Healthy Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

In water and sugar, simmer cranberries.

Toss in olive oil, sea salt, veggie pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven on a baking sheet.
Cauliflower flourets
Brussel sprout halves

In the last few minutes add
boiled chicken
mushrooms (upside down filled with minced garlic and butter)
butter

Plate and eat!

Super delicious and easy!

Creamy Spicy Shrimp Sauce on Noodles

Sauté:
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp garlic minced
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp Bay seasoning
2 Tbs butter (or more)
Once onions are tender add
1/2 lb. fresh or thawed shrimp
1 cup heavy cream (or 2/3 cup coconut almond milk, 1/3 cup sour cream, and 2-3 T mayo)
sea salt and pepper

Meanwhile, in 3 Tbs butter, small onion, garlic, salt and pepper, sauté 1 cup halved brussel sprouts.

Once shrimp is cooked and seasoning is adjusted to taste, pour sauce over a bed of spaghetti squash tossed in butter. Serve with brussel sprouts on the side.

While flipping channels and sewing last night, My Family Recipes Rocks caught my eye. We tried to recreate the recipe as best we could. Credit goes to my mom for making this dish, so to kindly allow me to finished packing for my flight.

You'll have to experiment on this one because measurements are approximate!

Buon apetito!

Spaghetti on Spaghetti with Mushroom "Meatballs"

In a 350 degree oven:
place a whole spaghetti squash in stoneware with an inch or two of water. Cook for about an hour until skin dents in and interior feels soft.

In a cast iron skillet:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
2 Tbs rich flavored extra virgin olive oil
Add:
1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomato
2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp italian seasoning
sea salt and veggie pepper
Optional:
dash of black vinegar
1 Tbs medium salsa
1 tsp sugar or agave

While sauce is simmering on low, take cooked squash out of oven and put to the side. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil, place portabella (baby or large) mushrooms top down in oil and fill mushrooms halfway with oil, sprinkle on sea salt, veggie pepper, and garlic. Bake 5-10 minutes.

Dish spaghetti squash, top with sauce, place mushrooms on the side, and a few fresh basil leaves for added flavor and health!

Have been wondering if my insatiable sweet tooth is the way it is because my body is craving nutrients and/or minerals. Maybe it will be conquered if I keep this up. On the second hand, probably not since the whole process of creating and baking deserts is just as sweet and eating them!

Keep on experimenting!

Cherry Almond Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

Blend:
1 1/4 cup drained pitted cherries (preferably home-canned)
1 1/2 tsp agave or honey
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 drop lemon essential oil or 1 tsp lemon juice
4 farm eggs
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (fresh ground is more aromatic)
1 1/4 tsp coconut oil
Stir in:
1 cup sifted almond flour

Use butter or coconut oil in a skittle over medium heat. Pour, cover, wait a couple excruciatingly long minutes, carefully flip, wait a few more seconds, and serve. Tastes even better with fruit syrups; otherwise, is really good without as well. Serves 2 to 3.

*All measurements are approximate because without a hardcopy recipe and relying on hunches "a little of this and a little of that" gets added here and there until...voilà! delicious.

Keep a journal; even two, one for work and one for personal. A lot gets forgotten, so it's better to write down a lesson than having to remember it by making the same mistake. 

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Fruit-filled Delights! (Egg and Gluten Free)

I got the base recipe from Empowered Sustenance (a blog which I absolutely love). Highly recommend her butternut squash pizza recipe, as well - so good!

Warning: very rich and sweet and addictive.

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F
3 Tbs coconut flour (or put shredded coconut in coffee grinder)
2 Tbs cold butter
1 Tbs honey
dash sea salt
Mix until completely combined and smooth. Has the consistency of very thick buttercream frosting.
Grease cookie sheet with butter
Make eight 2-tsp-sized dollops

Bake for about 10 minutes or until light carmel brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Carefully use metal spatula to remove cookie from sheet. Place thin slice jonagold apple on one half, fold over, and press to seal. Repeat with all. Or place sweet berries in center, top with another cookie, and press edge to seal.

I am tempted to experiment with using almond flour, vanilla, and less honey, instead.

Keep experimenting!*

*Share your successes so to save other people time from having to make the same mistakes.

Sizzling Rice Vegetable Soup

It's autumn, making soup is almost a default. Am really enjoy these simple and quick recipes. My foggy, scattered thinking is clearing up because of it too! For this recipe the sizzling rice is added individually to the bowls of family members not on GAPS. Even then, the rice is optional.

Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup water
sea salt
Meanwhile your vegetable are cooking:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Coat a baking sheet with approximately 4 Tbs Rich Flavor extra virgin olive oil
Heat in oven until oil is hot
Drain any excess liquid from rice and spread even on baking sheet
Turn up heat to 500 degrees
Stir occasionally. Scrap crispy rice from baking sheet into bowl. Turn off oven and place bowl of rice in oven if soup is not ready yet.

Peel and slice or chop:
3 large carrots
4 stalks celery*
2 medium onions
Add:
3-4 cups homemade chicken broth
1/2 tsp sea salt
dash veggie pepper
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp dried parsley
Cook until carrots are slightly firm
1 pint canned cabbage (or try using 1 cup homemade sauerkraut)*
*During the early stages of the GAPS diet you could put your celery and cabbage through your Champion juicer to eliminate excess fiber.

Ladle soup into cute little bowls and top with rice. As a side or an appetizer, serve Simple Ming homemade crab rangoons and crème fraîche mustard sauce.

Enjoy!

Pay attention that your work and living environment are beautiful, efficient, and comfortable because they will affect your mood and thoughts which greatly affects your life.

Carrot Butternut Soup e contorno insalata

La Zuppa:

Cook on medium high heat until very tender:

6 large carrots

1/2 large butternut squash (peeled and deseeded)

sea salt

Blend smooth and return to pan.

3/4 - 1 1/4 cup spiced apple cider

optional sea salt to taste

Top with sliced basil leaves or other desired fresh herb.

La Insalata:

Red leaf lettuce

Jongold apple

Baby portabella mushroom

Munster cheese

3 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tsp honey

1/8 cup mayonnaise (GAPS homemade or use extra virgin olive oil)

1/4 tsp dried tarragon

dash sea salt

I have recently been testing aspects of the Hallelujah diet, especially food combining, and am seeing good results. Do not combine starches/grains with proteins/diary. That means you can eat starches and grains (for non-GAPS people) with vegetables or protein and dairy (for non-lactose intolerant people) with vegetables. Fruits require a list unless you know the difference between acid, sub-acid, and sweet fruits. Sub-acid (apple, blueberry, pear, grapes...) is the middleman that can mix with either sweet (banana, dried fruits...) or acid fruits (strawberry, orange, pineapple, pomegranate...). Do not mix acid and sweet fruits. Also, avoid eating fruit with grains and most* vegetables. All melons, unlike drinking alcohol, are meant to consumed alone. 

*lettuce, celery, or carrot eaten with fruit in fresh juice or salads can help reduce sugar concentration. 

Hope this helps and that you can mutually enjoy my tasty creation. 

Share your own version in the comments below or post a link to your own food blog post.

Keep on experimenting! 

Only those whose curiosity overrides any fear of failure are able to step into the wonderful world of creativity and experimentation.