Breakfast

Whole Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Fall is here and it's time for all things Pumpkin.  These muffins are some of my favorites. I have been making these for years and they bring back so many memories of baking days with my kids when they were all living at home.  I am still making them for the last of the 5 kiddos and he loves them. This recipe initially came from the blog, Money Saving Mom, and I have tweaked it over the years to make them more nutrient dense.  They are both a treat and a healthy snack.  These are not difficult so give them a try.  Great way to celebrate a fall morning with a cup of coffee or tea. Ingredients: (makes 24-30 muffins) 4 eggs 1 cup raw cane sugar 3/4 cup coconut sugar 1 16oz. can pumpkin puree 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 3/4 cup avocado oil 3 cups Whole Wheat, Spelt or Kamut flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 package chocolate chips   Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Spray muffin tins with baking oil (I use coconut or avocado oil spray) or use paper liners. 3. Using a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until well blended. 4. Add the dry ingredients and blend well. 5. Add chocolate chips and stir in gently. 6. Fill muffins cups 3/4 of the way full. 7. Bake for 16-20 minutes. 8. Remove from muffin pan and [...]
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Mediterranean Sausage and Goat Cheese Frittata

  I think this might be one of my favorite brunch dishes but it is also a great supper alongside a green salad.  Eggs are so protein dense and such a complete protein.  Egg yolks also contain choline which is an important nutrient that detoxifies the liver, which is an important step in hormone balance. It is hard for me to understand why we divide this complete and nutrient dense food and put the slimy whites in a carton and call that healthy. That doesn’t seem like a whole food to me.  Sorry, but I really get upset with what these companies do to our food, claiming it is health food and charging double the price when half of the nutrition is missing.  If you want more information on the health benefits of eggs, Dr. Axe has a really great detailed article.  It is definitely educating and well worth the read. Eggs are a fairly inexpensive protein and are absolutely delicious.  Now, I do recommend Organic and Free Range Eggs. They are so much more nutrient dense than their mass-produced, supermarket counterparts.  I buy mine from a local farm and the egg yolks are a beautiful orange and have the very best flavor.     The sausage I use in this dish is also from a local Virginia Farm as well.  Riven Rock Farm raises some of the most flavorful beef, pork and lamb of any that I have tasted.  Pastured pork is leaner than mass raised pork and has unbelievable […]

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Herb Baked Eggs

Eggs are one of my all around favorite sources of protein. This one food is a complete protein, a healthy fat and packed with amino acids. The egg yolk, besides tasting delicious, is also full of choline which is a methylator and great at removing unwanted xeno-estrogens from the liver. Which is just one reason among many why I do not believe in leaving out the yolk and eating only the egg white; egg yolks do tremendous things for balancing your hormones! So, eat up and embrace all the delicious ways you can cook with this diverse food. I enjoy them hard boiled on a salad at times, but baked eggs are my absolute favorite. Below is an easy and quick recipe for baked eggs. You can easily throw this together for a little brunch or, for a light dinner, with a green side salad.   Ingredients: 1 T butter, melted ½ C heavy cream 1 large clove of garlic, minced 1 ½ oz ham, finely chopped 1 ½ oz gruyère cheese, finely chopped 4 eggs 1 T finely chopped herbs (I use thyme and parsley)   Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 200˚C (400˚F/Gas 6) and put a baking tray on the top shelf. 2. Grease 4 ramekins with the melted butter. 3. Pour half the cream into the ramekins and then put a quarter of the garlic, ham and cheese into each. 4. Break an egg into each ramekin. 5. Mix the remaining cream with the herbs and pour […]

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Susan’s Maple Walnut Granola

