Oh my, Butternut

I hardly take the time to make blended soups, but OH this soup, people. You won't wanna stop. It takes some time to do the roasting and blending, but totally worth it, folks. And yes, it's not fall - but this soup makes me want  fall!

You have the option to make it with coconut milk, heavy cream or any other creamy substance, it's delicious either way. I adapted the recipe from here because I like me some more garlic, onions and butter, baby!



Nourishing Butternut Squash Soup 
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• One medium Butternut Squash, cut in half
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in fourths
• 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
• salt and pepper (for roasting onions)
• 1 Tbs. Olive or Coconut Oil
• 2 cups of Broth
• 3 Tbs. Butter
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 3/4 cup coconut milk, heavy cream or any other dairy substitute. 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut the squash in half and remove the insides. Lay flat (cut part down) on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. In the mean time, chop onion and peel garlic, coat with olive oil and salt and pepper. When the 15 minutes are over, throw the veggies on the other side of the cookie sheet and roast for another 25 minutes. When done, you should be able to easily poke a fork into the squash.
3. When cooled, scrape the squash into a food processor or blender along with the roasted onions, garlic and broth. Blend until smooth.
4. Then melt the butter in a pot and add blended squash, cumin, nutmeg, ginger, salt, pepper and milk. Heat, serve and enjoy!

              - Sarah

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”

 "If you're afraid of butter, use cream."

- Julia Child

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”

 

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”

German Potato Salad

Growing up my mother made a delicious German potato salad. All eleven of us children loved it and gobbled it up happily for dinner. This recipe is similar in taste, just the real food version. My mother's recipe was delicious, but was made with canola oil, white sugar and vinegar. Just as simple and tasty, the recipe will make you feel better about feeding your family a nourishing potato salad.

This makes a great side dish for chicken and an easy side salad for parties or meals for families in need. If you like vinegar potato salads with a little kick, you will love this recipe! It has been adapted from this recipe.

Here you go!

German Potato Salad

Serves 6-8 side servings

Ingredients:

12-16 medium red potatoes
1/2 c. raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
Freshly ground pepper
4 cloves of garlic, mashed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

Wash and boil the potatoes until a knife jabbed in the middle meets little resistance. (you don't want the potatoes to be too mushy.) Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by adding the  remaining ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly. When the potatoes are cooled, cube or slice into a bowl. Add the dressing and toss all together. Taste test and add more vinegar, olive oil or salt to taste.

The salad can be served warm or cold, depending on your taste. Serve and enjoy!

“Would that mortal men might know how wonderful is divine grace, how beautiful, how precious; what riches are hidden therein, what treasures, what joys, what delights. If they but knew, surely they would direct their energy with all care and diligence to procuring sufferings and afflictions for themselves. Instead of good fortune all men everywhere would seek out troubles, illness and suffering that they might obtain the inestimable treasure of grace. This is the final profit to be gained from patient endurance. No one would complain about the cross or about hardships coming seemingly by chance upon him, if he realized in what balance they are weighed before being distributed to men.”

- St. Rose of Lima

Crockpot Black Bean and Sausage Soup

I don't know about you, but I love black bean soup. I wouldn't mind eating it twice a week - now only to get my husband and children to agree! This is a very simple recipe, yet taste delicious and cooks up nice in the crockpot. I love having dinner made by mid-morning - freeing up my afternoons for enjoying the sun or getting out of the house, and then coming home to a delicious bowl of soup!

It's also an excellent meal to bring to a family in need. This recipe fits in my 6-quart crockpot - so it makes a LOT of soup. You can split it with a family in need or put it in the freezer for later.

Crockpot Black Bean and Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups dried black beans
9 cups of chicken or beef broth
1 package of sausage (we love Trader Joe's pork sausage)
1 lb. of carrots, chopped
6-8 celery stocks, chopped
1 1/2 medium onions, chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, depending on taste!
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste


This makes a BIG pot of soup, so if you don't want a ton, simply halve the recipe. I use my 6-quart crockpot for this soup and it is filled to the top.

First, soak your beans overnight in water. (why soak your beans?)  In the morning drain and rinse your beans. Add the beans, chopped veggies, garlic, broth and spices to the crockpot. Let it cook for 5-6 hours on HIGH. Saute your sausage separately, chop and add shortly before serving. Make sure to add enough salt and pepper to taste.

There you have it, enjoy!

Linking up with Pennywise Platter and Real Food Wednesday

“I am not saying to you solve all my problems for me, give me everything you have, even though I am poor for love of you. I only ask for some bread and clothes, some relief from my hunger. I am in prison. I do not ask you to free me. I only with, that for your own good, you pay me a visit. That will be enough for me, and in return I will make you a gift of heaven. I have freed you from a prison a thousand times more harsh. But I am happy if you come and visit me from time to time.” – St John Chrysostem

 

Chewy Brownies that You Won't Want to Share!

It is very important to me that my brownies are chewy. Very chewy. We takes our sweets seriously around here and this is our favorite, chewy brownie recipe! In fact, we've never had better! It reminds me of back in the day when I used to buy Ghirardelli's brownie mix because it was the only chewy brownie out there. Homemade brownies would never cut it, but not anymore!  I mean, how can you go wrong when you mix chocolate chips with peanut and almond butter? You won't be able to stop eating these!

