Crockpot French Dip Beef

My husband loves french dip sandwiches. My son and I think they are pretty good, too, especially homemade. But we haven't had them in ages because we haven't been eating much bread while following the primal/paleo diet. With a new baby arriving in a couple of months, I've been trying to get some easy, tasty, nourishing foods in the freezer so that I can just pull them out for easy dinners after the baby is born. So I decided to make up some french dip beef a few weeks ago. It really couldn't be easier to make and it is so delicious! Using homemade beef bone broth and grass fed beef makes this a very nourishing meal, as well.  We ate it for dinner one night and I was able to put two containers of the beef and au jus into the freezer to have later on this summer. Kevin and Carson ate this on some buns, which obviously is not paleo, but I ate the beef on its own with some au jus over top.  I think I actually like it better without the bun, honestly.  I served it with some roasted vegetables - asparagus, mushrooms, and broccoli.

Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches

3-4 pound grass fed chuck roast
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 quart homemade beef broth
2 Tablespoons coconut aminos (a healthy alternative to soy sauce)
Water or more beef broth, enough to cover the roast by about 1/2 inch - the amount, or even whether you need it will depend on what size crockpot you are using. I used a 4-qt crock, so I only needed to add about 1/2 cup.

Place roast in crock. Add onions and garlic, broth, coconut aminos, and water, if needed.

Let cook on low all day until meat is very tender and falling off the bone. Remove the meat from crock and shred using two forks. Add shredded meat back into crock. Serve on its own with au jus over top, or on buns with a small ramekin of the au jus for dipping.

If freezing, be sure to include plenty of au jus in your containers.



This post is shared at:

Real Food Forager's Fat Tuesday

Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday

Guacamole

I know everyone has their own guacamole recipe, but I still need to post this one.  I've made a lot of different guacamoles over time, but this one beats them all... hands down.  I got this recipe from my friend, Melissa, over at The Franson Kitchen.  She made it with her amazing cafe rio when she invited our family over for dinner last winter.  It was delicious then and it was delicious when I made it again last weekend for my son's birthday party.  Guacamole has been one thing I've been craving during this pregnancy.  I think I could eat it every day... especially if I made this recipe every day!  And I did actually make this recipe (in smaller proportion) three different times in the last week.  :)  It is just that good.  I basically make it just as Melissa has it posted on her blog, with the exception of the jalapeno.  You need some for flavor, but I don't add a whole one... just enough to add the flavor without the spice.  I'll post it below the way I make it. 

The Best Guacamole Ever

4-5 ripe avocados (if they are large ones, only 4)

3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 to 1/2 of a small jalapeno, minced

1/2 cup minced red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Cut avocados in half length-wise and remove pits.  Scoop the avocado flesh from the shells.  In a medium bowl, mash with a potato masher or large fork.  You don't want to completely turn it to mush, leave a few small chunks for texture.  Add the remaining ingredients.  

Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or as a topping for tacos or other mexican dishes. 

You can make this a couple of hours in advance, but you will want to be sure to seal it well so that no air gets to the surface and turns it brown.  I take plastic wrap and press it down on top of the guacamole in the bowl, removing all the air and making sure the edges are sealed well.  Then just remove the plastic wrap when you're ready to serve.

Balsamic Chicken

We are still loving all of the recipes I try from Make it Paleo.  Most of them are so simple and fast to make, which is what I really like in a recipe for a work night.  And they have all tasted wonderful, too.  This one is no exception.  In the book, it is titled Balsamic and Rosemary Chicken.  I could not find my rosemary when I made this, so I used some of my home-dried french tarragon instead.  It was awesome.  The herbs and garlic flavor the chicken while it bakes and the balsamic that is drizzled on immediately once you remove from the oven soaks in and adds an even more wonderful flavor.  I want to try this with bone-in, skin-on chicken some time.  I used boneless, skinless as the recipe called for this time, since I do freeze some boneless, skinless breasts when I butcher my fresh chickens (though most are frozen with bone in, and skin on.  This recipe will have a regular place in our meals.  It'll be awesome this summer on salads that we make from our CSA share - which we just decided on this weekend and will be sending in our deposit for this week!  We can't wait! 

Balsamic Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tarragon or rosemary, dried - increase to 2 teaspoons if using fresh
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Press fresh garlic and tarragon or rosemary into chicken breasts. 

Roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately drizzle balsamic vinegar over chicken breasts.  Let rest in pan for a few minutes before serving. 

Paleo Smoked Paprika Chicken

One of my Christmas gifts this year was the cookbook Make it Paleo.  The cookbook is huge and every recipe is accompanied by a picture, which is so great.  I've been really anxious to try out some of the recipes and finally got around to trying a few this past week.  First up was smoked paprika chicken.  This was super fast and easy to prep, with virtually no cleanup from prep other than throwing the ziplock bag away.  It takes awhile to roast, but it's so worth it.  The chicken develops a wonderful smoky flavor with a crunchy skin.  It was so delicious! 

Even though the cook time is kind of lengthy, this recipe involves such little hands on time.  Prep took less than 5 minutes, then the oven does the rest of the work.  So this is definitely a keeper recipe.  I served this with side salads, roasted asparagus, and corn.

