Green Smoothies

Just over a month ago, I decided to finally purchase Fermented Cod Liver Oil (FCLO) and start the whole family on it. After all, the benefits of FCLO are wonderful, so why not get everyone in on it? The only problem is that FCLO is gross. I'm not going to lie. It smells awful and tastes worse. Plenty of people say that after a while, you get used to it but I just can't ever imagine getting used to it. So, I decided that I needed to find a way to hide it. Enter our super hero: The Green Smoothie.

What is wonderful about this smoothie is that not only are we getting the benefits of the FCLO, but I've added other ingredients to boost the benefits of this smoothie even further. My son, who has some eating issues will suck down his smoothie quick as a snap not even realizing he has just has just ingested several things that he would normally refuse without consideration. I make this in a large batch that serves all four of us - a pint each for my hubby & I and half pints for the kids. We cannot taste the fish oil at all.

GREEN SMOOTHIE

2 medium organic bananas (these can be frozen, if desired)
1-1/2 cups frozen organic strawberries
2 cups fresh organic baby spinach leaves
1 pint raw dairy kefir
1 pint raw milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
1-1/2 tsp FCLO (we use the high vitamin butter oil/FCLO combination)
3 TBSP organic chia seeds
1/4 cup raw local honey
stevia drops as needed for desired sweetness

Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Because of the strawberry seeds, chia seeds and the coconut oil, it won't get completely smooth but we like the occasional crunchiness we get from the seeds.

So, besides the vitamins and minerals from the bananas, strawberries & spinach AND the benefits of the FCLO, we get the benefits of coconut oil, the probiotic goodness of dairy kefir, the benefits off chia seeds and the wholesome goodness of raw, whole milk. Some great places to find info on some of these amazing ingredients are: GNOWFGLINS, Cooking Traditional Foods, Food Renegade, Cheeseslave and of course the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Fried Chocolate Oatmeal with Peanut Butter Molasses Topping & Bananas

My little boy has a lot of food issues. A good part of this is due to aversions and sensitivities to certain textures and flavors but a part of it can be attributed to him just being picky. He has a definite sweet tooth so sometimes, in order to actually get food into him, I cave in and add a little something to appeal to his tastes. He usually won't eat oatmeal, so I decided to jazz it up for him a little. I made chocolate oatmeal. It was a big hit and for the first time, he ate an entire bowl of oatmeal without having to be prompted constantly. He even had seconds! Success!

I always make a double batch of oatmeal so we can have fried oatmeal the next morning. We usually have regular fried oatmeal with butter & maple syrup, but this was going to be fried chocolate oatmeal so I wanted to kick it up a notch plus I was out of maple syrup. I remembered a recipe from Cooking Traditional Foods for Peanut Butter Molasses Pancake Sauce. I had already been thinking of fitting peanut butter into the plan somewhere to sort of mimic No-Bake Cookies, so this sounded just right. I looked up the recipe and, of course, I was missing ingredients but I didn't let that stop me. I just went with what I had on hand and this is what we ended up with.

This was probably one of the best breakfasts we've had lately. It was almost more like a dessert. The oatmeal had a pudding like texture with a little chewy crispiness on the outside and the topping was kind of thick & fudgy. So good! And I didn't have to keep after the kids to eat - they devoured it! Well, almost. Micah got full quickly ate all but half the oatmeal but he did eat all the bananas & topping. I was left wishing we had more so I could have seconds. 

To make Chocolate Oatmeal: Mix about 2 to 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to 6 servings of cooked oatmeal. Sweeten with stevia powder to your preferred sweetness.

To make Fried Oatmeal: Put your leftover oatmeal into a square pan and spread out to a nice even layer. Put it in the fridge and chill it overnight so it's nice and firm. Cut the firm oatmeal into squares and fry it in coconut oil over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes or until it starts to get a little browned. Flip It & do the same for the other side. Remove it from the pan to a plate and melt some fresh butter over it.

To make the Peanut Butter Molasses Topping (my way): Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a small sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup peanut butter, 3 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses and 1 packet of stevia. Stir over low heat until mixed & melty. Spoon over warm fried oatmeal.

Then top it with sliced bananas. Dig in and enjoy!

If you'd like to try the Peanut Butter Molasses Topping the way it appears on the CTF website, go here. Spend some time checking out the Cooking Traditional Foods site - loads of great info & recipes there!

Gluten Free Zucchini Brownies

These are some of the best brownies I've ever had. They are so moist & fudgy & chocolatey! Just writing about them makes me want to go downstairs and grab one (or two!) out of the freezer. I got this recipe from Gluten Free Goddess and made a couple changes to suit our needs and ingredients on hand. 

