Kale Soup and AIP "Fig Newtons"

I am struggling here with the morning routine.  As much as I like James's school, it is really stressful to get everyone dressed, fed, and ready to go to get him to school on time.  Each time I try to break our morning record of three hours to get out the door I fail.  The main problem is the length of breakfast.  Since James only eats purees I have to blend his food and spoon feed him which takes awhile.  I've tried to eat before the kids get up or after they eat so that I can have the time to sit quietly and digest well, but that takes A LONG TIME!!!  I was telling my husband that life would be so much easier if I didn't need to eat breakfast.  I think we'll start making big batches of the plantain pancakes so there is something to grab if I am running late.

In the past I've done well with making big batches of soup that are easy to reheat and quick to consume.    So, I finally kicked myself in the butt and made a batch of my favorite: butternut squash and kale soup. I avoided making this because I love frying butternut squash with my breakfast and didn't want to use up all my squash.  But it is such a nice, easy soup and gives me lots of kale to eat.  I don't eat a lot of greens because I don't really like them cooked and I don't eat them raw (at least not right now).  But, I really like the kale in this soup.  So, here's what you do:

1/2 butternut squash 

5 small stalks kale

4 cups chicken broth or stock

1 tsp salt

Onion (optional)

 2 cloves garlic (optional)

Coconut oil (optional)
Ground or pulled meat (optional) - I like chicken

1. If FODMAPs are not an issue, chop and brown cloves garlic in pot with coconut oil.  Add onion and continue to brown.

2. Add broth to pot, heat on low.

3. Cut butternut squash into small pieces (I use about 1/4 inch) and add to pot, bringing to a boil.

4. Rip pieces of kale off the stalk and add to boiling stock.

5. Cook until squash and kale are tender to your liking (about 10 minutes).

6. Add tsp salt.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Remember those baked goods I whipped up Sunday?  Here is the first (and most successful) of the recipes, my AIP "Fig Newtons"!  These got my husband's overwhelming approval and are super easy to make.  AND they don't have any added sugar!

1/3 cup figs (about 5 figs), cut off stem if you like

1/3 cup green apple, chopped in small squares (about 1/2 apple)

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 coconut wraps

Coconut oil

1. Cook apples in teaspoon of coconut oil until apples are soft.

2. Place figs and apples in food processor and process until they form a sticky puree.

3. Cut coconut wraps into 4 squares.

4. Once puree is ready, place small amount of fig mixture in center of each coconut wrap square and fold into a diamond shape.  Use a small amount of fix mixture to "glue" the folds together.

5. Place on oiled cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.

6. Let cool to retain shape of coconut wrap.

7. Enjoy!!!

I hope these will lead to easier meal times!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Check out more real food recipes at Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesdays!

Best Breakfast (for dinner) EVER! Bacon-Wrapped Dates and Green Plantain Pancakes

I really wanted a good brunch yesterday but, since I knew I had baking plans for later in the day, I didn't want to make something with coconut.  I can only handle so much coconut and my body gets really unhappy when I over eat.  So, we did something simple: yummy sausage, baked (delicious) sweet potatoes, and cauliflower.  Really good, but not quite the indulgent breakfast I wanted.  I wanted something truly worthy of maple syrup.  Tonight my husband and I were both pretty pooped and couldn't bring ourselves to make dinner.  So, we waited until 6:30 and went to the store to grab plantains, dates, grade b maple syrup, and uncured bacon.  We came home, got the kids to bed, and had a feast!

After my baking shenanegans yesterday I was more than happy to just follow a recipe (I hope to have my recipes ready for you soon!).  We made bacon-wapped dates (based on this recipe, but we just pitted the dates, wrapped in bacon and baked as recommended) and plantain pancakes.  They were beyond phenomenal.  Seriously, just try it.

Mouthwatering, huh? I went back for seconds and thirds on the pancakes. Luckily, the bacon-wrapped dates are more of a delicacy which meant I only needed a few to be satisfied. Now I can look forward to eating them as a grab and go snack. I hope the leftover pancakes will fall in that category, too.

What To Do With Ground Beef Pt. 2 (AIP, Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

We buy a lot of meat in our house and it is always a challenge keeping the cost at a reasonable price. We like to get as much meat as possible from our farmer, but we do buy a substantial portion of meat from the store. We are lucky enough to live two miles from Wegmans where they have a pretty descent organic section. Their ground beef is organic and grass-fed and only costs about $16 for three pounds. That's probably the best you are going to find for beef of that quality. So we buy a lot of it. When I was just avoiding grains it was really easy to grill up some patties, throw on the typical burger toppings and wrap it in lettuce for easy eating. Now that I can't have burger toppings or raw vegetables I I have to be more creative about my ground beef dishes.  My first success was my leek burgers. Recently, I've been craving citrus which has led to kitchen experimentation (stay tuned for my orange muffin recipe). My creativity brought me to a new staple: citrus "noodles" with ground beef and broccoli.

