Raw Jeweled Carrot Salad

April 1, 2014 by Shari Eckstrom 3 Comments

Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.
― Pearl S. Buck

Today, I am grateful! No, I don’t have a million bucks in the bank, a shiny new car, or a closet full of designer clothes. I can’t jet off whenever I choose to exotic destinations and swim with the dolphins. Few of my accomplishments would be held up by the world’s standards as worthy of accolades.

But I do have joy for new beginnings and a fresh start every morning. I know love from my Father in heaven who adores me. Peace is mine in periods of difficulty. Grace has been given for moments of failure. With great expectancy and hope I look out towards the future.

It is not things that bring the greatest happiness, but recognizing and appreciating the blessings that no amount of money could obtain.

Raw Jeweled Carrot Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Raw

Serves: 6

Ingredients

4-5 med multicolored carrots, shredded (2 cups)
1 lg tart green apple, shredded
¼ cup raisins or dried cherries
Juice from ½ squeezed lemon
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

Place all ingredients into medium sized bowl and mix well.
Cover and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Serve.

Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter

March 11, 2014 by Shari Eckstrom 8 Comments

Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’ – Robin Williams

An easy spring recipe worthy of any spring dinner.

Spring is in the air! As the polar vortex slowly but surely loosens its grip on the U.S. the country joins the rest of the Western world in celebrating spring. What better way to celebrate the season than with a meal of fresh, organic vegetables?

This recipe is one of the simplest you’ll ever cook, but the taste is sublime! It’s also incredibly healthy, and it would be a great way to sneak some more veg into your children’s meals. A study quoted by World’s Healthiest Foods revealed that carrots and other beta-carotene-rich food helps protect the body from cardio-vascular diseases. Carrots are also an excellent source of polyacetylenes, which reduce the risk of colon cancer!

You might be used to boiling carrots in hot water to cook them off, but Enjoy-How-To-Cook reveals that steaming is the healthier alternative. This preserves most of the carrots’ flavor and nutrients, making for a healthy, sweet snack. In this dish, the carrots are served with a garlic-ginger butter — the perfect complement to the sharp, sweet texture of the vegetable.

If you are thinking of serving this with a nice glass of wine, make sure that your wine is also organic and sustainable! A box of light, fruity white wine goes very well with steamed carrots and butter. And yes, please remember to get wine sold in tetra packs or PET bottles, as these are the more environmentally friendly option!Paul Sapin, who packages French red and white wines for M&S, has spent the past few years developing wine bottles made of “organic glass” — recyclable plastic that keeps just as well as glass does. Try to get these bottles whenever possible.

As for the carrots and the rest of the ingredients, Pure Grace Farms can help you grow the best organic carrots, garlic and ginger in your own backyard, and of course, use only organic butter, and not some cheap substitute!

Steamed Carrots with Ginger-Garlic Sauce

2014-03-11 12:33:42

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Ingredients

· 2 minced garlic cloves
· 1 pound of peeled baby carrots
· 1 tbsp of butter for the sauce
· 1 tsp of minced, peeled, fresh ginger
· 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro
· ½ tsp of lime rind
· 1 tbsp of lime juice
· Salt to taste

Instructions

First off, take your butter out of the fridge and set it aside so it can melt to room temperature.
Steam up your baby carrots for ten minutes. This should leave them tender, but still with a little bite to them.
In a nonstick skillet, heat up your butter over medium heat, and add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Sautee for 1 minute, or until the garlic is starting to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat, and add the remaining ingredients.
Pour over the baby carrots, and serve steaming hot.

Pure Grace Farms https://puregracefarms.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to publish it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Me, Self-Absorbed?

January 31, 2014 by Shari Eckstrom 8 Comments

“We don’t forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need it–because we need it.”
― Bree Despain, The Dark Divine

I can be so self-absorbed at times, ” my life, my rules, my importance,” and tend to forget that the world doesn’t and shouldn’t revolve around me.

The problem lies mostly in my desire to be right and in making no allowances or room for the opinions and beliefs of others. Some would call this narrow-mindedness or stubbornness but I don’t think that’s accurate. All of us can tend to be bit narrow-minded and stubborn in the belief systems that we have formed over our lifetime. No, I think it is more about not being willing to love and forgive, regardless of the differences we all at times may share. It is becoming clearer to me, that my responsibility lies not in forcing another to believe what I believe, but to love them in spite of those differences and in being willing to forgive when those differences bring us pain. A tough lesson to learn and as usual brought about in the crucible. I continually ask myself “why must I always learn these lessons the hard way? ” but at the same time, very grateful I am still open to learning them.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake. When I first came upon this recipe, I was determined to change it up a bit, but after preparing it as the recipe dictated I realized it was almost perfect just as it was. So I made a few changes and will say I very loosely adapted this recipe because the bones of it was already established. The original recipe came from My Natural Family. A great blog site that focuses on taking charge of your family’s health with an emphasis on Healthy recipes with real ingredients.