I hope you all are staying safe during this strange time in our world. Unfortunately, many people will not be celebrating Easter in the traditional way. I am trying to keep things positive and as close to normal for my family as possible. We are grateful that my daughter is only two and is too young to understand what is going on. Growing up we always made a coconut bunny cake and decorated it with different candies. I decided that I wanted to make a more simple cake this year as some ingredients are hard to come by at this time. Today I am bringing you this easy gluten-free strawberry coconut cake. This cake turned out amazing and I am sharing the recipe so you all can enjoy with your family.
Ingredients:
For the cake: 1 box gluten-free cake mix or regular if you are not gluten-free. Be sure to get the ingredients you will need for the cake mix. I love this one from King Arthur on Amazon.
1 package strawberry jello or I prefer the more natural version without the artificial dyes like this one
For the Frosting:
1/2 cup Butter, I prefer a grass-fed or organic option but any will do
I Hope you all have a good Easter and enjoy your time with your family. Let me know what you all are doing to stay positive during this difficult time.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualify purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link .
Happy Weekend to you all! Today I am going to share with you one of my favorite dips of all time. I have perfected what I believe to be the very best Spinach Artichoke Dip. Lucky for you I am going to share the recipe just in time for Superbowl Sunday. This oey goey game day spinach artichoke dip is a must-have for this Superbowl Sunday. The best part is you can even make it in your crockpot!
Ingredients for the Game Day Spinach Artichoke Dip
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1 block cream cheese softened
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
one 14 oz can of artichoke hearts drained
one 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
a dash of red pepper flakes
Tortilla chips or veggies for dipping
Directions for the Game Day Spinach Artichoke Dip
Start by thawing and draining your spinach.
Next drain and chop the artichokes if you desire a smoother consistency.
Make sure your cream cheese is softened.
Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix until it’s all fully incorporated.
Pour the ingridents into a ceramic or glass dish or you can even place in the crockpot.
Cook covered for 30 minutes remove foil and cook for another 5 minutes or longer until the cheese is browned to your liking.
If you are making this recipe in a crockpot place it on low for 4 hours and stir occasionally or high for around and hour or two. You can then place on keep warm. This is a super easy way to bring this dish to a friend’s home for the game.
I like to serve my dip with organic corn tortilla chips or if you are watching your carbohydrates vegetables or pork rids work well.
I also love this dip on a chicken breast, pork chop or a burger.
Check out this amazing tzatziki sauce to put on your burgers this weekend
I hope you all enjoy this recipe as it is by far my favorite. Today we decided to take a hike and I was able to bring along one of my favorite Christmas gifts the life straw. This little straw is pretty neat as it can filter up to 1,000 liters of contaminated water. Although you can definitely use this to drink out of streams and lakes etc. I have it as a backup if for some reason we ever got lost or didn’t have access to clean water. This is definitely a super cool device. Be sure to check it out if you are into outdoor activities.
We live in Tennessee and were close to getting to the super bowl for this year. However, we lost to Kansas City. I remember years back in 2000 my dad made a bet with me and my brother that if the Titans went to the Superbowl he would buy us a big-screen TV. This Big screen was HUGE and let me tell you it worked for years and was just recently replaced! It’s hard to believe that was twenty years ago!! During tomorrow’s Superbowl we will be hanging out at home eating our Dip!! Let me know if you make this dip, and if you like it!
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link . Thank you for your support!
Merry Christmas eve! This year marks the first year that Amelia knows who Santa is and is a lot more involved in the Christmas season festivities. I knew that I wanted to pick up some cookie cutters and get her involved with making cookies for Santa. Join me as we bake gluten free Christmas cookies for santa.
Against All Grain Cut out Cookies
This year I choose a recipe from one of my favorite cookbook authors Danielle Walker of Against all Grain. These turned out perfect and were not overly sweet which is just what I was looking for.
Join me as I take you along for our baking of Christmas cookies for Santa!
Next, you need to head on over to Danielle’s site to get her recipe for the cut-out cookies. She has two that I will link here I chose the one without almond flour as my brother has allergies to nuts and I wanted to see how well these performed.
I also subbed out the maple sugar for half coconut sugar and half organic sugar. I like this coconut sugar from Amazon and I got the organic sugar from kroger.
You can double or triple this as you desire I used a very thin layer on my cookies as I did not want them to be too Sweet.
