Crustless Veggie Quiche (with Sausage)

As a certified L.E.A.N. health coach who stands behind the guidance taught by the Sears Wellness Institute, it is my honor to share the Traffic Light Eating concept with you via my many recipe posts. I use it daily and it is the foundation to embracing an easier way to understanding real foods, per our opinion and the guidance of Dr. Bill Sears. 

Today, I'm sharing my Crustless Veggie Quiche (with pork sausage) recipe. Yes, it's not 100% veggie because of the added pork sausage but you can omit and it'll taste fine but I'd recommend you double up on some of the other vegetables to give it a good filling. 

Other than the sausage (which is generally a red light food), the quiche is mostly green and yellow light. [Pork] Sausage is considered red light because conventional pigs eat some pretty gross stuff (and you are what you eat eats). The Jimmy Dean pork sausage (as seen below) is free of MSG and nitrites so I made a compromise. The sausage does not taste as salty and fatty as his other sausages but it's because there are no added preservatives or artificial ingredients. 

The quiche turned out yummy. I made two dishes - one with mozzarella cheese and the other without. With all my savory dishes, I add as many vegetables as possible. I want to encourage you to not be afraid of the [real] rainbow and make the vegetables front and center; do not hide or disguise them. I encourage you to make it a regular occurrence that at every meal, fruits and vegetables (more than 1) are offered. 

Vibrant colors from 4 vegetables! 

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped into similar sized pieces

1/2 sweet onion, diced 

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, diced

1 package of Jimmy Dean (All Natural / No MSG added) sausage (optional)

1-2 tsp of oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coconut oil / olive oil to coat pans for baking

10 eggs + 1/2 cup milk, *divided 

1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella (optional)

Veggies & Sausage topped with 6 of the eggs. No cheese.

Veggies &Sausage topped with 4 eggs; optional: 1/4 cup of Mozzarella.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375*. 

2. While veggies are being chopped / diced, heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add first the chopped sweet potatoes. While potatoes are cooking, dice the onion.

3. Allow the sweet potatoes to cook for about 8-10 minutes before adding the onions to brown. Once onions start to turn golden and are fragrant, add the chopped bell pepper. Allow all 3 to cook together for about 5 minutes. 

4. While veggies are cooking, coat pans (I used Corning Ware dishes) with oil of your choice. 

5. In a separate bowl, beat 10 eggs and 1/2 cup milk. Set aside.

6. Add the zucchini to the skillet, stir and cook for about 4 minutes. **When vegetables are nearly done, push them to the outer edge of the skillet, and brown the sausage in the center. Season with the oregano and salt. 

7. When vegetables and sausage are done, you'll spoon them into an even layer in your bake ware of choice. 

8. Divide the eggs & milk pouring it over the sausage-vegetable mixture. Top with cheese, if you'd like. 

9. Bake at 375* uncovered for about 35 minutes. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes before digging in! 

Buon Appetito! 

Baked, no cheese. 

Baked with mozzarella. 

Notes:

*The egg mixture is divided if you're using small bake ware. I had two different sized corning ware dishes, so I ended up using 6 eggs in one and 4 in the other. If you've got a large enough dish, you won't need to divide it. 

**You can remove the vegetables when they're done cooking and brown the sausage separately or you can cook them simultaneously in two different skillets. This will allow you to drain the small amount of fat from the sausage. I chose to leave the fat in with the vegetables for added flavor.

Lastly, I recommend you waiting until the quiche is nearly baked before adding the mozzarella. The quiche with the mozzarella almost burned before it was done baking. So, if you add the cheese, add it in the last 10 minutes of baking.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Not Your Mama's Shortcake!

Not Your Mama's Shortcake! 

But, I bet they're both 100% from scratch, right?! Are you ready for a nutrient dense dessert? You may just ask for more! This post was inspired by my Complete Breakfast in a Muffin recipe as seen here. The ingredients are almost exactly the same except I used vanilla Complete and added a strawberry reduction and whipped cream. 

This recipe is gluten free (not grain free) and you can make coconut milk whip in lieu of heavy cream making this shortcake dairy-free too!

