Strawberry Milkshake

The weather has been very “off” here this winter.  Most days it has felt like spring.  With this weather comes a change in local produce.  Little Love and I noticed strawberries showing up at our local farmers market, and of course, she wanted some.  She also wanted a strawberry milkshake, how could I refuse, I love them too! 

Little Love enjoying her Strawberry Milkshake.

Strawberry Milkshake

Equipment: Blender

·      2 ½ cups frozen organic strawberries (about 25 strawberries)

·      1 cup raw whole milk, raw cream or coconut milk* (See Resources)

·      1 teaspoon gluten-free organic vanilla extract (I use Simply Organic)

·      3-4 tablespoons raw local honey or organic maple syrup grade B

·      1 PASTURED raw egg yolk, optional* (ONLY use pastured eggs)

1.    Place frozen strawberries, milk, vanilla, honey and pastured egg yolk in blender.  COVER with lid, you do not want everything all over your kitchen.

2.   Blend on a medium speed until combined and smooth, about 30 – 45 seconds.

3.   Serve immediately, enjoy!

Little Love having another Strawberry Milkshake.

Yield: 3 cups

Vegan-Option: Use coconut milk instead of dairy, organic maple syrup grade B instead of honey and omit the egg yolk. 

Note: I do NOT recommend using raw egg yolks from non-pastured eggs.  If you choose to use raw egg yolk, make sure the egg is pastured and that the egg is in good condition with no cracks anywhere.  Buy local and get to know your farmers! 

*For California residents, check out my favorite raw milk/cream from Claravale Farm.  They sell to stores and co-ops all over CA.  And for pastured eggs, check out my favorite farmers at Cache Creek Meat Co.


This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, and Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes.

Grass-fed Pot Roast w/ Red Wine, Herbs & Honey

I love Pot Roast, it's the perfect comfort food, yet elegant enough to serve to guests.  The red wine, onion and fresh herbs add a wonderful flavor to this roast.  Enjoy! 

Grass-fed Pot Roast w/ Red Wine, Herbs & Honey

Super easy to make and so delicious.  

Equipment: 9x13 Casserole Dish or Large Dutch Oven, Large Saucepan, Parchment Paper, Foil

Cook Time: About 2 1/2 hours

• 1 grass-fed bone-in chuck roast, about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds
• 2 tablespoons pasture butter or fat of choice (See Resources)
• Celtic sea salt (See Resources)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bottle organic red wine
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 onion, peeled, halved, sliced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, lightly smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon kelp granules, optional (I use Maine Coast)
• 1 strip kombu, optional (See Resources)
• 1/2 cup homemade applesauce (2 apples), optional
• 2-3 cups water, broth or stock, enough to cover meat

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prep onion and herbs - wash herbs and shake dry; halve onion, peel and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Add to casserole dish and set aside. 

3. If you are making the optional homemade applesauce, prep food processor with metal blade.  Peel and quarter 2 apples.  Add apple pieces to food processor and pulse until apples become "applesauce", about 45 seconds-1 minute, scrape down sides during process if necessary.  Set aside.  

4. Melt fat of choice in large saucepan or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat, about 1 minute until the pan is hot.

5. Season meat with sea salt and freshly ground pepper (if you forget, you can do this once it's in the saucepan, I do this often). 

6. Add meat to saucepan.  Brown meat for about 5 minutes, until meat starts to get a golden brown crust.  

7. Flip meat and brown for another 5 minutes until golden brown.  

8. Remove meat from saucepan.  Set meat in casserole dish or on a plate if using a Dutch Oven.  Add garlic, kelp granules and kombu to the casserole dish.  

9. Lower stovetop to medium heat.  Add bottle of red wine to the pan making sure to scrape all of the meat drippings off of the bottom of the pan.  The red wine will help release the drippings when scraped with a wooden spatula.  The drippings have lots of flavor, so make sure to scrape them all off.

10. Add honey to the wine, stir to dissolve.  Add optional applesauce and stir to combine.  

11. Pour red wine over the meat in the casserole dish or Dutch Oven.  Add extra water/broth/stock, the meat should almost be covered with liquid.  

12. Cover meat with parchment paper, then cover with foil.  If you have a Dutch Oven, cover with lid.  

13. Bake the meat for 2 hours, turning the meat once at the 1 hour mark.

14. Remove parchment paper and foil or lid, flip meat again and cook uncovered for another 30-45 minutes until meat is fork-tender.  Check at 30 minutes, reset timer for another 15 minutes if needed.  

15. Serve with reduced sauce.  

Yield: Makes about 6 servings.  

Tip: This is even better the next day.  Can be made in advance if needed.  

Storage: Stores great in the refrigerator.  When ready to eat, scrape off the fat that solidifies at the top, pull off meat portions and heat.

Serving Suggestions: Reduce the sauce and serve with meat.  Once reduced, the sauce becomes thick and delicious.  Pairs well with Celery Root Mash or mashed potatoes, Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Apples and Sauteed Kale w/ Pasture Butter. 

Looking for another version of Pot Roast?

Check out my Grass-fed Pot Roast w/ Apple Juice, Honey & Herbs recipe. 

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health, and Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist.  

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I love this frosting, it's probably one of my favorites.  It's sweet, chocolaty and so delish!  

Enjoy!  

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This is a very simple frosting recipe, it only takes minutes to make.  

