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