Homemade Pizza

One of the things I started making from scratch after we started eating healthier is PIZZA! Real Fit, Real Food Mom was posting homemade bread and homemade pizza dough recipes using her bread machine and then I realized hey, I have a bread machine that’s been sitting in my cupboard for 10 years…. So I adjusted her pizza dough recipe to make one large pizza and added the toppings that we like. I have been making this about every couple weeks ever since. Once in a while I might do mini pizzas instead, which is a recipe I found in the 100 Days of Real Food cookbook using pita bread found at Trader Joe’s. And I admit, there has been the occasion where we ordered pizza or picked up a Papa Murphy’s pizza. We do okay with the Papa Murphy’s pizza but always feel yucky after eating the ordered pizza. So why do we do it then? I know… It’s a battle we deal with. The want to eat out because it’s convenient, and then the regret. For more information on the ingredients of pizza from these big companies, check out Food Babe’s post on pizza. Now I suppose you could mix up the ingredients for the dough and then knead it yourself instead of using a bread machine, but I have not tried that. The bread machine is convenient to use, of course. I have also made bread, hamburger/hotdog buns, and cinnamon rolls with my bread machine. And there are many more recipes I want to try.

making homemade pizza

 

Here’s the bread machine I use (or a newer version of it since mine is so old):

 

Homemade Pizza
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ¾ cup hot water
  • 3 TB olive oil
  • 3 TB raw honey
  • ½ TB yeast
  • 1 can pizza sauce (I use half and freeze the other half)
  • 12 oz - 16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it)
  • Toppings of your choice. Some ideas: uncured pepperoni, sausage, olives, ham, pineapple, green pepper, spinach, red onion, mushrooms.
Directions
  1. Put all the dough ingredients in the bread machine (in order listed, through the yeast), and push the dough button. All machines are different but mine takes about 1½ hours.
  2. While you are waiting for the dough to be done, you can prepare the ingredients.
  3. After the dough is ready, preheat oven to 400 degrees, and sprinkle flour onto a large surface where you can roll the dough out. Put flour on the rolling pin too. The dough will be sticky, knead it several times before rolling it out. I found best results after kneading the dough a lot.
  4. Grease a large pizza pan, roll the dough out and carefully transfer onto the pizza pan. This part is tricky. I have had success and I have failed and had to start over. Practice makes perfect! ;)
  5. Prick the dough with a toothpick and add the pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Check after 10 min.
  7. Wait 5 min before cutting and serving.

 

My daughter (9 at the time) rolling out the pizza dough:

rolling pizza dough

 

This is typically what we use for toppings. Half ham & pineapple, half uncured pepperoni, olives, and bell peppers:

homemade pizza

 

A healthier version with spinach and zucchini added:

homemade pizza

 

And my kids like to take pizza for lunch sometimes (warm or cold):

pizza for lunch

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!

A Christmas List for Healthier Living

Christmas is coming quick! I hope this gives you some ideas of either what to add to your list or to purchase for your loved ones. There’s no better gift than the gift of better health. Some of these items are on my list for sure. I keep a wish list on Amazon that my husband has access to. There’s no guessing here. 🙂 You never know what can happen with a simple gift. A gift can turn into a huge lifestyle change, or even little changes here and there. Why not give someone a gift that could possibly change their life? Now I know some of these kitchen items don’t necessarily mean healthy living. But cooking from scratch is better than eating out. So starting there is great. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

healthier christmas list

 

For the Kitchen

1. A New Pan (or pans): Mama Natural has raved about this pan so I added it to my list. I have some stainless steel pans but haven’t quite mastered them to be non-stick yet. I either want to get a pan like this or regular cast-iron. Getting rid of the teflon-coated pans is a must.

2. Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream Maker: This is something the whole family would love. Homemade ice cream!!! Even if you buy organic ice cream, there are usually still the added ingredients that you don’t want in your ice cream. With homemade, you can add in what you want. And it would be fun to make! 🙂

3. Cupcake Decorating Kit: I usually make cake/cupcakes for my kids’ birthdays so this would definitely come in handy for decorating.

4. Spiralizer: Our garden produced a crazy amount of zucchini one summer and I don’t know why I never purchased one of these to make zucchini noodles. I still plan to!

5. Bamboo Cutting Boards: It’s always good to reduce the amount of plastic we use and cutting boards are no exception. I have a couple small ones that are glass and one that is plastic. I plan to buy these and get rid of the plastic one.

6. Pineapple Corer Slicer: This is just kind-of a nice-to-have item. If we were really going to go through pineapple that much I would want to have this. And maybe we should be eating more pineapple. Anyway, it’s on my list to buy someday.

