Happy Anniversary to ME!

It was a year ago that I started my new adventure, Wildflower Kitchen.  I had no idea exactly where it would go (I'm still not sure!), but I knew it had to go somewhere!  My family and I were experiencing renewed health, vitality, much improved numbers (like cholesterol, blood pressure, sugar, resting heart rate and my new friend - the number on my bathroom scale!), clearer skin, restful sleep, less joint pain (for me especially) and a healthy relationship with food.  After committing to and completing a Whole30, we made the switch to a Paleo Diet and Lifestyle.  The change in my appearance was pretty noticeable - I lost 80 pounds - so I got a lot of questions from friends and folks at my kids' schools and even at my favorite stores and coffee shop.  I found I couldn't stop talking about it and wanting others to give it a try.

The main justification for not trying a Whole30 or a Paleo diet was the time constraint (and not wanting to give up alcohol :-)).  I also heard a lot of "I could never give up bread...or cheese...or sugar in my coffee...or ice cream..."  Never is a long time.  I get it! (at this point I could launch into my confusion with those same people signing up for meals in boxes and liquid meals and 'weight loss' surgery, but I won't...I promise!)  TIME!  Not enough time.  I could never meal prep.  I don't have enough TIME to cook.  I just couldn't do it...It would take too much time!

And no matter how many times I said "YES, YOU CAN!" and "It is SO worth it!" and "I will help you.", I still felt like people wanted to pat me on the head and send me on my way. 

But I still couldn't let this new healthy way of eating be my little secret.  I had to share.  Because once people try it - they like it!  Especially the "not a diet" part of paleo...no calorie counting, no starvation portion control, no points or colored boxes or kitchen scales.  Just eating real, healthy food designed to feed our bodies.

So I started Wildflower Kitchen.

My ultimate dream is to own a small restaurant with a deli case for take out, convenient Paleo meals with a drive thru window especially for breakfast...breakfast is tough when you are first making the switch to a Paleo diet.  I mean, think about it!, 'traditional, American breakfast is almost all breads and glutens and grains....it was our biggest learning curve.  Sometimes it still is (when I don't plan and prep like I need to).  That drive thru could be a life saver for someone who just got too busy to make a fritatta or Paleo pancakes or these killer breakfast sausage meatballs that I make!  And besides....coffee!

I also want a big enough kitchen to host Paleo and Clean Eating Cooking classes.  I am no chef.  I have no formal training.  I make inconsistent knife cuts and break sauces more than I should.  But I am a mean Paleo cook!  And I love to do it. 

Learning to sub ingredients to create Paleo recipes isn't as hard as people make it - and I want a place to teach them my tricks and sell some of the harder to find products.  And introduce people who say they don't know how to cook to the fun of playing around in the kitchen.

Anyway, that's what I ultimately want.  Someday. 

Sadly, I do not have unlimited resources to open a restaurant...believe me, I did the research.  I wrote a business plan.  I priced real estate, equipment, existing spaces, "alternative" spaces and tried to find commercial kitchen space that was affordable and would allow me to ensure my food is gluten, grain, dairy, soy, legume and peanut free.  No luck...yet!  I have not given up, I'm just modifying the dream a little bit!

So, here's what Wildflower Kitchen and I have been up to in this first year...

• I have done personal shopping (because, let's face it, getting your hands on quality, affordable paleo ingredients is time consuming or it's expensive because if you want to get it all in one place, you're just not going to get the best deals) 
• I have cooked for a few individuals and families attempting their first month or two of Paleo eating (they buy the food OR I shop for them, we arrange a 5-6 hour block of time and I come into their kitchen and do their meal prep for a week, usually when they are at work and my kiddos are at school)
• I have done several in-home cooking classes (my favorite thing, if I'm honest....the individual buys the food (I give a list of about a dozen must-haves and then they choose their favorite veggies and proteins), I bring a Paleo Starter Kit of basics and we cook for 2 hours...which somehow always ends up being 3, but I don't mind!) Entire families get together and sample the dishes or friends invite friends and they make a pact to support each other through the seemingly insurmountable first month and we laugh and taste and learn...it's awesome!
• I prepare bulk items in my home (salad dressings, mayo, dips, sauces, main dishes, etc.) and sell them to my clients
• I bake (but it's so expensive, most people are put off by the price...and I kind of don't blame them...I have sticker shock when I bake for my family and I don't have to pay me!!!)
• I prepare meals for clients in my home (I create a weekly menu that is usually one soup, one salad and 3 entrees with a side dish and people order what they want.  I deliver to many and some pick up at my home) - so far, the bulk of my business!

