Super Simple Summer Salad

Nothing says warmer days are on their way, like a good ol' BTL!! 

This salad takes all of the best parts of the BLT and combines them together to give you that summery flavor, with out the grains and added allergens. It's so yummy, you won't even miss the bread!! 

This salad is prefect for those days when you've been playing outside or at the pool and need a quick meal! 

Cook bacon until crispy. (I prefer to cook mine in the oven 400 degree oven for 18 minutes. Way less mess, plus I can get other things done while it cooks.) Cook until crispy, and then set aside to cool slightly. 

In a large bowl mix together Soy- Free Vegenaise  and mustard. Add in a tablespoon of the bacon grease. This amps up the bacon floor and helps the dressing to coat the salad. 

Once the dressing is mixed, add in your chopped lettuce. (I like the way the iceberg lettuce holds up to the heat of the bacon and thickness of the dressing.) Cut the grape tomatoes in half and add those in as well. 

Finally, crumble up the bacon and add it in. Give it all a good mix to coat it with the dressing, and voila! Just like that, a dinner filled with all of those classic BLT flavors is ready to serve!!  

Beautiful Bone Broth

We have the most amazing family doctor, who specializes in Holistic medicine and gut-functions. She's the perfect blend of western medicine and natural approaches. . . . and I could go on and on about all of the wonderful things she has done for my little family, but I'll spare ya that list for another day. 

She has been particularly helpful with Elli's allergies and helping to regulate and maintain a healthy gut-function. After looking through the results of one of Elli's tests she mentioned using bone broth.  She suggested that we could all benefit from drinking a cup of it a day, talked briefly about the benefits it offers, and sent us on our way with a list of other sources to check for more information. 

Well, let me tell you, I never knew that one little cup of bone broth could do SO much! Not to mention, be so easy to make!! 

This is a two step process. Easy steps. . . I'm talking, taking the bones from the oven and shoving them into a crock-pot. . . . I mean. . . could it get any easier!! 

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Take your soup bones and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, salt each of the bones. Roast them in the oven for about 45 minutes, turning them half way through. 

As the bones are roasting, give all of your veggies a rough chop and add them into your slow-cooker. 

With the slow-cooker on high, add in the veggies, salt, pepper corns, Italian Seasoning. Once the bones have roasted and browned, transfer them to the slow-cooker and cover with water and apple cider vinegar.  

Cook on high for 2 hours and then turn to low and let it cook for an additional 12 hours. Once the broth is finished, discard all of the solids and strain the remaining liquid into jars. This will make about 6-8 cups of broth. 

Store in the fridge or freeze to use later. 

Chex Mix Chicken Tenders

Chex mix. . . . Yes, please! 

Chicken tenders. . . . You betcha!! 

Both are favorites for my little crew, so when I decided to use the left over Chex mix crumbs as breading. . . I was pretty sure I'd have a home run! 

These babies didn't disappoint!! 

This recipe will make about 12 or so tenders depending on how thick you cut your strips. 

In a microwaveable bowl, melt vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Soy Free), seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix in Chex and microwave 2 minutes at a time, for 6 minutes total. Stir the mix in between each round. Spread the mix out on a paper towel to cool and dry. 

Cut chicken breast lengthwise into strips. I get 4-5 strips per breast. 

Once the mix has cooled crush it up and mix it with the tapioca flour. 

Fill an additional bowl with water, dunk each strip into the water and then into the dry mix. Press the mix firmly on to the strips.

I switch back a forth between baking these and frying them. If you bake them, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. 

To fry them coat the bottom on a skillet with veggie oil and heat on medium heat. Once the oil has heated add in the strips (about 4 at a time) and cook for about 3 minutes per side. 

Allergy-Friendly Sloppy Joes

In my mind Sloppy Joes are a comfort food!! I love every messy, tangy, smokey bite of them, and I love that every family seems to have their own little twist on this classic dish. 

Here's my take on this American favorite. This makes a big batch that will easily feed 4-6 people.

In a large  skillet, heat the two tablespoons of coconut oil (or veggie oil if you prefer) over medium-high heat. Add the green peppers and onions and sauté until they soften and turn translucent. About 3 to 5 minutes. Add in ground meat and brown.

* At this point I like to flavor my meat with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, water, Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Then add in honey, mustard, liquid smoke, garlic powder, chipotle and cumin. Whisk together and pour mixture into the skillet, and stir. Pop on the cover and simmer together for 15-20 minutes.

We love to scoop our Sloppy Joes up with tortilla chips, but they are equally as good on Allergy-Friendly buns or bread . 

Turkey Ranch Burgers

A few years ago, during a round of Whole30, I was in a food slump and decided I needed to jazz up our routine turkey burgers. 

I wanted a Ranch taste, without all of the additives that come in those little Ranch packs.

This dinner is often on repeat at our house because we all love it.  I love the fact that it's quick to make, and can easily feed a crowd! 

The type of ground turkey my family likes comes in a big three pound pack. This recipe makes about 12 large burgers, so I often freeze half of them to pull out in a crunch. You can easily half this to make a smaller batch.  

In a bowl mix all of the ingredients together. I like to mix spices all they way through my burgers and then make a little mini batch of seasoning to add to the top of each patty. 

These Turkey Ranch burgers are awesome on the grill, but they're equally as great baked in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes, or cooked on the stove top on medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side.