We've been staying pretty busy around here with our new addition. I've been tearing through my freezer stash of pre-prepped meals, but this week I felt like getting back in the kitchen and doing some cooking. There is something very grounding to me about standing in front of my cutting board chopping away. I'm also realistic that with a toddler and newborn my kitchen time is going to be limited so I thought a nice way to ease back in would be a soup. I love soups; I don't care if it's 100oF outside, there is something so comforting about a big bowl of soup. My husband and I went back and forth about what to call this because while it certainly isn't chili, it really has the flavor of chili. You could add some black beans to this and I think it would pass. This recipe was born out of the random items we had in our fridge and pantry so feel free to play around with the ingredients. Enjoy!
When we had our son two years ago I did a lot of planning. I researched low toxicity baby gear, compiled lists of baby items parents said they used most, and made sure we had every possible thing we needed for when baby got here; down to nail clippers, emergency infant Advil, and this little thing that vibrated on his chest and made him chill out when he got his diaper changed. The one thing I didn't do was plan for my post partum time. I think the sum of my food prep was making banana bread, which we devoured at the hospital, and some mothers milk tea. Even though in all my research I read that you should freeze or arrange some meals, I somehow, either in ignorance or denial, just ignored the advice. We didn't starve but we ate pretty terrible for the first month. I had some family come by and make a few meals but it was mostly ordering out or me eating protein thin mints all day until my husband came home and cooked. Well lesson learned! This time around I have a full freezer and a plan. To get everything made in about a week I simply made the meal for dinner and doubled the recipe to freeze some. It was especially great with the deserts because we got a little desert every night!
I was cleaning out my pantry yesterday (read: nesting) and I found a can of organic pumpkin puree. Even though the high season of pumpkin recipes is gone we are having some winter weather around here so I though it was fitting. I'm working on stocking our freezer with meals, snacks and treats for when our new addition arrives *hopefully any day now* so I thought pumpkin brownies would be perfect. I made these super allergy friendly since we are still working on figuring out our sons allergies. These are dense fudge style brownies, my husbands favorite. Enjoy!
I am long overdue for a a blog post. We have been busy around here getting ready for our new family member and doing the GAPS diet. You can read more about it here, but it is a gut healing diet that we are trying out for our son's eczema and my husband autoimmune diseases. It seems to be helping so far but it is a lot of work. I was used to preparing most of our meals but it requires that I prepare all of them plus extra things like bone broth and fermented vegetables. So how am I keeping up with everything while nearing the end of my pregnancy? I treat myself to one of these delicious lattes quite often. There is some debate about caffeine and pregnancy, I'm in the 'a little bit is okay' club but this latte works great with decaf or dandelion coffee too. Enjoy!
I love the new year and everyones sense of determination and new beginning (however short lived they may be). Though I try not to make any grand unrealistic resolutions, I do use the motivation this time of year to better myself and our family in practical ways. One simple way that our family has made healthy changes in the past is to start making 'processed' food items at home. Not only does this save money, but it is a lot healthier than most things I can buy in the store. I've talked before about how we make all of our own salad dressings, and I realized we've been making our own mayo for a few years now. I was never satisfied with the ingredients in store-bought mayo, most have a lot of unhealthy oils, preservatives, or unnecessary sugar or stabilizers. I was intimidated to try and make it myself though, and I admit there have been some flops, but after some tweaking and practice the results now are consistently great. It doesn't take much time to whip up your own mayo so why not give it a try? Don't worry if it's not perfect the first time, it may take a few times to get the technique right; the biggest issue I have had is not getting it to emulsify and thicken properly, you can still use it as a salad dressing when this happens. Enjoy!
I don't think I've publicly admitted my love for corn and corn products yet. My name is Morgan, and I freaking love me some corn. Unfortunately, like most love stories, corn does not reciprocate my love. It's not that I'm allergic, but it certainly doesn't digest well. I've given up corn cereals, polenta, and even whole corn (except for a couple fresh ears in the summer, worth it!), but I refuse to give up popcorn. It would have to cause me more than a minor bellyache for me to quit. We gave away our microwave a few years back and haven't missed it. I absolutely love fresh popcorn popped in coconut oil with a little sea salt hot off the stove and have even found local organic kernels from Riverview Farms (they also have amazing meat if you are in the Georgia area). I certainly reserve it as a treat, but my toddler also got the undying-love-for-popcorn gene, so it is a more frequent treat now! If you've been to the grocery store at all in the past month then you've undoubtedly seen bags of this this stuff. I did purchase one for a holiday party and it was a big hit. A few days later my son came asking me for the "choc poppa-corn". I figured I could probably make a slightly healthier version for cheaper at home. And I was right! I used healthy coconut oil, organic popcorn, and low glycemic coconut sugar. Whether you need a last minute gift, something to feed the influx of guests at your house, or just a treat to watch a holiday movie with, this kettle corn will certainly hit the spot. Enjoy!
My husband is in a band (sexy I know), and this year they decided to have a holiday party. I was excited for the chance to make a fun holiday treat, but was stumped on what to make. Unfortunately our son had an all nighter last week and in my 3am haze this idea came to me. It's fun enough for kids and sophisticated enough for adults. Enjoy!
