INGREDIENTS

• 1/4c red wine
• 2c beef broth
• 1.5-2lb grass-fed stew beef
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 portobello mushroom, chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 2 shallots
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard (alternative – use grainy mustard from your fridge)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp dry basil
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste

You may also like to thicken the sauce with more cornstarch if it isn’t to your liking.

This is by far one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I would venture to say that the kids love it almost just as much. It is also pretty quick and easy to make, the majority of time is spent in the prep work. If you don’t have time to prep your veggies, Whole Foods has great prepped veggies for stir-fry, etc in the produce section. Grab those and a rotisserie chicken for a practically no-prep meal.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 zucchini, halved and sliced (alternative – handful of green beans, cut unto bite size pieces)
• handful of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bunch kale (de-ribbed) or bok choy
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-2 peppers of your choice (I usually use 1 red, 1 yellow)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp curry paste (red or green – we like both)
• handful of cashew nuts

FAIR WARNING: THIS MAY PISS SOME PEOPLE OFF

If anyone saw the last two episodes of The Rachel Zoe Project, you are distinctly aware of the “push present” that she received from Rodger. And in case you didn’t see either episode, here is what I’m talking about …
It is ONLY a 10 carat cushion cut ring! I mean, seriously Rodge, you couldn’t do better than that? Ugh.

Ok. In all seriousness, I think that this is the most obscene thing I have seen in a while! Who the hell needs a 10 carat “thanks for pushing my baby out” gift? Who needs a “push present” anyway? What happened to the BABY being the gift?

For all you who say “well people have been doing it for hundreds of years” – um, no. ROYALTY has been, but last I checked neither you nor I (nor Rachel Zoe) fit that qualification.

I have lots of friends who have received “push presents” – diamond earrings, a tennis bracelet, an upgraded ring … I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it is ridiculous. Requesting (nay, demanding) a gift for pushing a baby out of your netherregions seems to go against what God intended. Eve didn’t give birth to Cain or Abel and then ask Adam, “Honey, where is my diamond?” Our original design WAS to give birth – that was it! Why are we now expecting a present for doing what we have been designed to do all along? And, in case anyone forgot it is all Eve’s fault we have pain doing it anyway …

To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16)

In all honesty, it seems to me that the push present is yet another example of entitlement for the rich and wannabes.

I have been craving something pumpkin now that the air is turning crisp. I will be honest, I was a bit scared of making my first gluten-free pumpkin bread, so I decided to start with pancakes. What a cinch these are! And they’re fantastic!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 24oz pkg Pamela’s Pancake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/4c oil (I prefer flax)
• 1/2 can pumpkin (I like the organic pumpkin pie mix from Whole Foods because it has spices in it – if using plain pumpkin, add nutmeg/cinnamon to taste)
• 1/4c brown sugar

I cannot stand cleaning. I love having a clean house, but I do NOT enjoy the process. Matter of fact, I prefer zooming through cleaning as fast as possible and forgetting about it until it has to be done again. Therefore, you will rarely hear/see me talk about cleaning. But, my neighbor gave me a tip that has been very helpful to me and I decided it should be passed along …

RUBBING ALCOHOL

Yes. The stuff is amazing. I bought a pack of 2 at Costco for about $3.50 and poured one into an empty spray bottle. Little fingerprints on your stainless steel refrigerator? No match! Fingerprints are gone and no streaks left behind! Countertops are left spotless and sanitized. It cleans everything – one spray bottle, one cleaning agent, one towel/sponge. (Can you hear the choir singing “Hallelujah”?)

Ok. I think that is about all the cleaning talk/thinking I can do today because I still have to clean my kitchen floors.

Since we are trying to eat gluten-free, dairy-free, and pork-free … we have been getting more creative and adventurous with our meals. But, since we are also feeding children here, it is important to make meals that are tasty and kid-friendly. I created this simple little recipe for lunch yesterday, and it happened to be a big a hit with everyone who ate it so I thought I should share it with you.

INGREDIENTS:

• Black beans, cooked (about 1c dried beans, but you could use a can if you prefer)
• 3 ears corn, cooked – cut off cobb (could use canned if preferred)
• 3-4 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can green chilies or diced jalepeno
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Corn tortillas (the smaller ones are a great size for this meal)
• Shredded cheddar veggie cheese
• Dairy-free sour cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together black beans through salt & pepper in bowl. Grease cookie sheet. Lay corn tortillas in a row (should be able to fit about 2 rows of 3 tortillas). Sprinkle small amount of cheese on each. Drain black bean mixutre and scoop large spponful onto each tortilla. Srprinkle with more cheese and top with another tortilla. Bake in 350 degree oven, flipping occasionally, for about 15 minutes.

Let cool a few minutes. Serve with dairy-free sour cream.

Enjoy!

We recently discovered that the oldest is in need of a dairy-free, gluten-free diet. Um, what about PIZZA? I am happy to report that I grabbed up a gluten-free dough from the Whole Foods frozen section and veggie cheese. Shockingly enough, this dough with sliced fresh tomatoes, squash, and onion … covered with a nice sprinkle of veggie cheese was DELICIOUS!

Stay tuned for more gluten-and-dairy-free recipes!