Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a favorite of my husband and now is one of mine since making it more from scratch and adding in mushrooms, onions, etc.  I have made the recipe from 100 Days of Real Food and it was good, but I like to save on time when I can. Especially when I am making the whole feast! So this year I am using Onion Strings from Trader Joe's.

Grean Bean Casserole

(prepped and ready to bake)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Organic EVOO
• 1 Tbps Grass-fed Butter
• 1 small container of button mushrooms (or a type of your choosing)
• 1/4 cup sweet onion diced (or shallot)
• minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
• 1 Tpsp Soy Sauce or Tamari Sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 carton of Pacific Condensed Mushroom or Trader Joe's Brand 
• Sea Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 4-6 cups of Organic frozen or fresh green beans
• Trader Joe's Fried Onion Pieces or you can make your own. (Find out how here: French Fried Onions )
• 1 Tbsp Thyme -optional

Directions:

1) Add EVOO to pan and saute garlic, mushrooms and onions under tender over medium heat.

2)  Add soy sauce, water, condensed mushroom and butter and reduce heat. Stir until butter has melted.

3) In a casserole dish add the green beans (Mine were long so I had to break in half), add the mixture and stir well.

4) Add onion pieces to the top right before baking.

5) Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes until green beans are tender. (It make take longer)

NOTE: I am not precooking my greens beans like many recipes say to do. I will report back, but I am confident they will be fine cooking at a lower temp for a longer time. 

You can also raise the temp for the last 5 minutes to help get the onion pieces nice and crispy.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Dairy Free Cinnamon Rolls

I have yet to come up with an icing for this but I wanted to get it posted for you. My kids both liked them without icing, but, of course,  love icing (aka more sugar) and would LOVE it even more then. 

Dairy Free Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup powdered cane sugar (or try regular cane sugar)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3-5 Tbps Coconut Oil (I recommend Barlean's) + a little extra (or use organic butter)
• 3/4 Coconut Milk, Vanilla (I used sweetened)
• 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (grounded to fine preferred)
• 2 Tbps cinnamon

Directions:

1) Add flour, sugar, salt and coconut oil to a bowl and combine. (I melted my coconut oil first)

2) Heat the 3/4 cup of coconut milk for 45 seconds in microwave to reach around 120 degrees.  Add vanilla and yeast to milk and let sit for about 2-3 minutes. It will look frothy.

3)Add the wet to the dry. Mix well. Then knead if necessary for a couple of minutes until it can form a ball.

4) Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick rectangle that is about 12 inches long. (make more out of the scraps, until all is gone)

5) Combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon in a Vitamix or any blender (or simple mix by hand without)

6) Coat the dough with melted coconut oil with your fingers (or brush). Sprinkle heavily with the coconut sugar/cinnamon mixture.

7) Cut long strips in the dough (about 1 inch wide).

8) Roll the strips into a cinnamon roll shape and place on a nonstick pan.

9) Bake at 350 for about 13-15 minutes.

NOTE: I had leftover coconut sugar/cinnamon mixture I will save for another recipe. 

Giving Back {a blessing to all}

My husband's new job is awesome in the fact that the owner challenges his employees to GIVE BACK. He even starts off the challenge with giving his employees money to give to others. If you ask me, there isn't many employers doing this these days. Especially in the hands on type of way this one does. 

My husband shared with me a story from a fellow employee sharing his story of himself and his wife, Jen, on their journey to give back. I wanted to share this with you to show you how being aware of others around you can truly open your eyes to the hurt and struggles others are experiencing. 

Going into the Christmas season, Jen and I had a plan and knew what we were going to do with the Giving Challenge cash and our personal donations. 

 Throughout the year, along with our in-laws, we had been helping a mother who is battling cancer, and her three children.  They live in a “house” with roaches scurrying across their dirt floors, and little more than state assistance to get them by.  Every time the mom is able to get a job, they lose their state aid, which barely makes it worthwhile.  The plan was to help them as much as we could.  That was the plan.  I like plans.  Then, on 11/21 at the company meeting, the match was rolled out.  Jackpot!  I worked out an “arrangement” with Scott (he's the owner) for the match so the family could be helped even more.  Again, I like plans…

...and then the following Monday rolled around.

Soon after I arrived at the office, I got a call.  It was Jen. 
“The van won’t start.” 

Ugh.  The symptoms she described sounded a lot like the time the battery in our last minivan ended up having a dead cell and we were left stranded late at night in a Terre Haute McDonalds with two five year olds and a newborn.  That vehicle was 5-1/2 years old.  This one was 5-1/2 months old. 

“Keep trying, and let me know if I need to come home to take the boys to school,” I said.  Click.

About 30 minutes later, she called back. 
“I managed to get it started, but something definitely doesn’t seem right.”

“Well, you should probably take it to Penske and have them check it out.”

