Category: Recipes

Making delicious, wholesome food

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Just the Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour (I used rye to keep the carb count low in the soup, but higher carb flours like wheat also work-it is just for thickening the soup)

4 Cups Bone Stock (chicken, beef, or turkey)

1-2# ground beef (better with more, but easier on the budget with less)

1 onion (Chopped)

3 celery stalks (chopped)

3 Carrots (Chopped)

2 T. chopped parsley (fresh or dried)

2T. chopped basil (fresh or dried)

2 t. onion powder

2 t. garlic powder

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

2 t. black pepper

1 t. salt

16 oz. block cream cheese

16 oz. extra-sharp shredded cheddar

8 oz. shredded gouda

1) Make a roux but melting the butter in a pot, then whisking in the flour until a clumpy mixture forms.

2) Slowly add in bone broth, mixture will continue to clump before smoothing out into a thick creamy consistency, then will loosen into a nice liquid.

3) Add cheeses and parsley, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper

4) Stir soup until all cheeses and seasonings are completely melted together.

5) In a separate pan cook meat with onion, celery, and carrot until meat is cooked through and the veggies are semi-tender.

6) Dump the meat mixture in the cheese soup.

7) Optional-a hand blender can be taken to the soup to further chop up the veggies and meat (friendlier for those who have a hard time eating veggies), or the meat and veggies can be left in their current chopped form.

So this variation of cheeseburger soup is a bit less usual in that it does not have potatoes in it. It makes it lower in the carb and friendlier for those watching their blood-sugar and waistline.

Honestly, it is delicious and makes a rather large pot of hearty soup. A great dish to share with others on a budget, or freeze for a quick heat up meal.

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St. Patrick’s Day Means Sauerkraut Time

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage-washed, shredded

Good salt (like sea-salt or pink salt)

Tools: Flat pans and something to squish with (I use a rolling pin with the rollers taken off) 2 Quart Mason Jars (Washed and sterilized-I use the dishwasher, then rinse them out with vinegar just before stuffing)

  1. Place the shredded cabbage in a large flat pan on a stable surface
  2. Sprinkle salt over the top of the cabbage. I use about 2t-1T per head, depending on the size of the cabbage. (It helps wilt the cabbage and provides more flavor to the finished kraut)
  3. With the end of a blunt object, press the cabbage HARD, twisting and turning. (This is a great upper arm workout ladies!)
  4. When the cabbage turns from green to translucent and there is about an inch of water in the bottom of the pan, the hard work is done.
  5. Stuff the jars to about 2″ full, pressing in hard to make sure water covers the cabbage in the jar about 1″.
  6. Sometimes I will leave my rolling pin in the top of the jar to further press down the cabbage.
  7. Place the jars in a small pan (In case they overflow, sometimes they do that is a good thing), and cover the batch with a light towel.
  8. Let nature work. Amazing, friendly bacteria will begin populating the cabbage, tuning it into the most tasty, sour, bite of bacteria on any hot-dog.
  9. Every day, these jars need to be checked to make sure water continues to cover the cabbage. If the cabbage meets air, it will spoil and ruin all that hard work. I have neglected to squeeze my cabbage long enough and that has happened! SO sad!
  10. I start tasting on day two. Once the cabbage tastes as sharp as I desire, I lid it and pop it in the fridge. Done!
  11. I make large batches and freeze the kraut. I do not recommend canning sauerkraut. Once it is canned, all the good little friends inside are dead, so it is no more than pickled cabbage. It can be heated slightly and still maintain much good bacteria, but high temps are not good. It will last years in the back of the fridge, so no need to worry about eating it fast once it is made.

When do I make sauerkraut? It is about that time. Every year around the beginning of March, grocery stores lower the price of cabbage dramatically. Yes, cabbage is super cheap year round, but before St. Patrick’s Day, I have been able to get an entire head for about .35. I buy about six…eight, if I am feeling industrious.

