Fervently in Pursuit of Shepard's Pie

Few things say comfort foods to me like good ole Shepard's Pie. Of coarse you can find a perfectly suitable recipe on just about any recipe site. But I like to change things up so I'm sharing my most recent version - complete with 7 thumbs up! 

If you try this and like it please share below! 

 Fervently in pursuit of Shepard's pie

This makes a 9x13 inch pan worth

2lbs ground meat

6 celery sticks

5-6 small carrots

6 scallions

1 rutabaga

1cup of green beans

1cup peas

6 small potatoes

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 

4 cloves garlic minced

 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1c cold water with

         1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

1 cup of bone broth 

[or 2 cups of cold bone broth]

1 6oz can of tomato paste

Steak seasoning, No Salt Seasoning/21 spice, granular kelp

Chop all the veggies, place 1/2 the rutabaga in a bowl with chopped potatoes. 

 Preheat oven to 350F

Sauté celery, carrots and 1/2 the rutabaga in 2T butter, Season to taste for 7-10 minutes. Add green beans, peas, onion/scallion, garlic and cook on low until beans are hot. I added a little kelp at this point.

Move veggies to 9x13" pan. 

Cook potatoes and rutabaga. I cook mine in the microwave in a covered bowl with a cup or so of water. 

Brown and season the meat.

Place meat on top of veggies.

Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar then add the water and/or bone broth. Heat for 2 mins then stir in tomato paste. Heat 1 more minute. Pour/spread over meat.

Drain the water and Mash the potato/ rutabaga with 4T butter and a little milk if you like. Spread evenly over the meat. 

If you eat cheese, we add shredded cheddar at this point. 

Bake for 20 mins or until cheese is melted to your liking. 

* for ease of reading I omitted the word organic from the recipe. However, I used organic wherever possible. 

 If you like my recipe please share a link to my blog thanks

 

         

 

Fervently Pursues the 21Day Sugar Detox

     The 21day sugar detox is buzzing around the net these days and I was very curious to discover why. Since beginning my Paleo journey 3years ago, I have been on the look out for healthy alternatives to comfort and fun foods. While I believe that eating whole foods is essential to good health, I also believe that occasionally enjoying foods that have positive memories for us will help keep us balanced. In general my family likes to stick to an 80/20 approach to eating. However, if and whenever possible, I like to create those foods with better ingredients. For instance, does ice cream really need artificial  flavors and colors when we have cream, vanilla and sugar?  I am very skeptical of laboratory created flavor enhancers. 

     Another important component to enjoying comfort foods, especially if that means Doritos and diet coke (just for explanation- I don't like diet anything or soda for that matter) is defining just exactly what is meant by moderation. 

     Moderation: a controversial definition. 

 Moderation 

[The urban dictionary]. The ability to exercise self-control while enforcing one's will power to resist certain situations a person puts themselves in too often.

[merriam-webster]  a :  avoiding extremes of behavior or expression :  observing reasonable limits <a moderate drinker>

       When I read other people's passionate defense for consuming diet soda, I can't help but notice they always say something like "I limit myself to 1or 2 cans per day." Did you know that a serving of soda is actually about 6oz? That means that one 12oz can is 2 servings!!!! 2cans per day then is really 4servings -not so moderate now. If we then compare servings to the 16.9oz or 20oz bottles most Americans consume in place of cans, we are talking about nearly 3-4 servings in one bottle.  If we were talking about alcohol using the same language; I need my diet coke, I only drink 2cans per day, etc., most people would think this person may have a drinking problem. Additionally, the negative effects of consuming junk foods daily includes things like, diabetes, stroke, cancer, brain function and inflammation just to name a few. So you can see why it's important to limit intake of these foods. 

     The 21Day Sugar Detox was created by Diane Sanfilippo a Holistic Nutritionist at Balanced Bites 

{http://balancedbites.com/meet-the-team }; as a way for people to ease into a healthier lifestyle. 

     Last week while shopping at Costco I came upon the 21Day Sugar Detox cookbook. While looking through it my 12 year old daughter asked me about this cook book that has PANCAKES on the front! I've always taught my kids about the nutritional value of foods, and the lack there of in junk foods. I cook mostly paleo or whole foods for my kids for health reasons but, like I said before, we do occasionally enjoy some junks foods. My daughter loves to bake and make smoothies, and she has a passionate attachment to pancakes. So I proposed to her an experiment.  Follow the 21Day Sugar Detox and Blog about it! After thinking on it, and getting very excited over the recipes, she agreed. 

