cure for the dessert blues

best stir fry ever...no hyperbole here

some eats for the week:

stuffed zucs

ginger beef and mango salsa

ooey gooey

irresistible

pulled pork  & best slaw

new year

new year's is always a good opportunity for me to reflect on the past year and intentionally resolve to pursue life in a stronger, healthier and most importantly God honoring way.   in college, some of my closest friends and i started a tradition.  every year before midnight we would take time to somberly read through these questions.  it was also a very vulnerable time of sharing and reflecting which can be a powerful thing among friends.   though it is far from what people may typically do on new year's eve, it always felt right to end and start the year reflecting on what is true and lasting in life and will matter into eternity.  sadly, this year my close friends and i were unable to carry out our tradition together.  busier lives, babies and moving to far away lands make those times simply college memories but sweet ones none the less.  

enough reminiscing let's move on to a recipe.  here is a great soup to take the edge off the winter.   one website i check in with weekly is health-bent.  i have yet to make a bad meal from this website and this one was a slam dunk for sure!   the pad thai is crazy delicious and don't even get me started on the lasagna.   this soup is filling and has such a great mix of flavors and textures.  you can't go wrong.  

so this week print out these questions and discuss them over dinner with a friend or with family.  the questions will cut you and leave you feeling a bit vulnerable too.  but that which is dead must be cut down to make room for growth and life but at least you will have some warm soup to comfort you.    

i'll be back soon for a workout for those of you that have health resolutions, all you will need is a timer and deck of cards.  interested yet?

happy eating and reflecting!

recipe swap {comfort food edition}

with cold weather and cold season upon us i thought comfort foods should be this week's recipe swap focus.  i currently have a sinus infection that literally is making my teeth hurt and making me consider investing money in kleenex.  last night when it came time to make dinner all i wanted was something that would make me feel better and would be easy to make.  i also couldn't even think about going to the grocery store so it had to be something that i had all the ingredients for so jb went..twice.   so what is my comfort dish?  chicken pot pie.

even though jb did have to go to the store twice last night (because i was heavily medicated and making a grocery list with two items was extra challenging) usually chicken pot pies are one of those meals that cleans out the fridge.  i never make the same pot pie twice.  last night our pot pies had carrots, peas, zucchini and bell peppers but i use what ever veg i have on hand.  i made a roasted whole chicken on tuesday night so i used some of the leftover meat and then took the carcass of the chicken and made chicken broth.  one bird three purposes, i really think i have a future has a frugal farmer's wife.

i again turned to comfy belly for inspiration.  the recipe that guided me is here or if you prefer the veggie version is here.   when i make my pot pies i do a few modifications to the original recipe from comfy belly's recipe.  for starters i don't use any celery.  i like celery has much as cats like baths.  i use scd yogurt in place of the almond milk but if you don't have food allergies sour cream or whole milk would be really delish in this recipe.  i don't take out a cup of the broth at the end like she recommends but that's only because we prefer a more broth-like pot pie.  we are also fudgy brownies people not cake brownie people but that is neither here nor there.  the only change i make to the crust is to add a little thyme for extra flavor.  i love the idea of individual pot pies but usually use a 8x8 glass pan instead of ramekins.

if you don't have any special dietary needs, i recommend this chicken pot pie recipe.

so what is your favorite comfort food?  i would love to see your recipes and hear the stories that come with them.

to bake list

you may remember that i started a muffin "to bake" list.  even though i can be a procrastinator, i wasted no time in starting this important project.  muffins must be made people and i am willing to answer the call.

i made the cinnamon bun muffins from the wonderful comfy belly website.  since i started the specific carb diet  the joy i normally find in cooking was put on hold while i just figured out what to eat.  websites such as comfy belly have helped me to find that joy again.  anyway, i followed the recipe exactly and would not change a thing.  these muffins are grain free but i promise anyone who tastes these little delights will love them and not suspect any healthy funny business.

i have also made this recipe without the cinnamon topping and  they are delicious too.  i think pairing a plain muffin with some warm soup would be a wonderful comfort food for the coming cold weather.

to bake:

• cinnamon bun muffins
• cherry almond meal muffins
• blueberry muffins

dietary notes:  these muffins are scd compliant but only for later stages since they contain almond flour and honey.  these muffins are not whole 30 compliant since they contain honey.  

pecan banana mufffins

before i begin this post i would just like to thank gwen stefani for spelling out banana in one of her songs.  each banana in this post, that has been correctly spelled, has been brought to you by hollaback girl...which i am not and that is not where this post is headed.

we could all use a little inspiration right?  sometimes we get stuck in a rut with our recipes.  let's help each other break the rut.  every friday  regualrly  semi-regularly when i can remember, i will post a category.  i will post a recipe for you and then you can leave a recipe from the same category in the comments.  what do you think?

this week the category is muffins.  who hates muffins.  no one.  so you all have one to share.  the recipe below is for pecan banana muffins but not just any muffins.  these are sugar free, grain free muffins and they are delicious.  i know you are skeptical but trust me on this one.  if you need to go ahead and toss a few of these bad boys in for good measure.



pecan butter muffins
adapted from jody's cashew butter muffins on pecan bread

1 cup chopped pecans
2 small bananas (with brown spots on skins, they will be sweeter)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• blend pecans in food processor until smooth, the consistence of peanut butter
• add bananas and blend until smooth
• add eggs and continue to blend
• add baking soda, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract blend once more
• pour batter until paper lined muffin tins ( i usually get 9-10 muffins)
• bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes

now it's your turn!  leave a comment with your recipe and start baking the one's that inspire you.