This would make a Brussels Sprouts LOVER out of ANYONE! I cut the ends off my brussels sprouts, and peeled away any outside leaves. Then, I sliced them very thin. You could use a knuckle buster (grater) if you wanted, but I prefer slicing THEM instead of my knuckles. In a saute pan, melt about 2 Tablespoons of Coconut oil, (Olive oil if you don't have coconut) and then saute your brussels sprouts. It's OK if they get a little brown - they're better that way. Before removing them from the heat, add in 1 Tablespoon of Sriracha 3 Tablespoons of Honey 2 Tablespoons of Lime Juice salt and pepper Stir to coat, and Voila! You have the best Brussels Sprouts going. I served these with a half pan sear

See, I'm not ALL about health food. Tonight was Food-For-The-Soul night, aka Friday Night. This is my version of a Mexican Pizza. It was a tad bit more labor intensive than I like my Friday night dinners to be, but well worth it. I liked this option because while it DOES have cheese on it - it is minimal. We tend to minimize it if possible. While there were multiple components to this, if you work well in your kitchen, you can knock this out in a short period of time. I had a bowl for my guacamole, bowl for my taco seasoning, my cutting board, a pot for my black beans, a saute pan for my chicken, and then my pizza stone that was heating up in the oven during the process. Once my pizza was in

HERSHEY'S Chocolate SyrupI INGREDIENTS HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; CORN SYRUP; WATER; COCOA; SUGAR; CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE); SALT; MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES; XANTHAN GUM; POLYSORBATE 60; VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR Nothing says WINTER like a nice cold cup of cocoa. For you Mom's out there who are still using Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, please note the very FIRST ingredient listed: High Fructose Corn Syrup - a very dangerous ingredient. I'm going to do what I do best, and that is to paraphrase the details: High Fructose Corn Syrup goes STRAIGHT into your blood stream because it requires no digestion. It interferes with a hormone called Leptin which is the hormone th

Need a new soup recipe to keep you warm and cozy? INGREDIENTS: 4 cups of Chicken Stock 1/2 onion, diced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced, (about 2 cups) 1/2 cup fresh Almond Butter 8 oz. of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite-size pieces 1 cup Kale, rinsed and finely chopped 2 Tablespoons ginger, minced 2 Tablespoons of Lime Juice Salt and Pepper DIRECTIONS: 1) Combine the stock, onion, garlic, ginger, and sweet potato in stockpot and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the chicken, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 2) In a small bowl, blend together the almond butter, and a little of the warm stock to make a thick paste.

If you haven't figured out by now - we like us some veggies. So, as I sat here waiting for the Polar Vortex to leave the vicinity - I was craving something hot and delicious. What's better on a cold day than a coconut curry soup? So I headed to the kitchen and this is what I created - and I'm sharing - because it's too good for me to be eating alone. INGREDIENTS: 1 large head of broccoli, stems and florets 1 very large carrot - medium dice 1/2 red onion - medium dice 3-4 stalks of celery - ORGANIC - one of the dirty dozen! 2 red potatoes - peeled, and medium diced Very Large handful of cherry tomatoes, or the equivalent in any other raw tomato DIRECTIONS: For all of the above - STEAM until f

Quite tasty and pretty simple to make. Ingredients: Any white firm fish - Halibut, Snapper Hake, Sea Bass, etc. Onion - julienned Red Pepper - cut in thicker strips, then in 3rds Broccoli Crowns 1 Cup Chicken Broth 2 tsp Honey 1 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar 1 tsp Sherry Vinegar 1 - 2 tsp chopped garlic Hot sauce to taste - I use Sriracha Salt and Pepper Flour for dredging fish - I use Better Batter All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend Coconut oil Directions: In a large saute pan, with about 1 TBS. of coconut oil, saute your onions, peppers, and broccoli until onions are beginning to brown. Meanwhile, bring your stock to a boil, add in the honey, vinegars, and hot sauce. Add garlic to your broccoli/p

If you are a label reader, perhaps you know that in most commercially prepared BBQ sauces SUGAR is usually an ingredient. Being sugar free, I had to come up with my own - and this one can compete with the best out there, if I say so myself. Hope you like it as much as my family does. INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup vinegar - I usually use a combo of apple cider, red wine, and white balsamic vinegars 1/4 cup Molasses 1/4 cup Honey 1 Cup Ketchup - make sure to buy the kind that does NOT contain HFCS 1 T. stone ground mustard 1 t. garlic salt 1 t. dried onion 1 t. chili powder - again I use a combo of regular chili powder and chipotle chili powders 1 t. black pepper 2 t. Worcestire sauce 2 t. lemon juic

This lite salad reminds me a little of a Chicken Caesar Salad - but a little easier to pull off, and a little healthier. For the salad: Butter or Bibb Lettuce Jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks Pomegranite seeds *Shaved Parmesan - this is really the least healthy ingredient so use sparingly. Sliced onion - optional Grilled or Pan-seared Chicken Breast - Organic/Free-Range For the dressing: 2 1/2 TBS Organic Coconut Milk 2 Tbs Olive Oil 1 tsp honey 1 scallion, finely chopped 2 TBS Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar Salt and Pepper to taste Whisk the above ingredients to combine. CLICK TO PRINT

Well folks, that warm weather we had over the weekend was great. However, the little bit of snow on the ground today lets us know that winter is still here, present, and accounted for. I present to you today, my Minestrone recipe, for your cold weather days' enjoyment. I INGREDIENTS: 4 strips of bacon, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces, preferably organic, uncured, and nitrate free 1/2 large onion, diced 3 carrots, diced 3 stalks of celery, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (15 oz. each) 1 zucchini, peeled and diced 1 - 2 cans of beans - your preference, white, cannellini, black, etc. 1 bunch of: kale, spinach, broccolini, etc. 4 cups of chicken stock 2 TBS. of Sherry Vinegar

