf the tea yourself by the following procedure: place the tea bags in a small bowl, pouring just enough boiling water over to cover the tea bags.  Let them sit for 1 minute and then pour off the brewed tea and add the tea bags to your sugar water.

• Sugar (either white or organic, I suggest organic)

• SCOBY (from a friend, from Cultures for Health online, or grow your own)

• 2-4 cups starter (plain Kombucha tea) the amount depends on your jar size

• Clean t-shirt or other loose knit breathable fabric to cover the jar with

• Large rubber band to hold the fabric in place

• Plastic or wooden spoon for stirring

• BEFORE YOU START:  You will need to get a SCOBY from a friend, order one  online or there are also methods for growing a SCOBY from a store bought bottle of Kombucha. Growing your own from a bottle of store bought Kombucha will cost you under $4.00 and is a fairly economical way to  obtain a SCOBY if you don't have a friend  to give you one.  I personally have not tried this method, I bought a bottle to test this out but inside the bottle was 5 baby SCOBY's so I didn't get to try it.  I do, however, know people who have successfully used this method.  If you don't know a friend you can get one from and would like to grow your own, please follow these links: 
• http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2010/05/how-to-grow-a-motherscoby-from-store-bought-kombucha/
• http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-grow-a-kombucha-scoby/

• PREPARING YOUR JAR AND HANDS:   Now that you have everything you need to get started let's make some Kombucha.  Be sure to "wash" your jar with hot water and some white  vinegar. Don't use dishsoap on the jar as it can leave behind trace amounts of soap and damage your SCOBY and many soaps are also antibacterial, another thing you don't want.  Always be sure to start with clean hands and be sure not to use antibacterial soap in washing them.

• NO METAL:  When making Kombucha, be sure to not let any metal come in contact with your SCOBY or Kombucha as that can also damage your SCOBY.  This is why I mention using a plastic or wooden spoon.  You may use a ladle or glass 1 cup measuring cup to ladle out the fermented Kombucha. 

 I'm going to be giving directions for making a 1 gallon batch of Kombucha so if you are making 2 gallons please double these amounts. 

1.  In a large pot bring 13 cups of cold water to a boil, remove from heat and stir in 1  cup of sugar and add 8 tea bags ( I like to remove the string and tags).  Let the mixture brew for 15- 20 minutes and then remove all of the tea bags and allow the mixture to cool slightly (or completely if you would like).  Pour into your 1 gallon jar,  and let the tea completely cool until it is room temperature.  
2. Once it has cooled to room temperature, you can add your 2 cups of starter Kombucha (either from a bottle of store bought unflavored Kombucha or from a friends batch of Kombucha).  
3. Then before adding the SCOBY check once more to be sure it is your brew is at  room temperature and not hot.  Add your SCOBY to the fresh brewed tea, then cover the jar with a coffee filter or breathable fabric and secure with a large rubber band.  
4. Move your jar to a dark location somewhere out of the kitchen to ferment.  I like to keep mine on the top shelf of our coat closet, surrounded with some cardboard to keep it dark.  Once you find a good home for your Kombucha, let it sit for 7-10 days and then check it to see if it has fermented to your liking.   The temperature in your home will affect the amount of time it takes to ferment.  During the summer when  it is warmer I find it takes around 7-10 days, but during the winter it's more like 14-16 days.  The longer it sits the more sugar it will eat and the more vinegar like it will become.  Once your Kombucha is done with it's first ferment, you can bottle and flavor your Kombucha for a second fermentation, just remember to set aside enough plain Kombucha starter for your next batch before bottling.  

One Gallon jar

2 gallon jar

Look for directions and suggestions on how to bottle in my next post on Kombucha.

Items to collect while your first batch of Kombucha is fermenting and before bottling:

•  small plastic funnel for filling bottles
• cheesecloth for straining the mixture when bottling or plastic mesh strainer like this one: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/plastic-mesh-strainer-1.html
• bottles for bottling. I recommend flip top bottles as the best option, you can find them online or in stores, I bought mine at Costco with sparking lemonade in them for about $2.50 per bottle.  I've also found some at Ross.
• juice or fruit for flavoring the bottled Komucha if you would like and some fresh ginger 
• plastic ladle 
• glass measuring cup
• 1/4 cup measuring cup for juice and/or Tablespoon

These are the bottles I bought from Costco, 6 bottles for $14.99 

Finished product!  Doesn't that look good!

