Healthy Cookie Dough

dark chocolate w/coconut & coconut sugar

A few weeks ago I came across a pin for grain free, egg free, dairy free dark chocolate cookie dough. Of course, I had to check it out!

It uses maple syrup as a sweetener so I knew I had to change that, but other than that, it sounded good.

I made it the first time using 1/3 cup coconut sugar (the only sweetener I can use while I'm nursing this time around). It was a little sweet so I have since switched to using a little less than a 1/4 cup. I also added a dash of vanilla.

I decided to experiment a little more with the recipe.

lemon cookie dough w/coconut sugar

I now sometimes make it without the cocoa and instead use a few drops of Young Living Lemon Essential oil to make a lemon cookie dough.

I have also put in a few tablespoons of unsweetened, shredded coconut to the chocolate and I'm sure it would be tasty added to the lemon cookie dough as well. I will probably continue to experiment.

I figure that once my little one is done nursing, I will continue to make this but switch to stevia as my sweetener so it will be Trim Healthy Mama approved.

I love how quick and simple it is to make and it gives protein as well as a sweet treat.

Any suggestions on flavors I should try?

Gluten Free Scottish Pancakes

I never remember to take photos until after we've eaten some!
Here is seconds for someone.

A few weeks ago I was searching for something on Pinterest and saw a pin for Scottish pancakes. Since my husband is Scottish, I thought I would pin it to try at some point. Well, that point was Saturday!

I had to change the recipe some to make it gluten free, but everyone liked these Scottish pancakes better than my "regular" pancakes. One girls said they tasted like french toast. Another said like waffles. In any case, they won the Carmichael family approval!

You can see the original pin here. Here are my adaptations.

I quadrupled the original recipe for my family of 12. Since one daughter is missing, we fed 11, but had just the perfect amount left over to feed 12 for when we have everyone home.

6 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend
1 tablespoon xanthan gum (I'm sure you could omit this if your blend already has it)
4 tablespoons baking powder
a few pinches of salt
4 tablespoons evaporated cane juice crystals
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
5 cups milk

Combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, evaporated cane juice crystals, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk eggs until foamy. Add milk and whisk again. Add to dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Let sit for 15 minutes. Add butter to a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Drop approximately 1/4 cup batter and cook until bubbles start to form. Flip over and cook until golden brown.

I hope you try these out and enjoy them as much as we did!

Trim Healthy Mama Fruit Pizza

I saw a recipe for a THM fruit pizza on Facebook the other day and saved it since I didn't have any fresh fruit in the house. I was going to stop by the farm market on my way home today and forgot, but fortunately, I did bring home some fruit salad from our last MOPS meeting today so I decided to make it for myself tonight. I'll post the original recipe and then mention the changes I made.

FRUIT PIZZA WITH "SUGAR COOKIE" CRUST.
I sort of threw this together and it was pretty darn good!! Recipe: crust- 3/4 cup finely ground almond flour, 3 packets of Truvia, splash of vanilla, 6 tbsp of butter, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 3 tbsp. of egg whites. Mix together and bake, 400 until lightly golden. Topping- block of 1/3 fat cream cheese, splash of vanilla, 3 tbsp of swerve, 4 packets of Truvia (sweeten to taste), 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Mix with a hand mixer, chill and top. Then top with your "S" approved fruits!!! And maybe a squirt of whipped cream wink emoticon YUMMY S DESSERT!wink emoticon YUMMY S DESSERT!

I don't like to measure things so I didn't do anything exact. I did use approx. 3/4 cup almond flour, a splash of vanilla, approx. 6 tbsp butter, and approx. 3 tbsp egg whites; however, I only used 3/4 scoop of protein powder and I used a few shakes of green leaf stevia (big hole opening on my container) all for the crust. For the topping, I used about 2/3 of a block of regular cream cheese (because that is what I had), a splash of vanilla, a few small ladles of cream off a jar of raw milk, and then about 3 tbsp of my homemade truvia (xylitol and green leaf stevia mixed). I baked the crust at 400 degrees until golden brown, cooled it, "frosted" it with the cream cheese mixture and then topped with the fruit from the fruit salad.

