Category Archives: Recipes

Gluten Free Protein Pancakes

Breakfast is my favorite meal, and I have always loved pancakes with whipping cream and berries. Over the past four years, we have significantly changed the way we eat. With food sensitivities in our family, and with my slow thyroid, we have to be careful to get the right foods into our diets, and avoid consuming too many carbs. When I found this recipe, I was so excited because it meant that I could enjoy a meal I had always loved, with just a little twist on the ingredients. I have added my own little flare to it because I just can’t resist playing around with recipes to make them a little more personally enjoyable. These pancakes fit the criteria for our family in every way. They are gluten free, they taste good, they are appealing to the eye, they are light like a crepe, they have an excellent protein to carb ratio, and they are filling and satisfying.

Gluten Free Protein Pancakes

Ingredients

Topping -
Mixed berries pre-heated on stove
Whipping cream sweetened with stevia
Pancakes -
1 cup gluten free oats
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup egg whites
2 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
dash of vanilla
dash of cinnamon
Dash of Himalayan Salt

Instructions

To your blender, add the oats and blend into powder
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.
Spray a pre-heated griddle with coconut oil spray and add medium size circles of pancake batter. Usually six to eight pancakes will fit on a griddle. When batter bubbles, it's time to flip them. After cooking on second side, remove from griddle, top with berries and whipping cream and enjoy! Remember to spray the griddle with coconut oil spray in between batches.

https://heidistjohn.com/blog/recipes/gluten-free-protein-pancakes

Recipe Owned by TheBusyMom.com.

We serve with mixed berries lightly sweetened with stevia, and we flavor the whipping cream with a dash of vanilla and stevia.

Options –

- To keep the carbs low, limit the amount of whipping cream you top your berries and pancakes with
- For our family of seven, I triple the batch, use half of it, and refrigerate the rest for a second meal later in the week.

A healthy lifestyle is an important aspect to taking care of your body. God has only given us one body to house us while we are on this earth, and it matters greatly, how we care for it.

Caring for your body and feeding it well doesn’t mean you can only eat things you don’t like because they are good for you. God created food and intended it to be pleasurable as well. He is the creator of the taste bud, after all! Researching new, healthy, recipes is one of my favorite past times and I have discovered many delicious new ways of preparing foods that my family loves. We don’t feel deprived because of our “limitations” due to foods we can’t eat, rather we see it a fun challenge to implement new ways to enjoy the core nutrition our bodies need for health and vitality.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” I Corinthians 6:19-20

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31

Simple, Satisfying Roast Beef Dinner

Creamy Potato Soup

Easy Mexican Chicken Wraps

2 Replies

If you are looking for a nutritious, delicious, simple, and quick recipe to feed a crowd, you’ve come to the right place!

Lately I feel like I see myself flying by and I stand there wondering about that flash that whizzed past. Between keeping up with the schedules of five active children, school, volunteer time outside the home, seeing my nine grandblessings and their parents as often as possible, church activities, grocery shopping, a small photography obsession, the upkeep of a home, and the myriad of other responsibilities, I seriously began to question whether or not I could remember how to cook. We are much more on the go than we have ever been before, which translates to very little time left to plan and prepare healthy, satisfying, meals. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I am finding that to be true. In this season of life with grown kids, nine grandblessings, and five kids that range in age from nine to sixteen in the house, there are days I feel stretched too thin to be of much use to anyone. Leaning on the Lord for extra strength and wisdom is not an option. It’s mandatory. In my weakness, He is proving to be strong. He is giving me wisdom far beyond my own, creativity I didn’t even know existed within my soul, and strength to not just make it through each day, but to embrace and enjoy the moments in spite of physical exhaustion.

In one of those recent moments when my physical tank was on empty, God met me right there with fuel to fill it up and get me going again. Clarity of thought broke through the shadows in my foggy brain and out came this amazing meal that my family fell in love with. God is so good, so faithful, and so very real. He takes my breath away with His incredible way of meeting me right where I am and I can’t resist sharing this delicious, simple, meal with you. Veggies and meat all in one dish? I’ll take it!

The kids are begging me to make it regularly. Once again….it’s a win for Mom!

The beauty of this recipe is the ability to create a small, medium, or large batch with ease, hence the vague measurements. You can be creative with the flavors to fit your own taste. This can also be baked in an oven, or you can make a crock pot meal out of it.

Easy Mexican Chicken Wraps

Ingredients

chicken tenders (you choose the amount for your crowd)
red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, diced
one medium yellow or white onion, diced or julienned
shredded green cabbage
guacamole
shredded pepper jack cheese
Mexican seasoning:
cumin (to taste)
chili powder (to taste)
1-2 limes
green onions (chopped)
1-2 tsps. Himalayan salt
salsa to taste
2-4 cloves of fresh, minced, garlic

Instructions

Mix cumin, chili powder, lime juice, salt, half the garlic and salsa together in a small bowl
Add chicken tenders to a casserole dish (I used an 11x14 for my crowd)
Lightly salt each chicken tender, than pour seasoning over the batch and bake in a 350 degree oven until chicken is cooked through (45 minutes-1 hour).
About fifteen minute through the baking time, begin preparing the onion and cabbage by adding 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil to the skillet, and sautéing the onion and cabbage with fresh garlic.
Once the chicken is fully cooked, you can add it to warmed tortillas and top it with guacamole, grated cheese, the sautéed onion and cabbage, fresh, chopped tomatoes, or a combination of topping choices you enjoy most. OR you can serve it sans the tortilla, with brown rice and all the toppings.
We used gluten free corn tortillas fried in coconut oil, for ours, but if going gluten free is not a necessity for your crowd, warmed flour tortillas are yummy and easy to warm in the oven.
The veggies for this can be chopped up ahead of time, for an even quicker preparation process on a busy day.

https://heidistjohn.com/blog/recipes/easy-mexican-chicken-wraps

Recipe Owned by TheBusyMom.com.

Enjoy!

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”

Gluten Free Pad Thai {YUM}

2 Replies

So, last summer, my friend Jane was using a spiralizer while I was visiting and I was fascinated. We’ve been gluten-free in our home for about 18 months and the idea of using veggies for noodles seemed like something I should try. I’m so glad I did! This recipe is totally authentic tasting, because the sauce is fabulous, too.

I thought for sure the kids would make faces and squirm at the idea of zucchini noodles. Let me just say: there were NO leftovers. Everyone loved it, even the five year old and my mother in law. Believe me, your whole family will love it. #winning

This recipe works exactly the same way with traditional pad thai noodles, too.

Here’s the recipe!

Serves 8-10
Ingredients:

1 lb chicken (I used the meat from a Costco roasted chicken that we happened to have.)
2 TB minced garlic
1-2 red bell peppers
1-2 eggs (depending on how much you like egg in your pad thai. We used two)
1 bunch cilantro
2-4 large zucchini or 4-5 small
1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional but de-lish)

I’ll show you the sauce recipe below.

Here’s how to do it:

Put some sesame oil into your skillet and cook the spiralized noodles until they’re soft.
Remove the noodles and put them in a strainer with some paper towels. Make sure the liquid gets strained off.
Add the garlic and red pepper, and 1/4 of the chopped cilantro. Sauté until tender.
Turn up the heat a little and add the eggs.
Add the noodles back. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Add HALF the sauce and cook until bubbly. If you need more sauce, add it until it’s the consistency you like.
I ended up with too much sauce the first time, and adjusted the recipe here but I discovered something: I could add edemame noodles to the sauce and it soaked up the extra sauce and added incredible flavor and texture to the dish. So I learned something!
Add more cilantro and some crushed peanuts. Stir together, heat through and serve!

Top with cilantro and peanuts if desired.

Pad Thai Sauce:

1/4 cup each:

rice vinegar
fish sauce
brown sugar
soy sauce (we used gluten free)
lime juice
siracha (omit or use less if you want milder sauce)

I know I said that I love crock pots and Mexican food, but from now on, You can call me Dragon Lady.

Enjoy!
Heidi

Cauliflower Bacon Casserole

2 Replies

Alright. I’m taking a little, tiny break from my slow cooker today. If you have kids who don’t like cauliflower, I’m here to win them over to the right side. This recipe is a WINNER! I know this because every.single.one. of my kids went back for seconds and I didn’t have leftovers. Yeah. That’s how I know.

I’ve been replacing potatoes with cauliflower for the past several years, and it’s been a good change. So probably the bacon isn’t that good for us—but once in a while—okay. Nevermind. I eat bacon whenever I can. #truestory

Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS:

3 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
2 head of cauliflower (I had a little leftover but 1 head would have been too little.)
1 tablespoon diced garlic, or to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
bacon pieces (as much as you like) but I did about a cup or so. That’s because I was eating it as I went.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook cauliflower until tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK. I cook mine in very hot water for about 10 minutes. The trick here is to let the water drain off, so while you’re prepping the rest of the dish, set it in a colander to cool and drain.

While cauliflower is cooking, add cheeses, bacon and garlic to a big bowl.

Cook chicken.

Add cooked check to the bowl and mix well. Then, add the cooked cauliflower.

Dump it into a greased glass 9×13 casserole pan. If you don’t have a glass dish, don’t sweat it.
Cover with foil and cook for about 25 minutes. You want it nice and steamy.

I served ours with a delicious spinach salad. I chose to withhold bacon from the salad, but hey—do what you need to do! If your kids are like mine, they will love this and so will your husband. It’s a crowd-pleaser!