How to Make Green Veggie Powder

When we decided to spend the winter in the mountains of Colorado, I panicked I imagined being huddled around the table over bowls of steaming soup. I also imagined a long winter without any fresh veggies. (Apparently, I forgot I live in the United States where grocery stores are plentiful.) The truth is store bought veggies just aren’t the same as farmers market veggies.

So I took matters in my own hands and decided to make my own green veggie powder. We  headed over to the farmers market to buy whatever greens I could find in the the last days of the growing season. I came back with bunches of kale and swiss chard…bunches so large that people in the farmers market stared as we hauled the bags back to our car.

Anyway, I don’t know if I would call this green veggie powder a recipe per say. It’s more of a method and it couldn’t be more simple.

Like I said, I used  kale and swiss chard for the veggie powder because those were the only veggies available at the farmers market late in the season but you could use any variety of veggies.

Homemade Green Veggie Powder

1. Rinse and pat the veggies dry.

2. Layered the veggies in a single layer on a dehydrator tray.  They can overlap a bit but not too much because you want them to be able to dry out. (I remove the thick park of the stems before drying. I noticed if I didn’t do this I was left with thick hard pieces in my veggie powder.)

3. Set dehydrator to the veggie setting or about 130°

4. Wait about 12 hours or until veggies are dry and crisp. I tested them by crumbling a leaf in my fingers.

5. Blend leaves in a food processor until you have a fine veggie powder.

6. Store in mason jars for later use.

You need a lot of greens to fill one jar. It took about 15 LARGE bunches of greens to fill these four jars.

So maybe you are wondering what I’ve been doing with all this green veggie powder?

I’ve been adding veggie powder to soups, chili, casseroles, curries, meatballs, and taco meat.

Have you ever made green veggie powder? If so what do you use it for?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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This grain and gluten free fried green tomato recipe isn’t really a recipe. It’s more of a fried green tomato experiment that happened to work out.

I always refer to these posts as How to I Make ____ because really how many ways can you make a fried green tomato? Tomatoes, breading, salt, pepper, egg, and oil.

Ever since we spent time in South Carolina I’ve been having cravings for fried green tomatoes. So when I saw green tomatoes at the farmers market last weekend I snatched them up. If we ever settle back down I’m going to grow tomatoes just so I can have green ones.

Since I try to limit grains, I decided to bread them with the Trader Joe’s Almond Meal I had on hand.

Grain and Gluten Free Fried Green Tomatoes

2 Green Tomatoes
2 Eggs
About 1/2 cup of Almond Meal or Flour
Salt
Pepper
About 1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil

1. I sliced the tomatoes. Brilliant, I know.

2. I dipped the tomato slices in the egg.

3. Then I covered them in almond meal. I had mixed in lots of salt and ground pepper in the almond meal beforehand.

4. The flour started getting icky so it was easier to just sprinkle it on instead of dredging the tomatoes in the almond flour.

5. I pan fried them in, my favorite cooking oil, coconut oil over high heat until almond meal was crispy.

6. Put them on a paper towel to soak up some of the extra oil.

They went well with Brent’s Santa Maria BBQ Style Chicken and baked sweet potatoes. So good.

And they were even better the next morning when I toasted the leftovers and topped them with eggs, hot sauce, and sharp cheddar. My idea of a perfect breakfast.

As far as I can tell, I’m not gluten intolerant but whenever there is an option to make something without grains I usually decide to go that route. It doesn’t always work out but in this case it did.

Do you like friend green tomatoes? Would you have made grain and gluten free fried green tomatoes or would you have gone with the traditional flour?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at New School Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post Grain and Gluten Free Fried Green Tomatoes (with eggs) appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Brent grew up in Santa Maria, California. Santa Maria is known for its unique and delicious style of BBQ and Brent’s barbecuing skills are no less impressive than the BBQ from town where he grew up.

He was destined to be a GRILL Hero from birth.

Just look at that confidence at the grill!

