Pineapple Protein Blizzard Smoothie

It's getting warmer out so I celebrated with this summery smoothie this morning.    It's so yummy that I want to share it with you!

This is what you will need:

1 TBSP Honey
1 CUP Coconut Milk
1 CUP Pineapple
1 whole Banana
Ice (to your liking)
Protein Mix ( This is my favorite protein mix.  It tastes good. It's not gritty.  It's full of good stuff and lacking the bad stuff)

Blend and enjoy!!!   It's so yummy!

Hot Taco Bean Dip

Pampered Chef has a recipe called something like Touchdown Taco Dip.  That might even be the name.    I use to make it all the time.  I still do but I put my own little spin on it.   I made it for dinner the other night and took some pictures so I could share the recipe with you.

 You will need:
small container of sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 can refried beans. (we like black)
1 can black beans
garlic (3 cloves)
taco seasoning pack
1 can chillis
8 oz cheddar cheese.

 Preheat oven to 375.

 Combine sour cream, taco seasoning, cream cheese and minced garlic.    Mix with a hand mixer.

 Spread the can of refried beans on the bottom of a casserole dish.

 Then layer on the cream cheese mixture.

 Next spread out the chillis.

 Then layer on the drained black beans.   I was so excited to eat I forgot to take a picture of the last two steps.    After the beans spread out the cheese and then place it in the oven.  Bake until bubbling.  Around 25 minutes.

YUM!!!   This is my kids favorite.   They like using the multigrain scoops to eat it. 

Enjoy!
Love and Peace,
Heather.

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Sorry for the lack of photos but I really wanted to get this recipe up.  I promised my friend and congo mate for this about a month ago.   Ooooops.

I don't measure anything when I make my sauce so this is approximates.  You can add or subtract to taste.

Ingredients:

- tomatoes..In the summer I use my own paste tomatoes.    I take about 15 and throw them in my Vitamix whole.  If it's not summer I buy a 16 oz can of organic whole tomatoes. and mash them with a potato masher.

-2 chopped shallots

-3 cloves of garlic chopped

-4 tbsp olive oil

-1/4 cup honey

-6 basil leaves chopped

-1/4 tsp Cheyenne pepper (in the summer I throw 1 jalapeno in the Vitamix along with the tomatoes)

salt, pepper, oregano, thyme,rosemary to taste

In sauce pan heat up oil.   Throw in a piece of onion, if it sizzles it's ready.   Throw in the rest of onion and garlic.  Saute until onions are softened up.   Add your tomatoes until boil.   Add honey, basil, cheyenne.   Bring to a simmer.    Add the rest of the ingredients.   You can serve it like that or you can cook it down.   I usually simmer mine on the lowest heat for 3 hours.  The longer you simmer the thicker and sweeter it gets.  It's so yummy.   

You can use it for everything.  We use it for pasta, pizza, lasagna and I freeze it.

Here's my Lasagna featuring my yummy sauce. There's a layer of eggplant (from my garden) in the Lasagna.

Elderberry Syrup Tutorial

I'm finally getting around to doing the Elderberry Syrup Tutorial.   I love Elderberry Syrup, it's a great immune booster, plus it's great on pancakes!!   It is suggested to take 1 tsp daily from October to April and if sick take 3 tsp. a day.   If you suspect you have H1N1 then you may want to stop the Elderberry because some research suggests that it could cause a cytokine storm.  Just stop the use of Elderberry and start again when you are well.
Ok now to the Tutorial.
You will need:  2 oz of elderberries(1/2 cup), 1 cup of water, 1 cup of honey, a pot and a fine strainer, spoon and jar.

 Put the water and the elderberries in a pot.   Bring to a boil.

 Then let it simmer for about 20 mins.  You want to reduce the water by half.

 Sit the strainer over another container and pour the mixture in the strainer.

 With a spoon mash the elderberries down to get all the juice out.

 Next pour in the honey and mix well.

 Pour into a jar and keep in the fridge for about a month.

Enjoy!
Heather

What to do with leftover Scalloped Potatoes.

I really wish I thought to take a picture of what I did with my leftover Scalloped potatoes but I didn't so you'll need to use your imagination.

I made way to many scalloped potatoes for Sunday dinner.    I had planned on making a potato soup this week so I got this bright idea to try using my leftover from Sunday to make my soup.   It worked!!   It was actually the bests Potato Soup I have had.     This is what I did:

Warmed the leftover scalloped potatoes in a pot.
Add milk until desired thickness.
Shred carrots into pot.
Add some peas.
Bring to a boil.
Turn down and simmer for as long as you want.
Before serving crumble in some bacon and add some sour cream.

I served with homemade dinner rolls.   It was very very yummy and my scalloped potatoes didn't go to waste.   I'll be making to many more often now.

Chocolate chip pumpkin muffins

These are so yummy!  You'll love them.  We like using fresh pumpkin but you can use canned also.  If you want to use fresh pumpkin but do not know how I'll tell you.   Take a small sugar pumpkin.  Cut off the top.  Take out the seeds and pulp.   Wrap in foil. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.   Scrape the inside out.   

Now for the good stuff.  You will need:

• 4 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 16 oz pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1c vegetable oil , I use olive oil
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
•  1/4 teaspoon clove
•  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.  I like fresh ground
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bag semi dark chocolate chips 

I mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.   Then in my stand mixer I blend the eggs, oil and sugar for a couple minutes.   Then I add the pumpkin, then the vanilla.  Continue to beat until well mixed.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients.     Fold in chocolate chips.

Then put in your lined muffin pans and bake for 20 mins at 375.

Enjoy,

♥Heather