Chewy Almond Butter Brownies

1/2 c. Almond Butter
1/2 c.Natural Peanut Butter
1 egg
1/2 c. Honey
 1/4 c. Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 - 1 c. Chocolate Chips (depending on your sweet tooth!)

The way in which these are baked is very important. I have made these over and over to perfect the chewy aspect of brownies. So follow carefully!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients in a mixer. Grease 8 x 8 glass baking dish with coconut oil or butter. Make sure to grease well. (I am not sure how an aluminum or stainless pan will turn out.)  

Now this is important: After spooning batter into pan, scrape most of the batter to the middle to make it look like a hill. Most of the batter need to be in the middle of the glass dish. If you do not do this, the batter will rise up the side and it will be uneven and dry. (who knows why it does this, but I have had success with the hilltop brownies!) They come out very even and chewy.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool and enjoy with a glass of raw milk!

"The cross is the greatest gift God could bestow on His Elect on earth.  There is nothing so necessary, so beneficial, so sweet, or so glorious as to suffer something for Jesus. If you suffer as you ought, the cross will become a precious yoke that Jesus will carry with you."

        -  St. Louis de Montfort

Linking up at Fill Those Jars Friday,  Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday and  Real Food Wednesday.

Go Ahead, Have a Little Muffin with your Butter

I dare you. It's so good you can't just eat one. 

 These are my go-to, memorized, crowd pleasing muffins. They are just sweet enough to eat as a breakfast muffin, and perfect for a birthday party cupcake topped with icing. They will please the people who never want to touch a gluten free bake good or healthy desert! They won't even know they have been duped! 

We eat ours with butter. Lots of butter. If you have 30 minutes to spare then you can make these all-star muffins!

 

 

Vanilla Bomb Cakes {GAPS, Paleo}

6 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter

1/2 cup sifted coconut flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt coconut oil. Combine eggs, vanilla, sea salt, baking soda and honey in mixer or bowl. Blend well. Add sifted coconut flour. Mix together and slowly add melted coconut oil. I often have to "whip" mine to smooth out the lumps and incorporate all the coconut flour. It will be the consistency of cake batter. Keep mixing if your batter is lumpy or separated. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes 10 - 12 cupcakes. 

Enjoy!!

Linking up at Pennywise Platter

"Joy must be one of the pivots of our life. It is the token of a generous personality. Sometimes it is also a mantle that clothes a life of sacrifice and self-giving. A person who has this gift often reaches high summits. He or she is like a sun in a community. Let those who suffer find in us comforting angels." - Blessed Mother Teresa

Cod Liver Oil: A Testimony {guest post}

My name is Sarah and I am a wife of a soldier. We have to two small boys with a little one on the way. My family and I started on the GAPS diet this February. It was a scary and hard decision to make, but I knew that God was calling us in that direction. A little ways into the diet, I was playing with my youngest. As he laughed I saw a spot on his bottom tooth, and my heart sank. In my mind I was picturing a visit to the dentist with him. I balked at the idea. I could literally feel shudders and a repeat of his hospital stay when he had pneumonia at two and half months. It was to date, the worst experience of my life, and definitely of his. I wanted to spare him any type of trauma, as he still isn't over everything he went through at the hospital. 

God was providing for us, however, as I had just read an article from Sarah at  The Healthy Home Economist, that she healed her son's cavity using fermented cod liver oil from Green Pastures. I had my husband look at our son's tooth and I told him I was going to order the cod liver oil. If it worked, awesome! If not, cod liver oil is good for brain function. When it arrived I got a baby spoon out, filled it up and gave it to my baby. Surprise, surprise! He loved it! As my sister-in-law appropriately said in regards to this, "He's a garbage disposal of nasty!" I couldn't agree more because I struggled to get it down! All my troubles paid off with visible results occurring just a week later! The spot on his tooth was smaller, and even my "doubting Thomas" husband agreed that it was so. Of all the results that I have seen while being on the GAPS diet, the effects of fermented cod liver oil is by far the most amazing! 

This experience has left me in complete awe of God. Last year I would have thought that this sounded way too far fetched, but it makes so much sense that God would provide a natural way of healing cavities. We knit our bones back together after they break for goodness sakes, so why couldn't we heal a decaying tooth? 

Fermented cod liver oil does more than just heal cavities. This February and March were brutal months in Colorado, as far as respiratory viruses go. I worried that my little one would succumb to pneumonia again this year. I asked God to give me a way to protect him from a repeat. When friends were continually taking their feverish babies into the doctors for earaches and horrible coughs, my kids were okay. A friend of mine took her son in (he's a couple months older than my youngest) and he was on the brink of pneumonia. I knew if my son was going to get a repeat of pneumonia, it would be soon. I was hoping that the cod liver oil strengthened his immune system enough that he would be alright. When my kids did get the inevitable cold, the worst that happened was my oldest got earaches in both ears (which I treated with garlic oil). No antibiotics were needed and I didn't take them to the doctor. I know with that mommy instinct that mothers get, that things would have been a lot worse had we not been taking cod liver oil!   

