Family Flowers

Many of my flowers that are blooming right now remind me of my mother and grandmothers... and many are actual transplants from their gardens! 

My mom had bleeding hearts when I was growing up and they will always remind me of home.
 

This white iris is from my mom's clump in our back yard at home, where I first fell in love with them! These take me right back to early summer in my teenage years.

This ruffly purple iris is a transplant from my gardening friend, Peggy, but they are almost identical to another one I have from my grandma's yard.

This picture does not do it justice, but these purple iris are so dark they're almost black. They are breathtaking when you inspect them in the sunlight.

These yellow and purple with yellow throats are also from my mom's yard, which she got from my grandma. I am so excited that they are all blooming this year, and that I can keep the legacy going.

This is such a beautiful time of year in the yard. I love being out at dusk and soaking in the smells and last few rays of sunshine.

No-Sugar Catch-Up

 

Day 15: Costco, how I love thee! They carry so many healthy and organic foods at good prices! We eat this Pita Pal hummus almost every day and I feel good about it because it's made with organic olive oil instead of soybean or canola. I even figured out how to get raw carrots into my baby--food process them and add then to hummus!

And Costco had samples of these sugar free Belgian chocolates today.... My first chocolate all month, and that's sayin' somethin'!
  

Day 16: Granola, a heavenly food. This is my family's favorite breakfast, afternoon treat, and midnight snack... Which is why we're always out. Supply can't keep up with demand!

Granola
6 cups oats
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup chopped raw almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup honey
1 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix grains, nuts, seeds, and coconut. Pour oil and honey over and stir well. Spread on two baking sheets and bake at 300 for 15 minutes. Add raisins and cinnamon and stir. Bake 15 more minutes, stir again and allow to cool.
 

Day 17: Watermelon on a hot day is so refreshing! Bring on summer!

Day 17 addendum... My sister Dana gave us the idea of watermelon slushies and my kids would not leave me alone until I tried it! It was so refreshing and sweet--and easy!! I used 2 cups watermelon, 2 strawberries, 2 cups ice, 1 tsp lemon juice, and blended till smooth.

Day 18: Berry salad. We love the "nuts about berries" salad at Zupas so we do our own knock-off version. A bowlful of spinach, 3-4 strawberries sliced, a handful of frozen blueberries, and handful of almonds, and cinnamon vinaigrette: 1/8 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or white), 1 tbsp honey, and a few shakes of cinnamon.

Day 19: Do anyone else's kids get hungry again after dinner? It's getting worse now that it's light longer and they play hard outside. I feel like I need to lock the kitchen sometimes! This was a good solution a few nights ago... Carmelized pears: 2 pears quartered. Place cut side down in a small baking dish. Top with 3 tbsp honey, 3 tbsp water, 2 tbsp butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. This was a win for kids' tummies and Mom's sanity! 

Snobby Joes and Sweet Potato Fries

Day 14: 'Snobby' Joes were well named, because although the boys and I thought they were tasty, the girls turned up their noses snobbishly. Good thing we also had sweet potato fries, of which we could have eaten triple the amount! For those you cut a sweet potato (or three) into thing spears, place on a baking sheet, and dab with 2 tbsp coconut oil. Roast at 400 for 15 minutes, stir and roast another 15 minutes or until desired cripsness.

Snobby Joes (adapted from Isa Chandra at Post Punk Kitchen)

1 cup lentils
4 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 red or orange pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Bread or buns for serving.

Place lentils with water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and set aside.

Saute onion, peppers, and garlic in oil until soft. Add seasonings, tomato sauce, and drained lentils and simmer until combined.

Planting the Veggie Garden!

We interrupt this recipe mania to say that we planted the garden last Saturday! The kids were great little seed planters, although if spacing is wacky I blame it all on them.

We planted a row each of carrots (a rainbow heirloom variety!), beets, beans (x2), butternut squash, cucumbers, and mammoth sunflowers. We planted two groupings of zucchini, 3 mounds of pumpkins (small, medium, and large varieties!), 8 tomatoes, half a row of cantaloupe, and half a row of watermelon. I am trying interval planting with the corn, just doing one row a week so we can harvest it over a longer period!

A week ago we planted our red potatoes and a row of onions, and we're anxiously waiting for them to sprout! Planting always makes me nervous, but usually those little seeds amaze me!

More No-Sugar Challenge Recipes

Thanks to everyone who follows me for letting me overload you on pictures of food. It really is helping me be accountable during our challenge, but I'm sorry if I'm driving anyone crazy! I am putting each day here on my blog so I can refer back to it.

Day 7: Black bean and sweet potato burritos for dinner! The veggies are roasted to perfection in coconut oil and I think it's better than candy!

1 sweet potato, 1 bell pepper, 1/2 red onion-- all diced.
Add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp salt, papper to taste.
Roast in 1 tbsp coconut oil at 400 for 20 minutes.
Add a can of black beans and juice of one lime. (Cilantro, chopped, if you want.)
Fill whole wheat tortillas and top with a little cheese, then roll up. 
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

I also made the tortillas for this dinner, and if you are interested in the recipe I got it here.

I make a couple of variations... I usually use olive oil instead of avocado oil. It works better for me to roll them out on my cutting board because they stick less than on the counter. Also, I divide the dough into 8 portions instead of 12 so they are a little bigger.

Day 8: Night off of kitchen duty!!! We went out for our 11th anniversary to Zupas and a movie... So refreshing and relaxing. We talked about eating the chocolate strawberries, but knew we'd have to answer to our kids, so we ate them plain... And they were still delicious!

