Vivian's Fruit Salad

I know posting a recipe for a fruit salad may seem silly.  You just throw a bunch of fruit together in a bowl, right?  How hard is that!?  Yet this one was/is special because my five year old girl specifically asked me if we could make a fruit salad and helped me with every aspect of it. 

Yes my oldest girl, Vivian, helped me chop up and slice various fruits to put it all together.  I asked her what she wanted to include in it.  We tried to find a fruit of every color to incorporate into the mixture.   It turned out amazing so I want to remember that we made this and exactly how we did it so we can call it her own. 

I love you Vivian!  This was delicious and you are an amazing kid and helper to me in the kitchen (and in many other ways too!)  :-)



Vivian's Fruit Salad
(Makes about 6-8 servings)

1 small basket of strawberries - sliced
1/2 banana - sliced (We ate the other half while chopping and slicing, hahaha!)
1 apple, any kind - peeled, core removed and sliced
1 pear - peeled, core removed and sliced
2 kiwi - peeled and sliced
A handful of blueberries, washed
A handful of grapes, washed
2 Tbsp of organic sour cream - optional (you could use a non-dairy substitute like coconut milk or almond milk)
1 tsp of honey - optional
1 slice of lemon, squeezed into the mixture



Do your washing, slicing and chopping of all the above fruit.  Have your kids help out with this.  You'll be surprised at how well they can chop or slice and that they enjoy assisting you too!   Check out my Vivian in action!  :-)



Place all the fruit in a large mixing bowl.  Add in the organic sour cream (or non-dairy substitute) and honey.  Squeeze one lemon slice into the mixture to keep the fruits fresh and from going brown.   Gently mix with a large spoon. 



Place in the fridge for at least an hour if you can before devouring.  The longer you let it sit and marinate together, the tastier it will be! 

Serve it in a fun or cute little bowl.  That makes it even more special too :-)



We ate on this for three days!  It kept up nicely in the fridge and I didn't see any brown spots or mushiness with my fruit.

Get your kids involved in your cooking!!!  I can't say this enough to those who are parents!  It has not been an easy eating path for my five year old.  Age 2 and 3 were really tough for us both!  However, I kept trying and insisting she try new foods -- lots of vegetables and fruits.  After two years, she now asks for things like carrots and broccoli.  By being persistent and having her help me even in small ways, Vivian has become an excellent, healthy eater! 

Enjoy this recipe and enjoy having little helpers in the kitchen too. This is the perfect recipe to kick off your summer!

My Way "Dirty Rice"

I grew up in Cajun south Louisiana where red beans and dirty rice were frequent on the family menus and holiday gatherings (along with gumbo, corn bread and lots of gluten-filled meals).  Now that we're not eating rice or beans much these days, I don't have those kinds of meals often. 

However I can experiment and come up with my own way, my own style of recreating a similar dish to the ones I used to love so much.   Happily and successfully, I think I did it....  I created my own less spicy but still flavorful "dirty rice" that fits my family's needs (no grains or traditional rice and no spices for my husband and little girls who don't like peppery things either!)

This is such a FAST, EASY meal to make on a busy day or when you don't feel like putting much effort into cooking.  I love this simple yet savory dish. 



My Way "Dirty" Rice
Serves 3-4

1 Tbsp extra light olive oil
1 frozen bag of cauliflower (or about 3 cups of chopped, 'riced' cauliflower)
1 pound of ground chuck (or turkey, veal, sausage or whatever meat choice you like)
2 Tbsp virgin olive oil or flavored olive oil of your choice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or other flavored vinegar of your choice)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp of sea salt

*Note: You may want to start with less seasoning and taste as you go to see if you like more or less.  My family likes a lot of flavor in this meal so I use a variety of flavors to give it flare. 