7. Glass Tupperware: To reduce more plastic in our homes, why not give the gift of glass tupperware?? And, it is also much better to use glass in the microwave than plastic. When we were using plastic in the microwave, you could see the plastic warp over time. I’m sure we were eating plastic at some point… 🙁

8. Glass Water Bottle: Speaking of reducing plastic, my husband got me this glass water bottle last Christmas and I use it all the time! It hasn’t broke, it’s dishwasher safe, the water tastes better and stays cool longer, and the outside is made of silicone instead of plastic. There are different colors too!

9. Popcorn Popper: I’m still popping my popcorn in the microwave… It’s in a paper bag and I use organic kernels, but I’m sure it would be better to do it on the stove or using a popcorn popper.

10. Bread Machine: A bread machine would be a great gift! We have used ours to make bread weekly, pizza dough probably every couple weeks, and I have also made cinnamon rolls using the machine to make the dough. I’m sure there are many more things we could make but I just haven’t tried yet. And this isn’t the machine I have, but mine is 10 years old lol.

11. Electric Griddle: I would love to have one of these so I can make a double batch of pancakes easily. Then I could freeze some of the pancakes to eat later.

12. Tortilla Press: Okay so this would be a nice-to-have item too. We don’t need a tortilla press but it would be cool to be able to make our own corn tortillas someday. If this is something that you (or whoever you are buying for) eat a lot of than it would be worth the investment.

13. Food Processor: I do have a food processor but I admit, it hardly gets used. Only because I’m always trying to not dirty so many dishes, haha. But I have used mine to cut up cauliflower into very small pieces to make ‘cauliflower rice’. For a while I was doing it regularly. In a real food kitchen, I’m sure this could come in handy.

14. Waffle Maker: This is definitely an item that I want to get so we can make waffles! We have never made waffles before, only pancakes. And I have seen other things made in a waffle iron, like quesadillas, grilled cheese, and omelets (just to name a few).

15. Donut Pan: We have a mini donut pan that is silicone and it works great! The donuts pop out pretty easily, and it’s safe for the oven and dishwasher. The mini donuts are cute and all but I would really like to have a bigger-sized donut pan like this. Of course this is just a wish list item, not something I need. 🙂

16. Slow Cooker: Of course a slow cooker (crock pot) is nice to have. There are some weeks that I use it 2 or 3 times, and other weeks not at all. But it really is so nice to have dinner all ready when everyone gets home.

17. NutriBullet: We have got so much use out of our NutriBullet. We use it to make smoothies, milkshakes, grind up seeds, grind up graham crackers to use for breading on meat, and probably more that I can’t think of right now.

18. A Juicer: We also have a juicer, but I don’t use it nearly as much as I want to. It is expensive to buy large quantities of produce, and washing the pieces of the juicer is not as convenient. But they are dishwasher safe. And sometimes it’s fun to make homemade apple juice or orange juice. I have also used it to juice spinach to make green food coloring before, and juiced strawberries to add to milk for homemade strawberry milk. 🙂

 

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Other Items for Healthy Living

1. Salt Lamp: Even if we have eliminated the chemicals going into our body, on our skin, and everywhere else we can think of, chances are we are still being exposed to chemicals all the time. There is flame-retardant in so many things like our couch, other furniture, our clothes, etc. Everything that is made of plastic is full of chemicals. What about the paint on the walls? SO many things we aren’t even thinking about. I would love to have one of these salt lamps to help purify the air, and they also help to reduce stress. Win win!

2. Natural Soaps: Okay I have never bought these soaps before but they sure are cute and free of harmful chemicals. Would be a great gift!

3. Beeswax Candle: It’s shocking to learn about all the chemicals we are exposed to. Candles release a lot of toxins into the air that we breathe, unless you buy the right ones. Beeswax is the way to go. And if you want one that is scented, make sure it is scented using essential oils instead of chemicals.

4. Lavender Bath & Body Gift Set: This gift set says all natural ingredients are used. No harmful chemicals. And lavender is very calming.

5. Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Gift Set: I just thought this was adorable. And they are samples of some of their products so it’s a good way to introduce someone to the natural world.

 

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Books/Cookbooks for Healthy Living

1. Reboot with Joe: Fully Charged

2. The Food Babe Way. Here’s my review on this one: http://organicfibromommies.com/2015/02/book-review-food-babe-way/.

3. 100 Days of Real Food cookbook. My review: http://organicfibromommies.com/2014/09/cookbook-review-100-days-real-food/.

And see what I’ve made from this cookbook so far: http://organicfibromommies.com/2015/03/what-ive-made-from-the-100-days-of-real-food-cookbook/.

