Jalapeño Popper Dip

This is a fairly mild dip, because let's not forget our Prince eats all thing we eat (and maybe I'm a punk when it comes to heat)... I diced extra jalapeños for King Dad to add to his portion...I also sliced my finger open....no matter, the cooking must go on.

If you want hot, leave the seeds in and/or add a couple more peppers.

A huge thanks to my momma for the yummy homegrown peppers! I love you.

I have to say that this dip so good, it's dangerous.

 

What you need:

1 package organic cream cheese, room temperature

1cup organic sharp cheddar

1/4 cup diced green onion

6 - 8 organic jalapeños, seeded and diced

1/4 cup vegetarian freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp salt

What you do: 

Mix it all together.

Place in untreated baking container.

Bake on 400 for 15 minutes.

Serve warm with chips, cracker or sliced veggies

Waffles!

Grain Free and High Protein

My Prince was a bit discouraged the other day at breakfast, in a restaurant, when his options were limited to the routine egg and potatoes. My Prince wanted waffles like all those around him. When I told him not to worry we were immediately going to buy a waffle maker and we were gonna tell the "stinkin limited gluten free limited vegetarian restaurant" that we didn't need them. He smiled and whispered "OKAY! But you tell them I'm because a little scared." Hahahahahahha!

We decided not to tell them :).

So here are the Prince's waffles:

What you need:

1 cup organic coconut flour

1/2 tsp salt

8 organic eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup Greek (or your choice) organic yogurt

1/2 cup organic almond milk

5 tbs organic coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup organic honey

* make sure all ingredients are room temperature; you don't want to cook your eggs or to harden back up your coconut oil*

What you do:

Mix it all together and make those waffles!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Gluten Free/Grain Free/Honey Sweetened

 

 

 

The King Dad love banana and chocolate, so today I thought I would whip him a treat to welcome him home from work. These are perfect served warm with a bit of full-fat organic cream cheese or you could cool and top with frosting for a yummy and healthier version of a cupcake.

 Adapted from www.freecococonutrecipes.com

What you need:

3 organic ripe or overly ripe bananas  
3 organic eggs
3 TBLS coconut flour
1/3 cup organic cacao powder
1/4 tsp baking powder, aluminum free
2 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted virgin, organic, coconut oil
1/4 cup organic raw honey
1/3 cup cacao nibs
 

What you do:

Make sure eggs are at room temperature. Add all ingredients, except cacao nibs, to food processor and pulse until smooth. Stir in nibs. Add to muffin lined pan. Makes 9 to 10 muffins. Bake on 350 for 12 to 18 minutes.

 Enjoy!

Kiddo Safe Fruit Kabobs

The Prince and I always take fruit kabobs when we have to bring a side dish.

We love them and they are so easy to make! Pick your favorite fruits, cut them if needed and stick 'em.

What we have noticed, is that everyone else loves them too! Seriously, they are the first dish gone. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

In our house, we love stick foods and use wooden skewers, but when traveling with these bad boys and sharing them with  kiddos I wanted a safer stick.

Enter the cake pop stick!

Another trick is that the fruit kabobs on cake pop sticks, fit perfectly inside the empty strawberry container. What better way to travel than with a disposal container?!

Here are a few pictures of our traveling kid safe kabobs!

 

 

 

Cinnamon Baked Acorn Squash

Gluten Free/Grain Free/Vegan/Nut Free/ Soy Free

Seriously, there is probably not an easier side dish to prepare, add in how healthy and delicious this dish is, and you have the perfect side dish!

Rumor has it that you are not supposed to post on your blog twice in one day, but this evening my best friend, Valorie, asked me how I cook my acorn squash. I believe, that a best friend's request, trumps any rule about how many times you can post in one day. So, Val, this is for you!

I took a lot of pictures for you this time!

 

The Prince wanted to immediately buy an acorn squash when he first saw one in the store. Letting your kiddos pick out a new fruit or veggie in the store is a great way to get them to try things!

 

Acorn squash can have super tough outer shell to cut through; if you microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes the outer part will soften a bit, making it much easier to cut through.



Be careful, and cut that bad boy in half.



Use a spoon and scoop out the seeds.



Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Pour about an inch or two of water in a pie pan or baking dish, the dish depending on how squash you are cooking.

 

Place the cinnamon covered squash, flesh side down, in the water.

 

Place in 375 degree oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

 

Remove the squash from the oven, carefully turn acorn squash over, and top with Maple Syrup! Hope you have more syrup than I had when I took this picture :)!

What you need:

Acorn Squash, Organic

Cinnamon

Maple Syrup, Grade B, Organic

What you do:

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut acorn squash in half.