Yum. Perfect for a cold Sunday night - with leftovers for the week. INGREDIENTS: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch cubes 1 1/2 tsp. arrowroot (or cornstarch) Pinch of salt Olive Oil 1 medium onion - diced 2 ribs celery - chopped 1 bell pepper - chopped (I used a yellow one) 2 tsp. crushed garlic 1 TBS. Cumin 1 1/2 tsp. Oregano 1 tsp. ground Chipotle Pepper 1/2 tsp. fennel seed 1 1/2 TBS - 2 TBS. Flour - (I used Better Batter All Purpose Gluten free flour) 1 15 ounce can of Cannellini beans 1 cup of frozen corn 4 cups Chicken Stock Kale - 1/2 bunch, slice very thin, then cross-cut - then wash and spin DIRECTIONS: Cut up chicken then toss in the arrowroot powder, set aside

This is a great 'recipe' to have when you need to throw something together quickly. INGREDIENTS: Coconut Oil Onions - large slices 2 Sausages - I use GF Chicken Sausage 1 TBS. chopped garlic 1 can organic beans - I generally use Navy or Cannelini Kale - 4 -6 leaves depending on size, chopped small Cherry Tomatoes - sliced in half - a handful 2 TBS. Sherry Vinegar Crushed Red Chili Flakes Salt and Pepper DIRECTIONS: Drain and rinse beans and place in a small pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, using a little coconut oil, saute your onions. Add in the sausage. I actually like the onions to get a little brown. Add in the garlic, stirring q

Just call me QUEEN of the One-Pot-Meal. Seriously though - for anyone who is cooking for one or two, a one-dish meal can be the solution to many problems. As a single parent - getting something nutritious, tasty, and quick, with minimal clean-up is the name of the game. It would seem I have been in "Asian" food-mood lately. It is quite easy to pull off if you have on hand the necessary components. Those would be: Soy Sauce, or Tamari if you prefer wheat-free as I do. Ginger. Garlic. Sesame oil. Something to create heat, like crushed red chili flakes or chili garlic sauce. Also helpful would be lime juice, or rice wine vinegar. These can ALL be used together - or in parts - with the main ones

Go figure - my VERY FIRST BLOG POST EVER - would be for a cookie recipe! What a health coach. ♥ My family and I have not used 'traditional' ingredients since November of 2010 when I was diganosed with Lyme Disease. At that time, I was instructed to go on a Gluten and Sugar-Free diet to prevent issues with yeast overgrowth during my antibiotic chemo therapy. Who knew this would change my life. For those of you who have gone through changes similar you know that at times you can find yourself going without. I don't whole-heartedly endorse consuming cookies, mind you, but on occasion, there is nothing better. Please enjoy this perfected cookie recipe. INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup of coconut 1/2 cu

After some experimentation, THIS is the granola recipe that I like the best - mainly because it has big CHUNKS/CLUSTERS! It was incredibly easy to make as well, and very tasty. Almost makes me wish it was tomorrow morning all ready. INGREDIENTS: 2 cups raw walnuts 1 cup raw pecans 6 Tablespoons Honey 12 Tablespoons Gluten Free Oats 1/2 cup ++ unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup ++ Flax seeds - You can use a combo of seed: Pumpkin, sesame, flax, chia 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon Salt DIRECTIONS: Rough chop your nuts so they are no longer whole, but don't chop them up fine. Should be a ROUGH chop. Easy. Place in a bowl and add in the other ingredients - and then mix, mix, mix trying to coat the

Need a way to get more veggies into your childs' diet? Want an idea for a vegetarian dinner? Just need something fun to switch things up a bit? Try this version of a White Pizza.Very easy to make. I used a frozen Gluten Free Against The Grain pizza crust. To roast garlic: simply slice off the top of a full head of garlic. Place cut side down in a very small oven proof pot/pan. Cover with olive oil. Bake at 300° until the garlic is very tender and your house smells great. I had sweet potatoes on this, so I peeled and par-boiled the sweet potatoes. When the garlic is ready, remove the cloves, mash with a fork and mix with the olive oil. Not only is this great on the pizza, but it would be grea

This REALLY hit the spot tonight - especially since it's been almost a year and a half since I've had it. Not a difficult dish to make - Linguini with Broccoli Rabe INGREDIENTS: 1 Head of garlic Olive Oil GF Linguini - or regular if you do gluten Broccoli Rabe Crushed Red Chili Flakes 2 Bottles Clam Juice Sundried Tomatoes Salt and Pepper Parmesan Cheese DIRECTIONS: 1) First thing you need to do is roast your garlic. To do this, slice off the top of the head, just exposing some of the bulbs inside. Place in a small cooking vessel - I have a very tiny copper pot that I use only for roasting garlic. Cover with olive oil and roast in the over, 300° degrees, for 25 minutes or so. Allow to cool.

Once again, veggies were the focus with dinner. This was a really tasty way to brighten up a blend: I steamed a variety of veggies: Red onion, carrots, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Once they were fork tender, I tossed them in a vinaigrette of: sliced Kalamata olives sundried tomatoes 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice 1 Tablespoon of red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon of Oregano crushed red pepper salt and pepper 1/4 cup of olive oil. I sprinkled just a touch of parmesan cheese on before serving. This would be a great "accompaniment" to fish, as seen here, or with chicken. CLICK TO PRINT