4. The Grain-Free Family Table. My review: http://organicfibromommies.com/2014/11/cookbook-review-grain-free-family-table-deliciously-organic/.

5. The Wellness Mama cookbook

6. Deliciously Organic cookbook

 

Other ideas for gifts on healthier living: plants that purify the air, homemade gifts like vanilla extract, homemade granola, cookies or other treats made with organic ingredients and sweetened with honey/maple syrup or very little raw cane sugar. There are so many options out there for making soaps, candles from beeswax, and many many more.

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!

Smoked Sausage & Navy Bean Soup

Ham is expensive. Especially if you want an uncured healthier selection. So of course you could use ham in this recipe but I wanted to try something different that wasn’t so expensive. Or bacon is another good option. And I only use half the amount of sausage but you can use the whole amount. I like to save half for next time, or use it for breakfast! 🙂 Homemade chicken broth is always preferred, but not required of course. It does make it taste SO much better though. And of course you can do this in the crockpot too. (For a vegetarian option, leave out the meat and use a veggie broth instead.)

Two Ways to Soak Beans – Overnight and the Quick Soak Method:
For the Overnight Method, add the beans to a large bowl, cover with water and let sit overnight. You will want extra water on top because the beans will soak up the water during the night. Drain and rinse well. For the Quick Soak Method, add the beans to a pot and cover with water by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Then drain and rinse well.

smoked sausage & navy bean soup

 

Smoked Sausage & Navy Bean Soup
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups dry navy beans
  • smoked pork sausage (mine was 12 oz) - I only use half but you can use whole
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 cups chicken broth (homemade preferred)
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 2 tsp parsley
  • salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
  • ⅛ - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • Other Options: diced tomatoes, butternut squash, zucchini
Directions
  1. Soak the beans. There are 2 methods for this, either overnight or the Quick Soak Method (see above for further info). Drain the beans and rinse well.
  2. Cut up the sausage into circles or chunks (I cut them in half now).
  3. In a large stockpot cook the sausage, chopped onion, and garlic on medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken broth, the beans, and all the remaining ingredients, stir. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and cover.
  5. Cook for about 2 hours, or just until the beans are soft, stirring occasionally. (The beans should mash easily.)
Notes
You could also make this soup in your crockpot.

 

I have also made this soup using a different kind of bean (pinto) and ham instead of sausage. It was just as good!

ham & bean soup

 

ham & bean soup

 

And my daughter took some for lunch in her Soup Thermos!

ham & bean soup for lunch

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!

Fall Recipes

Since Fall arrived I’ve been thinking about soups and stews, casseroles…. comfort food! Okay, I was actually already thinking about all those foods. 😉 Here’s a collection of our Fall Recipes. Just either click on the title or the picture to get to the recipe. Of course most of these recipes are not just for Fall. You can pin them to Pinterest to use any time of the year.

Fall Recipes

 

Split Pea Soup

split pea soup

Whole Chicken in a Crockpot (& homemade broth!)

whole chicken and homemade soup recipe

Chicken Noodle Soup

chicken noodle soup

Grandma’s Baked Chicken & Rice (only 1 dish and so easy to make!)

baked chicken & rice

Chili & Sweet Cornbread

chili & cornbread

Pot Roast with Homemade Gravy

pot roast & homemade gravy

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

beef stew

Potato Soup

potato soup

Baked Potato Soup

baked potato soup

Apple Spiced Pork Tenderloin

apple spiced pork loin

Tater Tot Casserole

tater tot casserole

Baked Mac ‘N Cheese

baked mac 'n cheese

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

apple cinnamon pancakes

Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Sauce

Beef enchiladas with homemade sauce

Homemade Pumpkin Puree (& Roasting the Seeds)

homemade pumpkin puree

Pumpkin Recipes

pumpkin recipes

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

cheesy chicken enchiladas

Natural Personal Care Products

It is just as important to use natural ingredients on our skin as it is to consume them. Whatever we put on our skin is absorbed into our body. Also, whatever we wash off in the shower is going into the lakes & streams. The less chemicals all around, the better for everyone and everything. There are some good options for natural personal care products out there, and recipes to make your own. I know I don’t want to spend a ton of money on products and would rather spend more money on our food, so I try to find better products at lower costs.

