No More Colds For ME!!!

This fall and winter I have decided to really make a concerted effort to ward off viruses by giving my kids a homemade elderberry tincture.  So far it has been 100% successful, YAY!!!  I would usually have dealt with at least one or two rounds of something going through my family of six since September.  

I love the recipe from Deep Roots at Home (I used dried berries though) check out the incredibly easy recipe HERE.  If you are like me and have no idea how or where to get fresh berries you can look for them in your local herb store or order them at Mountain Rose Herbs for $4.25 for 4oz which should make plenty to get you through the cold/ flu season.

I do not make any money from these links, these are simply my opinions and recommendations, neither site has any idea that I am promoting them.

Pumpkin Curry + other fast and easy Asian flavor recipes

I will have to get pics later since I'm doing this a couple weeks since I made this but I'm due to make it again soon.

Pumpkin Curry:
Pumkin or similar squash
Coconut Milk
Curry
I bake a pumpkin, acorn squash or butternut squash & let it cool & then peel off the skin, scoop out the seeds & chop it into cubes. In a large pan I pour in a can or two of light coconut milk & add curry to taste, any curry will work, then I throw in the squash until heated through.  As a soup I usually add a little stock to thin it out a bit. Serve with Rice, Noodles, Flatbread, ...
This recipe is super versatile, you can add tons of other ingredients, Chicken, Tofu, Fish, Shrimp, Chickpeas, Lentils, Cilantro, Chiles, Peas, Asparagus, Beans, Bell Peppers, ...
You can also use canned pumpkin for a nice smooth sauce and of course it's faster.  ;-)

Chow Mein:
Chuka Soba noodles or Spaghetti
Shredded Cabbage, carrots, celery and onion or a precut bag of coleslaw
Any other veggies, meat or tofu you want to add
Soy sauce
Oil
Crunchy noodles &/or nuts(I like almonds or cashews)
Cook the noodles, drain, then add a couple tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a big skillet or stir fry pan and throw in the noodles and as much as you want of the veggies and soy sauce.Top with some sliced almonds or other typing of your choice.
This recipe is very versatile, you can use just about any veggies and meat you like and there are plenty of other sauces you can use for flavor, even just garlic and a some fresh cilantro is delish. 


Curry:
Tomato Sauce
Curry Spice
or
Yogurt, plain
Curry
Add any veggies and proteins you like:  potato, peas, carrot, chickpeas, chicken, tofu, fish, onion, cauliflower, bell pepper, lentils, cilantro, lime, coconut, cashews, ...
(Saag is a yogurt or cream curry with lots of Spinach)


Biryani:
Basmati or Jasmine Rice
Curry
Other ingredients
Biryani is a rice curry where you add the curry and other ingredients right into the rice.  My husbands favorite is a coconut cashew with golden raisins but there are as many variations as you can think of.  I recommend going to an Indian restaurant for inspiration.  :-)


StirFry:
Veggies
Oil
Flavor
Nothing is easier than a great stirfry!  Put a couple tablespoons of oil in a wok or large pan and when it's hot throw in your veggies and anything else you want.  It can be as simple as adding a bunch of garlic or soy sauce or you can buy or make up any number of sauces to add.  Some of my favorites are, cabbage with garlic, any frozen veggie mix, and broccoli with soy sauce.


Totally Feels Like You are Cheating Ramen:
Ramen Soup
Lots of veggies and anything else you want.
(I also cook the ramen and then drain the noodles before adding the spice packet and then add veggies and such and sometimes add plain yogurt or sour cream to make it creamy.)