Homemade elderberry syrup

This stuff is great! I was spending so much on it because it works really well when you're starting to get a cold, and I hear it works wonders if you're starting to get sick from the flu. It works somehow to prevent the virus from binding to the cells. But if you buy it in the store, it's expensive! It's around $15 for a small bottle.

I was trying to find a way to not only make it cheaper, but to make it healthier. I bought some dried elderberries from Southwest Botanicals and tried my hand at making my own. They cost around $25 for a pound, but 1/2 C of berries makes about 4-5 cups of syrup (WAY more than you can get in the store). The result was impressive, and tasty too!

Ingredients:

1/2 C dried elderberries

3 C water

1 C raw honey

Bring the berries and water to a boil for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 45 min. Mash berries and then strain through cheesecloth. Stir in the honey. Refrigerate

We take about a tablespoon of it twice a day if we're sick. Otherwise, I like to take a teaspoon a couple times a week... or whenever I remember. It'll keep in the fridge for about 3 months.

Chocolate banana NO BAKE HEALTHY PIE!

Yes, healthy pie. Not with the "breakfast theme" but it's good anyway. So good in fact... that I was getting ready to go to bed, decided to try a slice just to see how it tasted.. and was so amazed I had to get online to post it. This is now going to be my evening dessert... and I don't even have to feel guilty about it!!!

Ingredients (crust**):

1 C toasted almonds (I used raw and toasted them myself)

2 T raw honey

2 T butter

In food processor, pulse all 3 ingredients until mealy (not too much otherwise you'll churn out some almond butter). Press into the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Set aside

Ingredients (filling):

5 very ripe bananas

1 C coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C unsweetened cocoa

honey to taste (This is optional. My bananas weren't very ripe so I needed to add a little bit)

Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until everything turns into a smooth mixture. Pour over crust. Freeze. (Before serving, let it sit out just for a bit so that it's not rock hard)

**The crust on this turns out pretty thin. If you want a thicker crust, double the recipe

Catching up-- breakfast posts

Since we've been sick I've been a little behind. I will post several recipes today. If you check back to the "Eating healthy: One step at a time" post, you will find that i've linked a lot of the recipes so you can click directly on them and be taken to the recipe.

Maple bananas

Ingredients:

4 sliced bananas

1 T butter (melted)

2 T maple syrup (melted)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400. In an 8x8 pan, add the butter, syrup, lemon juice and cinnamon. Toss the sliced bananas in the mixture. Bake 20-25 min or until golden brown. Serve with play yogurt!

Sweet Potato muffins

Ingredients:

1 C spelt flour

1 C rolled oats

1/3 C Rapadura

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 large eggs (whisked)

1 C sweet potato puree (pumpkin would be good too)

1/2 C raw milk

1/4 C coconut oil (melted)

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and whisk until well combined. Slowly combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. Spoon the batter into muffin cups. Bake about 20 min, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Greek frittata

Ingredients:

2 C baby spinach, washed

salt/pepper to taste

6 large eggs

4 large egg whites

1 C+1C feta cheese crumbles

2 tsp chopped, fresh oregano

1/2 C chopped onions

6 small potatoes, cooked and sliced

Olive oil

1. Heat about 1 T olive oil in a skillet. Add spinach and season with salt/pepper. Toss and cook just until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Sautee onions until translucent, and then mix together with spinach. Set aside

3. Spray the bottom of 10" skillet with non-stick spray and layer the potatoes on the bottom. (make sure to use a skillet that is safe to be put under the broiler)

4. Mix egg, 1 C of the cheese, oregano, salt/pepper to taste.

5. Spread the spinach/onion mixture over the potatoes, and then pour the egg mixture over everything (do not stir)

6. Cook on low heat until eggs are set (about 15-20 min)

7. Top the entire frittata with the remaining feta cheese and put under the broiler (on low) until everything is golden brown.

Potato tacos

I know this isn't a breakfast food, but the potato mixture I made would be PERFECT in an omelette so I'm posting it anyway. Was inspired to make these from a friend, but kind of just improvised since I had no official recipe.

Ingredients:

7 medium size potatoes (cooked, diced)

Juice of 1 lime

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

salt to taste

1/4 C salsa

Tortillas (we used brown rice and corn)

raw milk cheddar (I used about 1 cup for all of our tacos)

Coconut oil for "frying"

Mash potatoes in a bowl with a fork (I left mine a bit chunky). Add lime juice, salsa, cumin, chili powder, salsa, salt and stir to combine. Fill tortillas with some cheese (as much as you like), and top with 2 tablespoons or so of the potato mixture. Fold in half and fry in a bit of oil until lightly browned/crispy on each side. Serve with sour cream and avocado!