Does everyone in my house like sauerkraut? I love sauerkraut and don’t enjoy a hot-dog without it. But it was not always the case. When my mother had it, none of us kids would touch it. She got creative and put it in chocolate cake! That cake was requested by us on many occasions. I think sweets were so rare in my growing up home that if we asked for sauerkraut cake we were at least likely to get cake. Now, I have truly come to enjoy it’s tart nature and hope my children will at some point. DO far one of my children is on board with me. So I enjoy a side of sauerkraut with kielbasa, liver, and hot-dogs with her. Maybe cake would help the rest of them like it too!

Why is Sauerkraut Healthy? Sauerkraut is a fermented vegetable, meaning that it allows friendly bacteria, whose names I will not bore you with, to grow. Good sauerkraut can host a number of bacteria, similar to sourdough, yogurt, or vinegar. Friendly bacteria is important in our innards and we eat far too little. I believe in eating a large variety of fermented foods in order to get the largest variety of little friends in my innards. Not every fermented food produces the same bacteria or even enough bacteria.

Why Do I Make Sauerkraut instead of buy it? I choose to make my own sauerkraut rather than buy it because the processing in most store bought sauerkraut kills all bacteria, especially canning. I also love the depth of flavor that I can get by making my own.

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Beautiful Roasted Vegetables and Beans

1 chopped sweet pepper

1 chopped tomato

1/2 chopped onion

6 cloves pealed garlic

1 chopped cucumber

Fresh Kale leaves-several handfuls

1/2 can black beans-drained

Course salt and pepper

Dried garlic granules

A few tablespoons of Olive oil

Reduced balsamic vinigar (balsamic vinigar that has been boiled for 5 min)

1) Heat the oven to 450

2) Chop and toss the tomato and vegetables (except black beans) on a large flat tray.

3) Spinkle the veggies with garlic granules, salt, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

4) After 20 minutes of roasting in the oven, add the black beans into the mix and give a slight stir.

5) After 10 minutes, remove vegetables from oven and cool about 10 minutes.

6) Drizzle veggies with the reduced balsamic and enjoy!

Roasting vegetables is an excellent way to preserve the nutrients since their is no leaching of vitamins into the water.

Roasting also brings out the flavor of the veggies. And they are so beautiful in rich colors. They aquire a nutty flavor which is a personal favorite.

Throwing in a protien like beans, meat, fish, or quinoa can make roasted vegetables into a complete meal.

Almost any vegetable can be roasted. And multititude of seasonings can be added for flavor. For example, roasted sweet potatoes with nutmeg and butter are great for autumn. Handfuls of kale with olive oil and salt is also delicious. Cubed red potatoes with olive oil, rosemary and salt is my husband’s favorite roasted vegetable.

Enjoying the season’s varieties of vegetables is a flavorful adventure.

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Pesto Dressed Chicken Salad

Salad:

1 bunch chopped green onions

2 stalks chopped celery

1 chopped tomato

2 small chopped cucumbers

A handful baby kale

Pesto:

2 cloves of garlic

1/ olive oil

3/4 cup parmesian

2 cups fresh basil or basil and parsley mix

1) chop and miz veggies and chicken together

2) Blend or food prosess pesto ingredients

3) Mix the salad and pesto-add parmesian to garnish if desired.

When I was a little girl, I fell in love with my mother’s pesto. It was bursting with flavor and nutrients. As most childhood foods, I forgot about it until a recent visit to my mothers and tasting her pesto again.

Home-made pesto is totally different from what can be purchased from a store.

And pesto gives a punch of herbal garlic to far more than pasta. Like the wonderful dressing it becomes in place of traditional mayonaise in this chicken salad.

Pesto can made up and kept un the refrigerator to be used as needed on veggies, chicken, or yes, of course, pasta.

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Scrambled Egg and Zucchini Bowl

Ingredients:

2 eggs (my protien)

1 cup zuccini noodles (veggies)

2 T. Coconut Oil (healthy fat)

1 T. Nutritional yeast (seasoning and nutrition)

1 T. Garlic- dried granuals (seasoning and nutrition)

Salt and pepper-to taste (seasoning)

Papprika (garnish and seasoning)

1. Heat oil slightly and add zuccini and seasonings

2. Saute zuccini a few minutes and drop in eggs-scramble together until eggs are done

3. Scoop into bowl and dash with paprika.

Enjoy hot!

