Banana Bread

My husband, Greg, found this recipe from Dr. Axe. Wow! Good job, my love!

What you need:
 5" X 9" glass baking dish
 4 eggs
 3 medium very ripe bananas
 1/4 cup honey
 1/4 cup coconut milk
 1 tsp. vanilla
 2 tsp. baking soda
 2 1/4 cup almond flour
 1/2 tsp. sea salt
 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

What you do:
 Preheat oven to 350º (While oven is heating, place a good amount of butter in baking dish and place     in oven to melt, but be careful to not burn)
 Mash bananas in bowl, then add eggs, honey, coconut milk and vanilla
 In separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients
 Combine both mixtures and stir until well incorporated
 Place in baking dish and bake for 35 to 50 minutes
 Serve with LOTS of butter from grass fed cows or honey/yogurt cheese
 Enjoy!

Veggie Salsa

Greg and I have a new favorite salsa to put on top of our spicy chicken!

I'm leaving for our family cabin in Wisconsin tomorrow and had some veggies I knew would be thrown out if I didn't use them. So, I came up with this:

What you need:
 1 red pepper
 1 yellow pepper
 1 orange pepper
 3 small cucumbers
 1/2 red onion
 4-8 cloves garlic
 1 bunch cilantro
 1 serrano chile
 1-2 avocados
 Juice of 1 lemon
 Juice of 1 lime
 Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:
 Finely chop all the veggies
 Mix in bowl with lemon and lime juice and salt and pepper
 Enjoy!

The coolness and crunchiness of this salsa was fabulous on spicy chicken with grated cheddar cheese and cultured cream! Yum!

Margaritas

I am not a fan of mixed drinks. Too much sugar. Too many ingredients I can't pronounce (not that that really means anything, as I have a hard time with pronunciations in general).  Usually, I'd take a glass of organic chardonnay any day. But, I do love an occasional margarita! I've been working on a refined-sugar-free/only-real-ingredients margarita for awhile. With my precious new daughter, Maryann, coming to our home for dinner, I wanted to find a recipe that she would like. Well, I think she liked this one!

What you need:

 One part fresh squeezed organic lime (or lemon)

 One part fresh squeezed organic orange

 Two parts tequila

 Raw, untreated honey, to taste

 Four parts plain Kombucha

What you do:

 Combine lime juice, orange juice, tequila and honey in a Mason jar

 Shake until honey is dissolved

 Salt rims of glasses (if desired)

 Pour equal amounts mixture and Kombucha over ice

 Enjoy!

Sangria!

We've had a hard time finding really good organic wines. TJs sells a few very reasonably priced wines made with organic grapes that, though not too good alone, are great to use in Sangria!

What you need:
 1 bottle organic red or white wine
 1/2 cup organic vodka
 1 orange
 2 lemons
 2 limes
 A handful of organic frozen fruit, such as raspberries, cherries, strawberries
 1 apple peeled and cut into chunks
 Organic pomegranate or tart cherry juice
 Simple syrup (made by shaking raw, untreated honey and filtered water in a jar)
 Sparkling water

What you do:
 Pour wine and vodka into large pitcher
 Juice orange, one lemon and one lime and add to pitcher
 Thinly slice one lemon and one lime and add to pitcher
 Add frozen fruit, chunks of apple, pomegranate or cherry juice
 Add simple honey syrup to taste
 Let sit in refrigerator overnight or several hours
 Serve over ice with sparkling water
 Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Root Veggie Mash

One thing I like about cooking, versus baking, it that measurements are more suggestions than something to be followed to the t. With this recipe, I didn't measure anything. :-)


What you need:

For the shrimp:
 1 pound Wild Red Argentinian Shrimp (from TJs)
 Lots of butter
 4-8 cloves finely chopped garlic
 Zest of one lemon
 Juice of two lemons
 Several thin slices of lemon
 Salt, pepper, basil and red pepper flakes to taste

For the veggie mash:
 A variety of root vegetables
 4-8 cloves garlic
 1/2 cup bone broth
 Lots of butter
 Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:
 Use carrot peeler to peel root vegetables, then cut into large chunks
 Place in pan with whole garlic and broth
 Heat on medium until veggies are tender when pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes)
 Add LOTS of butter, salt and pepper
 Blend in Vita-Mix until smooth

 In shallow pan, melt LOTS of butter
 Add thawed shrimp
 After several minutes, turn shrimp and add garlic, salt, pepper and basil
 Right before shrimp is finished cooking (and it cooks quickly...don't overcook) add red pepper flakes, lemon juice, zest and slices

 In shallow individual dishes, scoop a mound of veggie mash and shrimp with the juices. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

What's for dinner?

Our dinners on the Autoimmune Protocol:

Sauteed scallops 

Sauteed zucchini noodles

Steamed broccoli and carrots

Roasted chicken

Cauliflower mash

Sauteed Brussels sprouts with bacon

100% grass fed, organic hamburger patties on a bed of mixed greens and arugula

Toppings: Guacamole, bacon and sauteed mushrooms

Salad (mixed greens, arugula, Romaine lettuce, chopped carrots, diced cucumbers)

Avocado chunks

Olives

A bit of sauerkraut

Extra virgin olive oil and vinegar (or sauerkraut juice or lemon juice)

Seared Ahi tuna steaks
Roasted acorn squash
Chopped salad (Romaine, arugula, spring mix, radishes, cucumber, carrots, topped with avocado slices and olives, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and raw apple cider vinegar)

Healthy Eating in 2015

As the number of people affected by autoimmunity rises, Greg and I have been looking into nutritional protocols that have had positive impacts on people struggling with these diseases. And, when my husband recommends a nutritional protocol for his patients, he likes us to have tried it first! Yay! We enlisted the support of some of our friends and families and encouraged them to follow the Whole30 guidelines while we follow the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP).

Whole30: Info, shopping guide, recipes

Autoimmune Protocol: Info, shopping guide

Thank you, dear friends and family, for taking this journey with us! And, here's to a health and healing in 2015!