DF, GF Potato Soup

Dairy Free/ Gluten Free Potato Soup

I created this soup yesterday on a whim when I needed to use some carrots before they went bad and my husband came home with a bag of white potatoes, (which we rarely eat).  So, I thought with it being the end of winter and soup season almost being over for us, that I would make one last "comfort" food for lunch.  The kids loved it too, they each had 2-3 bowls that day.  Let me add here that they are not 100% dairy free, so they did add some shredded cheddar to the top of their bowls! 

This cream cheese you could add if you are NOT dairy free or the light laughing cow cheese wedges.  I would use about 3 TBSP cream cheese or 3 laughing cow wedges.  The consistency is what thickens up the soup and gives it the creamy texture! I chose to suggest "light" versions of dairy because this soup is higher in carbs, so it should be lower in fat!  Reason being using one source of fuel (carbs) for energy.  

If going for Dairy free, what I did was open this can and scooped off the cream that is naturally on top.  There was about 1/4 cup of cream on the top and I used it all!  I didn't have a light version of this coconut milk, but usually the light versions do not have the cream on top!

I'm using my ninja foodie on the pressure cooker and saute function today to make this soup super quick and also to allow it to stay warm so the family can graze on the soup all day as they desire.  Once I had everything ready and the lid locked, I cooked everything on high for 10 min and let it naturally release.  Then I added the creamy coconut milk and stired to combine, adding about 2 tbsp nutritional yeast and salt to taste.

So for starters, I washed and diced about 6 medium sized white baking potatoes and about 1/2 a small bag of organic baby carrots.

Use 2 cubes of this garlic and saute in about 3 tsp olive oil on high till melted.

using the saute function on the ninja foodie

Next I added my diced carrots and sautéed them with the garlic for about 1 min.

This is a freezer MUST HAVE to keep on hand.  I start so many of my recipes off with this!  I buy mine at Walmart.  

I added this frozen mixture to the carrots and garlic and sautéed for about 2 min.

I used this bone broth from Walmart next and added the potatoes in, turning off the saute function.

Lastly, I added about 2 tsp salt and the sealed the lid shut, pressure cook function on high for 10 min!

After it is done cooking you could manually release the pressure, depending on how much time you have. I let mine naturally release on its own.  After removing the lid, add your cream (whatever you choose) and stir well.  You can add more salt and even pepper too if you desire. I added 2 TBSP nutritional yeast giving this soup more of a "cheese" flavor keeping it dairy free.    

Toppings that would be good include, bacon crumbles, green onions, chives, sour cream and cheddar cheese (use dairy free versions if you're dairy free)

ENJOY!

 

Build your own gourmet salad at home for much less

A greek gourmet salad at home

 

I know it sounds weird, but I hate to eat lunch!  Most people hate to eat breakfast, but I find that I struggle with lunch!  My kids are creatures of habit and tend to eat the same things day after day.  I do not like to eat the same thing 2 times in a row.  My husband jokes that in the 12 years we have been together I have never cooked the same thing twice.  This is not entirely true, but I probably only have 5-8 things I will cook more than once.  I love food and recipes and am always creating new ones to try and share.  I get bored easily so I like variety! 

I buy my veggies from a local farm at the farmers market once a week.  They are an organic and non-GMO farm and provide my family with more than enough veggies to feed us for a week!  Pictured is my salad that is my "go to" lunch when I need to pack something while I am on the go! 

 

Gourmet salad recipe:

Lettuce of your choice (preferably not iceberg because it does not have any nutritional value)

cucumber sliced

bell pepper diced

grilled chicken shredded

feta cheese crumbled

artichoke hearts chopped (I have a artichoke spread I buy at Trader Joes that I love and it's what's pictured here)

black olives

salt and pepper to taste

homemade dressing (optional)

 

*the dressing I like to make that's quick and easy is:

olive oil, Dijon mustard, dried parsley flakes, lemon juice

combine and shake well 

 

 

 

 

Eggplant Pizzas

We have been getting LOTS of eggplant from our CSA (community shared agriculture) and so I've been trying to find different things to make with it.  Especially things that the kids will eat too!  I am happy to say that I have successfully made little eggplant pizzas that I tested on 3 kids and they gobbled them down! 

