Orange Walnut Roasted Broccoli

I had a very long conversation today with my three-year-old son who insists that it is in our family’s best interest to bulldoze our house. He think we should knock the house over, dig a big hole, and live underground.

He’s so excited about the idea! He even has a specific location in our yard chosen for the hole. I explained to him that Mommy is extremely claustrophobic and would not be joining him in his hole in the ground. He did not even hesitate when he said “dat’s okay, you can live up here where you won’t be scared and Daddy, me and my sis’sers will live underground!”

Okay, then. I’m so glad that he thinks he can do without me so easily.

Unfortunately for him, if I’m not living in the hole with them, I’m also not cooking for them, which means he doesn’t get any of this amazing broccoli that he ate two helpings of tonight.

I’m one of those lucky moms who has kids that truly love broccoli. They usually devour it, but this stuff I made tonight was an extra big hit, especially for my son and my husband. It’s cooked nice and soft but has some delicious crispy burnt parts to it. When you add in crunchy roasted walnuts and the occasional zing of orange zest… man. I’m thinking I could throw some cooked chicken in there and call it a whole meal by itself. The best part is that it’s literally a “one-pan” dish – you dump everything on a cookie sheet and roast it. Nothing complicated at all.

You just spread some frozen broccoli florets out onto a greased baking sheet and drizzle melted coconut oil over it.

I keep my coconut oil in a jar because I buy it in bulk… the only way to buy it if you use it as often as I do! Toss the oil around with the broccoli quickly, because it will re-harden almost instantly when it hits the frozen broccoli. That’s okay. It will melt again in the oven and render the broccoli crispy and delicious.

Sprinkle some chopped walnuts and orange zest over the top of that, hit it with a little salt, and ta da! It’s ready to go in the oven.

It’s also gorgeous to look at.

Bake it at 350° for about an hour, tossing it occasionally, and you’ll have the best broccoli you’ve ever eaten (in my opinion, anyway!).

Here’s hoping this broccoli will tempt my son out of his hole in the ground occasionally.

• Servings: 4-5
• Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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2 (12 oz) bags frozen broccoli florets

1 1/2 T. coconut oil, melted

3-4 T. chopped walnuts

2 tsp. orange zest

mineral salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Spread the broccoli out on a greased cookie sheet.
3. Drizzle the oil over the broccoli, then very quickly toss it around with a spatula to coat the broccoli as well as possible. Don’t stress getting it super even!
4. Sprinkle the walnuts and orange zest over the broccoli, then sprinkle lightly with salt.
5. Bake for 1 hour, tossing about every 15 minutes.

Salted Caramel Mocha

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What things are making me super happy right now?

I’m so glad you asked!

The hydrangea I picked from our very own flower bed to put on my dining room table. (My husband can grow things… I’m currently very successfully killing a succulent that a florist friend told me “was impossible to kill”.)

My new “coffee corner” that I’ve been dreaming about for years. We collect mugs when we travel, and we can now display our collection thanks to some pretty shelves my dad made me for my birthday. My favorite part is that it’s all centered around a desk that my Grandma bought for my Grandpa as an engagement present!

Speaking of coffee, I’m also stoked about the espresso machine I found at a local discount store for $5. I walked into the store knowing that you never actually find what you’re looking for in there, but I prayed for an espresso machine as I approached the door. Not only did I find one that works perfectly, it’s red.

Soooo my husband and I have been enjoying a variety of new lattes and mochas from it. One of his favorite things I’ve created, though, has been a salted caramel mocha (featured here in our NYC mug from a “babymoon” we took before our first child).

You don’t have to have an espresso machine to make it, though! Did you know you can put milk in a jar with a lid, give it a good hard shake, then remove the lid and microwave it to get the same foamy effect that you get from a milk frother?

This is a yummy chocolatey-caramely-latte that is perfect for sipping as you wake up in the morning… or wind down in the evening… or any time in between!

What things are making you happy right now?

For you Trim Healthy Mamas, this is a yummy “S” drink – not a sipper!

• Servings: 1
• Time: 5 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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1/2 cup half & half

1/2 cup almond milk

2 T. sugar free chocolate chips (mini works best, but use what ya got!)

2 shots espresso or 2 oz strongly brewed coffee

1/2 tsp. caramel extract

pinch of mineral salt

Combine the half & half and almond milk in a jar with a lid; shake hard to create a layer of foam at the top, then remove the lid and heat it until it almost boiling. (Alternately, you can heat it with the milk frother on a home espresso machine.)

Add the chocolate to the milk and stir until it’s melted.

Add remaining ingredients, stir, and enjoy!

 

 

 

Basil Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

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Yes, you read that right. Basil chocolate chip ice cream.

I looooove basil. I have repeatedly suggested it as a baby name to my husband, but he continues to resist my campaign efforts. It’s such a delicious herb… vibrant yet soothing. And versatile. I mean, anything you can pair with pasta or chocolate is meant to be your best friend.

