Category Archives: Recipes

Today I’m trying the perfect Smoothie for this time of year–Cantaloupe and Nectarine/Peach.

The cantaloupe was really large so I only used 1/4 of it, 1 nectarine, a large handful of baby spinach, a couple large handfuls of ice, and enough water to blend it all up.

Very yummy.

I’m also trying posting from my WP mobile app. So not perfect formatting I’m sure.

Nuts. Flakes. And Fruits. Granola is known as the “health food”. But beyond that granola can be a great Good for You-Naturally!™ food for our health. It is super simple to make, and has endless variations – according to your tastes or what you have on hand.

Granola begins with grains – traditionally flakes, that is rolled oats, but more healthy is soaked/sprouted and dried oat groats or buckwheat. Soaking releases enzymes inhibitors that are in the grain to keep it dormant, (from sprouting,) to preserve it. Soaking will once again awaken it to life, and our health, providing better digestibility. If you prefer, you can leave the grains out and use nuts and seeds only.

Nuts and seeds are the next key ingredient. We stick to raw ones, for their health and life giving factors. Ideally, these should be soaked and dried too, to release the enzyme inhibitors. If you have tree nut allergies, leave those out and just include seeds that you are able to tolerate.

Sweetener and fat are the next ingredients. These can also help hold the granola together, and are both somewhat optional. Dates are a great natural sweetener that also help bind the other ingredients together for a crunchier/chunkier granola. Raw honey and pure maple syrup are other good options, if you use them. Raw coconut oil is our good fat of choice. Of course, the nuts and seeds also provide good fats. Flax seed is a great seed to include that also provides good fat and acts as a binder. While adding these liquid ingredients, you may add a bit of water too.

Seasonings are our next ingredients. Any of your baking spices may be appropriate, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, even ginger if you really like it. I also like to add real vanilla and/or maple flavors.

Finally we get to that third category, fruits. I’m listing them last, because all the other ingredients are mixed together and dried or baked before adding dried fruits. Dried coconut shreds are a staple in our granola. Raisins, dried apples, apricots, or most kinds of dried cherries or berries – strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc. –  can be added. You could also add fresh apple bits, or even a bit of applesauce as a binder, before dehydrating/baking.

OK, I’ve said it twice, dehydrating or baking. We recommend dehydrating, at low temperatures, for retention of nutrients. If we’re going to make a good healthy food, we want to keep as many of the nutrients as we can intact. Cooking destroys far more nutrients than dehydrating at low temps does.

That’s it. Mix it together and dehydrate it at about 105°-110°, until dry. Store in an air right container. Preferably glass.

What about proportions. Use what you like. there is no right way. But below are some proportions we like – and in parenthesis one of our fave mixtures. All amounts are approximate. This one is more traditional and uses the more common rolled grains, which are steamed, not completely raw, but still a good whole grain.

Lisa’s Good for You-Naturally!™ Granola

7 cups flakes (rolled oats 5 c., rolled barley 1 c., rolled rye 1 c.)

1-1.5  cup raw nuts and seeds – any combination you like (1 c. almonds, 1/4 c. sunflower seeds, 1/4 c. sesame seeds)

1/2 – 3/4 cup sweetener/water  (1/3 c. maple syrup, 1/3 c. water)

1/4 c. fat/oil (raw coconut oil)

1/4+ c. ground flax seed (These are full of really good fats that we are all so lacking, always add them.)

1-2 tsp. spice (1.5 tsp. cinnamon)

1-2 tsp. flavoring (1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. pure maple flavoring)

Mix all together and dehydrate. When dry mix in:

1+ c. chopped dried fruits (1/2 c. coconut, 1/2+ c. raisins, dried apples or strawberries.)

Store in air tight container.

Serve with milk, or in/on yogurt, or just by the handful!

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I could share my mother’s delicious brownie with you today. It is indeed yummy, but it wouldn’t help you on your road to good health and weight loss. It wouldn’t be Good for You-Naturally!™

Instead I will share with you another delicious, special brownie recipe I shared with our Good for You-Naturally!™ for Life Online Course & Community this week.  A yummy, super quick and easy raw brownie. These truly have the texture and even taste of cooked brownies. They take only 4  ingredients and probably no more than 4 minutes – start to finish. Measure.  Blend. You’re done.

Good for You-Naturally!™ bRAWnies

from the kitchen of Lisa @ Me & My House

• 1 cup organic raw walnuts
• 1 cup organic medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4 cup raw carob (or cacao) powder
• 1/2 tsp. real vanilla

Put walnuts into food processor and process until ground. With processor still running add halved dates, 1 at a time, then carob power and vanilla. Process until smooth. Check consistency. It should hold together. If it doesn’t, add just a little bit of water.

Press into pan. (Double this recipe to fill an 8×8 pan.) Cut into squares. Eat as is, or refrigerate to firm up a little more.

NOTES: You can stir in some chopped walnuts, if you like some chunky nuts in your brownies.

Just wait till you see what I do with the recipe for a decadent dessert in our forthcoming Good for You-Naturally!™ Simply Snacks recipe book.

