Homemade tortillas and hummus

Okay, yum! For real. I decided the other day that I needed to make more use of my dehydrator so I came up with a tortilla recipe. Yes, all by myself. (I'm a little proud because it was so good!) Here's the recipe if you're interested.

Yellow pepper quinoa tortillas:

2 cups cooked quinoa
2 yellow peppers cut into strips
1/4 cup chia seeds
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

I halfed the recipe and put half of it in the food processor at a time until the yellow pepper is all mixed in. Spread thinly over paraflex sheets or parchment paper and put in dehydrator at 135 degrees for 3 1/2 hours. I wanted to try with red peppers but I only had one.

One of the tortillas was a little crunchy (probably a little thin) so I broke it up into chips and ate it with salsa!!

Then I made zucchini hummus today. If you've never made it, here's the recipe I use:

Raw Zucchini Hummus Recipe

For this recipe you will need:

Vita-mix (I think it works best for this recipe)
3-4 medium zucchini’s
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c + 2 T of raw organic tahini
1.5 t salt
2 t cumin
4 cloves of garlic
Paprika to garnish

Cut up zucchini and blend them first then add everything else.

So for lunch I was so excited to try my creation!! I thickly spread the hummus over a tortilla, added tomatoes, lettuce and turkey. It was so flavorful. Better than I even expected!!!

Broiled Sole with buttery sauce

I should've taken a picture of the fish! I'm so bad about that!! But I didn't. So I'll just have to tell you what I did with it! :) I bought frozen sole (wild caught) from Trader Joe's. It was quite inexpensive, and I'm trusting that it was wild caught like it claimed!! Next time I'll buy two packs. It was just enough for our family with one, but I'm sure my husband and oldest would've eaten plenty more if given the chance! Plus, Cedar didn't eat tonight because he was sick.

So here's what I did. It was simple and fast and turned out really yummy!

1 pkg. frozen wild caught or fresh wild caught sole (or other mild white fish)--a little over a pound.
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup white wine
juice of one lemon
thyme to taste
Melt butter and whisk last four ingredients together for sauce.

Line pan with raised sides with aluminum foil. Place fish (fresh or defrosted) over foil. Pour buttery sauce over fish. Place in broiler for 10-12 minutes or until fish is flaky.

Perfectly light, yummy and healthy!

Cooking from my garden

Breck was so excited to get to pick the first veggies of the garden

Tonight was somewhat of a "dream come true" for me. I know it may sound dumb, but I finally got to walk down to my own garden, pick real living food from it and take it to my kitchen to cook for supper!! I can't tell you how long I've wanted to be able to do that!!

Here's the basil that I cut for the pesto

Jon was very impressed with the pesto. I have to say--it was yummy!!

We had pan seared chicken and brown rice noodle with pesto sauce. We also had that big, yummy squash with onions. It was all so much better knowing it came straight from our garden! Can't wait for more produce! The garden is beautiful and growing so well. There are so many little squash, zucchinis, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and beans. It's very exciting! I have found, though, that I definitely need to plant more basil. I cut my whole plant back today. We need to make a bigger part of the garden for herbs. We only have a few down there right now. We wanted to start small this year to see what we needed and how it would grow. So far, so good. I'm amazed at how little the weeds grow here--compared to Naples!! :) Now I remember why I loved my flower gardens so much when we lived on Lookout Mtn. They weren't full of endless weeding!! I'll leave you with one more picture. Cedar loved the squash as well!!

Heavenly Healthy Waffles

I know "heavenly" and "healthy" are not too often used in the same title for waffles!! But you can be sure it's deserved here. I made these babies last night for our small group, and they were a hit. They are grain-free, dairy-free, and sweetened with only a touch of honey. Cedar and I finished off the last two this morning!! We ate them up with a serving of the raspberries from the bushes in our backyard!! Can't beat that! These waffles would be delicious with homemade whipped cream (made from coconut whipping cream, of course.) But we just used butter and pure maple syrup last night. This morning Cedar and I had them with butter and agave. Any way you have them--they are delish!! Here's my adapted version of this recipe (with a few changes for the better--IMO)

3 cups almond flour
4 eggs, whisked
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbs arrowroot flour
3 Tbs honey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Whisk together eggs and milk. Add almond flour and mix well. Stir in shredded coconut, arrowroot flour and the rest of the ingredients. My mixture was too thick to pour so I spooned it onto the hot waffle iron. But if you want to add more milk, feel free!

