Never eat cranberry sauce out of a can ever again (gluten free)

                                                            Holiday Cranberry Sauce

I have a friend that told me "if it does't resemble a can it's not cranberry sauce". He was joking but the thing is I think too many people assume that the cranberry, sugar filled gelatinous stuff is what holiday traditions are are all about. They are so WRONG, you all have been missing out on some delicious stuff, and excellent left over turkey sandwich condiment bliss.

Things you're going to need

1) blender, vitamix, or food processor

2) 2 bags of raw cranberries

3) 40 ounces of quality orange juice

4) 1/3 cup brown sugar

 5) teaspoon of orange zest

In a large stew pot (that has a lid) add your 2 bags of cranberries, 40 oz of orange juice and orange zest. Set on medium/high and boil until cranberries are tender and starting to burst.

stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar (you can add additional sugar if you prefer sweeter) and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and set aside with lid off for at least an hour then with a slotted spoon scoop the cranberries into a blender/vitamix/food processor and puree until smooth (add additional juice from pot if mixture is too thick).

Refrigerate and enjoy!

Want to know what to do with the left over juices? Strain with a small hole colander and use for bellini mix with a sparkling wine of your choice =) Also works well with club soda for kid friendly drinks.

20 ways to cut 100 calories

It's the holiday season! I don't know about you but I've already been trying to fight the holiday season's delectable pound adding delicious dishes. Here's a great tip from Keizer Permenete =) Enjoy!

Small changes add up to big results. Each of these ideas can save about 100 calories — and you won't feel like you're missing out.

1. Ask that your pizza be made with half the cheese.
2. Choose a broth-based soup instead of cream based.
3. Choose a red sauce instead of a cream sauce on pasta.
4. Choose steamed rice rather than fried rice.
5. Cook with a nonstick spray instead of butter or margarine.
6. Leave 10 French fries on your plate.
7. Leave the cheese off your sandwich.
8. Make your tuna or chicken salad with fat-free mayonnaise or hummus.
9. Order salad dressing on the side, and dip your fork before each bite.
10. Remove the top piece of bread from your sandwich.
11. Replace crunchy taco shells with soft corn tortillas.
12. Replace 1 cup of pasta with 2 cups of steamed vegetables.
13. Sip a cup of sparkling water with lime instead of juice.
14. Skip the refill on your soda or lemonade.
15. Switch to nonfat milk in your latte.
16. Top pancakes or waffles with fresh fruit instead of butter and syrup.
17. Top chicken or fish with salsa or herbs rather than butter or cheese.
18. Top your frozen yogurt with fresh berries instead of candy toppings.
19. Use nonfat, plain yogurt instead of sour cream on your baked potato.
20. Wrap up part of your dinner for tomorrow's lunch.

Reviewed by: Keith Bachman, MD and Trina Histon, PhD, June 2011
Additional Kaiser Permanente reviewers

©2011 Kaiser Permanente

Honey Mustard Glaze (Chicken or Lamb) (Gluten free and Dairy free)

       Ever get bored of eating the same flavors? We were! Karl came home with a lamb steak and I had no clue what to use lamb for other than Stew. I did a quick skim through my "Betty Crocker" cook book and decided mustard and rosemary would be my focus. Since we only had 2 lamb steaks and 4 bodies to feed I also used the glaze on some chicken breasts both were delicious!

Glaze/marinade

1/2 cup white wine (I used honeywood early muscat)

4 Tbs yellow mustard

1 Tbs honey

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp coarse fresh ground pepper

1p tsp sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

(blend together in a magic bullet or blender/food processor) 

In a freezer ziplock bag place your choice of meat inside and dump the marinade in, squeeze out the excess air, seal and place in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Preheat your BBQ or Oven (medium/high heat)

Wash your potatoes (I prefer red potatoes) and in the center of the foil square spray a small amount of olive oil, sprinkle sea salt, pepper and garlic powder. Wrap up the potato in the foil and repeat for however many baked potatoes you need. 

Pull out two large rectangle pieces of foil and lay them on top of each other (should form a cross) lay your fresh or frozen mixed veggies in the middle (salt, pepper, and dairy free margarine/butter to taste) fold up the first layer and then the second to lock in the moisture.

Take your meat out of the marinade and grill, dump the remaining marinade into a sauce pan and bring to a boil (while stirring) for at least 3 minutes. Now take your glaze out to the grill area with a silicone basting brush or spoon (a silicone basting brush will save you a lot of cleaning from the grill later). Each time you flip the meat baste it with the glaze.

Place your foil wrapper potatoes and veggies under the meat on the bottom wrack if you have a double wrack grill, if any glaze falls off it will land on your foil instead of the flame area (the less clean up the better!)

When your meat is done, your potatoes and veggies should be too! If you're using russet potatoes instead of red potatoes you may want to put those on the grill before anything else to give extra time to bake.

Finish your potato with toppings of your choice and enjoy!

I'm going to get mushy for a second...

When I was little and making a list of all the things I wished I had in a dad and wanted for my children I set very high expectations. I didn't even consider the characters of that future betrothed as a partner in life but someone to stick around and share equally in the development and love of our 2 kids (yes I always wanted one boy and one girl!). I had a list of qualifications that were so unrealistic I didn't think that man existed, up until the moment Nadine was born.

