Best Veggie Soup Recipe!

Last night, I made vegetable soup.  Well, not purely just veggies, but it is vegetable heavy.  Normally everyone moans and groans around here when I tackle something like this and so I was worried none of them would eat dinner (cause I only make 1 meal a night, take it or leave it!).  

Instead of complaining after the first bite, every one of my kids devoured their serving and some of them asked for seconds.  Amazing!

I started with a recipe I've used in the past, back in my Weight Watchers days...this Recipe for zero point soup.

Then I made some changes to fit our family tastes and what I had in my pantry.  All of the ingredients I used are organic and that would be what I would recommend, but you can use whatever you have available.

2 pounds grass fed ground beef 

1/2 red onion, chopped

4 garlic gloves, minced

2 tsp salt

1 tbl pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 carrot (or 10 baby carrots), chopped

1 head of green cabbage, chopped

1 cup unpeeled zucchini, chopped

32 oz Beef Broth
32 oz Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (not the best soup in the world, but great as a base for this recipe)
2 6oz cans tomato paste

For toppings:
Fresh Parsley
Creme Fresh (you could also use plain yogurt or sour cream)
Grated Parmesan Cheese 

Directions:
Combine the ground beef, all the spices, onion and garlic in a large stockpot until beef is no longer pink.  
Add carrot and saute for a few minutes until slightly softened. 
Add all the rest of the ingredients to the stockpot and bring to a simmer.  Leave uncovered and let simmer for about an hour or until zucchini is well cooked.

Serve with rustic bread and suggested toppings (or whatever else you like to have on your soup!).

This is a large recipe that fed my family of 7 with plenty leftover for lunch the next day.

For myself, since I'm avoiding wheat, dairy and most grains, I just put the parsley as a topping

The kids and my husband were all served this delicious version, with creme fresh and parmesan cheese along with crusty bread and butter.

I must admit, I was a little jealous of how yummy their bowls looked until I tasted mine.  It was awesome all by itself.  You will not regret trying out this meal.  It could likely be cooked in a crockpot as well. 

 If you try it, I'd love to know what you think. Now I'm off to do some cleaning.  I just got off the phone with Dyson's customer service and they helped me fix my vacuums suction issue!  Yay! 

I like it when my dishwasher is broken

It's true...I think I like it when my dishwasher is broken.

Maybe...

 

On Sunday while I was in the shower, my sweet husband decided to try and fix our dishwasher (which had been running continually post-wash).  If you knew my husband, you would know why I would have immediately advised against such a decision, but I was not in a position to intervene in time.

When I finished getting ready, I discovered dishwasher parts in various places in the kitchen.  Dave informed me he broke the handle switch while attempting to find the running issue.  This lead to an online search for parts.

I managed to find a used part on Ebay and it's on it's way to us.  I'm skeptical as to whether Dave can reinstall this switch and get it working again, but for $30, it's worth a shot.  Honestly, I was just proud he didn't break any parts due to getting mad during the repair.  He stayed calm the whole time. ;)

So, we have no dishwasher right now while we wait for USPS to bring our part to us.  And I like it.

I find that having to hand wash dishes forces me to calm down and take my time with chores.  It's quiet and soothing.  I stay up on my regular chores because I have to stop and do dishes 3-4 times a day (so the volume doesn't get away from me).   

The sink is typically clean nowadays

Even if my counter is cluttered (I'm obviously a fan of air drying)

It forces me to slow down, which oddly enough leads to other chores getting done more frequently.  Like the laundry.

 

Today, I will likely wash a sink full of dishes at least 3 times.  

 

I will also be getting caught up on some dusting and mopping

I have a bunch of ladies coming for a makeup party tomorrow night.  We'll have Younique Cosmetics, Scentsy and Thirty One bags as the vendors.  It's going to be fun, but the dust will not be allowed to stay and play.

Now I'm off to clean.  I hope your weekend will be a delightful one.

 

Thanksgiving Menu

I've started the baking and cooking that comes along with the momentous Thanksgiving Holiday.  

Though it's just my little family, I do enjoy the preparation that goes into such a fun meal.

I'm trying to keep it mostly grain free, as well as gmo-free, so that's the biggest change to my menu.  For the most part, it hasn't been too much of a trial.  Pinterest has been an awesome resource for me this time around!  THIS is my favorite link to reference for new cooking ideas.