Eggplant Pizza
1 med sized eggplant, sliced into 1/4-1/2" thick slices
organic baby spinach leaves
fresh mozzarella sliced
organic tomato diced or sliced
olive oil for drizzling
Italian spices for seasoning

place the sliced eggplant on a cookie sheet and generously drizzle with EVOO (olive oil), and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 min. 
Top each with one spinach leaf, slice of mozzarella, tomato, and spices.  Put back in the oven until cheese melts!  Eat them up while warm! 

After school/Pre-workout Snack

If you follow this blog then you know that my kids are competitive gymnasts.  I am a RYT (Registered Yoga teacher) and we are pretty active!  So fueling our bodies is very important to me.  This is a quick and easy snack to fuel anyone before a workout.  I easily mix this up in  a disposable bowl and have it in the car, ready for my girls to eat on the way to gymnastics after school.  Our days are so jammed full that it is very easy to fall off the wagon and not have the right nutrients for proper fuel and nutrition.  This is why planning ahead and being very structured is key for me to be able to always be prepared.  (Well, most of the time! LOL)

This is so easy, even the kids can make this themselves!
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 Tbsp almond butter
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder
Mix till well combined!
Eat with a spoon!

Breakfast Pizza

I use a medium small cast iron skillet for this recipe.  It makes the perfect personal size pizza for me, although with all the toppings I use, I can only eat half of one pizza in one sitting. 

Recipe:
Ghee or coconut oil (enough to grease the bottom of the skillet)
3 eggs, scrambled
cooked sausage
homemade marinara sauce
diced fresh tomatoes and bell peppers
diced onions (optional)

heat the oil on the stove top in the skillet
pour in the scrambled eggs and let set until the edges are set
gently loosen and flip the "crust"
top with toppings and place in 350 degree oven and bake for 12 min till all is heated through.

optional toppings: salsa, avocado slices, shredded cheese or goats or feta crumbles

Gluten Free Sourdough

 This is an example of my first loaf, which is an artisan loaf (crunchy outside, soft inside)

In the left upper corner of this lunch box, is an example of my original recipe for sourdough rolls.

The process of growing the starter is the lengthy process that can be a little complicated!  I used 2 resources to help me get the perfect starter!  From www.culturesforhealth.com I ordered water kefir gains and followed the package directions for making water kefir and BONUS, you have a fermented beverage to consume and a wonderful additive to help grow your starter!  Then I purchased the book "The Art of Gluten-Free Sourdough Baking" by Sharon A. Kane, also from www.culturesforhealth.com for my recipe for the starter.  I use the Boosted Brown Rice Starter on page 50 in the book.
Once I have the starter ready to use to bake, this is the recipe for my sourdough rolls:
2 cups starter
2 cups white rice flour
1 TBSP xanthan gum
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 tsp salt
*mix all these dry ingredients well
then add:
3 eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp softened butter
1 1/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup warm water
*mix well until combined and the dough is sticky
I used my kitchen aid stand mixer
Using the Pampered Chef medium scoop, I scooped out the dough into rolls and baked on the pizza stone at 350 degrees for 10-15 min.  Don't over cook, as you can see in the picture, mine did not brown on the top.  They are softer this way.  I store them in a zip lock bag in the fridge and get them out as needed and nuke them in the microwave for 15 sec.  Serve warm with some butter! 
My kids said these rolls are better than O'Charley's!  That's good enough for me!

You could use this same recipe and bake the dough as a loaf.  I did not try this, so I do not have loaf pan sizes or times it would need to cook.  I would recommend starting with a small loaf pan and trying maybe 20-25 min at 350 and checking it periodically.  Again, not letting the bread get browned on top so that it will stay soft.  That's what I think of when I think of sourdough, soft bread! 

The artisan loaf that is pictured at the top of this post, is not an original recipe.  I did find the recipe at www.naturalfertilityandwellness.com if you want to visit this site and get the recipe.  It is really good and freezes well.  My family enjoyed this bread before I discovered this other recipe on my own.  The artisan loaf is more dense and not as soft as I like sourdough to be.  Try them both and see which one works best for your taste buds!

Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins

I am once again embarking on another 21 day food challenge.  The one I did back in November was very successful for me in that I lost almost a whole 7% Body Fat.  Since then there was Thanksgiving, Christmas, a trip to Punta Cana, and well...I gained back 3% of that lost BF during that time.  Not too bad, but its quickly approaching time for bathing suit season, and I am challenging myself again to lower the BF 4% this time and tone up as well as lean out!  I am adding some new recipes, and also incorporating a workout program.  I will be following Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer which you can find for FREE at www.bodybuilding.com


Follow me on Instagram daily for exactly what I am eating.  If you didn't request it last time, I can still email you the original 21 day jump start diet plan if you are eager to get your body ready for swim suit season!  (@alicia_trotter is my instagram username, so come on aboard and follow along!)


Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins
6 eggs (farm fresh is best)
chopped broccoli (leftover steamed from dinner works well)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
6 pieces of bacon (nitrite free and uncured)
fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Chop the veggies, this doesn't have to be done very small because we will be blending these in the blender with the eggs.  Sautee the veggies all but the tomatoes, and basil in 1 TBSP of coconut oil (buy this online at Vitacost.com )  Once the peppers are tender, remove from heat and add to blender.  Crack the 6 eggs into the blender, salt & pepper and puree the mixture.  Take the 6 pieces of bacon and on a microwave safe plate, lined with paper towels on top and bottom, cook only long enough to start the cooking process but still be plyable enough to curve inside the edge of the muffin cup.  (I did  3 min)
Grease the bottoms of the muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or bacon fat.  Wrap the outter edges of each muffin cup with one piece of bacon.  Then fill with egg mixture, and top with tomato pieces and basil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min until eggs are set.
(my computer is on the fritz, so for pictures of this recipe, see my instagram account!  Sorry for any inconvenience.)

Fried shrimp "pasta" Alfredo

Unfortunately I don't have a wonderful picture to show you my delicious dinner from tonight. We were so hungry that we scarfed it down so fast before I thought of it. Sorry about that, but I will share the recipe with you now!!!

Ingredients: 

Uncooked deveined and no tails frozen shrimp

Cashew meal

Gluten free all purpose flour

Plain unsweetened almond milk

Coconut oil

Heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup

4 TBSP butter

6 TBSP farmers cheese (it's the cheese like you get when you drip all the whey off yogurt) 

1tsp crushed garlic

Salt & pepper

Spaghetti squash

Directions: 

Take a knife and pierce the skin of the spaghetti squash about 4-6 times around the squash. Put it on a plate and microwave for about 15 min. You will know it's done when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. Once it's done, cut in half long ways and let set to cool a bit. Once cooled some, scoop the seeds and pulp out and discard. Then take a fork and shred the "meaty" part of the inside into noodle like strings. Toss with butter and season with salt.

Dip thawed shrimp into gluten free flour first, then almond milk, then cashew meal and then add to a skillet of hot coconut oil. Cook till browned and flip and cook other side. You will have to do this in batches. Once cooked, remove to a paper towel lined plate. 

For the Alfredo sauce, melt butter over med low heat in a sauce pan. Once melted, add cream, and cheese. Stir to ,melt, then add garlic. Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Serve squash "noodles" topped with shrimp and Alfredo sauce. Serve along side a salad!

Enjoy!

Italian breakfast

this morning I decided that I was in the mood for something a little different, so I looked in my fridge to see what I needed to get rid of and this is what I came up with:

ITALIAN BREAKFAST

1 can stewed tomatoes drained

1/2 small yellow onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 small zucchini diced

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms chopped

1 tsp oregano dried

1tsp thyme dried

1/2 tsp rosemary dried

1/2 tsp salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 eggs

1 Tbsp fat (I used ghee, bacon fat or coconut oil would be fine too)

In a oven safe skillet, melt the fat and sautée the onions and garlic till translucent.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Then add in the zucchini and mushrooms. Continue cooking till zucchini is tender, not mushy. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Stir to combine. Then make 2 holes in the veggies for the eggs. Crack your eggs into the holes. Place the entire skillet I'm the oven and bake about 5-8 min until the egg whites are set. Longer cook time will also cook the yolks if you prefer that. 

