How To Solve Your Leaky Gut & Reverse Chronic Illness

This webinar is free until Monday at noon (PST).  I'm only 1 hour in, but wanted to put the info out there for any of you it may benefit.  It's 2.5 hours long and took a little while to download.  Hope you find it helpful/interesting.

Webcast Link 

***Update- I have listened to the whole thing & it was so interesting!***

Date Walnut Bread

I also made this yummy loaf of bread today.  My GF kiddo, Hubby and I love this toasted for breakfast.  This is one of the quickest things to mix together and bake! 
Paleo Date Walnut Bread Recipe
 

Dina's Delightful Cookies (Egg-Free)

Another recipe I have posted before, but I realized when I made them today that they are egg free!  I sub honey for the agave.  These cookies come together in a flash and have wonderful flavor.

Real Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have linked to this chocolate chip cookie recipe before, but it's so good I thought I'd put it on again.  My kiddos just devoured a whole plate of these after school.  I have never done the freeze & bake option, but that would be great for busy weeks. 

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

Here's an idea.  Make this lemon poppyseed cake batter.  Pour into 2 Jr. size loaf pans.  Omit the glaze.  Now you have 2 loaves of Lemon Poppyseed Bread!   It took the full 40 minutes for my 2 loaves to bake.   

Dijon Almond Crusted Cod and Salad Dressing

I used this fish recipe, but I used cod instead.  Served it with a homemade tartar sauce.  We also had cooked vegetables and a salad.  I made this celery seed dressing recipe and really liked it!  I would cut back on the onion next time.



Tartar Sauce:
1 cup homemade mayo
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dried minced onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped dill pickle

Egg Free Waffle Option

I have made these waffles before.  I have always made the recipe with Kerrygold butter and 1 egg. After I mixed up a batch (makes 4 waffles) for the kiddos today, I decided to try a batch using the egg free option.  They were just like the author of the recipe said, "crispy & soft, ever so slightly gummy."  Not quite as good as the egg version, but really quite good for egg free.  I ate 1 and completely forgot to take a pic.  Here is my next half topped with organic raspberries and a drizzle of maple syrup.  They are very filling! 

Citrus-Cumin Chicken, Spinach & Sweet Potato Coins

We had a great supper with 2 new recipes tonight.  First the picture.
 
Citrus-Cumin Chicken recipe from the Against All Grain cookbook.  I used 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  We did not have a bite left!  This cooks really fast, so I would put it in the marinade the night before or that morning for a quick supper.

I topped the chicken with this lemon aioli sauce.  This sauce made its way on top of the sweet potatoes and spinach also!   

Last weekend, my sister-in-law told me how much her & my niece like these Crispy Curried Sweet Potato Coins, so I was excited to try them out on my clan.  5/6 of us loved these!  We did the baked option.

Lastly, we had cooked spinach.  This is how I make mine: 
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet
Saute 1/3 cup onion until transclusent
Add about 10 ounces of fresh spinach (This may need to be done in batches)
Remove from heat once wilted and season with salt & pepper

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Now that you all have Julie Andrews voice running through your brain, let's talk about food!  I have been asked what I always keep on hand and where I shop many times.  I will try to address this today.

Always on hand:
Meat:
Beef- grass-fed when possible.  I buy this by the quarter directly from producers.
Chicken- free-range, non-GMO fed whole birds from Turducken Farm, boneless, skinless organic breast &thighs from Costco.
Fish- Alaskan wild caught salmon from Costco or GFS. Wild caught white fish from Costco or Kroger.
Turkey bacon- Applegate Farms from health foods co-op or Hy-Vee

Nuts & Seeds:
Raw almonds- Costco
Raw walnuts- Costco
Raw pecans- Costco
Raw cashews- Hy-Vee
Raw sunflower seeds- health foods co-op
Raw pumpkin seeds- health foods co-op
Roasted/salted cashews- Costco
Roasted/salted pistachios- Costco
Chia seeds- Costco

Frozen:
Lots of veggies from my garden
Berries- organic strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries from health foods co-op or Costco
Organic broccoli- Costco

Canned (I can most of these things myself):
Pizza/Pasta sauce- home canned
Diced tomatoes- home canned
Tomato juice- home canned
Tomato sauce- home canned
Tomato paste- organic from Costco
Salsa- home canned
Olives- Costco
Organic chicken stock- Costco

Oils:
Olive, Extra Virgin- Costco or health foods co-op
Olive, Light- Kroger
Grapeseed- health foods co-op
Avocado- Costco
Coconut- Costco

Flour:
Almond, Honeyville brand- direct from the company or Amazon
Coconut- from Honeyville, Kroger, or Hy-Vee
Tapioca- Kroger or Hy-Vee
Arrowroot powder- health foods co-op or Hy-Vee

Other:
Almond Butter- Costco or health foods co-op
Unsweetened, flaked coconut- health foods co-op
Liquid Stevia- vanilla creme, english toffee, plain- from Naturally Yours or health foods co-op
Organic green & black tea, chai tea- health food co-op or Hy-Vee
Celestial Seasonings tea- any grocer
Organic coffee beans- Costco
Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar- health food co-op
lots of salt, pepper, spices
Chocolate Drops, Dagoba brand- health foods co-op
Dates- Costco
Honey- Costco
Coconut sugar- Hy-Vee

I will have to go through what I keep in my fridge another day.  I hope this helps.  Email any specific questions to renaeats@gmail.com.

