Arugula Pesto

An easy and delicious variation of my homemade pesto! I sub out fresh basil with arugula.

3-4 cups arugula

1/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 fresh graded Parmesan 

2 garlic cloves 

1/4 cup(depending on your liking) olive oil

Sea salt and pepper corn to taste

Put everything except the olive oil into a food processor until smooth. Add olive oil a little at a time! 

It is heaven! I use over zoodles, pasta, mixed in steamed veggies and on our homemade pizza! Enjoy 💕 

Simply Blueberry Lemonade

A couple times a month we love to give our kids a "Kid's Choice" meal. We eat healthy, whole, balanced and homemade pretty much 90% of the time, so this is fun...and interesting ;) 

Last Sunday, it was loaded hotdogs! Say whaaaa?!? I am thankful that there are finally healthy options for hotdogs because, honestly, I love a good loaded hotdog(especially at a Giant's game or in NYC) We loaded our organic, all beef, non nitrate dogs, while wheat buns, with condiments that were all organic and no sugar added along with some delicious homemade guacamole and sauerkraut. HELLO! Paired with organic blue chips and wait for it....

Blueberry Lemonade! Here is the much requested recipe! Tip: Stock up on fresh blueberry season(June-Julyish) and freeze for the year!! 

Blueberry Lemonade

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemons

1/2 raw local honey(or more depending        how sweet you like your lemonade) 

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup HOT water

3 cup cold water

Ice

In a blender(I love my Vitamix) blend together the lemon juice, blueberries, honey and hot water until blended well and consistent. Pour into a gallon mason jar, add the 3 cups of water and ice! Mix! 

Serve with lemon wedges and frozen blueberries in a mason jars  <3

 

Simply Homemade Ranch

Great victory in the Gamble kitchen the day I was finally able to come up with a homemade ranch dressing, and let me tell you...it is G.O.O.D! I am very particular about ranch. The taste. The texture. The consistency. The aftertaste. I have stuck with Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch packets for years, quite happy with our little faithful dressing. But a much hesitated glance at the ingredients in my little friend a couple years ago...let's just say I started researching fast!  

I remember when I first started experimenting, much to my surprise and delight, I found several that sounded yummy...I took the plunge! I took the ingredients I liked from 2 separate recipes, threw them in a quart mason jar and shook it until it was all mixed. 

Now for the test. I opened the jar and to my delight, the smell of that delicious ranch met my nostrils. The taste? PERFECT or a least better than what I thought!  I was so excited I ran out to my husband's office and made him taste the wonderful dressing I had just created! Victory! I was in shock! After all of those months of not wanting to sacrifice my favorite dressing, I had just used fresh, health promoting, non processed ingredients(with the exception if I didn't make the first two from scratch!) I simply made ranch...YES! 

Here is what I did:

In a quart mason jar, I threw in:

1 cup buttermilk(I used organic buttermilk, but plan to start making my own from our raw milk)
1 cup plain organic sour cream OR greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayo
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1/4 tsp 100%  celtic sea salt
2 tbsp fresh chives
2 chopped green onions
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
dash of paprika(optional)
dash of cayenne pepper(optional)
grounded peppercorn to taste

Shake until combined and then enjoy...on salads, dips, pizza, everything!!!

Simply Grilled Peaches

A favorite summer treat of the Gambles. It is simple, full of flavor and doesn't ruin all that hard work you have been putting in. 

Summer Peaches-halved and pitted

Grass finished butter OR coconut oil

Raw honey

Cinnamon 

Sea salt

Put a little butter or coconut oil in the center of the peach. Drizzle a little raw honey on top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sea salt. 

Grill for about 5-10 minutes!

Hello raw peach pie without the guilt!