Traditional Santa Maria BBQ is tri-tip, a specific cut of beef, but there is an equally amazing and easy way to barbecue chicken. The key to amazing Santa Maria BBQ chicken is not in the ingredients, they are ridiculously simple, but in technique. Get the technique down and you will be on your way to becoming a Grill Hero too.  

Santa Maria BBQ Style Chicken

• Chicken Breasts (Bone In)
• Bottle of Beer
• Italian Dressing Seasoning Packet
• Garlic Salt
• Pepper

We buy a whole chicken and quarter it ourselves. If you are quartering your own chicken leave the skin on.

1. Rinse and dry chicken.

2. Mix one packet of Italian dressing seasonings with half bottle of beer (about 6 oz). Brent prefers beers with stronger flavor. (Firestone and Bluemoon are two of his favorites.)

3. Generously sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic salt and pepper.

4. Place chicken on the grill bone side down. Let it cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the skin starts to get golden brown.

5. Flip over the chicken and start basting heavily. The idea is to dry out the meat when you are cooking it boneside down and rehydrate with the beer baste. Cook for another 10-20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken, basting the entire time.

6. You can tell when it’s done because the meat starts to get firm and it’s no longer pink on the inside.

My favorite thing to eat Santa Maria BBQ chicken with is grilled artichokes. Heavenly! I will have to post how Brent makes these soon.

The best part of Santa Maria BBQ chicken is that I don’t have to listen to my kids complain. They love it! Almost as much as I do.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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You may have heard of rainbow in a cup? If not it’s rainbow colored jello layered in a cup.

This salad is like rainbow in a cup only better. And healthier. And it’s so good you want to eat it in a bowl not a cup.

The only problem with this rainbow salad is that it’s missing blue (and indigo if we are going to get technical). I just couldn’t think of anything blue to put in it except blueberries and that wouldn’t be acceptable. Nothing against blueberries. I just don’t see them going well with cumin or mustard. So pretend the black beans are really blue beans and you can have a full on rainbow inspired salad.

It’s a perfect salad to bring along to that Memorial Weekend BBQ this weekend.

Rainbow in a Cup Bowl Salad

Salad Ingredients

• 2 Cups Tomatoes – Chopped
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper – Chopped
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper – Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Purple Onion – Diced
• 1/4 Cup Cilantro – Chopped
• 2 Cups Black Beans – (I cook my own) Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Cup Jicama* – Chopped
• 2 Cloves of Garlic – Finely Chopped

Dressing

• 1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard
• 1/4 Tsp Cumin
  1/2 Tsp Sea Salt (or to taste)

If you want to add some “gold” to the end top of this rainbow salad toss in some chopped avocado. Yum.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Be inspired to follow your dreams at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

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We all know that soda isn’t good for us but giving it up can be hard.

Are there any healthy alternatives to soda?

You betcha! Water kefir, my favorite beverage, reminds me of cream soda with a slight tang. Personally, I prefer water kefir over kombucha. Both of these beverages are so enjoyable that I have continued to brew them while living in our RV where space is tight and everything we brought had to be “worth it”. Water kefir and kombucha made the cut.

I love my water kefir over ice. Beats a chemical laden soda any day!

Tibicos or Water Kefir Grains

What is water kefir?

Water kefir is simply fermented sugar water. Water kefir grains or, tibicos, are a symbiotic collection of bacteria and yeast that feast on sugar in water creating a fermented beverage full of probiotics.

What are the benefits of water kefir?

There are numerous health claims made for water kefir everything from clearer skin to fighting cancer but very little research to back those claims up. The biggest benefit I see is that it gives your gut a healthy dose of beneficial bacteria, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and, like I said, it’s a delicious alternative to soda. Since I started drinking kombucha and water kefir my soda cravings have virtually disappeared.

How do I make water kefir?

I learned to make water kefir from a friend a few years ago. It has always turned out so well that I stuck with her directions.

Water Kefir

4 Cups Filtered or Spring Water *
1/4 Cup of Turbinado Sugar
1/4 Cup of Kefir Grains
1/4 Tsp Organic Unsulphured Molasses (not necessary but the minerals help keep the grains healthy)

*Reverse osmosis or distilled water is not recommended. The water should contain some natural minerals.

