To Beer Or Not To Beer? That Is The Question!

Today I had the bright idea that we would move ALL the kids rooms around (4). I told my husband maybe you should get a some beer so you can do this wonderful project of mine! He then informed me he can't because we gave up gluten! Duh beer is made of wheat! Way to go me! So my amazing husband decided that he would give the ONLY gluten free beer that was available at the store a chance. Lets just say it is not what he is use to. ( If you like Budweiser then you should be fine) I feel bad. But as he puts it "If the whole family is not having gluten then he is not too!" Who wins Dad Of The Year?! Peter!!

Forget Skee Ball, How Many Tickets Do I Get For Paleo Cupcakes!

So heres the deal...... As a parent I have started to wondering how we were going to do outings with the kids that involved other people and "normal" food.  Our daughter has been doing great with taking lunch to school every day.  So one challenge done!  Last Sunday we were invited to my nephew's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.  And as we all know birthday parties involve pizza and cake....which are YUMMY, but filled with gluten, dairy, refined sugars and artificial dyes which we all have given up.  So super mom mode kicked in!  Ok,  obviously we lunch at home before we go, pizza part is now dealt with.  Now on to the cake...... Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes, some with Paleo Chocolate Frosting, and some with just Carob Chips onto (in photo below)!  These cupcakes were so good that the kids didn't even think twice about them!  Chalk one up for the rents!!

Peter LOVING his cupcake with chocolate frosting! (see above for links to recipes)

Love cups

Bacon Egg Love Cups!

Breakfast this morning was great! It was the favorite, Paleo Banana Pancakes and bacon, but today we threw in a little protein blast and had these amazing bacon and egg cups. These are super delicious and really easy to make!

Here's how:
Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 F. Now lightly spray a muffin pan with olive oil cooking spray. Now cook the bacon about half way, or a little more. You want it safe to eat but not crispy.
Once your it's ready place one piece in each muffin cup and wrap it so it forms a little cup of bacon love. Now season and whisk your eggs. Four eggs should make six of these. Be careful not to over fill the cups as they will expand in the oven. About 2/3 full is plenty. Bake them for about 15 min. or until the egg is no longer runny. Remove from the oven and serve hot. Delish!!

Not food, but still FUN

So I know our blog is about eating better but wanted to share these super cool ornaments I found online...... http://www.wooz.dk/?p=4522.

Grease whatever cookie cutter you want to use. I had some neat ones from Ikea. There's a moose and squirrel. You just can't go wrong with those two! Lol then grease a baking pan. I used a crappy one I use for projects like these! Then place cookie cutters on pan and place perler beads in cutters. Only do one layer of the beads. Place in oven at 375 F for about 25 mins or until they have started to melt. Take out of oven, let cool for a couple of minutes. Remove from place and place in cool water to completely harden. I found that a couple some what stuck to the pan and had to use a spatula to help loosen them. When adding string to them some have holes where the string will go through others I had to make a hole with a nail and hammer!

Enjoy! Easy and fun to make!

Parent FAIL....Daughters lunch today!

Might Not Qualify For Parent Of The Year!

Since we have started packing lunches for our daughter for school we have been struggling finding foods that would be fun yet on our diet that she would love to bring for lunch.  For the most part we have won, but man today we FAILED! We made what we thought at the time would be a good Gluten Free wrap.......well lets just say the wrap tasted like.....ASS! I cant believe we didn't taste them before we sent her to school with that! LOL Well Lesson # 3, "Maybe try new food before sending daughter to school with it!"  I promised her I will make up for it tomorrow........with  CHICKEN MEATBALLS, she cheered!

I Like To Roll Chicken!

Bacon Chicken Rolls

This might be one of the easiest recipes we have made lately, and the most fun.....I got to use a HAMMER!!! And no I didn't end up get hurt, or breaking anything! LOL Also this meal fits into our diet of being Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and of course Dye Free!

(Servers 4)

Stuff you will need:

- 2 BIG chicken breast, trimmed of fat
- 8 slices of bacon
- 12 pieces of asparagus
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
(And really any other seasonings you want to add, I added a little garlic in ours too.)

Now filet each piece of chicken.  Next flatten chicken piece with hammer or meat tenderizer. Then roll chicken up with 3 pieces of asparagus and wrap chicken with 2 piece of bacon. Place in slow cooker on low for 4 hours!  

This meal is now added to our family's list of favorites!!

OMG Coconut Doughnuts!

These coconut doughnuts are FREAKING AMAZING!! Our 7 year old daughter came up to me and told me I was the best mom ever!!! Ahhhh! Best part is that they are Gluten-Free, Dairy Free and Naturally Sweetened!