Pin It

Cinco de Mayo

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, so I thought I would put some of our favorite Mexican recipes together for you on one page, well except the desserts...they aren't mexican, but they are yummy!
From our family to yours, Happy Cinco de Mayo!  

Mexican Slow Cooker Pork (sorry no photo)

Quick and Easy Verde Sauced Chicken Tacos

Homemade Taco Seasoning (sorry no photo)

Beef Enchiladas

Pico de Gallo

Guacamole

Spanish Cauliflower Rice

Chocolate Sunbutter cups

The Best Blueberry Crisp

Pecan Baked Dates

Pin It

A New recipe!! SWEET POTATO ZUCCHINI CAKES

So...I know I did this whole post on how I was doing much creatively in the kitchen lately, but guess what?  I have a new recipe for you!  I made Sarah Fragoso's Garden meatballs the other night and had more shredded sweet potato and zucchini then I needed, so I thought to myself, what can I do with this?  So for breakfast the next morning, I threw these ingredients together fried them up in some butter and the kids LOVED them!  As always, my recipes are just a jumping off point feel free to personalize it to your taste.  My kids prefer them " burnt" as they call them, which is really just well browned, much more brown than the ones in the photo.  They say it makes them taste like cheese, which for my kids is a huge treat.   They have all had dairy issues and had to avoid dairy since birth, so tasting like cheese is a huge hit with them.  One of the things I love about these is that you can just shred up your zucchini and sweet potato in advance and store them in glass airtight containers int he fridge, pull it out in the morning and whip up a batch of these.  And my daughter who claims she hates eggs, even likes these, what a great way to sneak in more veggies, eggs and give them a great start to their day.  My 7 year old even packed one for her lunch today!  I wonder if bacon would be good in these....hmmmm.  Okay enough rambling, here is the recipe.

SWEET POTATO AND ZUCCHINI CAKES

Serves 4-5

4-5 cups of shredded sweet potato and zucchini ( used about 1/2 and 1/2)
8 eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp coarse ground pepper
1/4 tsp sweet basil (dried)
3/4 cup almond flour
Butter or Ghee for frying in (this is and important flavor ingredient too)


Crack your eggs into a large bowl and beat well with a fork or whisk.  Add in the salt, pepper, basil, mix well and stir in the sweet potatoes, zucchini and almond flour, mix well.  Then place a small skillet over medium heat (give or take a few degrees depending on your stove), melt a few TBSP of butter.  Then using a ladle, scoop up a ladle full of the mixture and pour into the pan.  Let the one side cook for a few minutes until it's to your desired doneness, then flip and cook the other side.  Remove to a platter and repeat the steps for cooking the rest of the batter ( you may have to add more butter/ghee as you go along, butter makes it better).  My kids like to eat it with ketchup but my husband and I eat them plain.  There you have it simple, easy, nutritious, economical and yummy all in one!  Enjoy! Pin It

My thoughts...

I'm sure some of you who have been following this blog for a while have noticed the lack of posts lately, I apologize. As some of you know I have been battling some health issues that have left me very exhausted and lately it has become more severe, limiting my ability to take care of my family the way I would like.  I've been so extremely fatigued that preparing a meal seems daunting and exhausting, so I have been resorting to quick and easy meals (and not trying many new recipes). We are hoping to get some answers and help soon, as I am scheduled to start seeing a Naturopath in a couple of weeks.  It's time to have some more blood work done and see if I can't get some help getting better. For right now I am resting a lot, eating well (just finished a slightly modified Whole 30 and am looking to start another one), seeing my Chiropractor and massage therapist regularly and not doing any form of exercise for the next 7 weeks (at the recommendation of someone who knows a whole lot more than me!).  That last one is a tough one for me mentally, although honestly I know that physically I couldn't run or workout even if I wanted to right now, just climbing a flight of stairs is hard work.  Some days are better than others, and on those days I intend to grab the world by the horns and enjoy it!  Today started out that way, the first day in weeks that I actually had some moderate energy, at least enough to wash the dog, do some laundry and a little light housekeeping.  I'm learning to embrace this trial, and to cling to my faith in God, my family and my friends.  They have all been a huge support and I don't know where I would be without them and the Lord.  All that to say, I may not be doing many posts in the next few weeks.  I have a million (okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration) half written articles and partially tested recipes waiting for you all.  But I have such limited energy that I really feel the little energy I do have, needs to be focussed on my family and getting better.  I do have a post on How to Make Kombucha that I worked on finishing today, and hope to keep pecking away at until it's ready to post (hopefully that's soon).  I really love blogging and look forward to when I can do more of it again (or at least more consistently), share new recipes with you again, and who knows maybe even blog about my journey to health and what I learned.    Pin It