Meatballs!!

I have children with different tastes. Some of you who personally know my children know this is an *understatement* about one of my children in particular!! :) Whenever I say "all my kids loved this" just know that that means 5 out of the 6 unless I specifically say HER!! So in this case--all of my kids loved these (except the one!) I have yet to find anything much beyond plain roasted chicken and peanut butter sandwiches for this one!! But anyway, my others devoured these. They made 24 good size meatballs. If you have a smaller family you can 1/2 the recipe or freeze them (I always love that option!!) I actually ended up freezing 7 of them. I figured I could give them to the kids as a quick meal one night when Jon and I are going out. They wouldn't be a whole meal for anyone (unless a couple of them were gone) but they would be some good protein!! So here they are--

The Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. mild italian sausage
3 celery stalks, diced
1/4 white onion, diced (could use more, but my kids like lesser amounts of onion)
2 carrots, diced
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. garlic powder
4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
pinch of cayenne pepper
sea salt and black pepper to taste

I put the celery, onion, and carrots in the food processor. It gives the taste and nutrition without the kids seeing the chunks of orange and such in the meatball!! :) Plus, it's a lot easier than dicing!! Also, next time I'll leave out the cayenne. I liked it, but it was a bit spicy for a couple of mine. Ones that would have probably eaten another one but just couldn't because it was spicy. :) This wasn't the case with the baby though. He ate two of them--spiciness and all!! Use your hands to mix all ingredients together. Form the mixture into large meatballs.  (I probably did between a golf ball and a baseball size.) Place them on the bottom of a crock pot, stacking if necessary. (I cooked them on the stovetop in a deep pan on low for about 2 hours.)


The Sauce
16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 fresh tomato, chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Cover the meatballs with the tomato sauce and cook 6-8 hours on low. (In the crock pot.)

America's drug of choice

So I've started on another 30 day kick. For some reason I feel the need to do things for 30 days!! :) Although since I started Aug. 1, it will probably be 31 days since there's 31 days in the month. My plan this month has been to do all raw for the first part of the day (breakfast, lunch, snacks) and then Paleo for dinner. If you don't know what Paleo is, you can click the link. I'm not going to take too much time to explain it here. Basically, it's eating only meats, veggies, fruit, seeds and nuts. What that means is NO dairy, NO grains, NO sugar. It makes sense to me that this way of eating would be good for our bodies. Well, it is good for my body anyway. I'm still convinced that there is no ONE right way for everyone to eat. But I know that grains do bad things to me!! Especially wheat and gluten-filled grains. But I'm pretty sure any and all of them could do some damage!! :) But no matter what your body type is, no matter what "diet" is best for you, I can promise you that we would all be better off without SUGAR!


Yes, that is America's drug of choice. I have heard that it was a drug, and I've come to definitely believe it. I used to think and I've heard others say *God made sugar cane so surely it's okay for us to eat it in it's natural, unrefined state.* So as long as you use "pure cane sugar" you're fine.... right? Funny thing is--it does the same bad stuff to your body and keeps you in a dependent state on it. Lately I've started thinking about other "natural" things that God put on this earth. Hmmmm, the tobacco plant is natural, but we shouldn't smoke it or we're in danger of lung cancer. We pretty much all agree on that one. What about natural marijuana? That's something that most of us would agree that we shouldn't smoke as well, right? There are poisonous berries, mushrooms, and plants. Those are all in the natural world, but it would do our bodies harm to eat them. So why are we so convinced that *God gave us sugar cane so it couldn't be too bad!*? 


