Wheatless Wednesday: Taco Salad
One of the staple dinners that we’ve enjoyed since….forever….has been tacos. We love our own blend of seasoning, I took pride in my homemade tortilla shells, and even made my own salsa on occasion.So when my husband went gluten free last year it really knocked me off my game! I mean, how were you supposed to eat tacos without fabulous, soft, whole wheat shells?
I tried making my own soft corn shells and they never quite worked out well.
I tried buying soft corn shells to cook at home – I could never find organic and the GMO issue bothered me.
We bought hard corn shells – organic, non- GMO are expensive while non-organic have colorings and fillers.
I’ve mentioned it a few times now in passing, but a couple of months ago we decided to go completely (ok, about 80-90%) grain free, and I have to say it’s really what helped us get ‘past the bun’ if you wish. Taking any bread alternatives out of the equation really opened us up to trying new things and eating our foods differently. In that respect I feel we are getting a much more nutrient dense diet and eating a larger variety of foods.
Take our tacos for instance. We don’t do without them…..we just changed them.
Good quality meat on top of chopped garden tomatoes, farmers market onion, lettuce, and cheese. The avocado aioli dressing also pairs with this nicely, as does ranch, salsa, and sour cream. I love that I’m able to get a good amount of lettuce and greens into my family now instead of it being the sparse topping on a taco, and I also love the convenience of it. No longer do I have to spend and hour or so making the shells or making sure I get them at the grocery store. Dinner now takes moments compared to a few months ago!
So what kind of wheatless recipe are you sharing today? Or perhaps an informative post on going wheat free? We’d love to read them! Just link up the url your recent post below (and make sure you link to this post within your own) so that we can all gain a few more ideas on what we can do in our kitchens!
Also – next week here at Naturally Knocked Up is going to be all about gluten awareness! I have a fabulous “everyone needs to hear it” podcast from my conversation with Dr. Tom O’Bryan all about how gluten can effect our fertility, our overall health, and the silent ways it can harm our body. I also lined up a few different guest posts from others who have gone wheat and/or grain free. It’s going to be a great week!!
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Wheatless Wednesday: BLT Spaghetti
One of the great side effects of cutting out wheat has been that we’ve been forced to use other, more nourishing foods. This last weekend I decided to give out BLT Pasta a makeover and I couldn’t be happier as to how it turned out!
BLT Spaghetti
- 1 whole spaghetti squash
- 1 pound nitrate free bacon (beef, pork, or turkey)
- approx. 4 cups of cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small onion
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 shakes red pepper flakes
- 1 cup homemade broth (water if you don’t have it)
- 3-4 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Roast tomatoes for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned in a 300 degree oven. At the same time, cook spaghetti squash (boil whole for 25 minutes, bake whole for 50-60minutes) Fry bacon and set aside.
Chop onion and mince garlic.
Saute onion in 2 Tbsp butter or oil for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add minced garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add in tomatoes, pepper flakes, and broth.
Add in basil and arugula. Break bacon into small pieces and add as well.
Don’t mind that I forgot to buy arugula!
Slice spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
Using a fork, scrape out the ‘meat’ of the squash. It shreds just like spaghetti noodles!
Top with tomato and bacon sauce. And freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
Because spaghetti isn’t spaghetti without Parmesan.
Do you have a wheatless, gluten free, or grain free recipe to share? Link to your post (not your homepage) below!
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Wheatless Wednesday: August, 11
Welcome back to another Wheatless Wednesday!
Last week we had some awesome entries; a Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cupcake from Beth at The Natural Mommy, Healthy Milkshakes from Cara at Health, Home, and Happiness, and an Okra Curry from Wendy at The Local Cook. I sure placed a lot of them in my “recipes to try” folder – so thanks to everyone who linked up!!
Now I want you all to temp my tummy again!
Let’s let people know that eating wheat and/or grain free can be both healthy and tasty!
If you’ve written a recent post featuring a wheat free (or grain free!) recipe or post you can place the permalink of that post in the linky below. Just make sure you put something in your post directing your readers back here as well.
