Thanksgiving eats and a new salad dressing
Happy Monday. I hope everybody had a stellar weekend and is gearing up for feasting day. We are hosting the day of thanks at our abode this year and we are doing it potluck style, so everybody is bringing a dish to pass. Yesterday, I gathered my recipes and ingredients for my “dish to pass.”
Here are the dishes that I am going to attempt to recreate for T day:
1. Edible Perspective’s Whipped Sweet Potatoes - I have never made these before, but I have wanted to ever since she posted the recipe last year.
2. My New Roots Raw Cashew Dreamcake- I made this last year and was blown away by it. I honestly thought recipes of this caliber were reserved for peeps who really know their away around the kitchen. I am not one of those people, yet I still managed to recreate this appropriately named “Dreamcake.” This recipe take a little TLC, but it really is so easy and so tasty.
3. Kale & Squash Salad. This is going to be a hybrid of a salad I eat often with a new almond butter dressing I picked up from Crazy, Sexy KItchen. I gave a version of the dish a test run last night. The dressing is awesome. I will post the recipe below. The only adjustment I would make is to use less cardamom. I have never used cardamom before, I like the flavor it brings, but it is very distinct.
The dressing, shredded kale and broccoli slaw.
A version of the salad. I added salmon, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted delicata squash, and raisins. For T day, I am going to do kale, broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, roasted delicata squash, sunflower seeds, then topped with the almond butter CSK dressing.
CSK Almond Butter Dressing Recipe: (serves 4)
The Goods:
- 1/4c dates
- 1/4c almond butter
- 1/2 t lemon juice
- 1/2c purified water
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 1/2t sea salt
- 1t caedamom
- 1/4t black pepper
This is just one the amazing recipes in this cookbook. I can’t wait to try them all.
And with that I am off!
Happy Monday!
Shepard’s Pie- Revamped
I had big plans of making chili this weekend, but then I came across this post linked over on Carrots-N-Cake and abandoned the chili agenda. I decided to doctor the recipe up a wee bit, so I added broccoli, garlic, onion, butter, chicken broth, a few spices, and some time in the oven. With all of these additions the recipe looks like this:
Shepard’s Pie- Revamped:
The Goods:
- 4 medium size sweet potatoes
- 1lb ground, lean turkey
- 2C frozen peas
- 1 onion (white or yellow) (chopped)
- 2 large garlic cloves (chopped)
- 2 heads of broccoli (chopped)
- 1T Ghee- (this is for sautéing the meet and veggies)* (could also use olive oil, butter or coconut oil)
- 1.5t garlic salt (1/2t is for the sweet potatoes)
- 1t cumin
- 1T Kerry gold butter (optional- as this is for the sweet potatoes)
- 2C chicken broth
- Peel sweet potatoes and and chop into cubes. Add cubed sweet potatoes to boiling water and boil until potatoes become soft (approximately 10 minutes).
- Drain the water then mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher and add 1T butter & 1/2t garlic salt (optional)
- In a large saute pan brown the onion & garlic
- Add the peas, ground turkey, and spices and cook until all of the turkey turns white
- Add the broccoli & chicken broth then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes- uncovered while stirring occasionally
- Transfer the goods from the sauté pan to a 10×15 baking dish and smooth out to form an even layer
- Transfer mashed sweet potatoes to the top of meat & veggie layer then smooth out to form another even layer
- Bake at 350 for 40 minutes
- Allow 5 minutes to cool and serve
A few of my weekend eats.
I am a little late on this post. My Monday was little cray cray, so pardon the delay.
I have to admit, I am not very good about snapping photos of my eats over the weekend. However, I did manage to capture Friday & Sunday’s dinners as well as Saturday’s breakfast.
I have turned into quite the salad afficiando. This was Friday night’s din-din. In this beast: spinach, artichoke hearts, zucchini, candied hazelnuts, a sprinkling of parmesan and dressed with curry powder, nutritional yeast, and spicy cashew sauce. A tuna filet also landed on top of this guy, but he did not get his kodak moment.
Sunday’s salad explosion= spinach, shredded cabbage, quinoa, seaweed (stay with me), avocado and dressed with nutritional yeast, siracha, and peanut butter sauce (see recipe below). A cod filet also landed on this creation, but he, too, missed his moment in the spotlight.