The recipe in Make it Paleo is for chicken thighs.  When I butcher my fresh chickens, I freeze the dark meat in quarters.  So I used quarters and increased the spice quantities a bit to account for more chicken.  The recipe also calls for red palm oil, which I do not have.  I used coconut oil and it worked great.  I've posted the recipe below as I made it.

Smoked Paprika Chicken Quarters

3 bone-in, skin-on pastured chicken quarters (leg and thigh)
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Put the spices and oil in a large ziplock bag, mix well.  Next, add the chicken and toss until the chicken is fully coated. 

Place chicken in a baking pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 425 for 40-45 minutes.


This post is linked to: 
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist

Easy Cheesy Queso Dip

Ok, so this recipe is not paleo-friendly at all.  But this is a super easy appetizer to throw together if some friends show up at your door to hang out for a bit unexpectedly, or you decide to head over to a get together last-minute and have nothing planned or prepped to contribute.  Bottom line, it's super fast to throw together and is always a hit.  I've been making this dip for many years, I think since high school, or shortly thereafter.  My friend Destiny made it many, many years ago for a get together at her house and I've loved it ever since. 

Easy Cheesy Queso Dip

8 oz organic cream cheese, or homemade soft cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup homemade salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar or co-jack cheese

Leave cream cheese out of refrigerator to soften a little.  Once it has softened, mix all ingredients together.  Serve immediately, or place back in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.  This is great with tortilla chips and fresh veggies! 

Paleo Dijon Pork Chops

I'm still getting back into the swing of things when it comes to cooking dinners.  I still have some "off" days, but thankfully my good days far outnumber the bad ones.  I've been kind of excited to finally get back to cooking.  Its been a long couple months of eating leftovers (if I would make a big crockpot of something on a weekend... cooked in the garage to avoid the smell :)), food brought over by my family, and eating out.  I think we were all looking forward to home-cooked family dinners again.  :)

I was hungry for pork chops last week, so I came up with this recipe based off of things that have been tasty in the past.  This is super simple and a very quick meal... Perfect for a work night!  Dinner was on the table within a little less than 20 minutes after starting the prep.  And it was delicious!  That's my kind of meal! 

Paleo Dijon Pork Chops

2-3 pork chops, preferably pastured pork
2-3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper

Preheat a stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add some coconut oil to melt.  Also, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Meanwhile, mix dijon, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Dip pork chops into mixture, making sure all surfaces are covered. 

Place pork chops in hot skillet.  Don't move them once you put them down in the skillet.  You want to get a nice brown color on each side.  It took mine about 2 minutes per side. 

Once both sides have been seared, transfer the skillet to your preheated oven.  Cook until done, probably about 7-9 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

I served these with peas, corn, and side salads.  Enjoy!


This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke is Online

Happy New Year! I'm Back!

First off, Happy New Year!!  I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family and that you have a blessed 2012 ahead of you! 

Secondly, I know I've been MIA since the end of October.  Sorry about that!  I found out just before the time of my last post that I am pregnant and expecting baby #2.  It's been quite a rough first trimester with lots of "morning" sickness and I just couldn't bring myself to even think about blogging about food.  :)  Thankfully, I've now passed the 14-week mark... and am finally in the last week of my first trimester!!!!  I am feeling much improved, but still have some bouts with the "morning" sickness.  I hope things will continue to improve in the next week or two.  And I also hope to start getting some new blog posts up soon. 

I wanted to first just do a quick reflection on my 2011 goals... cheesemaking, fermented cod liver oil/butter oil, language learning, run a 5k, buy a grain mill, eat fewer grains, P90x, lose weight, and catch up on blog posts. 

• I did venture into cheesemaking quite a bit earlier in the year - I still have quite a few posts in my back-log that I'd like to eventually get on the blog about it.  I got a little side-tracked with garden stuff and food preservation in the summer months and kind of got out of the habit, though.  I plan to get back into it soon, though.  
• I started taking the gel form of the fermented CLO/BO and was doing great with it until I found out I was pregnant.  :)  I just couldn't stomach it, so I switched back to the pill form.  I'd like to get back on the gel stuff soon, as well. 
• I didn't get very far with language learning for myself, but Kevin and I have been working with Carson quite a bit.  He knows quite a bit of spanish and some french.  We'll continue working on this for awhile. 
• I didn't run a 5k.  No excuses for it, either.  :)
• I didn't buy a grain mill, but I did eat way fewer grains.  I figured the grain mill would not get used much at all once we went primal/paleo mid-way through the year.  I don't plan to buy one anymore.  We've been off the primal/paleo way of life since I started having "morning sickness," but are just starting to get back into it this week, finally.  We won't be 100% for awhile, probably, but anything will be better than the way we've been eating these last two months! 
• I did do some P90X and lost a bit of weight, but then gained it back... and then lost some again with the "morning" sickness.  I'm still down 15 pounds from the end of October, when I found out I was pregnant, and not gaining anything.  We'll see if it lasts. 
• I did catch up on lots of blog posts, but still have a ton that I'd like to get posted eventually.  We'll see what life brings. 

