Tag Archives: winter

Coconut Apple Pancakes

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Coconut Flour Pancakes with Apples – yum! Even the little tummies in this house were fans! Perfect grain-free and paleo breakfast for a cold winter morning and great way to start off the new year. Happy New Year everyone! 🙂

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Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey or agave
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 apple, sliced in very thin boats
  • coconut oil or butter for frying

Directions

  1. In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy, about two minutes (I used a food processor for this – works great!). Mix in milk, vanilla, and honey or agave.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt and whisk together. Stir wet mixture into dry until coconut flour is incorporated.
  3. Grease pan with butter or coconut oil. Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into pan for each pancake. Spread out slightly with the back of a spoon. The pancakes should be 2-3 inches in diameter and fairly thick. Lay sliced apples on pancakes.
  4. Cook on low to medium heat for a few minutes on each side, until they start to turn golden brown.
  5. Serve hot with butter, coconut oil, honey, syrup, or fruit.

Inspired and modified from the Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes on NourishingDays.com.

dit-elle-Esther

Mexican Hot Chocolate

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Merry Merry Christmas everyone!

Feeling chilly? Need a drink after playing in the snow? This Mexican Hot Chocolate will warm you right up! A delicious blend of spices including ginger and cayenne make this a wonderful steamy drink for a cold winter day.

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Ingredients (1 serving)

  • 2 tsps cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • cayenne to taste (I use about 1/8 tsp, but I like it spicy!)
  • 1 Tbsp agave syrup or honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup milk (or coconut milk)
  • Half ‘n’ half or cream to taste

Directions

  • Mix dry ingredients in a cup
  • Add agave and water
  • Microwave on high for 20 seconds
  • Stir till well blended, add milk and return to the microwave for another minute or until hot
  • Add some whipped cream (optional)

dit-elle-Esther

Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip

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We just had our annual Iron Chef party – the challenge was to use ONE of the following ingredients in a dish: crab, chocolate or cranberries. I picked crab and made this dip. Guess who won the iron chef challenge!? Yep, that’s right – Hot Artichoke & Crab Dip! 🙂

This dip is everything you would expect from a hot creamy artichoke and crab dip – plus more! The 1/2 tsp cayenne adds a fabulous kick. Spicy but not too spicy. If you’re not into spice and heat – omit! Definitely not recommended for kids, but a wonderful “grown up” dish. I served this with cucumber and red bell pepper slices, but toasted baguette or pita would be great if you prefer!

blog crab artichoke dip

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked crabmeat
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onion + 2 tsps for garnish
  • 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper + 2 tsps for garnish
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Serve with

  • 1 hot house cucumber, sliced (for dipping)
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced (for dipping)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
  • Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth; stir in garlic and cayenne. Gently stir artichoke hearts, crab, Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup green onion, 1/3 cup red bell pepper. Transfer the dip to a 9-inch pie dish and sprinkle top with rest of cheese.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden brown and dip is hot, ~30 minutes. Garnish with 2 teaspoons green onion and 2 teaspoons chopped red bell pepper.

dit-elle-Esther

Lantern Craft

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It’s that time of year.. the days are short, the nights are long, and if it’s raining, the days just feel dark! These lanterns are a wonderful kid activity and winter decoration to bring some warm light into the house! Growing up in Scandiavia and going to a Waldorf, we would make these every November for our Lantern Festival. They are super simple to make and you can get creative with shapes, sizes and color schemes! Have fun! 🙂

Blog DIY Lantern craft (7) Blog DIY Lantern craft (6) Blog DIY Lantern Craft x4 Blog DIY Lantern craft (5)

Supplies

  • Glass jar (any shape/size OK, but needs to be glass not plastic)
  • Colored tissue paper
  • Glue (watered out Elmer’s glue)
  • Brushes or sponge brushes to brush light coat of glue on outside of jar
  • Tea lights / votive candles
  • Shiny star stickers (optional)

Directions

  • ‘Paint’ the outside of the jars with a thin coat of watered out glue and rip up pieces of colored tissue paper and stick to jar
  • Repeat with multiple layers until desired color density / effect is reached
  • Let dry, and add a few star stickers
  • Light candles and drop inside the jars
  • Enjoy super cosiness! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Apple Tartlets

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It’s definitely apple season! Pick a favorite cooking apple (Granny Smith apples are wonderful), make this easy crust, and voila – easy paleo dessert. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for some totally-non-paleo goodness! 🙂

The recipe calls for apple juice – this is the only sweetener. I thought the apples might be too tart – but they are perfect. Even without the ice cream, this is a yummy dessert!

