Jackie Ritz

Green (or Red) Chile Pork Taco-Salad

January 24, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 2 Comments

We had these last night…by chance! I had some leftover pulled pork from our previous dinner that I used with leftover Harissa pork shoulder and it was DELISH! The flavors definitely all came together and the plantain chips on the top gave the salad that “nacho-y” crunch that I needed. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins

3 TB of olive oil or coconut oil, divided

1 ts ground cumin

1 ts of garlic powder

1 ts of sea salt

1 onion, sliced thin

3 cups of red or green enchilada sauce. I recommend El Pato Hot Tomato Sauce

1 ts of oregano

Garnish: cilantro, olives, cheddar cheese and sour cream (if you do dairy), romaine, tomatoes, guacamole or sliced avocado, salsa, and plantain chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the cumin, garlic powder, and sea salt in a small bowl. Cut the pork in half crosswise and rub in the spice mixture all over the pork. In a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of the pork in 2 TB of oil. Set aside.

Placed the onion in a 9×13 baking dish. Then add the enchilada sauce and oregano. Add the pork and cover with foil. Roast for 30 minutes.

Remove pork (save juices) to cutting board and let cool. Shred or chop the pork and return to bowl with the juices.

Place the pork on top of a prepared salad and garnish with foods of your choice! `

Why We Ditched Our iPhone’s

January 23, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 35 Comments

Disclosure: By writing this post, I am, by NOOOOO means, trying to make anyone else feel guilty for having or using an iPhone. This is all about me and my husband and how ditching our iPhone’s have changed our relationship with each other and our children.

About 9 months ago, I read a post called, “How to Miss a Childhood” over at Hands Free Mama and I was, literally, gasping in tears as I was reading it. I realized that much of what she was talking about…was me. It was me, plain and simple.

While pushing your child on a swing, do you pull out your phone and start checking Facebook? …yes.

Does your child bring you your phone excitedly, like she found your most prized possession? …yes.

Do you pull out your phone at a stoplight?…yes.

Do you look at your phone at the dinner table? Do you pull out your phone when you are at a restaurant waiting for your food?…yes and yes.

Does your child look up from doing something proudly to see if you were watching, only to find you looking down at your phone? …unfortunately, yes.

Do you get irritated when your kids are talking to you when you are focused on your phone? …yes.

Do you feel like you can’t leave home without your iPhone? …yes I did.

And there’s more…

Do you check your phone first thing in the morning … even before you kiss, hug, or greet the people in your family?

Do you look up from your phone when your child speaks to you or just reply with an “uh huh” so she thinks you were listening?

Do you use drive time to call other people regardless of the fact you could be talking to your kids about their day—or about their worries, their fears, or their dreams?

Do you decide the app you’re playing is more important than throwing the ball in the yard with your kids? Even better, yell at them to leave you alone while you play your game.

Do you take your children to the zoo and spend so much time on your phone that your child looks longingly at the mother who is engaged with her children and wishes she was with her instead?

After reading these questions, my eyes filled with tears and my heart weighed heavy with guilt. How many moments had I missed with my children because I was playing with my Iphone? How many memories were never made? The tears fell freely as I kept thinking about how my life had become so connected to my iPhone. The guilt for what I had done to my kids was overwhelming. I couldn’t bear it.

You see, my husband, a few months prior to this day, had already ditched his iPhone. He did it for a much different reason. To him, the iPhone was temptation. It was a means to access pornography in the deep, dark secret places of his life. His old addiction was sparked when the iPhone came into his life. It was an addiction that he had broken several times prior, but with the access of porn at his fingertips, he was overwhelmed with temptation. It hurt when I found out…when he confessed to me, with guilt and tears in his eyes. My self wanted to slug him. How could he do this to me again? But instead, I hugged him and cried with him and told him we would get through this. He smashed his iPhone to bits and pieces and we have never looked back. This was a year ago and I am so proud of the changes that my husband has made since he made the decision to get rid of his iPhone. I’m proud of the changes I have made.

I don’t miss any moments with my children.

If I leave my phone at home and forget it…so what.

I am FULLY there.

My kids have ALL of me…not just some. I am with them. I see them. I rejoice with them. I learn with them. I dance with them. I sing in the car with them.

