Power Pesto Egg Salad

I recently created this recipe because I'm always trying to add plants to my meals, plus I already had pesto prepared in the fridge. I'm not vegan or vegetarian anymore, but plant foods are my favorite. The vitamins, minerals, and life we receive from them is an incredible gift from the Lord. He is so good to us!

So here's something you may not know about me, I love egg salad. I have this odd excitement that happens when I am about to eat it as if it is some rare delicacy. Weird, I know, like extremely, nonetheless there it is, I told on myself.

FYI, in case you are wondering the crackers are grain free from Simple Mills. I bought them at Thrive Market. Sometimes I get them from Whole Foods Markets when they go on sale.

Normally, I make my own mayonnaise, but lately, our local Costco has been out of avocado oil a very important ingredient in my homemade mayonnaise (recipe will be in my upcoming cookbook), so because I know I'm a mayonnaise head, I grabbed this at Costco to be safe. I was happy to feature it in the blog because and have wanted to for some time so you can see a healthier option for store-bought mayo. If you do keep that versatile condiment in the house, consider making your own or purchasing the Chosen Foods brand. Most brands on the market are really unhealthy with soybean or canola oils. If you are still cooking with those oils too, it's time to ditch them. Read about healthy fats to keep in your kitchen here.  Mayo gets a bad reputation for being unhealthy due to eggs and fats from the oil, but if it's made with organic eggs from free-range pastured chickens and the oil is a good choice, then it's really a winning traditional food condiment. I use mayo in so many recipes. It works wonders.

My husband and I are huge fans of pesto, especially when we make it at home. I have a few different recipes since I've made it several ways. My favorite recipe will be in my upcoming cookbook this year. Here's a pesto recipe you can try though it's a bit unorthodox. 

I'm obsessed with hard boiling eggs in my Instant Pot now! So simple...just put in 1.5 cups of water in the pot, put in the rack that comes with it, put in however many eggs you want, and put on the lid. Close the vent on top, I often forget that step. Set it on the manual setting for 5 minutes. Take out the eggs with tongs so you don't burn yourself, put them in a bowl with cool water for 5 minutes. You will have the EASIEST ever eggs to peel. Do you have an IP? I use mine almost daily, several times weekly for various foods/meals. It's so helpful for healthy, quick meals. 

These lovely eggs are from my favorite farmer, Lynn Andreas by the way! Check out Lynn's website here especially if you are in the local area. She is the only farmer in the area that I know of who uses organic soy-free feed for her chickens.

In case you are wondering that is a Pampered Chef egg slicer. It's gotten a lot of love over the years.

Always use good salt in your kitchen. What I mean by that is regular table salt, the white stuff is stripped of minerals, bleached with um bleach (yeah you are eating bleach), and is pretty much toxic to the body. I will do a more in-depth blog on salt. I cannot believe I never have. The short story is better salt choices are Himalayan, Celtic, or Real Salt. You can purchase these at Thrive Market also. I get my Himalayan salt at Costco.

Use as much mayonnaise and pesto as you like. I put amounts below, but it's really a matter of personal taste. 

Power Pesto Egg Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Hard Boiled Eggs, sliced

1/4 C Red Onions, finely diced (I did not add these because I was all out of onion, but this would've normally been a non-negotiable)

1 Large Long Rib of Organic Celery, chopped or sliced

3 Tbsp Pesto (can be store bought or homemade)

3 Tbsp Mayonnaise 

1/4-1/2 Tsp Himalayan Salt

As Much Organic Black Pepper As You Would Like

Directions:

Everything goes in a bowl and gets mashed and mixed together. That's it!

This is fabulous in organic lettuce leaves for wraps!

Tell me below if you make it and love it! How else do you like to serve your egg salad?

Helping you to be a good steward of your health,

Marie Brock, HHC

Vegan Gluten Free Pasta Primavera

Some of my favorite meals are simple and plant-based. That is exactly what I needed last night something light, but super nourishing. Dishes like this are great because you can be flexible with whatever you have on hand typically unless the fridge is naked. I've been there :) 

I do not have a fancy story or meaningful experience to go along with this one. So I am going to get right to the recipe for you. I have always loved pasta and I do not intend to ever give it up. I am so glad that there are healthier options available today to enjoy it. We eat gluten free organic pasta probably once per week, sometimes we skip it, but we are a family on budget eating clean, so pasta helps to create a lower budget meal. I do not like to overdo it or eat too much though because it isn't the highest with nutrition.

