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Kristen Helmstetter

(Brisa Starr)

omnivore

Recipe: Mama Mia Braised Meatballs

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Mama Mia Braised Meatballs
Mama Mia Braised Meatballs

One of my favorite recipes to make is meatballs. Simply, it connects me to my Italian heritage and gives me a warm feeling in the kitchen. As I drop each meatball into the tomato sauce, I think of past generations… wondering what they were thinking about as they made meatballs.

This is an easy recipe that can be thrown together quickly with a few ingredients and some grass-fed ground beef. I intentionally created the recipe with only a smattering of ingredients to inspire myself to make it time and again.

Mama Mia Braised Meatballs is one of my family’s favorite dinners, too. Kamea has fun eating the meatballs because, well, they’re balls. And, Greg? He just chows down without saying much between bites, and then proceeds to lick everyone’s bowl of leftover sauce. [Read more…] about Recipe: Mama Mia Braised Meatballs

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Recipe: Wild-Caught Sweet-n-Sassy Sockeye Salmon on Salad w Honey Avocado Mustard Dressing

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Wild-Caught Rosemary Lime Spicy-n-Sweet Sockeye Salmon
Wild-Caught Sweet-n-Sassy Sockeye Salmon on Salad w Honey Avocado Mustard Dressing

I admit, 6 months ago I wouldn’t have had the courage to cook wild-caught salmon whole, but, today, I do. And, guess what? It’s wonderfully easy. Easy. Easy. Easy.

Plus, bonus, buying a whole wild-caught sockeye (or king) salmon is cheaper than buying it in pieces. I buy my wild-caught sockeye (and king) salmons from Vital Choice. I opt for the boneless with skin-on. They have an amazing product and fabulous customer service. I called them recently to ask them what to do with the prawns I bought from them. The gal on the phone told me step by step. Awesomeness.

Whole Wild-Caught Rosemary Lime Spicy n Sweet Sockeye Salmon
Whole Wild-Caught Sweet-n-Sassy Sockeye Salmon

This recipe doesn’t require much work at all. The hearty crisp romaine lettuce is tossed in a delectable creamy avocado dressing that is both sweet and savory, which pairs well with the salmon, having it’s own sweet and spicy elements. My 4-year old loved it. My husband loved it. I loved it. Say no more.

[Read more…] about Recipe: Wild-Caught Sweet-n-Sassy Sockeye Salmon on Salad w Honey Avocado Mustard Dressing

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Recipe: Gussied-Up (low mercury) Tuna Salad Gluten-Free

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Gussied (low-mercury) Tuna Salad. Perfect for any party, lunch, breakfast, or whenever
Gussied-Up (low-mercury) Tuna Salad. Perfect for any party, lunch, breakfast, or whenever.

Tuna fish in a can makes a quick lunch, but I’ll only buy one brand of tuna. Wild Planet is a tuna fish I can trust to have low mercury and high omega fatty acids.

When we travel on the road, we eat it right out of the can for a satisfying protein and nutrient boost (we take these to Disney Land, too).

But, today, I’m sharing a recipe where it’s all gussied up with delicious textures and flavors. My whole family loves this, especially the bites with hidden gems in them like diced dried apricot.

Gussied-Up (low-mercury) Tuna Salad

Yield 2 to 4

  • 2 cans low-mercury tuna
  • Juice 1 organic lemon or lime
  • 1/2 cup grass-fed organic (full-fat) Greek yogurt
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped <— get a good knife
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp kelp granules
  • 1/2 to 1 cucumber, chopped
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • Drizzle quality raw organic olive oil (or brain boosting MCT oil)
  • 1/2 cup raw sauerkraut
  • 1 tablespoon organic mustard
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup diced dried apricots (or currants)
  • Handful each cilantro, parsley chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mix everything together with a large spoon in a large bowl. Enjoy.

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Restaurant Review: Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe New Mexico

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Cast Iron Seared Grass-Fed Filet Mignon Steak Au Poivre #CoyoteCafe Santa Fe NM
Cast Iron Seared Grass-Fed Filet Mignon Steak Au Poivre #CoyoteCafe

We recently enjoyed a summer road trip all the way to Michigan from Arizona. Yes, that’s a looooong trip which is why many people ask why we don’t fly. Well, to be honest, apart from kind of enjoying time in the car (I get a lot of reading done: here’s a great book), there’s an important factor with which I am obsessed: Food. By traveling in the car (our mini van, specifically), I can pack things from my kitchen so that I can cook on the road for my family (induction hot plate, anyone?). As I like to say, “have induction hot plate, will travel.” Eating healthy and delicious food is my main passion so I do whatever it takes to make that happen.