Coconut Flour Doughnuts!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup coconut flour

- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 6 eggs

- 1/2 cup honey

- 1 tablespoon vanilla

- 1/2 cup coconut oil - softened 

Method:

- Preheat oven 305 degrees F

- Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl

- Use a mixer on low, and blend in all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

- Mix till well-blended

- Fill doughnut pan about 2/3 full

- Bake for 14 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean

Honey Dipped Toasted Coconut Topping!!

- Warm a few tablespoons of honey in microwave (about 10 seconds). Toast coconut in oven at 300 degrees F for about 6 mins.  Dip each doughnut into honey then into toasted coconut.

ENJOY!!!!!

Aunt Gina and Uncle Matt Banana Pancakes

Banana Egg Pancakes

(1 serving) makes 3 small/med. pancakes

This super yummy, yet so simple recipe comes from Aunt Gina, Uncle Matt and Chester! Thanks guys for introducing us to these amazing pancakes!

Stuff you need......are you ready???

1 ripe banana
1 egg

Really, thats it? Yep!! Now mash the banana and egg together in a bowl. We like to use again thanks to them coconut oil in the pan so the pancakes wont stick. We use just a little bit for each pancake. Now pour some batter into the pan and cook just like a normal pancake, just a couple mins on each side till they are golden brown!

We can make 3 pancakes (small) out of 1 egg and 1 banana. So for each person eating use a egg and banana per person! To make them even more yummier add a side of strawberries and bacon. And we then top the pancakes (3) with 1 tablespoon of real maple syrup!

So far we have made this breakfast 6 days in a row. The kids freaking LOVE them!!!! Again thanks Matt, Gina and Chester!!!!

DEAR, Refined Sugar I miss you!

Today is a struggle for me.  I really, REALLY want "normal" brownies and those Peanut Butter Cookies with a Heresy Kiss in the middle of them! I want them so bad I can taste them. But I am stronger than my urge and I will not give in and drive to store and buy everything I need. Yes I have already thought about it!  So instead I will settle for a nice ripe banana! Changing our diet is a struggle but I have to remember it is for the GOOD!!!

Paleo Chocolate Pudding??? What??!!

WHAT, PALEO CHOCOLATE PUDDING? Yes Please!!

So as I was looking for more Paleo snacks for the kids, (again can only eat so many carrots) I ran across this paleo chocolate pudding.  What I found interesting yet slightly gross was that they used avocado in the recipe. What, avocados??? Well I gave it a chance today and as Dexter says "Holy Moly its Great!"
I would say its not like "normal" chocolate pudding but if you give it a chance it really is good, and GREAT for you!!!

So here we go:

2 - Ripe Avocados
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add everything together in a bowl and use a mixer to blend WELL!! I mixed it for a while, making sure that all the avocado was mixed in.  Really didn't want to find a SURPRISE pocket of avocado in the pudding.  So blend and blend some more. Then place in fridge to cool! Next step.........ENJOY!

Oh So Yummy Mustard Glazed Pork Medallions

Oh So Yummy Mustard Glazed Pork Medallions

(Serves 4)

Lunch today was frikkin' awesome! I made pork medallions coated with a seasoned mustard sauce with a side of roasted curry cauliflower. Delicious!

For the pork:

1 lb pork loin
1 Tbsp whole grain or country dijon mustard
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp each of the following:
fresh cracked pepper
sea salt
paprika
onion powder
garlic powder
rosemary
thyme

Mix all of these, except the pork, in a medium bowl and set aside.
Now you need to cut the pork loin into 12 medallions. Place all of the pork in the bowl with the mustard mixture and mix it up with your hands. Make sure all of the pork is coated.
Heat a large skillet or frying pan to medium high heat. Place pork in pan making sure not to crowd the meat. If the pieces are to close together they will just steam instead of searing and crusting. Leave about  two inches in between each piece. You may need to cook this in batches. Cook the pork for three to four min on each side. Remove and loosely cover with foil. Let the meat rest for a few min. Serve on top of the cauliflower.

For the cauliflower:

Pre heat oven to 375f.
Spray baking sheet with Olive Oil cooking spray
Cut cauliflower into small florettes and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly spray cauliflower with Olive Oil cooking spray and sprinkle on curry powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Put on as much or as little of each as you like. Place in the oven and leave it alone for at least ten min. Cauliflower is done when it is golden brown and easily pierced with a fork.

We do it for the chickens!

We buy free ranged chicken eggs because we care about the chickens!

Because We Carob-Out Our Kids

Our kids LOVE cookies, but they are shitty for you.  So after a little research we came up with these little gems! Enjoy! 