 

natural personal care products

 

Tom's natural deodorant

Deodorant:
Of course, regular deodorants typically have a plethora of chemicals in them. Some have been linked to possibly causing breast cancer. I feel like I have been through every kind of natural deodorant you can find in the stores. This is really getting personal but I used to sweat a lot more than I do now. I think it was from the meds I was on, and also from being overweight. Anyway, I couldn’t find a natural deodorant that worked for me and the Tom’s scented deodorants (even though they are all-natural) were causing me to breakout. Now that I don’t sweat as much, the Tom’s original unscented works just fine unless it’s summertime. Then I have to reapply a couple times throughout the day! I have heard great things about Pit Paste but haven’t tried it yet. Here’s the Pit Paste if you’re interested in trying it (there is lavender-scented available and you can buy it in a stick too):

 

coconut oil and Tom's toothpaste

Dental Care:
I do like Tom’s toothpastes but I did make my own toothpaste once using baking soda. Regular toothpaste has a lot of chemicals including dyes added, which aren’t good for our teeth and gums. I buy Tom’s for my kids too. They have a strawberry flavored product specifically for kids. I am also doing oil pulling (started in March of 2014). Oil pulling is where you swish around about 1 tsp – 1 tablespoon of oil in your mouth for up to 20 minutes each day. Try to go at least 5 minutes to get the benefits of it. Since I have been doing it, my husband pointed out that I don’t have bad breath anymore. I always had bad breath, and not just in the morning. I had gum and mints on hand because I was so worried about it. My teeth are whiter, and gums don’t bleed like they used to when I floss. I also got my daughter to start doing it (only sometimes). She definitely needs all the toxins out of her mouth! She doesn’t do it very long but I figure some is better than none. My husband did give it a try once. I have been doing it just about every morning, between 5 and 15 minutes. It just depends on how long I feel like going. Sometimes it gets really gross and I have to spit it out. When you spit it out, make sure you spit into the garbage can, not the sink. It can mess up your pipes! And DO NOT swallow it. You can use other oils but I have heard so many great benefits of coconut oil for your teeth and gums so that is what I am going with. I used to do it every day, now it’s about every other day, and I did skip a week a couple times just because we were low on coconut oil. When on a budget I wasn’t going to go out and buy more just so I could do the oil pulling. 😉

 

Hair Care:
For shampoo and conditioner I was using a natural Tresemme, but when you read the ingredients you can see that it isn’t really ‘natural’. I was very disappointed. I have used a coconut shampoo and conditioner before that I found in the natural section of the grocery store but you get this small tube @ like $9 each so for shampoo and conditioner I was spending $18, and that just seems crazy. So I had to pick and choose what I would rather spend money on. An all-natural shampoo or fresh organic fruits & vegetables? Yea, I think I’m going to put more money towards food than personal care products. Of course, you can make your own too. But I did decide to try the “no-poo” method (sham-poo that is). Sounds weird but it really works! Here’s all about it:oily hair

 

Week 1 – I used 1/2 tsp baking soda with a drop of tea tree oil and a little warm water, just on the scalp. I did this one time during the week, and other times I showered I didn’t use anything. There’s no way to avoid it. Your hair just gets oily and gross in the beginning.

Week 2 – Same method as above except I started applying apple cider vinegar to the ends.

 

Week 3 – Same method as above. I’m starting to notice that my hair is looking healthier and there’s a wave to it. Plus I am not losing as much hair in the shower or when brushing. Before I had a handful of hair that would come out. The top is still oily looking. Sorry, these aren’t the best pictures.

no shampoo method results

Weeks 4 & 5 – Getting better (picture above, on the right). I do the baking soda on top once a week and sometimes add the tea tree oil. And I apply apple cider vinegar to the ends once/week. Overall it seems to be going okay but my hair does look oily sometimes.

no shampoo method results


Week 6
– I got a hair cut and specifically told the stylist what I am doing and not to use any products on my hair but water was okay to wet it down. Well whatever he was spraying me with was not just water. I could see the bubbles in it and it had a scent to it. Then he said he needed to use something on my hair just so he could make sure the cut and layers were even (I can’t remember what he called it). I was like okay… I really think he was playing with my hair. He did a good job on the cut but I was just annoyed that he put products on my hair when I asked him not to. Then I felt like I had to start all over with this. The good thing was that he mentioned how healthy and nice my hair looks. This picture is after I got my hair cut and them using the product on my hair. Wish I would have gotten a picture before but you can still see that it is pretty healthy looking.

 

Tea Tree shampoo and conditionerSo, this does really work, over time, but I was having a hard time keeping everything balanced. My hair became dry so I added coconut oil and then it was too oily looking. The baking soda works on top to keep the top from being oily but I read that baking soda isn’t good for your hair. And my hair wasn’t smelling good between the baking soda w/tea tree oil and the apple cider vinegar…. It didn’t smell that bad, but my husband always liked that my hair smelled so good. So I needed something to balance out the oily and dry in my hair, and smell good. I decided to start using Trader Joe’s tea tree shampoo & conditioner (picture to the right). It’s a great price and has some really good stuff in it. Like peppermint, tea tree and eucalyptus botanicals. My hair seems balanced now, and my husband likes the shampoo because it helps with his usually dry itchy scalp and dandruff. What I noticed though after I started using shampoo again is that more hair is coming out in the shower or when I brush. But I just put a little shampoo on the top and work it in, and a little conditioner worked into the ends. Everyone’s hair is different so you may find something else that works for your hair. I tend to have thick dry hair, usually. I may end up making something that will work to wash my hair with and if I do, I will report back on that.

