Chicken noodle soup is best known for its healing powers when we are sick. And that is so true. Have you ever wondered why? Chicken/beef broth (bone broth) is so good for you. Especially if it’s homemade! I make my own chicken broth now. You don’t get all the benefits out of the broth unless it is homemade. See my Whole-Chicken-in-a-Crock-Pot & Homemade Broth recipe, that includes information on all the health benefits of homemade broth, how to freeze the broth, ideas on what to do with the broth and the leftover chicken. For the chicken noodle soup, you could do rice instead of noodles if you want. I have also added zucchini to mine (shown in the picture below). Since our zucchini has been going crazy in the garden, we add zucchini to everything! š Maybe even some butternut squash? There are many possibilities.
Homemade soup is so much better for you than soup in a can. Soup in a can is never just soup in a can. To name a few added ingredients that are not healthy and shouldn’t be added to soup: MSG, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, soy protein isolate, maltodextrin, sodium phosphate….Ā These are the ingredients listed in Campbell’s and Progresso chicken noodle soup. Of course none of the ingredients are organic and the meat comes from factory farms. You could make a double-batch of the recipe below and freeze some. Then it would be convenient to grab some out of the freezer and thaw when you are sick, or when you just don’t want to cook. We do have some left after making 1 batch but we eat the leftovers for lunch instead of freezing it. I want to get a Soup Thermos for my daughter so she can take some of this for lunch. She absolutely LOVES it!
Ingredients:
1 leek or 1/2 – 1 cup of chopped onion
3 large carrots
2 stalks of celery
8 – 10 cups of chicken broth (8 cups is 64 oz)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 TB parsley leaves
Ā½ tsp salt (or desired amount)
Ā¼ tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups noodles (we like the spiral noodles but you can use any kind)
1 – 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or in small pieces)
Other options: zucchini, kale/spinach, butternut squash
Tip: You could make this in the crock pot right after making your homemade broth. Save a dish. š (Just get the broth, veggies, onion, garlic, & seasonings going on low until close to the time you want to eat. Then bump it up to high and add the noodles & chicken. Cook for 10 minutes, or until noodles are done.)
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 have seen other food bloggers making a whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot and then using the bones to make homemade broth (stock), so I had to give this a try of course. And it’s so easy! I can’t believe I have been just throwing out the bones every time when I could be making this delicious broth. š We humans have been consuming bone broth since the caveman days. It is so healing for our bodies! To name a few reasons: It heals the gut and improves digestion, fights infections like the cold an flu, reduces joint pain and inflammation, helps with bone formation/growth/repair, great for the health of our teeth as well, and boosts the immune system.Ā The broth contains a lot of iron too. It’s great to have chicken broth on hand when we get sick (which isn’t very often). Especially the times when you’re sick and don’t want to eat much.
This was very easy to make but it does take up your time so it may be best to do it on a weekend if you work during the week. Making your own chicken broth does save money too. This recipe was derived from 100 Days of Real Food. I added more garlic powder and some rosemary. Rosemary is great for memory! And we all know with Fibromyalgia we need that. š You get a ton of chicken from a whole chicken too. From the last chicken we cooked we got 4 dinners, 2 chicken sandwiches, and 2 small chicken salads. Plus all the broth!
Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot: (Scroll to the bottom to see the crock pot I use)
Organic whole chicken (up to 4 pounds)
1/2 an onion (I use yellow onion)
Other veggies, if desired (carrots/celery, etc.)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt (I use sea salt)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary (or whatever herbs you like)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Make sure the chicken is completely thawed (or close to it – mine was a little frozen around the edges and turned out fine after cooking 5 hours). Cut-up your onion in large chunks and place it in the bottom of the crock pot along with any veggies you might want. Combine your spices and herbs in a small bowl. Remove giblets from the chicken (if there are any) and rub the spice/herb mixture all over the chicken, making sure to cover the chicken breasts underneath. Place the whole chicken on top of the onions in the crock pot, cover it, and turn it on high to cook for 4 – 5 hours. You don’t have to add any liquid. I know that sounds crazy but trust me, it works. The chicken will be done when it is falling off the bone and there’s no pink inside.
