Well, I thought spring was here...but it's not (apparently!) Ok, well, the sun has been out most days lately, but the temperature is still in the below zero mark! I'm talking -10 with a nasty wind! You step out thinking, "oh, what a sun-shiny terrific day!", and then the snappy wind sweeps up and bites you in the face! Waaaaa! Yes, that was crying. Like a baby. I've started just rubbing coconut oil (organic, virgin) on my face because it was getting so dry and scratchy from the wind! Waaaa! More crying. Well, this morning we woke up to snow! Whomp whomp (waaaa waaaa).

     Ok, crying over,  back to the coconut oil, I actually like it on my face! It smells loverly, and has made my skin reeeeeal soft! 

    Alright. Food time. In April of last year I wrote something called "The Great Potato Debate" and talked about potatoes, and how they are the evil enemy to weight loss and a long and happy life!!! (a slightly overdramatic voice needs to be used when reading that. Possibly even putting a hand to the forehead like a damsel in distress?).

     Well, there are many pros and cons regarding potatoes, but sometimes, they are choice # 1 in my house. Why? Because they are really freakin' affordable, that's why! They are filling, they really do have many nutritious benefits, and they are a humble, blank slate to so many meal ideas!  And THEN they are inexpensive on top of all that? Well, hot-dog, sign me up! All you need to do is load ‘em up with toppings (see the above link for a delicious recipe that I included at the end of the post!) after they come out of the oven, add a side of veggies, and your meal is complete!
 
     When we do baked potatoes as a meal, I’ll switch up what we top them with. If the budget is particularly tight, we’ll just add butter, salt, and a sprinkle of cheese. Other times we’ve made curry, chilli, pulled pork, to top them with (separately, of course!) and then there's the ever “classic” baked potato toppings of sour cream, bacon bits, green onion and cheese.
 
      Now, to take a humble baked potato to a new level, someone  (who loved mashed potatoes!) at some point thought, “I wish the inside of my baked potato was filled with mashed potatoes! (this account is almost certainly 100% historically accurate!).
 
      Enter the twice baked potato!
 
     Granted, these take a little more work, but you can do the first baking, as well as mash and fill the potatoes ahead of time and then put the lovely stuffed gems into the oven when you need them! You can even fully prepare these up until the final baking, and store them in the freezer! After we had our third child, a woman from church brought us the most amazing meal, all made ahead and frozen! One of the super tasty items was twice baked potatoes, and they were so delicious! This past weekend I devoured some mini twice baked potatoes that a friend had made for a St. Paddy's day party. She made them all earlier in the week, then froze them until party time! 
 
     The twice baked potatoes today are a bacon & spinach version, and they are
​deeeee-lightful! The process of baking, scooping, mixing, re-filling and baking again isn't that bad when you consider how yummy these are!

Bacon & Spinach Twice Baked Potatoes
*With paleo and non-paleo options. This recipe can easily be doubled

Ingredients:

• 4-8 Russet potatoes, depending on the number you're feeding, and the size of the potatoes 
• 2 Cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1-1/2 Cups cooked and crumbled bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 Tsp dried garlic powder)
• 1 Tsp salt
• Optional - 1 Tsp turmeric or paprika
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, but yummy and nutritious!)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, ghee, or butter (dietary preference), room temperature
• 3/4 Cup coconut cream (the thick stuff on the top of a refrigerated can of coconut milk) You can also use sour cream if not paleo
• 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided (omit for paleo)

 Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a fork or knife, prink the potatoes all over (this releases steam at the potato bakes), then rub all over with oil and sprinkle with some salt. Once oven is hot, place prepared potatoes directly onto an oven rack and bake for 45-60 minutes (or up to 75 minutes, depending on how large the potatoes are)
2. Once cooked, remove the potatoes from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. While they are cooling, prepare a baking sheet, casserole dish, or roasting pan with parchment paper or tin foil (skip this step if you plan on freezing)
3. Once cooled enough to handle, cut an opening into the top of your potato. I like to cut out a circle, some people cut the potato fully in half (giving you 2 halves, and others simple put a single slice through the top and squeeze open. Cook's choice!)
4. Scoop the innards from your potato, and place into a bowl. Add into the bowl your cooked bacon, chopped spinach, and all other ingredients (if using cheese, reserve some for the tops of the potatoes) If freezing click HERE for a great post from Kitchn
5. Place potato shells onto prepared pan
6. Mix the filling ingredients together until well combined and creamy (well, creamy with lumps of bacon and spinach!)
7. Carefully fill the potatoes shells back up, diving the filling equally. They will be very full! If it won't all fit.....just grab a spoon and eat the mashed potatoes! Or put them into an airtight container, stick 'em in the fridge, and add them to a scrambled egg later! 
8. If using cheese, sprinkle what you didn't put into the filling onto the potatoes
9. Place baking sheet into oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, or tops have become brown and center of potatoes is hot

​

    Though the paleo, cheese-free version of these may not seem as yummy, trust me, they are. The tops won't have that crispy cheese appeal, but the tops so get a nice golden brown, and the potato crisps up, and they are good. 

    The End.

    Have a lovely weekend world wide webbers! : )  

​ 

   Can you tell I'm pretty excited about homemade mayo? Look at my title! Look at all those exclamation marks!!! 

    Let me tell you though, my tale of mayo hasn't always been a happy one.....

       (.....insert depressing dream sequence music.....)

     Picture this with me, it's 2004.......(all of these ellipses are to help you stay in a dream sequence with me) :)  

     .....I borrowed a cookbook from the library that had a homemade mayonnaise recipe in it. When I first saw you could even make your own mayonnaise, I thought, "sounds fun! I'll give it a try!". I think I was interested because I was eating sugar-free/low carb at the time, and regular mayo has sugar added, and "low carb" mayo was expensive. But, oh, I was so young and foolish. And not to mention wildly inexperienced as a food handler (for real, the newly married me from 12 1/2 years ago would have rolled around on the floor laughing if someone told her she'd be writing a blog that was food and recipe centred!)! Anyway, I digress, back to the story......). There I stood in my kitchen, doing as I was told from the cookbook I'd found the mayo recipe in. All I needed to do was to put an egg yolk, vinegar & some salt in a bowl, and slowly drip in oil while I whisked! And voila! I would have mayonnaise, made by me! And wouldn't I just be bursting proud!

