Sweet Meat Za!

It is original. 

I didn’t follow a recipe. 

This creation reflects me.  My taste buds.  I’m begging  you to try it . . . to perfect it.  To give me your honest opinion. 

I call it . . . Sweet Meat-Za!  The accent is on the meat.  The Za! is best spoken as if you were a flamenco dancer . . . give the word some pizazz.

Maybe pound your fist on a table when you say this hearty dish. 

 

Sweet Meat-Za!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 lb grass fed, ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, diced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• dash of rosemary

Sweet Potato Icing

• 2 lbs boiled, quartered sweet potatoes (I washed the buds and left the skin on)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Turn oven on to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash and cut sweet potatoes.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your sweet potatoes.  Once soft, drain.  Beat potatoes in a mixer with butter and cinnamon until fluffy.  Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a cast iron skillet.  Add chopped onion and fresh garlic.  Sauté until translucent. 

Offer your {hopefully} thawed ground beef to the hot skillet and brown, allowing it to dance with your onion and garlic. 

Once thoroughly cooked, stir in the diced tomatoes, maple syrup, and ketchup.  Add cinnamon, salt, pepper and rosemary.  Mix thoroughly and allow to simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Once the liquid has boiled down, like a cake, ice the Meat-Za!  with your mashed sweet potatoes.

Place skillet in the oven for as long as you like . . . we had to get dinner on the table.  As a result, I baked our Sweet Meat-Za! for 15 minutes.  But if you like a firmer top, bake longer. 

This happy baby enjoyed her Sweet Meat-Za!

See how we store our Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil!

Linking up with Kelly, The Kitchen Kop (I really like her) for Real Food Wednesdays.

How To Store Coconut Oil

We buy in bulk.

And yes, I know that Y2K has already occurred.  It is just . . . well . . . cheaper to buy coconut oil in bulk.  (And honey for that matter.)

I like Tropical Traditions.

I wait until Tropical Traditions has a sale (they have lots) . . . either a percentage off your order or free shipping.  Sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Twitter and you will be alerted for a chance to save money!

I jump on the chance for free shipping . . . because five gallons of coconut oil is heavy.  

Translation:  EXPENSIVE.

I don’t keep my 5 gallon tub out on the counter.  There isn’t enough room for it and my Vitamix.  Plus, it is hard to get good leverage to extract the oil for cooking simple cheese eggs or bull's-eyes (recipe coming soon). 

 

I just spoon out a gallon’s worth at a time. 

Actually, my strong sons do the ladling.

I use what used to be a Tropical Traditions Coconut Flake container.

This container sits by my Vitamix, espresso machine, and stove, the area of my kitchen with the most action.

Get your tub today or ask for it for Christmas!

Not sure what to use coconut oil for?  Check out my recipe section.  I use coconut oil in lieu of butter, in addition to butter, for cuts, diaper cream, and massage oil with essential oils.

This article contains affiliate links . . . but I actually USE the products in my kitchen on a DAILY basis.

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour Sweepstakes

Becoming a partial GAPS family has required some experimentation.  Some learning.  Adjusting to new textures. 

I thought I would miss bread or grains the most by being on GAPS. 

Nope.  (Giving up dairy for a season is proving more difficult.)

With the discovery of coconut flour . . . I get my “texture” needs met.  Coconut muffins are good.  Coconut cookies, though different in consistency to their counterparts, are a decent rival. 

If I never had wheat again . . . I don’t think I would cry.

However, I’m hoping grain and my thyroid will one day get along.

But until then, I’m trying to substitute coconut flour for wheat flour (using drastically different recipes thanks to Cara’s Grain Free Monthly Menu plans.)

I’ve tried several different brands of coconut flour . . . but in all honesty, I prefer Tropical Traditions coconut flour.  I like the texture and how it if easier to blend with other ingredients.

And you . . . you can win a bag of coconut flour.  If you don’t know what to do with the coconut flour you have two options. 

1. Check out Health Home and Happiness Monthly GAPS Menu plans
2. hang out in the Tropical Traditions recipe blog

Would you like to win some?  (I sure would.  Oh yea, I already did.)