I will be using the leftover potato to make potato omelettes tomorrow before church!

Breakfast ideas- Day 1

Soaked cinnamon crumb cake

Ingredients:

2 C spelt flour

1/2 C rolled oats

1 C plain whole milk yogurt

1/2 C raw honey

Combine ingredients in a bowl, cover with a cloth and let soak overnight.

Ingredients:

1/4 C Rapadura

1/2 C raw pastured butter (softened)

1/4 C unrefined coconut oil

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt

Crispy nuts (any variety would work)

Preheat oven to 300. With electric mixer, beat together rapadura, butter and oil. Add egg, vanilla, baking powder/soda, cinnamon, salt. Blend until ingredients are mixed well. Add the mixture with the previously soaked ingredients and blend to combine. Pour into well greased (I used coconut oil) 9x9 pan. Sprinkle the top with a little rapadura, cinnamon and crispy nuts. Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Banana bites

Ingredients:

Sliced banana

Your favorite pancake mix (recipe I used will be posted later)

Coconut oil for "frying"

Heat some coconut oil in a pan. Dip banana slices in pancake batter and "fry" until golden. Enjoy!! These are the perfect snack for little ones! I ended up using about 5 bananas because they were being eaten as fast as I could make them.

Getting healthy: One step at a time

We have completely made-over our kitchen since January of this year. It took a lot of time (and definitely some extra money) but it has been so worth it. I see a lot of people asking "where do I start?" and up until now, I've been recommending starting with one area of the kitchen and moving to the next (i.e. start with the baking pantry) and so on, until your whole kitchen is "healthy." Now I realized... maybe it would be easier for some people to start by making 1 meal healthy at a time.

Soooo.... this week, I'll start with breakfast. I'll start with a list of ideas and try to post at least a couple of recipes every day ..... Or at least links to some of the ones I've posted in the past. If I can figure out how, I'll turn the list below into links, so that all you have to do to find that recipe is click on it.

Depending on our time constraints, I usually try to have fruit and some kind of raw dairy every morning. Here are some of the things we make for breakfast:

Soaked oatmeal (topped with things like honey/maple syrup, crispy nuts, dried fruit, etc)

Fruit/kelp & kefir smoothies

Fruit/yogurt parfaits

Cheese/veggie omelette

Soaked spelt waffles OR pancakes

Steel cut oatmeal in the crockpot

Mini frittatas

Breakfast quesadilla

Nutty granola (w/yogurt)

Soaked cinnamon crumb cake

Baked oatmeal squares

Apple carrot coconut muffins

Maple bananas

Greek frittata

Grain-free banana chocolate chip bread

Grain-free blueberry coconut muffins

Sweet potato biscuits

Sweet potato muffins

Banana bites

Cottage cheese pancakes

Almond flour scones

Breakfast "cupcakes"

Sprouted sourdough french toast

Peanut butter and jelly "pop tarts"

Apple butter turnovers

Fruit & oat bars

Huevos rancheros

Breakfast casserole

Potato omelette

Chocolate avocado pudding

Have overly ripe avocados and bananas to use up? Make some of this! It's surprisingly good... and healthy, too! Owen loves it. I'm gonna use some of it in our smoothies this week too cause I made too much. Super easy, super yummy-- always my favorite combination. (This is definitely a different combination of flavors for some people, so you might want to halve the recipe first to make sure you like it!)

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados

4 ripe bananas

4 T(ish) raw honey

4 T(ish) cocoa powder

Combine everything in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add more honey/cocoa (if needed) to taste

carrot apple coconut muffins

YUM!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C unbleached flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut

2 pastured eggs

2 large carrots, grated

1 large apple, peeled and grated

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 C milk

1/4 C coconut oil

1/2 C raw honey

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Combine the two and stir just until combined. Scoop into muffin cups and bake about 25 min. Enjoy!

Yummy homemade granola

I love the hemp seed granola from Trader Joe's but the sugar content is ridiculous. I decided to try making my own to see if it'd turn out and it's amazing!! Cut out a LOT of the sugar and it's actually way better than the store-bought kind. I sort of just improvised so the measurements are approximate

Ingredients:

3 C nuts (I used a mixture of almonds, pepitas, sunflower, walnuts and pecans- all raw)

1/2 C shredded coconut

2 C oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 C raisins

1/4 C coconut oil

2 (heaping) T raw honey

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Combine nuts and coconut in food processor and pulse until nuts are in very small chunks (not too long or they'll turn to powder). Mix the nut mixture together with the raisins, oats, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine coconut oil, honey and vanilla. Heat slightly just until melted/combined.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and stir until the granola mixture is well coated. Spread on parchment lined baking sheet and bake about 20 min or until golden brown (stirring every 5 min). Reduce oven to 225 and bake until granola is dried out (stirring frequently). I ended up cooking it for about 50 min total. Just watch it to make sure it doesn't burn

Enjoy!!

