Category Archives: recipe

grains, meats

One Pot Beef Stroganoff

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This is an amazing recipe creation and so satisfying to the tastebuds! 😀 I created this recipe based off of this one and it turned out fabulous! It is rich even though it doesn’t have the same creamy texture as the recipe mom used to use with sour cream. This recipe uses coconut milk and is still very rich in flavor! I made it in a covered skillet on the stove and it worked out very well! One recipe serves 4-6, depending on the serving size.

Ingredients:

1 (28 ounce) can of Keystone Beef, drained (reserve the broth in a separate container)

1/2 large onion chopped

1 & 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

8 ounce package of fresh mushrooms, rinsed well

1 & 1/4 cup beef broth

1/4 cup Bragg liquid aminos

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 cup coconut milk ( I use Thai Kitchen, full fat)

3 tablespoons tapioca starch

2 tablespoons water

salt and pepper to taste (needs very little if you use liquid aminos)

In a skillet or pan that you can cover, saute the  onions and the garlic powder in 2 tablespoons of olive oil till tender crisp. In a separate container, mix the reserved broth (about 1 cup) and 1/4 cup more of beef broth to make 1 & 1/4 cup. Add the ACV, liquid aminos and onion powder. Pour over the onions in the pan. Add beef (chopped up) and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Beef stroganoff
Beef stroganoff

In another bowl, mix together the tapioca starch and water. Stir well till it is smooth. Set aside. Shake the can of coconut milk really well. Open and pour out 1/2 cup. After the 10 minutes, slowly stir in the coconut milk, then the tapioca starch. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes till thickened, stirring every so often.

Beef Stroganoff
Beef Stroganoff

Serve over cooked brown rice, cauliflower rice, steamed spaghetti squash or zoodles (shredded zucchini).

YUM! 😀

Please share which base you preferred using to pour this over! I’d love to hear your comments!

~Coach Shannon

breakfast

Breakfast Quiche

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Quiche

By: Shannon Walker, LPN, NS, CHHC

6 eggs

1/4 cup almond milk

1/3 cup original classic hummus

one good handful of fresh spinach

1 (4 ounce) can of mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup chopped meat (your choice)

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

dried basil, dill weed, garlic salt to taste

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the milk. Chop up the fresh spinach and add this and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix well to incorporate the hummus. Grease a 9-inch pie plate and pour egg mixture in. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or till egg is “set” in the middle and is baked.

Serve with love and laughter! Enjoy! 🙂

holidays, soup

Homemade Tomato Soup

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Homemade Tomato Soup
Homemade Tomato Soup

By: Shannon Walker, LPN, NS, CHHC

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Salt Free Seasoning Blend

2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup of butter

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

2 pints of canned tomatoes, with the juice

2 cans diced Italian tomatoes, with the juice

Saute the onions, carrots, Mrs. Dash and dried herbs in the butter till vegetables are tender crisp. Pour in the cans and pints of tomatoes. Cook on medium to high till  vegetables are tender. Use an immersion blender to mince the tomatoes and carrots till soup is in smaller pieces. Continue cooking 10-15 minutes longer. Serve with toasted cheese sandwiches in homemade wheat bread! 🙂 YUM!

recipe, vegetables

Vegetable Pizza with Zucchini Crust

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Here is a new twist on veggie pizza! I just made this over last weekend and it was a success! I suggest eating it in the first day or two… 3 days it is a little mushy and no longer looks as appetizing. 😀 Haha!

Vegetable Pizza with Zucchini Crust

Veggie Pizza

(I doubled the recipe to make it fit this jelly roll pan)

4 cups shredded raw zucchini

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg beaten well

1 TBSP nutritional yeast

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shred the zucchini and sprinkle salt over it. Mix well. Let it sit a few minutes. Pour the beaten egg over it and mix well. Add nutritional yeast and mix well. Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish and spread it out thinly. Bake for 20-30 minutes or till the zucchini looks a little toasted and the crust has “set up”. (Baking time may vary depending on your oven). Let crust cool while you make a batch of Homemade Hummus.

Filling: Homemade Hummus or prepared pesto.

When crust is cooled, spread with 1/2 -2/3 cup of hummus. It should be 1/4 inch thick or a little more.  In the picture above, I used half hummus and a 5 ounce jar of prepared pesto. So you will only need a half jar (2.5 ounces) of pesto for this recipe!

Topping: Half a bag of shredded Power Blend Superfoods or 5 ounces of your own chopped veggies. Sprinkle over the hummus and press the raw veggies down a little to make them stick better.

Superfood Blend

Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers and eat the next day.

