Roasted Tomato Soup

The tomatoes in my garden are going crazy! And by that I mean, I have a ton of tomatoes. When I found this recipe I was so excited to experiment with it. My kids love the final result. I do have to say that it is A-mazing! I love the taste of the basil combined with the sweet after taste of the honey. I do have to be honest, this recipe is extremely easy, but it is a little labor intensive. A few days ago I picked almost 20 big tomatoes from my garden so I made a double batch. It turned out just as delicious as the other few times I've made it. I gave some to my neighbors, we ate some, and I froze the rest. I'll let you know later how it freezes for a quick meal. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients

8-10 ripe tomatoes, courted and seeded

1 1/2 teaspoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 heaping tablespoon, dried basil leaves

4 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 14oz can chicken broth (reduced sodium and fat free)

Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet, cut side down, and sprinkle with salt. Broil until skins are blistered, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, then slip off the skins.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onions are very soft. Stir in tomatoes and cook for about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth; return to the saucepan. Stir in broth, celery salt, honey, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Wisdom Wednesday!!

Spelt

Today I wanted to go over another flour that I like to use, Spelt Flour. I use it in the Low Gluten mix I showed you here. Spelt is in the wheat family. It actually looks a lot like wheat but a little longer. It does have gluten in it, but it is not as tough as the gluten in wheat so it is easier for our bodies to break down. Most people who are gluten intolerant can digest this flour but not those who have celiacs disease. You can easily grind spelt in your own grinder or mill at home. I really like the flavor of spelt. It has a nice nutty taste and is much lighter than wheat. When I have put it in recipes, especially quick breads and desserts, I get more complements than when I use wheat in the same recipe.

Spelt has some benefits that wheat doesn't have. For one it has 10 to 20 percent more protein that wheat does. It has more thiamine, vitamin B1 and B6, and more vitamin E. Spelt is higher in unsaturated fatty acids, which are important for regeneration of nerve cells. It supports good blood circulation. It is more water soluble which makes it easier to digest.

So if you're wanting to try a new type of flour, give spelt a try. It has great health benefits and tastes good too. Happy Healthier eating!

Sources:

http://nutrition.about.com/od/grainsandcereals/p/spelt.htm

http://wwwlehow.com/about_5453894_spelt-flour-vs-whole-wheat.html

Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Chicken

I love sweet and sour chicken. So when I came across a slow cooker/crock pot version I just had to try it! The thing I liked about this recipe is that I really didn't have to change that much to it at all. It turned out just like a sweet and sour chicken does, without the breaded chicken of course. It is simply delicious!

Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Chicken

Ingredients

1 20oz can pineapple chunks in juice

1 cup baby-cut carrots, cut in half

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 cup bragg liquid aminos

1/4 cup organic brown evaporated cane juice

1 medium red bell pepper, but into 1 inch pieces

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup corn starch

1/4 cup water

Cooked quinoa, or rice

Directions

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place pineapple chunks in small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Place carrots, onion, and garlic in crock pot. Top with chicken. Mix soy sauce, ginger, brown evaporated cane juice and reserved pineapple juice; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 9 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink. During the last 30 minutes, add pineapple and bell peppers. Increase to high heat setting. Mix cornstarch and water; stir into chicken mixture during last 10 minutes for cooking. Serve on quinoa or rice and enjoy!

Ice Cream Cake

I've been having fun lately with cakes. Making all different kinds of cakes. I really liked how this one turned out. I never have liked when I buy an ice cream cake, the ones that have cake in them, and there is more cake than ice cream. I want more ice cream than cake. This ice cream cake is perfect because you can add more ice cream if you want to or less if you want to! You can have it the way you like it, without all of the extra fat, and that is how desserts should be right?! For this ice cream cake, picture above, I used Rice Dreams Carob Almond, found here, and topped it with carob chips. Oh so YummY!

Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups evaporated cane juice

2 eggs

3/4 cup rice milk

3/4 cup applesauce

1 recipe whipped cream

Ice cream of your choosing

Directions

Pre heat oven to 350*F. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and evaporated cane juice. Then add the eggs, rice milk, and applesauce, and combine well. Pour into a parchment lined, and sprayed with cooking spray, 9 inch cake pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely! When cooled, remove cake from pan, do not remove the parchment paper off the bottom of the cake. Cut in half. Remove top of cake and set aside. Place bottom of cake back into pan. Top with your choice of slightly thod ice cream as thick as you would like. Place top of cake on top of ice cream layer. Cover cake pan with plastic wrap and put into freezer, over night or until ice cream is refrozen. Remove from freezer. Place pan in a bowl of hot water to help loosen the cake. After cake comes out of pan remove parchment paper. Top with whipped cream, and enjoy!

Whipped Cream

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a bowl, pour whipping cream and start mixing on low, gradually increasing the speed. When the cream starts to thicken and soft peaks start to form, turn off mixer and add organic powdered sugar. Turn on mixer, slowly increasing the speed s the sugar combines. When the peaks start to turn a little more stiff, turn off the mixer and add the vanilla. Mix until stiff peaks form. Spread on cake and enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

These Whole Dried Blueberries are so delicious! They have the texture of raisins with a wonderful flavor. The taste is different than freeze dried blueberries if you've had them before. My kids can't get enough of these. Which I love because they are very easy to pack around with you without the mess.

You can only buy these at Costco. Kirkland is a Costco brand. Happy Healthier Eating!

Basic Cupcake

My little niece had a birthday a few weeks ago. They needed some cupcakes quick. So I whipped out these basic cupcakes. I didn't have the time to make frosting so I am extremely sad to say that this frosting is store bought. The sprinkles on top are gluten free and are made with evaporated cane juice. I should put those on a Fun Food Find Friday post for you to see. They are very yummy. Okay so back to the cupcakes. These are very delicious, easy to make, and can go with anything. I used a couple different recipes to come up with these. I hope you like them!

Basic Cupcake

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup evaporated cane juice

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Pre heat oven to 350*F. In a medium bowl combine flour, evaporated cane juice, baking powder, and salt. Next add the eggs sour cream and vanilla and combine well. Pour into paper lined cup cake mold tins, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 16-19 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool on a wire rack, then frost and enjoy!

Wisdom Widnesday!!

Barley

I want to talk more in detail about some of the flours that I use. Today for our Wisdom Wednesday I am going to talk about Barley Flour. Barley flour is a fine powder you get when you mill or grind the grain barley. IBarley is a grain that is grown though out the world. It is drought resistant and cold resistant so it can be grown all over in many different areas. When buying barley there are three common types, malted, hulled, and pearled. Malted barley is when they allow whole barley to spout and then rapidly dried. When barley goes through this process it chemically alters the grain. It is also the first step in the brewing process. Hulled barley is when they have removed the hull from the barley. When this happens you can not sprout it at home but you can mill or grind it in your own grinder to make flour. Pearled barley is when they have removed the hull and then they steam it to remove the kernels and then it is polished. You can also grind this at home. Some of the nutritional value is lost in the pearled barley, so I like to use hulled barley more. Barley doesn't have as much gluten at wheat, but it does have some gluten. So it isn't good for those who have celiacs but fine for those who are gluten intolerant. Or if you just want to add more nutrition to your diet.
Speaking of nutrition, barley contains 8 essential amino acids. Eating whole grain barley can regulate your blood sugar for up to 10 hours. One half cup of barley flour contains 7 grams of fiber! White all-purpose flour only contains 2 grams of fiber. Barley contains 2 times as many fatty acids as wheat does. It has vitamin E, wheat doesn't have any. Barley has more thiamin, riboflavin, and lysine than wheat does so it is more of a balanced protein. For more nutrition information on barley go here. I like the nutty flavor of barley. I don't use it in everything but it is great for quick breads and pancakes. So if you haven't tried barley, try some. It is a great way to add a little more nutrition to your diet! Happy Healthier Eating!!

Sources:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-barley-flour.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik/Barley

http://www.barleyfoods.org/products.html

http://dc89vintage.blogspot.com/2009/10/beautiful-barley.html

And the winner is....

Cumin Turkey Burgers!!

I entered this recipe into a contest and they won! I was so excited when I got the email last week. I've won anything that had to with food before. So today I am going to re post the recipe. Summer is coming to an official end this week, but that doesn't mean that you can't have one last BBQ this weekend. It is football season after all right?! Try these you will LOVE them!

