Strawberry Dressing

STRAWBERRY DRESSING   makes about 1 1/4 cup

1 cup washed, trimmed, organic Strawberry halves
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBSP Organic Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 TSP ground organic ginger
1/4 TSP Sea Salt
2 TBSP organic raw honey  (or leave this out if your berries are sweet)

• Combine ingredients in a bowl. 
• Using a blender or immersion blender, process until smooth.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds.

NOTE:  Substitute Raspberries for Strawberries

Weekly Dinner Menu 3

Weekly Dinner Menu 3  (organic green beans and collard greens were on sale!)

• Meatballs, collard greens, spinach and strawberry salad with homemade raspberry dressing, baked carrot fries
• Chicken breast (cooked in crockpot while making chicken bone broth) dip in No Tomato sauce, baked carrot fries with cinnamon,  green beans
• Chicken Spinach & Carrot Soup  cucumber rolls with smashed avocado and carrots sticks
• Stir fry London Broil with broccoli, onions, spinach, carrots, zucchini, squash
• Chicken breast, caramelized onions, green beans, sautéed squash
•  Homemade Chicken/Vegetable patties with butternut squash medallions and salad
•  Sauteed shrimp in olive oil, spinach salad with strawberries, leftover butternut squash medallions

Coconut Is Not My Friend...

I have been doing so well on the anti inflammatory diet.  My stomach pain, diarrhea and bloating has been minimal.  I was actually leaving the house not fearful of needing a bathroom ASAP.  I had more energy and the mysterious pain in my feet, knees and shoulders were gone!  Then I got the big idea to try a new recipe ...

I made these amazing Coconut Macaroons.  They were so easy and delicious.   Then the bloating and cramping started and by 4 am I was in misery, pooping my brains out for the next 20 hours. I haven't had a reaction like this in a very long time.  Then two days in bed.  Three days later, I am still not feeling good...stomach gurgling, bloated, no appetite, no energy and a headache.  I am pretty sure I may never eat shredded coconut again.  I may still give coconut concentrate and coconut oil a try later on down the road, but for now no coconut for me.

Digestive Problems from Coconut

What I Am Eating

BREAKFAST:
 1 cup warm water with Cinnamon and Lemon when I first wake up
 1 cup homemade chicken broth I drink this before eating

  3 slices bacon, Maverick uncured no sugar
  1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny sautéed with
  1 Vidalia onion in 1 TSP coconut oil

SNACK:
  1 organic banana, slightly green
  5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 
LUNCH:
  1 pouch of Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
  1 organic summer squash sautéed  in olive oil
  1 Orange

DINNER:
Meatballs
Collard Greens with Caramelized Onions
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Dressing

SNACK:
 5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 1/4 cup Organic Cranberry Juice mixed with 1/4 cup Organic Concord Grape Juice over crushed ice

 1 cup warm water with Cinnamon, Lemon and honey an hour before bed

Lemon Honey and Cinnamon for Weight Loss

Three of my favorite flavors might actually be beneficial for weight loss.  Lemon, honey and cinnamon can help with weight loss.  Too bad I didn't take Richard Simmons advice, way back in the 80's, and start each morning with a glass of warm lemon water instead of coffee.  I remember trying it, but after adding a huge spoonful of sugar, pretty sure it didn't help me very much! 

For me, this has been a much healthier option than taking appetite suppressants and shots for weight loss.  Believe me, I have already been down that road and it was great for getting the weight off in a hurry, which I think is great, but did nothing for keeping the weight off long term!  I am hoping for long term weight management and getting my guts healthy for overall health.  So until I find out otherwise, this is the healthiest option for me in my opinion. 

I squeeze a lemon every morning and get about 4 tablespoons of juice from it.  I use one tablespoon each morning and evening in my lemon and cinnamon tea.  The remaining two tablespoons I add to my filtered drinking water.  Lemon increases metabolism and has Vitamin C and folate as well as phytonutrients, with antioxidants and antibiotic effects.

Cinnamon is a good source of manganese, fiber and calcium plus blood sugar control.  Cinnamon helps with anti clotting by keeping platelets from unwanted clumping.  It is also beneficial for regulating blood sugar levels by slowing the rate the stomach empties which keeps blood sugar from rising and dropping too quickly as well as helps the cells respond to insulin which helps keep blood sugar levels normal.

Honey has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. But the quality of the honey is so important.  Try to buy local raw honey from reputable sellers.  Or buy organic raw honey.  If I had some property, I would find a bee keeper and let him use my land and he could pay me in honey!  Or maybe the hubs would learn how to become a bee keeper LOL!!  Maybe I need to check into that. 

LEMON HONEY AND CINNAMON TEA  makes 1 cup

1 TSP  organic ground Cinnamon or use Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks
1 TBSP organic raw Honey (optional)
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup hot water

• Pour hot water over cinnamon and let steep, covered, about 5 minutes.  Strain through a fine mesh coffee / tea filter if you don't like the texture as cinnamon doesn't mix very well with water.  Or use cinnamon sticks.
• After cinnamon has steeped 5 minutes, add honey and lemon just before drinking.  Stir well.
• Drink every morning and about an hour before bed.

Breakfast Patties

I decided to make breakfast sausage with a mixture of ground chicken and beef.  I mixed the two meats because I accidentally thawed chicken instead of beef.  I was actually impressed with the flavor, but totally grossed out trying to mix the meat...next time I am doing it in the mixer not by hand.  YUCK!  The hubs was making meatballs and I was too impatient to wait.  If you don't love the flavor of cloves, like I do, you might want to reduce the cloves to 1/4 teaspoon.

Breakfast Patties  makes 6

1/2 pound grass fed ground beef
1/2 pound ground chicken (buy free range when possible)
1 TSP Sea salt
1 TSP ground organic Sage
1 TSP ground organic Thyme
1/2 TSP ground organic Cloves
1-2 TSP olive oil for pan
Optional...1 TSP organic maple syrup to smear on sausage after they are cooked, yes I like syrup on my sausage

Mix well.  Use mixer.
Divide into 6 parts and press into patties.
Cook in olive oil over medium low heat.

Weekly Dinner Menu 2

• Baked Fish (your choice of fish), steamed broccoli and yellow squash with Plantain Flatbread 
• Ground Chicken with home made strawberry sauce on leftover Plantain Flatbread, with sauteed onions and spinach and stir fried squash and carrots
• Meatballs, sweet potato, green beans
• Chicken Spinach & Carrot Soup  cucumber rolls with avocado and carrots
• Stir fry London Broil with broccoli, onions, spinach, carrots, zucchini, squash
• Chicken breast sweet potato with stir fried onions, spinach and carrots
• Smoked Salmon on salad ( romaine lettuce, cucumbers, homemade avocado dressing)