One night I decided to make black bean burgers, just for something different. I thought these were really tasty. My son didn’t like the bell peppers and my husband said they were good but he prefers our grass-fed beef burgers. But the flavor was really good and everyone ate them up! You could add quinoa instead of the bread crumbs if you wanted. I would definitely eat these again but do love my grass-fed burgers as well. š This is a great vegetarian option or if you just want to mix things up. I like meat but also like to have other sources of protein sometimes. I made my cheesy garlic mashed potatoes to go with.
1/2 cup veggies like bell peppers, corn, carrots – chopped small
Directions:
Drain and rinse the black beans. In a medium bowl, mash the beans with a fork or a potato masher. Add the chopped veggies and all the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Make patties as shown in the picture below or the size that you want. Note: These do not shrink up like regular hamburger patties do.Ā Cook the patties on a grill, stove-top or in the oven. They do not take long to cook at all and when I cooked them on the stove-top I had to grease the pan pretty good.
Mashing the beans with a fork:
Ā Cooking the black bean burgers on the stove-top:
Here are the canned organic black beans I buy at Trader Joe’s (Ingredients – organic black beans, water, and sea salt):
My grandma grows a lot of rhubarb and has extra every year. I have never taken any until this year, so I could make strawberry rhubarb crisp for the first time. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out because I had heard how tart rhubarb is. And my husband had made it very clear that no matter how much sugar I put in it, he wasn’tĀ going to like it and that he has had it made every way possible as a kid. Well guess what, he loved it! I believe his words were that it was AMAZING. It was almost gone in 1 day. And there was no added sugar! I used maple syrup to sweeten it.Ā If it’s real maple syrup, it’s definitely better for you than sugar because it’s high in magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc. Regular maple syrup has: high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, caramel color, artificial flavors and preservatives. Honey is better for you than maple syrup but this recipe needed something that would really sweeten it up since rhubarb is so tart. And I heardĀ that Grade B maple syrup is better because it’s the second tapping and the syrup has more nutrients. Grade A is still okay to use though. As you can see in the picture at the bottom of this post, I have Grade A. Partly because I always forget which one is better, haha.
Note: I froze some of the rhubarb from my grandma. It is REALLY hard to cut after it has been froze, and it’s full of water. I reduced the amount of water in the filling recipe below by half when I used the frozen rhubarb.
For the Filling:
16 oz organic strawberries
2 stalks of rhubarb (about 2 cups, sliced thin)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
juice from 1/2 a lemon (I just do a few good squirts)
1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)
2 TB chia seeds (optional – I grind my seeds)
For the Topping:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
2 TB melted coconut oil, or melted butter
2 TB maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut up the strawberries into chunks and slice the rhubarb thin. In an 8 x 11 baking dish, mix up the filling ingredients with a large spoon. Mix the topping ingredients in a bowl until crumbly. Crumble on top of the filling. Bake for 45 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.
This is the maple syrup I use. It’s from Trader Joe’s, about $8. It’s 100% pure organic maple syrup, nothing else. Believe it or not that is a good price for pure maple syrup.
Coconut Oil (I heard this is a good brand):
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
Zucchinis can get so huge! And I don’t know about you but our garden is producing a lot of them. So we have to come up with many ways to use them up. I think it would be boring to just make zucchini bread over and over, even though it’s delicious! I actually like zucchini bread better than banana bread, but I don’t care much for bananas (I force myself to eat one or throw one in a smoothie now and then). But, I just learned from a neighbor that you can pick the zucchinis when they are smaller and they taste better that way for salads/stir-fry. And when they are bigger they are better for bread/pancakes. I don’t know why I didn’t know this before…. Oh well. š I wouldn’t say this is the best zucchini bread I’ve ever had but I need more time and more zucchini to experiment. It was good though and the kids loved it, even without any chocolate chips. š
Zucchini is a summer squash that has many health benefits. They have anti-oxidants, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and B-complex groups of vitamins likeĀ thiamin, pyridoxine, riboflavin and minerals like iron, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. And the peel is a good source of dietary fiber.
Fried Zucchini
1 1/2 – 2 cups zucchini (cut-up into triangles or circles)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme (or another herb you like)
Salt & Pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
1 egg
Heat up the oil in the pan. Cut up the zucchini into triangles (like the picture) or circles, depending on the size of zucchini you’re working with. Mix the flour, herb & seasonings in a small bowl. Add the egg to another small bowl and use a whisk to mix it up. Dip the zucchini into the egg, then into the flour mixture and add to the hot pan (make sure your pan is hot – probably on medium-high). Flip them after they are brown on one side, then cook until they are brown on the other side. Let them cool a little before serving.
