Mixed Berry topped Cake

I've been making a lot of desserts lately. And here I go with cakes again, I can't help myself, cakes are so fun to make and experiment with! This picture makes the cake look like it's really runny and way too moist. It really isn't. I promise! I made one of these once to take to my neighbors and I put the berries on their and mine at the same time. I took theirs over to them. Then I came home, made dinner, ate and cleaned up dinner, and then we had the cake and it wasn't gooey inside at all. Just enough of the sweet juices from the berries had fallen into the cake. This really is one of my more healthy and still very delicious cakes, I hope you enjoy all of it's guilt free goodness!

Mixed Berry topped Cake

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups evaporated cane juice

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup rice milk

3/4 cup applesauce

2 cups frozen mixed berries, thawed

2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. In a small bowl combine the mixed berries with 2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice let sit on counter until ready to use. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and evaporated cane juice. Then add the eggs, vanilla, rice milk, applesauce, and combine well. Pour into a parchment lined, and sprayed with non stick cooking spray, 9 inch cake pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly. Then remove cake from pan and remove parchment paper. When cooled completely, spoon mixed berries over cake, serve, and enjoy!

Mini Ginger Cookies

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Mine was fun, busy, tasty, and also tiring. :] I just love being with family!

I saw these cookies demoed on Studio 5. They looked so yummy! I like the flavor of ginger cookies but I don't like how hard they are. These cookies are very moist, chewy, and simply delicious. I've made lots already and given lots away too. :] They are very addicting and good for you. Did you know that Molasses has lots of natural iron in it? It does, so with my modifications you don't have to feel bad one bit about eating more than one of these.

Mini Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice

1/4 cup full flavor molasses

2 eggs

3 cups spelt flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Melt coconut oil so it becomes a liquid. Add evaporated cane juice, molasses, and egg. Beat well. Sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to fist mixture. Mix well; chill. Form into 1/2" balls. Roll balls in some evaporated cane juice and place on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 8-10 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE! If you do then you will get hard cookies. Cool and enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Our Fun Food Find for today are the graham cracker crumbs I used when making the pie crust I posted yesterday, Gluten Free Graham Style Crumbs. There are so delicious! They don't taste like they are gluten free and easy to work with. Try them you'll love them!

You can buy these on line or at the health food stores.

Healthier Graham Cracker Crust

Thanksgiving is next week!! I can't believe how fast this month as gone by. I wanted to share with you this pie crust. Even though it is made from graham crackers it is a very yummy crust and would be great with pumpkin or any other pie because you bake it. It really isn't like the normal graham cracker crust you make for pudding pies. It's easy to make gluten free and fat free, minus the fat from the crackers of course. :] Try it you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Healthier Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

2 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs

3 1/2 tablespoons nonfat vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons organic brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with non stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, yogurt, and organic brown sugar. Wet your hands and press mixture firmly into the pie pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until crust sets up firm in center. Cool and add your favorite pie filling.

Wisdom Wednesday!!

Today for our Wisdom Wednesday I wanted to talk about something I had never thought about before. It all started when my daughter came home from preschool with a very unusual homework assignment. One day she was to go though our kitchen and see if she could name all of the vegetables. The next day the assignment was to do the same with the fruits. At first I thought it was a ridiculous assignment. Of course my children know what fruits and vegetables are and can name them (well she did think the grapefruit was an orange :]). We eat them all of the time. I even try to get different ones that I've never heard of and we all try them. But then I realized that most families are not like mine. Most families have not been through the health problems that we have been through so their eating habits are not the same. Now I'm not saying that people are bad if they don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I do, or even as many as my children do. But it did get me thinking, "Do I talk to my children about the importance of fruits and veggies?" I don't think I do. I think it's important that they know why they should be eating them. How eating them can help us be stronger and more healthy. So today I am posing two questions, "What and/or how do you tell your children about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables? and Do your children know the names of the fruits and vegetables they are eating?" I hope this helps you to think as much as did for me. Happy Healthier Eating!

