Flavorful Friday- Roasted Rainbow Carrots Recipe!

Matthew 28:6 NIV
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

This Easter weekend, let us rejoice and celebrate our God, who loves us so much, that he gave his one and only Son that we may have life with Him.  If you are not familiar with the story of Jesus Christ, then reach out to someone you know who is full of life through Christ our Savior and ask them to share with you the Good News.  Or, check out the website needhim.org to learn more.

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While Easter is a Christian holiday of Remembrance and Celebration, there is a fair amount of the population who equates this Sunday with the Easter bunny and colored eggs.  Since bunnies love carrots, I thought it fitting, perhaps, to offer this carrot recipe for today's edition of Flavorful Friday.  Whether attending a potluck or hosting your own gathering, these Roasted Rainbow Carrots offer a quick, easy, colorful and delicious side solution to your Easter feast!  

May there be love in your heart and laughter in your home, now and forever.

As always, 

Happy Crunching!

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Roasted Rainbow Carrots Recipe

Ingredients:

One 2 lb bag of Whole Organic Rainbow Carrots

One 3.5oz Stick of Kerry Gold brand Garlic & Herb Butter, cut into one inch chunks

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rinse and scrub Carrots with a stiff vegetable brush.  Place Carrots in a roasting pan with Butter evenly distributed on top.  Place lid on pan and roast for 20 minutes, covered.

Remove pan from oven and brush melted butter atop carrots.  Replace lid and roast another 20 minutes, covered.  Remove from oven and brush butter atop carrots one more time just prior to serving.

Flavorful Friday: Lemon Ginger Tonic Recipe

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB
"19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."

Although this passage in Biblical scripture is referencing something entirely different, I think we can safely apply this same principle to the way we eat.  If our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, then doesn't it make sense that we would treat it with care, that we would nourish it and give it the best we have available?  I have found for myself that when I fill my body with whole food goodness, I feel better, I am happier, I am more energetic, and I am more likely to do the work that God places before me.  When I fill my body with "pseudo foods", substances that are chemically ladened, highly processed, or otherwise altered from their naturally occurring state, I find myself tired, grumpy and in physical pain to the point that I would rather play small than play big.  How about you?  What do you know to be true about what you eat and how you feel?  Comment below...

As always, 

Happy Crunching!

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

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Sometimes I feel like I need an "undo" for some of the poor food choices I have made.  While that's not really an option, I found this drink to be a helpful substitute when my system needs a reset.  The anti-inflammatory properties of many of the ingredients in this Lemon Ginger Tonic are great at helping me feel better so I can go play BIG!

Lemon Ginger Tonic Recipe

Ingredients:

12 oz Filtered or Spring Water

1 inch Fresh Ginger, peeled and quartered

1 tsp Raw Honey

½ Lemon, squeezed

1 tsp Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar with “The Mother”

⅛ tsp Turmeric Powder

⅛ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

2 Ice Cubes

Instructions:

Bring water and ginger to a boil in a small sauce pan covered with a lid.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.  Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a coffee mug and discard ginger.

Add honey and stir to mix.  Add remaining ingredients (except Ice) and stir to mix.  Add Ice and mix.  Drink slowly and enjoy!

Flavorful Friday: Beef Stir Fry with Rice Noodles Recipe!

Lamentations 3: 57-5857You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ 58“You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.
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Happy Friday and welcome back to another edition of Flavorful Friday!

I introduced this recipe for Beef Stir Fry with Rice Noodles on Facebook a few months ago and it got great response!  I've tweaked it a bit and made it a few more times and my family loves it!  I hope you and your family enjoy as well!

As always, 

Happy Crunching!

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Beef Stir Fry with Rice Noodles Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tsp Organic Extra Virgin Cold-Pressed Unrefined Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp Organic Extra Virgin Cold-Pressed Unrefined Coconut Oil

1 lb “Beef for Stew” pieces

1 Tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos

Juice from ½ Lemon

Juice from ½ Lime

One package of Rice Noodles

1 Tbsp Organic Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil

1- 16 oz Bag of “Far East Blend” Frozen Vegetables (Broccoli, Green Beans, Sugar

Snap Peas, Carrots, Onions, Red Peppers, Water Chestnuts, Celery)

¼ Yellow Onion, diced

5 Cloves of Garlic, minced

4 Tbsp Bone Broth (or two bone broth ice cubes)

½ tsp Garlic Powder

½ tsp Onion Powder

¼ tsp Cumin

¼ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

⅛ tsp Fresh Ground Pepper Medley

1 Tbsp Gelatin (I recommend Great Lakes Beef Gelatin, the Red label)

Instructions:

Mix together Braggs Liquid Aminos, Lemon, and Lime.  Place steak pieces in a plastic zippered storage bag or in the bottom of a glass baking dish and cover with marinade mixture.  Seal bag or cover dish and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Cook rice noodles per package instructions.