We ventured to Michigan because that is where I grew up, and my brother, his wife, and their kids are there, plus my dad, step-dad, and dear sister-in-law-ish. At the time of our journey, our daughter had just turned four years old, and that meant shorter stretches of driving. Therefore, our days in the car maxed out at around 7 hours, if we could help it. That means lots of nights in hotels. How did I make high-quality, Real Food on the trip in hotels? It was fairly simple… with smart planning. I’ll detail it all in a blog post soon because I have a lot to share on the topic. I’ve made the trip twice now, a bit different each trip, and I like to think I have it figured out.

We didn’t eat every single meal as homemade though. Some of our meals, although just a couple, were enjoyed in restaurants. Enter: Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, NM.

On the trip back from Michigan we decided to spend a couple of days in Santa Fe as a little break from the non-stop driving and to enjoy the local atmosphere of Santa Fe. So lovely.

Coyote Cafe 

One of the best meals of my life. And to think I almost opted for a different restaurant because of the Yelp Review stars I saw. Glad my husband urged us to go to Coyote Cafe. Greg had been there about 20 years ago (the place has been around about 27 years), and was itching to try it again.

The presentation of the meals was gorgeous and thoughtful. The decor of the restaurant was open and pleasing, artful, and chic although a bit dated. It is showing the years of wear and is overdue for a refresh.

The service was top of the line. Our server was Lynsey and she catered to our every need. I’d also like to mention that the support staff were equally great. So much of a restaurant experience goes beyond the food.

[Read more…] about Restaurant Review: Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe New Mexico

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Modding My Chipotle Bowl With 5 Ingredients For Higher Performance

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Modding my Chipotle Bowl with ingredients for higher performance.
Modding my Chipotle Bowl with 5 ingredients for higher performance.

As you all know by now, I’m a wee bit picky when it comes to my food. I want the highest quality and most nutritious goodness for my body and for my family. I want high performance, longevity, and energy. So, to ensure I get all of those things I prepare all of our high quality foods from scratch. That’s no small task as you might imagine, but it matters to me.

Sometimes, I need a break, or sometimes we’re traveling and food choices are limited.

Chipotle Bowl with white rice, steak, and guacamole.
Chipotle Bowl with white rice, steak, and guacamole. It needs to be enhanced.

One of the places on our list of “OK to eat” is Chipotle. It’s by no means perfect; but, on the spectrum of fast casual restaurants, they get my vote. They try to source quality ingredients and they listen to their customers. For example, they changed their oil by switching from crap gmo soy oil and now use less-crappy-but-still-crappy rice bran oil due to customer complaints.

[Read more…] about Modding My Chipotle Bowl With 5 Ingredients For Higher Performance

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Recipe Orange Chicken & Yams Slow Cooker Gluten Free Paleo

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Orange Chicken & Yams Slow Cooker Gluten Free
Orange Chicken & Yams Slow Cooker Gluten Free

The easier and simpler a recipe is, the more attracted I am to it these days. Being a mom to a 3.5 year old is busy, but with easy recipes like this, then it’s a breeze.

Enter Orange Chicken & Yams. And, of course… ENTER: SLOW COOKER. I think my slow cooker will go from being my best friend to my bestest best friend. With a recipe as easy, delicious, and nutritious as this, I have so much time on my hands that I can read a book. ;) Speaking of books, I just finished Chris Kressers’ The Paleo Code, which is a good book detailing a Paleo diet with a Real Food spin which I like.  I’m about to dive into Eat the Yolks (by funny gal Liz Wolfe) between chapters of one of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon. I’m on her 5th book in The Outlander Series, The Fiery Cross. The Outlander Series is soooooo fantastic and very popular (so popular that I believe a TV series is being made of it). I love to read. It’s one of my favorite things.

On to the recipe:

[Read more…] about Recipe Orange Chicken & Yams Slow Cooker Gluten Free Paleo

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