I would like to do more coaching, especially with people who are experiencing health issues or who say they have "tried everything" - but I have no formal training.  I am not a doctor.  I am not a nutritionist.  I am a Paleo success story and testimony.  I know they would have to clear this with their physician because there are some conditions and some individuals who might need special care and instruction when switching their diet so drastically...even though it's to healthier, clean food!  My system went through some serious sugar withdrawal in days 3 and 4...ugh....

And I would love to write a cookbook...but I am so freestyle in the kitchen, I am not sure I have the discipline to document every ounce and teaspoon and pinch and then put exact cooking and baking times to the whole thing.  Daunting.  I think I would need an intern or a helper of some sorts to photograph things and steps and take notes and ask questions when I go off on a tangent and add things that are not anywhere on paper, but seems like a good idea...someday...

It's all I want to do these days.  I try and create a new recipe or two every week.  I bake something or modify a classic recipe every week.  I try and post something on the blog every week.  I am getting really good at documenting cooking methods and substitutions and produce finds, etc for my clients who are interested.  And, on average, I prepare 60-75 meals each week and several bulk items, especially mayo, chicken salad, dump ranch and my super anti-oxidant vinaigrette.  And I've never been happier!

And I continue to maintain a PaleoPlus diet for my family.  I have fallen off the Paleo wagon a couple of times and paid the price with stomach and joint pain, one major migraine and lots of inflammation in one of my knees.  Awful as it was - it was the best thing I could have done to deepen my commitment to Wildflower Kitchen and it's mission to provide a convenient, affordable and delicious way for people to eat healthy, wholesome, real food without having to do all the work or feel deprived.  #livehealthyeathappy

I still hope to own and operate a Wildflower Kitchen Cafe someday, but until then, I will tout the Paleo lifestyle to anyone who will listen and provide convenient meals, cooking classes, personal home cooking or shopping and coaching whenever I can.

Happy Anniversary to me...this year has flown by!  I guess it's true - "If you love it, it never really feels like work!" 

On Fridays I Make Bone Broth!

I adore my slow cooker...especially as we move towards those 100°+ Texas days.  It cooks beautifully, doesn't heat up the kitchen and makes me feel like the most super-organized person on the planet!  And, after 6 or so hours, provides me with a hot, delicious (if I've done it right) meal that I somehow feel like I didn't actually have to cook!

And then there's Fridays...On Fridays We Make Bone Broth...not exactly Mean Girls, but if I could start a Paleo Girls revolution - I am certain there would be t-shirts emblazoned with this saying!

Not too long into my Paleo journey, I started reading about and seeing posts on the benefits of bone broth.  I bought some (and had to be resuscitated in the broth aisle at Central Market from the cost) and loved it.  Then I made some and the kitchen angels sang!  Honest, I heard them!  And now, On Fridays I Make Bone Broth.

I use most of it for the prepared meals I make for clients, but always save at least one ice cube tray for me.  I love to drink it in the afternoons or right before bedtime with some sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, sometimes a squeeze of lemon or if I have roasted garlic....oh my!....I stir that in and do the bone broth happy dance!

We eat a lot of chicken.  I was always the person who bought the most convenient cut - boneless, skinless.  I could almost see Ina Garten shaking her head in disappointment, but it made my life so easy.  And then I found bone broth.  So now, I buy almost everything bone it, skin on.  I use the skin to make schmaltz (don't judge until you try it!) and lots of the bones get reserved for bone broth.