For 2012, I'm not really making any strict goals.  We've had some things happen recently that have reminded us what is really important in life.  The to-do lists and projects will always be there, but our friends and family may not be.  So I guess this year, our only goal is to enjoy life!  Of course, we'll accomplish a lot along the way, but we just want to life a happy, love-filled life and not have any regrets.  :) 

For awhile now, this blog has not been a priority to me... yet my stats are the highest they've ever been.  The number of comments don't reflect the number of visits, though.  If you visit and try a recipe, please let me know - I'd love to hear about it!  Even these last two months, with no new posts at all, my stats are higher than they were for any particular month in years past.  It's kind of crazy.  Of course, I'll still be posting this year, though.  But like I said, it's not a priority.  So I apologize now if there are gaps of time between posts or if I don't respond to your comment or question right away. 

Lastly, just for fun... I wanted to post my Top 10 Posts for 2011. 

10. Eggs in a Basket (with Zucchini)


9.  Making Homemade Butter from Raw Cream


8.  Chicken Souvlaki


7.  Balsamic Honey Mustard Salad Dressing


6.  Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing


5.  Paleo/Primal Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot


4.  Organic Gardening - Soil Testing


3.  Grain-Free Fudgy Brownies


2.  Paleo Salmon Florentine


1.  Primal Egg Casserole



This post is linked to:
Monday Mania @ Healthy Home Economist
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet

Making Homemade Butter from Raw Cream

I have been making homemade butter from raw cream for more than a year now.  And I've actually had this post sitting in my drafts for that long.  I'm not sure why I never posted it... I think I just forgot about it.  I thought I had posted it, actually.  I didn't realize I hadn't until recently when a friend asked about making homemade butter.  I went to direct them to my blog post... and couldn't find it anywhere.  So... here is my post on how to make homemade butter... finally! 

Making Homemade Butter from Raw Cream

Begin by skimming the cream from the tops of your jars of real, grassfed milk.  I use half-gallon mason jars to store my milk and purchased a small stainless steel gravy ladle to skim the cream.  The fresher your cream, the sweeter your butter will be.  But it is not harmful at all to use cultured (or soured) cream… your end result will just be cultured butter, which is filled with healthy probiotics and has sort of a sweet and sour taste to it.  

I make both cultured butter and sweet cream butter.  I like them both quite a lot.  Kevin prefers the sweet cream butter and I do like the fact that I can also always use the buttermilk from the sweet cream butter for baking or in smoothies (or for soaking grains when I used to make things with whole grains).  You can use the buttermilk from the cultured butter at times, but if it smells stinky at all, you need to throw it away.  This is quite a common occurrence when making cultured cream/butter in the warmer months, especially, since the cultured cream can get quite ripe.  So I do tend to make sweet cream butter most often.

I tend to make butter every other weekend since I get my milk on Fridays... although I do skip it at times and only make it once a month if I've found too many other uses for the cream.  It all works out, though, because I always have a decent stash of homemade butter in the freezer.  I’ll skim the cream from each jar of milk during the first week and place it into another half-gallon jar.  Then when I get my milk in the second week, I skim the cream and add it to the half-gallon jar I have reserved last week’s cream in.  I usually end up with 2 to 2 1/2 quarts of raw cream if I don't use the cream for other things during the weeks.  Each quart of cream will yield about a pound of butter. 

When you are ready to make your butter, you will want to use chilled cream.  Pour the cream into your stand mixer bowl with a wire whisk attachment on your mixer.  Turn your mixer to a medium to medium-high speed and just let the mixer do the work. 

Go unload your dishwasher, call your grandma, throw a load in the washing machine… while your mixer does all the work for you.  Your butter should be done in about 10 minutes or so.  (You can also use a food processor to make butter, but you don’t want to use anything that will warm the cream as it churns (some blenders will do this).)  

I want to also note that you should not try to make too much butter at once.  The cream will expand and turn into whipped cream through the process of making butter, so you want to make sure you have plenty of room in your mixer bowl for this to occur.  Once the butter and buttermilk start separating, it can also get kind of messy if you have too much (and sometimes even if you have too little) in the bowl as the butter splashes around in the buttermilk.  (Note:  I normally make much larger batches of butter than are pictured here... on this particular week when I took pictures, I had used most of my cream for the two-week period in coffee and other items... so I didn't have much cream to make butter with.)   

Once your butter has formed and the solids have separated from the buttermilk, pour everything through a strainer.  The liquid milky stuff is buttermilk.  It won’t look like the buttermilk you buy in the store – it won’t be thick – but you can use it as you would buttermilk… in baking, in smoothies, for soaking grains, etc.  I often will freeze mine if I don’t have a use for it that week.  

Transfer your butter to a clean bowl.  Now it’s time to wash your butter.  Sounds kind of funny, doesn’t it?  Well, you need to wash it to make sure you extract all of the buttermilk.  This will make your butter last much longer. 

To wash the butter, you will need to add cold water to the butter.  Don’t add too much so your not splashing all over the place, but add enough to wash.  Use a wooden spoon to press and fold the butter.  This will extract the buttermilk.  Pour the water off (don’t save this stuff).  And add more cold water to repeat the pressing and folding.  You will need to repeat this step until your water remains totally clear.  At that point, you’ve removed all of the buttermilk from the butter.  Remember – the cleaner the butter, the longer it will last.  

Pour off the clear water.  Press and fold your butter a few more times to extract any remaining water.  Pour that off.  Now you can mix in salt, if you want.  I don’t, as I find it more convenient to add salt when I use the butter.  