My update following Sarah Fragoso's Workshop this past weekend

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop this past weekend by Sarah Fragoso (of EVERDAY PALEO) and her business partner Jason Seib.  It was a wonderful workshop, they managed to pack a lot into that 4+ hours!  Even though I have been doing Paleo for 20 months now and have already attended two other Seminars, it was so great to sit in on something like this.  I learned a few new things and was reminded of some old things, including a great reminder of WHY!  If we don't know why or we forget why we are doing things it can start to get "old" or loose it's excitement.  For me it was a reminder of how much I had let my children's eating slip, and how important it is for them too.  I had focussed more on my husband and I and allowed them to eat more loosely, but when Sarah challenged that we feel better when eating Paleo, so why wouldn't we want the same for them, it really hit me.  And Jason brought up the whole Corn syrup thing and how it's just as damaging to the liver as drinking alcohol, I was shocked!  At least corn syrup was one ingredient I have not made a concession on, but it did get me to thinking, why would I make concessions for them so easily.  I had also started buying non-paleo snacks for my older boys (20 and 19) but found that my younger ones where sneaking them and eating them in secret, etc.  So after some discussion my husband and I have decided no more of that, we are going back to where we started with our adult children, they may eat whatever they want outside our home, but nothing non-paleo comes through our doors and I certainly won't be buying it along with my weekly groceries.  It was mentioned that when non-paleo foods are there, you will eat it (don't think you can rely on will power!).  By eliminating  the poor food choices from your home, you will eliminate most of  the "food battles" with your children because the food you don't want them to eat is not even an option (or available as an option to ask for).  I am so thankful for the information and reminders issued by both Sarah and Jason, not only did they give a great workshop but they where more than willing to talk during intermissions and after the workshop and offer advice on a more  individualized basis. 
 I also have to say I am a raving fan of Sarah's, shortly after going  Paleo I found her blog (in the days before her cookbook),  I immediately fell in love with her and her family.  I love the way she involves her children in the preparation process, and she has great tasting recipes!  I actually had the opportunity to meet her last year in March at Robb Wolf's Seminar in Chico, and she remembered meeting me last year!  That amazes me with the amount of people she comes in contact with through her book signings and workshops.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of her workshops I highly recommend it and if you haven't bought her books yet...you should!  I have a well broken in copy of her EVERYDAY PALEO cookbook and now have her kids book PALEO PALS which I also highly recommend.  My kids LOVED reading Paleo Pals and look forward to making the recipes in the back of the book! At the very least please be sure to visit her website, it is a great resource http://everydaypaleo.com/, and she said she is working on a new cookbook, Everyday Paleo Family, I can't wait!

Pin It

A fun project to do with kids....

I realize this has nothing to do with eating Paleo, but I just thought I would share it for those of you who have children or grandchildren.  My younger two and I made homemade play dough today and it was so simple and fun to make that I just had to share it!    It is the best recipe for play dough I have come across and will use it over and over again.  I am not sure how long it will keep, but we are storing ours in some airtight containers in hopes of using it again.  So...if you are new to Paleo and haven't dumped everything in your pantry that isn't Paleo, this is a great opportunity to use it up!  You will need some white flour, regular salt, vegetable oil ( I don't have any so used olive oil), cream of tartar, water and a couple packets of unsweetened Koolaide.  The Koolaide is what gives it beautiful coloring and a wonderful scent. I made two batches in a matter of minutes, and the kids loved playing with it!

Homemade Play Dough

1/2 cup salt

1 cup flour

1/2 TBSP cream of Tartar

1 1/2 TBSP oil

1 cup hot water

1 packet of unsweetened koolaide (pictured is Cherry)

In a medium saucepan heat the salt and water over low heat until the salt dissolves, then stir in the remaining ingredients.   Continue to stir until it thickens up well and is the constancy of play dough over low heat ( a matter of minutes).  Remove from heat and knead with a spoon until it cools down enough to knead by hand.  Knead by hand until cool and then let the kids have fun playing with it!

*You can double this and make a larger batch, I just found they enjoyed having more than one color to play with and the smaller batches are nice for that*

Pin It