Lime-Basil Chicken Salad with Avocado

I have not posted onthe blog for so long, it is about time I put something on it again! I made this Salad tonight and it was so delicious I really had to take note of it and share it with everyone!

Lime-Basil Chicken Salad with Avocado

4 Boiled Chicken Breasts, Medium sized, chopped or shredded

2 TBSP Fresh Parsley, Chopped

25 Leaves Fresh Basil, Chopped

1 Medium-Large Shallot, Chopped
1 Large Rib Celery, Chopped

2/3 cup Pecans, Chopped

Juice of 2 Limes

2/3 cup Mayonnaise

Salt and Pepper to taste

*  *  *  * 

1-2 Avocadoes, Diced

1) Mix all the first ingredients together adding mayonnaise to your likings if necessary.

2) Add in the diced avocado and mix just to combine.

3) Serve with your favorite cracker or chips. We like using Hazel Nut Thins and, I reluctantly admit, that some of us prefer potato chips :).................Happy Eating!

Fudge Brownies

These can also be made into pre-made mixes by bagging the 1st cluster of ingredients-  Then adding the 2nd cluster when you are ready to make them. When I make my mixes I do 10 at a time and include a post-it note with any remaining ingredients and other instructions and then place all the mixes and the note in a container together.

Fudge Brownies

3/4 cup Walnuts

1 cup Semi Sweet Mini Chocolate chips

1/3 cup Coco Powder

1/6 cup Finely Ground Wild Rice
1/6 cup Tapioca Flour

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 tsp Guar Gum

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

* * * *

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 Cup Water
2 Eggs

1/2 cup Melted Butter

*If you can't have butter, melt the chocolate most of the way and then use coconut cream instead of the butter.

Mix all ingredients together and bake 350 in greased glass 9 x 13 inch baking dish for 25-30 minutes.

Coconut Sugar Treats

Sunday is my baking day for many reasons.  I love to bake and it is a stress-less activity for me; AND it gets us prepared for our week.  I find if I bake 3 snack type items, I don't have to worry so much about if there is a quick snack available.  Most people can provide the snacks a typical child needs by going to the store.  Even in a gluten and dairy free diet you can, however, it costs soo much I find it more effective for our family to just make sure we set aside the time to make the bulk of our snacks at home. Also, by making them at home, I have full control over the ingredients I put in them.

My goal for today was not only to make the snacks, but also to really get to know the flexibility and effective uses of Coconut Sugar.  I used it in all the cookies posted in the picture- UN-Peanut Butter Cookies, Coconut Macaroons made with bananas instead of eggs, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Bread.  It worked fabulously in all of these and I even had no problem with the yeast rising in my Bread.  There also was no noticeable compromise of flavor in these items, though the color was slightly darker than usual.  The color of the Coconut Macaroons was most noticeable, darkening just to the level of a pale-colored caramel. The Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies I am comfortable saying that their color was left unchanged and the bread was the color of your average whole wheat loaf.

SOO, many of you are probably wondering why I have ventured into Coconut sugar.  If you are curious about this, I recommend you read my previous post HERE- other than that, all I've got to say is its got more nutrients in it than many vitamin supplements and easier for your body to absorb too!

Coconut Meringue Pie

This is a post I have been trying to put out since Thanksgiving. I have literally written this post 3 times now, 2 times it got swallowed up in the depths of Blogger and vanished. I had lost interest in putting out the effort in recreating it, until last night when I learned about Coconut Sugar (or Palm Sugar).  A very HIGHLY nutritious sugar made from Coconut-  So much so that I think I may consider replacing our vitamins with cookies these days!  It completely reignited my fire for this recipe being that this IS a Coconut pie that calls for sugar- Yeah, you know where I am going next :)

So if you are wondering what sparked my thrill with Coconut Sugar, read about it here. It's far more nutritious than blackstrap molasses.  At 35 its Glycemic Index scores better than molasses, which is 55, though it does not touch the GI of Agave Nectar which is 15 or better.  Strictly speaking about nutritional value, here is a chart that sets everything strait- from white or brown sugar to Maple Syrup and Agave Nectar. Below the chart that has the amounts of each macro-nutrient, there is a chart that tells you what each of those macro-nutrients do for your body. I think you will be just as AMAZED at the values as I was.  If you are interested in buying it, I have a link to the best price I found online on my Best Priced Ingredients page. (If you buy from a health food store they will charge you about 5 times the price!)