Because We Carob-Out Our Kids Cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup Almond Flour

1/4 cup Honey

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 cup Coconut Oil (softened)

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 cups Carob Chips

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 305 degrees

- Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

- Mix all ingredients together expect for carob chips

- Now add in carob chips

- Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the cookie dough. Keep cookie dough 3 inches apart.  PRESS DOWN TO SLIGHTLY FLATTEN COOKIE.

- Bake for about 6 - 10 mins.  Cookies should be golden brown on bottom. Don't over cook!

- Cool cookies for about 10 mins on cookie sheets

I can't get over it, it's natural!

Today is our daughters 7th birthday and one of our fears was that her birthday cake would be FULL of refined sugars and spread with Red dye 40. Well Grandma Lisa saved the day and made the perfect cake for our princess! Thanks so much!!! Together Grandma Lisa and Pennelope made a low sugar vegan chocolate cake. The best part is they used raspberry jam and a teaspoon of red wine to color the frosting! Genius!! No need for artificial dyes! Knowing we can dye food natural makes me excited to make Christmas cookies, when I find a recipe that fits our new diet! So tip #2 dye foods natural and avoid harsh food dyes!

I didn't hand you a menu, I handed you a meal!

So being on our new diet we have had some trying times with our 4 year old. He seems to think that maybe our microwave is the same from the Jetsons and can order what he pleases. Well guess what little man, we eat as a family!

Hello New Yogurt!

Here is an item that is approved by our kids! This yogurt taste and smells like white cake batter!! Ok actually the plain vanilla one smells like cake batter, but the strawberry one is also great! I was kind scared to taste it, seeing as I grew up with "cherry oh so bad for you vanilla yogurt", but man it was tasty! #1 Kid Appoved snack!

Chi-chi-chi-Chickpeas!

My family has a LOVE for snacks!  We needed something tasty yet healthy,  and well there are only so many carrots you can eat before you want to kick Bugs Bunny!

Roasted Chickpeas


1. Oven temp 425 F

2. We used Chickpeas or also know as Garbanzo beans in a can. Drain the can and rinse the beans.

3. Next we removed the skins by carefully rolling between fingers. Skins slide off nicely, (so creepy by the way).

4. Then spread out on paper towel and lightly blot to dry.

5. Place in bowl and lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray. Here is the fun part..... add whatever seasoning you want and add a lot. Our first batch we were careful about putting to much seasoning on and well talk about a big mistake. Boring!!!! So add some and then add more! We used cumin, paprika, and garlic powder.

6. Spread beans out in baking pan lined with parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes. Shake pan and bake for 15 more mins. At this point check to see if the beans are crunchy, if not bake for a little bit more, checking often...........Peter!!!!! :) You want the chickpeas to be crunchy not soft also not burnt.........Peter!!!!!

7. Enjoy this yummy treat but beware, the crunch will NOT last for more than a day, so eat then QUICK! I learned the hard way! Its hard to spit a mushy chickpea out the window going 70 mph, thanks Peter that was yummy......no.

Copy Cat

Lesson #2. When buying chick peas look closer at the cans!

To many spices? Who knows!

Some would say we have to many seasonings. I would say we don't have enough! We LOVE flavor!

Kid Approved Chicken w/Pesto

Pete's Pesto Chicken

By: Peter

(Serves: 4)

Instructions:

- 2 Chicken breast (boneless, skinless) trimmed of fat and butterflied, making 4

- Heat 1 tsp of olive oil 

- Place chicken in pan

Season to taste with:

- fresh ground black pepper

- ground sea salt

- italian seasoning

- paprika

- Do this to one side of the chicken breast.  

Cook about 3 minutes on 1 side and then flip and spread 1 Tbsp Pesto 

over entire piece.  Cook for about 3 more minutes or until done. 

Another new family FAVORITE!!!  Thumbs up from the kids! 

Pork is good!

Smoked Paprika Pork Tenderloin

w/ Succotash

From: Clean Eating Cookbook 2

(Severs 4)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat, sliced into 12 medallions

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained

1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed and drained

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix 1 tsp oil, paprika, cumin, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.  Add pork to the bowl and mix until pork is well coated.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a large saute pan on medium-high.  Add onion and red pepper and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and translucent.  Add corn and beans to pan and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently, until warmed.  Transfers mixture to a bowl and toss with cilantro and remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.  Set aside and keep warm.

Carefully wipe pan with paper towel. Return pan to stove to and heat remaining 1 tsp oil on medium-high.  Add pork to pan, working in batches if necessary, and cook for 2 minutes per side for medium doneness or 3 minutes per side for well-done.

