Two fried eggs served alongside buttered toast with their drippy yolks. Just enough salt and pepper atop inviting me for another taste. My first meal after returning home from the hospital with my firstborn. Bean and bacon soup with far too much sodium gingerly biting down. Sitting in my bed watching tv, and being nursedContinue reading “Whole 30 Approved Kale, Apple, & Carrot Salad with Creamy Cashew Dressing”
Tag Archives: Winter
Roasted Beet-Orange-Fennel & Shallot Salad Which My Seven Year old Loves
I have a love-love relationship for beets. As a child, the only way I could get them was found at the salad bar at a restaurant I affectionately called, “Tom & Tates.” I guess you could call me the oddball kid in the family (perfectly in the middle), who choked down dry lima beans, gladlyContinue reading “Roasted Beet-Orange-Fennel & Shallot Salad Which My Seven Year old Loves”
Preserved Meyer Lemons
In my freshman year of college I lived with my older brother in a run down house in a seedy part of town (I got car jacked in that same neighborhood). I would wake up M-F and head to my morning classes at Mesa Community College, then drive directly to work as the pizza deliveryContinue reading “Preserved Meyer Lemons”
Ginger-Lime Green Smoothie
Are you already feeling the weight of goals unattained, and organizational systems breaking down? Maybe you’re like me with great intentions, or too many ideas you aren’t quite sure how to carry them out? Just today I began thinking about all my dreams of what I want. This led me thinking about the goalsContinue reading “Ginger-Lime Green Smoothie”
My Paleo Ginger Cookies
Words can come out honestly and then other times they do anything but stand still. I feel like this these days. Staring blankly into the journal, computer screen, chopping board. In part, it’s due to unexpected anxiety attacks turning to panic attacks. They’ve been gripping me and I’m learning to lean into the deepContinue reading “My Paleo Ginger Cookies”
How To Make Scrambled Eggs (Visual)
Beginning with the Autumn Series is something very near & dear to my heart…EGGS. I know it might not sound very Autumnish; but truly, learning how to make scrambled eggs is one of the better gifts. Heck, eggs are a gift in & of themselves. The perfect meal. While pregnant, I would find that scrambledContinue reading “How To Make Scrambled Eggs (Visual)”
Paleo Week 2: Harvest Salad
I told myself that I would not have any obligation to post everyday during this 30 day challenge, and I’m glad about it. I went to a conference this past weekend (Friday & Saturday) in Seattle. I was pleasantly surprised, because my expectations were very low. I went prepared, while carrying around my little strawberry tote bag everywhere, which was loaded with Paleo supplies (celery sticks, nuts, apple slices, hazelnut butter, etc). I also discovered that club soda is not nearly as awful when your taste buds have been devoid of sugar. In fact, the soda water was AMAZING!
It also must be said that I still miss chocolate, red wine, and ice cream doesn’t sound too bad. However, despite those non-L&G foods, I think I could see making this as part of our lifestyle. Not necessarily 100%, but in the high percentages. I will let you know about next week, because I’m told that come third week–your body feels better than good. The downside to the challenge during this second week is how my performance at the gym has been low. When running–my legs feel like lead. When lifting–my arms feel like noodles. I’m hoping week three will be better than good.
This salad is probably my go to salad. My friend Jessica fell in love with it that she went out to get the ingredients that day. And you can easily make it Paleo by nixing the blue cheese (just make sure the cranberries don’t have sugar with them).
A Year Ago: Roasting Pumpkin
Harvest Salad (printable recipe)
Ingredients:
Head of lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf), washed, dried, & torn into bite sized pieces
1 apple (Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, whatever you want–just not Red Delicious)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, Roquefort
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tb mustard (regular or dijon)
1 tsp dried basil (crunch it in your hands to release the oils)
Directions: Pretty straightforward, put the washed/torn lettuce into a big bowl. Sprinkle the nuts, dried cranberries, & blue cheese on the lettuce.
In a bowl or glass measuring cup, add extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Add the mustard and whisk together. It should start to combine. Add the basil. No need to pour all of it on the salad, but start small and mix to combine. If you need a bit more, then add it:)
Coconut Ginger Butternut Squash Soup
Starting Monday, Ben & I will be joining our gym’s call to partake in the “Lean & Green Challenge.” Before I divulge into what it entails, let me say that I can already imagine the expression on your face as you continue reading. And I’m actually looking forward to it (in some respects). It is a Paleo eating style, which means we will be eating as Paleolithic people. You got that? Okay, well, it means we only eat lean meats, vegetables, limited fruit, nuts & seeds and good fats (olive oil, coconut oil, nut oils, nut butters, etc). That means we will not be eating any grains (containing gluten and gluten-free), dairy, sugars, or legumes (yes peanuts are a part of that).
I, of course, prefaced it with what we can eat, because most people upon hearing what we can’t eat automatically ask, “Well, what CAN you eat?” The next question, “Kamille, why are you doing this? What does this mean with baking?” Good question! Ben and I have been looking at our Family Mission (reading this great book) and our top priority is getting our family healthy. Ben joined Jogo in March, me in August, my mental health turned for the worse and we want more from life. Friends & co-Jogomates have testified the goodness of doing Paleo. How aches, pains, intestinal problems, weight around the gut, etc went away after following a Paleo food lifestyle (Robb Wolf), along with regular cardio-exercise. So really, I would have to ask myself, “Why wouldn’t I join the “L&G Challenge?”
And about baking…well, to be quite honest, I haven’t really wanted to bake much these days. Maybe it’s a mixture of exercise, lack of time, demands of family? And maybe I’m just burnt out. What I am excited about is loving my family in these next 30 days by preparing & cooking food that will be good to their body, help me menu plan (for once anyway) and most likely have a tighter rein on the food budget. Plus, we have a 1/2 a cow in our deep freezer, so here’s to using it. One of my recipes is this soup, which puts a twist on an Autumn classic. The coconut is subtle enough, which is why I didn’t use a whole can (but you certainly could) and plays on the creaminess known to the butternut squash. The ginger adds bite & spice to make it come a bit alive. Stay tuned as our family embarks on this adventure, and hopefully share a recipe or two:)
Coconut Ginger Butternut Squash Soup (printable recipe)
If you want to substitute the water for warm chicken broth, go right ahead, because it would add a greater depth of flavor to it.
Ingredients:
2 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small onion, roughly cut into large dice
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
3-5 cups water
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
Garnish options: olive oil, kosher salt, red pepper chili flakes, cilantro
Directions: Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place butternut squash & onion on parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil, mix around with hands, sprinkle a bit of salt on top. Roast for about 30-35 minutes, check the squash (a fork should pierce right through).
Add the roasted squash & onions in batches to the blender. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk and about 1/2 cup of water. Put a towel on top of the lid to avoid getting burnt by the steam. Blend until completely pureed. You most likely will need to add more water along the way. Continue doing this, until all the squash/onion mixture is pureed; as well as, the coconut milk is gone.
Transfer the puree to a large pot and bring up to medium heat. Add more water, 1/2 cup portion at a time, until you get the consistency you prefer. Add ground ginger & freshly grated ginger (using a microplane zester). Add salt to taste. If you need a bit of acid, then squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime–taste and if you think it needs the other 1/2–go ahead and add it.
Ladle into bowl, drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, along with red pepper chili flakes, some cilantro and a pinch of coarse salt.
Backdoor Hospitality 