I have to say that I really like it! I'm glad I made it and will enjoy it (I'll probably have some for breakfast tomorrow!).

Spaghetti Squash Fritters

Sorry for the "dirty" plate. I tried one before deciding to take
a picture and post about the recipe.

I have a freezer full of spaghetti squash and was looking for new ways to use it up. I came across this recipe for Bacon, Spaghetti Squash, and Parmesan Fritters. Since I rarely follow a recipe as written because I need to adapt it to our dietary needs and what we have in the house, I made some adaptations.

I loved our new spaghetti squash option! Most of the girls were okay with it, a few liked it as much as I did, and a few didn't like them at all (but that is because they don't like spaghetti squash to begin with).

Here is what I used. As usual, I didn't measure but I tried to eyeball the amounts of the recipe linked above.

eggs
gluten free flour (I want to try this with coconut flour to make it THM approved)
spaghetti squash
freshly grated Romano cheese (we use authentic Romano because it is made from sheep milk which is good for those of us with dairy allergies)
Real Salt
chopped onion
turkey bacon, chopped and fried
coconut oil

for garnish: 0% Greek yogurt

I fried the chopped up pieces of turkey bacon and when they were almost crispy, I threw in the chopped onion and finished cooking. I then added that to the bowl that already had the strained, cooked spaghetti squash, grated Romano, eggs, salt and flour. I mixed it all together and then fried in the coconut oil in patty shape. I cooked them for a few minutes on each side.

For me, the Greek yogurt on top greatly increased the flavor of the fritter. I would have loved to put some sliced green onion on top as well or maybe even some chives, but I didn't have any.

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

I've never cooked or baked with rhubarb before. In fact, for many years I thought I didn't like rhubarb because I had tried it once and didn't like it. Then, a couple of years ago I ate a dessert at a church potluck and was surprised that it was rhubarb. Since then, I've had more and more rhubarb and enjoyed it. While at my in-laws house for Mother's day, I mentioned that I would like a little rhubarb to try cooking/baking with it. My father-in-law ended up giving us a large box of it so I have lots of rhubarb cooking/baking in my future!

I figure rhubarb is a frugal food to use because it grows about anywhere and it grows in abundance. I am looking forward to finding new recipes for my family.

The first thing I made with it was a rhubarb pie which I thought was pretty good. Yesterday I tried strawberry-rhubarb muffins. I took a recipe I found on Pinterest and of course changed it to make it a bit healthier and to use ingredients I had in the house. Everyone liked it so I will probably just stay with my version instead of some day trying the other.

Here is my version of Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins.

• ¼ cups Coconut Oil
• ¾ cups Sugar
• ¼ cups Safflower Oil
• 2 1/4 cups whole grain Spelt Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 whole Egg
• 1 cup soured milk
• ½ teaspoons Almond Extract
• ¾ cups Chopped Rhubarb
• 1 cup Chopped Strawberries
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar For Tops

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease your muffin tins (approx. 18 muffins).

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and oil until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the egg, soured milk and almond extract to the creamed sugar mixture and mix well. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Add the chopped rhubarb and strawberries and lightly mix in.

Scoop the batter into tins. Sprinkle a little brown sugar on the top of each muffin.

Bake for approx. 15 minutes until golden on top.

Feeding Your Family on a Budget, Part 7

Meatless or Less Meat Meals

Scalloped Egg Casserole

10 hard boiled eggs

6 tbsp butter

6  tbsp flour

2 tbsp mustard (dry or prepared)

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

2 slices of bread

Melt butter, whisk in flour and mustard and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in milk until thickened. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Peel and slice the eggs. Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom of the pan, then a layer of sliced eggs, more sauce, and another layer of eggs, and keep going until gone. Butter bread slices and cut into cubes and put on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

This is a good side dish or double to use as a main dish.

Quinoa and Black Beans

2 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 ½ cup uncooked quinoa

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 quart canned black beans

parsley

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and parsley.

Note: Other beans may be substituted or substitute rice for the quinoa (you’ll have to cook longer though).

