Egg Muffins

 Breakfast of Champions - Egg Muffins served with Yams

We've all heard it before, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It's so true and can really set the pace for the rest of the day.   I find this meal is top notch for breakfast.  So full of nutrients when made with vegetables and served with yams, and can be eaten on almost any type of diet: candida, paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.

This is usually the first of many recipes I make on Saturday morning as part of getting some pre-made meals for the week.  I make these with a good batch of grated yams and we have breakfast for the week.  Each container gets a couple of big spoonfuls of yams and two egg muffins.

I love the versatility of this recipe.  I've made them with only bacon, which my kids absolutely loved, made them with veggies and sausage, and also as in this recipe, with veggies only.  Play around and use what you have in the fridge!  If you eat dairy, add some cheese in there!  And these also freeze very well.

egg muffins
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or oil of choice)
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped 
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped 
1 cup mushrooms, chopped (not for candida diet)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
12 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat.
3. Cook onions for 5 minutes.
4. Add peppers and mushrooms.  I like to cook these until they start to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add 2 basil and let cool.
7. In large bowl, beat 12 eggs.
8. Add cooled veggies to eggs, add salt and pepper and mix well.
9. Fill greased muffin tins to almost full and bake for 15-20 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
10. Let stand in muffin tin for at least 5 minutes before removing to serve.

          Makes 15 egg muffins

          Note: For the grated yams, I simply wash a few yams, grate them and fry in coconut oil.  I leave           the peel on for extra flavour and nutrients.  

Nut Butter

Homemade almond/pecan butter for dipping with my favourites: celery and apple

So the other day, I came across a recipe on how to make nut butter.  The instructions simply said put nuts in the food processor, turn food processor on, leave for 10 minutes, come back and it's done.  I had my doubts but decided to give it a go.  First, I used my roasted nuts, which are so completely packed with flavour!  I followed the instructions and abracadabra, had the best tasting almond butter I've EVER had!

Feel free to use any nut, raw or roasted, and try any combination of your favourites.

Candida Diet: serving suggestion - spread nut butter on a brown rice cake and top with fresh berries (if allowed small amounts of low-sugar fruit)

Paleo Diet: I have recently started following the Paleo diet and love this snack with the almond/pecan butter used as a dip for celery and apple slices.  The roasted pecans add even more sweetness to the butter....yummm!


almond/pecan butter

roasted almonds 

1. Place almonds in a single layer on cookie sheet.
2. Roast in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and pour into a plate to cool

roasted pecans

1. Place pecans in a single layer on cookie sheet.
2. Roast in oven at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. (yes, 2 minutes less than the almonds)
3. Remove from oven and pour into a plate to cool

Once the nuts are cooled, put in the food processor (I used 2 cups of each) and leave for 10 minutes.  Pour into container or jar and refrigerate.  I've always hated having to mix in the hard almond paste from the bottom of the jar with the top layer of oil, when it comes to store-bought almond butter.  I find it messy, and depending on the brand, almost impossible.  I'll never have to do it again!  

If anyone comes up with some really tasty combinations, please leave a comment.  I'm sure hazelnuts would be heavenly!

Fish Tacos

Beautiful fish tacos, thanks Mathieu!

Mathieu's biggest catch yet!

Our last outing of the summer and we decided to go fishing for two days.  We went to Cow Lake, near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta with Grandpa and his boat.  Isn't that exactly what kids' memories are made of?  We spent many hours on the water, fishing, snacking or just taking in the warm sunny breaks and talking about things.  After our first day, grandpa had caught the only "keeper", an 11 lbs northern pike!  We went to my husband's cousin's house who has a beautiful family with two children, aged 8 and 5.  Perfect for our 7 and 4 year olds!  The kids had fun playing while grandpa put together his famous fish fry.  I wish I had a picture of that!  We had some catch-of-the-day with french fries, a perfect meal after a hard day of fishing.

Day # 2, Mathieu, our 7 year old son caught his first northern pike!  He was very apprehensive about bringing that 7 lbs fish in, but he did it and was very proud of himself afterwards, as were we.  And to top off his achievement, we made some delicious fish tacos with the 2 lbs of meat we got from it!  I swear he walked in to his first day of school the next day just a little taller! :)

fish tacos
2 lbs northern pike (or type of white fish i.e. walleye, tilapia, sole)
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
7 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapeños, seeds included (I used 1 so it wouldn't be too hot for the kids but prefer it with 2)
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 avocados, sliced (or if already made, use homemade guacamole)

1. Heat oil in large frying pan to medium-high
2. Cook onions and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add fish, cook for about 4 minutes on first side.  Then turn and cook until it flakes easily, another couple minutes.
4. Flake the fish and add the jalapeños, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper.  
5. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Serve on lettuce leaf or tortilla of your choice (or lettuce leaves for paleo diet)
7. Thank son for a great catch!

      Serves 4-8 (depends if serving with lettuce or tortillas:  I had mine with lettuce and ate more of the          

      fish mixture than my husband who had his with corn tortillas.)

Guacamole

The possibilities are endless with this yummy guacamole!

It's been a busy time enjoying the last long weekend of the summer and having my son go back to school this year.  He's returning to school after a 1 year travelling hiatus and going to French immersion for the first time!  It's back to making lunches, checking backpacks, homework, early bedtimes, early wake-ups, basically mega-organizing for parents again once again.

Times like this make me go back to the basics and this guacamole recipe is one of them.   This famous Mexican recipe can be used as a dip for corn chips, rice cakes and vegetables and can also be used as a condiment for quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, burgers, hot dogs, wraps, sandwiches and whatever else you can think up!  So make a big batch, put it in the fridge, and it'll be gone before you know it!

We've all heard that avocados have healthy fats.  That means that they have a high mono and polyunsaturated fat content.  The more of this type of fat we eat, the less we crave the unhealthy fats.  And that's not even counting the 20 or so vitamins and minerals this wonderful fruit has to offer!

guacamole
4 large avocados
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tomatoes, diced

1. Put avocados in food processor and mix until velvety smooth.
2. Add the onion, cilantro, and lime juice to the food processor and mix some more until well blended.
3.  Spoon mixture in a small bowl and add the cumin, salt, pepper and tomatoes.
4. Mix with a spoon until everything is mixed.
5. Store in refrigerator.

     Makes 2 cups

Note: If you're not a fan of cumin, just leave it out.  Sometimes I make it without the cumin for a different flavour.  I've also added one chopped jalapeno (with seeds) to the food processor mix for a spicy and delicious result!