Yes. Yes. Yes. Who doesn’t love bacon? Seriously?!
I am really not one to eat bread often. Especially white bread. Normally, I’ll go for wheat or just no bread at all. Fortunately I’m not a huge sandwich person! Although there is King’s Hawaiian Sliced Bread and it is DANGEROUS! I could eat a sandwich for every meal if it was good for me. So what I saying is this, if you’re not diabetic and do not have Celiac’s, indulge! It’s amazing. Have a slice for me!
They’re really not as bad as people claim. Of course, like everything else – moderation is key.
Every morning I have two hard boiled eggs and I leave half of the yolk in it. Throw a dash of sea salt and your fave hot sauce on it! (Mine is Siracha or tapatio) Easy. Quick. Healthy. On the go. Breakfast is necessary to kick start your metabolism for the day!
Check it out:
With warm lemon water! It was an awesome weekend away I a beautiful place with delicious foods – but one it’s time to get back to that wonderful 80/20 rule. Lemon water has many health benefits such as balancing pH, kick starting your metabolism, getting your digestive system moving and cleansed as well (if you know what I mean!).
A fun spin on lemonade! I am not a huge fan of sweet beverages in general due to the Diabetes factor in my life. I generally enjoy tart drinks, and lemonade is one of them! In this recipe you can always add more lemon juice, or honey if you so desire. Instead of soda water and honey, you can add sprite for the same combo. Make it your own!
Ingredients:
1-2oz Vodka of choice. (Dependent on the size of your glass, and how strong you like your drinks)
2T Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1t Honey or sweetener of choice.
Watermelon – cubed
Soda Water (Look at the nutrition label – go for 0g Sodium. Club Soda is usually a safe bet!)
Mint Leaves
Directions:
1. Add 1oz Vodka of choice.
2. Add Lemon Juice & stir.
3. Add Honey & stir gently until honey is dispersed.
4. Fill glass with soda water.
5. Top with as many watermelon cubes as desired.
6. Garnish, or even mix in mint leaves if you like. (Forgot to add them here – Oops!)
7. Let sit for a few minutes to let all flavors combine. Or, stir it up!
8. Sip, and enjoy.
I’m not going to lie – I don’t have time to juice every day like I wish I could. I don’t drink a ton of juice in general because of the sugar content, and the glycemic index. Most fruits have a high glycemic index (GI) and some vegetables do too. When juicing, my go-to mix is usually carrots, a couple apples, lemon, and ginger. The reason being is that though carrots are sweet, the have a low GI, and are tasty. From New Health Guide the benefits of carrot juice include:
1. High in Vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2 and Potassium. 2. Macronutrients – low fat content, 1.3g of protein per serving, 18g of carbs per serving. 3. Stimulates appetite if consumed 20 minutes before eating. Carrot juice helps to stimulate your body’s secretion of digestive juices. 4. The soluble fiber in carrots promotes digestion.
Sound good yet?
So back to juicing. I often don’t have time for juicing. I will take the easy route. I’m not saying everyone should – but life gets busy and time is of the essence. Often times I’ll use Boathouse Carrot Juice as a supplement along with some squeezed lemon juice and a touch of the Silk Almond/Coconut blend to add a milky, smoothie texture and look to it. Try it out!
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Perfect French Fries? That’s quite a statement.
French Fries are my favorite guilty pleasure. And PERFECT fries? Let’s try this out 🙂
Smoked & grilled salmon. Roasted cauliflower with cilantro & sea salt. Roasted brussel sprouts with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Would have posted step-by-step photos but was too late! 😦
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It’s so bad… But sooo good.
This recipe is easy, looks pretty, and is healthy! You can modify the meat/veggie mixture to your taste and liking of course. That’s the beauty of this recipe, it’s all relative! Try it out 🙂
Baked Eggs in Bells
4 red or yellow bell peppers cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed (leave the green stem intact for looks if desired)
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced portobello mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz cubed pancetta or diced meat of choice
Cooking oil of choice (we use coconut oil)
8 eggs
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Fresh Herbs for garnish (basil, cilantro, chives etc.)