Cumin Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons bragg's liquid aminos

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon mustard power

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 cup smashed/crushed multigrain crackers, click here to see what I use

1 pound ground turkey

Directions

In a bowl combine egg, garlic, bragg's, worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili and mustard powders, and crackers. Then add ground Turkey and combine well. It will be sticky. Form turkey mixture into 8 patties, you may need to put a little water on our hands to keep the turkey from sticking to them. Place patties on a glass plate and put into fridge to cool until ready to cook (if you use a paper plate the patties will stick to it).

Cook on grill until no longer pink in the center, about 4 minutes on both sides. An instant-read thermometer should read 165*F when put into center of patties. Serve on whole wheat buns or
two pieces of lettuce with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Carob Pudding Cake

A few weeks ago I was experimenting with this basic cake recipe. When I finished I wasn't sure what to do with it or what frosting to make. I opened my fridge and saw that I had some left over carob pudding. Then the memory came. When I was younger my mom would make a pudding cake that was so delicious it was hard to eat just one piece. So I thought I could make my version of her pudding cake with this one. I loved how it turned out. My children also loved it and were like me when I was little. But a lase I only let them have one piece. Don't worry they got more the next day and it was just as good then too. :]

Carob Pudding Cake

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 coups evaporated cane juice

2 eggs

3/4 cup rice milk

3/4 cup applesauce

1 recipe carob pudding

1 recipe whipped cream

1/4 cup carob chips, chopped in food processor

Directions

Pre heat oven to 350*F. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and evaporated cane juice. Then add the eggs, rice milk, and applesauce and combine well. Grease a 9x13 inch pan or a 9 inch round pan. Add batter and cook for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool. With the back of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over in the cake. Pour chilled pudding over the cake, letting it fall into the holes. Top with whipped cream and garnish with chopped carob chips.

Carob Pudding

Ingredients

1 cup evaporated cane juice

5 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups rice milk

1 cup carob chips

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium sauce pan combine evaporated cane juice and salt. In 1/2 cup of the rice milk mix in the cornstarch. When cornstarch is completely dissolved add to the sauce pan and turn heat on medium. Add remaining rice milk and carob chips. Stir constantly until carob chips milt and the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Take a tablespoon of the mixture out and add it to the egg yolks and stir, repeat twice. Put carob mixture back on heat. Slowly add the egg yolks, stirring continually. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Chill before topping cake.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a bowl, pour whipping cream and start mixing on low, gradually increasing the speed. When the cream starts to thicken and soft peaks start to form, turn off mixer and add organic powdered sugar. Turn on mixer, slowly increasing the speed as the sugar combines. When the peaks start to turn a little more stiff, turn off the mixer and add the vanilla. Mix until stiff peaks form. Spread on a cool cake, and enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Today's Fun Food Find is a cereal, Enviro Kidz Organic, Peanut Butter Panda Puffs. My kids, and me too, really like this cereal. I love to find cereals that only have a few ingredients in them. This is one of them. It's gluten free, which makes it nice too. We really don't eat a lot of cereal in our home. If my kids are lucky they get it once a week, and if that happens, this is one that we eat. It is so good that you really can't tell that it's healthy, lots and lots of yummy peanut butter flavor.

I find this at the Health Food stores. Try some, you'll be hooked like we are! :]

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

How is your garden looking? Mine is getting better and closer each day. It's been a little crazy this year how late everything is. I'm so excited to use the butternut squash I'm growing! One reason is I want to eat this again. I loved, loved this recipe. I only changed a few things and added some things to it too. I love the flavor of garlic and cumin paired with the squash and the under tone of the cinnamon gives it a little surprise that is just delightful. I love cooking in the crock pot/slow cooker. It really can save me on those crazy days.

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 medium bell pepper, sliced (I also added some orange and red bell peppers)

1 1/4 pounds of boneless skinless chicken tenders

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained

1/2 cup salsa

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried chopped onions

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup cooked quinoa or rice

Directions

Layer squash, bell pepper and chicken in a 4 to 5 quart low cooker. Mix tomatoes, salsa, cinnamon, cumin, dried onions, and garlic in a bowl; pour over mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or until squash is tender and the juice of the chicken is no longer pink. Remove Chicken and vegetables from slow cooker and serve on cooked quinoa or rice.

