Nearly Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cups in Minutes!

There is one word in my vocabulary that evokes more conflicting emotions than I can number - chocolate. The love-hate relationship I have with chocolate has a plot thick enough to cast an impressive romantic drama. I really do love chocolate, I legitimately enjoy it. I often crave it. I sometimes indulge in it. However, it can also be a huge source of struggle for me. It is, without a doubt, the number one trigger that can lead me to a dangerous place. When you identify that you have an eating disorder, like any addiction, the most effective way to guard yourself from spiraling into an ugly (and sinful) place, it to avoid the source of addiction all together. I have learned about myself that I simply can't handle chocolate. In a few, well structured situations (mostly where there is a limited supply and I'm not alone) I can handle the indulgence. However, I have learned that I am setting myself up for failure if I have it in my house. That said, sometimes you just REALLY want something chocolaty right? Me too, so I've come up with a healthier, safer option that allows me the enjoyment without the risk. These are insanely easy to make and really, really good. I hope you enjoy them!

Nearly Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cups (adapted from a million places, renditions of this recipe are plentiful)

Here's the problem, I always sort of wing this recipe, so quantities will vary from batch to batch. If you desire more (or less) sweetness, adjust the amount of sweetener to your liking!

About 1/4 c coconut oil
About 1/2 c almond or natural peanut butter
About 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably raw cocoa)
About 2 tbsp honey (here's the almost sugar-free part, a little sugar in the honey)
About 2 1/2 - 3 squirts Vanilla Stevia
About 1 tbsp vanilla
(if you want add 2 tbsp real dark chocolate - this will add a little sugar)

*I've played around with flavors too, and would encourage experimentation. I've used orange extract, mint, added instant coffee, coconut extract - all yummy!

Melt all together in a saucepan on low heat until smooth and to taste. Pour into aluminum muffin pan liners. Freeze for as little as 10 minutes or keep in freezer for weeks.

What's for dinner when there's nothing for dinner? Refrigerator dump pizza.

I try to meal plan and most of the time I do a pretty good job. I find that it helps both my sanity and my grocery budget, but every once in a while I run a day or two behind and have to get creative. You know that feeling when it's 5 p.m., everyone is hungry, there's "nothing" in the fridge, and you find yourself standing in the kitchen desperately in need of inspiration and grasping for a dinner idea? That was me last night. Fortunately my desperation produced one of the most successful dinners I've offered my family and will definitely be a frequent "go-to" meal! When I have NO idea of what to make I usually start by inventorying what I DO have. Last night I had loads of veggies that were on the verge of going bad, so I started there. I didn't want to waste them. I also realized that I had a frozen gluten-free (vegan) pizza crust in the freezer from months ago (www.outsidethebreadbox.com) and a leftover chicken breast. Viola - inspiration! Sometimes it's when there's "nothing" for dinner, that you enjoy your greatest cooking triumphs! I hope this inspires you to get creative tonight!

Refrigerator Dump Pizza

• Pizza crust (frozen, fresh, whatever you have, get creative)
• I had a TINY bit of left over spaghetti sauce so I mixed that with a healthy portion of hummus and slathered it on the crust - YUMMY!
• Any and all veggies - I literally used any veggie I had that needed to be eaten. I food processed into thin slices broccoli, zucchini, and spinach. (The beautiful thing was there were extras! I tossed those babies into my eggs the next morning!)
• Then topped with a couple Roma tomatoes, fresh basil that was wilting, arugula, and black olives.
• One thinly sliced chicken breast

Make your own refrigerator dump pizza and let me know how it turns out!

The meal that makes my family do the "happy dance" - bison in a blanket!

The happy dance - you know the one - rapid clapping, quick feet, failing of arms, gleeful sounds of approval. Yep, that's the reward I get every time I serve this meal. It's frequently requested, but I sort of hold it as my ace. To give you an idea of how these are enjoyed in my home - this was my husband's requested birthday meal, I've seen my son inhale three of them, and there was once an "incident" over not having enough to go around for breakfast (yes, breakfast). Let me know if they are equally rejoiced over in your home!

Bison in a Blanket

1 package all natural, nitrate free bison hot dogs (from Costco)

Blanket recipe
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup boiling water
6 cups gluten free flour (I usually use a mixture of almond and millet)
2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
1/4 c honey

Soak flax seed in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Mix all dry ingredients, add wet ingredients. Mix well, then kneed until formed into a firm ball (add more flour if it's sticky, you don't want sticky, it will be impossible to roll the hot dogs). Separate small (about 2 or 3 inch) balls and roll them between two pieces of parchment paper to form a tortilla shape. Place one uncooked (but defrosted) bison dog at one end of the dough and roll it up to completely cover it. Secure ends by pushing gaps together. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and crispy to the tap. I served these with carrot fries and a side salad. Enjoy!

