Chocolate Easter Eggs

Damn you, chocolate easter eggs, damn you.                     I thought I'd treat myself - have a couple that were offered in a colleague's office.  AAAAHHHH....so creamy chocolately good.  BUT...over the next couple of days my sugar cravings returned with a vengeance!!  Ate more eggs and then I was craving donuts.  Craving Culver's frozen custard.  Craving...gasp....McDonald's fries!

I'm going to admit it.  I gave into those cravings over the course of this week. Yes - I ate a donut.  I ate Culver's frozen custard (butterfinger pecan in case you wanted to know). Unfortunately the frozen custard and donuts were delightful...:-(    Last night....I stopped at McD's and had a small bag of french fries on the way home from work.  A treat, I told myself.  You've been working too hard.

Then I regained consciousness.  The fries were HORRIBLE.  Of course, they always had been.  Half of me is glad that I ate them to remind me of what "fake-food" is really like.  I was sick to my stomach all night - skipped dinner.  What a great wake-up call!

Today is a new day.  Today I start all over again eating real food, staying away from sugar and grains, and not giving into my cravings.  Interestingly, after last night's nauseous belly, my cravings have gone away for now.  Perhaps I should have had the fries before the frozen custard and donut??

Kitchen Gadget of the Month: March edition (and February)

I started posting my kitchen gadget of the month in January with the expectation that I would continue to post one each month.  Then came February and, well, oops.

So you're getting two today!  These two gadgets are both mentioned in my last blog post - Easter, 2013.

 
First is a handy-dandy spice grinder.  I use mine ONLY for nutmeg.  I love nutmeg!!  I use in along with cinnamon in my baking, I'll add a little to certain cream sauces - like alfredo sauce.  But I really love in my latte's!  This spice grinder is perfect for shaving off little specs of nutmeg deliciousness.  The best part is that it also doubles as a nutmeg holder.  Get your own at my amazon store by clicking here.


 Second fav gadget:  steamer basket.  I love steaming veggies.  I really try to not microwave food anymore than I have to - I have read how the microwaves actually destroy the nutrients in your food and even change its molecular structure (I'll read up more and post about this sometime in the future).  I particularly remember reading that if you microwaved regular tap water, let it cool, and then water your plants with it, the plants would die.  I think I might experiment this this theory too.

But I digress..back to steamer baskets.  Have you priced a regular steaming sauce pan lately??  Amazon sells one from Norpro - a 1quart steamer saucepan with lid for nearly $30!  Instead, just get a steamer basket for less than $10 and turn any saucepan with a lid that you already have into steaming sauce pan.  I have this one on my amazon store as well - click here to find it.


Whew!  I think I'm caught up now!  Stay tuned for more gadgets to come!

Easter, 2013

Easter is only a week away.  I remember growing up and looking forward to finding the sugary treats that the Easter Bunny would leave us.  Funny....I had three brothers and no sisters - and all of us always knew which easter basket was ours.  Mine, of course, was easy - it was PINK!  But how the boys knew which one to take is still a mystery.

Another favorite memory is eating sweet potato casserole.  Outside of a random baked sweet potato throughout the year, it was really the only time our family strayed away from white potatoes.  I loved sweet potato casserole - especially with the miniature marshmallows on top!  Gooey, warm and incredibly sweet.  How could I resist.

These days, I really don't eat potatoes of any kind.  I love cauliflower as a substitute for white potatoes and have several different ways to fix them.  I also have finally tried "radish browns" - just shred up a bag of radishes and pan fry like regular hash browns.  YUM!

But whenever Easter rolls around, I still want my sweet potato casserole.  Luckily for me, Maria of http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/, has come up with a wonderful recipe using cauliflower and canned pumpkin.  Yes it does sound strange, but it is oh, so delicious.  I, of course, have tweaked the recipe a bit to "make it my own".  This will definitely be on my menu next Sunday.  Why don't you give it a try, too?

