A STORY about a Grain Free Chocoate Peanut Butter Cake Recipe.....

Proud Parent Moment!

So I have to tell you that THIS IS NOT MY RECIPE.  My 9 year old daughter decided to try and follow a recipe for chocolate zucchini cake(without me knowing) and modified it to a grain free cake for her brother. Here is the story!

Grain free/Dairy Free/Sugar Free Crepes

So I was craving crepes......like really good crepes that I can stuff with cream cheese, or chocolate or just dip in maple syrup.  BUT we can't eat flour(gluten) and I don't eat grains.  SO these are JUST as good as traditional crepes( I think they are better).   I modified a recipe from the paleo plan because I didn't have the same amounts of the ingredients.

One Pot Shrimp Creole

 

Yall,  my moms shrimp creole recipe is so easy.  It is filled with good nourishing fish stock, healthy fats and loads of veggies, it is very filling too. 

Life....and a recipe

I love educating, and I have missed it. It has been super crazy around here and I have not had time to write blogs or post recipes. I have made some changes in regards to the computer....and I am only going to allow myself to write/blog on break at work or early in morning when everyone is still asleep.  It’s not fair to take time away from my family(even if 15-20 min) to be on the computer if I don’t have to be, you know?  So, if I don't post daily or write weekly....that is why, my family comes first!

Gluten Free White bread......

So I have been tinkering with different gluten free flours for a gluten free bread.  After some trial and error, by golly I think I got it!

doesn't it look yummy

Nutrition for 'Metabolic Type' and Hydration(plus meal plans)

      A while back I wrote about 'There is more to working out than working out'   I said I would expand on the why.  I have talked about the stress and disease part, read that here.  This blog is going to address nutrition and hydration.   First meal plans for my busy week...

Traveling and Cooking with REAL Food(and kids)

     Not only is traveling and going on vacation expensive, but if you have food allergies or only EAT REAL FOOD, it can be a challenge to find restaurants and places for the time away.  I learned long ago that with kids and vacation, eating out it NOT what we are going to waste our money and time doing.  We always look for suites/hotels with full kitchens so we can prepare our own food and stay healthy the entire vacation.  It takes a little planning, but it is totally worth it knowing that my kids will be eating good food and I will be saving a lot of money!

What is your purpose?

 Lets start with the meal plans this week, then onto deep thinking.

Venison Steak Diane before serving

Saturday-Steak Dianne(venison) with broccoli, roasted potatoes and cheese rolls
                  venison steak dianne recipe
    A very good friend told me about this recipe when I mentioned that I had some backstrap in my freezer.  OMG, It was so good, I even accidentally left out the cream and herbs for the top because I had a bunch of hungry kiddos waiting. It was so tender and full of flavor!

Sunday-Whole roasted chicken with cauliflower, roasted brussel sprouts and rice

How STRESS causes disease......

This weeks blog is about stress, but first, meal plans.

I can't wait for my Spring garden!

Saturday-***Turkey cacciatore(slow cooker) with white rice in broth and kale chips
Sunday-Deconstructed beef burgers with avocado, fries and*** bacon drop biscuits
Monday-Sprouted Lentil Salad with Lamb steaks
Tuesday-Venison stir fry with rice noodles and broccoli
Wednesday-Teriyaki salmon with soaked white rice and snow peas
Thursday-Paleo Taco Chicken(slow cooker)
Friday-Family Get together and I will bring the grain free Pizza.

The cool thing about meal plans and prepping is that if you want to switch up a day, you can!

                                               Lets talk about Stress this week(all types)

FYI: 98% of disease is caused by stress. 
I was shocked to learn this statistic during my CHEK training.  There is good stress and bad stress,  we need good stress for hormone production. 
Do you know the types of stress that can have an impact on your health?  Read on to learn more!

There is more to 'Working Out' than Working Out. (plus meal plans)

Train the Movement, not the Muscle.

     Lets face it, the ‘gym’ is boring and most people don’t have a clue what to do when they get there.  Many people are intimidated while others are just overwhelmed. There is more to being healthy and loosing weight than working out.  Things to consider seriously are: Stress(all types), Hydration(proper with minerals), Eating (for nourishment), Breathing(so many people don’t know how to take a deep breath), Digestion (you might have unhealthy gut flora which doesn’t allow for proper digestion) and Movement!

     It is getting to be beach weather soon, and we undoubtedly will have an influx of people call and ask for a trainer.  The majority of them want a miracle to be performed overnight like they see on TV and not want to change their lifestyle in the process.  It doesn’t work like that, and NEVER WILL.  Exercise is only ONE part of being healthy, and most people tend to forget about the bigger picture.  Stress, hydration, eating, breathing and digestion are EQUALLY important, if not more important for the vast majority people.

Not just skinless boneless chicken....BORING

      If you haven't noticed,  I don’t eat only ground beef or just chicken breast.    I eat a varied diet with the seasons as much as possible.  I try not to eat the same thing 2 days in a row.  It is hard, but it is part of my CHEK training.  The 4 day rotation diet.  CHEK practitioners have to teach many aspects of holistic healing,  nutrition is just one.   Trying to get people out of the 'I eat the same thing everyday for breakfast diet' is hard.   In the 4 day rotation diet, you don't eat the same food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner for 4 days in a row, then after 4 days you can have that food again. This is one of the hardest things to master, however when you do, it does a lot for your digestion, mentality, vibrancy and life.  I might start compiling a list of the foods that are for breakfast as well, so you can see the variety of foods eaten. 

