Recipes

Bone Broth

I have made bone broth so many times and every time I show some of it, someone asks me for details. So here it is. A post dedicated to bone broth!

Okay first, what is bone broth? Bone broth is the liquid created when animal bones and connective tissue is boiled down. Typically, the bones are pretty bare and don’t have tons of meat on them. It is not a typical “stock” because it cooks down for much more time.

Second, what are the benefits?
Bone broth is known to be antiaging, it supports gut and joint health, promotes sleep and the reason I make sure to make it during the cold, germy months – it supports immune functions.

Now, how to make it?! It is so so simple and anything goes. You pretty much just need some animal bones.
You can use any bones – chicken bones, ribs, bones from steak or pork. ANYTHING. And then you can add veggies, herbs and spices if you want! Since I use veggie scraps, this helps make less waste, repurposes the veggies and spices up the flavor. I usually just enjoy this in a mug on its own but I also use it in soups. So this is what I do…

When I cook throughout the week, my veggie scraps go in the freezer. Tops of carrots, broccoli stems, the outer layers of onions or brussel sprouts, leaves off celery, ends of asparagus, herbs that might be on their last leg – you get the picture. I save all these things in a ziplock bag, or two, and store it in the freezer until I’m ready to make my broth. Veggies vary every time. Amounts of the veggies vary. And every time my bone broth is made, the taste varries. It’s always AMAZING though.

Now for the bones. Same situation as the veggies! Freeze anything and everything. If we have chicken wings one night, bones are saved. Ribs, save the bones. Rotisserie chicken, save the whole carcass. T-Bone steak, keep that bone! Again – you get it. You can also get just animal bones from the store! You can ask the butcher if they have any they want to give you or sometimes they have them already packaged in the freezer section, just ask where. These though, are bones you wouldn’t necessarily find in a meal you were having – femurs, marrow, neck 🙂 You can use anything. I do however, recommend always having some sort of chicken bone in your broth just for taste purposes. Beef and pork bones create a fattier/oilier broth. While filled with tons more collagen, I just prefer to always add chicken bones whenever beef and pork bones are in my broth for a lighter taste.

Amounts?? No idea. Haha. I save all these things on the regular and if I’m ready to make a broth and need some extra bones, I get a small pack at the store. So I use a large pot. I don’t know how many ounces it is, ugh, I know I’m the worst. But it’s my largest stock pot. When I add the bones and veggies to my pot, it probably hits about half way or just under half way. Then I fill the pot with water, add fresh garlic cloves, salt, pepper, maybe half of a lemon if I haven’t saved lemon already. Like I said, ANYTHING goes!

Cook time! Shockingly, this I know. The longer, the better! The cooking length of bone broth is what makes it bone broth. You want ample time to extract alllll the goodness from these bones. If you’re doing it on the stove, keep it up on low for at leasttttttttt 8-12 hours. I like to do 24. I know leaving the stove on for that long and over night might freak some people out. In that case, you can use the crockpot! On low for 8 hours. You can even do that twice. I don’t know why, but the stove way is my flavorite way. Just make sure you leave the lid on. I once didn’t and the entire thing evaporated and reduced by almost half. I wanted to cry.

The draining. This is the most tedious timely part, aside from the actual cooking. I use 2 bowls, 3 strainers and the pot everything cooked in. First, I remove all the soggy veggies and bones with a slotted ladle into a medium bowl. Then, I arrange all three strainers over a large bowl and pour all the liquid in. I wash the pot, wash the strainers and then do this again from the bowl to the pot. Wash the strainers and the bowl and do this about 3 more times. This whole process takes about 15 minutes and is my least favorite part of the whole thing but totally worth it. You want your broth nice and smooth when sipping on.

I usually store all the broth in mason jars. This makes it easy to grab and drink right out of. You can save jars from other foods like pickles and sauce or you can get jars off amazon. Or you can just put the broth in large tupperwares and spoon out into a mug when ready. You can also freeze the broth. I keep it in the fridge for about a week or freezer for 4-6 months.

I think that’s it! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! Just know anything goes, the longer it cooks, the better and take your time straining it. You really can’t go wrong. Enjoy!

