Homemade Chicken Broth

Today is a big day for me for lots of reasons.

First let me start by saying how excited I am

to finally own a cast iron stock pot.

For the past 15 years I have been so weak and so full of daily pain

that I couldn't even lift one of the lids on these beauties.

 I thought for sure I'd never be able to cook with one.

But low and behold, no more pain for me

 and this gorgeous red pot is mine.

So for her maiden voyage (so to speak)

I'm making homemade chicken broth.

The only store bought chicken broth that I can have

with my food sensitivities costs about $4.00 per quart.

This pot will yield 2 quarts plus a beautifully cooked chicken as well

for around $12.00 total.

( I pay about $10.00 for a whole free range chicken)

Homemade Chicken Broth

2 1/2 pound whole free range chicken
2 organic celery ribs
3 organic medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 organic medium onions, quartered
2 bay leaves
4 tsp sea salt (optional)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
8 whole peppercorns
2 quarts cold water

Place all ingredients in a soup kettle or dutch oven. Slowly bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Set chicken aside until cool enough to handle and remove all meat from the bones. Strain broth. I add the cooked vegetables to some cooked rice along with some of the chicken for a tasty meal. Refrigerate the broth overnight and remove cold layer of fat if desired. I've noticed that with the free range chicken there is almost no fat the remove the next day. So that's it! Super easy and healthy! AND cost effective! Try it.....you'll like it!

Gluten Free & Sugar Free Pumpkin Muffins

One of my favorite things about the fall is

pumpkin bread and muffins!

One of the things I've noticed about gluten free baking is that most people who go gluten free for health reasons, totally overlook the ill effects of cane sugar.

For me it's not an option because I am glucose intollerant.

Coconut crystals have been a real find for me. They look and taste like brown sugar and are made from the coconut flower. Coconut crystals have 1/2 the glycemic index of sugar and that makes it a great alternative for me and my baking!

I've been playing around with some different recipes and so far this one is my favorite.

The house smells divine while they are baking and these yummy little bundles of deliciousness are free of gluten, gliaden, corn, dairy, and sugar.

Gluten Free Sugar Free Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup + 1 tblsp fine brown rice flour (or white rice flour)

1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup coconut crystals (natural sugar alternative)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp g/f corn free  Hain baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp guar gum
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 of 15oz can Organic Pumpkin puree
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 free range eggs (at room temp)
1 tsp g/f pure vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together and with a whisk add in wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spray muffin pan with olive oil spray. Pour batter into muffin tin about 3/4 full. Gluten free batter doesn't rise the way regular flour does so you don't need to worry about it overflowing during the baking process. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. I like these better after they have cooled. The taste and texture actually improve the next day.....if you can wait that long!

Sunflower Seed Butter

Sunflower Seed Butter

2 cups raw sunflower seed (shelled)

3 packets Sweet Leaf Stevia

1 Tablespoon Coconut Crystals (sugar alternative)

4 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

First let me just warn you that this stuff is addicting. I mean seriously yummy! For those of us who can't have tree nuts or peanuts, this is heaven!!! I tried making this without toasting the seeds first and just leaving them raw (because I'm lazy sometimes) and it was awful! I threw the entire batch in the trash. It tasted like olive oil....period. Yuck.

Ok...so on to the recipe. First toast the seeds in a dry pan over high heat, stirring constantly until they become a lovely golden brown and you can smell the nutty goodness :)

Allow them to cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to your food processor. Chop the seeds until they they resemble beach sand. This can take up to 15 minutes depending on the power of your food processor. (only took 1 1/2 minutes in my new Kitchen Ninja...

but that's a story for a different day)

Add in the Stevia, Coconut crystals and salt and pulse to combine. Then slowly add in the oil through the top of your processor. After a few minutes you'll have Sunflower Seed butter!

You need to store it in the refrigerator. I have no idea how long it will stay good because I've been eating it all in about 2 days :)

Super tasty on an organic brown rice cake :)

Also super tasty right out of the container with a spoon

while standing in front of the open refrigerator......

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

A bit of Cuban Flavor :)

One of my hubby's favorite foods growing up in a Cuban household is "Platanos Tachinos".