Think about it. We hear people say all the time, "I just have a sweet tooth" or "I just NEED a little something sweet after a meal" or "I just feel better when I have a little sugar." We say these things and think of them as just normal. It's just part of someone's personality. One person likes sweet, another person likes salty. It's just likes and dislikes, right? The problem is that sugar wreaks havoc on our bodies! The first and most noticeable example of this in America is that it makes us FAT! Look at Americans today. Statistics say that 65% of Americans are obese!! That's crazy ridiculous!! Now, I'm not blaming that all on sugar. The fact that people are lazy doesn't help! But look at the rise of diabetes in the last three decades. In 1980, there were just under 500,000 new cases diagnosed. In 2009, there were almost 2 million!! We've got to take a look at this huge jump and figure out what we're doing as a culture to cause this! 


According to this website the average American consumes 2-3 lbs. of sugar a week. In the last 20 years, our consumption has jumped from 26 lbs. per person per year to a whopping 135 lbs. per person per year!! Is it any wonder why diabetes has shot up?? And going back even further, before the turn of the century the average person only consumed 5 lbs. of sugar per year!! That was back before we had the obesity problems, the cardiovascular problems, and the cancer that we have today. 


There is such a long list of things that sugar can do to our bodies, that I'm just going to copy and paste them from this website right here so that you don't have to go look for yourself! :)

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
• Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
• Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
• Sugar can promote tooth decay.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
• Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
• Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
• Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
• Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in thekidney.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar can cause hypertension.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes.
• Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

Now, believe me, I'm just as guilty as anyone. I known a lot of this stuff for a long time. I've even been off sugar several times over the last few years. It's a lot easier for me to go off then it is for me to make my kids go completely off!! They tend to buck me a little more than I do myself. But it's what I know I should do--for their sake and well being. Now, they are pretty active kids so they burn it pretty quickly. There's not one of them that's overweight or unhealthy. But that's no excuse. It's my responsibility right now to teach them healthy habits for a lifetime. My 14 year old is actually the best about sugar intake. He's just naturally a pretty healthy eater. The food he chooses is usually pretty healthy. Most of my others will eat healthy food when it's put in front of them. But most of them will also choose fast food (pretty much Chick-fil-A or Jason's Deli are the only choices for that these days) over eating at home. Hmmm, hits a little close to home there!! I think that's a learned habit!

So once again I'm off of sugar. It's going on five days now. I had some cloudiness the first couple of days, but I'm doing better. But I promise, go cold turkey off of sugar (if you are one who finds you "have a sweet tooth") and tell me you aren't addicted! Sugar feeds yeast in our bodies which can lead to all sorts of problems--starting in early infancy. Each time I do this I say, "I'm never going back!" And here I am, once again. I know this about myself. I am an *ALL OR NOTHING* kind of girl. I have to have the "rules" to live by. If I tell myself that I'm going to do a certain kind of diet for 30 days, I'll do it. I won't back down. I have the will power. Even if I tell myself I'm going to stop eating something for good, I can do it. I haven't eaten gluten since October, and even though it's a pain sometimes, I don't give in. But if I give in once--if I tell myself I'll just "watch" it--you can forget it!! It's over. So I know that I will have to tell myself *no more sugar forever.* That kind of hurts right now. It makes my heart a little sad--okay, a lot sad! But we'll see how it goes.

I've always been frustrated that I'm not one of those girls who just loses weight easily, that I'm not naturally skinny no matter what I eat. You know those girls you just want to hit?? Well, I guess I'm thankful (sort of) now. If I was naturally skinny and didn't have to think about it, I don't think I would have set out on the journey that I have. I don't think I would have been so determined to figure out this nutrition thing. I know I wouldn't be so determined to cut sugar out of my diet! But since I am, I think I'm the better off for it! 

Cutting out gluten is one thing--cutting out sugar is another! God will have to be the one to give me strength for that one!! He is the ultimate end in my quest for health. He is the giver of life, perfect healthy life. His ways are best. His word is best and has the answers--even for our health. 