Heat medium skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tsp Coconut Oil to melt and cover pan.  Add marinated beef, discard excess marinade.    Cook beef on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring and turning meat regularly to cook evenly.

In separate large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil.  Saute onion and garlic along with Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Cumin, Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper Medley.  Saute for about 3-5 minutes, or until onions become translucent.  Add Frozen Vegetable Mix  and Bone Broth and stir well.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.   

Sprinkle gelatin over veggies and stir to mix.  Add beef to veggies in pan, stir well.   Add cooked noodles to pan and stir well.  Cook for 2-3 minutes and then serve!

Serve hot with additional Liquid Aminos on the side for seasoning.

Note: Can be made with or without rice noodles.

Flavorful Friday: Bone Broth Recipe Revisited

Mark 7:7 GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Their worship of me is pointless, because their teachings are rules made by humans."

What rules do you follow and where do they come from?  Is your heart led by the spirit or the law?

These are questions I ask myself.  I have many times been justly accused of being legalistic, of "beating people over the head" with the letter of the law, forgetting the spirit of that very law.  I have always been a rule follower, yet in the past few years I have been learning more about the heart.  Leaning into my own heart and the heart of God, seeking a place of love, mercy, and grace.  I don't always get it right, and still revert to my old, strict, rule-based ways pretty much daily, but I catch myself faster, recover more quickly, and forgive with more ease than I ever have.  So today I ask you, where do you fall on the spectrum of rule versus spirit, and whose rules are you following and why?

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For today's flavorful Friday I return to an oldie but goodie.  This is the first recipe I ever published on this blog, and it is the one most-used in my kitchen.  I aim to use bone broth daily, and generally prepare a batch every two weeks. Homemade bone broth, also known as soup stock, is packed with nutritional value.  It is an excellent aid in rebuilding gut health, strengthening the immune system, and recovering from stomach illness.  Sometimes I make it with just chicken bones, sometimes just beef bones, and sometimes both.  Whatever suits your fancy, I hope you'll try this and make it a part of your everyday kitchen experience.

Happy eating!

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Bone Broth Recipe

For the best results, use organic produce and organic free-range beef and chicken whenever possible.

Ingredients:

• The bones of one chicken (You may include the skin as well, and leave on little bits of chicken if you like for more nutrients and flavor.)
• About a pound of beef soup bones or meaty bones or marrow bones, or a combination thereof
• 1/4 C Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
• The inner pieces of a stalk of celery, all the ones you may not normally eat by themselves, leafy tops included
• A few carrots, or a large handful of baby cut carrots
• One medium onion (I use yellow, but you could use whatever you like)
• One half to one head of garlic
• Celtic Sea Salt to taste
• Fresh course ground pepper medley to taste
• One bunch fresh parsley (at the end)

Place bones in large pot (the biggest one you have, mine is 6 quart) or crock pot.  Add about ¼ cup of Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (the kind with “the Mother” in it.)  Add enough filtered water to cover the bones.  Cover and let sit about half an hour, while you wash and chop your vegetables.

Rough chop celery, carrots, and onion.  Smash garlic cloves to release their flavor and goodness, you may also cut them in half if you like.  Add all veggies to pot with bones and cover with filtered water, leaving 1 inch between the top of the water and the top of the pot.  Bring to boil and then use a strainer spoon to remove any scum that rises to the top.  Add Sea Salt and Pepper.  Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cover.  Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 24-72 hours.  (Chicken bones are often done by the 24 hour mark, beef bones do well to go longer.  If your vegetables are starting to blacken, go ahead and stop the process and strain your broth.)

Ten minutes before you are done, rinse the entire bunch of fresh parsley and add it to the pot, stirring it into the mix.  (You can also raise the heat to high and boil gently for the remaining time.)

Remove from heat and let cool about half an hour.  Use slotted spoon to remove the large chunks of veggies and bones from the pot and dispose of these.  Then pour remaining contents of pot through a fine mesh metal strainer.  I strain into a 3 quart saucepan.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  The next day, remove the fat that has risen to the top and you are done!  (Or, if you need more fats in your diet, you may leave some of the fat if you like.)

