Miraculous Mushroom Soup

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you will get a cold. Getting a cold, every once in a while, is good for your immune system. Anyone that knows me, knows that getting sick makes me super emotional and anxious. It is really hard for me to just give into it and rest. Moms all over know what I am talking about. You run the family and there is no time for you to be sick. I've been trying to deny it since Saturday and now I finally have to give in and like my favorite song goes, "Let it Go." So, I committed cardinal sin #1, cancelled all committments I had scheduled for this week. That was rough! On the advice of my naturopath I should do for myself what I would tell my kids to do if they were sick and that is to rest. I am blessed to have such wonderful healers in my life that give such good advice. It takes a village. If you don't have a good chiropractor, acupuncturist, and naturopath you may want to consider finding at least one. Back to the yumminess: I took a soup that I normally make and I immunified it by adding some garlic and ginger. As always, it's gluten and dairy free. The creaminess from it comes from the cashews. It is a recipe from my favorite cookbook, Nourishing Meals. Recipe is below. I would have posted a picture but I cannot find my camera since the house is completely tore apart with hopes of feng shuing the kids rooms....but that's another blog, another day:)

Miraculous Mushroom Soup
1 onion rough chopped
3 carrots rough chopped
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
10 cloves garlic, skin off, split down the middle
2 inch piece of ginger peeled and split in 2
2 containers of baby bella mushrooms
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
2-3 tsp. Herbamare or sea salt
6 cups of water
1/2 cup cashews
Heat oil and saute onions, garlic, carrots, and ginger. Saute for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and seasonings and saute for a few more minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Than simmer for 20 minutes until veggies are soft. Put cashews in Vitamix/Ninja/Blendtek, etc. add soup and blend till creamy. If you cannot fit in one blend, seperate and than combine all in soup pot to warm.

The stats:
Mushrooms increase the production of antiviral proteins that can destroy invaders that make you sick.
Garlic is a natural antibiotic and antibacterial. The Chinese have been using ginger for 2500 years to treat congestion, sinus pain, and sore throat.

Jack of All Trades Garlic Mix

This was a great find for me! I was searching last week for a cold remedy online. I found a few things, but I wanted the most simple. So, I made this balm. Here is what was in it:

Jack of All Trades Garlic Mix
3 cloves finely minced garlic
3 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp olive oil
Blend in a ninja blender, food processor, etc. and store in fridge in a glass jar. Will last in fridge for a few weeks.

I used this balm to rub on the bottom of my feet before bed. I than applied socks and went to sleep. I woke up in the morning without a sore throat anymore and feeling much better. I loved the smell of it, so I made another batch, not to rub on my feet, but to eat. Here are a few things I have been using it for:

- rubbing on bread and toasting for garlic bread
- sauteing vegetables in 
- using in guilt free alfredo sauce

This could also be rubbed on a chest or back if you are having a chest cold. I mean, no mistakes about it, you will smell like garlic but the benefits will probably outweigh the smell.

Guilt Free Alfredo

I was never much of an alfredo fan. It was just too rich for me with all of cream and butter. But, lately Jackson has discovered that he loves quinoa noodles....so I have been investigating new dinner recipes that involve noodles. I found this one today on one of my fav websites, detoxinista.com. The more I do adaptations of "normal" food, I find that cauliflower wears many different masks. This recipe is absolutely guilt free. You could also eat it over shredded zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. Here is my recipe that I have tweaked a little bit from the detoxinistas.


Guilt Free Alfredo
1 teaspoon coconut oil, or butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 small cauliflower head, cut into florets
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon Herbamare or sea salt, or more to taste
black pepper, to taste

Saute the minced garlic in the coconut oil or butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Allow to cook for a few minutes, until the garlic is tender and fragrant, but not browned. Add the 1 cup of water to the saucepan, along with the cauliflower, and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is fork-tender and very soft. Transfer everything from the saucepan into a blender or food processor, and season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth and creamy. Add coconut milk till you reach a consistency that you like. You'll want it alfredo like! I wanted an even more garlicy flavor, so I also added a tsp. of my Jack of All Trades Garlic Mix (see next post). Mix with noodles in a saute pan and serve with a nice salad:)

Ultimate Recipe for Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream

Not much more to say about this is that it was the easiest thing I have made ever and was a real treat! 
It even had the same consistency of ice cream and didn't taste entirely of bananas!

Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream
2 frozen bananas
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 pack stevia
1/2 can coconut milk

Blend in vitamix. You will definately have to use tamper. 