After the frosting had been whipped I separated it into bowls and added some natural food coloring to decorate with. Feel free to use sprinkles or do whatever you like to decorate the cookies
The most important thing is to have fun and make tons of memories in the kitchen. These are the things I remember most about my childhood. Not the amount of toys I received or if the house was clean.
Are you making cookies for Santa? What is your favorite recipe or childhood memory of the Holidays?
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link . Thank you for your support!
I can feel fall just around the corner. Football has started and I have you covered with the perfect crunchy snack. It just so happens to be super tasty and is packed full of nutrients. These dairy free “Nacho Cheese” kale chips are a must-try. I love that you get the same cheesy goodness without adding dairy. These can be stored in a zip lock bag for a few days, that is if they make it that long :).
Oh Kale How I Love you
Let us start off by talking about why you need to make these dairy free “Nacho Cheese” kale chips. Kale is an inexpensive and sturdy green that contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals. It is a member of the Cruciferous family, think broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Kale is loaded with vitamin K which plays a vital role in our blood clotting. In addition to vitamin k, it also has vitamin c, beta carotene, b vitamins, minerals, and is loaded with antioxidants.
Antioxidants are known to reduce oxidative stress and lower our incidence of disease and cancer. Kale has many properties that make it a cancer-fighting food. Cruciferous vegetables contain a substance called Sulforaphane. This is what gives cabbage, and broccoli their sulfur-like smell. We all know what it’s like to come into a room where broccoli has been cooked. These compounds may stink by that is what makes them such powerful foods.
Dairy free “Nacho Cheese” Kale Chips
Alright, enough about why you should be eating Kale lets get into the recipe. I recommend using fresh Kale as this makes the chips less bitter. The number one key to getting super-crispy kale is to make sure it is bone dry before applying the seasonings and cooking in the oven. Otherwise, feel free to add more or less of any ingredient and if you prefer you can just use oil, salt and pepper.
If you are looking for more information about feeding your toddler check out my blog post here. I include a link to these adorable pouches that are definitely a must for toddlers’ smoothies.
Directions:
Start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You want your oven set to a super low setting as this will allow the kale to crisp up without burning. Take your Kale and remove the large stem and break the kale into smaller more bite size pieces.
After doing this you want to wash your kale thoroughly and spin to dry. I wash my kale three times and spin three times to ensure that it is cleaned well and extra dry. After doing this I lay my kale out on a cutting board in single layers on paper towels. I gently press the kale to remove the remaining water and let it sit with the paper towels on it for about 5 minutes or so while I measure out my spices.
Once my ingredients are all measured out I place my dried kale in a big bowl. I add the oil to the bowl and massage the oil into the kale with my hands. Taking special care to make sure every leaf is coated evenly.
After the leaves are evenly coated I add in my seasonings. As I mentioned, in order to make these chips cheesy without dairy I use a seasoning called nutritional yeast. You can find this at most grocery stores in the health food section but I ordered mine online and got it for much cheaper. Here is the product I used here. Remember you can always leave this out if you desire but it will not have the same cheesy flavor.
After adding the seasoning I massage the leaves again making sure each leaf is coated evenly. After doing this I place the leaves on a parchment-lined cookie sheet making sure they are in a single layer. You may need to use multiple cookie sheets in order to have room for all your kale. You are going to cook the Kale in 10 minute increments for 30 to 40 minutes or until your kale is crunchy but not burned.
I hope to get some fall decorations out this weekend and get my oils transferred over into my new awesome shelf, I can’t wait to show you all the finished product. Please stay tuned because I have some awesome things coming up in the blog. Here is a little sneak peak a fall fashion post, some awesome recipes, and my eating philosophy. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you won’t miss out on any of the fun! What are y’all up to this weekend? Leave a comment on your plans below.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link .Thank you for your support!
So unfortunately our oven broke and the recipe for foodie Friday will have to wait. In the meantime I am bringing you an older recipe but definitely one of my favorites the very best Tzatziki. I hope you all enjoy!
I know I’m not the only one who loves gyros. That greasy yummy meat, on fluffy pita, with feta, and of course that glorious sauce! YUM! Tzatziki is a game changer. It is cool and refreshing and even if you think you won’t or don’t like it trust me you will!!