Zucchini Pancakes – (makes 10-12 small pancakes)
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
3 TB olive oil
2 TBĀ melted butter
2 TB milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Create a well in the middle and whisk the eggs, olive oil, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the grated zucchini, (you can grate it with a cheese grater or use a food processor to shred it. After I grate the zucchini, I squeeze out some of the water before adding it to the bowl.) and stir the dry ingredients into the batter, mixing until just combined. It will be very lumpy. Grease your skillet (I use coconut oil) and set to medium. Once it’s heated, add a big spoonful of batter to each area on the skillet, depending on how big your skillet is and how big you want your pancakes. Keep checking the bottom and when it’s golden brown, you can flip them. Cook a couple more minutes so that they are golden brown on both sides, remove from the pan and repeat until all the batter is used up. Best served with real butter and 100% pure maple syrup, or raw honey.
Roasted Zucchini
1 small zucchini
other veggies like bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, whatever you like.
onion
1 – 2 TB coconut oil or olive oil
1/2 – 1 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic
salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
Herb(s) of your choice (I used thyme). About 1/2 tsp.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut-up all your veggies and onion. In an 8 x 8 baking dish, add the veggies, onion, coconut oil/olive oil, herbs & seasonings and mix them up. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring a couple times.
Zucchini Bread Note: This bread comes out dense and a little crisp on the outside but moist inside. I may adjust this recipe when I experiment more but the point is that the kids loved it and kept asking for more! š It was pretty good.
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I use sea salt)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
Options: 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1 1/2 tsp orange zest, 1/2 cup chocolate chips (you may want less honey if you add these).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then make aĀ well in the center of the bowl and add the eggs, coconut oil (should be melted this time of year), honey, and vanilla. Whisk the ingredients in the center of the bowl and then start whisking in the dry ingredients together. Stir in the grated zucchini and any nuts, orange zest, or chocolate chips you want (optional). Add everything to a greased 9 x 5″ loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from pan and cool before slicing. (Need a loaf pan? See below.)
Zucchini Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I use sea salt)
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
1/4 – 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, & nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the oats. Make aĀ wellĀ in the middle of the bowl and whisk together theĀ oil, butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the zucchini and mix everything in with the dry ingredients. Stir in some chocolate chips or chopped nuts if you want. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. (I use coconut oil to grease it.) Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Other Ideas: Add to stir-fry, fajitas, fried rice, salad, make kabobs, Real Fit, Real Food Mom’s zucchini boats, zucchini muffins, zucchini brownies, add to veggie packs (packs of veggies/potatoes in foil you put on the grill), add to spaghetti sauce, taco meat, pizza, soups & stews, and I even added some to our grilled cheese sandwiches! You can add zucchini to many of your favorite dishes. I want to get a spiralizer (shown below) to make zucchini noodles!
Here’s a Glass Loaf Pan through Amazon:
A Spiralizer (great for making veggie noodles):
Coconut Oil (I heard this is a good brand):
A Cheese Grater (great for grating zucchini too):
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
We love having tacos or burritos, so much that we have it at least every couple weeks or sometimes 2 weeks in a row. In fact, I have a sticky note taped to the inside of my cupboard with a list of seasonings for my homemade taco seasoning, since we use it that frequently. We use it in many of our favorite dishes. I make the filling and then everyone can either make a taco or a burrito with it. Then I use the leftovers for taco salad the next day! Or you can make nachos with it. š These are good all year around. For the burritos I use tortillas from our local food co-op. They have white or wheat available but they don’t have an ingredient label for some reason! I trust the co-op and know that they’re all natural and GMO free. And we like the tortillas so I continue to buy them. We also make quesadillas with them, beef enchiladas, or breakfast burritos. For the tacos I use Trader Joe’s taco shells with organic stoneground yellow corn. You can see the picture at the bottom of this post that also shows the ingredients. They are gluten-free too. For the filling, we use 1/2 lb of grass-fed beef mixed with refried beans and a homemade taco seasoning. Then you can add onions, peppers, olives…whatever you want. (For a vegetarian option eliminate the beef and use just the beans – refried beans or black beans would be good.)
Just mix up the herbs and seasonings in a small bowl, or you can make a few batches up ahead of time and save individually. This is the amount of seasoning for 1 lb of hamburger but I use it for just a 1/2 lb and add beans. We don’t make ours very spicy so that the kids will eat it. You could add some cayenne pepper or whatever you want to spice it up.
