So I saw this posted over on
http://erinschubert.blogspot.com/2011/03/recipe-healthy-all-natural-ice-cream.html
and immediately knew I had to try it! Today was the day my banana was frozen so I mixed this up and let me tell you this is going to be a staple in my house from now on! I am a sucker for ice cream but it doesn't really agree with me because of all the dairy and sugar. Not to mention I always feel guilty when I indulge because it is so unhealthy! Now I can have ice cream whenever I want quick and easy (took maybe 5 min to whip up, minus the freezing the banana time). I added 2 spoonfuls of nothing added almond butter and just a drizzle of agave because the banana I had used wasn't quite ripe enough to be sweet enough. It was cold, creamy and deliciously sweet! And with those healthy ingredients I didnt feel guilty one lick! Ok go on over there and get the how to with great pictures. Here is the link again :)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Burlap Candle Holders
Today I made these adorable candle holders. It really was an experimental thing at first but I think they turned out adorable! I will definitely be keeping any glass jars coming out of my fridge to turn into these adorable candle holders for my wedding coming May 2012. Without further adieu lets get to the DIY (do it yourself-but you probably already knew that)Step 1. Save the glass jars coming out of your fridge that used to hold your condiments etc. Run them through your dishwasher or hand wash them. If there is a label still holding strong then soak it in water to loosen the stickiness. Then use something to scrape it off (I used a plastic kitchen thingy I have for scraping messes off my counters) leaving none of the label but its ok if the sticky stuff remains.
Step 2. Cut a small circle of brown or white felt and about 15 circles of burlap all the same size. The first circle of burlap you will pinch the 4 sides in then hot glue the tip and stick it standing straight up in the center of your felt circle (it wont stay straight up but just do the best you can, the important thing is that its in the center).
Step 3. The remainder of the burlap circles you will fold in half and then in half again. Hot glue the tip and stick it as close to the base of the first burlap piece as possible. Continue this until your burlap flower is full to your liking. I think it took me about 10-11 burlap circles, but always best to have a few extras than need one in the right size a little to late.
Step 4. Cut a strip of burlap to fit around the jar and cover up whatever stickiness is left. Hot glue the first end down and then pull the burlap tight and hot glue the other end. Put hot glue in a circle right at the seam and press on your burlap flower and TA DA! Enjoy!
I also made my own wedding garter but silly me forgot to take pictures as I worked so I cant give you the DIY. Anyone needing a cute rustic wedding garter? Buy the materials and I will DIY it for you so I can take pictures to post the DIY on here. Here is how my garter turned out I love it!
Food.Exercise.Life
God Bless, I love you!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
I have an announcement
IM ENGAGED!!! Woo hoo!
Over the weekend Dan and I went down to Sams Throne in Arkansas for some camping and climbing with one of our friends (who happens to be a photographer-lucky you, lucky me!) Anyway Saturday morning Dan insisted we get up early and head out to the point to watch the sun come up (it was our first time enjoying a sunrise together). We got out there early enough and made our coffee and tea and sat and waited for the sun to come up. When the sun started to rise Dan busted out his iphone camera and we took turns taking pictures of one another with the nice morning sun. Suddenly I found myself standing up posing for pictures to find Dan on one knee proposing. He probably doesn't want me to tell you that at first when he held up the ring the box was facing him, I giggled. Then when he turned the box around to face me it was upside down, I again giggled. I said yes, we hugged, we kissed we continued to snuggle and watch the sun finish coming up. It was perfect in every way! Normally the point is super windy but the whole time we were out there it was perfectly calm and peaceful, no wind and no other people.
Later that day our friend Lance took some pictures for us to commemorate the day. You can find his favorites over at
http://cargocollective.com/lancesitton#2161626/Dan-Marcy-Engagement-Session
Also if you need or want pictures for any occasion his prices are super reasonable so you should definitely shoot him a message and book him to take some Christmas pictures, family pics, senior pics, business pics or even a new facebook or twitter pic.
I have the disc of all the pictures now and I am having a super hard time deciding which of my favorites to have printed for my (and Dan in the future) home. Woo Hoo. Go ahead and whoop and hollar with me, I am one happy girl! Now all the planning fun can begin. I will try to remember to take pictures and post my DIY projects on here!
In other news I haven't run or worked out really for about 2 months now due to an overuse injury in my knee during training for my 25k trail run. I am finally 2 weeks pain free so its time to start working out again! This week I have been eating bad even had a little ceasers pizza yikes!!! I think I am gonna go out again tonight and be bad again, there is always next week to get back on track!
Over the weekend Dan and I went down to Sams Throne in Arkansas for some camping and climbing with one of our friends (who happens to be a photographer-lucky you, lucky me!) Anyway Saturday morning Dan insisted we get up early and head out to the point to watch the sun come up (it was our first time enjoying a sunrise together). We got out there early enough and made our coffee and tea and sat and waited for the sun to come up. When the sun started to rise Dan busted out his iphone camera and we took turns taking pictures of one another with the nice morning sun. Suddenly I found myself standing up posing for pictures to find Dan on one knee proposing. He probably doesn't want me to tell you that at first when he held up the ring the box was facing him, I giggled. Then when he turned the box around to face me it was upside down, I again giggled. I said yes, we hugged, we kissed we continued to snuggle and watch the sun finish coming up. It was perfect in every way! Normally the point is super windy but the whole time we were out there it was perfectly calm and peaceful, no wind and no other people.
Later that day our friend Lance took some pictures for us to commemorate the day. You can find his favorites over at
http://cargocollective.com/lancesitton#2161626/Dan-Marcy-Engagement-Session
Also if you need or want pictures for any occasion his prices are super reasonable so you should definitely shoot him a message and book him to take some Christmas pictures, family pics, senior pics, business pics or even a new facebook or twitter pic.
I have the disc of all the pictures now and I am having a super hard time deciding which of my favorites to have printed for my (and Dan in the future) home. Woo Hoo. Go ahead and whoop and hollar with me, I am one happy girl! Now all the planning fun can begin. I will try to remember to take pictures and post my DIY projects on here!
In other news I haven't run or worked out really for about 2 months now due to an overuse injury in my knee during training for my 25k trail run. I am finally 2 weeks pain free so its time to start working out again! This week I have been eating bad even had a little ceasers pizza yikes!!! I think I am gonna go out again tonight and be bad again, there is always next week to get back on track!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Steak Teriyaki
I made a turkey teriyaki quite a while back and I remember it being fairly good but I honestly cant remember if it was worth not trying another recipe I stumbled across. I found this teriyaki 
dressing here...http://westonaprice.org/beginner-videos/beginner-videos/salad-dressings-and-basic-sauces-video-by-sarah-pope
She has several other home made condiment recipes so feel free to browse what she has listed there. I edited the recipe to suit what I had on hand and felt good about so here is the sauce I ended up with.
Teriyaki Sauce
2 TBL grated ginger
6 peeled and mashed garlic cloves (I use the pre-minced in a jar and just guesstimate)
2 TBL extra virgin olive oil (I didnt have sesame oil but I bet that would be better)
2 TBL apple cider vinegar (my rice wine vinegar had HFCS in it so I refused to use it, need to pitch it)
2 TBL agave
1 cup braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce read the ingredients to make sure there is nothing funky)
I mixed that all together in a jar in a mad rush to get out the door to work. Once I made it to work I poured the sauce on the meat and let it marinate all morning. I had 3 little round steaks so I cooked them on medium high heat for 3 min each side. Then I removed the steak from the skillet and set aside. I poured the sauce into the same skillet and added 1 Tablespoon of whole wheat flour whisked it in and boiled it until the sauce started to thicken. Add in my boiled (plain) broccoli and rice (cooked in water with no butter) and I had a pretty delicious meal.
There are of course a few tweaks I will make next time. I think I will cut the soy sauce in half and sub in water or almond milk for the remainder. The sauce was just really to salty for me even after being dulled by the completely unseasoned broccoli and rice. Trust me folks if I say something is too salty do not try it! It is very rare I think something is too salty I love salt! I would also love to try this with the sesame oil and ideally with some rice vinegar if I can find some without added sweetener and other funkiness.
dressing here...http://westonaprice.org/beginner-videos/beginner-videos/salad-dressings-and-basic-sauces-video-by-sarah-pope
She has several other home made condiment recipes so feel free to browse what she has listed there. I edited the recipe to suit what I had on hand and felt good about so here is the sauce I ended up with.
Teriyaki Sauce
2 TBL grated ginger
6 peeled and mashed garlic cloves (I use the pre-minced in a jar and just guesstimate)
2 TBL extra virgin olive oil (I didnt have sesame oil but I bet that would be better)
2 TBL apple cider vinegar (my rice wine vinegar had HFCS in it so I refused to use it, need to pitch it)
2 TBL agave
1 cup braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce read the ingredients to make sure there is nothing funky)
I mixed that all together in a jar in a mad rush to get out the door to work. Once I made it to work I poured the sauce on the meat and let it marinate all morning. I had 3 little round steaks so I cooked them on medium high heat for 3 min each side. Then I removed the steak from the skillet and set aside. I poured the sauce into the same skillet and added 1 Tablespoon of whole wheat flour whisked it in and boiled it until the sauce started to thicken. Add in my boiled (plain) broccoli and rice (cooked in water with no butter) and I had a pretty delicious meal.