     Well, about 15 minutes later, after I'd whisked until my arm felt like jello, and dripped each drop of oil in slowly (seriously, it said one DROP at a time!), all I had to show was a bowl of pretty gross looking, separated, curdle-y looking nastiness! And I had no internet at home, so I couldn't just quickly look up "how to fix ruined homemade mayonnaise!".

     Dream sequence date transition music.....

     It's now 2006, and I have a new recipe for mayonnaise that says if I use a hand mixer, the mayo will work out because it will be a steady beating, which is important for the emulsification process. You still need to put the oil in one drop at a time, but I thought, "well, at least the other hand won't be whisking, so it shouldn't be as hard?"

     I was wrong. Holding a hand mixer for 10 strait minutes IS hard, and my hand mixer was very overheated, and the mayo still didn't work out!!! 

     Dream sequence date transition music.....

     Now it's 2011 (ish?), and I see a recipe for homemade mayo that says using a blender will do the trick! Apparently, hand whisking, and using a hand mixer doesn't whip fast enough. And for the egg and oil to properly emulsify. It has to happen slowly, but fully at each drop of oil, and that can only happen if it's being whipped fast enough! (hand slapped to forehead!).

     Well, I tried it. Long story short: it failed. 

     I was a homemade mayo failure. 

     I saw some time after, that using a food processor worked great, but after all the failures I'd had, I wasn't willing to try. Plus, I didn't own a food processor with the opening in the top to add food as it's whirling, and that was an important part of making mayo in said food processor. I wasn't about to go out and buy a new food processor either, just to attempt making mayo again!

      Dream sequence date transition music.....

      Here we are, it's 2015, and I'm standing in a second hand store in Tweed, looking at a immersion blender thinking, "well, I have been thinking about getting one of these because making homemade "cream-of" soups would be easier if I could just use this instead of having to dump the soup out into the blender....?". 

      It was $5. So, I got it.
 
    And I was right, making "cream-of" soups is ridiculously easy with an immersion blender! And, not too long after getting the immersion blender, our regular blender broke, so I thought, "well, I sure am glad I bought the hand-held blender!". 

    Then one day....one magical day....I was on a blog, The healthy Foodie, looking at a recipe, and somehow (by way of some rabbit trail I often find myself on when I'm on a blog I like!), I stumbled on "Foolproof Homemade Paleo Mayo", and there was a picture of mayo in a jar, and an immersion blender. I thought, "whaaaaaaa? Foolproof? She's never met a fool like me! I gotta try it". 

     Dream sequence music changes to something triumphant and uplighting....

     It worked!!! People, I am here as a bonafide homemade mayo failure to tell you that this is the FOR REAL foolproof method of making mayo.

     I've made it with cold ingredients, room temperature ingredients, fresh eggs, old eggs, using lemon juice, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, pickle juice (which was amazing!!!-I used it to make tartar sauce for fish night!) adding dijon, adding yellow mustard, adding pepper, adding garlic powder, cayenne, rosemary, thyme-I've tried it so many ways, and this mayo hasn't failed me yet! 

     I wanted to make a video of making it though, because while talking to my Mom on the phone one day about how crazy easy it was to make this mayo, I could sense some skepticism. That and she wasn't sure what size jar to use, and I told her "well, I'll video tape me making it, and post it to YouTube for you!"

     So, here it is, in all it's glory! 

    I am so happy I'm making my own mayo that isn't a complete failure!

   Now, I eat paleo, and I believe in using healthy oil to make my mayonnaise. What is "healthy oil", well....quite frankly, I don't want to get into that right now.....I'm too happy about homemade mayo to argue about "healthy oil"! Now, I can tell you though that different oils produced different tastes. I use Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil because it has (duh) a light taste. I once used regular olive oil, and the mayo, although thick and lovely, was very olive oil-y tasting, and also kind of green in colour. Bleh. So, just keep that in mind when choosing an oil.

Homemade Mayonnaise
****Super important note!!!***
      You'll need a 16oz,(also called a Pint, or 500ml) wide mouth mason jar for this. Or, some immersion blenders come with a tall, wide mouth, cylinder shaped container that you can also use. The immersion blender needs to fit right in the container for this to work. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole egg
• 1 Cup light tasting olive oil, or oil of your choice
• 1 Tbsp vinegar, or lemon juice
• Pinch o' salt

  Something I add in regularly is dijon mustard, about 1 Tsp


Method:

1. Crack the egg into the jar, then add all the other ingredients, including any extras
2. Now, place the immersion blender carefully into the jar, over the yolk (you don't want to break the yolk), bringing the blender all the way to touch the bottom of the jar
3. Using the highest setting or button, begin to blend the mayo, but DO NOT pull it up from the bottom of the jar! You will see the mayo start to come together (or emulsify), and come creeping up the sides of the jar like mayo magic!
4. After most of the mixture is emulsified (this takes no time at all!), you can begin to move the blender up and down gently to draw the rest of the oil in that's been sitting on top
5. Now, you're done! 

   As you can see, my immersion blender is NOT fancy. Not even a little bit! But it works! So, incase you're thinking you need to go out and buy the best, most expensive immersion blender to make this work, you're thinking wrong! Heck, if you don't already own one, and you're in not a desperate hurry to make your own mayo, just keep checking into thrift shops to see if you can snag an immersion blender at a great price! I honestly think my mayonnaise tastes even better because the blender only cost me $5! : )
​ 
   Ok, full disclosure, before I got this hand blender, I did manage to make ONE BATCH of homemade mayo using the whisking method. The recipe I used it in was for Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes (which are so delicious!), but the effort to make the mayo was too much! I can be pretty lazy, ya know! Now, making those same shrimp stuffed tomatoes with this fast mayo? Game changer. Game. Changer.

