Real Food Mint Shake

March 11, 2020Foodclean food, cooking with kids, gluten free, real food, St. Patrick'sarthurized 1 Comment

I’ve got a fun recipe for you, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! This one is quick and easy enough for the kiddos to help prepare.

You know that green shake a certain fast “food” company rolls out for St. Patrick’s Day? Yep, that one. (It’s trademarked, so I can’t name it here.) I was shocked to discover it contains 27 ingredients! A chemistry degree will be helpful when perusing that list.

That tally is especially surprising when you consider that only seven of those ingredients meet my decidedly unscientific definition of real food: made in nature, not in a factory. If you exclude the water, and eliminate the two sugars, you’re left with milk and cream.

The good news is that you can make a delicious, minty shake at home in minutes, using just a few simple ingredients. As an added bonus, you’re likely familiar with these ingredients and may have them in your kitchen right now. You can feel good about serving this to your family, but you don’t have to tell them it’s good for them. It’ll be our little secret.

Real Food Mint Shake

Servings: 4
Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Made without food dyes, this refreshing shake is gluten free, dairy free and delicious! The avocado adds a creamy richness to the shake; the perfect treat for St. Patrick’s Day or anytime.

Ingredients

2 c. unsweetened coconut or almond milk
2 c. ice
1 avocado
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large handful fresh mint leaves, or to taste (can substitute 1 tsp peppermint extract)
1 T. honey, or to taste
pinch of salt
mint leaves
dark chocolate shavings

Directions

Remove the mint leaves from the stems. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the seed. Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender. Add all remaining ingredients to the blender and process until smooth. Garnish if desired and serve immediately.
http://www.arthurizedhome.com

If you’ve got a patch of mint growing in your garden, this is a great way to use some of that bounty.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: In addition to occasional sponsored posts, Arthurized Home uses clickable affiliate links. That means that I may receive a small commission from sales at no extra charge to you. As always, my opinion is 100% my own, and I only recommend things that I truly love or use myself. Thank you for patronizing the brands that support Arthurized Home!

Copyright 2019-2021 © Arthurized Home – All Rights Reserved. This post is the original content of Arthurized Home. If you’re reading this on another site, it’s unArthurized.

Rainbow Pickety Bits

March 4, 2020Foodcharcuterie, clean food, gluten free, grazing board, party platter, pickety bits, real food, St. Patrick'sarthurized Leave a comment

Now that March is here, it’s time for all things Irish, rainbow and leprechauns! (I’d throw unicorns and mermaids in there too, if I thought I could get away with it.) The first few weeks of March are filled with the promise of spring, the beginning of daylight saving time (for those of us who participate) and the anticipation of a few St. Pat’s shenanigans. Why shouldn’t your menu reflect that same sense of fun?

A rainbow pickety bits platter is an easy dinner, game night, or party option, and so simple to create. Use an assortment of your favorite nibbles from the following categories:

Fruits, fresh and dried
Veggies, including pickled
Olives
Nuts
Deli Meats
Cheeses
Dips and Spreads
Crackers and Chips
Chocolates

Foods to try:

Red – Apples, Bell Peppers, Strawberries, Cherry Tomatoes, Raspberries, Beets, Radishes, Cherries

Orange – Apricots, Nectarines, Oranges, Cuties, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Peaches, Cheese Crackers, Red Pepper Hummus

Yellow – Apples, Pears, Pineapple, Bell Peppers, Cheese

Green – Kiwi, Broccoli, Grapes, Olives, Pickles, Sugar Snap Peas, Cucumber, Celery

Blue and Purple – Blueberries, Blackberries, Purple Carrots, Purple Cauliflower, Grapes, Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, Figs, Olives

This is a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen. They’re more likely to sample new foods when they’ve helped prepare them.

Place dry foods like crackers, in small bowls or ramekins. Do the same for dips, pickles and any foods in juices or brine.

On a large tray or platter, arrange foods in ROYGBIV order, tucking the ramekins in tightly as you work. Add pickle forks, small tongs and cheese knives if needed for serving.

Since I didn’t have a pot of gold for the end of my rainbow, I figure a bowl of chocolate is a suitable substitute.

I hope this gives you some inspiration for your own celebrations. Such a fun way to get all those fruits and veggies in, and eat the rainbow!