1 cup almond meal*
1 cup organic sugar  
3/4 cup brown rice flour**
1/2 cup unsweetened organic cocoa powder  
1 teaspoon guar gum (or use xanthan gum)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder  
3/4 teaspoon sea salt  
2 organic free-range eggs, beaten  
1/4 cup organic coconut oil  
1 tablespoon vanilla extract  
1 cup packed shredded zucchini, patted dry  
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottom of a 9x9 pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl bowl, mix together the almond meal, sugar, rice flour, cocoa powder, guar gum, baking powder & salt. Add in the eggs, coconut oil & vanilla. This will be a thick mixture. Add the zucchini & chocolate chips and mix well. Scoop batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes in order to get that really fudgy texture. Cool on a rack until cool enough to handle. Use a sharp knife to loosen edges and carefully remove from pan to finish cooling. Cut into 16 squares. These freeze wonderfully.

*Note:  I make my own almond meal using this method: Place 4 cups of almonds in a bowl or half gallon mason jar. Add water to cover almonds and then some. They expand while they soak and you don't want them to be out of the water. Add 2 tablespoons of sea salt. Allow to soak 7 hours or overnight. Drain & rinse. Dry nuts 12 to 24 hours in a dehydrator or in your oven at 150°F. Once completely dry, place almonds in a blender (I use a magic bullet) about a cup at a time and pulse them into a fine meal. Do not do this for too long or you will end up with almond butter. Remove any large pieces of almonds and put them in to pulse again with the next batch. It's a bit of a long process but a lot cheaper. This makes about 3  to 3 1/2 cups of almond meal at a cost of around $4. Bob's Red Mill Almond meal is $9.42 at my local Walmart for what looks like less than my batch made.

**Note: I make my own brown rice flour by grinding the rice in an electric grain mill on the finest setting. It works perfectly. Prepackaged brown rice flour isn't super expensive but this way is even cheaper.

These are wonderful with a tall glass of ice cold, farm fresh raw milk. Even my super picky, 3 year old little boy scarfed these right down and didn't even notice the zucchini. My 6 year old daughter knew the zucchini was in there and gave me the "wrinkled up nose look" but once she took a bite, she was sold. I think the biggest problem I will have with these is keeping them around long enough to save some for later.

Chicken Salad Supreme

Steve and I used to love going to a local diner for their chicken salad supreme.It was a ginormous salad made with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cucumbers, mozzarella & cheddar cheese, bacon, curly fries, boiled eggs & chicken. Over the years, the salads got smaller & the price got higher. Once having kids (especially once they were old enough to start wanting their own meals from the kiddie menu), it just got too expensive to go out for chicken salads plus, a pile of iceberg lettuce isn't exactly a nutritional dynamo. So we started making our own salads at home. I usually use spring mix salad in a bag but tonight, I used lettuce picked from my own organic garden that I picked right before dinner. With other fresh veggies from my garden, this was easily the best chicken salad supreme I've ever made!

Starting from the top middle and going clockwise, our chicken salads consisted of: Cucumbers from my parent's garden, organic green & red lettuce from my garden, cheddar cheese (yes, I put a little much on there... lol), grilled chicken breast, sauteed purple potatoes, boiled egg, organic snap peas, green beans & purple beans from my garden with some sauteed white potatoes in the middle. I topped it with my favorite french dressing (store bought this time but I usually make my own and will continue to do so once I use up all the store bought). If I wasn't so full already, I'd have no problem eating more!

Zucchini Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

2 c. zucchini, unpeeled and finely chopped or shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 c. cooked brown rice
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 to 1 c shredded cheddar cheese (I like to go heavy on the cheese)
1/2 c Parmesan cheese + 2 to 3 Tbsp. for sprinkling
Salt, as desired

How to:

Mix rice & egg in a large bowl. Add zucchini & onion. Mix well. Add sour cream & cheeses & salt, if desired. Mix well. Spread into an 8"x8" pan or 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle top with additional Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350°F for about 1 hour or until top is golden brown and it is set in the middle.

*Notes: If desired, you can break down the zucchini ahead of time by cooking it and the onion with a cup of chicken stock in a pot on a medium flame for about 20 to 30 minutes. This will soften the zucchini & onion a lot making it easier to pass the picky eater test. If you do this, double the amount of zucchini and onion, chop it more coarsely and drain very well before adding to the rest of the ingredients.

Before changing to a gluten free diet, I would add 1/2 c. of Italian flavored bread crumbs to help thicken it up a little but I don't really find it necessary as the eggs hold it together nicely.