 

Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
1/8 cup onion, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder 
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste or ketchup
1-1/4 cups water (omit if using ketchup)
6 to 8 whole wheat buns or 2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:
Rinse and pick through lentils.  Add two cups water to pan with lentils and bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 40 minutes until tender, but not mushy.
For the sauce, combine the minced onion, salt, sugar, dry mustard, chili powder, minced garlic, and celery seeds. Combine well and set aside.
When lentils are done, add the tomato paste and water. Stir in the sauce seasoning. Combine well and heat through. Let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes on low heat to combine flavors.
Serve on whole wheat buns or over brown rice.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Herb Bean Spread

1 clove of garlic
1 can Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon basil, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

With motor running, drop garlic into food processor or blender. Add beans, juice, water, and oil. Puree until smooth. Add basil, salt and pepper. Pulse until incorporated and herbs are coarsely chopped.
Spread the bean spread on the inside of the pita and layer in the veggies of your choice.

Feeding Your Family on a Budget, Part 6

Even more ways to save money:

• Cook from scratch! Buying convenience food costs money. I can just as quickly whip up pancakes from scratch as from a box and they taste better and are healthier, too. If you think you don’t have time, then you could prepare extras on weekends or when you do have time.

• Don’t buy convenience foods! You can buy a lot more rice in a bag than if you buy minute rice. It really isn’t hard to cook rice and it doesn’t add a whole much more time (especially if you have a rice cooker because then you can just set it and forget it!)

• Eat whole grains! Whole grains fill you up faster so you will eat less. For example, before we made the switch to whole grain pasta, we would go through two pounds of pasta at each meal (back when there were just 7 of us). Just the other night I made a meal with only one pound of pasta for all of us.

• Serve lots of side dishes! I learned this one by accident. If you have out more options for sides, people won’t eat as much meat which will save you money! I was raised that every meal needed a meat, starch and vegetable, but if I offer two vegetables and/or a fruit, then the amount of meat consumed is less.

• Raise your own food if possible! We started with a garden to help us save money. Even if you don’t preserve your abundance, you will still save money during the summer/fall when you are picking from your garden. We now have chickens for eggs (and meat) and goats for milk. It costs a lot less for feed for those animals than it would for us to buy the food. Even if you live in the city, you can still do container gardening, square foot gardening, etc.

• Let your friends and family know you will take their abundance! We have friends who know they can call us if their gardens produce more than what they want. We just head over and pick what is left. I have friends who receive food from others and they might not particularly care for what was given to them, so they call us. We have even had friends of friends call and offer food from their gardens, old hens for butchering, etc.

Feeding a Family on a Budget, Part 5

Bean soup made with a ham bone and the little meat left on the bone.

Stretching the Meat If you really like having meat in every meal or have a family member who does, then you could just stretch the meat. Some common ways of stretching meat is something like meatloaf where you add crushed crackers, bread crumbs, oatmeal, etc. to the meat. You do the same thing with meatballs. I also will make chicken or salmon patties from leftover shredded chicken (or salmon).

Another option is to make lots of casseroles and soups. You can easily cut the meat in ½ without most people noticing. I can get away with making a casserole with only one pound of meat for my family of 11 without anyone complaining. With some meals, I have to prepare 3-4 lbs of meat to feed all of us.

You could replace ½ the meat called for in a recipe with beans or lentils. For example, I have a recipe I call Sloppy Cornbread. It takes a minimum of two pounds of meat for my family (they LOVE it when I use 3 lbs!), but I found that I can use one pound of meat and an equal amount of lentils (even better if you cook the lentils in beef broth to give a beefy flavor) and my family doesn’t complain. You could do the same with chili (using black, pinto or kidney beans), Spanish/Mexican rice (lentils, black, pinto, or kidney beans), or even meatloaf (use a mashed bean or lentil).

Feeding Your Family on a Budget, Part 4

Lentils, black beans, and great northern beans

Meatless Meals There are a number of ways you can have a meatless meal. You could take one of your favorite recipes and just make it without the meat. For example, have spaghetti without meat in the sauce or a soup without meat, or even a casserole without the meat.

