Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese Soup

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I’ve never cared for cauliflower, so I’ve never really bought it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that all my kids like cauliflower. In the last 3 months, it has become a staple in our home. Everyone loves cauliflower, especially roasted. Just goes to show you, that we should keep trying vegetables we don’t like.

roasted cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese Soup

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut so you are only left with the florets
  • 4 to 5 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, stems removed & roughly chopped
  • 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3/4 cup organic white cheddar, shredded
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the cauliflower florets and garlic in coconut oil until well coated. Salt and pepper to taste. Not too much. Spread out on a baking sheet, in a single layer. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. Over medium heat, melt the coconut oil on a large soup pot. Add the onion and celery and sauté until soft and onions begin to look transparent, about 6 minutes. Add the roasted garlic, thyme and broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, cauliflower should be soft.
  3. Using an immersion blender, blend until the soup is smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a standing blender but you will have to blend it in batches. Have an extra pot or large bowl handy. Lastly, add the cheese and stir until melted and well combined. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Serves 6.

raostedcauliflower&garlicsoup

Asian-Style Wraps

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Things get over-complicated.

These Asian-Style Wraps are not. They are delicious and probably my most favorite dinner. Lettuce, a cooked & seasoned meat {or meat substitute}, mung bean sprouts, sliced green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds makes this dinner a no fuss dinner choice. My kids almost like any dinner that they can “build” on their own {like taco night} and this dinner gives them just that opportunity.

Asian-Style Wraps

Ingredients
  • 1 head of butter lettuce
  • 3 lbs ground meat or meat-substitute
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, for cooking
  • 1/4 cup white or yellow onion, diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, diced or pasted
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger, with microplane
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons green onions, diced
  • 2 tablespoons coconut aminos {soy sauce for those not soy-free, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos is a good gluten-free choice}
Toppings
  • 3 medium carrots, shredded
  • 2 to 3 cups mung bean sprouts
  • 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
  • toasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling
  • red pepper flakes, for sprinkling {optional}
Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1. In a medium sized bowl, add garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, green onions, coconut aminos and sesame oil. Whisk until well combined and set aside.

2. In a large skillet over high heat, add the coconut oil. Then add ground meat {or meat substitute of choice} cook until no longer pink.

3. Add the onions to the pan. Stir and continue to cook until onions become soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce you set aside in step 1 to the meat and onion mixture, continue to cook until reduced, about 4 to 5 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos and sesame oil for drizzling on your finished wrap.

Serves 4 to 5.

Asian-Style Wraps 2

Chocolate Cuties

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Thoughtful Thursday: Learning To Live Deliberately

I am a chocolate fanatic. I love it like any other crazed mother of three who needs a chocolate bar the size of her face. Having no processed sugar in our diets has challenged that love for chocolate. After tucking all the Littles in bed, you would think that any mother of 3 would get to uncover her chocolate stash and gorge until her heart’s content. Not happening.

Nothing leads you to discovery quite like desperation. But, seeing your children not have treats while other children devour Oreo cookies and Snickers Bars at the park trumps even your own desperation. My answer to that are these Chocolate Cuties, affectionately named by my spectacular little boy.

chocolatecuties2

I admit that our palates have changed in the last few months. So, while we may think these are the most wonderful little desserts, it is probably because we are no longer accustomed to processed sugars. Our sugar addictions are not like they once were. We no longer stash gourmet chocolate bars for that midnight treat while the kids are snoring away. It wasn’t easy for the little ones either, but it took less than 30 days to break both them and us adults. So, there is hope.

These treats are made with raw honey. Raw honey is still sugar. So, even now, we are not completely free of sugar, but it has been substantially decreased in our home. Believe me when I say, that I am not recommending all sugar be eliminated. We’re human, after all. A piece of fruit is full of sugar, but it is intermixed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients and fiber, things our bodies need. When your body gets used to not having processed sugars, a piece of fruit is what it was meant to be, amazingly sweet and satisfying.

The objective is to just be aware of where sugar is coming from and then start to eliminate it.

Think about it this way, a person who eats a typical Western Diet consumes about 160 to 200 pounds of sugar each year. That is the equivalent of myself and two of my children on a scale. That is a lot of sugar!!!

In the last century alone, the consumption of sugar has become a health crisis. Dr. Campbell-McBride states that “to metabolize one molecule of sugar the body requires around 56 molecules of magnesium.” Sugar is often referred to as empty calories. It is actually worse than empty calories because it leeches the body of important vitamins and minerals as the body tries to digest, detoxify and eliminate it. Sugar has also proven to wreak havoc on the immune system as well as feed cancer cells.

