Intro To Me?

So as I am sure ya'll have noticed I have no idea what the hell I am doing. I am blogging recipes and pretending I know what is going on. It is great!

I figured I would do a minor introduction, sort of outline what we eat and why and state my goal for this little blog. Thing.

Hi. I'm the Cave Mom. I am a young mom with a passion for health and cooking. The Cave Toddler was born in July of 2012, going on 18 months old now. She is quite a handful. I have been fortunate so far that she hasn't been picky. I like to think it is the variety of foods we have offered her since day one.

Cave Mom and Cave Dad met in a cooking program, so we both have fun creating recipes and figuring out easy ways to get delicious and healthy foods on the table in record time.

We mostly follow the primal type lifestyle and diet, which can get tricky with an active toddler and a tight budget. (Difference between paleo and primal.) We try to focus on gluten-/wheat-free, no legumes, and no artificial sugars. We have raw grass-fed milk, cheese, and butter in the house as well as occasional rice. Beans as well, if things are getting tight. Commercial dairy and gluten are the main two things we try to avoid because they react poorly with my body and the Cave Toddler's body. The only sugars we try to use are pure grade B maple syrup, raw local honey, and, on rare occasions, coconut sugar. Anything else makes my blood sugar go wonky. Cave Dad is having issues giving up soda but we have been working on that. Ya'll should have seen Cave Toddler after snagging an open can of Mt. Dew Cave Dad left out! Not my favourite night.

The main goal is family friendly nutrient dense foods on the table as fast as possible and tasting as amazing as possible. We try to keep things simple but occasionally get a little crazy. I think it stems from the cooking background we share. Ooops.

I have had this for a few months now but need to get in the habit of updating more often. I have since made the decision to display ads and get an Amazon associates account. I don't expect to make a living off this stuff but it would be nice to someday make it grow. Don't hate me for the ads. The days I do update this is taking time from my already busy schedules and, while I enjoy doing this, a little incentive never hurts anyone. Thought I would warn you ahead of time =]

I will issue another warning. There is a VERY good chance I will swear profusely. I tend to speak like a sailor in every day life and it might bleed into here. We will see.

I appreciate all those who have supported me thus far and furthered my love and passion for food and health.

Happy eating!

Best Ever Broccoli Soup

We occasionally babysit the son of a friend. He is several years older than the Cave Toddler. As we were making dinner tonight we realized we had him tonight but didn't know if he would be here during dinner so we tried to add volume to the broccoli soup we planned on tonight. This recipe was the result. It is so inexpensive and easy and results in a decent volume of soup. It feels like velvet in my mouth. I love broccoli soup so much and this has, honestly, been the best recipe I have made this far.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 lb frozen broccoli florets
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4-5 tbsp melted butter
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 c chicken stock
1-2 oz cream cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss broccoli and cauliflower in butter and salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.

Puree with stock and cream cheese, if using. I like to heat a little more over the stove but it is ready to serve as is.

The cauliflower and cream cheese add a nice creaminess to it that I absolutely LOVE. It is almost like broccoli velvet in my mouth. I don't know. Just the best broccoli soup I have ever had. Give a shot, so easy, so yummy.