This goes great with baked fishes, especially salmon. I usually round out the meal with steamed green beans (smothered in butter!).

Onigiri

I've been threatening to make onigiri for a long time andI finally did it. I made them last night and they turned out pretty nicely. I was a little apprhensive about  making sushi rice but it came out fine. I don't really have anything to compare it to, but it worked for me. I put small chunks of salted tilapia in the center of my onigiri and then used strips of nori as a garnish/decoration. I think I made them a bit on the large side but that's ok. They were quite tasty - both fresh and warm and cold the next day.

The onigiri I made for Steve.

Laural asked that I not put nori on hers.

Micah tasted it but he mostly just wanted to have his picture taken.

The verdict is: I will probably make these again. This isn't the case for the Thai Beef & Noodles I made a few nights ago. I used noodles made from sweet potato starch and the texture was something I don't think I could get used to. May w I will try them with a different sauce to see how I feel about them then.

Jelly Day!

Yesterday I got it in my head that I wanted to try making clover jelly, so Laural and I went out and picked all the clover we could find in our yard. While we were outside and I was sitting on the steps removing the stems from the flowers, I took a look at all the lovely spearmint we had growing and decided to give spearmint jelly a try as well. After starting the infusions last night, today was jelly day. After a quick trip to town to get sugar and Laural's glasses fixed - I don't know how that girl manages to lose nose guards so often - we came home, had lunch and I put Micah down for a nap and Laural in her room for quiet time so I could get to work on the jelly. Wouldn't you know that Micah decided to have a scream fest and refused to nap. So plan b was to put the gate up in the living room and hope that they would play nice while I worked in the kitchen. Well, that kind of worked but there was still a lot of "Mom! Micah is doing _____!" followed by an angry scream from Micah as big sister (aka. mother hen) would attempt to stop him from whatever he was doing. In between yelling back to the kids, I managed to get the batch of clover jelly made, but decided to put off the spearmint until after bedtime. The clover turned out so very good! It has such a delicate flavor - almost like honey. I took a little in to the room for the kids to try and they loved it. It was sweet, so of course they loved it.

My first batch of clover jelly! I wish the color came out better in photos. It's actually more of a pink color.

I tried to get a better pic of a single jar but it still looks more amber than pink.

After the kids went to bed, I got to work on the spearmint jelly. It only took about 40 minutes from the time I started straining to the time I took it out of the water bath. It also turned out beautifully. The flavor is mildly minty. Very good!

The color of these is more of an amber with a hint of green. A lot of people put food coloring in their mint jelly to make it green but I think that putting artificial color in kind of defeats the purpose of having natural jelly.

Just in case anyone would like to know how I made these, here are my recipes. 

White Clover Jelly

4 cups Clover Flowers

4 cups boiling water

5 cups sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 package powdered fruit pectin

Spearmint Jelly

4 cups spearmint leaves, torn up

4 cups boiling water

5 cups sugar

1 package powdered fruit pectin

Both jellies were made the same way:

1. Make the infusion by pouring 4 cups of boiling water over the flowers or leaves. Let them steep overnight.
2. Strain the infusions. Add water if needed to make 4 full cups of infusion. Place in 6 to 8 qt pot.
3. Add pectin to infusion. Bring to a rolling boil.
4. Stir in sugar all at once. Bring back to rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim foam if desired.
5. Quickly ladle into prepared jars. Wipe rims, put lids & rings on.
6. Place in canner (with 1 or 2 inches water over tops). Process for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from water bath and let cool. 

Nice and easy! Thanks to Dana at Roscommom Acres for the inspiration!

Applesauce Oat Muffins

After seeing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins on a Muffin Tin Monday blog entry, I decided I was going to make those today. Slight problem though. No chocolate chips in the house. So, I looked around at what I did have. Since both kiddos refused to eat their strawberry applesauce for lunch, I had 2 open cups to deal with. I also have a lot of oatmeal right now due to finding a very good deal on it (free!). After looking up a couple of different recipes, I put together something acceptable.

Applesauce Oat Muffins

1 1/2 C oatmeal

1 1/2 C all purpose flour

1/2 C brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 C applesauce

1 egg

1/4 C oil

1/2 C milk

Mix dry ingredients together. In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together. Add dry mixture to wet, mix until combined. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Notes: 1) I used strawberry applesauce for mine but if you wanted to use plain applesauce, you could add 1/2 tsp cinnamon. 2) I used silicone muffin tins for mine and I did not grease them. This wasn't a big deal for the smooth miffin tin but muffins in the ruffed heart tin stuck a bit. This may not have been a big deal if I had let them cool a little longer. 3) These are slightly sweet and would go well with a yogurt, some fresh fruit or just a coffee.