What I like most about this recipe is that it is so easy to throw together. I also love that it is yummy, satisfies my craving for noodles with textured foods, and is super filling. We like to cook veggies and meats in bulk to use throughout the week. So, the ingredients I used are almost all pre-cooked:

1. Pumpkin: cut in half, place open side down on oiled cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (for a small pumpkin) or until fork can easily go through skin into flesh. Use for purée or "spaghetti". To get noodle texture, scrape flesh with fork around the diameter of the pumpkin. 

2. Ground beef: make into patties or cook as is. We rarely add spice or zest, other than salt, because it is easy to add later and doesn't limit what we can do with the flavor. 

3. Broccoli: my new favorite is Wegmans' pre-cut bags of fresh organic broccoli. Just open and throw in the pan to sauté or in a pot of water to boil. Super easy I don't even need to cook in bulk.

I throw all these ingredients in a pan with coconut oil to reheat and toss zest of half a lime (or other citrus, I really liked orange, too) on top. Once warm, transfer to plate or bowl and add salt and citrus juice to taste (I used 1/3 of a lime). Yum!  If you aren't worried about FODMAPs this would be delicious with onions and garlic. You can also use a spaghetti squash instead of pumpkin but cook for at least 40 minutes. Strip flesh the same way you would the pumpkin except this squash should be stripped from top to bottom. 

Here's the recipe:

1 pumpkin

1 pound ground beef

1 head broccoli or 1 bag broccoli florets

1 citrus fruit

Coconut oil

1. Cut pumpkin in half, place open side down on oiled cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (for a small pumpkin) or until fork can easily go through skin into flesh.

2. Sautee ground beef in pan until cooked.

3. When pumpkin is done, scrape "noodles" by running a fork along the diameter of the pumpkin flesh so it comes out in long strips.

4. Melt T+ of coconut oil in a large pan.  Add broccoli and sautee (or, alternately, you can boil the broccoli).  

5. Zest 1/2 of a citrus fruit (I used lime).

6. Add the pumpkin and zest to the pan with the sauteed broccoli, then add ground beef.  Combine, reheating if necessary.

7. Place in bowl or on plate, juice 1/3 of a small citrus fruit over the dish.

8. Enjoy!

What do you think? Do you have a favorite AIP-friendly ground beef recipe?

This recipe was posted at "Real Food Wednesdays."  Check it out for other great ideas. 

"Latte"

I spent some time yesterday with a wonderful group of women who also strive to live a healthy lifestyle.  It was much needed because I've been struggling with the limitations of my diet.  It is really encouraging to be with people who are so supportive and understanding and so fun to try all the scrumptious goodies people bring to share!  I made a mashed sweet potato dish that I need to tweak a little more before posting - coming soon!

I think this is turning into "squash" week.  One of my favorite treats yesterday was a totally coffee, milk-free latte.  It was a brilliant idea: apple cider, pumpkin puree, and coconut milk.  Super yummy!  They were served in adorable espresso cups and made me feel like a super-normal coffee drinker!  :D  Sometimes I think the presentation is just as important as the way something tastes.  It really "enhances" an enjoyable food experience.  I made my own variation this morning with what I had on hand:

1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup butternut squash puree
1/3 cup leftover coconut "milk" (mostly water)
cinnamon to taste

I heated all three on the stove at a low temperature until well combined, poured into a mud, and sprinkled the top with cinnamon.  This made enough to almost fill a regular-size mug.  Next time I'll use an espresso cup to limit my fructose consumption.  I should just need a little bit to make me happy in the morning!

The latte yesterday with pumpkin puree and true coconut milk was much better.  Hopefully I'll be able to make a "real" one soon!

