Tater Loveee

Thanksgiving is def one of my favorite holidays. All of the food just makes my mouth water! It seems like we count our calories and fat for days just to save up for our plate full of love. Even though I love all the rich foods I dont love the foodbaby that comes along with it! But for one day, that's kind of okay;) But my all time favorite thanksgiving food is sweet potatoes! I've messed around with different variations for the perfect candied yams and I finally came up with one that is the perfect mix of sweet and still has that natural sweet tater taste. I roasted sweet potatoes with real grade B maple syrup and coconut oil, and everyone loved them! You can't even tell the difference..
Roasted Sweet Taters
5-6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1inch pieces
2 T coconut oil
1/2 c real maple syrup (i use grade B but grade A is alright too)
squeeze of lemon
sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon
s&p to taste
1. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and make sure that everything gets coated. Then pour into a 13x9 pan.
2. Roast, covered, in a 400 oven for 20 min. Then, remove cover and roast for another hour. Stir every 20 min.

November 20th.. a National Holiday!?

Today is my mothers birthday. She's only 31! (okay, not really but don't say anything) She also has been prepping me and everyone else for her birthday for a good week. She would say stuff like "oh, i bet your baby is waiting to be born until sunday.. you know the national holiday." Goofy, right!? But anyway, for her holiday festivities I am making her dinner. It's crummy weather so she decided on Chicken Tortilla Soup! Simple but delish:) Baked corn tortillas and a spicy soup will make this birthday unforgettable!
Zesty Tortilla Soup
4 c broth (chick or veg) or more if you like a lot of broth
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, not drained.. you want that liquid!
1 can green chiles
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
2-3 c shredded or diced chicken (cooked)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 poblano peppers, chopped
2 T cumin
1 T smoked paprika
1 T oil (olive, canola, or coconut)
s&p to taste
corn tortillas
1. Preheat your oven to 425.
2. In a stock pot sautee onion and poblanos w the oil until soft. Add in rest of ingredients(except tortillas) and simmer for 20ish  minutes on medium-low. Serve w tortillas and toppings of your choice like cilantro, lime, and avocado.
3. Cut corn tortillas (2 per serving) into wedges or strips and place on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until crispy!
Let me know what you think!:)

Be a fruitnut!

Yesterday I made raw/vegan fruit and nut bars! They were so simple and the fact that all the ingredients are in their pure form you know that you still have all the nutrients. I used figs as my main fruit, they are high in fiber and calcium! Walnuts and pecans brought this bar together and cinnamon is infused. I really really hope that you make this recipe for yourself, your family, and your friends. I'm so excited about it and the are so simple! This natural energy bar will keep you going and all of the unsaturated fats will keep you full.
Fruit and Nut Bars
8 oz package of dried figs, chopped
handful of raisins
cinnamon stick
1 t vanilla extract
1 c or so of walnuts
1 c of pecans
1/4 c flax seeds (you can use whole or ground)
1. Place chopped figs, raisins, and cinnamon stick in a medium sized bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for about an hour.
2. In a food processor (may want to do this is two batches!) combine your fruit, drained and cinnamon stick removed, nuts, vanilla, and flax seeds.
3. Process until smooth, a few chunks is alright! Then press into an 8x8(for thicker bars) or 9x13(for thin, skinny bars) baking dish. Put them into the fridge until set.. about an hour. Then cut into bars!

Hope you dig these! Love lots.. whollygirl:)

saweeeet potatoes!!

Okay, so I am very in love with the sweet potato. SP's are super high in beta carotene, which can help raise our blood levels of vitamin A! There are just so many good things about this lovely potato.. but to get all the benefits of the beta carotene levels you want to have fat with/in your SP. I'm not talking about a bagful of cheese and a stick of butter, but a tablespoon or so of coconut oil will do the trick. Since thanksgiving is in a week I have been thinking of ideas for a healthier sweet potato recipe. I love marshmallow topped gooey potatoes but a lighter version will do! What if I did grade B maple potatoes with homemade mallows or a homemade meringue sweetened with agave? Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas. blogging soon... whollygirl:)

For the Love of Fall

Tonight it was a bit breezy, dark, and moody and I was CRAVING some comfort food! So I decided to make a tex-mex turkey chili with homemade ww cornbread. It was so amazing and I can wait for you to try this on a drury day.. it will def pep you up!
Tex-Mex Chili
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 c chopped red onion
2 cans ranch beans (jalapeno style)
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 small can or 1/2 c salsa verde
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can or large jar tomato juice (w/ pulp)
1 can chick broth (fill up a bean can)
1 pack chili seasoning (salt free)
2 bay leafs
to taste: oregano, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin (about a T each)

In a large non-stick pot over med-high heat cook red onion and turkey. Then add all remaining ingredients to pot and simmer over med-low heat until hot. You can simmer for a few hours if you have time to intensify all your flavors! Remove bay leafs and serve with fresh cilantro, chopped jalapeno, lime wedges, and avacado. You'll love it!
For the ww cornmuffins:
Purchase a container of cornmeal and prepare to the manufactures instructions on the box. But, sub whole wheat flour for all purpose, apple sauce for oil, and agave nectar for sugar. These turn out better than the box and they are super simple!
Hope you love! Muah!! <3

A Heavenly Toast

I got up this morning craving a big breakfast! Normally I would have a bowl of oatmeal but today I decided to have three eggs, a glass of raw milk, and my favorite part of the morning... honey-feta toast:) OMG this stuff is so good! One of my best friends (Shahrzod) is persian and so even at breakfast their eating habits are bit different than ours. One morning we had eggs, bacon, and toast. But the toast blew my mind. Its just a slice of wheat toast with a tablespoon of honey and a about a tablespoon of feta cheese. I know, it sounds funky but it's delish! I really hope you try this because you will never go back to toast and jelly.

simple, sweet, crunchy. [granola]

I was craving granola and I didn't want to make a trip to the supermarket, I also wanted to save a few bucks! ;) So I made a fool proof, simple granola recipe that you can add your own twist to. I hope you love it and let me know what you did to jazz up this granola!

3 c whole oats
1/2 c wheat germ
1/2 c flax seed
3 T canola oil
3 T honey
dash of cinnamon
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/4 c ww flour
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat your oven to 325.
In a large bowl mix all ingredients together then spread out evenly on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 min thin stir and bake for an additional 5-10 min until golden. Let set until at room temp then enjoy! You can use your granola to top yogurt, crust chicken, and form into bars! Hope you la la love it:)

Breakfast. The BEST meal:)

I was up earlier than expected this morning because of the time change! So I decided to make a big breakfast for my friends that spent the night. One of my friends (Logan Everett) is lactose intolerant! So I made my baked french toast with vanilla soymilk instead. I also made my own b-fast sausage! I used ground turkey breast. I combined 1/2lb of the meat with 1 t poultry seasoning and 1 t maple syrup and salt, pepper, and chile flakes! I formed the meat into patties and it was fantastic with scrambled eggs, french toast, and I even had a glass of raw milk for myself:) Hope you like this idea for the next big breakfast you decide to have with your friends and family!