To serve, scoop 2/3 cup corn-bean succotash onto each plate.  Top succotash with 3 slices pork tenderloin and about 2 tsp pan juices!

Enjoy! This meal so far has had the most FLAVOR!!! Makes me want some right now! 

Hummus, it's for eating!

Ok so lets just say I was not a fan of hummus, I mean I just didn't want to eat a dip made from what? Chickpeas, what the heck is that. As you can tell I might have hated beans and peas as a kid. But now as a parent I am willing to at least try stuff for the sake of the kids. If they see mom or dad trying new foods they are more willing to do so. So I sucked it up one day. I grabbed one of The Works chips and dipped it into the garlic hummus and..... It was actually great! Can't believe I was so scared to try it. It's times like this I like to remember a saying our kids say, "try it, you might like it". So lesson #1 for me, try it you might like it!


Garlic hummus and The Works chips are a huge hit at our house now!!

Silky Smoothie aka Princess Pony Protien Smoothie

Our 4 year old son wanted to name the smoothie so here it is:

Princess Pony Protien Smoothie

1 banana

1 peach

1/4 cup blueberries

1/4 of avocado 

1/2 cup Very Vanilla Silk

1 TBLS brown rice protien powder

6 oz coconut yougurt (strawberry flavored)

Enjoy, they loved them this morning!!!

Bring it on Game

    So today we were discussing with the kids how our diet is going to change...again, and they started to freak out about all the things they're never going to have. You know, cupcakes with frosting, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and gingerbread cookies, which they never liked anyway! So we fired up our favorite search engine and said "Bring It On"! A game that all cool parents do when in the back of their mind they're saying "Crap! I can't answer that!" 
   Frantically I started searching for gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free chocolate chip cookies. In the split second it took to load the results panic really set in. The kids might win! Then BAM! Score one for the parents! Chocolate chip cookies bookmarked. Bring it on! Everything they threw at us,  BAM! Points for the parents! Let's just say the kids went to bed happy. Good win. Keep an eye out for recipes.

Hero Tip #1

Here is a little tip I used when making the Flank Steak w/ Spinach and Garlic last week.......http://damnititsnotgross.blogspot.com/2012/11/flank-steak-roll.html. While making the meal I realized that again I didn't quite read the whole recipe through before making the meal. I do this a lot... :).   I needed a rack for the steak to rest on in the pan while baking, and well I didn't have one.  So in the moment of panic I thought to myself ok load all 4 of the kids up and run to the store.  But then I started to run through scenarios of all the kids at the store by myself (running wild, hiding on shelfs, reaching for all the food that are banned from the house while telling everyone I starve them because they don't get candy anymore), then I reached for the foil and made my own rack. (see photo below). Thank you Aluminum Foil you saved the day!!! 

Pumpkin Sausage Penne - -

New Favorite in our house! This dish had everyone joining the clean plate club!

Pumpkin Sausage Penne

from BusyGirlHealthyLife

For Recipe follow link below---

http://busygirlhealthylife.com/pumpkin-sausage-penne/

Instead of using Whole Wheat Pasta, which is not a big hit in our house yet (we are trying), we used Veggie Penne Pasta!

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did!!!  There is also a cookbook on http://busygirlhealthylife.com/  which will be joining our kitchen in the future!

The "In the head happy dance"

One of our proudest moments so far has been when our four year old says, "More Lima beans please." Oh yes!! All we wanted to do was jump up and Happy Dance!! But we'll settle for the "in the head Happy Dance" so we don't scare him from trying things again.

Sometimes this sucks!

Don't get the wrong idea here, we are human and there are times when we just want to throw our hands up and scream! There have been meals that were horrible tasting! I can think of a couple off the top of my head that make dirt and bark sound more appetizing! I'll leave them off so you can find out for yourself.

Super brunch!

This little number is a quick, delicious treat that packs an omega3 and protein punch!

1 half inch thick slice of whole grain French or Italian bread, toasted.
1 tsp fat free cream cheese spread onto toast
1 thin slice nova lox smoked salmon. Enough to cover the whole piece of toast.
Top with thinly sliced onion, fresh basil leaves and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
ENJOY!!! I know we do! This is a huge hit with our 6 year old daughter!!

Morning switcharoo part 1

Making the switch from cow milk to lactose free alternatives has been easier than we thought! With amazing flavors to choose from even the kids are on board! Here is what we have done just for coffee!