Taco/Burrito Filling:
1/2 – 1 lb of hamburger (organic grass-fed beef preferred)
1 can refried beans (optional, we use this with 1/2 lb of hamburger)
Homemade taco seasoning (recipe above) and 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water
Other options: 1/2 cup of chopped onion, diced green chilies, black olives, corn, and/or bell peppers.
Brown the hamburger, add the taco seasoning and start with 1/4 cup of water. Mix it up and add more as needed. Add any other ingredients you want (onion, chilies, olives, corn, bell peppers). Cook for a few minutes on medium and then add the beans (if desired). Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so, just to heat the beans with the meat.
There are so many options for toppings. To name a few: lettuce/spinach, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, olives, green onion, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, guacamole/avocados, maybe some jalapeƱos if you want to spice it up! You could even make some rice to put in with it.
For the taco meat, I cook a lb of hamburger, add the seasoning, cook for a few minutes and then split it in half. I freeze half and then add refried beans to the other half. This is just what I do. You can do a full lb or 1/2, and with or without the beans.
Here are the taco shells I get at Trader Joe’s. They are gluten-free too.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
Summer is here and it’s almost the 4th of July. We will be doing a lot of barbecuing and these salads go great on the side. I hardly ever eat mayonnaise, so I don’t mind a little this time of year, however I have heard of substituting the mayo for greek yogurt. The amount would be the same. But I haven’t tried this yet. One of these days, I might. The healthiest salads from the options below would be the quinoa salad, green salad, and italian pasta salad. But it sure is nice to have a creamy salad every now and then! š I used to buy those suddenly salads. They are full of MSG, corn syrup, GMOs, cottonseed oil (which is the worst oil because there are no restrictions on pesticides for cotton), and many other artificial flavors and preservatives. It is so easy to make your own!
Potato Salad:
4 medium sized potatoes
2 eggs
1-2 slices of bacon (optional)
Ā½Ā cup onion
2 stalks celery
Ā½Ā cup mayonnaise (or greek yogurt)
1 TB mustard
Ā½Ā tsp paprika
Ā½Ā tsp garlic powder
1 TB parsley
salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (fill 3/4Ā full with water). Peel the potatoes and add to the water. Cook until tender, but still firm. About 15 minutes. Drain, set in the fridge to cool. Make the hard-boiled eggs (bring water to a boil, reduce heat to medium, place eggs in the pan gently-I use a soup ladle, cook for 12 minutes). Cool, peel, and chop the eggs. Cook the bacon. Chop the potatoes, crumble the bacon, chop the onion and celery, mix everything up with the mayo and seasonings in a 1 Ā½ QT dish. Chill for at least an hour. This is a basic recipe. You could add olives, pickle, other herbs and spices.
Quinoa Salad:
1 cup dried quinoa
2 cups water (or chicken stock)
1 can black beans-drained (optional)
1 small avocado, or Ā½Ā of a large one
Ā¼Ā cup Red Onion (or white, or Ā½Ā tsp onion powder)
1 tsp Cumin
Ā½Ā tsp Garlic powder
1 TB Parsley or cilantro
Salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
Options: cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, green onion, whatever veggies you want.
Lemon or lime juice (a few squirts)
1 TB balsamic vinegar
Ā¼Ā cup olive oil
Red pepper flakes (optional for extra zest)
Bring 2 cups water (or chicken stock) to a boil, stir in the quinoa, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. While itās cooking you can cut up any onion/veggies you want. Add all the other ingredients to a large bowl (or 1 Ā½ QT dish) and mix it up. When the quinoa is done, rinse with cold water in a strainer and add to the bowl. Mix it up and serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Italian Pasta Salad:
2 cups noodles (any kind but we like the tri-color)
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp italian seasoning
Ā½Ā tsp garlic powder
Ā½Ā tsp onion powder (or chopped red onion)
salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
Ā½Ā cup shredded cheese (or cubed)
Options: chopped tomatoes, olives, and/or bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, pepperoni, salami, you can add pesto too! There are so many options.
1-2 slices of bacon (optional)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 cups of noodles. Cook at medium-high for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook the bacon. Drain and rinse noodles with cold water. Crumble the bacon, shred your cheese and chop up the veggies. Mix everything up in 1 Ā½ QT dish. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Green Salad:
Mixed lettuces
Spinach/kale
tomatoes, chopped
cucumbers, chopped
carrots, shredded or chopped small
sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds
Other options: radishes, red onion, dried berries, sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts, broccoli, cauliflower, endless possibilities.