Raw "dessert"

I made some raw cookies yesterday in the dehydrator. I got this dehydrator a few months ago and posted once on here about the fruit leathers we made. They weren't such a huge success because they were very tart. I guess I need to work on the sweetness without sugar!! But yesterday I wanted to try some cookies in the dehydrator. They are so yummy and healthy all at the same time. The kids love them!! And I can even give them to Cedar knowing that they are good for him--full of live enzymes.  I forgot to take pictures until I spread the mixture out on the paraflexx sheet so sorry. And, I never measure so sorry about that as well!!

Ingredients:

Sesame seeds

raw coconut

raw dates

I probably used about 1/2 cup of sesame seeds (maybe a little less) and soaked them in water (just enough to cover them) for about 2-3 hours. Sesame seeds don't get "gelatiny" in water the way flax seeds do but the water make them "sprouted" and keep them a little sticky. Spoon the sesame seeds out into a food processor, add coconut (maybe 1/4 cup?) and about 6 big dates. Add some water from the sesame seeds as needed to keep mixture moist and sticking together. Process until everything is mixed well. The only thing I'll do differently next time is probably make the dates into a "paste" in the vitamix first. The food processor left bigger chunks than I wanted, and even though the taste was even, I'd like for there to be a more even look to it--just aesthetically speaking.

Then I spread the mixture out on a "Paraflexx" sheet for the dehydrator.

Then I scored it with a knife into squares.

Then I put it in the dehydrator. Raw foods should not be cooked above 105-116 degrees (depending on who you ask.) But the air in the dehydrator can be higher than that the first couple of hours because it takes a while for it to get warmed up. So I put the temp dial on 145 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. After that I turn it down to 105. From the charts and examples I've looked at, the temp of the food never gets above 90 degrees doing it this way--which is the important part anyway. This speeds up the process by hours depending on what you are drying. I put this in yesterday around 2:30 at 145 degrees.  After 1 1/2 hours I turned the temp to 105. I took them out last night before bed at around 11. I would have liked to have left it in another couple of hours but not all night so I decided to get it out then. The cookies are a tiny bit chewier than I would like--but I've had them that way out of the bag as well. I do like these pretty crunchy. But Breck, Cama-Jane and Cedar have loved them!! Below is my lunchtime "dessert" with almond butter and coffee!! Yummy!! Breck enjoyed them with almond butter as well, but CJ liked hers plain.

Happy Eating!!

Chicken Strips

So I've got another gluten free recipe. It's nothing earth shattering--just chicken strips!! :) But sometimes that's what I need--something easy and quick with not much thought. I hadn't tried them yet because I didn't know exactly what flours to use, but I just decided to go for it tonight. I mixed one part millet flour and one part sweet sorghum flour. I added celtic sea salt and Old Bay seasoning (yes, I checked, and it's gluten free as well.) I always dip my chicken in egg first to keep the batter on really well. I used sunflower oil in the deep fryer to fry them in. (Yes, I know deep frying is a horrible thing, but sometimes you just gotta fry something up!!) They were really good--especially with homemade honey mustard!!

Gluten free breaded Grouper

I like to share gluten free meals sometimes when I find something that works for us and everyone likes. Tonight was one of those nights so I thought I would share. We were down at the park downtown for much of the afternoon. It was a beautiful, breezy 81 degrees here today--a much needed break from the low to mid 90's we've had lately. So the seven of us took a picnic to the park and had a nice day together. The playground was actually closed for painting over the next couple of weeks, but we ate, climbed trees, played shuffleboard and then played in the game room. So we were packing up to go home and thought about the fact that I had nothing planned for supper! I remembered the nice little fresh fish place that sells wild caught fish that they've caught that morning. My family (especially my oldest son) loves fish, but I don't cook it too often because I only want to cook wild caught. If you are not familiar with the dangers of farmed fish, please see here and here. Or just google it, and you'll get plenty of info! While wild caught is more expensive, I think after you've done a bit of research, you'll agree it's worth it!

