26 February 2015

Roasted Chicken + Pesto Over Zucchini Noodles {Paleo, SCD}

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"I'm just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression."
Maya Angelou

I think Maya Angelou may be on to something here. I like cooking. In fact, I love cooking. But what I love most about cooking is the fact that we can share these indulgences and they in turn become experiences. They become expressions for the various phases that we enter in life. The meals we cook and share with friends and family become memories and moments that will last a lifetime. So why not share these secrets with our children? Why not start creating these memories from the minute they are little? Why not teach them the power and wonder of what "eating well" really means.

These days, the kitchen has become my home. Food has taken on an entire new meaning in our household. It has become more about fueling our body, soul and mind. It has become about ridding the toxins and replenishing the nutrients. It has become about sharing these experiences and living them out together as a family. It has become about change. Change for the better.

I have always considered my lifestyle healthy. I eat well, I cleanse occasionally, I workout, I practice yoga. Since our son was diagnosed with IBD we have searched through many various venues to find the right path to heal him. We have tried homeopathic methods, acupuncture, essential oils, functional medicine, traditional western medicine and food. So what works? Well, I really don't know. Right now, we use a blend of all these options and for right now it seems to be working. His pain has subsided, he's back to school and even back to soccer. Regardless of the path we will end up on, I will always believe that food impacts the way we life our lives. If there is any message that I want to pass along to my children after going through this experience it's that fact that food is what fuels the body, mind and soul and it's what keeps us strong and healthy.

"The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

Ann Wigmore

Roasted Chicken + Pesto Over Zucchini Noodles | Paleo, SCD

Pesto:
1 C basil
1 C parsley
1/2 c cilantro
1/2 c walnuts, pine nuts, or other nut of choice (raw)
1/4 c EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
salt & pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a food process and blend until smooth, add more olive oil as needed.

Roasted Chicken:
1 lb boneless chicken breasts (organic, free-range)
2 TBS olive oil
chopped garlic
chopped turmeric (if you don't have fresh you can use powder)
salt & pepper

Place the chicken on a roasting pan or tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic and turmeric over the chicken and
add salt & pepper. Roll the chicken around so each side is coated with olive oil and spices and then bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Cut chicken in one inch pieces or strips.

Zucchini Noodles:
2 medium zucchini
4 TBS water
salt

Peel the zucchini and cut off the ends. Using a vegetable slicer (I love the Sur La Table Vegetable and Fruit Slicer) make noodles and place in a large glass bowl. I'm not a fan of the microwave and we hardly use ours, but I've found this is the best way to make "non mushy" noodles. Add about 4 tablespoons of water to the noodles and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and drain.

Plate the noodles on individual plates and sprinkle with sea salt. Add 2 tablespoons of pesto and place chicken on top.

*I've been toying with the idea of sharing more of our recipes here and what measures we are taking to keep healthy. Mostly, I just want to have a place where the recipes we enjoy are documented. I'm curious, is this something that interests readers? Are you looking to see more "Crohns friendly" recipes that are paleo, SCD, gluten free and dairy free? Thanks!


01 February 2015

A Place We Call Home

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We are well past the holiday season, but I stumbled across these photos the other day and was quickly swept back to December and the sounds of holiday cheer. I was tossed into a home steeping in the scent of vanilla and cinnamon and the subtle jingle of silver bells that could be heard here and there as we strolled through our every day routines. It seems like this past holiday season was over before it even began. It was certainly a different year for us, but we tried our best to embrace it. I tried my best, as a mother, to make our holiday home joyful. Christmas music played daily, we read our holiday books nightly, and I baked everything and anything that I could to accommodate our new lifestyle. But most importantly, I tried my best to remember the true meaning of Christmas and the season, and out of all the years, I think I came the closest to understanding it this year.

This year I discovered that Christmas is about a place we call home.

Home can have a different meaning to each individual, and the thought of home can change with each year. Home could be faith, the Church, friends, new love, family. For me, at least this year, home became the roots that I planted right here under this roof where I am typing. Home became the strong branches that grew upwards and outwards, reaching to new open skies and bending down to lend a helping hand. Home became the fragile leaves that swayed with the slightest wind but brought color, strength and meaning wherever they fell.

Home is my family.

This holiday season taught me that no matter what ups and downs we encounter, our roots our grounded deep into the earth which allows us to stand strong. We may sway and softly blow in the wind, we may find ourselves fragile and broken, but we are anchored to something and that something is family.

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."
Ernest Hemingway
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