    I had honestly gotten used to a no-mayo life. But , there were things I really wanted it for. Tartar sauce for fish nights, for example. Or to make a ranch dressing to eat with a pile of veggies as a bedtime snack. How about creamy coleslaw? Yes please. 

     It is a welcome addition to my life! And, my kids eat it too, although I've never told them it wasn't store bought. I feel like they'd be skeptical if they knew I made it? They are my worst critics. Anyway, maybe they wouldn't be skeptical? Either way, I find immense pleasure in knowing that they'll eat it! : )  

     Well,  that's it, I guess! 

     I'm happy to be here writing a post and sharing something new that I'm excited about! 

     I hope you had a great Monday!      
​

    Well, here I am! I'm back!!! : ) 

    Ok, I've been back since the last week in August, but things have been moving at a mile a minute at the Van Londersele's! 

    However, I had been working on this post with the intention of having it up by the first Monday in October, but when I'd finished it all up, and I hit "publish".....it VANISHED!!!!! After I sat crying at the computer for about 15 minutes, I turned the computer off, walked away and thought "well, I'm not sure when I'll have time to re-do that!

    And here I am, a month later, finally (hopefully) publishing this (re-done) post! 

    So, I've been away, but I've been trying, trying really hard, to get my blog back up and running! 

      Ok, well, now that I've got that out of my way, let's re-cap the last 4 months, shall we?!

​(insert dream sequence music....) 

     I was a camp cook at Pleasant Bay Camp in Consecon! 

    This job left me sleepless and stressed for weeks leading up to the start date, and after the first week (where at one point I shut myself in the storage room to cry!), things seemed to click. I had some cooky and wonderful teens working with me, and they made everyday fun (and loud - we sang A LOT, and VERY loudly!). There were some failures, some successes, but mainly I grew a lot! I have serious F.O.F. (fear of failure!), and the pressure of this job felt crippling, then I got there, figured out all the quirks of how everything worked (ovens, stoves, steamers, etc.), figured out what worked and what didn't, and trusted myself, and things worked out!

     I needed to do a ton of planning, prepping, and figuring out exact times for (what felt like) 100 things at once so it all came out together at meal time! It was my kind of stress, it turns out! I do this at home basically everyday! When it comes to meals at home, my personality lends itself to exact planning, prepping and figuring out exact times. So, I had to tell myself to stay calm, and do what I knew how to do. 

     In the end, I walked away feeling so proud for not completely bombing, I felt fulfilled for working so hard at something worth working at, and I felt love from my new "kitch" family (as one of my staff called it). :)   

     And my kids had such a great time spending their days with other kids, going swimming, playing sports, making crafts (SO MANY CRAFTS!!!!), and getting a ton of sun! 

     Last summer Adam and I had the opportunity to go to Europe where we got the chance to visit with a lot of our family. 

     This summer, 2 family members who we stayed with for a whole week in Belgium came to Canada!

      We got together for lunch one day shortly after they arrive in the True North, but later in the month we met up in Toronto (with my in-laws too) and went to Caribana. So, it was super loud, there was a lot of near-nudity (seriously!) :) , but most of all we got to see our family again which filled my heart up!      

     A week after we left Pleasant Bay Camp, we headed to Brantford so the kids could attend Day Camp at Circle Square Ranch, and so I could be a member of the horse staff! I spent years and years working at this camp, and I was so excited to be heading back to work for the week. 

      I was a little nervous about teaching horseback riding again because it's been a while, but it all came back to me and it went great! And my kids had so much fun in day camp! 

     I loved (x 10000000) being there for the week!

    With the 2 weeks we had between leaving the Ranch and school starting, we crammed in as much "normal" summer fun as we could! 
    
    We got to the Peterborough Zoo, the Tweed splash pad, the Tweed park, went for walks, visited neighbours, spent time in our jammies, cuddled our cat who we missed a lot, and went to Adam's work Labour Day Family Picnic.

      It was a little hectic, but wonderful!

    Somehow my little babies were going into grades 6, 3 and 1! (*tear*)  The kids looked so good, so grown-up, so beautiful, and I felt so old! 

    So far, this school year is going so good. Caleb's class had a teacher switch 2 weeks into the year which left us feeling upset and worried, but his new teacher is amazing, and Caleb clearly loves him and his class. Caleb also has a rock-star for an E.A. this year, so she is really helping to keep Caleb moving forward and working hard. 

    The girls teachers are also really wonderful, and they seem to be working well together. 

     So, the day before my birthday I was in Belleville for an Art Show & Sale, and when I came home, my sister and her family, and my brother and his family, and a bunch of my friends were at my house! Surprise! I really was surprised, and it was so great to have everyone celebrating the 13th anniversary of my 20th birthday :)   Hardy har har. I'm 33 and I'm ok with that! 

    We carved pumpkins. We dressed up. We collected candy. It was awesome!

     This needs to further explanation! :)  

   
      So, now that I've recapped the last few months of my absence, I would love to move onto a recipe that is so simple, and if you aren't into veggies as noodles, you can make this with your fav gluten-free or regular pasta. Just cook it up as usual, rinse well in cold water, and add to the pan! 

Bacon, Rosemary & Parmesan Sweet Potato Noodles
Serves 2 large portions, or 3 smaller portions

Ingredients:

• 6 Pieces bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 2 Medium sized sweet potatoes, Spiralized or julienned 
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, or 1 Tsp dried
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Parmesan-as much or little as you'd like! 