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
A Preconception Diet
One of the most important steps in cost effective cooking (especially when eating real foods!) is deciding logically and intelligently what your meals are going to be for the week. I can definitely tell that in our season of busyness and lack of time to plan, has definitely taken a toll on our grocery budget.
The following menu is a good start at getting us back on track!
Monday:
Breakfast – two egg omelet w/ cheese and veggies, sausage, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – whole milk yogurt and berries, small amount of raw honey
Lunch - salmon sandwich (canned wild caught Alaskan salmon) on sourdough bread, cut veggies, cubed cheese, water kefir or kombucha
snack – cut veggies and avocado aioli
Dinner – roast chicken with gravy made from chicken broth, couple types of steamed veggies with butter
Tuesday:
Breakfast – whole milk yogurt with berries and a touch of raw honey, fresh juice
snack – cut veggies
Lunch – salad w/ red and green lettuce, baby spinach and lots of colorful veggies, chopped nuts, and cubed cheese, organic ranch dressing, water kefir or kombucha
snack – apple
Dinner – tacos with homemade seasoning and shells. serve with cheese, dark green lettuce (romaine), guacamole and fresh salsa.
Wednesday:
Breakfast – 16 oz. yogurt or kefir smoothie (1/2 cup yogurt or kefir, 1/2 cup raw milk, 1 raw egg yolk, 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1/2 cup frozen berries)
snack – deviled eggs
Lunch – homemade chicken noodle soup made with bone broth, water kefir or kombucha
snack – cut veggies and organic dip, cubed cheese
Dinner – grilled or baked salmon, steamed vegetables, baked potato w/ real butter
Thursday:
Breakfast - fried eggs on whole wheat sourdough toast, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – yogurt and berries
Lunch – chicken sandwich (from leftover grilled chicken) w/ lettuce, cut veggies, water kefir or kombucha
snack – apple, cubed cheese
Dinner – hamburgers on whole wheat sourdough buns, sweet potato fries, salad
Friday:
Breakfast – soaked oatmeal w/ butter, raw cream, walnuts, and maple syrup, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – cut veggies
Lunch – taco salad (leftover taco meat, red and green leaf lettuce, some iceberg lettuce, cut avocado, fresh salsa, seasoned brown rice, and sharp cheddar cheese. water kefir or kombucha
snack – orange
Dinner – grilled steaks, lots of steamed vegetables with butter
Saturday:
Breakfast - scrambled eggs w/ chopped spinach and cheese mixed in, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – apple
Lunch – mixed greens salad with cut veggies, cheese, and any leftover dinner meats, water kefir or kombucha
snack – yogurt
Dinner – gluten free homemade pizza topped with lots of colorful veggies and healthy meats like sausage
snack – homemade popcorn on the stove w/ real butter
Sunday:
Breakfast – sourdough pancakes, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – hardboiled egg
Lunch – salad w/ baby spinach and leftover roast chicken and lots of colorful veggies. water kefir or kombucha
snack – apple, crispy nuts
Dinner – Italian Cream Cheese Casserole with steamed veggies and salad
Most importantly in this menu though is the lack of refined sugars and processed foods which deplete your body of vital nutrients. The only sweetener I try to use is honey or maple syrup, and I make all of my own bread products, mostly through the process of sourdough to make nutrients more available.
Not only does this menu nourish my entire family, it’s a great source of very Fertility Friendly foods!
This post is linked to: Menu Plan Monday and Mindful Menus
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Wheatless Wednesday
Before industrial farming, our ancestors grew up on diets void of wheat and other grains.
Once farming made growing and harvesting large amounts of grain easier, it’s popularity grew.
Although the breads and grains they consumed were much different from what we see in our own cupboards today.
Grains (wheat, rice, millet, etc.) are actually difficult for our body to digest, containing different enzyme inhibitors and blocking nutrient absorption. One way to get around this is to soak your grains before consuming. The other is to ferment through the process of sourdough. And yet one more way to get around this issue is to cut them out all together.
