Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Hey there, I have been gone for while- but believe me, in my mind I have written a million posts and thought a zillion thoughts! We have had some strange goings on in this household. Some physical, some emotional and some spiritual. It's been a ride to say the least, and I've been thinking a lot about a lesson I learned several years ago about BALANCE.

It's not a big word, but it is a HARD word to pull off in life. I've been thinking about HEALTH, what it means, how to find it, and how to use BALANCE to optimize awesome HEALTH.

And I've been thinking about all the trends that are in our world today! There are a TON of them- too many to really process- and I've been trying to wade through them all.

And I've been thinking about TECHNOLOGY- and wondering how much it really impacts the other three: BALANCE, HEALTH & TRENDS! I am hoping to make some changes, so bear with me while I do so, but I am ready to be off and running with all these thoughts and hopefully impact your life for the better. Stay Tuned

Tropical BBQ Burger

I really like a nice, fat,
JUICY
chicken burger-

It is the one thing that I like better
at restaurants than I do homemade...
That is until Now!!

This was such a simple little
creation-
I've said that before,
but really
SO SIMPLE,
but oh so juicy, tasty and delicious.

We had some really big chicken breasts,
and I cut them in half.
I lightly coated them with olive oil
and lime juice and a little salt and pepper.
We grilled them until they were almost
perfectly cooked and than we spread a
mixture of apricot preserves and lime juice
on each side, letting them cook just long
enough to glaze the chicken.

At the same time,
we put big slices of FRESH pineapple
on the grill.
OH, my mouth is watering as I type.

Top your bun with whatever condiments
you like-
I didn't use anything because I am not
a condiment lover at all!

Pile in your bun-
a deliciously glazed chicken breast,
provolone cheese,
a pineapple slice,
a few avocado slices and
a few basil leaves
(or lettuce if you'd rather)

And now you have put Red Robin
to shame...

We ate it with some roasted carrots
and asparagus,

& this delicious Arugula Salad
and I'd say it was a pretty delicious,
light summer dinner.

Enjoy!

Last summer, I had a strange
and frustrating weight gain
thing going on!!

I was so frustrated and finally
called a nutritionist friend of mine.
She analyzed my food and exercise
and determined that I was eating
TOO FEW calories and not enough Protein!

Well hold on there, little Missy,
the only way I know to add more
calories is to add more treats-
but I knew that wasn't what I was looking for.

So in a search for recipes that would
support post-cleanse life,
bring calories and would also
taste yummy for the kiddos,
I found this delicious Chicken Salad.

I am going to tell you,
right here and right now,
that this isn't fancy--
can I just make that my
overall disclaimer!!
THIS IS NOT FANCY!

But it is YUMMY,
oh so YUMMY!!
It is light enough for a summer
lunch or dinner.
Easy enough to pack on a picnic,
and tasty enough to eat often.
Plus ALL my kiddos liked it
even the pickiest of the picky's
will eat it.

Chicken Salad Wrap

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
green onions
freshly ground black pepper
fresh dill
diced celery
red pepper flakes

I didn't give you any measurements for a few
reasons. First of all, I don't care for mayonnaise,
so I use the smallest amount possible. And to be
honest, I think the entire recipe is subject to
your own preferences. I like that I can add
everything but the mayo and mustard and pack
in a picnic cooler. Than I just add the condiments
when we are ready.

I serve this in many ways, the pictures above
are on a wrap with cucumbers and red onions
and lettuce. Add red peppers, feta cheese
or spinach too.
Simple-
but easy and light!!

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

DO NOT RUN AWAY SCARED!!

On a recent trip to Nashville, TN
(is there any other Nashville??)

we pulled a Peterson!

What's a Peterson you ask?
Well a "Peterson" is when you
become overly and compulsively
obsessed about something-
okay, OKAY, OKAY
that something is most likely FOOD!

We went to every small bakery we could
find that sells Cupcakes-

and for us, the smaller, quainter the bakery
the better!

Completely on accident, we discovered this 
adorable little bakery in an old house.

The owners still live in the house,
with their daughters and cook from their
kitchen-
it is amazing! I absolutely loved this place

we went back twice in one day!!
Well we asked what was the FAVORITE and 
as if angels sang from on high-
the gals all said "Sweet Potato"-
"Well no thanks" says I,
but my husband said
"I'll take 2".
Well my Sweet Lemonade Cupcake 
was good, 
but it weren't nothin' compared to his
little Sweet Potato Cupcake
(which explains why we went back)

Well, my kids have been obsessing about
this cupcake since we got home,
especially the oldest daughter who wasn't 
with us for this trip.

As we searched for recipes and ideas,
we came across a recipe for a healthy 
version of a Sweet Potato Cupcake-
I have one daughter who is very carefully
monitoring her sugar/dairy/gluten right now
so this seemed like a PERFECT recipe to try!

