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.

Garlic Pulled Pork

Garlic Pulled Pork (A favourite of Cave Dad)

Pork shoulder (about 4 lbs)

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp garlic powder

6 garlic cloves, peeled

Juice of 1 lime

1 onion, sliced

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Mix cumin, garlic powder, lime juice, and salt/pepper to taste in a small bowl. Place sliced onion in the bottom of the crock pot then put the shoulder on top of it. Rub spice mixture all over the pork. Score the pork in six places and insert the garlic cloves. Top with bay leaf and cook on low for 10-12 hours, until it pulls apart easily with a fork. Serve with juices.

We like to do this over night then pop it in the fridge in the morning so it is cool enough to pull with my hands. We also like to puree the juices with the cooked onions and garlic cloves to make a gravy of sorts.

Pair with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and diced green bell peppers to make a garlic pork salad.

Meal in a Meatloaf

Meal in a Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork sausage

1 onion, chopped

1-2 carrots, finely chopped or grated

1 parsnip, grated

Small head/bunch broccoli, chopped small

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

1 egg

1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together, pat in two loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through. (Meat thermometer should read 165 degrees or higher.)

Chicken Soup - The Ultimate Comfort Food

Chicken Soup

2 tblsp cooking fat

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

1-1 1/2 quart chicken stock/broth

2 c celery (about 4 stalks)

2 c carrots (about 3-4 carrots)

A few shakes of dried parsley (optional)

1-2 lbs chicken meat, cooked and shredded (sometimes we just chop and cook it)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat a large pot of medium head and add in the cooking fat. When hot, stir in garlic and onions and saute. When onions are slightly translucent add the stock, celery, carrots, parsley, and chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper and give one good stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.

Sausage and Eggplant - On the Grill!

Sausage and Eggplant - On the Grill!

1-2 eggplants, sliced crosswise 1/2 in thick

2 tblsp melted cooking fat

1/2 tblsp fresh thyme

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/8 tsp salt

6-9 assorted sausages

Heat grill to medium-high. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the cooking fat. Place in a bowl or shallow baking dish. Add the thyme, pepper, and salt. Toss.

Place eggplant slices on hot grill (or in grill basket). Grill until golden crust forms on the first side, 7-8 minutes. Turn and grill on second side, 6-7 minutes more. Transfer to platter and keep warm.

Arrange sausages on the grill. Grill, turning often, until the juices run clear when the sausages are pierced with a knife, 10-15 minutes. Remove sausages from the grill and arrange on one or more platters with the eggplant slices. Serve.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Thought you could never have a velvety, creamy, smooth tomato soup after giving up dairy? Think again! The other vegetables help give this soup the creamy goodness we have come to know and love from tomato soups without any of that pesky dairy.

Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup

2 onions, roughly chopped

3 carrots, roughly diced

2 stalks of celery, roughly diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled

6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

1/4 cooking fat, melted (we used lard)

3+ c chicken stock

3 tblsp fresh herbs of choice (we used basil, marjoram, and thyme) minced

Preheat oven to 400F. On a baking sheet, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and tomatoes. Drizzle with melted cooking fat and salt and pepper to taste. Roast the vegetables in the oven until the carrots are tender, about 25 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, add the herbs to the stock in a large pot and simmer.

Once vegetables are done roasting, puree using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender adding in the stock. Depending on how think you like your soup you may need more stock to thin it out. You can either serve it now or let it simmer a little longer to get the herbs infusing with the blended vegetables.