irish cabbage (allrecipes dot com UK!)

i'm a little late posting, but we made this dish in honor of our irish (we have a few!) roots during march.

it's part of our awesome journey with allrecipes.com, and we were invited to visit the UK allrecipes site (yep, there is one!).  although the cabbage and bacon are a good mix, the nutmeg (oh, how i love nutmeg, especially fresh grated, as here!)... seemed to somehow bring out a metallic taste with the vinegar and cabbage combination.  next time, i'll either leave out the nutmeg (gasp!) or try braising this baby down into caramelly-cabbage-deliciousness.  hhmmm... maybe it needs to be irish month again!

(in case you'd like to make this dish, head on over to the UK allrecipes.com for irish cabbage!)

these people...

are my life.  they make every day worth getting up for, and getting back on my knees for.  :)

i {heart} blue cheese. (and a bit of my food philosophy)

with all my talk of the Paleo lifestyle, i may have been remiss in saying that i am not permanently (at this point) removing non-Paleo-friendly foods completely from our menu.  i have not given up dairy, and i do allow myself "cheat" days.  at this part of my journey, i still think it's important to allow for this (keep ya posted if it changes); i don't want anything to become my "god" when it comes do diet.  i do, however, still have a desire to move toward "cleaner" eating, and incorporate principles that honor my body as it was created... and encourage our friends and family to do the same!
sooooo, that being said, here's the ahh-mazing appetizer i made for our Easter dinner with friends!

this is the oh-so-delicious blue cheese with capers and red onion from my beloved allrecipes.com.  modeled by my beautiful friend brenda.  don't you love her nail polish?  :)  i had every intention of making grain-free crackers for those (me!) who wanted them, but alas, it didn't happen.  i tried this with the veggies i had out, but ended up having the crackers.  next time, i will make my own.  trust me - make this. now. it takes about thirty seconds and it is all that.  i promise.  (and if you've got more time than i did? make these!)

thai-indian fusion chicken soup {paleo soup recipe}

we all battled a nasty cold a few weeks back and i was craving something warming with lots of healing ginger, garlic, and onions.  this concoction grew out of a love for the spices and after i posted a teaser to my facebook page, i was obliged to share the recipe!  enjoy.  :)

Thai-Indian Fusion Chicken Soup

Angela Sackett - March 2012

Ingredients:

3- 4 chicken breasts, cubed

4 stalks celery

Large onion

Three large carrots

Three garlic cloves

One inch ginger, grated

1 carton cherry tomatoes

1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil

Tsp garam masala

Tsp cumin

Tsp coriander

Seasoning blend

Tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 can light coconut milk

32 oz chicken broth

1/4 cup lime juice

2 Tbsp dried coconut

1 lime, quartered

Directions:

Sautee chicken in oil, seasoning to taste.  When cooked through, set aside.  Chop celery, carrots, and onion, and add to pan once chicken has been removed.  Sautee until onion and celery begin to turn translucent, adding garlic and ginger after 3-4 minutes.  Stir in garam masala, cumin, coriander, and seasoning blend and add cherry tomatoes, using the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to "pop" approximately half of the tomatoes; add the chicken back in.  Stir in chili sauce, coconut milk, broth, and lime juice.  Simmer 10-15 minutes and serve in bowls sprinkled with coconut.  Serve with lime quarters so juice can be added to taste.

(Disclaimer: I'm attempting to use my iPhone more for photos, but i won't lie, i'm not the best iPhone shooter.  add to that, this isn't the prettiest dish, and the photos don't sell it.  but trust me on this: if you make it, you'll love it.  it's rich and spicy, hearty and delicious.  leave me a comment and tell me you agree!  :)  )

you know you want some!

enjoy!

Good Morning, Sunshine! {Paleo Breakfast Recipe}

adopting a healthier eating pattern has had the added gift of learning to appreciate what food really tastes like.  i'm prayerfully listening to my body, teaching it again what is truly good, and letting it tell me what, of that, it wants and needs.  (do I sound like a nut?)  one of my favorite breakfasts was inspired by a gorgeous blog post on Left on Amelia. she calls it "the bowl of yum."  i've adapted it to whatever's in the pantry and seeming "yum" to me of a morning.  this morning it was almond butter, bananas, my beloved Chia seeds, raw, unsweetened coconut,  chopped frozen cherries (give them a whizz in your mini food processor or chop with a knife or chopper) and a drizzle of coconut milk.  and hello, happy.

 

for more info on the ingredients i used and why (besides that they taste awesome), leave a comment below and i'll create a post!

The Critical Thinking Company {Florida Homeschool Resource}

For a while we've loved a company called The Critical Thinking Company as a great resource for creative educational materials.  Recently they contacted us to review a couple of their books, and we were happy to do so!  Excitedly we opened our box a few days later (delivered by our favorite Fed-Ex guy) to discover Crypto Mindbenders: Famous Quotations, Crypto Mind Benders:Classic Jokes, and Inference Jones: Beginning.

We couldn't wait to pull them out and try our hand at some mind-benders!  We've discovered that not only our students, but mom and dad love them, too!  We've raced to finish them and see who can best beat the tricky puzzles to find famous quotes and silly jokes.

One of my favorite attributes to the series is that it comes with limited printing rights, allowing us to copy pages to use within our family - thus saving us money and allowing us to grab more Critical Thinking products!

(This one looks focused... he loves the puzzles but hates photos - go figure.  :) )

 

I was especially excited about Inference Jones, a workbook designed to increase students' reading comprehension and allow them to interact with reading selections.  Our third/fourth grader is growing in his reading skill and speed, but I wanted a way to assure that he was comprehending the material, and the exercises are short enough to prevent frustration, and clear enough that it's easy for teacher to evaluate success.

So do I recommend?  Wholeheartedly!  Critical Thinking products are well-priced, easy to use, and both fun and educational.

haystack alternatives {Fiber One Recipe}

 

looking for a sweet treat that won't undo all your new-year-hard-work on your healthier-you? head over to my fave allrecipes.com and check out the Fiber One Chocolate-Peanut Butter Haystacks recipe!

three simple ingredients: peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, and Fiber One Cereal.

you're going to microwave the chips/peanut butter for about a minute, but be sure to stop and stir halfway.  your chips will not look melted right away, but stir, stir, stir, and pretty soon you'll have chocolate-peanut-butter-yumminess.

now stir in your Fiber One cereal.

because i can't ever leave a recipe alone, and just to add some "oomph" in flavor and fiber, we added some raw, unsweetened, dried coconut (about 2 tablespoons).

now drop your cereal by rounded teaspoon-fulls onto your baking sheet. (the recipe says to use wax paper to keep from sticking; if you're fortunate enough to have a silpat baking mat, use that!)

...and chill till firm (if you can wait that long!).  if it's winter, just put 'em by the cool window and in about an hour they'll be ready!

now enjoy.  (and if you're going for a healthier lifestyle, watch your portion... it would be easy to eat a LOT of these!!)

(**a personal note: for me, i've discovered grains are not, on a regular basis, my best feel-good food. i've adopted a Paleo-lifestyle for about 75% of my diet (i do eat dairy).  i allow myself cheat days but often find that even when i plan to "cheat," i don't want to... i just feel better.  this recipe is, however, a great alternative to the traditional recipe, kicking up the fiber content, and it was a perfect afternoon snack for our kiddos!)