Simply Kenzie M

So, it's been quite a while since I've had a tacos, and let me tell you, I love tacos! It's pretty much the only kind of Mexican food I like because I hate burritos. Anyway, like I say it's been a while. A while back, when I first found out that I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome I was told not to eat red meat because it was high fat and hard to digest. So, I stayed far from it. I would have it very occasionally at family gatherings or something and my stomach always hurt after. There I was just thinking it was the red meat. However, over the last couple of weeks I've come to a realization. It wasn't the red meat at all, it was the tortilla or the corn taco shell. My experiment in eliminating grains has made me realize that my body actually likes meat and healthy fats. It's like a total switch from what I used to think was good for me I know. But hey it's working! I bought ground beef the other day, and I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it: TACO...

I love when you go out on a limb to make something new off the top of your head and then it turns out even better then you were expecting! This is one of those days, which is why I'm super excited to share this recipe with you! It requires very limited ingredients, and yet it is absolutely delicious!  I have a weakness for breakfast foods. But more specifically I love pancakes and waffles. However, having to eat grain-free kind of makes that difficult. I didn't have any other flours from nuts or anything this morning, so I decided to try and make a pancake with the things I had: eggs, banana, maple syrup, pumpkin seed butter. I've heard of making pancakes from eggs and bananas before, so I thought I would give it a try.  These pancakes are probably close to the top, if not at the top, of my list of favorite grain-free pancakes. They are extremely light and fluffy from the egg. They kind of have a spongy texture, which I liked. There is a unique banana sweetness...

I love fried rice. I always have. And after living in Cambodia for a year my love of fried rice has only increased. Now that I've started on my primal/paleo journey, using rice isn't really an option.  Cauliflower "rice" has been all over the internet of late, but I was always hesitant to try it. For one I love my rice. But now that I've discovered grains aren't good for my digestion, I decided to give cauliflower a try. When I first tried cauli-rice, I almost gagged. I've tried it twice since then and have decided that if the taste of the cauliflower is covered up in enough flavor I'm fine with it. I actually really enjoyed it in this fried rice, which is saying a lot.   It's super easy to make to, especially if you have pre-made the cauliflower rice. I also used a frozen vegetable mix to make it faster. This recipe is extremely adaptable, so if you have more people just add more ingredients.   Cauli-Fried Rice (grain free) goat bu...

Trying to find salad dressings is like my worst nightmare. I honestly dread having to try to find a salad dressing that works for me and makes my tummy happy. This is quite unfortunate because I absolutely love salads! However, I've decided that having a good salad dressing determines whether or not I'm in the mood for a salad.  Finding a dressing that is free of soy, dairy, onion, and garlic is pretty much impossible. And the ones that do exist are no bueno. Not to mention they are expensive and usually contain oils like canola or safflower, which I don't totally love. I've tried multiple times to make my own vinaigrettes from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc. But, I've just never loved those. I'm much more of a creamy salad dressing kind of girl. Thus came the creation of my creamy parmesan dressing: To my delight, parmesan cheese is lactose-free so I tried blending the cheese with some olive oil and other ingredients, and to my delight this delicious...

Yesterday morning I had a strong craving for a frittata, random I know. I've always loved frittatas, but recently egg yolks have been upsetting my stomach so I never made them. However, I've been having success these last couple of days when eating egg yolks, so I thought I would give it a try. Happily my stomach did not hurt after eating this…yay!! I felt so domestic-like pulling this out of the oven. It seemed like it should go on my window sill like in all of the books. I put the sweet potato slices on the bottom of the pan and then poured the egg mixture over it and this cool thing happened. The sweet potato slices got sandwiched in between the layers of egg. It was so neat…and delicious! Sweet Potato Frittata  Ingredients: 6 or 7 slices sweet potato  6 eggs 1/2 cup almond milk ( or any milk) 1/2 cup mixed baby greens or spinach, chopped 1 tsp. Himalayan salt 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. dried parsley 1 tsp. dried chives  parmesan cheese, shre...

I thought I would share a yummy recipe that I made today. It's very simple, easy, and you can adapt it to your needs. There is no garlic, onion, soy, or other high-FODMAP foods, so it's a great lunch or dinner for people with IBS. I kind of just threw this together because I wanted something quick after my dance classes, and it turned out to be really yummy! Quinoa "Fried Rice" Serves: 2 1 cup quinoa, uncooked 2 cups water 2 tsp. olive oil 2 cups mixed vegetables, chopped* 2 eggs salt fish sauce (optional) Parmesan cheese (optional) Pour the water and quinoa into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork. Cover again and let sit for a couple of minutes.  While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a large fry pan. Place the vegetables in and cook until tender. Place in a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, lightly scramble the eggs.  When the quinoa ...

I've had a pretty bad cold this week, which isn't very convenient considering that I have finals coming up. Being a dance major and being sick don't go very well together. My family knows that I really don't like taking conventional medicine. I would rather figure out how to heal my cold naturally, using things that my body will appreciate, rather than pills that are completely foreign to it. I'll admit, I also think it's kind of fun to try to heal myself naturally, kind of like it's a competition. I only have a few essential oils at this point including, peppermint, digest, orange, and fennel. The one that helped the most for my cold was the peppermint. Here are some of my tips for colds: Nettle tea-takes away the aches and pains. Peppermint essential oil (this one has a few): place a drop on your finger and then rub it on your tongue, as well as you temples--this is amazing at clearing congestion (better than any conventional medicine I'...

Wow, it has been a long time since I've written! My first year of college has definitely kept me busy. So far I've been loving college! I made it into the Dance Major, which I am super happy about. Amidst the business of school, homework, and clubs, I still manage to squeeze in time to cook and bake. I guess I kind of have to considering that I have to make a lot of my food from scratch due to allergies and my IBS. One thing in particular that is almost impossible for me to buy at the store is granola bars. They ALWAYS have something I'm allergic to like almonds, coconut, peanut butter, and more. Plus they usually all contain high amounts of sugar, and since I don't eat refined sugar that doesn't work too well for me. I've always been quite the granola bar lover, so this has proved to be quite the challenge for me. They taste great, are easily portable, and provide quick energy. They are so great to have at school because I can eat them while I'm walking...