If you have a butter mold, transfer your butter to the mold.  I don’t have a mold, so I just plop the butter onto a sheet of parchment paper or natural wax paper and shape it into a rectangular cube.  I usually use natural wax paper now... even though that is not what is pictured here... but these pictures were taken more than a year ago.  Then I fold up the sides to seal it and place it in the refrigerator or freezer.  I freeze most of the butter I make fresh for later use, but if I know I’ll be baking or needing a lot of butter during the week, I’ll keep the fresh stuff in the fridge.  It will keep for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. 

Nothing beats homemade, fresh butter.  And it’s honestly a very simple, very low-effort, economical thing to make!  People always laugh at me when I tell them I make my own butter because they think it’s going to be some super labor intensive task (think back to the butter churn days).  They are always surprised to hear how effortless it really is with the use of modern technology (a.k.a. my stand mixer).  So, if you don’t already make your own butter – I challenge you to try it some time.  I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it really is!  

** NOTE:  If you do not have access to real milk, you can follow this same process using the cream you skim from non-homogenized, pasteurized milk, or from a carton of good, quality heavy cream.  


This post is linked to: 
Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop

PB&J Pork Tenderloin

My copy of Paleo Comfort Foods arrived while we were in Tennessee a few weeks ago. So, I was anxious to try some recipes when we got home. I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer, so I decided to thaw it and try out the recipe for P, B & J Pork Tenderloin since I had everything on hand for it. So I made this for dinner a few nights after we got home. Pork and apples go so well together, I figured it had to be good. And it was so delicious! It reminded me of some other pork and apple dinners I've made in the past, but this was even better with the nut butter sauce. The recipe in the book calls for pecash butter (pecan-cashew). I just used homemade cashew butter - made with crispy cashews. Any nut butter would work, though. If you have some homemade chunky applesauce, you could just sub that in and make this prep even simpler.

This is definitely a keeper. We all loved it. Kevin had seconds and thirds and fourths and finished off the tenderloin at dinner that night. So much for leftovers on nights when he's hungry. :) I have another pork tenderloin in the freezer that I think I'll be making again in the near future.

P, B & J Pork Tenderloin

2 pound pork tenderloin
2 apples, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup nut butter, homemade with crispy nuts is best
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup hot water

Butterfly the pork tenderloin lengthwise and fold out into one uniform piece of pork. Use a meat mallet to pound out the tenderloin a little.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place apples, cinnamon, lemon zest, and honey into a food processor (I used my stick blender processor attachment) and pulse until it looks like a chunky applesauce. Pour the apple mixture onto the tenderloin and spread evenly. Roll up lengthwise and place into a baking dish.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until internal temperature is 150 degrees. Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes.

Mix nut butter, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add hot water until you reach your desired consistency.

Place pork on a serving platter and pour about half of the sauce over the tenderloin. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Paleo Beef Chili

Chili is a perfect dinner for a cool, fall day like the ones we've been having lately.  It's especially good on a night of watching the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS series, or some good football games - Go State!  It's also a very easy meal to prepare.  Normally, I make a big batch in the crockpot, but on this particular day, I made it on the stovetop.  However, this would be perfect for the crockpot, as well. 

I have made paleo chili before, but this is the best one so far.  The bacon adds a wonderful flavor and the carob powder adds a uniqueness to it.  It is so delicious!  I used a recipe that a friend of mine posted on her crossfit facebook page and tweaked some things to make it my own (added butter and mushrooms, more onion, more broth, more spices, carob for cocoa, and used beef instead of bison).  I had about a cup of leftover roast beef that I diced up and threw in here, too... but I don't have it listed below since it won't be a normal thing ton include. 

Paleo Chili

2 Tablespoons grassfed butter
3-4 slices chopped, uncooked bacon
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound grassfed ground beef
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon carob powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a large stainless steel saucepan, melt butter, then cook bacon for a few minutes over medium heat until some fat has been rendered.

Add onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook another few minutes until onions and mushrooms have softened.  Add garlic and cook a minute or two more. 

Next, add ground beef and brown it a bit.  You don't have to cook it through since it'll continue cooking, just brown it. 

Next, add the spices, broth, tomatoes, and carrots.  Stir.  Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Add vinegar and carob/cocoa powder.  Stir.  Cook another 20-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with sliced avocado and enjoy! 

Note:  If you want to make this in a crockpot, you can still cook the bacon, onions, and mushrooms before tossing it all in the crock.  Or you can just toss everything in together (except the carob powder and vinegar) and let it cook on low all day.  Add the carob powder and vinegar about 30-60 minutes before serving.


This post is linked to: 
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health

Philly Cheesesteak in a Bowl

Kevin and I love a good philly cheesesteak sandwich.  Carson does, too.  But since I’m not making much/anything with bread these days, this means no philly cheesesteak sandwiches.  That’s ok, though.  Because we found out that they’re actually just as tasty sans bread and served in a bowl.  I’ve made them several times.  Sometimes I’ll have cheese on them (primal), but usually I don't have cheese on mine to keep it paleo.  I'll take some out in a bowl for me and put cheese on the rest for Kevin and Carson.  Either way they are super tasty.  And very easy if you have some leftover beef.  That’s usually when I make these – when I have leftover steak or pot roast.  I’ll chop up the veggies ahead of time and this makes for a very quick work-night meal.  