The reason why we eat so much sugar is because it is in almost all processed foods. {Think bread, crackers, pasta sauces, soda, fruit juice.} On a traditional Western Diet, it is unavoidable. When we read food labels, it’s a foreign language staring back at us. The following list includes different names for sugar that you may see on ingredient lists. Anything ending in -ose is sugar and anything that is followed by syrup is sugar.

  • agave nectar
  • barley malt syrup
  • corn sweetener
  • corn syrup solids
  • dehydrated cane juice
  • dextrin
  • dextrose
  • fructose
  • fruit juice concentrate
  • glucose
  • high-fructose corn syrup
  • honey
  • lactose
  • maltodextrin
  • malt syrup
  • maltose
  • maple syrup
  • molasses
  • raw sugar
  • rice syrup
  • saccharose
  • sorghum or sorghum syrup
  • sucrose
  • rapadura sugar
  • treacle
  • turbinado sugar
  • xylose

Chocolate Cuties

  • 4 dates
  • 8 figs
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/3 cup cashews
  • 1/3 cup almonds
  • 1 cup shredded coconut, unsulfured & unsweetened
  • 3 tablespoons 100% cacao powder
  1. In a food processor, pulse the cashews and almonds until crumbled. Do not make into nut butter. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
  2. In your now empty food processor, pulse the dates, figs, honey and water until a paste forms. You don’t want any large pieces of dates or figs.
  3. With a spatula, scrape the paste from the food processor and add it to the crumbled nuts in the large mixing bowl. Add the shredded coconut and cacao powder. Mix with hands until well combined.
  4. Roll into 1 tablespoon-sized balls. Put your Chocolate Cuties into the fridge for about an hour until slightly hardened. You can roll them in additional cacao powder or eat them as is. Note: 100% cacao powder is not sweet, it’s rather bitter. So taste test one before you do them all.

★If my math is correct, these have about 5 to 6 grams of unprocessed, unrefined sugar per piece. One batch makes approximately 18 pieces, don’t eat them all in one sitting. Share or save some for later. These are a treat, not lunch.

Bunless Turkey Burgers

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We all need that easy dinner that is kid-friendly, or perhaps just busy-friendly, that doesn’t require a whole lot of effort or even thought. Because in all honesty, sometimes, I am just tired, I don’t really want to cook and I certainly don’t want to do the dishes. The Bunless Turkey Burger topped with tomato, avocado, red onions and cucumber ribbons is that meal for me. I like to serve them with homemade zucchini chips or even kale chips. If I’m feeling extraordinarily exhausted, I might even break out some paper plates. That’s right, living on the edge.

turkey burger

  • 2 1/2 lbs ground turkey
  • 3 garlic cloves, diced or better yet, turned into paste
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt {only about 3/4 teaspoon if using regular salt}
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/3 cup roasted squash, pureed {I use butternut squash}
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
  • coconut oil
  1. Mix everything together in a large bowl until very well combined.
  2. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, measure 1/2 cup portions. Shape into firm patties. Makes about 10 patties. I freeze whatever we aren’t using on a cookie sheet and then once frozen, transfer to freezer safe storage for another easy dinner.
  3. Over medium high heat, add coconut oil to the pan or grill pan. Cook turkey burgers for about 3 minutes and flip once, cook on the other side for another 3 minutes. {Internal temperature should be 180 F.}
  4. Wrap it in romaine lettuce or butter lettuce, add your favorite fixings and wrap up. It takes a little practice, but you could always be like Nana and use a knife and fork.

Whose Lying to You to Get Your Money?

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Thoughtful Thursday: Learning To Live Deliberately

Without a doubt, consumers are more aware now than ever before about the products available on store shelves. As that awareness grows and the inevitable shift in market demand happens, companies are responding with what the consumers are looking for. We see terms like “BPA-free”, “Pthalate-free”, “no preservatives”, “no CFCs”, “organic” and “all natural” slapped on bottles of cleaners to personal hygiene products to home improvement products. We see new labels, as well as, design changes all meant to capture the attention of the concerned {and most likely, confused} consumer. Companies are green-washing for the green bottom-line.

Green-washing, according to Wikipedia, “is a form of spin in which greenPR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that an organization’s aims and policies are environmentally friendly. Whether it is to increase profits or gain political support, greenwashing may be used to manipulate popular opinion to support otherwise questionable aims.”

Companies will do their best to supply what the consumer demands but will they also do their best to sell their products? Bet your green dollar they would.

What to question:

Eco-friendly, environmentally-friendly, earth-friendly, eco-chemistry. All this looks great on a bottle but the meaning is vague. If the company offers nothing to support that claim, then it most likely isn’t true.

Nontoxic. This has no “official” definition by any regulating body out there. So, if something claims to be nontoxic, it can’t be certain what this even means.

