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Healthy Grain-Free Biscuits

By on April 15, 2016 in Side Dishes

I’m the youngest of three kids. The oldest is my brother. While he was a fabulous big brother (no really, he was) and is still one of my heroes, he was still a big brother and had to mock and tease me without remorse. In fact, now that we’re grown, he still feels it is his duty to mock me. It’s alright. I can take it.

So when I was a kid, whenever I did something I was particularly proud of and announced it to my family my brother would respond with, “Want a biscuit?” So now whenever anyone in our family tells us something they did, we respond with, “Want a biscuit?”

Hey speaking of biscuits; aren’t they delicious!? Yeah they are. A few nights ago we had soup for dinner and I thought “Yes. I DO want a biscuit!” But biscuits aren’t that fabulous for you. Because they are so dense, they are really loaded with processed, white flour which doesn’t provide any actual nutrients. I took the challenge to make a delicious, healthy biscuit and am happy to say, was very successful.

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Plus these come together quickly which is great since I usually decide I want bread 20 minutes before dinner.

My mom used to make biscuits by sifting the dry ingredients in a large metal sifter with a turn handle. I take the lazy way out and just whisk everything together.

Then add in some butter. Since the butter has to be cold, I cut it into small cubes before I add it. To cut it in you can use an actual pastry cutter, but I don’t have luck with pastry cutters. They seem more like medieval torture devices, so I just stick with smashing the butter in with two forks. For those of you who are wondering, “What in the world is she talking about with ‘cutting in?’ ” All this means is incorporating the butter into the dry ingredients. Rather than softening it and  beating it in like you do with cookies, you want to still see bits of butter. Your dough will look a bit like small pebbles when you finish this step.

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Traditional biscuits don’t always call for eggs, but since almond flour has no gluten, you really need the eggs to bind the biscuits together. As far as milk goes, I used almond milk but you can use coconut milk, cashew milk or regular milk or cream. Just use what you have and what works for you.

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You could roll these out and cut them into nice circles but that’s an extra step I’m not willing to take. That seems like far too much effort so I did these “drop biscuit” style. Sorry about the picture. I forgot to take one before I put them in the oven. Thank goodness I’d cleaned my oven earlier that week…

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After these cook, you definitely want to let them sit for a bit to cool. This helps them set a little better so they don’t crumble.

And now you can have bread with your soup without guilt.

Want a biscuit?

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Healthy Taco Seasoning

By on April 8, 2016 in Main Dishes

Last week, we bought half a cow. We now have enough steak, stew meat, roast and ground beef to last quite a while. Not to mention liver. I think I’m going to need to do more research before we tackle that one. My kids’ reactions were very different. My 8-year-old son was appalled. I guess there’s something different about buying a pound of ground beef at the grocery store. Getting a cooler full of beef made it more real for him. He was shocked that we would eat an adorable cow. My 5-year-old daughter on the other hand, took a different stance. She wanted to meet and pet the cow before it was sent to the butcher so she could see what she was eating. She also now wants to know what part of the cow she’s eating. I’m not sure what sparked the difference in reaction but one thing is for sure; they are their own people with their own views an opinions. They never cease to amaze me.

On a different note (well… kind of different anyway) we had beef tacos last week. I wanted to make my life easier by buying a taco seasoning packet. Then I read the ingredient list and decided that wasn’t going to happen. Every seasoning I could find had sugar (sometimes organic, but it’s still sugar) and modified corn starch. What exactly is modified about it? The point is, I wasn’t impressed. I once again realized, that eating healthy means spending more time and is often inconvenient. But it’s also worth it.

So I decided to put together my own taco seasoning and the entire family was pleased. Plus, I can make a bit batch of this and it’s like having packets when I need them. It’s also easy to customize. I left out the chili powder because my daughter is really sensitive to spicy food. Even if a sauce is labeled “mild,” she’s not sold on it.

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The amount listed below is enough seasoning for one pound of meat. If you opt to make a big batch, just use around 4T seasoning per pound of meat.

You can add this to meat alone or stir in some tomato sauce or tomato paste. This is also a great seasoning for chili or taco soup.

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Homemade Sugar-Free Marinara Sauce

By on April 1, 2016 in Main Dishes

20150814_192438Prepare yourselves for a rant. As I’ve mentioned one, two or a million times, I get so angry when companies add sugar to things that don’t need sugar. Fruit is my biggest pet peeve (and why do we need to add sugar to nature’s sugar?), but sauces drive me crazy. A few weeks ago, I was making spaghetti for my family. I tried to buy some marinara sauce only to find they all had added sugar. Most have 5-7 grams of sugar per serving. As I was slamming jars back on teh shelves of the grocery store, I said to myself, (or possibly aloud. Going shopping with kids gives you a good excuse to talk to yourself while making it look like you’re talking to your kids) “I’ll make my own marinara sauce!” And I did. But my marinara sauce has less than two grams of sugar per serving. That’s just my way of sticking it to the man; or at least, sticking it to Ragu.