There are of course a few tweaks I will make next time. I think I will cut the soy sauce in half and sub in water or almond milk for the remainder. The sauce was just really to salty for me even after being dulled by the completely unseasoned broccoli and rice. Trust me folks if I say something is too salty do not try it! It is very rare I think something is too salty I love salt! I would also love to try this with the sesame oil and ideally with some rice vinegar if I can find some without added sweetener and other funkiness.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Hello who loves carrot cake? I DO!!! Love it! In fact I am not much of a cake fan unless its carrot cake yum yum! So I stumbled across a recipe for Carrot Cake Pancakes and I knew I had to try to find a way to edit the recipe to suit my desires of what I look for in food (whole food ingredients, Dairy free and free of processed sugars) I had another recipe I needed a few carrots for so I already had carrots in the fridge and all the other ingredients I needed so why not give it a whirl.
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
1/4 cup agave (honey or pure maple syrup would work)
1/2 cup almond milk buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs lightly beaten
2 cups grated carrot (probably about 4 carrots)
How to:
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ginger and whisk together
In a medium bowl whisk together agave, almond milk buttermilk, vanilla and eggs.
Add liquid mixture to flour mix and gently combine. This is a pretty thick batter but if you would like thinner pancake batter you could add more almond milk buttermilk (at least I think that would work) fold in carrots. Cook in buttered skillet over medium heat and then serve warm with butter (fake butter in my case) and pure maple syrup.
In the future I think I will try 3/4 cup almond milk buttermilk and I think I will try cooking the carrots for a bit first as they still had a bit of crunch to them.
That is it folks they were really quick and easy to whip up! Dont forget to use the grate function on your food processor for those carrots if you have one. If you dont have one then consider it an arm workout grating those carrots.
If you are wondering where to get almond milk buttermilk well I can tell you I have no idea. Just take a cup of milk or almond milk and add a tablespoon of vinegar and stir and let it sit a minute. Voila buttermilk or almond milk buttermilk :)
Did I tell you guys I am training for another 25k trail run? I have doing my long saturday runs with the local trail running group and let me tell you I am getting tired of being the only one at the back of the pack. There are folks running that are older than my parents and I cant even come close to keeping up with them! Saturday a super nice man periodically waited up for me to catch up just to make sure I was safe and didnt get lost. I felt horrible knowing I was slowing him down so much and I just felt terrible and really defeated. I wanted to quit the training program and hang up my shoelaces that day I even shed a tear or two running back there. I reminded myself it was a full moon and that I would get better and faster eventually and kept on plugging. I hope this saturdays run goes better...12 miles pray for me! One of my best friends from high school is training with me. She is a Mom of 3 kids and works, she is AMAZING!!!
Get out there, be active, do something you love, speak kindness and do kindness to all and eat something delicious and healthy! I love you guys!
Food.Exercise.Life
Marcy
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
1/4 cup agave (honey or pure maple syrup would work)
1/2 cup almond milk buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs lightly beaten
2 cups grated carrot (probably about 4 carrots)
How to:
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ginger and whisk together
In a medium bowl whisk together agave, almond milk buttermilk, vanilla and eggs.
Add liquid mixture to flour mix and gently combine. This is a pretty thick batter but if you would like thinner pancake batter you could add more almond milk buttermilk (at least I think that would work) fold in carrots. Cook in buttered skillet over medium heat and then serve warm with butter (fake butter in my case) and pure maple syrup.
In the future I think I will try 3/4 cup almond milk buttermilk and I think I will try cooking the carrots for a bit first as they still had a bit of crunch to them.
That is it folks they were really quick and easy to whip up! Dont forget to use the grate function on your food processor for those carrots if you have one. If you dont have one then consider it an arm workout grating those carrots.
If you are wondering where to get almond milk buttermilk well I can tell you I have no idea. Just take a cup of milk or almond milk and add a tablespoon of vinegar and stir and let it sit a minute. Voila buttermilk or almond milk buttermilk :)
Did I tell you guys I am training for another 25k trail run? I have doing my long saturday runs with the local trail running group and let me tell you I am getting tired of being the only one at the back of the pack. There are folks running that are older than my parents and I cant even come close to keeping up with them! Saturday a super nice man periodically waited up for me to catch up just to make sure I was safe and didnt get lost. I felt horrible knowing I was slowing him down so much and I just felt terrible and really defeated. I wanted to quit the training program and hang up my shoelaces that day I even shed a tear or two running back there. I reminded myself it was a full moon and that I would get better and faster eventually and kept on plugging. I hope this saturdays run goes better...12 miles pray for me! One of my best friends from high school is training with me. She is a Mom of 3 kids and works, she is AMAZING!!!
Get out there, be active, do something you love, speak kindness and do kindness to all and eat something delicious and healthy! I love you guys!
Food.Exercise.Life
Marcy
Monday, July 18, 2011
Working out- what I am up to
lately it has been way to hot for me to even entertain the idea of climbing. So I haven't. I finally realized I was getting a little lazy so I had to do something to stay in shape. With that said I did 2 things.
Thing #1
I committed to doing the Dogwood Canyon 25k trail run again. That's 15.5 miles up and down Branson hills and through water streams. I cant wait! I even talked one of my long time best friends into doing it with me this year. I have kinda started training but not seriously yet. I did meet with the Springfield Trail Runners group Saturday morning at a local park at 630am for a run. They said they would do a 3 mile loop which considering I haven't been training I thought sounded perfect. It did seem a bit longer but I just figured it was the steep hills messing with my sense of distance in my out of shape body. Turns out I was right they took me for a 5 mile run. Can someone say SORE!
Thing #2
I talked my boss into paying half of my gym membership this allows me the ability to take their kids to play at the pool as well as allows me to attend workout classes or just hop on a treadmill if I need to get a run in. 2 weeks ago I tried out their yoga class for the first time and fell in love. Good workout, nice and relaxing and no hocus pocus weird stuff that I always seem to get in all the yoga videos I have acquired. Today I decided to try a 45 min long strength training class (keep in mind I am still sore from my 5 mile Saturday run. I will tell you the aftermath and that should be sufficient to explain the workout class. Upon leaving the class I had to walk downstairs to the 1st floor to leave the gym. The first floor is tall to accommodate the basketball courts therefore it is a very lengthy set of stairs. Two steps in I almost ended up rolling the rest of the way down because my legs literally gave out, praise God for stair rails! I was afraid to drive the 1/2 mile home due to my jello legs but I did manage to make it safely. I stood at the bottom of the steps looking up towards my apartment and actually started to shed a tear just at the thought of going up them. Several times on my way up my legs began to crumble beneath me and I had to clutch the railing to remain standing. I am afraid of what tomorrow will be like.
So anyway that's what I am up to. Yoga is tomorrow evening so I hope I am not to sore to go!
Food.Exercise.Life
Thing #1
I committed to doing the Dogwood Canyon 25k trail run again. That's 15.5 miles up and down Branson hills and through water streams. I cant wait! I even talked one of my long time best friends into doing it with me this year. I have kinda started training but not seriously yet. I did meet with the Springfield Trail Runners group Saturday morning at a local park at 630am for a run. They said they would do a 3 mile loop which considering I haven't been training I thought sounded perfect. It did seem a bit longer but I just figured it was the steep hills messing with my sense of distance in my out of shape body. Turns out I was right they took me for a 5 mile run. Can someone say SORE!
Thing #2
I talked my boss into paying half of my gym membership this allows me the ability to take their kids to play at the pool as well as allows me to attend workout classes or just hop on a treadmill if I need to get a run in. 2 weeks ago I tried out their yoga class for the first time and fell in love. Good workout, nice and relaxing and no hocus pocus weird stuff that I always seem to get in all the yoga videos I have acquired. Today I decided to try a 45 min long strength training class (keep in mind I am still sore from my 5 mile Saturday run. I will tell you the aftermath and that should be sufficient to explain the workout class. Upon leaving the class I had to walk downstairs to the 1st floor to leave the gym. The first floor is tall to accommodate the basketball courts therefore it is a very lengthy set of stairs. Two steps in I almost ended up rolling the rest of the way down because my legs literally gave out, praise God for stair rails! I was afraid to drive the 1/2 mile home due to my jello legs but I did manage to make it safely. I stood at the bottom of the steps looking up towards my apartment and actually started to shed a tear just at the thought of going up them. Several times on my way up my legs began to crumble beneath me and I had to clutch the railing to remain standing. I am afraid of what tomorrow will be like.
So anyway that's what I am up to. Yoga is tomorrow evening so I hope I am not to sore to go!
Food.Exercise.Life
Banana Nut Bread
I have been experimenting with new recipes and new ingredients lately and have found some delicious treats as a result. I have made a ton of new recipes out of clean eating magazine which I have been very impressed with unfortunately I cant find the charger for my camera battery so you guys don't get pictures. Without pictures I lack motivation to blog and therefore you see why I haven't posted much lately.
I have to share with you this blog I found which I am so thrilled about its called the spunky coconut. I love it because her recipes are dairy free and sugar free which is exactly what I aim for! Her recipes are also gluten free and I don't mind diversifying my diet with some gluten free treats. Here is the first of her recipes I have tried http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2011/04/nutty-banana-bread-gluten-free-dairy.html
Banana nut bread packed with protein and oh so good! Even my boyfriend gave it his seal of approval! It calls for a lot of ingredients you may not have, if you live on a tight budget like me then try buying one or 2 ingredients a month until you have them all. I am not sure if my oven doesn't bake well or if there is something about the shape of my bread pan but my breads never seem to get done in the center. Because of this I will be making this into muffins in the future instead of a loaf of bread. That is honestly the only change I would make to this recipe, it is heavenly warm with a little of my dairy free butter :) Enjoy!