Magic Chicken Soup

I. Love. Soup. I really love it and I try to make it at least every other week, sometimes once a week! My friend once said I’m the soup queen and my heart smiled. A good soup is packed with amazing nutrients, a great protein and tons of flavor and that is exactly what this is!

Picture it – it’s December 2021. The week between Christmas and New Years. Noses are running. Kids are coughing. Parents are panicking about covid, of course, but also about all the other illnesses kids can get. So what does this mama do? She looks up all the veggies and herbs that have amazing healing properties and she whips up a soup that is ultra curing and tastes incredible.

So here is my Magic Chicken Soup. It was made twice during this week between the holidays and it was gobbled up both times. AND it is the perfect recipe to share with you all during this new year and state of runny noses and tired bodies.

One of the most important things to do with a soup is to let the flavors build. You don’t want to just add everything to a pot, cover with liquid and call it a day. Taking time to cook each thing and letting the herbs and spices mix and blend is key! After you add each ingredient, stir and let it sit for 2-3 minutes before moving on to the next step. Don’t rush the beginning steps before simmer time, trust me!

I LOVE to make my own bone broth but I don’t always have it on hand. There are so many amazing quality bone broths out there that I turn to when making soup. You can also make a quick version of your own broth by just adding water as your liquid. Since this is a healing soup though, and bone broth has WONDERFUL healing properties, if you add water instead of an already made broth, let it simmer on low for at least an hour and a half to extract the most out of those chicken bones!

Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Magic Chicken Soup

A little spin on traditional chicken soup filled with all the healing foods to cure any type of sickness.
Course Soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
Author Nikki

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch Oven a large stock pot can also be used

Ingredients

  • 3 ribs celery chopped
  • 3 large carrots peeled, chopped
  • 2 medium yellow onions chopped
  • 1 1/2 inches ginger root grated, split in half
  • 1/2 large lemon zest
  • 2 tblsp fresh sage finely chopped
  • 2 tblsp fresh basil finely chopped
  • 7 ounces shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large lemon, juiced or two small/medium size
  • 2 pieces chicken on the bone 2 hind quarters or breast quarters. Or one of each
  • 1 cup spinach and/or kale gently packed
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 48 ounces bone broth (1 1/2 cartons) chicken or beef or homemade or water
  • salt
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in dutch oven.
  • Chop celery, carrots and onion and add to pot.
  • Sprinkle with salt and add pepper.
  • Once veggies start to get soft, add half the amount of grated ginger and all the lemon zest. Stir.
  • Add chopped sage and basil. Stir.
  • Rinse mushrooms and thinly slice them.
    In your pot, move veggies to the sides so you can see the bottom of the pot. Add a drizzle of olive oil and put the mushrooms in a little at a time and let them brown and cook slightly. Repeat this till all the mushrooms have been added and are almost fully cooked.
  • Add half the amount of the lemon juice to deglaze the pot – either one small lemon or half of a large lemon – scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of it.
  • Add the minced garlic and the rest of the grated ginger. Stir.
  • Place chicken skin side down on top of the veggies.
  • Add broth till chicken and veggies are completely covered. Usually takes one and a half 32 ounce cartons of broth. You can just cover with water also.
  • Let simmer on low to medium heat till chicken is full cooked, at least 45 minutes.
  • Remove chicken and shred off the bone and add back to the soup.
  • Add in the spinach/kale and let it wilt into the soup.
  • Add the rest of the lemon juice, stir and serve!

New Year – Bye 2020, Hello 2021

My unconventional New Years Resolution and how I will miss 2020. Read along to see what I mean!

2020 – Oh how you have changed us all. I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard people say they can’t wait for 2020 to be over. The amount of memes there are to make fun of this year is incredible and honestly, some of them have been quite funny. Everyone is in a rush to leave 2020 behind and move on to (hopefully) better years ahead. I have to say, I am not one of these people.

Yes, the heartache and tragedies 2020 brought have been terrible. Natural disasters including fires and floods. The death of beloved Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Riots and protests coming from every corner of the country. Murder hornets??(WTF) The continuous struggles the environment endures. And of course, COVID-19. Before I continue, I need to say that I am BEYOND thankful and blessed that COVID-19 did not bring my family heartache or treacherous struggles. That is why I am able to write this today. I think as a whole, we can all say from the outside looking in, 2020 was freaking rough!