First, make the "rice" - follow my simple recipe of turning cauliflower into "rice."
After you have your "rice," made, toss it into a skillet greased with 1 Tbsp of the extra light olive oil.  Add in your defrosted one pound of ground meat (turkey/sausage or whatever).  Cook them together on medium heat so the "rice" can soak up the fat and flavor.  There is no need to drain any grease or fat off.  That's the good stuff, remember?  Fat is our friend!  :-) 

Once the meat has browned and your rice has browned too, add in your seasonings.  Start with the olive oil, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder and oregano.  Stir well and cook for another five minutes.  Then if needed and you want it, add in your Italian seasoning and sea salt.  Cook for an additional two minutes.  Don't be surprised if your "rice" blends in with the meat so you don't even see it much.  That's okay. 



Remove your "dirty rice" from the heat.  Let it cool for a minute before serving.  We usually enjoy  my broccoli chips with this recipe along with a big spinach salad. Yum, yum, good stuff.

Both my girls love this too.  Like I said, this is a fast meal to throw together so I highly recommend it after a long, tiring day.  I hope you enjoy it!

Fruity Ice Cream or Sorbet

I don't know about you but I sometimes struggle with saying no to ice cream or yogurt outings, especially when it comes to my children.  Occasionally (rarely) I will let my daughter have something out at a TCBY or Baskin Robbins type of place.  But for the most part, these days, I try to make my own at home.  It's easy.  It saves us money and of course, most importantly there is no added sugar or preservatives in my brand! 

I have an ice cream maker that I bought on sale last year.  However, even if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can make your own sorbet or smoothie and just freeze it! 

My husband and daughter really enjoyed this recipe.  We can hardly keep any extras of it in our freezer!  It's getting hot here (mid 80's) so I know we'll be eating this more often by July and August.

Fruity Ice Cream or Sorbet
(Serves 4 generously)

2 bananas, riper is better - peeled and mashed
2 cups (1 typical green basket size full) of strawberries - washed, stems off and chopped
1 to 1 and 1/2 cups of raspberries (or one typical small container size full) - washed, stems off and chopped
1/2 cup of applesauce, all natural, unsweetened

**Note that fresh or frozen fruit will work fine. 

Place all of the fruit in a food processor (or a blender).  Blend until it has small chunks but not totally liquified. 

If you have an ice cream/sorbet maker, then follow its instructions for use on how to blend your fruit into the cold, creamy goodness.   Mine takes about 20 minutes to be ready. 



Then I simply scoop it out into four small storage containers and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight until I eat it.



If you don't have an ice cream/sorbet machine, don't worry.  You can simply divide out and pour your fruit chunky liquid into small storage containers and freeze it as is. 



It may not quite have the same consistency/texture as using an ice cream machine but it will taste just the same! 

I've done it both ways.  It's delicious no matter what!  :-)

Happy Primal (Paleo) Anniversary to us!

Well here I am at my one year Primal/Paleo-ish anniversary!  I can hardly believe a year has gone by. On Memorial day in 2012, my husband turned to me and said, "I want us to stop eating sugar, gluten, soy, grains and all other processed foods."  I sooo wanted to strangle him at the time.  I was dealing with a one month old, breastfeeding and on maternity leave from a full-time job!  You can read more about that introduction to our diet here.   Also we had all just gotten over a nasty stomach virus. 

After I got a handle on my newborn and decided to stay home and ditch the job that wasn't making me happy, I got into a Paleo/Primal groove.  By November I was fully on-board.  In December I did a 21-day sugar-detox to help me gain control of my sweet cravings and get me over the weight loss plateau I was experiencing.  It worked too.  Such a crazy time to do it but I lost eight pounds while others were gaining the holiday cookie exchange pounds! January and February cruised by with great new recipes and more shedding of pounds.  Soon my clothes became too big for me and I started seeing muscle definition I have never seen on my body before.  March came and went.  In April we celebrated my daughter's first birthday.  Now May is over and we have completed a year of eating in Paleo/Primal ways.