Nadine was a surprise in our second year of marriage and I was terrified! I didn't know what a functional 2 parent home looked like 24/7 and was afraid of letting my child or spouse or both down. I was wrong! Do you know who put me straight?! My husband, my incredibly loving, and understanding (and goofy!) husband! 

The version of myself when I am with Karl is so much better then without. 

I knew this journal entry existed somewhere and thought it important for Karl to know how he stacked up...

Father's day 1999 [excerpt]

IF I ever have kids the dad better be a rockstar of a dad because I wouldn't want to raise me (or JJ!) with out four eyes watching instead of two.

1) He'd rather die than leave his family

2) He has to be good at sports, because I'm not!

3) He has to want to sing lullabies to the baby

4) He needs to be funny

5) He needs to have more pride in our children than himself

6) He's got to make up for my lack of patience

Granted, I was a bit of a drama queen. Currently, I have a great relationship with my step-dad and biological dad but at the time I had neither. I didn't think this guy existed, and I was content to never have kids if he didn't.

If you know Karl at all, you know that he not only meets the standards he created new ones. He holds himself to higher standards of being a dad and husband then what I thought the perfect guy would have. No one is flawless, that is for sure, but as far as being the best man to raise children and spend the rest of my life with KARL is the one and only.

Happy 6th Father's day my love!

For those of you waiting for the food aspect of this post... Today, we went with BBQ Chicken, Loaded Baked potatoes, veggie tray with humus and cookies for dessert. The weather was glorious, the food was good, but most of all I thanked and let 2 of the most important men in my life know how much I appreciate their fatherly skills. 

Grandpa Gaylor and Nadine

Not only does he sing lullabies but he teaches the love of music to our kiddos!

Verde Chicken and potato burritos

Breakfast, lunch or dinner I love potatoes and I love burritos so why not combine? I have 4 left over baked potatoes, a half a jar of verde salsa and a half an onion from dinner the previous night so I got crafty and all of us agreed it was a keeper!

Things to grab:

4 *baked potatoes (I used red)

2 chicken breast

half a sweet onion

one cup of verde (green) salsa

salt

pepper

cumin

olive oil

tortillas

Consider toppings:

tomatoes

cheese

sour cream

olives

scrambled eggs

Ready set go!

Heat your olive oil in a skillet pan and toss in your diced half of an onion to soften. Season with salt and pepper. While your onions are cooking down slice your raw chicken breast into bite size pieces (think fajitas), season the chicken with seasalt, pepper and cumin and add to the skillet. As the chicken browns add your half cup of verde salsa. While your chicken simmers cube your baked potatoes and toss in to the skillet for the last 2-4 minutes. 

I like to heat up my tortillas on a cast iron pan or in the microwave.

Serve up on to a tortilla with your choice of toppings or eat as it, it's simple and delicious! 

Grilled Peanut butter and chocolate sandwich

Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter together? Want a quick treat that you and the kiddos will love?

Two pieces of bread, spread out the peanut butter and sprinkle on some dark chocolate chips (90% coco typically is dairy free)

melt some dairy free margarine or butter into a pan and lightly brown on both sides (Like a grilled cheese sandwich)

cut in half and serve up! also good with some whipped cream to dunk into.

Home Made Chicken Strips/ Goat Cheese Chicken (Cow Dairy Free)

 My Kiddos love chicken strips and I love chicken parmesan! Because we eat cow dairy free it is nearly impossible to find pre-made chicken strips that haven't been dipped in buttermilk let alone a comparable chicken dish made with goat cheese so I've taken care of both cravings with one recipe. Enjoy (and be safe!) If you are also in the Salem, Oregon area I recommend Fairview Farm Goat Dairy for fresh and local goat cheese, their cheese is the only one I've found that isn't gamy and melts beautifully.

Things you need:
Thawed chicken breast tenders
Panko bread crumbs (either or plain or Italian)
3 eggs
1 cups olive oil
1 cups canola oil
White Cheese of your choice (Parmesan, Mozzerella, or goat cheese)
2 jars of Marinara sauce

Seasonings for panko:
onion powder
garlic powder
rosemary
thyme

lay out your chicken tenders on top of plastic wrap then double back over. Pound those babies out (I use a tenderizer)

You can use Italian Panko bread crumbs or add seasoning to  plain  ones. I prefer to season my own =)  Put your oil in the dutch oven on the stove top on medium (4-5) heat to be ready to fry the chicken.

Have your 3 beaten eggs in a bowl then the bread crumbs. Your going to dunk each strip in the egg wash first then coat in crumbs and repeat until they are all done.Have an empty plate ready to lay out your dredged chicken on for  easy transition to the frying station. 

Uncooked and breaded, read to fry up!

Use the lid of the pot as a shield from splattering oil. Brown up each side evenly, it's ok if the chicken is not cooked all the way through because it's going to go in the oven after this! (preheat your oven to 375 degrees)

Line the cookie sheet with a couple paper towels and lay out the strips as you fry each one so the excess oil is absorbed.

layer about 1/2 inch of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish  place the chicken strips in a single layer and top with your choice of cheese. Place in the oven on covered  at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted. If you're doing just chicken strips then place on a cookie sheet for 10-13 minutes and check the center to verify cooked all the way through. While the chicken is in the oven baking start your starch/pasta. I love angel hair pasta and also the pre-made gnocchi (Italian potato dumpling pasta)

Assemble and voila! Enjoy!