Healing Cabbage Soup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Ready In: 55 Minutes
Servings: 8
"Comfort food on a cold w inter's night, cabbage simmered in chicken broth is also an
age-old folk remedy for curing the common cold."

INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 quarts water
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely
chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stew ed
tomatoes, drained and diced

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until
onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in w ater, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer
until cabbage w ilts, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

¾ cup beef bouillon powder

1 cup minced dry onion

1/8 cup onion salt

½ tsp pepper

½ cup onion powder

Mix together and store in a jar. ¼ cup equals 1 soup mix package.

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning (sugar and starch free)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I use about 1/8 teaspoon cayenne instead)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper

Hard Boiled Eggs

Easy Hard "Boiled" Eggs! - Remember this tip for Easter!! Share this post and it will stay on your page.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove with Chef's Tongs and place in an ice bath immediately.

This is by far the best way to make eggs! You can do 1 egg or 24 eggs...time and temp are the same! When I do this many eggs I just fill the sink with ice water and place them right in there. Eggs are SO EASY to peel, no sticking!

**Tip: Place them on their side on a mini muffin pan (on their side so the yolks stay in the middle)...mini muffin pan so they don't roll all over

**If you like this tip, click the word "share" and it will be on your page so you don't lose this it.**

Healthy No-Bake Cookies

I’ve always loved Peanut butter and Chocolate No Bake Cookies, but haven’t had them in years… but with a few minor changes I can now enjoy them without guilt!! These are made with all natural ingredients and are so much healthier!! These are Diary, Gluten, Soy, Corn Free!

• 3/4c Coconut Sugar
• 1/4c Coconut Milk
• 1/4c Coconut Oil, Butter or my Ultimate Healthy Whipped Cooking Oil Blend (Click HERE for my recipe)
• 1/4c Peanut Butter
• 2T Cocoa Powder
• 1/2t Vanilla Extract (did you know you can make your own? Click HERE for my recipe!)
• 1/4t Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 & 1/2c Quick Cook Oats

Combine coconut sugar, coconut milk, coconut oil, peanut butter and cocoa powder in a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium/low heat, stirring frequently, remove from heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto wax paper and allow to cool. I like to lightly sprinkle my cookies with additional sea salt to make them extra salty-sweet and keep them in the freezer!!

Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Tools You’ll Need:

•        Cutting board
•        Sharp knife
•        Mixing bowl
•        Large Ziploc Bag
•        Baking dish 9x13in
•        Spatula

Ingredients:

•        3 medium size sweet potatoes
•        3 fresh rosemary branches
•        ¼ teaspoon sea salt
•        ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
•        3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•        2 garlic cloves

 

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and cube (1 ½ inch pieces) your sweet potatoes. Place in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Chop rosemary and garlic. Set aside.
4. Grab your large zip lock bag and place sweet potatoes in, adding the olive oil, rosemary, garlic, sea salt and pepper.
5. Close your bag and shake it a bit, making sure all ingredients mix well.
6. Place ingredients in your baking dish and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
7. Once 25 minutes have gone by, remove from oven and using a spatula gently toss potatoes. Place in the oven and bake for another 25 minutes.
8. Now grab a plate, get yourself a serving, sit down and enjoy!

Paleo Brownies

Ingredients

4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate, melted in 1 T Coconut Oil

3 Small Avocados (or 2 Large)

1/2 c Honey

3 Eggs

1/4 c Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 T Vanilla

1 T Coconut Flour

1 t Baking Soda

1/2 t Salt

Instructions

Puree the avocado flesh in a food processor.  Make sure there are NO lumps left over…as good as chunky guacamole is, I can’t say that it’s all that good baked into a brownie.

Beat all remaining ingredients together with the avocado in a bowl with an electric mixer until really smooth and fluffy.

Spoon batter into a greased 8×8 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out smooth.