Scoop out seeds.

Heavily sprinkle with cinnamon.

Place flesh side down in a baking dish with an inch or two of water.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Flip acorn squash over and drizzle with maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Easy Taco Bar and Vegan Taco "Meat"

Taco Meat: Grain Free/Gluten Free/Vegan/Soy Free

Today we had a fun filled family day at the zoo, so what better way to end the day than a fun food dinner!

We love Chipotle, but sadly we recently learned that many of the items we order are GMO products. We know that the vast majority of restaurants use GMO products, which is why we eat at home, almost always. Seriously, we dine out once or twice monthly, at most. The thing that upset us the most is that Chipotle promotes that they use fresh, healthy products.....I digress. My 6-year-old Prince has started an Against Monsanto YouTube channel. Here is his most recent video, where he expresses his sadness about losing Chipotle.

Let's get back to our fun food dinner. After the zoo we whipped up and easy peasy Taco Bar.

Are taco bar consisted of the following items: Organic taco shells and organic tortilla chips, homemade guacamole, homemade salsa, dairy and vegan cheese, chopped green leaf lettuce, freshly cooked black beans (they were in the crockpot when we were at the zoo), cilantro-lime-jasmine rice and our delicious taco "meat."

The Prince loved walking around the "bar" and making his own taco! King Dad and I did too. Can you see the cute little trays we made our tacos in? The Prince picked those out from the dollar section at Target, and hubs lined them with parchment paper while I set up the food. Such easy to clean up!

RECIPE TIME!!!

I want to share with you our delicious vegan/soy free taco "meat" recipe. Keep in mind King Dad is a meat eater and even he is a fan.

What you need:

1 head of cauliflower, organic

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/8 to 1/4 red pepper flakes

2 Tbls coconut oil, organic, unrefined

What you do:
Rinse, chop and then grate the entire head of uncooked cauliflower into a bowl.
Add all of the seasonings to the grated cauliflower, sans the oil, and combine well.
Over medium heat, heat the oil in a large pan.
Add the cauliflower to the oil and cook for several minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve immediately.

Breakfast Strawberry Shortcake

Gluten Free/Grain Free/Dairy Free

Here's the deal: I consider this a breakfast meal, because it is light in sweetness and made with almond flour "shortcake" which gives you added protein without the heavy carbs that a lot of GF baking comes with.

When I had to start cooking gluten free (GF) I quickly realized that the myth I had heard about losing weight when going GF was so not true, when it came to baking with the typically flour replacements: rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, pre-made mixes like the delicious Pamela's, etc. Some of those products typically have a higher carb index than even wheat flour and left us feeling heavy an icky.

Thankfully, I discovered almond flour. Most of my baking focuses around it and being grain free (most of the time) seems to really make us feel better.

So, If you haven't tried almond flour, this is a yummy recipe to start with.

The night prior ( or many nights prior) place a can of coconut milk, right side up in the refrigerator, so the top of the milk will completely separate and stiffen.

What you need:
 

"Shortcake":

1 cup almond flour, packed

2 eggs, free range

2 Tbls honey, organic, raw/unfiltered (if possible)

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, organic, raw

1 tsp, vanilla extract, gluten free

Strawberries:

1 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced, organic

2 Tbls  honey, organic, raw/unfiltered (if possible)

Whipped topping:

1 can coconut milk, full fat (Thai coconut brand works very well), organic

1 Tbls honey, organic, raw/unfiltered,(if possible)

1 Tsp vanilla extract, organic

What you do:

"Shortcake":

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Pour mix into muffin pan that is lined or well oiled. Makes 4-5 muffins. Bake on 350 for 18 to 20 minutes. Check with toothpick and set aside to cool.

Strawberries:

While muffins are baking.

Mix strawberries and honey and place in refrigerator to produce liquid ( if this is done the night prior, it will make more juice)

Whipped topping:

While muffins are baking. Carefully, without shaking, remove coconut milk from refrigerator and remove top of can. Scoop ONLY the thick milk from the top of can and place into mixing bowl; once you get to coconut milk liquid, stop scooping. Add vanilla and honey to thick coconut milk/fat and using an electric mixer,  mix coconut mixture until firm like whipped topping. If you get the thin liquid from the can your topping may not become stiff, placing it in fridge may help.

Once muffins are cooled, slice on in 1/2, place both halves in a bowl, add strawberries and whipped topping and enjoy. 

This may seem like a lot of steps, but it is honestly fairly easy. I can easily whip this up early in the morning before hubs is off to work. Enjoy.