Food.Exercise.Life
I have to share with you this blog I found which I am so thrilled about its called the spunky coconut. I love it because her recipes are dairy free and sugar free which is exactly what I aim for! Her recipes are also gluten free and I don't mind diversifying my diet with some gluten free treats. Here is the first of her recipes I have tried http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2011/04/nutty-banana-bread-gluten-free-dairy.html
Banana nut bread packed with protein and oh so good! Even my boyfriend gave it his seal of approval! It calls for a lot of ingredients you may not have, if you live on a tight budget like me then try buying one or 2 ingredients a month until you have them all. I am not sure if my oven doesn't bake well or if there is something about the shape of my bread pan but my breads never seem to get done in the center. Because of this I will be making this into muffins in the future instead of a loaf of bread. That is honestly the only change I would make to this recipe, it is heavenly warm with a little of my dairy free butter :) Enjoy!
Food.Exercise.Life
Peanut Butter Cookies
I wanted to share with you guys my all time favorite Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. As an added bonus its healthy and sweetened with Maple Syrup but don't be fooled they taste like little morsels from heaven! Here is the recipe http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/peanut-butter-cookies-recipe.html
Be sure to get peanut butter without sugar or anything added (read the ingredients) I have a preference for creamy peanut butter over chunky so that's what I always use and they turn out great! I have made them with spelt and with whole wheat pastry flour and they turned out great both times. I think in the future I may try a high quality coconut oil instead of the EVOO.
Hope you guys love them as much as I do! God bless!
Food.Exercise.Life
Be sure to get peanut butter without sugar or anything added (read the ingredients) I have a preference for creamy peanut butter over chunky so that's what I always use and they turn out great! I have made them with spelt and with whole wheat pastry flour and they turned out great both times. I think in the future I may try a high quality coconut oil instead of the EVOO.
Hope you guys love them as much as I do! God bless!
Food.Exercise.Life
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Your prayers please
yeah you haven't heard much from me on the food front. Sorry I really need to get on that. For the time being I have been more than a little distracted by the tragedy that struck Joplin, MO on Sunday May 22nd. So far it is the single deadliest tornado in US history I think right now the death toll is at 125 and 1500 are still missing. From the moment I heard about it my heart has been yearning to go do whatever is necessary to help, I am sure many others have felt the same. Today I was presented with the opportunity to go down and work all day Saturday through the Samaritans Purse organization. I took some time to pray about it and I have decided to go, my boyfriend has decided to join me. With that said I want to beg you for your prayers. I know this will be the single most challenging thing I have ever done both physically and emotionally. Even still I know it wont be anything close to what the people there are going through. Please pray for my physical and emotional strength, please pray for my health as Saturday is supposed to be HOT and doing manual labor in the heat can sometimes be dangerous if one is not careful. Please pray that somehow someway God will use my efforts and the efforts of so many others to draw people to him. Please pray that if put in the situation God gives me the words of comfort or encouragement that someone needs to hear. Pray that we have a safe journey there and back and pray we make a difference. I am sure I missed something you will think of so please just take it to the Lord. I love you thank you for supporting me in prayer!
food.exercise.life
food.exercise.life
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Strawberry pie healthy and delicious
First I want to apologize for 2 things, 1. for not posting any recipes in so long 2. no pictures of this delicious creation due to my camera batteries being dead and I cant find the charger :( Moving on lets talk spring. Has anyone else noticed the gorgeous strawberries in the stores lately? They have just been screaming eat me eat me! I kindly obliged and bought some and somehow they managed to not get eaten so I went back bought another box and decided to combine the 2 and make a strawberry pie to take to a friends BBQ tonight. I have bought crusts and I have made crusts but I decided I wanted to make something similar to a graham cracker crust but instead use almond flour as the base with coconut oil as the binding ingredient for a hint of coconut in the strawberry pie. I finally found a recipe that I was able to tweak for the crust. Here is the original recipe which was for a chocolate cream pie I think I just might have to make http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-cream-pie/
Of course I had to tweak it so this is how my crust recipe went.
Almond Flour Crust
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil melted (splurge and buy some good coconut oil it should have a fabulous scent when you open the jar)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour,salt and baking soda and stir together until well combined. In a small bowl melt the coconut oil and then stir in the vanilla and agave (it wont mix together perfectly so just do the best you can). Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until well combined. Pat dough into a 9.5 inch glass pie pan. It will take a little bit of work but just be patient. Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown remove and let cool.
original strawberry pie filling recipe that I edited is http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/strawberry-pie-ii/detail.aspx
Strawberry pie filling
1 quart fresh strawberries (that's 32 oz folks)
1 cup agave
3 Tablespoons cornstarch (in the future I will use arrowroot powder instead in the same amount)
smidgen of water
arrange some chunks of strawberries in the baked crust not a ton just enough to mostly cover the crust with some space between berries. Chunk the rest of the strawberries into a medium saucepan with the agave and heat over medium mashing the berries (I used a potato masher). It doesn't need to be a paste so don't go overboard with the mashing. None of the berries should remain whole but you don't need to mash them into total unrecognizable oblivion. Mixture should start to boil over medium heat and when it does be ready with your cornstarch (or arrowroot). What I do is I put my 3 Tab of cornstarch (or arrowroot) in like a 1/2 cup measuring cup then when the strawberry mixture starts to boil I add a little bit of water to the cornstarch (or arrowroot) and stir it up until all of the powder is dissolved just barely. Pour the cornstarch (or arrowroot) mixture into your boiling strawberry mixture and stir while pouring being sure to get it mixed in well. Lower your temp to low and stir mixture for 10 minutes. Pour mixture into the crust and put it into the fridge to chill 4-6 hours. Lick your strawberry spoon and dream of eating your home made healthy creation later in the day. I do also recommend you then spend some time on your knees praying that God will give you the strength and giving spirit needed to share your pie. Enjoy!
Of course I had to tweak it so this is how my crust recipe went.
Almond Flour Crust
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil melted (splurge and buy some good coconut oil it should have a fabulous scent when you open the jar)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour,salt and baking soda and stir together until well combined. In a small bowl melt the coconut oil and then stir in the vanilla and agave (it wont mix together perfectly so just do the best you can). Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until well combined. Pat dough into a 9.5 inch glass pie pan. It will take a little bit of work but just be patient. Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown remove and let cool.
original strawberry pie filling recipe that I edited is http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/strawberry-pie-ii/detail.aspx
Strawberry pie filling
1 quart fresh strawberries (that's 32 oz folks)
1 cup agave
3 Tablespoons cornstarch (in the future I will use arrowroot powder instead in the same amount)
smidgen of water
arrange some chunks of strawberries in the baked crust not a ton just enough to mostly cover the crust with some space between berries. Chunk the rest of the strawberries into a medium saucepan with the agave and heat over medium mashing the berries (I used a potato masher). It doesn't need to be a paste so don't go overboard with the mashing. None of the berries should remain whole but you don't need to mash them into total unrecognizable oblivion. Mixture should start to boil over medium heat and when it does be ready with your cornstarch (or arrowroot). What I do is I put my 3 Tab of cornstarch (or arrowroot) in like a 1/2 cup measuring cup then when the strawberry mixture starts to boil I add a little bit of water to the cornstarch (or arrowroot) and stir it up until all of the powder is dissolved just barely. Pour the cornstarch (or arrowroot) mixture into your boiling strawberry mixture and stir while pouring being sure to get it mixed in well. Lower your temp to low and stir mixture for 10 minutes. Pour mixture into the crust and put it into the fridge to chill 4-6 hours. Lick your strawberry spoon and dream of eating your home made healthy creation later in the day. I do also recommend you then spend some time on your knees praying that God will give you the strength and giving spirit needed to share your pie. Enjoy!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Italian-Tex-Mex Frittata
yes yes I know this sounds like a very confused dish. It originated from me starting to follow a recipe and then going astray and adding a little of this and that. Often times this sort of flavor combining doesn't work, well this time it worked. In fact it worked so well that it received not only my approval but also my sisters, my nephew (he is 1 1/2 so that is a big feat), my mother who doesn't like corn mixed into her food and several other family members. Oh sure its possible they were just being polite but a 1 1/2 year old isn't polite when it comes to food.
I just have to tell you my dog is sitting on the couch next to me right now eating some raw carrots. That's right even my dog digs healthy food! It is also now pouring down rain here and that is a sound I adore!
Lets get on with the recipe shall we? I will give you a picture but I really think the picture fails to show how delicious it is. In fact I hesitate to give you a picture because I think it actually maybe makes it look a little unappetizing.
Italian-Tex-Mex Frittata
6 eggs (you can do 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites if you like or use the 6 whole eggs)
salt
pepper
basil
cumin
12 grape tomatoes cut in 1/2 or 1/4
1/2 to 3/4 cup corn (I used frozen but you could use leftover corn on the cob cut off the cob)
about 2 Tbsp diced yellow onion
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
EVOO
In an oven safe skillet (think about your handle) over medium heat add some EVOO and cook onions until soft and add garlic and corn (if frozen) just until corn is warmed through. Add a light sprinkling of cumin (about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp if that much). Mix until cumin is well combined with ingredients. Remove from skillet and set aside. Remove skillet from heat and re-oil with EVOO being sure to coat the sides as well. Add the eggs and scramble everybody up. Add all the other ingredients and return skillet to medium heat. Salt, pepper and basil the top evenly and cook just until the bottom is barely set then put in the oven at 300 for 10 minutes or until it doesn't jiggle when lightly shaken. Remove from oven and attempt not to devour it all in one setting.
I should probably warn you that I have been addicted to this for 2 weeks straight now. In fact I just pulled one out of the oven and munched on it YUM! Feel free to take this recipe and add and subtract from it. Tonight's frittata was the same except I didn't use cumin and I cooked down about 1 cup of fresh baby spinach and mixed that in as well! I know the corn sounds weird but I urge you to try it at least once. It lends a nice slightly sweet crunch that is really quite delicious! Hope you enjoy. Let me know if you like it or how you recreate it.