Sometimes chicken stays moister and cooks more evenly on the bone - I save those bones too.  Every bone goes into a zipper bag and into my freezer and then on Friday...say it with me!...On Friday We Make Bone Broth!  You can also get your butcher or the guy behind the meat counter in most stores with a meat counter to de-bone chicken for you.  I always ask to have my whole chickens cut up and the backbone removed (score!) so I can flatten them with a foil-wrapped brick or two and grill them so the skin gets crispy and the meat cooks evenly.  It's a win-win!

It's easy, it's affordable and it has amazing health (and beauty) benefits.  You probably know that Mark Sisson from Mark's Daily Apple is my go-to for the science of Paleo and Primal eating - so here is an article full of info about Cooking With Bones.  It's a lot, but it just might get you to make your first slow cooker full of this delicious concoction.

For me, the gelatin in bone broth is key.  I love that it promotes digestive health, since before switching to a clean diet, I struggled with bloat and tummy issues.  I also love the well-documented fact that it helps in the fight against joint disease...my knees are somehow 10 years older than the rest of me...hunh!  And the Leo in me loves what it does for my hair/mane!  Fabulous!

I always add Bragg Raw Apple Cider Vinegar to my slow cooker - it helps leach the minerals and nutrients from the bones, making your bone broth rich in calcium (holla), phosphorus, magnesium and other trace minerals that are always a good idea.  AND, these are easily absorbed by the body in bone broth form.

I don't have a recipe - I just have a method.  Another plus for bone broth and the slow cooker, if you ask me!

Ingredients

2-3 pounds (or whatever you have in your freezer) of chicken bones
one onion, 5-6 ribs of celery, 2-3 large carrots - all cleaned and roughly chopped
one head of garlic, smashed and pealed
2 bay leaves
1 t sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper or whole peppercorns
Fresh herbs...I like almost all of them...today I used dill and thyme
Other options -
Roast the bones before adding them to the pot for a deeper flavor
Add a lemon cut in half (I recommend adding rosemary if you go the lemon route...yum)
Add half a jalapeno during the last hour or two of cooking to spice it up (great for Southwestern pulled chicken stews)
You can add different or additional veggies
You can leave out the garlic
Be creative!

Method

Place bones and veggies into your slow cooker, top with spices and herbs, then add enough water to cover.  Cook for 20-36 hours (I think chicken bone broth is perfect at 24 hours in my slow cooker, but I start checking at 20).

Cool and refrigerate.  If you are going to use or freeze it right away, let it cool enough to skim the fat off.  If you are going to let it live in your fridge in a covered container until you need it (within a week please!), leave the fat on as a protection against fridge smells and bacteria.  I freeze mine in regular ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a zipper bag and store them until I need them.  Rumor has it they will last for 6 months...I've never had any left that long, but you can do your own research online if you want to make a whole bunch to freeze.

The first time I made this, I felt like it was such an undertaking, but it turned out to be really simple and man, does it make your kitchen smell amazing!  And it is so practical and frugal and super-healthy and you'll be so proud of yourself.  Good luck and enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters with Coconut "Yogurt" Lemon Dill Drizzle

If you read this blog or any of my recipes or Facebook or Instagram posts...you know I love a bargain!  I stopped at the shadiest roadside "nursery"...which was really a nursery slash car junk yard slash mud pit...because I saw a spray-painted sign, that may have been an old white sheet or big piece of dry wall or who knows what, that I couldn't really read, but assumed if they went to all that "trouble" to put the sign out, it must mean a sale!

Once I drove into the "parking lot"...NOT!...it was a gravel-ish lane of sorts that had no obvious parking places and was surrounded by giant rocks and slabs and really old, beater cars, completely cut off from the safe view of the highway by the 'greenhouse-like' structure.  I got out of the car, asked if I could leave my car right there and walked in to look at their plants.  (It was about this point that I questioned my sanity...I could be walking into a very sketchy situation....)

The owner (?) followed me in after a minute to see if I needed help...and he was a lot less 'kempt' than I am used to in a business owner, but as nice and helpful as the day is long.  And with a Texas accent so thick that I resorted to smiling and nodding a couple of times because I knew it would be no use to ask him to repeat himself...I wouldn't have been able to understand him!  Anyway, he was helpful and enthusiastic and completely knowledgeable about his plants, so who really cares about the fact that he wasn't exactly polished?