Since I have been gluten free, that delicious sauce has been
missing from my life. So I have been on the quest to make my own perfect tzatziki
sauce. I have created the best recipe out there. AND…..I am about to give it to YOU!
Before I get into the recipe let me tell you why you need to make this sauce. The best part about my tzatziki is you’re getting rid of those nasty oils (soybean) found in traditional salad dressings and replacing with good fat, like olive oil. You are upping your protein intake which helps you feel fuller longer, and you’re adding in good bacteria with the yogurt to help feed your good gut bugs. PLUS on top of it all this recipe is super easy.
Most other tzatziki recipes you find require salting, draining and lots of time preparing the cucumbers. NOBODY has time for that. My recipe is super simple, requires very few ingredients and you just dump and stir! You are going to find that this will soon be your go to sauce for dipping, dunking, spreading, and for just about anything!
Prep and total time spent: 5 minutes or less
Recipe Serves: 10 (if you are anything like my family you
will want to make a double batch)
Serving Size: 2 Tbs
Ingredients:
1 cup full fat Greek Gods Traditional plain yogurt
¼ English cucumber or approximately ½ cup chopped
1/4th tsp distilled white vinegar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried dill weed
½ tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Chop English cucumber and set aside. (We like big chunks, but you can chop, or mince as you desire)
In a bowl combine yogurt, vinegar, salt, dill, garlic powder, and extra virgin olive oil.
Add cucumber to yogurt mixture and stir.
Refrigerate until ready to serve..
This recipe can be made ahead for more flavor, or used
immediately if you are in a rush. I have tried several Greek yogurts but have
found full fat Greek Gods traditional to be the very best for this recipe.
Slather it on a burger to make it Greek style, try it on Steak or use as a dip for vegetables you could even just eat it with a spoon.
This is what is cooking at the Wingo house. Tell me what you all think, and what’s up
with you?
Happy Friday! On this Friday I am bringing you a super simple Vietnamese Inspired Vermicelli dish. This dish full of flavor and is a great take on the traditional Vermicelli that you find at a Vietnamese restaurant.
Ingredients for the Vietnamese inspired Vermicelli
combine the above ingredients use as a dressing for the salad.
For the bowl:
shredded carrots
cooked protein we used shrimp and pork
sliced cucumbers
organic green leaf lettuce
sliced red onion
cooked vermicelli rice noodles
cilantro and green onion for garnish
After the noodles are cooked place them on a bed of lettuce, add your vegetables, protein and top with sauce.
This is a prefect recipe for using up extra protein and vegetables. It is very versatile and you can add or take away as needed. I hope this recipe inspires you to venture out and try new types of cuisine.
What are you all up to this weekend? We plan to have a relaxing weekend and I hope to get caught up on some housework. Let me know what y’all have planned. Next week I plan to finish up my last part of the breastfeeding series so keep watch for that. Have a wonderful weekend!
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a
commission if you complete a purchase after following the link . Thank
you for your support!
So I don’t know about y’all but its been hot over here. I am so over summer and more than ready for my favorite time of the year, FALL. The food, the weather, leaves, decorations, ALL THINGS PUMPKIN!!! Don’t get me started, I might not stop!!!! Since fall can’t come fast enough, I figured I would bring a little bit of it to me. On today’s Foodie Friday I will be featuring my Instant Pot vegetable soup.
If you haven’t used an instant pot before you’re totally missing out!!! Its essentially a pressure cooker but the one I have has seven different cooking modes. It functions as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice/porridge maker, steamer, sauté/browning, yogurt maker and warmer. This is the perfect kitchen gadget for those looking to minimize! You can do so much with this thing and it has come way down in price. My favorite website Amazon puts it on sale frequently and with the holidays coming up this is the perfect gift! Here is the link if you are interested in purchasing it. Now lets get into this recipe.
Memories
As a kid I remember loving my Grandmother’s vegetable soup. It was warm, comforting and definitely one of my favorite meals at their home. As an adult, healthy and easy are two of my favorite words when it comes to a recipe. This recipe is so versatile that you can add any vegetables you may have on hand frozen or fresh, it is the very best way to use up some veggies before they go bad. Now lets get onto this recipe.
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
I want to first clarify that if you do not have an Instant Pot you can most certainly still make this recipe. All you need is a pot and a stove top to cook it on. Remember you can leave out anything or add in anything, this soup is very forgiving and I honestly make it different every time just due to what I have available in my kitchen.
