Wellness Mama®
Simple Answers for Healthier Families
My family loves sweet potatoes. We grow and eat a lot of them (read about my first sweet potato growing experience) and I’m always excited to try new ways to use them. Bacon and lime are always a great combination and are delicious with the sweetness of the roasted sweet potatoes. Bacon Lime Sweet Potato Salad …
Summer is by far the most popular season for grilling, but the grill isn’t only for meat. This grilled vegetables recipe is one of my favorites. Grilling brings out the natural sweetness of the onions and provides a nice change from sauteed zucchini. I love how this super simple “recipe” lets the natural goodness of …
Have a vegetable hater in the house? Then you need to try roasted carrot coulis. Seriously. If there ever was a recipe that shows off all the glory of healthy veggies (besides a salad), it’s this one. A quick rough chop of sweet carrots, savory red bell peppers, and spicy sweet sliced onion — roasted …
I’m constantly on the lookout for more ways to get the all-important vegetables in our diet. Don’t get me wrong, I love a salad, but in the fall/winter a warm and savory way to enjoy veggies is especially nice. This roasted vegetable salad is quick to make and easy on the eyes. Add some chicken …
If you’re like most people, you probably grew up snacking on crackers as a kid. Thankfully, there’s no need to give up this popular snack while on a grain-free diet. These grain-free crackers feature a few simple ingredients and they’re a snap to whip up. The kids love them for an on-the-go snack and I love …
Did you know that when prepared correctly, mashed cauliflower has a very similar texture to mashed potatoes, not to mention a sweet and buttery taste? I happen to love potatoes, but most of us in the U.S. are getting way too many starchy white foods in our diet anyway. (Fries anyone?) This cauliflower mashed potatoes recipe …
I may not have as much time to make things from scratch as I once did (six kids, homeschooling, and a business will do that!), but when apples are in season we always find time to make homemade applesauce. Unlike some other canning adventures of mine, I always feel like homemade applesauce is well worth …
Fermenting is an age-old way of preserving foods and increasing their nutritional value. Turning cabbage into sauerkraut is one of the easiest fermented foods to master. Why is this sauerkraut better for you? During fermentation, billions of beneficial bacteria are produced. Because it’s homemade (and not pasteurized like in the store), this bacteria is still present …
Sometimes only a soft, buttery biscuit will do. (I’ve found this to be especially true when I’m pregnant!) And when those cravings happen, these coconut flour biscuits really hit the spot! Our family tries to avoid most grains for health reasons (my entire cookbook is grain-free in fact), but we’re only human … it’s only …
Broccolini is one of my favorite veggies this time of year, and this is a simple and delicious way to make it! You’ll love the flavors in this sesame garlic broccolini recipe! What is Broccolini? This yummy veggie often gets the nickname “baby broccoli,” however, it is anything but! Often mistaken for young, tender broccoli stalks, broccolini …
I always look forward to springtime, as the warm weather, gardening season, and fresh produce make me happy and get us out of doors. Though I garden each year, I don’t have the greenest of green thumbs and typically end up with a lot of easy-to-grow veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchini or yellow squash. Delicious and …
Our garden produced a ton of sweet potatoes last year, so I had to get creative to find ways to use them. We fried them in tallow, baked them in the oven, and even grilled them on low heat on the grill. We even used them as the “noodles” in homemade lasagna (it was delicious!) and made …
Green bean casserole is probably my favorite Thanksgiving dish of all time. Unfortunately, cream-of-mystery-franken-foods-soup is not healthy, nor are the deep fried onions that typically grace the top of this casserole. (Note: real onions do not turn crispy when fried by themselves … I tried … they burn) This was one of my most requested …
Stuffing is such a part of Thanksgiving for so many people (me included), but I’ve never loved the boxed, processed stuffing mixes that just seem bland and mushy. Sure, there are some decent store-bought options, but they tend to be more pricey and I love creating new takes on classic recipes using seasonal and local ingredients. …
The cushaw squash is not one that is readily found in the grocery store, but one pass through your local farmer’s market or pumpkin patch and you will likely see one. They are hard to miss with their vibrant green stripes and large size. Because of it’s size, I resisted buying one for quite some …
In my opinion, lemon pepper makes everything better. I make my own seasonings in bulk, and lemon pepper is one that often gets added to everything from omelets to meats to roasted vegetables, and it happens to be delicious on cushaw squash. If you aren’t already a fan of the amazing cushaw squash, this recipe …
Now that warm weather is here (finally!), I’m working on making summer items like homemade sunscreen and bug spray. I’ve also been working on some new veggie-based recipes that can be served cold so I don’t have to cook as much. Our local farmer had some gorgeous carrots a few weeks ago and I was looking for …
Forget potatoes: the natural buttery sweetness of these delicious parsnip fries pairs beautifully with the exotic spiciness of a harissa mayo. Frying them in tallow, which is high in conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, gives them a golden, crunchy exterior. As you know, I’m a big fan of saturated fats — I think we NEED them …
I absolutely love creating seasonal real food recipes that are simple to make, and this is one of my recent favorites. Acorn squash is just starting to show up at our local farmer’s market and it is an inexpensive and nutrient rich winter squash. I wanted to find a recipe that would be simple and …
My dad’s side of the family always had cooked carrots in some form for most holidays and they are a favorite vegetable with that group. This year, I hosted Thanksgiving and while I felt obligated to serve some form or cooked carrots, I was bored with the simple steamed recipe. This recipe was an accidental …
I’ll admit, I used to eat rice all the time. Even these days, if I’m going to eat a grain, it is going to be rice (usually in sushi). Rice isn’t a regular food for us though, so I was looking for some healthier substitutes that would include more veggies, and vegetable fried “rice” made …
My kids really, really like sweet potatoes. My oldest would eat several in a meal easily, and he loves them with some healthy fats like butter or coconut oil, and bit of salt. One of our favorite recipes is stuffed sweet potatoes, because it’s so easy to make and is very filling. For Any Meal of the Day …
Ok, so I was just trying to make these sound fancy by calling them “appetizers”, but these are one of my favorite (and super easy) snacks. I’ve even eaten these as an entire lunch, and they really do make great appetizers for parties too! A good source of protein over delicious, crisp and refreshing cucumber with …
I have a confession … prior to my real food conversion, I absolutely loved Chinese food. Yep … that MSG, fake salt, and high fructose laden Chinese food. I loved it and ate it much more often than I’d like to admit! Once we gave up the junk food, I’d still occasionally wish I could …
