photo credit – donielle

Baked oatmeal is not only easy to prepare and makes a delightful breakfast, it can be chock full of nutrients when done correctly. While I firmly believe that a diet low in grains is one with the most health benefits, a healthy diet can also include them from time to time. The comforting warmth of freshly baked oatmeal, paired with the naturally sweet, sweet potato makes for a wonderful combination.

photo credit – donielle

The Verdict -

Level of difficulty – Very easy to make – just soak the oats and steam the potato the night before

Time –

• 12 hours to soak
• 10 minutes active prep time
• 35-40 minutes cooking time

Taste – The smell wafting through the house while the oatmeal baked was divine and we loved it. Very reminiscent of holiday desserts, yet it makes a wonderfully nourishing meal.

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I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Adding flavor to food through spices is one of my favorite ways to make it just plain old taste better. One of these days I need to get out of my own ‘flavor box’ and try some new things, but for now we can’t help but love what we love.

And a bit of spice is a welcome addition.

This spicy stuffed chicken recipe is easy to make, tastes great, and it’s very easy to control the spice if you have someone in the family that doesn’t enjoy it as much.

Spicy Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (you can use up to 6 oz)
1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained (fresh cooked spinach)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cajun or spicy mix (you could also use taco seasoning – I had used a jalapeno dip mix I bought from the farmer’s market)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pound down each chicken breast until it’s only about 1/4 of an inch high.

3. Combine the cheese, spinach, and salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.

4. Place about 1/4 cup of the mixture on to each chicken breast and roll the breast around it, securing with toothpicks.

5. Place in an 8×8 pan, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle the seasoning over the top. I had a bit of the spinach/cheese mixture leftover so I spread that on top too.

6. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

*remove toothpicks before serving!

Variations: You could also use a nice raw cheddar and stir in an extra teaspoon or two of the seasoning you use in to the spinach mixture.

This recipe was adapted from the Cajun Chicken from Cooking Creations via Pinterest.

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Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Many times when I buy herbs for recipes, I end up with a lot more then I need. Throwing them out seems wasteful, and yet that is normally what happens after I don’t use them up within a few days. I did this many times this spring while making cilantro lime rice to go along with our homemade tacos or Mexican Gumbo.

After coming across this helpful tip though, I no longer waste them, but easily preserve them for later use.

You can easily chop up your leftover fresh herbs and freeze them!

Freeze them in water for short term storage or freeze them in oil for storing over a few weeks. I use an ice cube tray which makes it very easy to place about 1 tablespoon of fresh herb into each of the 12 sections of the tray.

Once they are frozen solid, pop them out of the tray and place into a sealed and labeled ziploc bag and store in the freezer.

Have you ever frozen herbs before?

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Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

This homemade ranch dressing is sure to be a hit with the entire family!

Many years ago I found out that I was reacting to the store-bought ranch dressing I was using. For weeks I was getting migraines everyday after lunch so my lunchtime routine began to include taking a couple of Excedrin Migraine before I went back to my desk. This went on for some time until a co-worker asked what I was eating – because she dealt with some pretty horrendous migraines and knew what some of her triggers were.

I was sure a salad was on the “healthy” side of things but she knew before I even told her what type of dressing I was using. Because many, many ranch dressings also include MSG and it’s a common trigger for migraines.

My very first organic purchase was for ranch dressing – and it also eliminated most of my migraines.

But once I found the traditional food movement I also realized that the oils they use are not the best for us. To be completely honest, sometimes I still use them, but I buy them more and more infrequently and instead buy dressings made with olive oil, forgoing my favorite ranch dressing.

I also forget how easy it is to make your own ranch dressing!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

 Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream OR cream cheese OR yogurt OR buttermilk
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped finely
3 Tbsp fresh parsley (flat leaf), chopped finely
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
salt to taste
optional – whey, apple cider vinegar

Method of Preparation

Making ranch dressing is as simple as combining all of the above ingredients.Let it sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together fully.

Tips

• Add the apple cider vinegar if you like a bit more zing.

• Add the whey if you want to let it sit out for a few hours and lacto-ferment.

• Add more chives if you want more of an onion flavor.

• Fresh is best, but you can also use dried herbs if that’s all you have: reduce to 1 teaspoon for dried chives and parsley, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder instead of a fresh clove.

• Use the sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt, or buttermilk interchangeably, yet know there will be marked differences. Sour cream or buttermilk will be thinner (especially the buttermilk) and have a more basic ranch flavor. Cream cheese will create a thicker “dip” and have a marked cream cheese flavor. Yogurt will be thinner unless you strain some of the whey out and it will impart a more sour flavor.

Do you make your own ranch dressing? What are your favorite herb combinations?

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Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Simple to make with just a few ingredients, homemade mayonnaise is a healthy alternative to store-bought. The best part is, you can vary the taste to your own preferences.

Homemade Mayonnaise

 Ingredients
3 egg yolks (from pastured chickens – it’s important to source clean, quality eggs for this as they remain raw)
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
salt to taste
optional- whey

Method of Preparation

1. Let your eggs come to room temperature or let them sit in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before starting. (I’ve found that this helps my mayo succeed every time, though skipping this step will be fine as long as you follow step 2.)

2. Separate the whites from the yolks (you can save the whites for something else) and blend the yolks for one to two minutes. I use my blender on the lowest speed though some people use an immersion/stick blender with good success.

3. Add the lemon juice or ACV to the eggs if you like a mayo with just a touch of zing.

4. Pour both or your oils together in a measuring cup with a spout and begin slowly pouring it into the blended egg yolks, while the blender is still running. You’ll want a very thin stream, especially as you first get started, but can slowly start pouring just a bit faster as it begins to emulsify. (it normally takes me just less than a minute to pour all of the oil in)

5. Once the oil is completely in the egg yolk mixture and emulsified, pour/scoop it into a bowl and add salt to taste.

 Tips

• If it doesn’t work (emulsify) the first time, pour it out into the measuring cup, start with a few new egg yolks and instead of pouring in fresh oil, use your previous attempt. It will be more yellow from the yolks, but the flavor will be about the same.

• Some people also like just a touch of sugar in it as well, which can also help wean family off store-bought mayo.

• The addition of mustard is a common one, but I hate (like really don’t like) mustard. Every once in awhile I’ll add a bit of Dijon mustard to the mix if I’m using it for deviled eggs or potato salad, but I normally leave it out.

• Adding about 1/2 tablespoon of whey to the mixture will lacto-ferment the mayo. Just add it to the egg yolks as you begin blending and let it sit out for a few hours before refrigerating.

• Source your eggs from a well trusted farmer as these egg yolks will remain raw. I would have a hard time using store-bought eggs for this, but I trust the safety of my eggs.

• You can also use this basic mayo as a base for dips, adding in your favorite seasonings. (adding taco seasoning would be great to use for Mexican dishes, etc)

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.