There are many good reasons to eat a savory, veggie laden breakfast. For me, it is simply a good way to increase my nutrient intake as well as provide blood sugar stable energy for my morning.

As I have posted earlier, I make a lot of bowls for meals. Breakfast is no different, but my protien is usually a couple eggs…sometimes cooked salmon (yes, I am one of those people).

This breakfast style bowl is so versatile. A few slivered almonds or sesamee seeds…yellow squash along with the zuccini noodles, a chopped fresh tomato…too fun to experiment! I recently posted a template for creating meal bowls. It could be helpful as well.

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How to Make a Meal Bowl

I make a warm bowl of veggies and protein for about 90% of my breakfast or lunch meals. Honestly, each bowl is different and yet, every one I have made is delicious!

I often eat a hot bowl of food because it is easy for me to add a large quantity and variety of vegetables to my protein. It is also a lot faster to eat a bowl of cooked food than a salad. For a woman on the go lie me, time is important. Besides, if I am going to cook up a protein like eggs or meat, why not throw on veggies and cook them all together?

It occurred to me that there are basic principles I apply each time I make a bowl lunch and that information may be helpful to others who are trying to pack nutrients into their daily eating routine.

Basically, a meal bowl is a form of cooked salad, so if a person can make a salad with ingredients from the fridge, there is little thought in cooking up those ingredients with a few seasonings.

I do not plan what I am going to eat in each bowl I build. I open my fridge and decide what to do in the moment.

1. Choose a protein. It can be leftover cooked chicken or beef, eggs, uncooked meat, fish-raw or cooked, canned meat like tuna or sardines. Protein can also be found in nuts, cheese, peanuts, seeds, beans, or quinoa.

2. Once the protein is decided, pull out veggies that need to be used or will work well with that particular protein. I always keep a huge container of spinach in my fridge. It works with everything and is very nutrient rich. Okra, zucchini, cucumber, and tomatoes are also some of my favorite veggies to keep on hand. I also always keep garlic and onions, celery and carrots. I love peppers, but find they are not as versatile as many of the other vegetables due to their strong flavor. A lot of veggies are used in a bowl. I can pack 2-3 times the veggies in a bowl compared to fresh cut vegetables. For instance 3 handfuls of spinach melts down to half a cup of cooked spinach; a whole onion cooks down to a mild 1/4 cup of flavor. I can eat an entire cubed cucumber if it is sauted, vs. a few pieces chopped on a salad. So cut up entire vegetables for this dish.

3. Pick a fat to cook. The kind of fat should coincide with the flavor profile you feel like creating. For instance, if I am going to make an Asian bowl, I would choose sesame oil. For Italian or Greek…a strong olive oil would be appropriate. For beginners…a couple tablespoons of butter is easiest to blend and butter simply makes everything taste good!

4. The final step is to choose the seasonings. Garlic always ends up in my bowls, either in its fresh chopped state or dried and powdered. Again, choose seasonings that will create the flavor profile you are craving. For again, ginger, soy sauce, and garlic are great. For Mexican, cumin and red pepper with a bit of oregano work well. For an Italian flair use oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme with lots of garlic. For starters, garlic is sufficient. I like to toast fresh garlic in my butter to give it a nice crunch.

5. After the oil is heated cook up the protein if needed. If your protein is pre-cooked it can be tossed in just after the veggies are cooked. Nuts and seeds can be toasted at this point if desired. Once the proteins and nuts are cooked, they can be removed.

6. Cook up the vegetables in the same pan. More oil or butter can be added if it is needed. The vegetables should be cooked one layer at a time, starting with the vegetables that are the most firm like carrots and progressively added to the tenderest vegetables. Leafy vegetables like spinach should be tossed in last and cooked very briefly.

7. Dump the veggies and proteins together in a bowl and either layer them or mix them together. At this point any uncooked ingredients can be added like fresh avocado, fresh tomato, shredded Parmesan, olives, or toasted sesame seeds.

8. Vegetable bowls can also be layered with steamed brown rice or quinoa for a punch of a healthy grain. For breakfast, I will mix up my vegetable bowl and throw a fried egg on top. Easy and nutritious.

