Cashew "Cream cheese" stuffed Squash Blossoms

Coconut lemongrass chicken soup

Ok, so it's been quite sometime and A LOT of changes but I'm back!  In a new city, actually in a new state!  I've found that finding healthy foods isn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I actually have quite a few options right by our new house and even more if I'm willing to drive 15-30 minutes...

  The best thing I've found has been our local farmers market!  I've been to farmers markets before but nothing like this.  I've been incredibly impressed by my findings in Bentonville, AR.  And everyone is so friendly and knowledgeable.  I especially like that I can ask questions.  So far no one has minded answering them no matter how silly they might be. 

  So I ventured to the farmers market yesterday while my hubby was home with the girls. They'd been running fevers and had runny noses so I wanted to make some hearty healing chicken soup. I found fresh lemongrass and went from there. I hope you enjoy this quick, easy meal as much as we did!

Coconut lemongrass chicken soup

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

4 stalks fresh lemongrass, (white part only) crushed with flat part of knife

2 medium onions sliced thinly

1-2 Thai or cayenne peppers (optional) sliced with stem removed you can remove the seeds or leave them depending on how much heat you want

2 lbs shredded chicken breast or 2 lbs raw chicken cut in strips 

3 tablespoons fish sauce (check labels)

6 cups homemade chicken broth 

1/2-1 can coconut milk

Juice of 2 lemons

Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Freshly sliced scallions for garnish

Thai Basil for garnish

  In medium saucepan or small soup pot add grape seed oil.  Heat over medium heat add lemongrass and sweat for 2 minutes. Add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes more. Add chilies at this time too.  A little crunch is just fine. 

Add chicken and heat through if cooked. If raw cook until white. (1-2 minutes)

Add fish sauce and chicken stock. Simmer over medium- low heat 15-20 minutes until liquid has reduced slightly  This gives it enough time for the flavors to intensify. 

Whisk in coconut milk and lemon juice. Season with sea salt and pepper and garnish with scallions and basil. 

Serve and Enjoy!

Coconut Panna Cotta with raspberry sauce

Panna Cotta has been on my brain lately.  Most recipes call for dairy so I swapped that out with coconut milk.  They also all call for sugar of some sort.  If you lookup sugar free recipes they usually call for Honey.  I'm pretty sure that even if it's raw it still affects your blood sugar.  With my oldest exhibiting signs of type 1 diabetes I'm definitely avoiding all sugar for all of us!  This mean mama isn't even allowing bananas.  She'll get over it though.  :) So I swapped the Honey for Stevita brand Stevia.  it doesn't have a bad after taste like some brands and only has a few fillers.  The fillers are also things I consider ok to use in my diet…

I figured out the hard way that no matter how big of a rush you are in, don't put your panna cotta in the  fridge when they are hot...  They all separated and I had to start over,  thankfully I had a quick and easy dessert to substitute since these wouldn't be ready in time for dinner with my husbands grandmother and Aunt! Thank you Chia pudding! Anyways this dessert is 100% guilt free and actually healthy!

The sauce is best made right before serving your dessert, or before you serve dinner would be fine too.

So while this dessert sounds fancy and hard it's actually really simple.  If you can make jello you can make this.  Enjoy!

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta With Berry Sauce- Serves 6

1/4 cup cold filtered water

1 packet unflavored gelatin or 2 1/2 tsp bulk gelatin

3 1/2 cups coconut milk

pinch of sea salt

Stevita Stevia to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla (check label to make sure its grain free and sugar free)

Metal bowl filled halfway with ice cubes

4 cups fresh or frozen berry of your choice

2 Tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fresh mint to garnish


Place cold water in small bowl, sprinkle gelatin onto and mix together.  Set aside to setup.

Place your dessert bowls, glasses, etc. on a tray with a lip

In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, salt and stevia.  Over medium heat bring to a very gentle boil and then remove from heat immediately.  Whisk in vanilla and gelatin mixture.
Place pan on top of ice cubes and whisk mixture until it is room temperature.

Divide mixture between bowls and cover with plastic wrap.  Carry to fridge carefully and place in a flat spot.  Let chill 5-6 hours or overnight.

Right before dessert place berries, lemon juice in a blender and liquify.  Add water and stevia as needed to get your desired consistency.  You can strain the sauce at this point to remove any seeds, but it isn't vital.

Serve over chilled dessert and top with mint leaves.

Enjoy!!!

Meaty veggie Egg bake

On my last day before I start my cleanse I wanted to make something yummy and warming on this cold day. I also wanted to use up my Veggies I won't be using because of doing the cleanse! Justin is going on "vacation" (as Ellery calls it) for the whole week so it's a good week for me to cleanse. No meals to make. The girls will eat freezer meals and leftovers from this yummy dish!


Meaty Veggie Egg bake (Dairy-free)
Adapted from a recipe from A Finn in the kitchen
Serves 6

1 yellow or white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1cup broccoli florets
1cup sliced baby Bella mushrooms
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef or ground sausage
1 teaspoon Sausage Seasoning (recipe below - omit if using ground sausage)
5 slices bacon (turkey or regular) chopped into small pieces
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably fresh
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 1 1/2- or 2-quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and broccoli until just cooked through. Remove veggies to a bowl.

In the same pan, add another tablespoon olive oil with beef and Sausage Seasoning. Cook until beef is browned. Cook bacon until it's crispy. Drain.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, nutmeg, chives, salt, and pepper.

Add your ingredients to the greased casserole dish in the following order: meat, half of your nutritional yeast, veggies, egg mixture, and remaining yeast.

Bake, uncovered for 40-50 minutes. It's done when the top has browned and there is only a small amount of jiggling (if any) when you shake the dish.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve warm.

Sausage Seasoning
From Practical Paleo (not an affiliate link)
Makes 4 1/2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine in a spice or coffee grinder, or small blender. Store in a small covered container.

Enjoy!