Veggie Spaghetti!

Last night I made this for my dinner, then I decided my husband needed some too. I saved some aside for him, and after I ate my own, I nearly ate his too.

In a medium skillet I tossed together coarsely chopped green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and 2 small zucchini with some coconut oil. I thought about adding onion but I really wanted to let the flavor of the peppers come through. I let the veggies cook on a medium heat just long enough to take the edge off, I wanted the to stay a little bit crunchy. Then I tossed them in marinara and added a dollops of my secret bff, sour cream and some parm. I ate mine without noodles because I like to save my carbs for naughty things like cheesecake or sweetened coffee creamer. Once I took a few bites I knew I had to share some with my hubby so I put his over noodles and had about 3 sample bites before hiding it from myself.

It was very good.

If you want some, then you'll need the following:
a little coconut oil for cooking
1/4 green bell pepper
1/4 red bell pepper
2 small zucchini
2 cups of spaghetti sauce or marinara - with or without meat
noodles for 2 hungry people or 3 slightly hungry people. We use whole wheat. <-- I just said that to brag.

Eggs - Get 'Em From a Farm

Eggs and toast, specifically Ezekiel Bread toast. Especially the sesame variety covered in cold butter. Not melted room temp butter. It has to be real too. This is not you who should watch your cholesterol. This is for me, who hasn't eaten eggs in eons.

Eggs and broccoli, like broccoli frittata. Which I am going to make this weekend. I can't wait. I've never done it and I've always wanted to taste a frittata. I don't even know how to spell it! Google knows.

Eggs and hash browns. Is there anything better than hash browns? Yes, hash browns smothered covered and diced. Have some.

Eggs and onions. This speaks for itself, except that you have to really over cook the onions. Say "No" to crunchy onions (or eggs).

Eggs and cheese. The favorite of my darling step-son. The regular weekend menu item, requested so oft that it's a staple. Do we have eggs? Yes. Cheese? Yes. Can I have eggs and cheese? ALWAYS!

Eggs and salsa. On a tortilla, or on your fork, either way is simply delicious.

Eggs and anything! Yum!

I've been egg free for like, over 10 years. It's been sad. I love eggs. Eggs have not loved me back. BUT! I've been experimenting with a few things and have found that for some reason I can eat eggs when I have also eaten a good dose of coconut oil in the same day. At the same time is even better. Basically, I am fed up with not being able to eat something as delicious and versatile and an egg and so I tried mind over matter. I decided I would refuse to be allergic. That. Did. Not. Work.
So, if I finally out grew it, or if it's REALLY the coconut oil I don't know. I have served eggs fried in coconut oil and sprinkled with pink salt to a number of small children this year. They have all sang my praises and begged to move in with me. Or at least they asked for my recipe. Same diff.

Coconut Oil

Before I tell you much about it, let me defer to a couple of websites. They are so full of great information and are much more thorough than I could achieve.

The 1st website I have read is here. It lists the major benefits of eating or using coconut oil.

Another site that I feel has a lot of the same information, as well as some new, is here. You'll need to scroll past the advertisements to get to the good stuff.

Something else that has to do with coconut oil is called "Oil Pulling" or "OP". Here's a link to a site that describes that very well. Read the Introduction, the Instructions, and the Notes, then scroll to about 1/3 of the way down the page to Sandy's Oil Pulling Compilation for a list of oils and their benefits (as associated with oil pulling).

To summarize the information that's listed on the benefits sites I'll tell you this: coconut oil is comprised of Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA) as opposed to the Long Chain Fatty Acids (LCFA) found in almost every other fat or oil, so our bodies process coconut oil in a way that is much different from almost every other fat or oil. This has many benefits for weight and cholesterol management because our bodies process it as energy rather than fat to be stored.

Coconut oil is also known to be anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, it works as an anti-inflammatory, and is also high in anti-oxidants. This is not to be taken as a cure for anything, but can help your body prevent much sickness and disease.

You can use this oil on your hair, on your skin, and I even use it on my face. I put it on a blister that had formed on the back of my heal while I was mowing the grass, and it healed right up. There is no limit to what you can do with this wonder food.

Coconut oil is also used in cooking. I use nothing but coconut oil when cooking because it has a high heat tolerance therefore, when heated, it does not become carcinogenic. Other than real butter, all other fats/oils become toxic when heated. When you smoke a cigarette, you are inhaling carcinogens, these are cancerous, and any oil other than coconut oil or real butter has these same properties. I encourage you to use every other kind of healthful oil you can find, but do not heat it.
Coconut oil can be eaten in place of butter, with a little added salt (My mom and I both like Himalayan) it will taste no different. I love butter and have not missed it a bit. If I didn't have coconut oil, then I would miss it, everyday...

The Chocolate of Life

So, you've heard of the bread of life, you know about the tree of life, but did you know you've been missing out on the chocolate of life? That's it! That's the secret to life!
This is not just any chocolate, this chocolate will change your life! The life changing aspect of this chocolate is that it's made with real coconut oil. A few of the benefits of eating coconut oil daily include lowered cholesterol, weight loss, and a boosted immune system. We'll tell you more about that in another post. In the mean time, get started!

1/4 c Coconut Oil
1/4 c Cocoa Powder
Stevia (as with all stevia, start out with very little and add more as you prefer)
or Agave (about a teaspoon)

To warm the oil, we place our dish of combined ingredients in a pan or bowl of hot water. Stir well. Stir extra well if you opt for agave (since it tends to settle at the bottom).
You can put your dish right into the fridge or freezer or, as we prefer, or pour the chocolate into an ice cube tray (or candy mold).

Optional add-ins:
Nuts, nut, nuts!
Peanut or almond butter
Coconut flakes
Pretzels

Another delicious addition!