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3 fruits

2-3 green veggies

1 protein

Perfect lunch yesterday.

Green smoothie with:

apple

strawberries

banana

baby spinach – LOTS of baby spinach

homemade raw goat’s milk yogurt

So yummy!

Learn more about Green Smoothies in Green Goodness ~ A Freedom & Simplicity™ Guide to Green Smoothies.

Last week I posted my Super Spaghetti Sauce – the one with the fresh herbs and all, that simmers all day. Do you want a quicker, easier – delicious, but not quite as over-the-top sauce, for those times you’re in a hurry? Dried herbs and canned tomatoes make this one a cinch. Here’s the recipe for you.

BTW, this is one of our QuikMix Recipes. Use all dried herbs/spices and mix together ahead of time. Then just open your cans, dump in your pre-mixed spices and honey, when you’re ready to make sauce. Make up several batches of QuikMix spices at a time and store each in a small jar, Tupperware container, or zip baggie, to always have a QuikMix on hand.

Lisa’s Quick and Easy Spaghetti Sauce

• 3/4 c. onion, chopped (or 1/4+ c. dried minced onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/4 tsp. dried minced garlic)
• 1 pint canned tomatoes (1# can)
• 2 cup tomato sauce (1# can)
• 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
• 1 tsp. dried basil, crushed
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all together and simmer for 1 hour or more. Serve over 1 pound cooked, whole wheat spaghetti.

Lisa’s Super Spaghetti Sauce

What kid doesn’t love spaghetti? And what adult doesn’t love good spaghetti? Yes, I know there are non-spaghetti lovers out there, but I have no clue how!

A great fresh sauce that has been simmering all day, served over homemade spaghetti noodles can’t be beat. Here’s mine.

Lisa’s Super Spaghetti Sauce

You can use frozen or canned tomatoes, but in season fresh can’t be beat.

Saute:

• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 2-3 lg. cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add:

• 2 quarts tomatoes, chopped (2 – 28 oz. cans whole)
• 2 – 6 oz cans tomato paste
• 3-4 Tbl. fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
• 10-12 med-lg. basil leaves, chopped
• 3-4 sprigs oregano leaves, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp. unrefined salt (Real®, himalayan, celtic)
• 1 tsp. raw honey

Stir together and simmer several hours – on the stove or in a crock pot.

Serve over cooked Whole Wheat Spaghetti Noodles – homemade, if possible.

(This makes a double batch, which is more than our family of 8 uses for a meal.)

Use organic for all ingredients that you can.

Lisa’s Whole Wheat Noodles

Once upon a time, I posted how to make Chicken ‘n Noodles, but said the actual Noodle recipe would come on another day. Our 100°+ summer days are finally ending, and perhaps it is getting almost time to make this again. So today’s the day and here is the recipe for the Noodles.

Lisa’s Whole Wheat Noodles

Beat really well:

• 2 farm fresh eggs

Add and continue to beat:

• 1 tsp. unrefined salt (Real®, himalayan, celtic)
• 1 Tbl. purified water

Add:

• up to 2 c. fresh ground whole wheat flour

a little at a time, mixing with a fork, until a ball forms.

Roll out on a floured surface, adding flour as needed. You may need to divide the dough in half for rolling out. For nice thin noodles roll 1/16th”. Ours are more between 1/8″ and 1/4″ and wide to make wonderful, chewy almost-dumpling-like noodles.

Cut. We use a pizza cutter. Works best, IMO.

Cook in boiling water or broth 5-8 min.

We double (or triple) this recipe for our family of 8.

It’s not Food Friday, but it’s been a long time since I posted a recipe, and this one was requested.

Lisa’s White Chicken Enchilada Bake

Cook:

• 1 whole chicken – either boil on the stove or cook in crock pot with some water. Cool, debone and shred. (You need 2 c. shredded chicken for this recipe. 1 Chicken – at least the size we get – will make about 3 pans of Enchiladas.)

Make Green Chili White Sauce:

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 onion (diced)
• 1/4 c. (fresh ground) whole wheat flour
• 2 c. chicken stock

Melt butter and saute onion in it. Add 1 1/2 c. chicken stock and bring to boil. Shake flour with remaining chicken stock, and whisk into the boiling stock. Cook till thick.

Stir in:

• 1 c. plain yogurt (see our yogurt making instructions)
• 1 sm. can diced green chilis

Shred:

• 2  c. jack or cheddar cheese – we use raw goat cheddar.

Slice 12 (sprouted) corn tortillas into strips.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Layer into a 9×13″ pan as follows.

1. 1/3 of the white sauce (approx. 1 c.)
2. 1/2 of the tortillas
3. 2 c. shredded chicken
4. 2/3 of the cheese
5. 1/3 of the white sauce
6. rest of the tortillas
7. rest of the white sauce
8. rest of the cheese

Bake for 30 – 40 min.

Serve with Mexican Salad, Spanish Rice, (and opt. Corn Bread w/ honey butter.)