My Little Entrepeneur

I recently spoke at an event called Sisterhood Saturday at my church. Vendors were welcome to attend. Maddy represented my blog by making some of our favorites for sale. She would not let me help at all and offered to purchase all of the ingredients herself so she could keep all the profits....(smart girl). She made 2 flavored butters, one pumpkin and one garlic/chive/sage. One butter was a vegan butter as well. She also made a blueberry chia jam. All items made with simple and natural ingredients. Maddy was thrilled that she sold out of her supply and she even has a sign up sheet of orders that she needs to fill before Christmas. I am so proud of her and excited for her new little business.

Easy Tasty Meal Idea

No one ever thinks to use ground chicken as a burger. A red meat sub for burgers is usually ground turkey. So, we took a twist on a normal burger and spruced it up. Firstly, grilling the burger really helps. If you don't have access to a grill, the oven will do though. This recipe comes kid approved

Chicken Burgers with Sun Dried Tomato Mayo
1-1 1/2 pound ground chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Flavored Mayo
1 large scoop of Vegan Mayo (regular will also do)
3 sundried tomatoes in oil, cut with a scissors
1/4 tsp. diced garlic
a few shakes of rosemary

Patty up burgers. If buying decent quality chicken, nothing more than salt and pepper is needed. Let the flavor of the chicken speak for itself. Either grill or put in 380 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
While chicken is grilling, mix together ingrediants for the mayo. Presentation is large leaf of lettuce, chicken patty slathered in flavored mayo. Maybe a few marinated artichokes and roasted potatoes on the side.

Happy Grain Free 4th: Red, White, and Blueberry Crisp

What to bring for dessert to a party that you can eat but everyone else can enjoy as well?  I couldn't pass up organic rhubarb at the farmer's market last Sunday, so i thought I would try and make a crisp. This crisp ended up being so delicious and good for you that we are able to eat it for breakfast as well as a decadent dessert for the 4th of July.

Red, White, and Blueberry Crisp
2 cups of chopped rhubarb (roughly 6 stalks)
1 apple chopped
1 cup of strawberries chopped
juice from one lemon
2 tbsp date sugar (optional)
drizzle of honey (optional)
1 cups soaked nuts ( I used walnuts and cashews)
1 cup unsweetened coconut
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Chop up fruit and combine in a bowl with lemon, date sugar, and honey.
Drain nuts that have been soaking. Put drained nuts in a food processsor and pulse to chop slightly.
Add nuts to coconut, ginger, cinnamon, and melted coconut oil. Put berries in 8 X 8 baking dish or pie pan. Top with nut mixture and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Cilantro Pesto

I know I have posted about pesto before, but this one is a little different with the addition of cilantro. Cilantro is an AMAZING blood cleanser and detoxifier. It helps to sweep heavy metals like lead and mercury out of your system. I have to give credit to my ND, since this was from her blog. I tweaked it a bit cause I don't like so much nutritional yeast in mine. What is nutritional yeast you ask? Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast, so it doesn't make things rise. It's high in protein, in fact it contains all 18 amino acids, which makes it a complete protein. It is also chocked full of B vitamins. It has a cheesy flavor. I put my finished pesto on zucchini or squash "noodles". Maddy puts hers on quinoa pasta. So yummy and so good for you. Although, as you can see Jackson didn't care for it.....what a shocker:)


Cilantro Pesto
1/2 c. walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1 head of cilantro (leaves only)
1/2 c. basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp - 1/4 c. nutritional yeast (per taste)
salt to taste
1/2 lemon squeezed juice

Put walnuts and garlic in food processor till a paste is formed. Add cilantro and basil until all is combined. Add rest of ingrediants until you get the consistency you desire. 

I love ice cream

I love ice cream! I have only had dairy a few times in the last year and both were runs to Kopps for ice cream. I have tried to make dairy free ice cream in the past....which was good, but never as creamy and sweet as regular ice cream...until yesteday! 

So, Jackson is home following his adenoidectomy. I knew that he needed cooling and soothing foods for his potential sore throat. I get the reasoning behind why they tell you to go out and buy ice cream and sherbert but it is a not very well thought up concept. Store ice cream, for the most part, is filled with sugar, artificial sugars, and dyes. Not something I would like to give a child who is trying to ramp up his immune system. Still, I understand the need for cold and creamy so I went to my favorite book.....Nourishing Meals and I made the most creamy, tasty, and cool dairy free ice cream! Today we are trying strawberry but yesterday was chocolate.

Chocolate Ice Cream/Mousse
1 can full fat coconut milk (let sit in the fridge overnight)
2 heaping tbsp cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw honey
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 avacado

Scoop out hardened coconut milk into a blender. Leave watery coconut milk in can and use in a smoothie or something. The hardened coconut milk will be very thick. You could also substitute a can of coconut cream. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Now, you could eat this as is for a pudding, but here is where the magic happens and this is why this recipe is different than the ones I tried in the past. You put the mixture in an ice cream maker for 25 minutes. You could put it in the freezer if you don't have a maker, but it may not have the same creamy consistency. After 25 minutes you have a soft serve texture ice cream. Its best to eat it in one sitting because if it sits in the freezer for longer than 3 hours it looses its creaminess.

Homemade Gatorade

I always think about making my own gatorade when my kid wakes up puking in the middle of night. No time, so I reach for the gatorade. Although, sugar is part of an electrolyte drink, there are smarter options rather than using high fructose corn syrup and color dyes. I finally started making my own electrolyte drinks when I had a little downtime. I am preparing some today for my son. He is having an adenoidectomy tomorrow so I want to make sure ,if all he can swallow is liquid, that it is really able to rehydrate him. I make 2 kinds. A lemon lime one and a berry one. Both are tasty. But, don't be expecting a gatorade taste. With 2 tbsp. of honey, these are not very sweet. They are best served cold. I suppose you could pour these into popscile molds and make ice pops as well.

Lemon Lime Drink
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups water
1/8 tsp. himilayan sea salt
2 tbsp. honey

Blend in blender and store in large canning jars

Berry Drink
2 cups coconut water
2 cups water
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup fresh or frozen berries (any type)
1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. honey

Blend in blender and store in large canning jars

I am Vegucated!

I love documentaries! They are my favorite thing to watch and as you may already know...health ones are my favorite. I cannot soak up their information fast enough. But, very rarely, does one change the way I live my life. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead prompted me to buy a juicer and now Vegucated: The Documentary has inspired me to dive into the world of veganism. I live what I call a Pegan lifestyle anyways now, which is vegetables with small amounts of protein, but it wasnt the nutrition facts that have changed my way of thinking, it was the humane impact. The documentary talked alot about factory farms and how animals are really treated. So, short of knowing the farm that your protein, eggs, and dairy come from...you are probably eating food from a factory farm. This film was disturbing but in the best way possible. So, I have chosen to do the 30 day vegan challenge and after that I will reasses where and how much animal protein fits into my life. I still plan on living what i call my prana plate. Just getting my protein from different sources.

Day #1: I prepped many foods for the week this morning. Here is a list:

pinto bean, rice, tabboleah salad
pinto beans
cannelini beans
asian slaw
sauteed asparagus
sauteed mushrooms
salad
spiced lentils and kale

I had a smoothie for breakfast, mushroom/asparagus/ tabouleh salad for lunch, and lentils/sweet potato/salad for dinner. Vegan dark chocolate for a sweet snack.

Here is a link to the documentaries website:
http://www.getvegucated.com/