Dressing: equal parts olive oil/balsamic vinegar, or one of your organic favorites.
In a large bowl mix up all the ingredients. I don’t measure but it’s probably about 1 cup of each item and maybe Ā½Ā cup of the sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds. And I put pepper on my salad. Maybe a squirt of lemon? š
Creamy Pasta Salad:
2 cups noodles (any kind but we like the tri-color)
1-2 slices of bacon (optional)
Ā½Ā cup shredded cheese
Ā½ cup mayonnaise (or greek yogurt)
Ā½Ā tsp garlic powder
Ā½Ā tsp onion powder
1 TB parsley
2 TB milk
salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
Options: chopped tomatoes, olives, and/or bell peppers,Ā broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, whatever veggies you want.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil (fill 3/4 full with water), add 2 cups of noodles. Cook at medium-high for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook the bacon. Drain and rinse noodles with cold water. Crumble the bacon, shred your cheese and chop up the veggies you want. Mix everything up with the mayo and seasonings in a 1 Ā½ QT dish. You can eat right away but it’s best chilled for aboutĀ an hour.
Macaroni Salad:
2 cups macaroni noodles
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or greek yogurt)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 TB mustard
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup diced celery
2 TB onion (red, or white)
1/4 cup relish (sweet or dill)
2 TB parsley (fresh or dried-chopped)
Salt & Pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the noodles. Cook at medium-high for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chop the celery and onion. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water. Add all the ingredients to aĀ 1 Ā½ QT dish and mix well.Ā You can eat right away but it’s best chilled for aboutĀ an hour.
This is what we have for chopping up onion/veggies quick! It is very handy to have. And using this to chop onion helps prevent your eyes from watering. šĀ
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
Chocolate pudding was one of those things we used to eat a lot but after switching to organic foods, I just figured it would be something we wouldn’t have anymore. This is a ‘healthier’ version that I feel good about giving my kids periodically. And there’s no sugar! Just raw honey*, which is a natural sweetener. But you want to make sure it’s raw honey and not processed. The part that took the longest was scooping out the avocados, but if you just cut around the avocado lengthwise, they peel apart easily. Then you can scoop out the seed and scoop everything out. And I found it easier to scoop if they are at room temperature (they should be kept at room temperature anyway unless they are ripe and you don’t want them to ripen more).Ā *Honey is not recommended for children under one.
Avocados are so good for you. They have the good-for-you-fat that we need! (It’s unsaturated but I want to make it clear that there are good saturated fats that we need as well.) They are a good source of fiber, and have about 20 vitamins and minerals! Including Vitamins A, B, C, D, & K, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Potassium, and many others. So my son liked the pudding but my daughter made a funny face. She was sick at the time, so I don’t know if it just tasted funny because of that. I didn’t tell my kids what was in it. I just said it’s chocolate pudding. Was that wrong of me? š Anyway, I love it and hope you will too.
Ingredients:Ā
2 large avocados, or 3 small
1 cup milk (I use organic whole but you could use coconut milk, almond milk, etc.)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder, which is better for you)
3 TB raw honey*
dash of cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
Scoop out all the avocado and discard the seed (see my tips on doing this quickly at the top of this post). Blend all the ingredients in a blender or NutriBullet (that’s what I used, see picture below). Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and serve.Ā *Honey is not recommended for children under one.
Here’s everything added and ready to blend up in the NutriBullet:
(I had to add more milk after this picture because I was still in the testing phase)
Here’s a NutriBullet through Amazon:
And here’s my son eating the chocolate avocado pudding frozen in a Smoothie-Pop-Mold:
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
I had only tried split pea soup out of a can when I was growing up and thought it was gross and looked gross. When my mother-in-law introduced it to me again, as homemade, I was in heaven. It is now one of my favorite soups! It still doesn’t look all that appealing but it definitely looks better than the soup out of a can. And, it doesn’t even taste like peas. Believe me, my husband wouldn’t eat it if it did. š I get my split peas at our local food co-op in the bulk bins but I’m sure they have them at most stores. I love to make this with leftover ham from a holiday dinner but you can make it with a whole ham (bone-in), or you can cook it with bacon! We like to have bread and butter with it. I think the Rosemary adds a special touch and guess what? It’s great for improving your memory! Those of us with Fibromyalgia really need that. (For a vegetarian option, don’t add any meat and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.)