9. Don’t forget to add salt. I simply sprinkle it on after the food is cooked and before I plate it.

10. Have fun being creative and enjoy the healthy hot bowls of food you can churn out of your kitchen.

Check out some bowl recipes for inspiration too!

Scrambled Egg and Zuccini Bowl

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Power Creamer

I don’t know why I never thought of this sooner, but instead of making a healthy morning cup of joe by hand, why not pre-mix my own ingredients for a creamer? I couldn’t be more happy with the results. The flavor is good and the price is better than purchasing an MCT specialty creamer.

For those of you who have not heard of bullet- proof coffee, it is coffee boosted with collagen, MCT oil, and very often blended with a dab of butter. I absolutely love a few tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and nothing else in my coffee, however, to increase the nutrients of that first cup of coffee each morning I had started to add collagen, whey protein powder, MCT oil, and sunflower lecithin, then I added my heavy cream and blended it. Healthy and delicious, yes, but a the morning routine was not simple. It involved opening various cupboards and bags and measuring and blending… let’s just say, it often was easier to skip the nutrients; pour in cow’s cream and go.

For a time, I purchased MCT creamers. They are so expensive! And the ones I liked were not readily available either. So if the specialty creamer wasn’t on budget or available, back to the cream I would go.

So I began experimenting. My first batch tasted off after three days. But, finally I got a mixture I am happy with and it holds up well. And it is good!

Ingredients:

3 cups unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or plain)

6 Tablespoons MCT oil

1/4 cup collagen powder

1/4 t. sunflower lecithin (optional-this is good for the brain, and also helps keep ingredients mixed. A good shake will also do without adding this)

For those who like a sweet creamer: 1/8 t. stevia

 

  1. Blend ingredients together (I use a stick blender, but a mixer or blender would also do)
  2. Pour creamer into a large mason jar, screw on lid, and pop in the fridge
  3. Pour desired amount into coffee and enjoy.

 

 

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Scrambled Zucchini

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded zucchini (frozen will work, but fresh is always better)1/4 sesame seeds

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 chopped tomato

Salt and pepper

2 c egg whites (low fat) or 3 whole eggs (healthy fat)

Nutritional yeast (optional)

oil (I use MCT oil or olive oil)

  1. Heat oil in a large pan on the stove (I use the old cast iron pan for this, but a large frying pan of any sorts is going to work)
  2. Add in zucchini, garlic, and sesame seeds into the oil and saute until zucchini is tender
  3. Add in eggs and cook, folding in zucchini until the eggs are cooked
  4. Turn off heat and toss in the tomato
  5. Season with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast

Vegetables can be an important part of every meal, including breakfast! I enjoy vegetables mixed in with my eggs all the time. Zucchini has a nice, mild taste in the morning and is a great friend with fresh tomato and eggs. This zucchini and egg scramble is a wonderful way to start the day with a healthy boost of nutrients!

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The Ministry of Taste in the Home

Food thought a very temporal and tangible substance has incredible spiritual implications and is essential to the life of the body, and theretofore the life of the soul within the body. The sense of taste, is therefore an essential ministry we homemakers need to study for use in our home.

Foods served in each home very much reflect the culture and lifestyle of that home. As the post, Ministering Through Physical Senses in the Home describes, there is no right or wrong on the matter, we each will make foods we serve based upon our upbringing, who we married, allergies, time constraints, nutritional needs and eating habits, as well as our level of joy and comfort in cooking.

In biblical times eating was not only treasured during fellowship with others, but various foods and feasts held specific symbolism. Our constant need for physical nourishment is symbolic of our need for constant spiritual nourishment. Taste can open up incredible pathways for our spirits to be nourished.

Food provides opportunities for fellowship and spiritual conversations with our own family as well as with friends and un-churched folks. How often our own family has lingered around a dinner table as we discuss a topic of our faith. Or in small group, food is an avenue that allows us to ponder our faith and lives together as we share a snack together after Bible study. Food slows us down and gives us a reason to linger a moment with others. Even a simple cup of tea is all that is needed to pause in life, to be still, alone or shared with others.