Here is what you will need for serving 4 to 6:
Ground beef 1 pound, grass fed if you can, if your beef is really lean add in some coconut oil or fat of choice.
1 small white onion diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cups sliced carrot you can even use frozen.
1 bunch of kale chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes with the juice organic if you are able
32 ounces of bone broth. I like beef broth but all we had was chicken.
Parmesan and parsley as a garnish
Start by turning your instant pot on to saute. Add ground beef and oil if using. Cook for around 5 minutes add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent and ground beef is cooked through.
Once your meat, onions and garlic are cooked through, add in all of the other ingredients except Parmesan and parsley stir and close the lid. Select the manual setting and set it to high pressure for 5 minutes.
Let the soup depressurize naturally or if you open before, be careful to place a towel over the release valve to avoid soup splatter.
Garnish with Parmesan and additional salt or pepper if needed and ENJOY!
We don’t have much planned for the weekend and I’m pretty happy about that. Sometimes its nice to have a relaxing weekend to recharge. Next week I will be bringing you another part to my breastfeeding series. As always I will have another awesome recipe for you on Friday. Have a great weekend everybody. Let me know what you all have planned and if you try this recipe!
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a small commission if you complete a purchase after following the link . Thank you for your support!
TGIF y’all! Boy has it been a long week, I am ready for the weekend. This Friday I bring you a super simple salad that is definitely one of my favorites. The sweet and savory combo hits the spot and you can have this meal ready to go in no time at all. Just what I like on a Friday night.
Strawberry Spinach Salad: What you will Need
This recipe calls for very minimal ingredients and you can add or subtract as you fancy.
Spinach ( Organic Baby is my preference)
Strawberries (Organic as usual especially berries) If you don’t care for strawberries you can try blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combo of all the above. You can also sub for apples, pears, or peaches. If you are in a big pinch add in dried fruit of your choice
Pecans you could also sub almonds, or walnuts. if you have a nut allergy sunflower seeds work wonderfully
red onion
cooked chicken breast. You can also sub in a rotisserie chicken for quick prep
goat cheese
Add olive oil and vinegar vinaigrette. You can also sub in balsamic, poppy seed dressing, or homemade.
Strawberry Spinach Salad: Directions
Start by breaking up your spinach into smaller pieces if you desire. This is not necessary but we prefer our leaves more bite sized.
Wash and slice your berries use as few or little as your desire
Dice about a fourth to one half of red onion
Add in your cooked chicken I use around a pound for four servings
Add in around four ounces or a cup of pecans
Add in four ounces of goat cheese
Combine all of these ingredients
Add dressing of your choice.
Strawberry Spinach Salad: Dressing Options
Below are a few of my favorite go to premixed dressings that can be found at most local grocery stores or on amazon. I like that they do not contain high fructose corn syrup, are made with olive oil, and have very little ingredients. You absolutely can mix a dressing with one part vinegar to two or three parts oil and add in spices of your liking.
This past weekend I was able to get the master closet organized and am super pleased. During all of that organization I found and purchased this mirrored jewelry organizer. It was just delivered from amazon and I can’t wait to get it put in the master closet. If you missed my previous post this week about vitamin d and how important it is click the link here. I also posted a picture of our sloppy Joe sweet potato to Instagram it was a big hit! Make sure you are also following me on Instagram for more frequent postings. What have you all been up to this week? Let me know what recipes you all would like to see in the future. Happy Eating!
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link. Thank you for your support.
The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: for Foodie Friday
I hope everyone has had a good week and is looking forward to the weekend. Today I have a recipe for you that features the best gluten free salmon cakes. Growing up my mom frequently made salmon cakes and they were always a big hit. I didn’t realize just how simple and healthy those lovely golden brown patties could be. Now that I am gluten free I find these as a super easy go to meal when I need to get a little more fatty fish into my families diet. Stay tuned for the recipe, but first I’m going to tell you a little bit about why you need to make these cakes.
The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: High in Omega 3s
Salmon is considered a fatty fish and it is high in Omega 3s. As I have mentioned in a previous post Omega 3s are essential to our diet. Essential fatty acids are those that can not be made within the body but instead are obtained through our diet. Eating fatty fish a few times a week is a great way to ensure that you are getting adequate levels of omega 3s. The only problem with this is cooking fish the same old way can get super boring. In comes the Salmon Cake to the recipe rut rescue.
