I recently went on a search for some documentaries that looked interesting and that would have some different views that what I necessarily practice or preach! I know there are so many great informational videos out there and I wanted to start looking at a few and then sharing what I learn. So stay tuned and periodically there will be some new reviews! Continue reading “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”
I grew up eating this salad and have always liked it! I recently had it again and can’t remember why we haven’t had this in so long! 😉 Spinach is so tasty and hearty! So delicious and so nutritious too! Continue reading “Spinach Salad and Vegan Mayonnaise Dressing”
Chicken is an easy winner in our house. It’s a favorite and simple to cook and cheaper than a lot of other cuts of meat. We usually purchase a whole chicken and use all of its parts. By roasting it whole we have one meal, then use the leftover meat for another meal. The bones then go in the crock pot with a few veggies to make some yummy stock!
I really love the fact that we can get three meals off of one bird! It is cost effective and yummy, but I also want to be cautious that we don’t eat too much of the same type of meat. I am a firm believer that all foods (natural, organic and wholesome) should be enjoyed in moderation.
This chapter addresses poultry… not just chicken specifically. I will say that I tend to opt towards chicken instead of other types of poultry. I definitely don’t enjoy turkey as much as chicken and usually only roast one around the holidays. I do like duck, however, I think I’ve only had it a few times in my life and have certainly never cooked it at home. However, it is becoming easier to obtain at farmers markets and local markets in the area.
There are a few recipes for Moroccan Style Chicken, Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce and Sesame Buffalo Wings which all look very appealing and tasty in this chapter! Fallon has also included a recipe on how to make breaded chicken breasts, but she uses whole grain bread which we don’t eat and a few other ingredients not on our diet as well.
I have made chicken fingers for the kids in the past which have turned out well and have been a huge hit. I’ve included my recipe for that below.
Chicken Fingers
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups (about) almond flour
1 eggInstructions:
Cut the chicken breasts into strips of desired widths
Rinse and dry
Dip in egg
Roll in almond flour
Place on non-stick baking sheet or [amazon_link id=”B00008T960″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]silpat[/amazon_link] and bake
Bake for about 20 minutes or until done at 350 degrees.
I also usually make a mixture of honey and homemade mustard for them to use as a dip or just homemade fermented ketchup. Always a hit and goes well with green beans and coconut flour bread or another side!
Do you have a favorite poultry recipe? Please share!
This dressing has been a huge favorite of ours and is used quite frequently! In fact I made it for our Easter dinner and then again for dinner with friends this last week! It always gets rave reviews and the best part is, it’s simple and healthy!
This dressing isn’t a true Caesar dressing since I don’t add the anchovy fillets. It would certainly add more flavor and nutrients if some were added. Probably two is all that is needed to do the job!
I often use this dressing for a typical caesar salad with chicken and fresh parmesan cheese, but I also will frequently use it for other salads as well. I think it is especially tasty on spring greens with grapes, almond slivers and fresh goat cheese! ALL the kids love it and will often have three and four servings!
Ingredients
⅓ cup fresh parmesan cheese
¼ cup homemade mayonaise
1 ½ TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 ½ TBSP fresh lemon or lime juice
1 ½ tsp homemade mustard
½ tsp worcestershire sauce
¼ cup olive oil (or any oil of choice)
1 clove garlic(optional)
2 anchovies(optional)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in food processor or blender and mix until well blended. If I’m not adding the fresh garlic or anchovies I will often just put all the ingredients in a jar and give it a few good shakes and serve!
Have you seen this documentary? It is amazing, scary, eye opening, and motivating to do something about the future of our food. Continue reading “Future of Food”
This is a super quick and easy soup. Quite light and very flavorful. The simple flavors make this enjoyable even on a warm day. Usually dear hubby likes lots of spices and complex flavors. Simple just doesn’t work for him… except this recipe!
The first time I made this I thought for sure no one was going to like it… but I was quite wrong and for that I’m surprised and oh so grateful! Another plus is this is a quick recipe and inexpensive as well!