Poach Chicken

by CHEFDARIN on APRIL 4, 2011

Take a look at most recipes for chicken salad, casseroles, and other items that need cooked chicken and invariably they’ll probably list “boiled chicken” among the ingredients.  Most people will probably then put the chicken in a pot, cover with water, add salt and pepper if we’re lucky, and then proceed to boil it until done.   STOP!!!!   Sure..the recipe calls for boiled chicken but I’d only recommend doing so if you like dry sawdust-like bits of chicken.  The worst thing you can do is boil your chicken!

WHY?

I’m so glad you asked!!!  Have you ever gotten into a bathtub or jacuzzi that was hotter than you expected?  Most likely you tensed up and quickly jumped out.  Well, chicken is going to do the same thing (ok, so it probably won’t jump out of the pot…at least we hope not).

Most people assume and think that because they’re cooking proteins surrounded by liquid that they can’t overcook or dry them out.  Absolutely false!  If you’ve ever had overcooked scrambled eggs you’ve seen firsthand what happens when high heat comes into contact with proteins.  The proteins contract and tighten like small sponges and squeeze out any moisture they once contained.  Thus, you end up with hard rubbery egg curds surrounded by that milky liquid which was once contained within the proteins.  The same is true with chicken…if it is boiled or cooked too quickly and rapidly, or for simply too long, the proteins contract tightly and squeeze the moisture out.  The same goes for any cooking technique but the issue with steaming, boiling, simmering, and poaching is that people assume the moisture of the cooking technique will prevent the protein from drying out.

Well Then…What Am I Supposed to Do?

Great question…I’m so glad you asked!

The answer is to poach the chicken rather than boil it.  Poaching is a much more gently method of cooking in a liquid and is better suited for proteins so that they are less likely to overcook and toughen.

1.  Start with a flavorful liquid.  For chicken and poultry, start with chicken stock and add aromatics such as celery leaves, onions, parsley stems, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic.   Be sure to season with salt as well to help enhance the flavors and pull the liquid into the flesh of the chicken.  An acid such as white wine or a little lemon juice will also help round out the flavors of the poaching liquid.

2.  Bring the mixture to a simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse throughout the stock.

3.  Once the poaching liquid is well-flavored, bring up to a boil and then turn off.  Immediately place chicken into the pot and cover with a lid or tightly with foil.  If you’re cooking on an electric stove, remove the pot from the burner to prevent residual heat from continuing to boil and simmer the liquid.  Let the covered pot sit for about 10-12 minutes (15-20 minutes if cooking chicken on the bone) off of the heat.

4.  Remove the lid and remove chicken from the poaching liquid.  Use as desired…either serving as desired/needed or cooling and shredding and cutting into pieces for use in casseroles, salads, and other items or freeze for future use.

The chicken on left was boiled 10 minutes and that on the right was poached 10 minutes.

The poached chicken on the right is juicier and moister than the boiled chicken on the left.

Make Coconut Butter

From www.thecoconutmama.com

It is no secret that I love coconuts. My all time favorite coconut product is coconut butter. I use it on a daily basis. Coconut baby loves her coconut butter too! We pay anywhere from $10-$15 for a 16 oz jar of this stuff. Not cheap! So I decided it was time to start making our own.

Homemade Coconut Butter

Makes 1/2 – 3/4 cup

• 2 cups organic shredded coconut {where to buy shredded coconut}

Process shredded coconut in food processor or vita-mix for 15-20 minutes.

After 5 minutes of processing…

10 minutes…

Slowly but surely, the shredded coconut became coconut butter!
In this picture – Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate, Artisana Raw Coconut Butter, and Coconut Mama’s Coconut Butter.

I gave the Coconut Baby a taste test of each coconut butter.

She checked the texture of the products as well as the flavors. Only the one with the most coconut flavor would win her over.

This one was her favorite!
Yep, she liked her Mama’s Coconut Butter the best!

Okay, she liked all of them. But I think deep down, she thought mine was the best!

