Maddy's Creation

Tonight as I was packing lunches, I noticed that we had alot of carrots and I thought a nice carrot side salad might be cool for Maddy to whip up.  In one of my favorite books, Bringing Up Bebe, they mentioned that in France, a carrot salad is a nice starter course to a meal. Well Maddy likes anything French, so she went with it.  We shredded the carrots and then I gave her some suggestions about what to add and here is what she came up with. 
I love when kids get creative with food. 

Carrot Salad Ala Mademoiselle Madison
-3 large carrots, shredded
-1 tbsp dried cranberries
-1 tbsp unsweetned shredded coconut
-1 tbsp. sunflower seeds
-a few crumbles goat milk feta
-3 tbsp. dressing (see link below) but really anytype of sweet poppyseed dressing would do. I did cut the honey in the recipe from the link to 1/2 cup and it was still plenty sweet.

Mix and put in fridge overnight. Perfect for school lunches!

Greek Tacos

After our last trip, to the best gyros in the city of Milwaukee Oakland Gyros, I had an idea for a new recipe...a greek taco. Maddy was very skeptical, but she actually ended up eating the most. We tried making lamb burgers on one other occasion and it just was not good. So, this time I chose to double the meat and do 1 lb. ground turkey and 1 lb. ground lamb. This combination was a winner. You could taste the lamb, but it did not overpower anything. Complete with my version of cucumber sauce, this recipe is good! Maddy asked if we could have it every week. She also came up the with the idea of different tacos every week...a normal taco, a greek taco, and indian taco. My little culinary protege:)  The recipe listed is for 2 nights worth of meat, so you can freeze half of the meat right away or just have it 2 days in the week. I appologize up front for my lack of true measurements. It really was a shake of this and a shake of that. 

Greek Tacos
Meat Portion
1 lb. ground lamb
1 lb. ground turkey
4 cloves of garlic diced
few shakes of salt
few shakes of cinnamon
few shakes of oregano
shake of thyme
shake of parsley
You dont want the flavor to overpower, just to be subtle, so continue to add spices to your taste.
Cook meat with 1 tbsp. olive or oil of choice. Add seasonings and cook until done.

Cucumber Sauce
1/2 cup goat (or cow) milk yogurt
1/2 of a cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped into teeny tiny pieces
3 cloves of garlic finely diced
shake of garlic powder
few squeezes of a lemon
Mix all ingrediants together and let sit in the fridge for a few hours

Extras
Goats milk Feta (its the only true feta afterall)
sliced cucumbers
sliced onions
sliced tomatoes
Pitas (or do a naked taco over rice)

Assemble meat with extras in pita shell and add cucumber sauce. There ya go...Opa!

*Wondering why we are consuming goat's milk products now? Check out this link:
http://www.mtcapra.com/benefits-of-goat-milk-vs-cow-milk/

Blessings All Around

Yesterday my new naturopath doctor emailed me the greatest news....Jackson, 100%,  has a gluten sensitivity and candida. We did some diagnostic testing on him to give us the diagnosis. I have been trying to figure this out, on my own for 3 1/2 years now. I always had a sneaking suspicion that he shouldn't be eating gluten. But, always allowed "cheats" here and there. It's hard for a 7 year old to turn down the class birthday treat or to ALWAYS take food with me everywhere! But, cheat no more. We need to get his gut back to optimal health. If anyone knows me well, they know that Jackson hates vegetables, most protein, and loves fruit. So, this yeast thing will not be an easy road to treat either. However, he has been trying new foods everyday. Even just a teaspoon of them is better than none. There is finally hope on the horizon and that is why this is a blessing. So, this week we are down to 1 fruit a day, and one gluten free carbohydrate a day. Sounds impossible, I know, seeing that his menu is already limited.  I did find this awesome breakfast idea that fits the bill. It has protein, good fats, and it's full of fiber...plus it's really good. Jackson even commented that he could be creative with it...by adding different stuff to it. Anything to get him involved in the process helps. It's called a mug muffin. I found a recipe online but, as always, put my own spin on it. I realize that my picture doesn't make it look uber appetizing because part of it dripped over the side in the microwave, but I promise you, it is yummy and very soft and moist inside. Almost cupcake like. The dripping on the front of it actually looks like a kinda creepy smiley face:)

Coconut/Blueberry "Muggin"
2 eggs
2 Tbsp coconut flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 packet of Better Than Stevia sweetener
1/2 tsp. baking powder
handful of blueberries or any fruit
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Combine/Mix all together in a coffee mug and put in the microwave for 3-5 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Mine took 4 minutes. I spread coconut butter on top and a slight drizzle of honey. If you are on a non-specific diet you can use any variety of milk, sweetener, and flour. Whip cream 
on top, whatever...BE CREATIVE!

Tonight I am trying sweet potato and cinnamon latkes with coconut cream....if I can pull this one off, it will be a miracle...wish me luck!

Top Of the Mornin' To Ya'

Kids asked me if I was doing anything special for St. Patty's Day.....we are only a teeny bit Irish but a good exuse to get them to eat some greens and have a little fun...so YES! I made them a homemade Shamrock Smoothie for breakfast this morning. It is very similar to my Kavacado smoothie but with a few exceptions:

"Shamrock" Smoothie
1/2 banana
1 cup of ice
1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup of coconut or regular water
3 romaine lettuce leaves
1 handful of frozen kale
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1 tbsp pumpkin seed powder (or any other protein powder you may have)

Blend and enjoy. It was a huge hit. I topped it with a little Truwhip 
(if you havent heard of it, check it out) http://www.truwhip.com/

When Maddy finished it she said in a Leprechan (more like a pirate accent) 
"A nice way for the kiddies to get their greens."

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss: Green Grinch Soup

In honor of Dr. Seuss' Birthday I found a recipe for green soup online that I just had to try. Of course, I manipulated the recipe a little bit and came up with my own version of it. I have tried green soup before and it lacked in taste and seemed too watery. This one however was a winner! Yummy, creamy, and SO good for you. Probably a good soup if you have a cold, are going through the winter blahs, or just  to give you an immune boost in these last glorious weeks of winter. 

Green Grinch Soup

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 cup leeks, chopped
1 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 1/5 cups spinach
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion for a minute or two, then add the garlic and sauté for another minute. 
- Add the spinich,broccoli, leeks and brussels sprouts, and stir. Let cook for a few minutes, 
stirring occasionally.
- Add the broth, bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15-20 minutes or until the 
veggies are soft
- Put it all into a food processor, blender, or Vitamix and blend until smooth. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk (actually any milk will do)

Season with salt and pepper as you please. I found I needed nothing. It was perfect. Makes about 3 bowls full. Enough to make at the beginning of the week and have for lunch a few days. I paired mine with some sauteed garlic shrimp and a cabbage steak. Sounds weird to come, but seriously yummy to me:)

Eat and Enjoy!