Maybe a few of you can relate, but it could be that I am just extraordinarily weak, but a secret about me: If I happen to have - oh I don’t know, something like chocolate ice cream in my house – I will eat it every time I set my eyes on it until it’s gone. Why? Because IT’S THERE!!! I am a strong woman, I take charge, I love eating paleo, I love feeling healthy, and gosh darn it I love ice cream. This doesn’t make me bad – nor does it mean that I lack motivation or will power or whatever other buzz words the “diet” experts like to throw around out there, it just means I like ice cream. So, what’s the solution to my dilemma? I rarely let ice cream find it’s way into my home. Instead, if we want ice cream, we leave our house and go to our favorite ice cream joint, and I eat one little scoop, and move on with my life. So – how does this relate to my title of Kids Picks? Well, the same is true for kids. If you have a bunch of crap food in your house that you do not want your kids to eat, guess what – that’s what they will want to eat because it’s THERE!! Solution – rid your house of the foods you do not want your kids, or yourself to have and replace these items with healthy choices. My kids are total foodies and love to help create, choose, and pick what they want to eat. And I can let them because in my home, they do not have a unhealthy option to pick from.
Pictured is the lunch created yesterday by my 6 year old, and the dinner cooked solely by my 14 year old (lettuce wrapped burgers with grilled onions and sauteed brussel sprouts.)
Also, here is my new favorite pot roast recipe that I adapted from a recipe that I saw on the Food Network.
Pork Pot Roast
1 Boston pork roast (4.5 lbs) or beef chuck roast
6 carrots
5 celery stalks
2 leeks
2 yellow onions
6 fresh thyme branches
6 garlic cloves
2 14 oz cans of diced organic salt free tomatoes
2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups organic free range chicken broth
4 tbsp organic butter
1/4 cup coconut flour
Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste
In a large soup pan or dutch oven add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt (if desired) and the crushed black pepper all over the roast. Roll the seasoned roast in the coconut flour. Sear the roast in the large soup pan for 4 minutes on each side (make sure you get the top and bottom of the roast seared as well). While the roast is searing, chop the veggies into large pieces. When cutting leeks, make sure to cut in half lengthwise and rinse well because they are full of sand and dirt in between the layers. Remove the roast from the pan and add all the veggies and cook in the drippings from the roast until the onions and leeks become tender. Add the wine, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, thyme branches (tie them together with some cooking twine so they are easier to remove later), and a bit more sea salt and pepper. With the flat part of your knife blade, crush the whole garlic cloves (as pictured) and toss those in as well. Stir well and bring to a boil. In the meantime, place your roast in a crock pot (this will only work if you have a big crock pot). Pour the vegetable mixture over the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours and on low for 1 hour. If your crock pot is not big enough, you can cook the roast in a dutch oven or large roasting pan at 325 for 2 1/2 hours and then turn down to 250 and cook for another hour. After the roast is done, remove the roast from the vegetable mixture. With scissors, remove the string holding the roast all together, and slice thin. Remove the thyme branches from the vegetable mixture and pour half of the veggie mixture into a food processor or blender, add the butter, and blend until smooth. On a large serving platter place the sliced meat and top with the remaining cooked veggies and pour the blended sauce over all of it.
This recipe is a good one to make on a weekend when you have a bit more time. I made this for my sister and her family and in my haste, I forgot to take a picture of the final product but it turned out so good, I had to share it with you all anyway.
Enjoy!!