Heart Pizza for Valentine’s Day

February 7, 2020Foodcauliflower pizza, clean food, cooking with kids, family traditions, gluten free, heart pizza, real food, valentines dayarthurized 1 Comment

The Valentine’s Day tradition of eating heart shaped pizza goes back about 35 years in my family. My brother Matt had cystic fibrosis, and sadly, we lost him when he was just 19 years old. Before he passed, he used some of his savings to host a Valentine’s party for our family. Matt requested heart shaped pizzas for our dinner that night. We’ve incorporated this bittersweet tradition into our Valentine’s Day celebrations ever since.

Use a best-loved recipe for the crust, or try this cauliflower crust from stonesoup blog. This one is a favorite because it tastes great, crisps up nicely, and it doesn’t crumble when you pick it up, Just like a conventional slice of pizza, minus all those pesky carbs!

A few notes:
The parmesan in this recipe helps to mask the cauliflower flavor. You could add garlic powder and/or Italian seasonings to the crust for additional subterfuge. I substitute ground flax seed for the psyllium husks, just because I usually have the flax seed on hand. I haven’t prepared this using frozen riced cauliflower. If you try it, please let me know how that worked for you. Here’s how I make this easy, low-carb meal:

Preheat the oven to 350° and rice the cauliflower in a food processor. To a large mixing bowl, add the cauliflower, almond flour, finely grated parmesan, salt and flax seed meal.

Stir to thoroughly blend the dry ingredients. Then add the eggs.

Stir until the mixture holds it’s shape when combined. If it is too wet, add a little more almond flour.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Press the crust into a heart shape, about 1/2″ thick.

Making pizza sauce is easy and inexpensive. I like to make my own, because jarred sauces tend to be full of sugar.

To make sauce, I mix tomato paste with garlic, basil, oregano and mixed Italian spices. Add water to thin, a few tablespoons at a time and whisk until it is a spreadable consistency.

Bake the crust for 30-40 minutes or until it is golden brown. Watch for browning around the edges.

Spread the sauce on the crust and add toppings of your choice.

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and pop it back into the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melty and gorgeous. Mine usually takes 8 minutes.

This crust freezes well. Take it through the pre-bake step and then wrap it for the freezer. And there you have it, our heart pizza tradition for Valentine’s Day!

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? Go out? Stay in? Do you have Valentine’s traditions? Whatever you’re doing, make it fun!

Real Food Menu for Week of 2.2.2020

February 3, 2020meal prepclean food, gluten free, home cooking, meal prep, menu, menu monday, menu planning, real foodarthurized 1 Comment

We’re knee-deep in Arthur Birthday Season and had a super fun weekend of birthday prep and visiting with family. Pa Kettle has suddenly decided to be coy about his age, so he’s just telling folks that he is “forty-four more or less”.

With a busy weekend in the rear-view mirror and an even busier week ahead, we’re going back to the basics with several stand-by recipes. I’m excited to try the new recipe for Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potatoes.

Breakfast:

PBJ Overnight Oats – This tasty breakfast fuels our mornings with the familiar flavors of a PBJ sandwich.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-eating-pb-j-overnight-oats/

Lunch:
The Bomb Paleo Chili – This recipe is a great way to get more veggies into your picky eater, especially if you grate them before cooking. (The veggies, not the picky eater.) We happen to like our veg, so no need for trickery. Don’t forget the special ingredient, cocoa powder. Delicious!
http://jennlosesit.com/the-bomb-paleo-chili/

Dinner:

Marinated Salmon with Garlic and Herbs – We love this simple supper and serve it over garlic and herb cauliflower rice, which Aldi carries in the freezer section.
https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/marinated-salmon/

Double Baked Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potatoes – New Recipe!
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/these-double-baked-chipotle-chicken-sweet-potatoes/

Chicken Pineapple Curry – So yum! Serve over brown rice or cauliflower rice.
https://www.5dollardinners.com/chicken-pineapple-curry/

Kale Salad with Apricots and Almonds – New Recipe! Pa Kettle shared this recipe with me. No, he didn’t make it. He received it in the mail and thought I would like it. It’s very similar to the Convert Kale Salad that we crave on a regular basis.
https://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2012/04/kale-salad-with-apricots-and-almonds/

Bowl of Doom – We’ll use up the rest of those sweet potatoes in this dish. This protein-packed Paleo dish would be equally good as a vegetarian meal, minus the beef.
http://www.vicariouslypaleo.com/bowl-of-doom/

Treat:
Superhero Muffins: Shalane Flanagan’s recipe packs a load of healthy ingredients into one muffin. This old favorite is doing double duty as fuel for training runs as well as the occasional treat. These freeze well, so I made a double batch.
https://runfasteatslow.com/blogs/news/superhero-muffins

Have a great week, Superheroes!