Prize: 1 bag of Coconut Flour from Tropical Traditions!

RULES
Please, please, please . . .do not put more than one entry per comment. I will be using www.random.org to pick the winners. So if you would like for your comments to count, leave individual comments ON THE BLOG (click on that link).

All options are worth 1 entry, unless otherwise stated. My real-life friends can enter this giveaway.

1. (Mandatory) Click on the link and subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter.
2. Become one of my fans through Google Connect if you aren't already! and/or subscribe to my blog.  (2 separate entries)
3. Buy something from Tropical Traditions. When they ask you how you heard about Tropical Traditions, list my sponsor id (5498794).
4. Tweet like crazy, but link back to THIS blog post. 

Enter to win @GranolaMom4God for some Tropical Traditions Coconut Four!  Giveaway ends 11/11/11 http://j.mp/tQ1aq4

Remember, only #1 is mandatory. The rest of the entries are optional, but you MUST comment separately for each one.

The Fine Print: I will email you when you have won. I must have your email address to alert you to your prize. You can include that in your comment or email me separately at thegranolamom4god at gmail dot com. You must respond within 48 hours.

Contest ends 11/11/11 at Midnight

Author's Note: I was given this product to review from Tropical Traditions, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine unless otherwise noted.  I am using affiliate links in this post. 

Mr. Smiley is Three

A celebration in pictures . . . mostly.

Breakfast . . .

Coconut flour waffles with maple syrup from Ohio and blackberries, if you must know. 

Lunch . . . no pictures . . . . but he requested beef hotdogs.

Really? 

Almond pie crust made by Nana . . .

and filled with tomato asparagus quiche. 

Yes, I made my 3 year old quiche for his birthday.  It seemed a little weird to me . . . but if he likes it, why not?

Feed me, Mommy!

Hold on, buddy!  I need to finish your birthday cake!

Creating powdered sugar from evaporated cane juice,

  while the cake waits patiently for its pristine white coat.

Hold everything, Mama and Papa are on the red phone!

 

Finally . . . .

Followed by quite possibly the best chocolate cake I have EVER made . . . maybe eaten (thank you Tropical Traditions).

 

and topped off with Wahoo, the nicest dog we own!

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you live in the land of granola, somewhere--somehow you have to draw the line in order to preserve your sanity.  I will and do purchase some minimally processed ingredients. 

I draw the line at procuring my own coconut flakes. 

Let me show you a tiny bit of the process you must go through to obtain coconut flakes.  And mind you, I’m leaving out the whole step of scalping your coconut.

See if you would want to do this weekly. 

• You gotta crack the coconut open.

• Drain it.

• And then somehow completely open the blasted thing. 

(By the way, it does help to have the proper tools.  I have purposefully not purchased said tools.

I don’t want to own another responsibility.)

• Once you have enough room to get a spoon through the hole, you have to scoop out the coconut flesh.  About an hour later you have approximately 3/4 cup of gooey coconut flesh.

You still aren’t done.  If you want coconut flakes or coconut milk, you will be in the kitchen longer.  I’m not going to be your guide.  The Engineer and I did it once.  It was novel.  But the paltry results were rather disappointing.

Tropical Traditions can deliver coconut flakes to my door thank you very much.

They did.  And I used them.

I experimented on some of my favorite people:  my Monday night girls.

Sometimes . . . Naomi . . . .

and Nora join us. 

Precious.  Sweet times to be in the Word with our daughters at such a young age.

Anyhow . . . distracted as usual by the “girls,” I experimented.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Compliments of the Tropical Traditions Recipe Box)

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Method

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix together coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and salt together. Blend thoroughly.
• Add flour, coconut and chocolate chips; mix.

• Form into small cookies on a parchment lined pan or stone.

• Bake in your preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

 

Want to win some

Tropical Traditions Shredded Coconut ?

RULES
Please, please, please . . .do not put more than one entry per comment. I will be using www.random.org to pick the winners.

Make sure you are logged in to Disqus or leave your email address in your comment.

All options are worth 1 entry.