I love you guys!
Food.Exercise.Life
I just have to tell you my dog is sitting on the couch next to me right now eating some raw carrots. That's right even my dog digs healthy food! It is also now pouring down rain here and that is a sound I adore!
Lets get on with the recipe shall we? I will give you a picture but I really think the picture fails to show how delicious it is. In fact I hesitate to give you a picture because I think it actually maybe makes it look a little unappetizing.
Italian-Tex-Mex Frittata
6 eggs (you can do 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites if you like or use the 6 whole eggs)
salt
pepper
basil
cumin
12 grape tomatoes cut in 1/2 or 1/4
1/2 to 3/4 cup corn (I used frozen but you could use leftover corn on the cob cut off the cob)
about 2 Tbsp diced yellow onion
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
EVOO
In an oven safe skillet (think about your handle) over medium heat add some EVOO and cook onions until soft and add garlic and corn (if frozen) just until corn is warmed through. Add a light sprinkling of cumin (about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp if that much). Mix until cumin is well combined with ingredients. Remove from skillet and set aside. Remove skillet from heat and re-oil with EVOO being sure to coat the sides as well. Add the eggs and scramble everybody up. Add all the other ingredients and return skillet to medium heat. Salt, pepper and basil the top evenly and cook just until the bottom is barely set then put in the oven at 300 for 10 minutes or until it doesn't jiggle when lightly shaken. Remove from oven and attempt not to devour it all in one setting.
I should probably warn you that I have been addicted to this for 2 weeks straight now. In fact I just pulled one out of the oven and munched on it YUM! Feel free to take this recipe and add and subtract from it. Tonight's frittata was the same except I didn't use cumin and I cooked down about 1 cup of fresh baby spinach and mixed that in as well! I know the corn sounds weird but I urge you to try it at least once. It lends a nice slightly sweet crunch that is really quite delicious! Hope you enjoy. Let me know if you like it or how you recreate it.
I love you guys!
Food.Exercise.Life
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Desperation Breeds Ingenuity
I had a problem. A big problem, ok maybe it wasn't a big problem but it certainly was inconvenient. I used to have a 1st generation ipod nano I also had a cute little armband to go along with it for running and climbing etc with my music handy. I loaned it to a friend when I got my iphone because I didn't really need it at the time and well it was stolen by someone. These days I am climbing and running more which isn't a problem as long as the weather is cold and I can wear a light jacket and carry my iphone in the pocket. I guess this is the real problem...
Yup that's right its an iphone in a protective otterbox. The problem here is that they make armbands for the iphone sure but they don't make armbands that go around the otterbox. So basically for me to use an armband I would first have to take my iphone out of its protective otterbox. Well let me just tell you there is a reason my name isn't Grace and for me to take my iphone out of the otterbox to put it in an armband is a recipe for disaster. This was a problem I had really just ignored until Tuesday. So Tuesday night I was at the gym climbing and had gotten more than a little warmed up so I had shed my coat and therefore my iphone as well. Needless to say because of that I missed a very special phone call and therefore missed hearing someone specials voice before bed *sniffles*. It was time for craft intervention and thankfully my friend Megan was coming over on Wednesday to play crafts with me. Also lucky for me I had scored this fantastic super durable adorable upholstery grade outdoor fabric from JoAnns recently I bought a little more than I needed thankfully. Wanna know how good of a deal I got? Sorry I have to tell you I just must rub it in! Originally twenty dollars a yard OUCH!! I scored it for a super sexy price of 2.40 per yard WIN!!!
After much brainstorming and many hours of crafting I finished my armband that goes around my otterbox case. I think it turned out pretty fantastic myself, store grade quality! What do you think?
If you need one let me know and I will try to explain how I did it. I hope you are well I love you! Please pray for me I start a second job on Monday as a preschool PE teacher. I hope the kids love their new coach!
Food.Exercise.Life
Yup that's right its an iphone in a protective otterbox. The problem here is that they make armbands for the iphone sure but they don't make armbands that go around the otterbox. So basically for me to use an armband I would first have to take my iphone out of its protective otterbox. Well let me just tell you there is a reason my name isn't Grace and for me to take my iphone out of the otterbox to put it in an armband is a recipe for disaster. This was a problem I had really just ignored until Tuesday. So Tuesday night I was at the gym climbing and had gotten more than a little warmed up so I had shed my coat and therefore my iphone as well. Needless to say because of that I missed a very special phone call and therefore missed hearing someone specials voice before bed *sniffles*. It was time for craft intervention and thankfully my friend Megan was coming over on Wednesday to play crafts with me. Also lucky for me I had scored this fantastic super durable adorable upholstery grade outdoor fabric from JoAnns recently I bought a little more than I needed thankfully. Wanna know how good of a deal I got? Sorry I have to tell you I just must rub it in! Originally twenty dollars a yard OUCH!! I scored it for a super sexy price of 2.40 per yard WIN!!!
After much brainstorming and many hours of crafting I finished my armband that goes around my otterbox case. I think it turned out pretty fantastic myself, store grade quality! What do you think?
If you need one let me know and I will try to explain how I did it. I hope you are well I love you! Please pray for me I start a second job on Monday as a preschool PE teacher. I hope the kids love their new coach!
Food.Exercise.Life
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Chicken & Dumplings Northern Style and Dairy Free
I don't know about you but I have so many wonderful memories down at my Grandma Brown's enjoying her wonderful Chicken & Dumplings. Anyone who knows her knows that she is not only one of the best cooks but is also one of the most loving and accepting people alive. She is also magnificently humble and meek (and not in that weak, passive kind of way). She and the rest of my family and friends are the people who have helped shape me into the young woman I have become (I am under 30 that makes me a young woman right?). Although they have shaped me I am not in any way like most of them. I do see their Christ like traits and strive to be more like that usually my attempts fall short but I will keep trying until the day I die. I think it is really important to surround yourself with people who exhibit qualities you desire in your own life. I hope you strive to do that. Oops guess I got off on a tangent back to the food. So anyway I was thinking about my Grandmas Chicken & Dumplings and my mouth was literally drooling at the thought so I decided I must make it. Only one problem my Grandma doesn't know what a recipe is. Well maybe she does but I would bet you money she has never followed one to the tee! Knowing I wouldn't be able to get the recipe out of her over the phone I decided to do the next best thing, look up a recipe until I can make it to Grandmas to learn hands on how she does it. I quickly discovered there are two styles of Chicken & Dumplings (I had no idea!). It seems Chicken & Dumplings is a North vs South issue and quite heated when it comes to the cooks who prepare it. The Southerners mock the Northern Chicken and Dumplings and call it a sacrilege to even serve. The Northerners not to be out done mock the Southern Chicken and Dumplings and call it a sad excuse for chicken noodle soup. Oh yes its a heated issue indeed. With all of that said I want you to know I am used to Grandmas Southern style YUM! But I found a Northern style recipe I couldn't resist attempting. I promised myself to not compare the two and instead look at them as two separate dishes altogether. That was smart on my part. It definitely wasn't Grandmas but it definitely was amazing! Here is the link to the original recipe which I of course tweaked.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/chicken-and-dumplings/
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter or butter alternative
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Flour
Salt & Pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I did 2 lbs and it was to much-you could also buy a precooked rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 medium yellow onion finely diced
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp turmeric (this stains everything it touches so be careful!)
4 cups normal chicken broth 2 cups low sodium (I use imagine brand and their low sodium version is REALLY low sodium. That's why I did the combination. I encourage you to read the ingredients on your broth it should be all things you recognize and can identify. Sugar is in most broths and bouillons so watch out!)
1/2 cup apple juice (no sugar added)
1/2 cup to 1 cup instant potatoes (I used 365 brand from whole foods because it is literally just dehydrated potatoes)
Dumplings:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 heaping Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk
The how to:
Remove any fat or icky stuff from your chicken the season it with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a large pot over med/high heat combine butter and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) allow butter to melt and then add chicken cooking both sides until browned and remove. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through because it will go back in the pot to cook. If you picked up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken then just skip to the next step.
After removing the chicken add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and stir and cook for 3-4 min over med/low heat. Stir in thyme and turmeric then pour in the chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine then add the browned chicken (again skip ahead if you have a rotisserie chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 min over medium heat.
While that is all cooking make the dough for the dumpling. Stir together all of the dry ingredients and then add the almond milk and stir gently to combine and then set aside.
After the 20 min has passed remove your chicken and check to ensure it is cooked all the way through. If so shred it using 2 forks and return it to the pot. If you have a rotisserie chicken you probably should shred it during that 20 min and then add it to the pot. Add the instant potato flakes and stir until combined. Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. No need to shape them just drop them in. Cover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy
I found this absolutely delightful even though it was so different from what I grew up with. I really hope you will try it. It is a time consuming process but easy. Most of the time is just doing whatever around the house while it does its thing on the stove top. I did encounter some problems that caused this to take much longer for me. I had bought chicken that same day from walmart and when I opened it up it smelled bad. I had to pack it all back up and return it to walmart and get replacement chicken. Then my chicken didn't cook as quick as it should have then my dumplings didn't cook as quickly as they should have. I have adjusted for all of that in this recipe so it should go smoother for you. I finally enjoyed all my hard work at 9pm. It was well worth the wait.
Have I told you guys about my dog? Her name is Daphne and she is the best dog in the whole world! She is also unbelievably cute, loveable and snuggly. She is a dachshund but I promise she doesn't bark all the time, honestly she hardly ever barks. She isn't territorial or nippy and has only met 2 strangers (and both of them were bad people so props to her for being so smart)! Well anyway I wanted to show you guys how cute she is because I love her so much and I tortured her with the wonderful smells of chicken for hours as this cooked. Thankfully for her I used such good ingredients I didn't feel bad sharing some of the chicken with her.