Sweet "Potato" Casserole 

3 cups cauliflower - steamed and mashed

1 cup pumpkin (or more...if you want a deeper color) 

1/4 cup xylitol (or erythritol and 1/4 tsp stevia glycerite) 

2 eggs, beaten 

1/2 cup whole milk or almond milk 

1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt 

1/3 cup butter, melted 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg (try grinding your own with this spice grinderl!)

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Topping: 

1/2 cup xylitol (or erythritol and 1/4 tsp stevia glycerite)

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/3 cup butter, melted 

1 cup chopped pecans 

Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover and steam until very tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Place the cooked cauliflower in a food processor and blend until very smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine the cauliflower, pumpkin, sweetener(s), eggs, almond milk, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/3 cup butter and vanilla. Mix together and pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. 

 

For the topping, combine the sweetener(s), almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/3 cup melted butter and pecans. Mix together and crumble over "sweet potato" mixture. 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes. Serves 10.

February is a short month.....

February got away from me this year...a shorter month....no post.  I'm disappointed in myself.  But - no where to go but up from here, right??

Speaking of up.....I am now up to 2002 hits on this blog!  How exciting!!  Thanks to everyone who takes the time to visit my little corner of the web.  Hopefully it's enjoyable for you.  I hope it continues to be.  I have so many ideas to share...but alas, sometimes I just don't have the ambition to sit down and write.  Something else to work on.

But....THANK YOU!!

Kitchen Gadget of the Month - January edition

I have a problem.  I freely admit it.  I LOVE KITCHEN GADGETS!  I'm also a sucker for infomercials, but that's another story for another day.

I'm going to share one favorite kitchen gadget a month this year with you.  This will be a gadget I use every week (if not more).  You know sometimes you buy a new gadget and it just doesn't work like you expect it to.  I will only share my successes so you can be sure it will work!!
 
 January's kitchen gadget is....drum roll please.........

                                SALAD SPINNER!

I'm sure you have all seen salad spinners...what's so special about this one??  THE PRICE!  At this time, it sells for less than $16 through amazon!!  Progressive has a line of several different types of spinners...some are less expensive, some are more.  I've only tried this particular model but can tell you it works great!  It can spin enough lettuce for two large salads, yet it's pretty small and doesn't take up much cabinet space.  As with other spinners, you can spin berries, herbs, or any other greens you want.

Seriously, why pay $30 or more for a salad spinner?  Pampered Chef sells one for $60!  Stop by my amazon store and get one of your own!  Salad Spinner at k-wellness amazon store.

Now that you have perfectly spun greens, how about a nice home made dressing?

Ranch Dressing

 

1/2 cup sugar-free Mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream (you can substitute buttermilk or whole fat greek yogurt)
1 clove fresh garlic crushed
dried basil
ground corriander
italian seasonings (the dried herb)
salt & pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

 

Mix altogether in a bowl until smooth and creamy.  Refrigerate before using.  The amount of herbs and spices you use is up to you.  I start with a pinch of each and adjust from there.

Welcome 2013!!

Happy New Year!!

It's been a wild and crazy year, but aren't they all??  This is the time of year for reflection and looking forward.

Reflection:  Here are the top 4 things that I have learned this year:

1. Sugar is toxic
2. Wheat and grains are not necessary for health
3. Pharmaceutical companies don't want to cure you, just maintain you as a customer
4. Saturated fat is actually good for you 

What have you learned??

Looking forward:  Here are my top 4 goals for 2013:

1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night
2. Exercise regularly
3. Read all I can and share the wealth
4. Blog at least once a month

 What are your goals?

I'll leave you today with a tasty dip for your New Year's Eve party!!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 box (10oz) of frozen cut spinach, cooked, cooled

       and drained well

1/2cup artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup sugar-free mayonnaise

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

freshly ground black pepper to taste

sea salt to taste

Mix everything today in a medium bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for one hour.  Serve with crudities or sunflower seed crackers - recipe here.

I hope you and yours have a happy, safe and 

healthy new year!