Halloween Ideas

Another candy-filled holiday is fast approaching. There is candy everywhere - school, PTA activities, stores, etc. What is a mom to do?

In our family we have a tradition that is a little different that most.  I am blessed to have my parents nearby and we spend every Halloween with them. We carve pumpkins ( I like doing it last minutes so I can roast them later), watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, drink "Witch's Brew," eat a fun dinner and have cupcakes (I did mention grandparents right?). This year my the kids are looking forward to pumpkin chili, pumpkin brownies and pumpkin cider. My oldest is 7 now and has never wanted to go Trick-or-Treating, preferring to be spoiled at Grandma and Grandpa's house. This may change at some point, but for now everyone is happy and I am thankful.

If this doesn't sound like a good time to you, here are a few other ideas and recipes for fun:

• Trick-or-Treating with the Switch Witch - The idea here is that most of the sugary treats are traded for a fun toy. Check out this funny video for a more dramatized explanation: http://www.mamanatural.com/the-switch-witch/
• Throw your own Halloween party with a few friends and some healthy/creepy treats. My Pinterest favorites include satsuma "pumpkins" and yogurt-covered banana "ghosts." Include classic games such as Bobbing-for-Apples and Pin-the-Face-on-the-Pumpkin. The kids may also enjoy carving faces into an apple and filling with with cheese or nut butter.
• Halloween book and movie night
• Movies
• It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (this is the only on on the list that my kids have seen)
• Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie
•  Ghost Busters
• Hocus Pocus
•  E.T.
• Books for Preschool through First-Grade (or longer)
• Berenstein Bears Trick-or-Treat
• The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis
• The Legend of Spookly the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano
• Curious George Goes to a Costume Party by Margaret Rey
• The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

• Make Witch's Brew - this idea comes from my mom, Debbie Bearden. Combine fruit juice and sparkling water (or sparkling cider) and pour into a bowl with dry ice. The resultiing fog will be a guaranteed hit with the kids. 

Best Grain-Free Pizza Crust

I have been playing around with pizza crust recipes looking for the prefect crispness and flavor since eliminating gluten from my diet several years ago. After this weekend I have stopped trying to create my own because I found this recipe from Primally Inspired. It is nut-free and the perfect texture to pick up and enjoy.


See Kelly's pictures and notes here: http://www.primallyinspired.com/grain-free-pizza-crust-paleo/

Grain Free Pizza Crust (Paleo)

Ingredients

• 1 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot powder (I use THIS)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• optional: 3 tablespoons Romano or Parmesan cheese (I omit for dairy-free and prefer it omitted, but my husband likes his better with it in so you pick!)
• ⅓ cup avocado oil, olive oil, or other fat of choice (I use THIS)
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup coconut flour (find HERE)
• optional: 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, add in your tapioca flour and sea salt (and cheese, if using). Set aside.
3. In a small pot over medium heat, add your oil, water, apple cider vinegar and minced garlic clove.
4. As it heats up and comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and add it to your tapioca flour bowl. Stir until combined. Set aside for about 2 minutes to cool.
5. Once it's not hot to the touch, add in your egg. Stir until combined.
6. Add in your coconut flour (and Italian seasoning, if using) and stir until the coconut flour is absorbed and it becomes dough.
7. Form the dough into a ball and press or roll out on a parchment lined or lightly greased pizza stone or baking pan. You will have enough dough to do a 12 to 14 inch circle.
8. Bake 14-15 minutes or just until the crust starts to become a very light golden brown.
9. Remove from oven, add your toppings and bake for 3-5 more minutes. Enjoy!

This is what my pizza looked like. It was topped with pesto, prosciutto, feta, greens and mushrooms by my favorite 5 year-old helper.

Fall is Here - let us eat pumpkin

Fall has arrived. The leaves are changing, the rain has started and the pumpkins are ready for harvest. In our house that mean it is time for pumpkin flavored everything. There are the traditional options such as muffins and pie as well as newer favorites including pumpkin chili and pumpkin cider "latte."