Guilt-Free Fudge

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups homemade coconut butter or buy it here
• 1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract – where to find seasoning and spices
• 1/2 cup raw honey – where to find natural sweeteners
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt – where to find salt

Step 1. Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. Add coconut cream concentrate or coconut butter, cocoa powder, vanilla and sea salt. Mix well as the coconut cream melts. Slowly add the raw honey into the coconut mixture until combined.

Step 2. Pour the warm fudge into greased 8 inch square pan. Cover and refrigerate. Allow fudge to refrigerate for 4 hours or until its completely set. Cut into squares and serve.

Beware of little one’s trying to steal your precious fudge!

Icing

The best icing!! All you do is mix one vanilla pudding packet with half of the milk called for on the package. Whisk until it begins to thicken. Then fold in one container of Cool Whip. A great frosting spread on cakes and piped onto cupcakes, a tasty filling in crepes or on waffles along with some fruit...way less sugar too!!!!

Oreo Cookies and Cream No Bake Cheesecake

Oreo Cookies and Cream No Bake Cheesecake


Ingredients
Crust:
1½ cup crushed graham cracker
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
7 tablespoon unsalted butter(melted)
Cheesecake:
2¼ cups heavy cream
1 pound cream cheese, softened
⅔ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon vanilla powder
¾ cups Oreo Cookies, crushed

Directions:
Crust:
1. Combine graham cracker crumbs with sugar.
2. Add melted butter and blend until combined.
3. Press into pan. Set aside.
Cheesecake:
1. Beat heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside.
2. Add cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla powder, lemon juice to a bowl and beat with a paddle attachment until smooth (approximately 3-5 mins). If you do not have a stand mixer or a paddle attachment a hand beater will work as well, but will take twice as long to achieve a smooth consistency.
3. Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and beat until incorporated.
4. Gently fold in Oreo cookies.
5. Fill chosen pan with a slight mound at the center, as the cheesecake will become slightly sunken at the center.
6. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.
7. Remove from refrigerator and smooth top to level with edges. Serve with whipping cream and garnish with mini Oreos.

Quick Dinner Ideas

Quick Dinner Ideas

Veggies and Rice

Tacos

Nachos

Grilled Cheese and Soup

Egg Burritos

Quesadillas

Waffles

Pancakces

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Spaghetti

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Pizza

Stir Fry

Hawaiian Haystacks

German Pancakes

Chili Dogs

Mini Meatloaf

Chicken Alfredo

1 Can Tomato Soup

1 Can Veg Beef Soup

1 Can Green Beans

1 Can Creamed Corn

1 Can Chili with Beans

1 Can Pinto Beans

1 Can Black Beans

1 Can Kidney Beans

1 Can White Beans

1 – 2 Cans Salsa

(Hamburger or Sausage)

egg, ham, spinach roll

1. 1-2 slices of deli ham based on thickness
2. 2 eggs
3. handful of baby spinach chopped
4. Kosher Salt and Pepper
5. cheese or other toppings to taste (optional)

Warm a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Grill the ham, flipping once. Remove the ham from the skillet and set aside.

Meanwhile, crack 2 eggs in a small bowl or mug and whip with a fork.

Lower the heat to medium-low and spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray.

Add the egg to the skillet and swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

Top the cooking egg with the spinach and cover.

Cook for approximately 2-4 minute until egg is no longer runny on top.

Uncover, lay the ham slice on top of the spinach.

Slide a spatula around the edges of the egg. Then slowly take one edge and begin to roll over on itself using a finger to hold it in place.

When finished rolling, cook for an additional 30 seconds to help it seal. Then serve…. with ketchup of course! ;)

Wash Fruit

Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Chicken Stew

1 T dried minced onion
1 tsp. jarred minced garlic
2 1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken (could use more)
2 14 1/2 oz. cans chicken broth (if it seems dry, can add more)
1 T chili powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 16 oz. cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil (this is different than the original recipe and added so much flavor)
Salt and pepper to taste

Southwestern Chicken Chili

• 3 chicken breasts
• 3 cans petite diced tomatoes (Use some with added flavor – I used 1 can w/ sweet onion, 1 can w/ green chilies, and 1 can with chipotle chilies)
• 2 cups medium salsa
• 1 (14.5 oz) can corn, undrained
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 pkg ranch seasoning
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• Whatever toppings you like – shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips or strips, avocado, cilantro, etc.