Recipe: Broccoli Cheese Soup

Here is my new & improved recipe for Broccoli Cheese Soup. I've made broccoli cheese soup in the past but it just never turned out like I wanted it to. With this batch, I finally got it where I wanted it. Yay! This is NOT a low fat or healthy version of this soup! ;-)

Broccoli Cheese Soup
(this is a big batch)

5 - 6 cups broccoli florets
2 cans vegetable broth
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
12 oz Velveeta, cubed

In a large pot, heat the broth just to boiling. Add onion, garlic and broccoli. Simmer until broccoli is tender. Whisk flour into milk until smooth. Slowly pour milk mixture into pot, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until it starts to thicken a bit and get bubbly around the edges. Using a stick blender, blend about half the soup. Remove from heat. Stir in cheeses until melted. Enjoy! Garnish with a little cheddar cheese and/or croutons. Serve with some crusty bread or buttery crackers.

A couple of notes:

I used Velveeta in this recipe. I am not big on processed foods, but every other time I have made this soup, it just never tastes the way I want it. I personally love the taste of Velveeta but try to use it infrequently. As healthy as I try to be, I still have my guilty little pleasures. LOL

I made this for a church pot luck. The last time I made soup (Cheesy Potato) for a church pot luck, I ended up with a lot left over and I was hoping that would be the case with this too. I wanted to have some to try freezing for future lunches. Well, all I had left was enough for one bowl! I got rave reviews which made me happy but none to freeze. Oh well. I guess I'll have to make another pot! I am hoping this freezes well. If anyone has any experiences with freezing soups of this sort, let me know what kind of results you had!

Recipe: Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet & Sour Chicken

1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. pineapple Juice (I usually just use whatever I drain from a can of pineapple)
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (or garlic powder)
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
oil for cooking chicken
2 c. cooked rice

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add chicken and cook through, browning slightly. In a small sauce pan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add remaining ingredients except for chicken and rice. Mix well and place over low to medium heat. Stir constantly. Bring to a boil. Once it gets thick & bubbly, it's done. To serve: Place chicken on rice. Spoon sauce over chicken and rice.

I frequently saute julienne carrots with the chicken. My husband likes those chow mein noodles on his. I usually serve with broccoli and pineapple.

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 c chopped onion
2 tsp taco seasoning
1 tsp canola oil
1 can chicken broth
1/4 c ranch dressing
1 Tbsp flour
6 small flout tortillas, cut into bite size wedges
2 c cooked corn
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c salsa (if desired)

In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and onion. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Combine broth, ranch and flour. Slowly add to skillet, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 3 minutes. Stir in tortilla strips and corn. Sprinkle with cheese. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Top with salsa before serving, if desired.

Recipe: Stove Top Lasagna

Stove Top Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jar pasta sauce
3 c mini lasagna or noodle of choice
2 1/2 c water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 c mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Sprinkle with cheese. Allow to stand a few minutes before serving.

I stirred in a little Parmesan at the end before putting the mozzarella on top just to add a little more flavor. This dish reminds me a bit of Hamburger Helper.

Recipe: Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c bread crumbs
3 c sliced mushrooms
1 egg
1/4 c milk
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp canola oil
1 1/2 c beef gravy

Finely chop about half of the mushrooms and combine with the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, milk and 1 Tbsp of the ketchup. Form into 5 or 6 oval shaped patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add patties and cook about 5 minutes, turning once, until browned. Add remaining mushrooms, gravy & ketchup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until done and meat thermometer reads 160°F.

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie Recipe

This is the recipe for the pie I made for Thanksgiving. I didn't really follow a recipe. I looked at a couple recipes and put together something that sounded good to me. I actually do this sort of thing a lot.  Anyhow, this is how I made the pie. It turned out very good but very rich. Just the way I like it.

You will need:

~ Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust or Oreo Cookie Pie Crust

~ Hot Fudge Sauce

~ 8 oz Brick of Cream Cheese (brought to room temperature)

~ 1/2 cup Sugar

~ 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

~ 12 oz tub of Cool Whip

Prepare graham cracker crust (either make your favorite or buy one). Spread about 3/4 of a cup of hot fudge topping on the bottom of the crust.and set aside.

Whip the cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter together until smooth and creamy. Fold in cool whip. One mixed thoroughly, fill up the pie crust. Warm a little hot fudge and drizzle over top of pie. Refrigerate about 2 hours before serving. Yum!