Simply Salsa

Truly this is a simple, but delicious recipe I came up with. My family is a "dipper" family. We love to dip chips, veggies, fruit, homemade pizza, the list can go on and on and on. I could never find a salsa that set just right with my taste buds. Too sweet, too spicy, to salty, not enough cilantro, no cilantro...On top of all that, we had started dramatically changing how we ate and buying "pre-made" salsa (like most pre-made anything), I found myself struggling to pronounce half of the ingredients (no bueno). Easy solution... Enjoy! And be sure to come back tomorrow for my yummy guac recipe 💕

Jen's Simply Salsa

 5-6 Organic Roma Tomatos(cut in half and seeded)

1 Hefty hand of Organic Cilantro(about 1 cup)***

1/2 Organic Sweet Yellow Onion 

1/2 Squeezed Organic Lime(or lemon will work)

 Organic Jalapeno (seed and to taste... depending on love/hate for spicy...omit for very mild) I use 1/4 Jalapeno

 Pinch of 100% Sea Salt or Celtic Salt to taste (both of these salts have great health promoting minerals)

Pulse all ingredients in food processor(or blender if you don't have one)...Do NOT blend constantly unless you want a smooth consistency. We like ours all CHUNKY!

Serve with your favorite Organic Flax Veggie Chips, homemade organic corn chips, or serve with a homemade Mexican Fiesta!!

 Recipe will make a 3/4 worth of a quart jar

 ***You can easily grow this herb at home in a planter...it will save you bundles of money, if you like this great, versatile herb... PLUS it helps remove toxins from your body and has amazing digestive tract benefits!!

FYI-Did you know Cilantro also known as the popular spice Coriander???

Simply The Best Way to Freeze Seasonal Fruit and Veggies

We still aren't eating seasonally 100%. We are close, but not quite there. One thing I love about summer (maybe the only thing I love about summer living in what feels like, the Sahara Desert-Redding, Ca) is the vast abundance of fruits and veggies that grow during these months. Our family loves berries, peaches, cherries, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.. You know all the great ones that only grow in those hot summer days. Winter time doesn't leave a lot for tradition growing foods. You have to be more creative in the kitchen if you want to eat seasonally in the winter. Or you can still buy them in the grocery store. Have you ever wondered WHY and HOW you can buy tomatoes in December if they naturally grow and are in season during the summer months??? Well, that is another blog. Google it if you just have to know now.

This blog is about preserving those amazing fruits and veggies in a way you can still eat in the winter months. Not as fresh as picking them off the tree or the vine, but you can still make a killer pie or delicious smoothie. As easy as 1, 2, 3. Freeze!!!

The best and most efficient way I have learned to do this over the years is this. Take your fruit or veggies that you want to save for the winter. Lay them out on a tray covered in parchment paper. Do NOT wash the fruit or veggies or they will become a soggy mess. This is why it is important to buy/pick fruits and vegetables that are NOT sprayed with pesticides. Sometimes, they wont look as pretty as store bought, but trust me-they taste just as good, if not better! Ok-rabbit trail (I do that a lot).

After spreading the produce out so it doesn't touch each other, put the tray in the freezer until it is

completely frozen. Once frozen, remove from the freezer. I then use my food saver to seal them up for a good freeze. I usually store them in 1 quart bags. They freeze great this way. You could use freezer bags too, but they do tend to get freezer burnt over an extended period of time. Store in your freezer.

Now come December, and you are craving a good peach pie, pull out a bag and bam! You have a fresh, in season, peach pie on your table for dessert. Enjoy! And your welcome ;)

Simply Peach Pie Smoothie

One of our family favorites is a good smoothie. Another is being creative in the kitchen. These two things go great together when creating recipes that become staples in our family cookbook.  Sometimes they work out very deliciously. There are other times, well, lets just say we try-try again ;) Here is a simple, fresh smoothie that we love. It tastes like peach pie, hence the name. Enjoy!

2 Cups Raw Milk

1 Cup Organic Plain Yogurt(homemade yogurt is even better)

2-3 frozen whole peaches (see my Simply How to Best Freeze Seasonal Fruit and Veggies)

1/4 tsp of Cinnamon

Raw Local Honey to taste(if you have sweet peaches, you really don't need a lot).

Mix in your Vitamix or blender. Serve with a dash of cinnamon of top, which makes it look super fun AND cinnamon has a ton of health benefits!!

For our family of 7, we will double or triple this recipe ;)