Let me tell you something though. This year for Thanksgiving, Jordan (my son) asked us all what we were thankful for. My answer was – 2020. And my “New Years Resolution” is to take 2020 with me into every new year. Let me tell you why…

For as long as I can remember, all I have wanted to be when “I grew up” was a stay-at-home mom. As a child, I had it all planned, 4 kids – a boy, twin girls and a boy. I was going to get married really young, live in a big house and start a family by 21. Trust me, I have the old MASH games to prove it (lol). Well, let me tell you, you don’t realize how young 21 is until you’re 21 and you don’t realize life has other plans for you than the plans you may have for yourself. I did NOT anticipate having my first child at 19 not married. I did not think that situation would head as far south as it did, but again when you think you’re in control, you’re really not. If you know me well then you know that whole story. But this isn’t about that so anyways!!!

SAHM (stay at home mom) life in my head went like this – Waking up bright and early and whipping the family up some breakfast. Then you would pack lunches while figuring out when you were going to send all the students’ parents their emails because of course, you were the class mom. Babe would head to work, and the oldest kids would get on the bus. You and the little one would head to gym that had a daycare center for your 10am spin class and while there you would think about scheduling the baby’s nap around your coffee date with none other than another SAHM. That coffee date was of course after you and the little one went to mommy and me. After coffee with a friend, you would swing by the grocery store to pick up fresh meat for the fabulous Pinterest’ed dinner you were going to have ready for the family in perfect synchronicity to when your husband walked in from his oh so busy day. Dinner prep was obviously right after you finished putting away all the laundry you had time to do after you vacuumed the whole house.

STOPPPPP. Ask any stay-at-home mom if their life EVER goes this perfect. I’m going to say that’s a hard NO. Life is not an old black and white peachy keen sitcom and that is no one’s regular day. Unless you’re part of Bravos Housewife Franchise and even then, it’s not like that – but it is still a dream of mine to be a Bravolebrity lolol. #NoShame

But anywho. I know that is not a real day in the life of a stay-at-home mom. How?? Snow days. That’s how. I HATE a snow day. Absolutely hate them. EVERYTHING is off schedule. Kids are home screaming needing attention ALL DAY LONG. No one helps you clean anything so the house literally is a trash zone. You feel forced to go to the store before said snow day to get cinnabuns for the morning and all the makings for chili so the food for the day matches the coziness of the snow day. You HAVE to get children dressed up in snow gear and play. In. the. Snow. With. Them. Don’t they know it’s your day off too?? No, they don’t. Remember, they want attention?? Snow days are the reason I know stay at home mom life can freaking suck!

So, I continued to work. I work for a family business and I needed to work as much as the business needed me there. It went hand in hand. I’m fortunate enough to have the flexibility there that I do to be able to take my kids to my office if needed. I could go in after my son gets on the bus and be home for when he gets off. I can rearrange my schedule as need be and I will forever be grateful to my uncle and the amazing company he created. Although I had flexibility, I still needed to attend a job. I was a wife, mother, and an employee all at once. In the back of my mind, it was still not what I truly wanted.

Trust me, I love the fight for women to be treated equally in the workspace and the encouragement they are getting to be a working mom. For ME though, I sometimes wished for a little more of an old school approach, snow day chaos and all. 

Enter 2020. A global pandemic. A complete shut down and quarantine. WTF! Not going to lie, I was realllyyy veryyyy veryyyy nervous to be locked in my house with my family. (Sorry guys) Days’ worth of snow days sounded like a death sentence to me. Honestly, I panicked at first.

We took it one day at a time. Between my husband and I both working from home, homeschooling, and virtually doing my daughters early intervention services, things were a little chaotic. Then Kyle went back to work and I was alone. I didn’t go back into my office because Jordan needed to be homeschooled and Sienna needed to do her services 7 times a week. Again, very fortunate to have that option!

Life actually started to feel calm in the midst of crazy. Some days even looked like that fake SAHM day, with a couple substitutions.