Real Food Menu for Week of 1.26.2020

January 27, 2020meal prepclean food, easy meals, gluten free, home cooking, meal prep, menu, menu planning, real food, weekly menuarthurized Leave a comment

Ever since we deep-sixed our microwave, we’ve done a lot of our cooking in this toaster/convection oven. Because this little dude is more energy efficient than our full size oven, we’ve realized $20+ monthly savings on our power bill. It’s large enough to bake a 12″ pizza, and doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the full-sized oven does. I guess that’s not really a bonus this time of year, but we appreciate that benefit during warmer months.

Breakfast:
Healthy Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal – So good. Don’t skimp on the cinnamon!
https://www.erinliveswhole.com/healthy-carrot-cake-baked-oatmeal/

Lunch:
Cauliflower Pizza – Here’s an old favorite made Mediterranean diet friendly by loading it up with veggies. I made two pizzas, so that Mark can have his favorite, pepperoni.
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/2016/09/27/cauliflower-pizza/

Dinner:

Carb Buster Breakfast – We love breakfast for dinner and this vegetarian meal is a satisfying, savory option!
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/carb-buster-breakfast-2324125

Chicken and Rice Soup – New Recipe! I’m subbing canned coconut milk for the evaporated milk. Don’t worry, the coconut adds creaminess, not coconut flavor.
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/chicken-rice-soup/

Chop Chop Fresh Veggie Salad – Do you crave fresh veggies in the winter, like I do? This is so refreshing.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/chop-chop/

30 Minute Mustard Glazed Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
https://unsophisticook.com/baked-chicken-thighs/

Snacks: Popcorn (can’t stop, won’t stop), apple slices with cheddar, carrots with roasted red pepper hummus

Treat:
No Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip – This is one of those 10% treats. Minus the chocolate chips, this recipe is processed sugar-free. We use these stevia sweetened chocolate chips. Hubs eats his with gluten free cookies, I’m having mine with apple slices. We sampled this dip with gluten free pretzels, and that’s a tasty combo as well.
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/27/new-recipe-sugar-free-cookie-dough-dip/

What’s cooking in your kitchen? Have a great week, everyone!

Real Food Menu for Week of 1.19.2020

January 20, 2020meal prepclean food, gluten free, home cooking, meal planning, meal prep, menu monday, real foodarthurized Leave a comment

Monday means it’s time for another menu filled with easy to prepare real food! As always, my menus are gluten-free and most importantly, tasty!

Real Food Menu for Week of 01.12.2020

January 13, 2020Cottagecharcuterie, clean food, gluten free, home cooking, meal plan, meal planning, menu, menu monday, real foodarthurized Leave a comment

One of my goals for the new year is to reduce food waste (and hopefully food costs) by doing a better job of meal planning. Wasting produce is a huge pet peeve of mine. I suppose composting it gives it a second life, but it’s not what I intended.

We received this compost bin at Christmas and I just love it. We previously kept our kitchen scraps in a bowl and emptied it every day. Now we can get away with emptying every few days because the filter eliminates any odors. Yay!

Breakfast:
Blueberry and Raspberry Baked Oatmeal – This recipe is an old favorite. Perfect for using up a few bananas that are heading into banana bread territory. We like it with a little coconut milk on top.
https://www.sohowsittaste.com/blueberry-raspberry-baked-oatmeal/

Lunch:
Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup – New Recipe! Tastes like a cabbage roll without all that work. The recipe says it yields 12 servings. Um. Maybe if you’re feeding tiny people, or consider a cup of soup a serving? This makes 8 nice bowls of soup.
https://www.veggiebalance.com/cabbage-roll-in-a-bowl-slow-cooker-recipe/

Dinner:

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup – New Recipe! – Very likely the most monochromatic meal we’ve ever had, but tasty nonetheless. We’re having this with Brazilian cheese bread on the side.
https://cookieandkate.com/creamy-roasted-cauliflower-soup-recipe/

Mediterranean Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Artichokes and Capers – New Recipe! UPDATE: This meal was not only visually unappealing, it had a sharp acidity which neither of us enjoyed. And we don’t shy away from acidity around here.
https://juliasalbum.com/mediterranean-chicken-sun-dried-tomatoes-artichokes/

Pickety Bits – Unfamiliar? It’s a charcuterie board, a grazing board, or whatever the trendy name for it is today. I prefer ‘pickety bits’. Essentially, you just arrange your favorite snacks on a serving board or platter and call it dinner. My kind of cooking. This is best made for a low-key evening; great for game night.