Bone broth may be used right away to make any kind of soup or beans, or you can freeze or refrigerate it for later use.  I generally make one pot of soup right away, and then freeze the rest.  Ice cube trays are perfect for this job!  Simply fill the trays (I use two) and freeze overnight.  Then remove the cubes and put them in a freezer safe plastic bag.  These are great for adding nutrition and flavor to practically any recipe!  Examples: sauted veggies, boiled veggies, scrambled eggs, sauces, soups, beans.  You can also add a cube or two to a cup of warmed water for a comforting and nutritious boost when you feel tired and wore down or when you are getting sick.  The possibilities are endless!

Happy New Year! Flavorful Friday: Savory Green Smoothie Juice Recipe and Product Giveaway!

John 1:12-13 New International Version

^"12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."

Happy New Year and welcome to 2015!

If your commitments this year include being healthy and drinking more smoothies, then you'll definitely want to keep reading.  Today I am excited to bring you my new favorite, yet quirky, green smoothie juice recipe!  Okay, "smoothie juice?" you are asking, "what in the world is that?"  It's what you get when you combine the amazing concept of whole food juicing with a bit of protein supplementation for those times when your body needs a bit more than just juice, but a bit less than a full on smoothie.  I love how I feel with full-on juicing for a cleanse, but it is highly time consuming, and expensive, and juicers have so many parts to clean.  I'm also not sure how I feel about only consuming the juice and not the fiber as an every-day meal replacement.  I've been a long-time fan of smoothies, especially green smoothies, and I've been known to make "everything but the kitchen sink" versions that are packed full of tons of nutrition that even my small child will drink!  I recently wanted all of the nutrition of a traditional "green juice", but felt like I needed a bit of protein, too, and that is when this concept of the "smoothie juice" was created.

I discovered NutraSumma brand Pea Protein Powder several months ago, and everyone in my house is a big fan of the chocolate flavor in our traditional smoothies.  I was thrilled when I got to visit the NutraSumma booth at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo in Dallas recently, and discovered they had a lot more flavors, and a lot more products in their line, than I had ever imagined!  After sampling every powder flavor, I can still say that my family favorite is the Chocolate.  However, I am growing more and more fond of the Unflavored Pea Protein, and this green smoothie juice recipe is one example where this product shines!

Here are some of the things I personally love about the NutraSumma Pea Protein Powder:

• unlike many other brands, it is not gritty and does not have any sort of weird mouth feel
• it is not overly sweet
• it offers 20g of protein per serving
• it features protease, a digestive enzyme to help my body absorb the nutrients
• the Chocolate flavor has only 4g of sugar
• it does not leave me bloated, crampy, or with an otherwise grumbly or upset tummy
• it mixes well and keeps me full until snack time
• it tastes great! 
• it has a great amino acid profile 
• I love how simple the ingredients are, and that is not chock full of things I can't pronounce or don't know what they are or don't want to ingest.  
• There is no wheat, no soy, no dairy, no gluten, or preservatives or anything.  Just plain old pea protein isolate.

I'm excited to announce that NutraSumma has extended a generous offer to you, my readers!  The winner of our raffle will receive one tub of Pea Protein Powder shipped directly to you FREE OF CHARGE!  Be sure to click here and sign up now to win and share this great opportunity with your friends and family as well.  Someone is going to win, it might as well be you!









May your 2015 be filled with wonder and joy!


Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Savory Green Smoothie Juice Recipe

Makes 5 Cups or 40 oz

Ingredients:

½ Celery Stalk

6 Curly Parsley Sprigs, ends of stems removed

1 Garlic Clove, peeled

1 Small Red Apple, cut and cored

1 Small Orange, peeled

1 Small Carrot, or 4 Baby Cut Carrots

½ C Frozen Kale

½ C Frozen Chopped Spinach

½ Frozen Banana

¼ Serving of NutraSumma Unflavored Pea Protein Powder

2 C Filtered Water

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender such as a VitaMix.  Place lid on blender and blend, starting on low and moving quickly to high.  Blend on high for about a minute or until there are no longer any pieces or chunks.  Makes about 2 servings, or 1 serving drawn out over a couple of hours.

Note:

As the name implies, this is a very savory drink, not your usual sweet smoothie, and children may not favor it.  The garlic really gives it a different sort of flavor, and also packs a powerful punch against illness.