Healthy Living For Life Recipes

A Blip in Time!

2006-09-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

I've been away from my blog for 8 days now! Wow. I never intended to stay away that long.

We took vacation time this past week, and it was a well needed break for all of us. I'll be posting more recipes this week, then I'll work on some menu plans for you.

I know that a lot of you sent your kids back to school this past week or in the past month. Here in Oregon, school started right after Labor Day. Our family homeschools and we don't really have a stop and start date, but to tell you the truth, we didn't have too much schooling this summer. :)

We do have all our curriculum now though and we'll begin again this week. So my recipes will most likely be posted in the afteroons or evenings instead of in the mornings.

Will some of you send questions about what your most challenging meals are during the school year and why? I know that time is of the essence, even for homeschooling families. We all have busy lives and it takes time to prepare and plan meals that are healthy and nutritious for our families. I'd like to make it easier on you if at possible.

One thing I do know that families have a hard time with is breakfast. It's busy in the morning and everyone is rushing out the door, sometimes even at different times! Most people who know me, know that I am not a proponent of cold cereal for breakfast, and yes I do know that it is fast and easy to prepare.

Have you ever thought about how such a high carbohydrate load and very little protein affects the concentration of your child at school? There really aren't that many nutritious calories in a bowl of cereal. Add fruit to the mix, and that adds more sugar, albeit natural sugar, to the body's sugar load. Have some things on hand to grab quickly or make quickly.

Oatmeal

Look back a few weeks in this blog and you'll see a recipe for overnight oatmeal. Serve with honey and some fruit. Then have your child eat a hardboiled egg for a little more protein, and if you drink milk in your family have some of that too.

Also, with oatmeal, you can make quick hearty oatmeal by mixing equal parts quick oats with rolled oats, pour hot water over it and let sit for a few minutes. Add butter & xylitol or honey to sweeten. Maybe even add some toasted chopped nuts for some extra protein. This can be made in less than 4 minutes.

Eggs

Always have some hard boiled eggs on hand. These can grabbed going out the door if you are in a rush. If you have 5 minutes you can make a scrambled or fried egg and eat it with some sprouted grain toast or sprouted grain english muffin.

Breakfast Meat

Turkey Sausage (recipe in last weeks blog), Nitrite free bacon, Nitrite free sausage, or Nitrite free luncheon meats.

Cook these up and store them in an air tight container for easy quick access throughout the week.

Well, those are all my suggestions for now, if you have a question or suggestion please post in the comments area and I'll answer to the best of my ability as quickly as I can!

BBQ Sauce

2006-09-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Mix up a batch of this BBQ sauce, store it in your fridge for those times you need a little zing on your grill. It would be easy to can this also and store on your shelf. This recipe makes just ove 1 quart of sauce.

Ingredients:

2 large cans of tomato sauce (Muir Glen)
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup Rapadura non-refined sugar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. of dry mustard
1 tsp. celtic sea salt
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. natural liquid smoke

Directions:

Place all ingredients together in a pot and simmer for 1 hour on the stove, stirring occosionally.

Use, BBQ sauce for whatever dish you need it for. :-)

Quick Green Salad

2006-09-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but making salad is definitely one of meal items that I don't like at all. I can't even figure out why I don't like making them, even though I know they are really good for me to eat!

One of the things I've done, is to buy organic salad greens already washed and prepared in the bags or containers at the store and even the farmers do this at the farmers market.

Having the lettuces already washed & clean, and pretty much done for me, is a big relief. I just put salad on each person's plate or in individual bowls, then top with baby carrots or sliced raw carrots, cucumber and some fresh tomatoes. We sometimes like to sprinkle sesame or sunflower seeds on salads, and top with our favorite salad dressings. Voila! All done.

Fresh Tomatoes

2006-08-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are in season! If you grow them in a pot by your back door, in a garden, pick them up at the store or farmers market, you'll notice that they are everywhere!

I've put up 6 quarts of tomatoes in the past week, along with some soups and other things that I think I'd like to have in the winter.