Method: 

1. Heat a large skillet or pot on medium heat, and once warmed, add the bacon pieces
2. Cook bacon for 5-8 minutes, until it starts to release some of it's fat, and then add in the onion
3. Cook the bacon and onion for another 5-8 minutes, or until it's as done as you like it (each person has an opinion about how crispy they like their bacon!)
4. Add the sweet potato "noodles", or noodles of choice and gently toss to coat
5. Add in the rosemary and gently toss again
6. If using sweet potato noodles, allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes MAXIMUM. You don't want them getting overcooked or else they'll start to break apart
7. If using gluten-free or regular pasta, allow them to warm back up for a few minutes in the pan, tossing often
8. Divide noodles into 2 bowls, and top with parmesan cheese

Enjoy! 
​

     That's all there is to it! 

    Truthfully, when I make this, because my kids aren't overly fond of sweet potato noodles, I'll cook up a pot of gluten-free pasta, then I'll rinse the pasta in cold water, and start this recipe in the pot I used to make the pasta, and add the cooled pasta to it at Step 4. In another large skillet I'll start a second "batch", and make it with sweet potato noodles. It's really not that much extra work, I'm literally doing the exact same recipe, just on 2 different burners, and with a different noodle. When all is said and done, it's still a simple meal, and has relatively few dishes! Seriously, making it 2 ways at once only yields 1 pot, 1 pan, 1 colander (for rinsing the cooked pasta), and one Spiralizer to wash! Well, and our bowls and forks, of course. Not bad for a freakin' delicious meal! :)

    Well, I'm happy to be "back". I'm not sure what my blogging schedule will be these days....sorry! I will work it out though! I used to like to work first things in the morning...but I've been having a heck of a time getting up early these days! So, instead I've taken to writing in the evenings, after the kids are in bed and Adam is on a night shift. It works, and hopefully I'll be able to get some lovely recipes out to ya'll, as well as some Health & Fitness posts and whatever other random things that pop into my head! 

     I will be taking you through my soon-to-be kitchen renovation, so stay tuned for that! 

     Until next time,
​
xoxoxoxox     

    So, yesterday I went with my middle child on a field trip to a place called "Sky Zone Trampoline Park". I wasn't sure (at all!) what to expect, but it turned out be a really fun day (except for the long bus ride there and back!). I don't know how to describe the "park" exactly, except to say that everything is trampoline based! It was fun, and (total) I probably jumped on a trampoline for at least an hour - which is a lot for an old gal like me! : )  Ok, the jumping itself wasn't too bad, but I did need to take a lot bathroom breaks to make sure I didn't pee myself! Hahaha, seriously though, having kids (and vaginal births!) really makes things like jumping on a trampoline more like playing a game of Russian roulette! Whomp whomp.

    Anywhooooo, this recipe today is really tasty, and not difficult to put together. 

    There's a new Thai/Japanese restaurant in Belleville that we've been to a few times, and it has opened my eyes to the many wonderful Thai (and Japanese) dishes I've never known about. I also tried sushi (well, I tried it once before, about 10 years ago and hated it!) and really loved it. So, all that to say I've been experimenting at home with different Thai flavours, and I was pleased as punch with this dish.

    The sauce is adapted from Stupid Easy Paleo's Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce, and the meatballs are just a few ingredients with nothing fancy. Well, unless you consider sesame seeds fancy? If you want to make your own Asian cuisine at home, just get yourself some sesame seeds! Just commit to it; they aren't terribly expensive and they are delightful and (in my opinion) essential in making Asian foods! All that said....you can omit the sesame seeds if you don't have any. But just get some. : ) 

Thai Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Sauce

Ingredients:

For Meatballs:

• 1 ib ground beef
• 1 medium sized carrot, grated
• 1 Tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
• Pinch of salt & pepper

For the Sweet & Spicy Sauce:

• 1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger (or 1/4 Tsp ground)
• 1 Tsp chili flakes
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 Tsp Arrowroot starch (if not paleo, you can use corn starch)

Method:

For the meatballs:

1. Place all ingredients for meatballs into a bowl, and, using your hands, combine. Don't over mix though, just work everything together gently
2. Place a large skillet on medium, and drizzle some olive oil into the pan
3. While that's getting nice and hot, begin to make your meat into balls. In order to get uniform sized balls, I use my small Pampered Chef scoop, but if you don't have one of those, simply use a tablespoon to scoop out the meat mixture and gently roll into balls (you may need to put a little oil onto your hands to keep the balls from sticking)
4. Once the pan is hot, place a few meatballs into the pan, and sear to create a nice "crust" on the meatballs. I generally place a few into the hot pan, then take the handle of the pan and give it a smooth shake so that the meatballs rolls around and keep a nice shape as they brown. You can also just use tongs or a spoon to gently roll the meatballs over so that all "sides" are being browned. Don't overcrowd the pan though! Do this is batches (the exact number depends on how big your pan is) until all of the meatballs have been browned and in the pan for at least 5 minutes and nearly cooked through. Remove each batch of meatballs from the pan and set aside on paper towel or newspaper to drain slightly
5. Once all the meatballs have been cooked, remove some of the grease from the pan, either by pouring it off, or using paper towel to dab it out (we're using the pan for the sauce now) : )

For the sauce:

1. Once the grease has been taken out of the pan, return it to a medium heat
2. Add the vinegar into the pan, and deglaze, scraping up the nice browned bits from the pan that the meatballs left behind
3. Add in the other ingredients for the sauce, except the arrowroot
4. Once the honey is melted, and the sauce is warm, add in the arrowroot starch and whisk to combine (make sure you don't leave any lumps behind!)
5. Once the sauce is well combined, add the meatballs back into the pan to warm back up as the sauce gets hot and thickens (this should only take a few minutes)
6. You're all set! Serve it up!

​

***If kids are eating this, and they don't like spicy food, just leave some of the meatballs out of the sauce. They still taste great on their own!***


​

    So, really, a pretty strait forward recipe, but with really fantastic results! 

     I like to eat this with a quick fry of shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, thinly sliced peppers and onions, and spiralized zucchini. I'll just top it with the meatballs, and spoon a little extra sauce on it. 