What has a year done for me?  Well even beyond looks and weight loss, I honestly feel better now.  I sleep better.  I have less stress and more energy throughout the day (which is good since I'm chasing after two girls all the time!!)  My allergies aren't as bad.  My skin is the clearest it has ever been.  When I do exercise, I feel stronger and that I can last longer.  A year ago I could barely keep up with a Jillian Michael workout, run a mile or do yoga.  Now those routines are becoming too easy for me.  Now I am move into positions and run faster than I ever have in my life!!   I can hold side planks for minutes even while holding a 20-pound baby!   See for yourself below:



I could go on and on.  These are just a few examples of how going primal has been amazing for me.  Eating this way has touched every aspect of my life for the better.  When you feel good on the inside and outside your whole attitude and life becomes greater!  :-)

Now that's not to say it's a piece of gluten-free cake?!  I cook or prepare nearly three fresh meals a day for my family; plus add to that snacks and sometimes desserts too.  It's not easy!  I am in the kitchen a lot!  I run the dishwasher almost daily because I dirty so many dishes and storage containers.  But it's been worth it.  I have never felt better.  I haven't looked this good since my high school days.  I never thought I'd be giving away an entire wardrobe because it is too big for me!  Never!  Yet here I am going through it, giving it away and trying to sell a few pieces.  I keep track of my favorite meals here on this blog and I often look back at my meal planning post for ideas to prepare ahead for a month.

Yes my husband gets full credit for our lifestyle changes.  If it weren't for him, I'd still be using boxes of "healthy whole wheat pasta" and "healthy brown rice" with cans of spaghetti sauce loaded with sugar, soy and more.  *Shuddering thinking of how we used to eat!   He's brought sexy back in not just me but also in our diet.   I now eat vegetables that I hadn't eaten in years, such as asparagus.  Then I branched out and tried even more greens that I eat several times a month now, like roasted Brussels sprouts. Who knew veggies tasted so good?!  Crazy!

I'm proud of our family for doing this for our health.  I'm proud of us for sticking with this way of eating for a whole year.  I'm proud of me for not only losing all the baby weight from my second child but also shedding an additional twenty pounds, all within a year of Lana's 1st birthday!   I'm proud of my husband for being so passionate about his health and seeking into this natural way of eating to combat his issues.  Our methods of eating are working!  He feels so much better now - no more heartburn, acid reflux and extra heartbeats!  Thanks to the folks in the Primal/Paleo community, we have educated ourselves even further and feel like we're part of something bigger and greater than ourselves!

So what is ahead for the next year?  What's in store for my family and me and this blog?  More good recipes for sure!  Perhaps some new friends?  I just joined Paleo Pen Pals and am excited to find out more about that and anxious to virtually meet my first Paleo pal across the country!  Beyond that, I will continue to educate my girls on a healthy lifestyle. I will continue writing and sharing here when the mood strikes me.  Now that it's summer time here around Florida, I have my five year old in the kitchen helping me slice, crack eggs and more.  So you'll see her featured in my upcoming recipes and how I keep her busy in at home "summer school."  Stay tuned for more fun!  Thanks for being with me and for reading!  From my family to yours -- Be well and be good to yourself. 

Best wishes always,
Mandy and family




Hello there from my family - Tallest is daddy/husband Kirk.  That's me, Mandy in the blue.  I'm holding one year old daughter Lana Jane and the five year old daughter is Vivian Rose! 

Champion Omelet

It was a LONG weekend around our house....sigh!  My husband was confined to the bed after a small surgical procedure.  My oldest daughter caught some kind of 12-hour stomach virus and vomited all day.  My youngest daughter was very clingy and hardly let me do anything without holding her or entertaining her.  Our dog threw up twice on the carpets.  I was bitten by a horse fly or sand fly four times within five minutes of stepping outside on Sunday evening.  Sheesh!  I'd like a do-over please!  Thank you!

Anyway, after all that craziness, I was determined to resume normalcy.  Monday came and instead of complaining, I kissed the awful weekend good-bye.   I gave my girls their usual Pumpkin Pancake (with added chocolate chips) for breakfast then let them run wild while I completed my Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30, Level 2 workout DVD (thank goodness, I hadn't exercised in four days and was seriously having withdrawals!).  It was 9 o'clock before I started making this dish for myself (two hours later than when I typically eat) but I finally felt accomplished and relieved that my family was taken care of.  That's what I do -- I take care of them before I take care of (feed) myself. 

This was my champion omelet.  After a loser Saturday and Sunday, I felt more like a winner on Monday after eating this. 

