Sometimes I get a hankering for something different, eating Paleo you can’t do hot cereal because of the grains. This is a recipe that kind of fills that need for something hot, other than eggs and bacon :) But is still really healthy and so tasty! Hope you enjoy! Continue reading
Posted in Baby Food, Breakfast, Low Sugar, Meatless, Paleo
Tagged butternut squash, hot breakfast, hot cereal substitutes, Paleo breakfast, paleo food, primal breakfast, primal food, squash
I don’t think I’ve ever been quite as excited about a new recipe as I am about this one. I am smiling inside and I can’t wait to share this one with my friends. I don’t know about you but I’ve started our family out with lots of things I’m trying to “un-do” like, lots of bread, toast, sugar, processed Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and the list goes on. And guess what, my kids like all those things. The hardest part about this journey of becoming more healthy has been finding recipes that my kids get excited about, and that is why I LOVE this recipe!
Every time I have made pancakes, my kids love them, they are homemade and tasty, full of butter and pure maple syrup, but eventually these ingredients will catch up with my kids. I really desire to help my kids form good habits, healthy habits. So that it’s not so hard to eat healthy when they are adults living on their own. I’m not talking about completely removing all forms of grain, carbs, sweets, and processed foods from their diet. But I want them to be the exception and not daily consumption. Continue reading
Posted in Breakfast, Grain Free, Low Sugar, Meatless, Paleo, Uncategorized, Whole Foods
Posted in Meatless, Salads, Side Dishes
Tagged cabbage, cole slaw, homemade, Meatless, salad, Side Dishes, sidedish, slaw, vegetarian
Contrary to what previous studies have shown, coconut oil is actually very good for you! I often start my day with a tablespoon of coconut oil, no I don’t just eat it by itself! I melt it and put it in a smoothie or put it in my oatmeal sometimes, but my favorite way to get my coconut oil is cooked with eggs and vegetables. There are so many health benefits of coconut oil; weight loss, lowering chances of heart disease, it aides in digestion, contains anti-fungal properties, to name just a few. I found a great article on the benefits of coconut oil on Organic Facts. I created a simple recipe here for a really healthy breakfast. Hope you enjoy it!
Posted in Breakfast, Food Tips, Free range chickens, Meatless, organic, Whole Foods
Tagged Breakfast, coconut, coconut oil, eggs, food, homemade, organic, vegetable
I consider this more of a “Poor Man’s Alfredo Sauce” ;) I have a hard time spending $6-$8 on a small hunk of Parmesan cheese when I can buy a large amount of cheese for the same price. So I’m always looking for ways to modify recipes to make them more affordable, and still taste good. This particular recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of fresh grated Parmesan cheese which I substituted with sharp cheddar, it turned out very smooth and tasty, and seemed very much like an Alfredo sauce. I was highly impressed with the flavor compared with that I have purchased from a jar, and it was not much more difficult than just heating up a jar of prepared sauce, and I know what’s in it! I hope your family enjoys this sauce as much as we did!
This is such a yummy salad, my mom has always brought (a variation of this salad) to every family event, it’s always a hit!
8 slices bacon
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 large red onion, chopped
Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, bacon, raisins, seeds and onion.
3. Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When I lived in Costa Rica this was a staple that we ate about three times a day! Very tasty and good for you! I use brown rice and cook a little longer, it tastes great that way. Now we enjoy this meal at least once a week for dinner and a couple times a week for lunch.
Ingredients:
1 lb (450 gr.) Black beans. Fresh are best but most likely you’ll find them dried.
8-10 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaf) fresh or frozen, not dried!
1 small or medium onion
½ small red or yellow sweet pepper (optional, sometimes I add purple cabbage if I don’t have any sweet peppers)
3 cups (700 ml) chicken broth or water
2 cups (350 ml) white rice (I use brown rice and it’s just as good)
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
1-3 Tablespoon oil to fry the Gallo Pinto
Directions:
If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off. Drain the beans and add fresh water to an inch (2.5-cm) above the top of the beans, salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are soft (~3 hours).
Chop cilantro, onion, and sweet pepper very fine.
Add 1 Tablespoon oil to a large pan and sauté the dry rice for 2 minutes over medium high flame then add half of the chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro and sauté another 2 minutes. Add water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer until rice is tender (20-35 minutes). This is also the recipe for Tico rice used in other favorites like tamales.
Once the rice and beans are cooked you can refrigerate or freeze them. Keep a significant amount of the “black water” with the beans (½-1 cup 120-240 ml). This is what gives the rice its color and some of its flavor. Sauté the rice, beans reserved chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro together in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.
Once the rice and beans are cooked you can also refrigerate or freeze them. Make up small batches of Gallo Pinto when you want it by simply sautéing them together.
In Guanacaste they sometimes use small very hot red peppers instead of or in addition to the sweet. Some people add a tablespoon or so of salsa Lizano or Chilera to the beans while they’re cooking. Our friend Mercedes always simmered the beans very slowly all-day and preheated the water or chicken broth for the rice.
Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Healthy Snacks, Lunch, Meatless, Whole Foods, Whole Grain
8 large carrots, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup okar
1/2 medium onion
Equal parts water and Pacific vegetable brothe to cover vegetables (about 6 cups)
1/2 serrano chili (optional)
Spike to taste
Curry powder to taste
Celtic sea salt to taste
Place the carrots, celery, leek, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, okra, onion (and any other vegetables you desire) into a large pot with the water, broth, chili, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until the carrots are semisoft.
As with all homemade soups, the longer the vegetables soak in the water(even while in the refrigerator), the more flavorful the soup will become. For a thicker soup, you may blend half the mixture then add it back to the batch.
Great served with a hot slice of homemade bread!
Another delicious recipe that my friend Rana shared with me!
8 c. winter squash
1 can chicken broth or 2 TBS chicken flavor
milk
1 c. carrots
1 peeled potato
1/2 c. onion
parsley
salt
pepper
garlic
Cook all vegetables in chicken broth. You may need to add water here. You may have to precook the squash in order to get the skin off so that you can chop it and add it with all the other veggies to be cooked in the broth. Strain, saving broth. Blend veggies in blender, adding broth if necessary to get it moving. Add mixture to pot, adding milk and broth to desired consistency. If you want to be really naughty, use cream instead of milk. Add seasonings; adjust flavor. You can add butter for an option and sprinkle with a bit of chopped parsley.
Posted in Dinner, Meatless, Whole Foods
My friend Rana made this for a get together we had a couple of weeks ago and it was refreshing and delicious. It was kind of a hearty salsa like dish that we ate with tortilla chips but I think I would cook up some rice and eat it for dinner it was so delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe Rana!
1 can shoepeg corn
1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 avocados, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup chopped cilantro
2/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3/4 tsp. salt (she used sea salt)
Prepare all ingredients and toss together, serve with tortilla chips, on a rice and beans dish or just by itself, enjoy!
Welcome to my blog! My name is Jenni Burns, I'm on a journey of discovering the many joys found in being a homemaker. I started this blog as a place to help me keep my many recipes, and it's kind of transformed into a blog about what we are eating right now :) Currently our family is on a journey to become more healthy, AND I'm expecting our seventh child in June! We are doing the Paleo/Hunter Gatherer Diet, and making big changes in how we eat! I hope you find something to encourage you in your journey!
