Product review: cook simple; cowboy chili

If you've ever taken any long term time eating clean, raw, organic, paleo, vegetarian etc you know it takes a lot of time, planning, organization, standing on your feet and slaving away in the kitchen. The things we do to be purists, right? I promise it's all worth the effort!! 

However, I also firmly believe we too are entitled to "easy" nights. 

Thankfully God has provided people who are wise enough to open and run health food stores. I'm addicted to sprouts! If you live in Utah, California, Texas or Arizona, FIND YOUR LOCAL SPROUTS!! 

Also, I have recently come across a site called Iherb.com that has a lot of healthy easy foods. 

ANYWAY. The weather is turning chilly here in central Utah and you haters can just judge me cause I'm telling you: I LOVE IT!! 

I came across this box at sprouts the first day the weather turned cold and knew I had to have it. Non gmo, all natural, and gluten free! 

I was hesitant...but this review gives it an A! I'd add meat next time but for a last stitched meal, it was great!! We were very non traditional and ate it with Brazilian Pau de Queijo! Which has got to be my all time favorite gluten free food. :) you can find that recipe here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/m/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/

So remember, you can have healthy easy meals from time to time thanks to modern health food pioneers who are great enough to innovate and create! I'm so grateful! This was delicious! And it had quinoa in it! Doesn't get tastier than that!!

Happy, healthy, healing! 

❤️ KBS

colorful cilantro lime nacho's (gluten free!)

Some nights it's hit and miss around here with healthy eating. As much as I obsess over this lifestyle, I sure haven't mastered it yet.... Yet. :)
However, when your husband yells: "nailed it, Ky!" as he's finishing his dinner, it makes this wannabe foodie proud.
This recipe was inspiration from one of my FAVORITE cafe fresh delicacies; the cilantro lime quesadilla. Nothing is better than that dish.
I got home around 9:30 last night and had half a mind to simply order out.. BUT...I don't know what I'd be eating and we all know how much I love that. So I started making dinner. And I don't regret it for half a second! It was so tasty!

Cilantro Lime Nacho's

• 1 bag all natural gluten-free corn chips
• 2 free range, boneless skinless chicken breasts; chopped
• 1 TBSP coconut oil
• 1 tsp all natural sea salt
• 1/2 bag organic white sweet corn
• 2 dollops all natural grass fed gluten free sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used part Tillamook, part raw. Tillamook doesn't have artificial growth hormones. It's the only regular store brand I'd buy!)
• 1/2 TBS Bobs red mill corn starch (gluten free)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk)
• One jar sugar free salsa (if you have a local sports, opt for the Chia, flax and quinoa salsa to add a little super to your food!)
• Cilantro
• Lime

To start, heat your coconut oil over medium heat. sautee some cilantro and salt until the cilantro looks crispy and brown. At that point, remove most of it from the oil, return to heat and add your chicken. Once your chicken is in, take half your lime and squeeze the juices from it onto your cooking chicken. 

In a separate pot, boil your corn. 

In another pot (sorry, I'm not the one pot chef) add your almond milk and corn starch (mixed in) and begin to let it simmer. Once it's simmered, slowly stir in your cheese a little at a time until cheese melts. Your sauce should begin to thicken and look like a light colored cheese sauce.

Once everything is cooked through, it is time to layer those nacho's!! Chips, chicken, corn, cilantro, cheese, salsa, sour cream, juice of lime and DEVOUR! 

Hypothyroidism Recipes; Give your thyroid a Jumpstart!

if you're anything like me, you went over my post from yesterday, got a little overwhelmed with the foods that help thyroids and decided you just will have to be fat your whole entire life.
however, never fear. i am also the type of person who has a lot of down time at work at decided it would be fun to find recipes that not only were healthy, but would also would benefit a sluggish thyroid. i cant vouch for any of these because i have yet to try them...but i got a lot of them from a nutrition coaches blog who healed her thyroid via food!

enjoy!

Blackberry Power Smoothie

Prep time: 7 min
Making time: 1 min

Serves: 1

The Ingredients

• Handful of organic blueberries
• Handful of hemp seeds
• 1.5 tbsps of ground flax seed (flax seed meal)
• 1 tbsp of milk whistle
• 1/2 tsp camu camu powder
• Handful of almonds, pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee
• 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp raw honey (optional)

The Making

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend till either very smooth or somewhat smooth if you like chunks in your smoothie.
3. Touch your heart and tell it you love it

Elimination Diet Friendly Almond Bread for your Thyroid Nutrition

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Makes: 1 loaf (about 12 slices)

The Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 4.5 tbsp water
• 1 1/4 cups almond flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

The Making

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Add water to ground flaxseeds and mix well. Let sit to start forming a gel.
3. Grease the bottom of a baking pan
4. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together.
5. In the same bowl with the flaxseed mixture, add the honey and coconut oil and mix well.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (be careful not to burn it!)

Enjoy this filling bread as is, with some coconut or almond butter, or fresh berries.

Thyroid Diet: Bill’s Chia Seed Pudding

Prep time: 5 min

Standing time: 15 min

Serves: 2

The Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1.5 glasses of coconut milk or any nut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• optional: 1 tablespoon coconut butter or oil for extra richness
• sea salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 handfuls of fresh raspberries

The Making

1. Warm up the milk but do not boil
2. Add a pinch of salt
3. Whisk the chia seeds into the warm milk, add coconut butter or oil (if using) and let stand for 10/15 minutes to set to a gel consistency
4. Reheat after standing if required, or allow to cool completely
5. Whisk in the raspberries and drizzle on the honey
6. 2 tablespoons makes a very thick mixture, you can adjust to your own taste

Nutritious Thyroid Diet: GAPS Casserole

Have a hankering for a delicious, steaming casserole? Then this is the recipe for you! It combines a GAPS Stew with a cauliflower blend. Excellent for your a balanced, nutritious thyroid diet. Enjoy!