Meal Plans and (grain free extras)

For whatever reason, I made great use of my time and resources this weekend.  While prepping all meals for the week, I also make chocolate haystacks, paleo cinnamon oatmeal mix, trail mix bars, beet kvass, started beef bone broth, made grain free cinnamon raisin ‘cereal’ and a cinnamon sugar cracker or cereal.  I also started soaking and dehydrating cashews and walnuts and sprouting mung beans.  Whew...now if my kids would eat the grain free treats that I make I would be happy.  They only like the chocolate haystacks so far......more for me I guess!

Meal Plans Week 4

I love it when meal plans work out and work to your advantage!  This week I am so glad I had them prepped and ready to go!  This week my brother was in the hospital, and I had an animal emergency.  Dinner was ready when we got home.  Other than the sides dishes that take a little time to cook.


Saturday-Roasted Garlic Lemon Whole Chicken with broccoli and caramelized onions
Sunday-White chicken chili with collards
Monday - Lamb and Beef Meat loaf with mashed turnips and peas(kids will eat fried potatoes)
    **side note, make a double batch and freeze for a night that you are not prepared for dinner.
Tuesday - Asian Pepper Steak with white rice and cauliflower  
Wednesday***-Pineapple BBQ chicken with roasted brussel sprouts and grain free cheese bread
Thursday-Make your own pizza night
Friday-Shrimp Creole

Meal Plans Week 3 and a Slow Cooker Recipe!

Kale chips cooling.

I know it is late this week, but I was sick(so glad I had a meal plan) and was able to adapt and adjust days for what we needed. 

 January Week 3 Meal Plans .  (and a recipe)

Meal Plans for January Week 2

Meal Plans for Week of January 5

My kids are starting after school activities this week....They are excited.  I am too. One hour all to myself to read my Nourishing Traditions, book I can't wait.  This means that meal time prep is going to be limited after school days.  I found that last week after prepping all my food for the week, it was so nice to just come home and cook, so I am continuing that this week. 

Kraut and dilly carrots fermenting in window

Sunday Prep Day-This prep day was a little different, we had so many things going on, I was in and out of the kitchen, cleaning and prepping all day.  Total time was about 2 1/2 hours if I would have done all at one time.  Do what you can, when you can and just start somewhere.  Don’t worry if you don’t get to everything.  The biggest things are the prep of veggies for meal plans, all the other stuff is just extra.

New year and New food... Preparation is the KEY!

 

Nourishing Mama Prep Day- and a crock pot recipe!!

The New Year is upon us, and we all seem to have things that we want to achieve.  If you are transitioning to a nourishing lifestyle it can become overwhelming very quickly.  It is easy to get frustrated with prep time, cooking and organizing.....No fear, Nourishing Mama is here(ok that was silly, but cute).  To cut down on wasted food, unhealthy meals or boxed food, take one day a week to plan, shop and prep your meals for the week.  It makes it SO MUCH EASIER!
You can get organized in a few hours and have all of your meals basically ready to put in the crock-pot or cook! 

Rabbit Cacciatore (Crockpot)

Ingredients:
1/2 rabbit(or more) - skinned, and cut into pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small onion diced
4-5 cloves of garlic rough chopped
1 1/2 cup fresh chicken stock
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Layer crock-pot with onions, then rabbit. Add salt, pepper and thyme. Pour in the stock and tomatoes and add the garlic and bay leaves on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until meat is falling off the bones. Serve with veggies and extra juice for dipping the rabbit meat. If you have with bones, be careful they have small bones that are hard to pick out. 

Enjoy!

Grain Free Pancake Recipe

In my quest to be grain free I stumbled upon a few almond butter recipes.  I didn't have almond butter on hand, but I did have Almond paste.  Here is my tweeked recipe for Banana Almond pancakes.  Enjoy

Banana Almond Meal Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 banana
3/4 cup almond paste(soaked almonds put in blender and made to paste) or 1/2 cup almond butter
1 duck egg-or 2 pastured chicken eggs
1 tsp each baking soda/powder
2 Tbls each Flax meal and Tapioca flour(grind tapioca pearls in coffee grinder until fine powder)
1/2 tsp each salt and vanilla

Directions:
Mash banana, add almond paste and egg.  Mix well.  Add remaining ingredients and combine.  Heat griddle to 325.  Add coconut oil and cook on griddle until brown on both sides.  Griddle can get hot, so make sure to lower temp and watch pancakes.  Serve with strawberries and Grade B maple syrup.  Makes 12 dollar size pancakes.

Smoothies: Are they better than soda?

Smoothies are all the rage right now, with hot summers upon us, I am hearing commercials for smoothies all the time! Beware if you think you are getting a ‘healthy’ treat and opting for a smoothie instead of a soda. Here are the details on one big chain that starts with a ‘M’.
The ‘strawberry banana smoothie’ contains:
44 sugars = 11 tsp in a 12 oz cup(that is as much as a can of soda-GASP!) and all other ‘smoothies’ are essentially the same.

Protein Supplements...do we need them.

Protein Powder, bars, shakes......Do we need them?  You decide....but I say NO!

Protein is used for every cell in our body, it is used to build and repair muscle tissue during rapid growth periods and extreme exercise.  The majority of Americans consume excess protein through the food they eat(Most Factory Farmed meats that are VERY unhealthy).  If you eat a real food diet or are transitioning to a real food diet, and exercise a few times a week, extra protein protein powder, shakes and bars are wasted money being flushed down the toilet(literally).  Most all are GMO filled, fake protein, and have oxidized cholesterol just to name a few of the bad things.