So I went over the fish market and bought 1 1/2 lbs. of black grouper. Here's what I did with it. I didn't measure anything so I can't give any measurements, but I usually don't measure stuff so that's not unusual. I got my skillet ready with olive oil and a few squirts of lemon juice. In a bowl, I made a mixture of parmesan cheese, millet flour, thyme and oregano. I cut the fish into nice size fillets (because wild caught usually comes in bigger chunks--you'll need a good fillet knife) and coated them in the parmesan mixture. Then I placed them in the skillet. It took me two rounds to make all the fish. I try to only flip it once during the cooking time. Pan fry until flaky.

Along with the fish we had roasted red skinned potatoes roasted in olive oil, garlic salt, oregano and thyme. We also had chard sauteed with garlic and onions. I usually use fresh tomatoes and mushrooms in this saute, but I didn't have any. I thought I had some canned diced tomatoes, but I didn't so it ended up just the chard. I liked it, though, because the onions caramelized and it was yummy. The kids weren't as impressed, but they ate it. Cama-Jane loved it though because she slurped up every bit on her plate.

Each of the kids (except Liza-Hill, of course) had seconds of the fish and potatoes. Trand was very disappointed that everyone liked it so much because he was looking forward to eating everyone's share!

Yummy meal, healthy and gluten free!! Just my style!

Fruit Leathers

Today I finally tried out my food dehydrator that has been sitting on my kitchen counter for about two months now! I even sat down and read the book that came with it so I'm very excited to try some more things in the upcoming future, but today I tried something really easy--fruit leathers (or "fruit roll-ups" as the brand name goes.) I didn't take pictures along the way, but I did take them of the finished product.

I did one plain strawberry--for my picky girl, and then I did two more with strawberries, banana and vanilla yogurt added to it. I have to say after tasting the strawberry/banana, I think that the plain strawberry will be better! There was too strong of a banana taste. It was fine, but I don't know how my kids will like it. I think they'll love the plain one, though.

My "recipe" for the plain one was 5 strawberries and a tiny bit of water (didn't measure it) and a tiny squeeze of agave in the Vita Mix and pureed. Pour it on a paraflex sheet for a food dehydrator and spread it (thinner in the middle so the outside edges don't get brittle.) Put it in the dehydrator for 6-8 hours on 135 degrees. (Although it's still considered raw because even though the air temp gets hotter than 118 degrees, the food doesn't.) It took 6 hours for the plain one because there was less liquid. My "recipe" for the other was one banana (maybe do only 1/2 if you want the banana flavor--would probably be better), 6-7 strawberries, 3 to 4 spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt, and a tiny squeeze of agave. Puree in the Vita Mix and pour. This made two leathers.

After it was done. These took about 8 hours because they had more liquid in them.

Then I rolled them up in plastic wrap (probably really bad, but we plan on eating them tomorrow) to keep them fresh. I need to figure out a better way of storing--maybe parchment paper??

One thing that I do think is essential, though, is to have a good dehydrator. I got an Excalibur which is top of the line, but I was told it was worth it. I think that's probably true. Now I've never made these with any other dehydrator, but I was told by others that they had trouble getting their's to dry evenly--some parts were chewy while others were hard and brittle--and that they had trouble with them breaking while trying to get off the sheets. I didn't have any of this, and it was our first time (plus, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing!!) So with total ease, we pulled this off, and they are a great snack for the kids and something different than just pulling out the strawberries or bananas again.

Roasted pear and blueberry chicken salad

Tonight's supper (before the goat cheese--completely forgot to put it on!)

Roasted pear and blueberry chicken salad with raspberry walnut vinaigrette.

There is the completed salad!! So yummy!! 

