Holistic Instincts

I am not sure if there is any food that brings to mind summer quite like carne asada, or grilled steak. Now that summer feels like it is creeping up fast, I know I will be turning to this recipe over and over again. Carne asada can be purchased, already pre-seasoned, in most grocery stores.  I tend to be wary of most commercial seasoning mixes and marinades because of their heavy use of sugar, soy, MSG, artificial colorings and other non-tasty ingredients and for good reason.  Below is a list of ingredients for Chef Merito Brand of Carne Asada Meat Seasoning , commonly found in grocery stores: Ingredients:  Salt, sugar, paprika, garlic, MSG, citric acid, oregano, cumin, onion, black pepper, natural flavors, silicone dioxide, papain and FD&C yellow 6. No, thank you.  I came up with a simple recipe that imparts a lot of flavor and uses fresh ingredients that are normally in your kitchen.  Make this simple marinade AIP-friendly by omitting the chile p...

There are plenty of reasons to avoid commercially available laundry detergent.  Popular brands tend to be loaded with chemicals, such as petroleum by-products, sulfates, phosphates and other ingredients that are linked to a host of health issues , such as: skin allergies and irritations, respiratory illnesses, reproductive and developmental toxicity and even cancer.  And there is no question that most brands are just not safe for our water treatment plants or  environment . I started making my own laundry detergent about three years ago, when my skin irritations and all-over misery began.  My first instinct was to switch brands and soon, I switched to an 'all-natural' commercial laundry detergent.  But I quickly realized three things: 1) 'all-natural' labeling is not always truthful, 2)  ' natural ' detergents are not always better than their conventional counterparts and, 3) products labeled as 'natural' can be expensive! After using this homemad...

All I can say is that this recipe is simple, simple, simple - and delicious, of course.  I came up with this dessert when I had a few bananas that were just staring at me, turning dark, soft and sweet.   Super sweet.  And having super sweet and mushy bananas is the perfect time make dessert without cupfuls of added refined sugars! I know that my sweet tooth has changed drastically so while this dessert may be sweet enough for me, feel free to add additional maple syrup -  I won't tell.  Or, drizzle a little extra on top.  The natural banana flavor really comes through so a simple topping of warmed almond or sunflower seed butter, honey and chopped toasted walnuts is just heaven.  Here, I simply dusted the ice cream with a little powdered coconut sugar (I used a spice grinder) and cinnamon mixture I threw together at the last minute.  Also heaven. The gelatin is optional but I think it adds a creaminess and oomph to the ice cream. Simple ...

This three-ingredient dressing is the easiest salad dressing I know - and very versatile!  This is one of the first dressings I learned to make and I use it often because I always have the ingredients on hand. Why make your own?  It literally takes less than a minute to stir together, it tastes much better than any store-bought balsamic vinaigrette dressing (in my opinion) and it is just all-around better for you. Even a brand like Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette, typically considered clean, contains ingredients I try to avoid: Ingredients in Newman's Own  Balsamic Vinaigrette :  Vegetable oil (canola oil and/or soybean oil), extra virgin olive oil, water, balsamic vinegar, distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, spice, onion, red bell pepper, xanthan gum, paprika (for color). Food manufacturers just love to sneak in highly processed sugar, since it is cheap and addicting.  And personally, I like to avoid any unnatural and highly inflammatory hydrogen...

Man, are these good!  Pickled jalapenos, also known as chiles in escabeche, are peppers pickled with vinegar and spices I love how easy it is to make a large batch of these jalapenos and they will happily sit in the refrigerator for weeks. Why make your own?  Store-bought peppers tend to contain additives that are unnecessary.  Below is the list of ingredients to the readily available La Costena brand of pickled jalapeno peppers: Ingredients:  jalapeno peppers, water, onions, carrots, vinegar, iodized salt, spices and soybean oil. Personally, I avoid all things soy because soy is the complete opposite of a wonder food . And Embasa brand of pickled jalapenos also contains added sugar .  Oh, those sneaky food manufacturers! Canned jalapeno peppers also tend to taste flat and well, canned.  My home-pickled peppers taste fresh and vibrant and delicious.  And, I love to use the yummy brine in a ton of other things, such as salad dressings, m...

This soup is so good!  I love using the slow cooker when I know I am going to have a busy day ahead - it is really nice to know that no matter what happens, dinner will be ready and waiting for us. The chipotle definitely adds a kick so feel free to bump up the spice by adding more peppers or mellow out the flavor by reducing the amount. I do call for a bit of prep before putting all the ingredients into the pot.  I am not fond of standard dump-and-go slow cooker recipes because they usually taste bland and watered down to me.  I found that sauteeing the onions and spices first makes a HUGE difference in the final flavor of the soup. I also find that the quality of the broth you use makes a huge difference in soup.  Homemade always tastes so much better to me.  And if you make a habit of saving veggie scraps and bones in a freezer container for making broth, homemade broth is always within arm's reach.  If you do not have any homemade broth, choose...

As a family, we sit down and have breakfast together seven days a week.  And when my family made the switch to a grain-free diet, one of the first things that seemed out of reach was breakfast!  A breakfast hash quickly became a favorite because it can be made ahead time, or made in bulk and the variations are endless! Almost every veggie under the sun can be added to this dish and I also like to throw in leftover proteins in here as well, such cooked chicken or grilled salmon. The recipe is pretty basic so use it as a template.  If you don't like bacon or you just happen to be out of it, feel free to omit it or use a different meat, such as diced ham.  If you have chard instead of kale, throw that into the pan.  Don't like jalapeno peppers?  Add another diced bell pepper or omit them altogether. Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash 6 strips bacon, chopped (omit for vegetarian) 2 lbs white sweet potato, peeled and diced (orange sweet potato works well, ...