(Mandatory) What size of coconut flake is your favorite.  (Click here to see your options.)

1. Click on the link and subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter.
2. Become one of my fans through Google Connect if you aren't already!
3. Buy something from Tropical Traditions. When they ask you how you heard about Tropical Traditions, list my sponsor id (5498794). I won't make any money off of this . . . but I will get a coupon for other Tropical Traditions products.) 
4. Tweet about the giveaway and then come back and leave me the link. You can copy and past the following text:  Win some Shredded coconut over @GranolaMom4God http://www.granolamom4god.com/2011/05/coconut-flakes-giveaway.html
5. “Like” Granola Mom 4 God on Facebook.
6. If you have ever climbed a coconut tree to acquire sustenance, eaten a coconut from a coconut walla in India, or secretly wanted to be on Survivor give yourself an entry for each. 

Remember, only #1 is mandatory. The rest of the entries are optional, but you MUST comment separately for each one.

The Fine Print: I will email you when you have won. You must respond within 48 hours.

Contest ends May 30, 2011 at Midnight

Author's Note: I was given this product to review from Tropical Traditions, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine unless otherwise noted.

Chocolate Carrot Cake and a Palm Shortening Giveaway

Half birthdays are a big deal around here. 

My mom celebrated mine.  And I have passed the tradition on, with a little help from my mommy still. 

Half a birthday card, half a dollar (in coins), half an envelope, half a piece of cake . . . you get it. 

But since becoming granola . . . one that that I have missed is icing to top off all of the celebratory food. 

Real icing.  Thick.  Rich.  Smooth.  Creamy.

Enter:  Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening.

Exit:  Crisco

Equals:  a happy Jodi . . . and cinnamon rolls with icing . . . .  and birthday cakes with loads of icing . . . and a few non-granola sprinkles. 

Anyone got a substitute for that?

But I digress . . . half-birthdays . . .

You see . . . Ezra’s 1/2 birthday kind of slipped by us this year . . . so we had a pretend 1/2 birthday celebration last week complete with cake, a special lunch, 1/2 of a present, and seeing slightly over 1/2 of his grandparents. 

To top all the fun off . . . he wanted . . .

Chocolate Carrot Cake

(I didn’t know it existed.  But it does.)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
• 3/4 cup raw honey
• 1/2 cup Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups freshly ground sprouted whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

It is possible to have siblings help you create this moist and dense cake.  Just be in a patient mood.

I mean . . . have a lot of patience -- especially if you put a child in charge of grating the carrots. 

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, honey and coconut oil.
2. Pour water over the mixture.
3. Set aside, preferably out of reach of your dog’s long tongue or a hungry husband walking through the room who knows where the spatulas reside.
4. In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add to the carrot mixture; mix well.
6. Pour batter into a lightly oiled 8" glass or stone square pan.
7. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

Now for the frosting . . .

Here is where I might disappoint you . . . I don’t have a recipe.  I just create.  Like an artist – a kitchen artist (doesn’t that sound glorious?!)

Don’t shoot me all of you who like to cool EXACTLY. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup – 1 cup palm shortening
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup cocoa (I use Dutch-pressed from Frontier)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

This is easy . . . mix it to the taste and consistency you like. 

Smile! 

Want to win some

Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening? 

It is a must in my kitchen! (I wonder if I can use it on the GAPS diet?)

RULES
Please, please, please . . .do not put more than one entry per comment. I will be using www.random.org to pick the winners.

Make sure you are logged in to Disqus or leave your email address in your comment.

All options are worth 1 entry.

(Mandatory) Click on the link and subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter.

1. Become one of my fans through Google Connect if you aren't already!
2. Buy something from Tropical Traditions. When they ask you how you heard about Tropical Traditions, list my sponsor id (5498794). I won't make any money off of this . . . but I will get a coupon for other Tropical Traditions products.) 
3. Tweet or blog about the giveaway and then come back and leave me the link.
4. “Like” Granola Mom 4 God on Facebook.

Remember, only #1 is mandatory. The rest of the entries are optional, but you MUST comment separately for each one.

The Fine Print: I will email you when you have won. You must respond within 48 hours.

