Easy(Paleo) Cauliflower Soup

      Well, for those that didn't know, I'm back to being a waitress.  It's really not all bad, in fact, I rather enjoy it.  I think (I hope) I'm pretty good at it, and the money isn't too bad either.  So, hopefully, Nic and I can save some cash and become homeowners in the next year.  Unless God has something else in mind, that is our plan.  Nic is a hard workin' semi truck driver for UPS Freight.  Hours are tough to get used to, but the job itself is pretty enjoyable for my hubby.  I'm so proud of him! We don't get to see each other as much as we would like, but we try to make the most of the time we do have.  We really like our coffee dates and walks to chamber's bay with our silly beagle dog.  All in all, life is good, and we are thankful!

     Because I've been working more, I haven't been cooking as much, so the meals I choose are usually easy and quick options that will go along way. One of my favorites is my cauliflower soup recipe.  I've recently been asked by several people for it, so here it is! This recipe is so easy, delicious, and husband approved! (Yes, he licked his bowl clean.) :D 

Ingredients

-1 Head of Cauliflower
- Organic/Free Range Chicken Broth
- 1/4 Cup Coconut Milk
- 1/2 of a Large Onion
- 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
- 4-5 Pieces of Bacon
- Green Onions
- 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
- Salt/Pepper

Directions

 Chop up your cauliflower into small chunks.  Put in a saucepan and pour enough chicken broth to cover all of the cauliflower.  Season with salt,pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium/high and stir occasionally until the cauliflower is soft. 

Meanwhile, fry your bacon and then set aside.  Saute chopped onion and garlic in bacon grease.  

Add the mixture to the cauliflower and turn down heat to medium/low. Season with more salt and pepper.  Add your 1/4 cup coconut milk and simmer for 15-20 min.

Take the pot off the burner and allow the soup to cool for a couple minutes. Blend with an immersion blender, top with crumbled bacon and chopped green onions, and enjoy (:

"Fall" into Paleo

     As fall commences, our Pacific Northwest begins a transformation.  Warm summer nights fade into frost, and the sun seems to grow cold. The change of season then brings with it  bright colors, beautiful leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, corn mazes, and an array of fresh squash.  Unfortunately it also brings rain, wind, and (for those of you who have horses) MUD.  Those last three things seem to be what takes over the season for me, and I sometimes forget about the sweet things.  So, to make myself forget that summer is now a year away, I usually get the urge to bake delicious goodies.

    As many of you know, my husband and I have started to live a more Paleo lifestyle. We aren't there 100%, but I do my best to buy the cleanest food I can.  That can make baking a bit more difficult since I don't buy enriched flours, refined sugars, dairy milk, or crisco.  Fortunately for me, there is this wonderful thing called PINTREST! Seriously, what would we do without pintrest?  So, between pintrest and instagram, I have discovered some amazing Paleo people and their tempting paleo recipes.  

      As bright orange pumpkins begin to make an appearance, I naturally want to USE them!  I love pumpkin.  It's orange, savory and delicious, and you can make so many things out of it. Pumpkin pies are on my to-do list, but for now, I went with pumpkin bread.  Between my nephews and my husband, this loaf of bread barely lasted 2 hours!   This recipe used coconut flour.  Just so everyone knows, coconut is an amazing food, and I have fallen in love with learning how to use its products.

    

    

     Of course cold weather makes me crave chocolate too!  I have tried lots of different Paleo "treats."  Muffins, cupcakes, several cookie recipes, etc.  I found Danielle Walker's chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I may just never make anything else.  They were SO GOOD!  Even my pale cynical husband loved them.  These cookies are dairy free, refined white sugar free, soy free, and gluten free.

You can find both these recipes here: http://www.againstallgrain.com

She's amazing ^^!

Happy baking everyone!

     A few days ago, I was grabbing a simple $3 worth of green vegetables for dinner. In the short time I was in the store, my car battery died. Boo. So, I made a few calls, and it was decided my sister-in-law would be my rescue ride. BUT, she couldn't get to me for at least another 45 min or so.  Well, it was raining and simply miserable outside.  I could have waited in my car, or the cafe inside the store, but I decided to browse clothes, shoes, and accessories instead.  I ended up in the shoe department trying on an adorable pair of Madden Girl boots.

     See? Cute, right? Since money isn't exactly the most abundant thing in our life right now, I knew buying them would be foolish. But, I REALLY wanted them.  I'm extremely picky about my boots. They have to be just right...not too showy, but not too plain, not a fan of heels, etc.  So, to find a pair I liked this much, was rare.  They were comfortable, and they fit like a glove. (Or boot in this case) And, to top it off, they were on sale! Darn! Oh well.  After staring at them for a few more minutes, I put them back on the shelf and walked back out to my car.

     Later that night, I told my husband all about these wonderful boots.  I had been brainstorming on how I could afford to buy these boots with no guilt in my mind.  So far, I had come up with the idea of some leftover birthday money, and a HUGE bag of clothes in my car waiting to be consigned.  My other option was to put them on my Christmas list, but after thinking that one over, I decided Christmas was just too far away.  So, two days later, I made a plan to rush to several different consignment stores after work to sell as many clothes as I could.  I would then hope the boots were still there in my size, and buy them. Success!  Not quite.  Nic was out and about that day, so I asked him to check to make sure my boots were still there.  He said they weren't, but the downtown Puyallup location still had them, so he put them on hold for me just in case.  Ok, I can deal with that!  Sadly, after consigning and counting my saved money, I was about $10 short of my goal, and if you knew me, you would know $10 was still a guilt trip for my money conscious  mind. I decided to try and sell the rest of the clothes on craigslist, telling myself I should probably move on from the boots and know there would be a better pair someday, somewhere else. I called Nic and told him my plan, and that I would be home soon.

     I was a bit disappointed.  Well, they're just a silly pair of boots right?  That is, they were, until my husband turned them into something precious.  Coming home, I discovered a sweet love note on the door. Awww.  We ate dinner together and chatted about our day.  He was probably getting frustrated at this point, because I had yet to venture to the bedroom where his surprise waited anxiously.  When I finally did go to our bedroom, I found another love note AND MY BOOTS on the bed!  The note explained he had gone and bought them right after I had left that morning, and he had no idea if the Puyallup location really had them or not.  GOOD JOB BABE!

     To a lot of you, this might seem like a really silly story, not worth giving a second thought.  Well, to me, it wasn't just a story about the boots.  It was a story to look back, and remember a moment in our marriage that I will always cherish.  He didn't just buy me the boots.  He wrote me notes, (he hates writing) he went to the store, (he hates shopping) he thoughtfully and carefully picked out the right pair, (he can be very impatient) and he genuinely surprised me (which is very hard to do.)  These boots represent something precious to me.  I love my husband so much, and could not have asked for a sweeter man to share the rest of my life with.