Isn't she the cutest sweetest thing ever! I LOVE HER! I also love you! I went to the climbing gym and climbed today fyi. I am not as good at posting about my workouts as I am about food.
Food.Exercise.Life
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/chicken-and-dumplings/
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter or butter alternative
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Flour
Salt & Pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I did 2 lbs and it was to much-you could also buy a precooked rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 medium yellow onion finely diced
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp turmeric (this stains everything it touches so be careful!)
4 cups normal chicken broth 2 cups low sodium (I use imagine brand and their low sodium version is REALLY low sodium. That's why I did the combination. I encourage you to read the ingredients on your broth it should be all things you recognize and can identify. Sugar is in most broths and bouillons so watch out!)
1/2 cup apple juice (no sugar added)
1/2 cup to 1 cup instant potatoes (I used 365 brand from whole foods because it is literally just dehydrated potatoes)
Dumplings:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 heaping Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk
The how to:
Remove any fat or icky stuff from your chicken the season it with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a large pot over med/high heat combine butter and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) allow butter to melt and then add chicken cooking both sides until browned and remove. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through because it will go back in the pot to cook. If you picked up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken then just skip to the next step.
After removing the chicken add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and stir and cook for 3-4 min over med/low heat. Stir in thyme and turmeric then pour in the chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine then add the browned chicken (again skip ahead if you have a rotisserie chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 min over medium heat.
While that is all cooking make the dough for the dumpling. Stir together all of the dry ingredients and then add the almond milk and stir gently to combine and then set aside.
After the 20 min has passed remove your chicken and check to ensure it is cooked all the way through. If so shred it using 2 forks and return it to the pot. If you have a rotisserie chicken you probably should shred it during that 20 min and then add it to the pot. Add the instant potato flakes and stir until combined. Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. No need to shape them just drop them in. Cover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy
I found this absolutely delightful even though it was so different from what I grew up with. I really hope you will try it. It is a time consuming process but easy. Most of the time is just doing whatever around the house while it does its thing on the stove top. I did encounter some problems that caused this to take much longer for me. I had bought chicken that same day from walmart and when I opened it up it smelled bad. I had to pack it all back up and return it to walmart and get replacement chicken. Then my chicken didn't cook as quick as it should have then my dumplings didn't cook as quickly as they should have. I have adjusted for all of that in this recipe so it should go smoother for you. I finally enjoyed all my hard work at 9pm. It was well worth the wait.
Have I told you guys about my dog? Her name is Daphne and she is the best dog in the whole world! She is also unbelievably cute, loveable and snuggly. She is a dachshund but I promise she doesn't bark all the time, honestly she hardly ever barks. She isn't territorial or nippy and has only met 2 strangers (and both of them were bad people so props to her for being so smart)! Well anyway I wanted to show you guys how cute she is because I love her so much and I tortured her with the wonderful smells of chicken for hours as this cooked. Thankfully for her I used such good ingredients I didn't feel bad sharing some of the chicken with her.
Isn't she the cutest sweetest thing ever! I LOVE HER! I also love you! I went to the climbing gym and climbed today fyi. I am not as good at posting about my workouts as I am about food.
Food.Exercise.Life
Friday, February 18, 2011
Message to my followers
Ok so a little more information about why I have been MIA this past week. Monday night I was a zombie working on a puzzle. Tuesday morning I woke up and ran/walked 2.5 miles with one of my old high school besties Stephanie YAY! Tuesday night I went to the climbing gym. Wednesday evening I went for an evening bike ride with one of my amazing and sweet guy friends Branden. Thursday I ran 2 miles with Stephanie in the morning, entertained my niece and nephew while my sister took my youngest nephew to the Dr. He finally is off of his monitors YAY! Thank you to everyone who was praying for him when he was in the hospital and even after he came home. I did get to enjoy some sweet snuggles on Thursday after he got off of the monitor. It was so incredibly fantastic because it was really the first time I have been able to snuggle with him since he was born on 12-31-2010! Thursday night after work I headed up to our local ice rink to watch the 3 kids I nanny practice hockey and figure skating, They were amazing! Tonight I am headed to the gym to climb again and if I can find someone to go with me I will be catching a night time bike ride to enjoy the full moon tonight. Yup that's right tonight is a full moon please go outside and enjoy the fresh air and glowing moon!
Have you guys ever heard of the band Gungor? I had heard their song God is not a white man but then had forgotten all about them
Well they have a worship cd out now that is fantastic in my opinion! You may like it. One of my favorites is a song my church does and it really just blesses my spirit so much. Its called beautiful things.
Hope you guys like all of that.
Katie- I am still planning to do gnocchi just working up some bravery and reading a lot about it and skimming about a million recipes (yes that is an exaggeration). What is your favorite sauce for gnocchi?
Love you guys!
Food.Exercise.Life
Have you guys ever heard of the band Gungor? I had heard their song God is not a white man but then had forgotten all about them
Well they have a worship cd out now that is fantastic in my opinion! You may like it. One of my favorites is a song my church does and it really just blesses my spirit so much. Its called beautiful things.
Hope you guys like all of that.
Katie- I am still planning to do gnocchi just working up some bravery and reading a lot about it and skimming about a million recipes (yes that is an exaggeration). What is your favorite sauce for gnocchi?
Love you guys!
Food.Exercise.Life
Turkey Teriyaki with Broccoli and Rice
Yes of course you can make it with chicken or thinly sliced steak yum! Let me give you the link to the original recipe which I then adapted.
http://www.food.com/recipe/restaurant-teriyaki-sauce-133751
There now you have it. How about a picture?
Turkey Teriyaki
1 lb (ish) turkey, chicken, steak or tofu
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets
Brown Jasmine rice (or whatever kind you like-I like the stickiness of jasmine)
1/4 cup soy sauce (check your label for odd ingredients if you are concerned about that sort of thing. I buy braggs liquid aminos)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp minced ginger (you can buy this in a small jar its really more of a watery paste)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
7 Tbsp agave
2 Tbsp cornstarch and just enough water to liquify it
Combine all of your sauce ingredients except the cornstarch in a small pot. Cook over medium heat. In a separate pot get your rice going according to the label instructions. Cut up you meat or meat substitute and cook until done over medium heat. If you want you could bread and fry but I just cooked mine with no seasonings in a little extra virgin olive oil. If your broccoli is the type you can microwave in the bag then go ahead and throw it in the microwave. When your sauce is heated but not boiling stir in your liquidy cornstarch stirring constantly to avoid lumps, sauce will begin to thicken. When your meat is cooked all the way through combine it and the broccoli in a serving dish and pour over the sauce. Serve with rice YUM!
I do confess this is in my opinion far inferior to the general tsaos but every once in a while we need something different, and this is definitely a delicious option!
Hope you love it! Love you!
Food.Exercise.Life
http://www.food.com/recipe/restaurant-teriyaki-sauce-133751
There now you have it. How about a picture?
Turkey Teriyaki
1 lb (ish) turkey, chicken, steak or tofu
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets
Brown Jasmine rice (or whatever kind you like-I like the stickiness of jasmine)
1/4 cup soy sauce (check your label for odd ingredients if you are concerned about that sort of thing. I buy braggs liquid aminos)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp minced ginger (you can buy this in a small jar its really more of a watery paste)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
7 Tbsp agave
2 Tbsp cornstarch and just enough water to liquify it
Combine all of your sauce ingredients except the cornstarch in a small pot. Cook over medium heat. In a separate pot get your rice going according to the label instructions. Cut up you meat or meat substitute and cook until done over medium heat. If you want you could bread and fry but I just cooked mine with no seasonings in a little extra virgin olive oil. If your broccoli is the type you can microwave in the bag then go ahead and throw it in the microwave. When your sauce is heated but not boiling stir in your liquidy cornstarch stirring constantly to avoid lumps, sauce will begin to thicken. When your meat is cooked all the way through combine it and the broccoli in a serving dish and pour over the sauce. Serve with rice YUM!
I do confess this is in my opinion far inferior to the general tsaos but every once in a while we need something different, and this is definitely a delicious option!
Hope you love it! Love you!
Food.Exercise.Life
Vegan Chocolate Coconut Truffles
Have you guys felt neglected with me not posting anything in a week? Sorry about that. I had a special someone in town for the weekend so I took the time to enjoy his company and some time with friends. Then I confess I have been addicted to finishing a 750 piece puzzle that I bought on Sunday. Does anyone else love puzzles?
ahhh don't you wish you were there?
So anyway I had planned to post this recipe on Monday for Valentines Day a holiday I refuse to celebrate by giving my money to retailers. Truly every guy I have ever dated I have always begged not to get me candy, balloons, flowers or any other cliche Valentines gift you can think of. This year I received a one month membership to our local rock climbing gym (suddenly I like the idea of celebrating Valentines), I also received a heart shaped balloon wishing me a Happy Valentines Day. I have surprisingly liked the balloon although not nearly as much as my niece and nephew who came to visit and played with it non-stop for a solid 30 minutes, That's a huge feat considering they are 1 1/2 and almost 3.
Anyway I hope you felt loved on Valentines day. On with a recipe!
This recipe came from an old high school friend on Facebook who I think got it out of one of her Vegan cookbooks. At least that's where I think I got this recipe.