I was craving a highly plant-based tasty meal for dinner, but I needed it to be quick. Quick equals sauteed veggies and either quinoa or pasta. This time I reached for pasta. I like to change up the gluten-free pastas that we use. My teens' favorite is the Trader Joe's organic brown rice penne. When they are at their Dad's house, I like to do something different and use organic red lentil pasta. I use Trader Joe's gluten free pastas because they are the most economical, and they cook up the best. 

The diced tomatoes I use are from a company called Jovial. I really love them because of two important factors they are organic and packaged in glass. This is very important from a health aspect with tomatoes especially. Many conventional tomatoes today are genetically modified. When we eat genetically modified foods we are not giving our bodies the nutrition it needs, and we are eating toxins that cause unhealthy mutations in our guts causing digestive and immune system distress. I used to buy tomatoes in cans until I learned that the acid that is in the tomatoes causes the cans to leach and creates a toxic reaction. The best way to eliminate that is to only purchase tomato products in glass. I order mine from Thrive Market to save money.

You can use the veggies you have in your fridge at home and what works for you. Do not limit yourself, have fun!

In case you've never used nutritional yeast before I wanted to show you the package. I also like the brand Braggs (the same as the raw apple cider vinegar). Nutritional Yeast is an inactive yeast, that offers vegan dishes a cheesy like flavor. I use this in a lot of my recipes. Try throwing it in sauces, soups, and on top of sauteed veggies. You can even make a vegan parmesan substitute with it. Check out that recipe here.

I adore this stuff! Coconut aminos is an excellent condiment to replace unhealthy soy sauce. It has a taste crossing soy sauce and teryaki sauce with much, much less sodium. It is a sustainably harvested product and tastes so good! I use it in so many recipes. As you can see I purchase the Thrive Market brand. I really love getting high quality healthy grocery items at Thrive Market. It is convenient since the items are sent right to my front door, shipping is free with a $49 order, and the items are always less expensive than the local store.

V/GF Pasta Primavera Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Package of Trader Joe's Red Lentil Pasta 

2 Organic Yellow Squash, diced

2 Organic Zucchini, diced

1 Red Onion, diced

3 Fresh Garlic Cloves, minced

3 TBsp Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil

1 Jar Jovial Brand Organic Diced Tomatoes

3 Tbsp Trader Joe's Nutritional Yeast

1 Tsp Himalayan Salt

1/2 Tsp Dried Organic Basil

1/2 Tsp Diced Organic Oregano

2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos (I used Thrive Market's brand, but the Coconut Secret brand is great too)

*Optional: Pinch of Organic Cayenne

3 Handfuls of Organic Baby Spinach

* Optional: Sprinkle with Organic Pine Nuts in the serving bowl.

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the directions. While it's cooking chop the veggies. Strain the noodles. Saute the veggies in the same pot. Add all of the fresh veggies (except for the spinach) and oil. Once the veggies have softened well add the noodles back in the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients from the tomatoes to the cayenne and mix them well and cover on the lowest heat for 8 minutes. Add the spinach, and once it wilts it is ready to serve. Top with pine nuts if you like them. 

*Healthy Tip: Get your kids in the kitchen to help make this with you. They will be more inclined to eat the veggies if they work hard to prep it. Tell them the nutrients each food contains that you are using. 

Helping you to be a good steward of your health,

Marie Brock, HHC

Overnight Oats...

I love oats so much, I cannot even express how versatile, and wonderful they can be in the kitchen. I, sadly, cannot consume them too very often. They are not a food my body loves too terribly much, so I try not to overdo it. Nonetheless, they offer quite the nutritious punch, and I will enjoy them on occasion. Such an awesome source of fiber! I always purchase certified gluten-free and organic. Oats have been shown to be highly genetically modified so look for that organic label. Oats are often cross-contaminated with wheat, so it's important to tell someone with a sensitivity or allergy to wheat whether or you use certified gluten-free oats or not.

So I super love breakfasts that I can prepare the night before to make my life more simple in the morning. Well in walks in all the foodie bloggers rage...overnight oats, so appropriate. I wanted to share how I prepared them the last time. It was super yummy, so much so that I prepped the next day again to have them the same exact way in the morning.

I always soak my oats with water and apple cider vinegar the night before to increase nutrient absorbance potential as well as making them more digestible. Here's how I typically soak them. I love that with overnight oats you do just that except just a tad bit differently.