Organic. Only foods can actually be certified organic. It doesn’t really mean anything when it is on a household cleaner. Ingredients used in household cleaners can be organic such as plant-based oils and thus can be claimed as organic. However, as far as cleaning products go, the more plant-based ingredients, the less petrochemical-based ingredients are in there.

Natural. This over-used and popular term is not regulated by any government agency, not even the FDA. We see it boldly advertised on everything from boxes of fruit snacks to toilet cleaners. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really mean anything. Mercury is natural. Volatile Organic Compounds are natural.

What to look for:

Full disclosure. Companies are not required by law to divulge their ingredient list. Crazy, I know. Look for companies that are not afraid to list their ingredients because they most likely have nothing to hide. Companies like Seventh Generation and Ecos practice full disclosure.

Avoid synthetic fragrances & dyes. Almost all fragrances contain toluene. Toluene has been linked to both brain damage and poisoning your nervous system. Read your labels. How many times do you see the ambiguous ingredient “fragrance”.

Look for plant-based ingredients. This means that it came from minerals, grains, fruits, vegetables, grasses, herbs or trees.

Avoid products that say “danger” or “poison” or “caution”. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission products that are flammable, combustible, corrosive, irritating or has the ability to cause serious injury as the result of normal use requires this specific kind of labeling.

Check for third-party certifications. This just tells you that an independent source says the product is safe. Certification is pricey so smaller companies can’t always afford them, they are a good guideline. Here are a variety of different certifications to look for. If you see a certification label on a product don’t be afraid to Google it and find out what it’s about.

Design for the EnvironmentThe Carpet and Rug Institute's (CRI) Green label PlusEco Logo

green seal

cradle to cradle logo

Check out the Environmental Working Group. It is such a great resource. Here is a link to their “Cleaners Hall of Shame” where they reviewed more than 2,000 products and 200 brands and tell you which were the worst offenders.

Raw Kale Chips

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In our home, we are in love with these. My oldest daughter has been growing kale for the last few months now. We got a little more serious about it and now have 50 kale sprouts growing in anticipation of sponsoring our habit.

These are made in a dehydrator. We have a 9-tray Excalibur. If you have a smaller dehydrator, you may want to half the recipe. Kale is “fluffy”, so you will have to remove every other tray to allow the chips to fit.

Why raw? It is believed that foods cooked above this 115 degrees F lose their enzymes and ultimately their nutritional value. If you would like to learn more about eating raw, I suggest the book Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets By Brenda Davis, Rynn Berry and Vesanto Melina.

kale leaf

Kale Chips

  • 2 bunches of kale
  • 2 cups of cashews, soaked for about an hour & drained
  • 2 bell peppers, {red, orange OR yellow} seeds & stems removed, cut into pieces
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons coconut aminos {soy-free} or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • 1/4 Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • a dash of cayenne, if you like spice ★optional

bellpeppers1. Wash and dry kale. Remove ribs and tear leaves into large chip-sized pieces. {They will shrink, so you want them a bit over-sized.} Place in a very large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Puree all other ingredients in a food processor until smooth. It should feel like a thick applesauce.

kale chip puree3. Add the purée to the large mixing bowl with kale pieces. With your hands, mix the purée and kale pieces until the kale pieces are well-coated. Be thorough, cover them completely. Lay the pieces in single layers in your dehydrator.

4. Set dehydrator at 110 degrees F. Let dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours, depending on your dehydrator. When done, they should be firm & crispy, no moisture left at all.

kale coatedThe great thing about these chips is that you can play with the spices to create different flavors. My kids love the Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast because they have a cheese-like flavor and I love them because they are a source of vitamin B12.

Store them in an airtight container. Potato chips stand no chance.

kale chips★Recipe inspired by and adapted from Tarin’s Raw Treats.

Plan to Eat and Eat What You Plan

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Thoughtful Thursday: Learning to Live Deliberately

I think this is an odd thing to share. Perhaps it’s just a little personal, I don’t know. Let’s just say that it is absolutely just a little strange for me to let the world into my kitchen. Most people probably don’t feel that way, but what can I say? It’s my sanctuary.

So, I’ve been struggling with this week’s Thoughtful Thursday. I honestly did not know what to write about and I flirted with this idea time and time again, but told myself that I was not really qualified to write about it. Here is the big BUT, this entire week I have talked to and heard from people about how disappointed they are in themselves because they have failed at the diet that they were trying to adhere to. “Diet” being a loose term perhaps better described as “eating healthier”, and that is different for each individual.

It got me thinking. How come we never mess up? I know what that sounds like. Believe me, we do make a lot of mistakes, this just happens to be an area where we quite simply, don’t. As Darren Hardy says, “I’m not saying this to impress you, but to impress upon you.” And, I guess, that’s what I mean. In no way do I think that this will impress anyone or that it is even impressive, but perhaps sharing this small bit of information could be useful to someone out there.