I love to cook! I cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family every single day and I LOVED IT. I experimented with so much food because I had time to. Dinner didn’t have to be rushed after a full day of being at work with a 1-year-old. I wasn’t necessarily the “class mom” but I was Jordan’s class mom. Of course, there were very frustrating days, but I have never been able to be the parent to volunteer to go to the school and do the seasonal craft with the kids. Why? Because I had to be somewhere else… work. Now, we could do all the crafts we want. No, Sienna and I didn’t go to mommy and me classes at a place, but we had mommy and me class 7 times a week at home! I was the one doing her services with her and helping her to progress and improve. I didn’t meet people for coffee dates, but we sure did a lot of Facetiming! Facetiming with people we normally wouldn’t have. I have probably seen my family through Facetime more times than I would have actually seen them in person. Was the house always clean? F*&! NO. But did I feel like I was drowning in housework and chores? No, I didn’t. Because I had time to do them throughout the day. And let me tell you, that alone relieved so much stress and made me a wayyyy happier mom and wife, ask them! And then back to food! Dinner was pretty much always made. Something that I find is a hobby for me also benefitted my family. Making dinner is like my own personal therapy session and I was able to take time to do it and include my kids by having them help.

2020 brought me something I have always wanted. Time with my family. We have laughed and become so much closer. I have been able to spend time, real time with my kids. Sienna’s development progressed so much, and I truly believe it is because I was able to give her my TIME. Jordan and I baked, A LOT. We played tons of Yahtzee, Clue Jr., and Monopoly. We had dance parties and stayed in pajamas all day some days (most days) and just… were. I would have never in a gazillion years let myself take that time if it wasn’t forced on me. I would have felt too guilty.

I learned tons of things about myself. I really dug deep and focused on my core values and what is important to me. I researched and listened to a lot of podcasts on health and wellness, the environment, space, human rights, and leisure ones from reality tv stars. I took a pregnancy nutrition course for fun to enhance my knowledge in something I’m interested in. Oh, and speaking of pregnancy, we made our third baby, totally unplanned. Talk about time for that to happen, lol. I started a blog that is really just for my own fun and enjoyment but sharing things whether it be food, my kids or the randomness of my day just brings me a little extra joy. I don’t think I ever would have taken the step to do that without the time to share things. I opened up and shared my daughter’s journey which is an ongoing daily event. I continue to share things in hopes it could one day help someone else. I connected with other moms in the country with kids with similar disorders as her and their outward sharing helps me.

2020 made me realize that I don’t really need the hustle and bustle of days and to always be on the go go go. I am now way more capable of sitting back and enjoying the moment without the anxiety of feeling things need to be perfect. At the end of the day, my family and I are beyond fortunate to have not gone through the terrible hardships many families struggled with during this pandemic. Life is about so much more than the monotony of the ins and outs of a common day. I really realized that time is going to pass anyways, so make sure you are doing something you love with the time you have. If I don’t take that lesson with me and enjoy the time I am able to have with my family, I will be missing out on so much.

So, while yes, the tragedies and the mayhem of 2020 I can do without, the experiences and the lessons learned throughout the year I really hope I can hold on to and remember in the years ahead.

Happy New Year everyone!!

Browned Butter Pasta w/ Scallops

Have you guys had “browned” butter?!?! I am currently so obsessed with browning butter for everything right now and if you haven’t done it, you have to!

It’s super simple and you can use a good quality grass fed butter and not feel guilty about wanting to bathe in it – my flavorite brand is Kerry Gold.

This dish is not complicated to make however, it does require attention. Because you are cooking each part by itself in the same pan, it can feel tedious, but trust me, it is way worth it. You don’t want to over crowd the pan with everything at once because the wat it all cooks will change and create different flavors.

Everyone in the family loved this and felt like they were having an indulgent gourmet meal. Make this for your next Sunday dinner for the whole fam and they will think you’re a professional chef!

Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Brown Buttered Pasta w/ Scallops

A super light yet totally satisfying and incredibly delicious meal.
Course Main Course
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter kerrygold, 8 tbsp
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 cup mushrooms thinly sliced, white or cremini
  • 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2-1 pound sea scallops
  • 8 oz pasta preferably banza
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • In a medium pan, melt butter. Brown the butter – bring to light boil till it starts to foam then lower and continuously stir.
  • Add chopped onion and garlic and cook till translucent and fragrant. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Remove all brown butter and onion and garlic from pan and set aside in small bowl.
  • Add two tbsp of the brown butter from the bowl into the pan with the sliced mushrooms. Do not over crowd the mushrooms and do not add too much butter.
  • Once the mushrooms have browned, add the tomatoes and toss around till they have wilted a little. Remove both mushrooms and tomatoes from the pan.
  • In the same pan, add back two tbsp of the browned butter and get the pan very hot. Sear the scallops on each side, about 2-3 minutes each side. Make sure not to over crowd the pan for this too.
  • Cook 8ounces of your flavorite pasta according to the directions.
  • Add pasta, scallops, mushrooms and onions and brown butter to the pan everything was cooked in and mix.
  • Top with fresh parsley and red pepper flakes or cracked black pepper and ENJOY!

Banana Maple Muffins

I swear, it’s almost like I subconsciously buy bananas with no intentions on eating them but instead to let them sit on the counter till they’re ready to be turned into a dessert. Anyone else?!?!

I’ve been all about maple the last few weeks. It give so much depth and flavor to things while being a natural sweetener. These muffins are by far the best Banana Muffins I’ve had. They are moist and flavorful and oh so tasty. Sienna absolutely LOVED them too.

Another thing I have been obsessed with recently is browning butter. I’ve been doing it a lot in dinner dishes but a friend said it’s great in baking so these were the perfect opportunity to try it out. You can easily just used melted butter for these but I will continue to brown butter in All. The. Things. Try it out at least once!

These are delicious as is but also fantastic with a glaze drizzled on top. Check out the Pumpkin Maple loaf for an easy glaze!

Print Pin

Banana Maple Muffins

A super moist muffin packed with deep maple and banana flavors.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 6 tbsp butter browned
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 3 bananas very ripe

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a small bowl mix all dry ingredients and set aside.
  • Over medium-high heat, melt butter till it starts to bubble and froth. Stir consistently till it starts to brown. remove from heat and set aside in small bowl.
  • In medium bowl, mash bananas. Add eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix.
  • When butter has cooled slightly, add into banana mixture slowly stirring quickly the whole time. If butter is too hot, it will scramble the eggs so do this carefully.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.
  • Pour evenly in muffin/cupcake tin to make 12 muffins.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
  • Enjoy as is or add a cinnamon glaze – see pumpkin loaf for a quick glaze!

Tuscan Soup

I am such a huge soup fan. I love when September hits and its time to make all the soups, stews and chilis! This Tuscan Soup is great for the cold weather but can be perfect even when its still warm out!

I spent a little while looking for a soup recipe one day and came across a few Tuscan ones. They all looked great but weren’t fully doing it for me. So I took some tips from this one and that one and added my own flare and this puppy was born!

I don’t know about you but when I feed my family soup I feel like I’m making them starve. It’s a silly thought because there’s just as much protein, veggies and carbs as a plate of food but for some reason ‘soup’ seems light. This soup is not light though, and in a good way. It is hearty and filling and citrusy and oh so good!

The blending of this with the immersion blender is key. It makes it a little creamier and thicker while still leaving chunks of the vegetables. You can blend the whole thing till smooth and then wilt in the kale and add the sausage or choose to not blend it at all. Up to you!

The fresh squeezed lemon on top at the end is where the magic happens. It adds a pop of citrus brightening the whole dish and making each other flavor deeper. Don’t skip this! You can even slice up the lemon and let it simmer within the soup.

Print Pin

Tuscan Soup

A hearty, creamy and filling take on a traditional tuscan soup.
Course Soup
Cook Time 30 minutes

Equipment

  • Immersion Blender

Ingredients

  • 6 italian sausage links removed from the casing
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 3 large carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 box chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups nut pods
  • 1 bag mini potatoes
  • 1 lemon

Instructions

  • Remove sausage from casing. In large pot, crumble sausage and cook through. Remove from pot.
  • add 2 tbsp olive oil. Sauté onion and carrots till soft. Add minced garlic. cook for 4 minutes.
  • Add can of fire roasted tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Add chicken stock and nut pods and potatoes. bring to a boil and simmer till potatoes are fork tender.
  • With an immersion blender, blend soup to desired thickness. You can skip this step, blend soup completely, or blend half way still leaving bits of onion, carrots and potato.
  • Wilt in kale, add back sausage and juice one lemon over top.
  • Stir and serve!