Jon has started P90X again because he's gained back just about all the weight he lost last year!! Poor thing. He's just like me! All or nothing! So he's been up before the crack of dawn exercising like crazy (and puking like crazy) and trying to eat right again. Last time I got up and made omelets every morning for him, but last time I was sleeping a full nights sleep beforehand!! I average getting up at least twice a night these days so I'm not really raring to go cook breakfast for him a 7am. So I've been up at 7:30 to make him a protein smoothie and send him off to work. It works. I'm sure he'd much rather have the omelet, though. I'll have to do that on Saturday! :)

Cheesy drop biscuits

A friend of mine sent me this recipe the other day, and I decided to try it out. These were so yummy and even liked by [most of] my kids! I was even able to give Cedar his first pieces of bread because the recipe is with coconut flour--not a grain! He, of course, thought it was wonderful! We ate them with whole roasted chicken (plain, of course--my kids' favorite!), long grain brown rice (cooked in chicken stock makes it so much yummier) and roasted beets. It was nice to add some bread back into our gluten free meals. The boys especially made several comments about how long it had been since we'd had bread at a meal! :)

3 farm fresh eggs
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 C diced onions
1 C cheddar cheese
1/3 C coconut flour
1/4 C liquid ghee (I used melted butter instead)

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients, drop onto cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Recipe said it made 6 biscuits, but I got 8 really good sized ones. I don't know who's eating those huge 6 biscuits!! :)

The recipe also said to reheat them, you could fry them in coconut oil in a pan. I'm sure that would be good for breakfast, but we don't ever have leftovers at our house!!

Two gluten free recipes

I thought I would share a couple of recipes that I use quite often. Whether you are living gluten free because of Celiac or intolerances, or if you just choose to live that way because it's a healthier lifestyle, these are two great recipes. The first is a yummy "dessert" smoothie. Usually I make my smoothies for the purpose of getting whole nutritious foods into my kids with fresh fruit, greens and vegetables. But sometimes I just really need a sweet snack--but I shouldn't be eating sugar with Cedar. Here's what I've come up with that's totally yummy, packed with protein, potassium and antioxidents, and gluten, dairy, yeast, and sugar free (except for the little amount of natural sugar in the banana.) The second is just a traditional white sauce that can be used in anything--chicken pot pie filling, used "alfredo" style with noodles, used to thicken soups, sauces and gravies, etc. Last night I just made the "filling" of chicken pot pie with chicken, white sauce, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms with no "pie" part! The kids love it!

Peanocolate Smoothie

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 banana
heaping spoonful of peanut butter (more if you want!) :)
1 Tbsp. raw cocao powder
1 tsp. stevia (or sweetened to your taste)
handful of ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend away! So yummy and creamy and SWEET!! Which is what I tend to crave--and that's hard when you're on a no sugar diet!!

"Un"Traditional White Sauce


4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
2 Tbsp. sorghum flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk (you can use dairy, goat, almond, rice, coconut--whatever--or use a mixture!!)

Melt butter in a saucepan on stove. Add flour one Tbsp. at a time, whisking immediately to keep from clumping. After mixture is creamy add one cup of milk, whisking until creamy. Then add the second cup of milk. Turn burner very low and let simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Mixture will thicken with time. For thicker sauce add less milk. Also, this is enough sauce for my size family. You could easily half this recipe. You can also use any kind of flour. I have just found that this works really well. I have wanted to use millet but haven't done that yet.

Teaching our kids to be fast food junkies

*I realize that this post may make some readers mad. I'm sorry. I'm not apologizing for writing it. I am sorry if you get mad when reading it. I'm talking to myself as well (my past self and even sometimes my present self.)


Let's face it. We live in a face paced, give-it-to-me-now world. It's all about convenience and how quick we can get it. Think back 15 years ago. We had the internet. We had email. But most of us had dial up. To get online we sat down at our computer, clicked on AOL, signed in and heard that horrible screechy sound then a loud ring. Screechy sound again before we connected, and if we were lucky we'd connect the first time and hear that beloved, "You've got mail." I remember being about to sign in then get up fix a snack before coming back to actually surf the web (which also took forever!) If we had to go through that today, we'd be on the phone so fast with our internet provider it would make our heads spin! We wouldn't put up with that. Nor should we. We have the technology now to make it quicker, and that's okay. Sometimes quicker IS better. But in the case of food--it's not, and it's scary what our expectations are doing to our children.