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Healthy One-Pot Italian Sausage Soup

By on March 25, 2016 in Main Dishes

2016-01-14 17.59.03It’s spring and I live in the Rockies. That means one day it will be 70 degrees and the next day, 30. And when it’s cold, I want soup. And this soup totally delivers on flavor. It has two, yes TWO different sausages. This is an important component in our house as my 5-year-old daughter’s favorite food is either sausage or bacon, depending on the day of the week. This also comes together in one pot which makes clean-up much easier.

Start by cooking the pepper and onion in avocado oil in a large pot. Then add in some ground Italian chicken sausage and cook it through. Add in some diced tomatoes and chicken broth and now sliced smoked turkey sausage.

Now the part that really makes it fabulous: pesto. Stir in 1/2 C of basil pesto. I use a pre-made pesto but feel free to make your own.

Let this all simmer together and then throw in some zucchini at the end and let if cook a bit longer. This keeps the zucchini from going mushy.

 

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Healthy Chicken Salad Wraps

By on March 18, 2016 in Main Dishes

I have to admit, as a busy mom, I don’t always have time for a healthy lunch. I try to sit down to a plate of veggies and protein but there are days that 2 p.m. hits and I realize I’m starving and settle for a fruit leather and a few spoonfuls of almond butter. Not exactly a fabulous lunch.

2016-02-09 18.53.41To avoid such a scene, I try to make big batches of healthy lunches I can eat all week.

This chicken salad is one of my favorites. My 5-year-old daughter loves it as well. If you don’t want to eat it in a wrap, this also tastes fabulous over a bed of spinach or arugula, or just strait from the bowl (my daughter’s favorite way). But no matter how you eat it, having a bunch of this in your fridge will just make your week better.

 

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One-Pan Apple Chicken Breasts

By on March 11, 2016 in Main Dishes

20150115_181247Chicken is cheap and has great protein, so we buy a lot of it. But chicken can easily become very boring. This is a fun change from a basic grilled chicken. I read a recipe similar to this in a “healthy” cookbook. I was shocked it was considered healthy with all the sugars and hydrogenated oils. I changed up some of the ingredients and left out the processed sugars and was very pleased with the results. My daughter loved it and since kids are always a good indication of whether a recipe is actually good, I’d say this one is a keeper.

Saute a sliced apple in the coconut oil until it’s tender. I used a Granny Smith apple because they were on sale but any apple will work fine. Set the apple slices aside in a bowl.

Season the chicken with the cinnamon, salt and pepper and add that to the pan with the rest of the coconut oil. Just brown both sides here. You’ll completely cook the chicken a little later. Browning it a bit before cooking it keeps it juicy and locks in the great flavors.

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Now set the chicken aside. Don’t worry about keeping it warm as it’s going to go back in the pan later. Add the onion, cover the pan and cook the onion until it’s soft. If you don’t cover the pan, the onion with get brown and  crunchy. You don’t want that. You want the onion as soft as the apple.

Now add in the liquids and let that simmer a bit before adding the chicken back in. Once the chicken is completely cooked, add the apples and make sure everything is warm.

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The best part about this dish (besides the flavor) is the fact that it comes together in one dish. I hate washing dishes so I cut out as many as possible when cooking. We ate this over rice, but you can use quinoa or mashed sweet potatoes.

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Quick Asian Chicken Stir Fry – Without the Sugar

By on March 4, 2016 in

I love stir frys. It’s just a fancy way of throwing everything you want in a pan and cooking it together in delicious seasoning. It comes together in one pot, is full of veggies and protein, and can be customized to for every person. Last week, I had some leftover, cubed chicken breast I needed to cook before they went bad. I decided to make a stir fry for lunch.

This was so good! It had that deliciously addictive flavor you get at a Chinese restaurant, but I didn’t have to add a ton of sugar. I love those small victories. I’ve included what I added (completely based on what I had in my fridge), but add what you want/have.

2016-02-13 12.51.46Start by cooking the chicken breasts and then adding the rest of the veggies. Add the sauce at the end and then serve the whole thing over a large bed of spinach. I love putting hot stir fry over a bed of spinach because the spinach welts down a bit but still has a great crunchy texture. This adds some great variety with the cooked veggies.