“Ugh.  I might try going to the new dealership up on 37.  It’s closer, and I really don’t like going to Penske.”
We had always gone to Penske – since about 2003, I believe.

Fast-forward to that afternoon.  At 1:45 PM, I started getting frantic texts from Jen.  She was in the kids’ section of the waiting area at the new dealership.

Jen:  I’m sitting at Honda and almost in tears. I’m sitting with a mom and her three kids. The husband has a brain tumor, they’re upside down on their trade-in, and can’t afford the used 2007 minivan they’re looking at.
Me:  :(
Jen:  They have 5, 4, 1, and are pregnant and due in March with number 4
Me:  Wow
Jen:  I am so sad that I can’t just write them a check
Me:  Would 500 make difference?
Me:  1000?
Jen:  I don’t know. It sounds like thousands :( I’m going to ask if they could use our crib
Me:  K
Me:  Could they use the changing table too?
Jen:  I’m going to ask.  And I’m going to ask about the money too
Jen:  There’s a reason why we are here with them
Jen:  Do you have the 500 cash?
Me:  It’s at home. I can go get it.
Jen:  Let me talk first. He is medically retired from military […] I’ll let you know.
Me:  Ok
[…]
Jen:  He has gone two years longer than expected but is having seizures again
Jen:  He can’t reason and is losing inhibitions. Tumor too close to stuff to operate

[Way too much time goes by]

Jen:  Please go get the 500!!! :)
Jen:  Or stop by bank!!!
Me:  What made up your mind?
Jen:  THEY did!!! Please hurry!!

While the husband had gone to negotiate with the salesperson, his wife felt the need to open up to Jen, and Jen quickly found out the strength and faith of this family.

The husband was deployed with the Army in 2009 when he suffered a seizure.  They discovered a brain tumor in his frontal lobe the size of a fist.  They discharged him, and he had partial removal of the tumor, radiation, and chemo.  The weekend before coming to the dealership (this is almost 4 years later), he had his first seizure since surgery and, as a result, had to give up driving.

Knowing that they were needing a larger vehicle with their 4th child on the way, they were at the dealership to trade both their cars for a used minivan. 

 He came back into the room to explain to his wife that they were upside down on both their cars and couldn’t get the van without paying more money than anticipated.  With his tumor where it is, his ability to verbalize this information was compromised.  He was very frustrated, and they were both near tears.  They prayed about the situation.  Neither one of them wanted to go against God’s path for them.

Jen was touched by their faith and commitment to each other and to Christ, despite their unfathomable circumstances, and felt the Spirit move her to help this family.  She texted me, and I was able to drive over and meet Meagan, Jeremy, and their kids.  We gave them the Giving Challenge $500, some additional money I pulled from our safe, and baby furniture that his wife mentioned they needed.

We could tell that they didn’t want to accept our help but humbly did with deep gratitude.  We didn’t know it until afterwards, but $500 was the exact amount they needed to buy the van.  And the rest was to be used for medical bills and other expenses for their diabetic and autistic child.  Jeremy’s tumor is now inoperable, as it’s too close to a major artery.  It’s only a matter of time before he meets the Lord, but this isn’t stopping this family from following the call of becoming pastors and moving toward being missionaries.
We stopped by their house this past weekend to drop off the baby furniture, and learned that Jeremy had been experiencing partial seizures over the last few days.  In spite of all of this, their faith remains amazing and inspiring, and has touched us in a way we could never have understood had we not been led to meet them personally.

And our minivan? There was nothing wrong - everything checked out fine.  And that baby furniture?    Just the night before, we had decided it was time to get rid of our crib and changing table, and to list it on the Facebook selling site the next day (that Monday).

What started out as a normal day full of activities was turned into a day completely planned by God.  And His plan was way better than ours!
In the end, with the Giving Challenge cash, our contributions, and the match, two families were helped.  We have been blessed in this experience this year.

 It’s amazing what the Lord does for those who seek to do His will! 

Gluten Free Muffins {Chocolate Chip Coconut}

I am always looking for something that is simple to make for breakfast or an after school snack with no guilt. These muffins were adapted from a recipe at  100DaysofRealFood.com

I wanted these to be dairy free and gluten free. They are also lacking many other things, like colors, preservatives, and trans fats!

My sweet tooth friend came over the other day and tried these. She loved that they were moist and sweet! Yes, even she thought they were sweet. These do not last in my house so I am going to have to make a lot and freeze some for later.

You can add whatever toppings you would like to this recipe.

Gluten Free Muffins {Chocolate Chip Coconut}

INGREDIENTS

DRY

• 2 cups quick oats (blended into flour with the Vitamix) or 2 cups of oat flour
• ½ cup flaxmeal (I use golden)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

WET

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut oil (I use Barlean's), melted or ¼ all natural apple sauce
• 1 cup apple juice (You can juice your own if you have time)

FILLING

• About 1 cup of total filling (berries, fruit, nuts, etc. – see below for details)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2) In a large bowl mix together the DRY with a fork or whisk.