Wisdom Wednesday!!

Sleep

Did you know that there are other foods besides caffeine that can keep you from falling asleep? Well I was a little surprised by some of these foods. First off is aged cheese, such as Parmesan, Romano, Asiago. They all have high level of the amino acid tyramine, which is known to to keep you up. Spicy foods is another food to say away from before bedtime. Especially if you have heartburn or acid reflux. When you lay down after eating spicy foods it only increases your chances of a flair up. These next two you shouldn't be eating or drinking anyways, and that is processed meats (they have high levels of tyramine), and alchol. Another food that you will be a little surprised at is Milk Chocolate. It also contains high levels of tyramine. One that, like caffeine, is no big surprise is Ginseng Tea. It is a stimulate like caffeine so it will keep you up just like caffeine does.

If you're not eating enough protein during the day then your blood sugar levels won't be stable. That can make it so you don't get the sleep you need. Also if you are stressed your body will not be able to relax enough to get the deep sleep that your body needs. Having a bedtime routine, yes even as an adult, will help your body to relax a little more.

So if you're having a hard time sleeping, look at the foods that you are eating, especially if it is less than three hours before you go to bed. Getting a good night sleep is very important for your body to maintain good health. Here's to a Happy Healthier, more rested you!!

Sources:

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/7-sleep-stealing-foods-to-stay-away-from-2388276/

http://www.realbeauty.com/body-mind/well-bing/sleep-better/stop-these-sleep-stealers?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_bea&mag=bea

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Here is one of the recipes that I've been able to make with the Turkey Sausage from yesterday. I think my son was more excited than anyone because of the spaghetti squash. This recipe is so yummy and I didn't have to change that much to it. If you have a spaghetti squash and you're not sure how to use it, try this recipe. You will not be disappointed I promise you that!

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash

1 lb turkey sausage, click here for recipe

1 medium green or red sweet pepper, chopped

1 small finely chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, click here for recipe

1 1/2 cups shredded Medium Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*F. Halve squash crosswise; remove seeds. Place cut sides down on a parchment lined 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Cook in oven for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.

In a large skillet cook sausage, sweet pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; stir to break up sausage. Set aside. (Make spaghetti sauce if you don't have some already made)

Preheat oven to 350* F. Scrape pulp from squash (about 3 cups). Wipe out baking dish; coat with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half of the squash in the dish. Top with half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with seasoning. Top with half of the spaghetti sauce and half of the cheese. Top with remaining squash, sausage, and sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes, serve and enjoy!

Turkey Sausage

More and more I've been seeing recipes that I want to make that have sausage in them. So when I came across a turkey sausage recipe, I was more than excited. The only problem was it wasn't very good. So I went to work experimenting to come up with one that not only I liked but also my husband. I figured that if he liked it, then I could share it with you. So for you today I share my recipe, this is the one that my husband liked. You can also make great sausage patties. I've used this recipe several times and it is delicious!

Turkey Sausage

Ingredients

3 teaspoons liquid smoke

2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon evaporated cane juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 pound ground turkey (I always use the 97% fat free)

Directions

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Place turkey mixture in pan and cook on medium on stove top. Continue to break up turkey so that it resembles cooked hamburger.

For patties: after combining all ingredients form into patties and cook on grill until cooked through. Enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

I would like to take some of the Fun Food Friday's and share with you what I serve my family on a regular basis and where to get it. It may not seem fun to you, because it's not a treat. But when I find a food that is healthy and not that expensive, it's extremely fun to me. ;]

So today our Fun Food Find is Garogalo, organic whole wheat spaghetti. My children and husband love these noodles. I use them in more than just spaghetti. I use them for all kinds of things that call for noodles, such as Alfredo. These noodles only have one ingredient. Yep you read right, only one ingredient! I love that!!!

The only place I know of where you can get these is my trusty Costco, and really they are not very expensive. So go get some, try them. You'll like them much better than white flour. There is so much more flavor in these, more rich. Don't take my word for it, try them for yourself. :]

Triple-Decker Tortilla

I was board one day, and when I'm board I like to search for fun and different recipes. When I came across this one, I had never seen anything like it before. It sounded fun to make. So I got to work. I did change a bunch and came up with a fun, different, and very delicious take on a tortilla. Hope you like it, we sure did!