Homemade Chicken Broth:
The cooked whole chicken (or cooked chicken parts are okay too)
The juices from cooking the chicken
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped (you don’t have to peel it but wash good)
1 bay leaf
1/2 an onion, chopped (unless you have onion from cooking the chicken, you can just leave that in or add more)
More herbs if desired (1 sprig of fresh parsley, rosemary, or thyme – 1 tsp of dried herbs work too)
1/2 – 1 tsp salt
Water
After the whole-chicken-in-the-crock-pot is done cooking, remove the chickenĀ and leave the juice and everything else in the crock pot. After the chicken has cooled (and you have eaten what you want for that night), remove all the edible meat from the bones (check out the picture below of all the leftover chicken we had after eating some for dinner that night!). Put the bones and carcass back into the crock pot (basically everything except the edible meat). Add celery, carrots, the bay leaf, and you can add more onion and herbs if you want. I use rosemary and thyme, or whatever I have on hand. Add salt if desired. Fill the crock pot with water, leaving about 1/2″ to 1″ at the top. (I get a little paranoid about it bubbling over during the night so I leave 1″.) Turn the crock pot on low to cook for 8 – 10 hours either during the night or you can start it in the morning to cook during the day (it’s okay to cook even longer than 10 hours if you want and it will actually be even better this way). When it’s done, turn off the heat and use a sieveĀ to remove all the bones/veggies/herbs etc. After the broth has cooled, you can freeze for future use (see information on freezing the broth below).
Freezing Homemade Chicken Broth:
I tried freezing in gallon-size ziplock bags and the bags punctured a hole and leaked all over my freezer. š Next I tried freezing in masonĀ jars. This works great. Make sure to leave some room at the top of the jars because the broth will expand when it freezes. It is recommended that you use wide-mouth jars because of the liquid expanding and risk of the glass bursting. Some of mine were’t wide-mouth and they turned out okay so it’s up to you. If you don’t use a wide-mouthed jar then make sure you have extra room on top. It is also recommended to use pint-size jars, not quart-size but I did use a couple quart-size jars. I guess these are more at risk of breaking in the freezer but mine turned out okay. Again, it’s up to you, I’m just sharing the information I found. š (You can reuse the lids for freezing only. You need to use new lids for canning, unless you buy the reusable lids. I reuse my lids when freezing the jars and the sharpie permanent marker I used to write on the lid comes off after washing it! I just had to kind-of scrape it off. I keep the used lids separate from the new lids and make sure they are clearly marked.) I measured the broth into 3 cup and 1 1/2 cup portions. There’s also one with 2 cups. I made sure the jars were completely cool before putting them into the freezer. You could use plastic tupperware to freeze the broth too but obviously plastic is not the best choice, and you would definitely want BPA-free. You can also freeze some of the broth in ice cube trays so you have small amounts when needed. If you need some mason jars (or lids & bandsĀ or just lids) scroll to the bottom for a link through Amazon.
Drink it! Yes, that’s right. Just drink it straight and it’s so good. I drank some after I made a fresh batch. I have heard of some people drinking a cup every day. Maybe I will do that one day.
Chicken Pot Pie (this recipe needs some improvement but I still stand by the filling!)
Use when making sauces
UsesĀ for the Leftover Chicken (look at all this leftover chicken after we ate some of the whole chicken for dinner that night!):
Chicken Chili (use my chili recipe and substitute the beef for chicken)
Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken Wraps
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Tacos (use my taco/burrito recipe and substitute the beef for chicken)
Chicken Lasagna
Chicken Fried Rice (you can add chicken to my Fried Rice recipe or substitute the bacon for chicken)
Here’s the crock pot I use and I love it! There are other options out there with different prices too.
Here are some Wide-Mouth Pint-Size Mason Jars or need some lids & bands? Or just lids?:
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!
It only seems appropriate to blog about my battles with depression after hearing about Robin Williams. I was just in complete shock when I heard the sad news. I loved all his movies and never had a clue he was battling depression. That’s the thing, we can be battling this horrible disease and no one knows…. I come from a family of depression and other mental illnesses. I have never wanted to admit that I might have any kind of an illness. I wanted to be just a regular girl. One that had it all together. I will go into details about my depression before Fibro (Fibromyalgia), and after. This is all very personal and hard for me to talk about. I haven’t really talked about it with ANYONE. Not my husband, not even my best friend. Maybe bits and pieces here and there but never a thorough discussion. I was in denial. No, not me. I am a mother and a wife. I have to have it together for them. Well guess what? I don’t always have it together….