My relationship with my husband has deepened to a new level through all of this. I am there for my children and he is there for me. We have decided that our family is more important than technology at our fingertips. Do we miss it? Sure! Especially when we are out on a day trip and lost! However, we have learned that good ole Mapquest printed with ink and paper is still good enough. We’ve learned that it is much more fun to wonder into a new restaurant instead of planning ahead. We’ve learned to hold each other hands…”family hands” as my daughter calls it…instead of holding our phones.

We are here…

in this moment…

in this time.

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A Day Out in Downtown Savannah

January 21, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 2 Comments

We have lived in Savannah for over 4 years now. It’s such a beautiful city and we always enjoy spending the day downtown. Today we went to the Savannah Children’s Museum, which is AWESOME! It’s rather new to the city and it is loaded with lots of sensory play, dress up area, reading areas, and lots of other fun things for kids to do. One of my favorite things about it though, is that the kids are locked up!!! So, grab a book and some coffee and let the kids run crazy!

After the museum, we headed to City Market and had a blast watching the fountain and eating homemade organic gelato’s!

The Paleo Mama’s Guide to Dining Out Paleo-style

January 19, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 44 Comments

When I started to eat Paleo, I was overwhelmed with where to eat, what to eat, and how to order. In fact, I don’t think we ate out much in the beginning because I didn’t want to stray from our diet. However, as time went on and mommy needed a break from cooking, we ventured out into the world of American chain restaurants and I learned A LOT about food. I remember asking so many questions that the waiter usually had to go ask the cook.

Now, I am easier on myself. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again…I am not 100% Paleo. I am more like 85% Paleo. The other 15% is covered with lots and lots of grace and the occasional pizza. Dining out seems hard in the Paleo world…but it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s my quick guide on what to eat and where to eat. So GET OUT, stop stressing, and make the best choice you can. Leave room for grace 🙂

One thing restaurants confuse very often is REAL butter and fake butter. Make sure when you are ordering or eating that you ask for REAL butter. Also, most vegetables are cooked in vegetable oils, which is a no-no eating Paleo. Look for steamed options or request for your food to be cooked in olive oil. Avoid any dishes that have gravy. Gravy is loaded with flour. And when ordering dressings, remember that most are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, so ask for OLIVE oil and vinegar. Please use the word olive. They have, and will bring you out a bottle of canola oil and vinegar.

Always ask for NO SEASONING SALT in restaurants, wherever you go. MSG is added to this, as is sugar.

Also, I’ve learned that steakhouses are the BEST choice. However, I know I get tired of eating at the same places so I wanted to include other restaurants that offer good alternatives.

1) TGI Fridays – Fridays is actually very Paleo-friendly! It is one of the few restaurants where you get to pick your two sides.

Best Salad: The Grilled Chicken Cobb salad is great and you can request no cheese and ask for olive oil and vinegar for dressing.

Best Beef: The “Premium Black Angus Steaks” are great and a good Paleo choice. Avoid the Jack Daniel dishes if you want to avoid dairy and any other questionable sauces. The burgers are also questionable in my option. Friday’s doesn’t disclose their gluten-free menu, so the burgers “may” have white flour in them. However, you feel like indulging and want a burger, get it…just ask for extra lettuce and eat it between two lettuce leaves.

Best Chicken: can’t recommend one since they are all smothered in sauce and cheese

2) Outback – Another great Paleo-friendly restaurant! Most steakhouses, for that matter, are! With all orders, ask for vegetables as a side or a baked potato.

Best Salad: The Aussie Cobb Salad, California Chicken Salad, Steakhouse Salad are all great. Just make sure you request only grilled chicken and no croutons.

Best Beef: These steaks (Outback Special, Victoria’s Filet, NY Strip, Ribeye, and Porterhouse) are a great choice and GF according to their menu so you don’t have to worry about weird sauces! The sirloin is the leanest cut. Also, Outback, burgers are 100% beef! So, order that burger if you want, just avoid the bread! Aussie fries come with the burgers so just request a vegetable substitute or indulge in a baked potato.

Best Chicken: Grilled Chicken on the Barbie (ask for them to put their BBQ sauce on the side)

Best Seafood: Norwegian Salmon or Simply Grilled Mahi

3) Applebees – their menu is pretty diverse. Obviously avoid anything that has chips, bread, pasta or is fried.

Best Salad: Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad (ask for olive oil and vinegar as a dressing)

Best Beef: The Ribeye and NY Strip are the only two steaks that aren’t cooked in soybean oil.

Best Chicken: The Chipotle Lime Chicken is the only chicken dish that doesn’t contain dairy. Ask for a salad substitute for the rice and beans that comes with it.