As soon as I sat down to take a bite, my one year old crawls over and lifts up her arms for me to hold her and put her on my lap.  She ate 1/3 of it.  Oh yes, she knows a good breakfast meal.  Her nose and her eyes are keen.  She's lucky I shared it with her but look how big this thing was.  I suppose she did me a favor by helping me eat it.  :-)



Champion Omelet
(Serves One Adult or one busy mom, plus a food-stealing baby/toddler)

1 Tbsp of oil/fat (your choice: olive oil, coconut oil or butter)
2 eggs
1/2 cup to 1 cup of pre-cooked (leftover) spaghetti squash (Mine shrunk from 1 cup to 1/2 cup when I drained out the water from it)
1/2 cup or one small hand full of fresh spinach leaves, torn into small pieces
1 tsp of milk or water
sea salt - two dashes
other seasonings to taste
1 link of all natural chicken sausage - optional
1/4 cup of all natural cheese, shredded - optional

Heat a small skillet on low to medium heat.  Add in your choice of oil/fat - coconut oil, olive oil or butter.  I use a Tbsp of any of those on any given day depending on my mood.  Today I used olive oil. 

In a medium size bowl, mix your eggs, spaghetti squash and spinach leaves/pieces. 



Note that I used 1 cup of leftover pre-cooked spaghetti squash and drained it through a dish towel to rid myself of the excess water.  When I did that, the one cup shrunk to a 1/2 cup amount. 

Whisk for a minute or so.  Add in the teaspoon of milk or water (or use cream or any non-dairy drink_). 



Pour into the heated skillet.  Sprinkle in sea salt and other seasonings you like (onion powder and garlic powder are my faves).  Cook until your desired taste for an omelet.  I like just a little bit of brown to my eggs.



I chose to top mine with one link of chopped chicken sausage and cheese.  You can leave those things out however and it will still taste amazing. 

Like I said, my 13-month old baby girl came up to me the moment this dish was ready and began reaching her fingers out to enjoy a bite.  Yes, you know it's good when a baby wants to steal it.  And I call it my champion omelet because it tasted and made me feel like a winner!  :-)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Squares Or Frosting Fudge (whatever you want to call it)

This idea of chocolate squares came to me when I had too much leftover frosting for my baby girl's birthday cake a month ago.  That reminds me I still need to post her birthday recap and share the recipes I used for the cupcakes and frosting I made!  Remind me, will you? 

Anyway, like I was saying, I had leftover chocolate frosting.  And I HATE to waste any food or ingredients especially chocolate so I decided to see if this would freeze well and if it can be broken up into squares or candy pieces.  Thankfully, it can!  Now my girls and I have a great summer treat (or year-round, let's face it!) that is dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free and free of processed ingredients that we don't like.  Yay! 

Note that this takes several hours or even a day for this to be ready to eat.  I know, I know - it's hard to wait that long but trust me on it! 

Chocolate Squares (Or Fudge Frosting)
Makes about 18 squares

1/2 cup of organic palm oil (shortening)
1/2 bag of Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips (allergen-friendly - they are dairy free, soy free, nut free and more!)
Silicone mini square flexible pan - like this one


Directions:
In a small sauce pan on your stove, melt together the oil (shortening) and chocolate chips.  Stir frequently and be careful not to burn the liquid.  After incorporated for a few minutes, remove from heat. 

Set it aside and leave it alone.  For SEVERAL HOURS!  Once it's no longer hot, you can cover it and leave it alone for even longer.  About 4-5 hours should be fine.  Then after that, we you go to touch it, you'll see it's hardening but still scoop-able, like a fudge frosting.   Scoop it into a silicon mini square pan, similar to this one. 



Place it in the freezer overnight or for at least 6 hours. 

Remove from the freezer and simply pop out each chocolate square onto a plate or storage container.  Simply leaving mine out at room temperature for a few minutes makes it ready to eat.  You can also place them directly into the fridge to store and take out when you like. 

