3 ingredient Pumpkin Pancakes

School started today, so I'm in the mood for fall. That means pumpkin season!! This little recipe is quick to whip up, minimal ingredients, and grain free! I hope it's a hit in your family, too!













Ingredients:
1/4 cup pumpkin purée (I used canned)

1/2 banana (mashed)

2 eggs

Optional:

1 tsp Pumpkin spice seasoning

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Chocolate chips

Whisk together all ingredients and pour on to a hot, greased, skillet or griddle, over medium heat. Flip when pancakes start to bubble on top. 

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

Blueberries and Zucchini. The two things that we can't get enough of this time of year. Or, maybe I am getting too much and trying to get creative in how I use them? Either way, this recipe is another example of me hiding veggies in my kids foods. They get their muffins, and I get the satisfaction of knowing there is another veggie actually being ingested and NOT spit out. Once again, I am using bananas in place of honey, maple syrup or other sweeteners. Don't worry, your kids won't know the difference.
These are versatile, and can be a great addition to breakfast OR lunch. Enjoy! ~ C

Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
2 bananas, broken into 1 to 2 inch pieces.

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients

1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda
Add ins

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup fresh blueberries

• Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease your muffin tin or use liners. (I love these reusable silicone ones sold by Amazon.)
• Mix all wet ingredients together in your mixer. Make sure the banana gets good and mashed up in the mixing process. 
• While your wet ingredients are in the mixer, put all your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and mix together with a fork or spoon.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer. Mix until well blended. 
• Add the "add ins" and mix by hand, or on the mixers lowest setting.
• Pour into muffin pan and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins are done when toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. 

Easy Plantain Blender Pancakes (Grain free & Dairy Free)

If you're looking for a quick, easy fluffy, grain free pancake that tastes good, then you've found it! I've been experimenting with plantains as a flour substitute and so far I've been really happy with the results. Using green plantains does not add a plantain flavor, and the end result is a fluffy pancake with a flour like texture.

The great thing about this recipe, is all you need to do is dump the ingredients into a blender, then pour into the pan. Add any toppings as soon as you put in pan and you're all set! 

Depending on the type of blender you have, you may want to blend these at two separate times. First after the plantains and coconut oil, then after the remaining ingredients. 

Ingredients

2 green plantains, cut/broken into 1-2 inch pieces.

2 tbsp coconut oil

Blend

2 eggs

1 ripe banana*

1 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

Blend

Pour into frying pan, using coconut oil to coat the pan. I find they are easiest to flip sand dollar size.

Top with chocolate chips or blueberries (or other topping) as soon as you pour into pan. Let sit for a minute or two, to allow to firm on one side, before flipping. 

My kids and husband love these! Hope you enjoy them, too! ~ C

*I've been using a ripe banana in place of honey or maple syrup in my recipes and it's worked out great. No kid complaints here! 

Bringing in the New Year with a Tropical Green Smoothie

Welcome to 2015, everyone! Anyone else anxiously awaiting for a hovercraft to materialize on their front step?! Maybe a Back to the Future marathon is in order to see just how far off Michael J. Fox and the gang were in predicting what 2015 would be like. 

Instead, I'm settling for a Downton Abbey marathon accompanied by a cleansing green smoothie to help with the not so great food choices I made over the holidays. I'm going to share my favorite green smoothie recipe here, and I would love to hear yours in the comments. Happy New Year! 

Tropical Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole plain yogurt

- 1 cup spinach

- 1½ cups  frozen tropical fruit mix (mango, pineapple, and strawberries)

- 1 banana 

- ¼ cup water 

Directions: 

Add all ingredients into blender in the order listed. Blend using puree setting for ~1 minute or until desired consistency. Serve with a straw, and enjoy! 

Note: if you notice the greens are not blending well enough, try blending the yogurt and spinach first and then adding the next 3 ingredients. 

Grain Free Cauliflower Pizza Casserole!