1 1/2 lb. ham or 1-2 cups leftover ham (chopped into squares)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large carrots, chopped
1 tsp rosemary
1-2 cloves minced garlic
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper (sprinkled in as desired)
Directions:
Soak your split peas overnight in a large bowl of water, covered by about 3 inches. This will save in cooking time but if you need to do it in the same day, simmer in water for about 5 minutes, then soak for an hour and drain. Add the split peas to a large pot with the chicken broth. Add the ham, onion, carrots, and all the seasonings. (If you have a whole ham, cook with the bone.) Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on medium for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and cook another 10 – 15 minutes to thicken. Basically cook until the carrots are soft and peas are mushy, not crunchy. (It will look like the picture above.) Remove bay leaves and the ham bone before serving (if it’s a whole ham you will need to cut it up before serving).
In the Fall, I experimented with different kinds of pancakes. I made pumpkin pancakes, zucchini pancakes, gingerbread pancakes, and even just plain pancakes. Then I wanted to make apple cinnamon pancakes but I wasn’t happy with any of the recipes I found. So basically I took the pumpkin pancake recipe and substituted the pumpkin for apple sauce, with a few other minor adjustments. Everyone loved them! Even my daughter’s friend who said she only likes plain pancakes. š These are good anytime of the year. We like to have bacon or sausage with it, and some fruit.
1/2 cup apple sauce (or 1 of those apple sauce cups)
1 egg
2 TB coconut oil or melted butter
Directions:
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In another bowl (or make a well in the middle of the large bowl) whisk the milk, applesauce, egg, and oil (or butter) together. Combine wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. The batter may be slightly lumpy and that’s okay. Grease your skillet and set to medium. I use coconut oil to grease it. Once it is heated, add a big spoonful of batter to each area on the skillet, depending on how big your skillet is and how big you want your pancakes. When bubbles form in the batter, you can flip them. Cook a couple more minutes, remove from the pan and repeat until all the batter is used up. Best served with real butter and 100% pure maple syrup, or raw honey.
Chili is one of those meals you can make so many different ways. This is how we like ours, but I have adjusted depending on what ingredients we have at the time. My mom first gave me the recipe and I have made changes here and there to make it my own. I remember when I was first married and learning how to cook, I went around to different family members to collect recipes. It was fun putting them all together and trying different things. I wish I would have stuck to it instead of buying all the cheap boxed meals full of preservatives and other bad stuff. š Oh well… I am back at it now! And more than I ever was before. I am very excited that my kids are a part of all this and can use what I teach them when they are off on their own someday. I never want to go back to the way we used to live. This is what it’s all about… growing our own, making our own, family projects, and trying new things. š
We have been cutting back on the amount of meat we use, so you will see a lot of recipes say 1/2 – 1 lb. of hamburger or 2 chicken breasts instead of 4. I use 1/2 a lb. of hamburger for recipes like this. I know the store packages it into 1 lb. increments so what I do is, cook all the hamburger and freeze half. It makes it easier when I go to pull it out for the next meal. Plus when I get home from the grocery store, I don’t really feel like separating out the hamburger. I just want to put it in the fridge or freezer and be done. I do this for the chicken too. Usually you will get 4 chicken breasts in a package so I cook them all and freeze half. It is really nice when I pull out the other half later in the week and it’s already been cooked! I can just thaw and chop up the chicken to add to one of our favorite dishes. I can’t believe how much meat we were eating before and a lot of that chicken went to waste. I hate waste. š When we make tacos/burritos now, we use 1/2 lb. of hamburger and add Amy’s organic refried beans. There’s still so much left we can take some for lunch the next day as a taco salad. I also use 1/2 lb. of hamburger for spaghetti. I like my sauce more saucy anyway. š Or just make meatballs!
On the cornbread, you can substitute the sugar for more honey (just do 1/4 cup honey) but this is why I am okay with some raw cane sugar here and there:Ā http://butternutrition.com/5-reasons-to-embrace-not-avoid-sugar/.Ā (To make this dish vegetarian, just leave out the hamburger.)
Two Ways to Soak Beans – Overnight and the Quick Soak Method:
For the Overnight Method, add the beans to a large bowl, cover with water and let sit overnight. You will want extra water on top because the beans will soak up the water during the night. Drain and rinse well. For the Quick Soak Method, add the beans to a pot and cover with water by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Then drain and rinse well.