Compare 1Tbsp Coffee Mate Egg Nog Latte to Silk Seasonal Nog soymilk:

Coffee Mate-

45 calories

1.5g fat

6g sugar

Silk-

11.25 calories

.25g fat

1.5g sugar

What a difference! The Silk is a bit thinner than the Coffee Mate but has great flavor, even for me, the flavor junkie!

My husband usually uses 2% milk in his coffee and has switched to Breeze Unsweetened Almond Coconut Milk Blend. Again we will compare the two per 1Tbsp:

2% milk-

7.5 calories

.31g fat

.69g sugar

Breeze-

2.81 calories

.21g fat

0g sugar

Holy smoke! While comparing the two we also discovered that the almond coconut blend has way more calcium than milk! 1 cup of milk has 276mg of calcium and the blend has 455mg! So not only is this a yummy switch, it's also a smart one. 

Flank Steak Roll w/ Spinach and Garlic

So here is what we had for dinner Friday night, and all I can say is Yummo!!! This is now our new go to meal! Found the recipe in our Clean Eating Cookbook! Here is a link to the recipe! Or see below! Enjoy!!!! http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/Recipes/Recipe/Flank-Steak-Roll-with-Spinach-Garlic.aspx

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 25 minutes.
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat panko
• 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• 1 flank steak (1 lb), trimmed of visible fat
• 3 oz spinach leaves (about 6 cups)

EQUIPMENT

• Kitchen string

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange a rack in a baking pan and coat with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine panko, nuts, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper flakes. Set aside.
3. Place steak on a work surface. Holding a sharp knife (ideally a carving knife with a thinner blade than a chef’s knife) parallel to the work surface and positioned along 1 of the longer sides, cut steak almost in half horizontally, so it opens like a book. Spread steak open with “spine of book” parallel to you.
4. Sprinkle panko mixture evenly over steak, leaving a 1-inch border along the farthest edge. Arrange spinach on top of panko mixture. Beginning with the closest edge, roll steak up, gently pressing down on spinach. Rotate steak roll so it’s vertical to you and tie crosswise at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string. Place steak on rack in prepared baking pan and bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of steak registers 150°F for medium doneness, about 35 minutes, or 130°F for medium rare, about 30 minutes. Transfer steak roll to a cutting board, loosely cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes (internal temperature will continue to rise to about 160°F for medium and 140°F for medium rare).
5. Remove foil and string and carefully cut steak crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Serve drizzled with any juices accumulated on cutting board.

Scrumptious fruit rollers

Fruit snacks and fruit roll ups are great, but why are there so many ingredients? I mean do you, or anyone, really understand what all that stuff is? We thought we could do better. These homemade fruit roll ups are not only delicious, they are free of any processed sugars or artificial colors.  Plus who doesn't like the smell of fresh fruit slowly (but not too slowly) drying in their oven?

Start with fresh fruit. For this one we are using two Red Delicious apples, two bananas, six strawberries and about one squeeze of honey. You don't need much because the bananas are full of natural sugars, our kids just aren't crazy about strawberries. This is a great time to use fruit that is bruised or bananas that are a little too brown to serve plain. It's all getting pureed so no one will know the difference. Now pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees.

 Chop all of the fruit. Stick it in the blender.

 Blend

 We prefer the Silpat silicone baking sheet. Its nonstick properties are really great and it cleans up really easily, plus it's made in France, so you know it's awesome. If you don't have one of these not to worry, you can always use parchment paper. Our baking pan is 16x12. 

 Pour the fruit puree onto your baking sheet and spread it out with a spatula. You will have 1/2 cup of the fruit mix left when you've poured enough. This could make a second fruit roll up in a 9x13 pan, but we mixed it into some Greek yogurt for the kids snack. Make sure you stay away from the edges and try to make as consistent a layer as possible. Have fun trying to get it as smooth as you can. Just remember it still has to go into the oven.

 Place the baking sheet in the oven. Make sure the door is cracked just a little bit. We prefer the whisk handle to prop the door, but you can use whatever you want as long as the air can circulate. The more circulation the better. We keep our ceiling fan on. A fan in the kitchen aimed toward to oven would work just as well. Now walk away for about 4hours and 25 minutes.

Just when you've forgotten that there's anything in the oven your timer should go off. Check the fruit roll up. It should feel springy, but not squishy. Firm enough that your finger wouldn't leave an indent when lightly pressed. It also shouldn't stick to your hand. Remove pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for six to seven hours. You'll know it's ready when the fruit pulls up nicely and isn't tacky underneath.

Place fruit on top of wax paper and roll it up. Cut the rollers into desired width. Tie them up with whatever you choose. Keep in an airtight container for up to two months, or so I'm told. These never last that long.