Orange Julius

I'm doing the Daniel Fast again so I've pretty much been living on smoothies.  I passed by orange Julius in the mall this weekend and thought I might be able to make a pretty reasonable knock off.

You'll need:

Juice of 2 navel oranges (plus a little pulp)

1 c. ice

Desired amount of coconut milk (about 1/4 c.)

Combine all in a blender and enjoy.  You may want to add vanilla or honey if you like but the oranges are plenty sweet for my taste.

Natural Treatment and Prevention for Head Lice

We made the dreaded discovery several weeks ago, one of the children had head lice.  After choking back the urge to lose my dinner, we got to work getting rid of them and ensuring that they do not return.

There is a common misconception that pesticides are needed to treat a child's head to kill the lice and that toys must be bagged and life as you know it just stands still for 6 weeks.  Not true!  You can be done with lice in 48 hours if you treat it quickly and thoroughly.

Upon discovering the critters, everyone in the home received a tea tree oil shampoo treatment.  This involves wetting the hair, then use about 2-3 times more shampoo than you would normally use.  Thoroughly cover the head with a good lather.  Let that sit on your head for about 15 minutes.  This will kill all of the lice and their eggs as well as repel new lice from infesting.  Rinse your hair and remove any lice that you find.

Your next step is to wash all of the laundry including sheets in warm water and dry in the dryer.

Finally, fill a 16-24 oz. spray bottle with water and add 1-2 drops of tea tree oil per oz. of water to the bottle.  Shake the solution well.  Spray hair brushes, mattresses, pets, pillows, furniture (especially couches at the head level), etc. with this solution.  Spray the solution on surfaces, pets and the family members hair several times daily for a few days or until you are sure that the lice are gone.  This spray can be used as a preventative, but I prefer to buy a good quality leave in conditioner and add 5-10 drops of tea tree oil to the bottle and use daily.

The Kids Are Fighting Like Cats and Dogs

Summer is in full swing and the kids are fighting like animals!  My favorite homeopathic solution for this is Natures Sunshine's "Calming Homeopathic."  Just 3-5 drops under the tongue every few hours as needed makes for a more manageable day and better moods.  Calming Homeopathic is also good for kids who are fighting sleep, are irritable, moody, disobedient, grumpy...anything less than the happy, delightful children you know and love.

Rice, Chickpeas and Kale with Pineapple Salsa

This was from the Jan/Feb 2011 Vegetarian Times, but as usual, I adapted it.

1 tsp. oil
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 c. cooked chickpeas
3/4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. white basmati rice
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1 bunch kale, chopped

Saute the onion in the oil for 3-5 minutes.  Add the broth, rice, chickpeas and seasoning.  Give it a quick stir.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  In a large pot add the kale and a splash of water.  Wilt the kale over medium heat while the rice is cooking.  Be careful not to burn it.  (Next time I may saute the kale and onions together instead of putting the onions in the rice.)

For the salsa:
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c. mint or cilantro leaves chopped
1 tbsp. lime zest
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. agave, honey or sugar

Combine all in a bowl and set aside.

To assemble, combine rice and kale or layer the rice on top of the kale.  Top with pineapple salsa and dash with salt and pepper.

20 Minute Meal

Feta Stuffed Chicken with Balsamic Reduction, Roasted Asparagus, Herbed Couscous, long name, quick fix.  A nice salad of romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, grated carrots and Italian dressing would round this meal out nicely.

Feta Stuffed Chicken
4 chicken breasts
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp. dried oregano
generous dashes of salt and pepper
Coconut oil

Balsamic Reduction
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

Roasted Asparagus
1 bundle of asparagus, rinsed and broken at it's weakest point
salt and pepper
olive oil spray

Herbed Couscous
1 c. chicken broth, I like a little bit more than 1 c. for a wetter couscous
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1-2 tbsp. coconut oil
1 c. couscous

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and get a cast iron skillet preheating on medium.  Gather everything and prepare it before starting.