Back in my school days, I had a hard time fitting in. I tried to be like others but it was obvious that I wasn’t. I couldn’t style my hair like the cool girls and didn’t have fancy clothes. I couldn’t even say the right thing. So I just kept quiet. It felt safer that way. I lived a long time wishing I was like other girls and keeping quiet. I did get to meet the love of my life when I was about 16 and everything changed, for a while. I felt loved and appreciated! I could open up and be myself. Senior year of high school was by far my favorite year in school. I was myself! And felt good about it. Graduating was exciting. I was doing good in school. After high school, I started to go down again. I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted for myself. I wanted to be successful and important. Well I had to switch jobs a couple times because my husband was in the military and got stationed in CA, and then a medical discharge got us sent back to WA. I found a great career when we moved back home. Loved what I did but there always seemed to be someone or something to get in the way of that. Someone that wants to wreck the good thing you have going. I switched jobs and found another job I really loved but again, something got in the way. It was a stressful environment and when my Fibro started, I couldn’t handle the stress as good as I used to. (You can read about My Fibro Story here.) Some of my insecurities from school developed in the work place too. Trying to fit in with others….
Anyway, I have always dealt with some kind of depression. There were days where I was fine and others where I wanted to sink in a hole. I turned to TV a lot to escape reality. I was addicted to watching General Hospital. Never missed an episode. And I ate a lot of junk. Food and TV were my comforts. I was disconnected with my friends for a long time. I would talk to them periodically but wasn’tĀ really there. I wasn’t myself. Just said what I thought needed to be said. I wasn’t handling life well at all. Things really got bad after having Tyler (my 2nd child). I dealt with some postpartum depression. Especially having to leave him and go back to work. I really really really didn’t want to do that. My husband was in school at the time so I had to work. I knew we needed to get him through school to get our family in a good place. So I pushed along, feeling like a robot. TV, food, drinking occasionally…. Those got me by.
The bad times were really bad. I could hear voices in my head telling me really bad things. “I am a bad mom. I suck at life and could do so much better. I am a horrible cook. Don’t even bother. My house should be clean all the time but I’m lazy. I’m fat. No one cares about me. I am bad at my job.” It just goes on and on. It was so hard hearing these things and believing them. You want to curl up in a ball and cry forever. After being diagnosed with Fibro, it was a whole other kind of depression. Finding out you have a chronic illness that will never be cured is devastating. It took a long time for me to accept it. Even now I still struggle with some depression over the fact that Fibro can control my life. I can only do certain things based on how my Fibro is for that day. Because if I push myself too hard, I may suffer later. And the amount of that suffering can be huge sometimes. It can effect everything. A lot of times, I beat myself up for not treating my body right and letting it get this bad. Wishing I could go back in time and change everything. Have another chance. And then being around people that don’t have it and don’t understand can be hard. You just want to be like them.
Some of the Robin Williams stuff that was going around really hit home for me. One of my favorites is: “I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone, it’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.” So true. I would rather be alone than with people that pull me down. My husband always knows how to make me feel better. And he can always make me laugh! Love him. š
I am definitely better now than I was but I refuse to take medication. I was on an anti-depressant that caused more side effects and problems than anyone would want to deal with. And getting off of it was brutal. I also tried St. John’s Wort (a natural supplement) but there are some possible side effects with that too and it didn’t agree with me. I am just doing what makes me feel good now. Helping others makes me feel good, eating healthy, doing fun things with my kids. I like to watch things that make me laugh and be around people that make me laugh. And I love to write. I have always kept a journal. I’m putting myself out there hoping to help someone, anyone. To know that they aren’t alone. And I think it helps to face your fears, admit things you never EVER want to admit to anyone. I still have bad days where I just want to lay in bed all day. But I push myself and get up, get moving, live life. There is definitely a lot more I need to do to improve myself. I think an exercise routine would definitely help, along with sticking to my diet.Ā Keeping busy really helps. When I worked, there were slow times and I hated it. I like to keep busy now all the time… but I do rest sometimes, haha. I just try to keep busy and positive about life as much as I can. We have to fight this depression and Fibro, and not let it win. And fight hard! We are fighting for our life here. And we only get one shot at it. Do we want to live our life wishing we didn’t have Fibro, feeling sorry for ourselves, letting everything get us down? I know I don’t want to live that way. I want to live life and make memories. Be there for my kids and let them experience life too. But it’s okay to have a bad day. Tomorrow is always a new day.