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place bell pepper halves on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, saute meat and onions together in the coconut oil over medium to medium high heat until the onions start to soften and the meat begins to brown. Add the minced garlic, zucchini and mushrooms and saute until the zucchini are al dente.
4. When the bell peppers are out of the oven, drain any moisture and pat dry with a paper towel. Fill each bell pepper halfway with the veggie/meat mixture.
5. Depending on the size of your bell pepper, you may be able to use two eggs. We often use one whole egg with yolk plus one or two egg whites for more protein!
6. Place the stuffed bells in a large casserole dish or small baking sheet, cover with foil and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes – until the egg whites are set. Check after 20 minutes. If you have a smaller bell pepper with one egg, your cooking time will most likely be 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and how you like your yolks.
7. OPTIONAL – top with fresh herbs, diced tomato, or avocado.
Final Product!
We usually spend our Saturdays cleaning, running errands, and of course cooking , grilling and attempting to lounge. Yesterday we bought a ‘Flat Point Beef Brisket’ from #thistlemeats in Petaluma. The Flat Point Brisket cut is generally more lean than your average brisket. It has a hardly any marbling and a fat layer that goes through the cut. Today we are smoking the brisket with a whole chicken.
We went to Costco today and bought a no-salt rub. Sometimes you just want to take the easy route and buy an already prepared rub. This rub seemed legitimate as all the ingredients listed were herbs that we commonly use and there weren’t tons of preservatives as well. We added (3/4) teaspoon and (1/2) Tablespoon of brown sugar to (1/4) cup of the rub. We applied it to both the brisket and whole chicken.
We also added fresh oregano thyme and rosemary to the mix as well. We not only inserted the herbs inside the chicken, but also underneath the skin by cutting tiny slits.
We turned our #traeger to 185 degrees with hickory wood pellets at 1pm. We imagine it will be done by 6-7pm. I cheated and took a sneak peak to take a photo for ya. The chicken is a nice golden brown right now – just wait until the final product! Dark, crispy skin with a great smoke ring/color in the meat. Stay tuned 🙂
I can’t honestly remember the last time I’ve had cottage cheese since I’ve become lactose intolerant 13 years ago. I came across this Lactaid Cottage Cheese at the local market and I was so excited! This is a great substitution if you love lasagna but can’t have the mass amount of cheese it has. We can use this for a ricotta cheese substitution or even a creek cheese substitution in baking recipes. What a great find!
Ingredients
Water crackers
Olive oil mayonnaise
2 boiled eggs (whites only) chopped
Smoked salmon
Capers (optional)
Directions
1. Spread a thin layer of olive oil mayo on the water cracker
2. Apply a thin layer of egg whites on top
3. Place a generous piece of smoked salmon over the egg whites
4. A few capers to top it off.
Tom has been perfecting this rib recipe for quite some time. I must say, that every time, it’s so delicious. We often switch up the type of herbs, beer and dry rub. It is all relative and it is completely up to you and your taste for seasoning. I promise you, this recipe NEVER fails! Let us know what you’ve changed in the recipe – what worked and what didn’t – we would love to know!
Directions:
Apply dry rub of choice to slab of ribs.
1. Preheat BBQ on high.
2. Turn one side of grill to medium-high, turn other side off.
3. Place ribs on side of grill that is off for 40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, chop 1/2 to a whole medium onion depending on your taste.
5. On a large piece of foil, place half of the onions and fresh herbs on the bottom.
6. Place ribs that have been on in-direct heat for the 40 minutes in the foil with the onions and herbs. Add 3/4 can of beer, then put the other half of onions and herbs on top of ribs.
7. Close the foil folding it over itself to make a good seal. Now place the foil wrapped ribs back on the indirect heat side of the BBQ. Let it cook in the foil wrap for 1 hour.
8. Get out your favorite BBQ sauce or your homemade sauce of your choice and get ready. After your hour cooking in the foil wrap take out and set back on the in-direct side. Take your BBQ sauce and smoother the ribs. You can never have enough sauce. Let this cook for 20 more minutes applying sauce every 5 minutes creating a nice glazed layer.
9. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before you cut and serve.
10. ENJOY!!!
Nourishing Zen 