      Anyway, on Monday on my health & fitness post I talked about dealing with stress. One of the things that had been causing me anxiety was a decision to cook at a camp this summer. Once I decided I would do it, I got started on menus. I like creating menus, but I've only had to do it for my family, and special menus for if guests are coming over. 

    So, I'm putting it out there - what kind of food would you consider quintessentially "summer camp", and what foods would you think could work on a summer camp menu? I always lean towards healthy options, but I realize (and my husband keeps reminding me!) that the whole world, and most children, don't eat or believe in eating the way I do. So I need to balance healthy foods with camp foods, oh, and all on a budget too! This might be a challenge, but I am totally up for it! Input would be welcomed though!!! 

    So please, if you've read all this way, give me some suggestions! 

    Have a great weekend! 

   Hello there!

    I'm sharing a recipe today that was from Paleo Parents, who shared if from Julie Bauer's cookbook "Paleo Cookbook" So much sharing! 

    I like to do a syrup based breakfast for the kids on Saturday mornings - wait, what? You don't know what a "syrup based breakfast", is? Well, it's a food item that gives you an excuse to eat maple syrup!!! :)  I am truly Canadian.

   Anyway, making great paleo pancakes can be difficult, but I've made a few that I liked a lot (like these Chocolate Monkey Pancakes), but I was wanting to try something new, and also something I could make ahead.

    Well, I found this little dream of a recipe, and we loved it!

     I made the mini pancakes on Friday night (and wanted to eat them right then!), then I simply stuck 'em into an airtight container overnight, and got the rest whipped up in no time in the morning! 

    This is so good! If you make the mini pancakes and think "why can't I just eat these like this?". Well, you can if you want to! But, making them into a delightful little pancake bake just makes it seem more like a cozy bread pudding. It seems more filling and satisfying somehow. 

   I also changed the recipe slightly, and swapped out the coconut milk for applesauce in the mixture you make that gets poured over the mini pancakes before being baked. It made these a wonderful, apple cinnamon pancake bake!

    Anywho, it's the bees knees, and I think you should give it a whirl! 
​ 

Mini Cinnamon Pancake Bake
From Paleo Parents, with some adjustments of my own


The Mini Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup coconut flour 
• 1/2 Cup tapioca flour
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1 Tsp cinnamon
• Pinch o' salt
• 3 Large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 Cup almond or coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tsp maple syrup or honey
• Grease for the pan (ghee, coconut oil or butter)

Method:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt
2. In a small measureing cup, mix the milk with the tablespoon of acid (lemon juice or applecider vinegar) and allow to sit for a moment.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup or honey, then add in the milk mixture
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. and blend until nice and smooth
5. Grease a large frying pan with your grease of choice, and place it over medium heat
6. Scoop about 1 1/2 tbsp  (use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop if you've got one-it'll make this easier!), pour the batter onto the warmed pan, cooking three or four pancakes at a time
7. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles begin to form in the batter, then flip and cook  the other side for another 2-3 minutes until the pancakes are fluffy and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside, then repeat with the remaining batter.
8. Serve the pancakes topped with maple syrup. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer for one week and thaw them before reheating in the pan......or, make 'em into the lovely mini pancake bake! 

The Mini Cinnamon Pancake Bake

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp grease for the baking pan (ghee, coconut oil or butter)
• 1 batch Mini Cinnamon Pancakes
• 1  Cup unsweetened applesauce (you can also use 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, as the original recipe has)
• 3 Large eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tsp cinnamon

For the topping:

• 1/4 Cup ghee, coconut oil or butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp maple sugar (the delicious granulated maple sugar)
• 1 Tsp  Cinnamon
• ​Maple syrup

Instructions

1. Grease a an  8x8-inch baking dish or 9x5-inch small loaf pan with your choice of grease, and  stand the pancakes up in rows in the pant (as shown in the photo below)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
3. Whisk together the applesauce, eggs and cinnamon, and pour the mixture over the pancakes, then press the pancakes down into the mixture to help them soak up the liquid
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the egg mixture has completely set in the middle and it doesn't look "wiggly" anymore
5. ***While the pancake mixture is baking, make the topping***
6. In a small bowl, mix together the ghee, coconut oil, or butter - whichever you have chosen, with the maple sugar and cinnamon.
7. Use a knife or spoon to spread the topping mixture on top of the pancake bake when it comes out of the oven. If the pancake bake is still nice and warm, the topping mixture will melt. If it doesn't melt, place the pan back in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes until the topping mixture has melted.
8. Serve with fruit, fruit syrups, coconut whipped cream, or maple syrup....um, or all of the items mentioned :)  

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    I have a very (VERY!) wiggly 6 year old on my lap while I'm writing this and when she saw the pictures she said, "Oooooohhhh! I looooove these french toasts!!!" : )

    So, I think that sums this up nicely!

    Have a wonderful weekend! 

     Hello there! 

     Until a few years ago I would not - nay - COULD not eat shrimp. Originally, this started from a place of growing up not eating a lot of shrimp, but also knowing that shrimp were bottom dwellers (garbage eaters!), made my stomach turn. This does not seem like a great intro to this post....hold on, it get's worse! Hahaha!

    So, after I got over that and tried shrimp again randomly as an adult (I just tried the cold shrimp with the classic seafood sauce), I came to realize that shrimp was pretty tasty and I actually liked it. And then, a set back.

   We showed up for an Easter meal at my in-laws, and my brother-in-law had something smelling so good on the BBQ. I asked what it was and he said he had been marinating jumbo shrimp for a few hours and was now grilling them. Well, yum-diddly! I had only really eaten "party shrimp", as mentioned, but this smelled so good, and I was willing to try!

     Well, didn't he just bring me one when they were ready.....and it was a large, frightening, unpeeled shrimp! I literally went, "OH NO! No, no, no, no, I can't eat that....". Like a baby. Like a giant baby.