These Upside Down Apple Tartlets are inspired from Elana’s Pantry (with some minor modifications).

Blog apple tartlett (3) Blog apple tartlett (1)

Crust

  • 2 cups blanched almond flour
  • dash sea salt
  • ÂĽ cup coconut oil, at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Filling

  • 6 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced, and cut into ÂĽ-inch slices (I like Granny Smith Apples for baking)
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (What’s arrowroot? That’s what I said! It’s a natural thickener – a starch extracted from arrowroot. Read more on Wikipedia.)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° and place eight 1-cup wide mouth Mason jars on a large baking sheet (you could also make one large pie/tart if you prefer – just use an ~8″ round or square baking dish and crumble or lay the crust on top)
  2. To make the crust, pulse together almond flour and salt in a food processor, then add coconut oil and vanilla and pulse until the mixture forms a ball
  3. Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper and place in freezer for 20 minutes
  4. To make filling, toss apples, apple juice, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl to combine
  5. Transfer apples to Mason jars so that each one is overfull and divide remaining juice from the bottom of the bowl between the jars
  6. Remove dough from freezer, place between 2 pieces of parchment paper generously dusted with almond flour and roll out to about ¼-inch thick and remove top sheet of parchment
  7. Use top of a wide-mouth Mason jar to cut out 8 circles of dough
  8. Place one on top of each apple-filled Mason jar
  9. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown
  10. Serve the tartlets hot out of the oven with coconut whipped cream or ice cream 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Paleo Chili

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This is a hearty and delicious paleo chili recipe – legume/bean free, full of veggies and a rich flavorful meat sauce. You can do this in a crock pot or regular stove top pot. This makes a wonderful meal served with Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins!

Blog paleo chili

Ingredients

  • 2Tbsp cooking oil (I chose coconut oil or olive oil)
  • 2lbs. ground beef (or ground meat of choice)
  • 1-2Tbsp chili powder
  • 1-2Tbsp cumin
  • 1tsp oregano
  • 1tsp allspice
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 4oz. tomato paste
  • 28oz. crushed tomatoes
  • 1cup water or enough liquid to cover the meat/sauce
  • Serve with avocado slices and your favorite chili toppings

Directions

  • In a large pot, add hamburger meat and onions and cook through.
  • Once thoroughly cooked, add the spice mixture and stir until combined.
  • Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1-2 hours. I usually simmer 1 hour and it tastes great. (I can’t wait too long when good food is cooking.)
  • Do not drain the liquid that’s produced when the meal/onions cook. It’s keeps the healthy fat in the dish and adds great flavor. Promise!

Thanks EasyPeas-y for the inspiration!

dit-elle-Esther

Ruby Root Slaw

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Raw carrots and beets are grated and tossed in an olive oil & vinegar dressing. A crispy delicate salad, delicious and full of freshness! 🙂

Blog beetsalad

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 3 red beets, peeled and grated (use the grater setting on your food processor!)
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1 apple, peeled and grated
  • 1/4 c toasted chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

  • In large bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
  • Toss the dressing with beets, carrots, and apple.
  • Refrigerate for an hour or more to let flavors meld.
  • Fold in walnuts and parsley before serving

dit-elle-Esther

Festive Felted Wool Ball Ornaments

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Felted Wool Ball Ornaments are one of my favorite Christmas tree decorations to make. Super easy (you need some wool, Styrofoam balls, soap and hot water!) and a fun activity to do with a toddler or older kid. After all, who doesn’t like playing in soapy water!