Raw Superfood Breakfast Bars

Made these raw superfood breakfast bars today.  They came together very quickly.  I used 8 large Medjool dates.  They were very sweet, so 8 smaller dates would probably work.  Took some to share with a couple other ladies today and they like them too.  I did not top with coconut butter.

Sloppy Joes

I loosely followed this recipe for paleo sloppy joes. 

Starting with the BBQ sauce:  I had a cup of homemade ketchup that I needed to use so I did half ketchup/half tomato sauce.  I adjusted the other ingredients accordingly.  This is exactly what I did, play around with it and see what your family likes.

BBQ sauce:
1 cup homemade ketchup
1 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
1 tsp mesquite seasoning(this is how I made mine:  http://www.cookingwithcorey.info/2011/04/recipe-262-mesquite-dry-spice-rub.html)
1/2 Tbsp ground mustard
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp Yacon syrup
1 tsp organic no-salt seasoning (basically Mrs. Dash original)

Buns:
I made them according to the link the recipe provided except i used the organic no-salt seasoning again.

Meat:
I omitted the bacon and used 2 1/3 lbs of ground beef

   
Here is the seasoning I used.
 
  
My dinner.  :)


 

Soft & Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

I was having an unexpected lunch guest, so I quickly mixed up a batch of these cookies.  They were very easy & delicious.  I had a jar of almond butter that was not well stirred, so I mainly used the thickest, less oily part per the author's instruction.  I also used 74% cacao chocolate drops.  I used my large cookie scoop and made 15 cookies.

Breakfast Cookies (Egg Free)

I have shared this recipe before.  When I had made them previously, I used the egg option and I loved them.  This time I used the "flax egg" option.  They were also very good.  I'm not sure I could tell the difference.  I enjoyed them with a cup of coffee sprinkled with cinnamon while I did some reading this morning.  No review from the kiddos or hubby, but I will have them try them soon.  I used some very moist Medjool dates, so I did not soak mine first.  Also, I subbed fruit juice sweetened cranberries for the currents (last time I used raisins.)  I used my large cookie scoop and made 1.5 dozen cookies.  They only took about 15 minutes to mix together and clean up.  With baking time, I'd say about 30 minutes start to finish.  Only pictured are 3, but I ate 4!  I think I will have these around this summer as we run around to swim practice and meets.
 

Stir-Fry

Making a stir-fry is not an exact science.  Here is how I made tonight if you are need some ideas.  My family loves rice, so I usually make this for them on stir-fry nights.

5 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
2 handfuls frozen green beans
1/2 pkg frozen broccoli
sweet peppers, thinly sliced
2-3 cup cooked turkey (I had some in the freezer I defrosted)
chunk of ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3-1/2 cup coconut aminos

Saute all in 2-3 Tbsp of oil.

Egg Free Paleo Porridge

We all have ideals, don't we?  In my ideal world, I would not make separate meals and my children would eat what I eat or vice versa.  I would not cook in my microwave.  I forfeited these ideals this morning and had a great breakfast!  Since I've been reacting a bit to eating straight eggs and I know others looking for egg free recipes, I am on the quest for some new breakfast options.  

I've tried many different paleo hot cereal recipes, but this one is by far the easiest and best tasting.  I topped mine with vanilla, cinnamon and almond milk.  I had 3 of the kiddos try it.  One of them liked it better than what I had made them (Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal), the other 2 were happier with their breakfast.  This confirms what I have experienced in the past, not all my kiddos will eat paleo hot cereal.  I loved this and feel way better than if I would have eaten a couple eggs.  

So, check out this paleo porridge from The Paleo Mom if you need a one portion breakfast in less than 5 minutes.  If I plan ahead next time, I will grind all the seeds, nuts and flax the night before for even easier clean up in the morning.  No picture this morning, but mine turned out looking just like the picture in this link (wish I would have had a few of those lovely blackberries to put on top of mine!).

Spiralized Sauteed Veggies

Look at this!  It is so pretty spiralized.  It would be totally tasty thinly sliced also.  This is what I took to a family get together this weekend.

 
 Here's what's in it.
2 small zucchinis
2 yellow squash
2 parsnips
4 carrots
12 chives

Saute all the veggies until tender-crisp (about 7-10 minutes).  Season & serve.  I sprinkled mine with Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt and fresh ground pepper.