As a society, we’ve come so dependent on breads and grains that without them we don’t know what to eat! My family and I are currently heading down this road. We’ve gone gluten free for periods of time to allow our bodies to heal, but feel that in order for some of us to really get our health back, we’re replacing grains with nutrient dense foods like eggs, meat, and greens.
I don’t think everyone needs to eat completely grain free, but I also think it’s a great idea to expand our repertoire of meals we create.
To participate in Wheatless Wednesday place your permalink for your wheatless post into the linky list below. It can be any recent pot that talks about gluten free or grainfree diets, as well as recipes and tips. Just make sure it’s at least wheatless! Also make sure to let your readers know about this list and place this permalink : http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/2010/08/04/wheatless-wednesday/ within your own post.
My entry this week is actually a rerun for some of my older readers, but I’ve recently been blessed with a lot of new followers and this recipe is just to good not to share! Many readers have tried it and their entire family loves it, people are surprised it tastes so good!
Healthy Grain Free Brownies
*also linked to Real Food Wednesday
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Do You Have Culture in Your Life?
Bacteria in the correct form is essential to life. Within our bodies it creates an environment that is not hospitable to illness and disease. Unfortunately in our modern culture, we’ve dismissed many of the traditional foods processed by lacto-fermentation, or culturing. We do everything within our power to kill all bacteria with the use of medicinal antibiotics, antibiotic wipes and sprays, and constant pasteurization of our foods.
This severe lack of “culture” is damaging to our intestines and overall health.
Benefits of Cultured Foods
- Cultured foods help to repopulate the digestive system with beneficial bacteria that helps fight off any bad bacteria ingested, keeping your immune system strong.
- Cultured foods keep your intestines strong and working properly, diminishing the occurrences of constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
- Having the correct amount of beneficial bacteria in the body helps to fight Candida yeast overgrowth (a systematic yeast problem associated with eczema, fatigue, yeast infections, yeasty diaper rashes in babies, jock itch, athletes foot, etc)
- They decrease sugar cravings! Your body craves sugar when yeast begins to get out of hand.
- Cultured foods are essentially “partially digested”, making it easier for your body to digest the foods and absorb available nutrients.
- In many cases it enhances the nutrient profile of a food allowing it to become even more nutrient dense.
Allowing vegetables to undergo lacto-fermentation creates a colony of wonderful bacteria, increases to availability of certain amino acids, and allows our bodies to better digest nutrients within the food. Sauerkraut is a classic fermented vegetable, and you can even make a fermented root slaw, or fermented salsa.
Probably the most well known cultured food is yogurt. It’s frequently advertised that it helps digestion…….and it does – by allowing the beneficial bacteria to work within the gut. Another cultured dairy product is kefir (keh-fear), similar to yogurt but remains much less solidified. You can also culture cream to make cultured butter.
Grains can also undergo a fermentation when you use the process of making sourdough breads. Grains are actually rather hard for your body to digest and when you use sourdough to ferment before consumption, it decreases the activity of the phytic acid contained within. (phytic acid is basically an anti-nutrient) A sourdough starter is easy to make at home for use in breads and even pancakes.
You can also make your own fermented drinks at home by using a kombucha SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria & Yeasts) and fermenting tea, or using water kefir grains to ferment a water/sugar solution. (I get my cultures from Cultures for Health)
We would be doing ourselves a great service by getting back to the way our ancestors consumed these foods. In traditional societies, before the invention of refrigerators, fermentation was a way to preserve foods and they were eaten each day.
How often do you eat fermented/cultured foods?
*This post has been linked to Real Food Wednesday
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Recipe: Cherry Tomato Salsa
I originally posted this recipe last summer, but while looking at my quickly growing tomatoes in the garden, I got itching to make it! I also updated it with some lacto fermentation because it’s super easy to do! Plus my friend Wardeh, has a linky up today for her new series: Probiotics for Every Meal.
***************
While dealing with some quite productive cherry tomato plants a friend recommended that I try making salsa out of them. And I have to say, this is our new favorite fresh salsa recipe!!!