Maple Pumpkin Loaf

It’s FINALLY fall! I don’t know about you, but pumpkin season is my fave! Call me basic but I’m all about pumpkin flavored everything, sweaters, boots and that crisp air and colored leaves. That of course mean Pumpkin Bread!

My family loves pumpkin bread. Our typical go to was the Trader Joe’s pumpkin muffin box. If you know, you know. BUT we do love some good fresh homemade bread too. Of course every time is an experiment depending on what gluten free flour I have on hand so Jordan and I decided to solidify a delicious recipe and spice it up a little.

Enter Maple Syrup. I often use Maple Syrup as a sweetener substitute for sugar. You really can’t tell too much and I happen to love the hint of deep flavor it gives. So we’re calling this a Maple Pumpkin Loaf, because it sounds cooler than Pumpkin Bread.

I often see people use sour cream in bread recipes and I happen to have goats milk yogurt at home so I figured it would do the same thing sour cream does so we used the yogurt as our fat for this recipe over butter. Trying to make it slightly healthier all around since it’s of course with a mix of almond and coconut flour. Hey, we’re trying here.

This was an experiment like I said but only took 2 tries to get it DELICIOUS. It’s moist and sweet and maple-y and pumpkin-y and with the glaze on top, its everything you want in a pumpkin bread!

Print Pin

Maple Pumpkin Loaf

A gluten free and ever so slightly healthier version of your favorite moist pumpkin bread!
Course Dessert
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup sheep/goats milk yogurt you can definitely use regular yogurt here
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1-2 tbsp milk I use almond or macadamia nut
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Whisk together sugar, syrup and yogurt.
  • Add eggs and mix. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix.
  • Add all dry ingredients and mix til all incorporated.
  • Batter will be on the thicker side.
  • Line a bread pan with parchment paper. Pour in batter and cook for 35-45 minutes – til top starts to get golden brown, edges come off the side of pan and knife from center runs clean.
  • Remove parchment paper and bread from pan. Drizzle top with glaze.
  • Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Stacks

I throw it down for breakfast! Breakfast could potentially be my flavorite meal of the day. And I LOVE eggs.

I think it’s hard for people who aren’t a fan of eggs to find a nutritious meal first thing in the morning. I’m not a fan of oatmeal everyday, causing a spike in blood sugar right from the jump. If you like eggs like me, you’ll love these stacks. And if you can tolerate eggs, then you have to try these to switch up your boring scrambles and give you some perspective on a better yet tasty egg sandwich.

These are totally customizable too. Don’t have prosciutto? No problem. That ham or turkey will do just fine. Hey, you can even use some bacon! No arugula? That’s okay. Spinach is great too or even that left over zucchini from dinner last night will work. Use what you have and what you like and you’ll have an amazing Sweet Potato Stack of your own!

I used Kite Hill dairy free cream cheese on these for the first time and it was great! If you don’t like your eggs super runny, the addition of the cream cheese is a good touch.

I started using sweet potatoes in place of breads when I did my first round of whole30. I have not looked back! Sure, I love an occasional true piece of toast but using a sweet potato makes everything a little sweeter, fluffier and all around better for my insides. I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything because they really are that good!

Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Sweet Potato Breakfast Stacks

A healthy, whole30 tasty breakfast everyone will love.
Course Breakfast
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 person

Ingredients

  • 4 slices sweet potato 1/4-1/2 inch thick
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 slices tomato
  • 2 slices prosciutto
  • bunch arugula
  • smear cream cheese kite hill dairy free

Instructions

  • Slice 4 large round sweet potatoes about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick.
  • Heat olive oil in medium pan over medium heat. Fry sweet potato on both sides till both sides are brown.
  • In same pan, cook eggs over easy – or to desired wellness.
  • Assemble stacks – sweet potato, tomato slice, prosciutto, arugula, egg, cream cheese on top sweet potato. TA-DA!!

