Banana Almond Coconut Smoothie

My inspiration for this came from my husband. He loves this place here called The Plant. They make a smoothie like this and it is so good, but at $10 a smoothie no thanks! In my opinion, I think mine is better anyway wink wink!

I have been drinking one of these for breakfast every morning. It's fast, easy, nutritious, and filing. I like that I don't have to sit down and eat it...what busy mom has time for that anyway!!!

Banana Almond Coconut Smoothie

Serves 2

1 whole banana

1 cup coconut milk 

1 cup almond milk

1 TBS of almond butter

Add ins - *optional* 1 TBS chia seeds or 1TBS flax seeds or 1TBS hemp seeds

1 1/2-2 cups of ice

* You can also add a little honey or maple syrup if you like it a little sweeter. 

* You can also use only almond milk and it's still delicious. 

Just toss it all in the blender (love my Vitamix) and blend until smooth. If you use the coconut milk in the dairy isle it won't be as good (in my opinion). It doesn't have much coconut taste.
Canned coconut milk is a better option, but then there is BPA in the lining of the can. I have been making my own for my youngest son A who has multiple food intolerances. It's really easy and to die for good. I will post the recipe and instructions for the one I make. Coconut milk is so good for you too. In moderation obviously, it is high in calories and fat. But the fat is good for you fats and lauric acid a essential medium chain fatty acid. I think this may deserve a separate blog entry, all about coconut!
Yum, so good!! 

Enjoy!!

Homemade Coconut Milk:

Finally, here is my recipe for coconut milk. I add a couple Medjool dates for sweetness. Coconut milk is naturally low in sugar and carbs, which is great for most adults. 

2 cups of dried organic raw coconut flakes

4 cups of filtered water

*Optional* 2 Medjool dates (or any date)

2 pinches of sea salt

Combine all the ingredients in the blender. Blend on high for 3-5 min. in a regular blender, only about 1 min in a Vitamix or high powered blender. I find the longer it blends the smoother and creamier it gets. 
Strain the milk and pulp through a nut milk bag or a fine mesh strainer. I finally decided to try the nut milk bag, and let me tell you. So much easier and less messy!  

Here is a nut milk bag:
I have this one and it works great!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00158U8DU- nut milk bag

That's it! I store mine in an old glass milk bottle in the fridge. It separates so you want to give a good shake each time you use it. It should last 3-4 days. Enjoy! You will never drink canned or boxed coconut milk again.

Red Wine Beef Stew and Herb Dumplings

This is a delicious dish. The red wine adds such depth of flavor. I make it using my homemade beef bone broth. This is super easy to make and is such a great food to consume during the "sick" months due to its ability to boost the immune system. Bone broth is chuck full of vitamins and minerals. I have a post on making chicken bone broth and you can make beef the exact Same way. I make at least one or two batches a week. Chicken, beef or both. I would love to try a pork one too. I made one with leftover ham over Christmas and made an awesome smokey ham and bean soup. You can freeze the broth too. My freezer is stocked. Here is my recipe for the beef stew.

Red Wine Beef Stew and Herb Dumplings
Ingredients:

2-3 lb roast

2 cups beef broth

(I prefer using home made, but if you use store bought be sure to get the low sodium)

1/2 cup of red wine

1 large onion large diced

2 whole cloves of garlic crushed

3 carrots chopped into bite size chunks

3 celery stalks cut in bite sized chunks

6-8 mushrooms sliced

1 tsp of fresh oregano chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme chopped

3 small potatoes chopped into bite size chunks

1/2 can diced tomatoes with juice

3 TBS flour

3 TBS butter

Instructions:

Season beef with sea salt and pepper

Add about a TBS olive oil to hot pan (you want the pan really hot to crisp up the outside of the beef and seal in all the juices)

Brown each side of beef then put in crock pot

Add stock and wine

Add veggies, herbs and 1/2 of the can of tomatoes with the juice

Sauté butter in a pan, or melt in the microwave in a small bowl
Add flour and mix until smooth.
Add to broth mixture.

Cover and cook on low for at least 6 hours

The dumplings only take about 20 min to prepare and cook.
Just before serving mix up the dumplings and allow 15 min for them to cook

Dumplings Recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp raw cane sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 TBS Butter

1/2 Cup milk

Chopped fresh herbs (I used thyme and rosemary)

Mix flour, salt and baking soda and herbs. Cut in butter with a fork or a pastry cutter. Stir in milk until a soft dough forms.

Drop by big spoonfuls into the crock pot. Cover the crockpot tightly with the lid. Cook 15 min. Don't peek, the steam is what cooks the dumplings.