Best Seafood: Grilled Jalapeno-Lime Shrimp or Garlic Herb Salmon

4) Cracker Barrel: Breakfast is always a great option when eating out! Eggs, bacon, ham, sausage is all good Paleo-options.

Best Salad: Grilled Chicken N’ Fresh Vegetable Salad (just hold the corn relish and order olive oil and vinegar for a dressing)

Best Beef: 10oz Rib Eye Steak or the Grilled 8oz Sirloin Steak. The Hamburger Steak is also a great option.

Best Chicken: Grilled Chicken Tenderloins (make sure you specify you want them grilled)

Best Seafood: Grilled Rainbow Trout or the Grilled Catfish

5) P.F. Chang’s – I love P.F. Chang’s and they have lots of great options!

Best Starter: Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps or Egg Drop Soup

Best Beef: none I can recommend

Best Chicken: Quite a few chicken dishes are listed on their gluten-free menu: Moo Goo Gai Pan, Ginger Chicken with Broccoli, Philip’s Better Lemon Chicken, Chang’s Spicy Chicken, and Dali Chicken. I should note that just because they are on the gluten-free menu, does not mean they are 100% Paleo. They are however a much better choice.

Best Seafood: Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, Chang’s Lemon Scallops, Catonese Shrimp or Scallops, and Wild Alaskan Salmon Steamed with Ginger

6) Red Lobster

Best Salad: Cobb Salad or Bar Harbor Salad with your choice of meat and without croutons. Ask for olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Best Beef: Center-Cut NY Strip Steak -ask for your steak to be broiled without marinades or sauces

Best Chicken: most their chicken meals have sauces. You may request to have a broiled chicken without a sauce or marinade

Best Seafood: North Pacific King Crab Legs, Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Snow Crab Legs, and Live Maine Lobster – ask for all these dishes to be steamed and served with melted butter (make sure it’s real butter)

7) Chili’s

Best Salad: Dinner House Salad – ask for no croutons and olive oil and vinegar dressing

Best Beef: Cajun Ribeye, Guiltless Carne Asada Steak, Flame Grilled Ribeye, or the Classic Sirloin – ask for no savory steak butter as this contains gluten. If you want a burger, the Bacon Burger or the Old time Burger (ask for no bun or onion strings) are good choices and listed as being gluten-free.

Best Chicken: none I can recommended

Best Seafood: Guiltless Grilled Salmon or the Salmon with Garlic & Herbs

8) Cheesecake Factory

Best Salad: Cobb Salad, Herb-Crusted Salmon, or any of their Weight Management Salads. Make sure you ask for no crispy noodles, beans, corn, or cheese on them. Also order olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Best Beef: Grilled Rib-Eye Steak and Filet Mignon are good steak choices. You will need to ask for them to hold the onion rings andorder a salad or other veggie side dish.

Best Chicken: Weight Management Grilled Chicken or Grilled Chicken Medallions. Ask for no white rice but extra veggies instead.

Best Seafood: Fresh Grilled Salmon or Fresh Grilled Mahi Mahi

9) Jimmy John’s – this is one of my favorite places to eat out! Get the sandwich you want, avoiding cheese if you wish, and any other questionable sauces and have them make it “Unwich” style. They wrap the sandwich all up in a lettuce wrap and it’s still oh-so delish!

10) Moes & Chipotle – this is another place I love eating at. Tell them you want a burrito bowl and just pile on the meat, veggies, guacamole, and salsa! Chipotle also advertises that their meat is hormone free!

…seriously…stop stressing. Life is short.

Two-Minute Paleo Mug Brownie

January 18, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 40 Comments

I found this recipe online today and it looked sooooooo good. I wanted it soooo bad so I thought I would attempt to make a Paleo-version. The first I tried to make it, it tasted good but it was kinda oily and runny. This may have been because I didn’t use white flour…I used almond flour which has natural oils and doesn’t soak up liquid like white flour. I don’t know. Whatever the case may be, I tried again. This time, I used an egg, which the author was trying to avoid, but it came out great and hit the choco-G-spot.

Also, since I am learning how to take food pictures with my new camera, I used some of the author’s staging ideas for this recipe!

Two-Minute Mug Brownie

1/4 cup Almond Flour

1/8-1/4 cup Coconut Sugar

2 TB unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

2 TB of beaten egg

2 TB of coconut milk, coffee, or water

Directions:

Stir together your almond flour, coconut sugar, cocoa and a pinch of salt in a ramekin.