I try to keep a balance of eating habits in our home. Taste has so many intricate affects and meets various needs from celebration, to nutrition, and to prayer. All should be included thoughtfully through the patterns of home-making.

On a daily basis, I serve the best food I can afford that will enrich the bodies of my family. Wholesome food helps us think clearly and have energy to serve others. I find if I am not eating balanced meals and snacks, my mental clarity and physical stamina plummet. I go into more depth about how my faith affects impacts healthy eating habits in the post:  Pursuing Health for God’s Glory. Someone once told me that it is those who are sick who eat the healthiest diets. It is because the sick are the ones who are who realize the value nutrients bring their bodies because the sick hunger for healing so their souls can engage in life without the restrictions their body presents. One should not wait until our bodies malfunction before beginning healthy eating practices. Each day is the time to nourish our body, so we can be as physically fit as possible for us. Yes, that level of health will vary from person to person depending on the body God has given us and its age. Regardless, it is our responsibility to maintain properly, just like our car, our house, and our children. We must care for our bodies the best we know how to do. Food should be eaten with others in mind, not for our temporary selfish comfort.

I make it a priority in our home to share the tastes of our home with others. When I share the tastes of our home, I am essentially sharing the goodness God has poured upon us, with others. I LOVE doing that! I like to keep casseroles, bread, and soups in my freezer at all times. It is so easy to grab a few items and deliver them to whomever the Lord lays on my heart at any given moment. If I have nothing adequate prepared, I have a small list of “go to” comfort dishes to take to folks. We once had a sweet neighbor, and I enjoyed setting aside a portion of the food I made to tun over to her. I also love having others in our home to share food around our table and fellowship! My point is that we must find ways we can share the tastes of our home with others. So often we wait too long for opportunistic to pop up instead of making our own opportunities. Sharing food with others can be done on a weekly basis without too much effort. We can run some cookies to our neighbors, take a jar of home-made soup to a sick family we know, invite folks over for a meal, run a surprise dinner over to the single working mom across the street…with food in our hands, we can intrude into others lives with ease. For those who want to learn more about how to minister with food, I do include more practical tips about sharing food in the post: Sharing Meals With Others.

I like to use food as a tool of showing God’s goodness to hurting hearts. Food can provide a level of comfort. Eating food for the comfort it brings is not entirely evil. There are seasons in our lives where we draw comfort from silence, music, a walk in nature, or a cuddle with a furry creature by the fire. God has made an incredible world full of little things that bring us joy. Now, God is certainly the source of eternal, lasting comfort. Truths from Scripture will provide our souls with the kind of comfort that heals our wounds. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” II Corinthians 1:3-4. Food can be an incredible tool that can help us reflect on God, His goodness, and blessing. Sometimes a meal from the past brings comfort as we are reminded of sweet memories and blessings the Lord has given us in the years before. Sometimes a meal taken to a hurting soul provides comfort as that meal is eaten with thoughts of not facing trials alone and God’s sustaining grace through each moment. Food shared with hurting souls can be such a beautiful picture of the table prepared for us by our Loving Shepherd. If I know my husband has had a rough day at work, I will often choose to cook something comforting, a favorite casserole or meat and potatoes dish, I can ease the stress of his day by preparing a meal that will bring rest to his soul. Food, like no other sense, can aid in helping souls see the many blessings in their lives and praise God for His goodness. 

Food can serve as a means of celebration. A dear friend of mine once pulled me aside as I struggled over the enormous amounts of sugar being fed to my children during Christmas. She kindly reminded me that throughout the history of Israel, various feasts were encouraged to help the people remember the faithfulness of God. The Passover is one such feast and every item in the Passover meal is symbolic for s And as Christians, we should embrace seasons of feasting with grace, not guilt. Certain foods are customary in our home for specific holidays. As a home-maker, I can use those foods in ways that will help my children remember the holiday and remember the goodness of God as we make and enjoy Christmas cookies, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon rolls. Those are not every-day foods, but ones reserved for a day of worship and joy in our God. It is not enjoyed in vain. Now, there are traditions others in our family hold to certain feasting days, we are not all the same, and we can change some of our traditions into healthier versions if we so desire. Now, feasting does not mean gluttony. I will note here that gluttony and feasting are different. Feasting is a heart enjoying in gratitude for God’s blessing. Gluttony is over-indulging in food with a thankless, mindless greed. Gluttony is always a sin, and has nothing to do with how much a person weighs, but about the greedy heart of the thankless eater.