This starts very, very early. Breastfeeding isn't always the "quickest" thing to get. It's not just easy for most people. Yes, it's the most natural thing in the world--except when it's not. It's work. It takes commitment. And it takes time. Lots of moms aren't willing to give that time. They know that "breast is best" but they are way too quick to say, "It's just not working for me." I believe that formula is way too accessible in this day in America. In other countries, you have to have a prescription to get it. So there it starts.... an easy fix. Give the baby a bottle. After all, the pediatrician tells us it's almost just as good, right. I've even heard that some pediatricians today are still saying it's JUST as good. And you can find it anywhere--justification. Yes, there are reasons for not breastfeeding. There are instances (very few) when moms really, physiologically can't do it. In old times, these babies would have had to have a wet nurse or have been given goat's milk (which has much closer proteins to human milk that cow's.) But everyone expected that they would nurse their baby because that's how babies ate!
So most moms in America turn to formula.

Around 4 to 6 months (because that's when the doctors start telling them to) they start strolling down the grocery aisle to the baby food. What are they in? Jars. Jars that have been sitting on the shelves for quite some time and have an expiration date of at least a year away. Hmmm, I wonder how vegetables and fruit can sit on shelves for over a year? Preservatives. That's the only way. So from the very beginning, we start spooning preservatives in our babies' mouths. Not to mention the cereals. We aren't even asked to give them cereal with any nutrition--just dehydrated flakes of white rice that do nothing but expand and sit in our babies' tummies to make them full. Hey, it does the trick to make them sleep through the night, right? Everyone knows today that white rice isn't good. We all know to eat brown rice for any nutrition. White rice (along with white flour, white pasta, white potatoes, etc.) is pure sugar once it's in our bodies. Why would we give that to our babies? Their guts are not ready to digest all that so it sits and rots in their tummies--causing all sorts of gastrointestinal issues including leaky gut syndrome early on and all sorts of other colon trouble later.

As they get older, look a little further down the aisle. You will find more preservative filled snacks--quick and easy. Baby food companies know exactly what moms want to hear. They claim to be nutritious. They are also quick and easy. What more could we ask for? So we fill their bowls and tummies full of grains that they can't digest well because, let's face it, it's easy! It keeps them busy for a few minutes or happy in the car or while we are sitting at a restaurant. What are we teaching them, though? Bad eating habits and the fact that food can fill the time as well as their stomachs.

So then our babies are toddlers. We venture into the world of microwaveable toddler meals. Quick and easy once again--all under the guise of good nutrition. Carrots and peas--what could be bad about those? Well, maybe the fact that they are loaded with preservatives once again. Sometimes we're still shoving jar food down them because it's easy to make sure they get their "veggies." And don't forget the fast food meals that come into play at this point. Which of us hasn't been guilty of driving through the drive thru to get our toddler a happy meal? Now, I'll admit it happens a lot sooner with the later ones coming a long. You can keep your first ones away from that stuff a lot longer. Then by the time number 3 or 4 comes--forget it! Right? Well, I admit this is where I fail a lot. Our life is busy. I'll admit. What's the solution when you are out and it's lunch time? I know lots of moms who pack lunches to take. I've done that. I really have. It's not so bad. But doing it a lot with six kids gets really time consuming! So a lot of times I go to Jason's Deli--trekking in with all six kids and one adult is quite the show, I can promise. The workers there know me, and the managers talk to me personally! :) I guess I bring a lot of business when I walk through the door! But it's so much more worth it than another meal of chicken nuggets.

But still.... is Jason's Deli really the answer? If I'm honest, I'll tell myself "no." The answer is more nutritious whole food at HOME!

So there it begins.... from the very beginning we choose the fast and easy way. What our children need is whole, nutritious food from us. They need to be taught that faster is not always better. They need to know that they don't turn to food for comfort or entertainment. Our children in America are obese. Look around. It's sad! They eat crap and they don't get enough exercise. And starts with the nutritional habits of mom and dad. Let's commit to doing better. There are tons of resources to help you with ways to get good food into your children in easy ways. Children eat what they are given (for the most part.) Train them early and it's much easier than having to untrain and train again! Smoothies are a great way to get wholesome fruit in them plus throw in a little green spinach as well. My 7 month old is already drinking them. I don't use dairy so I don't worry about that--just a little coconut water. Also, let your babies eat what you eat. This solves a lot of the texture issues that children have as they are growing up. You may need to pulse it through a food processor a couple of times, but that's okay. They can eat it!