     My father-in-law came to the rescue and offered to peel it for me (where I couldn't see him doing it!), and then I ate that shrimp. It was tasty. But I knew my shrimp limits then and there. If the shrimp is naked, I'm good. If it's got eyes, and creepy little legs. Good golly, keep it away from me!!! 

     For this post I wanted to find some useful links to help with the peeling and deveining process, and literally, out loud at my computer sat going, "Bleeeeh! Eeeewwwwwww!!" while making faces of disgust. I still can't handle shrimp that look like little sea creatures. Here's a link for those of you who can handle it though! 

     If all of this made you question eating shrimp at all....I'm sorry. Seriously, so sorry. 

     This coconut shrimp is so good though....you may want to reconsider your feelings. I shan't ever change my feelings about shrimp I'd need to peel and devein, but shrimp that's ready for fried coconutty goodness? That's a no brainer!     

      These tasty morsels come together easily and relatively quickly. They are great on a salad, served with sauce, eaten alone, and even eaten cold the next day! I usually eat mine next to a mountain of Moo-shu (I just make a meat free version).

Paleo Coconut Shrimp
​From Wiked Spatula

Ingredients:

• 1 lb medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined (here's that link again for help with this step if you can stomach it!)
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp tapioca starch
• 1 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• Pinch o' salt
• 1/4 Tsp paprika
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil

Method:

1. In a small bowl whisk the egg and the tapioca starch together
2. In a second bowl, combine the shredded coconut, coconut flour, salt and paprika.
3. Butterfly your shrimp by slicing down the back of them until they open up and could almost lay flat (check out the link for a more detailed instruction). If you want to, you can can leave the tails on. This does make flipping and eating considerably easier!
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil.
5. Dip the shrimp into the egg & starch mixture, let the excess drip off, and then dredge the shrimp through the coconut mixture, making sure it's well covered by gently pressing the shrimp into the mixture
6. In batches (so the pan isn't too crowded) fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes and golden brown on the outside. The exact time it may take for the shrimp to cook depends on the size of the shrimp. But remember that shrimp can get rubbery if overcooked!
7. If the pan runs out of oil simply add 1 or 2 more tablespoons before the next batch and let warm up before adding more shrimp
8. Transfer cooked shrimp to a newspaper or paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil while cooking the rest of the shrimp
9. Serve as is, or with a favourite sauce 

      Looks good, eh? It is. It so is. 

      Well, that's all for today! I didn't get a chance to post anything last Friday because it just turned into a day of busyness (not business), and then last minute my husband and I decided to go out for a late anniversary dinner, and well, the day just vanished. Poof! 

      Anywho, how do you feel about shrimp? I want to know! So, feel free to share with me your truest feelings about the little sea creature. : )

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    I can't seem to get a good nights sleep lately!!! Blah!!! Ok, sorry, I'm just feeling pooped and cranky. The End.

     So, eating healthy food can start to feel boring because often times we get stuck in a rut of making the same things over and over. When this happens, I've found the best way to kick the food boredom in the butt is to inject some culturally diverse and intense flavours into my life! Seriously, it makes me look forward to dinner, it feels so satisfying, and it's rarely boring adding some Chinese, Thai, Curry dishes, or Mexican cuisine into a weekly meal plan.

    And this recipe is really simple, and you can add other things you love or take-away things that may not quite appeal to you. You could add more heat with the additions of dried hot chilies, or swap out the almond butter for peanut butter. You could throw shrimp into it if you're not vegan, or spiralize some carrots or a handful of bean sprouts into it if you want some more veggies! I had mine with a big heap of kimchi (I use this recipe, but I omit the fish sauce), and a soft boiled egg. Perfection.      

​Stir-Fry with Spicy Almond Sauce

Ingredients for stir fry:

• Olive oil (just enough for frying pan)
• 1 Large onion, I used a white onion, cut in half, then cut into strips 
• 1 large sweet pepper, yellow, orange or red, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
• 6 Zucchini, spiralized into noodles (I used blade D on my Inspiralizer), or  use a mandolin to get nice thin, uniform pieces
• Pinch of cayenne (optional)
• 1 Tsp garlic powder, ground ginger & onion powder
• Salt & pepper 

Ingredients for sauce:

• 4 Cloves garlic, crushed and micned
• 1 Inch hunk of ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• Water to thin (if needed)

Method:

1. Heat a large frying pan or wok on medium heat, and drizzle olive oil into pan to warm up
2. Once warmed, add the onions and fry for a few minutes, until getting brown
3. While the onions are browning, in a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce, adding the water only as needed to get the desired consistency (you can also just whirl this around in a mini food processor to blend together), set aside
4. Now add your peppers to the pan with the onions, and cook until the pepper is getting soft, 1-2 minutes
5. Add your zucchini noodles, and gently toss to coat
6. Add in your spices, and toss to coat again
7. Allow the noodles to warm up, tossing very gently every minute or so until they are fully warmed. This will take 3-5 minutes maximum - If you cook them longer they'll get too soft & squishy
8. Divide stir fry into bowls, and top with spicy almond sauce and serve!

    Sometimes when it comes to a "closing" on a post, I have all sorts of things to say. Other times my brain is an empty shell, and I can't get any thoughts or quips together. Today is more of the latter. 

    Having shared this, I shall simply say goodbye, and I hope you have a lovely weekend!
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    I've been married and cooking for myself for nearly 12 years, and until recently, I had never bought pork tenderloin. Except for bacon, I don't buy pork.

    It's never been my favourite. Whenever I think of pork, I think of dried out pork chops. Bleh. No thanks! My brother once brought a tenderloin to my house (among many other groceries) because he used to stop by to visit and fancied himself to be Jamie Oliver and would whip up some of the most delicious meals I've ever had!!! But, in that instance he decided to prepare another meat he had brought, and the tenderloin got tossed into the freezer, only to be pulled out later and turned into pulled pork. Oh yeah, I'll eat pulled pork, but, c'mon, it's shredded meat covered in a yummy sauce and eaten with coleslaw! Tasty! 
 