Spinach snacks

I'm gonna try making these a few more times and varying the ingredients. They seem like they'd be really versatile... even though they were really good as is!

Ingredients:

1 bag of spinach, steamed and drained WELL (I used the pre-packaged organic spinach and steamed it in my rice cooker)

1 C breadcrumbs (I used sprouted sourdough bread and just made my own)

2 eggs

1 T sesame seeds

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp sea salt

coconut oil for "frying" (I used about 3 T... just enough to coat the pan really well)

Mix all ingredients together and form into patties. Fry until lightly brown (about 2-3 min each side). We ate these with some lacto fermented ketchup but they're really good on their own too.

Forgive me for the horrible picture, camera phone was all I had

Apple brownies- yummmmy!

These are really simple and really good!

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter

3/4 C rapadura

1 egg

2 apples (peeled, chopped)

1/4 C spelt flour

3/4 C unbleached flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Fold in apples. Sift dry ingredients and mix in with the wet ingredients. Spread into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for 35-40 min.

Serve with a glass of raw milk!! Yum

Simple spa water

I have to admit... I really hate water. Unless I'm ultra thirsty and it's a hot day, I prefer tea (hot or cold). I needed to find a way to drink more water, and this has helped me so much! I like to add just plain lemon or lime but this "spa water" was something different. Yummy too and the options are endless

Ingredients:

Large pitcher of water

Pear slices

Cantaloupe slices

1 tsp cinnamon

Ice

Add all ingredients, let sit for a few hours (or overnight). You don't want the flavor too overwhelming or pulpy so you might need to experiment with how much fruit to add/how long it sits.

Other varieties:

cucumber+rosemary

orange slices

strawberries+honeydew+basil

orange+mint

orange+pineapple+parsley

Split pea soup

Super yummy and easy!

Ingredients:

1 lb split green peas (soaked overnight)

ham bone+ham (chopped -- the amount you use just depends on your taste)

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 potatoes, diced

Approx 2 quarts chicken stock

dash marjoram

salt/pepper to taste

Place peas, ham bone/ham, onion, chicken stock, salt/pepper and marjoram into pot and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, add carrots/celery/potatoes and simmer on low for about 2 hours or until peas are soft and soup starts to thicken. (Mine came out a little thinner than I like it so I added a bit of flour to thicken it up.)

Breakfast casserole

This is the perfect dish to make and keep for quick breakfasts throughout the week. Its great for me because I can sleep a little later and just grab a slice on my way to work

Ingredients:

6 pastured eggs (my eggs are small so I used 8)

1 C raw milk cheese

2/3 C raw milk

4 slices bacon (cooked, chopped)

1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced (any color will do)

5 pieces day old bread (I used sprouted sourdough), cubed

salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Sautee the onion and bell pepper until soft. Mix the eggs, milk and cheese together in a bowl. Add salt/pepper. Grease an 8x8 pan and throw the bread cubes in. Cover with the egg mixture and press down to help the bread absorb the liquid. Fold in the bell pepper, onion and bacon. Bake for about 45 min or until golden brown

Easy peasy leek soup

Yet another super simple, super yummy recipe. We had leek soup for daaaaays after I bought that huge leek. We still have a pot left that I need to freeze!

Ingredients:

3 T pastured butter

1 C chopped leek

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt/pepper to taste

4 C chicken stock

russet potatoes (chopped)- I think I used about 5 of the medium

dash majoram

dash thyme

Sautee the leeks/garlic in butter about 5 min. Add salt/pepper to taste, give a stir and cook about 1 more minute. Keep an eye on the leeks, you don't want them to brown. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, marjoram and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Use an immersion blender and blend soup until smooth. Enjoy!

Easiest, yummiest enchilada sauce

This stuff is so easy. And soooo good!