Ways to Help Those Suffering from Depression:Ā It may be hard to tell if someone is suffering from depression. It’s very hard to talk about being depressed and a simple question could be a call out for help. Listening is key. Just be there for each other. You may not always have an answer but sometimes just listening really helps. Contact them as often as possible. It could just be a little note to say you are thinking about them. Anything helps. Offer to come over and help, or just be there with them. It is VERY hard to ask for help, at least for me. And make them laugh! Laughter is the best medicine. Or watch something funny together. Do something fun together. Help them enjoy life. The smallest things can be huge.
ThingsĀ NOT TO SAYĀ Ā to Someone with Depression: “You need help.” “What is wrong with you?” “Oh, you’re fine.” “Yea, life is hard for everyone at times.” These don’t help. And like I said, you may not know if someone has depression but just be aware that they could be calling out for your help and what you say to them is critical. These kind of comments have always made it worse for me. It brought me down even further… And you can’t just snap out of depression. It doesn’t work like that.
Natural Remedies for Depression:
Tangerine Essential OilĀ is good for depression because is helps release serotonin in the brain and is often used in treatment of anxiety too.
Magnesium – Consume more magnesium-rich foods like seeds & nuts, beans & legumes, dark leafy greens, and whole grains.
Vitamin C –Ā some foods that have vitamin C besides the obvious oranges are: bell peppers, dark leafy greens, kiwi, broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes, peas, papaya, grapefruit juice, vegetable juice, brusselĀ sprouts, cantaloupe, pineapple, mango.
B Vitamins –Ā meat, eggs, dairy, fortified breakfast cereals, enriched soy or rice milk, fish, shellfish, yeast extract spreads, of course you can take a supplement too.
St. John’s Wort – a natural supplement (do not take with an anti-depressant). There are some possible side effects like dizziness, dry mouth, and upset stomach. And, it can interact with certain prescription medications, therefore be sure to talk to your health care provider first.
Acupuncture –Ā I have never tried this but have heard about this helping with Fibro too!
Serotonin-Enhancing Diet from omega-3 fatty acid foods, healthy fats like coconut oil, and a high protein diet.
Being around people that bring out the good in you, make you laugh, are positive and help you enjoy life.Ā Being around negative people can really bring you down.
Listen to Music, and Dance! – I know this gets me in a good mood. š
Diet, Exercise, Sleep and Vitamin D areĀ very important. Cod Liver Oil is the next best source of Vitamin D (after sunlight).
This information is all based on my experiences, and some research I have done. I am not an expert and what works for one person may not work for another. I am sharing my personal story and information to hopefully help others. I hope to help at least one person out there, hopefully more.
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 first made this cobbler for Thanksgiving last year and it was a hit! Now we decided to make it again with some blackberries my mom gave us. She has blackberry bushes at her house so we get a bunch every year. This time I reduced the amount of sugar. The original recipe was 3/4 cup of sugar and that seemed like way too much! Especially if you are putting ice cream on top, which most likely has sugar in it. And who doesn’t want ice cream on top?? š If you have a ton of extra berries and need to make something, this is a very quick and easy recipe.Ā You can use any kind of berries, or peaches.
Ingredients:
4 TB butter
3/4 cup flour
1 TB raw cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)
3/4 cup milk (I use organic whole)
2 cups fresh blackberries (or any other kind of berries/peaches) or 12 oz package frozen berries
1 tsp raw cane sugar (to sprinkle on top before you put it in the oven)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the butter in an 8 x 8 baking dish and place in the oven to melt. Make sure to keep checking the butter and pull it out after it has melted. Whisk the flour, 1 TB sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mediumĀ bowl. Add the milk and whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the dish with the melted butter. Scatter the fruit over the batter and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of sugar on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the batter browns and the fruit bubbles. Let cool a little, but serve warm. It’s really good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
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!