Fresh tomatoes are great just eat alone, or on a sandwich or in pasta or on a pizza or anything!

Here are a few quick ideas to eat those tomatoes:

Slice and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and pepper. Eat.

Dice up a small tomato and mix it into 1/2-1 cup of cultured cottage cheese. (try Nancy's)

Or make a roll up sandwich:
1-2 slices tomato
1-2 slices nitrite free lunch meat
1 large leaf romaine lettuce
1/4 tsp mayo
1/8 tsp mustard

Place meat, tomato, mayo & mustard in the middle of the lettuce leaf. Roll the leaf around them. Secure with a toothpick or two or eat straight away. Yum!

There are many things to do with fresh tomatoes, and I'd be happy to hear what you do with them.

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

2006-08-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
1-2 tsp. dried rubbed sage

Directions:

With a fork, mix together all the ingredients.

Prepare as you would store bought ground sausage.

Tuna Salad

2006-08-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained (water packed, no salt added)
2 tsp. mayonnaise (see recipe from August 7th)
1 Kosher dill, diced (try Bubbies Pickles)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 tsp. black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Separate tuna in a small bowl with a fork; add mayonnaise, pickle, mustard, celery, onion, and black pepper; stir to combine. Serve over salad greens or on Sprouted Whole Grain bread (try Food for Life or Avarado Street Bakery).

Iced Tea for Kids (and grown-ups too)

2006-08-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

If you are ever looking for a replacement for Kool-Aid, this is the one! Why replace Kool-aid? Because it is chock full of artificial flavorings and colorings and requires too much sugar. My kids like to use the sun tea method below, they think it's cool. The hot water method we use when it's gray and cloudy outside. I also use stevia for this tea, there is less mixing as with cane sugar or xylitol, but you can use either one of those to replace the stevia.

Ingredients:

4 bags Wild Berry Zinger Tea (Celestial Seasonings)
15-20 drops of liquid stevia
2 Quarts filtered Water

Directions:

Sun tea: 1/2 gallon glass canning jar or sun tea container. Place tea bags in the jar, pour the filtered water over them. Sit in the sun for 4-6 hours. Remove tea bags, add stevia and serve.

Hot water method: Place tea bags in jar, heat filtered water to almost boiling but not quite. Pour water over tea bags and steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove tea bags, add stevia and serve.

Oriental Beef Salad

2006-08-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

This is a very yummy meat salad, easy to prepare and make several days ahead of time. Or make a recipe and eat for lunch for several days one week.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. beef flank steak (grass feed and hormone free, if possible)
1/2 C. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. Bragg's Amino Acids (soy sauce)
2 Tbsp. Cold pressed virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 pound snow peas, steamed 2-3 minutes, quartered
1 lb bean sprouts, steamed 2-3 minutes
1 red bell pepper, julienne cut
2 large avacodo's, halved and seeded

Directions:

With a sharp knife, score the flank steak diagonally, against the grain of the meat on both sides. Broil in the oven, 3-4 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked medium rare. Remove meat from the oven and let stand on a cutting board for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, in a medium dish that you can cover with a sealed lid, sitr together the lemon juice, soy sauce, oils, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cut the meat across the grain into very thin slices, then julienne the slices. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours or longer. Before serving mix in the snow peas, bean sprouts and bell pepper.

Serve over 1/2 an avocado.

Yeilds 4 servings.

You can get more recipes like this one from: The Maker's Diet: The 40 Day Health Experience That Will Change Your Life Forever
or
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Salad Dressing (Vinegar Free)

2006-08-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/4 C. Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Flax or Hempseed Oil
1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. honey or 1 tsp. Xylitol

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a salad dressing carafe or old bottle. Shake. Serve 1-2 Tbsp. over salad greens.

Red Beans & Brown Rice

2006-08-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Growing up in NE Texas and living in Louisiana in my formative years, red beans and rice were a big staple of our diet. My mom used to put large sausage links or pork peices in the beans to make the meat stretch further. But there were also several of the meals that it was just the beans!

