How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

1/2 cup ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. ground ginger
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves

Mix all the spices together with a wire whisk, and spoon into a spice jar.  Purchase your spices in bulk from a natural foods co-op if possible for lower prices (in most cases).  If you live near a Sharp Shopper, this is a good source as well.

Sharp Shopper
You might want to find store locations here  for some extra good deals on healthy food.  Although they sell plenty of junk food, they do have an entire aisle of health foods with excellent prices.  People travel several hours just to shop there for low prices on certain items.  There are several things I buy there when we visit family nearby.  They sell 25 pound bags of wheat berries, 25 pound bags of rolled oats, and have many health foods already packaged and priced (grain such as spelt, oats, barley, rye, and others), unsweetened coconut, various kinds of seeds and nuts, baker's yeast, and spices, to mention a few.

Eggs with Extra Color and Flavor

Fancy Fried Eggs ~ Lay 1/2-inch rings of sweet red, orange, yellow or green pepper in a small frying pan with coconut oil already melted.  Crack a pastured egg into each one.  You won't need to turn the eggs if you add about a tablespoon of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Continue to cook on a low setting, and the yellow yolks of the eggs will get a white coating from the steam.  Cook very slowly until done according to your liking.

Scrambled Eggs in Pepper Rings ~ Mix scrambled eggs with a little water, salt and pepper.  Lay 1/2-inch rings of sweet red, orange, yellow or green pepper in a frying pan with coconut oil already melted.  Pour enough scrambled egg mixture into each pepper ring so it doesn't overflow.

Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables ~ Melt a tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan and saute' a small sliced sweet onion (or half of a large one) until browned a bit.  Cover with a lid and stir occasionally so they don't burn.

 Add about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated carrots and cook until tender.  You can buy already grated organic carrots to speed up the process, although of course, grating them yourself would save money.  Cover with lid to help steam carrots.

Beat 2-3 eggs and salt with a small amount of water (for fluffier eggs).  Chop or slice fresh spinach to add to the eggs.

 Here the spinach is added to the cooked onion and carrots, just before pouring eggs into the pan.  Leave off the lid after adding the spinach and egg mixture.

This is a nutritious meal suited for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner!  Add a colorful piece of fruit or pepper slices to the plate.  Two or three eggs make a full meal for one adult.  Adjust the recipe accordingly.

Sesame Grilled Chicken

Thanks to Katie Fagan in Virginia for sending this recipe!

 

Marinade:

1 Tbsp. sesame seed oil

3 garlic cloves

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup brown sugar (Stevia would be a good substitute)

2 Tbsp. ginger root (grated)

¼ cup cilantro (chopped)

4 scallions (chopped)

 

6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (toasted)

 

Combine marinade ingredients. Add chicken and marinate 3 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and grill over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes on each side, basting with marinade. Toast sesame seeds in frying pan over medium heat, shaking to prevent burning. Sprinkle over grilled chicken. Serve with steamed veggies and rice or couscous.

Lime-Kissed Fruit

Thanks to Katie Fagan in Virginia for sending this recipe!

1/4 cup honey
3 oz. frozen limeade concentrate

1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 3/4 lbs. fruit salad (strawberries, peaches/nectarines, melons, pineapple, bananas, apples, grapes, kiwi, etc.

Whisk honey, limeade, and poppy seeds together in the container you'd like to serve it in.  Add fruit salad and toss to coat fruit.  Chill until ready to serve.

 

Grain-Free Pancakes

Serves 2 

1/4 cup coconut flour
1 Tbsp. plain gelatin (grassfed is best)
4 eggs at room temp. (pastured are best)
1 heaping Tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 coconut milk or cream
coconut oil for frying

Mix flour and gelatin together.  Add eggs and beat to a smooth paste.  Stir in the coconut oil; add the milk or cream and mix.

Cook about 12 small pancakes in a hot skillet with melted coconut oil.  Turn over when the edges and center turn opaque.

Serve with butter or ghee melted on top, and Fresh Fruity Syrup as a replacement for syrup.