I live in Florida so you can't leave this stuff out during the hot summer months so it always stays in my fridge.  Anyway, enjoy these!  I know my kid and I do!  :-)

Pizza Zucchini Casserole (aka Pizza Faux-sagna)

I used to make pastas and lasagnas very frequently up until a year ago.  It was such a quick, easy thing to do - open up a box or bag of pasta; boil it; add meat and vegetables to it.  I sometimes miss it - not the bloating, full feeling or the carbs or the hard to digest moments.  But just the idea of layering the noodles with meat and sauce and cheese.  Finally it hit me the other day when I was looking at my zucchini!  They can be my noodles!  I can still have my faux-sagna without the guilt or insulin spikes!

This came out delicious and I've made it twice within a month now.  So I finally had to share the recipe! 



Pizza Zucchini Casserole (Pizza Faux-sagna)
Serves 4 - 5

4 medium size zucchini, sliced into lasagna size noodles (about 35-40 noodles)
1 pound of ground meat (I have used ground chuck and ground veal in the past)
6-8 slices of uncured, nitrite free pepperoni (like the Applegate Farms brand), broken up into pieces
2 and 1/2 cups of tomato sauce (Or use my no-mato/nightshade slayer fake tomato sauce)
2 Tbsp olive oil for seasoning and greasing the pan
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
4-5 dashes of sea salt

In a skillet, brown your ground meat.  Don't pour out the fat.  Save that for your dish for extra flavor.  Remember, fat is your friend!  Starchy, complex carbs are the enemy!

While your meat is cooking, you can slice (don't peel) your zucchini into lasagna size "noodles" as best as you can.  They don't have to be all the same size.  Some can be thinner or thicker than others.  Mine looked like this:



Once your meat is almost done cooking, add in your broken up pieces of pepperoni.  Stir and cook for another minutes with the meat.

Lightly grease a 2.5 quart baking pan with olive oil.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  

Place your zucchini noodles at the bottom of the pan, covering most of it as best as you can.  I used about ten to twelve noodles in one layer.  Now place your meat over the zucchini.  Like this:

Now place your tomato sauce (or use my faux-tomato sauce) over the meat and zucchini.  (If you want to use cheese on top of that you can.  Since my husband avoids dairy, I just top mine with it after it's done cooking). 


Then I continue layering my pizza lasagna with more zucchini noodles, more meat (mix of the ground chuck and pepperoni slices) and any other toppings of my choice until I've used up all of my ingredients.  Usually I have three layers.  So you can think of dividing up your meat, sauce and noodles into three portions before you get started. 

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top with cheese if your like or any other ingredients that you enjoy on your old style lasagna.  Let it cool for at least five minutes before you slice it up and serve it.



This is really tasty and like I've said, it doesn't leave you feeling bloated or sick afterwards.  Try it.  My kid loved it.  Yours might too!

Slow Cooker Mango Shredded Chicken

I love my slow cooker.  It just makes life so much easier!  I'm going to challenge myself this summer to cook with it even more.  I tried out this recipe yesterday and really enjoyed the flavors.  It reminded me of pulled pork except it was shredded chicken with a Caribbean, fruity flavor.  I used mangoes but I think pineapples would be great as well.

We served this over primal cauliflower rice with a side of sauteed spinach.  I pureed it up for the baby to eat as well. 



Slow Cooker Mango Shredded Chicken
(Serves 6 to 8)

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp of Coconut Aminos (or use soy sauce if you eat it)
1 Tbsp of vinegar (I used a pineapple flavor I had on hand)
1 cup of my fake tomato sauce (Or use 1 cup of real tomato sauce)
2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and diced

Plug your slow cooker in and set to low heat.  Place the chicken in first at the bottom.  Season with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Then drizzle over the olive oil, Coconut Aminos and vinegar.  Then cover the chicken with the fake (or real) tomato sauce.  Top it off with the peeled, diced mangoes. 



Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Check it about half way through if you are home and break up/shred your chicken.  If you're not home, then leaving it is alone is fine too.  You can shred at the end. That's the beauty of using a slow cooker! 

Mmm, mmm tasty stuff!



Serve mango chicken over the easy cauliflower rice I've shared here.  So good! 



Enjoy!