Overnight Oats Recipe

You'll need the following for your base...

1 16oz Wide Mouth Mason Jar
1/2 Cup Organic Certified Gluten Free Traditional Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Organic Full Fat Coconut Milk
1/2 Tsp Fresh Organic Lemon Juice (helps with making oats more digestible)
4 Drops Organic Stevia (WE use Trader Joe's)
3/4 Tbsp Organic Chia Seeds

Mix the above ingredients in the jar. Then layer the following ingredients in this order. I do this every time I make them. What comes after this may vary.

Toppings...

1 Handful Frozen Organic Raspberries
2-3 Tbsp Raw Chunky Almond Butter (We use Trader Joes)

Top with dairy free yogurt. I used Kite Hill Greek Almond Yogurt. Place it in the fridge. In the morning drizzle with raw honey on top and add such fresh fruit like I did with the bananas.

You can get really creative and top them with all kind of yummy options.

Have you made overnight oats? What toppings do you like to use?

Helping you to be a good steward of your health,

Marie Brock, HHC

Getting the Plastic Out....My New Fav!

We live in a world full of plastic. We have not eliminated it completely from our kitchen, but have drastically reduced it. I realize that plastic is lighter and way less breakable as well as less expensive than glass. There's a price to pay for that convenience that in the grand scheme of things is simply not worth it. An extremely expensive problem with plastic is the potential of cancer, hormone disruption, and auto-immune disease.

We are fortunate that more and more options are coming on the market with natural, safer materials that are more convenient to carry. We use glass to store most of our foods at home that go in the fridge, especially cooked foods. Sometimes we run out of space or use all of our containers. It's those times when we default to plastic bags. The ones at Target are BPA free by the way. I truly dislike using them though, so we avoid it at all costs. BPA is only one toxin that plastic contains, it's not all of them. Plastic bags are also not eco-friendly at all. As much as we can within reason we aim to be good stewards of all God has given us here.

I wanted to share a new favorite of mine. I'd been eyeing them for a while. I love them for to go options as well as fridge storage. They are storage bags made from 100% pure platinum grade silicone (that's better than food grade as far as safety) from the company Stasher. They do not contain any BPA, BPS, lead, latex, or phthalates. While I'm not a fan of cooking/heating in silicone, I feel safe using it for room temperature or cooled foods.

They are reusable, seal beautifully, and come in pretty colors...so fun! They only currently have them in snack, sandwich, and half-gallon sizes. New sizes will be released soon. I purchased mine first through Thrive Market at 30% off, but right now they only carry sandwich size. If you want the other sizes, then you can get them on the Stasher website. I would personally purchase them through Thrive Market first, and see how they work for you. I think that you will love them. I'd love to know what you think about them. I'm looking forward to larger sizes in the future. While I'm an affiliate for Thrive Market, I'm not one for Stasher, so whether you get them through Thrive Market or not, I do hope you try them because they have really filled a need in our kitchen for us. 

What are your plastic-free solutions in your kitchen and the rest of your home? Feel free to let us know your ideas in the comment box below.

Have a fabulous day!

Helping you to be a good steward of your health,

Marie Brock, HHC

Baked Cinnamon Grapefruit

My sweet Dad had gifted us a box of grapefruit because he knows I love them! I enjoy eating them because grapefruits are nutritious with vitamin C, lycopene an antioxidant great for heart support, and they support a healthy metabolism. Well after eating 4 grapefruits in a week the traditional way, you can start to get a bit bored, and want a change. I did what any red-blooded American does when they are bored in the kitchen, and need more ideas, I surfed the net. Actually, truth be told my favorite way to get ideas is to go to the local library, grab a bunch cookbooks, and see which ideas will fit my vision. I came across a lot of recipes for grilling the grapefruit, which really intrigued me. I have a problem with that though, I don't really enjoy using the grill. So I needed a different idea.

Any time that I can create a simple and safe solution in the kitchen I am thrilled. I wondered how the grapefruit would taste baked. Normally, I prefer fruit chilled, but again since I was getting bored, and the weather was still chilly out, a warm option seemed neat to me. I didn't fancy heating the oven for one grapefruit, so I used my trusty toaster oven instead.

Do you have a toaster oven? It's a must for a healthier way to warm foods as opposed to the microwave, which we do not use in our home.  Here is why we do not use the microwave. In order to eliminate the use of aluminum in the kitchen, I use the Pampered Chef toaster oven bar pan. I love stoneware for baking. It's easy to clean with hot water and baking soda. I talk about why we eliminated aluminum from our house here.