I often have jars of chicken and beef stock in the fridge ready to go for any soup or stir fry that may need it! By having it on hand makes it easy to whip up a healthy recipe or treat a cough or cold.
This recipe is originally from Bon Appetit, which I’m confused and not sure how such a simple recipe made it into that magazine! But I guess it does speak to it’s great flavor! I did change it a little, but so little that I definitely have to give all the credit to Bon Appetit! My changes are things like homemade stock instead of canned, and [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link] instead of rice. But read on and see what you think.
Sesame Beef and Snow Pea Soup
(4 servings)Ingredients:
4 cups homemade beef stock
1½ cup 1-inch pieces diagonally cut snow peas (about 6 oz)
1⅓ cup matchstick-size strips red bell pepper
2 cup ½ inch wide strips thinly sliced roast beef (about 10 oz) (or I used thinnly sliced steak, or shaved beef)
1⅓ cup sliced green onions
2 TBSP minced peeled fresh ginger
8 tsp rice vinegar
1 TBSP oriental sesame oil
3 cups cooked [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link] (about 1 cup uncooked)Instructions:
Bring broth just to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add snow peas and red pepper and simmer 1 minute. Add beef, green onions and ginger; remove pan from heat. Mix in vinegar and sesame oil. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Mound [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link] in center of deep bowls. Ladle soup over, dividing equally.
Fish is something new to our family! Growing up we didn’t eat much fish, probably because it was more expensive than other meats and probably because my grandmother didn’t cook fish! With my third pregnancy my midwife stressed the importance of eating fish especially when pregnant. I knew that it was important, but I just didn’t know how to cook it, where to purchase it, how to prepare it. It was a HUGE unknown for me! Continue reading “Nourishing Traditions Book Review: Part XVII – Fish”
We just LOVE stir fry around this house! The kids eat it up like it’s going out of style. Also since dear hubby is Asian he has a true love affair with WHITE rice. The kids definitely take after him in that! I think they have his Asian blood! I too have been bitten by the bug and would definitely prefer white rice over pasta or other carbs, but in our current lives we’ve cut it out almost entirely.
Occasionally we will have fried rice and for that there is no substitute! I just go with it, have the white rice and treat it like dessert! SO yummy… but that is a post for another day… although maybe it won’t be a post at all. I do most of the cooking around here, but hubby is definitely the pro at fried rice. I’ve attempted a few times, but my kids well tell me, “It isn’t as good as Papa’s!” So it probably isn’t worth posting one of my recipes! Maybe we will have a guest post and dear hubby can share! Don’t hold your breath! 😉 Not sure that will ever happen!
So.. on to our stir fry. I often just take a gander at what is in the fridge and just throw it all together. It’s a great way to use what veggies are left over and hide some not so favorites! We have also started serving it over [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link] instead of rice. Not quite as good, but a great substitute. The kids love it and Brian is ok with it. I also like stir fry because it is a cheap and easy way to feed lots of people. Also, by using the [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link] which is high in protein it helps to fill you up without having to add meat!
I often don’t add meat to it, especially if I’m making it for lunch. Here are the most common ingredients that I use, but it can be changed in 1001 different ways. I’ll have a few variations at the bottom!
Basic Simple Stir Fry
Ingredients:
2 carrots chopped
1 head of broccoli chopped in bite sized pieces
Large handful (about 1 cup) sweet peas
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic diced
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2 cups [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link] uncooked
3 TBSP [amazon_link id=”B0043RKUP6″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]tamari[/amazon_link]
3 TBSP water
3 TBSP [amazon_link id=”B0001DMTJG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]oyster sauce[/amazon_link]
oilInstructions:
Cook [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link]. Usually takes 2 cups of water per cup of quinoa. I often cook mine in the [amazon_link id=”B002CVTT52″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]rice cooker[/amazon_link]. Then it’s quick and hands off!
