Garlic Ranch Potatoes

I have to say that I love potatoes and I am always looking at new ways to make them.  This dish was simple and easy to prep and would be the perfect side for Christmas.

Garlic Ranch Potatoes

3 lbs potatoes chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. homemade ranch seasoning
1 tbsp. dehydrated onion
1 tbsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Grease the inside of the crockpot.  Add all the ingredients in and mix well.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Homemade Ranch Seasoning

1 tsp dried parsley

3/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried thyme

Mix all together.  Make in bigger batches and store in mason jars

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Like most people my age we grew up eating Kraft Dinner.  For some reason it tasted so good but eating it as an adult does not have the same taste.  I wanted to try and make my own.  The crock pot is our friend in this house and it helped make this awesome dish.  Rylan was a little unsure about it but eventually came around.

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

2 cups uncooked noodles
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
3 cups shredded cheese

Boil the noodles until al dente.  Drain and rinse.  Combine all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low 2-3 hours.

Crunchy S'more Bars

***Warning*** Do not make these unless you are prepared to eat the whole pan.

Many times when thinking of what I should bake I try and use items that are sitting around the pantry and this is one of those items.  We were craving s'mores and I had no graham crackers so I had to get creative.  The result was pretty tasty and something that we will make again.

Crunchy S'more Bars

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
8 cups Crispex Cereal
1/3 chocolate chips, melted

Melt the butter in a pot and add 1 cup of the marshmallows. Stir until melted.  Remove from the heat and the cereal.  Mix well.  Press into a baking dish.  Top with the rest of the marshmallows and the melted chocolate.  Let set and cut into squares.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

The boys really love decorating cookies and I was getting tired of making the plain sugar cookies all the time.  I decided to spice them up and it turned out to be a very good change.  They are so good that we have been known to eat them plain.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 cup coconut oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tbsp. pumpkin spice

Mix together.  Refrigerate until firm enough to roll out.  Roll out and cut into shapes and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes.

Apple Cranberry Cider

This Thanksgiving I was looking to serve a drink other then the water and milk we usually drink.  We always have apples in the house and Ry had learned how to make apple cider in school a few days before so I decided to give it a try.

I was surprised at how easy it was to do and the taste was amazing.  Ry sat next to me and polished off an entire cup and asked for more.  Plus doing this in the slow cooker makes the entire house smell amazing!!!

Apple Cranberry Cider

6-8 apples sliced
1 small bay cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1.2 tsp allspice
Water to cover

Place all the items in the slow cooker and cover with water.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Strain out the liquid and enjoy.

I took the pulp and pureed it to make apple cranberry spice sauce and Ry devoured it.

Crunchy Split Peas

One of the challenges of Kevin's limited diet while we wait to add more foods is trying to make variety for him with what he can eat.  One of his safe foods is green split peas and I really wanted to find a way to make them differently so that he had other options and more snack foods.  So this quick snack was born.

Crunchy Split Peas

1 cup split peas, soak 4-5 hours
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp spices - whatever flavour you want

After soaking the split peas, drain and pat dry.  Toss with salt and spices.  Melt the oil in a pan and add the split peas.  Cook until they are golden in color.

Heavenly Rolls

My little Ry loves his fresh bread and buns.  He watches them bake and sneaks them out of the cooling rack before they have cooled.  This recipe yields soft fluffy buns that are our favourite at Christmas, Thanksgiving or simply just because.

Heavenly Rolls

1 pk yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup flour
2 eggs
3-4 cups flour

Mix yeast with the warm water and the 1/2 tsp of sugar.  Let stand until it is bubbly.  Add the milk, oil, sugar and salt.  Add 1 cup of flour and mix well.  Add the eggs.  Add in the rest of the flour until dough forms.  Cover and let rise 1.5 hours.  Punch down the dough and divide in half.  Roll each half into 12" circles and cut into triangles.  Roll up the triangle and place in a greased baking pan.  Cover and let rise for 1.5 hours.  Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes.

The Perfect House Cleaner

When we needed to go scent free in the house (no chemical or artificial fragrances), finding a cleaner for the house was a tough one so I learned how to make one.  I was surprised at how well it cleaned the house.  It cleaned the windows and mirrors better then any other cleaner I had ever had.  It got stubborn marks out of tables, base boards and walls and my husband loves it to keep his '31 Ford clean.

All Purpose Cleaner

6 lemons quartered
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp yeast
Water

Pack the lemons into a large jar and add the sugar and yeast.  Add water until about 2 inches from the top.  Put the lid on and shake well.  Let it sit on the counter for 2-3 days.  Strain out the lemons and the pulp.  The liquid is concentrated so for every 1 cup of concentrated cleaner add 2 cups of water.  Pour into spray bottles and use!!

Herbal Tinctures

My husband had been seeing a local naturopath for a year and when we learned that she was leaving we got a referral to one that was 4 hours away.  Kevin went in for his appoint to start treatment for adrenal fatigue and the visit went less then stellar.  He left the appointment feeling taking advantage of and was deflated.  After seeing how upset he was I decided I was going to become his "naturopath" and create a protocol to treat him. 

I started off with a herbal tincture that was filled with herbs designed to help restore his adrenal's ability to work properly.  The tincture was pretty easy to make and I am happy to say that is has been working wonders on his adrenals.  For the first time in years we are seeing progress and the chance that he will start to get better.


Herbal Tinctures

2 cups vegetable glycerin
1 cup distilled or filtered water
2 cups herbs of choice

Pack the herbs into a crock or large glass jar.  Add the glycerin and 1 cup of boiling water.  Allow to sit for 3-4 days adding water as needed. Shake several times a day.  Strain out the herbs and the liquid left is your tincture.  Take 1-2 tsp three times a day.

Lacto Fermented Salsa

Three years ago I had never heard of lacto fermented foods but when we started researching the GAPS diet for Kevin it was a huge part of it and I figured I better learn how to do it.  It turns out that it is pretty easy to do and yields some very delicious foods that are very beneficial for your gut health.

I tried this fermented salsa with some of my garden tomatoes and was blown away by the taste.  It was hard not to stop eating.  The salsa keeps for about 6 months but will continue to ferment as it sits in the fridge.

Lacto-Fermented Salsa

2-3 lbs tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 lemons juiced
2 tbsp. Himalayan salt

Add all the ingredients together and put it in a large jar. Leave on the counter for two days and then refrigerate.