yummy banana pancakes

I don't have an exact recipe, but I really think homemade pancakes are pretty foolproof if you can get the ingredients even close to a good combo.  I will put measurements, but just know that they aren't really what I do.  I sort of dump and mix, usually half awake.  There are also a lot of variations to it.  You can put honey in for a sweeter taste, or substitute or add chia seeds or flax seed.

- 2 cups of any kind of flour or mix
- 1/2 cup of some type of starch (tapioca, potato, arrowroot)
- 2-3 bananas - mashed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil (optional) - sometimes I just put coconut oil in the pan when I cook them
- 2-3 eggs
- 2-3 cups of some type of milk (or to the consistency you like)

cook and then put on your toppings.  My kids LOVE these!

Thanks for a Great lunch and visit

It was a delicious lunch and even better company.  And of course, there were some great moments of enlightenment, whether we liked it or not ;).  It's so great learning from and with you girls. 

Chocolate... yes it can be good for you.

While out of town, I made my sister and I three batches of this AMAZING chocolate Brittany has posted on her blog.
One plain we then made into chunks for use in muffins, some with nuts and some with orange extract.
If you haven't tried this yet I would highly suggest it!

Homemade Barbeque Sauce:

2 cups    tomato puree or sauce
3/4 cup   honey
1/2 tsp    garlic powder or 1-2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons  finely chopped onions
1 tsp      liquid smoke (literally just water that caught the fumes of hickory smoke in it)

Mix this all together and then use as a sauce or add to a crockpot of your choice of food.

I just thought I would pass along this video my friend shared with me, called Sugar: The Bitter Truth. It is a little lengthy but interesting. This may be information you all know but  for me it provided more of the science behind it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Hi Everyone! villagegreennetwork.com is doing a 10 day free summit with 35 REAL FOOD experts. All of my favorite bloggers and experts will be interviewed. You will receive a few interviews a day in your inbox, on special diets, food for health, baby care, how to make your own green products, etc. It's going to be awesome! You just have to go to the website above, and sign up for free. Just thought I would share this great information!!

Brittney

Sweet Potato Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 package Silken Lite tofu
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 2 jars pasta sauce
• 2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles (*substitute thinly sliced zucchini)
• 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
• 6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
• 1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.

Drain the silken tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.

To assemble the vegetable lasagna :
Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 - 12 servings of sweet potato lasagna.

www.forksoverknives.com

Hummus

2 cups chick peas

6-7 roasted garlic cloves (or use 2-3 fresh cloves)

1 TB tahini

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2-1 tsp salt

1 TB lemon juice

1/4 tsp cumin (optional)

5 TB water (or chick pea juice)

Add all ingredients into a blender. 

Blend until smooth.

(yield: 2+ cups)

We love to use this on sandwiches, in wraps, or to dip our veggies. You can add different spices if you'd like as well. It's very versatile and yummy. I also buy dry chick peas, soak them overnight, then cook them in the crockpot on low for about 8 hours. I freeze them in 2 cup quantities so I have them on hand whenever I need them. They are good in green salads too. I thaw them on the counter for a few hours and they're good to go. Enjoy!

Salad Dressings

Salad Dressings are easy to make, delicious and can be tailored to what your family eats.

The basic rule:
S O S S
Sour = 1 part some type of vinegar
Oil = 2 parts some type of oil
Sweet = something sweet to taste
Spices = spices to taste


Types of vinegar
White Balsamic, Balsamic Vinegar, Rice vinegar, Flavored vinegars such as Pear, Raspberry, Pomegranate, Fig,

Types of Oil
Extra-virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Fruit Infused Olive Oil.

Types of Sweet
Fresh fruit of any kind, frozen fruit of any kind, honey, agave, coconut sugar


Some favorite combinations:

Strawberry Vinegarette - White Balsamic Vinegar, EVOlive Oil, Strawberries, pinch of salt
Pomegranate Lime Vinaigrette - Pomegranate Vinegar, Mexican Lime infused Olive Oil, honey
Oriental-  Rice Vinegar, EVOlive Oil, whole Orange, small ginger root, or ginger powder, 1 T tamari/soy sauce, sesame seed.
Greek- Balsamic Vinegar, EvOlive Oil, Oregano leaves, dash of garlic powder.


Combine your chosen ingredients and blend until smooth.

Be adventurous!
Post some of your favorite creations.

It's official

This is so exciting.  We have a blog and a facebook.  Use this blog to post anything you want to share with the group -  recipes, advice, recommendations, questions, stories, successes and failures in clean eating, etc.  Don't forget to post the recipes and tips from today's get together:  the S.O.S. of making dressing, homemade ranch dressing, link to sweet potato lasagna, cashew cream, asparagus soup, and spaghetti sauce, and anything else you have to share! 

If you stumbled upon this blog by chance, let me tell you about us.  We are a group of women (right now, but open to men as well :) who are trying to cook and eat and live clean, healthy lives for many different reasons: food allergies/sensitivities, health problems, just to be healthy or to get together and have good food and great company.  This blog is for us to share and connect with each other.