I came across a pin of a healthy "Pizza Casserole" on Pinterest,  but could never find an actual recipe for it. (Isn't that the most annoying thing ever? Why pin it if you're not going to tell us how to make it??) Ok, rant over... It looked like it wasn't that difficult, so I threw this together for supper tonight, and was very pleased with the simplicity of it. The best part is that my boys are eating their veggies, without even realizing it!
--C

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces.
1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup of your favorite marinara or pizza sauce
Toppings of choice. I used Boars Head Pepperoni

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl mix the cooked cauliflower, marinara and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.
Pour into a 2.8 liter (3 quart) casserole dish.
Top with remaining cheese and any additional toppings.
Bake uncovered for approximately 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Creamy Spinach "Alfredo" Chicken Sausage

I have been thinking about making this all day. It's cold, and I want some creamy comfort food! Trying to accomplish creamy, and stick to real food can have it's challenges. But, I was on a mission, and I was determined to be successful!! And, I was! This turned out exactly how I pictured it would! It was pretty easy, and didn't take too long to make, even though I had several things cooking at one time. You could easily add more seasonings to the sauce, according to your tastes. I probably will next time, but this time I was focused on creaminess! (Is that a word?)
Yum, just yum!!!

Ingredients:

1 box (13.25 oz) cooked pasta of choice. I used 100% Whole Wheat
8 oz block of shredded white sharp cheddar
1 cup fresh or frozen spinach (I buy the bagged frozen so I can use as little as I want to)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp tapioca powder/flour (you can sub corn starch or arrowroot powder)
1 1/4 cup plus 3 tsp milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 package of Bilinski's Organic Spinach & Feta Chicken Sausage** (or sub meat of choice)



For the Meat:
Just heat and slice! I heated in a skillet while everything else was cooking.
For the Pasta: 
Boil as you normally would, then drain and place in a medium bowl that you can add the rest of the ingredients to as they get done.
For the Spinach:
While you have your pasta boiling, heat the olive oil in a skillet then add the minced garlic. When it is just starting to look toasted, add your spinach and saute until it is done. Add to the cooked pasta.
For the sauce:
Combine the 1 1/4 cup milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small saucepan on low heat. While that is heating, have your shredded cheese close by. In a small bowl combine the 3 tsp milk and tapioca flour and mix until all the lumps are out and it forms a paste.
When your milk is heated, slowly add the cheese, stirring constantly to help it to melt and to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once you have all the cheese melted, add the tapioca paste and continue to stir over the heat until you reach a creamy consistency. This should only take a few short minutes. If you do not think it is thick enough, you can make another paste 1 tsp at a time, equal parts tapioca powder and milk.
Once you get the creamy texture you are looking for, pour it over your cooked pasta and spinach.
Add the meat, and stir.
That's it, you are ready to eat it up!

**Here is the Sausage I found at our local Harris Teeter. For a sausage, it has a pretty minimal ingredient list. It also tastes fantastic!!

Easy Raw Almond Butter

Do you know how much raw almond butter costs? Seriously, that stuff is pricey! Last time I looked at whole foods it was $17 for a 16 oz jar. Say what!? I was so excited to see they had it, but my excitement quickly diminished when I saw the price tag! So, my $5.99 bag of raw almonds from Trader Joe's is getting some good use. I have made this about 5 or 6 times now, and finally learned the secret to making it a little quicker, and with my Ninja food processor.

All you need is a decent food processor, raw almonds, a little coconut oil or additions you want (salt, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc).

 I'm sure you can use this same process with any nut, and get the same result, but so far I have only tried almonds.

Ingredients:
16 oz raw almonds

1 tsp salt (more or less to taste, or you can omit)

Optional mix ins (Coconut oil, chocolate)

1) Put your almonds in the food processor and start it up. (Warning, it is going to be loud when you first start it up, but once they break up a little it won't be so bad. I have to warn my kids ahead of time though, so they can cover their ears!!)
2)My Ninja processor is the pulse one, so I let it run for about 30 seconds, then stop to see if I need to stir it up since they seem to stick the the edge the more it processes. I do this on and off for about 6-7 minutes.
3) Once it starts sticking together a little, you want to add any add ins, like salt, coconut oil, chocolate, etc. (see picture below of how it looks when it's starting to stick.)

4) blend again until it is mixed in well, and you have a nice nut butter consistency. The longer you blend it, the creamier it will be. I like it with a little bit of a gritty texture.
5) You're done! See how easy that was?!