Healthified Peanut butter sauce:
- 6T PB2 powdered peanut butter (or peanut flour)
- 2T low sodium Tamari
- 1T toasted sesame oil
- 1/2T raw honey
- a few drops of liquid stevia
- 3T water
- 2T brown rice vinegar
- Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and whisk until smooth.
The Goods:
- 1/2 med sweet potato (cooked)
- 1 egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1T chia seeds
- 1T ground flaxseeds
- 1/4 c unsweetened almond milk
- 5-10 drops of liquid stevia
- dash of vanilla & cinnamon
- 1T natural peanut butter
- 1/2T dark chocolate chips
- crack eggs in small bowl and whisk
- in a a small sauce pan on low heat mash sweet potato
- add in all ingredients except for the eggs and stir
- add the eggs, turn heat to medium and whisk until they all gel together (approximately 3-5 min). This process always seems like it takes forever. Be patient- they always come together
- remove from heat and top with peanut butter & chocolate chips or whatever your little heart desires.
slooooow saturday
Good Morning! Man I am having a hard time getting my engine moving today. I woke up starving and cranky. Good times for all involved. In hopes of giving my extra hungry belly some love, I took a break from the Perfect Food Bars and had a Greek yogurt delight for breakfast this AM.
In the mix:
- Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (approx 2/3c)
- 1/2 banana
- 1T natural peanut butter
- a small handful of Nature’s Path Organic Heritage O’s
This is a good combo, but it apparently didn’t scratch my breakfast itch because I went back for another handful of cereal, a handful of unreal chocolate candy shell peanuts, and a (very tiny) handful of dark chocolate chips. And I am currently chugging a vat of coffee in hopes of waking my lethargic fanny up. So far, not so good. I am thinking my slow-ness is lieu of my new fascination with weight lifting. I have been a cardio junkie for years and have recently been inspired by a series of blogs in which the ladies are making weight lifting look rather enjoyable. The more research I do the more it is apparent that my love of cardio is not serving me, so I have been loosely following Brittany Tacy’s training plan to help guide me through the wide world of weight lifting. As a result, my body is dealing with a new type of fatigue, but I kinda like it. Weird.? Speaking of workouts… here is a workout I did at home this week that is not on Miss Brittany’s plan, but it got me good and sweaty. I used Lance as my cardio machine of choice, but this could easily be one on any spin bike, treadmill or even a rowing machine.
I present to you the All-Over-The-Place-Cardio Workout:
This workout is perfect to do when you are short on time, but craving a good sweat session.
In other exciting news, I made a health-ified cole slaw yesterday morning and had it marinating all day, so I wouldn’t have to cook when I got home from work last night. This Salad is heavily inspired by Abby’s Carrot and Edamame Salad. Abby has the best recipes for quick and healthy eats.
Here are the changes I made:
- I doubled the recipe
- I used coleslaw instead of carrots
- I added 3-4 cups of dino kale (de-stemmed and torn)
- I added 2/3c cooked chickpeas
- I added 1/2 of a large avocado to massage the kale with
- Raw honey instead of agave
This salad is superb. I will be adding this to my arsenal of go-to recipes.
Alrighty I am off to take a serious stab at being productive. Say a prayer.
Happy Saturday!
month of fun
Happy June 1st!
I have decided to deem June the month fun. I have no validity behind this declaration other than I want have more fun- damn it.
Here are some of my thoughts on fun (prepare to be enlightened):
1. Most Americans do not have enough of it.
2. It makes you skinny. Say what?! Generally when we allow for more fun in our life we are less inclined to turn to a bag of Doritos to give us a sense of elation. Additionally, fun ignites a sense of relaxation and we digest our food far more efficiently in a relaxed state.
3. We are not put on this planet to be miserable, we get one shot, so we should probably enjoy it a little.
This so called “fun” I am referring too, does not require you to quit your job and a move to Tahiti. Although, that’s not a bad idea. I am talking about finding fun in the little things. Get a massage, manicure or facial. Instead of cleaning your bathroom, go get a drink with a friend. Please know that I have to deem a month of fun because I am the type of being that has a very unhealthy relationship with my to-do list, so this type of “fun” needs to happen more in my life. I am a creature of habit and I am boring myself to tears.