 

 

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The Easiest Way to Cook Delicious Chicken

By on February 26, 2016 in Main Dishes

Everyone has that one thing they can’t cook. That thing that no matter how simple it is, no matter how closely you follow directions, you always fail. Right? Or is it just me? So I admit, there are actually two seemilgly simple things I just can’t make. One is rice. I truly feel like the laws of physics defy themselves when I try to make rice. Luckily, I solved that problem with a rice cooker. Done.

Cooking fail number two: a whole chicken. I can make turkey with no problem, but no matter how long I keep a whole chicken in the oven, it comes out raw in the middle. I don’t get it. Luckily, I found a solution to this problem too: the slow cooker. Not only does cooking it in the slow cooker ensure I can actually cook said chicken, but it always comes out moist and is so easy to put together. And I can come home to the smell of dinner and a warm, hearty meal. I will never try to cook a chicken in the oven again.

 

2016-01-10 10.58.03They are all generally around the same size, but I always try to buy the biggest chicken I can. This way I know I’ll have healthy leftovers during the week for salads. I would tell you how best to slice this chicken, but slicing is not an option. It basically just falls off the bone when you try to pull it out.

 

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Egg and Veggie Breakfast Hash

By on February 19, 2016 in Breakfast

It’s kind of ridiculous how much I love breakfast. It’s really my favorite part of the day. So I’m not going to have a tiny breakfast that leaves me hungry an hour later. I’m going to eat a hearty meal that takes at least 15 minutes to eat.

This is my go-to breakfast. I eat it at least three times a week. I feel guilty calling this a recipe. It’s more of a delicious hodge-podge of things thrown together. I’ve listed approximate measurements for the ingredients, but I don’t measure. I just add the amount I feel like at the moment. I also change up the ingredients based on what I have on hand. I generally add zucchini, but I was out this day. So the point is, add what you have and what you like. This recipe looks very different for me than it does for my husband.

I sautee 2-3 cups veggies in avocado oil. This may sound like a lot, but because veggies have so much water, this shrinks down as it cooks, especially if you add leafy greens.

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I also try to pick an array of colors. Vegetables get their colors from the vitamins and minerals they contain so if you eat more colors, you get a bigger variety of health benefits.

I always add one half an onion and one clove of garlic, but then it’s open to whatever sounds good. I often add zucchini, peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes spinach and kale.

I heat a pan with 2T avocado oil and add all the veggies except the garlic, cherry tomatoes and kale, seasoned with a good amount of salt and pepper. I let this cook until I see charring on the onion and peppers. This takes about five minutes. Then I add the garlic and tomatoes and let this cook for another minute. Then I add the leafy greens and let them wilt down for another minute or two.

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Scoop this all into a bowl and then add more avocado oil to the pan and fry two eggs.

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Once the eggs are done, put them on top of the veggie mixture. The veggies taste fabulous on their own but when you break the egg yolks over them, it’s heavenly.

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If you make this, breakfast is likely to become your favorite part of the day too.

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Guilt-Free Ice Cream

By on February 12, 2016 in Guilt-Free Treats

Two weeks ago, my husband was gone for an entire week. Things started out fine but by Thursday, I was more than ready for him to come home. I pride myself in being a strong, capable woman. When it comes to being a mom, I feel like I’m fairly resourceful and know what to do in certain situations, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t days I want to run for the hills screaming as I go. After spending the early part of the week screaming and fighting, the kids finally came down with a nasty cold Thursday. This was somewhat comforting to know that the reason they were acting as though possessed with demons was because they were getting sick, but it didn’t make things easier. I was still left with two grumpy, sick kids who stayed up all night crying about being too congested to sleep. This is hard as a mom because you feel so helpless. It’s hard to see your kids suffering and not be able to change it. It’s hard to try to explain that the crying is going to make the congestion worse (one day my kids will realize I’m not actually an idiot). And it’s hard to be a happy, compassionate mom when functioning on no sleep and having to run around getting juice and tissues, while listening to the theme song from Superman cartoons for 8 hours straight.

On Friday night, by the time I filled them with ibuprofen, stacked pillows on their beds, filled up humidifiers and oil diffusers, stocked them with water and tissues, I was ready to collapse. And while I don’t condone drowning your sorrows in comfort food, that’s all I wanted to do. I wanted to eat ice cream under a blanket and watch chick flicks until one of my kiddos woke up complaining of congestion. So, that’s what I did. Only I did it a in a healthy way. So now to the point of that rather long, extremely fascinating story: I made this healthy ice cream. I could indulge and feel zero guilt. And making it through that week without having a nervous breakdown or buying a pint of Ben and Jerry’s kind of made me feel like Super Mom.

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