They were GOOD! 
As with most gluten/dairy/sugar free stuff
it was different-
but not so different that we cared!

So if you find yourself limited in one 
of these little sections 

than you might want to give these 
little treasures a chance.

We didn't want to mess with frosting,
so we made a little maple glaze

and than topped them with whipped
cream- our dairy free friends used
a soy option! Than we sprinkled a 
little cinnamon & sugar on top.

 Sweet Potato Cupcakes

1 cup sweet potato puree

1/2 almond milk 

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup sucanat (or raw cane sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp ginger, grated

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

(You can use any gluten free flour too)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt 

Preheat oven to 350°F and line pan with cupcake liners. 

In a large bowl mix sweet potato, milk, vinegar, oil, 

sucanat, vanilla and ginger. In another bowl sift together

the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 

Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry, careful not to

over mix. 

Scoop a few tablespoons of the batter into the cupcake
liners, about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes, or to
pass the toothpick test. Let cool in a covered dish.


MAPLE FROSTING

1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2T cornstarch
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 t vanilla

In a small saucepan mix the milk and cornstarch
until they are dissolved. Add the syrup and using a
fork or whisk, stir the mixture over medium heat
until it is thick. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile,
 cream the butter and vanilla until they are well
mixed and then beat in the cooled syrup mixture.
Beat on high until the frosting is fluffy.

*** I will say, ours never got really fluffy. It was
more like a glaze. So we glazed the cupcake
with it and used whipped topping (a soy version
for our lactose free gal) and sprinkled with
sugar & cinnamon mix. YUM. 

Steak Fajita Salad

I started off with some
deliciously seasoned flank steak
and peppers & yellow squash that
had been roasted barely to al dente,

I made a bed of spring greens & spinach

topped that bed with a delightful
spread of the peppers and steak,
along with some thin slices of red onion
and zucchini 

and topped that with some fresh
bleu cheese.

I combined some
olive oil and some specialty Balsamic Vinegar-

-I used a Current Balsamic,
but any deep flavored Balsamic would work-
and mixed them together with a little sea salt
and shallots to make a deep & rich
dressing-

Add a homemade
Whole Wheat Crescent Roll

And Voila-
my new favorite salad-
at least until tomorrow

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I found this pancake recipe many years ago
in a fitness magazine. It is originally
from a spa in Utah that focuses on
health and wellness.

I forget about this recipe ALL the
time and I don't know why.

My family LOVES these pancakes,and they are a wonderful way to
start the day.

The fresh fruit cooks right into
the batter, which gives them a
fun little extra oomph.

Because the fruit adds so much
extra flavor,

we use very little syrup on them-

less sugar to start the day-
Can't help lovin' that!

And of course,
for the picky face eaters in the house,
I make some without the berries-

I just can't believe they are soo picky!!
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes w/ Fruit

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3 TBSP. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 TBSP. maple syrup
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. milk
1 c. berries ***
2 1/2 TBSP. canola oil

***I stewed a mixture of blackberries,
raspberries and blueberries. I added
the zest & juice of 1/2 orange.
 
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining
ingredients except for oil and berries; mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth.

Lightly coat griddle with canola oil (don't skip this
& don't use spray)

Ladle approximately 3 T. batter on griddle
& sprinkle with 1 T. berries. Cover berries
with additional 1 T. batter and cook until
bubbles form. Flip and cook until other
side is golden brown.

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

I have used the same recipe for
Crescent Rolls for over 15 years!!

I have seen others,
I have considered others,
BUT I never, ever actually
MAKE any other recipe!

My Motto-
"Don't fix what ain't broken"

But white flour is really NOT my friend
right now, so these rolls have been
out of my life for quite some time.

I volunteered to bring rolls to
Easter Dinner at a friends house,
so I decided to make some
the same way as always.
But I decided to make a batch
using fresh ground whole wheat.

I was way skeptical-
one of the things that makes these
rolls so amazing is that they are so
light and airy,
and I had my doubts that I could
get that same consistency with
whole wheat.

The dough rose to perfection

Once rolled & shaped, they again rose perfectly

I was WRONG!!!
These worked wonderfully,
Tasted amazing
and I could enjoy every bite!

 Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

3 cups whole wheat flour ***
1 c. scaled milk
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. warm water
1 TBSP. yeast
1 egg

*** You can use a combination of wheat & white
flour if you would like.

Soften yeast in warm water. Mix milk, margarine,
sugar and salt. Let the milk cool enough so it
doesn't kill the yeast. Add yeast and egg. Beat.
Add flour to form a soft dough. Let rise
45 minutes. Punch down and roll dough 1/4"
thick. Roll into circles and cut into pie slices.
Roll from big side to small side into crescent
rolls. Let rise another 20-30 minutes. Bake at
375 degrees for 12 minutes.

* A big tip for this recipe is to keep the dough
as moist as you can to work with it. This keeps
the rolls really light and fluffy, not too heavy.