Triple Decker Tortilla

Ingredients

1 or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon Chile powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon better than bullion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained, and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 cup salsa

1 package 6 ounce corn tortillas

1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack or Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450*F. Lightly coat two or three 9 inch pie plates with non stick cooking spray. In a small bowl combine water, cumin, Chile powder, onion powder, better than bullion, and minced garlic. Place diced chicken in medium skillet on medium low heat. Pour mixture over chicken, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. While chicken is cooking mash the beans. In a separate skillet cook and stir the beans over medium heat for 2 minutes.

To assemble: Spoon a small amount of salsa into the bottom of the pie plate. Layer in order, 1 tortilla, enough of the warm beans to cover the tortilla with some of the corn, another tortilla, then cooked chicken, some of the cheese and a little more salsa, another tortilla, more beans and corn, another tortilla, then salsa and some chicken. Top with cheese. Spray the underside of tinfoil with non stick cooking spray and then cover triple decker tortilla. Use same assembly method for two more triple decker tortillas. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove tinfoil and bake another 3 minutes more. Top with your favorite toppings. Some suggestions might be, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, lettuce, and Enjoy!

Wisdom Wednesday!!

Vitamin C

Today I wanted to talk about another vitamin, Vitamin C. Vitamin C is very important to our bodies. Did you know that your body can not make it's own vitamin C? Well it's true. The only way our bodies can get this important vitamin in through the food we eat and the supplements we take. Vitamin C has many benefits which include, helping your body absorb iron and calcium, prevention of Scurvy, strengthening our immune system, it aids in the structure of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bones, it is also critical in aiding our brain function. That is how important vitamin C is to our body. If you don't have enough vitamin C you can develop Scurvy. If you have too much vitamin C our body just lets it go out through our urine. If you have too much for a long period of time it can make it so your body can't use vitamin B12 or you can develop kidney stones. As Americans we don't get enough vitamin C. Here are some food that are rich in vitamin C that you probably wouldn't have thought of.

Red sweet peppers, Green peppers, Guava, Oranges, Kiwi, Grapefruit juice, Strawberries, Cantaloupe, Brussels sprouts, Tomato juice, and others.

The RDA suggests that we consume 57-90 milligrams a day for adults. But some research suggests that if you get 500 milligrams a day it will increase your health dramatically. That is about 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If you're not eating enough food that is rich in vitamin C, then it would be wise to use a supplement as well. But really doesn't food sound so much better than taking a pill? :] So remember happy healthier eating.

Other sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/the-benefits-of-vitmain-c

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-sare/top-sources-vitamin-C-44102808

http://www.vitamindeals.info/articles/vitamin-c.html

Apple Crisp

We have two apple trees in our back yard. One is a Golden Delicious and we've always eaten them, they're very good. The other one, I'm not sure what it is. The apples come very early and they are quite sour. I don't like sour. This year the apples were so huge! Some were even the size of a soft ball! So I decided to try them again, give them another chance. They were still a little sour, but not too much that I couldn't eat them right off the tree. We picked a lot of them. This is one of the things that I did with them. It is a very warm, cinnamony, low fat, just crunchy enough, with the perfect blend of sweet and sour really any one could ask for dessert. :] I got the original recipe here. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients

4 large apples (they don't have to be softball size, I didn't use ones that big:] )

1 cup LG flour mix

1/4 teaspoon xantham gum

3/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1 tablespoons baking powder

1 egg

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice

1 tablespoon butter, melted (ICBINB)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300*F. Mix together flour, xantham gum, 3/4 cup evaporated cane juice, baking powder, egg, and vanilla. The mixture will look like cornmeal. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Mix together with 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Place apples in a greased 8 inch square pan. Spread flour mixture over the apples. Mix together 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar, sprinkle over the top of the crisp. Drizzle with butter. Bake for one hour. Serve warm and enjoy!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

As I said last in Thursday's post, I've been using the crock pot/slow cooker more and more lately. When I came across this recipe I knew I just had to try it. I did make a bunch of changes and it was well worth it! It's nice to be able to make a barbecue chicken without just throwing in store bought sauce. My husband was so inspired he created his own barbecue sauce too. Now it's in the fridge and we love to use it. I'll have to post his recipe another day. Until then, try this savory barbecue chicken, yummy!!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons evaporated cane juice

