Tag Archives: GF

protein shakes, recipe, snacks, treats

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

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Indulge in pumpkin pie goodness without the guilt! This recipe is easy, creamy, and refreshingly chilly. The pumpkin is rich in potassium and beta carotene, while the greek yogurt delivers a good dose of protein!

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Ingredients:
1/3 cup frozen pumpkin purée (freeze in ice cube tray or ziplock bag)
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 packets stevia
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg, clove, and ginger (optional)
For topping: Crushed graham cracker and whipped cream (optional)

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth, split between two glasses, and top with whipped cream and crushed graham cracker!

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protein, recipe, vegetables

Cabbage with Chicken Sausage and Apples

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Are you ready for a hearty autumn meal? This will hit the spot and it’s really easy to make. Cabbage, apples, cider vinegar, and chicken sausage complement each other beautifully in this dish. The lightly sautéed shredded cabbage is reminiscent of noodles- gotta love that!

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Ingredients:
1 fully cooked chicken sausage link (I used apple sausage)
1 small apple
1/2 medium onion
2-3 cups shredded cabbage
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
Up to 1/4 cup Water, white wine, or chicken broth
Salt, pepper, and sriracha hot sauce to taste

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Chop apple, onion, and chicken sausage. Add to the oil.
2. Sauté the apple, sausage, and onion for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the cabbage and apple cider vinegar.
3. Stir the cabbage around in the pot until it begins to cook down. Cover the saucepan and reduce heat.
4. Stir the cabbage every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Add water, white wine, or chicken broth as needed.
5. After about 10-15 minutes, the cabbage should be tender. Season to taste and serve!

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Quick and easy meals are the way to go now that it gets dark so early. I just want to curl up near the fireplace by the time I get home from work, so dishes like this are wonderful. Enjoy!

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recipe, snacks, treats

Persimmon Sorbet

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Have you ever tried persimmons? They look like tomatoes, but have a honey-like sweetness. This fruit is in season in the fall and tastes great in breads, pies, puddings, and in the raw. I decided to use my persimmons in a fresh sorbet with black tea. It’s very easy to make and tastes refreshing!

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Ingredients:
5 or 6 large persimmons
1 cup strong black tea
1/4 cup sugar (optional)

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1. Peel the persimmons by placing them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then running under cold water to peel.
2. Place the peeled persimmons, tea, and sugar in a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the purée into a Pyrex dish and freeze for at least 2 hours.
4. Scoop the frozen purée back into the blender and re-blend until smooth. Serve with pomegranate seed sprinkles!

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protein, recipe, vegetables

Yellow Squash Noodles with Pesto and Turkey

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Have a healthy, easy meal on the table in minutes with this simple recipe! Spaghetti squash, zucchini, and yellow squash all taste wonderful with pesto sauce. Add a little ground turkey for protein and you’re ready to dig in!

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ingredients:
4 oz ground turkey
2 small summer squash
1/4 c pesto (I like the one at Trader Joe’s)
1 tbs shredded parmesan

1. Spiralize the summer squash, or use a vegetable peeler to make noodles out of it.
2. Brown the ground turkey in a skillet.
3. Add the summer squash and pesto to the skillet and mix until heated through. Serve with shredded parmesan.

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I love this easy, lazy meal! If you cook a pound or more of ground turkey at once, you can keep it in the fridge for several days to make this meal even faster to put together.

recipe, snacks

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

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How was your Halloween?

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I hope you dressed up and carved a pumpkin to celebrate! Here’s a tasty recipe to make using all those leftover pumpkin seeds.

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Ingredients:
2 cups raw pumpkin seeds (or pepitas)
1 egg white, beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spread on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and bake for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy with sparkling wine or beer!

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breakfast, recipe

Apple Cider Buckwheat Pancakes

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I decided to use the apples in my bountiful basket to make apple cider in the slow cooker. It made my house smell heavenly! I then used the apple cider to make delicious, gluten free pancakes. This post took me forever to write because I knew I’d be including the recipe for the apple cider AND the pancakes. That seemed like a lot of work to me, but I’m excited to share the result with you!