Lemon Tahini Loaded Kale Salad

This salad is packed with tons of nutrients including so many healthy proteins and veggies! It’s alternative name is Packed Protein Salad! It’s creamy and flavorful and everything you need to switch up any salad slump you’re in.

A few years ago, my sister & brother in law were grilling cheese on the BBQ. I was shook by what they were doing but I needed to know more. The cheese they were grilling was Halloumi Cheese. I had never heard of it but I tried it and it was incredible. It’s a goat and sheep milk cheese which I’m a big fan of because processed cows milk cheeses tend to give me a migraine. It’s salty and gooey and if you haven’t had it, you need to.

I’ve been seeing a few people using Halloumi cheese lately and I couldn’t be left out. Paired with chicken thighs and hard boiled eggs and roasted chick peas and you’ve got yourself a full nutritious meal!

I was going to put my Caesar dressing on this but knew it wasn’t going to go well. This needed something a little bit sweeter/tart to balance out the saltiness from the cheese while also staying a tad more mild. Lemon Tahini dressing is perfect!

Print Pin

Lemon Tahini Kale Salad

A fun spin on your favorite creamy and nutritious salad.
Course Salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 12oz bag of chopped kale
  • 1 can chick peas
  • 5 chicken thighs
  • 1/2 – 1 package halloumi cheese
  • 1/4 cup pistachio nuts
  • 4 hard boiled eggs

Lemon Tahini Dressing

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 medium lemons juiced
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp water more for thinning
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

  • In a family style serving dish, lay out chopped kale.
  • Boil water in small sauce pan and hard boil 4 eggs.
  • In a medium pan, toast chick peas over medium heat till slightly roasted. Remove and set aside.
  • Heat olive oil in same pan and deeply sear and fully cook chicken thighs.
  • Slice halloumi cheese into 1/2 inch pieces. When chicken is done, remove from pan and lightly fry both sides of the cheese.
  • Mix all ingredients for the dressing, adding water as necessary to thin it out.
  • Assemble salad and serve family style!

Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff Copy Cat

I really wanted to add to my copy cat recipes and Hamburger Helper seemed like the next perfect one!

When I was little, hamburger helper always grossed me out. I don’t know if I thought the meat came from the box, silly I know, but I didn’t know too much about the packaged mix to know it wasn’t all that good for you so the only rational thought is I disliked the meat part. My dad though, was a fan of it and my mom would always make her and I something else on these nights. She would often create her own version and skip the boxed stuff too.

I wanted to make something geared toward them. Something my dad would enjoy that my mom could make healthier. This did not disappoint.

It’s of course gluten free and dairy free. You can however, use your own choice of pasta. Just make sure to measure out the pasta if you use one different than Banza. The box of Banza is only 8 ounces. Typically regular pasta is 16 ounces. So use half the box or double the recipe OR try out the BANZA!!

This is also dairy free. My choice of “cream” here is Nutpods! They are becoming my flavorite cream/milk substitute lately. They are truly neutral tasting without sacrificing thickness. Make sure to get the original unflavored kind!

Print Pin

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper Copy Cat

A clean version of a hearty childhood flavorite.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 people
Author Nikki Fricke

Equipment

  • One Pot

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb ground beef
  • 1 8 oz box Banza Pasta, cavatappi or 2 1/4 cups preferred pasta
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 10 cremini mushrooms finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 1/2 cups nutpods unsweetened/original
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp kite hill cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

  • In medium size pot, heat 2 tbsp ghee over medium heat.
  • Add diced onion and mushroom. Cook about 5 minutes till translucent.
  • Add minced garlic and cook another 5 minutes till all fragrant and fully cooked.
  • Remove with slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
  • Add ground beef, salt, pepper and paprika and brown the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
  • Put mushroom and onions back in the pot. Add 2 cups broth, 1 1/2 cups nut pods and 8oz box of Banza Pasta. Make sure pasta is covered with liquid. Bring to a boil, then simmer till pasta is cooked through – follow timing on box of pasta.
  • When pasta is cooked, turn heat to low. Remove 1/2 cup of the liquid into another bowl and add arrowroot starch. Whisk to make a slurry. Add back to the pot to thicken.
  • Add 2 tbsp Kite Hill cream cheese and mix.
  • Serve and garnish with fresh parsley.