So far I've baked the pumpkin rolls (see my note below), and the "cornbread" for the stuffing.  Tomorrow, it will be pies, cranberry sauce, brining the turkey, baking the sweet potatoes and some general cleaning so the house feels lovely before we eat ourselves into a food coma.

My Thanksgiving menu  :
(click on the photos to go to the originating webpage)

Dessert:  I'll start with dessert first (cause that's my favorite part)-

Pumpkin Roll recipe by Eat the Cookie - 
This one is grain free except for some brown sugar in the filling.  This would work great with maple syrup or coconut sugar as a substitute.  

I will confess that I've made this recipe 3 separate times (yes, it's that good) and I cannot figure out how she got this to roll without breaking.  I've made pumpkin rolls with wheat flour and it worked fine, but the texture with grain free is tricky.  I have ended up just cutting the pieces out and layering in between with the filling.  It tastes the same, but doesn't look as impressive.

 

Pecan Pie recipe by Cooks Country

I haven't made this one before, but it looks to be a good one.  No corn syrup and whole food ingredients.  I will be using pre-made pie crusts from Immaculate Baking Company.  (The pie crust is one of the deviations I made to the grain free menu...because making a grain free pie crust is one of those areas I don't feel like tackling right now)

Pumpkin Pie recipe by Meaningful Eats

(because of my crust, this will not be grain free)

The rest of the Meal:

Spiced Cranberry Sauce recipe from Taste of Home

(I use honey instead of the white sugar. This recipe is delicious and I really like that it doesn't use any oranges.)

Green Bean Casserole with crispy onions recipe from Smitten Kitchen

(I'll be leaving out the wheat flour and using arrowroot flour instead)

Sweet Potato Casserole recipe from Meaningful Eats

Bacon-Cornbread Stuffing recipe by Gluten Free Fix

I haven't made this yet, but I did made the "cornbread" so it has some time to dry out...and it is awesome!  I'll be making it in the future as an accompaniment for our soups and stews.

 

 Mashed Potatoes Recipe by Simply Recipes

I like to keep it simple when it comes to mashed potatoes since they're practically perfect on their own.  However, my kids and husband like gravy on their mashed potatoes, so I bought a packet of organic, gluten free gravy seasoning mix at the store to satisfy their taste buds. 

 

For the Turkey, it's nothing overcomplicated.  I'm simply soaking the turkey in brine overnight and then I'll bake it in the oven.  I'm using this recipe from The Kitchn to help make sure it won't dry out on me.

I'll probably end up making some sort of dinner roll as well and it may or may not end up being wheat (sometimes a little delicious, soft bread is too awesome to resist).  

I hope you're having fun planning your own Thanksgiving meal.  Hopefully my little family appreciates my efforts, and if they don't, I'm more than willing to eat it all myself.  I can't wait!! 

 

Fall decor

We've had an extended fall season here in Alaska.  With record breaking high temperatures and no snow, it's almost been like living in the lower 48!

This was taken just last week (when there is usually a foot of snow already on the ground).  One of the last leaves on my lilac bush...poor thing was hanging on as long as it could.

 

It finally snowed Halloween night and I think it's here to stay.  The trees are dusted with the white stuff and we're starting to get some accumulation on the ground.  While the fall was nice, the snow is necessary for us to insulate the ground before our sub-zero temps arrive...no one likes frozen pipes at -40 degrees.  

I still have to get out there and take some pics of our winter wonderland, but for now, I'll share my new fall wreaths I've found in the last couple of weeks.

My front door really needed a pick me up and this wreath is one that will take me all the way into Christmas.   I found it at Joanns in their Christmas area.  It's not overly themed, so it will work just fine for Thanksgiving (especially when I add a little thankful sign).

 

 

I got the new welcome mat on clearance at Target on our quick trip to Anchorage.  I love the color, since it reminds me a bit of the ice-toned sky in the winter.

The entry is prepared as well as it can be for winter

The other wreath I found was at Michaels in their clearance area.  I couldn't believe my good luck!  I didn't even have a spot for it, but with that "R" on there, I knew it was meant for the Roller household.

 

Whoever designed this wreath for their store did an amazing job.  I love the colors and mix of materials.  It's really well done.

And look at the price!!!!

After leaving it sitting for a few days on my buffet, I realized it would be perfect hanging above the mirror!

 

 
For the rest of the buffet decor, I keep it pretty simple.  


I love the character this sweet glass bird gives.  The runner is a simple scarf from American Eagle.  I buy scarves on clearance in my favorite clothing stores and use them this way (since I can't stand actually wearing them). 
 