Ingredients:

1 pound red or small kidney beans
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 tsp. cold pressed virgin olive oil (Bragg's brand is good)
4 C. chicken stock (or water) {recipe from August 9th)
1 tsp. celtic sea salt
Pepper to taste

2-3 Cups Cooked brown rice {recipe from August 22nd}

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight or 8 hours in cold filtered water, make sure the water is over the beans by a good few inches. Null or bad beans will float to the top, just take those out and then drain after the soaking.
In a large pot or dutch oven, saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil until tender. Add chicken stock, beans and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours.
Serve in large bowls, over cooked brown rice. Season to your taste with salt and pepper or creole seasoning. Some people also like to drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on top of the beans, it gives it an even better flavor and makes the dish look nicer.

{For creole seasoning, if you can find it, try Tony Chachere's creole seasoning. I usually by a large container when I visit my mom in Louisiana, but lately I've been able to find it at Cost Plus/World Market stores}.

Dairy Free Smoothie

2006-08-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1-2 Cups fresh or frozen berries
10 oz. Whole Coconut milk
1 Tbsp. cold pressed/virgin Cocunut Oil (Wildness Family Naturals)
1 Tbsp. Flax or Hemp Seed Oil
1-2 Tbsp. Xylitol or honey
1-2 raw eggs (optional)

Directions:

In a high speed blender, blend together all ingredients.

It should be consumed immediately or refrigerated for up to 24 hours, but no longer.

Makes appx. 2 -8oz servings.

Adapted from: The Maker's Diet: The 40 Day Health Experience That Will Change Your Life Forever

Tomato Soup

2006-08-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes (Muir Glen) {or use 6 med fresh tomatoes}
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (Muir Glen)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 thinly sliced med. onion
2 Tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour {or any gluten free flour}
1/2 C. fresh basil chopped or 2 tsp. dried
1 tsp. dried thyme
3 C. chicken stock
1 tsp. celtic sea salt
Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot on med hi heat, melt butter and oild together then saute the onions. When the onions are tender, add the flour, stir into a paste and add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in the basil and thyme. Then stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Serve.

Variation:
If you use fresh tomatoes, you'll need to peel them and cut them up into smallish peices. To peel tomatoes, place your washed and clean tomatoes in boiling water for 30 second to 1 minute. Then transfer each one into very cold water. The peelings should have split a little, if not just gently cut it with your fingernail. The peels should slip right off, and you will need to remove the stem at this time too.

After cutting the tomatoes into small peices, add them to the soup as if you were adding the canned tomatoes, you may want to slightly mash them up a little bit.

Basic Brown Rice

2006-08-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 C. brown rice
4 C. filtered water
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar (nonfiltered)

Directions:

Soak the rice in the water and vinegar for approxiamately 7 hours. Transfer to your pot or rice cooker. Add the remaining water, bring water to a boil then lower heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 45 minutes.

Gluten Free Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

2006-08-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. split green peas
2 qts. filtered water
1 1/2 -2 C. chopped onion, (Walla Walla Sweet if you can get one)
10 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C. diced Celery
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/2 C. coconut flour

Directions:

Rinse peas and combine with 2 quarts filtered water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer 1 hour, then add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, coconut flour, salt, pepper & marjoram. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until peas are tender. Stir occasionally. Serves 6-8 people.

Recipe was adapted from: Cooking with Coconut Flour: A Delicious Low-Carb, Gluten-Free Alternative to Wheat

Refreshing Teas

2006-08-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Iced Peppermint Tea

I love having fresh peppermint tea, and I keep peppermint plants in my garden, it always grows back in the spring. With a dehydrator I can save the leaves from one year to the next, and have this tea all year long. :) One of the best ways I've found to prepare fresh herb tea is in a Bodum teapot, but you can always put your leaves in a regular teapot then pour it through a small strainer or seive.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh peppermint leaves, chopped (or 1/8 cup dried)
4 cups boiling water
2 Tblsp. honey (optional)

Put peppermint leaves in a large teapot and cover with boiling water. Let steep for about 10 minutes. Strain into a large glass pitcher, and stir as you add in the honey making sure it dissolves completely. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Pour into glasses full of ice and you can garnish it with a slice of lime if you like.