Turkey Herb Stuffing Style Riced Cauliflower – This isn’t a new recipe, I just forgot to take pictures of it! We’ll throw some turkey cutlets in the crock pot to serve with this delicious side.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/cauliflower-stuffing/

Snacks:
Clementines, Bananas, Bell Peppers, Cucumbers and Hummus, Popcorn
Rinse and repeat (we never tire of this).

Treat:
Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies – Here’s a fun fact about Mr. Arthurized Home: He hates chickpeas. But he LOVES these little babies. We like them with these chocolate chips.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/chocolate-chickpea-blondies/

Thank you for taking time to read here! Have a great week!

A Real Food Halloween Party – Part Four

October 23, 2019Foodclean food, cooking with kids, eat the rainbow, eat your veggies, fresh food, gluten free, halloween party, halloween party foods, home cooking, real foodarthurized 2 Comments

Thank you for joining me as I wrap up our four-part series on real Halloween party foods. Click here for parts one, two and three, if you missed them. I define real foods as made in nature, not in a factory. This includes minimally processed foods that are made with ingredients we recognize, and regularly use in our kitchens.

Halloween doesn’t have to be all about the sugar buzz! These real food options are easy to prepare, fun to serve and only slightly creepy to eat.

Peculiar Pumpkins
This treat couldn’t be easier. Adults can slice the celery ‘stems’ and kids can peel and assemble the pumpkins. Who doesn’t love cuties?!

You’ll need:

Mandarin Cuties
Celery rib – or other suitable stem, try kiwi, honeydew or bell pepper slices
Chef’s Knife
Cutting Board

Peel the mandarins and chop the celery rib stems. My celery pieces are approximately 1.75 inches long and .25 inches wide.

Compost those peels, or dehydrate them for use in fire starters.

Insert a celery piece into the center of each mandarin to create the pumpkin stem. Pile them high, and serve. Simple!

Bogeyman Brain
You might pay a premium for a watermelon in October, but this creepy offering is totally worth it! Carve this the day before your party, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate. If you’d like to serve it with a fruit dip, this creamy lemon fruit dip would pair nicely. We like our watermelon plain, with a little sea salt.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

Visual Inspiration – Do a Google search for “free clip art brain” – either print out, or keep your laptop/tablet nearby for reference.
Paring knife
Chef’s knife
Small Watermelon
Cutting Board

Slice off the bottom of the watermelon to give it a wide, stable base.

Peel off the green skin and carefully cut most of the rind away; we want the brain to be pink, not red. I tried using a veggie peeler, but a chef’s knife was best for this step.

Once the rind is carved away, use a paring knife and your visual reference to start carving the folds. Have fun with this! Use your imagination. Channel your inner neurosurgeon. If you are a neurosurgeon, well, then bring your A game.

I softened the folds by carving the edges at a slight angle. You really can’t mess this up! Carve until you’re happy with your masterpiece.

When it’s time to serve your Bogeyman Brain, bring back that chef’s knife. It’s just perfect for this presentation!

To shop the post:
Paring Knife and Cutting Board Set / Knife Set / Fiestaware / Placemats and Napkins NLA, similar tablecloth

I hope you’ve enjoyed this revolting repast. Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Real Food Menu for Week of 10.20.2019

October 21, 2019meal prepclean food, gluten free, home cooking, meal prep, menu planning, real foodarthurized Leave a comment

Roanoke played host to my favorite festival over the weekend, Go Outside Festival. We were glad that we went Friday night, because the weather was a bit of a bummer; heavy rain on Saturday night forced cancellation of Sunday’s activities. Even if you’re not the hard-core outdoorsy type *raises hand*, there is a little something for everyone. I was able to chat with the master gardeners about our Japanese Stiltgrass invasion.

Nearly every outdoor activity is represented and there are group workouts, (running, cycling, hiking, yoga, pure barre, etc.) races, shopping, food trucks, beer, wine, and loads of concerts and shows. We try to catch the lumberjack, BMX and air dog shows each year. Did I mention that the concerts and shows are free, as as are most of the sports? We’ll be back next year, Go Fest.