Fresh Fruity Syrup
Fruit suggestions for syrup replacement: blueberries, peaches, strawberries, pineapple, or mangoes.  Bananas or natural applesauce would be good in combination to any of the fruits listed above.  Add a small amount of stevia for sweetness.  Blend in a blender or Magic Bullet.

An Easy Shortcut for Quick Tossed Salads

It's such a long and drawn-out ordeal to chop a lot of colorful vegetables for a tossed salad, but I've been using a shortcut which saves a lot of time.  Back in the BC days (before children), I was an Assistant Food Service Supervisor at Penn State, and when I used to order fresh produce for tossed salads, vegetables were sent from the "Produce Center," all chopped or sliced as ordered!  How I've wished for that luxury in my home especially when it came to tossed salads and soups.  So I shred, slice, or chop certain vegetables to be used in salads and  bag them in a Ziplock  where they wait in the refrigerator to be added to salads.  My favorite vegetables to use are sliced cauliflower, thinly sliced red cabbage, and shredded carrots - all mixed together.  These keep quite well for about a week. 

Then when I plate up a salad for my husband and myself, on each plate I put a handful or so of organic mixed greens and maybe spinach, with a handful of the prepared colorful vegetables on top.  Vegetables that get soggy or turn brown such as sliced celery, sliced cucumbers, or chopped peppers are not cut up ahead of time for instant use, but they could be saved whole in a bag to be cut just before serving. But all you really need for a colorful and healthy salad are mixed greens and the mixture of prepared vegetables!

So ...  now a tossed salad really can be a fast food that's healthy for you and your family!

Add  a special dressing with homemade mayonnaise as the base, and you've got a very quick and healthy tossed salad. 

Summer Vegetable Medley - Tasty and Colorful

To make this spur-of-the-moment dish, I used what was in the refrigerator: First I sauteed a sweet onion with minced garlic in coconut oil.  After the onion was limp and browned a bit, I added sliced  yellow squash, zucchini, a little sliced cauliflower, and finely sliced red cabbage.  Ginger paste, onion powder, salt and pepper gave it extra flavor.  It was cooked until tender but not mushy.  Very tasty!  Shredded carrots and sweet red, orange or yellow peppers would add even more color and flavor.

Ginger Paste - Homemade

Making your own ginger paste is more economical than buying it in a jar at the grocery store.  I refrigerate and freeze it in Tupperware midget cups to add to many dishes for extra flavor and good health.

I found it very hard to peel ginger root, but since it was organic I simply soaked it in hot water with a few drops of doTERRA On Guard essential oil for a few minutes to be sure it was completely clean.  A produce cleaner would work as well.  I figured the peel would just add a little more fiber, and as you can see below, not a trace of the organic peel is visible. 

It was chopped into about 1-inch pieces and blended in my Vitamix with enough olive oil to blend it well.  Water could be used instead.  I did need to tamper it down with the tampering tool but it only took less than two minutes to get it smooth and creamy. 

Next, I filled these Tupperware midget cups, getting it ready to freeze.  There was a little extra paste left over which made a wonderful cup of ginger tea, with a small amount of NuStevia for a sweetener.  It was so delicious and ginger supports the immune system and also aids in digestion, so I plan to drink ginger tea more often, using this paste.

Ginger paste in Tupperware midget cups and a cup of ginger tea

A closeup of the ginger paste



I add ginger paste to some chicken, turkey, and beef dishes, as well as to soups, casseroles, sauces, and dressings.

Recipes for the Fourth of July

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-events/4th-of-july/

Chicken Parmesan Muffins

Main Dish
Yields: 1 dozen

1 ½ lbs. raw ground chicken breast (Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be ground in food processor or pulsated in the blender.)
1 large egg
1 egg white
6 Tbsp. dried breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small onion, chopped fine
3/4  tsp. sea salt
1/3 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup pasta sauce
3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (save for topping at end of baking period)
Optional: dried parsley, oregano or basil for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin with coconut oil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, egg whites, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.  Mix all together.
3. Form the meat mixture and place evenly in the 12 cups of your prepared muffin tin. Spread the pasta sauce evenly over the top of each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Top each muffin with a tablespoon of shredded cheese and bake in oven for another 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese.  Garnish with fresh herbs.