If you leave out the honey, you can drink it unsweetened, it still tastes refreshing. I like to put a little bit of liquid stevia into my cup and pour the tea over it, it mixes well and tastes great. For sweetener for my kids and other adults too, I sometimes use Xylitol. You don't use as much of it as you would with regular sugar, it has a bit of a cooling effect in the after taste, but with the mint tea you cannot notice that. Xylitol is very good for teeth and bones, it will not cause tooth decay.

Green Beans for Breakfast

2006-08-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

I know that Green Beans for breakfast sounds funky, but think about it. We're recommended to eat more than 6 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruit per day! When are you going to eat all of that?

You've got to add it to your morning! Have green beans cold from left over dinner the night before. Or lightly steam them, and eat a bit crunchy. You can even chop them up, and saute them with green onion and mushrooms and make an omelet or frittata. It's up to you, do your body some good and eat those veggies!

One Serving

Ingredients:

1 Cup raw green beans
Filtered water

Directions:

Cover bottom of a pot with filtered water. Place the green beans in the pot, cover with the lid, cook on med heat until tender.

Season to your liking, and don't forget to add a little butter or olive oil to the beans to help your body digest and absorb the nutrients.

Turkey Green Chili

2006-08-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 T. Olive Oil
3 Jalepeno's, seeded
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb turkey sausage
1 large can tomatillo's, drained
3 bunches green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 T. cumin
2 T. dried cilantro
2 T. dried parsley
1 can green mole
2 C. pinto beans (optional)

Directions:

Blend the jalepeno's in a food processor, if you like hotter chili don't take out as many seeds, remove all the seeds before processing if you cannot stand it to be too spicy. Saute green onions, garlic and blended jalepeno's in the olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add in the all the turkey and brown. Back in the food processor, blend up the tomatillo's. Add the tomatillo's and rest of the spices to the turkey mixture, and simmer for 45 min. Mix mole in 1 cup boiling water until dissolved. Add mole and pinto beans and simmer for an additional 30 min.

Serve with sour cream or cream fraishe.

Fresh Grilled Tuna

2006-08-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Enough Fresh Tuna Fillets for your family
Fish Sauce
Lime juice
Sesame Oil

Directions:

Lite your grill and heat it on low setting.

Remember, good fresh tuna does not smell.

In a bowl, place tuna fillets (or steaks) in the bottom, sprinkle the fish sauce (about 2 T.) and the lime juice (appx 1/4 C.), enough to douse each side. Let sit for a few minutes. Then pour some sesame oil onto each side (to help prevent it sticking to grill).

When I do this, all the liquid congeals in the bottom, this is usually from the cold and fat from the fish. It shouldn't be a concern.

Grill on low for 3-4 min, turn over and grill for about 2 more min. This all depends on how you like your tuna. Traditionally tuna is cooked on the outside and left pink and raw on the inside, only if you have really good quality tuna, should you cook it this way. It doesn't take much to cook it all the way through, but if you do grill it too long it will be dry.

Serve with green salad and green beans or garden zucchini and enjoy.

Hummus

2006-08-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Makes about 2 cups.

Ingredients:

2 C. or 16oz can of Chickepeas (Garbanzo Beans)
3 cloves of garlic, mashed
1/4 C. tahini
1 T. expeller-pressed Flax oil (Barlean's brand is good)
or 1 T. cold-pressed virgin Olive Oil (Bragg's brand is good)
1/2 C. lemon juice (fresh or from RW Knudsen's organics)
Pinch of Cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Place drained chick peas in a food processor. Add the all the other ingredients and process until smooth. The hummus should be creamy. If it is too thick, add some of the drained liquid to thin it some.