Combine all on the ingredients in your crock pot on low for 4-5 hours. Remove chicken from the pot and shred.  Place shredded chicken back into the crock pot and stir to combine.  Serve chili in bowls topped with desired toppings.

Oreo Rice Krispie Treats

Oreo Rice Krispie Treats- This recipe is amazing. The Oreos give this classic recipe the new perfect spin. -Chera

Ingredients
· 6 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
· 20 Regular Oreos chopped
· 5 cups mini marshmallows
· 3 Tbsp. butter
· white chocolate for drizzle optional
Instructions
1. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, pour measured Rice Krispie Cereal.
3. Chop and mash Oreos. You can do this by putting them in a ziplock bag to help keep the mess under control. You want the Oreos to be a variety of sizes from chunky to finely crushed.
4. Add Oreos to Rice Krispie cereal and stir to combine.
5. In a medium sauce pan, heat butter and marshmallows together over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they melt together.
6. Pour melted marshmallows over cereal and oreos and use a spatula sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to quickly combine all the ingredients.
7. As soon as all the cereal is combined, spread mixture into the prepared 9×13″ dish. Use the spatula to press the mixture around the dish, and flatten as needed.
8. Let sit until completely cooled. ** NOTE: When the rice krispie treats cooled I drizzled mine with some white chocolate and let it set until it hardened for a pretty finish.

Paleo Blondies

• 3 cold eggs
• 1 cup dates
• 1 cup grass-fed butter or coconut oil (or a combination of both)
• ½ cup milk or coconut milk
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• ½ to ¾ cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8-inch square pan or a 6 x 8 inch pan.
3. Combine the butter, milk, and salt in a double boiler set over barely simmering water or very carefully in a medium saucepan over super low heat stirring constantly. Once the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, set aside until warm, not hot. Add vanilla extract.
4. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
5. In a food processor, finely chop dates. Add almond flour, coconut flour, and blend until the mixture is consistent.
6. Combine butter mixture with the date mixture. Process until mixture is consistent.
7. Add butter mixture to beaten eggs and whisk together for 1 minute.
8. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean.
9. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool entirely before cutting.

Sweet Potato Brownies

 

Print

Prep time

8 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

43 mins

 

Fudgy and moist paleo, gluten-free brownies

Author: Alicia of HumbleFoodie.com

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup sweet potato puree
• 3 eggs, whisked
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• a pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Mix in dry ingredients and stir until evenly combined. The batter will be quite thick.
3. Spread batter evenly in the baking pan and bake for 35 minutes.
4. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out of the pan and place on a baking rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Brownies will sweeten over time–if you can wait to eat them!

Notes

adapted from PaleOMG http://paleomg.com/sweet-potato-brownies/

Potato/Fries

Better than fries!

Cut potatoes almost all the way through, drizzle olive oil, butter, some sea salt, and 

pepper over top and bake @ 425 for 40 minutes.

Bakery Cake from a Box

How to make any box cake taste like it came from the bakery 

Step 1: Look at the directions on the cake mix,
Step 2: Add one more egg (or add 2 if you want it to be very rich),
Step 3: Use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount,
Step 4: Instead of water, use milk.
Step 5: Mix well and bake for the time recommended on the box.

Salsa

Stopped buying the jar stuff once I tasted this homemade salsa. Simple and delicious: Chop 5-6 Roma tomatoes,1 small onion and 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro. Mince 2 seeded Serrano or Jalapeño peppers and 1 clove of garlic. Add 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and let sit overnight for flavors to meld.

Faries in a Jar

FAIRIES IN A JAR DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut a glow stick and shake the contents into a jar.
2. Add diamond glitter
3. Seal the top
4. Shake hard

This is something they will never forget so its worth a little work on this one.

"Share" it with your friends who have family and friends.