Philly Cheesesteak in a Bowl

2 Tablespoons butter

2 bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

8 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced

Leftover grassfed beef steak or roast works well, too

1/2 cup beef stock or broth

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon coconut aminos

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Good melting cheese

In a large, ovenproof skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  

Add peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are translucent and peppers and mushrooms are soft.  

Meanwhile, turn your oven broiler on low. 

Next add the leftover beef.  You can use raw beef if you want, too.  Saute for a minute or two.  

Then add the stock/broth, Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos, and hot sauce.  Saute for a few minutes more. 

Now sprinkle some shredded cheese or lay some cheese slices atop the beef mixture.  Place in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Remove from broiler and enjoy! 


This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS
Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager

Crispy Squash/Pumpkin Seeds

Fall to me always means fresh squash from the garden or farmers' markets.  I love squash.  Kevin doesn't like it pureed (it's a texture thing for him), but he likes it cubed and roasted.  Carson likes it some days, other days not so much.  But all three of us always love the seeds.  I save the seeds from any kind of fall squash or pumpkin.  The method of preparing them is always the same.  And they are all equally tasty.  So the next time you are cleaning out the seed cavity of a squash, set the seeds aside... they make a wonderful, healthy, paleo snack and are a great to addition to granola, trail mix, or baked goods.  So here's how you make them.

Crispy Squash/Pumpkin Seeds

any fall squash or pumpkin of your liking
4 cups water
2 Tablespoons salt

You'll start by cutting your squash in half and cleaning out the seed cavity. 

Place the seeds and stringy squash "guts" into a bowl.  Once you've got your squash baking in the oven, take the time to clean the seeds.  This can be time consuming, depending on the type of squash used, but it's worth it, trust me.  I often will clean them to the point of the second picture below, set them aside for a bit. Then work at cleaning them again to get all the squash goop off. 

Once you have your clean seeds, place them in a clean bowl and cover with warm water.  Add salt and stir it up a little.  Then cover with a plate or cloth and let it sit on your countertop overnight, for at least 7 or 8 hours, but preferably for 24 hours.  (Sorry I don't have pictures of these steps from here on out... I swear I took them, but they did not upload onto my computer...).  This soaking step is necessary to reduce the seeds' antinutrients and help make them more digestible. 

After the seeds have soaked, spread them out evenly onto a dehydrator tray or cookie sheet.  Dry them until crisp and dry.  Dehydrating the seeds helps to preserve the enzymes, which helps with digestion.

Now your seeds are ready to eat!  You can leave them plain, or spice them up.  They are great either way.  If you leave them plain, they'll be nice and crunchy with a salty flavor to them - yum!  I usually fill glass quart jars with just plain crispy seeds to use throughout the year. 


This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Grain-Free Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Simplifying

Good morning!  Today I am simplifying a little.  It's something I've been thinking of doing for awhile now and am finally just doing it.  I'll be taking many small steps to simplify my life.  Why small steps?  Because the small things on their own may be just that... small.  But when you add them all up, they are quite large.  So I am going to eliminate some of the smaller things.  And I am starting with the cessation of my weekly meal plans post. 

For awhile now, writing my weekly post has just been an annoyance to me - to feel like I had to post my meal plans once a week.  Even though no one is forcing me to do it.  For awhile, I really liked doing the weekly posts and they helped keep me organized. 

Well, I think I'm going to stay just as organized without the posts.  I'll still meal plan based on what we have on hand and what is in season each week, but I'm not going to post them.  I'd rather spend just a little more time playing with Carson, cuddling with my husband, or chatting on the phone or emailing with friends/family than on typing up a weekly post.  Relationships have always been what is most important to me.  So, why take away time from that for an unnecessary weekly post? 

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy blogging.  I'll still post on my blog when I can.  But it won't be a priority - as it hasn't been for awhile.  I've got a back-log of posts that I need to get online.  I'll get to them as I have time, though.  Again, I will not let blogging take away from my relationships.  But you will still see new posts from me.  Some weeks, you may see several.  Other weeks none.  It will just depend on my life that week.  I already have very limited "extra" or "free" time on any given day at work.  So when I do find myself with a few spare minutes, I'd much rather spend that time catching up with a friend or family member than on a blog post. 

I'm basically taking my blog back to its original intent... to provide myself a way of keeping recipes organized.  Its much easier for me to jump on my blog to find a recipe than it is to sift through a recipe book or recipe cards.  I'm sure I'll still occasionally post about things other than recipes, but like I said... relationships are my priority, not this blog.  :) 

For those that also follow our family blog, I'll still maintain that one, as well.  And it will take priority over this one.  We use our family blog as our digital scrapbook and it is important to me to record fun things and memories for the future. 

Meal plans and the week ahead

We've got lots to do this week.  Lots of things to do and lots of prep work for a trip that is coming up soon.  Today we are working in the yard... mowing, weed whacking, weeding the flower beds, trimming bushes and trees, cleaning out the gutters, and taking the pool down.  Let's hope we can get it all done... we should be able to since we'll all be out there working.  I want to get my fall and Halloween decorations up today, as well.  Tuesday I have to pick up the dry cleaning on my way home.  Friday is my milk pickup day.  Saturday is still up in the air... there is a slight chance we'll go to Grand Rapids, but most likely we'll stay home.  We want to take Carson to see the Lion King in 3D at the movie theater if we do stay home. 