Serves 2

I also served mine with 2 slices of bacon. 

Winter Soup & the challenge is coming to and end!

I promised those following my IG account this recipe last week.  So sorry I am a week late getting it up.  Better late than never I guess, so here it is...
WINTER SOUP:
1 pkg of butternut squash or 1 squash peeled and diced
1/2 a bag of prechopped kale, or 1/2 a bunch, torn into bite sized pieces
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained (could also use great northern or chick peas)
qt of broth, homemade or organic free range chicken stock
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 package of sliced mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp thyme
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp Spanish paprika
Fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a stock pot, melt some ghee or grass fed butter, or coconut oil and sautee onion and garlic until translucent.  Add spices and stir to combine.  Add broth and remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to med cooking until the squash is fork tender. 
I served this with pork tenderloin sliced and baked.  You could cube up some pork and cook with the soup if you wish. 

This is the soup and also pictured is "Paleo Dinner Rolls" from paleospirit.com.  They are divine and so simple to make!

Today is day 19 of my 21 day jump start challenge.  I haven't lost any more weight on the scales, a few inches were regained, and I haven't check Body Fat % yet.  I plan to do that on day 22.  My ultimate goal from this was for BF loss.  Since I pretty much eat this way 80-90% of the time anyways, I did not expect weight loss.  Since I haven't been able to hit the workouts super hard, I may be disappointed with my end results.  However I do have to say that I do feel through all of this, I have finally stabilized by blood sugar which always ran low.  I have learned how to fuel my body with the right amount of calories, I always ate too few.  I feel like overall, I have much better health than I did this time last year.  I feel like the Adrenal Fatigue is a thing of the past!  I feel like ME again and that feels GREAT!  I want to give a shout out to Kim, Julie, and Janna.  They have reached out to me for help in getting their lives back on track.  I am here for ya for moral support and also for any other support you may need along this journey!  This blog was started to hopefully bring better health to those who are interested through my transparent journey in obtaining my own health.

Crockpot Paleo Beef Stew

I kind of adapted my recipe from one on Civilized caveman.  Also my family had "grainfree" cornbread with this meal.  Recipe found at www.unrefinedkitchen.com  It was definitely a crowd pleaser and  even "Tiny Trotter" wanted it again for breakfast.  LOL

Crockpot Paleo Beef Stew
1 lb -1.5 lbs of stew meat
28 oz stew tomatoes (no sugar added)
1 pint of water
2 cups frozen french style green beans
1 cup sliced carrots (raw)
1 onion sliced
1 8 oz can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 package of sliced mushrooms (not canned)
I layered the onions on the bottom of the crockpot first, then the stew meat (mine was frozen), tomatoes, green beans, water, paste, fresh veggies, lid
Cook on low 8 hours
The meat was very tender and the flavor was amazing!
ENJOY!
Also I am on day 5 of my personal 21 day jump start challenge.  This is to help my body switch over from fat storing to fat burning.  I am posting pics of my food on Instagram if you would like to follow.  @alicia_trotter
I am also a member of EPlifefit which I use for my workouts.  I do their workouts M-W-F and do HOT yoga T-Th and Vinyasa Flow Level 2/3 yoga Sat.  Saturday and Sunday are also ACTIVE rest days.  This means I get out and play with my family.  Ride bikes, go hiking, play tennis or softball, swing on the swings at the playground or hang upside down on the monkey bars.  If you have no time or money for working out at the gym or attending a yoga class, get out and walk, at least 10 minutes a day.  Also there are plenty of FREE yoga videos on YouTube.  No excuses!  Get active!  Eat to live don't live to eat!  Feed you body what Fuels it not what makes it want to curl up and take a nap!  IF you do you will notice a HUGE boost in energy and even may like what you start to see in the mirror!  What are you waiting for?  Join me today! 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

The finished product

 

 