Random Inspiration and Why Pomegranates are Like Pregnancy

What's inspiring me this week? Wowing my kids for a $1, protein packed & low sugar "fudge", seaweed for snacks, and pomegranates. Read on....
Inspiration #1: I saw this idea on Pinterest (considering Pinterest Anonymous, do you need it too?). I picked up a tube of glow sticks from the dollar rack at Target, cracked them all and tossed them into the tub while my kids waited for the "surprise" bath night. Oh my successfulness, you would have thought they just saw Santa. Seriously, I may never win Mom of the Year, but these little gems won we Mom of the night! Try it!

Inspiration #2: Low sugar, high protein, yumma-licious fudge.You have no idea how much I wish I could claim this BRILLIANT recipe as my own. I can't, but I can share it with you. It's so easy. I made this today in the time it took my little one to "do his business" - now that's efficient (am I the only one using serious restraint to withhold fudge jokes?). If you can get past that last comment, this gooey concoction is flat delish. Try it too!
(from iseefitpeople-everywhere.blogspot.com)
1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/4 cup Chocolate Protein Powder (I used vanilla)
1/4 cup Natural Peanut Butter (I used almond butter)
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Melt all together in a pan, poured the mixture into 1/4 of the 9×13 glass dish sprayed with a bit of baking spray. Refrigerate several hours. Enjoy!!

Inspiration #3: Seaweed. Yes, seaweed. I am beginning to understand the aptly named snack. Worth checking out. They're an odd experience!

http://www.seasnax.com/

Inspiration #4: Pomegranates. Don't you want to love them? They're gorgeous, healthy, delicious, all things good. I cursed a little under my breath last night as I stood determined to serve my little ones a bowl of juicy seeds. However, as I pried, popped, and dodged squirts of red juice, I realized that they remind me of pregnancy. You forget how much work it is until you're laboring! No matter how much the shiny little brochure tries to convince me that they are easy to prepare, I know better! And yet, somehow every year I experience pomegranate amnesia and buy them again. Like pregnancy I know that at the end there is a sweet, beautiful reward, but there is a LOT of labor first.

What inspired you today?

Caution! This recipe may cause the decking of halls - Gingerbread Waffles!

I am definitely NOT one of those people who skips right past Thanksgiving and starts celebrating Christmas in November (random side note, have you seen the Nordstrom's sign? Love it, Google it if you haven't seen it!). That said, I have been thinking about Christmas morning waffles. Our Christmas morning tradition is a waffle bar. I make homemade waffles and everyone decorates their own with a wide selection of yummy toppings. It's fun. I have been loving all things gingerbread and experimented with these gingerbread waffles yesterday morning to be sure they'd be yummy for the more important Christmas breakfast. Oh man, these were a hit. I should have doubled the recipe. Honestly, I just ate mine plain, nothing on it. I just really liked the flavor. These will definitely be our Christmas morning waffles. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. What are your Christmas morning traditions? I'd love to hear your comments! (Speaking of Christmas, don't forget to send your peeps to my blog, and have them enter your name in the comments section so I can give you $25 for Christmas shopping!)

Gingerbread Waffles

2 c almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 c honey
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground or fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 c almond milk
4 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 eggs (these could be made vegan by subbing 2 tbsp flax with 3 extra tbsp milk, or with applesauce)
3 tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients until well combined and a spreadable batter consistency. Coat waffle iron with non-stick spray and cook per iron instructions. I served these with a little almond butter, sliced strawberries and of course a little pure maple syrup for the kiddos. Enjoy!

I want to give you $25 for Christmas!

I would LOVE to give you a $25 gift card to Target just in time for Christmas shopping! Here's how to get it. If you're enjoying Home Health and Things of Heaven, tell your friends and family about it. Ask them to submit their email address to subscribe by email (not become a follower) and like my Facebook page. Then, after they've subscribed, *be sure to tell them to enter YOUR name in the comments section at the bottom of my blog*. The person who's name appears the most times between now and Thanksgiving Day will get a $25 Target gift card from yours truly. Ready, set, GO!

Quinoa - the seed with a funny name and why you should be eating it!