When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I really thought I would never tent-camp again. I couldn’t picture it and thought we would have to get a tent trailer or an RV to make it work. And even then, I didn’t think we would go very often. But, I just went on my first camping trip sinceĀ we switched to organic foods and since I was diagnosed with Fibro and survived! š It was a lot of fun and we will definitely be going again. At least one more time during this summer. I was nervous about it but I made a plan and gave myself enough time in advance to prepare, even though it was kind-of a spur-of-the-moment thing. We usually have an air mattress to sleep on when we go camping but it wasn’t holding air, so we had to go without it. I was worried about that but we had access to my husband’s uncle’s house so I could always go in there if it was really bad. But I wanted to give this my full effort! š I wanted to be prepared for anything, so I probably packed too much but you just never know. See the list of items I recommend bringing below, to help with Fibro or for anyone.
So, how can we go camping and still eat organic? Well, there are a lot of good options out there now for replacements of our favorite camping foods! They aren’t all perfect but are definitely better than the alternative. It is a little more work to prepare but so worth it. My husband and I worked together to make sure we got everything prepared and cooked, and were still able to relax and enjoy ourselves. We make a great team! š It works best to plan out all your meals ahead of time so you can make sure you bring everything you need including seasonings, utensils, pots, pans, etc. Scroll down for a list of organic camping foods.
Items to Bring When Camping with Fibromyalgia (or for anyone):
Your Warmest Socks – it usually gets cold at night when camping and I don’t know about you but my feet get ice cold sometimes!
Air Mattress – yes, we went without one and I survived, but I recommend bringing one and we will try to get another one for next time because we were both uncomfortable.
Homemade Bug Spray – we were still using up our old bug spray with all the chemicals in it but here is a homemade one that sounds easy to make (and hopefully works like they say!). I will try it out eventually and report back.Ā Wellness Mama’s Homemade Bug Spray.
Layers of ClothingĀ – With my Fibro, I can get really hot or really cold easily. Bring warm clothes and cool clothes.
Coconut Oil – this can be used as a moisturizer, sunblock, and for cooking. For sunblock, it has an SPF of about 10 but I don’t recommend using only coconut oil on really hot days where you are going to be out in the sun all day. You would have to keep reapplying like every hour or something.
Natural Sunscreen – There are some natural sunscreen options in the stores but here’sĀ Food Babe’s post on sunscreen and theĀ safe brands available:Ā Food Babe’s Sunscreen Post.
Chapstick – Burt’s Bees is a good natural one.
Many WarmĀ Blankets/Sleeping Bags and a Comfy Pillow – My rule is you could never have too many blankets. We thought we had a ton and I was still cold in the morning. Body heat helps too. š
Comfortable Camping Chair –Ā uh, duh right? haha
Ear Plugs – I got woken upĀ manyĀ times by crows, coyotes, roosters, dogs, cars, you name it!
Organic Camping Foods (not all of these items are certified organic, but they are natural betterĀ options):
Hotdogs – Applegate or Simple Truth brands are good. Simple Truth is found at Fred Meyer or Kroger (depending on where you live). They are nitrate-free.
Hamburgers – I found Simple Truth natural hamburger patties (see the picture below). They come in a resealable bag and were nice thick patties that tasted great! Convenient for camping but you could make your own patties (see link below for my grass-fed burger patties).
Buns – It is hard to find good buns out there, so I make my own! Most of the time anyway… Here’s my post that contains a link to the homemade buns I make: Grass-Fed Burgers & Homemade Buns.
Annie’s Deluxe Mac ‘n Cheese (pictured below) – I like this one for camping because you don’t need to add anything. It’s all included in the box. So you don’t need to measure out some butter or milk. Just cook the noodles and add the cheese sauce.
Pasta Salad/Potato Salad to Bring – see my post on Summer SaladsĀ for recipes on pasta salads and a potato salad.
Veggie Packs with Potatoes & Veggies (pictured below, although the picture doesn’t have potatoes in it)Ā – I lay out the squares of foil, start cutting the potatoes, veggies, & onion, then distribute everything evenly on the foil. I start with a few squares of foil and then may need to add more. We had a couple extra veggie packs last time. Then add a TB of butter, some garlic (about 1 tsp of powder or minced), salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount). Add to the grill and they really don’t take long to cook. You will know they’re done when the potatoes aren’t hard. You could also add your favorite herbs! (It may be easier to make the veggie packs without potatoes ahead of time and then maybe have baked potatoes with it. Whatever is easiest when camping!)