Sarah is a dear friend of mine from way back when. She is a wonderful, God fearing Momma who does so much for her children. I am always inspired and uplifted every time I speak with her. I asked her to share a little bit about her experience on the GAPS diet and taking fermented cod liver oil. Sarah has seen many improvements in her family's health and will be a regular guest here sharing about her experiences! Don't forget to leave her some comment love!

Chocolate Cupcakes that are Good for You!

I would consider these chocolate cupcakes good for you. I mean, at least it gives me an excuse to eat three four of them! They are filled with coconut flour, coconut oil, and eggs. You can eat them for breakfast with a smile on your face! 

As mothers we have plenty of guilt lying around. One of them is guilt over what we feed our children. I often feel guilt unnecessarily. Being concerned about my children eating a balanced diet, too much sugar or being picky about those green beans on their plate.  We can simply do our best and leave the rest in God's hands!

What I love about these cupcakes is that you don't have to feel guilty!  We love them because they are really easy, healthy to boot and yummy!

Coconut Flour Chocolate Cupcakes {Paleo, GAPS}

 

1/4 c. coconut flour

1/4 c. cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 eggs

1/4 c. coconut oil or melted butter

1/2 c. honey

Mix dry ingredients in a mixer or bowl. Add eggs, coconut oil and honey. Mix well and let coconut flour absorb liquids.  Spoon into cupcake pan with liners. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-15 minutes. Makes 9 cupcakes. 

Enjoy your guilt free chocolate fix!

We love them with buttercream icing, mmm!

We buy our coconut oil from Amazon. It is one of the cheapest ways to buy the unrefined goodness. If you click on the picture and purchase it through this link, Amazon will be so good as to give me an advertising fee. Make sure you Subscribe as Save as well, there is no obligation to buy more and you get a discount!

I also have found the best price for coconut flour is on Amazon. If you don't want to purchase four bags, make sure to find a friend to split it with you! We have SO much fun experimenting with coconut flour!

Linking up at Fat Tuesday

"My daughter...why do you not tell me about everything that concerns you, even the smallest details? Tell Me about everything, and know that this will give Me great joy. I answered, But You know about everything, Lord." And Jesus replied to me, "Yes I do know; but you should not excuse yourself with the fact that I know, but with childlike simplicity talk to Me about everything, for my ears and heart are inclined towards you, and your words are dear to Me."
                              - St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

Chewy Almond Flour Cookies!

We love these cookies! In the past my almond flour cookies have come out flat, but not these babies! They are chewy and truly gooey. 

For those who have dietary restrictions: They are gluten free, grain free, dairy free and low sugar. If you replaced the chocolate chips with raisins they would be really healthy!

Chewy Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies 

2 1/2 cups almond meal. I used Trader Joe's.

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut oil - in a solid state

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup honey

1 cup of chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, whatever you like!

1. In a seperate bowl mix the dry ingredients - almond meal, salt and baking soda.

2. Whip your solid coconut oil. (since it's summer I had to refrigerate the oil ahead of time until it was solid.) You want the consistency of whipped butter.  Add your egg, vanilla and honey.

3. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips.

4. Scoop big balls onto greased pan, bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. 

5. Cool completely before eating. I refrigerated mine until they were cold. They might be too crumbly otherwise. Enjoy!!

This recipe is so easy your toddler can do half some of it! (provided you like messes!) 

And your baby can happily watch!

We baked these before we went to the river beach, and enjoyed them when we got home. My husband loved them!

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." - Romans 5 3:-5

Linking up GAPS legal Thursdays and Simple Lives Thursdays

Coconut Lemon Meltaways

My dear sister wrote out this recipe and mailed it to me. Don't you love getting snail mail? Such a simple joy in life! She LOVES these cookies and I am going to make them for a friend's baby shower. Let me know if you try them too! (She said they literally melt in your mouth)

Coconut Lemon Meltaways

Makes 22-24 cookies

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 c. Almond Flour

1 1/2 c. Dried Shredded Coconut

1/3 c. Coconut Flour

2 big pinches of sea salt

    Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

Wet Ingredients

6 T. Honey

4 T. Lemon Juice

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 T. Lemon Zest

Mix together with mixer or food processor. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry mix until well incorporated.

Mix in:

1/4 c. and 1 T. melted coconut oil.

Form small balls of batter and warm the oven to 170 degrees. Bake cookies for 1 hour, then chill another hour before eating. ENJOY!!

She found the recipe  here. 

"Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm."

- Psalm 98

Spiced Coconut Squash Muffins

This recipe has been adapted from The Well Fed Homestead recipe. Make sure to check out her sight, she has so many wonderful recipes!

1/2 c. melted coconut oil

6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. cooked, pureed butternut squash (or any squash for that matter!)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. coconut flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin tin. Beat eggs, add in vanilla, honey, squash, spices, salt and baking soda. Mix together. Slowly add in sifted coconut flour and coconut oil.

Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 15 - 19 minutes or until no longer wet. Enjoy with a huge slab of butter if you prefer!