This granola has been a long-standing family favorite. I’ve been making it for years and often get asked for the recipe. It tastes way better than any store-bought granola, with much less added sugar. Making your own granola can really save you money as well. Why buy an expensive box when you can make your own and fill it with goodness? Oats are very good for balancing hormones; they help the body build up progesterone and testosterone, which balances out estrogen, which is much needed if you are estrogen dominant. Also, I just need to tell you what I’ve learned about chia seeds over the years.These little guys are an amazing superfood! Per ounce, they have more Omega-3s than salmon, 11 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. As if that wasn’t enough, they are loaded with antioxidants and calcium and help feed the good bacteria in your gut. Amazing! All the ingredients in this granola provide sustainable energy and won’t give you a sugar crash. Also, it’s very yummy, I call that a win. Please enjoy this family favorite and all the goodness that comes with it! Ingredients: 4 cups old-fashioned oats ½ cup unsweetened coconut ½ cup walnuts 3 TBS. hemp seed 2 TBS. chia seeds 1 stick of salted grass-fed butter ⅓ cup olive oil ⅓ cup maple syrup ⅓ cup coconut sugar ½ tsp. sea salt 3 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Combine oats, coconut, walnuts, hemp […]

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Homemade Yogurt

I love making yogurt at home! Buying high-quality yogurt at the grocery store is expensive and its much more cost effective to make it myself. Plus yogurt at the store is more processed, they have to in order to make it stable for transportation and to sit on the shelves for a little while. As many of you know, I really enjoy the simplicity of making these things on my own but I encourage my friends and clients to start where you can and work from there. You’ll be surprised, like I was, that many things you buy are easier to make than you think! I invested in a yogurt maker for $35 and it has been worth every penny! I also know that the Instant Pot, which is all the rage right now, can do this function as well.  Yogurt is easier on the digestive system than other forms of dairy as it contains lactobacillus acidophilus which helps replenish healthy gut flora. Having healthy gut means you have a healthy immune system that can fight off invaders like bad bacteria. The process of making yogurt also naturally breaks down lactose and pre-digests casein, which can cause gut disturbances. If you are allergic to milk, give homemade yogurt a try as its all around much easier to digest. Many people who are lactose intolerant have no trouble with homemade yogurt. I love to have this for breakfast topped with in-season fruit, nuts and my granola. Yummm.  Here’s what you’ll need:  A half gallon of raw whole […]

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Sourdough Bread

I enjoy making homemade bread from time to time. It’s not something I do every week but I probably make it about once a month. I’ve been tweaking this sourdough bread recipe for many years. Sourdough bread is fairly simple once you get the hang of it. A little note, you will need a sourdough bread starter, which I also have a recipe for and will post later this week. The starter recipe is not complicated but makes more sense if you already have a bread recipe to refer back to. I like sourdough bread because it’s much easier to digest than other forms of homemade bread. Sourdough has higher quantities of lactobacillus than other bread, which, you may remember, is the same type of probiotic found in yogurt. This is in the raw dough and doesn’t actually make it through the baking process, however, it does leave behind lactic acid. Lactic acid helps balance out phytic acid, which is found in lots of bread and inhibits the absorption of other nutrients. The lactic acid helps to make sure that the phytic acid is in balance and your body can digest the bread more effectively. Another note on lactic acid, it makes this bread naturally lower on the glycemic index. Overall, if you feel bloated after eating bread, then you may feel much better with a little homemade sourdough. I also like to add flax seed to this recipe. You all know how I feel about flax! Its such a […]

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Homemade Greek Yogurt

I wanted to do this as a separate post especially because this is such a popular style of yogurt!  I love the flavor of my homemade so much better than the store bought and besides, it is remarkably cheaper. First of all, if you haven’t read the post on homemade yogurt, that is the perfect place to start. Greek yogurt is a secondary process once you have made a batch of your own regular yogurt. This process produces a thicker, creamier yogurt which I personally use to replace sour cream or cream cheese.  The longer you allow it to strain, the thicker it will be. Directions: 1. Set a strainer over a bowl lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth or a greek yogurt strainer.  They carry this brand at Kitchen and Company and can also be used to make yogurt cheese. 2.  Empty your homemade yogurt into the strainer and cover 3. Let sit until it is as thick as you want it. I usually let mine sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.  It comes out thick and creamy.  4. What you will have left in the bottom is the whey. When strained, it will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator and can be added to your smoothies, used to make sauerkraut and sourdough bread. Eat up and enjoy your greek yogurt! I use it as a sour cream replacement and also on its own as a filling breakfast or snack. I top with my homemade granola, fresh fruit and raw honey!    Enjoy!!

