Roasted Parsnips with Mushrooms and Parsley

This is a lovely side dish that can be paired great with any protein of your choice ( my friend swears it would go great with pork! My veggie taste buds are unsure.) Either way stop wondering and just make it. The sweetness of the parsnips compliments the savoriness of the mushrooms. Make extras cause you won't want to share! Here is the ingredients:

4 or 5 medium size parsnips ( cubed)
1 cup of mixed mushrooms of your choice
1/2 cup of parsley
4 cloves of garlic (diced)
1 medium size shallot (diced)
1/4 cup of coconut oil
rosemary and thyme ( chopped roughly 1 teaspoon)
salt and pepper to taste

.Pre heat oven to 400'.In a mixing bowl place the cubed parsnips ,  shallots, garlic, and the mixed herbs. Heat the coconut oil and once melted add the 1/4 cup of oil to the bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together in bowl and once mixed thoroughly place on a baking sheet and roast at 400' in oven for about 45 minutes. Stirring every 15 minutes or so.
While that is roasting in the oven , prepare  the mushrooms. Saute on low heat with a touch of olive oil , salt, and garlic. Roughly 5 to 8 minutes.
Once the parsnips are done , combine the mushrooms, parsnips, and raw parsley together and serve.

Pumpkin Pecan Apple Muffins

October would not be October without pumpkins. The combination of pecans and pumpkins goes so well together , once you have tried these muffins you will see why! I miss making these muffins at The Little Bird. My muffins became such a hit I started to obsess over new recipes daily.. It was one of the highlights of The Little Bird for me because before this time I had never really considered making muffins. Once I got started I couldn't stop and the pay off on how well they were received was priceless.
One of my tricks to getting those lovely muffin tops was to heat the oven to 450' , then bake the muffins at this very high temperature for around 3 to 4 minutes. The hot air plumps up the tops! Immediately bring down the temperature to 350' and then allow to bake the rest of the time at the low temperature.
Try and enjoy while they are still warm from the oven!
The smell coming from the kitchen will be enough incentive to make these almost every single day!

Start by poaching one apple until a knife can easily go through it. Then set aside to cool down


Mix wet ingredients together:
3/4 cup of extra virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup of pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of apple butter

Mix dry ingredients together:
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of clove
poached apple cut into cubes

Topping ( set aside till 5 minutes before the muffins are done!)
1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of pecans
1 teaspoon on cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Combine wet and dry ingredients together and blend with hands without over mixing.
Bake in the oven at 450 for 3 to 4 minutes and then at 350 for about another 20 to 25 minutes minutes or until the center is dry. You can check the center with a toothpick.
Just before the muffins are ready roughly 5 minutes before , add a spoonful of topping to each one and put back in the oven for the remaining time.

Enjoy these treats, The customers of The Little Bird sure did and I couldn't make them fast enough!
Hope the put a smile on your face as they did mine!

Breathing for You and Baby

My recent holistic health practice has led me to work with a very special friend and client who is also a new mom. The complete life change of being a new parent combined with sleep deprivation has led her to seek a little guidance in finding her center again and reconnecting with body, mind, and soul.
For many new moms the demand of breast feeding, especially in the wee hours of the morning ,can be one of the hardest undertakings . Believe it or not every woman already has all the tools she needs to find some solace and peace in the darkness of the sleeping hours when she is awake and feeding. Sometimes the hardest  times can be made easier by doing the simplest things.
It is called breathing. The most basic component of any meditation practice is connecting to the breath. It does not need to be made any more complicated than just that. Slow deep breaths attached with awareness of the breath and you already have a simple meditation practice.
So try this the next time your little one wakes you late at night to feed and exhaustion and possible boredom have set in. Close your eyes, allow your thoughts to focus on the breath, take a deep slow inhale followed by a long slow exhale. Keep your thoughts quiet and the mind focus on one thing and one thing only, the breath. Keep doing this for at least 5 minutes. If it helps count the breaths, Breathing in for a count of five and out for a count of five. Counting sometimes keeps the mind from wandering to other distractions.
As your body starts to relax , your babies breathing with start to slow down and she/he will relax as well.
Your deep calm state will help you and your baby and sweet dreams await you both.

Please check out handtoheartholistics.org  for more about what I do as a holistic health coach.
Thank you!