Ava and I had fun making these. Unfortunately I did not get any photos of us doing this project as soap was flying and Anders has just started crawling (read: tearing around the house)! But we had a blast! 🙂

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Ingredients

  • Styrofoam balls – they come in different sizes and can be found at craft stores like Jo-Ann’s Fabric
  • Wool (find carded wool or roving online or your local yarn store)
  • Decorative long pins (optional)
  • Ribbon or yarn for tying around the balls
  • Soap & Water (liquid soap for hand or dish washing works great)

Directions

  • Wrap a bunch of loose wool around Styrofoam ball – it should be loose and fluffy
  • Dip in hot soapy water and start ‘packing a snowball’
  • Repeat this – making the ball very sudsy and keep ‘packing’ and rubbing it for 5-7 minutes
  • The loose wool will shrink and turn into felt and ‘hug’ the surface of the Styrofoam ball
  • Rinse in warm water and gently squeeze off excess water with a towel
  • Decorate and let air dry

blogfeltballs4 blogfeltballs3  blogFeltBallsx2-2

 

dit-elle-Esther

Salmon, potato and spinach soup

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I’ve been making a lot of soups recently – especially since we are having this unusual cold spell with temps in the teens at night and barely above 32 in the day! Brrr…! Hot soup to the rescue – easy, yummy and quick!

Blog salmonspinachsoup

 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 leek (white and pale-green parts only) — halved, rinsed and thinly sliced (or 1 onion, chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4-8 small red or gold potatoes, scrubbed and halved (some paleo purists don’t eat white potatoes, so cauliflower would be a great substitute)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet — skinned, boned and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half (or coconut milk for paleo)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill  (I used 1 tsp dry)
  • 5 ounces baby spinach

Directions

  • Melt butter in a heavy sauce pot over medium heat.
  • Add leek and garlic, stirring occasionally, until leek is soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in potatoes and cauliflower; season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour in stock and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are fork tender, 7 to 9 minutes.
  • Add salmon and simmer until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Stir in half-and-half, dill and spinach and briefly cook until spinach wilts and soup is heated through.

You can make this paleo by substituting coconut milk for the dairy.

dit-elle-Esther

Wellness Remedies

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It’s the season – coughing and sneezing everywhere! And then suddenly YOU are coughing and sneezing and feeling miserable.

I hate being sick. When I do get sick I’m a grouchy patient. Who isn’t? So I’m super motivated to stay well. Here are some wellness tips for cold season!Blog StayHealthy

  • Fresh garlic, crushed and served in a bowl of hot broth or soup at the first inkling of a cold
  • Honey – it’s antiseptic and sooths sore throats
  • Ground turmeric in some hot milk – love this one – turmeric looks like ginger root in its fresh form, but is smaller and usually is found in powder form as a spice. I learned about it from an Indian friend who gives it to her children regularly to strengthen immunity. In our house we take some every day.
  • Fresh ginger root – freshly minced or in powder form. Peel some fresh ginger root, slice it up and boil it in water and drink as tea. This is also excellent for your digestion.
  • Vitamin C – plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year, some fresh lemon juice in hot water with honey can soothe a sore throat
  • Salt – mix hot water and salt and gargle – this will soothe a raw throat and is also antiseptic. Maybe that’s why salty soups taste good when you have a sore throat.
  • Water, plenty of it!
  • Hot shower and steam bath – helps clear sinuses and feels good for achy limbs and head

As a proactive measure you can use “Four Thieves Oil” – not ingested – but a drop or two on wrist/neck before going on an airplane or if around a sick people may ward off germs. The smell is kind of refreshing (ingredients include wormwood, thyme, rosemary, peppermint, cinnamon, clove, lavender, sage, camphor, juniper, pine..)

Probably the most important healing and wellness remedy is SLEEP.. with or without a furry dog laying on your feet to keep them warm. Socks will also do. 🙂

Super mom tip: if you are nursing there’s not a whole lot of medicine you can take without interfering with either milk supply or passing ingredients to baby, but by all means keep nursing. Your body creates powerful antibodies when you are exposed to germs and passes these on to baby. When you have a cold chances are that baby may avoid it! Yay!

dit-elle-Esther