The absence of food is also important when we homemakers set aside time to fast. I am a firm believer in the art of fasting and prayer. I have seen the Lord work amazing things when I have set aside my physical hungers in my desperation to see the Lord work. My heart in prayer with even more fervency than on a full stomach. As my body feels the pangs of hunger the hunger fills my prayers. For those who have not taken a time to fast, it is well worth the effort. Yes, it takes discipline, but it is amazing to me how the physical cravings can be flipped into spiritual cries from my soul. I have a friend who would set aside Sunday’s to fast and pray. Another who fasts every Wednesday for his children. One day doesn’t make me hungry enough to bring my soul into fervent prayer. I often prefer to do a week to three week increment. It isn’t always going completely without food either, sometimes limiting myself to bone broth or a simple vegetable soup once a day keeps me hungry, but also gives me enough energy to keep up with my children for that time. Recently, Esther has come to mind and her request to Mordecai that he and all Israel fast and pray with her before she went to see the king. “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish” Esther 4:16. The people of Nineveh also fasted and prayed fervently as described in Jonah 3:5-8. Desperate people will fast and pray. Are we not desperate? Fasting is not practiced by many Christians. It is almost as though we are awkward even talking about it. Many people don’t even know what it means to fast. Most of us simply don’t make time for it in our lives. We fear the discomfort we will have from fasting more than the spiritual discomfort we experience. Fasting should not be something we are self-conscious about as Christians. It should be a way of life. But as Jesus reminds us, we are not to tote it about pridefully either. It is not a badge of honor, it is a humbling, serious, prayerful experience we should make plans to embrace in our lives.

Regular meal times are invaluable. In our own home, I guard mealtimes. We have a dining room, which I love. That is where we sit down every evening together to eat dinner. I try to keep meals “on the go” to a bare minimum and plan our schedules around dinner-time. It is a time our family can re-group, fellowship with each others, and well…learn how to love others by practicing good manners. Our sit down dinners vary in formality depending upon the meal and time I have in the day to prepare dinner. But we always sit together. My husband’s evening work hours are always different depending upon meetings and sometimes traffic. So, we do have a later dinner hour than most. On rare occasions I will feed the children early, but in general we wait until he is home so we can enjoy dinner together. The family dinner table is not something required in Scripture. It is very much a personal endeavor as a home-maker to connect the lives of everyone inside the home for one short period in the day. It also enables me to make sure balanced eating habits are maintained. I believe it is an important time for my children to share their day with their busy Daddy too. Maintaining dinnertime is a way I have found that, whether they know it or not, ministers to the souls of my husband and children.

I love being able to use tastes to minister to not only my own soul, but everyone I can! Food is truly a versatile toll of ministry like no other. I do believe how I use taste in the home is an evolving process, and will continue to grow and change through the years as  I continue to taste the goodness from the table of my heavenly Father!

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Ps. 34:8

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Peanut Butter Play Dough: For Grown-Ups too!

3 ingredients:

4 cups ground oats (oats can be easily ground in a blender, coffee maker, or food processor)

1 cup raw honey

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter-sometimes a little more or less. I use a natural unsweetened version so my peuanut butter tends to be more runny than a brand with sugar added, that does make a difference in the amount of peanut butter.

Mix ingredients together, a hand mixer makes is quick. Add more peanut butter or honey to reach desired dough texture and sweetness.

This is a simple, healthy, and fun lunch or snack for little ones. My children love the adventure of being allowed to play with their food.

I love to use this recipe on the go too by rolling the dough into balls. It is a great afternoon snack for growing bodies too.

For grown-ups chunky peanut butter can be nice, raisins or mini chocolate chips can also be included. I have even rolled the balls in coconut at times. It is truly a great base for experimentation.