Family Favorites

Today marks Ava's last day of early intervention, on Sunday she turns three and will be entering preschool next week. I have found this last week very hard, our lives are about to change as Ava goes from having in home therapy to outside therapy. It is also hard as the parent, the support you get with early intervention is amazing and it was hard to say goodbye to so many great people that have worked so hard with Ava. I am not one to post my life details all over Facebook and I don't do a lot of vague booking either. I wanted to share this post because I have seen first hand how important early intervention is and it has challenged me so much but I have learned so much that I wanted to share so it could help others. Ava started with early intervention at about 3 months. We moved when she was 6 months old and she continued early intervention every week with a physical therapist. At her one year evaluation which she was a little over a year and half, it was noticed that she was...

I wanted something that could be made ahead in the mornings, this is the perfect breakfast! http://detoxinista.com/2015/07/quinoa-breakfast-porridge/

Another family favorite, I added apples and left out the banana. I also used cashew milk instead of almond milk. Great for breakfast or a snack!  http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2012/02/14/simple-baked-oatmeal-recipe/

This is great to make for the week ahead. http://detoxinista.com/2013/03/quinoa-pasta-salad/

As we enter the colder months of the year, I am happy to get back to making soup! This one is a family favorite!   http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-recipe/butternut-squash-soup/

I have always enjoyed being creative in the kitchen, last year I ventured out and started making my own beauty products. These lotion bars are awesome! Easy to make and use! Also they make great gifts for family, friends, and teachers.  http://wellnessmama.com/4770/lotion-bars/

I typically make a frittata the day before I go grocery shopping. I add any leftover veggies that I had not used during the week. The picture below contains tomatoes , spinach, leftover stir fry veggies, zoodles, and cheese. The pan is a 12 inch which I feel works very well. Hope you enjoy! http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-frittata-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-170717

Another quick and easy recipe, banana bread! Made this tonight after realizing I had some super brown bananas on my hands. I tend to go the muffin route as they are easier to hand tiny hands fast! http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/recipes/desserts/paleo-banana-bread/

My friend DeAnna sent me this recipe and it's so easy to make since you just throw everything in the crockpot and cook it! I would recommend doubling the recipe as its so good and makes for great leftovers, if you have any! http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/2013/07/recipe-for-slow-cooker-mexican-quinoa.html?m=1

This sauce is a family favorite! It is great on anything and really gives a depth of flavor, to otherwise boring dishes! Make sure to soak the cashews for at least 2 hours or even overnight. http://inspiralized.com/2015/01/11/vegan-buffalo-cauliflower-with-sweet-potato-noodles/

I have tried making kale chips several times, although good and crispy they never really tasted like the ones at the store. This recipe however changes that! I used ingredients to make the topping that I would have never thought of using. If you are on the fence about kale chips give this recipe a try! https://minimalistbaker.com/30-minute-cheesy-kale-chips/

This recipe is super easy to throw together and you can't even taste the black beans! I did not add as much sugar as the recipe calls for and everyone still enjoyed the taste of them. Hope you enjoy them! http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/02/amazing-flour-less-brownies.html

I love this recipe for Grain-Free Healthy Green Pancakes from the blog  http://www.lovelifenaturally.org/ because it only has 4 ingredients! It does not take much time to whip these up! My daughter loves them and I love that she is getting her veggies!

 This a nice alternative to rice, it is great to make in advance to use through out the week!  I use my food processor for this, but have heard that you can also use a cheese grater. I have a Cuisinart 9 cup food processor. You will want to use this blade for the food processor. First thing you want to do is chop off the stalk of the cauliflower, then you will chop the head into small pieces that can fit into the mouth of the food processor. This is what it will look like before cooking.  To cook the rice, I heat a large skillet over medium heat and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. I add the rice and stir every couple minutes, I will cook it till it is soft but not yet mushy. You can then add any seasoning that you want. I love to pair it with chicken and sweet potato fries. Enjoy!

Homemade ranch dressing typically is made with eggs however I like the egg free version because its so easy to make and no prep involved just measure the ingredients and blend or whisk vigorously together. I make this about once a week and double the recipe because my whole family loves it. It will last about a week in the fridge. Tonight I added 3 tablespoons of Franks Hot Sauce and it was a huge hit! The recipe is towards the bottom of the page. Click here to view it .

I have been drinking green smoothies for a few years now. I normally don't follow a recipe and just throw a bunch of stuff in a blender but today I used a recipe and it taste so good! If you have never tried a green smoothie I think this is a good one to try. The recipe says to use a high speed blender but any blender will do, you just might have to stop and scrape the sides down a few times so that everything is incorporated. Click here for the recipe.

I love Spaghetti Squash and how versatile it is. I get many ideas and recipes from Instagram and saw this one and just had to try it out. It does not taste like real pizza crust but it does satisfy the pizza craving! I did not have the Oregano so I just used Flavor God's pizza seasoning . I topped mine with store bought sauce, cheese, and spinach. Click Here for the Spaghetti Squash Crust Recipe !