jb has a man cold.   if you know anything about men and the fierce man colds that can take them over then you know that we are in dire straights.  desperate times call for desperate measures so i made a very hearty gremolata mushroom and beef stew tonight.   the broth is so velvety and rich you will just want to grab a scotch glass and sip it straight up.  

gremolata mushroom beef stew

just in case you aren't familiar with the man cold epidemic here is a glimpse...

perfect summer broccoli salad

cure for the dessert blues

rosemary date chicken & carrot french fries

what's not to love about basil, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes?

grilled avocado + salsa + squeeze of lime juice = crazy delicious 

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!

weekly menu

monday- french onion soup   

{jb and i have a love affair with french onion soup.  i am not even a little bit ashamed to tell you we

ordered it after dessert one time at a restaurant that threw down a mean french onion soup.  sadly, i don't

have a great recipe for it.  we tried one recipe this week and it was blah.  we agreed to press on and not rest until we hae a killer french onion soup recipe.   send any tips or recipes my way! }

tuesday- i love california pizza kitchen's moroccan salad.  

{i decided to make my own version this week.  i used a 50/50 mix of romaine and spinach for the 

lettuce.  i roasted the beets and buttersquash until they were slightly burnt...delish.  i eliminated the

chopped egg, dates and cranberries that cpk puts in their version and added apple slices instead.  i also

swapped pine nuts with the almonds cpk uses.  here is the dressing i whipped 

up to go along with it...

champagne vinaigrette:

• 1 small garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 dash freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup champagne or white balsmaic vinegar 
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil

{if it was a hard day, just sub in 1 cup of champagne- nevermind the vinegar.  jb is the easiest and 

happiest eater and always praises my cooking even when it's horrible.  every once in awhile i will strike 

it rich and find a meal he really really loves.  he gives me these eyes and doesn't make a sound, if it's 

extra good he'll throw down his fork and just look at me.  this salad earned all three marks...the eyes, no sound and fork throwdown. }

wednesday-chicken vegetable lettuce cups




{ the one change i made to this recipe was adding cumin to the meat.  cumin is one of my favorite

spices.  i want to make "i heart cumin" shirts but for those less savvy in the kitchen this may be confusing.  i loved this recipe..fast, easy and delicious. }





thursday- cauliflower crust pizza 



{ ours was topped with carmelized onion, chicken sausage, sauteeded zuchicinis & bell peppers. i know

what you are thinking... this is green eggs & ham all over again.  but i promise you will want to eat this

on a car, and with mouse and in the dark!  if you are gluten or grain free this is a great recipe.  it does have a ton of cheese though so it's not for those who are stricter paleo. }

happy eats!

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.