Here are my fun goals for June (Again, prepare to be enlightened)
- get something done (i.e. mani/ pedi/ Eyebrow wax)
- start going to yoga a few nights a week as a way to take a break from my beloved computer
- ride ma bike
- try new recipes
- turn off the TV and read a fun book
- have more happy hours with my chums and honey
- get outside
- go on a vacation- just so happens that I have one planned. Woot!
Bottom line: deviate from my daily routine in ANY way.
apparently I got a jump start on said “fun” because I made a new recipe on Wednesday night. I was craving curry and chicken, so Chicken Curry soup I made.
I bring you Slow Cooker Chicken Curry:
The Goods:
- 2lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1t coconut oil (for greasing slow cooker)
- 1 white onion (chopped)
- 2 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 medium size sweet potato (chopped)
- 2 medium size broccoli heads (chopped)
- 1T curry
- 1T cumin
- 1/2T Graham Masala
- 1t Tagine spice
- 1t sea salt
How to:
- grease up slow cooker with coconut oil
- put coconut milk & spices in slow cooker and whisk together until you get a creamy, consistent mixture
- place chicken breasts in cooker on high for 4 hours (could also do low for 6 hours)
- after 2 hours add sweet potatoes, onion & garlic
- after three hours add broccoli
- let cook for the full 4 hours (on high) or 6-8 hours (on low)
Serves 4-6
I had it for dinner again last night and added a wee bit of kale & chard
In honor of my month of fun, today’s breakfast consisted of chocolate, peanut butter quinoa. I am wild!!!
1/4c quinoa + 1/2 scoop chocolate vegilite protein powder+ 1/2 banana+ 1T peanut butter+ a titch of vanilla, cinnamon & coconut milk+ a few blueberries = pure fun.
Furthermore, I ate this bowl of pure fun on our front porch instead of the computer. I am on a roll…
I fully intended on getting my bangs trimmed today and having drinks with chums and honey. Let the fun brigade continue!
Hope your day is filled with fun!
Happy Friday!
kitchen domination
I had my first kitchen domination in our new abode. This was the first time I have put this oven to use and I almost burned the house down in doing so. Apparently, the drawer below the oven heats up at the same rate as the oven (I have never had an oven do this before) and a paper instruction manual resided in this very drawer. We are down an instruction manual and the house smelled lovely for a good 2-3 hours, but other than that all went swimmingly.
After bathing the fruits and veggies, I began the domination:
I have been craving granola lately, but I did not want to pay $8 for a bag of it and the gluten-free oats were on sale for $4.50, so homemade granola became my first domination task.
Easy, peasy gluten-free granola:
The Goods:
- 3c gluten-free granola
- 1/3c raw honey (melted)
- 1/3c coconut oil (melted)
- 3/4c raw walnuts
- 3/4c raw cashews
- 1/2c raw pecans
- 2T ground flaxseeds
- 20-25 liquid stevia
- 1/4t sea salt
- 1t cinnamon
- 1/2t nutmeg
- dash of ground cloves
- 2T pumpkin puree (you can leave this out)
How to:
- pre-heat oven to 300 (don’t burn your house down)
- combine all ingredients in medium size bowl
- put mixed medley on a parchment lined baking sheet
- bake for 15-20 min stirring every 5 min
After the granola was completed I moved on to baking some brown bread
I have made a version of this bread before and posted it in skinspot’s newsletter and I also made it in muffin form. However, this fella was a little different than both of those.
I bring you grain-free, spice bread. This bread does not look the prettiest, but I assure you he is delish. I adapted the recipe from this recipe at Eat the Cookie.
The Goods:
- 2c (packed) almond flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 spiced hemp protein powder (you could also use any vanilla or regular flavored protein powder)
- 1c pumpkin puree
- 1/4c molasses
- 1/4 c maple syrup
- approx 20 drops of liquid stevia
- 1/2t baking soda
- 1t cinnamon
- 1/2t nutmeg
- 1/4t ground cloves
- 1/2t sea salt
How To:
- pre-heat oven to 350
- line 9×5 loaf pan w/ parchment paper or grease w/ coco oil
- combine all ingredients in medium size bowl
- pour medley into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes
I enjoyed a slice of this delight this morning for breakfast alongside a little coconut yogurt and berries.
