Italian Dressing Mix Packets- Homemade

I was looking for a shredded Italian beef recipe to make for a party I'm having this weekend.  All of the ones I found called for Italian dressing mix packets.  I use very few mixes for these reasons.

1.  Quality & freshness of ingredients.  I buy most of my spices organic and in bulk.
2.  Additives.  These dressing mixes, in particular, all have sugar in them.
3.  Expense.  We go through A LOT of food.  When I can make something, as opposed to buying it pre-made, I do.

I used this copycat recipe, but omitted the sugar.  Without the sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp equals a packet.  My plan is to use it in the beef, if I make it into dressing I will add a few drops of stevia for sweetness.

Crazy Week Menu Plan & tips

Yesterday began a solid week of evening plans for our family.  I'm making a conscience effort to enjoy the joys of Christmas this year & not feel stressed out the entire month of December.  I'm trying to enjoy the concerts, parties and shopping instead of just checking things off my never ending to-do list.  When looking at the calendar and realizing we will be running around every evening I know I'm going to have to be very organized (not my strong point) in order to enjoy it.  With so many in the house that have food sensitivities, the days of popping in a couple frozen pizzas are long gone.  Here's how I manage gluten free home cooked meals on a busy schedule in no particular order (see? I'm not very organized):

#1 Use paper plates/bowls.  I do not like eating off paper, but this saves a ton of time with clean up.  As much as I don't like it, I dislike coming home to a kitchen full of dishes. 7 people make a LOT of dishes!

#2 Put away any clean dishes and run the dishwasher before going to bed.  This goes along with number 1 as a cleaned up kitchen is much more inspiring for food prep.

#3 One dish meals and Crock pot meals.  These can be prepped and mostly cleaned up prior to supper.  These take fewer dishes to serve & are eaten quicker. 

#4 Plan meals that use some of the same ingredients.  For example, if your meal on Tues & Thurs both call for shredded carrots, shred all you need on Tuesday and only wash the food processor once. 

#5 Have simple things that can be pulled out of the fridge or freezer to complete a meal.  At our house that is frozen applesauce or berries, cut up veggies & dip, GF or Paleo biscuits/ muffins/ breads.

#6 Thaw meat the day before.

Merry Christmas to you all!  May you enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the season, but most of all the best gift of Jesus!

Here's what we'll be eating with links to recipes:
Monday:
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Cooked Rice
Green beans
Berries

Tuesday:
Leftover Roast Chicken Soup  I plan to use frozen turkey & broth I've already made
Crock pot Chili
Herbed biscuits -  I use this recipe and add about 1 Tbsp of dried herbs & brush the tops with garlic butter
Veggies & Ranch

Wednesday:
Double batch of Pad See Ew
Applesauce 

Thursday:
Choose Your Own Adventure (That's a fancy way of  saying warm up whatever leftovers are in the fridge!)  I intentionally will make extra Mon-Wed for this since this is the evening we have to be out of the house the earliest.

Friday:
Double batch of Hamburger- Rice Skillet
Fruit tray

Meal Inspiration

I've been wanting to keep a record of what I'm eating for supper.  If you need some meal inspiration, here's what I was eating this week.  Breakfast is usually paleo pancakes/waffles, eggs, meat, or protein shake.  Lunch is whatever needs to be eaten in the fridge on top of a salad.  :)

Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

I followed this soup recipe exactly and it turned out wonderful!  Very flavorful and satisfying.  I used a mixture of homemade and boxed broth.  More seasoning may be required depending on your broth.  Also, Danielle Walker did a live Q & A on her Facebook page last night.  Check out the recording for some good information on the paleo diet, pregnancy, auto immune diseases and just to enjoy listening to Danielle speak.  I find her & her story so inspirational!

 

 Looking at this picture makes me excited to eat the leftovers for lunch!

20 Nutrition Facts That Should Be Common Sense

I read this article today.  Thought you might enjoy it. 

Pie, Pie, Pie!

Lately, I have all been all about the pie!  I love Thanksgiving, it is my favorite holiday.  Why not?  There is no gift giving involved, I does not last a whole season, and it's all about thanking God for His blessings and provision.  Plus, traditional Thanksgiving food is the best!  This year I do not want to compromise on flavor or texture, so we have been testing out many pie recipes.  With many family members with Celiac disease, gluten intolerances and dairy intolerances, and a preference for the paleo lifestyle, these pies should cover it all!  My mom makes wonderful, beautiful pies.  She has been using all her traditional, yummy fillings and putting them in a GF pie crust.  I'm not crazy about the crust recipe, and she has admitted that she is not either.  Here began my journey for a great tasting, great texture grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free pie.