This pie is truly a Coconut Pie!  Coconut Milk/Cream, Coconut extract, Coconut Shreds, and now Coconut Sugar- To me that is just COCONUT HEAVEN!  I love coconut and I don't know too many people who do not.  Now, yes, it is true that I have not yet made it with Coconut Sugar, but I do not foresee any problems.  The substitution is 1 to 1 and all I have read says the flavor is just as sweet as sugar.  

Coconut Meringue Pie

1 teaspoon gelatin

2 TBSP COLD Rice Milk

*  *  *  *
2 cups unsweetened coconut cream
3/4 cup sugar - By all means replace with Coconut Sugar if you have it!
Pinch of coarse salt

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch

*  *  *  *

1 teaspoon pure coconut extract
1  2/3 cups shredded coconut

**Use My  Pecan Crust adding 1/4 cup melted chocolate mixed with 2 TBSP Coconut Cream (mix these together before adding them to the crust ingredients- Baking the crust before adding the filling and then again only if you top with the meringue)

1) In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 TBSP cold rice milk. Let stand for 5 minutes. 

2)In a medium saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, gelatin mixture, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with Tapioca starch until combined.

3) Slowly whisk one-fourth of the hot-milk mixture into egg yolks; return to saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture returns to a boil, for about 1-2 minutes. Stir in shredded coconut and coconut extract. Transfer to a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes.

4) Pour filling into the prepared crust. 

5) You can top with either a meringue or whipped topping.  I top with meringue then bake Meringue for 15 minutes at 350. 

6) Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

For Meringue (adapted from The Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book):

3 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Vanilla or Orange Extract
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
*  *  *  *
1/3 cup Sugar

Beat first set of ingredients til soft peaks form and then add sugar and beat til the peaks are firm and glossy. Spread over the filling while filling is still hot/warm and then bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until partially golden on top.

An 'ODE' to Cinnamon - AND a Simple Cinnamon Tea

Have you noticed that I use Cinnamon alot and when I use it I use lots of it?  Well if not, I DO!  SO now you are likely wondering why I bring it up and why I do.  

SO I will tell you. . .

Cinnamon is a very beneficial fiber.  Nearly its entire composition is fiber with minimal amounts of other simple carbs and minimal sodium, but with its simple composition comes quite miraculous health benefits.  Did you know that cinnamon regulates blood sugar levels?  It does!  By regulating your blood sugar levels, you will also regulate your hunger. . .With Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes on an exploding rise, you can see why something as simple as cinnamon could be so important in someones diet.  Another important factor that helps the same population of individuals and more too, is that cinnamon also lowers your LDL or BAD Cholesterol. It seems very fitting that cinnamon usually accompanies sugar in the best of treats slathered in cholesterol loaded fats like cinnamon rolls.  Already you can see how important it is in our diet.

While these are the primary reasons I started to use cinnamon in my baking, it hardly gives the story of the importance of cinnamon. If you read the following articles, let me bring your attention to the fact that cinnamon also has antifungal and antibacterial properties and specifically has been proven to successfully control prescription resistant yeast infections and thrush.  

Yes! Cinnamon is very important in our diets. 

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

10 Health Benefits of Cinnamon

Cinnamon Tea:

1 Cinnamon Stick

2-4 cups of water

Put water and cinnamon in a pot on the stove.  Bring to boil until the water has a brownish tone to it.  About 10-15 minutes.  Add sugar to taste if desired.

Heathy Milk Alternative for your TODDLER for pennies

To live without; THAT is the question??

We found out about our children's allergies about 1 year before we had baby number 3.  I remember having a tough time trying to find a good replacement for milk.  While milk is not necessary and sometimes counter productive in nutrition, I felt it was an easy option for one of the daily snacks and made naps/bedtime easier.  So after seeking out an option for so long and even trying to find a formula that could work for a toddler, I settled on my version of a 'coconut milk' that was amounted to everything Cow's Milk did and then some more with a minimal price difference.  Not to mention this choice had a very pleasant flavor compared to the other alternatives out there.

I figured out that one tablespoon of coconut milk added to rice milk had the equivalent amount of fat as a glass of 2 % Cow's Milk. At first I tried bulk mixing a can of coconut milk with a 1/2 gallon of rice milk.  That did not work because the coconut milk would go bad and spoil the entire carton of rice milk. It was then that i had the idea to make coconut ice cubes.  The ice cubes were approximately 1 tablespoon each, so it was perfect.  It made it really easy to pull out just enough for each glass of milk as needed.  I then could either defrost the cube in the microwave or preserve its nutrients by pouring warm rice milk over the cube to melt it.  

Great option for our growing babies.