Add oil of choice to wok (I usually use [amazon_link id=”B003QDRJXY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]coconut oil[/amazon_link], occasionally bacon grease) and cook onions until transparent and garlic soft. Add broccoli, carrots, [amazon_link id=”B0043RKUP6″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]tamari[/amazon_link], water and [amazon_link id=”B0001DMTJG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]oyster sauce[/amazon_link]. Cook for about 5 minutes with lid on to cover and steam. At end add water chestnuts and sweet peas. Cook until water chestnuts are warm and sweet peas are blanched. Serve over [amazon_link id=”B0036FB6FY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]quinoa[/amazon_link]!
Variations:
[amazon_link id=”B0001DMTJG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Oyster sauce[/amazon_link] often has a lot of sugar in it. If you have a good fermented version please share! In place of [amazon_link id=”B0001DMTJG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]oyster sauce[/amazon_link] can use fish sauce and a bit more water and a bit of [amazon_link id=”B000EDM6KU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]arrowroot[/amazon_link] to help thicken it.
Sometimes we add green beans, a bit of kale or spinach, peppers,
Can add hot peppers or some hot sauce to give it a bit of a kick!
The possibilities are endless!
And this is what you end up with! No veggies left in the bowl! When we had this last week, my oldest, Tonchi (4), had THREE servings and still wanted more! And then cried when there wasn’t any broccoli in his last serving!
Did you grow up using hydrogen peroxide? We did! And boy did it sting on open wounds! As I’ve recnetly been working as a nurse, the medical profession no longer advises using it to clease wounds. The argument is that not only does it kill bacteria, but it also kills the new healthy cells growing to heal the wound. Continue reading “Hydrogen Peroxide – H2O2”
[amazon_link id=”1400064163″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]
[/amazon_link]
Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Laura Hillenbrand
WOW! Where do I even start? This biography is absolutely amazing! I learned so much by reading this. This book is well written and evoked many emotions: hope, sadness, anger,disbelief, and more. It also made me contemplate hatred, forgiveness and faith.
The book is about Louie Zamperini, an American who was raised in New York. He game from an Italian family of two sisters and a brother. He was quite the problem child, into mischief of every kind and often not caught. He could have been described as a bully, thief and general miscreant.
His older brother Pete encouraged him to be a runner and helped him train and cheered him on. In highschool Louie developed a love of running and became very good at it. Good enough to go to the Olympics. He didn’t medal, but it was his first go and he was young and had many opportunities yet ahead of him… or so he thought. Life quickly changed.
The US was pulled into World War II and Louie signed up to serve. He was stationed in Hawaii on bombers, assisting with air raids in the Pacific. On a search and rescue mission his plane went down.
In God’s amazing grace he survived the crash with two fellow airmen and then survived 48 days at sea on a raft, often with sharks swimming around the rafts and bumping them hoping to get an easy meal. The men survived on rain water and the occasional fish or bird they could catch. They even survived a Japanese plane that flew overhead and shot at them, taking multiple passes over them.
They survived at sea, only to be washed ashore an island that was held by the japanese. Louis and his friend Phil (the other man didn’t survive long enough to make it to shore) were taken into custody and became POWs. They stayed on the island for a time and then were transferred to a POW camp in Japan.
The atrocities that they experienced were saddening. It is amazing what these men suffered and survived. I don’t want to give away the end of the book, but it is absolutely astounding. God used this man and his experiences in unbelievable ways.
There was a hold on this book at the library and now I know why. I wasn’t able to finish it the first time I checked it out and had to return it and be put on the waitlist again. It was well worth it. I would have liked to meet this man!
I know not every POW in WWII was able to survive as Zamperini did. After reading this book I have new sympathy, love, respect and renewed faith. I need to read more books about our military. They serve us in so many ways and definitely don’t get the respect or thanks they deserve. We have no idea what struggles they go through and survive. This book is an inspiration and I HIGHLY recommend you read it!
Home of the Hymn of the Month Community
Striving to preserve what we have graciously been given.
Striving to preserve what we have graciously been given.
Green & Grateful 