I Refuse to Give Up Brunch

I am completely used to not eating typical breakfast foods.  It has been a year and a half since I've had a typical American breakfast.  No grains (pastries, muffins, miss those pancakes!), no eggs (bummer, so good for you!), no coffee (I love it, it doesn't love me), no yogurt (although I'd do raw yogurt for a snack).  My typical breakfast is meat and veggies.  I try to be creative with what I have, but it can get a little old until I come up with something new (like this amazing stuffing!  pork, lots of veggies, fat, perfect!).  My husband and I have always loved breakfast, especially Sunday breakfast.  The day after our wedding we had a blast cooking pancakes in our apartment.  They were fabulous and had a couple incarnations over the years as our health journey transpired.  They started as the perfect IHOP-worthy white flour pancakes, then became whole wheat as we figured out how to work with whole wheat flour, and eventually became garbanzo flour pancakes.  Now that I can't have garbanzo beans we've had to give them up (they were the perfect grab-and-go snack), but we are NOT going to give up our Sunday brunch.  When Mark is home on Sundays we love going to early Mass and coming back to a fun family brunch.  Lately I've struggled with what to do for brunch.  Being together as a family is the most important part, but having some treat to look forward to is a big part of the excitement.  We've tried a few things.  Plantain pancakes were pretty good, coconut flour pancakes were better, but I am trying to limit the amount of coconut I eat due to the high FODMAP level.  I get really exciting when I can add more vegetables into my meals so here is what we tried today:

Acorn Squash with Coconut Cream

1 Acorn Squash
1 Can Coconut Milk
1 T Maple Syrup (I used Grade A, but prefer Grade B)
Cinnamon
Salt
Coconut Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut acorn squash in half, de-seed, and lay each side open side down on glass baking dish pre-coated generously with coconut oil.

3. Place in oven to cook for 40 minutes.

4. Open can of coconut milk, scrape cream off top (most sites say to make sure the can has been refrigerated over night, but in my experience the cream and water are almost always separated from the get-go.  Mine actually mixed together when I stuck it in the fridge) leaving the coconut water in the can.  A little water in your cream or a little cream left in your water isn't a big deal.  Place in mixer with maple syrup and beat on high until whipped.  Refrigerate.

This is what our coconut cream looked like when done with whipping.

5. Once the acorn squash has cooked for 40 minutes, heat oven to low broil and flip squash so the open side is up.  Check squash after 5 minutes, rotate if necessary.

This is what our squash looked like right out of the oven with a dollop of coconut oil.

6. Pull squash out of oven, place a large spoonful of coconut oil in each opening.  With a fork, poke holes in squash to let the coconut oil drain down into the flesh.

7. Let squash cool to desired temperature and sprinkle with cinnamon and salt to taste.

8. If desired, put a dollop of whipped coconut cream in center of each squash.  If the squash is still hot the coconut cream will melt (which does taste yummy) so, if you would like it to stay more "whipped" let the squash cook to room temperature.

9. Cherish!!!

We thoroughly enjoyed these.  We tried them with and without the coconut cream and both ways were delicious.  They were also super filling; we were SO STUFFED just halfway through the squash.  I made another squash recipe today that I need to tweak.  Maybe I'll have to make "Squash Sunday" a thing!  What is your favorite squash recipe?

Why My Stomach and My Shins Love Apple Cider Vinegar

And that was my reasoning today.  But it wasn't because I couldn't get enough to eat, just because I couldn't get enough to control my stress.  I've never had a problem with stress until I had to become an adult.  :D  From middle school through pre-pregnancy marriage I could handle anything thrown my way.  I felt like super woman, getting 4 hours of sleep on school nights because I was too focused to stop working.  If I got 4 hours of sleep now I would't be able to stand!

The week has been a little more overwhelming than most.  Or maybe everything was pent up for so long I reached my capacity to handle it.  After a sanity/family-time hiatus from school, James went back this week.  I know it is important for him and good to get back on a routine, but it take 3 hours to get everyone ready and out the door every morning (or 2.5 if the only things I do for myself are shower and eat breakfast). The little one is teething which makes for some very unpleasant sleeping and difficult feeding sessions.  I have got to find an amber necklace for her soon, her bracelet just isn't doing enough.  I have to find another way to handle my stress besides eating.  Honestly, I think that is the hardest part of maintaining the AIP protocol, not having the insane "give me everything in the grocery store to shove in my face NOW" look that the brunette in the picture has.  I did a lot of brainstorming for comfort food that won't tip the scales and turn my intestines into a broken garbage disposal so I hope to have some new recipes coming your way (or maybe more importantly, my way) soon!