3) In a separate bowl mix the wet together.

4) Add the dry to the wet and stir.

5) Then add 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut. (This is just for this variation of the recipe)

6) Grease muffin tins or use liners. Fill them ⅔ to ¾ of the way full with batter. Sprinkle 1 – 2 teaspoons of Dairy Free mini chocolate chips. onto the top of each raw muffin in the pan. Then gently mix each one with a fork or spoon. 

7) Bake for 10-13 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature and freeze some for a later date. 

Enjoy!

Here are some options to consider for the fillings:

- blueberries

- diced strawberries

- peeled and diced pears

- applesauce

- either diced or mashed up bananas and chopped walnuts

- raisins and chopped pecans

- grated carrot and chopped walnuts

- orange or lemon zest (only add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of zest per individual muffin)

- a mix of dried fruit bits

- jelly

NOTE: You can easily add the toppings in last and mix in the bowl to avoid the individual mixing of the muffins but that step does insure all muffins have equal ingredients. And please note, my kids don't like coconut but love these!

When I make this using my Vitamix I do all dry ingredients in Vitamix then add them to the wet mixture.

{clean} Valentine's ideas

I have never been big on commercialized Valentine's Day, such as store bought cards, candies, and flowers. It just seems a little silly to feel obligated to show your loved ones you love them with cheap candy!  There are so many other ways to show that you care without buying a single bag of candy or store bought card!

Last year I had the kids cut out heart shapes for daddy.  My daughter (the only one that could write at the time) wrote words on each heart as to why she loved him so much (I wrote a few myself). It was a huge hit and he had a great time (and a few laughs) reading them at dinner. A lot can change in a year, look closely..."loves Diet Coke". He no longer drinks it! YAY!

I may not love the commercial side of Valentine's Day but I LOVE my family and I'll do my part to make their day special.  It can sometimes be a little tricky with no added colors, chemicals, preservatives to make it fun and colorful, but I'm always up for a challenge for the sake of my family and remaining {clean}.

One year I put together a video card set to music and words with all the reasons why we love my husband. I should find that, because it was great!

Strawberry Lemonade
This was made with fresh strawberries, lemon juice, filtered water, and stevia.

 Strawberry/Banana Milkshake
Frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, unsweetened almond milk, and honey/agave to sweeten, if needed. You really can't screw this up. I usually do a cup of milk, a cup strawberries, and a cup of bananas. It's all about personal taste.

Heart Shaped Strawberries & Heart Picks
 I found extra large strawberries so I could actually cut out the hearts with a cutter. If you don't have this option you can easily make yours look like hearts. I did that last year. The picks I found at Party City for $1 on clearance for a dozen.

That's all for now, I will be posting more tomorrow...

{clean} Power Brownies

I pulled this recipe out of Health magazine over 6 months ago to make and I just found it folded up in my spice cabinet. Wow, I'm SO organized.

I changed the recipe to fit my needs. These were originally called energy bars, but my daughter said they tasted like brownies! So, the name Power Brownie was born. 

{clean} Power Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbps organic coconut oil (I use Barlean's)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2 Tbps hemp seed or flaxseed (more if you wish, I prefer flaxseed)
• 1/2-3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, plus extra for drizzle (over 60% is best)

Optional: 

1/2 cup raw peanuts (I left them out b/c my kids don't like nuts whole in baked goods)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350. Spray or coat with fingers a 13 x 9 baking dish with Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil. (Mine was a little smaller)

2)  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and hemp seed. In a large bowl, beat coconut sugar and peanut butter until well combined. Beat in eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Add oats and chocolate (and peanuts), stirring to combine.

3)  Spread evening in prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool completely in a pan on wire rack.

4)  In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup or less of chocolate chips and melt in microwave for approx 1 min. Or until melted completely. Do not overheat. Stir until smooth. With a fork, drizzle chocolate over bars. Refrigerate until set. 

NOTE:  I make my own peanut butter with 1 cup raw peanuts and 1 Tbps organic coconut oil in the vitamix. I also add the sugar, vanilla, and eggs on low in the vitamix after the peanut butter is smooth.  If you don't, I suggest you slightly heat coconut oil until it's liquid form before mixing.

Use organic products when available.

Use certified gluten free oats and oat flour if you need to completely avoid gluten.  After I am done with my oat flour I have on hand, I will be making my own in the vitamix.  It truly is the best kitchen appliance EVER! 

Also, I will play around with this recipe, I may up the peanut butter to one full cup since my kids don't like raw peanut chunks.  Maybe up the oats too. I will also try making this with honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar. I'll update when I do. Enjoy.