 

Shaving:
I use coconut oil for shaving. You only need a small amount at a time and it’s so great for your skin. It’s not perfect but it does work and feels good. It leaves my skin smooth after. I just keep a small tupperware container of it in the shower so it’s easily accessible. Using the coconut oil in the bath/shower has not clogged my drain either. And I do use an electric razor sometimes too. Which is great for camping. 😉 Here’s the one I have:

 

natural bar soap

Face/Body Wash:
I use a Burt’s Bees peach facial scrub and I also do a lemon and honey face mask a couple times a week (whenever I remember). Just take about a ½ tsp of honey and a squirt of lemon juice, rub together and apply to your entire face, leave on for 5 minutes and rinse off with luke-warm water. I like the Kiss My Face soap to wash my body with, and I take an Epsom salt bath every now and then. Sometimes I add lavender (I have a lavender plant but you can get lavender essential oil too). I also came across a pure castile bar soap with lavender. Both are pictured above, to the right. I found both bars of soap and the facial scrub at Fred Meyer (Kroger).

 

honey and lemon face mask recipe

 

coconut lotion

Lotion/Sunscreen:
For lotion I found a good coconut lotion that isn’t too expensive and has lasted me a while (Desert Essence), found at Fred Meyer in the natural section, or just use coconut oil as a moisturizer. I use coconut oil for Sunscreen (it has an SPF of about 10) but only when I am just going to be in the sun a little, or in and out of it. If we are going to be out in the hot sun all day, I will use a natural sunscreen, which is what I use for the kids. Just anything I can find that says ‘natural’. It’s not perfect, but better. Here’s a natural organic ‘Food Babe approved’ sunscreen:

chapstick and lipgloss

 

Chapstick/Lipgloss:
I use Burt’s Bees chapstick and lipgloss. There are different colors too. I use the chapstick a lot more than I use the lipgloss. You can probably find these at any grocery store but I purchased mine at Fred Meyer (Kroger).

 

 

natural makeup

Make-up & Make-up Removal:
I don’t wear make-up that often anymore but if I do, I use grape seed oil to remove it. It works great and is good for your skin too, but a little goes a long way. You can also use coconut oil. I found some natural make-up at our local food co-op. It’s made with much better ingredients. It’s expensive but like I said, I don’t wear make-up that often.

There are many recipes out there for making pretty much anything, from deodorant to mascara and in-between. There are also companies you can buy from like The Honest Co. One of these days I am going to sign up to receive their products each month! I think you get to choose 5 products each month for a certain price.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!

Cheesy Beef Taco Skillet

We used to love the Hamburger Helper crunchy taco meal-in-a-box. Well of course we haven’t had that since we started eating organic, meals from scratch. Then I came across Real Fit, Real Food Mom’s Cheesy Taco Brown Rice recipe and it gave me an idea. Let’s add some hamburger to that and whatever else we want to throw on top! It was SO good. I make this quite often now, and I use my homemade taco seasoning in this recipe. You can use chicken broth to cook the rice, or water works just fine too. My homemade chicken broth is best, of course. 😉 This is an easy meal that everyone loves.

So what is in the Hamburger Helper Crunchy Taco meal that makes it bad for us? Well it has GMO corn flour, corn starch, and corn syrup. Cottonseed oil, which is one of the worst. Cotton has high pesticide usage because we don’t eat it but they use the oil from it and put it in our food. Why is that allowed?? It shouldn’t be. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) that is used to enhance flavor just to get you to eat more of it. This is what companies put in foods to make you addicted so you eat a lot of it and want to continue to purchase their products. Silicon Dioxide is used as an anti-caking agent. GMO soybean oil. Yellow dye #5 & #6 for color, and we all know why food dyes are bad right? They have been linked to hyperactivity (ADHD) in children, among other things. And there are many other questionable ingredients in Hamburger Helper. It’s so easy just to make your own and you will know what’s in it, plus you can make sure it’s all organic healthier ingredients.

cheesy beef taco skillet

 