Serve with vegetables sticks and/or whole sprouted grain pita bread. We also like to dip rice crackers into our hummus.

Directions for cooking your own chickpeas:

Makes appx. 3 cups

1 C. dried chickpeas
Warm filtered water
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

Cover the chickpeas with the warm water, stir in the salt & lemon juice. Leave in a warm (non-drafty) spot for 24 hours. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, peeling off any loose skins. Place in a pot, adding a bit of salt, cover and bring to boil. Turn the stove down to simmer, and simmer for about 6 hours or until the chickpeas are very tender. Drain, and reserve for salads or for making hummus. :)

Get more of these types of recipes from here:
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Gazpacho

2006-08-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 cups tomato juice

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons basil

2 cups tomato (chopped)

1 1/2 cups cucumber (peeled, seeded, and chopped)

1/2 cup celery (chopped)

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Hot Chile Sauce, to taste (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Place in refrigerator and chill until cold (about two hours).
Serve in bowls or cups.

Bar -B-Q Cod Fillets

2006-08-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

I apologize for posting a recipe so late today. I left early this morning so I could go into downtown Portland for the Saturday Farmers Market. I love going to the market on Saturday mornings, something is something refreshing about talking to the farmers and seeing all the fresh produce. Not to mention the fisherman from the coast who brought in fresh cod, salmon, halibut and tuna this morning! Yum. :)

This is how we prepare fresh cod at our house.

Season the cod fillets with a seasoning called Herbamare (by Rapunzel organics). My husband puts the fish into a sandwich like contraption with handles so the fish doesn't fall apart.
Then he bbq's it on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on one side, flip it over then cook for 2-3 min on the other side.

It's very simple and easy.

We like to eat our fish with fresh vegetables, like steamed green beans, green salad or fresh corn on the cob.

Overnight Oatmeal

2006-08-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oats (rolled oats are also good)
1 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1 cup dates, chopped (optional)
4 cups water

Directions:

This has a ton of variations. To begin with, put water, oats and dried fruit in crock pot, (you may have to spray the inside with olive oil before hand to prevent sticking). Cook on low all night long.

I've made this without the fruit, and just added cinnamon and diced apples to it, and it was excellent!

The oatmeal may be a sticky mess in the crockpot if you let it sit there in the morning. The best thing to do is to remove the oatmeal, and let the pot soak in water before trying to clean it.

Please post your comments on this one! I'm sure some of you have tried this recipe before!

Coconut Milk Soup

2006-08-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from The Maker's Diet. It is very very delicious, and even when I'm not on the cleanse portion of this diet, I love making this soup and eating it. It's great to prepare ahead of time and eat for lunch several days in a week. Bon Apetit!

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 quarts homemade chicken stock
1 1/2 cups coconut milk with the cream (don't buy the lite stuff)
1 lb of chicken cut into cubes
3 jalepeno chile's diced (or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (optional, but very good)
4 Tbsp. lime juice
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Simmer all ingredients until meat is cooked through, appx 15-20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Traditional Chicken Stock

2006-08-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 whole free-range chicken or 2-3 lbs of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs breastbones and wings
4 qts cold filtered water
2 Tblsp. apple cider vinegar
1 large onion coursley chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley

Directions:

If you are using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and gizzards from the cavity. Farm raised, free range chickens give the best results. Many battery-raised chickens will not produce stock that gels.

Cut chicken parts into several pieces. Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand for 30 min. to 1 hour. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6- 24 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 min. before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.

Remove the whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your regrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your regfrigerator or freezer. I have one friend who freezes the stock into ice cube trays, and just uses the amount she needs per recipe.

For variations, use turkey or duck. These will have a stronger flavor than chicken and may benefit from several sprigs of fresh thyme tied together inside the stock pot while cooking.