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Grain-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

It’s Pumpkin Season!!!! These muffins are delicious and turned out perfectly the first time which is great for me because I am not a baker!! My husband loves them as well so that’s a win for me:) I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and modified it just a tad. The first batch I made I added half a teaspoon baking powder for extra plumpness but that’s all I changed. The second batch, I tried coconut oil instead of olive oil and also added half a teaspoon of cinnamon. They were perfection! Enjoy one on a crisp morning with your best cup of coffee. Happy Fall!!!   Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree 3 eggs ½ cup maple syrup ⅓ cup olive oil or coconut oil, warmed 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice ½ tsp. sea salt ¼ cup coconut flour 1 ½ cups almond meal (blanched preferably) ½ tsp. baking soda ½ cup chocolate chips or a 3.5oz. dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped raw pepitas/pumpkin seeds for garnish, optional   Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 360′ and grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or use liners. 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, maple, oil, pumpkin pie spice and salt and whisk really well to combine. You want to get some air up in there. 3. Add the coconut flour and mix. Let that sit a minute to absorb some moisture. Add the almond meal, baking soda and stir again to mix. Add the chocolate […]

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Tim’s Grits Recipe

This is a very old and simple recipe that is rustic and delicious. It also happens to be our traditional Gleeson Family Christmas morning breakfast! This German, hearty man’s breakfast is originally called “goetta” but my husband’s Grandma Rena called them “Grits”. Tim has carried on the tradition and makes them for us every Christmas morning.   It is a mixture of onions, pork, and steel cut oatmeal which we then form into patties and fry them up in a cast iron skillet until crispy.  It is topped with a fried egg and is absolutely amazing. This complete breakfast is filled with protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.  Don’t judge this recipe until you have tried it… I promise that you will not be disappointed!!! Ingredients: 3 lb. pork shoulder 2¼ C steel cut oats (about 3/4 C dry oats per lb. of meat) 2 medium onions salt and pepper to taste Note: This recipe makes approximately 15 servings, most people will want more than one!     Directions:  1. Cook meat in salted water (about 1 TBS. of salt in the water) for about 2-2 ½ hours until meat is done and shreddable. The water should cover the meat.  2. Take meat out of the water and let cool. 3. Bring the leftover water from the meat to a boil and add the steel cut oatmeal.  Cook very slowly for about an hour. While that is cooking, grind the meat in a food processor with the onions.    4. When the oatmeal is fully cooked, mix […]

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French Omelette

I am going to be completely honest here, I am not the best omelette maker in my household…my husband is!!  He has the patience to make sure the omelette is silky smooth and melts in your mouth. This is one of my favorite style of omelettes to eat because it is literally like silk going down.  I love some added cheese, chives or sliced avocado. Perfection!! This recipe also is a great source of protein, read my blog on protein here.    Ingredients: 2 eggs 1 T butter 1 T chopped chives salt and pepper to taste Makes one omelette Optional: shredded cheese, sliced avocado       Directions: 1. For an evenly cooked omelette, you need smooth eggs. Whisk to incorporate the whites and yolks for an even mixture with no white strands or pieces of yolk floating around.   Use a ceramic nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet pan. Nothing is more important to achieving the perfect roll than using a nonstick pan. 3. Start your pan on medium to medium-low heat.  Lower heat is key here because when you add butter to the pan, it shouldn’t make a sound, (that means no immediate sizzling or foaming.) Instead, you want the butter to gently melt into the skillet. When you start to see a few little butter bubbles, add the eggs. You should not hear a sizzle when the eggs hit the pan. Make sure to season the eggs once they are in the skillet. A little sea salt […]

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