Roasted Root Vegetables

I love fall! I love all the sweet root vegetables and mixing and matching them to make different soups and side dishes. Here is a side dish that you can make using really whatever root vegetables you want. On this particular day I used three different kind of winter squashes ( butternut , carnival, and delicata) as well as eggplant. However, I made it last night for a good friend and used sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and turnips. If you choose you can add carrots or beets as well. The list can go on forever but for our purposes today I will stick with the original recipe .
You will need
1 butternut squash (cut into cubes)
1 delicata squash ( cut into cubes)
1 carnival squash (cut into cubes)

In a large sauce pot dump all the squash varieties and bring to a boil for about 5-8 minutes. I like to do this to soften the squash and reduce the cooking time. Otherwise it can take a very long time to roast and it will cook at a different speed then the eggplant.

1 medium size eggplant diced
1 large onion sliced into petal shapes
5 cloves of garlic left whole

Drain the squash and let cool for a bit. Then place all ingredients above including squash into a large mixing bowl. You will then cover evenly with the following marinade.

1 heaping tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil ( will be solid at room temperature and turns to liquid when heated)
1 1/2 teaspoon of pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
season with salt and pepper to taste

Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 350' for about 45 minutes turning occasionally. The time may vary depending on the type of oven you use. I have a very old oven and I find it sometimes takes a bit longer , so keep checking on it every so often. You want the vegetables to turn golden brown and caramelized , even a bit burnt. The coconut oil gives these veggies a delicious sweet flavor and adds extra nutritional value.

Carrot Parsnip Fennel Soup

The cool chill in the air the past few nights has left my body needing some warm hearty foods. There is nothing better than a root vegetable soup to warm the body and sooth the soul. I made this soup last night and I took a little twist on a classic carrot ginger soup. Here is my version!  And I can truly say my belly is full and my body is warm!

In a big soup pot add :
1 whole onion chopped
1 whole head of garlic chopped fine
1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil
saute garlic and onion with coconut oil on medium heat for about 3 minutes
Add :
1 tablespoon of grated raw ginger
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of cumin (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of tumeric
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

Saute all together with garlic and onion mixture for another 2 minutes
Then add:
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme chopped
3 pounds of organic carrots chopped into cubes
2 medium size Parsnips cut into cubes

Saute again for another 4 minutes until vegetables a lightly coated with oil, and seasonings.

Then add 3 cups of vegetable broth
                3 cups of water
                1/2 cup of orange juice
Bring to a boil , then simmer for about 1 and 1/2 hours.
Stirring occasionally
Once cooked, allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Then transfer half the contents into a food processor or blender and puree well.
Leave the other half in the pot with thick chunky pieces of vegetables. Then pour the blended contents back in with the remaining half .
To serve reheat and then garnish with
fresh curly parsley
chopped scallions
raw pumpkin seeds
fresh ground pepper
All of the garnish is optional but trust me so worth adding!!!!

Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil:
- Helps to maintain cholesterol levels
- may help lose weight
- helps to maintain proper digestion and metabolism
-increased immunity
-helps absorption of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids

Bye Bye Summer, Hello Fall

I have not forgotten about all of you. The little bird has been very busy with my new business venture and coming up with some new warm recipes for everyone. For those of you who do not know, I started a holistic health counseling business called Hand to Heart Holistics, and you can check out the website at handtoheartholistics.org.  If anyone is interested in turning over a new leaf (how appropriate for the season!) and getting healthy in body, mind, and spirit please contact me for a free initial health consultation.
Especially for those brides to be out there! I have a 6 month program designed just for you to help get you ready for the Biggest Day of your life!
With all of that said, stay tuned for some delicious fall soups and recipes I have been working on! Think apples, pumpkins, carrots, ginger, cumin, and wild rice....Oh My!!! The endless bountiful array of fall veggies!
Happy new Beginnings. :)

Creamy Basil Kale salad

Kale is so rich in nutrients , it is hard to believe some people still are not eating it every day! Loaded with calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, C, E, and K. Kale is great for circulation, considered a blood purifier, and improves the functioning of the liver and gallbladder.
For some, all of that is not enough. It needs to taste great as well. I made this kale salad with Raw kale in order to really get the most of all the vitamins and nutrients...This creamy dressing is hard not to love!

A bunch of fresh raw Kale chopped (removing the hard stems)
4 whole artichoke hearts cut into quarter pieces
1/4 raw walnut pieces
1/2 of avocado cut into quarters
1/4 fresh or canned white beans

Mix together in a large salad bowl. Then set aside

Dressing :
Combine in a blender
2 tablespoons of tahini
1/4 cup of water
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
1 teaspoon of honey
handful of fresh basil leaves
Pour over salad and combine very well