Actually... most of our week is up in the air, now that I think about it.  We're going to have quite a busy week with something to do every night.  I'm just not sure what will happen when yet.  My cousin, Kristin, from Florida is in town with her husband and son, so we'll be seeing them one night this week.  My cousin, Jessica, is coming over one night to pick up a key and go over a few things since she'll be house and animal sitting for us in a couple of weeks.  Another night this week, Carson and I are going to go check out the new apartment of my cousin, Kristin (different Kristin than the one from FL).  And yet another night, we'll be running over to my BFF's mom's house to drop some stuff off.  Once I know when we'll see my cousins from FL, the other stuff will fall into place.

And so onto the menu... lots of easy meals... and since I'm in a rush this morning, I'm just posting the dinners. 

Su - shepherd's pie stuffed potatoes; green beans and summer squash sauted in olive oil

M - paleo chili in the crockpot; cheese crisps

Tu - chicken and veggie soup in the crockpot

W - leftover paleo chili served over spaghetti squash; broccoli

Th - leftover chicken and veggie soup

F - hot dogs (with no buns); sweet potato fries; green beans; applesauce

Sa - if we are home... pesto presto chicken; roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts; fruit

Canning Tomatoes

I've been canning quite a few tomatoes this year.  Our heirloom tomato plants have been absolutely loaded with fruit.  I've made salsa, pasta sauce, eaten tons fresh, froze some, and have been canning them.  And I haven't had to buy a single tomato!  I posted about canning tomatoes packed in water back in 2008, but I've since given up using water and just can them in their own juices.  I like the flavor better.  And I actually like canning the tomatoes themselves better than making sauces with them first.  Then I can just open a jar of my home-canned tomatoes in the winter and make up a pizza sauce or pasta sauce.  We like a lot of variation and get tired of the same sauce over and over again, so this works best for us.  Plus, aren't my jars just so pretty with the different colored heirlooms??  I love it! Anyway, since it's a slightly different process than canning in water, I figured it warranted it's own post. 

Canning Tomatoes (packed raw and in their own juices)

Tomatoes
Lemon juice - 2 Tablespoons per quart or 1 Tablespoon per pint

Wash tomatoes. 

Core and cut an "x" in the bottom side of the tomato.

Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water.

Slip off skins (some people also prefer to wait till this step to remove the cores... I find it easier to remove them first, but to each her own.).

Leave whole, halve, quarter, or chop (I usually quarter).

Add bottled lemon juice to the jars.

Fill jars with raw tomatoes.  Press tomatoes in the jars until spaces between them fill with juice. Leave 1/2-inch headspace.  Place lids on jars and process pints or quarts for 25 minutes at 10lbs of pressure (or for 85 minutes in a boiling water bath).  Remove jars from canner.  Let cool.  Store after 24 hours. 


This post is linked to: 
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS

Egg in a Basket (with Zucchini)

Have you ever heard of Egg in a Basket, or Hole in the Heads, or One-Eyed Jacks?  It usually refers to the idea of cutting a round hole in a slice of toast, placing it in a frypan, and cracking an egg in the center to cook.  I always called them Hole in the Heads, but I figured Egg in a Basket was a more appropriate reference.  Since we're not eating bread at our house these days, I decided to try them with zucchini and summer squash since we are getting so much of it from our garden.  It's a good use for those zucchini or squash that get ginormous overnight when you don't think they're quite ready to pick the day prior.  We really enjoyed these.  And you really can't have a simpler breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Zucchini Eggs in a Basket

1 large zucchini or summer squash
eggs
coconut oil or butter for frying
celtic sea salt

Grease your pan with coconut oil or butter.  Let it heat up. 

Slice your zucchini or summer squash into about 1/2"-3/4" slices.  Use a sharp knife to cut the seeds out of the middle, leaving a hole. 

Fry up both sides of the zucchini until tender.  Then crack an egg into the center.  Flip over after the egg has cooked on the first side.  Sprinkle with celtic sea salt, serve, and enjoy! 


This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS

Meal plans and the week ahead

10 years today... always remember!!!  I am somber as I remember what that day was like.  Please spend some time in prayer today for the families most impacted by the events of 9/11/01.  As well as our armed forces that so bravely defend our country at home and overseas.  May God bless them all!!

Today we are taking things easy, just enjoying time together as a family.  And I'll be packing and prepping some stuff for the week.  I'll be going to Saratoga Springs, New York for work for a few days this week.  Carson starts preschool on Tuesday.  Friday is my flex day - Carson and I are possibly going to meet up with my SIL, niece, and nephew at Impression 5 Science Center.  Saturday we are planning on going to the Detroit Zoo with some friends.  It'll be a busy week, but at least it ends with a couple of days of fun!  :)  I found out on Friday that my cousin and her son just booked a spontaneous trip home from Florida.  They'll be here on Thursday until early next week, so we'll be seeing them at some point, too, just not sure when yet.  I'm very excited for to see them - it's been 2 years since we've seen each other! 

