My favorite Crock-Pot! (and DF days 9-16)

I have to rave about my crock pot for a few minutes.

I have had this crock pot for about 6 years.  It has seen me through many a cold winter and provided my belly with delicious and hearty meals.  About a year ago, I was getting ready to make a pot of soup when I noticed the handle on the lid was partially broken.  If you know anything about crock pots and their lids, you understand my challenge.  You really need to be able to lift the lid without getting burned by the heat/steam/etc.  I was making due with the back end of a spatula to prop up one of the sides and using a pot holder, I could grab the other side and lift the lid in order to stir or add other ingredients, BUT this was only a temporary solution.  So for a period of time, I just stopped using the crock-pot, all together.  Then over the summer, I read an article that expressed the level of value companies place in customer service.  I took a shot and emailed the customer service department for "Crock-Pot". 

What do you know?!

The asked for some key pieces of information and sent me a new lid FREE OF CHARGE!

I received it in a few days and have been using it and raving about the brand, "Crock Pot" ever since!

Why do you love your crock pot?  Do you think one brand is better than others?  Have you even had a situation where a company replaced a part FREE of charge?

Let me know in the comments below.  And don't forget to subscribe!

Be blessed!

Teri

Bean Curry and Quinoa (or Rice) (aka OH MAH GOODNESS) Part 1

Day 8 goes down with a new favorite recipe.  Below is the finished product, using Quinoa, but you can also use rice (which is what the recipe was calling for, but I was in more of a Quinoa mood, plus it cooks faster than brown rice).

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (my favorite brand, also the last time I bought, I got the small bottle for under $5 at Giant. Don't know if that deal is still up though - about 2 or 3 weeks ago)
1 large white onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry lentils
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (8 oz)
1/2 cup raisins (if you don't like raisins, like me, use them anyway, I'm telling you it really makes the dish so much better!!! YUM)
8 cups cooked brown rice (or quinoa)
salt and pepper to taste (I used Himalayan sea salt from Marshall's (yes, the clothing store - they have great kitchen finds too!)

Directions:
1. Prepare the brown rice (or Quinoa) according to package directions so you have enough for 8 servings.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook onion until tender
3. Mix in the lentils and garlic, and season with curry powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and raisins. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat to low, and simmer at least 1 hour, stirring constantly.

Recipe from The Daniel Plan, by Susan Gregory.

Please share your comments and don't forget to subscribe below.  Have you tried to make this yet?

Be Blessed!

Teri

Daniel Fast Days 4 - 5, raisins, and a technical tip

I'll give you the tip first because I can't believe I let things go this far..  I typically leave my work up on my computer - at night and really, during the week also. You know, because it is such an 'inconvenience' to reopen your tabs on chrome (not). Chrome is the best browser, in my opinion. The thing I most like about Chrome, aside from it rarely crashing, is that you can set your tabs to reopen up to certain pages every time you restart your computer and open the browsing page.

Yes, I know, we all hear from the IT guys at work that shutting down every night is ideal. So, I imagine this just boils down to laziness? Hmm..  Perhaps, I need to readjust my priorities.. it would certainly save my little computer some 24/7/365 anxiety.. or whatever it is that the processor "feels" by being overworked.. poor 'lil guy..

Okay, personification over.  My internet is again working and my little computer didn't crash. Phew!

I didn't have a chance to post last night.

I wanted to share the delicious creation I had planned to make prior to my computer "scare."

No new creation - tomorrow I plan to make more flat bread - this time from rye flour.  Same basic recipe.  I will include process photos too.

Daniel Fast for days 4 and 5 came with a delicious new respect for raisins, albeit the yellow ones.  I mentioned in my last post a recipe I made which included them.  If you are not normally a fan of raisins, I would urge you to try them in this recipe and see what you think.  Take it from someone who has picked raisins out of every thing from cookies to rice pudding and anything else in between. Go figure too, because I love grapes!

I think because they were cooked the sweet flavor was less intense.  Also, coupled with the sunflower seeds - or nuts, if you choose - and spicing, the flavors just seems to meld together nicely.

Have you tried this or a similar recipe before?  Let me know if you plan to try it and your results in the comments below.  Don't forget to subscribe!

Thanks for reading!  Be blessed!

Teri

Quinoa and Veggie Bake (Daniel Fast Day 3)

Day 3 came and boy, waking up earlier and earlier is great!  I hope to continue this even after the fast.

