Kendall’s Natural Cold Remedies

Well the cold has come and gone about three times since school started in August. Having small children means having large amounts of germs. It’s a parental rite of passage that my husband and I accept. Now, while we may accept it, we also fight it with both modern and traditional forms of medicine. Here are a few of my favorite natural remedies that we keep in stock in our house.

Flu Bombs
You can’t go wrong with homemade flu bombs that you can store in your freezer. There are a ton of recipes out there but here is the one that I use:

  • 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice (2ish oranges)
  • 1/2 cup of lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
  • 1 cup of coconut water
  • 1/3 cup honey (plus an extra dollop)
  • 1.5 tsp of Turmeric (you can use fresh turmeric as well… I use like an inch and a half)
  • Smidge pinch of pepper

Throw it all in a blender and pour into an ice cube tray (I use a deep square one) and freeze.
When you are ready to enjoy, pop a cube out and throw some hot water on it. Voila- goodness in a cup!

Homemade Cough Syrup
Cut up about a quarter to half a white, red, or yellow onion. Throw it in a mason jar. I use a large one so I use like half an onion. Cover the onion with honey but leave some room at the top. Close the lid and let it sit for 24 hours. I store mine in the fridge. Take a tablespoon or two as needed. This serves as both a cough suppressant and decongestant.

Fermented Garlic and Honey
Why? Need help with inflammation? CHECK. Good for your cold? CHECK. Helps activate immune system? CHECK. This is the recipe I use. I also use the cloves (once fermented) in my cooking and the honey on toast or drizzled on charcuterie (credit for these uses goes to my friend who got me hooked on this).

Fire Cider
Just google it. There are a plentiful amount of recipes for you to choose from. Since I am not patient, I buy mine from the fancy organic store in town. A shot of this when you are sick or others are in your house are sick helps activate all the good things in your body that are needed to fight sickness. It also helps with coughing and sore throats. Recipes vary so find something that appeals to you.

Italian Penicillin
This recipe is a family favorite. There are MANY versions of this out there. Here are two that I think are worth checking out.

The first link is for a vegetable only version:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=1430971577532420

This second link is for a more traditional chicken recipe:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=search&v=1714313876116569&external_log_id=724b4c4e-8a54-45fc-9193-0d7647e9d7e3&q=chicken%20italian%20penicillin

I am not a doctor and as such, my tips and tricks are just that… tips and tricks. If you are sick, see a doctor! This is just where I start my journey. I am not stubborn… if I need medicine, I take the medicine. Do what is best for your body!

Be well!

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com

Kendall: Food, Food, Food

If you follow us on Instagram, you know that both Shari and I just had babies. Shari is opening up about that this week and I will do so in the weeks to come. For now, I want to talk about food.

Food has been on my mind. A lot. I am breastfeeding again and my little boy EATS. Like, EATS. I sometimes feel queasy during or after because of how much he is eating. When that happens, I also feel hungry. It’s a disastrous marriage of feelings. Due to his healthy appetite and it’s affect on me, I have been really thoughtful about food.

Normally, my husband and I do not eat a lot of carbs. Lately, I have needed the carbs to keep my energy up and to satiate that terrible hungry/queasy feeling. I like to be thoughtful about what I eat. I am in my thirties and I can’t just eat whatever I want and expect to not see any consequences. Eating smart is paramount. BUT, I also want to enjoy my food. With that said, here are my favorite fall recipes that I have been making over and over that feel good to both my tastebuds AND to my body and what it needs.

Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with JalapeƱo Ranch (Half Baked Harvest)
OMG these are so good and so easy to make- even the homemade ranch and crispy taco part. You can doctor this to meet your cravings. These tacos are filling and have such good flavor.

Homemade Tomato Soup (Joy Food Sunshine)
I hated tomato soup as a kid. But in recent years I have become a total fan. This is super easy to make and can be served alongside a small salad or yummy bread. Tips: Instead of throwing the mixture in a blender, you can also throw it in to the pot and use an immersion blender. If you are wanting more tomato flavor, blend in a can of San Marzano tomatoes to the mix!

