I was just talking to someone today about not overthinking meals. Keep it simple! You can still have great flavor (use those herbs and spices), while also making choices that are quicker to execute. This is especially important if you are someone who does not have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, or maybe you are not someone who loves cooking like we do. This meal is from a dinner we had at @Jennifer Gaydeski's house - beautiful salmon filets and bok choy cooked on the flattop outside in just minutes. And it was delicious!! What are some simple recipes that are your go tos? Let's give everyone some new ideas!! 😃

I grew up in the south, and we love our pickled anything! You name it, and a southerner has probably pickled it. 😂 Pickled veggies add a great pop of flavor to so many dishes, including BBQ, sandwiches, charcuterie & cheese boards, salads, grilled meats, and so much more. I also just love diving into a jar of pickled veggies all on its own. 😋 Unfortunately, a lot of pickled veggies you can buy are loaded with sugar, and often times in the form of high fructose corn syrup. 😳 Luckily, I have my own recipe for pickling veggies, and my favorite go tos are beets, carrots, and red onions. (Green beans are yummy too!) INGREDIENTS for PICKLED VEGETABLES - 2 large Beets Cubed - 4 Medium Carrots Cut into Sticks - 1 Large Red Onion Sliced and Halved - 3 Cloves of Garlic - 3 Sprigs of Fresh Dill - 6 Black Peppercorns - 2 Cups of Apple Cider Vinegar (other vinegars can be substituted) - 2 Cups of Water (filtered is best) - 1 ¼ tsp Sea Salt Start by prepping the vegetables and placing them in their respective jars. Add 1 sprig of dill, 1 garlic clove and 2 black peppercorns to each jar. Heat the water, vinegar and salt over medium heat in a pot on the stove, letting it lightly simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into all the jars and let them sit uncovered for about 30 minutes. Then tightly seal the lids on each jar and refrigerate. I recommend waiting at least 48 hours before eating the veggies, but I prefer to wait even longer if I can resist! Giving them a week means even better flavor, and they will keep for at least a few weeks in the fridge. ❓What pickled foods do you enjoy or maybe want to try? ❓ Happy Pickling!

If you are someone who follows an AIP diet (autoimmune protocol), nightshades are one of the categories of food that are removed during elimination, and not everyone is able to reintroduce them successfully. What are nightshades? Nightshades are a family of plants that contain alkaloids—compounds that can trigger inflammation 🔥 in sensitive people, especially those with autoimmune conditions. Common nightshade foods: - Tomatoes (and tomato products) - Bell peppers & chili peppers - White potatoes (not sweet potatoes) - Eggplant - Goji berries - Ashwagandha (herb) Why skip them? For some people—especially those managing autoimmune conditions—nightshades can increase inflammation and trigger symptoms. This AIP marinara gives you all the delicious tomato-sauce flavor WITHOUT the nightshade inflammation. In this pic, I added homemade meatballs to the sauce and served it over zucchini noodles - and it was delicious! My friend was convinced it had tomatoes in it, even thought it has none. 😁 Want the recipe for my AIP Marinara?

Yes, I know it is summer, BUT we are still getting some chilly days here in Colorado (we just had a hail storm yesterday). So I am sharing my recipe for Beef Stew! 😁 Instant Pot Beef Stew - can also be done in a slow cooker with more time Ingredients: - 2 pounds beef chuck roast - 1 large onion sliced - 4 celery stalks cut in large chunks - 6 carrots cut into large chunks (I try to keep the carrots, celery, and beef cut into similar size pieces) - 1 cup tomato juice  - 2 teaspoons salt (but add to taste) - 1 teaspoon ground pepper - 1 teaspoon of dried thyme Steps - Prep the beef: Trim fat from 2 pounds beef chuck roast and cut into 1-2 inch chunks. - Prep the vegetables. - Add everything to Instant Pot: Place beef chunks first and then all the veggies on top, then spices, then tomato juice. Give it a gentle stir to combine. - Pressure cook: Secure the lid and set valve to sealing. Select the Stew/Meat setting (or Manual/Pressure Cook on high) for 35 minutes. - Natural release: When cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure. Serve: You could serve it at this point, but I like to put it in an oven-safe dish on 320 degrees for 1 to 3 hours in the oven to really bring it together. Tips: If it needs to be thickened a little, you can use 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/8 cup water (add after cooking). You can also add more tomato juice when you put it in the oven if you like it soupier. If you try this out, let me know!

I get a lot of questions about sweets, and we also have a lot of people we work with who have autoimmune conditions, so they are in the therapeutic AIP phase (autoimmune protocol). What this means is that chocolate is off the table (at least for a while), and I myself was in this phase for a few months several years ago. And so I did a lot of experimenting, including figuring out how to make a good chocolate I could enjoy. I came up with a recipe using carob. Carob powder is a sweet, naturally caffeine-free powder made from the dried and roasted pods of the carob tree (a Mediterranean legume). It is widely used as a healthy substitute for cocoa powder, and it mimics the color and texture of chocolate, but offers a distinct, subtly malt-like, earthy flavor. You will need: - 1/3 Cup of Carob Powder (You can always increase the carob powder the next time if you like, so play with it.) - 1 Cup Coconut Butter - 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil - 1 tsp Cinnamon - Optional – 1 – 2 Tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup (if you have reintroduced natural sweeteners, but this can certainly be left out) - ½ tsp Sea Salt Over low heat in a saucepan, melt the coconut oil and coconut butter. Then whisk in the cinnamon and carob powder, as well as the maple or honey, if so desired. I encourage creativity here – you could also add a little turmeric, or other flavors that interest you. Have fun with it! If the consistency is too thick to whisk, add a little more oil until the consistency thins out. Next you will pour the mixture onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan, and this is the point where you can swirl in other ingredients. I tried Almond Butter (this is a reintroduction item for AIP), AIP Gummy Bears (I created a recipe for these too), and Sea Salt. Place the sheet pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes, and then your chocolate is ready! FEW THOUGHTS: - This is very high in fat, but a good fat, so this is not something you want to sit down and binge on. I eat a little bit here and there to satisfy my craving. My daughter, who eats keto for epilepsy LOVES it, and it makes me happy that she can have a treat! - Keep this in the fridge so it stays hard. But if you want to spread it on something or dip something in it, just leave the portion you are eating out at room temperature for about 20 minutes. - This can make really tasty chocolate dipped strawberries, or other fruit as well. Just keep them refrigerated until serving.