Play with some recipes. Have fun in the kitchen with your children. They are more likely to eat it if they help make it! And start from the beginning teaching your kids to be Health Nuts rather than Fast Food Junkies!!

Craving cherries

I've been craving cherries lately! I'm talking about REAL cherries here--not the kind in a jar that you put on ice cream sundaes! :) I buy two bags a week and usually end up eating them within just a couple of days of going! I decided to look up the health benefits of cherries, and here's what I found. I also know from my chiropractor that they are a good liver cleanser. I'm sure there are many other benefits, but I thought these were worth posting. We always "hear" how good stuff is for us, but it's nice to know what it actually can do for our bodies. So I thought I would share just in case you are have a craving for cherries as well!!

• Help prevent and fight cancer Cherries are a rich source of healthy antioxidants, which help to repair damaged cells in the body. They containqueritrin, a potent anticancer agent. They also contain ellagic acid, which experts believe is one of the most useful compounds for cancer prevention. Another compound found in cherries is perillyl alcohol (POH), effective in reducing the occurrence of all types of cancer; it stops the spread of cancerous cells by depriving them of the crucial proteins they require in order to grow.
• Act as an anti-inflammatory. Cherries can help with pain relief; they contain anthocyanin andbioflavonoids, which are compounds that produce a similar effect to that of aspirin or ibuprofen. These compounds can relieve or prevent head and body aches, and even ease the symptoms of arthritis and gout.
• Improve the body’s Circadian Rhythms. A natural sleep aid, melatonin is abundant in cherries. This antioxidant helps to regulate your sleeping and waking pattern, and since it is found in small quantities in the human body, the dose in cherries can work wonders.
• Fight against premature aging. The compoundsisoqueritrin and queritrin work to eliminate the byproducts of oxidative stress, and thereby slow the aging process.
• Serve as a healthy snack. Cherries are tasty and nutritious: one cup, approximately 21 cherries, contains no fat, about 90 calories, no sodium, and no cholesterol. They’re also a great source of fiber, potassium (270 mg. per serving, to be exact!) and vitamin C.

Smoothies for Cedar

I usually try to make a few smoothies a week for the kids to get some good, whole food in them in a yummy way. Sometimes they like them. Sometimes they don't. I don't seem to be able to get away with hiding anything in mine!! I must not know how to do it because they always call me out on it! Trand is the only one who will still drink his even when he's "found me out." The others are pretty particular. Anyway, this morning I didn't try to hide anything in. I just made a yummy smoothie, and Cedar has found a new favorite! It was banana, orange and pear. I gave him a little of mine. I'm sure all that sugary fruit wasn't the best for his yeast!! But after I gave him a taste, I couldn't get him to stop! Here are some pictures from our smoothie exploration experience!

He loved Mommy's smoothie!

And then he wouldn't let Mommy drink anymore!

Babies usually get what babies want!

Pan Seared Grouper with Mango Salsa

I made a yummy dish tonight. My oldest loves fish and has been very disappointed lately with his lack of choices of food so I decided to get him some fish. I don't cook fish too often. That's not because I don't like it or don't know how. It's because I know that I should buy "wild caught" fish instead of "farmed" fish--which means waaaaay more money that I want to pay for it!! But I figured he was worth it so I got some today. Anyway, thought I would share the recipe because it was very good--and very easy!!

1 mango diced
1 papaya diced
3/4 - 1 C pineapple diced
1/2 red pepper diced (and sauteed)
2 tsp. diced jalepeno
fresh cilantro (I didn't put too much b/c my husband doesn't like it)
juice of two limes

Grouper filets
olive oil

Mix the first ingredients for the salsa and set aside.

Pour olive oil in cast iron pan. Sear filets about 3 -4 minutes on each side. Top with salsa and serve.

So yummy and good for you too!!