Corn on the Cob –Ā you definitely want organic, non-GMO corn. Conventional corn on the cob is very high in pesticides. I spend like .89 to .99 for each ear of organic corn and some people thought that was crazy. Yes, it may be more than regular corn on the cob but come on, $1/ear? That’s not much at all. I think our health is worth every penny.
Sandwiches –Ā I make my own bread once/week and also buy Dave’s Killer Bread sometimes. We make sandwiches with ham or turkey lunch meat without nitrates, or peanut butter & jelly (or honey). They are great to have when we are going out on the boat or just an easy lunch for camping, picnics, etc.
Bacon & Eggs –Ā Use uncured bacon, nitrate-free. And Cage-Free organic eggs preferred.
Hash Browns –Ā There are a couple organic options out there that I have found for frozen hash browns (see a picture below). It is a lot more convenient to bring these than to peel and chop (or shred) your hash browns at the campsite.
Popcorn – Simple Truth has different kinds of popcorn, or just make your own and bring it. You could add it to your trail mix too.
Homemade Trail Mix (pictured below) – I just make my own using a variety of nuts (we keep all kinds of nuts on hand at home), raisins, pumpkin seeds, maybe add some granola or whatever else you want. Chocolate chips would probably be a very tasty addition but I was worried about them melting.
Organic Instant Coffee (pictured below) – This was actually pretty good. My husband couldn’t find the creamer so he drank it black and said it was really good. Just heat up some water over a fire or cook-stove, pour into a mug and add a spoonful of the coffee. For creamer we use Organic Valley‘s french vanilla or hazelnut half & half.
Marshmallows (pictured below) – I found Dandies marshmallows at our local food co-op. I wouldn’t say they are theĀ best ingredients, butĀ better.Ā They are Vegan, gluten free, gelatin free, GMO free. Ingredients: Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Tapioca Starch, Filtered Water, Carrageenan, Soy Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavor. I’m not happy about the carrageenan but the other ingredients are better than regular marshmallows which contain corn syrup, refined sugar, dextrose, modified cornstarch, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, artificial flavor, and blue #1. Why do they have blue dye when they are white?? Ugh…Ā
Graham Crackers –Ā I like Annies, and they even have a yummy cinnamon graham cracker option. They aren’t cheap though, I will say. If you want to make your own, Real Fit, Real Food Mom has a good recipe.
Chocolate –Ā there are natural/organic chocolate bars available in most grocery stores. I always like dark chocolate better and it’s better for you but some like milk chocolate better and hey, we are camping and having s’mores. We don’t get to do that very often. š
Hot CocoaĀ – All I did for hot cocoa for the kids is heatĀ up some milk (enough for however many cups you want), and add 1 chocolate square per cup (from the chocolate you use for the s’mores). Stir until fully dissolved. They loved it! And it was easy to make.
For charcoal, we found an all natural 100% lump mesquite charcoal at Fred Meyer, but I only see it there sometimes. See the picture below.Ā You can see that it looks very different than normal charcoal. My husband really likes it. It has a good flavor, starts quickly and stays hot longer. There are other natural types out there, like the one at Trader Joeās.
This is not a complete list of items to bring camping, but just some recommended items that I think help with Fibro-related problems (or that could benefit anyone really), and my recommended organic camping foods. Also, I think it would have been a lot worse to camp back when I wasn’t doing as good. I am about 80% better than I was so it was a lot more manageable. Here’s what I do to feel good and keep myself going: Daily Tips for Surviving Fibromyalgia.
Simple Truth Hamburger Patties:
Annie’s Deluxe Mac ‘N Cheese:
Veggie Packs (pictured without the potatoes):
Simple Truth Shredded Hash Browns:Ā
Kettle Chips – Non-GMO Project Verified:
Homemade Trail Mix:
Simple Truth Organic Instant Coffee:
Dandies Marshmallows (Vegan, gluten free, gelatin free, GMO free) –
I did see them available at Fred Meyer:
You can also find these on Amazon:
Natural Charcoal (found at Fred Meyer):
Here’s what we had for breakfast one day: Hashbrowns with sausage & eggs, apple juice and a fruit platter
Here’s what we had for dinner one day: Steak, and potato/veggie packs, with water
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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.
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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
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is the next best source of Vitamin D (after sunlight).