Ingredients:

1/4 C coconut oil (I used refined/expeller pressed for this recipe)

1/4 chili powder (I think I used California chili peppers- they're not hot)

2 T unbleached flour

1 1/2 C chicken stock

1 C tomato sauce

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder (or fresh garlic)

1/4 tsp onion powder

salt to taste (mine didn't need any)

Combine the coconut oil, chili powder and flour in a sauce pan. Cook on low until slightly browned (stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn). Add the chicken stock, tomato sauce, cumin, garlic and onion. Cook on low for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

This is the sauce I use on our sweet potato & chicken enchiladas. It's not spicy at all and has a really good flavor!!

another shake recipe

We drink a lot of smoothies/shakes in our house! They're a great breakfast or a great way to get some extra nutrition in as a snack. This one turned out really well and Owen loved it. Measurements are approximate (as usual). Makes 2 servings

1 1/2 C almond milk (raw milk would probably taste better)

2 T plain yogurt

1 T raw honey

1 banana

3 T peanut butter (we love pb so I might've used a little more than this)

1 tsp kelp powder

1 scoop amazing grass (see link below)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Handful of ice (add to desired consistency)

Add everything to blender and blend! Enjoy

Amazing grass:

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grass-Chocolate-Superfood-8-5-Ounce/dp/B00112EUPM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1303275180&sr=8-2

Mama's "get well" smoothie

Gary is starting to get sick so I made this for all of us tonight, it turned out SO good!!! I threw in all kinds of goodies and was really surprised at how yummy it was. (I didn't measure things as I added them, so these are all approx. amounts). This makes 2 smoothies

Ingredients:

So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk (I probably used about 2 cups)

5 (heaping) T plain yogurt

1 (heaping) T raw honey

1 T unrefined coconut oil

1/2 large banana

3 large strawberries

handful of frozen mango chunks

4 ice cubes (optional)

1 (heaping) tsp kelp powder

probiotics (I use Jarrow brand and just opened 6 capsules and dumped them in)

3 (heaping) tsp. Vitamin C powder (I use the Alive brand)

25 drops briar rose

Throw everything in a blender and blend well. I wasn't very specific on the measurement for the liquid (coconut milk) because you will have to adjust it to get the consistency you want.

Enjoy!!

Mini Frittatas!

These came out amazingly good and were a hit with everyone! Perfect dish to make ahead for an "on the go" breakfast. Makes about 9 muffin-sized frittatas.

Ingredients:

4 pastured eggs

2 1/2 T water

2 T parmesan cheese

1 medium russet potato cooked/sliced about 1/4" thick

1/2 small onion, diced

roasted bell pepper, chopped (I used about 1/2 of one)

1/2 C raw milk cheddar cheese, grated

2 slices bacon (I used turkey), cooked and chopped

salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Sautee onion in a little coconut oil until translucent. Set aside.

Spray muffin tin well with cooking spray. Place 1 slice of potato into each section of muffin tin. Top with a little bacon and a spoonful of cheddar cheese. Whisk together egg and water (whisking for about 3 min will incorporate air into the eggs and help them fluff up during cooking ). Add the cooked onion, roasted bell pepper and parmesan cheese to the egg mixture. Spoon the egg mixture over the potato/cheese/bacon. Bake for about 20 minutes or until egg starts to turn slight golden brown.

Oatmeal and my crockpot

So, the crockpot is my new best friend. I never really used one very much before (okay maybe only like 3 times in my life) so I wasn't aware of the yummy things I could do with it. Now I use it at least once a week, sometimes more.

Every sunday I use it to make a whole chicken. I separate the chicken out (tear it into pieces and store it in the fridge) from the bone broth and use both of them throughout the week for different recipes. I always get at least 4 meals out of one chicken (and in essence I really get more than that since we always have leftovers that we eat for lunch/dinner the following days)

I think I will start trying to use the crockpot even more since it's so darn easy!! My latest recipe is oatmeal. SUPER super super easy....and it's really good too. We had enough to last us for a couple days and just mixed in a little extra milk when we re-warmed it. It can be topped with just about anything! We top ours with some pastured butter & either raw honey or strawberry sauce. I think I will probably start making this dish at least once a week because it's so easy and good. A great dish when you're running late for work and don't have time to make something!

Ingredients:

1 C steel cut oats

2 1/2 C raw milk

2 C water

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Throw all of the ingredients into the crockpot. Give them a good stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Keep your eye on them the first time you make them so you have an idea of how long it needs to cook. Some crockpots cook faster than others. I like my oats a little more crunchy so I don't cook them as long. If you like them mushy, cook them longer. (I actually cooked this overnight while we were sleeping so I cooked on "warm" for about 8 hours and then put it on high for 30 min when I woke up. Turned out perfectly.)