     Beginning on Monday March 10,2014, Zoe will be journaling her experiences every day. A couple times each week she will be making some of the recipes and sharing about here and on her vlog [cupcakebeauty01]on YouTube [http://youtu.be/oRHoaLnKKVU]

She would love to have you follow along and cheer her on, or journey with her!  

One important note: This is NOT A Diet!! 

She will not be restricting calories or consuming anything that is dangerous to her health. This is merely a fun experiment to add to her already well balanced diet and lifestyle. 

Portion and Moderation Links

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/eat-right/portion-distortion.htm

21day sugar detox 

Explanation

http://balancedbites.com/2013/12/faqs-all-about-the-21-day-sugar-detox-cookbook.html

Support

http://the21daysugardetox.com

Disclaimer 

[ My Blog is for entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and discuss all changes with your doctor. I reserve the right to delete, block and report any and all inappropriate, slanderous, or threatening responses to my blog, Facebook page or vlog. If you have a problem with the content please email me and I will handle it. Thank you] 

Bean Sprout "Spaghetti"

    The most fun thing about cooking, for me, is making the recipe my own. I borrowed the idea for bean sprout "noodles" from a whole30 recipe group. However, the sauce is my own creation. 

     I found enoki mushrooms at my local supermarket. While I don't normally eat mushrooms, these were so cute and resembled noodles also, so I decided to give them a try. I'm glad I did! The have zero flavor. It's sort of like chewing soft puffy air. I think this will allow them to take most flavors nicely. 

      The sauce is one I normally make as a quick sauce. Kirkland brand tomato sauce comes pre-seasoned which is nice if your in a hurry. I just use what I have on hand. However, I always add more seasonings anyway. 

     My family apprehensively approached the fork with crinkled noses. They were pleasantly surprised to discover they loved it! I got 3 thumbs up! I only sautéed the sprouts for 5 minutes and I was pleased with the crunchy texture. Better yet, the bean sprouts do not leave the same heavy, too full feeling I get from wheat noodles. My husband prefers his bean spouts raw, but he does like the sauce. 

     This recipes only takes about 20 minutes and I started with frozen venison. Additionally, since this recipe has so many vegetables you really don't need a side dish. 

If you would like to share my recipe please do not copy and paste. Instead share a link to my blog! Thanks so much. 

_________________________________

Bean Sprout "Spaghetti"  

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Recipe:

1lb ground meat (or alt)

1-2lbs raw bean sprouts

1 3.5oz package Enoki mushrooms

2  15oz jars tomato sauce

2-4T Olive oil

2T Butter 

Optional Seasonings

    Steak Seasoning or S&P to taste

    2T Spaghetti or Italian seasoning

    1T Granular kelp

    Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste 

*I'm not endorsing these brands, it's just what I prefer to use*

Directions:

1. Sauté bean sprouts in olive oil (or 

     butter ) for 5-7 minutes.

      [Defrost meat if necessary] 

     remove sprouts to large bowl. 

2.  In the same pan Season and  

      Brown meat. I used venison this         

     time. When I use very lean meats 

     like this I always use olive oil to 

     help it mince up better. 

3.  Spread the meat to the outside of  

     the pan. Add 2T butter and 

     mushrooms. Sauté 2 minutes.

4.  Add tomato sauce and

      seasonings, stir well and heat 

      until you see steam. 

5.  Spoon sauce over sprouts, 

     sprinkle with Parmigiano-

     Reggiano and Serve. 

I did not use Parmigiano-Reggiano this time and I thought it was delicious without it. 

No Junk October Day 3

     The kids had egg pancakes again! It's making me laugh but I eat eggs every day so I'm not concerned; it's just cute how much they love these grain free pancakes. When we first started our paleo journey they were distraught over the idea of never having pancakes again. This recent discovery has turned them in my direction. 

     I decided to have a cup of coffee w/ cinnamon first thing. It made my morning. I have been struggling lately to drink my coffee w/o sweeteners. I often go w/o but from time to time my sweet tooth gets the better if me. It's been more than a month since I have had coffee sans artificial creamer. It would have been better to just use heavy cream but I forget to buy it when I'm at the store. I have a good recipe for homemade cinnamon vanilla creamer I'll share soon. 