Cheers to a new recipe! 🙂

~Coach Shannon

holidays, vegetables

Mashed sweet potatoes

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20161130_164101

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

You might be wondering why the dish above is empty… That’s because these sweet potatoes were so yummy I didn’t get a picture before I ate them! 😀 Ha! But it’s a super simple recipe with 4 ingredients!

5-6 medium sweet potatoes

1 TBSP butter

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more if desired)

Wash the sweet potatoes, cut out bad spots & cut the ends off a little. Prick each tator with a fork in several different places. Wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or hour & a half. Take them out and unwrap to poke with a knife and see if they are cooked through.

Peel the sweet potatoes while warm, then place in a bowl and mash with a fork or with the hand mixer. Add the butter, salt and cinnamon. Blend well.

Eat while hot. Don’t expect leftovers! 😀

coaching, drinks

Homemade Vanilla Coffee Creamer

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Coffee

Coffee… what’s not to love? It is something to look forward to each morning, or it is something to wrap your hands around as you and a friend talk out the problems in your worlds. The fragrance is soothing to many, the taste is something acquired. It can be bitter or sweet or semi-sweet. It can range in many flavors, colors and tastes.

One taste many people have acquired is having a flavored creamer in their cup of dark brew. These come in many different choices too.  I tried to google “How many different coffee creamer flavors are available?” but only got recipes and not a statistic! 🙂 I suppose there are as many flavors available as there are people! Ha! 😀

Here are the ingredients from Coffee Mate Creamer- Water, Corn Syrup Solids, Vegetable Oil (High Oleic Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed), and Less than 2% of Sodium Caseinate (a Milk Derivative)**, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Artificial Flavor, Carrageenan. **Not a source of lactose.     Seriously, who would want to drink processed ingredients like that when homemade is so much better and just as easy to make??

I was looking to make my own, and found a recipe on the side of a Watkins vanilla box!  20161021_184259

I decided to concoct my own with the ingredients I already had. Here is the recipe I created:

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Vanilla creamer

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

Mix in a pint Mason jar and put in a shaker ball (from your shaker bottle). Screw the lid on tight and shake till blended.

I want to try it with coconut milk sometime and maybe add in some cocoa powder. Or try it with peppermint extract and cocoa. So many possibilities of flavors and KNOWING what you are putting into your body!

You might wonder how I made the lid? 🙂 Just take the old milk carton and draw around a Ball canning lid, then cut to fit! I found this idea in a video on Facebook and it has worked amazingly well! These lids will work for children who like Cheerios and you don’t want them spilling the entire snack jar onto the floor! 😀

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Here are some websites of other homemade flavored recipes!

Over 2 dozen flavors  and 10 ways to flavor your coffee without buying flavored coffee

Have fun concocting your own recipes and let me know what works for you! 😀

~Coach Shannon

desserts

Creamy Pumpkin Pie

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20161005_123828
homemade pumpkin pie

Tis the season for all things pumpkin! 🙂 Try this recipe- even if you don’t like pumpkin pie. It is very mild in pumpkin flavor since each pie only has a half cup.  I also do not suggest adding dough leaves to the middle of your pie like I did. It did not set up as well, but if you want to add the decor, roll the dough thinner. 😉  What ways are you enjoying pumpkin this year?  Enjoy this delicious recipe! 😀

PIE CRUST

Make a pie crust: 1  cup white flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), 1 pinch salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup water.

Blend together the flour and butter with a pastry fork till it is crumbly. Mix the egg and water together, then pour over the flour. Mix with a sturdy spoon till stiff and blended. Put dough on a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. You might have to add a little more flour. Divide into two balls, then roll out into two crusts to fit your two 9-inch pans. Flute the edges as desired. Set aside.

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE

1 cup pumpkin

1 cup Thai Kitchen unsweetened (full fat) coconut milk

1 cup almond milk

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 eggs

Blend pumpkin and half of the milk in the blender til very smooth and creamy. Add rest of ingredients: blend till smooth. Pour into two prepared unbaked 9-inch pie shells. Bake at 375 degrees until pies are set up- about 40 minutes depending on your oven.  Serve with whipped coconut cream.

WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM

1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened (full fat) coconut milk

1-2 TBSP white sugar (or to taste)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  1. Refrigerate can of coconut milk, 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Place metal mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator or freezer 1 hour before making whipped cream.
  3. Open can of coconut milk, taking care not to shake it. Scoop coconut cream solids into cold mixing bowl. Reserve remaining liquid for another use.
  4. Beat coconut cream using electric mixer with chilled beaters on medium speed; turn to high speed. Beat until stiff peaks form, 7 to 8 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla extract to coconut cream; beat 1 minute more. Taste and add more sugar if desired.

NOTES: Do not use “lite” coconut milk – it won’t whip. Organic coconut milk offers the best consistency. I have had the best success with Native Forest(R) or Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value(R) brands. If possible, avoid guar gum as an ingredient, which also inhibits whipping.