Stir in the egg and milk or coffee.

Stir it all together until you have a thick, chocolatey paste.

Microwave it for a minute. If you have a really powerful microwave you may want to check after 30 seconds. It’s done when it is puffed up and springy to the touch…but you still want it a little gooey – like a good brownie should be!

This makes one ramekin. You can eat it all yourself or you can share it! I was nice and shared it….this time!

***Don’t have coconut sugar???

Use 2 TB of honey or maple syrup and ONLY 1 TB of milk/coffee!!! ***

What the Heck is Kombucha?

January 17, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 76 Comments

Over on my Facebook page, I am always talking about Kombucha. I am a Kombucha addict. I love it. I love the taste, the smell, and the squishy SCOBY’s that I use to make the drink. It is my drink of choice.

I get so many messages and comments from people who have never heard of it. Well, here is my little bit of knowledge on the health benefits of Kombucha.

Kombucha is an ancient elixir that has a history of starting in China and, somehow, made it’s way over here to America. It is a sort of “tea” that is infused by fermentation with beneficial bacteria, probiotics, and yeast and is great for your gut and overall health. It is made from either using black or green tea, and some herbal teas, some sugar (which the yeast feeds on), and lots of patience.

The SCOBY (“symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast”) looks like a flat mushroom but solid and squishy. This SCOBY is actually alive and feeds on the white sugar that is in the tea. Wait, WHITE SUGAR?!?! Yes, plain old white sugar. It may be the only thing I buy white sugar for, but my SCOBY’s thrive on it. After fermentation, which usually takes around 7-10 days, the SCOBY is then taken out of the tea and the tea is then bottled and refrigerated and ready to drink! Or, you may choose to do a second fermentation which is just for a few more days. The purpose of the second fermentation is to create more “fizz” (Kombucha is naturally carbonated because of the fermentation) and, also, a time to add any kind of fruit flavorings that you may want to the tea. My flavoring of choice is Pom juice. I add a few ounces to every 16 ounce jar and it gives it a delicious taste.

Taste. What does it taste like? I get this question all the time and it’s really hard to describe the taste. To me it taste like something between a hard cider and champagne. But, no, Kombucha is not alcoholic.

Why do I drink it? Well, first of all, I’m cheap. I am a self-proclaimed cheapo and the cost of probiotics is just ridiculous. The cost to make a gallon of Kombucha is around $1! The cost to buy a 16 ounce bottle of Kombucha from a health food store is $4!!! The cost to buy a bottle of probiotics is $40! Hmmm, tough decision but I’ll stick with my cheap Kombucha!

How I make it:

Step One: Boil 2 quarts of water and add 3 family-size tea bags and 1 cup of white sugar. You can use organic sugar and organic tea if you would like, but it is not necessary.

Step Two: Once the tea is cooled (not hot, you could kill your SCOBY) add it to a gallon glass jar. Must be glass. Then add 2 more quarts of filtered water and 1 cup of starter liquid (which should have come with your new SCOBY).

Step Three: Cover the jar with a coffee filter or cloth and set aside to ferment for 7-10 days. Taste it every other day or so and you will learn about the process of how the SCOBY alters the taste.

Step Four: Take the SCOBY and the new baby that may have formed on the top of the liquid and put them aside.

Step Five: This is personal preference now, as I mentioned above. Either bottle it up and put the Kombucha in the fridge or do a second fermentation. I don’t do a second fermentation. I just bottle it up, add a few ounces of Pom juice to the bottles and put them in the fridge. Make sure you keep 1 cup of the Kombucha to put in the next batch. This is your starter liquid which will get the next batch going.

Step Six: Repeat steps 1-5 and drink up!

Where can I get Kombucha?

You can either buy Kombucha at health food stores, or you can easily make it yourself at home!

Click here to get Kombucha cultures to make at home.

***I’ve been told that you should start slow with drinking Kombucha because it is a natural detoxer. I started drinking a cup a day and then gradually increased it. I, now, drink about 32 ounces a day and enjoy every sip of it!***

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Jackie Ritz

Green (or Red) Chile Pork Taco-Salad

Why We Ditched Our iPhone’s

A Day Out in Downtown Savannah

The Paleo Mama’s Guide to Dining Out Paleo-style

Two-Minute Paleo Mug Brownie

What the Heck is Kombucha?

Where can I get Kombucha?

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