Cheesy Beef Taco Skillet
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • ½ - 1 lb ground beef (grass-fed organic preferred)
  • 1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 2 cups chicken broth (or water)
  • 1 cup rice
  • Taco Seasoning (link to my homemade seasoning is included above)
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (plus extra for on top if you want)
  • Optional: sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips, corn, black beans, tomatoes, green peppers
Directions
  1. In a large pot, bring the tomato sauce and chicken broth to a boil.
  2. Brown the hamburger in a frying pan.
  3. After the tomato sauce and chicken broth are bubbling, stir in the rice, turn down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  4. When the hamburger is ready, drain the grease if necessary and add the taco seasoning and ¼ cup of water (just enough to mix up the seasoning).
  5. Then add the rice when it's ready, add the cheese and stir everything up. Just cook until the cheese is melted.
  6. You can add corn/green peppers and cook it with the hamburger if you want, or black beans instead of the hamburger (or in addition to). You can also add tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, and tortilla chips.

 

Here is the rice and hamburger combined:

IMG_6112

 

And now we have added the shredded cheese! Yum.

IMG_6113

 

Ready to eat! Or you can add more toppings like sour cream, salsa, corn, olives, tomatoes, avocado, whatever you like.

IMG_6114

Activities When Kids Are Bored

I recently read an article about kids needing to be bored during the summer. I totally agree! They need to understand that there will not always be an agenda or something fun to go do every.single.day. They can use their imagination and come up with fun things to do. My kids will do this quite often. Here are some things they have come up with along the years, or just things I can think of to give you some ideas when they say, “We’re bored…….” Some of these are a given, and some are dependent on the weather. There’s a few ideas on here that my sister and I did when we were kids. We used to spend the summer with my mom or at Grandma’s house and would come up with all kinds of fun things. With Fibro fog we know that lists and ideas are important. I hope this helps if you’re stuck on ideas to keep them busy. 🙂

activities for kids

 

1. Blind-Folded Taste Test: My kids came up with this one day so I made a tray of different foods that they could use. It was a variety of foods with different textures and flavors. Then they took turns blind-folding the other and feeding them different foods. It was fun and hilarious to watch.

2. Package Delivery: There are so many creative and fun things you can do with boxes but one that my kids came up with recently is to take the boxes that may be laying around from UPS or whatever and they can put things in them (toys, books, maybe some picked flowers from outside?). Then they would tape up the boxes or just close them as best as they can, and leave them out for different family members. Like in front of their door, their place at the table, on their chair. They would even put it outside sometimes and ring the door bell.

3. TV Land: Another idea for using a big box is to cut a square to make a TV and they can take turns pretending they’re on TV. They can do the news, or just a show. It’s really fun to watch. My kids would play dress-up and be different characters.

4. Grocery Store: If they have a play shopping cart or basket they can use that but if not, it’s still fun. Get out the canned/packaged food and line it up on the counter or table. If they have a cash register, great, but if not just use a calculator and they can pretend to ring up the items. Get out your reusable bags or paper bags. One can go through and shop and the other can ring up their items and bag them. It would be the perfect time to do this right when you get home from grocery shopping. Then they can put everything away when they’re done too. 🙂

5. Restaurant: They can make little tables for their stuffed animals. Grab a pad of paper and a pencil and they can take their orders. If they have a little kitchen and some play food they can make their food and serve them. Don’t forget to do the dishes and clean the tables! 😉

6. Coloring Contest: My kids like to compete with each other. What sibling doesn’t, right? So sometimes they come up with different things to draw or color and want me to be the judge. They always say that I have to tell the truth and not just be nice. Ha! So I really do try but I know that every single time, the one I don’t pick has their feelings hurt. So I try to make sure I’m not always picking the same kid, of course.

7. Bubble Station: I save all those bubble wands you come across with the different sizes and shapes, and I save the smaller containers. Then I buy a big container of bubbles and fill the smaller ones. Each kid can have their own and dip the different wands into them. This is also good for when they spill so they aren’t spilling a huge container of bubbles.

8. Kiddie Pool with a Slide: We have always had a little kiddie pool with a slide going into it and the kids just love it. So do their friends! 😉 When you fill the pool, the water is usually cold and the kids complain. With a slide my kids like to slide into the cold water and jump out real quick, then do it again and again and again… So much fun!

9. Miscellaneous Outdoor Activities: Riding Bikes, Hide and Seek, Tag, coloring with chalk, playing ball.

10. Going on Walks and Exploring the Area: They could collect different things they find along the way.

11. Painting: Set-up a paint station outside (or inside). Just a little table with chairs. Put on some old t-shirts and paint away! We save all the papers from school during the year that have one side that is blank. Then we use that paper to draw on or paint.

12. Play-dough: In addition to the usual things you do with play-dough, my kids have also made clothes with it to put on their Barbie/Ken dolls.