Exerpt from:
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Mahi Mahi

2006-08-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

We were pleasantly surprised when this came out so well. The kids even liked it!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 (6oz) mahi mahi fillets
1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 C. finely chopped red onions
1 C. dry white wine
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
1 Tblsp. capers (drained)
1 Tblsp. chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skllet over medium heat. Add fish and onions, cook for 3 minutes. Turn fish.

Stir in wine, vinegar and capers. Cook 3 more minutes.

Take fish from the pan. Cook the wine sauce another 3 minutes or until reduce to 1/2 cup.

Serve the fish covered with the wine sauce. Parsley for garnish.

Mayonnaise

2006-08-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

First some tips:

1. Ingredients must be at room temperature. To quickly bring an egg to room temp, let it sit in a covered bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes before beginning recipe.

2. You can make mayonnaise by hand, in a blender or even in a food processor. If whisking by hand you only use the yolk of the egg. Making it in the blender or food processor you get to use the whole egg, this is my prefferred method because it is easier and less tiring.

3. Pretty much any oil will work when making mayonnaise, I prefer to use oils that do not go rancid very quickly like olive oil and sunflower oils.

4. If you add 1 Tblsp of whey to your mayonnaise mixture, let it sit out, covered for 7 hours at room temperature, your mayonnaise can last for several months instead of only for a few weeks.

Ingredients:

1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon mustard powder or dijon type mustard
pinch of celtic sea salt (be generous)
2-3 tsp. lemon juice (RW Knudsens has a good organic concentrate or squeeze some fresh from a juicy lemon)
3/4 C. + 2 Tblsp. cold pressed olive or sunflower oil (or blend the two)

Directions:

In a blender put in a whole egg, the mustard and the salt with only 1/4 C. of the oil. Blend at a lower speed until you see some emulsion start to happen. Add the remaining oil in a steady stream until all is incorporated, then add the lemon juice. If it is too thick, then thin with extra lemon juice or boiling water.

In a food processor use the whole egg plus an extra yolk, mustard, salt and lemon juice. Process until well blended (appx 30 sec). With the motor running, using the dribble attachment add your oil. Process until all is well blended and the right consistancy.

There are many ways to dress up your mayo by adding garlic, fresh herbs or other flavorings and making it into a salad dressing that you can enjoy. Post in the comments section if you've done this and tell us how it tasted!

Chicken Salad

2006-08-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Serves two

6 oz chopped, cooked chicken
1 Tblsp. Omega-3 mayo
1 Tblsp. flaxseed oil or garlic chili flax
1 Tblsp. chopped onion
1 Tblsp. chopped bell pepper
2 Tblsp. chopped celery

Combine all ingredients and serve over lettuce leaves like romaine or baby salad greens.

This makes a great lunch meal, and something quick to take with you. You can also serve it on one slice of toasted sprouted grain bread. With the lettuce of course!

Taco Seasoning

2006-08-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a recipe tip that not only will save you some money, it will save you the worry about the extra ingredients and additives that you find in taco seasoning packets at the grocery store.

I made this recipe up on my own, so the mesurements may vary for you. Sometimes I have to put in less chili powder because my son is so sensitive to things he considers spicey even if the rest of us don't taste anything spicey about it!

1/2 -1 tsp. celtic sea salt
2-3 tsp. ground cumin
1-2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tblsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tblsp. water

Sprinkle over your choice of taco meat. I usually just sprinkle each ingredient over the meat as it is browning. After the meat is browned, and seasonings mixed in, put the water in and stir, then the meat is ready to serve.

Jungle Bars

2006-08-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, my children convinced me to make a recipe they saw on Zoom (that PBS show). We made these jungle bars, they tasted pretty good, maybe a bit sweet for some. My son loved them but my daughter didn't like them too much. All in all it was a fun thing to do with the kids. I copied the recipe from the zoom website, we used almond butter instead of peanut butter. I've hyperlinked the zoom website in the title above. HAVE FUN!