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To make the cider, simply chop up about 8 apples and place them in a slow cooker. Fill with water and add a cinnamon stick, a whole nutmeg, and tablespoon of whole cloves.

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Keep the slow cooker on high for 3 hours, or until the apples are very soft and your kitchen smells amazing. Strain and sweeten the cider with stevia, honey, or maple syrup.

The apple cider pancakes were adapted from a recipe by Iowa Girl Eats. To make the pancakes, start by grinding a box of dry buckwheat in the blender until fine:

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Buckwheat is rich in protein and fiber. It’s gluten free, too! Buckwheat flour imparts a hearty, nutty taste to these pancakes.

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Ingredients (for the batter):
1 cup flour (buckwheat, or half buckwheat and half all purpose for fluffier pancakes)
1 tbs sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
2 tbs butter, melted
2 tbs apple butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup apple cider

For the maple cider syrup:
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 tbs butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tbs maple syrup

Instructions:
1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the wet ingredients for the batter and combine until there are no lumps.
2. Spray a pan or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Cook 1/4 cup of batter at a time. Flip with a spatula when bubbles start to form and cook until golden brown on both sides.
3. To make the syrup, combine butter, apples, cinnamon, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. After 5 minutes, add the apple cider and maple syrup. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.

Serve the pancakes topped with syrup!

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protein, recipe, vegetables

Frisée Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing and Poached Egg

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My expert gourmet sister said this is called a lyonnaise salad. She also pointed out that the lettuce I used wasn’t actually frisée, but whatever I used turned out pretty tasty!

I got (what I thought was) frisée lettuce in my bountiful basket yesterday and had no idea how to use it. After googling recipe ideas, I learned that frisée is best with warm, savory dressings. The recipe I ended up using comes from epicurious.com. You can read it here.

I followed every step exactly- I tore the lettuce into bite sized pieces.

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I cooked some delicious uncured Black Forest bacon cut into 1/4″ pieces.

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I finished the hot dressing with shallots and red wine vinegar.

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The part I was most excited about was successfully poaching an egg to top the salad with! The instructions in the recipe are very helpful.

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I don’t usually love salads, but this beast is SO GOOD! I will definitely be making this bacon salad again and again. It’s gluten and grain free and very simple to put together once you get the hang of poaching eggs. It would be delicious without the egg, too.

snacks

7 Crunchy Gluten-free Snacks

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Sorry for being MIA over the past few weeks! Colby and I recently bought a brand new house, so we’ve been busy learning about the home-buying process over the past few weeks. I also started a new schedule at work. I’m still adjusting to starting later and coming home after dinnertime, but I think it’ll be awesome for blogging in the morning.

When I come home late in the evening and curl up with my phone or laptop to browse houzz, I like to snack on something crunchy. Here are my latest faves for munching:

Jalepeño ranch popcorn chips… Wow! Spicy, crunchy, whole grain, amazing.

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The white cheddar flavor is great if you’re craving Cheetos.

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Parmesan herb popcorn bursts with flavor, too.

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If you’re craving a sweet snack, try cinnamon sugar kettle corn.

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If you prefer crackers, try these sea salt and almond rice rounds:

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Sweet potato tortilla chips boast a lovely combo of lightly sweet and salty flavors.

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Finally, my top pick for salsa dipping are these blue corn tortilla chips. They’re chock-full of quinoa and flax seeds as an added bonus!

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Happy snacking! I should really get back to cooking real food, right?

protein, recipe, starch

Green Lentil Quinoa Pilaf

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On this overcast day, I decided to make a satisfying vegetarian lunch bowl. The following recipe can be served solo or as a tasty and protein packed vegetarian side dish! The chewy quinoa and lentils have a wonderful texture, while the tomato, garlic, and cumin bring the dish to life with a big burst of flavor.

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Ingredients:
1/2 c dry green lentils
1/2 c dry quinoa
2 c vegetable broth
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs minced onion
1 c tomato sauce

1. Being quinoa, lentils, and vegetable broth to a boil.

2. Add olive oil and seasonings (everything except tomato sauce). Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve warm or chilled.

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