Vegan Chocolate Coconut Truffles
1 cup coconut butter (or coconut creme if you cant find the coconut butter)
3/4 cup raw cacao (I used dutch cocoa this time but have made it with the raw previously)
6 Tbsp agave
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (or scrap the insides from 1 vanilla bean-I think that's the best)
optionals:
cacao nibs
unsweetened coconut
sprinkles
powdered sugar
cocoa powder
Soften coconut butter in a double boiler over low heat and stir until smooth (be patient this step seems to take forever). Add the next 4 ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into a bowl and freeze until mixture cools about 10 min. Remove roll into balls and in desired optionals. I recommend serving at room temperature but I store them in the fridge until I want one.
Hope you guys enjoy them! I love you!
Food.Exercise.Life
ahhh don't you wish you were there?
So anyway I had planned to post this recipe on Monday for Valentines Day a holiday I refuse to celebrate by giving my money to retailers. Truly every guy I have ever dated I have always begged not to get me candy, balloons, flowers or any other cliche Valentines gift you can think of. This year I received a one month membership to our local rock climbing gym (suddenly I like the idea of celebrating Valentines), I also received a heart shaped balloon wishing me a Happy Valentines Day. I have surprisingly liked the balloon although not nearly as much as my niece and nephew who came to visit and played with it non-stop for a solid 30 minutes, That's a huge feat considering they are 1 1/2 and almost 3.
Anyway I hope you felt loved on Valentines day. On with a recipe!
This recipe came from an old high school friend on Facebook who I think got it out of one of her Vegan cookbooks. At least that's where I think I got this recipe.
Vegan Chocolate Coconut Truffles
1 cup coconut butter (or coconut creme if you cant find the coconut butter)
3/4 cup raw cacao (I used dutch cocoa this time but have made it with the raw previously)
6 Tbsp agave
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (or scrap the insides from 1 vanilla bean-I think that's the best)
optionals:
cacao nibs
unsweetened coconut
sprinkles
powdered sugar
cocoa powder
Soften coconut butter in a double boiler over low heat and stir until smooth (be patient this step seems to take forever). Add the next 4 ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into a bowl and freeze until mixture cools about 10 min. Remove roll into balls and in desired optionals. I recommend serving at room temperature but I store them in the fridge until I want one.
Hope you guys enjoy them! I love you!
Food.Exercise.Life
Friday, February 11, 2011
Breakfast Quinoa
Today I had my morning off before heading into work. I took full advantage of my sleep in time and slept until 8am ahhh. I also got up and enjoyed my coffee and made one of my winter time favorites for breakfast. This is a healthier spin on those instant oatmeal packets that I devoured on a regular basis as a kid. Thank you to my Mom and Dad who always bought them so I could enjoy their deliciousness with such ease. If you aren't familiar with Quinoa then I encourage you to do a little research on it. You could make this same thing with oatmeal but I like the energy I get from the Quinoa. By the way its pronounced keen-wah. There are a couple different ways you can buy it. There is red, white and I think black quinoa and sometimes you can find quinoa flakes which will be a little closer to oatmeal in consistency although I have never used them because I can get the regular quinoa much cheaper. OK on with with recipe.
Breakfast Quinoa
Makes 2 servings or 1 big serving (I couldn't finish it this morning)
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup quinoa
approx 3 Tbsp agave or honey
approx 1/8 tsp cinnamon
approx 1/2 cup fresh fruit (I like, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries best)
1 Tbsp milled flax seed or wheat germ (I usually do wheat germ but today I used flax to keep it gluten free)
Bring almond milk to boil in small saucepan. Add quinoa and return to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until 3/4 of milk has been absorbed about 10 min. (DO NOT walk away after putting the lid on. I have had this boil over on me more times than I care to share and its a bear to clean up so stand there and stare at it for a solid 3 minutes and remove the lid and stir if it starts to boil up and then recover). After 3/4 of the milk has been absorbed stir in agave, cinnamon and fruit. I honestly don't measure the agave or cinnamon I just dump in some cinnamon and swirl in about 3 loops of agave. You can always add more after serving if it isn't to your liking. I let that all simmer for about 2 min just until the berries are warmed through then pour into a bowl add a little more cinnamon and agave and stir in the flax seed or wheat germ and enjoy! I hope you enjoy this winter time staple as much as I do!
I love you!
Food.Exercise.Life
Breakfast Quinoa
Makes 2 servings or 1 big serving (I couldn't finish it this morning)
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup quinoa
approx 3 Tbsp agave or honey
approx 1/8 tsp cinnamon
approx 1/2 cup fresh fruit (I like, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries best)
1 Tbsp milled flax seed or wheat germ (I usually do wheat germ but today I used flax to keep it gluten free)
Bring almond milk to boil in small saucepan. Add quinoa and return to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until 3/4 of milk has been absorbed about 10 min. (DO NOT walk away after putting the lid on. I have had this boil over on me more times than I care to share and its a bear to clean up so stand there and stare at it for a solid 3 minutes and remove the lid and stir if it starts to boil up and then recover). After 3/4 of the milk has been absorbed stir in agave, cinnamon and fruit. I honestly don't measure the agave or cinnamon I just dump in some cinnamon and swirl in about 3 loops of agave. You can always add more after serving if it isn't to your liking. I let that all simmer for about 2 min just until the berries are warmed through then pour into a bowl add a little more cinnamon and agave and stir in the flax seed or wheat germ and enjoy! I hope you enjoy this winter time staple as much as I do!
I love you!
Food.Exercise.Life
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Grow
I promised you guys something special so here it is. Its not a recipe but a snippet that a friend of mine wrote. I am so very blessed to know him and his amazing twin sister. They both have such sweet genuine spirits and being around them makes you smile. A huge THANK YOU goes out to Everett for graciously allowing me to post this for all of you. I love you all!
Grow
By: Everett Pauls
As one eats one grows.
The WORD is what I feed on.
I feed, and I go about my day with the nutrition it gives, every cell within my body benefits from it's goodness.
I must stay active.
For if I sit and eat the WORD, yet don't stay hard at work, I will become over weight. Full of the weight the WORD, without the reward of it. if I don't utter a word or move my hand for Christ's sake.
Vanity is where I will fall.
Therefore, I will take in Christ's WORD and exhibit the health that is gained.
I will work, and become strong as I taste the goodness and use it to grow myself and bless others.
Gods WORD is food for all!
Take it.
It's free.
Grow
By: Everett Pauls
As one eats one grows.
The WORD is what I feed on.
I feed, and I go about my day with the nutrition it gives, every cell within my body benefits from it's goodness.
I must stay active.
For if I sit and eat the WORD, yet don't stay hard at work, I will become over weight. Full of the weight the WORD, without the reward of it. if I don't utter a word or move my hand for Christ's sake.
Vanity is where I will fall.
Therefore, I will take in Christ's WORD and exhibit the health that is gained.
I will work, and become strong as I taste the goodness and use it to grow myself and bless others.
Gods WORD is food for all!
Take it.
It's free.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Oatmeal & Banana Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup
This recipe is dedicated to one of my very near and dear friends Lexis. In the last 6 months she has become very proactive about her health and I am so proud of her! She started the P90x workout series, a feat I still cant fathom taking on, quit smoking, dropped soda out of her diet almost completely and has even been found experimenting in the kitchen. The girl makes her own home made almond butter for Pete's sake! Who does that? I haven't.
I have to tell you I have never been a huge pomegranate fan. But then I tried this recipe and it always has me drooling when I think of it. Its like a little flavor explosion in your mouth. So even if you aren't a fan of pomegranate please consider trying this. I do want to tell you this original recipe came from Clean Eating magazine and really impressed me! With that said I do encourage you to try this recipe and if you like it please support Clean Eating magazine by going out and purchasing their next issue (No they are not paying me to say that, but I wish they were)
Pomegranate Syrup
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp honey
In a small saucepan whisk together the honey and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then drop the heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes reducing down to a syrup. Oops I have messed that up every time I have made this. I see the word simmer and in my head that translates to low heat, obviously my syrup was still quite liquidy. Alright so now you guys aren't going to make that mistake right? Simmer it over medium heat got it, 15 minutes alright. After that remove from heat and let the syrup cool slightly before using.
Pancakes
3 medium bananas (ever buy a bunch of bananas and they start to go bad before you get to eating them? Peel them break them in half and put them in a freezer bag. You can use them frozen in smoothies in place of ice yum or in this case you can thaw them back out in your fridge to use in this recipe)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats, ground to a coarse flour in a food processor (about 3/4 cup ground oats)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks (do not attempt to do this by hand)
cooking spray or butter or butter alternative
Add bananas, milk and vanilla to blender and puree until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ground oats, rolled oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Fold banana puree into dry ingredients to form a thick batter, taking care not to overwork it. Gently fold whipped egg whites into batter. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet and coat with cooking spray or whatever you choose over medium heat. Use 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and cook until lightly browned on each side. 2 pancakes is a serving and is plenty to fill me up and stick to my ribs. This recipe makes 6 servings. If you are single like me then you should know that these freeze great! Just separate them with wax paper and place in a freezer bag in the freezer then reheat when you are hungry. These are also excellent slathered with some almond butter for an extra protein kick and then drizzled with pure maple syrup. And if that isn't enough reasons to make these then do it for your dogs (if you have them). With no sugar and such wholesome ingredients you can't feel guilty about sharing with your favorite canine(s). Daphne already taste tested today and she definitely approves.
Today I didn't workout and I am not going to but, I did shovel the additional 4 inches of snow off of my bosses whole drive way. They have a big driveway so it took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I think that counts as a workout. Tomorrow is going to be a special post that one of my friends is graciously allowing me to re-post. I am so excited to share it with you that I can hardly wait until tomorrow. I love you all. I am going to sip my coffee (I had to make it to go with pancakes), watch a movie and then clean my kitchen. Enjoy your evening!