My husband planted three basil plants in my herb garden this year, and I’m cutting, drying, and storing it to be used in the future. But fresh basil is so fantastic, so I’m also frantically using it fresh in everything possible.

The idea for ice cream was inspired by a basil buttercream recipe I found several years ago. It got me excited about the idea of basil in desserts. I don’t typically love ice cream; I like it okay, and I’ll eat it occasionally, but it’s not my idea of a big treat. Part of the reason for that is that it’s usually too sweet. But the mild flavor of basil – compared with a reasonable amount of sweetener – results in an ice cream that actually left me feeling refreshed… not jittery and desperately in need of a glass of water.

I really like making ice cream for us in our Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker. It’s handy for the evenings where you want some ice cream now, but you don’t want to make a ton.

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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2 cups heavy cream

2 cups almond milk

1 cup fresh basil leaves

6 T. Gentle Sweet (or equivalent of your favorite sweetener)

1 T. vegetable glycerin

3 egg yolks (you can buy pasteurized eggs, or leave these out, if you’re concerned about consuming raw eggs)

1/2 cup mini sugar-free chocolate chips

Combine the cream and almond milk in a medium saucepan; heat until steaming, but do not boil. Add the basil leaves and remove from heat; stir. Cover and let it “steep” in the fridge for 2-3 hours (I wouldn’t recommend going longer than 3 hours as the basil flavor will get very strong).

Strain the basil out, then add all the other ingredients to the cream mixture. Mix it all with a whisk, making sure the egg yolks are well combined. Pour into your ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

 

Strawberry Mango Sherbie

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I don’t really know what to call this… it’s somewhere between a sherbet and a smoothie… so I went with Sherbie. Seems legitimate, right?

My husband requested something “cool, refreshing and fruity.” So I pulled some frozen fruit out of the freezer and whipped this up… and was pleasantly surprised with the results! It’s probably not good when you’re pleasantly surprised by your own food, huh?

It’s light, airy, and smooth… and yes, fruity and refreshing.

The key is to blend the tar out of it. Like really, blend blend blend blend blend. No chunks… that’s the idea.

Enjoy!

• Servings: 1 (pint)
• Time: 5 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen mango

1/2 tsp. vegetable glycerin (optional, but makes the end result smoother and less icy)

1 T. Pyure, or your favorite sweetener

1 T. lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until it’s super duper smooth.

Low Carb Chocolate Chip Coffee Bars

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Chocolate chip coffee bars. They started as muffins. A friend found them in a coffee shop and asked if I could make them at home so that she wouldn’t go broke. So, I did. And it started an addiction. I try to keep her supplied with a freezer stash of them… you know, in case of emergency (ie, when her kids haven’t stopped talking to her in 10 hours and she needs to lock herself in the bathroom with something sweet). Her birthday was recently and normally I would just whip up a big batch and bring them to her… but she has recently started eating the Trim Healthy Mama way, and has been very successful with it. I didn’t want to derail her – both she and her husband have made awesome progress eating on plan!

So, I set out to adapt the recipe. I mean, I’ve been doing THM for three years and have simply shoved my guilt occasionally when I wanted to treat myself to one of these things (which might explain why it took me three years to reach my goal weight)… how nice would it be if there was no guilt to shove? It took quite a bit of tweaking, but finally, success was mine!

Then I shared the recipe here on Three Moms Who Blog, and several people told me they made them as bars. Brilliant. I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of that myself. So I started making them that way… and then I froze them. There are no words for how amazing these things are frozen.

AND SO. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the low carb (and bar) version of this delicious food. It’s a delicious, moist, yummy “S” breakfast… or dessert… or snack… or, let’s be honest, lunch. BONUS: they’re also dairy free, if you use appropriate chocolate chips! YESSS!

They’re easy to make, too. Simply mix all your dry ingredients together, add the wet ingredients, fold in chocolate chips, and pour into the pan! It’s one of those simple recipes you can let your kids help with (mine are really into stirring right now).

Bake, let cool just enough that you don’t fry your fingers as you dig them out of the pan, and enjoy!!

Low Carb Chocolate Chip Coffee Muffins

• Servings: 12
• Time: 35 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup + 2 tsp. Gentle Sweet (or use whatever sweetener you love best – make sure to convert it properly)

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup almond milk

2 T. espresso powder or strong coffee grounds (I used french roast)

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. blackstrap molasses

1 cup mini sugar free chocolate chips

Combine flour, Gentle Sweet, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir the coffee into the milk and pour over dry ingredients. Add coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, and molasses; mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Lightly grease a 9×13 pan and pour the batter in, smoothing the top.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Once you can slide a toothpick into the middle of a the bars and bring it out clean, they’re ready! Allow them to cool in the pan, then brew a fresh cup of coffee and step into bliss.