Black Mango Salsa

I'm going to be straight forward on this one-
maybe if you know how I felt about it first,
you won't be so hesitant to try it for yourself,

If I saw Mango Salsa on a menu,
I would have avoided the dish it was with!
The first time I was served it at a friends house,
I politely declined dishing it up!
And I NEVER would have looked for a recipe
for Mango Salsa-
it just wasn't on my radar-
I think fruits are sweet,
and I didn't need no Heat to my Sweet!!

And than I got trickered-
and I partook of that sweet fruit,
mixed in with some serious spice-
and I found myself a little bit hooked!

So yesterday,
as I was peeling mangoes,
and thinking they were absolutely perfect-
and I saw the kiwi in the fruit bowl,
and the blackberries on the counter-
I knew I had to get me a mango salsa FIX!
"Hey Kids, who wants mango salsa and pita chips
for afterschool snack today?"
I can ALWAYS convince myself,
that my needs really meet the needs of others-
it's the mother in me!

Ooh La LA,
That's all I have left to say,
okay except for
Isn't it beautiful?

Mango Salsa

4 mangoes, peeled and cut in dices
10 blackberries, cut in half if they are big
2 kiwi, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
jalapeno, large minced
1 TBSP. crystallized ginger
small pinch of sea salt (I actually skip this, but I'm not a salt lover)
(My recipe calls for fresh pineapple too, but I left it out this time,
and I really liked it without)

after the blackberries had time to spread their love of color

Blueberry Salmon

I'm having a bit of an affair with Blueberries right now,
besides all the hub bub about anti-oxidants
and all the yummy goodness they spit out,
I just heard that they are a natural anti-inflammatory,
and I have me some dumb old
Lupus/ arthritis inflammation-
so instead of a bunch of pills,
I'm going for a bunch of blueberries!!

I found a recipe for Blueberry Salsa
and honestly for a month I was obsessed!
The kind of obsessed that bugs people,
and they say things like
"Seriously Mom, you've mentioned that
blueberry salsa like 20 times today,
just make it already"
"OK, OK little miss smarty pants,
if you're going to insist,
I'll get busy and make it."

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,
it was sooooooooooooooooooooooo,
good!! OH SO GOOD!!!

We have served it with tortilla chips,
eaten it with pita chips,
put it on sandwiches,
served it as a topping for our
favorite Blueberry BBQ sauce,
and just last night,
ate it on our Ginger Lime Salmon

Now that's some good stuff

(and all this in one week)
Yeah you could say OBSESSED
Are you ready for it,
'cuz here it comes...

Blue & Black-berry Salsa

1 cup fresh blueberries
10 blackberries
1/4 red onion
1 teaspoon lime zest
juice of two limes
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 avocado, chopped (I left this out this time)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine blueberries, strawberries, onion, lime zest, juice and cilantro in a food processor or blender and pulse. Process to your desired consistency. I tend to like a little chunk to my salsa's. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 

Well just in case you want to know what little
miss smarty pants said after I made it,
it sounded a lot like
"Seriously mom, all that obsessing was
like TOTALLY worth it"

Maple Glazed Almonds

Do you ever crave something?
I mean CRAVE something????

And then do you ever
panic when you go to make it
and you don't have what you need?

This happened to me today.
I wanted a salad with Glazed Cashews-
I toast them in a pan with a VERY small amount of butter,
when they are getting a pretty golden color,
I add in some agave nectar-
they get this yummy, crunchy, sweet flavor
and they taste AMAZING on any salad,

one of my favorites can be found here

I had no Agave,
and I only had salted cashews...

But I'd already made the salad
and I was hungry-

So I went made two substitutions
to a three ingredient recipe
(technically, is that even a recipe)
I used Slivered Almonds instead of Cashews
and Organic Pure Maple Syrup

I was NOT disappointed-
they were so Yummy!

I topped the salad with equal parts of
Grapeseed Oil and Cranberry Balsamic Vinegar

(I've mixed the Cranberry Balsamic with Black Currant
Balsamic and then used an equal portion of Olive Oil too)

Posted by Treisha at 1:56 PM

Save Me Some... Granola

I posted this Granola Recipe on
My other blog

I decided to share it here as well.
I really do love this  recipe for a
good, all natural, better for me
GRANOLA...

I have been avoiding Wheat and Wheat Products
for quite some time.
I can tell within two days when I am cheating
because my fingers and knees HURT,
my ankles and hands swell and I feel all over ACHY!