I store it in my fridge, and scoop out what I need. It will harden a little when cold, but 30 seconds in the microwave is all you need to soften it back up! This lasts about a week or two, and then it's gone. I love it for my morning and afternoon snack with apple slices! Best stuff ever!

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Bowls

Time to redefine Taco Night! This dish is easy, and can cook while you work, making dinner prep a breeze! 

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless thighs1 Can Rotel tomatoes 1 cup shredded zucchini (hidden veggies!!)***1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Lime Juice, squeezed from 2 limes

8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese ( or white cheddar)

1/2 bunch cilantro

2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry + 2 cups water or broth)

Place chicken in slow cooker (I throw it in frozen) and top with Rotel, seasonings, and lime juice. 

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. About an hour before serving, add the cilantro and zucchini and shred the chicken with a fork to mix it all well. 

Prepare your quinoa, and shred the cheese. Serve with quinoa at the bottom, top with chicken, then top with cheese! Enjoy!! 

*** You could always add corn or black beans, too! We don't eat either due to food allergies, but they would be a great addition if you like them!  

adapted from: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/07/taco-chicken-bowls/

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili- kid friendly!

It is Chili season in North Carolina! Cooler temps mean it's time to break out the Crock Pot and let it do all the work for me. I love chili this time of year!

My 3 year old has a bean/pea allergy so we avoid all legumes and lentils. I came across a recipe for sweet potato chili last year, and tried it, but omitted the beans the recipe called for. I've made it several times since then, tweaking the recipe a little each time. I finally got the perfect chili that we will all eat. 

Try it, you will not be disappointed! The sweet potato is the perfect bean replacement, but still gives you a similar texture. I actually double this recipe in my large Crock Pot so I have extra for the freezer.  --C

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground (beef, venison, turkey, chicken)

2-3 sweet potato, peeled and diced into cubes

1- 15oz can of organic diced tomatoes

1- 8oz can organic tomato sauce

1 Homemade Chili seasoning recipe (below)

Chili Seasoning*:

1 TBSP Chili Powder

1.5  TBSP minced onion

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp ground pepper

Instructions:

Line your slow cooker with a liner to reduce clean up, if desired. (Totally worth the money to get these!)

Put meat in bottom of cooker (I put it in frozen, no need to thaw ahead of time!)

Top meat with seasoning, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and diced sweet potatoes. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

About an hour before eating, take a spoon and mix everything well, making sure to crumble the meat.

**I don’t add cayenne pepper to my chili seasoning, because my hubby and kids don’t like spicy foods. If you do want it spicy, add ¼ tsp cayenne, or more to taste.  I usually just sprinkle a little on the top of mine and then mix it up!

100 Days of Real Food and Against All Grain COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!!!

We're doing a cookbook over on our Facebook page! Head over to Confessions of A Real Food Mom's Facebook page to enter. 

Need a little help getting back into a healthy eating routine after overindulging on a little too much Halloween candy and before the chaos of the holidays? Then head over to Confessions of a Real Food Mom's Facebook page to enter this cookbook giveaway, and check our blog regularly for easy, family-friendly, healthy recipe ideas. 

**This giveaway is in no way sponsored by Facebook, Blogger, Against All Grain, or 100 Days of Real Food. 

Sweet Potato & Ground Bison Sloppy Joes Recipe

Sloppy Joes are such an easy, quick, and kid-friendly weeknight dinner. While I always have these great aspirations to try something new with ground meat, 9 out of 10 times I come back to Sloppy Joes. ... and why wouldn't I? I know that they are nearly impossible to screw up even when left unattended for 15 minutes while I change a diaper or break up a fight, and  I know my kids will actually eat them, which is most often not the case for dinner at our house these days. 

I like to change them up by adding different root veggies or beans to the mixture. Not only does it add a little fiber and another veg to their plates, it also stretches the meat a little further. 

We currently have a whole bunch of sweet potatoes from our CSA farm share (read about what a CSA is here), so I took some inspiration from a Martha Stewart recipe and 100 Days of Real Food recipe to come up with this fantastic new Sloppy Joe recipe. This is my first time making "Real Food" rules approved Sloppy Joes and I will definitely be using this recipe from now on. 