Truth be told, I gave up measuring the molasses and now just use a “fork dip” of molasses.

First, dissolve the sugar and molasses in the water in a glass container. (I rarely wait for the sugar to completely dissolve and it turns out fine. Also I use a quart size mason jar and don’t measure out the water.)

Next, add the grains. It’s not necessary to add any of the water kefir. Cover your grains with a cloth secured by a rubberband or a loose plastic lid. If you have a metal lid (like I do) cover it with a napkin, and LOOSELY close the lid. You want the grains to get some air. Let it sit 24-48 hours at room temperature before straining the kefir and repeating the process in a new batch.

I store my water kefir in the fridge in an empty bear bottle. Often I will leave it out on the counter overnight to build up carbonation before putting it in the fridge.

Once I fermented it in the closed beer bottle. Bad idea. When we opened it it sprayed out so hard that it hit the ceiling. I was lucky that the bottle was strong or it might have exploded in my hands. So make sure it can “breathe”.

Water Kefir on the Left & Kombucha on the Right

(photo by Janetha)

Or if I’m brewing more than one mason jar at a time I use large bottles with pressure wire lids. I have no idea what you actually call these sort bottles but you can buy them from Ikea.

Simple dimple.

However if you google around you may end up with a few questions.

Do I need to use a plastic strainer?

Most people will say you do. I didn’t have a plastic strainer and since I’m into minimalism, I didn’t want to go out and buy something else so I used a fine metal strainer I already owned. I should say I don’t let my grains sit in the metal strainer (but I don’t think they would be traumatized if I did). I simply strain the water kefir into a container and dump the grains into a bowl while I’m dissolving my sugar. I’ve been doing this for almost two year now and have never had a problem.

How long do water grains last?

My understanding is that if taken care of they will last indefinitely as they multiply.

How do you “take care” of water kefir grains?

I try to make sure I change the water (start a new batch) every 48 hours. However, sometimes I forget and they ferment too long running out of food. This can damage the grains. At one point, I noticed my grains weren’t multiplying so I strained them and washed them by stirring them (rather vigorously) around in filtered water. Then I put them a quart sized mason jar full of filtered water with 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar and 1/4 tsp of molasses. I let the kefir grains “rest” in the refrigerator for about a week before I rinsed them and started a new batch. Immediately, the grains started multiplying again and making delicious kefir. “Resting” your grains also works when you are going to be gone for an extended about of time. How long it takes your grains to run out of food mostly depends on heat. If it’s hot they will ferment faster and run out of food.

What do you do with extra grains?

Since healthy water kefir grains multiply you will be left with extra grains. I use those grains in smoothies, give them away, and sometimes eat a spoonful plain. I know the thought of it kinda grosses me out too but they don’t really have any taste.

How do I know if my water kefir grains are “working”?

You will see bubbles rising up from the grains and the kefir will have a slightly fermented taste. Try the sugar water mixture before adding the grains by pouring a little into a separate cup (you don’t want any contamination) and then try it again after 24-48 hours and you should taste the difference. It also changes color.

Do you rinse your grains each time?

No, I’m lazy so I rinse them about every other batch.

Nectarine Water Kefir

Can you flavor water kefir?

Yes. After the initial fermentation I sometimes remove the grains and add dried fruit. I’ll let it sit on the counter for an extra night or two. I’ve also heard you can use vanilla extract or lemon but I haven’t tried it.

Where do I buy water kefir grains?

Personally, I have never bought water kefir grains. I got mine from a friend. So my suggestion would be to start on Facebook and ask if any of your friends make water kefir. You never know what your friends might have brewing behind closed doors. I got my first kombucha scoby from someone I had no idea was into health when I posted on Facebook I was looking for one. If that doesn’t work you could always look on Craigslist. Lastly, I’ve seen them for sale on the internet but since I have never bought them online I can’t vouch for any of the website. If anyone has purchased them online feel free to share your source.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Check out our family’s adventures being inspired to follow you dreams at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post Water Kefir – How to Make the HEALTHY Soda Alternative appeared first on Girl Heroes.