These are Plantain bananas that have been fried twice.

And I found out after doing some on-line research that plantains are actually anti-inflammatory and have lots of great health benefits!  I knew I had to add them to our diet. These are delicious and very quick and easy to prepare.

Platanos Tachinos

2 Green plantain bananas

olive oil

coarse sea salt

First of all, use only green plantains. If they have begun to yellow, they will not work with this recipe. Green plantains are not sweet and remind me of potatoes.

Peel plantains. Cut into 3/4 to 1" slices. Pour about 1" of olive oil into heavy frying pan. When the oil is hot, (340 degrees) not smoking, add plantains and fry 3 minutes. Remove from the oil to a cutting board layered with paper towels. I use the smooth side of my meat hammer to pound the fried banana chunks into flat discs. It usually only takes one well placed hit from above. This is a great way to work out any aggression as well! Re-heat the oil and return the discs to the hot oil and fry for another 3 minutes. Remove from oil and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt.

                                                     Aye Que Bueno!

It's getting better every day!

Grilled Free Range chicken breast with grilled red peppers and onions, organic refried black beans, organic avocado and plantain chips with sea salt.



Free Range Organic eggs, Free Range Turkey sausage, Coconut flour blueberry muffin and Organic avocado with green tea.

This is what I ate last night and this morning. It's definately getting easier to  find yummy ways to prepare the foods that won't cause an auto-immune response in my body. I told my husband the other night that this is the best possible diet I could ever be on because it's like when you are training a puppy with a rolled up newspaper.........if I eat something wrong......it hurts me physically....ALOT! Like getting hit with a rolled up newspaper! The pain I experienced with Fibro used to vary from maybe an 8 to 10 (on a 1 to 10 scale) on a daily basis. Pain was normal for me. For the past 15 years I've lived with it. So now that my pain is between a 1 and 4 most days, I am doing my very best to make sure that I eat only the foods that will heal me and not hurt me. On my good days I almost forget that I'm sick.....almost :)
Inflamation causes pain. So it makes sense to eat anti-inflamatory foods. You can find great articles and food lists over at http://www.livestrong.com/ 
Just type anti-inflamatory foods in the search box.



Oh So Tasty Quick and Easy Vegetable Meatball Soup

I'm really feeling a shift in my attitude from focusing on the awesome things " I can" eat and not all the things "I can't" eat. I needed a easy recipe for a soup that I could keep in the fridge for a quick lunch or dinner during the week. Being prepared is half the battle. So I came up with this super quick and easy and Oh So Tasty Meatball Soup recipe.

Vegetable & Meatball Soup

32 oz Free Range Organic Chicken Broth

1 lb Grass Fed Organic ground beef

14.5 oz can Organic diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1/2 of a 1 lb bag of frozen Organic peas & carrots

1/2 of a 1 lb bag of frozen Organic cut green beans

1/2 head of Organic cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces

1 tblsp Italian Herb seasoning

1 tsp Sea Salt

Mix Italian Herbs and sea salt into ground beef and form into small meatballs. Brown the meatballs in a pan until cooked through. Add all remaining ingredients, including cooked meatballs to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered about 30 minutes until vegetables are cooked through. That's it.....easy and super yummy!

Coconut Flour G/F D/F C/F Brownies!

I'm so excited about coconut flour! It doesn't taste like coconut and it has more than double the fiber of other flours. And because I can't have tree nuts, almond flour is out of the question for me. One of the most amazing things about coconut flour to me is that it takes so little to make something wonderful! This recipe only takes 1/2 cup of flour and it makes an 8 x 8 pan of brownies! The texture and taste is fantastic! You won't be disappointed :)

Coconut Flour Brownies

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Corn Free)

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup cocoa powder

6 eggs

1 cup coconut crystals (natural sugar alternative)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sifted coconut flour

Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips (optional)

In a saucepan at low heat, blend together coconut oil and cocoa powder. Remove from heat and let cool. In a bowl, mix together eggs, coconut crystals, salt and vanilla. Stir in cocoa mixture. Whisk coconut flour into batter until there are no lumps. Pour batter into greased 8 x 8 x 2 pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips across the top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.