Note: We like our Sloppy Joes to have a smoky flavor with a hint of heat; if you prefer a sweeter mix, you'll want to cut the amount of chili powder and cumin used. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sweet potato, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped (OR ½ small onion & 1 clove garlic, finely chopped)
1 pound ground bison (or any ground meat)
1 14.5 oz. can tomato sauce (no sugar added)
1 tablespoon honey
1½ teaspoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons cumin
Dash of cinnamon
salt & pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sweet potato, cook for about 3 minutes. Add shallot, and continue cooking until both sweet potato and shallot soften, 2-3 minutes.

Add ground meat to skillet and brown until no pink visible, breaking up meat with wooden spoon while it cooks. Season with salt & pepper.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, honey, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. 

Add sauce to browned meat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer for   5-10 minutes until most liquid has evaporated and mixture has thickened. 

Serve Sloppy Joes on whole wheat buns. 

*Adapted from 100 Days of Real Food Turkey Sloppy Joes & Martha Stewart's Turkey Sloppy Joes.*

Healthier Pumpkin Rice Krispy Treats

Our Halloween plans were changed last minute, so I had to try to figure out something for us to do this evening. We decided on a movie and treat, so I went to the store in search of something easy to throw together. My small town has limited health food stores, but we do have one grocery with a very small health foods isle. So, I picked up some organic brown rice crispy cereal and decided to make some version of pumpkin "rice krispy treats". I was not in luck with limited ingredient marshmallows, so ended up with the store brand. I need to check and see what Whole Foods has next time I am there.

(Side note: This cereal brand is allergen friendly, which was a great bonus!)

Now, keep in mind that I'm not very crafty, so it's ok to laugh at my finished pumpkin. ;) But, the important thing is that these tasted great and my kids loved them!

Ingredients:
6 cups of brown rice crisp cereal
4 cups of marshmallows
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1/8 to 1/4 cup pumpkin
1 tsp of pumpkin spice seasoning, (or just add to taste if you prefer)
A few chocolate chips for decorating (optional)

Directions:
Put the coconut oil in a large pan on low heat. Once it has turned to liquid, add marshmallows and stir. When marshmallows have melted, stir in pumpkin. Too much pumpkin will make them not as crispy, so somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 cup works great. Also add seasoning.
Remove from Heat.
Add your rice cereal and stir well, making sure you get everything from the bottom stirred in.
Pour the mixture into a 9x13 and flatten with a spoon, making sure it's pressed into all the corners.
Once they are cooled they are ready to eat!

I ended up putting them in the fridge to get them good and cool. Then I used a small cup to cut out a couple of circles to make the boys each a pumpkin. Then we decorated them with the chocolate chips.  Well, they mostly ate the chocolate chips, but it was fun and the treats tasted great!! --C

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe

We love making pizza in our house. Until we switched to real food we always started our homemade pizza with Trader Joe's pizza dough. Unfortunately, the Trader Joe's crust uses all-purpose flour for the base, which means we don't buy it anymore. We've tried Trader Joe's whole wheat dough, but we were underwhelmed. In the end, my very talented husband came up with his own very simple whole wheat dough recipe.

Note: This recipe makes a thicker, chewier dough - like hand-tossed thickness - if you want thinner, crunchier crust cut the flour by 3-4 oz or ½ - ¾ of a cup.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Ingredients
26 oz (~5 cups) whole wheat flour (we use King Arthur's white whole wheat) 
1 packet active dry yeast
1¾ tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1¾-2 cups WARM water

Directions
Using stand mixer bowl, whisk together flour, active dry yeast, and salt. (Note: you can 'proof' yeast by soaking it in the warm water, but this step is unnecessary unless the yeast is old and you are afraid it will no longer work.) Using the stand mixer with the dough hook at a medium speed, slowly add water, olive oil, and honey. Continue mixing for 5-10 minutes at a medium speed until dough is well kneaded. 