When I was at the Robert is Here fruitstand, I saw a new-to-me fruit called Sapodilla.

Mistaking them for potatoes, I would have walked past had I not read the sign.  “Tastes like a pear with brown sugar!” What??? Yes, please!

Brent and I ate most of them plain for dessert. Sapodillas are soft and creamy. They remind me of a pear flavored pudding with brown sugar. Perfect for a smoothie.

Sapodilla Smoothie

2 Sapodillas
1 Frozen Banana
1 Cup Plain Yogurt (I use whole fat)
1/2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
Large Handful of Ice

Throw it all in a blender and blend until creamy.

Makes one EXTRA large smoothie or two medium smoothies.

Anyone else ever tried a sapodilla? We are heading up to North Carolina soon. Anyone have any advice as to what to see or do? Any good local foods we should try?

Thank you for the kindness regarding my last post about breast cancer. Your support and encouragement were sincerely uplifting. I’m going to do my best to not think too much about it. There isn’t much I can do until we get back to Ventura in the fall. In the meantime, I going to put my energy into being present with my family and not lost in worry.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Check out our family’s adventures being inspired to follow you dreams at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

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I finally found time to make a new recipe. A tabouli recipe. If you want to call it a recipe. Tabouli is sort of a like a caprese salad. There are pretty standard ingredients with a few variations among recipes.

Although, by necessity, mine makes a slight divergence.

When I was at Robert is Here, I bought some parsley with the intention of making tabouli. However, when we settled down in the everglades I realized I didn’t have any bulgur a traditional ingredient in tabouli.

When you are in the Everglades you just don’t run out to the store unless it’s the campground store to buy mosquito spray or Spam. Both will kill you if used enough.

Anyway I decided to improvise with what I had on hand, quinoa.

Quinoa Tabouli

1 Bunch of Parsley
3 Tomatoes
1 Clove of Garlic (pressed)
1 Lemon (the juice squeezed)
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Cup of Quinoa (measured uncooked)
Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste

Cook the quinoa. I always cook mine using a ratio of 1:1. I bring the water to the boil stir in the quinoa and some salt. I let it continue to boil for a minute or two before I off the heat, cover it, and leave it. No clue if this is the “proper” way to cook quinoa but it always works for me.

While the quinoa is doing its thing, I chop the parsley (fine), the tomatoes (course), squeezed the lemon, and pressed the garlic. By the time, I’m done with all this, the quinoa is ready to be tossed in a bowl with everything else. Simple dimple!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post Quinoa Tabouli appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Intense workouts?  Vintage inspired Tulle clothing?  C.S. Lewis?  Beef heart?  Liver?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and I guess…well..yes.

I wasn’t surprised when I found out blogger buddy, Charlotte from The Great Fitness Experiment (who happens to be one of the the funniest and most talented writers I know) and I had “matching organs” in our freezers.  After all, we already have numerous unintentional matching outfits. There is really not that much of a difference.  Outfits? Organs?  Ummm…they both start with “O”.

So we decided to have a little fun and cook up our organs (that sounds odd) “together” all while wearing one of our matching outfits.

The Heart

First, I started with the heart.  After all it’s really just a muscle like steak.  Right?

So why not make beef heart steak fajitas?

I sliced it up…

..and marinated it in 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup Worcesterhire sauce, 5 cloves garlic,1 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.

Then I sautéd onion and bell peppers reminding myself the whole time.  “It’s just steak.”

In another pan, I sautéed the heart “steak”.

I served it to my family in corn tortillas with black beans and sour cream.  (A spoonful of  sour cream helps the beef heart steak go down.  The beef heart steak go down.)

The boys didn’t even notice there was a difference from our usual fajitas until Brent kept saying, “This sure is hearty.” Hilarious. Thing 1 one caught on and refused to eat another bite despite saying, “This is pretty good.” five minutes prior.