The cherry tomatoes have such a nice sweet flavor, it really goes quite well with the spice. Now the first time I made it (pictured) I cut them all up by hand. *whew that was a lot of cutting* The next time I made it. I threw a handful at a time into the food processor. Not only were the chunks smaller, it went much faster!
Cherry Tomato Salsa
about 5 cups of cherry tomatoes
1 small to medium onion (or half of a large onion)
3-5 jalapenos (depending on how spicy you like it!)
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 -1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (again, depending on spice!)
Cut, chop, and mix everything together. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, but it’s best if the flavors work themselves together overnight!
Seriously soooo easy!
Lacto fermentation: up the sea salt to about 1 Tbsp and add in 4 Tbsp of whey. Let sit out for at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours. Chill and enjoy
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Recipe: Raw Chocolate Pudding
Creamy and chocolaty goodness normally means it’s a dish you need to stay away from, but this raw pudding is a wonderfully healthy indulgence and it’s a treat I don’t mind serving to my family.
Raw Chocolate “Pudding”
1 really ripe banana
1 avocado
1/8 cup cocoa
2-3 tsp raw honey, maple syrup, or rapadura
optional – milk or coconut milk if it needs to be thinned for blending
Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until well mixed. If needed add milk 1 Tbsp at a time to ease blending and also to get the right texture. (You can also add in a bit more sweetener if desired. Especially if your kids are used to regular boxed pudding) You can serve immediately, but I like mine well chilled.
A great replacement for boxed pudding and is full of nutrients because of the avocado!
Optional Add-ins:
-
- 1/4 cup yogurt (increase honey to 1/4 cup)
- Tbsp almond butter
- Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- few fresh mint leaves
Toppings: sliced fruit or berries, Tbsp of fresh cream, 1 tsp or so of GF, CF, SF mini chocolate chips
This post is linked to: Real Food Wednesday
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Cooking a Peasant’s Feast
One of the biggest issues I had when I switched over to a whole foods diet was trying to do so without breaking the bank. It was tough, and I struggled each and every week trying to balance buying nourishing foods with the fact that we didn’t have the money for them.
I don’t want this post to sound like a sales pitch. Because although I am an affiliate of The Nourishing Gourmet, I signed up to be so because I believe in what Kimi is doing. I would be telling you about this course no matter my role in it! I believe it’s important to share information and teach others and Kimi has done that for me over the years I’ve followed her blog. I even had the pleasure of meeting her at the Wise Traditions Conference last November and spent time chatting with her about her family, her faith, and of course – her blog. She is one of the sweetest women I know and I sure wish she was my neighbor!
Now, you’re probably wondering why in the world I’m telling you about an eCourse when I’m about to open enrollment up for mine in just a few days. Right? Well, the thing is – after my reader survey earlier this year I noticed that there are a good number of my readers that are actually done having children! I also know how much this course could truly benefit the health of our families as we learn to prepare better foods, and how it could save us all money in the long run.
A Bit About the Course from Kimi
I’ve put together a great 13 week ecourse, starting on June 28th, that will give you a bite-sized amount of information every week in the form of topical articles, cooking demonstration videos, and shopping guides. I will give you tips on where to buy quality food for less, demonstrate cooking methods that both boost the nutritional value of your food and stretch expensive meat, and explain in more detail traditional cooking practices.
If you’ve wanted to learn how to make your own yogurt, sourdough bread, lacto-fermented foods, or how to sprout and soak grains, or simply how to cook real food this ecourse is for you. If you have a hard time balancing the expensive of buying quality ingredients on a budget, I can help.
By taking this huge topic, and breaking it down into manageable pieces, you can learn and digest new information in a timely manner. By the end of the class, you will have the confidence you need in knowing where to shop, what to buy, and how to cook real food on a budget. By using a class format with forums and facilitating discussions, I will be able to give a lot more one on one support to those in the course than is normally available through my blog. Answering questions and helping troubleshoot is another important aspect of this ecourse.