Remove mixing bowl from mixer, cover bowl with dishcloth, and let it rise on the counter for ~30 minutes. Separate dough into two equal sized balls. The dough is now ready to use, refrigerate, or freeze. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 

If refrigerating, store in airtight container for up to 16 hours. Remove from refrigerator ~30 minutes before using to bring to room temperature. If freezing, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. Remove 4-5 hours before using, or thaw in refrigerator overnight. 

Whole Wheat Banana Carrot Muffins Recipe

We're attending a Halloween party tomorrow, which presents a challenge when trying to avoid refined sugar and white flour. Since I knew there would be plenty of not so healthy sugary options available to the kids, I wanted to make something that followed the real food rules. Of course, I immediately turned to the Days of Real Food website to find some inspiration. In the end, I decided to adapt 100 Days of Real Food's Whole-Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins to make Whole Wheat Banana Carrot Muffins. To make them a little more festive, I'm using Halloween themed cupcake liners. 

Ingredients
1½ cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's white whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup honey

1 egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 very ripe bananas 

¾ cup shredded carrot (about 1 large) 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying each of the muffin cavities or using paper liners.

Mash bananas with fork until smooth and runny. Set aside.

Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt) in medium mixing bowl. Using a mixer, combine together butter, honey, egg, and vanilla extract on a medium-high speed until butter is well broken up.

Turn the mixer down to a low speed and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until ingredients are just combined. Next, add the mashed banana and shredded carrot to the mixture and fold in on the lowest mixer speed or by hand with a spatula.

Divide the mixture evenly among each of the 12 (or 24 if mini) muffin cavities. Place the tin on the middle shelf. Bake for 18-21 minutes; if using mini-muffin tin, start checking for doneness around 11 minutes. When done, toothpick inserted into the middle of muffin should be mostly clean with a few crumbs. 

Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bites Recipe

Am I the only one that struggles to find a use for leftover canned pumpkin? It seems that I rarely pick recipes that use a whole can of pumpkin, so I always end up with some leftovers. Today I used the leftover canned pumpkin to make Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bites. This is a super simple recipe that does not require you to cook or bake anything.

Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bites

Ingredients

1/4 cup pecans
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup dried cranberries
10 Medjool dates
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon honey (optional; omit to make vegan)

Instructions
Add pecans to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients to pecans in food processor and combine until desired consistency - it should start to form a giant ball. Let mixture firm up for 5-10 minutes, and then roll into 1" balls. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Makes approximately 15. 

Adapted from My Whole Food Life's Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites 

If you are still reading, note the awesome built-in bowl scraper on my food processor. It is so nice to not have to open the food processor and scrape down the sides with a rubber scraper over and over. You can check out the Hamilton Beach food processor here. This one replaced our super nice KitchenAid that I rarely used because it was so heavy ... sadly, the KitchenAid came to its demise when I dropped it from an upper cabinet onto my head and then the floor. Yikes!

Coconut Flour Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips!

I don't know about anyone else, but pumpkin is not just for fall at our house. I make these muffins year round for my boys, because they are their favorite! You can make these with or without chocolate chips! But as you have noticed, chocolate is in everything I make, if I have a say about it. 

4 eggs
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin or canned 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup 
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips (optional)

Mix together wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients. If you are using chocolate chips, save them for last. Fold them in and pour the batter into a lined muffin tin.
Your batter will be pretty soupy, but it is supposed to be that way! 

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
Enjoy!!
--C

Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies- Grain free and Dairy Free

My oldest is coming home from college this weekend. He says he wants to trick or treat with his brothers on our camping trip, but I'm pretty sure it's because tomorrow is birthday. ;) So, his Nana is making his favorite cake, and the little kids and I made chocolate chip cookies since they are his favorite! These are perfect for satisfying that cookie craving, while following a real food, grain free lifestyle.

Ingredients

1 cup of almond flour

1 tbsp coconut flour

1 egg

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup raw honey

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean 

1/4 tsp baking soda

Dash salt

1/2 cup of Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all dry ingredients- minus chocolate chips

Mix all wet ingredients

Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix well. 

Fold in chocolate chips

Drop the cookies onto a lined baking sheet (I actually grabbed about a spoonful at a time, rolled into a ball, then put on the sheet. After I got them all placed, I flattened them out to the thickness I wanted.)