I can tell I've gone really too far outside of my
eating goals when my ears start to itch, my nose runs
and I break out in an all over rash (this is usually when
I am eating wheat and sugar). Add in soy to the mix
and you will quickly find me in an all over body rash
that has an itch to it that rivals poison ivy-
Though there is NO WAY
(at least that I know of)
to prove that preservatives and additives also make
me sick (its hard to find a food with preservatives that
does NOT contain one of the aforementioned products).

For me, this ain't NO DIET TREND-
it's a Quality of Life Trend!

But anytime someone asks me for menu ideas for
going Gluten Free, I panic just a little bit-
Gluten Free is a much bigger topic than simply
avoiding wheat products-
Gluten can be found in a wide range of products,
including make-up and deli meats.
For our friends with Celiac Disease (an auto-immune
disorder that causes damage- to the small intestine and
disrupts the absorption of foods; gluten is responsible
for the damage) being gluten free isn't a trend or a
dietary statement, it is a way of life.
I also highly advise those with Lupus or Crohn's Disease
to avoid gluten as much as you possibly can!

I can't guarantee the Gluten Free-edness of this
Granola Recipe-
BUT I can totally guarantee the YUMMY factor
that this recipe holds-

Really, granola is about as individual as the person
who makes it. Add whatever you like as fillers, I'm just
sharing my favorites.
I know you can buy granola at the store-
and it may even be comparable in cost-
But for me-
there is nothing like knowing what is in the food
that I eat and what I feed my kiddos!

It's a simple recipe, use whatever add ins you like best.
I love that this has no junk in it- it's just good for me,
good for you, good tasting...
It's simple Goodness
Now for Goodness Sakes go make some quick before
the kids get home from school!

Save Me Some... Granola

8 cups oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (I use coconut sugar or sucanat)
2 cups add ins *
*** Mix these ingredients together.

In a small pan, combine
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup water
*** Heat these four ingredients until butter melts
(P.S. The last time I made this,
I added some cranberry balsamic vinegar that I LOVE-
the granola had a darker color, but tasted so good)

Pour over the oat and yumminess mixture.
Divide between 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper

My 12 year old made this batch. How easy is that?

Bake at 300 for 30 minutes (I almost always
cook it longer than that!
Store and Enjoy

Makes me want to grab a ramekin and dish up...

Oooops! I guess I did grab a ramekin...

* Really, the sky is the limit for add ins.
If you like it,
I say it is fair game for granola!
My favorite mix ins include, but are not limited to...
 

Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Pignolias

Chopped Pecans & Large Flake Unsweetened Coconut

Coconut Oil & Pure Maple Syrup

 

Extra Thick Rolled Oats & Dried Berry Medley

The Complete Cast of Characters...

Sunday Sundaes- TK Style

I'm going to tell you about it someday!

One day when I am sure that I can speak about it
with some level of confidence and humility-
right now it is still pretty personal,
But I joined An Addiction Recovery Program.

One reason I don't want to talk about it
YET...
Is that my Addiction is a widely debated topic
in the diet, nutrition and addiction fields

Some say "ABSOLUTELY" and others
laugh and scorn and say things like
"You don't know what you're talking about"

So I've kept it relatively to myself-
I've teased with my friends for a long time that
I was going to do it,
and Finally, I decided it wasn't a joke
(at least, it wasn't to me)
and I joined a program sponsored by my church-
You can learn more here if you are interested

My addiction is to Sugar-
To me it is a real, powerful and to easy to ignore problem-

But like I said,
more on that later!!

I have found that there are a few things I can
do to enjoy Dessert Time with my family on
Sunday evenings.
This is one of my Favorite-

The Waffle Bowls are Homemade

My Hubby is the Master at Waffle Bowl Making

and are made with alternative ingredients for me
but honestly, I don't often eat mine anyway
(I've just learned I'd rather not eat,
than deal with all the substitutions sometimes)

I add some delicious Fruit-
a hearty and healthy serving thank you very much!

I add lime juice and lemon & lime rind 20 minutes before I serve it

I top my "Sundae" with Plain Greek Yogurt
flavored with Cranberry Balsamic Vinegar
or Vanilla Bean Paste and Lemon Extract

What's Not Fabulous About This?

The last time we had ice cream Sundaes,
three of my five kids at home
opted for my version and said no
to the ice cream :)
Oh happy DAY