If you have never ventured outside your comfort zone on trying new and different foods, this recipe might get you out side the box.  It is super easy and delicious.  Go ahead...give it a try.  I think you'll be glad you did.
Roasting the squash:
2 Acorn squash, cut in half, placed flesh side down in a glass casserole dish with about 1/4 of the pan full of water.
place in a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for approximately 40 min or until a fork easily pierces the outside sin.
Preparing the filling:
1 pound ground pork sausage
2 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (precooked, I boiled mine)
2 carrots chopped
1/2 onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
cook the sausage, remove with a slotted spoon saving the hot fat in the pan to cook the veggies in.  Once the veggies are cooked, add back the sausage and season.
Seasoning:
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 Tbsp chipolte powder (or black pepper if don't like it too hot)
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
Pull the chicken apart into pieces and add to the filling mixture
I also had some leftover rice that I stirred into  my filling as well.  (yes I know it's not Paleo)
Once the squash is done, scoop out the seeds and discard, then carefully scoop out the cooked squash leaving a small amount for the "bowl" in the shell.
mash up the squash really good and stir it into the filling mixture as well.
Stuff the acorn shells with the filling and put back in the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

If you have leftover filling, you can have a really filling breakfast the next morning.  Just add a couple poached eggs.

I also threw in a sprinkle of parm. cheese as well.  (again, not Paleo)
ENJOY!

Quick Healthy Dinner

                                        CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
*Sorry no pic, it was a quick throw together meal that was eaten so fast, there was no time for a snapshot.

2 cartons of organic Free Range chicken broth (or homemade if you have some)
1 cup uncooked GF Rice noodles of your choice
1-2 cans of chicken (I used one of the bigger cans)
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (mine had green beans, carrots and corn in it)
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp oregano
a few rounds of freshly cracked black pepper
Bring all of this to a boil and simmer till noodles are done.

This was our dinner Halloween night.  The girls had gymnastics and are always starving when we get home, so I need this done fast!
We also had some "Candy Bar Cupcakes" to make up for no candy.  The recipe for those can be found at www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com  To me they tasted just like snickers.  I used the GF all-purpose flour and xylitol, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

I posted the link on Facebook that I used from Pinterest.  Be sure to follow me on pinterest and also I post pics of foods I make and eat on Instagram too.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween.  In TN we had storms and most all Halloween events were cancelled.  The leaves around here are so beautiful I was really hoping the 300 mile an hour winds (yes I am exaggerating) wouldn't blow all the color off.  I was able to find one beautiful tree this morning when I went to pick up my bushel of apples.

We went to Cheekwood on Tuesday and the girls got to dress up and have some Goblin fun.  They were witches this year and thankfully all I had to buy were tights for their costumes because these dresses were in our dress up closet!  YAY!

 

Elderberry Syrup

I just realized that I spoke of an elderberry recipe and then never posted it.  Well now is definitely the time for having this on hand!  It is an immune booster, and also amazing how it can fight off flu.  Whether you get the flu shot or not, it doesn't always cover the strain that you may come in contact with and you could still be infected.  During the flu season, I give my kids a "shot" of this syrup daily to help boost their immune system.  Then if they do get sick, I give them a "shot" every two hours.  Being diligent and giving this often and for as long as the illness is lingering is the key with Natural Remedies!  They will take longer to work, but a chance of relapse is almost none!  Also remember to keep hydrated too!  I found a great "Natural Gatorade" recipe on Pinterest.  By the way, if you are on pinterest and don't follow me, please go and do that!  I have a lot of boards, but you may just be interested in my natural health, no harsh chemicals please, nourishing our bodies one bite at a time, paleo, and our life on GAPS boards. 
Now for the recipe:
1/2 cup dried elderberries, or 1 cup fresh (Frozen) berries
3 cups water
1 cup honey
bring berries and water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 min
mash berries to release all the juices
strain off the berries, add honey and mix to combine well.
store in fridge for a few months

I buy dried berries from www.bulkherbstore.com or I harvest them myself in the wild.  Just be sure they are the black elderberries not the red ones.  The red ones are poisonous.  Also do not confuse elderberries with polk berries or sumac.  Be sure to look it up on line.  Making sure the  leaf and the blooms/berries look like what you see online.  This is the time of year to find them ready to harvest.

The bottom picture is frozen elderberries that I harvested last fall.  I am making the syrup using those berries today!  ENJOY, and may you and your family all have a healthy winter!
 