Bake for 8-12 minutes. For softer cookies, less time. For a crispier cookie, more time. 

Enjoy!! 

--C

20 Minute Tomato Soup Recipe

Every year when the temperatures start to drop as summer turns to fall I get excited because I know "Soup Season" is upon us once more. Starting in mid-September there is rarely a week that goes by where I don't make soup or chili. This week is no exception.

A few days ago I found myself staring blankly into the refrigerator trying to figure out what to feed the kids for lunch, yet again. Since we've made the switch to minimally processed and unrefined food in our house, lunchtime seems to be a much bigger conundrum than it used to be. My kids used to eat PB&J 5 days/week, and while I still feed them PB&J regularly it's not as mindless as it used to be. We no longer get our bread from our grocery store shelf, instead D makes it from scratch. 

For some reason, the added effort that goes into the homemade bread makes me think twice about using it for PB&J; it's as if I feel like homemade bread deserves something a bit more extravagant than PB&J. So with that in mind, I decided to make the girls grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Seeing as I had two hungry girls waiting for lunch, I did a Google search for "quick tomato soup" and came up with this Rachel Ray recipe. I doubted that I could make a decent tomato soup in 20 minutes, but after a few modifications and a short 15 minute simmer, I had a tasty tomato soup that both girls gobbled up. Here's the recipe:

20 Minute Tomato Soup

Ingredients
32 ounces chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-14.5 oz can tomato sauce (no added sugar preferred)
1 cup whole milk
1/2-1 Tbsp Penzeys "Pasta Sprinkle" or a combination of basil, oregano, thyme, and garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

DirectionsPulse diced tomatoes in food processor for approximately 15 seconds (OR you can skip this step and use the immersion blender before serving). Combine chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce in Dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a slow boil, add milk and spices. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with grilled cheese or crusty bread. 

**Also, can I just say how awesome Penzeys Spices is? We're fortunate enough to live in Wisconsin and have access to a brick and mortar store, but even if you don't, you should definitely check out their website or catalog. You will be hard-pressed to find a better selection of quality spices and knowledgeable employees anywhere.** 

Modified from Food Network's "Quick Creamy Tomato Soup"

Banana Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Banana Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

My meal prep Sunday, carried over into Monday this week. Such is the life of a busy mom.  Since my 3.5 year old has several serious food allergies, I pack all of his meals for school: Breakfast, lunch and snacks. I needed to restock on breakfast muffins today. I had bananas that I needed to use, but couldn't find a recipe that I had all ingredients for, so I just converted my usual coconut flour pumpkin muffin into a banana muffin recipe. Sometimes we have to improvise! The best part, is that since I was using bananas, I didn't need to add any honey or maple syrup to sweeten them.
So, here is my newly created chocolate banana muffins! #paleo #grainfree #nutfree #dairyfree
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean seed
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp dark chocolate powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Dash of sea salt
1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all wet ingredients until bananas are well blended. Add all dry ingredients, minus the chocolate chips. Once it is well mixed, stir in chocolate chips by hand.
Pour into lined muffin pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. 

Enjoy!
--C

Chocolate "Bunny Graham" Cookies Recipe

What's your go to kids snack? My boys typically have popcorn and some type of fruit, or their favorite Annie's chocolate bunny grahams. Since I've been transitioning to all real food, they are missing that chocolate "cookie". I found this recipe for whole wheat graham crackers, that I modified and tried.
Tip: the easiest way to get kids to accept something new, is to get them involved in the cooking process. Little cookie cutters that the kids pick out, and help to cut will help them to take ownership excited about trying something new!
These are not real sweet, but my kids gobbled them right up!

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
3 T. honey
1/2 c. water
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

Place all your dry ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and combine. Add all of the wet ingredients and mix with the cookie paddle attachment until everything comes together. The dough isn’t sticky and is moderately greasy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the dough in half and roll half out on a floured surface. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. You can treat the dough like a sugar cookie dough and cut out shapes or you can use a pizza cutter and cut out squares. Place the cut out crackers on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet, prick them with a fork, and bake for 8-12 minutes until the edges just slightly darken. They will harden up more as they cool. Store in an air tight container.