Ingredients for Shortcake:
2 tbs of ground flax seeds
2 tbs of vanilla Complete (like this)
1 T applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp coconut oil + 1/4 tsp to coat the bowl for non-stick
1.5 tsp coconut sugar 
1/4 tsp raw honey 
large coffee mug

Preparation:

1. Grease the bowl with the 1/4 tsp of coconut oil (you can use a paper towel to coat or your clean fingertips). 
2. Add all the ingredients to the mug in the order above. Mix well with a spoon.
3. Cook on regular temperature for 2 minutes (this is based on a 1,000 watt microwave). You will know it's done when the top is springy and not sticky.

It'll look like this when it's done. It kind of reminds me of the texture and bounciness of sponge cake. 

Since the shortcake takes so very little time, you might make your whipped cream and strawberry reduction ahead of time. 

Ingredients for strawberry reduction:
10-12 medium strawberries + 3 sliced to garnish
2 tbs water

Preparation:
1. Heat the strawberries with the water in a pot for about 10 minutes on medium. Using an immersion blender you'll blend the strawberries for a minute - just until the whole strawberries are broken down a bit. You can also use a potato masher. 
2. Slice the extra strawberries for garnish. (I didn't have any fresh on hand. During the non-season, I buy organic and then freeze them to use for later.) 
3. While the strawberry reduction is cooling, make your whipped cream. 

Ingredients for whipped cream:
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tbs cane sugar
1/2 tsp real vanilla 
Optional: Pinch of sprinkles (I recommend Let's Do Organic)

Preparation:
1. The best way to make whipped cream is in your mixer with a very cold bowl. Put the bowl and whisk in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. 
2. Add all of the ingredients to the cold bowl and mix on high for 2 minutes. If you over mix, it'll be a lumpy not so creamy texture. 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Another strawberry favorite recipe you may like:
Strawberry Pizza

Taco Soup GF with DF options

I wanted to share a quick recipe to my taco soup I made recently though after it was done, it was more of a chili because it was thick. 

Note: I'm not a trained chef. I just cook from the heart, so my measurements are not spot on. I just 'eye' them and I always add where I need more flavor and I encourage you to do the same!

This one is made in the crock pot. 
I like my rice cooker for fail-safe perfect rice.

40 minutes prep (includes before and after prep time), 3-4 hours cook time

Ingredients:
1 - 15 oz of diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz of tomato sauce
1 medium yellow onion diced, cooked 'til translucent
4 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced green onions 
2 cups of vegetable stock (like here)
4-8 chicken breasts, diced and cooked
2 zucchini, diced and cooked
1 red bell pepper, diced and cooked
1 can of black beans, rinsed
2 cups of cooked rice (we like Jasmine)

Preparation:
1. Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce in the crock pot on low heat. Add spices and give it a good stir.
2. While tomato products and spices are heating up, cook diced chicken breasts, onions and other vegetables for about 10 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). 
3. While chicken and veggies are cooking, make your rice. This takes about 20 minutes. 
4. While chicken/veggies/rice is cooking, rinse your black beans and pour into the tomato products in the crock pot. 
5. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the crock pot. Add the 2 cups of vegetable stock. Stir.
6. Test the sauce for flavor. Add more seasonings as you deem fit. Top with diced green onions.
7. Allow the tomato products, chicken, seasonings, and vegetables to cook in the crock pot on high heat for about an hour. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent scorching of rice at the bottom.
8. Add the rice, stir and turn on low. Cook for up to three more hours. 
9. Turn off crock pot and prepare fixings. 

Fixings:
Crushed organic tortilla chips
Plain Greek Fage yogurt
Shredded cheese
Sliced avocado

What kinds of fixings could you add that would make this recipe dairy-free?

Other recipes you may like to make in your crock pot:
Slow cooker acorn squash chili
Slow cooker butternut squash stew

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

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Holistic Solutions for Cold & Flu Season

In this post, I'm sharing some tried and true ways that I've managed to keep my family of 3 as healthy as possible over the cold & flu season. I consider the following 10 tips, natural or holistic, because they're using food and natural resources (like water and the sun).

My son got a minor cold at the beginning of February. Though he slept a lot, he kept himself hydrated with tea and water. His body temperature raised about 2 degrees on one of the days but nothing alarming because he's naturally warm. His mucous stayed clear and his coughs were worse only while sleeping. 

Though I'm going to share what worked for my family, I'm not a medical doctor and cannot be for certain that these same tips will work in your situation; however, if you're open to learning about ways that can increase the immune system overall, these tips may work for you or your children. Use your personal discretion and if unsure, speak to your practitioner. 