Now on to this week’s menu:

Breakfast:
Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats – New Recipe! – I made these with monk fruit maple syrup, and added a dollop of sweetened greek yogurt on top.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/fast-pumpkin-spice-oatmeal-jars/

Lunch:
Harvest Minestrone Soup – New Recipe! Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, here, but I’m making lunch for an entire week. I think that’s a fair trade-off for all that chopping. We each sampled a cup of soup (for purposes of recipe testing, of course!) and I’m seriously looking forward to having this for lunch. You really do need a stock pot for this one; it makes a lot of soup! This recipe would not fit into my 7.5 quart Dutch oven.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-eating-harvest-minestrone-soup/

Marinated Salmon – New Recipe!
https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/marinated-salmon/

Turkey Stuffed Peppers – We made this often while I was doing keto. I modified this recipe to make it more Mediterranean Diet friendly. I’m using ground turkey instead of beef, and adding pre-cooked brown rice to the stuffing mix. While you’re at it, you might as well make extra for freezing.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/stuffed-peppers-with-ground-beef-and-cheese

Greek Chicken Soup – New Recipe!
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/budget-friendly-greek-chicken-soup/

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry – Not the most photogenic dish on the planet, but so tasty! I added some diced carrots and left out the tomatoes. Serve over brown or cauliflower rice, with a garnish of fresh cilantro.
https://www.theendlessmeal.com/creamy-coconut-lentil-curry/

Southwestern Squash Casserole – This recipe is tried and true. We use arrowroot powder as the binder instead of wheat flour.
https://12tomatoes.com/southwestern-squash-casserole/

Snacks:
Popcorn, apples, strawberries, dragon fruit, celery and almond butter – Kroger carries Simple Truth Organic almond butter made with one ingredient: almonds – you can’t get much cleaner than that!

Treat:
Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse – New Recipe!
https://www.myfussyeater.com/healthy-greek-yogurt-chocolate-mousse/

Have a great week!

A Real Food Halloween Party – Part Three

October 16, 2019Foodapple atrocities, boo to you, capreses creatures, clean food, cooking with kids, creep it real, gluten free, halloween, halloween party, home cooking, real foodarthurized 3 Comments

Today’s post is filled with fiendish faces, as we continue our four-part series of real Halloween party foods. Click here for parts one and two if you missed them. I define real foods as made in nature, not in a factory. This includes minimally processed foods that are made with ingredients we recognize, and regularly use in our kitchens.

Halloween doesn’t have to be all about the sugar buzz! These real food options are easy to prepare, fun to serve and only slightly creepy to eat.

Caprese Creatures
These fun creatures are more assembly than recipe. Adults can prepare the ingredients and kids can help with assembly. These are best made just before serving, or provide the ingredients, and let your guests assemble their own creatures.

You’ll need:
Fresh basil leaves
Tomatoes – I used Romas
Mozzarella Pearls
Sliced Olives – I used stuffed green olives because the pimiento slices add to the creepy factor.

Layer each creature in order: basil leaf, tomato slice, mozzarella pearl slices and olive/pimiento slices. Serve with optional toppings of balsamic reduction, salt/pepper and extra mozzarella pearls.

Is it just me, or do the tomato seeds look like tiny teeth in this dude’s grill?

Apple Atrocities
Assemble these shortly before the party so the apples don’t brown. I’ve included seed suggestions in case nuts allergies are a concern.

You’ll need:
Large Apples, quartered
Lemon juice for soaking the apples
Peanut Butter (or sunflower butter for nut-free)
Strawberries
Peanut halves (or sunflower seeds)
Almonds (or shelled pumpkin seeds – pepitas)
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/halloween-pb-apple-monsters-clean-eating/

Quarter and core the apples and soak them in a solution of lemon water. I used 1 T. juice to one cup of water.

Thinly slice ‘tongues’ from the strawberries.

From the lower half of the apple wedge and without slicing through to the back, cut mouth openings. These should be large enough to contain peanut butter, a strawberry slice and a few peanut teeth.

Cut tiny pockets for the almond eyes. Eye sockets, if you will. Muahahaha!

Place the strawberry slice on top of the peanut butter, then jam a few peanut halves into the the upper part of the mouth. Make the little atrocities as snaggletoothed as you like. Add almonds for eyes, and your monsters are complete.

To shop the post: Knife Set / Cutting Board Set / Balsamic Reduction / Fiestaware / Juicer – NLA, this one is similar / Ramekins / Tablecloth – NLA, this one is similar

Do you have Halloween plans? Whether you’re hosting or attending a party, I hope these ideas spark your creativity. Happy Halloween!

Real Food Mint Shake

Ingredients

Directions

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