I enjoyed it and even ate the leftovers the next day in a salad.  I’m happy because beef heart is very nutrient dense.  It contains many vitamins and minerals but I’m especially excited about (doesn’t everyone get excited about nutrients?) high concentration collagen, elastin, and CoQ10 which are important for youthful skin health.

However, my excitement over nutrients (and vanity) couldn’t carry me through the next adventure….

The Liver

You know when you can’t decide what to wear to a party and opt for a classic little black dress just to be safe?

Well, I decided to take the same approach with the liver.  Everyone has heard of liver and onions.  It must be a classic for a reason?

I sort of followed the directions for liver and onions in my favorite cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats and ended up with a dish of breaded liver topped with onions and mushrooms.

Don’t let the smile fool you.

I really felt like this.

I called Grill Hero to the rescue and he grilled up the other half of that sucker.  (I think it may have really been an elephant liver.)

Not even Grill Hero could save the day liver. I took one bite and gagged.

I really really wanted to like it.  Liver is supposed to be wonderful, magical, and supremely healthy (Asssuming you get it from a free range, grass fed, yadda yadda yadda, cow which we did.) and this wouldn’t be the first time I tried something crazy unusual in the name of health.

But I just couldn’t do it.

The smell, the texture, the thought, but mostly the aftertaste.  Nobody warned me of the aftertaste which tasted like my 2-year-old-never-been-washed taekwondo sparring gear smells.

It wasn’t just me who didn’t want it.

Hmmmm????

“WTH, human?”

These guys on the other hand, “More please?”

I thought I was adventurous serving organs to my family.  Check out Charlotte!  She went as far to serve organs to visiting missionaries!

Have you ever cooked any organ meats?  Any advice for making liver more palatable?  I really want to like it!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

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The post A Tale of Two Organs appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Feeding my family high quality food is a priority.  Even on a budget.

Enter the humble legume.

Cheap, easy, versatile?

Check.

Protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber?

Yep, it’s all there.  Thank you, little beans.

I buy beans in bulk and cook big batches at a time.  It’s easy and saves me a lot of money and time. Who doesn’t like to save money, save time, and nourish their body!

How to I Cook Beans

I learned how to cook beans following Sally Fallon’s directions in Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. (My all time favorite book about nutrition.)  In the book there are some pretty specific directions. I’ve simplified and, aside from adding whey to lentils and black beans, pretty much prepare all beans the same.

1. First, I soak the beans several hours (8+) or overnight.  Soaking them reduces phytates (which can block mineral absorption) and makes them more digestible.

2. If I’m cooking black beans or lentils I add about a tablespoon of whey (or lemon juice) per cup of beans.  All other beans, I use plain (preferably filtered) water.

3. I rinse the beans, add fresh water, salt, chopped onions, garlic, and cook until soft.  Most of the time, I just use a slow cooker and let them soak one night, change the water in the morning, and cook.  Other times, I cook them slowly in a pot on the stove.  I’ve noticed lentils cook much faster than other legumes so I check them frequently.

Once they have cooled, I divide them up and freeze for the future.  (I drain lentils for freezing.  All the other beans I leave in their juices.)

That’s it!  Now I have beans for burritos, grilled mexican pizzas, chili, vegetarian sloppy joes and salads.

Such sweet little beans!

You want to know more about the whys and hows of cooking your own beans?  Here is an article from my favorite food organization, The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” on Facebook, or 3.  Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

The post How to (I) cook beans and save a lot of money. appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Whole chickens are one of the most economical sources of protein. I buy them in bulk every few months from Azure Standard. To get the most out of a single chicken, I’ll first, cook and serve it as the main course.  Then that night I’ll make chicken broth from the bones.  The next day, I’ll make chicken salad, burritos, sandwiches, and soups with the broth.  Often there is enough left over to freeze for future use.  Usually, I get 3-4 meals for a family of four out of one chicken.  This chipolte lime chicken is one of our favorites!

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