Back to the baked grapefruit, I simply sliced the fruit in half, dusted it with organic ground cinnamon, and baked it for 5 minutes. I thought it was yummy. Let me know how you like it below.

If you have any recipes that you like to see, especially not so healthy recipes made gluten free or dairy free or both, let me know below.

Many blessings! Helping you to be a good steward of your health,

Marie Brock, HHC

Cauliflower Power Bowl

When I was a child the cauliflower was one I thoroughly disliked. Growing up though most veggies were prepared the same way over boiled leaving them flavorless, boring, and essentially lifeless.  Learning how to cook for myself was the greatest gift because I began to explore foods I never liked or tried before and discovered that there's not a vegetable out there that I do not enjoy for the most part. Cauliflower has truly become a favorite of mine due to it's versatility and ability to absorb flavors really well.

Cauliflower is in a class of veggies called brassica, the same family as Brussel Sprouts, kale, broccoli, and cabbage. It is rich in antioxidants, which means eating them reduces oxidative stress in the body, thereby reducing chances of turning on cancer in the body. Antioxidants are really important and eating a high plant-based daily diet is the way to get them. If you are not a cauliflower fan, try it different ways until you find one that you like.

An adored breakfast, lunch, or dinner option of mine are power bowls. Have you had them? Some people call them Buddah bowls, but I prefer Power Bowls because that's what plant food gives us, lots of power, natural energy, and strength. Do not underestimate the dynamism of plants! The most fun part is you can truly eat them any time of day and feel great!

So you can make all kinds of Power Bowls. You can add animal protein sources, but the main feature should be plant-based foods. I'll share more recipes of some of my most enjoyed options in future posts.

First thing to do with any Power Bowl is to decide what your base veggie will be and then build on top of it. So obviously, in this case, it was cauliflower. These work great with leftovers.

Cauliflower Power Bowl Recipe

Serves 2

2 Heads Cauliflower, chopped

Avocado Oil

2 Organic Red Bell Peppers, diced

4 Packed Cups Organic Kale, torn or chopped

2-3 Tbsp Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil

1 Cup Hummus (homemade or store bought) You may need more or less

1 Cup Organic Quinoa, dry/uncooked

Sauce Ingredients

1/2 Cup Full Fat Organic BPA Free Canned Coconut Milk

2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1/2 Tsp Organic Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Grass Fed Cow Gelatin

1/2 Tsp Himalayan Salt

1/2 Bunch Fresh Organic Cilantro, chopped

As much organic ground pepper as you want

Optional: A healthy spoonful of grassfed organic ghee

Directions:

Chop cauliflower and place on stoneware or cookie sheet with unbleached parchment, drizzle avocado oil on top, sprinkle with Himalayan salt, roast on 400 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes (check it at 25 minutes, it should be slightly brown).

Cook the quinoa.

Prep the kale and bell peppers, add coocnut oil to saute pan, saute peppers first then add kale at the end, don't overcook.

In a small pot add sauce ingredients, except for the cilantro. Whisk until it boils, Once it boils return to low heat, add the cilantro, let it wilt, remove from heat.

Grab a larger sized bowl to build your meal. Build your base as I mentioned above with cauliflower all across the bottom of the bowl. Scoop on top really as much as you want of everything else in sections. The sauce goes on top of the quinoa.

The texture is king with the power bowl, so be sure to balance it out along with appropriate flavors. My husband and youngest son are allergic to avocado, so until I stop nursing our son it is not on the grocery list. I love the soft creamy texture plus a dose of healthy fat that an avocado gives though. My creamy choice here was hummus, which is a big hit in our home with everyone except for my middle son.

You could make a bowl just like this with cooked riced cauliflower as the base veggie as well. Be creative, use what you have that is healthy and supportive to your body. Do not be afraid to branch out and change it up. Add new foods to the fridge and pantry to prevent boredom. If you don't have a particular ingredient in the recipe, do not stress. I don't want you to feel restricted if you want to make this recipe and can't use that ingredient today, however part of a health journey is doing things differently. I had a friend who used to consistently ask for recipes, but she would say didn't have this or that in the pantry. I totally get that, at the same time branch out.

Tell me what you like in your Power Bowls below. May this recipe be a blessing to your table.

Love,

Marie Brock, HHC