Squash Hash with Fried Eggs Recipe

I got the idea for this recipe from Cave Girl Eats on Facebook. I saw her picture and had to make it - with my own variations!

3 strips bacon - diced
2 eggs (I actually used 2 chicken and 2 dove eggs this time)
½ small squash (I used Carnival, but Acorn, yellow or other would do) - de-seeded and diced
1 Jalapeño Pepper - de-seeded and diced
¼ onion - diced
Cumin - to taste
Butter

Cook bacon (I baked mine - 350°F. for 30 minutes, until crisp).

Heat butter in 2 small cast iron pans.
In one, fry onion until transluscent. Add squash and Jalapeño. Stir in bacon. Cook until squash is tender. Stir in cumin to taste.
In the other pan, fry the eggs. Sprinkle with cumin to taste.

Plate the hash and top with eggs (I'm adjusting to a new stove, so the eggs got a little crispy!)

This served one - moi!

Fruity Muffins Recipe

I found the original recipe here: Blueberry Mango Muffins
I changed nothing from the original recipe, other than using raw milk in place of the coconut milk.
They turned out great!

 I used frozen blueberries and mango. I thawed them out in the fridge overnight. I believe you can use just about any fruit that you favor.

 I made 11 small muffins (9 are pictured,) although his original recipe said it would make 9. I think I just didn't fill the cups up enough to begin with.

My afternoon snack.

Lunch - March 16, 2013

Ground pork sausage and scrambled pasture eggs:

So simple, but so good. Why buy packaged faux foods when you can eat real food!? It can't be the cost since this meal cost less than $2.00! The media and government have done a great job of brain-washing the past 40 years ...

Dinner - March 9, 2013

I stopped at a grocery store I don't normally shop at today and discovered they carry a fish that I haven't had in years because my usual stores don't stock them. Smelts! This was a favorite when I was younger.
I also found blood oranges. I've wanted to try them for a while, so bought a couple. I am allergic to regular (navel) oranges, but can tolerate Mandarins, Clementines and tangerines without problem. So far, I seem to be okay with bloods, too!
The smelts were coated in pastured egg, milk and rice flour before frying in coconut oil.

Lunch - March 3, 2013

Few meals are easier or quicker to make than simple bacon and eggs or sausage and eggs fried in pasture butter. And, it's easy to add a little extra before putting it all on your plate. I added a few dandelion flowers I picked about 15 minutes beforehand while I was hanging clothes on the line! The flowers were quickly seared and the meal was ready!
So good!

Breakfast - February 18, 2013

I bought this unusual artisan sausage from my local co-op a few weeks ago and it's been waiting in the freezer for me to remember it's there! So, last night I moved it to the fridge to thaw out overnight. This is what I had this morning for my rarely eaten breakfast:
Buffalo Cranberry Sausage
Pastured Eggs, sprinkled with Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning mix and Chipotle pepper flakes
Fried in Bacon Grease!

 I cut the sausage down the middle to cook more thoroughly.

So good!

Lunch and Dinner - February 9, 2013

Made some really yummy meals today. I very rarely eat breakfast or snacks these days. I seem to get more than enough fuel from lunch and dinner. I do have tea at about 4pm, water throughout the day and raw milk with dinner. That's it. I am wheat/gluten-free and nearly grain-free (occasional rice, wild rice, rye or quinoa, but not often.) Although rye does have some gluten ... hmmm.
Lunch today was a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich with a side of raisins and pine nuts.

Dinner was an experiment. Our very first taste of acorn squash. I love it! I seem to like all the squashes we have tried. Tonight, I started way too late for our normal dinner time, but my mom said it was worth the wait.
I found the original recipe here: 5 Ingredient Breakfast Stuffed Acorn Squash
Since I didn't have any 'breakfast sausage', I used two of the artisan
sausages I get at our local co-op and opened up the 'tubes' and squeezed out the meat. It was hot Italian sausage! Whoowee, was it spicy! But, so good! The 'tubes' didn't go to waste - Nikky loved them!
I had to cook it longer than the recipe directed, as I can't stand a runny egg. So, after adding the egg, cook the length of time it takes to bake the egg to your taste. You may have to check it several times.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake Recipe

4 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 pastured eggs
3/4 cup raw milk
1-15 oz. can organic pureed pumpkin
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

coconut oil, butter or lard
pecan halves, optional
creme fraiche or raw whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9x13 glass baking dish with coconut oil.
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (first 6 ingredients.) set aside. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients (next 5 ingredients) until well blended. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour  batter into greased baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
If adding pecan halves, place them on top of cake after about 15 minutes cooking time, so they will not burn. Continue baking for remainder of time, until toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Top with creme fraiche or whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 12.

Chicken and Eggs recipes

I'm making more of an effort to get my mom to stick to a Low Carb/High Fat (LCHF) meal plan. She only has 1 Rx left to wean off of and she has really been pushing to eat too many carbs lately! So, I played around with a couple of recipes tonight that gave us a total of about 2 carbs per plate.

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Spicy Chicken Thighs

2 chicken thighs (with skin and bone in)
3/4 Tablespoon chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon bacon grease (not pictured)

Mix together the four spices on a plate. Lay the chicken (skin-side) on the plate and coat.

Heat the oil/grease in cast iron skillet on medium-high. Cook the chicken on each side about 7-10 minutes, making sure it is cooked through to the bone.
Served 2.

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Baked Cheesy Bacon and Eggs

2 eggs
2 bacon slices
1 Cheddar cheese slice
2 teaspoons butter
2 Tablespoons sprouts of your choice (not pictured)

Brown the bacon in a cast iron skillet on medium-high. Do not over-cook, as it will continue to cook in the oven. Melt a teaspoon of butter in a muffin cup or ramekin. Wrap a strip of bacon around the inside of the cup. Break an egg into the cup. Cook in 350F oven (or toaster oven) for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and place half slice of cheese on top. Return to oven to continue cooking for 5-10 minutes longer, until cheese is melted and egg is cooked as desired. Top with sprouts.
Served 2.

I garnished with black olives.

Spinach and Onion Scrambled Eggs recipe

2 organic pasture eggs
black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
2 Tablespoons organic whole whipping cream (I use Straus)
4 fresh organic green onion leaves (about 6 inches long), chopped into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 cup organic raw cheddar cheese, shredded

Scramble first 5 ingredients together. Pour into heated cast iron skillet that has melted bacon grease. Tilt pan to spread eggs. Cook until egg does not run. Add spinach, then fold omelette over. Slide into plate; cut in pieces. Add cheese on top.
As you can see, I like my eggs well done! They were yum!!

New Bill May Improve Egg Layers Lives article & petition

@RodaleNews Rodale News

New bill would require better labeling so you know if eggs came from caged hens: http://ow.ly/8PI3Z Call your reps today to support it!

cage free eggs | Enemies Unite to Bring You "Kinder" Eggs | Rodale News

Based on the farm-scene labels and claims on most egg cartons, it might be hard to imagine that the vast majority of eggs in this country come from hens living in dismal conditions. That could change ...