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

8 whole wheat hoggie buns, or Gluten Free tortillas

Directions

Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker. In a bowl, stir together the ketchup, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, evaporated cane juice, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and liquid smoke until well blended. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook for 4 hours on high. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred or cut into small pieces. Return chicken to slow cooker and cook for one more hour. Serve the chicken and sauce spooned into the hoggie buns or tortillas, and enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Since my last Wisdom Wednesday was on ph and I talked about drinking 'good' water, I thought I would share with you one of the waters that I like to drink. So our Fun Food Find today is Essentia. It has a ph of 9.5. My dad has a refractomoter that measures ph and it really was 9.5! I like that Essentia is also 'infused with electrolytes'. When my kids are a little sick I like to give them Essentia to help them stay hydrated with out all the extra sugar. When I've eaten too many foods that are acidic I like to drink a bunch of this water. It helps me feel better quicker than anything else. The other type of water I drink is reverse osmosis, I have a filter in my home.

You can buy Essentia on line, or at the Health Food Stores.

Crock Pot Swedish Meat Balls

These meatball are from my mom. They are so delicious, from what I remember anyways, very moist and tender with a rich creamy sauce. My husband and children love them. We usually don't have leftovers. Since school has started it seems that life has been even more busy. So I've been using the crock pot more and more. I was so excited about using these in the crock pot, and they turned out the same as if from the oven.

Crock Pot Swedish Meat Balls

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef

2 tablespoon dried onions

2 eggs

20 crackers crushed

salt and pepper

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions

In a medium bowl mix beef, onion, eggs, salt and pepper, and crackers. Form into balls a little bigger than golf balls. In another bowl mix soups together and pour half of mixture in crock pot. Place meat balls in a single layer on top of soup mixture in crock pot. Pour the remaining soup mixture on top of the meat balls. Make sure to cover each one with the soup mixture. Cook on high for 6-7 hours. Serve on cooked rice or cooked quinoa.

Wisdom Wednesday!!

Acid vs. Alkaline

Balance is very important when it comes to our health. Something I think that gets over looked is our body's ph, or the balance of our body's ph. Ph is the measure of the acid in your body. Your body's ph is extremely important when it comes to your health. Disease thrives on a low ph, or a ph that is more acidic. Having your ph in the acidic range for a long period of time can cause serious health problems because it suppresses your immune system and makes your body weak. A healthy ph level for our bodies is between 7.35 and 7.45. That is the normal ph of our blood, which is slightly alkaline. A more alkaline body is much more healthy. When you are slightly alkaline your immune system functions properly.
Our body fights everyday to maintain our ph levels. It wants to be balanced. We can make our body more acidic or more alkaline depending on what food we eat and what we drink. Almost all of the foods we eat release either an acid or an alkaline base into our blood after being digested. For example, soda has an acidic range around 2.5 ph ("similar to battery acid" reports Connie Eccles). To help our body process the soda and bring our body back to a healthier ph level we would need to drink about 32 ounces of good water, water that has a ph of at least 7. When I found that out it really did change my view on soda. So when you think about what you are going to eat, think about whether that food is going to make you more acidic or more alkaline. There are many list out there that tell you if a food is acidic or alkaline. Some go into more detail than others. If a food is a low level acid forming food then you can count it as neutral, such as most grains, most nuts and seeds, and butter. The same goes for low level alkaline forming foods such as, almonds, blackstrap molasses, and lima beans. The Wolfe Clinic has a list on their web site for acid and alkaline foods, click here to see it.
My point for this Wisdom Wednesday post is to help you to be more aware of the food that you are eating and how it can help or hurt your body. If you have tried many things and you are still struggling with being tired all the time, or you get flu and cold symptoms and you don't get the full virus, or maybe you have increased mucous and you can't seem to get rid of it, all of these are signs that your body is too acidic. Change your diet. Consume 80% of alkaline foods and 20% of acid foods along with drinking more good water. I'm sure that you'll feel better soon, and as always happier healthier eating!

Other Sources:
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/alkalinediet.htm
http://livestrong.com/article/47620-acid-vs.-alkaline-body/