Easy Fruit Salad

This is a simple fruit salad recipe that you can whip up in five minutes. It's perfect for a potluck, picnic, or just to have for a snack that is a little different than plain fruit. I have also done this as a fresh side item with a big Thanksgiving or Easter Dinner.

8 cups cup up fruit (I usually do granny smith apples, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, blueberries, and oranges, but you could do any fruit you like)

1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water
2 drops of peppermint extract (just to make it a little different but you could omit)
Optional*Tbsp raw honey to sweeten*

1. Whisk together the juices and then add fresh fruit and mix well.
2. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Just writing this makes me think that maybe I should make some of this to snack on this weekend! Enjoy!

Rosemary Apple Roasted Chicken

I was looking for a new way to roast my chicken, while still keeping it moist and tasty! This was full of flavor and so simple.

1 whole roasting chicken
1 handful fresh rosemary
1-2 granny smith apples
olive/grapeseed oil
balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper
1 cup water

1. Rinse the chicken and place in roasting pan.
2. Pour 1 cup water into pan.
3. Drizzle chicken with oil and balsamic vinegar.
4. Season with Salt and Pepper and sprinkle fresh rosemary on top and inside the chicken.
5. Cut up apples and surround the chicken with apple slices.
6. Roast at 350 degrees for approximately 90 minutes (basting once midway through to keep moisture in).

I served this with roasted sweet potato fries and steamed vegetables, but it would also be super tasty with a side salad of some sort. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Banana Bread (another recipe)

Banana Bread is a fan favorite in our household, and today I was cleaning out my cupboards and make a batch of super yummy stuff!

5 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup raw honey (agave or raw sugar would also work)
2 organic, eggs
3 mashed, ripe bananas

-Combine wet ingredients. Then add:

1 3/4 cup flour mixture (pamela's gluten-free baking mix would work also)
*1/2 cup almond flour
*1/2 cup brown right flour
*1/2 cup coconut flour
*1/4 cup MILA chia seed
1 tsp. baking soda (omit if you are using baking mix since that is included then)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Mix together well and place into bread loaf pan (I used a mini loaf pan) and cook at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until a knife comes clean. This got a bit brown and crispy on top but stayed moist in the center-I loved it! Enjoy!

Tri-Berry Muffins

Growing up, my dad used to make these super yummy tri-berry muffins but as I changed the way we eat, I realized that these are not at all healthy (I thought they were all those years)-lots of sugar, white flour, etc. So, I tweaked a recipe to make some healthy, high fiber muffins

6 eggs
1/3 cup oil (olive, coconut, grapeseed)
1/3 cup raw, organic honey (agave would also work)
2 tsp. vanilla

*Whisk together until completely combined. Then add:

1/2 cup organic coconut flour
1 scoop MILA chia seed
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt

*Continue Whisking together until well combined and there are no lumps.

*Then, fold in 1 cup (I actually ended up putting in about 1.5 cups) of fresh or frozen berries (I used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries but you could try any combination)

*Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes and enjoy! These were gooey and fruity!

Weekly Meal Ideas

Sunday:
Lunch-Omelets with mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes
Dinner-Taco Soup

Monday:
Lunch-leftover taco soup
Dinner-Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Tuesday:
Lunch-Homemade Salads
Dinner-Crockpot Red Thai Curry

Wednesday:
Lunch-Leftover Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Dinner-Wild Rice stuffed Chicken Breasts with roasted chickpeas

Thursday:
Lunch-Kale Salad, grilled chicken sausages
Dinner-Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Friday:
Lunch-Waffles, chicken sausages, fresh fruit
Dinner-Date night out!

Saturday:Lunch-Leftovers
Dinner-Taco Casserole

Snacks:
Lots of fruit (grapes, cuties, blueberries looked great this week)
Veggies w/ homemade guacamole
Muffins
Raw nuts and raisins

Taco Casserole

Okay, so I've been in a rut lately with making new meals (partially because of lack of time for trying something totally new, also because we're counting pennies so I haven't been buying new ingredients that cost more-unless I know they'll get used, and moreso because my 4 year old has been getting a bit less adventurous-though by most "kid" standards, she is a very brave eater and tries almost anything). So, today, I had a full house of daycare kids but didn't want to make the same old meals anymore, so I created this gluten-free taco casserole and it was super tasty! Of the four kids who ate it, two cleaned their plate in seconds and asked for lots more and the other two ate their entire first helping-pretty good odds! I loved it also!

1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 can organic black beans
1 jar organic salsa (of your choice)
1/4 cup water
2 T taco seasoning (buy a packet without msg or make your own with chili pepper, paprika, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder)

1/3 cup shredded raw, organic sharp cheddar cheese

Topping:
1 cup Pamela's gluten-free baking mix (I'm sure you could use any gluten-free baking mix)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 organic egg

1. Brown the ground beef, then add beans, salsa, water, and taco seasoning and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
2. Mix together baking mix, almond milk, and egg until well combined.
3. Place meat mixture into a 8 x 11 casserole dish (9 x 13 would work well too) and sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Carefully spread the baking mixture on top of the meat/cheese to create a crust on top.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes of until crust is crunchy and golden brown.

I served mine over a small bed of lettuce (the kids didn't even notice) and topped with some homemade guacamole and the kids went wild-I heard lots of yums, ooh, mmmm, etc! Sorry I didn't get a picture before it got eaten, but trust me, it was worth it!

Here's a similar idea that I found online : http://www.preschoolersandpeace.com/pandpblog/2011/3/27/gluten-free-taco-bake.html

Massage Kale Salad

1 large bunch kale
1/4 cup red onion (I would omit next time or else chop large so it can be removed-the flavor was great but I don't care for raw onions)
Raw sunflower seeds
1 granny smith apple
Handful craisins
Sea Salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Massage the kale with sea salt until it wilts/shrivels-2-3 minutes (perfect job for my 4 year old)
2. Cut onions and apples and toss with sunflower seeds and craisins into the kale.
3. Add the vinegar and olive oil and mix together.

Really, you could add/omit any vegetables, nuts, or seeds to make this salad different. It was light and refreshing as an appetizer, but would be super tasty as a meal with a grilled chicken breast or grilled fish. Next time, I might also add some cucumbers and cherry tomatoes! My 4 year old gobbled up all but the onions of this yummy and super healthy salad!