It's not likely that I'll tackle a lot of extras this week.  I'm hoping to get a few things done while I'm in New York, though... things I can do on the computer.  I am creating some learning activities for our trip to the zoo on Saturday, as well as some learning activities for our trip to Tennessee in a couple of weeks.  So I'm hoping I'll have some time to finish up the zoo activities and to get started on the activities for the Tennessee trip.  Maybe I'll have some time to catch up on my recipe posts, too.  That'd be nice to knock out a few posts that have been lingering.  Just depends how late I'm out and how much exploring I do in Saratoga.  Otherwise, I'm taking it easy this week, I think.  Although if we don't end up going to Lansing on Friday, I'm sure I'll do some canning, but that's about it.  I do know that today, I'll be making up some things in advance so Kevin and Carson have things to eat while I'm gone... primal egg casserole, crockpot sausage and veggie medley, a fresh fruit salad, and some snacks.  But that's easy stuff. 

Last week's exercise... not too great... but better than nothing, I guess.  Su - 15min elliptical. M - nada. Tu - 1mi walk, punching bag. W - 1mi walk.  Th - 1mi walk, 10min elliptical.  F - 1mi walk.  Sa - 1mi hike, kettlebell video. 

Anyway, here's what the menu looks like... lots of crockpot use.  :) 

Breakfasts:

• Broccoli and parmesan egg scramble
• Primal egg casserole
• Smoothies
• Fried eggs; bacon

Lunches & Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Hard boiled eggs
• Apple slices with almond butter
• Protein bars

Dinners:

• Su - modified crockpot pulled pork; green beans; roasted beets; corn on the cob
• M - crockpot sausage and veggie medley; fresh fruit salad
• Tu - cream of tomato soup; grilled cheese sandwiches; fresh fruit salad
• W - leftovers
• Th - crockpot split pea soup; parmesan cheese crisps; fruit
• F - modified crockpot beef stroganoff; green beans; peas; fresh fruit
• Sa - tbd... possibly at a restaurant in Detroit

Canned Pear Slices

Our pear trees are producing a fair amount of decent fruit this year.  I'm still trying to figure out all the varieties that we have.  We definitely have a couple bartlett trees, and I believe we have a green anjou,  a comice tree, and an asian pear tree.  We also have two trees that I believe are bosc.  And I'm trying to figure out if another tree is one of the old school pear varieties with apple-shaped pears.  The bosc trees are loaded with fruit.  The others, which all ripen earlier than the bosc, have produced a fair amount.  I didn't make as many changes in the orchard this year as I had hoped to, especially with the pear trees, so I was quite impressed with the fruit that they have produced.  Some are very pretty fruit - like the bartlett pear on one of my trees pictured at left - and some are not so pretty, but it still tastes great!  That's what's important.  :) 

I've done a small amount of canning with them.  I did a test run last week, with just 3 pints.  And I'll be doing some more this week (probably tonight).  And I'll be doing more once the bosc trees are ready.  This was the first time I've canned pears.  It was fairly simple.  The most time consuming part is peeling and slicing them.  I did some research before I started and discovered that when canning pears, you shouldn't let them ripen to the point of being good to eat.  You want them to be firm.  The best way to tell if they're ready to can is to press on the top of the neck, by the stem.  If it has a slight give, they're ready.  You don't want to wait for them to ripen all the way, or you'll end up with really mushy canned pears.  I also read that you'll get a much better texture/outcome if you raw pack them.  So that's what I did.  I used a very light syrup and just followed the instructions in my Ball canning book. 

Canned Pears

Very light syrup:
1/2 cup sugar or sucanat
4 cups water

Heat sugar and water until boiling. Let simmer while you prep your pears.
Meanwhile, wash, pare, core and slice pears. Pack fruit in hot jars. Pour hot syrup over pears, leaving about an inch of head space. Process pints in boiling water bath for 25 minutes.


This post is shared via:
Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS

Meal plans and the week ahead

It's September already - yikes!  And we're in the midst of Labor Day weekend.  Where did summer go, for real??  It makes me sad.  I'm not ready for it to end.  I'm not ready for the cooler temperatures.  I'm not ready for Carson to start preschool.  I just don't want summer to end.  Sadly, I can't stop it from ending, though, and can only get over it and start looking forward to fall activities.  :)  I do love fall, as well. 

Anyway, so what's going on this week?  Lots of fun stuff!!  Today we're headed to church in Grand Blanc and maybe to the farmers' market.  Monday, we're headed west to Hudsonville (near Grand Rapids) to celebrate Kevin's Grandpa's birthday at the farm.  Tuesday, I'm taking the day off from work and Carson and I are heading west again - to Saranac and to Grand Rapids - to visit my friend, Sara, who is home from Colorado with her almost 6-month old son, Aiden... whom I cannot wait to meet!!!  We're thinking of taking the kids to Robinette's orchard for a few hours.  Kevin may go biking on Tuesday night, also.  We have nothing going on Wednesday, that I'm aware of.  Thursday, I'll be taking the morning off of work so that I can take Carson to his preschool orientation.  He'll get to meet his teachers (I met them last week at parent orientation), see his classroom, and meet some classmates.  Friday, I'm working (boo!) and it's my week for milk pick-up.  Saturday, I think we are headed to Detroit for a Tigers game with my mom's family.  We've been talking about it for a couple months, but we still don't have our tickets bought yet (there are still plenty available)... so I'm not entirely sure we're all still going, but as of two weeks ago that was still the plan.  I'll know more tomorrow. 

Here's what the exercise last week looked like... Su: 15min elliptical.  M: 2-mile walk, 1hr zumba.  Tu: 2-mile walk.  W: 1-mile walk, kettlebell video.  Th: 2-mile walk, yoga.  F: 2-mile walk, 15min elliptical, swimming. Sa: kettlebell video, swimming.