Our only pet, the beta fish "Louis" fits this space just fine.   He's a very well behaved fish ♥
 

 I'm really happy with how the wreath looks.  It adds a little color without being overpowering.  

I can't wait to show you our huge wood stack!  That post is coming soon.  We've all been hard at work getting ready for the winter and I think we're ready.  

Have a great weekend everyone!

Regrouping

Where is the year going?  I swear time is flying so fast I can't catch up.  This is only the 2nd blog post I've written in over a month! 

I've thrown myself in more heartily with just "being" with my family.  We've shut the tv off more frequently and hung out together.  I'm enjoying watching my kids' personalities develop and change.  I've spent more time alone with my husband in our bedroom after he gets home from work, just chatting and re-connecting before the rest of the night begins.

I haven't felt the need to be on the computer a whole lot.  While it puts a cramp in my blogging time, it sure makes our family life flow better.  

(this photo is from 4 days ago)

So now I regroup, moving away from the busyness of summer and buckling down for the long cold winter.  The summer is over.  We got our first dusting of snow this week.  While our autumn temps are cool and it's still beautiful outside; winter is coming.  It's time to focus harder on academics and get back into the habit of daily book learning.

 (2 days ago)

The kids and I switched out all their clothing this week, putting away the shorts and tees and bringing in the long johns and fleece.  I still need to go through the winter gear and make sure everyone has a setup that fits them.

(yesterday)

On Monday our new wood stove gets installed.  I'm so looking forward to having a heat source that doesn't depend on the power grid.  I've been so concerned about the idea of our power going out long term when it's -40 and having no way to keep from freezing to death (literally).  Plus, there is something really wonderful about a crackling wood fire.

I hope to be online just a little more, but maybe with a better balance so I don't "check out".  

I really want to show you all the new projects I've done this summer.  I have a redecorated living room, a redesigned master bedroom closet, a stenciled wall and a refreshed laundry room, as well as a really cool industrial style piece I re-did. 

I hope you're all ready for winter, especially my Alaska friends.   

 

GMO Free Grocery Shopping

Our family has committed to purchasing GMO free foods only.  As I talked about in my post Genetic Roulette, we were ALMOST there, but after I attended a March Against Monsanto meeting, the resolve was made.

There was a little bit of sticker shock to our grocery budget initially.  However, we were also really surprised at how many convenient options we had available.

While organics are a pretty safe choice since they cannot be knowingly made with any GMO ingredients, products that have the Non-GMO label are excellent since they've been verified by a third party to be GMO free.  The kids and I get really excited to see that awesome stamp on products we love.

Here in Alaska, groceries are already expensive, but the local options for veggies are improving all of the time, as is the access to a lot of quality products.

Here are some of the ways that I keep my family's food intake as GMO-free as possible...

I order through an Azure Standard drop each month for bulk groceries and lots of unique natural household items.  

We also have a new place named the Co-op Market that opened this year and they offer natural and organic items only and have tons of local produce, which is so exciting for me.  

The local Farmers Market is also an excellent choice wherever you live.

My favorite grocery store is Fred Meyer (it almost rivals Target for me, and you know how I adore Target!).  I can get nearly everything I need there, and their organic/natural section is excellently stocked.  

I did a shopping trip to Fred Meyer and then took some photos when we got back home.

Most of these products were delicious, though the cultured cottage cheese was too sour for my preference.  

To see the agonizing process that sometimes takes place when purchasing a product, check out what Kristin at LiveSimply posted about Kerrygold 

We don't always buy this many convenience products, but for the sake of this post, I wanted to see how many things I could get GMO free to replace those quick snacks and meals.

   

These are delicious replacements for Reese's Peanut Butter cups

The kids are thrilled to have an M&M replacement.  The colors are made with vegetable dyes.

 

These aren't good for teeth, but as a treat, it's nice to have an alternative to Smuckers.

This particular load of groceries cost me $303. Yikes!  In the lower 48, it would likely be around $200-$225, depending on your location.

There is no meat in there as we buy that in large quantities at Homegrown Market.  I am able to occasionally purchase a 1/2 beef, lamb or pig from local farms.

 Dave has also started fishing for salmon and trout and will hopefully bag us a Moose or Caribou this season.  

******************************* 

My next goal is checking our wine, beer and spirits to make sure they're GMO free.  Also, deciding what to eat when out and about.
 

 Thanks so much for reading about my journey to get my family healthier and I hope it might inspire you to start looking for GMO free ingredients for your own family.