Here is a round up of my family's favorites. Since my daughter planted six pumpkin plants last spring, I may make all of them in the next few months. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do.

pumpkin chili is happening here today

Pumpkin Chili
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2011/11/recipe-paleo-pumpkin-chili.html

Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Cider "Latte"
http://paleoparents.com/2011/a-kid-friendly-pumpkin-cider-latte/

Pumpkin Pie (this healthier version beat out the Costco pie at Thanksgiving last year)
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-paleo-pie-crust/#axzz3ELb3X2wu

Pumpkin mini muffins
http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2012/08/27/amaze-balls/

Grain-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
http://brittanyangell.com/grain-free-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls-glutensoycorn-free-with-directions-to-make-refined-sugar-free/

Pumpkin Bread
http://elanaspantry.com/paleo-pumpkin-bread/

Pumpkin Cinnamon Muffins with Pumpkin Frosting (this is next on my to-try list)
http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/grain-free-goodies/pumpkin-cinnamon-muffins/

Back to School

Happy Labor Day.

We have come to the end of another summer. Long days at the park and relaxed mornings are being replaced by school buses and homework.

It is also time to start packing school lunches. If you have read my five part series on school lunches you know why I don't allow my children to eat at school. If not, you can find them here: http://jenniferganey.blogspot.com/search/label/Health

To make this part of the routine simpler I have compiled a list of lunch box ideas. Happy packing.


 http://nomnompaleo.com/post/59118514268/forky-friday-paleo-lunchbox-round-up-2013


http://www.thepaleomom.com/2013/08/getting-ready-for-school-lunches-snacks-and-beyond.html


http://everydaypaleo.com/school-lunch-ideas/#more-4211

My own kids will likely take leftover pancakes from the requested back-to-school breakfast and nut butter with fruit, carrot sticks and water.

Zucchini Pizza

Our garden is once again filled with squash. Every year I look for a new ways to use zucchini. Popular dishes this year have included zoodles, almond flour-breaded zucchini medallions and zucchini boats. Last week I created a new recipe – zucchini pizza.

This recipe, like many, was born out of a lack of time or energy to create a more complicated dish. I had promised the kids pizza but had no interest in making my usual grain-free crust from the “Everyday Paleo” cookbook. Inspiration struck in the form of a giant zucchini on my counter. My family ate the entire squash so I think it is safe to say the recipe was a hit. I hope you family enjoys it as much as mine did.

Zucchini Pizza

1 large zucchini cut into ½ inch slices

Fat of choice (I used a mixture of ghee and coconut oil)

Oregano, salt and pepper

 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees 
  2. Brush zucchini slices with oil
 3. Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper
 4. Bake for 20 minutes
 5. Meanwhile make the sauce (recipe below)
 6. When zucchini is done, remove and turn oven to broil
 7. Top slices with red sauce and desired toppings (we used     raw cheddar and diced pepperoni)
 8. Broil about 4 minutes and enjoy

·        

Red Sauce

1 cup onion, diced

½ red bell pepper, diced

4-5 crimini mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Tbl avocado oil (coconut oil or ghee will also work here)

1-2 garlic cloves minced

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 Tbl red wine vinegar

1 tsp rosemary

½ tsp oregano

Bay leaf

1. Saute onion, pepper and mushroom in oil for 4-5 minutes
2. Add garlic and herbs, saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant
3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste
4. Bring sauce to a boil and reduce to simmer
5. Stir in Vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes.

Variations - pesto and goat cheese


The flat bread in the first picture can be found here.

Planning Meals for Your Next Camping Trip

Summer has always meant family adventures and camping in the beautiful Pacific Northwest to me. Though as a mom, it also means a lot of work. The kids love camping and it can be a struggle to figure out what to feed them without resorting to processed junk.

I have been asked several times what I take on these trips. I try to prep as much as possible before we leave as it is much easier to cook in my kitchen at home than over a camp stove or fire pit. I have a few staples that my kids enjoy, such as dried fruit for snacks and hot dogs on a stick. I pair these with whatever vegetables I find available and a special treat or two.