Here's what you will need to make it:

* 2 bananas

* 1 cup chopped dried figs

* 1 cup chopped dried apricots

* 1 cup chopped, pitted dates

* 1 cup raisins

* 2 cups granola

* 1 cup chopped toasted almonds

* 2 tablespoons almond or peanut butter

* 1 cup flaked coconut

* large bowl

* wooden spoon

* 13 x 9 inch baking pan

* plastic wrap

Here's what you have to do:

1. These bars will give you lots of ZOOMy energy from fruits and nuts, not from chocolate or processed sugar.

2. Be sure to wash your hands and check with a grown-up before you begin.

3. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix everything together really well.

4. Dump the mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and smoosh it with a wooden spoon. Try to press it down evenly so that it's flat across the pan.

5. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to blend.

6. Cut it into about 24 squares.

7. Now, get ready to ZOOM!

Vegetable Crustless Quiche

2006-08-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredient List:

7- fresh eggs
1-2 T. Butter
3-4 green onion (or 1 leek) sliced
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 small shitake mushrooms, sliced.
1 C. fresh spinach, washed, stemmed.
1/4 C. Whole Grain pancake/baking mix
(OR 1/4 C. Gluten Free pancake/baking mix (like Pamela's or Namaste))
Optional: 1/2 C. raw cheese grated

Directions:
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet saute the onion, mushrooms and peppers in 1-2 T. butter. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs and baking mix together. In 9-inch deep dish pie plate, spray or wipe with olive oil. Add saute'd vegetables and spinach and cheese to egg mixture. Pour into pie plate. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Fun Kid Snack Ideas

2006-08-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's no secret kids love to snack. In fact left to their own devices a lot of kids would rather snack all day than sit down to full meals, but with so many snack times how do you keep snacks exciting and fun? Here are a few healthy and fun ideas:

Fruit on a Stick – Cut up a bunch of different fruits such as apples, bananas, kiwis, mango and add a few grapes. Thread them onto a skewer for a delicious summer time treat.

Quick Banana Ice - Take a few bananas and mash them in a bowl. Cover and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, fluff up with fork for a healthy, ice cream like treat.

Pitta Pizza – Spread a little tomato sauce on whole wheat pitta bread and cut into small triangular pieces. Top with a little grated raw cheese and place in a moderately heated oven or toaster oven for about 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to bubble.

Frozen Mandarin Wedges – Peel a few mandarin slices and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for about an hour for a thirst quenching treat.

Banana Wheels – Place a cup or so of cheerios in a plastic bag and using the back of your hand or a rolling pin flatten until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Slice a banana into rounds and place a few at a time in the plastic bag. Shake lightly to cover the banana pieces (banana wheels) with the cheerios mixture.

Ants on boats – Cut a few apple wedges and spread thinly with peanut butter or other nut butter. Add a few raisins over the peanut butter and enjoy. You can also use pears or celery instead of apples.

Pick and Mix – Kids seem to really enjoy finger foods rather than eating too much of one thing. A great snack is to place a selection of finger foods on a serving plate or in a muffin tin and let the kids choose. You can serve a combination of foods like carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, cherry tomatoes, pretzels or pretzel sticks, small savory crackers or rice crackers, little cubes or slices of raw cheese, small slices of nitrate free ham or turkey, grapes and other pieces of cut up fruit, mini muffins, and dried fruit such as raisins or apricots.

Healthy Living For Life Recipes!

2006-08-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Recipe section of my website!

I hope you are having a great summer so far, her in the Pacific Northwest we've had plenty of sunshine and very little rain, believe it or not! It's also been one of the hottest summers I've experienced since moving here about 10 years ago.

I want to welcome you this portion of my blog site. I'll be posting recipes as I either make them or read them. I want to share with you things that taste very good, and are also healthy for you.

Most of my recipes have very few carbohydrates, but I use a ton of all natural ingredients. I make things the old fashioned way and still manage to use modern kitchen small appliances like a food processor! :)

Please have fun here, and if you try and like one of the recipes I share, please post your results in the comments section.

Bon Apetit!