Let’s start by saying my fridge does not look like this 100% of the time, but we do have a 100% success rate for our healthy eating goals {so far} because we try our best. So remember, this isn’t about perfection. It’s about just a little bit of planning.

Every week, I start by asking myself 4 basic questions:

1. What could make my job easier?

fridge

The fridge is the epicenter. It sets the pace for everything that you are committed to as far as dietary health. Not eating any processed food meant a lot of changes in our lives but mostly our fridge. This is what I do, it will be different for everyone. The top shelf is set aside for meal prep, these are predominantly used for dinners.

  • pre-cut broccoli
  • pre-cut cauliflower
  • sliced bell peppers
  • sliced zucchini
  • cubed squash
  • sliced mushrooms
  • sliced leeks
  • diced tomato & onion for salsa
  • diced celery
  • diced carrots
  • diced onions

The middle shelf is a free for all, these are made for the purpose of breakfasts, snacks and lunches.

  • cubed melon {cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon}
  • cubed pineapple
  • fresh coconut pieces
  • carrots sticks, in filtered water
  • celery sticks, in filtered water
  • pre-cut broccoli
  • pre-cut cauliflower
  • diced bell peppers {omelette fixings}
  • diced onions {omelette fixings}
  • sliced mushrooms
  • sliced cucumbers
  • berries
  • boiled eggs
  • sprouts

The bottom shelf is anything else that doesn’t belong on the top 2 shelves.

  • at least 2 gallons of some kind of stock {chicken, lamb, turkey, beef}
  • homemade kim chee or sauerkraut
  • 5 dozen eggs {sorry, didn’t make the shot.}
  • big greens {lettuce, spinach, kale, etc}
  • pre-packed lunches
  • coconut water
  • almond milk

The bottom crisper drawers just have overflow fruits, veggies and large greens. Mostly used for juicing or refilling containers or things that don’t do well being cut up before hand, like herbs or ginger. With this method, produce is always seen and more importantly, never wasted.

2. What kind of snacks are we going to need?

fruits

We eat fruits for snacks.

FUN FACT: Fruits digest differently than other foods. Our bodies use completely different enzymes to digest fruits and this digestion happens very quickly in our bodies. If you eat fruits too close to a meal, during a meal or after a meal, those fruits are retained in the stomach too long and will actually rot in the gut. It will often manifest as gas, indigestion or even heartburn. Our bodies can benefit from the fiber, nutrients and simple sugars of fruits better when we eat them alone.

Other non-fruit snacks we keep on hand are:

  • peanut butter
  • almonds
  • cashews
  • walnuts
  • sunflower seeds
  • raisins
  • homemade dehydrated fruits
  • dates
  • figs

3. Do we need any new batches of certain foods?

sauerkraut

We try to routinely consume beneficial bacteria, better known as probiotics, in fermented foods. So each week, I make sure that we have what we need. I’m not saying that you need to start fermenting things on your kitchen counters too, but if there are things that you routinely eat that needs to be or can be prepared before hand, get it done. We also make our own kombucha for the beneficial probiotics. We just have on-going batches of these, so I really just bottle it up {in our recycled bottles} if we need more. Stock is also in this category. I roast 2 whole free-range organic chickens at the same time. Reserve all the meat for lunches or shredded chicken and then, use what is left to make chicken stock.

DIY Kombucha

4. What’s for dinner?

Last but not least the freezer is stocked with pre-marinated meat and pre-cooked beans. Marinate in different marinades for about 30 minutes in the fridge and then freeze. I try to do 14 at a time, 2 weeks of dinners ready to go in the freezer. {Sorry, no photo.} Our freezer often has things like the following:

  • 2 packages of pre-marinated chicken with taco seasoning
  • 2 packages of pre-marinated chicken with lemon, rosemary & garlic
  • 4 packages of pre-cooked beans
  • 2 packages of pre-made turkey meat balls
  • 2 packages of pre-made turkey burgers
  • 2 packages of pre-marinated pork chops

I also keep a lot of frozen fruits for smoothies.

  • frozen banana slices
  • frozen blackberries
  • frozen strawberries
  • frozen cantaloupe
  • frozen grapes
  • frozen mangos
  • frozen blueberries

We probably don’t eat the same kinds of foods, but the basic idea is the same. Like many other areas in life, preparation is key. To my friends who feel they have failed, I promise you that you have not. As all on-going processes go, we get better with time. Give yourself that. Give yourself that benefit of the doubt. Give yourself every opportunity you can to succeed.

Friends, I hope this Thoughtful Thursday post was helpful. As always in the comments below, please feel free to share more ideas and tips that will help our community to continue to strive towards better health.