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah), or in the words of my husband, "Keen-what?!" You may have never heard of this interesting food, or maybe you've heard of it but never tried it. We've been eating Quinoa for years, but I've never explored all of it's possibilities - until recently. The past couple of weeks, I've been experimenting with it more. You can expect to see more Quinoa recipes coming! If you're unfamiliar with it, jump on the Quinoa wagon with me! It's an amazingly nutritious food. Though it's often referred to as a grain (mostly because of how you prepare it), technically, Quinoa is a seed. It's high in protein, calcium and iron, and is considered a complete protein because it contains all eight of the essential amino acids. You can cook it and serve it like rice or use it in salads. Also available are Quinoa flakes that can be used for cooking or breakfast, and quinoa flour (cue future recipes!). Or, I've been making Quinoa "meal" by grinding up the seeds in a coffee bean grinder. This is a tiny seed with big potential! I've been getting requests for breakfast ideas. Next week I'll devote a post solely to breakfast, but in the meantime try these protein packed gluten-free, vegan quinoa breakfast cookies!

Gingerbread Quinoa Breakfast Cookies (adapted from Fitnessista.com)

2 tbsp ground flax
6 tbsp almond milk
4 tbsp almond butter
1/4 c molasses
2 tsp vanilla
2 c ground quinoa meal
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c water (if too dry slowly add more until you have a nice thick, moist dough)
Healthy pinch of sea salt
1/2 c raisins

Mix all ingredients expect raisins. Once well blended into a moist, stiff dough, fold in raisins. Form into cookies. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until firm and outside is crisp. Enjoy!

Rest and Wine for Dinner

Rest. I know, it's unfamiliar to me too. For whom this word seems foreign, allow me to help. The definition of rest is, "1. the cessation of work, exertion, or activity 2. Peace, ease, or refreshment resulting from sleep or the cessation of an activity 3. Sleep or quiet relaxation 5. Relief or freedom from disquiet or disturbance." Perhaps you're like me, after hearing it defined, it seems all that much more foreign to you. I'm not good at rest. It's probably the segment of my life and health that I neglect the most. I feel driven to get as much as possible done during my waking hours.And, if totally honest, maybe even see rest as weakness. Believing on some level that if I succumb to exhaustion I'm in some way surrendering to defeat. Crazy, yes. Prideful, yes. True, of course not. As mom's, we don't have the luxury of rest when our little ones are awake. However, there is that sacred hour (or two if you're lucky), when little feet are still and all is quiet. Yes, the hallowed hour called nap time. It is the one time of the day when we have a choice about how to spend our time. My typical MO is to start an all out sprint within the marathon of the day during that time. Working fervently to check to-do items off my list, launder this, scrub that. Sound familiar? I literally have a spreadsheet broken down into half-hour increments, beautifully color coded to make sure I "achieve" every day. There is time set aside to make sure everyone is loved on, played with, read to, cooked for, menus are planned and miles are run. Interestingly however, with all that I make time for in my day, nowhere on the sheet is rest. There is not a single pretty little colored square that says, "cease working" or "seek freedom from disturbance". Lately the Lord has really been impressing upon me HIS heart for rest -  for my rest. I've had an increased desire to order my day according to His plan, not mine. So, for the past week or so, at nap time, I've been mindfully asking the Lord, "OK, what do YOU want me to do with this time." Can you guess the answer? Rest. Ahem, "Lord, I'm sorry. I wasn't clear. I meant what do you want me to DO with this time, you know, like from my list." Again, rest. Not as a luxury, but as an act of obedience. I'm trying to honor that direction. You know what's stunning about God? When we listen He makes all things work together for good. Somehow on the days I've rested, He's made an extra half-hour somewhere else for me to tend to that list. He's good, He's good. How are you at making rest a priority?

OK, now on to wine for dinner. I love red wine. I love it in the same way I love coffee. Not for a superficial buzz (I drink decaf for Pete's sake), but because I genuinely enjoy it. I've got a bottle of red wine that is flirting with fermentation, so it had to be used. Enter today's recipe - Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon. This recipe is easy, aromatic and really flavorful. It will make your house smell so good you'll drool.

Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon

2 lbs stew beef roast cut into cubes (I cut it into cubes at the end when it was cooked, and put it back in for about 15 minutes, way easier to cut)
1 tbsp Ms Dash garlic and herb
2 tsp clove
1/2 cup GF ketchup
2 tbsp GF Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 c arrowroot (or cornstarch)
4 large carrots sliced

Mix all ingredients but beef and carrots in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Place roast in crock pot and pour mixture over the meat. Cook on low for 5 or 6 hours. Add sliced carrots an hour before serving. Notes: I am not real fan of mushrooms, so I used carrots, but if you'd prefer a more traditional flavor you could use mushrooms. If you do opt for mushrooms think about steering away from the white button mushrooms (questionable for your health) and think about Shiitake or Maitake instead.

I served this over dilled cauliflower mashed potatoes, which was good, but Eric said it would be yummy over rice - he's right! That's how I'll serve it next time. Enjoy this warm, aromatic meal!

Caprese Chicken

I love to use fresh ingredients whenever possible. And herbs are no exception, I LOVE fresh herbs. Last night I had a huge bundle of basil to use and came up with this easy, fresh chicken recipe. It had really good flavor, and if you're anything like me you're always looking for a new way to serve chicken. Give this one a try and let me know what you think.