Equipment: Standing Mixer & Bowl/Hand Mixer, Spatula

• 1/2 cup pasture butter (See Resources)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons raw honey (I use local raw clover creamed)
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free organic vanilla extract (I use Simply Organic)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cacao powder (I use Divine Organics Sacred Cacao)

1. Fit standing mixer with the flat beater (if you don't have a standing mixer, you could use a hand mixer or food processor instead) and mixing bowl.

2. Add butter, honey and vanilla to the bowl and mix on low speed until the butter starts to soften.  Increase speed and whip until creamed and it begins to have a lighter white color, about 1 minute.  

3. Add cacao powder, turn mixer on low until the cacao powder starts to incorporate.  Increase speed to whip until creamy and it begins to turn a light brown color, about 1 minute.  Stop mixer and scrape down sides as needed with a spatula to make sure ingredients are combined well. 

4. Use immediately or store in a small bowl in the refrigerator.  Make sure to scrape the bowl and lick the spatula!  

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups frosting. 

Storage: If storing for later, make sure to take the frosting out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before frosting so it's not so hard and will spread easier.  

Serving Suggestions: Use this to frost cupcakes, vanilla cake, Chocolate Pumpkin Cake, cookies, etc.

This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist and Melt in Your Mouth Monday @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms.

Celery Root Mash

Celery Root Mash is unbelievably delicious!  This is my version of "mashed potatoes" and honestly, I would eat this instead of mashed potatoes any day.  It's super yummy, creamy like mashed potatoes and has just the slightest hint of celery.   

Celery Root Mash

This makes a wonderful side dish.  Make sure to make enough, I always want to eat the whole batch. 

Equipment: Medium Saucepan w/ Lid, Food Processor or Hand Mixer

• 4 cups celery root (about 3 medium), peeled, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups filtered water
• 2-4 tablespoons pasture butter (See Resources)
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt or to taste (See Resources)

1. Prep celery root - wash, peel and cut into 1 inch chunks.  

2. Add celery root chunks to the saucepan.  Add water, just enough to barely cover the celery root.  Cover with lid and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.  

3. Strain water and place celery root into food processor.  Add pasture butter and sea salt, pulse until celery root becomes a smooth puree, about 1 minute.  

4. Serve hot or refrigerate for later.

Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups puree. 

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.  

Serving Suggestions: Serve with Pasture Roasted Chicken, Pot Roast, Grassfed Lamb Chops, Pan-Sauteed Fish, Sauteed or Roasted Vegetables or top with Homemade Gravy.  Use as a substitution for any meal with mashed potatoes.  

This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, Melt In Your Mouth Monday Blog Hop @ Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke Is Online, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Real Food 101 @ Ruth's Real Food, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, Healthy 2day Wednesdays @ day2day joys, Hearth & Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, and Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage.

Spiced Pumpkin {Chai} Tea + vegan-option

This recipe inspiration comes from my friend Andrea.  She brought her Pumpkin Spice Latte to our local Holistic Moms Network chapter meeting and everyone was raving about it.  

I've been making my own version of Chai tea for many years now (Chai tea has been a favorite of mine since high school).  My Chai blend version does not contain black tea and all of the common spices, but I still love it just as much.  I stopped drinking caffeinated beverages many years ago now, so I had to come up with my own Chai version that still tasted similar without the black tea.  

This Spiced Pumpkin Tea (Chai) has become my favorite hot drink in the morning and afternoon.  It's the perfect blend of creamy pumpkin and spice.

ENJOY!

Spiced Pumpkin Tea (Chai)

Creamy, Spicy and Simply Divine!

{Affiliate links included help support this blog}

Equipment: Medium-Size Saucepan w/ Lid, Microplane or Standing Grater, Small Bowl, Fine Mesh Strainer, Blender

• 2 cups filtered water
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (about 1 inch chunk) peeled, grated/finely minced
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon chips or 1 stick
• 2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 2 black peppercorns
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree 
• 3 tablespoons honey 
• 3 cups raw milk* or organic whole milk (See Resources)

1. In a medium-size saucepan, add water and bring to a boil.  

2. Peel ginger and grate with a Microplane or standing grater.  

3. Combine cinnamon chips (broken pieces of cinnamon stick), fennel seed, cloves and peppercorns in a small bowl.   

Cinnamon Chips, Cloves, Fennel Seeds, Black Peppercorns

4. Add grated ginger and spices to the boiling water.  Remove from heat, COVER and let steep for 25-30 minutes (30 minutes = an infusion, meaning you will get full nutritional properties from the spices). 

5. When tea is almost done steeping, add pumpkin puree, honey and milk to the blender.  Pulse or puree to blend.

6. Strain tea into blender.  Carefully pulse to combine, the blender will be more than halfway full, so be very careful blending (otherwise the liquid will overflow).  

7. Pour back into the saucepan and heat over low heat to desired temperature.  

8. Serve hot.  NOTE: If you prefer a super smooth consistency (no pumpkin puree "pulp"), strain before drinking.  

Yield: Makes 4-6 servings.  

Vegan-Option: Replace milk with coconut milk and replace honey with maple syrup grade B.  

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight glass jar (like a quart Mason jar) in the refrigerator up to 2 days.  When ready to drink, stir to combine, then reheat on the stovetop in a small saucepan.  

Note: I buy all of my spices and herbs in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs {affiliate}. 

*For California residents, check out my favorite raw milk from Claravale Farm.  They sell to stores and co-ops all over CA.  

This post is part of Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health, Freaky Friday @ Real Food Freaks and Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade.