Category Archives: Nutrition/ Recipes

Time for a main dish recipe. The key to most of our main dish meals is simplicity. In our large, busy family I want 4 things from our meals. They need to be Good for You -Naturally!™, inexpensive, simple, and taste great. We have some great “company” and “special occasion” menus too, but for everyday fare, simple is key.

Brown rice is a staple, that is served at least once a week at our house. We enjoy it in many different ways. Today I’ll share with you a simple Rice Pilaf. Since we add steamed veggies to it, all we need to round out our meal is our large foundational fresh veggie salad.

Lisa’s Easy Rice Pilaf

• 3 c. dry long grain brown rice (you can substitute 1/2 c. wild rice for 1/2 c. of the brown)
• 1 – 1 1/2 c. chopped celery, peas, and/or diced carrots (any combo you choose)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 – 1/2 c. chopped mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 – 3/4 c. chopped raw almonds (optional)
• 1 – 2 Tbl. dried parsley
• 1 – 2 Tbl. vegetable broth powder

Pure Water (proper amount depends on the method of cooking – if your appliance recommends different amounts, use them)

• 6 c. water for cooking in Rice Cooker or on stove or in oven (9×13 pan @ 375°)
• 3.5 c. water for cooking in rice steamer
• 4.5 c. water for cooking in pressure cooker – if using pressure cooker, steam peas/carrots separately then add them after the rice has cooked.

Mix all ingredients together (except peas and/or carrots if you are steaming them separately). Follow cooking directions for your appliance.

Cooking time – approx. 1 hour in rice cooker, stove, or steamer. about 18-20 minutes in pressure cooker.

Makes – enough for our family of 8.

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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This week I’m sharing with you a great, inexpensive Good for You-Naturally! salad to use your homemade mayo in. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable. “Say what?” you ask. Cruciferous. Those super veggies that are so good for us. They include: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower,  radish, kohlrabi, turnips, collard greens, kale, mustard, rutabaga, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Brussels sprouts,  Arugula, horse radish, wasabi, and watercress. Whew! And we should eat several servings of them every week, for their potent anti-cancer properties, as well as all the other great nutrients in them.

This is a yummy Coleslaw, not overly sweet or runny (like restaurant coleslaw). I’ve listed several optional ingredients. We usually include most of them, but if you don’t have them it will taste great anyhow.

Lisa’s Good for You-Naturally!™ Creamy Coleslaw

1 small head cabbage – coarsely chopped or thinly sliced
1 large carrot – grated
(Opt. 1 c.  red cabbage – coarsely chopped)
(Opt. 1/2 green pepper – chopped)
(Opt. 1/4 c. red onion – finely chopped)
(Opt. handful or so pecans or walnuts – chopped)

Use any or all of the above optionals. We nearly always put the nuts in – good nutrition. And usually add the green pepper, if we have it on hand. The other 2 are not always on hand, so more “sometimes” additions.) Mix with Coleslaw Dressing to make it Creamy.

Coleslaw Dressing

Homemade Mayo
thinned with not-milk to make pourable (pretty thin)
a bit of salt and pepper
(Opt. 1 t. liquid honey – you may need to warm it a bit to get it runny)
(Opt. 1 t. raw apple cider vinegar)
(Opt. a few sprinkles of poppy seeds)

I usually add all the dressing optionals, unless we’re really in a hurry. The amount of dressing you need will depend on how large your cabbage is. I usually start with 1 c. and adjust from there, sometimes needing more. So you may want to have more than one batch of mayo made up beforehand. If you make too much Dressing, it will save several days in the fridge for the next time you need it.

Enjoy!

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Time to resurrect Friday Food. Now that fall is here I’m back in the mood for thinking of food prep. Summer is tough for me. Many times I don’t feel like eating, so I don’t feel like going near the kitchen or even thinking about food. But in the fall, my mind turns to crock pots, and soups, and homemade breads, and all the yummies we love to bake.

But since it’s still pretty warm out, AND since our meals have a nice, large fresh salad, at their foundation, I figure I’ll re-kick off this category with a favorite homemade Good for You-Naturally! dressing.

Lisa’s Ranch Valley Dressing

1 c. homemade mayo (recipe below – use full recipe)
1/4 c. almond-rice not-milk (or other milk/ buttermilk substitute)
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 – 2 t. dried parsley
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. unrefined salt (Real®, himalayan, celtic)
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. onion powder
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. dried basil
(adjust spices to taste)

Blend, shake or mix well. Refrigerate. Makes approx. 1 1/4 cups.

If you have a recipe that calls for the Ranch Dressing mix (the dry ingredients in a packet) eliminate the mayo, not-milk, and lemon juice, and add 3-4 T. of soy or rice milk powder (try Better than Milk brand.) If you want to make the dry mix ahead and later make the dressing, add the lemon juice, mayo and 1/4 c. pure water to this mix.

Lisa’s Homemade Mayo

1 egg
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/8 t. unrefined salt
1/2 t. dry mustard powder
(opt. dash white pepper)
1 c. extra virgin olive oil (may taste strong) or expeller pressed safflower or grape seed oil (Mayo is about the only recipe I’ve found that does not work well with coconut oil, a more solid oil. It can be done, but is different type recipe and not as successful, IMO.)

Put all ingredients except the oil in blender or food processor with 1/4 c. of the oil. Begin blending and slowly pour in the remaining oil in a steady stream. The mayonnaise will thicken quickly. Turn machine off.

If it curdles or doesn’t thicken, return 1/4 c. of the mayo to the blender with another egg and add the remaining mayo just as you did the oil, the first time. Refrigerate.

Makes approx. 1 cup
Keeps approx. 10 days refrigerated

Enjoy!

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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