Nacho Turkey Casserole

At the beginning of last month my uncle and aunt had Canadian Thanksgiving. My aunt is from Canada so we celebrate it every year. It's great to get two Thanksgivings in one year. They had left overs for the first time in I don't know how long, so I took some home. I came across this recipe. I was so excited because I already had some cooked turkey in the fridge. It was very easy and extremely delicious. The only thing I would warn or change is the salsa. The first time I made this I used salsa that was a little too hot for my children. When I made it with chicken I cooked it before adding it and it was great too. I'm excited to make this again with turkey with the leftovers from Thanksgiving next week!

Nacho Turkey Casserole

Ingredients

5 cups slightly crushed tortilla chips

4 cups cube cooked turkey or chicken*

2 cups salsa

1/4 cup light sour cream

2 tablespoons barley flour

1 cup shredded mozzarella or Cheddar cheese

2 medium tomatoes diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350* F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Place 3 cups of the tortillas chips on the bottom of the dish. In a large bowl combine salsa, sour cream, flour, turkey, and diced tomatoes. Spoon over tortilla chips. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups tortilla chips and cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes more or until heated through. Serve and enjoy!

*if you want to do it with chicken, I cooked 2 boneless skinless chicken breast in chicken broth until cooked through. Then cubed it and add it when you are to add the turkey.

Gnocchi with Primavara Sauce

I've been wanting to find some different recipes. I came across this one. This might sound a little crazy but I didn't know that Gnocchi noodles were made out of mashed potatoes. To be honest this recipe took several, several, several tries to get it right. There are a few different recipes on line, and lot of opinions on how to make it the best way. It was a little difficult to get it right. So bare with me while I go through the directions. I want to be able to tell you exactly what I learned so you don't have to go though the same trial and error that I had to go through. The end product is nice and wonderful. It was just divine with the tomato sauce. And it's very inexpensive to make because it is mostly mashed potatoes!

Gnocchi with Primavara Sauce

Ingredients

6 potatoes

2 cups barley flour

4 eggs

4 teaspoons onion salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

You will also need:

large zip lock bags

scissors

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil potatoes until soft enough to be able to mash them. Peel skins off and them mash them, do not let them sit in the water. The more water they absorb the harder it will be to get the right consistency. Put 1 cup of packed mashed potatoes and 1 egg into a mixer. Mix on med high until very smooth and creamy, scraping sides as it mixes. Add 1 teaspoon of onion salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and mix until well combined. Add 1/2 cup barley four. Mix until potato mixture can be formed into a ball. Remove ball and repeat this process 3 more times.

Bring a large pot of lightly slated water to a boil. Place one of the potato balls into a large zip lock bag. Cut a medium size, about 3/4 inch, hole out of one of the corners of the bag. Start squeezing the potato mixture out of the bag over the boiling water. As the string of potato mixture comes out of the bag use scissors to cut it every inch or so, depending on how big you want your gnocchi to turn out. Be careful not to squeeze the bag too hard, the steam from the water will soften your bag and it can break easily. The gnocchi are finished when they raise to the top. This happens very quickly, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not over cook or they become too sticky from the starch of the potatoes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. Repeat this with the remaining three balls. I needed to use a different baggie for each ball. Top with Primavara sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Primavara Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained

2 teaspoons evaporated cane juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

bash black pepper

3 to 4 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a medium sauce pan cook onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender. Carefully stir in the diced tomatoes, evaporated cane juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Add dried basil and Parmesan cheese. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Pour sauce over Gnocchi noodles and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

This is a new find for me. It is a granola by Nature's Path called Ancient Grains. The flavor is amazing and the nutrition even better. It has quinoa which I've talked about before how it is a complete protein on it's own. It also had Amaranth, which I didn't know is also a complete protein. Those make this granola very filling. I can have a little in the morning and I'm not hungry for hours! It also has Spelt and Kamut, so a little bit of gluten but great for the gluten intolerant and tons of vitamins and minerals. My kids love it just as much as I do, so I have to hide it from them. :]

I found this one at Costco, but they do carry it at the health food stores.

Crock pot Chicken Cacciatore

I have had so much fun getting back into the kitchen! It feels like it's been forever since I've done any real cooking. I'm feeling better now and I can't wait to share with you the fun things I been making.

When I was recovering my wonderful sister-in-law brought over some Chicken Cacciatore. It looked and smelled so delicious, and it tasted even better. I had never heard of chicken cacciatore before. She was shocked, probably because my husband is part Italian. Besides the yummy taste I love how you can add more and more vegetables to this dish and it only makes it better.