My favorite crust is from the blogger, Brittany Angell.  I bought the $10 yearly membership to Club Angell for exclusive recipes.  So, I cannot share this crust recipe on here.  I will say that here Club Angell recipes are very good, but not incredible healthy.  They often are in the "occasional treat" category in my opinion.  They are very good and my kids have enjoyed most of them, so I'd say it's worth the $10.  Her price is about to go up, so subscribe during the month of November if you are thinking about a subscription.  http://brittanyangell.com/

First I tried 2 pie recipes from Danielle Walker's ebook, Thankful.  This can be purchased for $1.99 on Amazon.  http://www.amazon.com/Danielle-Walkers-Against-All-Grain-ebook/dp/B00GP34AWK  I think it may have been worth it for the pecan pie recipe.  This was so good.  I used the crust and filling recipe from her ebook.

 
I used the Brittany Angell crust and the pumpkin pie filling from the ebook for this next pie.  It was good, but did not have the "traditional" pumpkin pie flavor.  Don't get me wrong, it tasted good & we ate it all, but it is not a winner for this Thanksgiving.

  
Then I used the Brittany Angell crust and used the filling from this recipe.  The texture was perfect and I liked that it made a nice full 10 inch pie.  It needs a bit more sweetness and definately more spice.  So, the search and experimenting continues for pumpkin pie.



I did make an amazing chicken pot pie with the Brittany Angell crust recipe.  The filling does have a small amount of dairy, but I bet it could be replaced with coconut or almond milk.  We hope to have this again!




Next up is this perfect apple pie.  I used the Brittany Angell crust.  As my 4-yr-old put it, "It's a winner!"  I used a recipe she sent out via email to her subscribers (this is free!)  I'm thinking you could easily adapt your favorite apple pie recipe with tapioca or arrowroot instead of flour and stevia instead of sugar.  I used Jonagold apples.  I left about 1/3 unpeeled and like how pretty it turned out.  



Now to continue the search for a really good paleo pumpkin pie recipe BEFORE Thanksgiving.  I don't think my family minds the journey, we ate pumpkin pie for breakfast today!

Paleo Maple Salmon Filets & Pregnancy Update

I just loved the salmon we made tonight!  I have not been in the mood for fish since I've been pregnant, but I was feeling ready to try it again.  I wanted to go with something highly seasoned and this recipe fit the bill.  Where it calls for gluten-free soy sauce, I used coconut aminos.  It was a quick & delicious main dish.  We ate ours with mashed sweet potatoes and cooked vegetables.  All the kiddos liked it and ate it well!
 

Speaking of pregnancy, we are having a BOY this time!  All is going well and he looks very healthy.  I've been enjoying all kinds of fun movements and kicks.  :) 

Danielle Walker (Against All Grain blogger) Update

Awhile ago I posted about Danielle's unborn baby and the fatal diagnosis she was given.  Today Danielle posted about the birth and death of her sweet little girl.  Please keep her in your prayers.
http://againstallgrain.com/2014/07/02/aila-jane-walker/

I Love Fat!

I watched this video link called "Ending the War on Fat."  It was put out by TIME on June 12.  It supports everything I believe and have experienced.  I have often told people that my body loves fat, this would explain why.  Eating good fats make you feel wonderful.  Here are some ideas.

Good fats(not an exhaustive list):
Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Butter
Palm Oil
Animal Fat
Full-Fat Dairy
Nuts
Seeds
Avocado Oil
Avocados
Sesame Oil
Pasture- Raised Meats
Salmon
Coconut Butter
Butter
Ghee (clarified butter)
Eggs

Honeyville 10% Off

Through Friday, Honeyville is offering a 10% off your entire order!  The code is: SUN10
http://shop.honeyville.com/?utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=SUN10+Sale+6%2f23%2f14+-+6%2f27%2f14+Campaign

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!***

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.

Spiralizer

So, I bought a spiralizer.....

How Cooking Can Change Your Life (Monday Morning Encouragement)

If you are checking my blog, chances are you are cooking most of your meals.  This can become a mundane task if we don't have the right attitude about it.  I was sent this video clip and it was well worth 20 minutes to watch.

It reminds me why my family does not feel well when we go out for pizza, but love it when I make homemade pizza.  I'm not even talking about paleo pizza!  I use white & wheat flour in my crust, homemade pizza sauce I can in the summer when I'm up to my elbows in tomatoes, ground beef I purchase directly from trusted producers, freshly chopped vegetables and topped with REAL cheese (sometimes I even shred it myself.)  Where are the artificial ingredients?  Preservatives?  Convenience?  Just some "food for thought" on this Monday morning.

Home cooks rock!!!  You are doing a great thing for yourself and your family.