Marry Me Chicken (Delish)
This dish is REALLY good. My husband adores this dinner. You can throw it over a bed of pasta, rice, cauliflower rice or vegetables. I made this recipe last night and added in steamed broccoli. It was so satisfying it felt like it was a “cheat” meal but it was actually pretty decent for you. Enjoy!

Breakfast- Anything from Downshiftology
Browse her breakfast recipes. Most everything is super easy, nutritional, and can be catered to the different seasons. For example: paleo pumpkin pancakes or sweet potato toast anyone?

There you have it. That’s what I am eating these days and I hope you find something tasty to try out too!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Recipe Dump Courtesy of Shari and Kendall

Recipe Dump Courtesy of Shari and Kendall

This week, we are keeping it simple. The truth is, we love cooking. The truth also is that sometimes cooking is just a pain in the butt- especially midweek. SO- here are some of our favorite recipes courtesy of Natalie of Tastes Lovely. She is all about clean eating and making that clean eating fun for everyone that you are trying to get dinner on the table for (friends, kiddos, partners, etc). With Shari currently off on family vacation and me (Kendall) in the thick of a toddler screaming for more Trader Joe’s Honey Oh’s (because YES she knows the difference between Honey Nut Cheerios and the TJ’s version), we need some simplistic and clean options to save time. Without further ado, here are some favorite tried and trued recipes from the lovely Natalie. Make sure to check out Tastes Lovely for more recipes and inspo!

Dairy Free Queso Nacho Cheese

Ok- we know, you are probably thinking, “Dairy free? Yeah right…”. BUT you would be remiss to ignore this recipe. It is super good, healthy, and easy to make. You can throw it on top of nachos, burrito bowls, veggies, etc. The sky is the limit. Make a large batch to keep on hand for the week. You will not regret it.

Keto Creamy Pesto Shrimp Pasta

Look, don’t be scared off by the word “keto.” Take a chill pill- keto stuff is actually pretty delicious. Just ask my husband. Anyways, if you want pasta but you don’t want the bloat and all the extra carbs that make the morning after harder, look no further. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and it feels… nourishing to eat. That’s a trifecta of things if you ask me.

Keto Zucchini Pizza Bites

Oh. My. God. Delish. Healthy. Kid friendly. A great appetizer for parties. Mic drop.

Keto Beef Enchiladas

Look, friends… I (Kendall) am just a Hispanic girl who loves her Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Latino foods. Living in Vermont, I don’t really get many options so whatever I am craving, I gotta make. I am telling you- this is so freaking good. I spice it up with, literally, extra spices and it’s perfect. I also am not gassy or bloated after… I call this a win. It’s great to make a large batch of these and keep them in the fridge for the week.

Whole 30 + Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup

Shari and I love soup. Like, love soup. Soup is the hallmark of the fall and winter seasons. Soup makes us feel warm inside. Soup gives us satisfaction. SO, here is one of our favorite recipes from Natalie. It kicks The Olive Garden’s version of this soup in the booty. Keep this one on deck for late September.

Shari’s Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Shari’s Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

A favorite in our household is this classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (with a few small changes based on how we like to cook). We love it so much we could eat it year-round but since it’s getting cold outside… it’s definitely time for warm meals! We hope you enjoy this!

Ingredients:

  • Meat & Vegetable mixture
    • 2lbs of ground meat, turkey or beef
    • 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
    • 3 Tbsp. Flour (also additional corn starch)
    • ½ Large onion (Chopped)
    • 1 ½ Tbsp. minced garlic
    • 2 Tbsp. Butter
    • 1 Tbsp. BBQ sauce (optional)
    • One bag – mixed vegetables of peas, carrots, corn (we like Trader Joe’s Vegetable Melange)
    • Salt and pepper
  • Mashed Potatoes
    • 4 to 5 Large russet potatoes (peeled, chopped, and boiled)
    • 1 stick of butter (room temperature-ish)
    • 1/3 cup of milk (depends on your preferred thickness of mashed potatoes)
    • 8 ounces of Sour Cream (Optional)
    • Heaping spoon of Minced Garlic or 1 Tbsp. powdered garlic – your choice
    • Salt and pepper

Items needed:

