You know you've got good friends when...

...They message you ways to celebrate major holidays DYE-FREE!!!

My friend Stephanie posted this on my Facebook page and it made me all kinds of happy, I was already trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to do this year!! 

How to Naturally Dye Eggs!!!

SO trying this!!!!

Scratch Stroganoff

I love stroganoff.  It was a staple, thanks to Hamburger Helper when we first got married.  But in our diet overhaul and Charlotte's allergies, Hamburger Helper is no longer our friend.  And so I decided to experiment on a whim this last week...and here is what I came up with...relying on how it smelled and tasted on the spoon.

Brown lean beef or deer meat
Cook some whole wheat egg noodles

In a seperate pot mix up 2 cups beef broth, sea salt to taste, minced onions (I like dried, but whatever floats your boat), about 1/2 a bottled Guiness, and 1-2 tablespoons potato starch...and let it cool a smidge and add about a cup of precooked dry or canned navy (or northern) beans...

Right before you serve it throw a little plain Greek yogurt on it and mix it up right before you serve it and you seriously can't tell the difference from anything I've had before.  According to my 13 year old son, if you leave out the Greek yogurt, it tastes like Krystals...if that kind of thing appeals to you!!  :)

Masala Pineapple Rice Bowl

2 Cups Brown long grain Jasmine rice
1-2 cups black beans (cooked from dry or organic canned)
Diced chicken cooked in butter or olive oil, I think I used 3-4 breasts
canned or fresh pineapple, probably about 2 cups


Sea salt and masala seasoning to taste...  I was pretty generous with the masala in both the chicken and when I combined everything... 

A little sweet, salty, and spicy...SO good!! And the kids all like it!!! The very best part! :)

Granola with extras

Okay...today NEEDED some granola...badly.  And so I succumbed.  And had to fight myself not to eat it hot off the cookie sheet.

(This is a half-batch...)

Um, I feel the need to 'fess up where I got it, ethics and all that...but it is still delicious for EVERYONE!  I found this recipe on diaperswappers.com, as a recipe for up-ing your milk production while nursing...BUT it doesn't have anything in it that isn't great for everyone's health, so please don't let that stop you!!

One of the things I loved about this recipe, is that it is easy to make in small amounts.  I had to change the sunflower kernals to bashed up/crushed cocktail peanuts, with Charlotte's new allergy...and sometimes I have been known to use agave syrup mixed with honey, half-and-half proportions when I was running low on honey...which seems to happen more and more...I need to get a scarey big jug of local raw honey...And as with many of my recipes, you can add what you like and leave out whatever you don't or are allergic to...and it's still delish!!  :)

4 cups regular or steel cut oats
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp brewer's yeast
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, peanuts, almonds, or a mix)
1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, dates, apricots, or a mix)

Combine everything except nuts and fruit in a large bowl. Spread onto a lightly greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Pull out of oven and stir in nuts and fruit. Cool and store in an airtight container.


Eat with milk, almond milk, on ice cream, on yogurt...throw it in a baggie and eat it as you drive, dry like a trail mix...  Top it on the Cinnamon Banana Apple Stew and pretend it's streusel!!  Your mouth would never know the difference!!!

Cinnamon Banana Apple Stew - trial run

I am always on the lookout for desserts...that split the difference between sweet and complete indulgence...HERE is a yummy-looking one that is on the trial block for tonight!!  :)

Update?  OH!!!!   SO GOOD!!!!  You NEED to try this!!!!

This recipe was adapted from All You Magazine, by Super Healthy Kids blog. The original recipe included butter, and ice cream, and omitted the bananas, and corn starch.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (potato starch totally works, too)
• 2 apples, chopped
• 1 banana

Instructions

1. Mix water and corn starch together until corn starch is dissolved.
2. In skillet, pour water/corn starch, lemon juice, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Turn skillet on medium until sauce begins to warm and blend.
3. Add chopped apples and bananas and stir to coat with the sauce.
4. Continue to cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes.
5. Scoop apple/ bananas into a bowl or hollowed out apples.

Aussie Meat Pie Rip-off

Remember my Pie-less Pots?  Mix it all up the same:

Chicken:
Dice chicken breasts and "brown" in a skillet(I use about 4 or 5 large ones for my family of 6)
take a can of chicken broth/stock, mix with whatever you can pour off your chicken, 1-2 tsp of sea salt, and whisk in 2 or 3 TBSP of corn or potato starch, pour over your chicken, throw in mushrooms or whatever, wait til your "gravy" bubbles and thickens...*

Hamburger:
I use deer burger, but whatever lean burger you prefer is fine...1-2 pounds
saute 2 cups of sliced mushrooms in 1-2 TBSP of olive oil
pour in beef stock , salt, and corn or potato starch, pour over your meat and mushrooms, wait until your "gravy" bubbles and thickens....*

*Then throw the chicken or hamburger in pitas for a homemade version of the Australian Bakery Cafe...Charlotte fell in love with and has requested it for her birthday!! 

You can season with curry or jerk or add a smidgeon of Guiness or whatever sounds good to you...I love pie and stew recipes because they always have a little play in them for your tastes!

(Oh, and I have since the original recipe tried the potato starch, Bob's Red Mill has a great one for those avoiding corn...it's pretty cheap, and it works great!)

Light and Guiltless Buffalo Chicken

I threw some chicken in the crockpot yesterday.  I had planned to put barbecue sauce on it and serve it in bread for sandwiches.  I usually put in 3-5 chicken breasts in with enough water to cover it and cook it for however long it takes, 3-4 hours on high in mine...  When it's ready, I drain off the water and shred it.  Yesterday, we abruptly decided to mix it with buffalo sauce (ours is dye-free, you'll have to check if yours is safe).  We topped it with a small amount of shredded mozzarella (when that ran out we used some provolone, we are at the end of the month and that happens a lot around now!)  and put some plain Greek yogurt instead of blue cheese or ranch or cream cheese to offset the "burn".  When we figured out how many calories, we realized it has almost no guilt and is delicious!!!!  You can eat it plain with a fork or jam it in a pita for a really excellent sandwich!!!! 

We served it with frozen corn and black beans mixed together...and even put some in the pita, and it was surprisingly good together...

Yet another random trial with awesome results...hope you enjoy it sometime soon!! 

*hint* the Superbowl is coming, and this would be great for dipping and would taste like a treat and keep you from overstepping your diet a bit!  :)