Taco Chilli

It's beginning to feel like Fall here in the mid-south.  Today was a busy day for us as we started the day on a field trip to our local pumpkin patch.  I packed our lunch for us to eat in the car.  After the patch, we headed to the library to get our books on hold and a movie.  Then headed to Sam's Club.  This adventure did not go well because of 2 reasons.  #1 when I got out my membership card, I realized it was expired.  No problem, I will just renew it inside.  So I proceed through the store filling my cart only to realize at the check out that my debit card has expired.  Oh yes I do remember they sent me a new one, but its on my counter at home waiting on me to activate it from a month ago.  GRRRR, I have no reason to get upset with my children when they pull these kind of forgetful stunts...they learned it from me!  So I leave the store empty handed.  Let me also mention here that my local Sam's Club is an hour from my house.  So you can imagine my frustration with myself! 
After that incident, we headed to Trader Joes's and got our groceries.  (They take a credit card, where Sam's does not)  Then we still had 40 minutes to kill before the chiropractor opened, so we stopped by the park to play for a few.  Then I got adjusted and we were homeward bound by 4:30. 
After I unloaded all the groceries and put them all away, I realized I had nothing planned for dinner.  It's now 5:45 and the girls are hungry.  What can I throw together quick that is also filling and healthy?  I invented a Taco Chilli recipe, and I wanted to share it with you all since it is kid and husband approved! 

TACO CHILLI
1 pound grass fed beef
1 pound pastured pork sausage
1/2 cup of bell peppers (I used red, green & yellow) diced
1/2 yellow onion  diced
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1Qt tomato juice (home canned is super yummy)
1 can Rotel (tomatoes and chillis)
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp Chilli powder
salt to taste
shredded cheese (optional topping, we use kerrygold)
avacado (topping)
Sour cream (we use plain greek yogurt)
Organic blue corn chips (optional)
Since I am the only one in my family who is 95%  Paleo, I do not include all the optional toppings, I do use avocado. (yes I do realize that beans are not Paleo! Thanks for the good observation)

Brown the sausage and beef together in a skillet.  Remove the meat, leaving the fat behind in the skillet.  Saute the veggies in the fat.  After they are cooked, drain the fat and add the meat, veggie, beans, tomato juice, Rotel, crushed garlic and seasonings to a big pot and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 min.
(If you want this to be thicker, more like chilli, add an 8oz can of tomato paste)
Serve with the optional toppings.
ENJOY, and HAPPY FALL YA'LL!!!

Pictured is a bowl with cheese as a topping.

Fresh homemade salsa

This is a video of me making my fresh salsa.  Tomatoes have been good this year!  This was the first gallon I made.  We ate all of that and I have since made a second gallon.  It lasts in the fridge for 6 months!
Recipe:
1 gallon of tomatoes, chopped, drained and press (excess liquid through mesh strainer)
1 small bunch cilantro (optional)
1 large red onion, diced
1 fresh cayenne pepper, seeded and diced
5-6 fresh banana peppers, seeded and diced
2 medium bell peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup sea salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp ground cumin

Dice all veggies or use food processor to do it for you!
Add vinegar and spices
stir well and refrigerate
ENJOY!


Oh and I forgot, add the juice of 1 freshly squeezed lime!

Fresh homemade tomato sauce

If you are like me, you have a LOT of tomatoes in your fridge.  Either you grew them or you have friends giving them to you.  So many tomatoes and you can not eat them all before they go bad.  You have made BLTs and salsa, and eaten them in salads, had tomato and cheese sandwiches and still have TONS of tomatoes.  What to do with them all?
Can them!  I know this may be a new thing to some or scary to think about, but I have an easy way that you can do this!  Not special equipment needed!
You can use cherry tomatoes, or the big ones, either is fine!
Take about one big stock pot 1/2 full of tomatoes.  If you are using the big ones, core them and cut off any bad spots.
Add them to the pot and turn heat to med high.  Add chopped bell peppers (approx. 3) and chopped onion (1 large yellow), about 5-6 garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp sea salt, 1/4 cup EVOO, and fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary) about 1/4 cup of these slightly chopped, stems removed.
cook all of this till veggies are tender.
Let cool a little, then pour into blender or use immersion blender to puree into a sauce.
put sauce back into pot and bring to a boil, then simmer while you get the jars ready.
Fill clean QT or Pint jars with HOT water to get the jar HOT.  The ladle hot sauce into clean empty HOT jars.  Leave a 1" head space, wipe rim clean, screw on a new lid and ringer to hand tight.  Set on a towel on the counter and repeat till you are out of sauce.
Let the jars set until the lids POP and seal.  Then let them continue to set undisturbed 24 hours. Label and date the jars.  If any do not seal, put in the fridge and eat within a week!
ENJOY!!! 