You could also replace the meat in the recipe with something like tofu (although I don’t use this so I am not sure how much you would be saving), beans, or more veggies. If you like sloppy joes, make it with lentils instead of ground beef. Burritos—make them with just refried beans and veggies instead of with meat. Stir-fry is great and just double the veggies and removing the meat to save money.

There are also lots of great vegetarian meals out there. I’ve experimented and continue to experiment and have come up with a few family favorites that are not only vegetarian, but also cost effective.

Feeding a Family on a Budget, Part 3

Preparing Food Ahead I know some people will cringe at this one as well because they have visions of the once-a-month freezer cooking they’ve heard about, but that isn’t the only way to prepare ahead.

Can food. I don’t mean buy canned food, but to actually can it yourself. Having canned food available makes it easy when you have surprise company or what you planned didn’t work out for some reason or for those nights you know you will just need a quick meal. Many of the things I can I get for free from my garden or others share in their abundance or I buy at a reduced rate because I am buying in bulk.

When you are making one meal, why not just double it and freeze one. I do this often when making meatloaf or casseroles. It will save you time in that you are only doing the prep work once (and it doesn’t really take much longer to chop one onion instead of two or brown up two pounds of meat instead of one), and it saves money because you are maximizing the use of your stove, oven, etc. and you will have a meal already prepared for the nights when you used to go to a fast food restaurant or order pizza.

Cook up meat and freeze. Sometimes I will just brown up a bunch of ground beef and freeze in quart bags and then I can grab one quick for a casserole or a soup later. You could pre-chop veggies or mix the dry ingredients for your favorite recipes (pancakes, biscuits, etc.).

Feeding Your Family on a Budget, Part 2

Menu Planning I know many people will cringe when I mention this, but it truly does help in saving money. Not only will you be organized enough to have something out of the freezer and thawed so you can cook, but you will eat out less often because you won’t have to think about what to make for dinner come 4 or 5 o’clock and then just grab something from a restaurant because you don’t have time or can’t think of something.

Menu planning can be done in a few different ways—weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, rotational, or themed.

I do a weekly menu. After I go grocery shopping, I sit down and make a weekly menu from what I was able to purchase. This allows me to take full advantage of what I could find on sale, pull out of the garden or what was given to me. I do have a few things that I usually keep in the same slots because they are family favorites and/or easy to make, but even those are not set in stone.

I know some people who create a bi-weekly menu because they go grocery shopping every two weeks. I am transitioning into this because of gas prices and switching to bi-weekly shopping to save the gas money. The same reason applies for a monthly menu.

Some people choose to create a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly menu and then just repeat that same menu over and over again. I have heard of people that have a summer menu and a winter menu as well. For example, if it is a weekly menu, then every Monday night might be tacos, Tuesdays—spaghetti, Wednesday—roast chicken, etc.

Another option is to make a themed menu. For example, Meatless Mondays, Mexican Tuesdays, Slow cooker Wednesday, Italian Thursdays, etc. You would then have your recipes in those same categories and it would give you a smaller repertoire to choose from. I use a form of this in my menu planning as well. For example, Wednesdays are one-pot meals because we eat at the church and then I only have to carry one thing and Sundays are slow cooker meals because then it is cooked and ready for us to eat when we arrive home from church.

Mother's Day Giveaway!

In anticipation of Mother's Day next week, I want to offer someone the chance to win a gift for either themselves or to give to a mother in their life. I am giving away a copy of the Liberty Baptist Church Cookbook: Feeding the Flock. This cookbook is filled with many delicious recipes (including some of my own!).

I will draw a winner Tuesday night after 6 p.m. so I can mail it out on Wednesday when I go to town (unless having a baby delays that!).

Enter a comment telling me who you will give this Liberty Baptist Church cookbook to or if you'll keep it for yourself.

You can enter again by following my blog (it counts if you already follow, but you still need to leave a comment telling me that you do follow).

A third entry can be earned by sharing about the giveaway on your own blog or on Facebook (make sure you let me know you did this!).

I pray this cookbook is a blessing to whomever receives it!