RX for an unhappy tummy

Yesterday I shared a recipe from Diane Sanfilipo’s balancedbites.com for bone broth. I had made a batch from chicken necks but hadn’t strained it out yet. It was just sitting in my fridge where I put it to let the schmaltz/chicken fat ( I love that word ) rise to the surface and harden so I could scrape it off. This morning my tummy is unhappy. Very unhappy. I take several medications (metformin and glimepride)  that can cause stomach/bowel upset and while I find my flare ups are a lot less when I am eating like I should it is something I will have to deal with for as long as I am taking these meds. So, after my 3rd trip down the hall a light bulb went off and I remembered my bone broth and my gummmies. There are lots of recipes for healthy gummies out there and they are all really easy to make. One of my favs is from Mommypotamus: http://www.mommypotamus.com/homemade-gummy-stars/

Pintrest…it works. Anyway,  I have found  when my tummy flare’s up that bone broth and gummies really work to tame that cranky dragon!  I am sipping my bone broth and popping a couple of gummies while I sit here and type. My oldest son loves the bone broth and his younger brother loves the gummies. They are both really simple to make, cheap and so healthy for you. As I finish up this post my innards are already feeling better. For me this process works! I hope it works for you.

Mischief Managed! Recipe for bone broth and cold brewed coffee

It’s been a good week so far. Staying on target…why do I always here that line from Star Wars when I say that? “Stay on target..Stay on target!” May the force be with me. Made some chicken bone broth that I need to de-fat today and get into containers for the freezer. Check this recipe from Diane Sanfilipo ( Have I mentioned how much I love her? ) from balancedbites.com http://balancedbites.com/2011/04/easy-recipe-mineral-rich-bone-broth.html I get these great restaurant kitchen style containers from our local Business Costco. I like them a lot. There are clear markings on the containers so you know exactly how much you’ve got in there and they seal very well. I get the 1 quart size for the things going into my freezer because it fits the best.

Let’s talk coffee! I love coffee. I need coffee. Coffee is proof of God’s love! I have a great t-shirt that says “On the first night God said ( a picture of the structural formula for caffeine ) and there was coffee”. On many of the paleo blogs I’ve been seeing discussions on cold brewed coffee. I don’t doubt that the retailers being featured on those blogs make a great product but it so easy to make  yourself!

Cold Brewed Coffee

1 pound coffee ( any one will do depending on what you like. I’ve done it with Folgers and with organic fair trade)

8 quarts FILTERED or otherwise purified water

Cheesecloth

12 quart container

Fine mesh strainer

Another container to hold the coffee when done. Pitcher, drink dispenser ect…

Add the grounds to your 12 qt container then add the water. Mix it around. Cover and let steep at room temp over night or at least 8 hours. Lay a couple of layers of cheesecloth over the fine mesh strainer that is resting over whatever container you’ve chosen to hold your elixir. Pour the coffee, grounds and all, into the strainer. Use a spoon to kind of push the coffee ( liquid) through. Discard the rest. I’ve tried to reuse my cheesecloth but I can never get all the grounds out so I just throw it away. This makes a lot of coffee. Feel free to halve it if it’s too much for you.

So, there you have it! You can make your own organic fair trade cold brewed coffee. I got this recipe from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com and I think she said she got it from Imbibe magazine.  I always add cinnamon to my grounds partly because I love cinnamon and it’s a way to flavor my coffee without adding any chemical laden syrups. Cinnamon is also great for diabetics so I am always trying to find ways to add it to my food. In an effort to get healthy fats into my diet I add a tablespoon of coconut oil and a little pat of grass fed butter. I use my immersion blender and blend it all up. Delish! Sounds weird but it is soooo good. If I want a little sweeter coffee I add a tablespoon of raw honey and some coconut milk. I’ve been teaching myself to drink it black so I don’t have to worry about having add ins that don’t fit into my personal food pyramid but when I am home I can doctor it up anyway I want! So there.

Epic FAIL!!

So, this weekend..well let me honest and say the weekend started on Thursday because my husband was home. This extended weekend was an epic fail food wise. It is so hard for me to stay on track when everyone is home! I am looking forward to the boys starting school so I can focus on getting our food where it should be. Treats, fast food, restaurants ect.. It was all here over the last few days. It was a gluten FEST I tell you filled with frankenfood galore. *sigh* Okay. It’s Monday. Darn you monday! My monday already has the seeds of failure but it doesn’t have to win. Right? Darn right! So, I will move on from the fact that I went to the German Bread Bakery and had a pretzel bun. And that I bought a german apple pie slice to eat later with my coffee. I will focus on what I did right! I went to Whole Foods in search of kosher beef gelatin that I don’t have to order off Amazon. Looks like Amazon it is! I bought grass fed milk for my boys. Chicken necks and marrow bones to make bone broth. On a side note I am going to have to head to Chinatown and see if I can find some ox tails and soup bones for cheaper than I can get them at Whole Foods. I made chicken with green chiles, zucchini and tomatoes for enchiladas later. I made soup with the leftovers that the boys and I are having for lunch. I am starting buy ingredients that don’t have added chemicals or sugars but I am also using up what I have in my pantry. I can’t just go buy all new stuff.

Even though I fell off the bus over the weekend there is nothing stopping me from hopping right back on so that’s what I did!  Anyone with little kids that remembers the Doodlebops? ” Get on the bus!” Hey! I feel better already. Happy Monday!

Super Easy Chicken Enchiladas/ Chicken Enchilada Soup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with Pam or otherwise grease the pan.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken

2 cans diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 can diced green chiles

2 tsp garlic

1 onion diced

salt and pepper to taste

2 thinly sliced zuchini

1 package gluten free tortillas ( I used Rudi’s Spinach tortillas )

4 cans enchilada sauce

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 diced avocado

Some sliced green onion for garnish

Sour cream ( optional)

I poached the chicken with the tomatoes, chiles, onion and garlic.  Let it cool over night so the fat would harden on the top and I could scrape it off. Then I thinly sliced the zucchini on my mandolin. Watch out for your fingers! Roll some of the chicken mixture and the zucchini into a tortilla  and tuck them into the baking pan. Once the pan is full , mine held 10 rolls, pour on 3 of the 4 cans of enchilada sauce until the rolls are covered. Bake for about 20 min. When the rolls are just about done scattered the shredded cheese over the top and pour on the last can of sauce. Bake an additional 10 min until the sauce and cheese are all melty and bubbly. Serve with diced avocado, green onions and sour cream!

There should be left over zucchini and chicken in a soupy base. I added more chicken bone broth and the zucchini to the chicken and made soup! I love how chicken stretches!