  • Large Skillet (Meat & Veggies Mixture)
  • Medium to Large Cook Pot (Mashed Potatoes)
  • Potato Masher
  • Spatula
  • Measuring Cups/Measuring Spoons
  • 9ā€ x 13ā€ Baking Pan
  • Oven preheated to 400 degrees (if cooking immediately after combining)

Directions:

Mashed Potatoes

  • Peel and cut potatoes into chunks (chunks let them cook more quickly, smaller chucks goes faster)
  • Place them in a large pot of boiling water (optional* if you want to use minced garlic, let the minced garlic boil with the potatoes)
  • Boil until a fork can pass through the potatoes easily. (Approx. 15 to 25 minutes)

Meat and Vegetable mixture

  • In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter on medium-high with 1 ½ Tbsp. of minced garlic, let flavors blend.
  • Add Chopped Onion and let cook ¾ of the way
  • Add 2 lbs. of ground meat and brown on medium-high, add salt and pepper for flavor
  • Add 3 Tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce, (optional add 1 Tbsp. of BBQ sauce as well)
  • Add 3 Tbsp. of flour to thicken (if you prefer thicker add additional corn starch)
  • Add your preferred Vegetable Medley, cook all together until hot

Mashed Potatoes

  • Once potatoes are tender, turn off burner and drain as much water as possible
  • Give all the potatoes an initial mashing
  • Add 1 stick of butter (room temperature-ish)
  • Add 1/3 cup milk (start with, add more if it is too thick)
  • (optional) add ¼ or ā…“ cup sour cream
  • Mash up again
  • Add salt, pepper and garlic powder (or additional minced garlic)
  • Mash up thoroughly and taste, add additional salt, pepper, garlic or butter if needed.

Combining Mixture and Potatoes

  • In a 9ā€ x 13ā€ baking pan spread flat the meat and vegetable mixture in the bottom of the pan
  • Then spread evenly the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat and vegetable mixture
  • If you are saving for later, cover and place in the fridge.
  • If you want to eat now, place in an oven preheated to 400 degrees.
    • Bake until the potatoes are a light golden brown or the mixture is bubbling.
    • This could take between 15 to 30 minutes depending on your oven or if you refrigerated and waited for later.
  • Enjoy!

Kendall’s Chicken Enchilada Pie Casserole Recipe

Kendall’s Chicken Enchilada Pie Casserole Recipe

Okay, so this isn’t actually my recipe! This gem belongs to my father, Gary. Growing up, Gary didn’t cook a whole lot. He had a few go-to favorites that my sister and I tired of quickly and easily. For example, I am fine NEVER eating hamburger pie again. With that said, my dad makes a mean clam chowder, egg drop soup, and, well, enchilada pie casserole.

This is a wonderful recipe to feed a crowd of people or make and have as leftovers throughout the week. You can totally modify anything below… for example, we grilled the chicken breasts instead of baked them. You can season with different spices you like or use flour tortillas instead of corn! This is super easy and sure to please your friends and fam!

What you need:
4 or 5 boneless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Chili Powder
Chili Quick (can be hard to find so chili powder is just fine)
1 regular size yellow onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom
2.5 cups of water
1 package of corn tortillas
Shredded cheese (amount is up to you and your preference on cheese)

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350F
Season your chicken breasts with salt, pepper, paprika and salt
Place in a regular casserole pan, cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour
** For the last ten minutes, remove the foil
Cut chicken breasts into cube size pieces and set aside
Dice up onion
In one large pot, add can of cream of chicken soup and can of cream of mushroom soup and reuse those cans by filling them each up with water and adding that water to the pot. 
Heat up and add chicken and diced onions
Add your chili powder or chili quick and add to taste
Let everything heat together in pot for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat
** If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more water as needed and stir
Cut up your package of corn tortillas into fourths (you can use the whole package or less- this is really up to you- I like a whole package for substance)
Layer your casserole dish with the corn tortilla fourths, and then cover with chicken mixture and a handful (or more) of cheddar cheese, repeat this about 3 times
** If you have room for a fourth layer, do it! 
Cover with foil and place back into oven to cook at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes
** For the last ten minutes, remove the foil

Please note, this is not the healthiest of recipes but it’s great for feeding a crowd or enjoying some comfort food. Eat hearty!