As I do love the barley soup, I was getting tired of it and spent a few minutes looking for a recipe.
I didn't want anything super complicated and I didn't want to have to shop for anything. Here's what I found in Susan Gregory's book: The Daniel Plan, and here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
3 to 4 quart covered casserole dish
1 cup Quinoa (organic is best, I pay $3.49/pound at Wegman's bulk section.. I've seen it for $7.99/lb so this is a steal)
1/4 cup raisins - I used yellow raisins and while not a lover of raisins, they made the dish quite tasty.
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (if you can't handle seeds, you can leave these out)
2 bay leaves
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I like "California" brand of EVOO best, you can also use Coconut oil. If you don't like the scent of coconut, you can purchase it deodorized so it has no smell - it doesn't have to be organic, just make sure it is not refined.)
1 Cup celery
2 medium carrots, diced
2 small zucchini, diced (I used 1 medium squash because I had it and didn't have zucchini)
1 tsp ground coriander
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro for garnish

1. Soak the quinoa for an hour in a bowl, then rinse until the water runs clear using a fine mesh strainer. 

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (I didn't preheat the oven till about 7 or 8 minutes on the timer for the quinoa)
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the celery and saute until it starts to become transparent ; add the carrots and cook for 5 more minutes; add the zucchini and cook for about one minute more.
4. Add the coriander, cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and pepper, adjusting the seasoning to your liking. Add the quinoa, raisins, sunflower seeds, and bay leaves; stir until integrated and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, about 3 more minutes.  

5. Pour the vegetable and quinoa mixture into a 3 to 4 quart casserole dish with lid; add the boiling water or broth; cover.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
7. Remove Bay Leaves.  Garnish dish with fresh minced parsley or cilantro before serving. 

I tried to make the font as small as possible for this one since the recipe took up most of the post.  This was really a delicious recipe and I will be making this again.  You can really swap out any of the recipes that maybe are not a favorite of your kids, spouse, or even yourself.  I didn't have celery, so I used a small yellow onion and the zucchini I used was actually a yellow squash. I also added mushrooms because I needed to used them up and I love button mushrooms.

Please let me know in the comments if you liked or didn't like this recipe.  Again, this one came from Susan Gregory's book, so the credit is not mine.  I'm not sure if she created it or got it elsewhere but I would guess it was her creation.

Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below! And don't forget to subscribe!

Be blessed!

 

Teri

Daniel Fast Day 2 and popcorn

Here we are on day 2. While my menu remains not really changed from Day 1 except dinner where I had some of the Chapattis I made and am debating on popping some popcorn, organic and non-gmo, of course.

I will definitely be making this flat bread again. (just flour, salt, and water)  It probably made about 8 or 9.  I could have made them thinner perhaps, but they are wonderful even when not fasting. I had them tonight along with some black bean hummus I also made using a recipe found in Susan Gregory's book, "The Daniel Fast" and will be sharing links as soon as I can on both of these recipes and photos - hoping by tomorrow.

The experience of making my own flat bread left me feeling like a "carefree" Old Testament gal, making my own flat bread. (Yes, I realize the irony, as for many who would be making their own bread, their lives were anything but carefree) scenes from old biblical movies flashed in my mind and I couldn't help but drift back there for a second or two in my mind.

Have you ever done a fast?  Do you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see?  Do you have any fasting suggestions in general?  I'd love to hear your comments and any questions you may have below.

Please share your comments and don't forget to subscribe below.  Have you tried to make this yet?

Thanks and Be Blessed!

Teri

Daniel Fast Day 1

So, today was Day 1 of the Daniel Fast.

The fast that I am following is according to the book written by Susan Gregory, "The Daniel Fast." Susan was inspired by God to write about this plan as a way of fasting. She writes in her book, "Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline designed by out Creator to draw us closer to Him, and the Daniel Fast is an experience for your whole person: body, soul, and spirit."  Just reading that sentence in the introduction portion of the book settles any anxious thoughts. At least it did that for me.