I've been thinking about apple cider vinegar a lot lately.  Probably because I've had several conversations about it this week.  That is bound to happen when I throw back a shot of liquid that looks like apple juice, but makes me shudder right before each meal.  I've used ACV off and on for a year and a half now.  Right now I am back "on".  I have problems with low levels of stomach acid which means my food doesn't digest well enough to be absorbed and used by my body.  This is especially true with protein.  We realized something was wrong when I noticed bruises all over my legs and couldn't remember a cause for them.  These weren't the normal mommy bruises, the "I smashed my leg putting my kid in the car seat" bruises.  When I brought it up with my nutritionist she understood the problem and said that I should start using the ACV undiluted (I usually diluted it in water) to give my body the extra kick it needed.  There is a noticeable difference in my energy and resilience now that my body has  this simple digestive aid.  I hope I won't have to add another digestive aid on top of the ACV; we'll see how it goes.

So, what does ACV do for you?  As I've found, taken right before meals, it enhances the acidity of the stomach to aid in the digestion of food.  It also helps ease heartburn which is usually caused by a lack (NOT an overabundance) of digestive enzymes in the stomach.  Most physicians (even Web MD and Dr Oz :D) recognize multiple other benefits of ACV even if they emphasize these benefits are unproven.  This website has a good list of 12 benefits of ingesting ACV.  My favorite effect of ACV is the warming sensation I get in my stomach.  When I eat a diet full of protein, vegetables, and fats I often don't feel "full" the same way I did on my starch-heavy diet, but while on a starch-heavy diet I feel full, but not nutritionally satisfied (my body craves the nutrients it misses).  The ACV counteracts this frustrating effect so my stomach doesn't feel empty even after a full meal.  My shins are happy, too, now that my body can handle and use the protein I digest and my legs aren't covered in black spots.  Well, I still have the mommy bruises.  :D

If you are looking for good-quality ACV, check out Bragg's brand (I've only found the bulk size pictured above once at Wegmans.  It was amazing.).  You can find it in most stores now.       Any other ACV lovers out there?

Hamburgers with Sage Leeks (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Allergy-free, Paleo, AIP-friendly)

The kids got up on the early side this morning.  Sometimes James wakes up crying unexplainably.  I think he gets overtired when lots of fun things are going on and just looses it, even after a good night of sleep.  He's had a lot going on the past week with family in town and I think he is almost recovered from no naps and late nights.  He was more than happy to miss naps and stay up late to hang out with his awesome grandparents, aunts, and uncles.  

On early mornings like this it is really nice to have pre-made breakfast in the fridge.  Usually, breakfast consists of our homemade pork sausage that we make twice a week and whatever veggies sound good at 7AM.  This morning, luckily, I had some turkey soup (celery, carrots, turnips, turkey, rosemary, broth, yum!)  and a sweet potato leftover, but, my go-to leftovers have become my hamburgers with sage leeks.  I LOVE a good hamburger, but, since I can't eat anything that goes on burgers (tomatoes are a nightshade, onions are high FODMAP, cheese aggravates my digestive inflammation, I'm not eating raw food so no lettuce, and definitely no bun!  yeah, I'm a mess.) our relationship hasn't been the best as of late.  I tried just mixing the patties with my cauliflower, broccoli, carrot mix, but it just isn't appetizing.  My favorite pre-FODMAP-issues soup was onion-leek.  Since cutting onions out of my diet I just didn't know what to do with the long, leafy leeks.  I had to do something before they went bad (although, they take awhile to go bad)!  I threw them in a pan, added a couple things, layered them over my burger, and ta-da!  My new favorite recipe!  I made a large batch so I had plenty for future burgers.  If you plan to re-heat these on the stove I would recommend watching your initial cook time so they won't have to fry when they are cooked a second time.  Here is the recipe!  I'm not good at specific measurements, I always eye everything.  When I make these again I'll try to update with actual measurements.

Hamburgers w/ sage leeks and apple-orange sauerkraut.

Sage Leeks

Ingredients:

Leeks, chopped in 1/2 inch strips (I usually use two packs from Wegmans.  Each pack contains three small or two large leeks.)

Coconut oil (I use about 1T to initially coat pan and add more as needed.)

Juice of one lemon

Sage (spice)

Salt (I use Real Salt)

Tumeric (spice) - optional

Directions:

1. Melt coconut oil in large pan.

2. Add leeks.

3. Pour lemon juice over leeks.

4. Sprinkle top of leeks with sage until covered in a light layer. 

5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft and slightly transparent.

6. Sprinkle small amount of tumeric (no more than half the amount of sage) and salt on top of leeks, stir to combine.

These can be poured liberally over a hamburger patty or two.  I also add fermented ginger carrots as a condiment over my hamburger-leek mixture and it is delicious!

To see more of Real Food Wednesdays, check out Kelly the Kitchen Kop!