To make the stew:
The Ingredients

• 500g ground beef
• 15 cups (measured raw) of vegetables (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, kale, etc.)
• Animal fat, ghee, or coconut oil (as much as you want)
• onions, chopped
• garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

The Making

1. In your choice of fat, saute the chopped onions and minced garlic for 6-10 minutes.
2. Add ground beef and brown it.
3. Add tons of a variety of veggies!
4. Add water to reach all but the top two inches of veggies.
5. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
6. Add salt, pepper, and ghee.
7. Blend, if desired.

To make the casserole:
The Ingredients

• A head of cauliflower, chopped
• Ghee
• Meat/bone broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

The Making

1. Make stew, above.
2. Separately, steam the chopped cauliflower until soft.
3. Blend it with ghee or meat/bone broth, salt and pepper.
4. Fill half of a loaf pan with stew.
5. Top with blended cauliflower.
6. Drizzle with ghee or broth.
7. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Roasted Honey Mustard Chicken with Tarragon

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Serves: 4

The Ingredients

• 1 whole free-range organic chicken
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Dressing Paste

• 3 tbsps raw honey
• 2 tbsps mustard
• 5 sprigs of tarragon, finely chopped
• 2 tsps sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 lemon, juice of (the rest use for stuffing)

Chicken Stuffing

• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 lemon, cut into two halves

Gravy (optional)

• 1 glass of dry white wine

The Making

1. Preheat the oven to 350F or 175C
2. Wash the chicken and pat it dry
3. Mix honey, mustard, tarragon, lemon, salt and pepper into a smooth dressing paste. If too thick, add a little olive oil
4. Lift the skin off the chicken and gently distribute the dressing paste under the skin, all around the chicken including the legs
5. Stuff the chicken with the onion, garlic, parsley and lemon
6. Give the chicken a final rub with the olive oil and place it in a pan
7. Stick the chicken in the oven
8. When browned on top, stick a wooden spoon into the cavity and turn the chicken around – this should happen at about the half-point (1 hour)
9. Roast the chicken in the oven for a total of 1.5 to 2 hours
10. Let the chicken cool off before cutting it into pieces
11. If you would like to have some gravy, place the pan you used to roast the chicken on a stove and pour a glass of white wine into it, stirring the pan so all the pieces come off. Keep boiling it until the liquid reduces in half.

Poppy Seed-Stuffed Apples

This is a very festive dish that will fill your house with so much aroma that people will wonder what is it that you are celebrating at your house. I learned to make (or rather eat) stuffed apples in Poland where I was born. Whenever mom had nothing sweet to serve, she would bake apples. Over time, she became more and more creative with what went into the apples. Poppy seeds and nuts were my absolute favorite and this is what I would like to share with you.
The Ingredients
12 large organic apples (yes, you want to get organic)
1 cup poppy seeds
¼ cup honey or coconut nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, chopped
½ tsp all spice
2oz (50g) dark orange chocolate, chopped to small pieces
2 tbsp coconut oil
The Making

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C)
2. Wash and dry the apples
3. Grease a glass baking form with half of the coconut oil
4. Cut out the core of the apples using a large spoon but do not cut through to the bottom
5. Use the rest of the coconut oil to cover the outside of each apple
6. Combine poppy seeds, honey, vanilla extract, nuts, all spice and chocolate in a bowl
7. Stuff apples with the filling
8. Bake till the outside of the apples is soft
9. Serve warm (not hot) or cold

You can make a whole batch of them and freeze them too. What a great grains-free, gluten-free and nutritionally rich desert.

Salmon Avocado Dip

Prep time: 10min

Cooking time: 4 min

Serves: many dips

The Ingredients

• 1 ripe organic avocado
• 6oz or 170g smoked salmon (or any smoked fish), you can also use canned pink salmon
• 2 tbsp fresh dill
• juice of 1 lemon or apple cider vinegar
• olive or coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste

The Making

1. Mash avocado flesh with a fork
2. Separate salmon into small pieces and add to the avocado mash, continue working it with the fork
3. Add lemon, dill and the oil, and continue mixing it with the fork till texture becomes smooth

Serve on crackers, as a dip or add to a burrito wrap. Yum!

Arugula with Smoked Fish

Prep time: 7 min

Serves: 2

The Ingredients

• 2 handfuls of baby arugula
• smoked fish – as much as you like (make sure it’s free of nitrates)
• 1 avocado
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

The Making

1. Combine arugula, smoked fish (torn to chunks), and avocado slices in a bowl
2. Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar (or lemon) and salt together they they emulsify
3. Pour the dressing over arugula

 if you visit the link, she has MANY other awesome looking recipes and most of them are paleo for you weirdo's like me. :) i am so grateful to have the time everyday to research and share my findings with you all!! lets change the health industry for ever! 

 

 

happy healthy healing!

<3 KBS

Quinoa Breakfast

Somedays I just crave that comfort of oatmeal in the morning. Well, unfortunately I am out of gluten free oats and I was not in the mood for the grocery store...so quinoa here I come. This particular recipe instructed to cook the quinoa in vanilla almond milk...um, yes please!! You just cook it like normal in the almond milk! Then, add some liquid sweetener and top with anything you'd life. I chose raspberries blueberries blackberries and coconut. Mix hot and enjoy immediately!! :)