Sausage & White Bean Pasta

Ask my husband and he is sure to tell you that this is my "go to" meal!  Its just so good, so easy, filling and nutritious!  I typically never really make it the same way twice.  The great thing about this blog, is that it might force me to actually write one of my recipes down once and a while so I can remember it next time I want to make it!
I go heavy on the beans and sausage and lighter on the pasta in this dish.  We are trying to limit the amount of refined carbs we take in, so this is a great meal for getting a little taste of pasta, but not over doing it.  Its all about moderation!  Enjoy!

 

Sausage & White Bean Pasta
Ingredients:

1/4-1/2 box of any type of dried Pasta.  I like penne or rotini for this dish.

1 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 Onion chopped

1 clove of Garlic chopped
(I use my garlic press)

1 Cup of White Beans
(I prefer to use dry beans and soak them overnight and cook them on the stove top.  I really prefer the taste and texture much more than canned beans.  They are also much healthier for you that way.  Canned is absolutely fine to use though.  Many a time I have used can and it still tastes good).

2 Pork or Chicken Sausages
(halved and sliced  I really like pork in this particular dish.  The sausage I used was a Salt and Pepper pre cooked pork sausage from Whole Foods)

1 tsp of fresh chopped Oregano

1/2 Cup of Chicken Stock
(I really like to use homemade for cooking, but canned or boxed stock will suffice) 

3 TBS of Mascarpone Cheese

3 TBS of Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in sauté pan on medium
Add the onion and sliced sausage
Cook until the sausage is brown and the onion begins to brown and become translucent
Add the garlic.  Let that cook about 1-2 min.  Garlic burns easily, so keep and eye on it.
Add the beans and the chicken stock to de-glaze the pan.
Simmer on Medium-Low until the sauce starts to thicken up and reduce
Add the oregano, mascarpone and Parmesan cheese.
Mix everything well
Add the cooked pasta to the sauté pan.  Be sure to reserve some of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce out at the end.
Mix well and serve!
I usually sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top as well.

This dish really has endless possibilities, throw in some spinach, kale, broccoli, or whatever!

 

Paleo Herb Crackers

My youngest is on a grain free diet due to multiple food protein intolerances.
A lot of times, children with some type of auto immune dysfunction will have what is called "Leaky Gut Syndrome". I've said this before, but this has just very recently been recognized by the AAP as a true diagnosis. What a huge step! Without getting into too much detail, Leaky gut can cause a variety of gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms.
Here is a quick explanation from Dr. Andrew Weil
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA361058/what-is-leaky-gut.html

Leaky gut syndrome (also called increased intestinal permeability), is the result of damage to the intestinal lining, making it less able to protect the internal environment as well as to filter needed nutrients and other biological substances. As a consequence, some bacteria and their toxins, incompletely digested proteins and fats, and waste not normally absorbed may "leak" out of the intestines into the blood stream. This triggers an autoimmune reaction, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal bloating, excessive gas and cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, skin rashes, and autoimmunity. The cause of this syndrome may be chronic inflammation, food sensitivity, damage from taking large amounts of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), cytotoxic drugs and radiation or certain antibiotics, excessive alcohol consumption, or compromised immunity.
Leaky gut syndrome may trigger or worsen such disorders as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.
My colleague, pediatrician Sandy Newmark, M.D., who deals with leaky gut syndrome in children, tells me that it isn't clear how many people have this disorder or exactly what problems can be attributed to it. Dr. Newmark says that it has been established that a significant percentage of children with autism have increased intestinal permeability, but it isn't known whether this is a cause or an effect of food sensitivities and an underlying metabolic problem.

So back to the crackers!  These are great, because I can give them to both kids and A doesn't feel like he is missing out.  These are really good too.  They are made using almond flour and they have a light buttery crispy texture.  Paleo diet or not, they are good.  I'm am going to try some other flavors.  I already made an apple cinnamon one along with the herb.  I am thinking of making a cheese one for W, and maybe a pumpkin one, and one using my chicken bone broth.  I cut them out in little shapes that were easy for them to pick up.  I'm going to look around for some cute little cookie cutters.  Here is the recipe for the Herb crackers.

 

Paleo Herb Crackers (thanks to http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2011/09/paleo-herb-crackers/)

 

2 cups almond flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoon favorite herbs of choice (I used a blend of pizza seasoning and rosemary)

2 tablespoons water

1 egg white

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine almond flour, salt, and spices in a medium mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the water, egg white, olive oil, and coconut oil (melted).  Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until stiff dough forms and all dry ingredients are wet.
Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to an even thickness of about 1/8 of an inch.  Transfer parchment to a baking sheet pan and remove the top piece of parchment.  Using a pizza cutter trim off uneven edges of dough, then cut the sheet of dough into cracker size pieces/squares.
Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn off oven and let crackers sit inside oven for an additional 10 minutes, until golden.