The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: Family Friendly Recipe
This recipe is not only healthy and easy but is family friendly. It can be difficult to get kids to eat fish at times especially fish with a stronger flavor like Salmon. This recipe is definitely kid friendly and once you add my Remolaude sauce it will be a big hit.
The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: Ingredients
For this recipe you will need the following:
For the cakes: Serves four to six
four 6 oz cans salmon skinless boneless. Wild caught is the best
1/2 cup red onion diced
1 egg
salt pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a splash of lemon juice
1/2 c almond flour
1 tbsp parsley dried
1 tbsp old bay seasoning or seafood seasoning of choice
1/3 cup gluten free panko bread crumbs plus more for dredging
2 tbsp coconut oil for frying the cakes
Remolaude Sauce ingredients:You may want to double your recipe its just that good
2 cloves garlic finely diced
2 tablespoons red onion finely diced
1 tbsp relish I used dill
dash hot sauce. I prefer franks
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 lemon juiced
dash of pepper and old bay seasoning
The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: Directions
Remolaude Sauce:
This sauce can be made ahead and actually tastes better if done so. However if you are in a hurry it is still delicious if made right before serving.
Finely dice 2 cloves garlic and two tablespoons onion place in a medium bowl. Add relish, mayo, Dijon mustard, dash of hot sauce, half of lemon that is juiced, and spices. Stir all to combine.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Directions for the Cakes:
Start by draining your salmon place into a medium to large bowl. To the bowl add one egg, 1/2 cup diced red onion, splash of lemon juice, spices, and salt and pepper to taste.
Next add in 1/2 cup of almond flour and 1/3 cup gluten free panko bread crumbs. Combine the ingredients and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. After refrigeration If you find your mixture to be do dry add an extra egg or if to moist add addition bread crumbs. Use your hands to form into patties however large or small you prefer.
Fill the bottom of a plate with some additional bread crumbs and dredge your patties in the bread crumbs and press to coat flip and press on additional side.
To Fry:
Put two tablespoons of coconut oil in a frying pan and heat to medium high heat. If you do not like the taste of coconut use refined coconut oil instead of unrefined. You can also use a different oil of choice.
Once your oil is warm add your patties in a single layer pan fry until golden brown. Flip and fry on additional side.
Once cooked through and golden brown place on paper towel lined plate to absorb extra grease.
Serve along side coleslaw or sweet potato fries and enjoy!
Check out my other recipes for more salmon inspiration.
Whats Up Wingo
I hope you all had a great week and enjoy your weekend. We plan to do some swimming this weekend and I hope to get my closet organized. We recently bought a Eufy which is a robotic vacum cleaner for the upstairs Ill place a link below if you are interested.
As you can see I am feeling the need to purge and clean. Coming up next on the blog I have a few posts planned. One is all about vitamin d and my breastfeeding series is still in the works. Hope you all have a great weekend let me know in the comments how you plan to spend it.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link. Thank you for your support.
Today for Foodie Friday I am bringing you a super simple meal. Sometimes you need to get dinner on the table in ten minutes or less. This is typically when we reach for take out or fast food. This can be expensive and can unravel all your good intentions of having a healthy wholesome meal on the dinner table. If you are wanting a ten minute dinner that is still healthy and doesn’t break the bank, I have got you covered.
Ten Minute Dinner: Utilize Convenience foods.
Although you can prepare this meal in a super fast fashion, you can make it even faster if you utilize some prepackaged ingredients they include.
Rotisserie chicken or precooked chicken breast Costco has a great option
Hard boiled eggs private selection brand from Kroger is great
Bagged lettuce choose organic whenever possible. You can also use spinach or spring mix
Chopped onions I choose red.
shredded cheese I choose organic whenever possible
Bacon bits choose the option with the fewest ingredients
sunflower seeds stick with options cooked in their own oil and not soybean or corn if possible
Ranch dressing choose an option with canola oil over soybean if available.
If you utilize these resources all you have to do is combine, add some dressing and dinner is complete. It is easy as that. Don’t let your busy night keep you from getting a delicious meal on the table in record time. Dinner doesn’t always have to be difficult or fancy. The most important part is taking the time to sit around the table and share a meal.