Black bean "flautas"

Genius recipe. And So.darn.easy!! Everyone loved them, including Gary (Mr. Ithastohavemeat)

Ingredients:

can of black beans

salsa

shredded raw milk cheese

spelt tortillas (about 5-6)

sour cream (garnish)

coconut oil (for frying)

Mash the black beans. Add a few tablespoons of salsa. Fill each tortilla with a few spoonfuls of the mixture and top with cheese. Roll up and fry in coconut oil until browned on both sides. Serve with sour cream

Menu week of 4/4

Monday

Breakfast- kefir smoothies

lunch- lentil soup, fruit

dinner- roasted bell pepper panini, carrot sticks, fruit

Tuesday

Breakfast- crockpot oatmeal, raw milk

Lunch- black bean/barley burritos, spanish rice

Dinner- almond crusted fish, broccoli/carrot orzo, salad

Wednesday

Breakfast- juevos rancheros, fruit

Lunch- Cheese quesadilla, veggie sticks

Dinner- sweet potato enchiladas, refried pinto beans, spanish rice

Thursday

Breakfast- Apple butter turnovers, yogurt/fruit

Lunch- leftover enchiladas, veggie sticks

Dinner- pizza cups, fruit

Friday

Breakfast- fruit/oat bars, yogurt

Lunch- tuna melt on sprouted sourdough, homemade apple sauce, veggie sticks

Dinner- Chicken gumbo, salad

Saturday

Breakfast- baked maple bananas, leftover oatmeal, raw milk

Lunch- leftover gumbo

Dinner- Out

Snacks/ baked goodies for the week:

fruit/oat bars

black bean hummus w/veggie sticks

apples w/pumpkin seed butter

sweet potato muffins

carrot snack sticks

fruit kabobs

Spelt waffles with strawberry sauce

These are uh-may-zing. They aren't my version of soaked waffles, but they are still awesome. I can't believe how good they taste! And definitely a hit with Owen too of course. This is a decent sized recipe. We had leftovers and could've forzen them for later in the week but they didn't last long enough.

Ingredients:

3 C spelt flour

1 T baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 C rapadura (I used a tiny bit less than 1/4 C cause I knew they'd be covered in sauce)

1/4 C melted pastured butter

3 pastured eggs

1 1/2 C raw milk

1 1/4 C kefir

1 T vanilla extract

Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Combine the two and stir just until mixed. My batter came out too thick for our waffle machine so I added some coconut milk until it reached the right consistency.

Pour in waffle iron, cook, serve with butter and strawberry sauce!!

All I did to make the sauce was chop some strawberries (maybe 2ish cups?) and put in a small sauce pan with a bit of water. Added about a teaspoon of raw honey to sweeten and boiled it down. Throw in the food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds.

Menu, week of 3/27

We are foregoing our weekly cooking of a whole chicken and trying to "cook from the pantry" this week since we have a ton of odds and ends that need to be used up. Looks like it's (nearly) a meatless week!

Sunday

Dinner- chicken pot pie, salad, strawberries/cantaloupe & cream

Monday

Breakfast- soaked spelt waffles with strawberry jam

Lunch- leftover pot pie, salad

Dinner- lentil tacos, spanish rice, refried pinto beans

Tuesday

Breakfast- soaked oatmeal, raw milk

Lunch- veggie quesadillas, fruit kabobs

Dinner- almond crusted fish, grilled veggies/bell peppers, wild rice

Wednesday

Breakfast- spinach & cheese quiche, fruit, raw milk

Lunch- veggie burgers on sprouted sourdough, veggie sticks

Dinner- leftover lentil tacos

Thursday

Breakfast- smoothies

Lunch- pancake sammies, veggie sticks, cheese sticks

Dinner- black bean/barley burritos, spanish rice

Friday

Breakfast- eggs w/cheese, fruit/yogurt

Lunch- leftover black bean/barley burritos

Dinner- pasta w/grilled veggies, salad

Saturday

Breakfast- soaked spelt pancakes w/strawberry jam, eggs/cheese

Lunch- black bean/barley "taco salad"

Dinner- tuna panini, grilled bell peppers , strawberries & cream

Sunday

Breakfast- soaked oatmeal, raw milk

Lunch- tuna over salad, veggie sticks, fruit

Dinner- ?

Homemade goodies for this week: strawberry jam, ketchup, sourdough crackers, graham crackers, croutons, almond flour bread

Snacks for this week:

fruit kabobs

yogurt+raw honey+fruit

deviled eggs

veggie sticks w/hummus

Crackers w/veggie cream cheese dip

raw milk cheese sticks