Nut Butters

I love peanut butter. But peanuts are legumes and therefore not ideal. Now what?

Nut Butters. I love Almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter and macadamia nut butter. Maranatha is my favorite brand. They have no-stir almond butter which is great. There is nothing worse than the organic butters that separate causing the oil to float on the top. Not attractive.

I recently discovered Sunflower Seed butter. It is AWESOME. I eat it on my banana most mornings for that extra protein kick.

A little almond butter on apples is a great snack any time of day.

Dinner - Pesto-Coated baked chicken

- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken cutlets
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts

1. Preheat oven to 450. Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow baking pan. Combine pesto, sour cream and mayo in small cup. Brush over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts.

2. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

I serve this with steamed asparagus. YUM!

Dinner - Bolognese Style Pork Ragu over Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is one of my favorite things. It looks, feels and kind of tastes like pasta without the insulin spike and all the other unpleasant side effects of gluten.

Bolognese

- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 can chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 spaghetti squash (3-4 lbs)
- cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Brown pork in large saucepan over medium high heat, stirring to break up meat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and seasoning.

2. Stir in broth. Reduce heat; simmer 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add half and half; cook and stir until heated through.

4. Meanwhile, pierce spaghetti squash several times with a knife. Microwave on high 15 minutes until squash in tender. (pierce it with a fork. it will go through smooth.) Let cool 10 - 15 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds. Separate flesh into strands with fork. (its fun.)

5. Serve meat sauce over spaghetti squash. Sprinkle with cheese.

Dinner - Roast Turkey with Stuffing

Roast Turkey Breast with Sausage and Apple Stuffing

- 8 ounces bulk pork sausage. (jimmy dean sausage is good.)
- 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 shallot or small onion, chopped
- 1 - 4 stalks celery, chopped.
- 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon sage, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 4 - 5 lbs boneless turkey breast
- 1 cup chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Crumble sausage into large skillet. Add apple, shallot and celery; cook and stir over medium - high heat until sausage is cooked through. Stir in hazelnuts (optional), sage, salt and pepper.
3. Spread butter over turkey. Roast with chicken broth in pan for 45 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165.

Not good for you but gluten free pumpkin pie

- 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups canned pumpkin (ORGANIC)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- box of gluten free graham crackers for crust. (make according to directions.)
- whipped cream for topping.
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Preheat oven to 350.

Make graham cracker crust. Refrigerate.

For Filling:
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. Add pumpkin. Add sugar and salt. Add eggs. Add half and half, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger.

Pour filling into pie crust. Bake for 50 minutes or until custard is firm.

Side Dish - Sweet Potato

We don't eat white potato's. Why? They create an insulin spike. Plus, they are toxic if eaten raw but thats an entirely different discussion.

Sweet Potato's
- 6 sweet potatos cooked and cubed. (you can buy them pre cubed at most stores now.)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup milk
- half a bag of sweetened shredded coconut
- cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
- 1 Tablespoon butter

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In a mixing bowl, combine cooked sweet potatos, sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, coconut and a sprinkle of cinnamon if you like that flavor.

You can either serve right away, heat in microwave, or pour into pan and cook at 375 for 30 minutes.

Breakfast Frittata

- 10 eggs, beaten
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained WELL
- Mushrooms. a cup, a carton, whatever you want. any kind you want.
- 2 cups shredded swiss cheese. (or any cheese you like. or no cheese!)
- 5 slices turkey bacon. (or regular. fat is GOOD!) chopped up.
- 2 shallots, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste


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1. beat eggs. set aside.
2. cook bacon in pan.
3. in bacon grease, saute shallots and mushrooms.
4. combine soup, eggs, spinach, bacon, shallot & mushroom mixture, salt & pepper. (at least a teaspoon or two of each.) Pour into 9 inch pie pan. Cover with cheese.
5. bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until firm.

Side Dish - Quinoa

We believe in eating grass-fed meat when possible. Yes, it is more expensive. But you know why farmers feed their animals corn and grains? TO MAKE THEM FAT. When we buy chicken at the store, we look for the nice, plump breasts. We look for the fat chickens. Do you want to be a fat chicken? No? Then don't eat grains or corn.

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

You CAN buy it at most grocery stores. Stock up. Its good stuff. Like grits, it takes on the flavor of things you cook it with. Onions, garlic, spices, etc.

Thanksgiving Quinoa
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups quinoa
- parsley
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 T maple syrup
- 2 T oil
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 pkg almond slivers, toasted if you like
- 1 apple, chopped

cook the quinoa in the chicken broth per package instructions until water is absorbed. add rosemary and thyme.

combine apple cider viengar, maple syrup and oil in a bowl. this will become the dressing for the quinoa.

combine everything with almonds, cranberries and apple. serve warm or cold.