    Anywhooooo, when scrimping and saving on groceries, beggars can't be choosers! Pork tenderloin was on sale, a sale so good I actually did a double take and went back to the cooler to investigate.

    Per kg, pork tenderloin was cheaper that week than any of the other regular meats we would get. So, I thought, "well, I might as well see what I can do!", and grabbed a few. My husband thought I was having a stroke because I was buying pork. Ok, he didn't think that, but he was like, "huh....?"

    Once home I Googled and pondered the potential of this meat. It seemed stuffing it was a must for a more guaranteed finished product. I had spinach which I knew would be nice, and having bacon inside seemed like a great way to keep the tenderloin moist from the inside out while roasting. Lemon and rosemary are a favourite flavour combo of mine, and knew that they'd taste great with bacon and spinach.

    Lemme say that this roast was goo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ood (read that with a slight Southern drawl and it'll make sense) : )  
    

​Spinach & Bacon Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
​(with lemon & rosemary) 

Ingredients:

• 2 Pork tenderloins 
• 6 Slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 Onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 Cup broth/stock (any kind)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 3 Cups spinach
• 1/2 Cup lemon juice
• 1 Tsp dried rosemary

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375, and have a roasting pan (or Dutch oven, or your deepest baking dish and tin foil for a top) ready
2. In a large pan set to medium, fry the bacon for a few minutes until the edges start to get crispy, then add the onions
3. Once the bacon is crispy, and the onions are soft, browned and fragrant, turn the heat to high, and pour in the cup of broth
4. Deglaze the pan by scraping up the bottom of the pan to get all the nice bacon and onion bits while the broth boils
5. Turn the heat back down to medium/low, and add in the 2 tablespoons lemon juice, & the dried rosemary. Stir to combine
6. Add the spinach into the pan and allow to wilt (you may need to do this a few handfuls at a time to get it to all fit)
7. Once spinach is wilted, transfer to a bowl and turn the heat in the pan back to high
8. Add the 1/2 cup lemon juice, and deglaze again (there likely won't be much in the pan to scrape up, but do it anyway), then add the dried rosemary and stir to combine. Remove from heat
9. Now you'll want to butterfly the pork tenderloins by cutting down the middle length of each one but not cutting it all of the way through, and spread the meat flat (like you are opening a book). Season with salt & pepper
10. Spread the spinach mixture on the butterflied pork tenderloin, and begin to roll the tenderloin up, starting at the narrow ends
11. Once rolled up, secure with toothpicks, and place into your roasting pan
12. Pour the lemon rosemary mixture over the roll, and place lid on pan
13. Cook the tenderloins for 45 minutes (or until the inside reaches 145F on a meat thermometer)
14. When the pork is done, transfer is to a cutting board and allow to rest for about 10 minutes, lightly covered in aluminum foil
15. Remove the toothpicks and slice the pork rolls 

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    What we had for dinner that night I sliced into approximately 1 inch pieces, and we ate it with a side of mashed cauliflower, and the rest I tried to cut thinner so my husband could use it in a sandwich to take to work. Best sandwich ever!       
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    Happy Friday one and all. I'll meet you here again next week!


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    April Fool's Day! Planning any good pranks? The origins of April Fool's Day are murky, but it seems as thought every country recognizes it, and takes part in some way or another.

   My kids love Sponge Bob Square Pants....ok, I kind of love the show too, but there's an April Fool's Day episode where Sponge Bob plays pranks, and the level of his pranking is pretty close to my level.....    

   Needless to say I shan't be pulling any pranks today because I'm pretty crappy at thinking up any!

   So, let's move onto food! 

   I found a recipe for spaghetti squash with bacon, spinach and goat cheese from BuzzFeed Life and it looked like a super yummy and simple recipe, but I was feeling pretty sick of spaghetti squash. I've really been enjoying noodles made from sweet potato though, and thought the recipe would still be good if I swapped out one veggie noodle for another. And it was indeed!

    This dish comes together really quite quickly, but has so many wonderful flavours that you'd think it required more skill or effort. Ooh!! Is that an April Fool's prank?!? I make a meal that seems really difficult to make, and when my husband and kids are all, "oh, what a delicious dinner! You are so skilled, this must have taken some time and effort!", and I let them go on for a bit, and then I spring a "April Fool's! This meal was hilariously easy to make!!!"  

    Haha, some days my geek is all out there for the world to see, isn't it? Whomp whomp. My husband and kids don't talk to me like that at dinner anyway....they always say if they think something is yummy, and they say thanks for dinner, but that weird 1950's dialogue I had going up there was cra-cra!

    I think I should just move on now. 
   

Spinach, Bacon & Goat Cheese Sweet Potato Pasta
Makes 2 nice, big servings, or 3-4 smaller "lunch size" servings

Ingredients:

• 6 Pieces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp vinegar (apple cider or red wine are both great choices)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3-4 Sweet potatoes (should yield about 8 cups un-cooked)
• 1 Five ounce bag of baby spinach 
• 3 Ounces goat cheese, divided (you can choose plain, or any nice flavour you can get-I used a garlic and herb kind this time)

Method:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add the bacon pieces. Cook slightly over medium heat, stirring often, just until the edges of the bacon have begun to get crispy
2. While the bacon is browning, spiralize your sweet potatoes and set them aside
3. Add the onion to the bacon in the pan, and caramelize the onions while the bacon finishes cooking 
4. When the bacon and onions are done, add the vinegar while stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet. This is called "deglazing" and it gets all of the delicious caramelized bits of bacon and onion off the bottom of your pan
5. Once you've scraped the bottom of the pan sufficiently, turn the heat to low and add the maple syrup and dijon mustard and stir it all to combine well
6. Now add your sweet potato noodles, and gently toss to combine and allow to cook and soften, anywhere from 5-8 minutes, it all depends on how soft you want them! You'll need to gently turn/toss them a few times to get them evenly warmed an soft
7. Once the sweet potato noodles have been cooking for 4-6 minutes, add your spinach one handful at a time, stirring gently so that is combines and wilts slightly, giving your pan enough room to keep adding more spinach
8. Once all of the spinach has been added in, put 1 ounce of the goat cheese into the pan with the noodles and gently toss to warm and melt the cheese slightly
9. Now divide the pasta between your bowls, and crumble the remaining goat cheese on top of the pasta 

    Alright, well, have a good day! Watch out for those trying to play tricks on you! 