Tip 1: Stay hydrated. Drink water and tea (raw honey & lemon juice in water).

Tip 2: Rest. It's your body's way of helping fight infection. Allow yourself (or your children) to get as much rest as possible. If there's a lot of coughing at night, sleep on your side. This keeps the airways open. 

Tip 3: Add lots of cuddles. When my son had a coughing fit at night once and his heart was beating rapidly, I found that when I cuddled him - his head on my chest as he rested on his side beside me, his heart rate matched that of mine, and he was able to stop coughing. Sometimes when we cough, we get into a 'fit' and we continuously cough because we've got ourselves worked up. We need a way to relax the muscles and cuddling is a great way to do so. 

Tip 4: Every day, eat real food. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. It's important to eat more fresh fruit when sick so that the phytonutrients and vitamins can work smarter in the body. We flood our bodies daily which a variety of 30+ clean fruits, veggies, grapes, and berries in a capsule or gummy. We double up on this product when symptoms come on and through the time of sickness. We've been blessed to not get very sick since the start of this product which is 5 years ago. You can also eat (or drink) the [real] rainbow by juicing. One of my favorite recipes is what I like to call, "Orange Crush," (it's the first one listed at the link) and with the ginger, it helps to clear sinuses, throat and nose congestion. Other tips include: Reducing (or eliminating) foods with refined or artificial sugars. Eat nutrient dense foods. Fill a grazing tray and snack on throughout the day. 

Tip 5: Eat raw honey by the teaspoonful a couple times a day. You can add it to your tea (tip 1) or just straight off the spoon (as long as they're over 12 months old). 

Tip 6: If you're lucky enough to live in an area with adequate sun, I recommend you sitting in the sun without sunscreen for up to 20 minutes. [Natural] Vitamin D has a way to not only boost moods but also boost the immune system (they go hand-in-hand). Many of us are vitamin D deficient and places that offer sunshine in the winter, you can get your fix from Mr. Golden Sun! 

Tip 7: Turn on the hot water in your shower and let the steam fill the bathroom. Note: This is the safest practice for children. Adults can fill a bowl with hot water and place a towel over their head and breathe in the steam. For younger ones, sit in the steamy bathroom for 10-20 minutes a couple times a day.

Tip 8: As long as there are no allergies, apply a thin layer of coconut oil and peppermint oil to the chest and feet (with socks on) a couple times a day. The combined power of the two ingredients is helpful in reducing congestion and clearing the lungs. Recipe: 3 tbs of coconut oil with 1-2 drops of peppermint oil. Check with your aromatherapist regarding the safety of essential oils on children. Use your discretion and remember, a little goes a long way. 

Tip 9: Make a homeopathic almond batter. My son called it, cake batter, after he first tasted it. We learned this tip on Home Remedies For You. It is a mixture of soaked almonds, [real] butter and unrefined sugar. It suggests to offer it by the teaspoon morning and night. 

Tip 10: Hyland's makes a Cough & Cold natural honey syrup that we use in a pinch. 

That pretty much covers all the methods we trust when we want to kick a sickness to the curb primarily used with our son. Sometimes, my husband and I will drink a quarter teaspoon of colloidal silver for a day or two. I find that colloidal silver is great for combating a sore throat, too. Just swish (or gargle) and spit. 

In February, I did a 10-day challenge on ACV shots. My son was not having any of that! But, my husband and I took at least one shot every day for the first 10 days (of the challenge) and it's something we've happily included in our regimen. Benefits of ACV are listed on the label of Bragg's as well as many sites around the web but the main ones include boosting immunity and aiding in weight loss (mainly boosting metabolism).

Don't forget the importance of sanitizing before, during, and after a bout with cold, flu or any infection!

We use DIY air freshener. Recipe is 4 oz distilled water and 1 drop of lavender and 1 drop of peppermint E.O. I spray it on furniture, door knobs, in the air, and all around.  

Lastly, be diligent about washing hands and keeping fingers out of mouth, nose, and eyes. I also recommend a DIY hand sanitizer with Aloe Vera gel, lemongrass and tea tree essential oils. 

If you have some remedies that you'd like to share, please do so in the comments section. I'm open to learning ways that have worked for other families. Be (stay) well! 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)