Serve immediately. If you must store it, refrigerate in a glass container or Mason jar for up to 3 days. Shake or whisk gently to fluff the cream again before serving.

meats, vegetables

Spaghetti with flair

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Spaghetti With Flair

By: Shannon Beeghley, LPN, NS, CHHC

1 pound of hamburger, thawed

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1  (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste

1/2 to 1 cup water

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 medium slim zucchini, quartered and sliced

Add salt and pepper if desired.

Cooked spaghetti noodles

Fry the hamburger and onion together till the meat is brown. Drain excess fat. In a food processor or blender, put the tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Blend well. Add to the meat. Stir in the garlic powder. Add the celery and zucchini. Add more water if needed. Let simmer on medium heat till the veggies are tender crisp. (or simmer to desired tenderness).

Serve on a bed of cooked zucchini noodles. Top with 2 tablespoons of freshly shredded mozzarella cheese.  YUM!

coaching, vegetables

The wonders of Purslane- your backyard weed

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Purslane 1
Purslane (Portulaca sativa)

One day you are walking out your back door and find a little plant growing up beside the patio. You wonder what it is, and remember you have a book inside that describes plants in your backyard. After getting it and comparing pictures from the book to the real life plant, you decide it is purslane. Reading a bit of the paragraph, you discover some incredible information! Who knew that weeds could be so tasty and full of nutrition? This little powerhouse of nutrition is a necessary ingredient in your salad bowl!

Purslane is usually growing along a building or out in the driveway. It has a slightly juicy yet a tangy taste that is very mild. I found a large plant of it and made several meals from the one plant! Purslane looks like a spread out succulent that has reddish colored stems about the size of a #2 pencil with dark green oval leaves. (The sun was so bright the day I took this picture, you cannot see the red stems!)

Purslane
Purslane

Most people think you have to eat fish, walnuts, avocados etc to get your Omega 3… Well, it turns out that purslane comprises of MORE Omega 3 fatty acids than any other vegetable plant! Herbalist James Duke says that 3.5 ounces of purslane contain 400 mg of ALA. (1)  If you have some chickens in the backyard and feed them some purslane, they will lay eggs with 20 times more omega’s than regular eggs!! 20 times!!! That is a huge inflation! 😀 Munch munch!

Purslane has been used in the herbal world for many things-

  • burns
  • headaches
  • stomach problems
  • intestinal problems
  • boils
  • cough
  • shortness of breath
  • arthritis
  • cardiac tonic
  • muscle relaxant
  • anti-inflammatory
  • diuretic
  • psoriasis
  • osteoporosis
  • eyewash
  • depression
  • urinary tract infections
  • kidney stones
  • hemorrhoids
  • asthma
  • dysentery & bleeding
  • wounds or breast infections

It also helps increase uterine contractions, has antibiotic and anti-fungal properties, kills parasites, treats appendicitis and the American Indians infused the leaves in flaxseed as a liniment for a stiff neck!

CAUTION: Even though purslane has evidence of relaxing muscles and increasing uterine contractions, it should not be used in excess amounts during a pregnancy. (1)

Purslane 3
Purslane in a salad

Purslane is also high in antioxidants, omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, melatonin, glutathione, vitamin A, B, C, E, beta carotene, magnesium (450mg / cup), calcium (2000mg / cup), potassium (8000mg / cup), Co-Q10, and zinc to name a few!! Wow!! 😀

You can see in the photo above, I had chopped some of the leaves and put it in with lettuce, topped it with fresh salsa and blueberries for a sweet crunch. I used a peach vinegar for dressing, but you can eat it with any salad dressing.  It can be used in smoothies, salads, potato salad, soups, stir fry or Asian dishes.

Go search your yard for some purslane and let me know how you use it!

Here’s to your health! ~ Coach Shannon

Resources:

Backyard Pharmacy; Weeds That Heal

vegetables

Garden Zucchini Pizza

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Do you have lots of zucchini from your garden? There are so many ways to fix them! 🙂 How are you using up your zucchini?  Here is a fun pizza recipe!

zucchini

4 cups zucchini, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs; beaten

1 pound hamburger

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 cup pizza sauce

Mix the zucchini and salt; let stand 10 min. Add 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese and the beaten eggs. Press into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Bake 20 min at 350 degrees. Brown meat and onion; drain off the grease. Stir pizza sauce in with the meat and onion, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and spread on the zucchini crust. Top with remaining cheeses and bake 20 min at 350 degrees.

Variation: You may add 1 cup chopped green peppers and 1 cup sliced mushrooms or any other vegetables to the top of meat before baking.

**Total baking time 40 minutes. Serves 10-12 people

Enjoy! 🙂 ~Coach Shannon