13. Building with Legos/Lincoln Logs

14. Sumo Wrestlers: Stuff pillows in their shirts and wrestle.

15. Build a Fort (inside or outside): All you need is some chairs and blankets, or you can use a table with a blanket over it. You can also setup a tent outside that can be their fort.

16. Playing School: My daughter loves to pretend she’s the teacher and give her brother schoolwork. LOL Then they were eating their lunch together and she says, “Let’s pretend we’re in the cafeteria and we want to trade stuff in our lunch.” Hmmm… 😉

17. Scrapbooking: We love to take old magazines and go through cutting stuff out that we like. Then you can put it together to make a scrapbook. Just paste/glue the stuff you cut out onto construction paper and staple the edges to make a book. Then can also write and draw in it. Maybe give it a title and sign their name too, if you want.

18. Tea Party: Gather up all their stuffed animal friends, the play tea cups, and they can pour some water into them.

19. Board Games: We have a variety of different board games the kids like to pull out and play sometimes. They know where to find them and I just make sure they pick up all the pieces and put the game away before starting a new one. Some of those games have some tiny pieces that are easy to lose! And we have lost some pieces along the way, of course. Sometimes they will just make up a new game with one of the board games instead of playing by the rules. That is fun too. 🙂

20. Bird Watching: We have some play binoculars and the kids like to go around the backyard and look for birds sometimes. My son even knows the names of the different kinds of birds from his grandma teaching him, and it’s also in one of his books.

21. The Zoo: When we got home from the zoo one time, my daughter got out all her stuffed animals and pretended they were in the zoo. She lined them up in different sections and was talking about the different kinds of animals, as if she was a tour guide. It was really cute.

I’m sure there are many MANY more ideas out there and I will probably keep adding to this list but hopefully that gives you some ideas for now. Next time my kids say they’re bored, I’m going to refer to this list to give them some ideas. If you have any other ideas please add them in the comments below. Thanks! 😀

Chicken Stir-Fry

I used to make stir-fry using one of those seasoning packets, which contain a lot of bad ingredients. Like MSG, preservatives, and other questionable ingredients. I never realized how easy it is to make a good stir-fry without using that seasoning packet. I just cook some rice on the side, use leftover chicken (or cook some if you don’t have leftovers – you can use pork or beef strips too), fry up whatever veggies you want (with some onion) and add soy sauce, garlic, ginger, & some pepper. Easy and so good. 🙂 For a vegetarian option, eliminate the chicken and add more veggies to make a veggie stir-fry. I actually forgot to put the chicken in one time and no one even noticed.

stir fry with homemade sauce

 

Chicken Stir-Fry
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (or you can do beef or pork)
  • 1 TB and 1 tsp coconut oil (1 tsp for cooking the chicken and 1 TB for the veggies), or use toasted sesame oil
  • a variety of stir-fry veggies (we usually do green beans, broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers because that is what we always have on hand but you can also add cauliflower, peas, zucchini, asparagus, whatever veggies you want)
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ¼ cup soy sauce (see what I use, pictured below, or you can use coconut aminos)
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • pepper
  • 1 cup rice, 2 cups water (or chicken stock)
  • sesame seeds (optional)
Directions
  1. Heat up a frying pan with 1 tsp of coconut oil. Add the chicken and cook until both sides are done and there's no pink in the middle.
  2. Cook the rice by bringing 2 cups of water to a boil, add the rice, bring to a boil. Then turn to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  3. Start chopping your veggies while that's cooking. When the chicken is done, set aside for now.
  4. Then in the same frying pan, add 1 TB of coconut oil (or the toasted sesame oil). Start adding the onion and veggies and cook on medium until all the veggies are tender.
  5. Add the garlic, ginger, & pepper (and sesame seeds if you want). Cut the chicken into strips or squares and add to the pan. Stir in the soy sauce and cook another 5 minutes to get everything mixed up.

 

I like to buy the toasted sesame oil at Trader Joe’s sometimes. It’s great for stir-fry!

stir fry and toasted sesame oil

 

My daughter likes to take leftover stir-fry in her lunch using a soup thermos to keep it warm:

stir fry school lunch

 

Here’s the soy sauce I use:

bragg soy sauce alternative

 

You can purchase it through Amazon:

 

Or there’s also coconut aminos soy sauce alternative:

 

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Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

I am frequently trying to figure out what to make with chicken. And it’s usually leftover chicken from my whole chicken in a crock pot. Well I was trying to decide between chicken enchiladas, chicken burritos, or chicken quesadillas. It came down to the quesadillas because of the ingredients we had, and my husband wasn’t thrilled. He said just plain chicken and cheese doesn’t sound very exciting. So I decided to spice it up! I used my homemade taco seasoning, mixed it up with the cooked chicken and added bell peppers and onion. We also dipped our quesadillas in sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. I made the kids’ quesadillas slightly different depending on their preferences (Tyler doesn’t like a lot of green peppers or onion, and Kailey doesn’t like a lot of meat). So I call these Chicken Fajita Quesadillas. You could also just have fajitas. 🙂 For a vegetarian option just eliminate the chicken. You could do black beans or refried beans instead.