NOTE: if your sauce is watery before you add to the jars, stir in a small can of tomato paste!  Make sure its organic!

A few of my favorites...

I always get asked to please publish a cookbook. The reason I never have is mainly because I don't really create my own recipes.  I usually find them through Pinterest or a google search that led me to some of my favorite blogs. I think I have mentioned before a few of them, but I'll list them again.
For those who are trying to convert to gluten free and really love their baked goods or carb invested breakfast items, I recommend elanaspantry.com   She has a few cookbooks out there you can purchase or visit her website to find many as well. My kids love her silver dollar pancake recipe, and her paleo banana bread. So easy that my 7 year old can make both start to finish all by herself.
Another favorite of my children is paleOMG.com. They love her chocolate waffles and her pumpkin granola. 
Those are ones we visit regularly to give the kids their fix of a normal carb infested lifestyle. For everyday recipes like dinner meals, I love everydaypaleo.com   I do have one of her cookbooks, the Family one, and I have not made a recipe yet I don't like.
A few others I sometimes visit are, chocolatecoveredkatie, paleoparents, and comfybelly.
I hope this makes things a little easier for those who just became gluten free or who are thinking about it. The world of bloggers really does make my life easier.  That's why I decided to enter the world myself in hopes of making it easier for someone else.
A side note, I do not necessarily believe all people should be gluten free. It does seem to be a fad of the times right now. The reason I choose to do it is because my oldest daughter and myself really had health issues that were significantly resolved with a gluten free lifestyle.  If you want to choose to try this lifestyle, I recommend making things yourself. The boxed and prepackaged gluten free products do have a ton of starchy ingredients and sometimes a lot of added sugar as well. Please take time to read labels and make sure you can pronounce all of them.  Another good rule of thumb is to make sure this list of ingredients is not so long.  About 5 or less of what I aim for.  I choose to make most products myself and I prefer to use mostly almond and coconut flours.  Experiment around and see what you prefer.  And BTW, trader joes is the cheapest place I have found for almond meal. And it cooks up deliciously as well.  I buy my coconut flour from tropicaltraditions when they run it on sale you really should stock up. A tiny amount of this type flour goes a long way, so one or two bags will last you quite a long time.  The key to cooking gluten free is eggs.  These little jewels hold it all together. So my next adventure in the Trotter Family...chickens. Since we go through about 2-3 dozen a week, I think we will try our hands at some chickens.  Coming soon...

Gluten Free Sausage Balls

First let me say that I do not claim this recipe as my own!  I am posting it here because I cannot find the original source to post a link to. 

1 pound pasture raised pork sausage
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour mix (I use Trader Joe's)
1 cup almond meal (Trader Joe's)
10 oz shredded cheese (I grate my own using Kerrygold cheese, bought at Sam's)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder aluminum free (Bob's Red Mill)

Combine all ingredients and kneed them until they are all well incorporated.  Be patient, this takes a few minutes.  You want them all combined well enough where there is no powdered ingredients in the bowl.  Roll out into bite size balls, and bake on a baking sheet.  350 degree oven for 20-25 min.

Banana muffins, recipe for your weekend!

So I made this recipe this morning for my girls and thought I would pass it along to you for the weekend.
Hope you enjoy!
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

combine all wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients, stir well to combine all.
grease your muffin pan, or silicon muffin liners, or use cupcake paper liners,
fill each cup 1/2 way, top with crushed walnuts or blueberries (as I did per request of the Tiny Trotter)
or get creative!  Not necessary to have a topping at all.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min, till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For some reason I could only get 11 out of the dough, sorry for any inconvenience!