Combine the feta and oregano in a bowl.  Cut a slit in the thickest part of the chicken breast.  Stuff 1/4 of the feta mixture in each breast.  Generously dash the tops of the chicken with salt and pepper.  Place carefully into a screaming hot cast iron skillet (on medium heat).  Cook on each side for 5-7 minutes.  Only turn once, oiling the chicken before flipping.

Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray.  Arrange the asparagus on the sheet and spray again with oil.  Generously dash with salt and pepper.  Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

For the herbed couscous (you should have the chicken and asparagus going at this point), get the chicken broth, oil and herbs boiling in a small pot.  Add the couscous, mix quickly with a fork.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let rest at least 5 minutes covered.

For the balsamic reduction, after removing the chicken from the pan, while the pan is still over medium heat, add the chicken broth and vinegar with a little more oil if needed.  Whisk constantly until it is reduced and thickened.  Taste carefully with a spoon before removing from heat.

Buttery Biscuits In Under 15 Minutes

My corned beef had 8 minutes left to cook when I remembered that I had wanted to make rolls, corn bread or biscuits to go with it tonight.  I chose biscuits because they are SO fast, especially if you are all about the flavor and not so much about the looks.  Although...if you ask me, they look as good as they taste.

This is a tried and true Betty Crocker recipe (Baking Powder Bisuits).

2 c. flour (can use whole wheat)
1 tbsp. sugar (I used turbinado)
3 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. shortening (I use butter or coconut oil)
3/4 c. milk (I use raw cow's milk)

Preheat oven to 450*F.  Combine all but the milk in a large bowl.  Mash together with your hands until it resembles bread crumbs.  Add the milk and mix again with your hands to form a large ball.  Use a spoon or your hand to grab chunks of the dough.  Roll them in your hands and press each biscuit down onto a greased cookie sheet.  You can make these as big or small as you like.  They can touch while baking for a pull-apart effect or you can separate them for a golden edge all the way around.  I made 9 big ones.  The original recipe says it makes 12.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

By the time I put these in the oven and set the timer, I still had time to grab a platter, slice the corned beef and lay it all pretty over my root veggies and cabbage and set the table.  It worked out perfectly!

Fermenting Salsa, Pickles and Pears

Getting whey is very simple.  Just turn out a tub of good yogurt (preferably home made from raw cows milk, but Greek yogurt from the store is very good too) into a strainer lined with linen and let sit for a few hours (for home made) or longer for the store bought in the refrigerator.  It will look like this:

After it has strained transfer to separate containers.  The yogurt, if home made, is now the consistency of store bought yogurt.  If it is store bought, it will be about like cream cheese or even a fresh mozzarella ball.

You will use some of the whey to create these delicious snacks.

Cultured Salsa (I got the first 2 from my friend Kelly who emailed it from a blog)

4 medium tomatoes

2 small onions

1-2 green bell peppers, seeded

1 jalapeno, seeded

1 bunch, cilantro

juice of 2 lemons

(I added 3 cloves garlic)

1 tbsp. sea salt

4 tbsp. whey

1/4 c. pure water

Garlic Dill Cucumbers

4-5 pickling cucumbers (I used 2 normal cucumbers)

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. fresh dill

1/8 tsp. red pepper flake

1 tbsp. sea salt

4 tbsp. whey

1-2 clean grape leaves for crunch (I left this out)

1 c. filtered water

Pear Chutney (From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, "Fruit Chutney")

3 c. fresh pears

1/2 c. pure water

rind of 2 lemons

juice of 2 lemons

1/8 c. rapadura (I used turbanado)

2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 c. whey

1/2 c. pecans (I left this out)

1/2 c. raisins

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (I used 1/8 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. dried peppercorn

1/2 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. fennel seed

1 tsp. coriander seed

Directions for all:  Wash all ingredients and utensils well.  Wash your hands well too.

Mince all veggies to the desired consistency.  Press down into a wide mouthed quart sized jar (with wood or plastic spoon).  Add water to cover.  Leave 1-2" head space.  Cover and leave at room temperature for 2-3 days.  Move to refrigerator.