Caprese Chicken

2 large chicken breasts (organic if possible)
3 red Roma tomatoes
1 small head of fresh basil
1/4 tsp sea salt
dash black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Bake chicken at 400 for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile roughly food process or chop tomato, basil, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar to desired consistency, I like to make it pretty chunky. Take chicken out and butterfly (slice in the middle until almost cut in half, but still connected). Stuff as much of the tomato mixture as you can get into the centers of the chicken breast. (NOTE: We are mostly dairy free, so I just sprinkled ours with a little freshly shaved Parmesan cheese before serving, but putting a couple of fresh mozzarella slices in the chicken breasts with the tomato relish would be simply DELISH!) Bake another 10 or 15 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. I served ours on wilted spinach and leftover spaghetti squash and topped it with a drizzle of balsamic glaze (available at Target or King Soopers, or you could just make a balsamic reduction). I baked Lemon Rosemary Muffins that come straight from Elana to serve on the side (http://www.elanaspantry.com/lemon-rosemary-mini-muffins/). Enjoy!

REAL Daily Life and Cussing Out Lids.

I ran into a friend while shopping at Target today. I love her and I know the feeling is mutual, but when she saw me she said, "I'm embarrassed to let you see my cart. You're going to think I'm terrible for what's in it." Oh dear. I can see some clarification is in order right from the get-go. News at nine - we ARE a normal family. We splurge, we struggle, we drive-thru, we do all the things you and all "normal" families do. I still battle DAILY with eating disorder tendencies. Only because of God's grace, hard work, Divine revelations, and the best darn accountability partner a gal could hope for do I rein victorious more often than not, but there are still days I lose the battle. This very day, pacifying a 17 month old in the car while we hurried to make one more stop meant sharing a bag of french fries. People, this blog is about finding inspiration in daily living. Sometimes that comes in the form of the best darn homemade, from scratch, veggie packed meal from your own kitchen and sometimes, well, it's found in the form of french fries. Cheers to your, and my, real daily life!

Speaking of daily inspiration. I have been oh-so-inspired to get organized. Here's a little tip for your home from mine that has cut down on "lid sorting-crashing-losing" induced swearing. I hope for you too. Put unused mail sorters in your cabinet to "file" Tupperware lids in. They stay put and no more digging around for the right sized lid. In this same cabinet is another little tip. I try to avoid plastic as much as possible. Whenever I can, I do try to avoid buying food in plastic containers (sometimes you just can't get around it) or storing it in plastic at home. Buying glass storage wear can get pricey though. So, I will often pay the 50 cents more or so for products in glass, then wash and keep them to store food in later. A less expensive alternative.

Soup! It's what's for dinner! Chicken vegetable soup

Today was a cold, snowy day in Colorado. Honestly, I love soup any day of the year (I've been known to sip miso soup on a 90 degree day), but soup when it's cold is...well, soup for the soul. My crew has also been recovering from head colds this week so chicken soup hit the spot tonight. This is a super easy, super healthy, gluten-free, grain-free soup that you can put in your crockpot and enjoy within hours.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

1 lb chicken (preferably organic)
3 large stalks celery chopped
3 large carrots sliced
1 cup peas (or edamame)
6 cups vegetable broth (gluten-free)
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp basil

Bake chicken breast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes to cook. Meanwhile in a crockpot add all remaning ingredients. Shred or roughly food process chicken and add to crockpot. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours. Enjoy for days!

Halloween "worms and eyeballs" - AKA spaghetti and meatballs recipe

We had a great Halloween. Remarkably warm, it was lovely. Serving "worms and eyeballs" for dinner on Halloween night has become a tradition in our home. These went so fast last night I got to the pot just in the nick of time to snap a picture of the sole remaining survivors. I had a house full to feed, but if you wanted to make this for a smaller family dinner you could easily half the recipe.

Meatballs (eyeballs)
2 lbs ground meat (I used organic beef last night, but could use ground turkey or chicken)
2 large zucchinis
2 1/2 tbsp Ms. Dash garlic and herb
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 c ketchup (or tomato sauce)
1 egg
3/4 almond flour

Mix or food process all ingredients. Roll into 2" balls (*helpful hint: put sandwich baggies on your hands before you roll the meat to keep your hands from getting icky. Then just pitch - no touching raw meat - gag.) Place on a cookie sheet and put into the freezer for 30 minutes to "set". Cook at 400 for 45-50 minutes, flipping once. Add meatballs to your favorite spaghetti sauce and serve over "worms" (pasta) or, I serve ours on spaghetti squash. Enjoy!