This bread is awesome. It is like good-for-you cake.
After the bread was done, I tried my hand at making raw date balls.
Sadly, these were a fail. They taste pretty good, but they are hideous and really sticky. I will modify and post a recipe for them someday.
I decided that I was donezo with the sweets and moved on to steaming all of the veggies, so we could have veggies on hand for a few days;
And that concludes this week’s kitchen domination.
On a different note, every Tuesday for the past three Tuesdays, I have had the pleasure of having Abby White kick my fanny. Abby is the personal trainer, yoga instructor and holistic health coach over at Bliss Holistic Health. I cannot express what a great inspiration Abby is. First of all, she looks amazing, so she definitely walks her talk, but more importantly her breadth of knowledge on fitness and nutrition is unreal. If you live in Portland, I highly recommend working with Abby. She is shaking up my fitness routine and I couldn’t be more tickled about it.
In other thrilling news, we got a patio set. Woot! However, we are back to traditional Portland weather, so it may be a few days before we get to enjoy ‘er.
I am off to walk the pug.
Happy Monday!
summer lovin’
technically it is not summer yet, but it feels like it. We had blue skies and 80 degree temps this past weekend and we are set to enjoy several more days of this bliss. Given the rain that we usually experience this time of year, I am beside myself with glee.
Saturday started out with left over sprouted quinoa, berries, peanut butter and raw protein powder.
I am not sure how I feel about this protein powder. So far, I don’t love it in smoothies or oatmeal/ quinoa. Perhaps it will be a good protein powder to bake with?
After a quick gym sesh, I came home to do computer work in the sun.
Please ignore my pasty limbs
Burt also got his sun on:
On Sunday we had breakfast at a new coffee shop (however, I forgot my camera, so no photos), I got back on my bike for the first time in a looooong time and I discovered that I actually really like riding outside. I would imagine part of this love affair had to with the weather. After our mini bike ride we got to tackling our house, we cleaned, hung a few pictures, worked on the yard (well, Keith worked on the yard), hit up the grocery store, then made our first grill out feast in our new back yard. Woot!
We are still sans patio furniture, so camping chairs and a side table became our dining material
I dined on this medley of homemade cole slaw, kale, grilled veggies and there is a buffalo burger patty underneath there some where. I made this miso tahini dressing for the kale portion and it was amaze.
I also enjoyed half of sir sweet potato
My dining partner:
My other dining partner
I went inside to grab my dessert and this is what I came out to
I need to take a moment to touch on dessert.
I finally purchased Jordan almonds and cinnamon bears. There is a little bulk candy section at the Grocery store we frequent and every time I pass it, I dream of indulging. I am so glad I did. These nuggets of naughty really hit the spot. This may not be the healthiest of choices, but it was exactly what I was craving, so I only needed a few to satisfy me.
And with that, I am off to walk the pug.
Happy Monday!
what a difference a week makes
Praise be to Pete the move is over and Burt is healthy as a horse
The first area I tackled was the kitchen.
Day 1:
My obsession with bowls is a little out of hand
Day 2: I finally transferred all of the legumes, grains, flours, and sugars into Mason Jars. My clothes and toiletries had yet to be unpacked, but my grains were organized. This is seriously my favorite part of the whole house. I am a weird duck.
Big fan of our bath tub size sink too:
My fixation has also become the oodles of cords we have collected. I want to get rid of them, but what if they go to something important. How the heck do we have so many damn cords!
After stewing over the plethora of cords, I moved on to unpacking the office:
The living room and bathroom also got some love:
We still have pictures to hang and one room to unpack, but the annoying stuff is behind us. I cannot believe how much I hate moving. Good thing we won’t be doing it for a loooong time.
On a different note: I made the most amazing breakfast this AM. “Oatmeal” minus the oats.
I have seen this recipe on the blog Carrots-N-Cake a lot and I have always wanted to try it, but it always seemed too labor intensive for breakfast. I got a wild hair up my fanny today and decided to give it a whirl. I am thrilled that I did so. This delight was worth all of the blood, sweat and tears and I am going to be full for days. I pretty much followed Tina’s recipe except I used pecans instead of walnuts, unsweetened hemp milk instead of almond milk, and I only used 1T of ground flax. I topped w/ 1.5T of peanut butter. I am obsessed. Turns out I do love eggs for breakfast. Woot!