I had been craving it ever since then so when I saw this recipe to make it in the crock pot, I was ecstatic! When you don't quite have your energy back the crock pot is the way to cook dinner. :] It is very easy and just as delicious as the oven version but more healthy and gluten free. Hope you enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

2 medium onions, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 14oz cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 medium green bell pepper, sliced

1 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced

Grated Parmesan cheese

1 package whole wheat noodles, or rice noodles cooked according to package directions

Directions

In a medium bowl (or in the crock pot) combine diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, garlic, salt, oregano, basil, and parsley. Once combined, add chicken and stir in well until all of chicken is covered by sauce. Pour into crock pot. Place the remaining vegetables on top of chicken mixture, do not stir*, and put lid on crock pot. Cook on high for 3 -4 hours or until chicken is cooked through. The last 15 minutes stir in the vegetables. Serve on noodles, top with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

*If you stir in the vegetables they will be too soggy when chicken is cooked.

Crazy!

Today I am posting to say that things have been just a little crazy at my house lately. I've been sick, then my kids got sick. You know how it goes through one then the next and so on. I'm just now getting back to experimenting with recipes to share with you. I am so sorry that I've been absent a lot lately. I posted the Fun Food Find that I promised I would post. Sorry for the lateness of that too. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll have another food/recipe for you. There are bunches and bunches of recipes I can't wait to start experimenting with. So until then, Happy Healthier Eating!!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Our Fun Find for today is the Carob powder that I've started using, Chatfield's all natural Carob Powder. I really like the flavor of this carob powder. It really is the best tasting I've tried so far. I used it in so many different recipes. I love it in Carob brownies, and so do my kids. :]

I've only seen it at Good Earth, but I haven't checked if it's at the other health food stores yet.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

One night we came home late. I was in a rush for dinner and didn't have that much time to make anything, so I thought. I looked in the fridge and saw the spaghetti squash that I had cooked the day before. I wasn't sure what to do with it and then I thought, Spaghetti sauce is really quick and easy to make. I put them together in less than 30 minutes! I was surprised that I hadn't thought of this earlier. It was so delicious! The spaghetti squash made the sauce just a little sweeter than normal, which was like candy to me. My children loved it, so now it is on the love list. Hope you enjoy it too!

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Ingredients

1 medium or small spaghetti squash cooked and taken out of shell

3 8oz. cans tomato sauce, with salt

1/4 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

3/4 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice

Directions

In a medium saucepan add all of the ingredients except for the squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally. Simmer for at least 10 minutes. The longer you simmer the thicker the sauce becomes. Serve over cooked spaghetti squash, top with medium Cheddar or Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Carob Pudding Pie

On this first day of November I thought I would share with you a pie recipe. It's never too early to start getting your recipes ready for Thanksgiving! I loved this carob pudding pie! It was a huge hit at Canadian Thanksgiving last month. My one son was worried that there wasn't going to be any leftovers to take home so he piled a second plate really high just for him to take home. This is a gluten free pie, and you wouldn't know it by eating it. The carob powder is the best that I've come across. It has a really nice flavor to it. I'll share what brand it is with you on Friday. Happy November Baking, or non baking too! :]

Carob Pudding Pie

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup evaporated cane juice

1/4 carob powder

4 tablespoons cornstarch

2 1/4 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Mix together salt, evaporated cane juice, and carob powder in a pot on stove top. Turn heat to medium. Gradually add 2 cups of the rice milk stirring until everything is dissolved. While you are waiting for that to come to a boil, mix 1/4 cup rice milk with the cornstarch until completely dissolved. When the carob mixture starts to boil add rice milk to mixture and whisk continually. Once it comes back to a boil, boil for one minute. Then remove and add vanilla. Let cool a little before adding to pie crust. Then add and place in fridge until completely cool. Serve cool with whip cream.

Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup gluten free graham crackers, crushed

1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a bowl combine graham crackers and cane juice. Transfer to a 9 inch pie pan. Add butter and mix well. Use the back of a spoon to smash crust evenly on the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pie pan. You might need to get your spoon a little wet to help smooth it out. Fill with carob pudding and put in fridge until ready to eat!