Food.Exercise.Life
I have to tell you I have never been a huge pomegranate fan. But then I tried this recipe and it always has me drooling when I think of it. Its like a little flavor explosion in your mouth. So even if you aren't a fan of pomegranate please consider trying this. I do want to tell you this original recipe came from Clean Eating magazine and really impressed me! With that said I do encourage you to try this recipe and if you like it please support Clean Eating magazine by going out and purchasing their next issue (No they are not paying me to say that, but I wish they were)
Pomegranate Syrup
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp honey
In a small saucepan whisk together the honey and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then drop the heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes reducing down to a syrup. Oops I have messed that up every time I have made this. I see the word simmer and in my head that translates to low heat, obviously my syrup was still quite liquidy. Alright so now you guys aren't going to make that mistake right? Simmer it over medium heat got it, 15 minutes alright. After that remove from heat and let the syrup cool slightly before using.
Pancakes
3 medium bananas (ever buy a bunch of bananas and they start to go bad before you get to eating them? Peel them break them in half and put them in a freezer bag. You can use them frozen in smoothies in place of ice yum or in this case you can thaw them back out in your fridge to use in this recipe)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats, ground to a coarse flour in a food processor (about 3/4 cup ground oats)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks (do not attempt to do this by hand)
cooking spray or butter or butter alternative
Add bananas, milk and vanilla to blender and puree until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ground oats, rolled oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Fold banana puree into dry ingredients to form a thick batter, taking care not to overwork it. Gently fold whipped egg whites into batter. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet and coat with cooking spray or whatever you choose over medium heat. Use 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and cook until lightly browned on each side. 2 pancakes is a serving and is plenty to fill me up and stick to my ribs. This recipe makes 6 servings. If you are single like me then you should know that these freeze great! Just separate them with wax paper and place in a freezer bag in the freezer then reheat when you are hungry. These are also excellent slathered with some almond butter for an extra protein kick and then drizzled with pure maple syrup. And if that isn't enough reasons to make these then do it for your dogs (if you have them). With no sugar and such wholesome ingredients you can't feel guilty about sharing with your favorite canine(s). Daphne already taste tested today and she definitely approves.
Today I didn't workout and I am not going to but, I did shovel the additional 4 inches of snow off of my bosses whole drive way. They have a big driveway so it took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I think that counts as a workout. Tomorrow is going to be a special post that one of my friends is graciously allowing me to re-post. I am so excited to share it with you that I can hardly wait until tomorrow. I love you all. I am going to sip my coffee (I had to make it to go with pancakes), watch a movie and then clean my kitchen. Enjoy your evening!
Food.Exercise.Life
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
General Tsao's
Don't say I never shared anything great with you. All the recipes I have served up so far are fantastic but this one gets rave reviews from everyone who has experienced it, and yes I created this one myself. Some of my friends now call me The General because of this recipe and beg me to make it every time our paths cross. General Tsao's can be kinda spicy or really spicy so you can adjust the heat for your taste buds. One of my friends had to keep a towel at the table while enjoying because sweat was rolling off his head, clearly I like mine spicy. This is really a much more flexible recipe than you may initially realize. For example if you are really broke you can use super firm cubed tofu in place of the chicken. You can bake your chicken or batter and fry your chicken, you can add carrots and broccoli or nothing at all. Use your imagination throw in some things you like it will be good I promise!
Marcy's General Tsao's
water
cornstarch
3 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp ginger root
1-2 Tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use Braggs liquid aminos)
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
veggies etc are optional
First start with your chicken if you are baking it just throw it in the oven and cube it into bite size pieces after it is done. If you are frying it then go ahead and cube it into bite size pieces dip in a almond milk and egg mixture and then put in a ziploc bag of seasoned flour (I like to season mine with salt, pepper and cayenne) once all your chicken is in the bag zip it closed and shake away until it is all evenly coated. From here if you don't know what to do just leave a comment asking and I will write back to you. Honestly it just seems like a lot for me to type for something I believe you probably already know.
Lets get to the good stuff the sauce. If you are frying your chicken or adding a lot of veggies then you will want to double your sauce recipe. In a medium pot over medium heat combine soy sauce, vinegar, agave, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes (sometimes I mix that all up the night before and put it in a jar in my fridge so dinner will come together quicker). Once all of the ingredients have heated through but are not boiling take a tablespoon of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) and dilute and stir into a small amount of cold water. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce while stirring bring the mixture up to a low boil and sauce should begin to thicken. Once the sauce begins to thicken reduce the temp to low heat.
When your chicken and veggies are cooked just combine with the sauce in a dish and enjoy. Rice obviously is a good fit for this meal as well and I have a preference for jasmine rice.
In other news I went and tanned for the first time in years today, I couldn't help it all this nasty brutally cold winter weather and lack of sun was starting to get to me and I was definitely feeling the winter blues. I do feel much better now and have regained my normal positive outlook on life. As I laid there soaking in the warmth and fake sun I couldn't help but think about how important it is for us to also bask in the warmth and radiance of God our Lord. To draw near to his warmth and love through prayer, meditation, reading and living a life of servitude to Him. After all he did create the sun.
I haven't worked out today and honestly I don't think I will before bed. Work comes early in the morning so I think I am going to prepare for bed and turn in earlier than normal instead. I guess I did play a little bit of living room hockey with a little one earlier today, that counts right?
Marcy's General Tsao's
water
cornstarch
3 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp ginger root
1-2 Tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use Braggs liquid aminos)
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
veggies etc are optional
First start with your chicken if you are baking it just throw it in the oven and cube it into bite size pieces after it is done. If you are frying it then go ahead and cube it into bite size pieces dip in a almond milk and egg mixture and then put in a ziploc bag of seasoned flour (I like to season mine with salt, pepper and cayenne) once all your chicken is in the bag zip it closed and shake away until it is all evenly coated. From here if you don't know what to do just leave a comment asking and I will write back to you. Honestly it just seems like a lot for me to type for something I believe you probably already know.
Lets get to the good stuff the sauce. If you are frying your chicken or adding a lot of veggies then you will want to double your sauce recipe. In a medium pot over medium heat combine soy sauce, vinegar, agave, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes (sometimes I mix that all up the night before and put it in a jar in my fridge so dinner will come together quicker). Once all of the ingredients have heated through but are not boiling take a tablespoon of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) and dilute and stir into a small amount of cold water. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce while stirring bring the mixture up to a low boil and sauce should begin to thicken. Once the sauce begins to thicken reduce the temp to low heat.
When your chicken and veggies are cooked just combine with the sauce in a dish and enjoy. Rice obviously is a good fit for this meal as well and I have a preference for jasmine rice.
In other news I went and tanned for the first time in years today, I couldn't help it all this nasty brutally cold winter weather and lack of sun was starting to get to me and I was definitely feeling the winter blues. I do feel much better now and have regained my normal positive outlook on life. As I laid there soaking in the warmth and fake sun I couldn't help but think about how important it is for us to also bask in the warmth and radiance of God our Lord. To draw near to his warmth and love through prayer, meditation, reading and living a life of servitude to Him. After all he did create the sun.
I haven't worked out today and honestly I don't think I will before bed. Work comes early in the morning so I think I am going to prepare for bed and turn in earlier than normal instead. I guess I did play a little bit of living room hockey with a little one earlier today, that counts right?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monte Cristo Sandwich
Well if the description didn't have you drooling I am sure the picture does! Believe me once you start cooking this you will be dying to try it by the time it finishes cooking. It smells so good while cooking! I found this recipe in Clean Eating magazine and have adapted it for my likes and ease of assembly. With that said I do highly recommend you check out Clean Eating magazine sometime and look through their many fabulous and delicious recipes, seriously these people are brilliant! Alright Alright here is the recipe and the how to. But please promise me you will try this one unless you are a vegetarian, even then I think you should still consider it.
Monte Cristo Sandwich
1 lb (ish)turkey breast scaloppini (thinly sliced turkey)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dried Basil
Fresh cracked salt and pepper
3 eggs
almond milk
Cayenne pepper
Dijon mustard (I like Tree of Life brand)
Whole Grain Bread (I prefer Ezekial brand)
fresh baby spinach
Cheese (I like provolone)
agave or jam or jelly optional
Take those juicy turkey breast scallopini's and rub them down with EVOO then season with S&P and basil. Put in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat approximately 2-3 minutes per side then set aside.
In a shallow dish whisk together approx 2 Tablespoons of almond milk 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites. (I have a dog who feels like she has died and gone to heaven when I share those extra yolks with her). Season mix with S&P and cayenne and set aside.
Take your bread and spread dijon mustard on both of the insides (I usually have enough turkey for 4-6 sandwich's so get 4 prepared and you can always do more later). Add 1 piece of cheese some baby spinach and turkey (you will probably have to cut it to fit). Now carefully dip one side of your sandwich in the egg mixture (about halfway up the bread when immersed) turn and dip the other side and transfer to the skillet on medium heat. Cook each side until golden and crisp remove from skillet cut in half. You may serve with jam or jelly if you like. I like just plain agave or honey. You could also thinly slice an apple, pear etc to add to the sandwich for a healthy sweet. Either way you wont be able to stop at just 1/2 of this sandwich. It is so good your mouth will be watering for the next bite! I personally think these reheat well so as a single individual I make them at the beginning of the week and eat on them all week long YUM!
I haven't worked out YET today although I did do one pull up at work. I think that is pretty good since most women cant do any. I am thinking a hangboard/ab workout or a yoga video for tonight hmmm.