 

chicken fajita quesadillas

 

 

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 1 - 2 cups of leftover shredded chicken)
  • 1 - 2 tsp coconut oil (to grease the pan)
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (or sliced cheese will work)
  • taco seasoning (see link for my homemade taco seasoning above)
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), sliced into strips
  • half an onion, sliced into strips
  • 4 - 6, 10" tortillas
  • butter for each side of the quesadilla
  • Optional: sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole for dipping
Directions
  1. Cook the chicken in the coconut oil until there's no pink. Cut into cubes or strips. (If using leftover chicken you can eliminate this step and just fry up the bell pepper and onion in some oil first, then add the chicken.)
  2. Add the seasoning and a little water to mix it up. Add the bell pepper strips and onion and mix everything up, frying for a few minutes.
  3. Heat up your skillet and start preparing the quesadillas. Butter one side, fold over with the butter side down, then start filling.
  4. Fill with the chicken/pepper/onion mixture, add cheese, folder over and cook each side for a few minutes until slightly golden brown.
  5. Cut in half or into triangles and serve. You can dip in sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.

 

 

The chicken, bell pepper, onion, and taco seasoning all mixed up:

fajita meat & veggies

 

Cooking the quesadillas:

quesadillas cooking

 

All done and cut into triangles. Served with salsa & sour cream. You can do guacamole too.

chicken fajita quesadillas

 

I used these tortillas to make my quesadilla and it was really good! They don’t work very good for rolling up into a wrap or a burrito, but great for quesadillas. 🙂 (I heard you should warm them up or leave out for a bit and they will roll up easier. I just haven’t tried it yet.) 

sprouted grain tortillas

Healthy Veggie Scramble

I never thought in a million years I would be eating a breakfast like this. I thought it would be gross. Well now I’m obsessed! Ever since I found the recipe in The Food Babe Way I have been making it and tweaking the recipe to my liking. It is very customizable. My adjustments from the original recipe are that I cut the recipe in half, I don’t add mushrooms (just because I don’t like them), I added garlic powder and onion, an egg, and I have been adding my cauliflower ‘rice’ instead of quinoa. The recipe for “Riced” Cauliflower is found in the Grain-Free Family Table cookbook. Sometimes I also add a little bacon or sausage but not usually. Only if I have some in the fridge that needs eaten up. My daughter likes it too. My husband and son do not. My husband even had it wrapped in a tortilla and added hot sauce. He would like it if I added meat, more eggs, and didn’t put the quinoa or cauliflower in, or tomatoes, or spinach… Okay, I would really have to change up the recipe for him to like it, lol.

healthy veggie scramble

 

Healthy Veggie Scramble
 
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 TB coconut oil
  • 1 - 2 cups spinach (or chopped kale - I don't chop the spinach but you can)
  • ½ - 1 cup cooked quinoa, rice, or cauliflower 'rice'
  • ½ - 1 cup of each veggie of your choice (broccoli, chopped tomato, chopped bell pepper, chopped zucchini, cauliflower)
  • salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp minced onion, or 1 or 2 TB chopped fresh (optional)
  • 1 - 2 eggs
  • Other options: mushrooms, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, bacon, sausage
Directions
  1. Heat the coconut oil in a sauté pan on medium heat.
  2. Add any veggies you want, the spinach, and if you are using cauliflower 'rice'. Saute for 5 - 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the quinoa/rice and seasonings.
  4. Push everything to the side of the pan, crack the egg(s) in the middle and scramble.
  5. Then mix everything in with the egg(s). Serve immediately.

 

After the coconut oil is heated up in the pan, add the veggies you want and the spinach (the spinach will shrink up after it cooks).

making veggie scramble

 

 After sautéing the veggies for 5 – 10 minutes, stir in the quinoa/rice & seasonings. Then push everything to the side, crack the egg(s) in the middle and scramble.

making veggie scramble

 

 Mix everything together and serve immediately. Serves 2, unless you’re really hungry. 😉 

making veggie scramble

 

 Here’s the cauliflower ‘rice’ I use. It’s basically just cauliflower that has gone through the food processor so it is in very small pieces.

cauliflower 'rice'