I have to say, I do feel different physically at the end of my day today, partially due to eating cleaner foods. I feel far less "full" and completely satisfied. I do not crave the sweets as I may have before: Nutter Butters, Cookie Dough Ice cream (or let's face it, most any flavor as long as it's ooey and gooey), pie, brownies, etc...)  As I was sitting down reflecting after dinner at around 8pm, I really wondered if anything had happened today, in my heart or my mind, etc. After all, I thought, it's just the first day.  Am I too hopeful that anything should change on day 1? The thing is, something did change inside. I"m actually full and satisfied, not over-full or bloated from stuffing my face. I have to thank the Almighty and his Holy Spirit for that.

In case you are wondering what I ate today, here is my menu below:

All of my food was prepared in my kitchen from something grown or mildly produced (flour and oat bran is milled, etc.):



Breakfast:
Oat bran (Bob's Red Mill Organic)
Diced organic apple (bag of organic apples from Aldi)
Cinnamon
Caraway seed
Raisins or sunflower seeds (optional - I forgot to add sunflower seeds but I plan to tomorrow)

Snack:
2 rice cakes
Organic peanut butter (no sugar or sweetener added)
Black bean hummus
Carrots and cucumbers

Lunch:
Homemade veggie barley soup

Dinner:
Had the barley soup again because I really did love it earlier today.
Had just made the Chapattis (Indian flat bread), so I got to enjoy some of those with the soup.

And of course, plenty of water.

I am looking forward to the remaining 20 days of this fast and of the changes about to take place in my heart and soul and spirit.

Amen!

P.S. Don't forget to subscribe below! Thanks!

Teri

Easy Peasy..and healthy?!

Quite possibly the tastiest quick and easy breakfast you will EVER try!! I can't get over this one.  It is just that good!  

This is a recipe by Nick and Gen - two of my favorite bloggers who tell the truth about nutrition.  Nick's book, The Truth About Fat Burning Foods, really opened my eyes and I've not turned back.  You can buy his e-Book or if you aren't in the position yet to do so, you can get a ton of information from his blog. The thing I like the most about them and their outlook is that they don't demand you do it all perfectly all at once - or at all.  They are real people and know the difficulties in life, they have this way to put you at east about Real Nutrition.

So this recipe above is called Cottage Cheese Bowl, I used a pear in the photo above however I think apples are tastier.  Using organic (no pesticides) is best but again maybe it is not feasible or desirable quite yet.  

For 1 serving you will need an apple (peel the skin off if not organic), 1 cup of Cottage Cheese, 1 tsp of Cinnamon, a handful of Almonds, a handful of raisins (optional), 1 tsp raw honey.

Crush the almonds (I use a mortar and pestle for this step but you could put the almonds in a magic bullet, or towel and use a hammer or something to break up the almonds) and set aside.

Cut the apple into bite size pieces.

In a bowl add the ingredients, I like to layer them: Cottage Cheese, Apple pieces, Almond pieces, drizzle the raw honey (I heat mine up because it pours easier), cinnamon.

Add spoon. Mix it up and eat!  YUM!

Leave me a comment below and don't forget to subscribe!  Thank you for reading.

Be Blessed!

Teri

OH MAH GOODNESS!!

I went a little off the beaten path today and tried this new breakfast recipe Smarter French Toast (picture below) created by Gen Gauvin of N & G Media. (See ingredients below)

Pretty simple to make, the "Smarter" in is the ingredients. The added boost of protein powder helps to keep you full for longer and all the ingredients combine to make one spectacular breakfast meal:
(serves 1 - for more just add another set of ingredients)

1 TBSP Expeller-pressed Coconut oil (Find out why Coconut Oil is best, here)
3 slices sprouted grain bread
1 and 1/2 whole eggs
1/2 scoop protein powder
1 tsp maple syrup (optional)

As you heat the Coconut oil in the pan, you can mix the remaining ingredients (minus the maple syrup)
If you store your sprouted bread (as I do) in the freezer make sure to thaw it a bit ahead of time, so it will soak up the batter.
Soak each side of the pieces of bread, one at a time, in the egg and protein powder mixture and place in the coconut oil on the stove.  I could fit 2 pieces of bread in my pan at a time. Continue until each piece is coated and cooked. Depending on how hot your stove-top cooks, will determine how hot to get the burner. My stove-top cooks very hot on medium-low and I can melt the coconut oil in the pan on low. You know your stove, so gauge it depending on that.
Stack on a plate, add a nut butter or maple syrup spread on top if you choose. Enjoy!

If you liked this recipe and want to try more of these great treats, check out Nick Pineault's blog here and tell them Teri sent ya!  Thanks!

Teri