Day 9: What's for lunch? If it's not leftovers, it's a sandwich on whole wheat bread. I pack them for my family too---Mike would eat pb&j every day (twice a day) if he could. :) Bread gets a bad rap but if it's organic (non gmo) and you're not gluten intolerant. whole grains are good for you! One og my New Year's resolutions was to eat veggies at every meal. You don't have to buy packaged convenience foods for lunches... Mother Nature made the most convenient ones around! If you want some great kid lunches, search 100daysofrealfood.com 'school lunch' or Instagram #kidseatingwhole.

Day 10: I am in love with grilled pineapple!

Day 11: Mother's Day dinner prepared by my family... they wouldn't let me help! Baked spaghetti and spinach salad tasted even better because I didn't make it. :)

Baked Spaghetti recipe here. A few adaptations... we use whole wheat spaghetti, and replaced one can of tomatoes with one can of tomato sauce. We usually just use the mozzarella and omit the Parmesan, although it would be extra yummy with both!

Day 12: Family Night treat was chocolate coconut banana pops! These were soooo good that everybody asked if we were cheating on the no-sugar challenge! So easy too...

3 bananas, halved
2 tbsp each of coconut oil, natural peanut butter, raw honey, and raw cocoa. Mix and melt over medium heat. Spoon onto each banana pop, then sprinkle with unsweetened coconut flakes. Freeze until ready to eat.

Day 13: Overnight No-Cook Oatmeal. This picture doesn't do it justice... it's so yummy! We use it as a variation to our usual oatmeal, and it's great for hurried mornings because you do the prep the night before. My friend Kim told me about it and then I found lots of variations here. I made the Blueberry Maple version and quadrupled it for our family:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup milk
2 tbsp chia seeds
4 tbsp pure maple syrup

Dump in a jar and shake to combine. Stir in 1 cup blueberries. Refrigerate overnight and devour in the morning!

Carrot Cake Muffins

Last night we went to a bbq and I knew it would be a land mine of sweet temptations. So I armed us with  our own treat made with carrots, honey, applesauce, and whole wheat. It definitely helped... we didn't feel too deprived and we were all strong (it might have been the first time I ever turned down a homemade cookies)! Outta sight, outta mind is definitely the best way to resist sugar, but it is possible to say no!

Carrot Cake Muffins (adapted from melskitchencafe.com)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup shredded carrots

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl, and then combine, mixing only until combined.

Oil muffin tin with coconut oil or use muffin liners. Distribute batter evenly. Sprinkle more cinnamon on top to look pretty. Bake for 18 minutes.

(Makes 12 muffins)

If you like cream cheese frosting with carrot cake (our favorite!), try this healthified version I got from my sister-in-law!

8 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter

Cream together really well and add a teaspoon of vanilla.
Then add sweetener to taste. (I used about 1/4 cup of honey, she used eritherol.)

Add a little milk until the right consistency.  I put it in a frosting bag and piped it onto our muffins.

No Sugar May + Recipes

Some of you have been asking for the recipes I use during our 30 day no-sugar challenge, and if they are too long to post on Instagram I will put them here!

Day 1: Avocado toast! Dave's killer bread, organic good seed variety (from Costco), smothered with organic coconut oil, and topped with half a sliced avocado. I dream about this treat.

I was also eating leftover butternut squash pasta. It was so-so, probably because I used too much onion and didn't have the Parmesan.

Pasta with Butternut Parmesan Sauce

1 butternut squash
8 ounces pasta (recipe calls for penne, I use organic whole wheat spaghetti from Costco)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whole milk (or half and half)
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Water as needed to thin the sauce

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place halves in a glass baking dish cut side down. Add 1/4 cup water and bake for 40 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool , and then scoop out the flesh from the skins. Puree in a food processor.

Cook pasta until al dente. Saute onions in coconut oil until soft. Add squash puree milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Add spices, then water until consistency you want. Pour the sauce over the pasta and top with fresh Parmesan.

Day 2: Granola Balls

1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup raisins (forgot)
1 cup rolled oats

Mix well. Scoop into balls with a tablespoon. Refrigerate.

Day 3: Green smoothie + Saturday whole wheat banana pancakes

Green Smoothie

3 cups water
3 handfuls greens (I get organic power greens--kale, spinach, chard--at Costco)
1 cup frozen berries
1 banana
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp cocoa

Makes about 5 cups. Ideally I would drink it all but I usually share. :) This is totally customizable with and type of fruit!

My smoothie guru and healthy eating superstar is greensmoothiegirl.com. She is my go-to source for health news and information. I trust her opinion over almost anyone. 

Pancake recipe is from 100daysofrealfood.com.

Day 4: Wild Rice Stuffed Squash and Mousse Moussetaches!

I served this with steamed cauliflower sprinkled with cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Mike and I thought the squash was tasty but the kids didn't love it. Good thing we were making a healthy chocolate mousse for dessert!

Wild Rice Stuffed Squash (adapted from The New Whole Grains Cookbook, by Robin Asbell)

3 acorn squash
1 cup wild rice (I used a mix of wild rice and brown rice)
2 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 stalks celery, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup almonds

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut each squash from stem to tip, scoop out seeds, and place cut side down on an oiled baking sheet. Bake about 30 minutes or until soft.

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and rice to a boil on high, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes or until soft. In a small pan saute the celery and onion in the coconut oil until soft. Add marjoram, papper, salt, and nutmeg.


After squash is cool, scoop out the flesh, leaving a little behind to keep the skins from tearing. In a large bowl, mash the flesh and reserve. In a food processor grind the almonds to powder. Add the ground almonds, sauteed mixture, and wild rice to squash bowl and mix thoroughly. Stuff the mixture into the reserved squash shells. Place in a casserole dish and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until heated through.


Healthy Chocolate Mousse

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup honey
2 avocados

Blend until smooth. Chill and serve!