I also want to share with you a story. Some of you may know that I work as a nanny to a wonderful and amazing family with 3 usually fantastic kids. Today I arrived and the 2 older kids were getting ready for school. The middle boy headed out to the garage to get his shoes and backpack and closed the door behind him quite by accident on his older sister who he did not realize was right behind him. Immediately she was engulfed in rage and reacted by yelling and then pushing him down the steps to the garage floor (Praise God it was a short 5 steps and he wasn't hurt at all). Quickly and gently I escorted her to the time out zone and walked away hoping God would give me a good way to handle the situation. Immediately He brought scripture to my mind
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." James 1:19-20
I encourage you to look it up and read the rest of James 1 there is a lot of good there. I headed back to the time out zone and we had a brief talk about anger and what the bible says about it. I was honest with her and confessed that I myself struggle with it at times but that isn't what makes God happy.
There are 2 things I really want to point out here. One, if we are not in the word, studying it memorizing it practicing it then when we are faced with situations we will be unable to fall back on that knowledge of the word to guide us. Two, lets be honest we all struggle with anger from time to time sometimes its over something silly and sometimes its much more serious than that. But we are told to be QUICK to listen, SLOW to speak and SLOW to get angry. Yes I struggle with all three parts of that but I can strive to be better about it and so can you. I wish I could say I always handle situations with the kids as well as I handled this one but that would be a lie. I could try to convince each one of you that I am perfect and live a perfectly happy life but that would be a lie as well. The truth is I am far far far from perfect and my life is riddled with many struggles as I am sure yours is. I hope that your hunger will be filled by the Monte Cristo, that your thirst will be quenched by Gods word and that your body will be strengthened by your working out. I love you!
Food.Exercise.Life
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Brownies
I made this recipe last night and for healthy brownies its just divine. There are a few things I may do different in the future. I followed the recipe almost exactly except I didn't use their special agave, I just used my normal dark agave yum! I used dutch cocoa powder (its what I had), no nuts and aluminum free baking powder. In the future I may make a fudge sauce by mixing agave with the cocoa powder to drizzle on top to make them more chocolaty and gooey, or I may add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the mix to make them extra fudgy. But really these turned out fabulous and I couldn't ask for more from a healthy brownie. They are soft and chewy and very chocolaty and sweet. I really encourage you to try this recipe the next time you are craving brownies. Here is the link http://www.ellesnewenglandkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/1/brownies-and-lemon-bread-and-xagave-oh-my.html
So even though those are healthy brownies the truth is they still pack calories so in order to justify me eating the whole pan within 2 days I spent some time on my hangboard doing a workout with weights on my ankles. Whats a hangboard? Basically a fancy pull up bar for people who like to climb rocks. Here is a picture of mine. I have a friend who posted an excellent post using food as an analogy for reading and living the bible. I have asked permission to use it on my blog because it is so good, I hope he agrees so I can share it with all of you.
Country Biscuits
So I woke up this morning and decided I wanted some runny egg sandwiches on home made biscuits of course to go along with my coffee *sip*. This recipe comes from my wonderful mother and I have adjusted it slightly to work for me. These biscuits are buttery and divine and go good with just about anything; egg sandwich, soups, biscuits and gravy, butter and home made jelly you get the idea.
Country Biscuits
6 Tablespoons Butter (I usually use 6 Tab of dairy free butter)
1 Cup buttermilk (1 Tab of vinegar in 1 cup of milk or a milk substitute works I use almond milk)
2 cups self rising flour (plus a little extra for your work surface
Cast Iron Skillet (If you don't have this then don't attempt, go buy one)
Put butter in the skillet and put in the 450 degree oven just until the butter is melted. Mix flour and milk until moistened (if you are making your buttermilk you will need to let the mix set for about 5 min and be sure to stir before you combine with the flour. If you use a milk substitute this happens much faster so the 5 min isn't necessary.) knead on floured surface about 4-5 times. Pat dough out til about 1/4 inch thick, cut with biscuit cutter (I use a measuring cup flipped upside down because I don't have a biscuit cutter) and place in pan with butter, turn over to coat with butter. Bake 10-13 minutes at 450 and enjoy!
I honestly don't think I can ever make a different recipe because this one is so delicious and easy seriously! I hope you love them as much as I do!
Yesterday I made a decorative pillow for my living room so I thought I would share it with you. I bought some cheap fabric from Walmart that I found in the sale bin of leftover remnants. I also bought a small pillow pre-filled just waiting for a nice covering.
Country Biscuits
6 Tablespoons Butter (I usually use 6 Tab of dairy free butter)
1 Cup buttermilk (1 Tab of vinegar in 1 cup of milk or a milk substitute works I use almond milk)
2 cups self rising flour (plus a little extra for your work surface
Cast Iron Skillet (If you don't have this then don't attempt, go buy one)
Put butter in the skillet and put in the 450 degree oven just until the butter is melted. Mix flour and milk until moistened (if you are making your buttermilk you will need to let the mix set for about 5 min and be sure to stir before you combine with the flour. If you use a milk substitute this happens much faster so the 5 min isn't necessary.) knead on floured surface about 4-5 times. Pat dough out til about 1/4 inch thick, cut with biscuit cutter (I use a measuring cup flipped upside down because I don't have a biscuit cutter) and place in pan with butter, turn over to coat with butter. Bake 10-13 minutes at 450 and enjoy!
I honestly don't think I can ever make a different recipe because this one is so delicious and easy seriously! I hope you love them as much as I do!
Yesterday I made a decorative pillow for my living room so I thought I would share it with you. I bought some cheap fabric from Walmart that I found in the sale bin of leftover remnants. I also bought a small pillow pre-filled just waiting for a nice covering.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Mint Hot Cocoa
I don't know about where you live but here we just got slammed with that crazy blizzard of 2011 also called snowmaggedon, snownami, snowpocolypse etc. So far I have survived on lots of craft time, snuggle time with my dog and plenty of delicious cooking. In my last post I did promise you a Mint Hot Cocoa recipe so here it is, I created this one myself.
Mint Hot Cocoa
This makes one serving so double, triple, quadruple it if need be.
In a small pot over medium heat combine the following ingredients and whisk constantly until well combined and heated to your desired temp. If you are anything like my mother who has no taste buds left you will need to crank the heat on up to high and bring it to a good boil first, I however do not recommend that. 1 cup almond milk, 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (I use dutch but regular is delicious too), 2 Tablespoons dark agave nectar, 1/2 tsp mint extract (I used frontier brand because I like the wholesome healthy ingredients). That's it folks enjoy! Hope this recipe makes you as happy as it makes me!
Today I read Psalms 23 such a great reminder of where my peace, strength and comfort come from. I didn't do a workout today but I did make a new decorative pillow to accent a family heirloom rocking chair I recently re-upholstered.
Food.Exercise.Life
Mint Hot Cocoa
This makes one serving so double, triple, quadruple it if need be.
In a small pot over medium heat combine the following ingredients and whisk constantly until well combined and heated to your desired temp. If you are anything like my mother who has no taste buds left you will need to crank the heat on up to high and bring it to a good boil first, I however do not recommend that. 1 cup almond milk, 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (I use dutch but regular is delicious too), 2 Tablespoons dark agave nectar, 1/2 tsp mint extract (I used frontier brand because I like the wholesome healthy ingredients). That's it folks enjoy! Hope this recipe makes you as happy as it makes me!
Today I read Psalms 23 such a great reminder of where my peace, strength and comfort come from. I didn't do a workout today but I did make a new decorative pillow to accent a family heirloom rocking chair I recently re-upholstered.
Food.Exercise.Life
The beginning
I have had several people over the course of the last year ask me for this recipe or that recipe. The truth is I try to keep you all updated with my latest recipes but its hard. If you know me at all you know I always strive to eat dairy free and sugar free although not all recipes will be. So I decided to do this instead. I will do my best to post all of my current favorite recipes on here and continue to add new ones as I try them. In addition to that I am going to keep you up to speed on what is going on with me physically and spiritually. Thank you for following my blog if you try a recipe and like it please post a comment if you try a recipe and don't like it please post a comment, if you try a recipe and tweak it here and there and it turns out wonderful or horribly please comment. I want to hear what you guys like and don't like so I can tailor this a little more to you. I will attempt to keep up with this on a daily basis for all of 2011 and we will see what the future holds after that. I love you all and hope you will enjoy this!
This is me enjoying a mint hot cocoa at a fine establishment in Springfield MO called The Coffee Ethic. Although this one was delicious and shared with wonderful friends I have a recipe for a mint hot cocoa I created that I will share that will keep you warm and happy through the cold winter months or blizzards. In the meantime I wanted to let you know about my amazing friend Lance Sitton who took the photo. Lance has had a love for photography and an eye for it for many years but is now hopping into the career of photography. Because of that he is currently charging basically nothing for his services so now is a great time to take advantage. I encourage you to check out his picture blog at http://lancesitton.blogspot.com/ Enjoy the pictures he is putting up and send him a text or email to talk about having some pictures done for personal use or business. I also encourage you to check out some of his music which I like to enjoy when I am feeling a bit down and need a little encouragement.
This is me enjoying a mint hot cocoa at a fine establishment in Springfield MO called The Coffee Ethic. Although this one was delicious and shared with wonderful friends I have a recipe for a mint hot cocoa I created that I will share that will keep you warm and happy through the cold winter months or blizzards. In the meantime I wanted to let you know about my amazing friend Lance Sitton who took the photo. Lance has had a love for photography and an eye for it for many years but is now hopping into the career of photography. Because of that he is currently charging basically nothing for his services so now is a great time to take advantage. I encourage you to check out his picture blog at http://lancesitton.blogspot.com/ Enjoy the pictures he is putting up and send him a text or email to talk about having some pictures done for personal use or business. I also encourage you to check out some of his music which I like to enjoy when I am feeling a bit down and need a little encouragement.
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