Here is what I packed on our latest two-day adventure in the woods:

Breakfast:
hard boiled eggs
oatmeal (my son and husband insist on this every morning)
blueberries


Lunch:
peanut butter sandwhiches
greens with canned tuna
vegetable sticks
bananas

Dinner:
curried cauliflower
sweet potato hash
precooked hamburgers
Applegate hot dogs

Snacks and Treats:
dried fruit and vegetables (beets, carrots, mango, peaches)
nuts (soaked and dried)
homemade beef jerky
chocolate chip cookies

Healthy Snacks for Summer Fun

My family and I enjoyed our first trip to the Thurston County Fair this weekend. It was fun to introduce the kids to some of the things I remember from the attending the Puyallup Fair as a child. We petted animals, toured the displays and even tried a couple of rides.

The one thing that I did differently from my childhood was bring my own healthy snacks for the kids. There were plenty of unhealthy fair options, all of which were expensive and likely to make me ill later. Instead we ate lunch before leaving then had a snack of blueberries, almonds and a bit of beef jerky. We also too plenty of water as it was a hot day. The kids were thrilled with their snack, especially since they helped pick those blueberries yesterday. We saved money and had plenty of energy to continue enjoying the fair. No sugar crash here.

Other snack options for travel include:

Fresh or dried fruit

Dried vegetables (beets and carrots are a favorite hiking snack)

Nuts

Good quality cheese

Jerky

Carrot sticks and snap peas

Mini muffins

Homemade granola or date/nut bars

zoodles

As the temperatures have risen my garden has begun delivering plenty of fresh vegetables four our enjoyment. A recent favorite of in my house has been zucchini noodles with fresh herbs and tomatoes. My kids have asked for variations on the following repeatedly for the last several days.

This meal is extremely fast and full of the fresh tastes of summer that we love. I add a little leftover chicken or an egg for protein and maybe a salad. I hope your family enjoys it as much mine does.

Ingredients:
1 - 2 zucchini - cut into long julienned pieces
1-2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
fresh herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, etc), to taste
1 T coconut oil or clarified butter

Method:

• heat pan and add oil or butter
• saute zucchini for 2-3 minutes
• add remaining ingredients and heat through
• serve

with added cauliflower from our garden

Post Event and Recipe Offer

I would like to say a big thank you to all who attended "Fed Up" tonight. There were some terrific questions and the beginning of a great discussion on improving school lunches until we were kicked out of the theater due to time constraints :).

For those who were unable to attend, I have promised to send a recipe every day for the next ten days to get us started on a healthier lifestyle. If you would like to be included join my newsletter at the top of the screen or send me an email at joyoushealth@jenniferganey.com.  The first recipe will be sent tomorrow.

Peppy Burgers

Summer temperatures and company inspired my to mix a few of my favorite recipes to create these sliders last night.

For the hamburgers I used the Turkish Doner Kebab recipe from Well Fed 2. Spices include oregano, garlic, onion powder and a dash of cayenne. The Avocado Roasted Red Pepper Sauce recipe came from PaleOMG and can be found here: http://paleomg.com/mexican-inspired-burgers/

I grilled the sliders then plated them on slices of tomatoes and topped them with the sauce, avocado, grilled onions and cilantro.

The grill is also a great place to make sides such as grilled zucchini, eggplant and sweet potato slices.

Guacamole

In honor of Father's Day I am posting one of my husband's favorites - guacamole!

Guacamole

1 roma tomato, diced
1-2 green onions, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
clove of garlic, smashed or finely diced
1-2 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl lime juice (about half a lime)
2 avocados
salt and pepper to taste

1. combine all but the avocados and mix thoroughly
2. add avocado and mash
3. enjoy on tacos or with vegetables (jicama and plantain chips are popular with my kids)

Salsa

I have had several request for my fresh salsa recipe. First I must thank my aunt, Toni Norvall for the original recipe. I changed the recipe slightly for my family's palate (though the shot of tequila in the original was very good).

Salsa

2-3 roma tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 jalapeno peppers
3 green onions
handful cilantro
juice of half a lime

• finely chop first 5 ingredients
• combine in a medium bowl
• add lime juice
• stir
• enjoy!

This also makes a good base for a quick guacamole - just add avocado and a little garlic (optional)