I canned tomatoes, salsa, pears, and peaches last week. I still need to update my tally in the sidebar.  I also froze zucchini, squash, beans, broccoli, peppers, and basil pesto.  I butchered 8 chickens and froze the cuts.  I made 15 quarts of chicken stock with the chicken carcasses/feet/necks and froze it... I won't need to make it for awhile again now.  I made crispy pecans, cashews, and pine nuts.  As well as peach fruit leather, a peach cobbler, and some dried peaches.  That's not too shabby considering we had lots going on last week and Kevin was gone for work... although we did have yesterday free when we hadn't planned on it, so that helped a little, but I'd actually already done most everything prior to yesterday.  I did can a second batch of peaches, make fruit leather, dried peaches, and peach cobbler yesterday, though.

This week, I want to make beef jerky, crispy walnuts and almonds, and at least one batch of protein bars.  I'll also be freezing more produce, I'm sure.  And I might can some more tomatoes or pasta sauce.  I'm also going to do some more dehydrating... dried tomatoes, dried peaches, dried nectarines, and dried pineapple.  I also need to make some things for the party tomorrow... I'm thinking some fruit gelatin (with real gelatin, not jello) and maybe frijole mole dip with cucumbers... but I still need to make some mayo if I'm going to make that. 

Breakfasts:

• Scrambled eggs, sausage
• Smoothies and hard boiled eggs
• Salmon frittata muffins
• Yogurt with fruit

Lunches & Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Salads with homemade dressing
• Frijole mole dip with cucumbers and carrots
• Hard boiled eggs
• Dried fruit and crispy nuts
• Apples and peanut butter

Dinners:

• Su: feta stuffed meatballs; tzatziki; steamed broccoli and cauliflower
• M: most likely on the road home, or if we're home in time... zucchini hole-in-the-heads with veggies
• Tu: misc. leftovers or zucchini hole-in-the-heads with veggies
• W: grilled zucchini pizzas; salads
• Th: crockpot beef roast with carrots, kohlrabi, and celeraic
• F: philly cheesesteaks in a bowl
• Sa: at Comerica Park? 

Meal plans and the week ahead

We've got yet another busy week ahead of us.  I really don't think things will slow down anytime soon... it's seriously looking like we'll be pretty busy until like... March.  :)  I really can't believe that next weekend is Labor Day weekend.  I'm so not ready for summer to be over!!  I do love fall, but I love summer just a tad bit more!  :)  So anyway, today I think we're going to go to church in Grand Blanc and then we'll hit the farmers' market afterwards.  Monday, I am going to the final night of free Zumba on the beach with a couple of my friends.  Tuesday morning, Kevin leaves for Virginia and Tennessee for work.  I have to go to parent orientation for Carson's preschool on Tuesday night.  Wednesday I'm getting my hair done and picking up the chickens.  Kevin comes home really late on Thursday night.  Friday is my flex day. I’m not sure what we’re going to do yet.  We may be hanging out with our friends Kati and Tony.  And Saturday we are going to Michigan’s Adventure with my SIL, BIL, niece, and nephew.  At least as long as we don't get hit with any leftover rain from Irene.  I really hope we don't because we're really looking forward to a fun day! 

We'll see what else we end up doing this week.  I need to start prepping some things for our trip to Tennessee in a month.  We have so much going on between now and then, I am going to have to try to squeeze in some things here and there and stick them in the freezer till the trip.  I mostly want to prep and freeze lots of things to have in the car on the way there and back.  Things like larabars, granola bars, crispy nuts, trail mix, beef jerky, etc.  Hopefully I can get one batch of larabars done this week and maybe do some crispy cashews.  I know I'll be doing some food preservation, too.  I've got a lot of tomatoes from the garden, so I'm planning to can chopped tomatoes this afternoon.  I want to do a batch of pasta sauce this week, too.  And of course, I'll be dealing with the chickens on Wednesday night.  I'll be picking up 8 whole birds, which I'll butcher up and freeze into meal size portions of the different cuts.  We'll see what else I can get done. 
Here’s what the exercise looked like last week. Sunday – 10min elliptical, 10min boxing the heavy bag. Monday – 2mi walk, 1hr zumba.  Tuesday - 2mi walk, 10min elliptical.  Wednesday - 2mi walk.  Thursday - ~4mi walking, lap swim.  Friday - ~5mi walking, lap swim.  Saturday - ~3mi walking. 

Breakfasts:

• GF dutch baby pancakes with peaches
• Fried eggs and veggies
• Smoothies
• Hard boiled eggs and veggies

Lunches and Snacks:

• Leftovers
• Salads with vinegar and oil dressings
• Tomato cucumber salad
• Hard boiled eggs
• Apples with almond butter
• Crispy nuts
• Raisins

Dinners:

• S – grilled pork chops with pesto; tomato cucumber salad; corn on the cob; peaches
• M – grilled bbq chicken; corn on the cob; zucchini and green beans sauteed in olive oil
• Tu – leftovers or scrambled eggs with veggies; fruit
• W – sliced cheese; raw cucumbers and carrots with ranch dip; crispy nuts; peaches
• Th – hot dogs; gf zucchini fries; peaches
• F – sloppy joe stuffed peppers; corn on the cob; fresh fruit
• Sa – on the road