I am off to walk the pug because he still refuses to go to bathroom in his new backyard
one lonely yard
Happy Saturday!
iHerb and a good night’s sleep
My bestie recently told me about Lucky Vitamin as a place to shop to get a good deal on not only supplements, but other household products like cleaning supplies, body lotion, shampoo and such. This spoke to me due to the recent bill I ran up at Whole Foods due to my conditioner, body wash, & body lotion. Lucky Vitamin is superb; however, I was also interested in a supplement called Kavinace (which I will discuss in a minute) and they did not sell that fella, so I gave iHerb a try. iHerb is kind of amazing, they have so many of the goodies I already purchase, but at a better rate and they ship for free on orders over $40.
I purchased body lotion, body wash, conditioner, poop bags for the pug, fish oil for sir Pug, and liquid stevia for over 20% less than I would at Whole Foods. I could have bought so many other things, but I decided to cool my jets. This stuff came so quick and was packaged so well.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional the below review is not medical advice, just a review on what worked for me!
I also purchased Kavinace: the supplement that has changed my life. This fella essentially simmers down anxiety, so you can sleep like a baby. I have had sleep issues for as long as I can remember. I can fall asleep, but I never really feel like I get a deep sleep. This all changed after meeting Mr. K. I take two of these gems at night and I have never slept better. However, if I eat too close to bed or have one glass of wine too many, this guy does does not work his magic, so it really only gets after the anxiety. If anxiety is not the issue that disturbs slumber, then Kavinase will not help.
If interested in purchasing from iHerb they gave me a coupon code to pass along to you fine folk. You will save $5 off your first purchase when you type in coupon code: POZ872. Woot!
Up next…
Grain Free, Sunflower butter, Chocolate Chip Cookies:
heavily inspired by this recipe over at Carrots-N-Cake
The Goods:
- 1c unsweetened sunflower butter
- 1c coconut palm sugar
- 1 egg
- 2/3c chocolate chips
- Sel Gris Noirmoutier finishing salt (completely optional. you could also use coarse sea salt)
How to:
- pre-heat oven to 350
- combine all ingredients in medium size mixing bowl (except the finishing salt)- mix until smooth
- put a small spoonful on greased cookie sheet
- sprinkle cookies with 7-10 salt granules- this really makes these cookies
- cook for 10-12 minutes
- allow to cool before consumption
These cookies are so dang easy to make, tasty, and not too bad for you.
And with that, I am off.
Happy Thursday!!
leeks & brussels
I am obsessed with brussel sprouts for quite some time. Recently, I have been obsessed with leeks. What are leeks?
leeks look like a giant scallions. They are related to garlic, onions, and shallots, but offer a more delicate, sweeter flavor. leeks are filled with oodles of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. However, they are only in season for a short time, so give ‘em a go while you can. In fact, try them in this recipe.
Worchestire brussel sprouts & leeks:
2 key players:
The Goods:
- 1 pound brussel sprouts- stems removed and cut in half
- 1 leek- chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic- chopped
- 2T coconut aminos ( soy sauce or tamari will also work)
- 1.5T Worcestershire Sauce (beware: most conventional Worcestershires contain high fructose corn syrup and other naughties, so be be sure to read the label. I really like The Wizard’s Worcestershire Sauce).
- 3T ghee (could also use butter or EVOO)
- dash of sea salt & fresh, ground black pepper
How to:
- pre-heat oven to 425
- heat 3T of ghee in large skillet
- add leeks & garlic to skillet- saute until soft
- add halved brussel sprouts, Worcestershire Sauce, coconut aminos, sea salt & pepper- saute until soft
- transfer brussel & leek mixture to parchment paper lined cookie sheet or roasting pan
- cook for 25-30 minutes.
I enjoyed these guys with some broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes. Yummm…
Burt dined on Mr. Duck:
Side Note: I just discovered the HBO series, Game of Thrones. I cannot believe I like it, but it is so dang good.
And with that, I am off. Happy Monday!