CHILI RECIPE
Ingredients:
1/2 – 1 lb. hamburger (we use grass-fed organic)
chili seasoning (1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 2Ā TBĀ chili powder, 1/2 – 1 tsp garlic powder – or minced garlic)
1 cup water (double this if using the dry beans)
1 can kidney beans or 1/2 cup of dry kidney beans (see soaking methods above if using dry beans)
1 can black beans/pinto beans or 1/2 cup of dry beans (optional)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can sliced olives (drained)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 – 1 cup diced bell peppers
peppercorns (optional, in place of regular pepper or just use regular pepper)
shredded cheese for topping
sour cream (optional)
Directions:
Soak the beans if you are using dry beans (see soaking methods above). Brown the hamburger, drain if necessary. Stir in the chili seasoning and water, cook another 5 minutes (you can use the full amount of seasoning even if you only do 1/2 lb of hamburger, but I would add more water. Or just reduce the seasoning by half). Chop your peppers/onion. In a crock pot or a large pot on the stove, add kidney beans and/or black beans/pinto beans, stewed tomatoes, olives, onion, bell peppers, and peppercorns (or pepper). Add the seasoned hamburger when it’s done cooking. I set my crock pot to the 4 hour setting and stir occasionally. If you aren’t using a crock pot than bring the chili to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and cook until it’s done. Probably within an hour. I like to cook it long. (If you use dry beans and soak them, they will need to cook longer than beans from a can. So the chili would be done when the beans are done.) Add the shredded cheese/sour cream when serving.
CORNBREAD RECIPE
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal (I use Bob’s Red Mill organic cornmeal)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 TB raw cane sugar
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil (I use coconut oil)
3 TB melted butter
3 TB honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk (I use organic whole)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour in the oil, melted butter, honey, beaten eggs, and milk. Stir until moist, it will be lumpy and that’s okay. (You may have to melt your coconut oil. Usually mine is hard but when we have a good fire going or if it’s summer time, it’s liquified.) Grease an 8 x 11″ dishĀ (I use coconut oil for this too) and pour the mixture into the dish. Then bake for 30 minutes. You can use a toothpick to check if it’s done in the middle. (A Loaf PanĀ works too.)
Here are some pictures of the chili-making-process:
Some of my batches are more colorful than others š
Another picture just for fun!
Here’s coconut oil through Amazon (I heard this is a good brand):
Here’s the crock pot I use and I love it! There are other options out there with different prices too.
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We love macaroni and cheese in this house, especially baked with all kinds of yumminess! (Yes, I said yumminess. Isn’t that a word??) š This recipe is two recipes put together and changed around to make it my own. I have played with it a couple times to get it right but really, how can you go wrong with mac ‘n cheese??? I love to make casseroles where you just put some good foods together in a dish and bake it in the oven. Tastes so good and there are endless possibilities! So easy too. I don’t know why I haven’t been doing this all along. I really wish someone would have come into my house a long time ago and slapped reality into me. This is such an easy (and healthier) way to live! I will never go back to the boxed hamburger helper, and other boxed stuff. You still had to put those ingredients together to cook… how much more work is it to buy the ingredients separate and throw them together? It really isn’t. You just have to experiment and use different herbs and spices. Eventually you will get the hang of it and it will be so easy to figure out what spices and herbs go better with what dish. And it’s fun! I do an inventory every week before grocery shopping to figure out what we are low on and just keep my stock going so I can make just about anything.
This recipe serves a family of four, so if you want to make it for a larger crowd you can double the recipe. To make it spicier, add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. For a vegetarian option, just don’t add any meat.
Ingredients:
1 cup of macaroni noodles
3 slices of bacon (or 3 slices of thinly sliced ham) Ā – optional
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1-2 cloves minced garlic
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk (I use organic whole)
3 eggs
3/4 cup bread crumbs
salt & pepper
thyme
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil about 2 cups of water on the stove in a medium pan. Add macaroni noodles and cook for 8 minutes on medium, stirring occasionally. Chop your onion & garlic and cook with the bacon in a separate small frying pan. (If you use ham you can just skip this step and put the ham, onion and garlic in with the casserole to bake. I like to fry it up first for extra flavors.) Shred your cheese, whisk the milk and eggs together in a bowl, drain the noodles, cut-up your bacon/ham. In an 8 x 11 dish, add the noodles, milk/egg mixture, 2 cups of the shredded cheese, the bacon (or ham), onion and garlic, sprinkle in some salt & pepper and thyme. Then stir everything up. Add the last cup of cheese on top and the bread crumbs. (I learned to crumble the bread crumbs up smaller after the first time I made it. You can see they are larger in the picture above.) Bake 15-20 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