I am filling all my backyard pots with fresh herbs this summer because why pay for them at the market when you can grow them in your own backyard?!  All of these herbs were marked $1.50 - which is a great deal in my experience, so I asked the question "are all your herbs $1.50?" to which Super Helpful Guy responded..."Naaahhhh, 50 cents....theys all overgrown since lassss week and then something too Texan for me to understand."  I specifically asked about basil and he said he had 2 other varieties "out back"...and he disappeared and returned with basil, lemongrass and chives since they weren't 'on display'.  Needless to say, I bought 18 "overgrown" herb plants and a dozen beautiful annuals (for 75 cents each!)!  If I'd had more room in my car (the back seat was full of coolers from deliveries, which were full of great deals from HEB which was on my delivery route...can you say red seedless grapes for 88 cents a pound????  Shut UP!)

Anyway, my point was...and is...I have issues resisting a bargain!

Which explains why I have 10 zucchini in my produce drawer....5 for a dollar at the farmer's market...so I bought 10.  I am a mess! 

And now I must cook them.  I am going to make another pan of my Zucchini Brownies and try a new zucchini pizza crust (we'll see!), but today I had to make something from my childhood.  Zucchini Fritters.  Daddy called them Zucchini Cakes and they were full of AP flour and cheese and smothered in Ranch dressing right out of the bottle!  But they were something we had every summer when those brown paper bags of garden zucchini started showing up at our house. 

It's a beautiful day outside, feels just like summer and I have 10 zucchini...of course I need to make Zucchini Fritters.  I'm also kind of obsessed with SO Delicious Coconut "Yogurt"and try and find a way to work it into everything I'm cooking right now!  I have missed yogurt for sauces and dips and smoothies and this unsweetened, dairy-free alternative has the tang and the texture and the zing of regular unsweetened plain yogurt.  If I see it, I buy it...and yes, it was on sale at Sprout's last week so I bought two!!!!

That means a Coconut "Yogurt" Lemon Dill Drizzle!

The process was incredibly simple, it ticked a couple of my mandatory boxes (using turmeric, garlic and some of my new fresh (50 cents each) herbs) and they were SOOOOOOOO good!

Here's how you make them....this recipe makes 8 fritters

Zucchini Fritters

2 medium zucchini
2 large eggs
1 t sea salt
1 t turmeric
1/2 t onion powder (or you could grate in a bit of onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch red pepper flake
few grinds of fresh black pepper
3 T coconut flour (you may need to add a bit more depending on how much water gets left in the zucchini)
Avocado oil and ghee for frying (approximately 1 T each)

Grate the zucchini onto paper towels and then blot or squeeze out the excess water.  Place grated zucchini in a large mixing bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  The mixture should hold together in a damp ball (no water dripping out...if it's too wet, add more coconut flour a little bit at a time - leaving a few minutes for the coconut flour to absorb the moisture...be patient!)

Make 8 equal balls of the mixture (should be about 1/4 -1/3 cup each) and flatten them into patties.

Melt 1/2 of each avocado oil and ghee in a non-stick pan (I fried mine in two batches, so I split the oils up) over medium high heat.  Add half the patties and fry until golden brown (be careful they don't burn, but also that you don't try and flip them too soon ...they will fall apart)...mine took about 4 minutes on the first side.  Flip and brown the other side.  Turn the heat down to medium and continue to flip and brown the fritters until they are firm and your desired color on both sides.

Transfer the fritters to a plate lined with paper toweling to absorb any excess oil.

While the fritters are cooling, you can make the Lemon Dill Sauce.

Coconut "Yogurt" Lemon Dill Sauce

1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Yogurt Alternative, Plain or Regular flavor
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 t finely chopped fresh dill
1 t sea salt
few grinds of black pepper
1 1/2 t organic dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely minced
*This makes a drizzle or thinner sauce...if you prefer a thicker 'dollop', add 1 heaping T of cold coconut cream 

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and serve over the warm fritters. 

This is also a great dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, chopped veggies, on turkey burgers or grilled chicken or tuna or salmon...really, this stuff is pretty fabulous on everything!

Enjoy!