I believe in good deals, so I have sought to pack as much information into this ecourse as possible without overwhelming you. I want this ecourse to really serve you!
I actually just signed up to take the course this morning as I’m forever looking to lower my grocery bill and yet feed my family great foods. I am slightly worried that with all of the work I have with my own blog and course that I’ll be forever behind, but the great thing is, Kimi is giving access to the course and forum until the end of the year! So even though I won’t be able to keep up I’ll be able to learn at my own pace and fit it into my life whenever I can.
Here’s a bit about each class I’ll be taking:
Week One: Intro to Nourishing Food, How to Find Local Resources, Guide to Nutrient Dense Foods, and How to Find the Right Budget for You
Week Two: Why I am not a Vegetarian when Beans are so Cheap, Shopping Guide to Beef, Beef Stretching Recipes and Video Demonstration
Week Three and Four: How to Stretch one Chicken into Three Meals, The Health and Frugality Benefits of Homemade Chicken Stock (Recipes and Video Demonstrations)
Week Five: Why Seafood? Health Benefits of Seafood and What to Buy, Seven Tips for Saving Money on Seafood, Recipes and Video demonstration.
Week Six: The How’s and Why’s of Soaking Grains, Shopping Guide to Buying Grains, Video Demonstration and Recipes
Week Seven: Sourdough, How to Maintain a Starter, How to Make Sourdough Bread, Video Demonstration and Recipes
Week Eight: Eating Dessert like the French (Fruit based Desserts). Naturally Sweetened, fruit based desserts
Week Nine: Sprouting, The Benefits of Sprouting, Sprouting Guide, Pictorial Guides, Video Demonstration and Recipes
Week Ten: Lacto-Fermented Foods: The Benefits of Lacto-Fermenting, Demonstrations of two methods, and recipes.
Week Eleven: Dairy-Shopping Guide to Dairy, Making Homemade Yogurt and Creme Freshe, Video Demonstration and Recipes
Week Twelve: The Joys of Vegetables: Where to buy Quality Produce for Less, Making Main Dish Salads, Homemade Salad Dressings, Recipes and Video Demonstrations
Week Thirteen: Meal Planning Tips and Sample Menus.
I’m really looking forward to the weeks on sprouting and lacto fermentation!
Cost
Money is always a factor right? For 13 weeks of lessons, this course runs $120.00 – less than $10.00 per class. My thinking when it comes to signing up for something like this is that I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to save that much off my grocery bill in a years time with what I know of Kimi. I also happen to know about a little coupon code that’s floating around right now that will give you $20.00 off the course. I haven’t been able to sit down and chat with Kimi since we’ve both been a bit tied up in our courses so I don’t have my own code, but my friend Katie has a coupon code you can use! When you check out just use the code – KITCHENSTEW. This takes $20.00 off the total of the course, or $20.00 off the first payment making your first payment only $20.00.
(**psst. I also know she put this little ditty in one of her blog posts earlier this week- “And I have a few half scholarships left (contact me, kimi (dot) harris (at) gmail (dot) com for those who are completely unable to afford the course”. )
You can get a sneak peek of the course and download two documents- “Why Seafood” and “7 tips for Stretching Seafood” as well as watch a video clip on how to make Seafood Fried Rice. So whether or not you are able to sign up for her course at this time, you will totally enjoy the freeness of her preview!
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Recipe: Multi Purpose Avocado Aioli (dressing)
This creamy multi purpose dressing not only tastes great, it has a lot of health benefits to it as well. Full of healthy fats, it’s also pro biotic and loaded with raw goodness.
Avocado Aioli
- 1 ripe avocado (it’ll be slightly soft)
- 1/3 cup whole milk plain yogurt (kefir could be used for a thinner consistency)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 small clove of garlic – minced (using a garlic press is best!)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- couple shakes of ground black pepper
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Best if served immediately, but can be refrigerated for a couple days. Use it for dipping vegetables in, on salads, or as a sandwich spread.
*This post is linked to: Real Food Wednesday – a great place to glean information from a variety of bloggers.
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