Less Than Two Minutes, Best Ever Mini Cake

How's that for a title? Less than two minutes, best ever mini cake!  Did that grab your attention?  It should!  It certainly grabs my taste buds. 

I make this at least once a week for my five year old and me to share when we want an afternoon delight.  I always have the ingredients on hand - banana, egg, almond butter and chocolate.  It is oh-so-simple to make and quick to be ready.  And the taste is out of this world!  You're welcome my friends!

Coming soon I will post more cake recipes and a summary of my daughter Lana's first birthday and the treats I made for the celebration.  I can't wait to share them with you!



Mini Cake - Best Ever, Less than two minutes!
Adapted from Detoxinista

(Makes 1 coffee-mug size cake - you can share it or eat it all!)

1 ripe banana, peeled and  mashed
1 to 2 Tbsp of peanut butter (I use almond butter since I try to avoid peanuts)
1 egg, whisked
1 Tbsp of chocolate chips (optional but so yummy - I use the allergy-friendly Enjoy Life brand!)
Coconut oil or olive oil (or other oil of choice) for greasing
1 large coffee mug (or ramekin dish)

How to make it:
1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. 
2. Make sure the eggs are whisked and the bananas are mashed up well. 
3. Grease a large coffee mug with olive oil or coconut oil.  Be sure you oil it up the sides as well because the cake will rise. 
4. Pour the cake batter into the coffee mug. 
5. Microwave on high for 1 minute, 20 seconds.  If it seems a bit too wet, microwave for another 20 seconds. 

Be careful - this will be VERY HOT!  You can let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating.  Or you can dump it out onto a plate and place in the fridge to cool for a few minutes. Then dig in.  This is good stuff!



My daughter and I really love this fast and delectable treat!  It's filling and it's a much healthier choice for you then grabbing some sugar-infested, processed snack food from a plastic wrapper in a box. 

Thanks Detoxinista for the original inspiration for this adapted recipe!  It is a wonderful little treat!

Basil-Onion Chicken Burgers

I am an all-American kind of girl.  I love my burgers and fries. Occasionally I will take one regular french fry off my daughter's plate.  Or if I trust the restaurant, I may order a burger off the menu.  But now I really prefer to make my own burgers for the grill and I prefer sweet potato fries to the regular white, greasy kind. 

Awhile back, we found some good quality ground chicken on sale at our local grocery.  We couldn't pass up the deal.  Then I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it.  After looking online for ideas, I decided to throw together some chicken burgers with them. 

Oh gosh, these are so good!  You can make them big or small like sliders.  These freeze well too and you can reheat them later for a quick lunch. 

Basil-Onion Chicken Burgers
(Makes 4 patties)

1 pound of ground chicken OR two chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (I have done it both ways!)
1 large egg, whisked (Or use an egg substitute like flax seed or increase the olive oil amount)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos (Or if you're not worried about soy, you can use soy sauce or barbecue sauce)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp ground basil leaves
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup of coconut flour

In a medium mixing bowl, combine your chicken with the whisked egg, olive oil, Coconut Aminos, onion powder, basil and sea salt.  Blend well.  Form into patties.  I was able to get four nice size ones out of the one pound (or two chicken breasts, boiled and shredded). 

Place them on a flat pan.  Now lightly dust each side of your patties with coconut flour.  Or you can dip them into the coconut flour using a separate bowl.  Start with just 1/4 cup of coconut flour and then add more if you need it. 



Note: You could probably cook the chicken burgers without the flour but I find it (a) gives it a nice flavor and (b) helps keep the burgers together and not falling apart.

Now choose your favorite cooking method for them.  I like to do it in a lightly greased skillet on my stove top for about 7-8 minutes, flip over and then bake in the oven for an additional ten minutes at 375 degrees.  I use a skillet that is safe for the oven.   You can also do it on an outdoor grill or an indoor electronic one.  Watch it carefully.  It should only take 15-20 minutes total to cook your burgers. 



Enjoy!  We love these.  They definitely are served on a once a month basis around our home.

And if you are a burger-lover like I am, check out my other two burger recipes on this site:

Oil and Vinegar Beef Burgers

Skillet Salmon Burgers