Recipes

Healthy eating is half of getting fit. We all know we should be eating fruits and vegetables more, especially as snacks instead of running to potato chips or whatever your vice is. I've always been good in the kitchen. Most kids were afraid of burning themselves, or maybe their parents were more afraid, so a lot of my friends either don't know how to cook, or they didn't try to learn until high school or college. And just because our society is the way it is, even the people who know how to cook are either busy, lazy, or both and end up eating at a restaurant or making up hamburger helper or something else boxed. don't get me wrong. hamburger helper was one of the happiest parts of my childhood. and mom would add vegetables to it to a) make it healthier and to b) make the meal last longer. but as much as i loved it, as easy as it was, and as many varieties as there are helpers, that stuff is LOADED with sodium and has artificial ingredients (as is most pantry stuff) because it has to be preserved for such a long time and they sell things for taste, not for health.

That all being said, I will be keeping recipes here not only so I can find them, but so you can enjoy them too. My dietary controllers are:

• less red meat - fatty liver
• less carbs - general weight loss and my weakness is pasta. i tend to overindulge. 
• absolutely NO gluten
• NO dairy
• NO corn
• NO soy
• NO eggs
• NO added sugars or artificial sweeteners
• NO peanuts
• natural and fresh ingredients - because it's healthy and makes me feel old fashioned. 

i can feel my skin, digestion, focus, energy level and everything else improve when i follow all of those guidelines. I don't want to cheat every once in a while. I just figured out how to make my tummy feel normal! I don't want to throw that out the window! i aim to only have red meat 1-2x/month. and my portions on non-gluten carbs has lessened and I've found some carb less recipes that make me soooo happy.

oh my goodness. i take too long to preempt stuff.

Cauliflower 

makes a splendid faux-potatoes. at first, i was skeptical, but i love substituting cauliflower for potatoes now.

Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes - you could also make plain mashed cauliflower. just steam it, mash it, and add butter. tell your kids its potatoes. its sweeter than potatoes. but the consistency and taste is darn close.

Creamy Cauliflower, Cheddar Cheese, and Bacon Side Dish - we had this with dinner tonight. oh my word. talk about comfort food. this is so bomb. in the comments section of this blog, a lady talks about ways to lessen the fat in the dish. this includes low fat or fat free cheese and using cottage cheese instead of cream cheese (though that changes the consistency). this is my new favorite side dish.
Update: this dish is still awesome, but I posted it before realizing my dairy allergy. to make this without the cheddar, either take it out, or substitute it for Daiya brand non-dairy cheese.

Sandwiches without Bread 

sandwiches are one of the easiest foods to make. or any form of the sandwich (ingredients between a carb). so if you go by my mom's definition, burritos and tacos are considered sandwiches.

lettuce wraps. So many restaurants are offering this alternate on their burgers, sandwiches, and wraps. and its the easiest thing to do at home. just get a head of iceberg lettuce and add whatever ingredients you want to your "sandwich". I will say that my favorite places to get lettuce wraps are Bravo Burger for chicken/burger lettuce wrap and Which Wich for wrap style. (had gyro there today for lunch. YUM) Here is a link on different techniques on how to do it at home. 

Spring rolls. whats the definition of a sandwich? so yes, a spring roll is a sandwich. these are super yummy made at home and are fun, even though it can get tedious. but if you are taking to an event, it will totally impress the other guests that you put the time into this.
Shrimp spring rolls
Veggie spring rolls
I don't use the bean thread noodles. Whenever they ask for that, I use bean sprouts. the bean threads taste like stringy cardboard to me. hopefully you have an Asian market near you that you can get these ingredients. We have a 99 Ranch market nearby and stuff is really cheap, plus its the only place I've ever been able to find some of those sauces and especially the rice paper.

SUSHI! not all sushi places do this, but my sushi place offers rice-less sushi. they have lettuce wraps (that one gets messy if the chef got the crunchy part of the head), and ones wrapped in soy paper or rice paper (which are nice for people who don't like sushi for the seaweed) and no rice, just mixed greens. if you are comfortable with working with raw fish at home, please try it! its fun :) also, try sushi ingredients but wrapped like a spring roll. I'm trying that this week and I'm really excited.
This video tutorial is awesome for making any sushi. 
This tutorial has a lot of good information on sanitary and proper ingredient preparation. 
and one last tutorial in case the other two didn't answer any questions. 
Update: so since soy is off the menu... be wary when having Asian food because SO MUCH is made with soy. ask for no sauce or sauce on the side.

This lady's blog is actually really fun and I'm excited to go through and read more of her recipes.