Contest ends March 31, 2011 at Midnight

Author's Note: I was given this product to review from Tropical Traditions, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine unless otherwise noted.

Tropical Traditions Arnica Moisturizing Lotion: A Giveaway

It doesn’t claim to turn your alligator claws into silky smooth hands. 

But it did mine.

It doesn’t promise to heal your cracked and bleeding thumbs. 

But it did mine.

It doesn’t promise anything . . . but only that it is natural. 

It won’t rub in quickly.  But that is ok.  It doesn't contain alcohol.  Alcohol will only dry your hands out anyway. 

It doesn’t claim to take away all of your pain, though it contains arnica.  Yet truthfully, my feet did feel better.  Maybe that was just because I actually gave my dogs some attention after standing on them all day.  It could have been a placebo affect.

I don’t care.  My feet and hands felt softer and the aches from the day were smoothed out.

It doesn’t promise to smell good.  Using it, though, reminded me of something herbal.  Medicinal. Granola.  Likeable.  Enjoyable.

I highly recommend you win this . . . or buy it.  I might even try to win my own giveaway.  We have almost emptied our Arnica Moisturizing Lotion from Tropical Traditions. 

 

Enter to win!

RULES
Please, please, please . . .do not put more than one entry per comment. I will be using www.random.org to pick the winners.

Make sure you are logged in to Disqus or leave your email address in your comment.

All options are worth 1 entry.

(Mandatory) Click on the link and subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter.

1. Become one of my fans through Google Connect if you aren't already! (It’s over there on your right . . . see all of the little people?)
2. Read about The Nourished Kitchen e-course and tell me one thing that you would like to learn if you enrolled in it.
3. Buy something from Tropical Traditions. When they ask you how you heard about Tropical Traditions, list my sponsor id (5498794). I won't make any money off of this . . . but I will get a coupon for other Tropical Traditions products.) 
4. Tweet or blog about the giveaway and then come back and leave me the link. Only once, please.
5. Comment whether you stand or sit more during daylight hours.
6. “Like” this lotion on Facebook.

Remember, only #1 is mandatory. The rest of the entries are optional, but you MUST comment separately for each one.

The Fine Print: I will email you when you have won. You must respond within 48 hours.

Contest ends February 14, 2011 at Midnight

Author's Note: I was given this product to review from Tropical Traditions, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine unless otherwise noted.

Tummy Time Tuesday (late): Popcorn

I used to think that popcorn could only be made in the microwave.

Yup. 

Not proud of that admission, but it is the truth.

However, since going granola I have discovered a much tastier kind of popcorn called homemade. 

The best part(s) about homemade popcorn:

• it’s cheap
• it’s yummy
• it is a whole lot healthier
• you can make lots of flavors

Ingredients:

• coconut oil (I use Tropical Traditions.)
• popcorn (I get mine from SBNF.)

Optional ingredients:

• salt
• peanut butter
• ground flax seed or wheat germ
• honey
• Frontier White Cheddar Cheese powder

Directions:

Heat approximately 2 Tbsp of coconut oil in a pan over high heat. 

Add popping corn once the oil is hot.  The amount of corn is between 1/4 to 1/2 cup.  I often don’t measure, much to the dismay of my number-minded husband.  I just make sure the corn covers the bottom of the pan.  I will often add salt at this point so it is pre-mixed.  Do this if you are lazy like me.  Or you can wait and make salted and buttered popcorn. 

 

Reduce heat to medium and cover.

Allow the pan to remain on the burner until the popping slows down to only a few pops every second. 

Serve it up!

If you want flavored popcorn, heat up a huge spoon of peanut butter, 1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey, and a dollop of coconut oil.  Stir until thoroughly mixed over medium heat (in a pan, of course).  With a gracefully large spoon, swirl and delicately mix into your freshly made popcorn.  Add wheat bran or ground flax for some extra nutrition.

And if that isn’t enough taste for you, melt some butter.  Douse you popcorn with it and sprinkle the Frontier White Cheddar Cheese.  Mix thoroughly.

Now you know what we have for snacks.