2013 UPDATE: I now make my oat flour in my Vitamix. You can sub out the coconut sugar for light brown sugar if in a pinch. Also, you could do half coconut sugar and half dates. If you want completely dairy free I suggest Enjoy Life brand chocolates.

{clean} Halloween

I hope you Clean Freaks have a plan in place for Halloween Candy. This year we will not give out any candy. We are giving out glow bracelets and some plastic bugs (if they dare) to our guest instead of traditional candy.  This will be the case for all the years after this as well.

I will say, on a side note, we are NOT party poopers and go all out for Halloween. We decorate the outside of our house the day of Halloween, dress up, and make a big deal. All WITHOUT purchasing a single item with an added color this year.  Kids look forward to our house, not for the candy, but for the fun! I'm so much further ahead (on the clean journey) this year than I was last.  I went to open up the Halloween storage container and there was candy I bought on clearance last year. YES, it's still good. I decided to donate it elsewhere and move forward with my {cleaned up} version of Halloween.

I plan to donate most of the kid's candy to a local dentist office that is registered with Halloween Candy Buyback Program.  Check out this link, www.halloweencandybuyback.com, to find out more about this program and/or check out the video below.

Don't get me wrong, my kids will eat plenty of sugar on Halloween night and the few days following it. However, they will consume as little artificial colors, artificial flavors, and trans fats as possible!  Many may argue, "it's only one night a year, it's not that big of deal!" Well, I will push back to them and ask if they have consumed ANY Halloween candy any other day of the week this week? Or the weeks leading up to and after Halloween. I'm guessing they have overindulged on the trans fat candies!  

When a person begins to {eat clean} they start the education process and with each month or year that passes by they find themselves more motivated to stick to the goals of ridding their lives of things like artificial colors and trans fats! I am at that point. I am finding NEW junk food for the kids for special occasions like Halloween.

Before I let you go, let me touch on artificial colors...

There are many studies out there stating that certain colors are linked to causing cancer, ADHD, and allergic reactions. Also, do you suffer from migraines or anxiety? You may want to take a look at your added color intake! I suffer from an anxiety disorder and I can attest first hand that my anxiety has improved greatly since I am off the artificial colors and sweeteners.  If for one minute you think these colors are only found in candy....go to your kitchen now and start reading labels. 

Please, Please, Please read this article. Especially if you don't see the importance of elminating them from your life.

Living in Color-The Potential Dangers of Artificial Dyes

Thyme Roasted Carrots

This recipe is super simple. It has only 5 ingredients and goes well with many different types of main dishes.

Thyme Roasted Carrots

Ingredients:

• 12 large carrots, peeled
• extra virgin olive oil (approx 1-2 Tbps)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme

Directions:

1) Trim ends and cut the carrots length wise to insure even cooking.

2) Cover a 9 x 13 baking dish with foil, then coat with olive oil.

3) Add carrots to baking dish and toss and coat with olive oil in pan.

4) Sprinkle sea salt, pepper, and thyme on carrots evenly.

5) Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes(or until tender) on middle or bottom rack. 

{clean} Sage and Thyme Stuffin' Muffins

Stuffin' Muffins are the best of all things stuffing. When you bake your stuffing in little muffin forms everyone gets a moist center and a crunchy crispy top. Plus, it makes for an interesting presentation compared to the standard stuffing baked in a pan.

 Stuffing is something that is very easy to make but it's important to get quality ingredients to start with to get a delicious outcome.

{clean} Sage and Thyme Stuffin' Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, diced
• 3-4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 small leek, diced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 Tbps Organic unsalted butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme 
• 3 cups {organic} low sodium chicken stock (veggie stock can be used)
• 3 eggs (Pasteurized is best)
• Approx 16 cups of bread cubes (I used fresh baked whole wheat and semolina), air dried overnight or baked in oven for 10 minutes on 350 to dry them out.

1). Add butter and garlic to preheated pan. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and leeks until soft over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, sage, thyme and stir. Remove from heat.

2). In a bowl whisk the eggs and chicken stock. Combine this mixture with the vegetables.

3). In a large bowl, add bread and pour wet mixture over bread crumbs. Be sure to evenly coat all the bread. Let it set for 5 minutes for the bread to absorb the mixture.

4). Spray muffin tins with all natural Extra Virgin Olive Oil and scoop mixture into tins.

5). Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Or until set and crispy on top.

NOTE: I didn't scoop enough mixture into the tins this time (that's what I get for multitasking!). With that being said, I came up with approx. 18 small muffins. If you press the mixture in you can easily get 12 large stuffin' muffins and only have to use one muffin pan. And they will look nicer. It's important to take the time to dice the vegetables. They blend better into the mixture when they are diced small and take less time to saute to soft. Or blend in the Vitamix.