    Don't forget that today marks the beginning of Autism Awareness Month, and that tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day. My son's wonderful resource teacher sent me the link to this article about how awareness is important, but acceptance is vital. The author of the article puts it this way, "Why acceptance? Because autistic people deserve the love and respect that come with acceptance, not merely acknowledgment that autism exists. Awareness is passive. Acceptance is a choice".  That is so well said.
 
     I talked about a few ways people can promote autism awareness in a post a few years ago "World Autism Awareness Day" if you wanna take a look there for a few practical ideas.

    Until next week, adiós, adieu, arrivederci, ciao, auf Wiedersehen, au revoir, sayonara, and goodbye!  : )  

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    So, up until a few years ago I wouldn't have considered butternut squash to be something I would choose to eat on purpose. I would eat it at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter family meals when it would be a side dish, but that was about it for me.

    Back in the fall of 2014 I decided to make a roasted butternut squash soup because our neighbour had given me some squash from his garden. I roasted the ingredients, squashed them with a potato masher, and added it all to a chicken broth. It was a good soup, even my husband (a true squash hater!) liked it. But it still wasn't a regular dish around our place.

    Then, just a few months ago, I bought a veggie spiralizer (the Inspiralizer, to be exact) and suddenly I wanted to turn every vegetable I possibly could into noodles!!!

    I decided to try making noodles out of butternut squash (just the strait "neck" part of it), and they were just about the yummiest noodles I had ever had! But the only problem was it left me with the bulbous bottoms with nothing to do! I would usually cut the bottom open, scrape out the seeds to roast for snacking, and roast the squash. Then when it was cooked, I would scrape the nice cooked squash out into a Ziploc bag and throw it into the fridge for some other use later. 

    But one day, after scraping out the seeds for roasting, I ran out of time, and just tossed the uncooked seeds into a container, and the uncooked bulbous bottom of the squash into a bag, and put it all in the fridge.  

    Well, fast-forward a few days, and I still had the squash in my fridge, and I was making chicken and veggie stock in my slow cooker. After I had finished making the stock and pouring it out of the slow cooker to cool, I wondered about making a squash soup in the slow cooker. With a quick Google search I found Pillsbury had a recipe that looked super-duper delish, and could be made by just putting everything into the crock-pot and letting it do it's thing!
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    Well, this soup was so good, so very, very good! And, it freezes really well, making it a great soup for my husband to take to work! 

    The Pillsbury recipe has you blending the soup in a blender or food processor, but I simply used my immersion (hand) blender (that I purchased for $4 from a local second hand store!) and that made the job super easy. Another option (though I haven't tried it with this soup), would be to let it cook sufficiently, and then just mash it up a bit in the crock-pot with a potato masher and not use a blender of any sort. In fact (as you can see) I like my soup a little lumpier, so if you're a fan of lumpy soup you can happily use a potato masher to blend this up!

    Anywho, this warm, fill-up-your-tummy soup is fantastic, & full of flavour. It may seem a little un-seasonal now, but I think it'll be a perfect soup to help warm ya up on a drizzly spring day!
     

Curried Butternut Squash Crock-Pot Soup
Adapted From Pillsbury

​Ingredients

• 10 Cups peeled, seeded and cut int 1 inch cubes of butternut squash (about 1, 4lb squash)
• 1 Large apple, cut into 1 inch cubes (I used a royal gala, but basically any kind will do)
• 1 Large Onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp curry powder (you can use more or less depending on your love of curry)
• Salt & pepper (1/4-1/2 tsp each)
• 3 1/2Ccups veggie, chicken, or beef stock (broth)
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)

Method:

1. In a 4-5 quart crock-pot (slow cooker) place in all the ingredients, except the coconut milk and maple syrup
2. Cover & cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours
3. Once cooking time is done and everything in the crock pot is super soft you can do one of the following:

• Use a hand blender and blend up the contents of the crock pot, then add the coconut milk and maple syrup (if using), and whirrrr around with the hand blender some more until well combined. Allow the soup to completely warm up again by turning the slow-cooker to high for 10-15 minutes (the coconut milk may have cooled it slightly). Serve and enjoy!
• Pour about 3 cups of the soup mixture into blender; add coconut milk maple syrup (if using). Cover and blend until smooth; return to cooker. Blend remaining soup mixture, in 2 more batches of about 3 cups each, until smooth and return soup to slow-cooker. Turn it onto high, and allow the soup to warm back up for 10-15 minutes to fully heat again. Serve and enjoy! 
• Or, grab a potato masher and some elbow grease and mash away at the soup until it's as lumpy or not lumpy as you prefer. Add the coconut milk and maple syrup and continue to mash and blend everything together. If the soup has cooled significantly, turn the slow-cooker to high and allow the soup to warm back up for 10-15 minutes

  ***Serve topped with diced apple, green onion, or roasted squash seeds!***

     Here's a video link to Martha Stewart for a how-to on butternut squash cutting (it's also where I got that image of the squash prep)!

     Well, my husband just texted me to remind me that this weekend the clocks "spring forward" an hour for Daylight Savings for some of Canada (for a complete and home-schoolery list of Daylight Savings all over the world, click here!) : )

​    Alright, well....I can't think of anything else to tell you! Have a good weekend, make some soup, put some of it the freezer, ya know.  

    xo

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