     It's amazing I made it to day 4. I'm going to have a mango juice for breakfast and some eggs. 

     10am and I'm finally hungry. I'm about to fry me some eggs!

   The eggs really helped. It held me over for a few hours. I drank more juice all afternoon. But I was starving all afternoon also. 

     I gave up my juice fast this evening. It was my mother-in-law's birthday. She passed away a year and a half ago. We went to visit her grave, plant a bush and sing her happy birthday. We also took her am ice cream cone. I decided to have a tiny one with her and everyone else. I only ate the ice cream and only that which was on top. 

For dinner I had a porter house steak, asparagus and 1/2 small sweet potato. It was delicious. But since there wasn't anything in my stomach I had to eat slow. It hit my stomach like a ton of bricks. 

Also not digesting food properly now. That makes for a loud stomach and lots of bathroom trips. Not fun. I'm not sorry I did the fast but I'm not happy with the results. Although I've lost 7 pounds, I've regained all the negative digestive problems I've spent time trying to correct. Plus my milk supply has greatly suffered. 

No Junk October - An Explination

Every October I've been plagued with the task of deciding how to pry mountains of candy from eager hands on Novemeber 1st. This year my kids are 11,10,7 and 1. 

My strategy is to convince them candy isn't always all that. 

So I gave them a choice

A. We give up junk food for 30 days. On October 31st, after trick or treating, they can enjoy their candy as much as they want. (I mistakenly thought Halloween was on a Friday)  so I decided to amend it by saying a couple pieces and then as much as they want Friday night. Then the rest will be donated to the troops. 

B. They don't have to give up anything for October. Then on Halloween they can have a couple pieces  of candy and 1 piece each day for 7 days. At the end they donate their candy. 

    My children chose option A. I figured they would. So my plan is already working mwahahahaha! Lol 

No Junk October Day 2

    Today I woke with a horrible headache. The baby couldn't sleep lying down due to nasal congestion, so I put him in the swing. That meant I was sleeping on the couch. That always means I will have a headache the next day. 

    The kids had banana egg pancakes again. And took ham, cheese sticks, apples, and a few other options that escape my foggy mind at the moment. 

     This brings me to my next point, my blood sugar. I think my headache is partly related to my blood sugar. I had 1 10oz red naked juice (can't remember the name and to dizzy to go look) and 1 10oz green juice. It was enough to not feel hungry for a couple hours, but by 10 am I was starting to feel dizzy and my stomach was growling loudly. Since I was running errands I grabbed a large container of Naked Protein Power. That helped a little. I think my body is angry with me for not feeding it food to digest. I might cave in and have eggs tonight. 

9:30pm   

      I wound up drinking half the bottle of protein drink. It wasn't enough! I finally caved and juiced a bowl of left over beef stew. It was surprisingly good! I added some bone broth to thin it out. That really held me over several hours and helped relieve my head ache. I did not take any pain relievers since I cannot handle them on an empty stomach. I didn't start feeling hungry again until about 8:30. I had an 8oz glass of green juice, I'm still hungry. I remember this feeling from my starvation days. Those years I spent counting every calorie, denying myself fun foods but piling on the grains. All the while STARVING FAT! No joke! I have done extreme calorie restriction diets and gained weight.  Since discovering paleo I have freed myself from that dangerous trap. I am in love with real food.

      I weighed myself tonight for kicks and I'm down another pound. I'm happy but it's mixed blessing because I'm still breast feeding and I can tell it's really effected my supply. Additionally I have developed thrush which confirms my suspicion of high blood sugar. Whenever my blood sugar is too high I get thrush. 

    I cannot express how excited I am to have my eggs tomorrow. The Alpha Reset suggests egg white and I'm not sure why. It could be to ease back into food but my bigger suspicion is that they misguidedly believe egg yolks are not healthy. I however have read, learned, and personally discovered that egg yolks are Brain Food! 

Sleep is Essential

If it wasn't for my baby who is a bit stuffy tonight I'd be sleeping soundly already. But it's 1am Oct 2. I struggle with sleeping. I have for a long time. Sleep is very important for our health. It's where our bodies recuperate and rebuild, where the mind finds clam and peace. I wish babies understood that. Anyway, I'm hopeful now he's asleep again and I'm tired. Good night