Favacado Sorbet and Compotes

Who knew how good sweets could be for your kids? I have been working hard this summer to create some cool, creamy concoctions that are also uber-nutritious. I think I have the winning formula. I call it the Favacado Sorbet. Fruit...Avacado....Sorbet....The result has a creamy, sweet taste with a sorbet-like texture:

Favacado Sorbet
1-2 avacados
1 cup of frozen fruit ( kids seems to like peach or peach mixed with berries)
a splash of coconut milk (any non-dairy milk will do)
a packet of stevia or sweetener of choice

Blend in Vitamix using tamper to push contents into the blade. Eat right away. Not only are the kids getting the healthy fats from the avacado but an antioxident boot from the fruit....win/win.

Organic peaches were on sale last week at the store for $1.99/lb. I knew we couldnt eat them all before they went bad, so I thought I would try to make a compote. Since I have made it we have had it on yogurt, pancakes, with granola and coconut cream, on ice cream, on toast, made a crumble out of it....I cannot believe how many times we have pulled it out. It is SO versatile. Last night I took my butt back to the store to buy some more peaches and now we have peach/berry compote in the freezer for in the middle of winter when we want to remember what summer tasted like:)

Fruit Compote
4 large peaches diced or chopped depending how chunky you like your compote
a handful of frozen fruit. I used blackberries
a sprinkle of date sugar or any other sugar.  I used date sugar cause it is so low on the glycemic index

Put all ingrediants in a pot with a splash of water on the stove. Cook them on medium heat until the fruit gets soft. You can turn down the heat to low if it seems like it is sticking. Once the fruit is soft and it all kinda melds (is that even a word?) together,  take off heat and put in canning jars. You can put it in your fridge to cool or freeze it for another time. No need to seal the canning jars since its going in the freezer and not on a shelf. One last note, you can use any fruit for this recipe. I just like to use what is on sale at the time.

Chicken and Waffles with a Juice or 2 or 3 or 4........

All we juiced in only ONE day for 2 people

What to do after a weekend of indulgence....a juice cleanse, what else? If you have ever seen the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, you know the benefits of juicing. Do I think that it's safe to juice everyday, all day for weeks and months at a time...no. However, a 1-3 day jaunt here and there to reboot your body does it some good. The juice cleanse I prefer is from the maker of the documentary. It is 5 juices a day and a huge salad for dinner. Not once did I feel hungry or deprived. It's actually kinda hard to drink all that in one day! The site from The Dr. Oz Show with the juice recipes is linked below:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/joe-cross-3-day-weekend-juice-cleanse
Since I am juicing, what am I going to feed the fam? I was planning on making them waffles anyways but I wanted to add some protein...so chicken and waffles it is! I have been making these fabulous teff pancakes that the kids love. Teff is an gluten free ancient grain used by the Egyptions. It is good fiber and makes a yummy pancake. I got the recipe from the book that saved my life in this food sensitivity world....Nourishing Meals. Here is the recipe:

Teff Banana Pancakes

Happy Girl!

1 cup teff flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup water or non-dairy milk
¼ cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 small banana)
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Combine wet and add to dry ingrediants. Fry on griddle.

Onto the chicken part. I found the most fabulous chicken nuggets in the freezer section at, where else, Target....Applegate Farms Gluten and Casein Free Chicken Nuggets. And the heavans opened up and the angels sang:) This is how I felt seeing these. I so appreciate and love Applegate Farms. The nuggets  baked right up in the oven and were a delicious add-on to the waffle. Poured some real maple syrup on everything, with a side of hashbrowns and that is one tasty meal! Chicken + Waffles = Happy Kids.

Cheating the Dairy, Egg, and Gluten Free Way

So, the 4th of July weekend has come to an end and my idea of cheating has been too many chips, salsa, and guacamole. But, it seems like everytime I veer from eating what works best for my body...I pay for it in the way of muscle aches. So, the last few days have been pretty rough...time for a 2 day detox. Kids are in day camp this week, so I actually have time to focus on me. Like usual, a physical detox usually leads to an emotional detox. Not sure why the 2 are connected, but it happens everytime. But, I guess smoothies and tears never hurt anyone, so I am up for it:) In true detox eve fashion, I was craving sweet and who says cheating isn't fun eating gluten, dairy, and egg free? So, I created the banana coconut cream pie sundae and I wanted to share it, cause god it was SO good. 

Gluten, Dairy, Egg Free Banana Coconut Cream Sundae (wow long title!)
• A few scoops of French Vanilla Soy Dream Ice Cream
• Peanut Butter (mine is homemade, but any type will do)
• Enjoy Life Foods dairy, egg, gluten free mini chocolate chips
• raw shredded coconut
• 1/2 banana diced

Melt 1 tbsp. peanut butter with 1/2 tbsp chocolate chips. Pour mixture over ice cream and
top with diced bananas and coconut. 

Wish I had a picture but it was pretty messy looking and I didnt have time to take pics
before I devoured it!